Creighton and Hawaii

Influenza Still Packs a Punch

A Rebirth of Stoicism?

U N I V E R S I T Y M A G A Z I N E

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C O V E R S T O R Y

24 CREIGHTON’SHAWAII

CONNECTION Hawaiiranks in the top-10 amongthe states with the largestenrollment at Creighton.Creighton’s Eileen Wirth,Ph.D., writes about howthat connection wasformed and what has kept the bond so strong.

12 YOU CAN GOHOME AGAIN

The Rev. John P.Schlegel, S.J.,returned home to hisMidwestern rootsand the Universitywhere he began histeaching career morethan 31 years ago.Writer Bob Reillyprofiles CreightonUniversity’s 23rdpresident.

Right: Fr. Schlegeltalks with Creightonstudents Mike Soucieand StephanieAduloju.

Cover photo by Monte Kruse, BA’83

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28 INFLUENZA STILL HOLDS SWAY The fluvirus is nothing to sneeze at, resulting in

between 10,000 to 20,000 deaths annually in the UnitedStates. Writer Cynthia Furlong Reynolds takes a closerlook at influenza and talks with Creighton researcherson how we can best protect ourselves from the flu.

34 THE REBIRTH OF STOICISM?Creighton’s William O. Stephens, Ph.D.,

examines how the ancient philosopher Epictetusand Stoic thought have found a place in popularculture with the release of Tom Wolfe’s best-seller A Man in Full and the Hollywood block-buster Gladiator.

4-5 • LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

6-11 • U N I V E R S I T Y N E W S

7 • ALZHEIMER’S CENTER A newAlzheimer’s Center opens onCreighton’s campus, establishedby renowned neurologist PatricioReyes, M.D.

9 • NATIVE AMERICAN ENROLLMENTCreighton enrolls a record number of NativeAmerican students by offering a welcomingenvironment.

40-53 • A L U M N I N E W S

41 • KEEPING THE FAITH IN BOSNIACreighton alumnus Sam Novak,DDS’57, and his wife, Elizabeth,provide relief to this war-tornregion.

45 • HEADING A HOSPITALCreighton alumna BarbaraGoodrich, BSN’79, MS (NSG)’91,is the top executive at Omaha’sImmanuel Medical Center.

54 • DEVELOPMENT NEWS

55 • T H E L A S T W O R D

51 • MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN MADAGASCARCreighton pathologist Chhanda Bewtra,M.D., spent a memorable summer on this island nation off the coast of Africa, providing pathology services and training in a country where many consider anatom-ical dissections taboo.

CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE’S PURPOSECreighton University Magazine, like the University itself, is committed to

excellence and dedicated to the pursuit of truth in all its forms. The maga-zine will be comprehensive in nature. It will support the University’s mis-sion of education through thoughtful and compelling feature articles on avariety of topics. It will feature the brightest, the most stimulating, the mostinspirational thinking that Creighton offers. The magazine also will promoteCreighton, and its Jesuit Catholic identity, to a broad public and serve as avital link between the University and its constituents. The magazine will beguided by the core values of Creighton: the inalienable worth of each indi-vidual, respect for all of God’s creation, a special concern for the poor, andthe promotion of justice.

4 WINTER 2000

REMEMBERING FATHER KELLEYThank you for the touching portrayal of Fr. William F. Kelley,

S.J., (Creighton University Magazine, Fall 2000). My parents, thelate Dr. Leo R., BA’24, MA’25, and Grace Harlan Kennedy,Arts’31, and I were privileged to have Fr. Kelley as a dear andclose friend for the many years he was at Creighton. We

will never see his likes, again. God bless his Irish soul.

Paula Kennedy, BS’57, Omaha

Congratulations to Bob Reilly for thegreat article on Fr. Kelley and for starting itearly enough to be able to do the extensiveresearch it required. The many pictureshelped a lot. I knew Fr. Kelley for only afew of his years and, since the mid-50s,have seen him only at great intervals. I

have always admired and respected him. I don’t get to Omahavery often anymore, but I will always remember the last visit.Busy as he was, Fr. Kelley took the time to take me, my wife andour son on a tour of the campus to show us the many changesthat had occurred in recent years.

Jack Englund, BS’49, Arts (Math) Faculty 1951-56,Bethesda, Md.

“Remembering Father Kelley” was a nice tribute by Bob Reilly.However, we are 1951 graduates of the College of Arts andSciences. The dean’s signature on our diplomas is that of John C.Choppesky, S.J. Reilly’s article fails to mention Fr. Choppesky asone of those from Kelley’s era at the Seminary who served at CU.(Choppesky is pictured in the class composite.) Just curious.

Phil, BS’51, and Mary L. Ryan Gauthier,BS’51, Arvada, Colo.

Editor’s note: You are correct. Fr. Choppesky was a member of Fr. Kelley’s 1944 ordination class and served as dean of Creighton’sCollege of Arts and Sciences from 1948-51. We apologize for the oversight. Fr. Choppesky now resides at Fusz Pavilion JesuitCommunity in St. Louis.

SOUNDING OFF ON ‘JUNK JOURNALISM’Mary Kay Shanley’s article “Junk Journalism” (Fall 2000) was

great! As a writer on controversial topics, I can see how we

reached an age of no-news-but-sensationalism. Reporters andjournalists started to opine and editorialize in their stories tosuch an extent, they soon succumbed to and became dependentupon the many propaganda engines from government to advoca-cy groups. The more blatant the advocacy and editorializingbecame, the more the public was turned off. Eventually, newsbecame synonymous with propaganda and much of the publichas rejected most news media. The result is the O.J. Simpson tri-al, which was a complete news blackout, a democratized form ofself-censorship. Reporters and journalists can no longer criticizeor ask critical questions of government, unless some other gov-ernment authority has done it first. The INS raid of EliánGonzález violated the United States Constitution and shouldhave shed light on immigration policies and the paramilitaryactions of federal agencies. Constitutional lawyers AlanDershowitz and Lawrence Tribe both criticized the federal gov-ernment but received little coverage. The problem extends toanything touched by politics, including science. The Americanpublic, regardless of what is said about HIV and AIDS, has dis-missed it as a “gay man’s disease” simply because the vastmajority of people dying of AIDS are gay men. When SouthAfrican President Thabo Mbeki was told AIDS was being spreadby heterosexual activity in Africa, he questioned whether HIVcauses AIDS and cited Dr. Peter Duesberg and other critics of thecause of AIDS. The media chose to dismiss Mbeki and even wentas far as to trash the critics. Recently, the Danforth report, a gov-ernment report concerning the use of federal forces in Waco,exonerated the government and its actions against the BranchDavidians. If any reporter dares ask, “Since when can any gov-ernment use tanks against civilians and get away with it?” theywill be attacked as being a paranoid conspiracy-theorist, right-winger. So much for open minds and objectivity!

Andrew L. Sullivan, BA’89, Omaha

Letters to the Editor can be e-mailed to Editor Rick Davis at rcd@creighton.edu, faxed to (402) 280-2549, or mailed toCreighton University Magazine, 2500 California Plaza,Omaha, NE 68178. Letters may be edited, primarily to conform to space limitations. Please include your name,city, state, year of graduation (if applicable) and telephone number on all letters.

L E T T E R S

Publisher: Creighton University; Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J., President; Michael E. Leighton, Vice President for University Relations. CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE staff:Stephen T. Kline, Executive Editor; Rick Davis, Editor; Sheila Swanson, Associate Editor; Pamela A. Vaughn, Associate Editor. Editorial Advisors: Charles J. Dougherty, Ph.D.;

Kathryn Kersenbrock Bertolini; M. Roy Wilson, M.D.; Mark Huber; Diane Dougherty; Rev. Donald A. Doll, S.J.; Ruth Purtilo, Ph.D.; Valda Ford; Tamara Buffalohead-McGill; and Therese Vaughn.

Creighton University Magazine (USPS728-070) is published quarterly in February, May, August and November by Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178-0001. Periodicals postage paid at Omaha, Nebraska, and additional entry points. Address all mail to Public Relations and Information,

Omaha, NE 68178. Postmaster: Send change of address to Creighton University Magazine, P.O. Box 3266, Omaha, NE 68103-0078.

COPYRIGHT © 2000 BY CREIGHTON UNIVERSITYRECYCLED

AND RECYCLABLE

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I chanced to come upon the Fall 2000 issue of CreightonMagazine here at work, and I read the article on “JunkJournalism.” I would like to suggest a different perspective. Mythought is that, with few exceptions, journalists are not taughthow to think clearly about politics. Almost 30 years ago, I gradu-ated from Notre Dame with a major in political theory. I learnedthat it takes real intellectual work to understand political theory.But I have not found a single journalism graduate from any-where, in the intervening years, who has any education what-soever in political theory. Journalism graduates are notintellectually equipped to understand the most important storiesthat they are called upon to cover. I do not say that they are notmentally equipped, but that their education is, in every case I’m

familiar with, seriously deficient in the principles of politi-cal theory. People

take doctorateson questionslike, “In whatdoes the juststate consist? Isaffirmative actionmoral? May statescompel compli-ance in X,Y,Z? Isthe individual thebasis of the state?

Is the U.S. a moral state? Is the U.S. justice system a justice sys-tem or merely a legal system? What should be the parameters ofa just tax? Who rightly decides what children shall be taught?What do we mean by ‘the common good’? Who decides wherelies the line of separation between Church and State? Is the cur-rent state monopoly in education moral?” And so on. But jour-nalists toss off or accept glib answers to such questions withessentially no education in the matter. I would require each jour-nalism student to take two or three semesters on the history ofpolitical theory, so that their questions and editorials can be well-considered. It would improve the public discourse wheneverpoliticians faced informed students of political theory and notmerely opinionated students of politics. In fact, I might go fur-ther and relegate journalism to the status of a “minor” curricu-lum only, not sufficient for graduation. If I am not wrong, theEuropean tradition has been to take their journalists from thepools of liberal arts graduates. I don’t know of many j-schools inEurope. And I think the level of public discourse is the better forit. My skin crawls when journalists traffic in questions or obser-vations or responses that could not survive a rigorous course inbasic political theory. Just as one cannot get a medical educationby reading the labels of herb and mineral bottles, so too one can-not obtain an understanding of politics by studying the opinionsof the uninformed.

Dennis Larkin, Bellevue, Neb.

OPPOSE THE DEATH PENALTYSupport Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns by expressing your con-

cerns about the death penalty. The governor upholds the law ofthe state, so it is up to us Catholic-Christians to champion life byopposing the death penalty. Our pope, bishops and clergy aresteadfast in the Catholic stand on this issue. Can we supportthem and thus send a message to the governor? A Catholic mother in Columbus, Ohio, refused to ask for the death penaltyfor the murderers of her son. She said, “That (Heaven-EternalHappiness) is our Creator’s purpose, and we, His creatures, haveno right to deny one of our brothers or sisters every chance possible to do just that: To save his or her soul.”

Michael J. Sharkey, BSBA’72, Columbus, Ohio

KUDOSJust a note to commend you on a stellar issue. The Fr. Kelley

piece was a jewel. The “Junk Journalism” article and HughTinley’s remembrance were other standouts. Of course, myfriend Dr. Ross Horning never ceases to amaze me with hisvision and writing skills. Thanks, too, for the item on BettyShrier’s and my book, A Gentle Shepherd.

Bill Ramsey, BS’55, Omaha

L E T T E R S

Roger Aikin, Ph.D., associate professor of art history,captured the “beauty, glory, nostalgia, tawdriness, sadnessand heartbreak of Rome” in his exhibit titled, ROME. Aikinrecently spent a one-year sabbatical photographing theAmerican West and Rome. “It was the best and most pro-ductive sabbatical I’ve ever had,” Aikin said. His ROMEexhibit was displayed in the Creighton University LiedEducation Center for the Arts art gallery earlier this year.

IMAGES OF ROME

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CU RANKED NO. 1FOR FIFTH

STRAIGHT YEARFor the fifth year in a row,

U.S. News & World Reportmagazine has rankedCreighton University No. 1

among Midwestcomprehensiveuniversities in its“America’s BestColleges” edi-tion. This is the14th straight

year Creightonwas listed among the nation’sbest colleges in the maga-zine’s annual quality rankings.

U.S. News bases its regionaluniversity rankings on aca-demic reputation, graduationand retention rates, facultyresources, student selectivity,financial resources and

alumni giving. U.S. Newsevaluated more than 500regional universities in rank-ing the top 10 in each of thefour geographic regions.

The rankings are available onthe Web at www.usnews.com.

AWARD GOES TO CREIGHTON PSYCHIATRIST

Creighton’s SubhashBhatia, M.D., an associateprofessor in the Departmentof Psychiatry, was honoredthis past May as one of 52psychiatrists receiving theNational Alliance for theMentally Ill’s 2000 ExemplaryPsychiatrists Award. Thisaward, presented since 1991,recognizes psychiatrists whohave made substantial contri-butions in clinical care, publiceducation or advocacy efforts.

CREIGHTONRECEIVES $27.6

MILLION IN GRANTS Creighton University

received $27.6 million inexternally sponsored grantsfor research and educationalprojects in 1999-2000, a 7 per-cent increase over last year.Federal sources accounted for45 percent of the funds re-ceived, while 26 percent camefrom foundations and associ-ations, 22 percent from indus-tries and corporations, and 7 percent from the state. TheSchool of Medicine receivedthe most grants, 585, for atotal of nearly $20 million.

DENTAL X-RAYCOMES TO

ILAC CENTERThanks to a $3,000 joint gift

from the School of Dentistry

More than 650 alumni and friends attended the School of Law’s Reunion Dinneron Sept. 28. The event was held at the Strategic Air Command Museum. U.S.

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy delivered the keynote address at thedinner. He also spent time with Creighton law students (pictured above).

JUSTICE KENNEDY SPEAKS AT LAW SCHOOL DINNER, VISITS WITH STUDENTS

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and its alumni, a dental X-raymachine has been purchasedfor the Institute for LatinAmerican Concern (ILAC)Center in the DominicanRepublic. The machine will beplaced in the Center’s dentaloperatory, which has been inexistence for two years. The X-ray machine allows Creightonstudents, faculty and alumniparticipating in the ILAC pro-gram to provide greater com-prehensive dental care toneedy Dominicans.

STEFANIAK’S STORYINCLUDED INANTHOLOGY

Mary Helen Stefaniak, Ph.D.,assistant professor of English,authored a short story whichappears as the lead story in theanthology, New Stories from theSouth: The Year’s Best, 2000.Stefaniak’s story is titled, “ANote to Biographers RegardingFamous Author FlanneryO’Connor.”

JAMES CENTERACQUIRES

TREASURESThe Center for Henry James

Studies’ director, GregZacharias, Ph.D., associate pro-fessor of English, has beenentrusted with a number offamily papers and other itemsfrom the James family. Thepapers have been made avail-able for scholarly use for thefirst time. The archive includesoriginal letters by Henry andWilliam James, a family book, acasting of his death mask andfamily photographs. Onceinventoried, the James familypapers will be archived in theReinert Alumni MemorialLibrary’s Rare Book Room.

