A Look at the World’s Trouble Spots

Fueling aNASCAR Winner

Is This the Age ofJunk Journalism?

REMEMBERING

FATHER KELLEY1914-2000

REMEMBERING

FATHER KELLEY1914-2000

A Look at the World’s Trouble Spots

Fueling aNASCAR Winner

Is This the Age ofJunk Journalism?

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

F A L L 2 0 0 0

C O V E R S T O R Y

20 POLITICAL ‘HOTSPOTS’DOT THE GLOBE

Creighton history professor Dr.Ross Horning takes a spin aroundthe globe, highlighting a few of theworld’s trouble spots and providing some brief historybehind the turmoil.

12 REMEMBERING FATHERKELLEY Longtime Creighton

Jesuit the Rev. William F. Kelley,S.J., died on May 2, 2000, leavingbehind a wealth of friends andmemories. Writer Bob Reilly, whoonce worked with Fr. Kelley, inter-viewed the popular Creightonpriest just a few months before hisdeath. He recalls a man who lovedto be in charge, loved his Jesuitvocation and loved CreightonUniversity.

Cover photo by Monte Kruse, BA’83

2 FALL 2000

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34 JUNK JOURNALISM In the age of O.J.,Monica and Elián, what has happened

to journalism? Are news organizations toofocused on titillating and entertaining at theexpense of educating and informing?Creighton graduate Mary Kay Shanley,BA’65, a formerreporter herself,examines thesequestions withCreighton alum-ni in the fieldand journalismprofessors atCreighton.

26 FUELING A NASCAR WINNER Whenthe pit crew members for NASCAR

driver Dale Jarrett wanted to shave valuableseconds off their pit stops, they called onCreighton exercise scientist Dr. Jeffrey Stout(pictured above). He developed a nutrition andexercise program to put them on the fast-trackto the winner’s circle.

4 • LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

5 • LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

6-11 • U N I V E R S I T Y N E W S

6 • NEW MORRISON SCHOLARSHIP ANNOUNCED: $1 million endowed scholarship fund honors Morrison.

10 • FAIR PLAY: Kids judge professors at this science fair.

11 • INTERACTIVE SCIENCE: “Build A Human”comes to Creighton.

40-49 • A L U M N I N E W S

41 • WITNESS TO HISTORY: WW II veteran watchedGermans surrender.

42 • MAKING A CONNECTION: Alumnus develops innovative math program.

43 • ’91 GRADUATE WRITES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: Stories aim to bolster parent-child interaction.

50 • DEVELOPMENT NEWS

51 • T H E L A S T W O R D

51 • THE SILENT FIRST PATIENT: The lessonslearned at the dissection table are an impor-tant part of a medical student’s training.Creighton’s Thomas Quinn, Ph.D., explains.

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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 FALL 2000

DR. WILLIAMS PAVED THE WAYI am a Creighton graduate (BS’79), an attorney (sorry, Rutgers

’84) and a member of the U.S. Army Reserve for the past 21years. I currently hold the rank of lieutenant colonel and recentlycompleted an assignment as a battalion commander — the firstAfrican-American female officer in the 98th Division(Institutional Training) to hold such a position. Your article onDr. Williams (Summer 2000) made me feel proud, thankful andhumble to know that he was a Creighton graduate as well as aformer member of the Armed Forces. I have no doubt that hiscourage and sacrifice made it possible for me to achieve my current rank. In fact, I am more determined than ever to pursuegreater positions of responsibility.

In my current position as the clerk of the court for the U.S.Bankruptcy Court for western Wisconsin, I am one of the fewAfrican-Americans in the federal court system at this level. How-ever, every day, I see more and more recognition of the fact thattalent and ability come in all shapes, colors and are not genderspecific. Each day, we move a little bit closer to a workplace thatmakes decisions based on merit, but we are still a long, long wayfrom that goal. Thanks again for writing such a terrific article.

Marcia C. (Mahan) Martin, BS’79, Beloit, Wis.

DR. WILLIAMS A ROLE MODELYour feature article titled, “The Fight for Equality,” was

outstanding. What a great life story about a most interesting gentleman who overcame many odds to become a model for all young people, regardless of color or creed.

I was in the Air Corps pilot training program, but I never real-ized, until reading your story, the shabby treatment black officerswere receiving from the military! What a disgrace!

On April 23, 1945, I recorded in my diary a bombing missionover Austria. This was just 10 days after those black officers wereformally charged with treason. My comments described theintense enemy fire. The flak and resulting damage were greaterthan on any of my previous missions. At our side were the P-51“black pilots,” who flew fighter escort for our bomb group. Thesepilots were the products of top-notch fighter training at TuskegeeAir Field. The white officers who didn’t want black officers intheir club were playing discrimination games, while those P-51’s protected us every day on our bombing missions.

Dr. Williams and his brothers, Jasper and Charles, have probablydone far more for humanity, black and white, than most of thosewhite officers who were intent on segregation because of color.

Thanks again to Creighton University Magazine for telling thisstory. Congratulations also to Dr. Williams and his brothers forsetting a great example.

Ben Haller Jr., Ph.B.Jrn.’42, West Des Moines, Iowa

AFRICAN-AMERICANS LEAVE OMAHACongratulations on the articles appearing in the summer 2000

issue of Creighton University Magazine regarding the post gradu-ate achievements of African-American Creighton alumni. Thecareers of Dr. James Williams, Lester Carter, Cheryl Polk andRobyn Davis make an impact not usually seen in your magazine.

I was a Creighton student during 1948-50. I received a fineeducation at Omaha Central High School and CreightonUniversity, but it was necessary for me and my African-American friends and classmates to go to other cities to build ourcareers. This trend is seen yet in the careers of the four alumniyou recognize. As we enter the new millennium, I pray that sig-nificant progress can be made in using the education, gifts andtalents of African-American Creighton graduates to enhance thetotal Omaha community.

Earl Hunigan, BUS AD’51, Sterling, Va.

A BUG’S LIFECongratulations on the superb article by Theodore Burk

(Summer 2000). It made me realize, as never before, the role ofbugs in our lives. I liked, especially, the account of the monarchbutterfly.

John Scott, S.J., Omaha

THE FIRST SPIRIT OF CREIGHTONI’d like to thank you for your informative article in the

Creighton Magazine (Summer 2000) about past recipients of theSpirit of Creighton Award.

As the grandson of the very first recipient, Walter D. James Jr.,I believe I have a story that is an important part of the Spirit ofCreighton Award and the University.

My grandfather, who died somewhat unexpectedly last year,wrote a book about our family history titled Our Story. In one sec-tion, he described his graduation from Creighton’s law school.

“At the graduation ceremony June 2, 1949 ... Father William H.McCabe, the president of the University, announced the creationof a new student award which would be the only student awardto be conferred during the graduation ceremony. Junior (as

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; and Tamara Buffalohead-McGill.

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

FALL 2000 5

Grandpa was known) was the first recipient.”According to the book, Fr. McCabe told the audience that this

award would “not recur in the future, unless the kind of studentachievement it recognizes — and the high degree of perfection itrecognizes — recurs, and commands the respect and gratitudethat are commanded in the present instance.” My grandfatherwrote that Fr. McCabe envisioned the Spirit of Creighton Award

being awarded every second or third year.My grandmother has returned the certificate that accompanied

the original award to the University so that its display might beenjoyed by all.

Sean P. Joyce, OmahaEditor’s Note: James’ certificate is on display in the SkuttStudent Center on the Wall of Distinction.

I am writing this, my first column, from the DominicanRepublic and Creighton’s Institute for Latin AmericanConcern. I have spent the last three weeks here and haveobserved the profound effect Creighton students are having on this poor island nation and the transforming effect thisbeautiful country, with its warm, friendly people, is having on our students.

Just an hour ago, I watched as 46 Creighton students head-ed out to the Dominican countryside to serve the needy andthe sick, as hundreds of Creighton students before them havedone. They are spending their summer vacations serving oth-ers and giving life to the Jesuit commitment to a faith that doesjustice — hallmarks of a Jesuit education. It is truly inspiring.

Since being selected in November as Creighton’s 23rd presi-dent, I have reflected often about the decision, about its impli-cations and about the future. Again, I am inspired.

I am very fortunate to be following Fr. Michael G. Morrison,S.J., a man of integrity, vision and faith. I am proud to call hima friend and mentor. He has bequeathed to me a universitythat is vibrant, focused and fiscally stable — great buildingblocks for the Creighton of the new century. I will not compromise his legacy.

Many times I have been asked about my decision to go toOmaha after nearly 10 years as president of the University ofSan Francisco. The obvious questions were raised about miss-ing the Golden Gate Bridge (which I could see from my officewindow), the diversity of the Bay area, my fondness for thePacific Rim and the weather. “Yes,” as San Francisco MayorWillie Brown astutely observed at a recent function, “it snows in Omaha.”

Indeed it does; so be it. My return to Creighton goes beyondthe tangible and the evident. It is an affair of the heart. I firstcame to Creighton in 1969-70 as a “regent” to teach politics fora year before going on to study theology and be ordained.That year, teaching politics at the height of the Vietnam War,confirmed my love of college teaching, my desire to continuemy studies to be a priest, and my hope of returning toCreighton.

After my ordination in 1973 and the completion of my doc-torate in international politics, I returned to the Creighton

classroom in 1976 as a member of the political science faculty. Six years later, having been mentored by Mike Morrison in academic administration, I started my odyssey in highereducation adminis-tration, culminat-ing in my selectionas president of USFin 1991. Eighteenyears later, I amreturning toOmaha, and I amdelighted, if some-what daunted, bythe challenges.

This brings meback to service.Over the years, Ihave kept in contact with dozens of Creighton alumni who areliving out the Jesuit dictum of being “women and men for oth-ers.” They do it in great and quiet ways. They do it as healthcare professionals, lawyers and business leaders; for publiccompanies and non-profit entities; at home and in such far-away places as the Dominican Republic. There are thousandsof Creighton alumni who are doing well for themselves andtheir families while doing good for others.

That is, in part, what brings me back to Creighton — theproduct. The end result. Our graduates and the lives they leadare proof that the Catholic, Jesuit philosophy of education, fostered at Creighton, has taken root and is bearing fruit. AsCreighton graduates, you are not shy about living ethical livesmotivated by our common Judeo-Christian heritage andCatholic social teaching.

So I ask you to join me in this wonderful adventure I amabout to embark upon. Join me in building on FatherMorrison’s legacy as we, together, craft Creighton’s future. I, for one, believe the best is yet to come.

You and yours are in my prayers.

Reflections on Coming to Creighton

L E T T E R S

Fr. Schlegel meets with IsabelRodriquez, her husband, Mario, right,and two of their 14 children during avisit to the Los Arroyos campo in theDominican Republic. Isabel hadreceived a mother of the year award.

L E T T E R F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T

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

6 FALL 2000

A $1 million endowedscholarship fund was established at CreightonUniversity to honor the Rev. Michael G. Morrison,S.J., for his 19 years of ser-vice as president ofCreighton.

The Michael G. Morrison,S.J., Endowed ScholarshipFund was announced onApril 27 during a thank-youdinner hosted by the

Creighton Board ofDirectors. Funding for theendowment came from cur-rent and former members ofthe Creighton Board ofDirectors. The scholarshipwill be awarded to NativeAmerican students who aremembers of federally recog-nized tribes. Preference willbe given to graduates of RedCloud Indian School in PineRidge, S.D., where Fr.

Morrison served on theboard of directors from 1997 to 2000.

Fr. Morrison steppeddown as president of theUniversity on June 30. Hewas the longest-serving president in Creighton’s history. Under his leader-ship, Creighton’s endow-ment has grown 10-fold,reaching more than $220 million.

CREIGHTON ANNOUNCES MORRISON SCHOLARSHIP FUND

At a May 5 farewell reception held on campus, a portrait of Fr. Morrison was unveiled. It will hang in the V.J. and Angela Skutt Student Center.

The portrait is by Melinda Harvey Kizer, BFA’91, right, of Omaha.

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Creighton University has expanded its vision towest Omaha. This fall theUniversity will offer severalGraduate School classes ineducation, graduate classesfrom the College of BusinessAdministration and classesfrom University College at its new West Omaha Campuslocated at 11111 Mill ValleyRoad. The Creighton Institutefor Information Technologyand Management also will

make its new home at the OldMill location.

The West Omaha Campushas 12,000 square-feet of space and houses eight class-rooms and offices. It will meet the growing needs ofnon-traditional students,according to former Creightonpresident the Rev. Michael G.Morrison, S.J.

“Creighton has establishedthis new West Omaha Campusin response to the need of

West Omaha’s traditional and non-traditional studentswho have told us they wanteda Creighton quality educationin a more convenient loca-tion,” Morrison said. “As dedicated as Creighton is tothe new West Omaha location,we are deeply committed toour main campus and theexcitement generated by the revitalization of the downtown area east ofCreighton.”

WEST OMAHA CAMPUS ESTABLISHED

Creighton will work with local schools and com-munity agencies to increasethe number of African-American students enteringhealth sciences educationprograms with the help of afive-year $347,000 grant fromthe American Association ofMedical Colleges, the RobertWood Johnson Foundationand the W.K. KelloggFoundation.

