The Digest
What’s Happening at KVCC
What’s below in this edition
Honoring Anna (Pages 1/2)Medicare basics (Page 8)
Diversity conference (Page 3)Movies (Pages 8/9)
A link to D. C. (Page 3)College Goal (Pages 9/10)
‘Hit the Road, Jack’ (Page 4)Focus Forum (Page 10)
RichlandTownship (Page 4) Take a walk (Pages 10/11)
First-aid kits (Pages 4/5) Magic for kids (Page 11)
State’s ‘Glory’ unit (Pages 5/6)Fit spouses (Pages 11/12)
Blood drive (Pages 6/7)Our knitters (Pages 12/13)
New-media seminars (Page 7)The ancients (Page 13)
Financial-aid workshops (Page 7) ‘Color of Water’ (Pages 13/14)
Poetry reading (Pages 7/8)And finally (Pages 14/15)
☻☻☻☻☻☻
Whitten Hall dedication Tuesday
The ceremony to rename KalamazooValleyCommunity College’s original Arcadia Commons Campus building Anna Whitten Hall will be held Tuesday (Feb. 8) at 4 p.m.
While technically not meeting the exact definition of a pioneer member of the KVCC Board of Trustees, Whitten certainly deserves an asterisk, having been appointed in 1968 to the governing board shortly after it was created and filled by voters for the first time.
Not too long after the “thank-yous for accepting the appointment” had faded away, Whitten was selected board secretary. Elected to multiple six-year terms on her own as a candidate in 1969, 1975, 1981, 1987, 1993, and 1999, Whitten has been the board’s only secretary over the last 37 years.
Scheduled to make remarks at the dedication are: KVCC President Marilyn Schlack; A. Christian Schauer, chair of the KVCC Board of Trustees; Nicole Lindsey, the veteran trustee’s granddaughter; and Whitten.
A Kalamazooan for more than 50 years, Whitten has donated her time to a wide variety of organizations, activities and initiatives with her energy, personal warmth, compassion, experience and caring:
♦advisory groups for the Borgess Medical Center, the Kalamazoo County Department of Social Services, the Family Health Center that she helped formulate, the Douglass Community Association, the Job Corps, the citizens committee that organized the celebration of the 50th anniversary of voters adopting the Kalamazoo City Charter in 1918, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, register-to-vote drives, Northside associations dedicated to community development and educational achievement, the Interfaith Housing Council, the Greater Kalamazoo United Way, American Cancer Society, the Black Arts Festival, and Senior Services.
When not following the fortunes of KVCC, Whitten can be found manning a desk and meeting “people” needs in the EcumenicalSeniorCenter at North Burdick and North streets.
When pioneer KVCC trustee Mabel Shoemaker had to resign from the board because of her husband’s job transfer, chairman Robert Wollam knocked on Whitten’s door after community leaders recommended her as a replacement. These “headhunters” mentioned her ability to work well with people, her community knowledge, and her team spirit.
“I knew why they were interested in me,” she said. “It is not a bad idea for a community college to have a board that reflects the community’s diversity. That idea was never mentioned in our conversations, but I think it was understood.
“My mother always told me that opportunity often knocks only once,” she said, “and when it does, take advantage of it. My first consideration was whether I could do a decent job. Mabel assured me, saying to me, “If I can do it, Anna, you can do it.’ That gave me the confidence and I decided to add whatever dimension I could to the board.”
“My years at KVCC have been very, very exciting,” she said, “because ever since we took that first shovel of sand, something always seems to be happening, and for the good. I fully support that kind of growth and development because they promise positive experiences for young people. Rare is the family who has not benefited in some way from KVCC.
“During my 30-plus years, I have visited a lot of community colleges,” she said, “and I am proud to stay that KVCC stands out as a national model and as a leader in its community. If I had to write a book about what makes KVCC tick, I don’t know what I would say. I guess I would talk about its credibility and its spirit. I do know that the board does not mind working hard, but it never seems like hard work. It always seems like fun, something that we enjoy doing.”
She also enjoys the EcumenicalSeniorCenter of which she has been a part for nearly 20 years. Catering primarily to senior residents of the North Side and neighboring areas, the center hosts social programs and activities such as Bible studies, outings, bingo, ceramics, sewing, exercising, computer games, shopping trips, fashion shows and quilting.
There are outreach programs for the home-bound, a food and clothing pantry to fill emergency needs, and referral linkages to agencies that offer legal aid, emergency assistance, minor home repairs, housing, and preparation of income-tax refunds.
With the dedication of Anna Whitten Hall, KVCC’s Arcadia Commons Campus in downtown Kalamazoo becomes a three-complex entity – Whitten Hall, the KalamazooValleyMuseum, and the Center for New Media.
Community sponsors join diversity conference
Pfizer Inc., Schupan & Sons Inc., and the Educational Community Credit Union have stepped forward to co-sponsor KVCC’s annual spotlight on diversity and its issues.
The 2005 edition, scheduled for Wednesday, March 23, will again be free and open to the public.