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Omaha’s health care horizon hasexpanded with the latest addition of the new Center for Aging, Alzheimer’sDisease and Neurodegenerative Disorders.The Center was established by renownedneurologist, PatricioReyes, M.D., and fundedby the Creighton School ofMedicine.

Reyes joinedCreighton’s faculty inAugust with the hopes of creating an acclaimedcenter for research of thebrain and neurodegenera-tive diseases. The Centerwill study how environ-mental factors and geneticfactors affect the brain.Reyes’ primary focus is toprovide first-class indigent care to theOmaha community. Among his manyaccomplishments, Reyes established aresearch center at the Thomas JeffersonUniversity in Philadelphia, helped to create and test some ground-breakingAlzheimer’s drugs such as Exelon and testified in Congress in support of brainresearch funding.

According to the Alzheimer’sAssociation, one in 10 people over 65 and nearly half of those over 85 haveAlzheimer’s disease. Today, 4 millionAmericans have Alzheimer’s disease.

Unless a cure or preventionis found, that number willjump to 14 millionAmericans afflicted by theyear 2050. Worldwide, it isestimated that 22 millionindividuals will developAlzheimer’s disease by theyear 2025. Caregivers alsoare affected by this disease.In a national survey, 19 mil-lion Americans said theyhave a family member withAlzheimer’s disease, and 37million said they knew

someone with the disease.Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease

include: memory loss that affects job skills;difficulty performing familiar tasks; prob-lems with language; disorientation to timeand place; poor or decreased judgment;problems with abstract thinking; misplacingthings; changes in mood or behavior;changes in personality; and loss of initiative.

NEW ALZHEIMER’S CENTER OPENS AT CREIGHTON

Reyes

The School of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions at Creighton University isteaming up with the United States HealthService to provide clinical pharmacy trainingfor students.

The agreement, which became effective atthe beginning of the fall 2000 semester, allowsstudents in the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)program at Creighton a chance to expand theirclinical education experiences with additionalpharmacy practice sites provided by the U.S.Public Health Service.

Creighton University is one of the few insti-tutions in the country to have this type of for-mal contract with the U.S. Public Health

Service, according to Sid Stohs, Ph.D., dean ofthe School of Pharmacy and Allied HealthProfessions.

“We are tremendously enthusiastic about theopportunity to provide and develop clinicalpharmacy training for students all across thecountry utilizing the resources and educationalopportunities of the U.S. Public HealthService,” Stohs said.

“It is a distinct advantage for us because itprovides preferential entry to clinical educationsites from coast to coast in connection with theU.S. Public Health Service and its instructionalprogram in clinical pharmacy practice,” Stohsadded.

SCHOOL OF PHARMACY AND ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS SIGNSAGREEMENT WITH THE U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

JUNG RECEIVESNATIONAL AWARD

Larry Jung, Ph.D., directorof pediatric rheumatology atCreighton University andChildren’s Hospital inOmaha, has been awardedthe Earl Brewer Award forPhysician Leadership pre-sented by the AmericanJuvenile ArthritisOrganization.

According to the ArthritisFoundation, there are nearly300,000 children in Americawith some form of arthritis orrheumatic disease today.There are 8.4 million youngadults between the ages of18-44 who have arthritis andmillions of others at risk fordeveloping it.

This award is presented toa physician who has fostereda reputation for excellence inhis or her field; developed anapproach or strategy inresearch and service in pedi-atric rheumatology that isconsidered a model approachor system by his or her peers,can be replicated by otherprofessionals and that hashad an impact on his or herlocal care system; and hasbeen involved with patientcare and been an advocate for children with rheumaticdiseases.

Jung came to Creighton in1996 and has established apediatric rheumatology refer-ral service throughout theupper Midwest. His laborato-ry research focuses on block-ing T lymphocyte response inchildren with autoimmunediseases in order to controlinflammation.

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8 WINTER 2000

Creighton University’sCollege of Arts and Scienceshas received a $150,000 grantfrom the William and FloraHewlett Foundation to sup-port a three-year facultydevelopment initiative in ser-vice learning. Creighton willprovide $115,000 in matchingfunds for the faculty develop-ment initiative. Included inthe initiative is a 10-dayimmersion experience for faculty in the DominicanRepublic.

“We believe our programwill bring elements ofCreighton’s mission moreclearly into the realm of aca-demic conversations and dis-cussions that take place inCreighton’s classrooms,” said

the Rev. Albert Agresti, S.J.,dean of Creighton’s Collegeof Arts and Sciences.

Donna Pawlowski, Ph.D.,associate professor of com-munication studies, has beenappointed the academic ser-vice learning coordinator. She will head the programand facilitate the first semi-nar, What is Service Learningand Why at Creighton? She also will facilitate thefourth and final seminar,Curriculum Implementationof Service Learning.

The grant from the HewlettFoundation allows for 10 fac-ulty per year to participate inthe three-year service learn-ing initiative. Faculty fromthe College of Arts and

Barbara Braden, Ph.D.,BSN’73, dean of Creighton’sGraduate School, was selectedby the Division of Nursing,School of Education, NewYork University (NYU), toreceive the 2000 Maes-MacInnes Award. Braden received

the award at aceremony atNYU on Nov. 9.

The award rec-ognizes an indi-vidual for anoutstanding con-tribution which

has made a singular impact onthe nursing profession. Bradenwas honored for her work inpressure ulcer care. In themid-1980s, Braden developedthe Braden Scale — a screen-ing tool used by nursing pro-fessionals to help in pressureulcer prevention. The Braden

Scale is now in use on everycontinent in the world and hasbeen translated into multiplelanguages. The Agency forHealth Care Policy andResearch recommends its usein the U.S. for supporting andimproving nursing practices.

The Maes-Mac Innes Awardis named for Robert Maes andViola Mac Innes, past presi-dent and secretary respective-ly, of the IndependenceFoundation. Their vision andcommitment to nursingencouraged the Foundation togive the single largest gift toacademic nursing through theestablishment of 10 endowedchairs in nursing in privatecolleges and universities. Inaddition to the endowed pro-fessorships, the Foundationalso gave scholarship gifts forgraduate students.

CU RECEIVES HEWLETT GRANT TO DEVELOP SERVICE LEARNING INITIATIVE

Robert H. Moorman, Ph.D., has been named the holderof the Robert B. Daugherty Chair in Management.Moorman is an associate professor of management in theCollege of Business Administration.

The Robert B. Daugherty Chair honors Omaha nativeRobert B. Daugherty, founder of Valmont Industries, Inc.,

and a former member of the CreightonUniversity Board of Directors. Daughertywas widely respected for his many con-tributions as a business and civic leader.In 1988, Creighton University conferredupon him its highest non-academic hon-or, the Manresa Medal.

Moorman joined the College ofBusiness Administration faculty in the fall

of 1999. Prior to his position at Creighton, he was an assis-tant professor of management and then an associate pro-fessor of management at West Virginia University.

At Creighton, Moorman teaches management and lead-ership courses in both the undergraduate and graduateprograms including human resource management andentrepreneurship. He also teaches a leadership seminar,examining the philosophies and approaches of influentialleaders of the 20th century. He also is developing a highlyinnovative leadership scholars program, which he willdirect as part of his responsibilities as the holder of theDaugherty Chair.

MOORMAN NAMED AS HOLDER OF DAUGHERTY CHAIR

Sciences will be given firstconsideration, and facultyfrom other academic units atCreighton can participate asplaces and funds allow.

While campus culture andservice in the local communityare the main focus of the ser-vice learning initiative, itincludes opportunities for ser-vice learning in a national con-text through Spring Breakservice trips and a global con-text through a service learningsemester in Creighton’sSemestre Dominicano in theDominican Republic.

Currently there are fivecourses offered in the Collegeof Arts and Sciences that fea-ture service as part of therequirements. Dean Agrestihopes that this initiative willhelp increase that number tomore than 20 by the 2003-2004academic year.

“By raising faculty aware-ness through this project wehope that they will come tosee the possibilities and valuethat service learning may pro-vide them in their teachingand research agendas,”Agresti said.

BRADEN ACCEPTS AWARD

Moorman

Braden

Creighton University welcomed a record 13 Native Americanfreshman students to campus this fall, boosting overall NativeAmerican undergraduate enrollment to an all-time high of 38students.

Tami Buffalohead-McGill, Creighton’s coordinator of multi-cultural student services, credits the increase to an active studentNative American Association and Creighton’s annual NativeAmerican Retreat — which draws Native American high schoolstudents nationwide to campus eachspring for three days.

“It’s an amazing program,”Buffalohead-McGill said. “We’re the onlyone in the United States doing somethinglike this.”

Started in 1997, the retreat annuallybrings to campus some 50 to 70 NativeAmerican students in grades ninethrough 12. Interested students arerequired to complete an application andan essay. They are selected for the pro-gram by their schools.

This past summer, retreat participantscame from New Mexico, Wyoming,Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa and SouthDakota. Interest among students is high.Tohajiilee High School on the CanoncitoReservation near Albuquerque, N.M., forexample, had more than 100 studentssubmit applications. The school selected six to attend the retreat.

Creighton provides lodging, meals and activities. The stu-dents, however, must pay their own way to Omaha.Buffalohead-McGill said many schools hold fund-raisers for theirstudents. The Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation innorthwest Wyoming paid to fly two of its students to the retreat— at a cost of about $300 per student.

“We have no problem getting students to come to the pro-gram,” Buffalohead-McGill said. She tries to limit enrollment toabout 60, to ensure that students receive enough individualattention. Students must be accompanied by a chaperone, usual-ly someone from their school or a parent.

Once on campus, they live in the student residence halls.They meet with Creighton’s Native American students. They listen to motivational talks by successful Native Americans,encouraging them to continue their education. (This past sum-mer, for example, Creighton alumnus George Blue-Spruce,DDS’56, a former U.S. Assistant Surgeon General, addressed thestudents.) They learn about preparing for college, from applyingfor financial aid and scholarships to sharpening study skills, andthey get a taste of the college experience.

“This is as close as going to college as it gets, without having

to go to class,” Buffalohead-McGill said. “We try to give themthe tools to make it in college.”

One of the highlights is a hands-on career unit, which exposesstudents to a variety of fields they may not have thought ofexploring. This section is designed to be fun and engaging. Thispast summer, for example, students performed check-ups on amock patient with the help of Creighton medical students, madeBenGay-like ointments with pharmacy students, and handled a

dentist’s drill under the direction of Creighton dental students.“Often, students on Reservations are not exposed to these dif-

ferent careers,” Buffalohead-McGill said. “We’ve had activities ineducation, the arts, English and computers. They get to see arange of options.”

Buffalohead-McGill said the retreats have had a “definiteimpact” on Native American enrollment at Creighton. MoreNative Americans are applying to Creighton than ever before.While only eight Native Americans applied in 1991, applicationscontinued to rise through the ’90s to a record 45 in 2000.

Buffalohead-McGill said that, in addition to the retreat, thestudents involved in the Native American Association at Creightonhave played a large role in the recent jump in applications.

“They have taken recruitment into their own hands,”Buffalohead-McGill said. “They took it on as one of their goals asan association.”

The students speak at their local high schools, write letters tointerested students and encourage their friends and family tolook into Creighton.

With a record number of Native Americans — from 11 differ-ent tribal nations — now studying at Creighton, the results speakfor themselves.

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WINTER 2000 9

NATIVE AMERICAN ENROLLMENT SETS RECORD

Pictured above are eight of the 38 Native American stu-dents enrolled at Creighton for the 2000-01 year. Fromleft (front), Jesse Thunder Hawk, Rosette Stabler, TetonaDunlap; (back) Paul High Horse, Nakina Mills, ShellyWounded Shield, Candice Shockley and Nancy Kelsey.

A look at the freshmenOf the 13 Native

American freshmen atCreighton, seven are fromReservations. “It’s harderfor students to leave theReservation because it’ssuch a culture shock,” saidTami Buffalohead-McGill ofCreighton’s multiculturaloffice. The students repre-sent six different tribes andcome to Creighton fromSouth Dakota, Wyoming,Nebraska, Ohio, Missouriand Oklahoma.

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10 WINTER 2000

School of LawThomas C. Riley,

JD’75, received the Schoolof Law’s Alumni MeritAward on Sept. 28.

Born and raised inChicopee, Mass., Rileyreceived his undergraduate

degreefrom St.Michael’sCollege inWinooski,Vt., in1972. Hereceivedhis juris

doctor degree fromCreighton in 1975. Upongraduation, he became anassistant public defenderfor the Douglas County(Neb.) court system, han-dling misdemeanors andfelonies. Now, 25 years lat-er, Riley handles the mostserious crimes, includingfirst-degree murder cases,and oversees the operationof the office as chief publicdefender.

Riley has served asboard president for theCriminal DefenseAttorneys Association and is the chairman of thePractice and ProcedureCommittee of the NebraskaState Bar Association. Healso is a member of theNational Association ofCriminal Defense Lawyersand the Omaha BarAssociation and has beenadmitted to practice in theUnited States SupremeCourt.

Each spring, Riley

teaches the very popular“Defense of CriminalCases” class to Creightonlaw students. He passes onto the students the tech-niques, strategies and per-sonal values that have madehim a great public defender.

Riley and his wife, theformer Marcia LynnBrennan, a 1976 Creightonalumna, have eight chil-dren. In his spare time,Riley enjoys playing thebanjo, mandolin and guitarwith the Celtic group TheTurfmen.

School of MedicineJoseph Robert Cali,

MD’61, received theAlumni Merit Award fromthe School of Medicine onOct. 6.

Cali received his bache-lor’s degree at ColumbiaUniversity in 1956 and hismedicaldegree atCreightonin 1961.Followinghis intern-ship andresidency,he earned aBronze Star while servingin the United States mili-tary during the VietnamWar.

Currently, he is directorof surgery at MercyMedical Center in RockvilleCentre, N.Y. Since 1968, hehas served there as directorof surgical education, head of vascular surgeryand trauma, president of

the professional staff andmember of the board oftrustees. He founded and ispresident of the corporationthat staffs the emergencyroom. In 1990, MercyMedical honored him withthe Theodore Roosevelt Award for outstanding service.

Area hospitals have ben-efitted from his contribu-tions, most notably NassauCounty Medical Center. He served as president ofthe largest chapter of theAmerican College ofSurgeons and was electedto the Nassau Academy of Medicine.

Cali has served twoterms on the CreightonUniversity medical alumniadvisory board, and aschair of the medical alumnireunion weekend. He andhis wife, Karlene, are charter members of theEdward and Mary LucretiaCreighton Society and haveheld leadership roles in sev-eral Creighton capital cam-paigns. They have sevenchildren; four are Creightonalumni.

School of Pharmacy andAllied Health ProfessionsLester L. Carter Jr.,

BSPha’58, R.Ph., receivedthe School of Pharmacy andAllied Health Professions’Alumni Merit Award onOct. 13.