The new collaborativeeffort, called the Health Pro-fessions Partnership Initia-tive, will allow universityfaculty and staff to identifyand address challenges thatface African-American mid-dle school, high school andcommunity college students,recognizing and addressinggaps in programs thatencourage their enrollment inhealth professions educationprograms. Collaboratingagencies also will focus onscience teachers and enrich-ment programs.

“This program dovetailswell with our other minorityoutreach efforts, such as the‘Pipeline to Success’ programfunded by the U.S. Depart-ment of Health and HumanServices and the ‘Build AHuman’ program funded bythe Howard Hughes MedicalInstitute,” said M. RoyWilson, M.D., dean of theSchool of Medicine and interim vice president forhealth sciences.

GRANT TOENCOURAGE MORE

MINORITIES TOENTER HEALTHPROFESSIONS

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The School of Pharmacyand Allied Health Profes-sions was awarded a $1 million grant from theInstitute for the Advance-ment of CommunityPharmacy (IACP) to devel-op an online degree pro-gram. The IACP grant toCreighton is part of $4.7 million being awardedover five years to 21 phar-macy schools.

The program, which isexpected to be online in thefall of 2001, will allow stu-dents to pursue a Doctor of

Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) with-out leaving home except fortwo lab-based courses,annual outcomes-basedassessments and clinicalrotations. The lab-basedcourses could be taken atCreighton, or at a designat-ed institution near the student’s home.

This program will offercourse materials via theInternet from professorsand a mentoring programutilizing community phar-macists. The mentoring willbe accomplished using

Web-based chat rooms todevelop further dialogueand answer students’ questions.

The School of Pharmacyand Allied HealthProfessions will add to itsset of more than 500 clinicalsites across the country byworking with the NationalAssociation of Chain DrugStores and the NationalCommunity PharmacistsAssociation to identify newsites for clinical clerkships.

The Internet courseworkprogram is expected to

double the enrollment inCreighton’s Pharm.D.Program to more than 200students within three yearswithout any expansion ofthe physical plant. The pro-gram also would allow stu-dents to shave a year off theamount of time needed toearn a Pharm.D. by takingclasses three semesters ayear. Using this format, stu-dents taking the Web-basedpathway could graduateone year earlier than thetraditional campus-basedstudents.

SCHOOL OF PHARMACY AND ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS RECEIVES $1 MILLION GRANT

FR. SCHLEGELINAUGURAL

EVENTS PLANNEDPresidential inaugural

activities for the Rev. John P.Schlegel, S.J.,will be heldSept. 14-16.The themefor the fes-tivities is“Embracingthe FutureTogether.”There will be several eventsfor alumni, faculty, staff, stu-dents and friends, includingthe Mass of the Holy Spirit onThursday, Sept. 14, at 11 a.m.in St. John’s Church.

The inaugural ceremonywill be held Friday, Sept. 15,at 1:30 p.m. in St. John’sChurch. The service will befollowed by an all-campuscelebration.

Fr. Schlegel began hisduties as Creighton’s 23rdpresident in August.

STURGEON NAMEDTO CREIGHTON

BOARDJohn A. Sturgeon, presi-

dent and chief operating offi-cer of Mutual of OmahaCompanies, has been electedto Creighton’s board of direc-tors for a four-year term.

Sturgeonhas held hisposition aspresidentsince 1997and addedthe duties ofchief operat-ing officer in1998. He joined Mutual andUnited of Omaha Companiesin 1982. He is a graduate ofMidland Lutheran College inFremont, Neb.

Sturgeon served as presi-dent of United Arts Omaha in1997. Under his leadership,the organization raised $1.75million for area arts groups.He also served as director of

the Greater Omaha Chamberof Commerce during 1997.Sturgeon was instrumental inMutual of Omaha’s “Make aDifference” campaign inwhich Mutual associatespledged to complete 10,000hours of community volun-teer work and completed42,000 hours of volunteerwork.

FURLONG RECEIVESNATIONAL HEALTH

CARE AWARDBeth Furlong, Ph.D.,

JD’00, was honored by theRoscoe Pound Institute inWashington, D.C., in July asthe recipient of the 2000Elaine Osborne JacobsonAward for Women in HealthCare Law. The award is giveneach year to a female law student who demonstratesdedication to members of the community who do notreceive adequate health care.

Furlong, assistant professor

of nursing and an associate in the Center for HealthPolicy andEthics, has amaster’sdegree incommunityhealth nurs-ing and a doctorate inpolitical science. She received her lawdegree from Creighton inMay.

Furlong was chosen for theaward for her demonstratedcommitment to advocacy onbehalf of women and chil-dren, her extensive volunteerwork and her commitment toteaching legal concepts tohealth science students. Shealso was cited for her clerk-ship with the NebraskaAppleseed Center for Law inthe Public Interest throughwhich she helped to promotethe expansion of care for low-income children.

Fr. Schlegel

Furlong

Sturgeon

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Creighton Universityresearcher Joan Lappe,Ph.D., R.N., is the principalinvestigator on a five-year$2.5 million NationalInstitutes of Health grant todetermine whether calciumand vitamin D supplementa-tion can prevent fracturescaused by the bone-thinningdisease osteoporosis.

Lappe, an associate pro-fessor of nursing andmedicine and a researcher inCreighton’s OsteoporosisResearch Center, will leadthe population-based study,which will be conducted atthe Fremont Area MedicalCenter in Fremont, Neb. Thestudy will draw about 1,100women at least 55 years old

from a nine-county area.The double-blind study of

randomly selected womenwill examine whether calci-um and vitamin D supple-mentation reduces bone loss,prevents osteoporotic frac-tures and relieves secondaryhyperparathyroidism, a con-dition in which reductionsof vitamin D cause calciumto be removed from thebones to support and main-tain calcium levels in otherparts of the body.

“Many physicians andmany members of the scien-tific community still doubtcalcium’s effects on prevent-ing fractures,” Lappe said.“Studies showing that calci-um improves bone density

abound, but those looking at fracture rates are moredifficult to carry out. Also,we need to knowmore about vita-min D supple-mentation, so wewill look atwhether combin-ing it with calciumchanges theeffects.

“The rea-son this population-based study isimportant is that by select-ing participants randomly, we will have results that are more generalizable tothe population,” Lappe con-tinued. “This study may

provide the final answer toquestions that have been lingering for the past 20

years, providing infor-mation toguide healthcare and publicpolicy deci-sions.

“As ourpopulationages, osteo-porosisbecomes a larg-er public healthconcern,” she

added. “Unless we can slowthe development of osteo-porosis, it will become amajor drain on our economyin addition to causing muchpersonal suffering.”

CREIGHTON RECEIVES $2.5 MILLION NIH GRANT TO STUDY CALCIUM, VITAMIN D IN OLDER RURAL WOMEN

Joan M. Lappe, MS’85, received the School ofNursing’s Alumni Merit Award on June 9.

A renowned researcher, Lappe is a leader in the fieldof osteoporosis. A major focus of her recent work hasbeen to examine the ways children’s nutrition and

exercise habits affect bone health anddevelopment. She is one of the fewresearchers in the world who is studying bone health in children andadolescents.

Lappe pioneered the use of quanti-tative ultrasound (QUS) in measuringbone quality in children. This proce-dure has enabled scientists to study

the bone health of children without exposing them toradiation. A recent grant from the National Institutes of Health is providing funding to study the effect of ahigh calcium diet and exercise on the bone health of adolescent girls.

She has worked as a head nurse of an obstetrics unitand as a staff nurse in an oncology unit. For 17 years, shetaught nursing at Metropolitan Technical CommunityCollege in Omaha. In 1984, she joined Creighton as anassistant professor of nursing and as a nurse researchcoordinator in the School of Medicine.

Since 1987, Lappe has served as a researcher inCreighton’s Osteoporosis Research Center. She was promoted to her current position, associate professor of nursing, in 1993.

Lappe earned a nursing diploma in 1965 and latercompleted her bachelor’s in nursing at the University ofNebraska Medical Center. She earned her master’sdegree from Creighton in 1985 and her doctorate from the University of Nebraska in 1992.

Lappe was inducted as a fellow in the AmericanAcademy of Nursing in 1998. This prestigious academyis composed of only 1,300 nursing leaders.

LAPPE RECEIVES NURSING ALUMNI MERIT AWARD

Lappe

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Henry T. Lynch, M.D., pro-fessor and chair of preventivemedicine and public healthand director of Creighton’sCancer Center, received the2000 AmericanCancer SocietyAward at theAmerican Society ofClinical Oncologyannual meeting inMay. The awardhonors his clinicalwork leading to therecognition of hered-itary forms of colon cancers,breast-ovarian cancer andmalignant melanomas.

The award is presentedannually to recognize scien-tists, practitioners andresearchers who have made asignificant contribution to can-cer prevention and control,research or practice.

In addition, Lynch hasreceived a five-year $2.8 mil-lion grant to help coordinate anetwork of 20 institutions deal-

ing with hereditary cancer. The funding from the NationalCancer Institute will provideinfrastructure and projectfunding to enhance

knowledge-sharingthat “will lead toimproved clinicalmanagement in thedetection, manage-ment and ultimately,the prevention ofcancer,” Lynch said.

The grant will helpmake Creighton’s

database of thousands of family pedigrees tracing various hereditary cancersavailable to a network of cancer researchers and clini-cians. One funded project will allow Creighton re-searchers to work withresearchers from Exact Labs of Massachusetts who have developed a way of examiningDNA in stool specimens ofpeople at high risk of developing colon cancer.

CANCER EXPERT DR. LYNCH RECEIVESAWARD, $2.8 MILLION GRANT CREIGHTON OSTEOPOROSIS EXPERT

RECEIVES $2.5 MILLION NIH GRANTWith the help of a $2.5 million grant from the National

Institutes of Health, Robert R. Recker, M.D., will study the effectsof combining low-dose hormone replacement therapy with alen-dronate (brand name Fosamax) to treat osteoporosis in post-menopausal women. The study will last five years.

According to Recker, professor of medicine, clinical trials ofhormone replacement therapy and of alendronate have shownthat both are effective in causing gains in bone mass and in pre-venting bone loss and fractures in post-menopausal women.These components use different mechanisms and so, in cases ofsevere osteoporosis, a physician may recommend they be usedtogether, despite the lack of scientific evidence to support thecombination.

“There is pressure from clinicians and patients who want touse every treatment available, so we need to examine the safetyand efficacy of this combination,” Recker said.

The trial will follow 240 women for three and a half years andwill monitor spine bone mineral density and total hip bone mineral density as well as other measures.

NEW CLINICAL ANATOMY DEGREE OFFEREDCreighton University will offer a new degree, a master of

science in clinical anatomy, beginning this fall. The degree is designed for people who would like to teach

clinical anatomy or who intend to pursue further graduate studyin medicine or another health profession.

“There is a chronic shortage of human anatomists who aretrained to teach clinically relevant anatomy in the health sci-ences,” said Tom Quinn, Ph.D., an anatomist and professor ofbiomedical sciences. “A knowledge of applied human anatomy,especially when coupled with research capabilities in relatedfields, provides one with excellent credentials when a tenure-track position is sought. ”

Four papers written byCreighton alumni while theywere undergraduate studentshave been published in TheJournal of Theta Kappa. ThetaKappa is the national honorsociety for religious studies andtheology.

“To be published in this jour-nal is a great academic honor,”said Joan Mueller, Ph.D., associ-ate professor of theology atCreighton. No other universityhas had more papers publishedin this prestigious journal overthe past two years.

The papers were written as

part of Creighton’s under-graduate senior seminar in theology.

The Creighton authors andtheir papers are: DamionShepherd, BA’98, “A Look atJames H. Cone: Black Theologyand Death”; Lea Boldt, BA’99,“Kant’s Ethical Soteriology: A Christian Application”;Megann Walker, BS’98, “TheSoteriology of Luke 23:32-48”;and Mary Tobkin, BA’98,“Is there a Problem with theJustice/Mercy Dynamic in ‘The Parable of the ProdigalSon’?”

THEOLOGY JOURNAL PUBLISHES FOURCREIGHTON AUTHORS

Dr. Lynch

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“Creighton Healthwise,” a weekly half-hour interview program,has been recognized with a national award from the Public RelationsSociety of America (PRSA). One of 32 “Bronze Anvil Award“ winners selected from 1,001 entries, “Creighton Healthwise” was the only winner from the state of Nebraska. The show won top honors in the category of audio programs for an organization’s internal or external use.

Lori Elliott-Bartle of Creighton University’s Department of PublicRelations and Information conceived and developed the program andcontinues to produce and host the weekly show that covers a widerange of health topics from consumer health tips to explorations ofethical issues. “Creighton Healthwise” airs Mondays at 10:30 a.m. onOmaha radio station KIOS 91.5 FM.

RADIO PROGRAM RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD

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

Students grading teachers?That’s the idea behind theBrains Rule! NeuroscienceFair that was held late lastspring at the South OmahaBoys and Girls Club.

Hosted by CreightonUniversity, the Brains Rule!

NeuroscienceFair broughttogether 120 chil-dren from twoOmaha publicschools, thePonca WellnessCenter and mem-bers of the SouthOmaha Boys and

Girls Club to observe andlearn about neuroscience, thebrain and the human bodyfrom scientists and alliedhealth professionals fromacross the community.

The scientists prepared

projects, activities and infor-mation booths that broughtscience to a level that childrencould grasp and understand.The professionals’ task was tomake the projects visual andstimulating to pique the stu-dents’ interest in pursuing acareer in science. In a twist,the children judged whichprojects were the most educa-tional and fun.