This year’s theme will be “Diversity: Can You Relate?”
Presenters from GrandValleyStateUniversity, the Bronson Healthcare Group and WesternMichiganUniversity will be part of the agenda from 9 a.m. through 4:15 p.m. A Chicago-based theatrical group will be performing and a panel will focus on “The Incivility of Poverty.”
For more information, contact Nancy Taylor at extension 4142.
New U. S. commerce chief has KVCC link
The daughter of Carlos Gutierrez, the former chief executive officer of The Kellogg Co. who was recently confirmed as the new Secretary of Commerce in the administration of President Bush, took classes at KVCC for more than a year.
From the 2003 winter semester through the winter semester of 2004, Erika Gutierrez enrolled in journalism, math, foreign-language, geography, humanities, English, communications, history and political-science classes at KVCC.
Now majoring in communications at WesternMichiganUniversity, she told The Western Herald that despite her father’s lofty title, “he’s just a regular guy. He’s the most down-to-earth, amazing person.
“He’s the type of person who will work as hard as he can to get things down,” said Erika, who traveled to Washington to witness her father’s confirmation hearing. The experience included an Oval Office visit with President Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
As Gutierrez was being grilled by senators on the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, his daughter was impressed at his knowledge and the way he handled himself.
She told the student newspaper her father’s retirement party at Kellogg’s was equally memorable. “They (employees) all just told me what a great boss he was,” she said, “how he really cared about the employees of the company. I know he’s going to take that same approach with him to his new job.”
The Battle Creek resident said her father made the federal job a family decision. He asked his wife and three children what they thought of him becoming the U. S. Secretary of Commerce. “If we thought he shouldn’t do it, he wouldn’t have taken it. He wanted us to decide together as a family.”
The next decision for Erika will be whether she chooses to transfer to GeorgetownUniversity to be closer to her parents.
As with the supporters of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a former KVCC student is taking a closer examination of the U. S. Constitution.
“If a person didn’t have to be born in the United States to be president,” she told The Herald, “my (Mexico-born) dad would definitely be the next one.”
Ray Charles bio film at Commons
A double-header showing of “Ray,” the Oscar-nominated film biography of musician Ray Charles, is next in KVCC’s series of Black History Month activities on Tuesday (Feb. 8) at 12:30 and 5:30 p.m. in the Commons Theater.
Here’s the rest of the lineup:
●On Wednesday, Feb. 16, from noon to 2 p.m. in the Commons Forum, “Brother2Brother” facilitators Willie Raby and Aisha Tillman will join with the Focus Program for two hours of words, music and commentary regarding the legacy of African Americans in the United States.
●Gospel music at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 18, in the Commons Theater.
●“The Meeting,” a play speculating on what a meeting between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X would have been like. It will be performed in the Commons Theater at 12:30 p.m. by Buddy Hannah and Sid “The Rock” Ellis.
Richland next in township-history series
The history of RichlandTownshipis next in the "Sunday Series" spotlight as the KalamazooValleyMuseum continues its exploration into the histories of KalamazooCounty's 16 townships.
Tom Dietz, curator of research, will tell the story of RichlandTownship on Feb. 13 at 1:30 p.m. in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater. The presentation is free.
RichlandTownship was settled in 1832 by members of the Kalamazoo Emigration Society led by Col. Isaac Barnes. Formed in Hudson, Ohio, that year, the society proposed to establish a Christian colony on the Michigan frontier that welcomed all who practiced Congregationalism and advocated temperance.
Situated on the rich lands of the Gull Prairie, the early settlers quickly grew in number. The original RichlandTownship government was organized in April 1833 and included Ross, Charleston, and Comstock townships as well.
Dietz will discuss the activities of the society, other early pioneers, and the forgotten towns of Geloster, Bridgewater, and Richland Junction as well as the history of the village of Richland.
“No program on Richland would be complete without a mention of the 1845 dispute over the ownership of the BaptistChurch bell,” said Dietz, who will also chronicle some of the famous natives of the township such as Horace M. Peck, Benjamin Cummings, and the Upjohn family.
For further information, contact Tom Dietz at 373-7984.
CooperTownship will be in the spotlight on April 3, and OshtemoTownship on April 17. Dietz is also producing written accounts of the 16 townships’ histories in upcoming editions of Museography.
Already covered earlier in the “Sunday Series” were the origins of Brady, Comstock, Charleston, Alamo, Texas, Climax, Ross, Pavilion and Wakeshma townships.
Safety tip: Keep first-aid kits in first-class shape
First-aid kits can prove to be vital in most emergency situations as well as being helpful in treating those every-day bumps and bruises.
That’s why it’s important to keep them up to date and fully stocked.
If you have a first-aid kit in your area, a list of what supplies should be included in each kit is available on the KVCC Intranet in the Human Resources Safety page or by simply using the following link
If your kit is missing this or that, contact Amy Jeffrey at extension 4576, and the deficiencies will be quickly corrected.