Carter received his bach-elor of science in pharmacyfrom Creighton in 1958.Carter and his wife, Irene,

have owned and operatedCarter Drug Store for morethan 30 years where he hasserved as the health carefocus of his minority community in Milwaukee,Wis. Carter Drug is thecity’s onlyblack-owneddrugstoreand theonly inde-pendentpharmacywithin a 30-to 40-mile radius.

Through his devotion toa healthy lifestyle, Carterhas been an advocate ofnatural and traditionalmedicine to benefit thecommunity he serves.Because of his concern formedical issues facing theAfrican-American commu-nity, he has become a certi-fied diabetes educator andan expert in herbology andpharmacognosy. Carter hasused this knowledge to healand educate his communityon issues ranging from dia-betes to healthy eatinghabits and positivelifestyles.

Carter has received anumber of awards in recognition of his commu-nity service and service tothe City of Milwaukee. Inrecognition of the Carters’lifelong relationship withtheir community, the may-or proclaimed Nov. 7, 1991,as “Lester and Irene CarterDay” in Milwaukee.

GRADUATES HONORED WITH ALUMNI MERIT AWARDS

Riley

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U N I V E R S I T Y N E W S

WINTER 2000 11

The Rev. Ernesto Travieso, S.J., received an Outstanding Civic Service RecognitionAward this past July from the United States Embassy in the Dominican Republicfor his 28 years of service as executive director of Creighton’s Institute for LatinAmerican Concern (ILAC) in Santiago. Through Creighton’s ILAC programs, stu-dents have attended to the health care, rural development and educational needsof the country’s poor. The photo above was taken after Fr. Travieso celebrated

Mass at Las Lagunas, Dominican Republic.

ILAC DIRECTOR RECEIVES AWARD

Dentists, Registered Nurses, Physicians and PharmacistsThe Institute for Latin American Concern (ILAC) is looking for dentists, registered nurs-

es, physicians and pharmacists who are interested in working with Creighton students inrural villages of the Dominican Republic during the 2001 Summer Program. Two differenttwo-week sessions are available: June 30-July 15 and/or July 13-29.

Physical TherapistsILAC also is recruiting physical therapists to live in the city of Santiago, Dominican

Republic, and work with Creighton students for two weeks. The program sessions are:March 24-April 7 and/or April 7-21.

Occupational TherapistsOccupational therapists are needed for two-week increments to work with students at

facilities in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Program sessions are: May 14-26 and/or May 25-June 9.

Professionals interested in ILAC’s Summer, PT and OT Programs may write or call theILAC Office for additional information and an application: ILAC/Creighton University,2500 California Plaza, Criss III, Room 153, Omaha, NE 68178; phone, (402) 280-3179 or 1-800-343-3645. The application deadline for all programs is Jan. 1, 2001.

JUSTICE THOMAS TO TEACH LAW

SEMINARU.S. Supreme Court Justice

Clarence Thomas will teach atwo-week constitutional lawseminar at the CreightonUniversity School of Law inFebruary with Michael Fenner,professor of law. Each willteach one week of the seminarentitled “Supreme CourtSeminar.” Forty law schoolstudents will participate inthis one-credit hour offering.

Justice Thomas is marriedto Virginia (Lamp) Thomas,BA’79, JD’83.

UNIVERSITIESLAUNCH

UPCMD.COMSix universities launched

a new Internet service atUPCMD.COM to providemedical information to health-care professionals.

UPCMD.COM is up andrunning with its first product,“Disease Diagnosis,” whichhas about 15,000 pages of orig-inal material created specifi-cally for the Web to providerapid access to informationabout diagnostic medical test-ing and the diseases them-selves.

The new Internet service isprovided by UniversityPathology Consortium, LLC.The consortium was formedand is directed by personnel at Creighton University,Stanford University, theUniversity of California atDavis, the University ofCalifornia at San Francisco,the University of IowaResearch Foundation and theUniversity of SouthernCalifornia.

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ILAC VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR SERVICE IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Like novelist Thomas Wolfe,Creighton’s new president, the

Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J., wonderedfor a while if he could really gohome again. Yet, from the outset,he’s behaved like an alumnus atreunion time.

For Schlegel, this deja vuappointment involved familiar

territory. He began his teachingcareer in Creighton’s political sci-ence department more than 31years ago.

“My contentment probably allgoes back to that memorable year of1969,” Schlegel said, “when I was avery young Jesuit scholasticassigned to Creighton. That year

had a huge impact on me. The fac-ulty, the students. Among those stu-dents were Mike Leighton (nowCU’s vice president for universityrelations) and Greg Jahn (the Uni-versity’s general counsel).”

Leighton remembers his mentoras energetic, articulate and kind.

“He was one of my best

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By Bob Reilly

Creighton University President the Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J., chats with students on the steps of St. John’s Church. Pictured clockwise, from bottom left, are: Ryan Zabrowski, Stephanie Aduloju,

Kurt Morrison, Fr. Schlegel, Andrew Cleary, Didi Omiyi, Mike Soucie and Kanyon Boyd.

teachers,” Leighton said. “He knewhis stuff and he engaged his class,encouraging participation. We wereclose enough in age, Father Schlegeland I, that, for the first time, I had ateacher who was also a friend.”

1969 seems a long time ago,when astronauts first walked on the moon and Woodstock attracted400,000 devotees. At Creighton,friends were mourning the death ofthe University’s 20th president, theRev. Henry W. Linn, S.J. A lot hashappened in the country and on the Hilltop since then.

And a lot happened in the life ofSchlegel, who rose from Creightoninstructor to president of the Uni-versity of San Francisco with a fewadministrative stops along the way.

Both journalists and colleaguesspeculated on why anyone wouldvacate the shores of San FranciscoBay for the banks of the MissouriRiver. When the invitation tomigrate came late in 1999, Schlegeladmits the decision wasn’t easy —even though the move fulfilled along-held dream for Creighton’s23rd president.

“I’d made a lot of friends in California,” he explained. “I lovedSan Francisco — the scenery, theculture, the restaurants. But I alsolove Omaha in its own way, and Iadmire how Jesuit education islived here. Even the food is familiar.Walking into the Jesuit dining roomis like stepping back into my grand-mother’s kitchen.”

Associates at USF, where Schlegelhad presided for nine years, urgedhim to remain a little longer, to relaxand to savor the fruits of his busytenure. He declined.

“Perhaps I was restless,” he said.It was more than that. Schlegel’s

well-publicized escape clause in hisCalifornia contract was never

committed to paper, but a succes-sion of board chairmen at USFacknowledged a verbal understand-ing that, if Creighton Universityever beckoned, he would be free toaccept.

Besides his ties to this Midwest-ern hilltop, Schlegel also had the

attraction of his Iowa roots, anexperience he credits for exposinghim to a solid value system and creating his love for the outdoors.

Born in Dubuque in 1943, one ofsix children of a truck driver and hiswife, John Schlegel was no strangerto hard work. On his grandfather’s

farm, he slopped hogs, milked dairycows and detassled corn in thosepostwar years. In Dubuque’s moreurban environment, he kept busydelivering papers, waiting tablesand busing restaurant dishes. But itwasn’t all work.

“We lived in a wonderful neigh-borhood growing up, with lots ofkids. Those were simpler times inthe ‘50s and ‘60s. We played ‘kickthe can’ and ‘hide and seek’ and avariety of games on the nearbycliffs.”

Schlegel’s father, who drove theDubuque-Chicago route, died somethree years ago, but his motherstays involved with her Jesuit son’slife and accompanied him on a rela-tively recent trip to Italy. His fivesiblings, all college graduates, arespread from Dubuque to Dallas andfrom Milwaukee and Toledo to Tuc-son. Three of them are in education.

Schlegel’s formal education wasall Catholic, from elementary andsecondary years to enrollment at hishometown Loras College. At thetime, he was contemplating a careerin law or politics, preceded, hethought, by service in the PeaceCorps. Contact with a Jesuit priestduring a student retreat “inspiredme to consider life in the Church.”

In 1963, Schlegel joined theJesuits and eventually experiencedthat “memorable” year atCreighton. To finish his trainingleading to ordination, the youngscholastic needed to complete histheologate. American options wereall full, including Berkeley, wherehe applied. Someone suggestedMexico, but Schlegel felt his lan-guage skills were too weak. Then afellow Creighton Jesuit proposed he investigate the English Jesuits,who had just moved their theolo-gate to the University of London.

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“I loved San Francisco— the scenery, the

culture, the restaurants.But I also love Omaha

in its own way, and I admire howJesuit education

is lived here.”

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That’s where he ended up.“London in the ‘70s was an inter-

national city,” he said. “All theBritish Commonwealth nationswere represented in the studentbody. From India, Pakistan, theBahamas. The three happyyears there changed my worldview — forever.”

There were other facets ofthis stay, which included studytoward his doctorate at Oxford,that left an indelible mark.

“England allowed me toreinvent myself,” he explained.“I was able to do things Ialways wanted to do. In highschool, for example, I was nev-er an athlete. But the British aregreat amateurs, and I found myselfplaying cricket and squash. I evencrewed at Oxford. Then, of course,

there were the opportunities fortheater and the arts. I became a dif-ferent person.”

Schlegel’s love of travel alsobegan there. He cycled through Ire-land, hiked across Scotland, touredthe Continent, always considering

how he could work these experi-ences into his lectures.

Ross Horning, Ph.D., professorof history at Creighton,remembers getting a letter thatSchlegel wrote him some 20years ago while the futurepresident was studying at TheNational University in Aus-tralia.

“He concluded his letter,”Horning said, “by commentingthat he would return to teach-ing (political science, especiallyCanadian government) andprobably would not go intoadministration. I thought itwas a delightful ending.”

While still a member of the polit-ical science faculty at Creighton,Schlegel spent four years as assis-tant vice president for academic

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Editor’s note: Below is a portion of the Sept. 15 inaugural address of the Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J.,Creighton University’s 23rdpresident. The full text of his address can be foundonline at www.creighton.edu/President/Speeches/Inaugural.html.

I am hoping for a boldtomorrow for Creighton.A future embraced withpassion and clarity ofvision. It is a bright future,with both opportunities

and challenges, but espe-cially opportunities. Wemust believe this. Wemust want this. We mustbe willing to worktogether to achieve this.

What is the communi-ty I hope for? What is theanatomy of this commu-nity? What are the con-stituent pieces of thiscommunity mosaic?

As I talk with stu-dents, as I listen to facul-ty and staff, as I walkreflectively around theJesuit garden, I see the

Embracing the Future Together

Banners festooned St. John’s Church for Schlegel’s Sept. 15 inaugural.

Schlegel celebrates Creighton’s annual Mass of the Holy Spirit.

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new Creighton as a faith-basedand value-centered community;an inclusive community; anengaged community; an educa-tionally focused community; anda community in conversation. Abrief comment about each.

Creighton as a value-centeredcommunity is rooted in our identity as a Catholic uni-versity in the Jesuit tradition.

In this first year of the new century Creighton is adifferent institution than it was at the turn of the lastcentury. But our distinctive identity, then as now, asCatholic and Jesuit remains one of the points of institu-tional cohesion and recognition.

It has been noted that “a Catholic university is notsimply a place to form leaders of society and business-men as in the past, nor merely a place where theology istaken seriously as one discipline among others, but as adiverse community of scholars, dedicated to the discov-ery and sharing of truth and to applying truth to shapea better world” — a world where peace and justice

flourish and human dignity ishonored.

We do so confident that the mystery of God and humanlife can always be plumbedmore deeply and appropriatedmore fully.

For a Catholic universityinterprets the church to the world and the world to thechurch.

The on-going conversation of Ex Corde Ecclesiae hasserved as a stimulus for renewed efforts to foster theCatholic identity and mission of Creighton and otherlike institutions.

We pursue this identity and mission with great seri-ousness. In that we are creating what Ex Corde Ecclesiaedescribes as a primary and privileged place for a fruitfuldialogue between the gospel and culture1 — a placewhere faith meets reason.

While Creighton will continue to express this com-mitment on paper, in its bylaws and mission statement,the reality is experienced in the kind of learning that is

affairs, dipping his clerical toes inthe administrative waters.

The Rev. Joseph Labaj, S.J., whohad moved from the office ofCreighton’s president to JesuitProvincial for the WisconsinProvince, approached Schlegelabout an opening for dean at Rock-hurst College in Kansas City, Mo.

“John and I met in the lockerroom of the Kiewit Center,”Horning said, “and he told meFather Labaj had approached himabout the Rockhurst post. I toldhim I thought he should apply. Ofcourse, since the Jesuit Society isa semi-military organization, thatinvitation was the same as anorder. From that time on, John’sgood academic life was changedto service in administration.”

After Rockhurst, a deanship at

Marquette followed and then a stintas executive and academic vicepresident at John Carroll Universityin Cleveland. In 1991, Schlegel wasnamed president of the Universityof San Francisco.

Schlegel revitalized the USFcampus. The school’s endowmentquadrupled; financial aid to stu-dents tripled; and several buildings,

including a library and Jesuit resi-dence hall, were added or renovat-ed. The university even won anational landscaping award. But thestatistics that please Schlegel mostoccurred as a result of his emphasison diversity. The percentage offemale faculty members grew from28 percent to 40 percent, and thenumber of domestic students of col-

or about doubled, to 43 percent.Like his Creighton prede-

cessor, the Rev. Michael G. Morrison, S.J., Schlegel’s great-est concern has always been the students. In a University ofSan Francisco Magazine article, he stated:

“Receiving a million dollargift is nice, but the high point ofmy week is leading the 9 p.m.student Mass at St. Ignatius

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Schlegel gives his inaugural address to a fullassembly at St. John’s Church.

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Church. It validates my own priesthood. I’m a priest, who hap-pens to be president. I’m also ateacher who believes Jesuit educa-tion means social justice, educatingthe heart and responding to theneeds of others.”

His students recognized thisunique charisma. In the same maga-zine article, Vicky Nguyen,valedictorian of last May’scommencement class at USFand former student bodypresident, commented:

“He’s a students’ presi-dent, not an almighty admin-istrator who peers down hisnose at students. We can talkto him about anything. He’spart of our lives, whether it’steaching a freshman seminar,lifting weights or attending

the Vietnamese Heritage Night. Hecomes to Senate meetings, attendsbasketball games, invites studentsto breakfast and holds fireside chatsin the residence halls. He’s givenstudents guidance on scholarships,grad schools and careers. He’stouched our lives.”

Off campus, too, San Francisco

organizations and institutionslamented Schlegel’s departure. Oneof the many local boards he graced,the Commonwealth Club, wrote:

“We will miss John’s physicalpresence, but have not allowed himto completely escape. John Schlegelhas agreed to be the Club’s first ‘virtual’ board member, serving out

his term from Omaha.”That will be just one

more duty assumed byCreighton’s new leader.From the first few weeks on campus last August,Schlegel eased himself intothe job, meeting board mem-bers and faculty, reacquaint-ing himself with the campusand the city. You couldalmost feel his high energylevel being held in check.