There were 12 booths with60 presenters at the fair froma number of health fields:neuroscience, nuclear medi-cine, physical therapy, occu-pational therapy, pharmacyand medical technology.

The Brains Rule! programis funded by a grant toCreighton University and itsprogram director, AndreaZardetto-Smith, Ph.D., assis-tant professor of physical

therapy in the School ofPharmacy and Allied HealthProfessions, through aScience Education DrugAbuse Partnership Awardfrom the National Institute onDrug Abuse. The partnership

is made up of neuroscientistsand allied health profession-als who team up to teach andto raise awareness and under-standing of the human brainand the value of neuroscienceresearch.

A SCIENCE FAIR WHERE KIDS JUDGE PROFESSORS

Zardetto-Smith

Omar Ahmad, above, presents “Brain Attack” to children at the Brains Rule! Neuroscience Fair. Ahmad, OTD’00, is

an assistant professor of occupational therapy in the School of Pharmacy and Allied Health

Professions this fall.

10 FALL 2000

2000BLUEJAY

JAMBOREEDinner/Auction Fundraiser for Athletics

“Catch the Bluejay Magic”

Saturday, Nov. 11

Creighton University

GymnasiumChairman:

Jim Niemeier, BSBA’84, JD’88

To donate an auction item or make

dinner reservations, please call

Carol Ketcham at (402) 280-1794.

SAVE THE DATE

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William O. Stephens,Ph.D.,associate professor of philoso-phy and classical and NearEastern studies, is teaching acourse on Stoicismthis fall thatincludes readingTom Wolfe’s latestnovel, A Man inFull. The ancientStoic philosopherEpictetus, who wasborn into slavery andlater founded a schoolto teach Stoicism, providessalvation for two of the nov-el’s main characters. Studentsalso will read Epictetus’ mainwork, The Discourses, and arecent book in contemporary

moral theory, A New Stoicismby Lawrence Becker. Beckerimagines what Stoicism wouldbe like today if it had had a

continuous traditionthrough the Middle Ages,

the Enlightenment and20th century Anglo-

American philoso-phy. Ridley Scott’s

latest Hollywoodmovie, Gladiator,starring Russell

Crowe, also will be viewedand studied for its strong Stoicthemes. The November issueof Creighton UniversityMagazine will feature an articleby Stephens on the rebirth of Stoicism.

STOICISM COURSE TO INCLUDE WOLFE NOVEL

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

FALL 2000 11

Eighteen middle school students spent two weeks on campus this summer building three-dimensional models ofmolecules, observing the development of chicken embryosand constructing a larger-than-life model of a hand. Ten sci-ence teachers observed sessions and worked to develop moreinteractive activities through a master’s level course.

The fun was all part of “Build A Human,” funded by afour-year $225,000 grant from the Howard Hughes MedicalInstitute (HHMI). The program is designed to encourageunder-represented minority students to maintain and pursueinterests in science.

“The projects are designed to blend creativity with scientif-ic know-how,” said principal investigator Thomas Quinn,Ph.D., professor of anatomy.

Creighton was one of 35 institutions receiving grants fromHHMI to enrich science education and help attract a broadrange of students to biomedical careers.

STUDENTS LEARN HOW TO ‘BUILD A HUMAN’

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F A L L S P O R T S I N F O R M A T I O N

Looking for Bluejay fall sports schedules?

Check out the Athletic website atwww.goCreighton.comfor the latest on Bluejay athletics.

For Creighton merchandise, visitefollett.com on the Web.

Students examine a human brain.

Far left …Students build a three-dimensionalmodel of amolecule. Right and inset… Dr. Quinnworks withstudents onconstructing amodel hand.

Michael Molde is the newsports information directorand Amy Wilson has beennamed the new assistantsports information director at Creighton.

Molde’s first official day atCreighton was May 1, andWilson started her duties onJune 5. Both will work on promoting and publicizing all Creighton University ath-letic teams.

Molde was an assistantsports information director atNorthern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill.

Wilson was media and public relations coordinatorfor USA Rugby in ColoradoSprings, Colo., a position sheaccepted after serving a four-month internship in the mediaand public affairs division ofthe United States OlympicCommittee.

NEW SPORTS INFORMATION STAFF

C O V E R S T O R Y

About the sixth inning of our annual fast-pitch softballgame between Creighton’s faculty and a team of studentall-stars, our pitcher, the Rev. William F. Kelley, S.J., lookedlike he was fading. Kelley specialized in junk, serving upsoft lobs with a lot of deceptive spin. The third base-man dined on pop flies. We had a comfortablelead but the undergrads had started to solvethe Jesuit dean’s delivery. As faculty team cap-tain, I strode purposefully to the mound.

“You getting tired, Father?” I inquired.“You want me to bring in someone else?”

Kelley didn’t even look at me.“You want to win this game?” he

shot back.I acknowledged that I did.“Then go back to the outfield.”I retreated, allowing Kelley to finish and win

the contest.That anecdote tells you a lot about the long-

time Creighton Jesuit. Kelley liked being incharge, relished a challenge, wanted to finish what he start-ed, and hated to leave the field. In his painful battle withcancer, the 86-year-old vice president of the Creighton Uni-versity Foundation mobilized all of these attributes. Even

when hospitalized, he was wheeled frequently back to hisnearby campus office, to respond to accumulated mail, visitwith his fellow Jesuit priests, even provide a stirring vale-dictory at the annual Alpha Sigma Nu dinner.

Despite this amazing show of willpower, Kelleycould not forever delay the inevitable. On Tuesday,

May 2, 2000, he quietly died.A few days earlier, he had told his associate

Mike Leighton, vice president for UniversityRelations, that his doctors had informed himhe would probably die that day.

“I’m ready,” said Kelley.But death didn’t catch up with him that

day, and he wondered if he should apologize tothose he notified. Death came soon enough.

Despite his reputation as one who sought to con-trol every situation, he found something he could-n’t manage.

“But,” Leighton said, “it was inspiring to seehow ready he was to see God. He was anxious to

see the God he served for more than eight decades, all butthree of them as a priest.”

Flash back half a century.When I returned to the Hilltop in 1950 to serve as

12 FALL 2000

Kelley’s junior class at Marquette High School.The future Creighton Jesuit is in the front row,second from the right.

A young Bill Kelley in the summer of 1931, the same yearhe entered the Society of Jesus. He was ordained a

priest on June 21, 1944.

Kelley’s father,William, owned a lumber companyin Milwaukee. Hismother, Elizabeth,was a registerednurse.

Rev. William F. Kelley, S.J.1914-2000

He served Creighton for 46 years. He loved the University, his Jesuit order, being a priest.He came to accept death. And, in the end, Fr. Kelley was ready to see God.

By Bob Reilly

C O V E R S T O R Y

Creighton’s alumni secretary and director of public rela-tions, Kelley, who preceded me to campus by a year, wastemporarily handling the PR function. He measured mewith those pene-trating eyes andcounseled meabout the staff I’dinherit. His advicewas direct, free of sentiment, and,as I later learned,remarkably accurate.

It might havebeen on that occa-sion he suppliedme with a woodenruler inscribedWILLIAM KELLEY LUMBERCOMPANY, a souvenir of hisfather’s Milwau-kee business. The future Jesuitdescended fromimmigrant stock,with both grand-parents emigratingfrom Ireland. The Kelley motto suited him: “Turris FortisMihi Deus” or “God is a tower of strength for me.” In oneinterview, Kelley paraphrased this wording to fit his currentsituation.

“The goal of the Society,” he explained, “is to use yourtalents for the greater glory of God.”

The eldest of three children, Kelley was born on Feb. 11,1914, in Madison,Wis. This devoutCatholic familyfigured a youngerson, Bob, as thelikely vocation.Bob kept a home-made altar in hisroom. Withsports, studies,even a few girl-friends (“butnothing serious”),Bill seemed toobusy to adopt amore restrictedregimen. But,motivated by hiscousin, the Rev.Raymond Ire-land, S.J., and theJesuits whotaught him in sec-ondary school,the eldest son surprised them

all by entering the Society in 1931.At the Jesuit seminary in Florissant, Mo., Kelley made

lifelong friends, including half a dozen who also servedCreighton. The Revs. Vincent Decker, Carl Reinert, Austin

FALL 2000 13

Kelley with his mother and father at the celebrationof his first solemn high Mass on June 25, 1944, at GesuCatholic Church in Milwaukee.

Kelley watches as Mary Pajunas demon-strates new technology, the electric type-writer, on Creighton’s campus in 1953.Also watching are, from left, Sister MaryMercedes and Esther Weitkamp.

Fr. Kelley’s Jesuit ordination class of 1944 included seven other future Creighton priests. Vincent Decker is inthe second row from the top, second from left. Carl Reinert, John Scott and James Kramper are in the fourthrow down, first, second and sixth from left, respectively. Norbert Lemke, Austin Miller and Harold McAuliffe are

in the bottom row, third, fourth and fifth from left. Kelley is in the third row down, second from left.

The Creighton Jesuit swingsaway at the University’s picnicon May 14, 1952.

Miller and Harold McAuliffe preceded Kelley in death andthe Rev. Norbert Lemke is stationed in New York, but theHilltop remains home to the Revs. James Kramper and John Scott.

Kelley always valued these associations.“There’s a unique richness of going through training for

15 years ... the closeness you feel because you ate all yourmeals with them, worshipped with them, competed ingames against them... They do break up andgo to different places for scholastic teaching,but when you’re that close to people for solong a time, there’s an easy familiarity. Youfeel comfortable and there’s more joshingand kidding and references to things thathappened in common. It’s true in mostfriendships. And that’s what makes theJesuit family life so rich and fulfilling.”

His classmates share those same fondmemories.

“I always admired his sense of humor,”Scott said of Kelley. “He was never at a lossfor a snappy comeback, always knew whatto say. And I respected his tremendous memory for namesand faces.”

Scott, Kramper and Kelley celebrated together their 60th anniversaries as Jesuits in 1991, and reassembled forKelley’s 85th birthday eight years later. Kelley’s remainingsibling, his sister, Betty Kuhnmuench, was also on hand for that occasion. Younger brother Bob tragically drownedin 1934 on the eve of his entry into Marquette University.

Prior to his 1944 ordination, Kelley taught at Saint Louis University High School and later served a pair ofMinneapolis parishes.

Veteran Creighton University biology professor AlSchlesinger, now retired, first met his future boss in Kelley’spastoral capacity, at Visitation Parish in Minneapolis.

“He gave thoughtful homilies and, after Mass, therewould always be a crowd around him,” Schlesinger said.“A lot of women, but men, too. They admired his golfingskills, something that supplied entry into the business community.”

Eileen Lieben, formerly Creighton’s deanof women, observed his charm on manyoccasions.

“He liked women,” she said, “and couldsay all the right things without overdoing.”

She credits Kelley with opening AlphaSigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor Society, towomen.

“He forged ahead,” Lieben said, “want-ed things done right now, and would worryabout the consequences later.”

By the time he had completed his doc-torate in educational administration, Kelleyhad been assigned to Creighton. He served

as assistant to the president in the Rev. William McCabe’sfinal year (1949-50) and was on hand for the inaugural ofhis classmate, the Rev. Carl M. Reinert. For most of the1950s, Kelley held the office of dean of the College of Artsand Sciences.

While attesting to the “remarkable friendship” Kelleyshowed toward him, Schlesinger acknowledged what oth-ers have experienced, that Kelley could be a tough taskmas-ter and a hard sell when you were after project funding.

“He had all the communication skills, including debat-ing, so it was difficult to be yourself in his presence. He

14 FALL 2000

C O V E R S T O R Y

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Fr. John Scott, S.J.

Fr. Kelley, as president of Marquette, givescommunion to his parents at their 50th wedding anniversary in 1962. The altar boysare Kelley’s nephews Robert, left, and SteveKuhnmuench.

Kelley in 1959 as the firstappointed vice president foracademic affairs at Creighton.

Kelley, middle, in 1963 as president of Marquette University sits with past MU presidents Fr. Edward J. O’Donnell, left, and Fr. Raphael C. McCarthy. Kelley served as president of Marquette from 1962 to 1965.

With his name stenciledon a helmet, Fr. Kelley visitsFort Riley in 1955.

increased insecurity in insecure people, and you didn’t winmany arguments,” Schlesinger said. “Still, he was personal-ly concerned about my career and approved a sabbatical forme long before we really had them at Creighton, so I couldwrap up my doctoral degree.”

Another former CU faculty member, Harry Dolphin,who chaired the journalism department, said that whenKelley introduced him, he always said how delighted hewas to have Dolphin on the faculty, then added, “I didn’thire him.”

Dolphin said Kelley was “a straight arrow, telling youexactly what was on his mind.”

Dolphin’s successor, Dave Haberman, recalled seeing amore vulnerable and emotional side of Kelley, when theJesuit was serving as vice president for academic affairs andwas handed a difficult new student program to oversee.

“I was on the committee supervising this program,”Haberman said, “and one younger member was sharplycritical of Father Kelley’s management. I spoke up onFather Kelley’s behalf and he seemed genuinely moved,surprised someone would stick up for him.”

When Kelley became president of Marquette Universityin 1962, replacing another classmate, the Rev. EdwardO’Donnell, S.J., he made a habit of visiting faculty on theirown turf, in their offices, so he could make more intelligentdecisions on their future requests or complaints. This personal scrutiny wasn’t always understood. Neither washis quick, sometimes cutting, wit.

