University of Missouri at Kansas City - Kangaroo Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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'O Q MINSTREL NILES AND THE BALLAD That music came from the people and must go back to the people is the philosophy of John Jacob Niles, ballad-singer, who has been a visit- ing professor at KCU this semester. Mr. Niles collects only American folk songs and sings them to the accompaniment of a dulcimer. Besides being a musician of note, he is a dancer, country gentleman, painter, and father. Born on a farm in Kentucky in l89Z, Mr. Niles did not get to the city until he was twenty, and he still prefers the simple country life. He owns 32 acres of rolling blue grass near Boone's Creek, and his fa r m house has been in a stage of near- completion for several years. The front door was carved by Niles with a Sir Walter Scott quotation on it. Just recently he added such mod- ern conveniences as an electric dish- washe r a n d a deep freeze. Mrs. Niles is a farming expert, and with her distinguished husband, keeps horses on the farm. Included are the hunters and Kentucky walking horses. ln typical southern fashion, Mr. Niles defines an educated gentleman as one who is able to do the following things: read and write, add and subtract, make a public speech, raise a crop, sing and dance, shoot and hit, and kiss' a lady's hand. Niles also paints, his favorite subjects being landscapes, still life, and locomotives against the dramatic backdrops of a railroad yard. l-le is at present painting a huge steel plant to a 24 x 36 inch scale. 1 The folk songs in the extensive Niles repertoire hove been gathered from a wide area and over a long period of time. Many of them have been handed down from generations of Nileses be- The Kangaroo fore the present bolladeer, who has learned them ond odded to the collection himself. l-le hos trciveled all over the mountainous and rural areas of the United States listening to songs of love and romonce told in the simple language of simple people. Typical of the tastes of the all -American, country-loving Nileses is their pcission for hunt- ing ond the chose. The whole family enjoys rid- ing to the hounds, and Mrs. Niles is somewhat of an expert huntress. While at the University of Kansas City, Niles posed for on oil portrait by Dr. l-lenry Scott of the University Art De- partment. He at- tended a number of art closses, sit- ting for the stu- dents and enter- taining them with Barbary Allen ond The Block Gypsy. As artistic as her husband, Mrs. Niles writes Ken- tucky Profiles for the Courier Jour- nol every other week. These sketches are of writers, poets, musicians, and politicians, as well os tenant farmers and her own neighbors. There are two young sons in the family: Thomas Michael Toliver, age 9, and John Ed- ward, age 3V2. Thomas Michael already sings the folk song and carol and may be the eighth generation folk singer in his family. Young John Edward calls himself Yonny, in true Swedish fashion. Of course, the Nileses hoven't a drop of Swedish bloodl World War l ribbons in his lapel show that Niles is o mon of mony experiences and en- counters. l-lis willingness to devote a lifetime to the Anglo-American folk ballcid and carol is in part based on a family tradition. lt is olso part of his hope thot the ageless material will eventually regain high position ond be the bosis for ci por- tion of our ultimate national culture. Page 15

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A giant revolving mirror sprinkled flashes of light down on the crowded dancers at the Bounder Burly-Q Ball, the first big dance of the year. Preceded by an extensive advertising cam- paign, the dance attracted a crowd estimated at close to 2,000. The Five Scamps held the band stand for the first part of the eve- ning followed by Jim Lenge and his Look Award aggregation. Skits were presented intermit- tently by the Bounder Fraternity with satires on campus life, army life and just plain life. The fashion order of the eve- ning included everything from casual school clothes to high tea at the Waldorf outfits. Decora- tions were simple consisting of a mesh of soda straws for a door- way and clowns heads as back- ground for the bandstand. l l l l AT THE BOUNDER BURLY-Q-BAL 0 'Y Z 2 5 Page 'l4 The Kangaroo

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Y 4, Jerry Love and Mr. Kuhl, the radio di- rector, do a little transcribing in the sound- proof recording laboratory. TranscHpHons are piped from here to the cafeteria and the Kangaroon. DIRECTOR INSPIRES RADIO WORKSHOP On the airl This year has all the prospects of being a good one for KCU in radio. What with dramatics, a quiz show, music, and a round-table discussion, as well as many other features, a varied field is offered to radio listeners. The accomplishments of the radio workshop, which is under the direction of Lawrence Kuhl, have been made possible by the new equipment at KCU. The facilities have been expanded now so that full-scale production from the studio is in progress. Even though they are cramped for space the workshop includes a sound-proof broad- casting room, a tiny control room crammed with equipment and a office for Mr. Kuhl and his colleagues. The Radio Guild is the name of the radio club, an honorary organization that has membership by the accumulation of points awarded for actual participation in the productions. Bob Yergovitch is president of the group and Pat McLane is the secretary-treasurer. The twelve members of the Radio Guild do most of the work in the various productions. . Dateline Missouri, a dramatic series, is pre- pared partly in the University studio and partly live at WDAF. The series, presented weekly, consists of historical incidents of Missouri and Kansas. Written by Bob Dorothy and members of the Script Writing Class, most of the acting is done by the members of the Radio Guild. The Page 'I6 work of directing and producting the show is partly done by the students. Under this title the radio group will also present several h'oliday shows. Each Tuesday and Thursday morning the Uni- versity is taken into the homes of Kansas Citians over KIMO with the University Club. On the Tuesday morning show Barbara Butin interviews campus personalities and she has already inter- viewed Dr. Newfield, Dr. Holy, Lee Marts, Jack Karapetian, and others. Music on the Tuesday morning show is provided by Tane lnouye who solos on the blues and the Dream Dusters. The Dream Dusters are the quartet who went to Sun Valley, Idaho, early in the semester on a two week contract with l-larl Smith. This quartet is composed of Bill Piehler, Neil Stuessi, Jerry Wooden, and Patsy Kidd. The group is heard on the University Club accom- panied by Bill on the guitar and Walt George on the accordion. The Thursday morning program is announced by Dick Tegtmeyer. A review of campus news that would be of interest to the community in general is given by Carol Kraft. The show which has already been on the air for 8 weeks will con- tinue till June. Both the Tuesday and Thursday morning programs are directed by Don Jennings and Jerry Love is at the controls. The Kangaroo