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pursued, the kind of caringrelationships that are experi-enced, the kind of values thatare lived, and the quality oforientation and mission-development opportunities given to new faculty and staff.

It could be argued that Creighton is more intentional-ly and deliberately Catholic than in times past. Andthose efforts will continue in our service to the archdio-cese, in our education in spirituality, ethics and priestlyformation; in the undiminished presence of theologyand philosophy in the core curriculum; in our commit-ment to university ministry; a healthy parish life; in ourhiring for mission; and in our on-going affirmation toprovide ethical health care in our hospital and clinics.

This institutional congruence between mission andidentity will be a stabilizing element in our future.

What of Creighton as an inclusive community? Asecond characteristic. The demographics of the UnitedStates, Nebraska and Omaha are changing. Higher edu-cation faces staggering challenges in its demographicpool. Between 1990 and 2010, the non-white youth

population will increase by4.4 million, while the whiteyouth population willdecline by 3.8 million.2

Already today one in four people in this country isAfrican-American, Latino, Asian or Native American.By 2010 my former home state of California will be aminority majority state. Confronted by such statistics,we as an institution and as individuals have little choicebut to address racial and ethnic diversity. The future isinevitably multicultural and diverse.

Over the past years Creighton has made considerableprogress in attracting students of color and of makingCreighton affordable to students of diverse back-grounds. But just as important is making Creighton awelcoming environment in which diversity will thrive.

It does us little good to recruit students, faculty and staff of color if we cannot retain them, graduate,tenure and promote them. We must strive to makeCreighton an attractive place, nurturing the richness of differences and using this diversity to makeCreighton a richer place.

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Pat Callone, assistant to the president, assistsSchlegel with the presidential medallion.

It has been noted that “by valuing people for theirunique identity and enabling them to contribute, westrengthen our resources, problem solving, decisionmaking, and vitality as an institution.”3

To be seen to be truly “serious about diversity” wehave to “walk the talk.” This commitment has to bereflected in our financial aid programs, infused in thecurricula and co-curricular opportunities, reflected infaculty mentoring and staff pro-motions, evidenced in studentretention and celebrated in ourcommunity.

It is my belief that this samecommitment to diversityincludes an expanded role forwomen at Creighton. At aninstitution that has a majority offemale students, there is a needto enhance the profile of womenin the senior ranks of the profes-sorate, in administration, and indecision making positions

across the campus, colleges and clinics. This, too, willenrich this community and its enterprise.

At the same time we must be mindful of anotheraspect of diversity, namely globalization. Just as theSociety of Jesus is global in its make-up and ministries,so Creighton must continue to globalize the curricula,increase the number of international students studyinghere, and multiply opportunities for Creighton students

to study abroad.Finally, when we speak

of diversity the raw nerve ofracism and bigotry is never farbeneath the surface. Educationtraditionally has been the greatequalizer. Perhaps never beforehas this challenge been so appar-ent or confounding. Access and opportunity are the onlyavenues open to resolving this dilemma, a complex dilemma that is moral, socialand economic.

“I don’t require much sleep,” he said, explaining his 5 a.m. rising.“I’m usually in bed by midnight,rarely before.”

Exercise is part of hisdaily regimen, in thegym or on the streets.That accounts for hisgraceful 6-foot-2-inchcarriage. He plays hard,works hard, relaxes easily.

His intensity findsoutlets in a litany ofhobbies.

“I like to cook,” hesaid. “California cook-ing, classic recipes. Myown tastes run to Italianand Mexican cuisine.”

Schlegel collectscookbooks and has

used his talents as chef to hostfund-raising dinners.

When he’s not reading cook-books, his literary habits run to

history and biography, like StephenAmbrose’s Undaunted Courage.Often his reading, like so much of his activity, has a pragmatic

dimension.Before returning to

Omaha, Schlegel trav-eled to the DominicanRepublic andCreighton’s Institutefor Latin AmericanConcern, “to help withmy Spanish and togive myself a realitycheck after nine prettycomfortable years inSan Francisco.” Hearrived as someCreighton Prep stu-dents were finishingtheir volunteer effortsand had a week with

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Omaha Mayor Hal Daub welcomesSchlegel back to Omaha.

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Schlegel receives a standing ovation after being installed asCreighton’s 23rd president. From left are his mother, Irma

Schlegel, niece Debbie Fitzpatrick, and sister June Kinney. Behindthem is his brother Dr. Roger Schlegel.

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Creighton students completingtheir summer program.

“While down there,” Schlegelsaid, “I picked up a copy ofCather’s My Antonia, to get me intouch with my roots, along withRon Hansen’s short story collection,Nebraska.” Hansen, BA’70, also wasa student of Schlegel’s, and the newpresident prizes a letter the famedauthor wrote about that classroomexperience.

Ask Schlegel about televisionviewing and he cites PBS and CNN,singling out Crossfire and othernews magazine shows.

His movie preferences are classi-cal, Casablanca and Citizen Kane,Marlon Brando and Paul Newman.

“I’m not a great movie-goer,” hesaid. “I wait to see them on UnitedAirlines.”

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Given the Judeo-Christian values of Creighton, ourbelief in Catholic social teaching and our tradition ofeducating for social mobility, this is a challenge we will-ingly take. For we know from experience that “saber estpoder,” that education empowers. And we are in thebusiness of empowerment.

It is my strongly held belief that there is in Jesuit education an implicit acceptance and appreciation ofcultural diversity.

We have an unprecedentedopportunity to shape thefuture of Creighton. It is excit-ing to be on the cusp ofchange. So I ask you to helpmake “diversity” a recognizedstrength; one which comple-ments Creighton’s identity asCatholic, Jesuit and urban.From my perspective andexperience this is a win-winsituation.4

For diversity “is a strength

that yields more creative, synergistic, and effective out-comes.”5

As Creighton forges an inclusive community it willalso become an engaged community. Our third charac-teristic. For me, part of the new Creighton is a highervisibility in the Omaha community, a greater willing-ness to be involved in the deliberations that impact thequality of life and the future direction of Omaha.

I hope Creighton will be a willing partner with thecity, assuming the role playedby our founding family, theCreightons, as they helpedshape the future of a youngand robust Omaha with theirvision of what could be. Likethem, let us be risk-takers, letus be good civic citizens. Letus be visible, vocal, respon-sive and responsible.

But most importantly let usbe good neighbors, reachingout to the African-American

Asnath Foster, left, and Carol Fowler of the NewHope Gospel Choir perform during the inaugural.

The Rev. G. Thomas Krettek, S.J., representing the provincial of the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus, missions Schlegel in his

new post, presenting him with a cross.

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community of North Omaha and the new Hispanic presence in South Omaha. Let us do this with qualitydental and health care, business and legal expertise,educational opportunities, community service and pas-toral care.

A community is the sum of many parts working forthe common good. Sometimes the pieces do not fit com-fortably together or they appear to be incompatible. Atthose times you work a little harder to find commonground, exploring new and creative avenues of coopera-tion. I envision Creighton being such an architect ofcommunity not because it is the law, or for political oreconomic gain, or campus enhancement, but because itis the right thing to do. I see Creighton continuing to bea private university in the public service.

The heart of the enterprise is education. As a penulti-mate characteristic, I see Creighton as an educationallypurposeful community.

Part of the uniqueness of this University lies in the academic diversity we have achieved within a compact face-to-face community of learners and schol-ars. Our academic configuration is a key ingredient

in our present and future success.Unlike the exclusively liberal arts colleges or free-

standing medical, law or business schools, Creightonhas the riches of a multitude of disciplinary and

Schlegel is an inveterate traveler,favoring Italy and Asia, along withHawaii for a laid-back vacation.

Creighton’s retired biology chair,Al Schlesinger, Ph.D., once traveledto Japan with a small group thatincluded Schlegel, then a CU professor.

“I like him,” Schlesinger said.“He’s gregarious, naturally social,someone who can immediately putyou at ease. He has a finely tunedsense of the appropriate in certainsituations. And he’s matured well,settling into more responsibleroles.”

Schlegel’s globe-trotting even led to a series of travel tips he supplied USF colleagues, recom-mending advanced planning,checking bags, eating light in flightand exercise when you arrive

at an overseas destination.When he’s in a more placid

mood (perhaps tamed by a long runor game of racquetball), Creighton’snew leader enjoys listening to clas-sical music — Mozart, Vivaldi, Bachor a Puccini opera.

You’d figure these pastimes plusa demanding work routine wouldcause Schlegel’s prayer life to suffer.

“Nothing focuses prayer like acrisis,” he said. “My responsibilitiesmake prayer even more important. Iset aside some time every day forformal prayer, but much of my spir-itual life may be unstructured.”

The editor of University of SanFrancisco Magazine, in a column bidding his former presidentfarewell, wrote about responding toSchlegel’s request made in 1991, onthe day of his inauguration, to

collect him in the campus chapel at9:35 a.m. Here’s how he tells thestory:

“Father, for the only time I canrecall in the nine years I haveknown him, had the look of some-one overwhelmed by it all. Hewanted to get out, to clear his mind,to gain his focus, to take a few quietminutes to prepare for the challengehe was about to embrace.

“When 9:35 came around,” con-tinued editor Jim Mayo, “I enteredthrough the huge double doors andsaw Father Schlegel sitting alone ina pew near the back.

“‘It’s time, Father,’ I said. Wewalked back to Campion Hall andas we did I wondered, ‘What did he pray for?’

“Today, the answer is clear.Father prayed for wisdom, vision,

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Kristin Burningham, a second-year Creighton law stu-dent, welcomes Schlegel to campus on behalf of the pro-fessional students. Burningham was an undergraduate

student at the University of San Francisco, underSchlegel’s presidency, before coming to Creighton.

courage and leadership. Theseare the qualities that have been the hallmark of hispresidency.”

Now, despite all the experi-ence and talent, Schlegel mustprove himself all over again, in a new setting. As he did 30years ago in London, he mustreinvent himself. If the chal-lenge daunts him, he doesn’tshow it.

“This is an exciting time to be here. The economy ofOmaha is expanding, the townis growing. There are incrediblepossibilities.”

This pragmatic visionary sees theUniversity spreading east, towardthe new convention center and are-na that is being built near the banksof the Missouri River. He sees a

chance to influence faculty and students.

“Today’s students are different,”he said. “There is much civic disen-gagement. While they demonstrateconcern over situations like

the environment and the exis-tence of sweatshops, they areoften not involved with thebroader issues.”

He wants to instill this col-lective responsibility, to stressvalue formation. He also wantsto continue to improveCreighton’s diversity.

“That’s the reality of theworld around us,” he said.“And the student’s perspectiveis enhanced, preparing him forwhat he will encounter in theworkplace. Besides, this is the‘catholic’ (with a small ‘c’)thing to do. Diversity can be

exaggerated into political correct-ness, but it doesn’t have to be. Wemust reach out to the commonnessin all of us.”

Spiritually, too, he realizes

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professional perspectives. Unlike the mega-universities,Creighton has personal relationships that can and dointersect those professional and disciplinary boundaries,as well as the tradition of putting our students first.

In this context the relationship between teaching andresearch is paramount.

Teaching has been and must remain central for us.Our mission states that “Creighton exists for studentsand learning.” That core mission is carried out by theteaching activities of the faculty (motivated by their concern for the full development of each of our stu-dents). Creighton has built and enhanced its reputationas an institution of dedicated, inspiring and student-oriented teachers. Quality teaching is an absolute! Quality teaching must remain a cornerstone of the University’s future. We must hire and retain only thebest teachers. We must provide an environment and the tools that support teaching excellence. We must bemore deliberate in acknowledging and rewarding outstanding teaching.

Every Creighton student — undergraduate or profes-sional, traditional or adult learner — deserves the best

in our classrooms, seminar rooms and laboratories.They deserve our best in office and hallway meetings, at

clinical sites and internships, and through our websites,listservs and other newer means of teaching.

The University’s mission also states: “Creighton faculty members conduct research to enhance teaching,

The Kateri Warriors from the St. AugustineIndian Mission in Winnebago, Neb., perform

during the inaugural.

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Schlegel greets Bruce Rohde, BSBA’71, JD’73, chairmanand CEO of ConAgra and vice-chairman of Creighton’sBoard of Directors, and his wife, Sandra Morar Rohde,

BA’84, JD’88, after the inaugural ceremony.

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students at Catholic universities are a varied lot, even those nomi-nally Catholic.

“The majority come to Catholicuniversities without a Catholic highschool education,” Schlegelexplained in an address to a groupof Serrans. “They come to us withdiffering values, even out ofCatholic high schools. And with different family backgrounds, expe-riences and attitudes. Finally, stu-dents come with various degrees ofreligious literacy — mostly lackingit. They have bits and pieces of theCatholic experience but they lack a sense of what it means to beCatholic. As (noted Jesuit theolo-gian) Walter Burghardt said, ‘They have great spirituality but no theology.’”

He tempered that assessment

with the reminder that these same young men and women arrive with well-developed

penchants for community service and a sensitivity to issues likehomelessness and the environment.

WINTER 2000 21

C O V E R S T O R Y

to contribute to the betterment of society, and to discover new knowledge.”

Research is also fundamental to our mission. There isindeed a symbiotic relationship between quality teach-ing and research. Faculty must be active scholars, con-tributing to the advancement of their disciplines and toour common fund of knowledge. Creighton has beenand must continue to be a place that fosters research,scholarly publication and the pursuit of truth in all of its expressions. Like quality teaching, trend-settingresearch must be acknowledged and rewarded. Ourresearchers across the campus must also have the envi-ronment and the tools necessary to support qualityresearch and to attract external funding.

There are many universities that value quality teach-ing; as there are many that value quality research. Butthere are few that refuse to sacrifice one for the other;few that prize both teaching and research excellence inall of its faculty. Creighton does.

Creighton values the dedicated teacher who is also apublishing scholar, as we value the accomplishedresearcher who is also an inspiring teacher. Creighton

will continue to nurture and maintain this balance ofteacher-scholar. It is a model that is both professionallygratifying for faculty while providing our students witha sustained high quality education.

Teaching and research are both impacted andenhanced by today’s technology revolution. TheCreighton brothers’ vision involved sharing technology;the Creighton sisters’ vision involved sharing informa-tion with students, establishing both the University andSt. Mary Hospital. It is incumbent on the Universitytoday to continue this family tradition to extend com-munication resources and provide students and patientswith the latest learning tools and information.

We cannot relax our vigilance when it comes to technology. The number of circuits on a chip will doubleseven times in the next 10 years; Internet 2 is alreadydemonstrating much improved Internet services; e-business is growing at more than 100 percent annual-ly; and students are inundated with new sources ofinformation, scholarly and not.

As an institution there are many issues to beresolved. Should Creighton become a laptop campus

The inaugural procession walks toward the church.

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22 WINTER 2000

C O V E R S T O R Y

with laptop com-puters required ofall students and faculty (this hassignificant peda-gogical implica-tions); distancelearning issues andsatellite campuses;joint research con-ducted globally via the Internet;redefining thefunction and roleof Universitylibraries; techno-logically enhanced

health care delivery; and equipment renewal programs,to cite but a few of those issues.