In the early days of his presidency, a reporter asked himabout his plans for Marquette. Kelley replied that he notedmost schools seemed to be intent on creating leaders, whichled him to consider that “if there are no followers, there canbe no leader,” so perhaps Marquette’s role would be to

develop intelligent followers. The reporter didn’t catch the twinkle in those blue-gray eyes. Neither did the Marquette faculty.

The 3 1/2 years Kelley spent as president of Marquettewere sometimes stormy, fueled by faculty dissent in an agewhen dissent was the norm. But he could look back on astring of accomplishments, like restoring the university’sbasketball program to prominence with the hiring of coachAl McGuire and the campus construction of the uniqueSaint Joan of Arc Chapel from imported French stone. Evenmore permanent in its impact was the Kelley-abetted urbanrenewal of a 16-block area adjacent to Marquette, allowingfor the university’s future expansion.

After a two-year stint in Washington, D.C., directing asurvey of the assets and needs of America’s 28 Jesuit col-leges and universities, Kelley returned to the Hilltop in1967, first as assistant to the president and, later, as vicepresident of the Creighton University Foundation. He alsobegan his long association with Alpha Sigma Nu, whichended just months before his death. A student ASN scholar-ship bears his name as does the long-established honorsociety lecture series.

Kelley packaged all his experience positively, the proand the con.

“Never for a minute,” he insisted, “had the thoughtoccurred to me that I would be happier elsewhere. Theremay have been disappointments, but I’ve never thought ofanother life.”

He also claimed he’d never been stationed anywhere hedidn’t like. Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Louis,Washington — and Omaha.

“This is my home,” he asserted when discussingCreighton.

FALL 2000 15

C O V E R S T O R Y

In June 1964, Kelley presented Robert Kennedy withan honorary Doctor of Laws degree as president ofMarquette.

Preparing for a wedding in June1973 at Creighton’s St. John’s Church.

Five Creighton priests celebrated 50 years as Jesuitsin 1981. Sitting are Kelley and McAuliffe and standing,from left, are Kramper, Scott and Decker.

Kelley enjoyed Omaha’s restaurants and golf courses.His passion for the arts ranged from Rembrandt paintingsto the ballads of his youth. The day he died, this formermember of the Milwaukee Orchestra Board sang along to avideotape of one of Lawrence Welk’s television programs.

He also loved sports and attended many of Creighton’shome basketball games, men’s and women’s, often drivinga carload of Jesuits to the Civic Auditorium.

“We sit along the third ramp,” he said. “Section 89. Fouror five rows from the roof. I like it there. You can see every-thing develop.”

It’s the same way he appreciated the view from his SaintJoseph Hospital window, looking out over the city and theCreighton campus, reflecting that he helped erect some ofthe University structures.

“I was there; I saw it go up,” he commented.He put these architectural advances in perspective.“They do stand as tangible evidence of one sort of devel-

opment,” he wrote in 1962, “but they are only dumb sym-bols of what education really is.”

It was the students, always the students, who interestedKelley, and not the environment, which he figuredimpressed newcomers in any era.

“People like what they see now, but so did students inthe fifties. They thought this campus was a knockout, evenbefore the residence halls and library.”

In his final days, he looked older than the young Jesuitwho humbled student batters. Cancer thinned the once-lus-trous hair and the eyes were more pensive than pervasive.In the hospital, he was something of a model patient, eatingwell, walking a few blocks daily in the corridors.

“I’ll gladly stay with it,” he said of the medical regimen,“if this is the way to improve.”

That attitude and determination helped him exit the hos-pital in time to celebrate the millennium with his Jesuitcommunity. It also brought him back to his office for a fewhours daily. He had long since abandoned any thought ofretirement.

“I think this is a full life,” he said, “and a good one. People are universally kind and friendly. Wouldn’t it be terrible not to be out among them?”

So he stayed at his desk as long as he could, surroundedby a massive montage of candid photographs that seemedripped from a thousand albums. They’re pictures of formerstudents, with most of whom he still corresponded.

“Maybe it makes the office look shabby,” he admitted,“but they’re all important to me.”

He could identify each of them, recite some personal history.

“He demanded a lot,” said his assistant, Sister AudreyTramp, OSB, who holds a pair of Creighton degrees and hasbeen with Kelley’s office for 14 years. “But he was a verykind boss.”

One trait no one dismisses was Kelley’s love of and loyalty to the Jesuit Society. That attachment went beyondpresent concerns. He was part of a crew of Jesuits and laypeople who kept tidy the graves of Jesuits — over 90 ofthem — buried in Omaha’s Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. Nowhe rests with this cadre, men he said he knew and loved.

Among the lay people accompanying Kelley at the annu-al cleanup of the graves has been Bill Ramsey, a Creightongraduate and public relations professional. He remarked onKelley’s rapport with this crew and with other alumni.

“He always knew you, had a smile, and a word ofencouragement,” Ramsey said.

Prompted by this twin devotion to his Creator and his

16 FALL 2000

C O V E R S T O R Y

Kelley gives the invocation at the 1983Democratic Congressional gathering in Washington, D.C.

Kelley sings “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the1988 Democratic Congres-sional Dinner.

Marlin Perkins, the host of television’s WildKingdom, and Fr. Kelley met in February 1984.

Fr. Kelley celebrates the union of Matthew, BUS AD’86, and Therese(Mullin), BA’85, Montesi in 1987. Fr.Kelley’s scrapbooks are filled withpictures of weddings at which heofficiated.

colleagues, Kelley initiated another memorial project. Ina Jesuit residence corridor, he placed portraits ofdeceased Midwestern Jesuits. This gallery, numberingsome 400 pictures, meant a lot to Kelley as he strove toremind younger members of the Society of thoseremarkable men who preceded them.

When I phoned him in March for an interview tosupport this piece, Kelley sweetly inquired, “Is this anarticle or necrology?”

I nearly walked back to the outfield.As it turns out, he was right again, and this serves as

something of an obituary, one startedwhile he was alive, finished after hisdeath.

That final week was a series of alarmsand reversals, with friends summonedto his bedside or merely dropping by.Each time they expected his calm predic-tion of his impending demise to be fulfilled. But the patient continued toconfound them. The mind persisted, thehumor remained incisive, the desire forcontrol stayed paramount.

Steve Scholer, Creighton’s director of estate and trustservices, visited Kelley often over those last days.

“He was as warm and genial as ever,” Scholer said,“but he’d also let you know when he wanted you toleave. He never relinquished command.”

Scholer and his associate, Robert Skrydlak, calledKelley a symbol of what the Jesuits truly represented.Skrydlak went further. “God revealed Himself to methrough Father Kelley,” he said.

A parade of old friends stood vigil by his bed, people

from Omaha and from as far away as California. Heknew them all, had special words for each. And even inthis sterile setting, they shared a few laughs.

For me, the scene that seemed a coda to Kelley’s lifewas one described to me as occurring that last weekendin the hospital room. Scholer and Skrydlak were thereand Sister Audrey came in.

“Oh, Father,” she apologized, “I should have broughtmy copy of the Twilight Prayer. We could have said ittogether.”

This prayer by Cardinal Newman was a favorite ofKelley’s and he recited it often at thebedsides of the dying. It also appearedon the back of his mother’s Mass card,tucked into his well-worn missal, and onthe back of his own Mass card.

“Don’t worry,” Kelley assured her, “I know it by heart.” And he began torecite it.

“May He protect us all the day long,till the shades lengthenand the evening falls

and the busy world is hushedand the fever of life is overand our work is done ...”When he finished, Kelley said, “Let me repeat the last

few lines, because they are the most important.”“Then in His mercymay He give us safe lodgingand Holy restand peace at the last. Amen.”

— About the author: Reilly is a free-lance writer working inOmaha.

FALL 2000 17

C O V E R S T O R Y

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Robert Skrydlak

Kelley served for many years as moderatorof Creighton’s Alumni Chapter of Alpha SigmaNu, the Jesuit Honor Society.

Fr. Kelley performed many baptisms. Here,he celebrates the baptism of Lauren Alt withher parents, Mike and Claire (Remington) Alt,BA’81, in 1989.

Fr. Albert DiUlio, former president of Marquette,Barbara Bush and Fr. Kelley at Marquette’s May 1992commencement. Marquette conferred an honorary Doctorof Laws degree upon Kelley that year.

18 FALL 2000

C O V E R S T O R Y

The Rev. William F. Kelley,S.J., was remembered in tearsand laughter by relatives,friends and fellow clergy whofilled St. John’s Church for thefuneral Mass of the belovedCreighton Jesuit.

The Rev. Larry Gillick, S.J.,explained in his homily thatJesuits are given the opportu-nity to plan their own funeralMass. When Kelley was askedwho should say the homily, heresponded: “Any kind Jesuit.”

“But Father (Thomas)Shanahan (rector of the Jesuitcommunity) couldn’t findone,” Gillick said jokingly.

Gillick said that his motherand father both grew up withKelley in Wisconsin, and thathis mother once dated thefuture Jesuit.

“It boggles my mind tothink that he could have been

my father,” Gillick said.Gillick said Kelley’s life

paralleled the gospel readingfor the Mass, in which a manasks Jesus what he has to doto enter the Kingdom of Heav-en. Jesus tells him to sell hispossessions and follow Him.

“Bill Kelley left home tomake his home in the Societyof Jesus and in the homes andhearts of those who call him alongtime friend,” Gillick said.

“He left everything to fol-low Jesus,” he said.

Gillick said Kelley helpedothers grow in their faith, butwas not afraid to speak hismind.

“Bill Kelley was verydirect, even abrupt,” Gillicksaid.

“I asked Father (Lawrence)Flanagan for one adjective todescribe Father Kelley,”

THE IDEAL GOODWILL AMBASSADORBy Rick Davis

Kelley in St. John’sChurch, celebrating 50years as a priest.

Kelley’s office walls were coveredwith pictures of alumni and friends,as this 1995 picture shows.

Kelley, a regular at Creightonbasketball games, with Alpha SigmaNu inductees and basketball play-ers Holly Sivesind, BA’97, HeatherHorner, BSBA’96, (kneeling) andBecky Flynn, BA’96, in 1996. Atright is fellow chapter moderatorFr. Thomas Krettek, S.J.

Celebrating 50 years in the priesthoodin 1994 were, from left, Lemke, Scott,Kramper and Kelley.

Fr. Kelley’s casket is led out of St. John’s Church after the funeral Mass.

C O V E R S T O R Y

Gillick said, “but we couldn’tcome up with one — at least notin church.”

Gillick told the story about howhe and a fellow Jesuit once askedKelley to settle a disagreement.They were arguing over the namesof the libraries at Marquette andSt. Louis universities.

“I called him up, and he said,‘Don’t you guys have anythingbetter to do than that?’ Then hehung up,” Gillick said.

Former president the Rev.

Michael G. Morrison,S.J., called Kelley the“ideal goodwill ambas-sador for CreightonUniversity.”

“He was a dedicated,religious and faithfulpriest,” Morrison said.

Kelley, in writingdown his funeral wish-es, quoted from St. Paul:“I have fought the good fight, I havefinished the race, I

have kept the faith.”“I can hear you saying to us

now, ‘Don’t you have somethingbetter to do?’” Gillick said.

“Yes, we do,” he said. “Weneed to keep your memory andmission alive. You taught us howto live the Eucharist and how tolive as followers of Jesus. Thankyou, Father Kelley.”

As Kelley’s casket was guidedout of the church, those gatheredsang “God Bless America” — oneof Kelley’s favorite songs.

MEMORIALSMemorials in Kelley ’s name may be sent to Creighton University

and specified for either the “William Kelley, S.J. Endowed Lecture-ship” or the “William Kelley, S.J. Endowed Scholarship.” TheEndowed Lectureship benefits Creighton University ’s Alpha SigmaNu Chapter for its annual lecture and other chapter expenses. TheEndowed Scholarship benefits needy students in the Colleges of Artsand Sciences and Business Administration and the School of Nursing.Checks should be made payable to Creighton University and mailedto Creighton University, Office of Development, 2500 CaliforniaPlaza, Omaha, NE 68178. Please note the specific fund.

Kelley’s fellow Jesuits, including former Creighton president the Rev. Michael G. Morrison, S.J., remember him fondly.

The cleanup brigade of 1998. Fr. Kelley was devoted toremembering those Jesuits who came before him. He organizedan annual cleanup of the Jesuit gravesites at Omaha’s HolySepulchre Cemetery.

FALL 2000 19

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Russia is immense; Chechnya is small. How is it thatsuch a small country is able to resist Russia — and howlong will that resistance last?

Chechnyan resistance to Russian rule goes back to1722, when Peter the Great tried to incorporate Chechnyainto the Russian Empire. Chechens are Muslim; Russians,Orthodox Christian. As in many places around the globe,their conflict has religious roots. In 1817, Russia triedagain to control Chechnya. The Russian campaign wasbrutal, destroying villages and killing women and chil-dren. Such tactics brought temporary success, but, out of

this attack emerged the legendary Chechen leader, theImam Shamil, who united the Chechens against Russia.Russian military tactics increased the Chechens’ hatred of Russia.

In 1859, after more than 40 years of fighting, Russia finally was able to force Chechnya into the Russian Empire.

