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SPECIAL TO ALUMNI
a n A & M - C o m m e r ce i n v i t a t i o n t o e a c h o f Yo u

October:
“Free People Read Freely,” October-December, a campuswide display relating to banned books and censorship. Look for exhibits in Arthur C. Ferguson Social Sciences Building, Hall of Languages, the Performing Arts Center and the first and second floors of the library.

Hittin’ it Big! at Homecoming 21-26, culminating Saturday, Oct. 26. See pages 7-8 for more information.

Chamber Singers and Chorale performances Tuesday, Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m., in the Music Recital Hall. In the first half of the program, the Chamber Singers will perform a program of vocal chamber literature. The program begins with partsongs from the Renaissance followed by chansons of Camille Saint-Säens and Maurice Ravel. For this concert, the Chorale will divide into two ensembles. The men will sing choruses from a recently-discovered Mass by Francesco Durante, a chorlieder by Franz Schubert, and two sea chanteys. The women of Chorale will open with an anthem by René Clausen and follow with a motet by Tomás Luis da Victoria, a Schubert motet, and a Hungarian folksong by Zoltan Kodaly.

“New American Talent #17” at the University Gallery, located near the east end of the Art Building. The Art Building is located to the right of University Drive, the main entrance to campus.

November
“My Life as a Dress: Ceramic Sculpture by Anita Powell,” Nov. 5-27 at the University Gallery. Opening reception 7-9 p.m. Nov. 5.

The University’s Salute to Veterans, Nov. 7-9, culminating Saturday, Nov. 9, in…

The solemn yet celebratory Veteran’s Vigil, featuring the lighting of the Vigil Flame and an Air Force flyover during halftime of that day’s football game.

Also on Nov. 9, University Day, when the campus hosts high schoolers and their parents. Alumni in particular are invited to the outdoor cookout around noon that day on the West Lawn. A blues band, the Clayton Miller Band, will present a free performance during the cookout. For more information on University Day activities, call 903-886-5808.

The Choirs of Hunt County, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m., in the Music Recital Hall. The A&M–Commerce Chorale and the Greenville High School A cappella will combine to perform a wonderful program of choral classics. Under the direction of Alumnus Mike Brock (BMEd ’64, MM ’68) A cappella has acquired a statewide reputation for choral excellence. For this concert, the A&M–Commerce Chorale will perform a set of three motets by G.P. da Palestrina, Anton Bruckner and Maurice Duruflé followed by two anthems by Jean Berger and F. Melius Christiansen. The Chorale will conclude with world music from Sweden, Mexico and Hungary.

“The Honorable Urashima Taro,” a play for children by Coleman A. Jennings and directed by Angela Akers. Nov. 14-16, 18-21. For the day and time of a family night performance, call the University Playhouse at 903-886-5900.

Music for your ears at the Wind Ensemble & Symphonic Band concert in the University Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 26.

A very special holiday concert from the Chorale, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m., in the Music Recital Hall. The Chorale opens with a set of double-choir motets by Palestrina, Johann Pachelbel and Felix Mendelssohn. For these antiphonal settings, the Chorale will divide into two ensembles which spin the melodies back and forth, creating a glorious acoustical phenomenon. The Chorale will conclude with a performance of traditional holiday carols and secular music.

December:
The Art Department’s perennially popular annual Christmas sale, Dec. 4-6. The opening on Dec. 4 is from 5 to 7 p.m.

Feast of Carols, the University’s traditional Christmastime celebration, returns for more medieval merrymaking Dec. 5-7. This semi-annual madrigal dinner features a sumptuous meal, entertainment by the King’s Court and meaningful music of the season. For further information and tickets, call 903-886-5808.

From C-Town to NYC

Alumni pitch in on doctor’s pitch for World Trade Center memorial

Alumnus J.K. Crain, a faculty member in the department of industrial engineering and technology, with Alumnus Bob Wilkins, a graduate assistant from Pecan Gap, and Rick Selvaggi, a physician in Commerce, examine their model of a labyrinth. In the photo the model has been disassembled for demonstration purposes

As stakeholders grapple with what to build on the16-acre plot of land where the World Trade Center’s twin towers once stood, one design from Commerce still seems to be in the running.
After visiting Ground Zero while attending a medical conference in New York City, Commerce physician Rick Selvaggi came up with the idea of placing a labyrinth-style monument on the site.
With the help of a couple of A&M-Commerce Alumni and the University’s cutting-edge rapid prototyping technology, the doctor has a model of his monument design to show New York decision-makers.
Selvaggi’s design is a 200 by 200-foot labyrinth that rises up to a center structure of steel I-beams from the collapsed towers. The tallest I-beam is proposed to reach 76 feet above the ground.
Unlike mazes, labyrinths have only a single path which leads to the center. “It connects the outside world to the steel I-beams,” he said. “Walking through a labyrinth is a meditative process — there are no choices to make.”
Dr. J.K. Crain (MS ’90, Ed.D. ’92) a faculty member in the department of industrial engineering and technology at A&M-Commerce, heard about Selvaggi’s idea and offered his department’s assistance.
About two years ago, the department purchased a state-of-the-art rapid prototyping machine that is capable of taking a computer designed image and creating a plastic three-dimensional model from it. “When we purchased it, we were one of three educational institutions .[in the state of Texas] to have one,” he said.
Selvaggi and J.K. had the idea and equipment to create the model but needed someone with the time and dedication to convert the paper drawing into AutoCAD, a computer-aided design program. Bob Wilkins, a graduate assistant in the department, stepped forward.
Bob is not a typical graduate student. After receiving his undergraduate degree here in the ‘60s and retiring following 35 years of service at Texas Instruments, he decided to come back to A&M-Commerce.
The Alumnus was so interested in Selvaggi’s idea that he undertook the challenge of learning how to use the design software and the rapid prototyping machine.
Dr. Jerry Parish, head of the department of Industrial Engineering and Technology, said his department is always seeking ways to work with the community and industry. “Certainly we hope this 9-11 design is the one accepted and built in New York City, but if it is not, this has been an exciting and rewarding experience for our department,” he added.
The Commerce design has been presented to several planners, some of whom have said they are struggling in their efforts to balance commercial hopes with memorializing the victims. Six initial plans unveiled earlier were not well received, and planners have gone back to the drawing board.
Many New Yorkers have said they want more majestic and innovative designs in an inspirational memorial that preserves the footprints of the towers.