Instructional technology will be used effectively onlyif it is incorporated into the core pedagogy of the learn-ing experience. In reality much of this interest in

technology is driven by the students who are “tech literate.” In many instances the students are pushing thefaculty and the University forward.

With all of the promise and expectations of technolo-gy the central issue remains. As a teaching and learningcommunity how are we using these innovations andenhanced communication capacities? How will theyimpact on what is taught and how it is taught? Like oth-er institutions, Creighton will continue to struggle withboth the challenges and the opportunities of the everaccelerating information revolution.

Finally, little of the above will become reality unlesswe are a community in conversation. There is a Mexicanproverb: “la gente hablando se entiende” — “peopleunderstand each other by talking.”

This is an invitation to join the conversation; to be acommunity in dialogue about our Catholic and Jesuitidentity, strategic planning, campus expansion, thereward system for excellence in teaching and research;men and women talking together about diversity andthe implications of an inclusive community, the role ofathletics, community outreach and justice immersion

Schlegel talks with Creighton students participating in a flag football tournament on campus.

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Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns,JD’74, addresses those gathered

at a black-tie dinner in Schlegel’s honor.

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To help invigorate this Catholicdimension, Schlegel’s personal con-tribution will be the student break-fasts, a ready ear for studentconcerns and his celebration of thestudent Mass — along with thedirection of programs to further thisspirit. He hopes these activities willculminate in the creation of alumnilike those he profiled in his finalsermon to USF graduates.

“Therefore be men and womenof conscience, commitment andcommunity, so that you may bringto life in yourself and those aroundyou the refrain of tonight’s closinghymn: ‘We are called to act with jus-tice, we are called to love tenderly,we are called to serve one another,to walk humbly with God.’”

Another element of the Schlegeladministrative strategy involves

informal meetings with faculty and staff, often in an off-campuscontext.

“I like to listen,” he said. “I enjoyconversation.”

Creighton’s 23rd president alsointends to be visible in the commu-nity. He’s already been invited to sit on several boards and hopes toblend his business and social mem-berships with the local arts scene.

“I want to be fully engaged inOmaha. You have to be out theretoday. Creighton has a responsibili-ty to be a moral and intellectualbeacon.”

The first year in any relationshipis said to be the hardest, butSchlegel is already deep into hisnew mission, attacking the freshchallenges with typical vigor andconfidence. His initial interior

debate as to whether he could really“go home again” has surrenderedto his passion for achieved goals.

Part of this enthusiasm stemsfrom his own vibrant constitution;part of it comes from the constitutions of the Jesuit founder,St. Ignatius. In his valedictory to his friends in San Francisco, on the eve of his return to the Midwest, Schlegel quoted from this document:

“The greater the good, the moredivine the work.”

Happily, Creighton’s new chiefexecutive not only recites theseIgnatian words, he believes them.— About the author: Bob Reilly is a free-lance writer in Omaha and a former director of public relations at Creighton.

WINTER 2000 23

C O V E R S T O R Y

opportunities. There is so much totalk about.

To the members of the Creightonfamily I say: The conversation isimpoverished without yourresponse. I am aware that anexpanded conversation will changethe way we hold our conversation.We will hear words and expressionsfrom varied perspectives and valuesystems. We will open ourselves tobeing challenged, exposed to theexpansion of our horizons andengaged in new experiences.6

This invitation to a new level ofconversation undoubtedly involves some risk. But risksworth taking if our conversations are informed and rea-sonable, nurtured by compassion, tempered by realismand a respect for tradition, and implemented with jus-tice. We will become risk-takers even as we becomestakeholders in Creighton’s future.

But we must believe this. We must want this. We

must be willing to work together inbuilding Creighton into a value-centered, inclusive and engagedcommunity, an educationallyfocused community in conversationon the campus and beyond.

To close, I cite St. Ignatius,founder of the Jesuit order, whowrote in the constitutions of theSociety of Jesus: “The greater thegood, the more divine the work.”

There is great good being doneby Creighton in its classrooms, laboratories, hospital, clinics andservice outreach. We pray our God

continues to bless this enterprise.May God bless you and yours. Thank you.

Notes:1. Ex Corde Ecclesiae, Part I.2. AGB, “Trustees And Troubling

Times,” P. 9.3. Katz and Torres, 1985, P. 33.4. Schlegel, “USF: Building

Community for a New Tomorrow,”Pp. 10-12, 1993.

5. Katz, op. cit. P. 12.6. S. Cole, “Comments” at Ace

Meeting, February 14, 1995, San Francisco.

Omaha Archbishop the Most Rev.Elden Curtiss and Schlegel listen to

inaugural speakers.

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loha!There’s a surpris-

ingly strong accent fromthe Hawaiian Islands onCreighton’s traditionallyMidwestern campus.

At every Creightoncommencement, seniorswith colorful leis drapedover their black gownsdot the rows of graduatesat the Omaha Civic Audi-torium.

Each spring, a luausponsored by Hui OHawaii, the 130-membergroup of students fromHawaii, transforms theballroom of the Skutt Student Center into atropical garden. Decora-tions include eight-footbanks of flowers spelling“Aloha.”

Three members of thevarsity volleyball teamand Coach Howard Wallace are from Hawaii.But they aren’t

Creighton’s first athletesfrom the islands.

Vice President for Uni-versity Relations MichaelLeighton, BA’70, remem-bers that members of the“Flying Hawaiians”champion intramuralfootball team of the ’60splayed in bare feet.

Hawaii is Creighton’seighth largest feeder state with 181 studentsenrolled — ranking itbehind Nebraska, Iowa,California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota andKansas. There are 22Hawaiians in this year’sfreshman class and morethan 500 CU alumni inthe islands. Some years,Creighton has had asmany as 40 new studentsfrom Hawaii.

“Creighton has anawesome reputation inHawaii,” said Brooke-Lynn Luat, an Arts and

24 WINTER 2000

By Eileen Wirth, Ph.D.

A

Kaipo Baysa, DPT’00, and Kim Agena, BS’00, celebrate at last May’s graduation with colorful

leis piled high around their necks.

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Sciences junior from Honolulu andpresident of Creighton’s Hawaiistudent club.

Several factors seem to have contributed to the development ofCreighton’s Hawaii connection inthe 1940s.

Like other minority groups,Asian-Americans have been the targets of discrimination. After theJapanese attack on Pearl Harbor in1941, there was a severe backlashagainst Asian-Americans in theUnited States. By presidential order,approximately 110,000 people ofJapanese ancestry were rounded upfrom their homes on the West Coastand imprisoned in “relocation” cen-ters across the country. More thanfour decades would pass beforeCongress, in 1988, would sign a billpublicly apologizing for the intern-ment of these Japanese-Americans.

Dr. Thomas Kagawa of WaimeaKauai, who served in the U.S. Armyfollowing his high school gradua-tion in 1944, believes he was the vic-tim of racial discrimination whenhe was rejected by an Eastern den-tal school around 1950, supposedlybecause his grades were too low. Hehad over a 3.8 GPA at Creightonand graduated from Creighton’sdental school in 1953.

“You can’t find a better, more tol-erant school than Creighton,” hesaid.

In the mid-to-late 1980s, severaluniversities were accused by stu-dents and civil rights activists of an anti-Asian-American bias. Studies of admissions records atcertain schools found that Asian-Americans were admitted at lowerrates than whites, despite having

comparable or superior grades andtest scores. Creighton’s reputationof inclusiveness helped the Univer-sity attract Hawaiians of Asiandescent at both the undergraduateand professional levels, Leightonsaid. About 57 percent of Creighton’s alumni inHawaii have received medical, dental, pharmacy or law degrees.

Another factor contribut-ing to Creighton’s Hawaiianconnection, Leighton said, isthat numerous alumni therehave recommended the Uni-versity to other relatives andsent their children toCreighton. Some second-generation Creighton alumniwere born in Omaha whiletheir parents were in medicalor dental school or doingmedical residencies.

Other factors include the lack ofprofessional schools at the Universi-ty of Hawaii and Hawaii’s strongtradition of private secondary edu-cation, Leighton said.

Maile Kagawa Lam, BS’74,MS’77, of Honolulu, a past NationalAlumni Board member, traces thebeginning of Creighton’s strong tieswith the islands after the war to herfather-in-law, the late Richard Lam,MD’50, and several of his Class of1944, Catholic high school class-mates from Honolulu’s Saint LouisHigh School.

Lam said that in the 1940s, herfather, Dr. Kagawa, and others wereseeking a Catholic university on themainland with a medical and dentalschool where they could use the G.I.Bill, which, after World War II, pro-vided veterans with loans, educa-tional subsidies and other benefits.Creighton was the closest universitywhich met their criteria.

Kagawa and a number of hisfriends and relatives did their

undergraduate work and receivedprofessional degrees fromCreighton before returning toHawaii to practice.

“You started to see a dominoeffect,” said Lam. “Now you’ve got

a very large professional group ofCreighton graduates and they havecontact with lots of kids.”

Deborah Lau Okamura, BSBA’76,of Honolulu, a current member ofthe National Alumni Board, agreed.Like other involved alumni, shetalks about Creighton at schoolsand workshops.

“With people in Hawaii, whenyou have a personal recommenda-tion, it carries a lot of weight,” shesaid.

Lam said that she has fond mem-ories of her years at Creighton. Sheentered in 1970 and was surprisedthat her hardest adjustment wasn’tthe weather or the food but the traf-fic on 24th Street outside DeglmanHall. She wasn’t used to city noiseafter growing up in a town of 1,000people on Kauai.

Okamura said her fondest mem-ories of Creighton are related to theway that the University reinforcedher Christian values.

“I was raised Catholic, but I

WINTER 2000 25

Three members of Creighton’s volleyball team and headcoach Howard Wallace are Hawaii natives. Pictured,from left, are Kailey Reyes, Melanie Keolanui, Wallaceand Kelli Koochi.

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Pictured left, above the headline, are Creighton students Julie Ota, Jay Ventura, Aysha Motilla, SarahPebelske, Emmie Saigusa, JoniMasumura and Trisha Togikawa.

didn’t really come into my ownuntil those years,” she said. “Thechurch was right there, and I wentto Mass daily before dinner. Theschool instilled ethics, integrity andcommunity responsibility.”

Okamura, a manager for VerizonHawaii International, a wirelesscommunications company, said shetells parents of prospective studentsabout the loving, family-orientedpeople she met at Creighton.

“They were so wonderful,” she said.

Word-of-mouth endorsementsfrom alumni like Lam and Okamura are especially importantin Hawaii because few prospectivestudents are able to visit campusbefore enrolling, said AdmissionsDirector Dennis O’Driscoll.

Creighton’s strong alumni pres-ence in the islands has made highschool guidance counselors awareof the University, he said. Theyoften recommend it to studentswith pre-professional aspirations.

“It helps that we are such a val-ue,” he said, noting that CU is one-third less expensive than some of itscompetitors. These include privateand some elite public universitieson the West Coast.

Every year, alumni and current

students throw a send-off party forincoming freshmen, he said. Theyadvise new students what to expectfrom the weather and tell them notto buy winter clothes until they getto Omaha, where they are muchcheaper. Incoming students arereassured by the presence of theHawaii student club on campus.This organization receives strongsupport from parents, said RicardoAriza, head of the Office of Multi-cultural Affairs.

Every spring, some parents fly infor the luau, he said. They help withthe entertainment and send ingredi-ents for the food which can’t bepurchased in Omaha.

“UPS delivers boxes and boxesof flowers,” he said. “I have storedhalf a freezer of seaweed in myhome freezer. This is one of ournicest multi-cultural programs. Thestudents do the food preparation.They’re up cooking all night long.”

Bluejay volleyball has taken on aHawaiian flavor since the arrival ofCoach Wallace. A Hawaiian native,Wallace served as an associate headcoach and a volunteer assistantcoach at the University of Hawaiifor nine years before coming toCreighton in 1997.

Wallace said that volleyball isvery popular in Hawaii, and he hasrecruited three varsity volleyballplayers from the islands: MelanieKeolanui, a senior exercise sciencemajor; Kailey Reyes, a junior exer-cise science major; and Kelli Koochi,a junior education major.

Wallace said that after he accept-ed the job at Creighton, he wasamazed to discover how many peo-ple he knew were CU alums.

The 2000 CU volleyball scheduleincluded an appearance in theAston Imua Challenge tournamentin Honolulu. Okamura said that theHawaii Alumni Club hosted a partyat the tournament.

One family which exemplifiesthe continuity of Creighton’s tradi-tion in Hawaii is the Vasconcellos.Madalin Faltim Vasconcellos, 82, ofHonolulu, a 1941 nursing graduate,is one of Creighton’s oldest alumniin the islands.

The Dodge, Neb., native is thewidow of Dr. A. Leslie Vasconcellos,a 1941 medical school graduate. Herhusband was born in the islandsthen lived in California. The twomet while they were both atCreighton. Later, they moved backto Hawaii.

Mrs. Vasconcellos is proud thather nephew’s son, Dr. David Vas-concellos, graduated from theCreighton School of Medicine lastspring. He’s now doing his residen-cy in Honolulu.

“He liked the atmosphere atCreighton,” said Mrs. Vasconcellos.

“He liked the camaraderie.Creighton was small enough to connect.”

It’s a connection that, in the caseof Creighton and Hawaii, has with-stood the test of time and distance.— About the author: Eileen Wirth ischair of the Department of Journalismand Mass Communication atCreighton. She can be reached via e-mail at emw@creighton.edu

26 WINTER 2000

From left, Maria Cecilia Johnson, a nursingstudent, and Vicky Wong Yuen and her daugh-ter, Melissa Wong Yuen, an Arts and Sciencessophomore, perform a traditional Hawaiiandance at the annual luau on campus.

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Creighton students, from left, DianaCadaoas, Tiffany Heu, Rezene Laurel,Becky Azama and Tracey Morita hand outleis at the campus luau.

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WINTER 2000 27

It was 1947. ThomasKagawa and some fel-low 1944 graduates ofSaint Louis High Schoolin Hawaii were studentsat the University ofHawaii and looking fora mainland universitywhere they could usetheir G.I. Bill benefitsfrom the Army.

They wanted toattend medical or dentalschool and couldn’t doso in the islands becausethe University of Hawaiihas no professional schools. Then they heard fromhigh school classmate Richard Lam about theschool he was attending — Creighton University.

“We couldn’t even pronounce Creighton,” saidKagawa. “We had to look up Omaha on the map.”

Kagawa said he still doesn’t know how Lam,who died in 1979, found Creighton, but, later thatyear, the Saint Louis High friends headed toNebraska. They did so with some trepidation, fear-ing they might run into prejudice.

“But we found nothing like that,” said Kagawa.“We found no discrimination at all.”

Kagawa recalled that “one ofmy best friends there” was thelate Rev. William Kelley, S.J.,who was dean of the College ofArts and Sciences at the time. Healso has fond memories of thelate Rev. Carl Reinert, S.J., theUniversity’s president.