20 FALL 2000

A look at current and future flare-ups

By Ross C. Horning, Ph.D.

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Population: 1.3 million (1990 est.)

Total area: 6,100 sq. mi. (slightly smaller than Hawaii)

Capital: Grozny

Conflict: Muslim Chechens seek independence from Orthodox Christian Russians; dates to 1722.

RussiaRussia

ChechnyaChechnya

GeorgiaGeorgia

TurkeyTurkeyArmeniaArmenia

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Feb. 23, 1944, is a date that allChechens remember. On that date,Josef Stalin ordered the entireChechen population, 425,000,jammed into railroad cars and takento Kazakhstan. It is estimated that100,000 died in the transport. Thosewho lived had to fend for themselvesin the frozen land. It was Stalin’s finalsolution, but it did not work. On thecontrary, the incredible suffering ofthe Chechen people united themmore than ever. Chechens, whose loy-alties are to their clans and villages,do not submit to virtually any politi-cal authority, let alone Russian.

For years, Russia has been fightingChechnya. Russia has destroyed theChechen capital, Grozny. But, in 1996,with thousands of Russian deaths,Russia was forced to leave Chechnya.

A major supporting reason forVladimir Putin’s rise to power andpopularity as the new Russian presi-dent was his authorization of arenewed offensive against the Chechens.

But two examples illustrate the immense difficulty ofwinning a military campaign in mountainous regionssimilar to Chechnya. In 1842, the British sent more than

16,000 troops from India intothe mountains of Afghanistan.Only two men out of 16,000returned to India, a soldier anda medical doctor, Dr. WilliamBrydon. It is the worst defeat in the history of the British military.

In 1979, the Russians invad-ed Afghanistan. They shouldhave learned from the Britishexperience. The Russian-AfghanWar was extremely unpopularin Russia — and the Russiansalso were defeated by theAfghans and the mountains.

The Chechens are now in themountains. As with both theBritish and Russian experiences in Afghanistan, the Russianswill find it incredibly difficult to penetrate into the mountains and defeat the Chechens.

Even if Russia, using massivepower and numbers, does

defeat the Chechens and force them to return from themountains, the Chechens will find another way to contin-ue their resistance.

Putin, as well as the international community, will facethe bitter Chechen-Russian conflict well into this newmillennium.

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The Vale of Kashmir is one of the most beautifullandscapes in the world, and one of the most dangerous.Recently, Kashmir rebels have deliberately murderedEuropean tourists there.

It all began in 1947, when India was split into Pakistanand India. Since that time, the two countries have foughttwo wars over Kashmir, and currently a vicious civil waris going on with the Kashmiri rebels seeking either theindependence of the Kashmir-Jammu State from India orthe right to join Pakistan.

In 1947, the Maharajah of Kashmir was a Hindu, whilethe Kashmir population was, and is, Muslim. When

FALL 2000 21

Editor’s Note: When weasked Dr. Ross Horning,professor of history, totake a spin around theglobe, with the world’strouble spots in mind, heselected five places towatch in the year ahead,some already in theheadlines, others still inthe background. Notmeant to be an exhaus-

tive study of each troubled area, Dr. Horning’s storyinstead focuses on the salient issues, many of them oflong historic standing, that are pushing these areasinto prominence. In a future issue, we’ll focus in-depthwith Dr. Horning on one or two hotspots.

Dr. Ross Horning, professor of history

A Russian soldier acting as a mine sweeperchecks the way for a military vehicle,

seized from Islamic militants, in the moun-tains of Vedeno Gorge in southern Chech-nya in April. The region’s mountainous

terrain has made it difficult for the larger, better equipped Russian military

to defeat the Chechens.

IndiaPakistan

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Pakistani troopsinvaded Kashmir, theMaharajah asked Indiafor assistance. The lastGovernor-General ofIndia, Lord LouisMountbatten, advisedthe Indian leadership,headed by PanditNehru, to give theMaharajah assistance,but on condition thatKashmir become apolitical unit of India.

On Oct. 26, 1947,the Maharajah accept-ed the conditions, and Kashmir becamean Indian state.

However, on Oct. 27, Lord Mountbatten made it clearthat India’s acceptance was provisional. Mountbattenwrote:

“As soon as law and order have been restoredto Kashmir and her soil cleared of the invader, the question of accession should be settled by areference to the people.”

The plebiscite was never held. On Jan. 1, 1948, theUnited Nations Security Council took up the issue. In themeantime, fighting had broken out between India andPakistan. Finally, the United Nations, on Jan. 1, 1949,arranged a cease-fire. For a number of years UnitedNations observers were stationed in Kashmir, but on Jan. 1, 1957, India announced the “irrevocable” annexa-tion of Kashmir.

India regards the issue as settled. Kashmir-Jammu isone of the Indian states. Pakistan does not accept theIndian decision. Pakistan currently controls the westernone-third of Kashmir and India the eastern two-thirds.

India blames Pakistan for the recent civil war. Pakistan

denies the Indian accu-sation, but does admitto giving some assis-tance to the rebels.

The fighting hasbeen vicious, with hundreds of innocentpeople, such as theSikhs, being killed. The fighting will con-tinue on and off formany years to come.Pakistan argues thatthe Kashmiri citizensare Muslim, andshould have the choice,through a plebiscitethat has never beencarried out, to choose

rule by either Pakistan or India.India responds that more than 90 million citizens of

India are Muslim, and that Indian Muslims have beenelected to the position of president of India. Furthermore,the issue has been settled: Kashmir-Jammu is a state ofthe Indian Federation.

The outlook for Kashmir is not hopeful. For more than50 years the issue has prevented a peaceful life and theutilization of resources by both countries. There is littlethat the United States or the European nations can doabout this situation that deeply affects Asian peace.

The issue will fester on and on, and from time to time,fighting will break out. And with both nations now hav-ing nuclear capability, Kashmir will continue to be anexplosive situation for Asian peace in particular andworld peace in general.

���

An old foreign affairs cliché states, “It is much easierto get in than it is to get out.” Bosnia and Kosovo reflectthe accuracy of this statement. After the 1995 DaytonAccords were signed, President Clinton promised tobring home American troops in one year. Despite theintense bombing of Kosovo in 1999, American troops arestill in Bosnia and Kosovo, and will be there for an indefinite time.

22 FALL 2000

������ ������

�������Population: 7.7 million (1991 est.)

Total area: 85,806 sq. mi. (slightly larger than Idaho)

Conflict: Subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947.

Kashmiris living in Pakistan-held Kashmir raise their hands to showsolidarity with Indian-held Kashmiris prior to President Clinton’svisit in March. The rally was described as a plea for U.S. mediationin the decades-old Kashmir dispute, which has been at the center oftwo of three Indian-Pakistani wars since 1947. Clinton called the

South Asian region “the most dangerous place in the world.”

Defense Corps of KosovoYugoslavia

IndiaIndia

PakistanPakistan

KashmirKashmir

ChinaChinaAfghanistanAfghanistan

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������ ������

Of the two conflicts, Kosovo’s will be the more diffi-cult. Out of Kosovo’s 2 million population, only 200,000were Serbs. Now there are fewer than 30,000 Serbs. Yet,Kosovo is the heart of Serbian nationalism. As a youngSerbian lieutenant said to William Finnegan of The NewYorker, “This war is about history. All of our wars areabout history. You need to go back 1,000 years to under-

stand anything here.” The event about which the youngofficer was speaking is the legendary and mystical Battleof Kosovo, June 28, 1389, when Prince Lazar and hisforces were crushed by the Ottoman Turks. Over the 600years since the battle, the Serbs take pride in the fact thatthey have remained faithful to their Orthodox Christianfaith. Religion plays a major role in both domestic andinternational affairs.

Muslim Albanians have horrible memories of recentSerbian atrocities. Serbs have memories of the viciousCroatian organization, the USTASHA. Despite NATOpresence, incidents of Albanian revenge have taken place.Serbian civilians remember the NATO bombing.

At every turn, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevichas lost. Kosovo is gone. The GREATER SERBIA DREAMis gone. But it will never be forgotten. To the strong

nationalist Serb, the Serbs are God’s people and the historic Serbian song, “God, Give Us Justice,” will ring again.

Into this historical morass NATO has jumped. NATOhas ended the fighting and Serbian atrocities. If NATOremains in Bosnia and Kosovo, the semblance of a peace-ful life will continue.

But where does the road lead now? How many yearscan NATO, of which the United States is the leader, withthe best of intentions, remain in Bosnia and Kosovo? It ispossible that NATO has become a prisoner of Balkan his-tory, and will be there well into this new millennium.

������� ������

The Good Friday AgreementOn April 10, 1998, the United Kingdom (Northern Ire-

land, England, Scotland and Wales), the Republic of Ire-land, and the Unionist, Social Democratic Labor, and theSinn Fein (Ourselves Alone) political parties signed theGood Friday Agreement.

The Sinn Fein party is the political arm of the IrishRepublican Army (IRA), but the party, headed by GerryAdams, does not control the IRA.

The Good Friday Agreement provided for a pledgefrom the IRA to begin disarmament. In the nearly 30years of fighting to force the union of the Six Counties

(Northern Ireland) to join with the Republic of Ireland,the IRA alone has killed more than 1,800 people.

Despite the agreement, the IRA did not accept the ideaof disarmament. The agreement also provided for anelected 108-seat Assembly in Northern Ireland, out ofwhich would be formed an executive council to run dailyaffairs. The election was held on June 28, 1998. TheUnionist Party, under David Trimble, won the most seats,and Trimble was chosen as the first minister. Sinn Fein

FALL 2000 23

���Population: 2.2 million (1996 est.)

Total area: 4,203 sq. mi. (slightly smaller than Connecticut)

Administrative capital: Pristina

Conflict: Struggle between Muslim Albanians and Orthodox Serbian nationalists; dates to 1389.

Thousands ofethnic Albanianscelebrate thearrival of FrenchNATO troops inthe town ofGnjilane in cen-tral Kosovo onJune 13, 1999.More than a yearlater, Americanand other NATOtroops remain inthe war-ravagedregion.

������� ������Population: 1.7 million (1998 est.)

Total area: 5,452 sq. mi. (about one-sixth of the whole island)

Capital: Belfast

Conflict: Irish-English tensions trace back to the defeat of The Great O’Neill and O’Donnells at Kinsale in 1601.

YugoslaviaYugoslavia

KosovoKosovo

MacedoniaMacedonia

MontenegroMontenegro

AlbaniaAlbania

United KingdomUnited

Kingdom

FranceFrance

BelgiumBelgium

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IrelandIreland

RepublicRepublicof Irelandof Ireland

earned two seats on the council.However, as long as the IRA

would not even discuss disar-mament, Trimble would not calla meeting of the executivecouncil. After a two-monthstalemate, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Mandelson canceled everythingand threatened to return todirect rule from London.

Suddenly, on May 6, 2000,the IRA, through Adams, SinnFein leader, announced that itwould “initiate a process thatwill completely and verifiablyput IRA arms beyond use.”

The IRA announcement wasa major development in North-ern Ireland. As long as the IRA continues to accept theinspection of its secret arms dumps, the opportunity for alasting peace will grow.

However, the IRA announcement also can be regardedas a major defeat for the IRA. The Good Friday Agree-ment and the May 6 IRA announcement virtually guaran-tee that the Six Counties (Northern Ireland) will remainwith the United Kingdom and not join the Republic ofIreland.

The ultimate objective of the Social Democratic andLabor Party (John Hume, leader and Nobel Prize recipi-ent), the Sinn Fein, and the IRA has been that the SixCounties (Northern Ireland) be joined with the Republicof Ireland. Hume’s efforts were through peaceful means,and the IRA through physical force.

Over the years, disillusionment can grow within theIRA and the American Irish, whose dream always hasbeen that the Six Counties (Northern Ireland) would joinwith the Twenty-Six Counties of the Republic to bringabout a united Ireland. Off-shoot organizations — theREAL IRA and the CONTINUING IRA — do not acceptthe IRA decision.

The historical source of contemporary difficulties canbe traced to the defeat of The Great O’Neill and theO’Donnells at Kinsale, 1601, and the subsequent Flight ofthe Earls in 1607 from Ulster, out of which in 1921,through the Anglo-Irish Treaty, emerged the Six Countiesor Northern Ireland.

Because of the Flight of the Earls from Ulster, theBritish government was able to bring in Presbyterian

Scots and Anglican Englishto forever change Ulster.

Michael Collins, leg-endary IRA hero of theAnglo-Irish Civil War (1920-21), about whom numerousbooks and movies have beenmade, and co-signer withArthur Griffith, of the 1921Anglo-Irish Treaty, whichestablished Northern Ire-land, was assassinated in1922 by unknown Irishopponents of the 1921 Treaty.At Michael Collins’gravesite, one of his friendsand supporters, GeneralRichard Mulcahy, said, “Weare all mariners on the deep,

bound for a port still seen only through storm and spray,sailing on a sea full of dangers. And, that, after all, is not so good.”

Ireland also has been a prisoner of its history, andthere are few happy endings. But perhaps this is one of them.

������� � ����� ��������

In March 2000, Chen Shui-bian, long an advocate ofindependence for the Republic of China as a separatenation to be known as Taiwan, won the position of presi-dent of the Republic of China over the 50-year dominantparty, the Kuomintang (Nationalists). Chen Shui-bian isthe former Mayor of Taipei and leader of the DemocraticProgressive Party.

