Northwest Missouri State University - Tower Yearbook (Maryville, MO)

Page 32 text:

PAST til «ft . GEORGIAtMAS CHOIR by Lisa The Georgia Mass Choir performed in February. Some in attendance wanted to see a live performance by the gospel choir featured in the movie The Preacher ' s Wife. Others, like Director of Campus Activities Bryan Vanosdale, felt a special connection to gospel choir music. I did not think you had to have grown up in a church that had that kind of music and that kind of spirit about it to have felt this way, to have felt that connection, that rejoicing, Vanosdale said. The event was sponsored by Campus Activities Program- mers, who joined forces with Alliance of Black Collegians to promote the event as an activity for Black History Month. Vanosdale said the event was appropriate for Black His- tory Month since it celebrated an art-form that was not often seen in Maryville. That group kind of represented a different way of music expression that was not very common in this area, Vanosdale said. I thought it was just a really good way of bringing a lot of people together. Toward the end of the concert they had everybody grab hands as kind of a symbol of unity — that we were all here together, that we were different, but the same. Photo by Valerie Mossman PRESENT YU LETI D E bySara ;ur,se It may have been a cold December day in 19 9 8 outside, but once inside the Photo by Heidi Floers— Conference Center, it was the holiday season of 1585, the height of the Renaissance era. The 25th Annual Yuletide Feaste captured the audience ' s imaginations with its authentic food and music. The Feaste was forced to move to the Conference Center due to construction in the J.W. Jones Union. Despite the small change, the Feaste proved to be successful. Since its start, the Feaste ' s cast had grown to approximately 60 members. Many of the student participants in the event were impressed with the talent of their fellow cast members. The group was so talented, and it really was a joy to work with them, Kevin Kelly said. Despite the alternative location, the Feaste still transported audience and cast members alike to the Renaissance era for an evening of music, food and pleasure. JOYCELYN by Michelle A blunt and direct attitude got Joycelyn Elders in some political trouble in 1994. In 1999 it made her an interesting and humorous speaker at Northwest. Elders was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993 to 02S ENTeRTAINMENT

Page 31 text:

NOT ONLY DID the workers gut most of the preexisting J.W. Jones Student Union, they also had to put It back together to meet the new plans. Workers were busy wiring, laying sheet rock and laying concrete. Photo by Christy Chestnut THE J.W. JONES Student Union project brings the sounds of construction to the Northwest campus. Students were constantly reminded of the hard work the construction workers were doing to meet their deadline. Photo by Chnsty Cttesnut i CONSTNUCTION OXS

Page 33 text:

become the first black woman to become the U.S. surgeon general. In 1994. she resigned. According to Elders, she was fired because she spoke her mind and said tilings I resident Clinton did not want his surgeon general saying. Elders focused her discussion on health care, prevention and education. The most per ' asive health problem we li«ve is poverty, Elders said. Elders stressed the importance of health care for everyone in the ited States. She also discussed teen pregnancy. During Elder ' s •trm as surgeon general, she was often called the condom queen secause of her vocalness about safe sex. Elders told her audience that America had 10 hmes the rate of ii-enage pregnaiKy than the Netherlands or japan. ' Children become parents before they become adults, Elders said. I That was a point Dave Douglas was esp)ecially struck by. What she said about teen pregnancy was especially shocking, Xnigiassaid. I always knew the seriousness of the situation, but she had the numbers to back it up. Elders was an interesting speaker and impressed her audience at Mjrthwest. It was well worth my time and very interesting, Douglas said. 1 1 c! id she canrte to a small school like Northwest. I I T C H by Kimberly It all started with a dream, Mitch Gaylord said. That dream started when Gaylord was in fifth grade. l fK-H an assignment to do a report, he chose to do it on an Mympic athlete. That planted the seed. Gaylord became an Olympic athlete at the age of 23, when he participated in the 1984 Olympics in U s Angeles. At the 1984 Olympics, Rayford Johawn carried the torch Amazingly, Johnson was the Olympic athlete that Gaylord h.)d written his report on in fifth grade. The man who had started Gaylord ' s dream was there to see the dream BlH 9 l become a reality. enough, you could accomplish anything, Jason Bass said. With the content of Pl oto by Amy Roh his two lectures, Gaylord left a lot to be remembered. HAZEL by Matthew When former White House cabinet member Hazel O ' Leary visited as part of the University ' s Distinguished Lecture Series, her message was one encouraging knowledge, honesty, information and pt sitive progress. O ' Leary. who led the Department of Energy during President Bill Clinton ' s first administration, focused on the concept of leadership. She said four qualities were necessary for people who wanted to compete successfully in the next century: farsightedness, anticipatory learning, interdependence and integrity. She encouraged students to get involved in the field of technology. Students loudly applauded her remarks, and a question and answer period followed the lecture. KvKNTs oa7