When Kagawa’s son, SamuelCreighton Kagawa, was born,Reinert used to bounce the babyon his knee. “That’s how close

we got.” DaughterMaile also was born inOmaha and eventuallyreturned to Creighton.

Ironically, Maile mether husband, PatrickLam, BS’75, MD’79, (sonof Dr. Richard Lam) atCreighton, Kagawa said.The two had grown upon different islands andnever knew each otheruntil they got to Omaha.

Kagawa said that bythe time he and the oth-er early Saint Louis

High alums graduated from medical or dentalschool in the early 1950s, there were 60 or 70 stu-dents from Hawaii at Creighton, including many oftheir friends and relatives.

Kagawa isintensely loyal to his alma mater.

“Five of my sixchildren went toCreighton at onetime or another,” he said. “I thinkCreighton is terrific.”

CREIGHTON & HAWAII: THE EARLY YEARSCREIGHTON & HAWAII: THE EARLY YEARS

Thomas Kagawa,DDS’53, was oneof a group ofHawaiians toattend Creightonin the late 1940sand early 1950s.

Hawaii natives Patrick Lam, BS’75, MD’79, and MaileKagawa Lam, BS’74, MS’77, met while attending

Creighton. They are pictured with their daughter Malia.

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28 WINTER 2000

By Cynthia Furlong Reynolds

The year 1918 was memorable for two world-shattering events: World War I was raging and so wasan epidemic of influenza so devastating that it cost anestimated 22 million lives. Eighty-two years later, elder-ly Americans can still recall just how frightening thatworldwide epidemic, a pandemic, of influenza was.

“One morning, I was playing with my cousin, andshe was fine. Two days later, she was dead. It hit thatfast,” recalls 90-year-old Geraldine Craft, who now livesin a Michigan retirement home. All four of her aunt’schildren died from complications resulting from influen-za, and she recalls her own bout with the illness justdays after her cousin died. Craft, then 8 years old,stayed motionless in bed in a darkened room for weeks,too weak to do anything more than stretch out in a coolbath that her grandmother insisted she take every morn-ing. Fearful of the germs, her family avoided all socialgatherings and large crowds, and their servants fumi-gated every piece of clothing worn outside or coming

into the home for months afterward.Craft’s neighbor in the retirement home, a spry 91-

year-old farmer named Lenora Manore, recalls seeingher mother take food to a sick family next door one dayin 1918. Her mother ran home to report that all five weredead, the latest victims of the plague-like illness.

Medical science has come a long way in the yearssince 1918, but influenza — flu, for short — is still an illness that doctors take very seriously.

The word influenza derives from the word “influ-ence.” During the Middle Ages, it became synonymouswith “influence of the occult” or the devil, because of itsdevastating impact on large populations.

Influenza, like the common cold, is caused by a virus,which is transmitted from person to person through theair, mostly by coughing and sneezing. Once the virusenters the body, it attacks and destroys the cells that line

Influenza Still Influenza Still HInfluenza Still HInfluenza Still

I n f l u e n z a

In this 1918 photograph, influenza victims crowd intoan emergency hospital at Camp Funston, a subdivisionof Fort Riley in Kansas. The 1918 pandemic killed some

22 million people worldwide.

Hundreds gathered for a public Mass at the Creighton

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WINTER 2000 29

the upper respiratory tract, bronchial tubes and trachea.After a short incubation period (usually one or twodays), the symptoms come quickly: fever and chills, sorethroat, cough, muscular aches and pains, fatigue, weak-ness and nasal congestion. While the viral infection,itself, rarely is the direct cause of death, influenza canlower the body’s resistance to such killers as pneumoniaor bronchitis.

According to Marvin Bittner, M.D., an associate pro-fessor and infectious diseases expert at Creighton,influenza pandemics historically occur every 10 to 40years, when the strain of virus changes enough thatantibodies from previous cases cannot provide protec-tion. The consequences can be deadly. In addition to the“Spanish flu” pandemic of 1918, two other pandemicshave occurred during the 20th century — the “Asianflu” pandemic of 1957-58, which claimed some 70,000

American lives, and the “Hong Kong flu” pandemic of1968-69, which claimed an estimated 34,000 Americanlives.

Even without a pandemic, the flu annually results inbetween 10,000 and 20,000 deaths in the United States,Bittner said. To put that into perspective, the deathsresulting from flu each year are equivalent to at least 40jumbo jets filled with people exploding into space.“That’s something to get worked up about,” he said.

“Epidemiologists and the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention (CDC) are expecting another ‘big one’sometime in the near future,” said Victor Padron, Ph.D.,associate professor in the School of Pharmacy and AlliedHealth Professions. “They have made all sorts of plansfor it, but that’s like planning for the next volcano (eruption) or the really big California earthquake — we just don’t know when, where and how big.”

Although medical science has yet to wipe out theviruses causing influenza, today we have vaccinationsto prevent them from spreading and medications totreat them. Like the common cold, the flu is primarilyspread from person to person indoors, especially inplaces where many people gather. Outbreaks in the

United States generally occur from about Novemberuntil April, with peak activity between late Decemberand early March. Vaccinations are typically best admin-istered between September and mid-November. Howev-er, this summer, due to delays in the development ofthis season’s influenza vaccine and concerns of a

Holds SwayHolds Swayolds SwayHolds Sway

While experts expect another flu pandemic in the near future,preparing for it is “like planning

for the next volcano (eruption) — we just don’t know when, where

and how big.”— Victor Padron, Ph.D.

Observatory during the Great Influenza Outbreak of 1918.

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possible shortage, the CDC asked that health care agen-cies plan their mass flu vaccinations for Novemberrather than the usual mid-October start. (See sidebar.)

The flu first — and most aggressively — strikes thepopulation at risk: very young children (who have noantibodies to protect them); the elderly; and people suf-fering from heart disease, cystic fibrosis, chronic anemia(particularly sickle cell anemia), kidney disease, lungdisease, immune deficiencies (particularly those inchemotherapies), an impaired ability tobreathe (as in heavy smokers) or severediabetes.

The medical community has identifiedthree types of influenza viruses —although the strains of influenza virusesmay be as ubiquitous as the cold virus,which has more than 120 types, Padronsaid. Type C influenza is relatively uncom-mon. Type B also is relatively uncommonand causes small, localized outbreaks,most often in children, whose bodies thenform antibodies to protect themselves from future bouts.Then there is Type A.

Originally found in swine, Type A is responsible for the large, worldwide influenza pandemics. “Type Ais distinctive because it is constantly changing, oftenfrom year to year,” Bittner said. “Antibodies withinindividuals who had the flu several years earlier don’t

prevent another occurrence (in that indi-vidual) because they can’t fight against a new strain.”

“The bad news is that viruses changevery fast,” Padron said. “The good newsis that we are getting better at matchingviruses and vaccines.”

Viruses tend to travel from east towest — which is why pandemics carrysuch names as “Hong Kong flu.” “Theo-ries suggest that they spread from ani-mals to humans where there is closeproximity between the species, and thatis particularly true in Third World coun-tries. This proximity leads to a cross-inoculation (a virus leap across species),”Padron said. Scientists have connectedchickens and swine to viruses, and onetheory suggests that aquatic and migrat-ing birds may be the primary reservoirfor flu viruses; the birds then transfer the viruses to domestic animals.

An added factor in the spread of the flu virus is the speed of modern-day life. People can travel so farand so fast that they import and spread viruses atalarming rates.

Prevention of fluFortunately, a vaccine is now available that can pre-

vent both the influenza A and B viruses. And epidemiol-ogists are getting increasingly better atcreating more effective vaccines. The great-est variable lies with the population. Vac-cines only work if people will take them.

To counter the influenza virus, whichchanges from year to year, every year sci-entists must predict what the new strain ofvirus will be like, and then they must cre-ate a vaccine to fight it. Around the world,centers for disease control work with theU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Pre-vention in Atlanta to research international

trends — everything from the health of geese in Thai-land to a rash of bird deaths in New York State — andthen predict which virus strain will be prevalent. “Whenyou get the vaccine, you get the inactivated (killed)virus,” Padron explained. “Your immune system has tosee the virus or some part of it that it can use to templateyour immune response.” The vaccine is grown in chick

… every year scientists must

predict what the new strain of virus will be like, and then they must create a vaccine

to fight it.

Dr. Nancy Cox of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention observes Henrietta Hall working with the testing of eggs in the

fight against the flu virus in 1996 in Atlanta.

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Delays in distribu-tion and a possibleshortage of influenzavaccine were expectedfor the 2000-2001influenza season,prompting the Centersfor Disease Controland Prevention to rec-ommend that healthcare providers delaymass vaccinationsuntil November. Theannouncement cameafter some influenzamanufacturers report-ed that one of the threeinfluenza virus com-ponents used to makethis season’s vaccinehad not grown as wellas the correspondingstrain used last year.

Creighton’s MarvinBittner, M.D., stressedthe importance of get-ting the vaccine —especially amongthose at high risk forcomplications from

influenza — even if it’sdelayed.

“The vaccine is stillworth getting even ifyou get it in February,”Bittner said. “The keyissue is for people in thehigh-risk groups to getit. Ideally, they wouldget it before Dec. 1.”

A recent study inMinnesota suggests thateach flu vaccine elimi-nates the need for $100worth of medical servic-es. But the financialramifications of the flu are the least of theworries.

“Getting the vaccineis sometimes the bestthing you can do forsomeone else,” Bittnersaid. “It may preventyou from spreading thevirus to your grand-mother, your neighbor’snewborn baby, or some-one else who is at riskof complications.”

Vaccine delays for 2000-2001Vaccine delays for 2000-2001

Creighton’s Marvin Bittner, M.D., examines bacterialgrowth in a petri dish filled with disk-shaped swabs ofantibiotics. Influenza lowers the body’s resistance to

bacterial growth, leading to such deadly diseases as pneu-monia and bronchitis. “Tests like this can help us figure

out which antibiotics are going to work against bacteriaand which of them won’t,” Bittner said.

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WINTER 2000 31

embryos, and it is administered each fall with one injec-tion into the shoulder.

“Studies published in the New England Journal of Med-icine have found that every dose of vaccine administeredto people over 65 saves more than $100 in medical costs— yet 40 percent of that age group isn’t getting vaccinat-ed. This situation goes far beyond what is financiallyresponsible — it hits at what is morally responsible,”Bittner said, pointing out that the only documented sideeffect from the vaccine, in the last 35 years, has been aslight soreness or redness at the place where the shotwas administered.

Influenza vaccines produced from the 1940s to themid-1960s, however, were not as highly purified anddid produce more unpleasant side effects. People whoreceived these vaccines sometimes complained of flu-like side effects such as fever, headaches, muscle achesand fatigue caused by these impurities. But influenzavaccines produced in the United States have never been capable of actually causing influenza, according to the CDC.

There have been rare reports of Guillain-Barré Syn-drome (GBS) after the administration of some flu vac-cines. The 1976 swine influenza vaccine was shown to

Vaccine delays for 2000-2001

I n f l u e n z a

The signs andsymptoms of com-mon viral coldsand influenza arenearly identical. So,how can you tellthe difference?

“Diagnosing theflu is not just a caseof listing signs andsymptoms,” Mar-vin Bittner, M.D.,said. “You alsohave to look atenvironmental cir-cumstances.”

The flu occurs inoutbreaks within acommunity, gener-ally in the winter and earlyspring months. “It starts firstwith children, then in a week ortwo spreads to adults, and inanother week or two we’ll beginto see hospitals filling with peo-ple who have complicationsfrom the flu,” he noted, adding,that “the flu will hit a relativelylarge portion of the population.”

Creighton’s Victor Padron,Ph.D., tells his students there aresix characteristics that distin-guish the flu from a cold:

• The flu has a more rapidonset.

• The flu is more likely to becharacterized by malaise andsevere tiredness.

• The flu is sometimes

associated with anupset stomach,headache, nauseaand vomiting, espe-cially in children.(The term “stomachflu,” however, is amisnomer that issometimes used todescribe gastroin-testinal illnessescaused by othermicroorganisms.)

• Flu sufferersoften complain ofjoint and muscleaches.

• The flu suffererrarely has itchy or

watery eyes — those are associ-ated with a cold or allergies.

• The flu is more likely to beassociated with temperatures of102 degrees F or higher.

“None of these characteristicsis fool-proof, but they givephysicians an indication of what they are dealing with,”Padron said.

Creighton’s Victor Padron, Ph.D., administers a flu shot to a patient. Padron said there are six characteristics that

distinguish the flu from a cold.

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32 WINTER 2000

increase the rate of GBS by about 10 cases per millionvaccinations. GBS is a rare neurological disease charac-terized by the loss of reflexes and temporary paralysis in the legs and arms. The disease is fatal in 5 percent or less of cases. Most patients fully recover within two months. Since 1976, vaccines prepared from othervirus strains have not been clearly associated with anincreased frequency of GBS, according to the CDC. Astudy published in the December 1998 New EnglandJournal of Medicine found that even when there has

been a suggestion of a casual association, it is likely to have been no more than one or two cases of GBS per million vaccinations.

“The potential benefits of influenza vaccination inpreventing serious illness, hospitalization and deathgreatly outweigh the possible risks for developing vac-cine-associated GBS,” one recent CDC report states.

Today, only a very small number of people might beadversely affected by the vaccine. Because eggs providethe culture for growing the vaccine, people with acute

The flu versus the common cold: Who can tell the difference?

The flu versus the common cold: Who can tell the difference?The flu versus the common cold:

Who can tell the difference?

WINTER 2000 33

allergies to eggs may be advised not to take it. Doctorsalso suggest that pregnant women wait until after thethird month before getting vaccinated.

“With everyone else, there is a tremendous benefit tohaving the vaccine,” Bittner said, pointing out that “thebenefits are not only to you. If you get the vaccine, younot only cut down your chances of getting the flu, youalso cut down the chances of giving it to others.”

For this reason, he believes, all health workers shouldget vaccinated. So should public officials and otherswith vital community or service jobs, such as police andfirefighters. “The virus changes so much from year toyear that a lot of people can get sick at the same time,”he said. “Think about it: Do you want your police or firedepartment to lose as much as 20 percent of its work-force at any one time?”

Because many people still haven’t become convincedto take the vaccine everyfall, prescription drugshave been developed tofight the flu. They can bequite effective — but onlyif the flu in question iscaused by a Type A virusand only if the medica-tions are taken at theonset of flu symptoms.

Treatment“Let’s quickly point

out that the medicationsavailable for treating the flu are not substitutesfor the vaccine,” Padron said.

Amantadinehydrochloride andRimantadine are olderdrugs, oral medications that are often effective for combating the Type A virus — but they are ineffective ifthe virus happens to be a Type B. These drugs must betaken at the first appearance of signs and symptoms ifthey are to be effective.