With this victory, he dramatically and sharplyincreased the political tension among the Republic of

24 FALL 2000

������ ������

������� � ����� ��������Population: 21.6 million

Total area: 13,969 sq. mi. (slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined)

Capital: Taipei

Conflict: The Republic of China seeks in-dependence from mainland; schism dates to Chinese Civil War of the late 1940s.

Masked Irish nationalists prepare petrol bombs inresponse to a 1999 Protestant Apprentice Boys’

parade in Northern Ireland. The controversial paradecommemorates the 1689 Siege of Derry — during

which, legend has it, 13 Protestant apprentices shutthe city’s gate to advancing Catholic troops.

Republic of China(Taiwan)China

ChinaChina

TaiwanTaiwan

South China Sea

South China Sea

Pacific OceanPacific Ocean

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China (Taiwan), the People’s Republic of China (Beijing)and the Republic of China’s major supporter, the United States.

The Republic of China is a political entity. Taiwan is ageographical area, slightly smaller than Maryland andDelaware combined. It has a population of 22 million,and a robust economy.

It was originally conquered by the Manchu Dynasty in1683, and held by China until the Japanese took it in 1895.Japan held it until the Cairo Conference, when Churchill,Roosevelt and Chiang Kai-shek agreed to return Taiwanto China at the end of World War II. It was assumed,however, that this meant Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang(Nationalist party) wouldobtain Taiwan.

The Battle of Hsüchou inDecember 1948 was the climatic battle in the ChineseCivil War. Chiang Kai-shek’sforces were thoroughlydefeated by Mao Tse-tung’sCommunist Army.

The following year, Decem-ber 1949, Chiang Kai-shek fledto Taiwan and established theRepublic of China. He still feltthat his government repre-sented all of China, not justTaiwan. In the meantime, onOct. 1, 1949, Mao Tse-tung for-mally established the People’s Republic of China.

As of 1949, there were two governments, both claim-ing to represent the state of China. Chiang Kai-shek’sNationalists totally rejected the idea of an independentTaiwan. They always felt that they would return to themainland as the rightful governing party.

Until 1972, the United States always recognized theRepublic of China on Taiwan as the legitimate govern-ment of China. In 1972, President Richard Nixon visitedBeijing. Nixon’s visit to Beijing was a form of diplomaticrecognition in international law. From that time on, theUnited States has recognized the Beijing government, but maintains a special relationship with the Republic ofChina (Taiwan). In international law, a state cannot recog-nize two governments for the same state. A “Two Chinas”concept is not possible.

As long as the Nationalists were in power (ChiangKai-shek was followed by his son) there was never anyreal danger that the Nationalist leadership would advo-

cate independence from the mainland. All through theyears, the Nationalists regarded themselves as the legiti-mate government of China, and pursued dreams ofreturning to the mainland.

But Chen Shui-bian and the Democratic ProgressiveParty do not have the same political and emotional ties tothe mainland as the Nationalists do.

Chen Shui-bian strongly advocates the Republic to be a sovereign nation, known as Taiwan, separate andindependent from the mainland.

The Beijing government will not permit Taiwan tobecome an independent nation. To it, Taiwan is aprovince of the mainland. It would be as if Hawaii were

to desire to separate fromthe United States andbecome a sovereign nationknown as Hawaii.

At the same time, Beijing does not have thecapability to invade Taiwan,and the Republic of China(Taiwan) is protected by the United States.

So far, Chen Shui-bian isfollowing a prudent policy.He is striving to increase theRepublic’s commercial inter-national success and pres-tige, while holding off thePeople’s Republic and

down-playing his ultimate objective of independence.The Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People’s

Republic controversy will go on for years. The majorquestion for the United States is: How far will Americansociety go in support of Taiwan?

If Chen Shui-bian, in the future, should increase hisefforts for independence and the People’s Republicresponds with force, will the United States actually fight amassive war against the People’s Republic of China?

•••In addition to the five “hot spots” briefly discussed

here, there are other places around the world to watch:the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian controversy; thepolitical split on the Island of Cyprus, involving twoNATO members, Greece and Turkey, and Cuban-Ameri-can relations. No foreign policy decision is perfect, but all of these potential trouble spots will be continuouslyaddressed by American policy leaders and the American people.

FALL 2000 25

������ ������

Chinese armed guards practice near Tiananmen Square inBeijing in May. China has repeatedly threatened to use

its massive military against Taiwan if it refuses toreunify and seeks independence.

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C harlotte, N.C.—It’s another 12-hour workday at Robert Yates

Racing. In one area of the 100,000square-foot facility, two men constructroll cages from long steel bars — mak-ing precise welds that will save a dri-ver’s life if he is involved in a crashduring a race. In another area, a bodyfabricator is adding the skin, or sheetmetal, to one of the 18 cars in the No.88 Quality Care/Ford Credit stable.Someone else is working on the chassissetup for a new car. In another area,eight built engines valued at $50,000each are lined up along one wall. Agroup of mechanics is fine-tuning thesetup on a car for the next week’s race.And located in a large workshop is thegem of Robert Yates Racing — theengine department. At least 10mechanics are working on the engines— engines they build, tear down,rebuild and test on millions of dollarsworth of equipment, always in searchof more horsepower to pull the 3,400-pound stock cars around a racetrack for500 miles. Upstairs in the gym, severalmembers of the No. 88 pit crew aregoing through a strenuous workoutwith the fitness trainer. It’s 7 a.m. andtheir day has just begun.

Have you ever considered aNASCAR (National Association forStock Car Auto Racing) WinstonCup pit crew member an elite ath-lete? The answer probably is no.Jeffrey Stout, Ph.D., would be quickto set you straight.

Stout is an assistant professor ofexercise science at Creighton Uni-versity. He is one of a handful ofexercise science Ph.D.’s in the Unit-ed States. who applies the sciencehe learns to athletes. Stout has doneextensive research on how athletescan boost their performancesthrough fitness and nutritional pro-

Pit PowerPit PowerHow Creighton exercise scientist Jeffrey Stout helped

fuel Dale Jarrett’s ride to NASCAR’s biggest prize

by Sheila L. Swanson

26 FALL 2000

Several cars make a pit stop during this year’s NAPA 500 on April 30 atthe California Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

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grams that are geared toward thephysiological needs for their sport.

During the past three years,Stout has consulted with profes-sional football and baseball teams.His work with Major League Base-ball was featured in the April 2000issue of ESPN the Magazine. Stoutalso was featured on a BBC-produced documentary (“HormoneHeaven”) explaininghow diet and exercisecan maximize the naturalrelease of “feel good,muscle building and fatburning hormones.”

In May 1999, fitnesstrainer/strength coachJames Benfield of RobertYates Racing contactedStout. Benfield wantedhelp in conditioning thepit crew members for the No. 88 QualityCare/Ford Credit teamowned by Robert Yates.

“Between the hardworkouts, pit stop prac-tices and time spent inthe race shop, I was concerned about theirenergy level. I felt theycould benefit from anutritional program aswell,” Benfield said.

The way pit crewsoperate has changedtremendously over thepast five years.

“Gone are the dayswhere these guys can ignore theirphysical fitness,” Benfield said.“There is so much parity with thecars and the technology. It’s the lit-tle things that can add up to win-ning a race.”

Working on a stock car pit crewis an exercise in teamwork. Duringa pit stop, the crews will change

either two or four tires, add fuel tothe car and make adjustments to thecar’s handling. Crew chiefs say agood two-tire stop takes 10 seconds,about the same time it takes asprinter to run 100 meters. A goodfour-tire stop takes 15 seconds.

Benfield explained the impor-tance of saving even a smallamount of time during a pit stop.

“Gaining a tenth or a hundredthof a second in the pits means mov-ing up positions on the race track,”Benfield said. “To give some per-spective, one second gained or lostin the pits equals 400 meters on arace track. You can see how that can affect the outcome of a race. Inorder to be competitive, we needed

our guys to have consistent 15- to16-second pit stop times.”

Benfield had heard of Stoutthrough FSI Nutrition, a pharmacycompany owned by Creighton University alumni Mike Carnazzo,BA’81, and his brother, Joe,BSPha’87.

Stout was a bit surprised whenBenfield phoned him.

“Initially, I wasn’tsure what I could do. Ihad never even watcheda NASCAR WinstonCup race and franklydidn’t consider pit crewmembers as elite ath-letes,” Stout said.

Upon viewing videotape of a pit stop,Stout realized that thepit crew members were indeed explosiveathletes.

“These guys had 15seconds to change fourtires that weigh 75pounds each; add two,11-gallon (75-pound)dump cans of fuel to the car; and make anyadjustments that thecrew chief or driver feltwere necessary toimprove the car’s handling,” Stout said.

Stout also wasimpressed with theNASCAR Winston Cup drivers.

“Studies have shown that duringa 500-mile race, a driver expendsthe same amount of energy as arunner during a full marathon. Thedrivers have to be well conditioned,hydrated and focused,” Stout said.

After traveling to Charlotte tomeet with Benfield, crew chief ToddParrott and the pit crew, Stout real-

FALL 2000 27

Creighton’s Jeffrey Stout, Ph.D. … Through his fitness and nutritional program, the pit stop times for Jarrett’s crew

dropped from 17.5 to 16.5 seconds.

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ized he had found a unique groupof athletes.

“When I consult athletes, I lookat the demands of the sport andevery sport is a little different. Volleyball, football and baseballplayers are anaerobic using largeamounts of energy in short, sudden

bursts. Marathon runners are aero-bic using more oxygen and keepingtheir heart rates at an elevated levelfor an extended period of time. Theway you would design a diet for adistance runner is a lot differentthan a diet for an explosive athlete,”Stout said.

With the pit crew, Stout foundthey needed both endurance andexplosive power — endurance forthe long workdays during the weekand the day of the race and explo-sive power for the pit stops.

So Stout and Benfield developeda nutrition and exercise protocol

28 FALL 2000

The dietary supplement industry has been a booming businesssince Congress passed the Nutritional Labeling and Education Act

(NLEA) in 1990 and the Dietary Supplement Health and EducationAct (DSHEA) in 1994. Americans spent $12 billion for vitamins andminerals, herbals, sports supplements and specialty supplements in 1997 alone. In an industry with few regulations, many productsare not always what they seem.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), con-sumers need to be on the lookout for fraudu-lent products, which, at the very least,waste consumers’ money and may causephysical harm.

“The supplement industry needs to beFDA-regulated,” Jeffrey Stout, Ph.D., said.“Within the next year or two, I expect Con-gress will pass another act that will clampdown on the manufacturing of supplementsand implement a system to check the purityof the products.”

In fact, in 1999 three NFL players testedpositive for a banned substance that wasfound in an over-the-counter supplementthey were taking.

“When you buy dietary supplements onyour own, you really don’t know the purity and quality of the prod-uct,” Stout said. “These football players did not realize that the sup-plement they were taking contained a banned substance.”

The FDA considers dietary supplements to be products made ofone or more of the essential nutrients, such as vitamins, mineralsand protein. The DSHEA broadens the definition to include, with

some exceptions, any product intended for ingestion as a supple-ment to the diet. This includes vitamins; minerals; herbs, botanicalsand other plant-derived substances; and amino acids (the individualbuilding blocks of protein) and concentrates, metabolites, con-stituents and extracts of these substances.

Sidney Stohs, Ph.D., dean of Creighton’s School of Pharmacyand Allied Health Professions, noted that the vast majority ofdietary supplements, and particularly herbal products, do not have

standardized manufacturing practices.“If a product’s label is marked U.S.P., it

indicates the manufacturer followed standardsestablished by the U.S. Pharmacopeia,”Stohs said. “Without this marking, consumersreally don’t know what they are gettingwhen they buy dietary supplements.”

Stout recommends that unless you are anelite athlete, you should avoid taking supple-ments such as creatine.

“There is no magic pill out there that isgoing to help someone change their bodycomposition to the way they want it. There isnothing on the market that can work betterthan a good diet, exercise and hydration,” Stout said.

Stout does research and scientific advising for several nutritionalcompanies in the United States and will not work with a company ifits products are not pure and of high quality. He does not do con-sulting work with colleges and universities. Stout has worked withCharlie Oborny, head strength and conditioning coach at Creighton,but does not design programs for Creighton student-athletes.

Dietary Supplements:The Promises and the Pitfalls

Dietary Supplements:The Promises and the Pitfalls

“There is no magic pill out there that is going to help

someone change their bodycomposition to the way

they want it. There is nothingon the market that can work

better than a good diet, exercise and hydration.”

Jeffrey Stout, Ph.D.

that would enhance both systems.“For the pit crew, it was about

energy, building strength andspeed, and preventing injury andillness because their season is solong,” Stout said.

This year’s NASCAR WinstonCup season has 34 races during a

41-week period. Once the seasonends in Atlanta in late November,plans for the February 2001 season-opening Daytona 500 and the nextthree to four races begin.

According to Stout, the key for any athlete is to have a nutri-tional program that enhances

the benefits of exercise.“You can’t perform if you are

sick, and your body can’t recoverfrom workouts if it is run down,”Stout said. “It was crucial for the pitcrew members to maintain theirimmune systems because there isno downtime in this sport. The plan

FALL 2000 29

He also realizes that there are people who feel athletes shouldnot take supplements and that using supplements or other agentsto achieve a competitive edge undermines the spirit of athletic com-petition. As of Aug. 1, 2000, the National Collegiate Athletic Associ-ation (NCAA) no longer allows Division I colleges and universities toprovide nutritional supplementsto student-athletes, citingthe lack of long-term studieson possible side effects andlack of FDA regulation. Inaddition, according to theNCAA, institutions that havethe resources to providesuch supplements to theirstudent-athletes could obtaina competitive advantage.