Next at Civil War exhibit
Re-enactors for Michigan’s version of the famous Massachusetts 54th will be taking part in special programming linked to the KalamazooValleyMuseum’s Civil War exhibit this weekend.
On Sunday (Feb. 6) from 1:30 until 4 p.m., members of the USCT (United States Colored Troop) Black History Group will be in uniform and spaced throughout the exhibition, “Liberty on the Border,” that opened at the museum Jan. 29. They will dialogue with visitors about Michigan blacks in the Civil War and their counterpart activities to what was chronicled in the motion picture, “Glory,” that told the story of the Massachusetts 54th.
On Saturday (Feb. 5),living-history presentations depicting life as a soldier during encampment and his family’s existence on the home front during the Civil are scheduled
From 1 to 4 p.m., day-to-day existence during the Civil War will be in the spotlight with free presentations targeted for children and based on a project designed by Anna Rusk in earning the Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn as a high school student. Rusk, who is now attending college, chose the project after seeing the “Liberty on the Border” exhibit at its debut in Cincinnati.
“I was excited to discover that it was coming to Kalamazoo,” she said, “so I decided to use my knowledge as a Civil War re-enactor to develop activities to be used in conjunction with the exhibit for children's programming. I came up with several hands-on activities to help illustrate the concepts explored in the exhibit. These put the military and civilian aspects of the time period into a format that can be more easily understood by children.”
Scheduled for 2 p.m. that day in the Stryker Theater will “Past in Person,” which features Michael Deren as a musician from the Civil War era. His interactive performance focuses on life in April of 1865 just before the end of the war. There is a $5 admission fee.
Two years after the first shot was fired on FortSumter and Union troops were taking defeat after defeat, the 1st Michigan Colored Regiment was formed in July of 1863 in Detroit in response to constant lobbying efforts. The unit was mustered into federal service on Feb. 17, 1864, as the 102nd Colored Troop.
Their experiences began to be re-enacted when the USCT Black History Group was established as part of the Michigan Sesquicentennial in 1986 to preserve the history of the Civil War by enhancing the public’s understanding of the contributions of Michigan’s African Americans.
The 23-member group has taken part in re-enactments, parades and ceremonies throughout the state, in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Canada. It has brother regiments in Ohio and Chicago. Spouses and children also take part in educational outreach programs in schools.
“Liberty on the Border,” created by the Cincinnati Museum Center, is being complemented by local artifacts focusing on the roles the people of Kalamazoo and Southwest Michigan played in events leading up to, during and after the Civil War. According to local research, 3,221 residents of KalamazooCounty served in the Civil War. Some 365 did not return home – 58 died in combat, 48 died from their wounds, and 25 as prisoners of war or missing-in-action casualties. The balance died of illness and disease.
“Liberty on the Border” chronicles how northern and southern states viewed slavery, as well as the perspectives of residents of border statessuch as Kentucky who were equally divided in their opinions about the concept of liberty. That was illustrated by their actions leading up to FortSumter, the four years of war, and how the nation tried to heal its wounds in the following decades.
The exhibit will be showcased through May 30 in the museum’s Havirmill Special Exhibit Gallery on the third floor of the downtown-Kalamazoo museum.
Blood clinic set for Feb. 17
Let’s pretend that the population of the United States is 300 million. According to the American Red Cross, eight million people donate the 14 million units of blood collected annually.
That’s means that about 2.5 percent of Americans carry the load for the rest of us. Let’s pretend that only half of the population is eligible to donate blood because of age or health restrictions. The corresponding figure thus becomes a little over 5.3 percent.
KVCC can increase that percentage on Thursday, Feb. 17, when a blood drive is staged in the Gallery (Room 1510) on the Texas Township Campus from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
To schedule an appointment, visit and use sponsor code KVCC or sign-up in the cafeteria Feb. 9 -16. Prospective participants must have a photo ID or donor card.
According to the Red Cross, almost 40,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day. On the average, four million patients require more than 23 million total units of blood components every year.
In Michigan, hospitals use about 2,000 units of blood products daily, - that's about one unit every 43 seconds. The American Red Cross’ Great Lakes Region Blood Services unit in Lansing estimates it needs between 800 and 900 people per day as volunteer donors to keep pace.
For what? Sick and injured adults and children need blood products for scheduled and emergency surgeries, for cancer and leukemia treatments, trauma and burn care, and for the treatment of such serious maladies as anemia, sickle cell and heart disease. Adding to the pressure of having adequate supplies are the natural disasters that cause injuries and devastate communities.
The average adult has 10 to 12 units of blood flowing through the body. A newborn baby has one cup. About 97 percent of the population will have received a blood transfusion by age 75, yet, as stated above, only about 5 percent of the population donates.
A donor must be in good health, weigh at least 110 pounds and be at least 17 years old.
New-media software topics of one-day seminars
Five one-day seminars that teach industry-standard skills with web-design, animation, illustration, print-layout, and multi-media software are being offered by the KVCC Center for New Media over the next two months.