Last year, two new flu-fighting drugs were launched,amidst great publicity. Tamiflu and Relenza both act toinhibit an enzyme that the Type A virus needs in orderto propagate or reproduce. Both are prescription med-ications that must be taken twice a day for five days.Relenza is inhaled. Tamiflu is ingested in capsule or

tablet form. In order for the drugs to be effective,patients must start taking them no later than two daysafter the symptoms are first noticed, according toPadron. Relenza, he believes, may be slightly morepotent and effective; it can cut the course of the flu,which can last as long as nine days, by as much as sixdays.

“They are too new to have amassed much data,” Bit-tner said of the new medications. “In theory, they havefewer side effects than the older drugs, but with theabsence of studies, we can’t yet be absolutely certain ofthat fact.”

Between 2 and 3 percent of Relenza users report sideeffects ranging from fever to sore throats, coughs,headaches, diarrhea and sinus infections, he said. Tenpercent of Tamiflu users develop some stomach prob-lems, nausea and vomiting. Between 1 and 2 percent

also report insomnia asa side effect.

“We are fortunate tohave these drugs avail-able, but the bottom lineis that there is no ques-tion that young chil-dren, the elderly andthose with life-threaten-ing illnesses shouldhave flu shots everyyear. A lot of those whodie of pneumonia actu-ally started out with acold or the flu,” Padronsaid. “Everyone canbenefit from the vac-cine. It not only helpsindividuals maintaintheir own health — italso helps them

prevent the spread of the virus to others.”Studies published in the New England Journal of Medi-

cine have conclusively proven that vaccines are cost-effective. But much more importantly, they save lives —the lives of those who receive them and the lives ofsome of the people with whom they come in contact. “Ifeveryone were vaccinated, everyone could maintain thequality of their lives and preserve their health. Andthere would be no need for flu treatments,” Bittner said.— About the author: Cynthia Furlong Reynolds is a free-lance writer living in Michigan.

This statue in the Jesuit Gardens on campus was placed there in thanksgiving that Creighton was spared from

flu deaths during the 1918 pandemic.

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“Everyone can benefit from the

vaccine. It not onlyhelps individuals

maintain their ownhealth — it also

helps them preventthe spread of thevirus to others.”

— Padron

“Everyone can benefit from the

vaccine. It not onlyhelps individuals

maintain their ownhealth — it also

helps them preventthe spread of thevirus to others.”

— Padron

More than 2,200 years havepassed since a group of sober

people gathered in a covered colon-nade, or stoa, in the marketplace ofAthens to discuss the good life — alife of virtue andhonor. Theybecame known asStoics, and theirancient creed isenjoying a renais-sance today in, ofall things, popu-lar culture. Why?Because the Stoicway of thinkingis as relevant,indeed, asurgently practi-cal, today in 21stcentury Americaas it was 1,900years ago in theRoman empirewhen a greatteacher namedEpictetus (pronounced eh-pick-TEE-tuss) set up a school to teachStoicism to teen-agers.

Epictetus’ Stoic philosophy,which influenced the likes of

Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, isbasically that the goal of life is tolive in harmony with nature. Thatmeans to live the good life, we mustboth live in accord with our human

nature — as essentially rational,reflective and thoughtful beings —and conform our actions to theactual conditions of the naturalworld. This theme, in the contem-porary rebirth of Stoicism, is

prominently reflected in TomWolfe’s latest best-seller, A Man inFull, and last summer’s Hollywoodblockbuster Gladiator.

Epictetus and the Stoic philoso-phy play a majorrole in Wolfe’s1998 novel.Epictetus’ namegraces the title oftwo of thebook’s chapters.The book’s pop-ularity has led toan increasedinterest in boththe ancientphilosopher andhis philosophy.Within twomonths of AMan in Full’srelease, the Harvard Presshad sold 600

copies of Epictetus’ Discourses, anexpensive two-volume set. Sales of both popularized and scholarlybooks on Epictetus have thrived,and articles on Stoicism and Epictetus have appeared in

34 WINTER 2000

THE REBIRTH OF

By William O. Stephens, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Philosophy and of Classical and Near Eastern Studies

Brandon Dotzler and Lindsey Petersen check out Gladiator, last summer’s blockbuster movie starring Russell Crowe. Crowe played

the role of a Stoic Roman army general named Maximus.

many major newspapers.So who was Epictetus and what

exactly is this Stoic philosophy towhich he subscribed?

Epictetus was born a slave inHieropolis in Phrygia (now Turkey),a Greek-speaking province of theRoman empire, around A.D. 55. Hecame to Rome and was the slave ofEpaphroditus, an immensely pow-erful freedman (ex-slave) of thenotorious Roman emperor Nero.Epaphroditus let Epictetus studywith the Stoic teacher MusoniusRufus, before eventually freeinghim. Like Socrates, Epictetus thenbegan wandering the streets, but-tonholing Romans with philosophi-cal inquiries. That earned him a rapon the head from a wealthy ex-consul more accustomed to askingthan answering questions. Unde-terred, Epictetus taught Stoicism inRome until the emperor Domitianbanished all philosophers fromRome in A.D. 89.

Epictetus traveled to the city ofNicopolis on the Adriatic coast innorthwest Greece where he set uphis own philosophical school.(Nicopolis was on the main routebetween Rome and Athens.) Manydistinguished Greeks and Romansvisited Epictetus’ school, includingHadrian, the Roman emperor fromA.D. 117-138. One such visitor was Lucius Flavianus ArrianusXenophon, Arrian for short, aRoman citizen from the province of Bithynia, who studied withEpictetus from about A.D. 107 to109 before becoming a leadingRoman politician and historian.Epictetus, like his hero Socrates,evidently wrote nothing down. His teachings survive through

Arrian’s written version of Epicte-tus’ school lectures and conversa-tions, entitled the Discourses.

Epictetus’ school becamefamous. His Discourses influencedAurelius, the Stoic philosopher-kingwho was emperor of Rome fromA.D. 161 to 180. Aurelius’ own writ-ten work, the Meditations, is largelya collection of Stoic reflections echo-ing ideas learned from Epictetus.Aurelius was only 14 years oldwhen Epictetus died in A.D. 135.

Apart from his teachings, little is known of Epictetus’ life. Epicte-tus became lame, either fromrheumatism or because of the cruel-ty of his master Epaphroditus. Helived a life of great austerity andsimplicity, and he chose to marry

at a late age and adopt an orphanchild who would otherwise havebeen left to die.

It is easy to imagine how Epicte-tus’ experiences as a slave, his lame-ness and the religious fervorcommon in his homeland combinedto produce his passion for freedom

— a kind of psychological freedomfrom physical circumstances thatonly disciplined adherence to Stoicism makes possible.

Stoicism is a pre-Christian phi-losophy. The ancient Stoics had noconcept of grace or redemption. TheStoics believed that rational choicesshould always lead us to behavevirtuously, and thus wisely, coura-geously, justly and temperately.These choices — along with ourattitudes, emotional responses andmental outlook — are up to us tocontrol. We cannot be forced tohave beliefs, form judgments orattempt actions without conscious-ly, voluntarily choosing to do so. In short, these mental activities are up to us.

Events in the world, on the otherhand, including all the beliefs andactions of other people, are essen-tially not in our control. Such thingsas the weather, the stock market orthe behavior of dogs, drivers or dot-com companies are ultimately notup to us.

Since we all naturally want to behappy, the rational (Stoic) way tolive is to train ourselves to limit ourdesires and concerns to what is upto us, and not to worry about, fearor get upset by things that are notup to us. In this respect, Stoicism isa kind of coping strategy. The cen-tral idea is to try to do the rightthing, in every situation, withoutlosing one’s calm, becoming frus-trated or getting angry. Doing theright thing includes fulfilling ourresponsibilities to family, friends,co-workers, neighbors, fellow trav-elers, fellow citizens and, in general,fellow human beings.

The Stoics believed that if we

WINTER 2000 35

THE STOIC WAY OF

THINKING IS AS

RELEVANT, INDEED, AS

URGENTLY PRACTICAL,

TODAY IN 21ST CENTURY

AMERICA AS IT WAS

1,900 YEARS AGO IN

THE ROMAN EMPIRE

strive every day to do our best, thenwe can accept the rest. That is, wecan rightly take satisfaction in thelifelong enterprise of maintainingrational judgments and attempting

virtuous actions. Moreover, we canrespect ourselves for the moralprogress we achieve, and thus enjoypeace of mind and happinessregardless of how events in the

world unfold. After all, we areresponsible for what we try toachieve, but not for the outcomes ofour attempts since those outcomesare subject to chance factors.

36 WINTER 2000

Epictetus had the right stuff for James BondStockdale, who was caught like a deer in themedia headlights eight years ago when Ross Perotplucked him from relative obscurity and madehim his vice-presidential running mate.

Largely overshadowed at the time were Stockdale’s keenand inquisitivemind and his exem-plary war record.He not only sur-vived seven and ahalf years of captivi-ty in Vietnam, butrallied his fellowprisoners, amongwhom he was thesenior naval officer.

Stockdale hadgraduated from theUnited States NavalAcademy in 1946and was earning amaster’s degree atStanford Universitywhen a professorintroduced him toEpictetus’ thought. The teacher noted that thegreat Prussian military leader, Frederick the Great,never went into battle without his copy of Epicte-tus’ Discourses.

Stockdale said that when he was shot downand parachuted into the arms of his Vietnamese

captors in 1965, he whispered to himself: “Fiveyears down there, at least. I’m leaving the world oftechnology and entering the world of Epictetus.”

Stockdale spent much of the next seven years insolitary confinement, frequently tortured by hiscaptors. He believed it was vital to his own sur-

vival — both mentaland physical — andto the survival of hismen, that they main-tain a certain integri-ty and dignity. Sodespite the torture,isolation and depri-vation inflicted uponthem by their cap-tors, the prisonersrefused to bow inpublic, to admit tocrimes or to negoti-ate only for theirown personal well-being.

Stockdale showedhis men that commit-ment to the Stoicprinciples of self-

respect and moral fortitude could enable them tosuccessfully resist their captors’ attempts to coerce,abuse and degrade them. Stockdale, like Wolfe’sConrad Hensley, survived his ordeal thanks, inpart, to the psychological strength gleaned fromEpictetus’ Stoicism.

STOCKDALE AND EPICTETUS

Retired Admiral James Stockdale, left, embraces a fellowprisoner of war, Arizona Sen. John McCain, last February during McCain’s presidential bid. Stockdale, the one-time

vice presidential running mate of Ross Perot, reliedon Stoicism during his time as a POW in Vietnam.

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The familiar Seren-ity Prayer is thor-oughly Stoic: “God,grant me the serenityto accept the things Icannot change, thecourage to change thethings I can, and thewisdom to know thedifference.”

Of course, we arefree to do the oppo-site, too. We arefree to com-pete againstothers forwealth, powerand status. We arefree to vie againstothers and try tocoerce, manipulateand exploit them in adesire to win materialpossessions andenhance our reputations. But suchmaterial “success” — that is, fame,money and power — can never besecure the way that a true belief, anhonorable intention and a rationaljudgment can.

So wanton money-grubbing,power-mongering and other moral-ly offensive endeavors mustinevitably depend on luck to a greatdegree. Such dicey pursuits pit usagainst others, and so invite vicesand lead to misery.

But instead of sacrificing one’smoral character and peace of mind,one is free to work for virtue andsocial harmony by adopting Sto-icism as a way of life. Stoic happi-ness, unlike the life of conspicuousconsumption and consumerism,does not depend on luck.

One can see how such an

optimistic and demanding philoso-phy might inspire a small group ofintellectuals in the ancient world,

but how is Stoicism relevant today?Let’s examine a few situations fromWolfe’s novel.

The central pro-tagonist, CharlieCroker, is a formerGeorgia Tech foot-ball star turnedwealthy real estatedeveloper inAtlanta. His phys-ical prowess, athletic fame,business success,war heroism,material wealth,social prominenceand sexualprowess make hima fairly conven-tional model ofmanliness. Anoth-er of the book’smajor characters,Conrad Hensley,in contrast, is a

humble but honorable working-class man.

Croker’s great wealth is in gravejeopardy as the plot unfolds. Crokerfears that the loss of his wealth willbring him social humiliation andunbearable personal shame. He hasyet to learn the Stoic lesson thatevents beyond our control have nopower to disgrace us. Only our owndecisions and the actions we freelychoose to perform can bring us dis-grace or honor. Hensley, who worksat one of Croker’s food-distributionwarehouses, saves a co-workerfrom a fatal accident only to receivea pink slip at the end of his shift —a layoff resulting from corporatedownsizing. Hensley learns his firstlesson in Stoicism: Courageous actsare within one’s power, and theyare their own reward because theyare a true good that cannot be taken

WINTER 2000 37

MATERIAL “SUCCESS” —THAT IS, FAME, MONEY

AND POWER — CAN NEVER BE SECURE

THE WAY THAT A

TRUE BELIEF, AN

HONORABLE INTENTION

AND A RATIONAL

JUDGMENT CAN.

Wearing his trademark white suit, author Tom Wolfe poses in his New York home in1998. Wolfe’s best-seller, A Man in Full,released that year, included a Stoic theme.

from us. In contrast, one’s job is aprecarious external that is ultimate-ly not within one’s power to retainindefinitely. Since losing the job wasnot Hensley’s fault, he has therebysuffered no moral loss and no dis-grace. For the Stoic, to lose one’swealth is not to lose any part of hisor her true self. Rather, it is simply atest of fortitude. Moral fortitude isthe only real good, since it alonecannot be lost through bad luck.

As the novel continues to unfold,Hensley is struck by more bad luck.Through no fault of his own, he los-es his car to an impound lot. Whenhe tries to retrieve it from the lot’slarcenous bullies, a scuffle ensuesand Hensley is arrested for assault.He is convicted and sent to a Cali-fornia penitentiary because herefuses to plea bargain, judging thatit would be unjust and demeaningfor him to do so. Awakening to thebrutality of his prison environment,Hensley finds himself in dire needof emotional and psychologicalsecurity. By accident, he receives acopy of Epictetus’ Discourses, readsit, and becomes a Stoic convert.Hensley dedicates himself to theStoic life of total moral integrity,self-sufficiency and sturdy accept-ance of those things in life he can-not change. In prison, Hensleyrefuses to fake insanity to avoid aconfrontation with a jailhouse bullybecause doing so would compro-mise his character. The Stoic lesson:Always conduct yourself respect-ably regardless of your circum-stances. Your moral integrity nevereludes scrutiny.

Hensley survives his ordeal inprison, escapes after an earthquakeand makes his way to Atlanta.

There, he works as a practical nurse sent to aid — of all people — Charlie Croker. Croker explains hisfinancial dilemma to Hensley andconfesses that he’d rather die thanbecome a beggar. Hensley respondsby telling Croker about the greatStoic philosopher Cleanthes. Cleanthes hauled water to make aliving, but nobody thought of himas someone who didn’t have arespectable job, because he was arespectable and admirable humanbeing. The Stoic lesson: You don’t

have to have some high positionbefore you can be a great person.Consequently, Wolfe’s man in fullturns out to be the man of virtue.