“This new NCAA bylawreally doesn’t make muchsense because it does notban any nutritional supple-ment. Instead, it leaves it upto the student-athlete to buythe product and take it unsu-pervised while not knowingif the product is of goodquality,” Stout said. “Thiscould lead to misuse andpossible exposure to healthrisks because the student-athlete may feel if a little isgood then more is better.

“What exercise science professionals are trying to do is find aneffective and safe way for athletes to increase performances,” Stoutsaid. “It’s important to remember that there is a difference betweendrugs and dietary supplements such as creatine, tyrosine and pro-tein. A drug — like steroids, ephedrine and caffeine — binds toreceptors in the body causing a metabolic reaction, whereas tyro-sine, creatine, carbohydrates and proteins are only utilized if the

body needs them. They don’t cause the body to do anything.”Stohs noted that performance-enhancing supplements should

not be confused with herbal products such as St. John’s Wort,gingko biloba, ginseng and senne. The American PharmaceuticalAssociation warns that herbals can produce drug or drug-like effects.

“The general public looksat herbal products likeany other supplement.Many herbal products canproduce physiologicaleffects,” Stohs said. “It’salso important to realizethat the label ‘natural’does not guarantee aproduct as safe.”

According to KansasCity Chiefs StrengthCoach Jeff Hurd, Stouthas been an unbelievableresource.

“We are so busy training the players, Idon’t have the time toresearch dietary supple-ments and nutritionalneeds for the team,”Hurd said. “Dr. Stout hasbeen able to tell us whatis good and what isn’tgood. He has allowed me to do a better job

and better inform our players.”Hurd also feels that what Stout is doing will help athletes make

better choices. “If the players are not informed or shown the properway to do things, they will go out on their own and make somepoor decisions. They don’t do this because they are trying to dosomething illegal, but rather because they don’t have enough infor-mation to make good choices,” Hurd said.

“If you could take a drugthat was undetectable but

could guarantee you a goldmedal at the next Olympics,

would you take it?”

“If you could take a drug thatcould guarantee you would

win every race for the next fiveyears but you would die in five

years, would you take it?”

In a recent survey, 100 Olympic athletes were asked:

50%said yes50%

said yes

95%said yes95%

said yes

The reality is that illegal drugs such as steroids, insulin andgrowth hormones are available, and doping in professional and Olympic sports is not uncommon. If athletes feel the

pressure to improve their performances, they will take whatever is available.

Source: “Over the Edge.” Sports Illustrated, April 1997

I recommended for them wasgeared toward accelerating the rateof recovery and increasing theirmental concentration andendurance,” Stout said.

Stout designed a long-term planto maximize the benefits of trainingand a short-term plan to maximizetheir race day performance.

For the long-term, the pit crewmembers drank a nutrient-denseshake — which contained protein,carbohydrates, vitamins and miner-als — after each workout. They alsotook a small amount of creatinemixed with water each night before bed.

Creatine is an amino acid (thebuilding blocks of protein) made inthe liver, pancreas and kidneys andis found in many foods. It is trans-ported in the blood and taken up by muscle cells where it is convert-ed to creatine phosphate, also called phosphocreatine.

Phosphocreatine is stored inmuscle tissue until it is used to pro-duce chemical energy called ATP(anaerobic adenosine triphosphate).It is used for quick energy needs forany sport or exercise that mayinvolve explosive movements. Simi-lar to glycogen (stored carbohy-drate), when creatine is stored inmuscle cells, it enhances the hydra-tion of the cell which increases thewater content. Scientific studieshave shown that when a cell isproperly hydrated or volumized, itmay improve protein synthesis andmuscle growth.

“The average person usesapproximately two grams of crea-tine per day. To replace the usedcreatine, the body synthesizes aboutone to two grams per day, whileanother one gram is obtainedthrough a ‘normal diet,’” Stout said.

Athletes participating in a

30 FALL 2000

NASCAR allows only seven people over the wall during a pit stop.The tire carriers (two) carry a new 75-pound tire to the car’s right side and place each

on the wheel after the tire changer removes the old tire. During a four-tire stop, the processis repeated on the left side with new tires rolled in by crew members behind the pit wall.

The tire changers (two) each run to the car’s right side and use air impact guns toremove five lug nuts off old tires and bolt on the new tire. The process is repeated on the left side during afour-tire stop.

The jack man carries a45-pound hydraulic jackfrom the pit wall to raisethe car’s right side. Afternew tires are bolted on, hedrops the car and repeatsthe process on the left side.

The gas man pours two,11-gallon (75-pound) dump cans of fuel into the 22-gallon fuel cell.

The catch-can man holdsthe can to collect overflowfrom the fuel cell. He alsosignals the jack man whenrefueling is complete.

The crew chief directsthe action of every pit crewmember using headsets. He tells the driver when thework is done and it’s safe to leave the pit area.

What is NASCAR?The first NASCAR race

was run on Feb. 15, 1948, on the beach/road course in Daytona Beach, Fla. The vision of Bill France Sr., the sport has grown in popularity since its early days when it wasprimarily a southeastern United States sport. NASCAR is second only to the NFL as themost-watched sport on cable television. In 1998, the NASCAR Winston Cup Series attracted6.3 million people to its 33 events. It is a business worth more than $1 billion. Last year,Fox, NBC and Turner Sports spent $2.4 billion for a six-year television package deal,

The AnatomyThe Anatomy

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Dale Jarrett’s pit crew in action during last year’s Pepsi Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C., on Sept. 5.

resistance-training program havebeen shown to benefit from creatinesupplementation because the sup-plementation allows them to com-plete their workouts at a higherintensity due to increased phospho-creatine stored in their bodies.

“Higher-intensity workouts pro-vide for a greater training stimulusand enhanced physiological adapta-tions over time,” Stout added.

Stout recommended creatine forthe pit crew because when com-bined with their weight training, itwould help maintain their explo-siveness throughout an entire race.Most NASCAR Winston Cup raceslast four to five hours.

Above all, Stout emphasized theimportance of fluid intake to pre-vent dehydration.

“No one should take supple-ments unless they drink a lot ofwater. I never recommend a supple-ment that does not promote hydra-tion,” Stout said.

Stout also never recommendsthat athletes take supplements inpill form.

“When supplements are taken inpowder form, they are mixed withfluids. The powder form absorbsfaster into the system and there arefewer side effects like gastrointesti-nal irritation because of this,” Stoutsaid.

The short-term plan, used a day-and-a-half before competition, wasintended to provide maximal ener-gy on race day. It also hyperhydrat-ed the athletes helping reduce thechances of cramping and perform-ance decrements from dehydration.

“Drinking water is especiallyimportant on race day,” Stout said.“Slight dehydration can cause adecline in physical and mental per-formance. Anyone who has everwatched a race knows that it is as

FALL 2000 31

which takes effect in 2001.The Winston Cup is the premiere circuit in NASCAR. The championship is determined by

a point system ranging from 175 to 31 points awarded for finishing 1st through 44threspectively in a race. If a driver leads a lap, he receives five bonus points. The driver lead-ing the most laps receives an additional five bonus points. Because of this point system,consistency is rewarded. Drivers do not have to win many races in order to claim the cham-

pionship at the end of the seasonif they finish consistently in thetop-five or top-10.

Winston Cup racing is adetailed and technical sport.Nearly all of a car’s parts arebuilt by mechanics at the race shop.

All race tracks are different interms of degrees of banking, sur-faces and length (the shortest onthe Winston Cup circuit being theMartinsville Speedway at .526miles and longest the TalladegaSuper Speedway at 2.66 miles).Speeds reach around 190 mphat some of the larger tracks.

Prior to race day, a driver’screw spends hours analyzingnotes to determine the ideal handling package. A poor han-dling car causes the driver towork that much harder to getaround the track. If a car is“tight,” the driver is turning thewheel as hard as he can and thecar pushes to the outside wall. If

a car is “loose,” it feels like the car is on ice and is slipping all over. The goal is for the carto “hook up” (finding the groove of the track where the car stays with little effort from thedriver).

During practice, teams can alter the front and rear suspension by changing springs,shocks and sway bars as well as adding or removing a spring rubber to stiffen the springs.

During the race, the tires are what tell the story of how the car is handling. Goodyearsupplies the tires for all Winston Cup races. After a pit stop, the crew evaluates the tirewear to determine if the car is tight or loose. During the race, when time is precious,adjustments are made at a lightning pace to help the car’s handling.

of a Pit Stopof a Pit Stop

32 FALL 2000

Research on creatine is moving from look-ing at the ways it can enhance athletic

performance to ways in which it mayenhance the quality of life in people whohave muscle degeneration due to chronicdisease or aging.

Jeffrey Stout, Ph.D., is excited aboutthe possibilities. He continues to collaboratewith researchers at the University of Wis-consin to examine the effects of creatinesupplementation in patients who have amy-otrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or LouGehrig’s disease. He also will work on astudy with Creighton researchers to monitorcreatine supplementation in AIDS patientswho have suffered nerve damage.

“We already know that in cardiac reha-bilitation, in neuromuscular disease patientsand with AIDS patients that exercise can be very beneficial,” Stout said. “Creatinesupplementation may help those benefitsoccur even faster.”

Stout cites research done in Canadathat looked at 18 neuromuscular diseases.Researchers found that one common factoramong patients was a decrease in skeletalmuscle creatine stores. With supplementa-tion, researchers documented markedimprovement in strength and lean bodymass of the patients.

“I worked with a student at Creightonwho has myasthenia gravis,” Stout said.“Symptoms of the disease include extremefatigue, loss of muscle and loss of strength.This young man had been an athlete andwent from 190 pounds to about 160. Hebegan an exercise program and the diseaseprogression seemed to stop, but he didn’timprove. We wanted to see whether takingcreatine would enhance the results of hisexercise program.

“With permission from his physician,he took five grams of creatine daily for 15weeks, and we saw upper and lower bodystrength improve 30 to 40 percent,” Stout

continued. “He gained 12 pounds of leanmuscle and had more energy. His physicianalso monitored liver enzymes to seewhether the creatine adversely interactedwith medications he took for the conditionand saw no changes.”

Stout cites this lack of enzyme changein this case study and in other researchstudies as demonstration that creatine sup-plementation at the recommended doseshould be safe for longer-term use.

“There is research data on five years ofcontinuous supplementation with the only

side effect being weight gain,” Stout said.“There is speculation about possible effectsbut no data yet — reports of crampingand other effects are anecdotal and probably indicate that the person is takingmuch more than the recommended dose of creatine.”

In a recent issue of the journal Medicine& Science in Sports & Exercise, a scientificroundtable of 12 world-renowned special-ists reviewed hundreds of scientific studieson creatine. The panel concluded that whilecreatine is perceived as relatively safe therehas been little real critical evaluation of itshealth implications. The panel agreed thatthere is no definitive evidence that creatineuse causes gastrointestinal, renal and/or

muscle cramping complications when takenat the recommended dosage. At the sametime, the panel noted that there is noassurance that creatine use is free fromhealth risks that may be discovered inyears to come and further research on itslong-term effects must continue.

Sidney Stohs, Ph.D., dean ofCreighton’s School of Pharmacy and AlliedHealth Professions, agrees.

“Side effects from creatine use are verydose dependent. A low dose usually doesnot produce any side effects,” Stohs said.“When creatine is taken at a high dose,however, there have been cases of sideeffects. Just because creatine is naturaldoes not mean it is automatically safe atany dose. My concern with creatine use isthere are no long-term studies on how iteffects the heart, brain and reproductivesystems.”

Stout has seen the potential of crea-tine’s medical applications in his family. Hisaunt, who has multiple sclerosis, took crea-tine and made notable gains. “The majorityof the time, my aunt is wheelchair bound,so I asked her to try creatine,” Stout said.“When she started, she couldn’t hold a 16-ounce glass to serve herself the crea-tine. After six weeks of taking creatineevery day, she could stand up, sit downand walk a little without assistance fromanyone. She could eat and drink by herself.The only change she made in her regimenwas to add the creatine supplement —she didn’t have additional physical therapyor other dietary changes.

“I think it’s important for people tounderstand that creatine will not cure dis-eases, but if it can improve quality of life itcould be very important. If people can getup and do daily tasks they weren’t able todo before — to take a walk with their chil-dren or to hold their grandchildren — itmeans so much.”

By Lori Elliott-Bartle

Potential Medical Uses of Creatine

“When she started, she couldn’t hold a 16-ounce glass

... After six weeks ... shecould stand up, sit down and

walk a little ... The onlychange she made in her regi-

men was to add the creatine supplement.”

Potential Medical Uses of Creatine

much a mental as a physical sport.”Part of the short-term plan

included taking a tyrosine-basedsupplement as a mental booster anhour before competition.

Tyrosine is an amino acid natu-rally found in the brain. The brainconverts tyrosine to the stimulatoryneurotransmitters: dopamine,norepinephrine and epineph-rine (the last two being the“fight or flight” hormones).These are known collectivelyas catacholamines. Approxi-mately 95 percent of thebrain’s catacholamines aresynthesized directly from tyro-sine. Studies have found thatduring stressful events, thelevel of naturally occurringtyrosine goes down.