Stoicism also plays a centraltheme in the summer blockbusterGladiator, directed by Ridley Scott.

Set in A.D. 180, the film featuresRussell Crowe playing a Romanarmy general named Maximus Decimus Meridius whose careerbegan as a humble farmer in Spain.But thanks to his strength and hon-or, that is, his martial valor anddutiful soldiering, Maximus rises to

become the favorite general of thereigning emperor, the great Stoicphilosopher-king Marcus AureliusAntoninus (Richard Harris).

Aurelius’ only son, the despica-ble, decadent and dangerous Com-modus (Joaquin Phoenix), lacksprudence, fortitude, temperanceand justice — all the virtues Max-imus possesses. So the aging emper-or asks Maximus to accept theresponsibility of becoming theimperial protector of Rome and tohelp the Senate restore the glory ofRome after Aurelius dies. The cruelCommodus, heartbroken by thedecision, kills his father. Com-modus seizes the throne, immedi-ately strips Maximus of his rank,and orders his death and the deathsof his wife and young son. Max-imus escapes, but not in time tostop the brutal murder of his family.Devastated, he is captured byslavers and reluctantly trained byhis master Proximo (Oliver Reed) tofight in the bloody gladiatorial are-nas. Maximus’ determination tosurvive with courage, honor anddignity — the general who becamea slave, a gladiator and finally thehero who defeats the evil tyrant —makes him the movie’s inheritor ofMarcus Aurelius’ Stoic philosophy.

Does this renewed interest repre-sent a rebirth of Stoicism? Is 21stcentury America, with its glorifica-tion of power, possessions, fameand money, ready to embrace a phi-losophy that places greater empha-sis on virtue and justice? Perhaps inthis time of presidential indiscre-tions, easy access to pornographyon the Internet and confusion oversocial values, Stoicism’s time hascome again.

38 WINTER 2000

YOU DON’T HAVE

TO HAVE SOME HIGH

POSITION BEFORE YOU

CAN BE A GREAT PERSON.

CONSEQUENTLY,

WOLFE’S MAN IN FULL

TURNS OUT TO BE THE

MAN OF VIRTUE.

WINTER 2000 39

I discoveredEpictetus in gradu-ate school at theUniversity ofPennsylvania in1988. Soon aftermy doctoralresearch on Sto-icism began, Ifound that themost meticulousand comprehen-sive study ofEpictetus’ ethicsever written waspublished in 1894by an obscure German scholarnamed AdolfFriedrich Bonhöffer. Thatwas when Iembarked on thedaunting proj-ect of translat-ing Bonhöffer’sdusty tomefrom century-old German into contemporaryEnglish.

The classicbook, whichincludes a fore-word, three main parts, five appendices, and twolengthy indices, took me seven years, working onand off, to revise, edit and complete.

My translation, The Ethics of the Stoic Epictetus,

was published byPeter Lang in itsRevisioning Phi-losophy series inDecember 1996.The hardbackcopies of the ini-tial print sold outby early 2000, sothis summer thepublisher issueda second print-ing, in paper-back.

In 1999, dur-ing a sabbaticalat the Universityof California atBerkeley, Iresearched myown book onEpictetus’ ethicsand participatedin a seminar con-ducted by proba-bly the world’sforemost livingscholar of ancientStoicism, Antho-ny A. Long.

This semester,I am teaching acourse on Stoicism. My

students and I are reading Wolfe’s A Man in Full,Epictetus’ Discourses, and a challenging book oncontemporary Stoic theory. We also will see Gladiator and discuss its Stoic themes.

STUDYING THE STOICS: STEPHENS CONTINUES HIS QUEST

Creighton’s William Stephens publishedThe Ethics of the Stoic Epictetus in 1996, a translation of an 1894 work written by German scholar Adolf Friedrich Bonhöffer.

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54 WINTER 2000

D E V E L O P M E N T N E W S

Mr. and Mrs. Harold W. AndersenMr. and Mrs. Jack Balousek

Dr. and Mrs. Jack H. BankeadDr. and Mrs. John W. Barnes

Dr. and Mrs. Leopold J. Bellantoni, Jr.Mr. Charles F. Blankenship

Dr. and Mrs. Robert J. BorgmanDr. and Mrs. William H. Brandon, Jr.

Dr. and Mrs. Kevin M. CawleyMr. and Mrs. Donald A. Cimpl

Drs. Salvatore A. and Mary ContiMr. and Mrs. Ira D. Cox

Mr. and Mrs. Francis L. CudahyMr. and Mrs. John F. Daly

Dr. and Mrs. John J. DemakasMr. and Mrs. Marshall E. Faith

Ms. Mimi A. FellerDr. and Mrs. Robert M. FischerDr. and Mrs. Richard L. Gibney

Mr. and Mrs. Donald D. GrahamWilliam F. Gress, D.D.S.

Mr. and Mrs. J. Terrence HaneyMr. and Mrs. Robert J. Hoffman

Mr. and Mrs. Mark D. HuberMr. Chris Hughes

Mr. Lawrence E. HynekJack K. Ikeda, M.D.

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Jones, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Roger A. Keller

Mr. and Mrs. John C. KenefickMr. and Mrs. Donald R. Keough

Mr. and Mrs. Richard T. KizerMr. and Mrs. William M. Kizer

Dr. and Mrs. Robert E. MailliardMr. and Mrs. J. Barry McCallan

Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. McCormickMr. and Mrs. John V. McGraw, Jr.

Michael F. McMahon, M.D.Gerald E. McManus, M.D.

Mr. and Mrs. Dennis A. O’NealMr. and Mrs. Mark H. Rauenhorst

Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. ReedMr. Bruce C. Rohde and Ms. Sandra D. Morar

Drs. David C. and Anlee RolaMr. and Mrs. Walter Scott, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Alan SimonMr. and Mrs. David E. Slattery

Mrs. Frances L. SolomonowDr. and Mrs. William T. StaffordMr. and Mrs. Kenneth E. Stinson

Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan A. SweemerDr. and Mrs. Kimball S. Thompson

Mrs. Isabel TomekMr. Raymond F. Van Overschelde

Mr. and Mrs. Donald L. WaiteMr. and Mrs. Kevin J. Wiley

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence E. WzorekMr. and Mrs. Patrick J. Zenner

JESUIT CIRCLE MEMBERS1999-2000

Creighton University’s DevelopmentOffice is pleased to announce the successof the Jesuit Circle giving club, a new giving level in the Edward and MaryLucretia Creighton Society. Members ofthis giving club consist of alumni, parentsand friends of the University who gener-ously make an unrestricted annual gift of $5,000 or more to the University.

The 1999-2000 fiscal year was the charter year for the Jesuit Circle givingclub, which was a huge success with the 60 new members giving a collective$383,420, enabling the University to provide additional scholarship assistance, classroom and laboratory equipment,

and library resources to Creighton students.

Annual gifts of all amounts are impor-tant to Creighton, as the president anddeans utilize them throughout the year tomeet the most pressing financial needs ofthe University. Thanks to the generosityof alumni, parents and friends who giveto Creighton, the University is able toprovide a values-centered education thatremains affordable.

If you would like more informationabout the Edward and Mary LucretiaCreighton Society or the new Jesuit Circlegiving level, please contact the Develop-ment Office at 1-800-280-2740.

NEW GIVING LEVEL HAS SUCCESSFUL FIRST YEAR

As his name suggests, Donald Glow,BS’50, MD’54, illuminated the field ofpediatrics for more than 40 years in theOmaha area. A remarkable pediatricianand hospital administrator, Glow dedicat-ed his life to serving the community andhelping parents successfully raise and carefor their children.

Glow received bothhis undergraduateeducation and med-ical training fromCreighton University.After finishing hismedical degree, Glowserved as captain inthe U.S. Army Med-ical Corps beforeentering private prac-tice as a pediatrician atthe Omaha Children’s Clinic. He remainedat the Children’s Clinic for almost 20 years,expertly treating his young patients andeducating their parents. However, due tohis strong desire to spend more time withhis family, Glow left private practice andaccepted the position of vice president ofChildren’s Hospital. He also shared hispediatric expertise for more than 10 years on the Children’s Hospital radio

show “Pediatric Hints.”Described as a true family man by his

eight children, Glow’s passion was alwayshis own children and family. In memory of their beloved father and husband, theGlow family has established The Donald T. Glow, BS ’50, MD ’54 Endowed Scholar-

ship Fund in his honor. The scholar-ship fund will provide financialassistance to studentsenrolled in theCreighton UniversitySchool of Medicinewho are in high academic standing.Knowing Glow’sfondness for the

University, the Glowfamily decided to create the scholarship atCreighton in his memory. Not only did hereceive his education at Creighton, hereturned to his Creighton roots to serve asa professor of pediatrics.

Just as Glow illuminated the field ofpediatrics, The Donald Glow, BS ’50,MD’54 Endowed Scholarship Fund will actas a beacon of light for students in theSchool of Medicine.

BELOVED PEDIATRICIAN HONORED THROUGH ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUND

The late Donald Glow with his wife, Joanne Glow

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T H E L A S T W O R D

Editor’s note: Creighton pathologist Chhanda Bewtra, M.D., faceda difficult task when she traveled to the island nation of Madagas-car, off the southeastern coast of Africa, in the summer of 1999. The country has strong cultural taboos against human dissection,essential to the work of pathologists. But, remarkably, Dr. Bewtraand her colleagues with Pathologists Overseas, an internationalorganization dedicated to providing pathology and laboratory serv-ices to areas in need, were able to establish Madagascar’s first train-ing program specifically for pathologists.

CU Magazine: Before you arrived in Madagascar, what type ofpathology training were physiciansreceiving?

Dr. Bewtra: None. There wereonly two or three practicing patholo-gists in Madagascar, and they weremostly in the private paying sectorsor teaching full time in the medicalschools. That’s why we established a training program specifically forpathologists — a first for this coun-try — and started providing freepathology services.

Our lab, located in the capital cityof Antananarivo, was very basic. Allof our supplies and teaching materi-als were donated by private citizensand organizations. We received tis-sue specimens in tiny glass contain-ers (recycled medicine bottles),which we had to break open withhammers. Pieces of glass sometimes got embedded in thetissue and had to be delicately pried out to save preciousand often reused gloves and scalpel blades.

CU Magazine: Why were so few physicians interested inpathology?

Dr. Bewtra: Cultural taboos discourage autopsy andbody donation for anatomical dissections. Surgeons do notask for any pathology on any tissues.

CU Magazine: Was it difficult to establish your pathologyprogram considering the cultural taboos?

Dr. Bewtra: It was a constant uphill battle to convince thesurgeons about the importance of correct pathology diagno-sis. Fortunately, some of them had training abroad, mostlyin France, and they knew about pathology. We didn’t eventry to do an autopsy or any anatomy dissections. In manycases, large organs taken out during surgery had to be

returned to relatives for burial in the family crypts. Wecould get only a snippet of a large tumor, for example.

CU Magazine: How were you able to address some ofthese cultural concerns?

Dr. Bewtra: We had to show in every case how our diag-nosis would change the mode of treatment and the progno-sis for the patient. Many times we were laughed off andoften for good reason. In such a poor country, refined diag-

nosis didn’t mean much. For the firsttime in my life I actually had to godoor-to-door to hospitals, clinics andsurgeons trying to ‘sell’ pathology. Itwas a unique experience.

CU Magazine: How many doctorstook part in the training program?

Dr. Bewtra: We had three localphysicians who agreed to train aspathologists, and they were verykeen and eager. The participatingLutheran health organization inMadagascar helped us get a toehold.Their hospitals were the first to useour services.

CU Magazine: Will these doctorsbecome practicing pathologists?

Dr. Bewtra: We hope so. Thegrant runs out at the end of 2001. Butthe university medical school inAntananarivo is planning to incorpo-rate our program in its curricula andutilize these first three physicians toteach others.

CU Magazine: Can you tell us about your meeting withthe country’s health minister?

Dr. Bewtra: Dr. Ranjalehy Rasolofomanana J., Madagas-car’s secretary general and minister of health, and BrunoRakoto, the country’s director of hospitals, met with our del-egation for about 15 minutes. We explained our mission inMadagascar, and I mentioned the country’s need for papsmear tests to curb the horrendously high rate of uterinecancers. They told us that the government was considering anational pap smear campaign and asked if we would workwith the local university physicians to write up a plan,which we did.

More pressing concerns regarding poverty, unemploy-ment, foreign debts, environmental pollution, seemed to have put the campaign on hold. But I have not lost hope.

Making a difference in Madagascar

Creighton’s Chhanda Bewtra, M.D., spent a summer in Madagascar providing

pathology training and services.

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In 1998, the LiedFoundation Trust estab-

lished a scholarship fund for students in Creighton’sCollege of BusinessAdministration. When the $5 million fund is fully estab-lished, it will provide for 60Hixson scholars to study atCreighton annually. TheHixson Scholars Fund com-memorates the extraordinarysuccess of Omaha business-man Ernst F. Lied and his long-time business associateChristina M. Hixson. Hixsonbecame the sole trustee ofLied’s land and fortune whenhe died in 1980. Renowned forher keen business acuity andphilanthropic vision, Hixson hassince donated millions of dollars to CreightonUniversity. College of Business Administrationsophomore Jacqueline L. Werner, a Hixson scholar,captures the many opportunities afforded to her byHixson’s generosity.

“Without the scholarship, itwould not have been possible forme to attend Creighton. I love theCollege of Business Administra-tion and look forward to pursu-ing a career in business upongraduation. I serve as secretaryof the College’s FinancialManagement Association; play trombone in the pep band,orchestra and wind ensemble;and run on the cross countryteam. But most of all, I’vestayed on track with my studies, getting a 3.8 firstsemester and a 4.0 the second. Because of the scho-larship, I was able to afford aonce-in-a-lifetime trip toGreece last May for a class.

Because of the generosity of people like ChristinaHixson, I am able to take advantage of all theopportunities Creighton has to offer. I really do notknow how to express my appreciation, except bysaying that I hope to someday be in the position to help students, too.”

P R O F I L E S O F A C H I E V E M E N T

®

Anchored in ethics. Centered on service. Pledged to excellence.

Hixson Scholars Fund Benefits Students

Jennifer R. BachmanJoshua J. BoeschAlicia C. BraunKelly M. DenningMichelle M. EgrJeff C. Eikmeier

Elizabeth L. GalmLeah T. GautschiTroy A. HaeckeSara A. HartmannMary E. KavanErin L. Kjeldgaard

Amy M. LiphamBrian M. LodesJesse L. LuetkenhausRyan M. LuetkenhausAdam J. MolzerLiisa D. Nixon

Thomas E. O’ConnorNathan L. OlsonClinton J. PickmanScott A. RajkowskiEric T. SandquistMichael J. Soucie

Andrew A. SperfslageJoseph P. TippinsSteven T. WalshJacqueline L. WernerRenae M. Zaruba

2000 Hixson Scholars

Hixson scholar Jacqueline Werner.

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