“It’s similar to having a firegoing and you are running outof wood. If you can’t maintainthe fire, it will burn out. It’sthe same way for the brain,”Stout said.

Administering tyrosinebefore competition and beforethe effects of stress occur helpprevent the tyrosine level fromdipping below normal. Tyro-sine is then available when thebody needs it to make the cat-acholamines that create sharp-er mental awareness,counteract mental fatigue, pro-mote improved hand-eyecoordination and create sharperfocus and concentration.

“Tyrosine-based products areonly for athletes who compete formore than four hours at a time,”Stout said. “On race days, pit crewmembers work 12 hours. From startto finish, they cannot afford to makea mistake.”

Within a month on the fitnessand nutritional programs, the pit

crew started showing improve-ments in their pit stop times.

“Before they started the pro-grams, the No. 88 crew’s pit stopswere averaging around 17 to 17.5seconds. They finished the 1999 sea-son with an average of 16.5 secondsper pit stop,” Benfield said.

According to Kevin Stimberis,the front tire carrier for the No. 88team last season, the nutritionalprogram helped improve the pitcrew’s performance on race day andduring the long work hours at therace shop.

“I wasn’t nearly as worn out onMondays as I had been in the past.The fitness and nutritional pro-grams really boosted my energy

level,” Stimberis said.Vince Valeriano, shock absorber

specialist for the No. 88 team,agreed. “No matter how advancedthe equipment becomes inNASCAR Winston Cup racing, thehuman element is always there.”

Each week, nearly 40 people willwork on one car to get it readyfor a race.

“We can’t afford to have aphysical or a mental break-down during competition orduring the week as we preparecars for different races. Theworkouts and following Dr.Stout’s program really helpedour pit crew produce consis-tent pit stop times,” Valerianosaid.

It was that consistency thathelped pave the way for driverDale Jarrett and the No. 88team to win the 1999 NASCARWinston Cup championship.

“All of us, including RobertYates, Todd Parrott and DaleJarrett, felt Dr. Stout’s help wasa crucial part in the team’s suc-cess last season,” Benfield said.

As for Stout, he is happy toprovide his consulting servicesto strength coaches, trainersand professional athletes.

“It’s been fun watching thesuccess the teams and athletesthat I have worked with haverealized,” Stout said. “I don’t

take any money for my consultingwork. I do it because I love it. Ienjoy meeting the athletes, and Iconsider my work a service becauseI want to discourage athletes fromdoing things to boost their perform-ances that are bad.”— About the author: Swanson is anassociate editor of Creighton Univer-sity Magazine and can be reached viae-mail at bluenews@creighton.edu.

FALL 2000 33

Dale Jarrett celebrates winning the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship.

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Did we really need to ridedown the Santa Monica Free-

way with law enforcement offi-cials in slow pursuit of O.J.Simpson?

Are we better off for knowingevery intimate detail of the OvalOffice goings-on between Presi-dent Clinton and Monica Lewinsky? If yes, did we need

to hear or read those details overand over (and over) again?

Was the posturing betweenElián González’ American rela-tives and the Federal Governmentthe most important news story inthis country? For weeks?

Or was at least some of thatcoverage “junk journalism”?While there’s no dictionary defini-

34 FALL 2000

junk journalismjunk journalism

Has journalism stooped to a new low? And, if so, who or what is to blame?

By Mary Kay Shanley, BA’65

Millions watched live on

television as the infamous

white Ford Bronco, carrying

a despondent O.J. Simpson,

was followed by police

cars in slow pursuit along a

southern California freeway

on June 17, 1994.

junk journalismjunk

journalismjunk

journalism

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tion for the term,John McCaa,BA’76, anchor andnews manager atWFAA-TV in Dal-las, said simply,“You know junkjournalism whenyou see it.”

And these days,some of those whoreport the newsand some of thosewho consume itsay they see junkjournalism innewspapers, news-magazines and onTV all the time.Stories are short,light, titillating andentertaining. Butare they news?And are they newsworthy?

There is no line in the sand tomeasure a story’s worth, but thereis a feeling and a fear that what’sbeing offered as news is reallynews lite or “McNews.” Take yourpick. Neither is complimentary.

Consumers may regard junkjournalism as a “60 Minutes”episode where thewhole point is to “get”somebody (“gotcha”journalism). Or, per-haps, junk journalism iswhen local TV newspresents a series wherethe anchor learns to doother people’s jobs —from driving a semi toleading a drill team. Ormaybe it’s when thenewspaper devotes 10inches to a city tax issueand 35 inches to Tom

Cruise’s newest movie.To people on the inside

of the industry, however,junk journalism goes deep-er. “It happens when weallow people to renamethe things we do,” McCaasaid. “For instance, a newsorganization may use sur-veys and polls to deter-mine what viewers want.Looking at demographicinformation is OK, butbasing coverage solely onthose results presents aproblem. In the end, it isthe job of the journalist todetermine what the newsissues are and to report on them.”

Real journalism, McCaasaid, is content-driven andrequires hard work. “We

just went through a ratings peri-od,” he said. “Our station spent alot of time on a story aboutwhether a doctor whose licensehad been suspended should bepracticing medicine. We looked at his habits and his practices and ended up with a piece fourminutes long.”

Another Dallas station burneda house down and talked aboutwhat it takes to get out alive. “Youcan make the argument that someof their information was helpful,”McCaa said, “but I’d say theirpiece was image driven ratherthan content driven.”

Julie Asher, BA’79, national edi-tor of the Catholic News Service inWashington, D.C., offers her ownversion of junk journalism. “Lookat how the Elián González storywas covered,” she said. “Journal-ists camped out with the demon-strators in front of the relatives’(Miami) home, then reported whatthe demonstrators said. But howmuch did we hear that was con-trary to that? Not everybody inLittle Havana agreed with them.The Haitian community, for exam-ple, was wondering why this boywas getting special treatment.

“I think news organizations gotall caught up in the hysteria of thething and ended up giving us onlyone point of view.”

Watching reporters get caughtup in the moment doesn’t surpriseAsher anymore. She talks about arecent incident when actor

FALL 2000 35

“Looking at demographic information is OK, but basing coverage solely

on those results presents

a problem.”

John McCaa, BA’76Anchor and news

manager at WFAA-TV in Dallas

“I think news organizations

got all caught up inthe hysteria of thething and ended upgiving us only one

point of view.”

Julie Asher, BA’79National editor of the Catholic

News Service on the Elián González coverage

Christopher Reeve and Mary JaneOwen — who is with the NationalCatholic Office for Persons withDisabilities — and others were onCapitol Hill. They were testifyingabout legislation thatwould lift a ban on fed-eral funding for researchinvolving the destruc-tion of human embryos.Owen supported leav-ing the ban in place andReeve said it should belifted. “The reportersjust loved ChristopherReeve, but they gavealmost no time to thewoman in the wheel-chair,” Asher said. “Ms.Owen was well spoken,but they dismissed her in favor ofa famous actor.”

Rob O’Neil, BA’70, chair of themedia arts department at LosAngeles’ Pierce College, agreed.“Definitely, the media are goingtoward the lighter, the frothier,” he said. But he’s also concernedabout the media creating news outof relatively insignificant events.Several summers ago, O’Neil — a summer correspondent for theL.A. Times — found himself justyards away from a stalled truckdriven by a man who had stolen aspearfishing gun from a sportinggoods store and subsequently ledpolice on an “even slower thanO.J. Simpson” freeway chase. “The police were shouting at himthrough bullhorns to surrenderand the guy — who we laterlearned had accidentally shot him-self with the spear gun — wasyelling back that he was hurt andwanted to surrender,” O’Neil said.“But no one could hear anything

because there were 11 news media choppers overhead. When Iwent into a bar 50 yards away to call the Times, everyone was watching it on TV!”

O’Neil was among those recent-ly commended by the Times forreporting an August 1999 shootingat the North (San Fernando) Val-ley Jewish Community Center daycare facility by an avowed racist.O’Neil credits an editor who toldhim to steer clear of the “wolf-pack journalism” at the police com-mand post and get into the nearbyneighborhood where “frightenedresidents and tense cops had plenty of insights to share.”

So, how did we get to thisjunk/gotcha/wolf-pack state ofjournalism? Dr. Eileen Wirth, chairof Creighton’s Department ofJournalism and Mass Communica-tion, might instead ask, “How

did we get back to such a state?” “Look at the history of U.S.

journalism,” she said. “It wasscandal and sensationalism in the beginning. There was no pre-

tense of objectivity.”She offers the perfect

example: In 1897,William RandolphHearst sent RichardDavis, a fiction writer, and Frederic Remington, an illustra-tor, to Cuba to report onthe insurrection there.When the men reportedthat it looked like therewould be no war,Hearst replied, “Youfurnish

the pictures and I’ll furnish the(Spanish American) War.”

Wirth asked, “‘What’s the dif-ference between an 1890 headlinein the New York Journal that promised a ‘Marvelous New Wayof Giving Medicine: WonderfulResults from Merely HoldingTubes of Drugs Near EntrancedPatients,’ and ‘Strange ThingsWomen Do for Love’ or ‘WhyYoung Girls Kill Themselves,’which you see on TV duringsweeps week?”

Then, she added, “Junk journal-ism doesn’t get much worse thanthe New York Daily News photo ofRuth Snyder being executed.Somebody sneaked a camera intothe death chamber and shot thephoto as she was being electrocut-ed. The next day — Jan. 14, 1928— the photo took up an entirepage.”

Wirth went on to say that whatwe had in the ‘40s, ‘50s and early‘60s was an aberration. “We’d

36 FALL 2000

“Definitely, the media are going toward thelighter, the frothier.”

Rob O’Neil, BA’70Chair of the media arts department

at Los Angeles’ Pierce College and a correspondent for the L.A. Times

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gone through the Depression andWorld War II and into a ColdWar,” she explained. “The gov-ernment, the press and our citi-zens all felt the same threats, fromNazism to Communism. That putthe press and the government onthe same team.”

That explains why Edward R.Murrow lost his TV program forchallenging Sen. Joe McCarthy,and why James Reston sup-pressed a Bay of Pigs story at thegovernment’s request.

“Then, the Baby Boomer gener-ation cut its teeth on rebellion(against the government) andexternal threats to the country’sexistence disappeared,” Wirthsaid. “The combination of nation-al and international politicaldevelopments was so powerfulthat now, when the governmentsays to the media, ‘Don’t do this;it’s a threat to our existence,’ wesay, ‘From whom? FromParaguay?’”

Mary Alice Williams, BA’71, anEmmy-award-winning veterantelevision journalist, cites anotherreason for the media-governmentbreakup. “During the Vietnamera, the government was lying tous repeatedly, constantly, pre-dictably,” she said. “We didn’tbecome skeptical, but rather cynical, about what we werebeing told.”

This was at the same timewhen the number of newspapersbegan their dramatic decline,which also affects journalismtoday. Evening papers as well assome morning dailies in largemarkets folded. Those remainingwent from independent to corpo-rate ownership, often with more

emphasis on bottom-line profit.And readership dropped. “Thenumber of people reading anewspaper today is about thesame as it was following WorldWar II,” O’Neil said. “But thereare a lot more people now.”

Fierce competition for readers

has pushed print editors to enter-tain rather than challenge, toreport a little bit about a lot andto put what sells on Page One.Additionally, the print industryincreasingly relies on visuals, apractice introduced by USA Today.And yes, editors often leantoward sensationalism to competewith everybody from TV news to

Internet gossip Matt Drudge. Life’s not any easier in the

broadcast industry. There, we’vegone from the big three networkchannels to hundreds, and withthat, a relentless pursuit of ratingsand audience shares. And enter-tainment — which is what drawsmost people to the TV screen tobegin with — touches on all sortsof news issues from good-lookinganchors to condensing tough top-ics into little packages.

Then there’s the Internet,where some of America’s bright-est young people go for all oftheir news. Journalists know whatwe’re seeing in that regard is onlythe proverbial tip of the iceberg.For starters, the pace set by tech-nology is having a profoundeffect upon the reporting of news.“Everybody’s competing to getthe news out first,” said Williams.“That means reporters have lesstime to think, to evaluate. Theirwriting becomes less important— which still makes my teethhurt!”

Williams cites another drivingforce in journalism today — amean-spiritedness. “Unfortunate-ly, you make your name coveringreally bad news,” she said. “Cover something prurient andthe ratings go up.”

She thought — hoped — thatthe “low-water mark” in terms ofblurring the lines between junkand professional journalism wasO.J. Simpson. “With that one,everybody sunk to the lowestcommon denominator,” she said.“Then along came Monica and wehad another crescendo. We’re alldepleted from those experiences.”

Williams does not hesitate to

FALL 2000 37

“Look at the history ofU.S. journalism: It was

scandal and sensationalismin the beginning.

There was no pretense of objectivity.”

Dr. Eileen WirthChair of Creighton’s Department of

Journalism and Mass Communication

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place blame. “This all has to dowith the appetites of the Ameri-can people,” she said. “So I ask,should we treat them as con-sumers or citizens? As peoplewith appetites or attributes? Arewe to look at them only in termsof our bottom line?”

If, indeed, it is the Americanpublic’s appetite that is settingthe standards for news, WFAA-TV’s McCaa would ask, “Havewe forgotten that journalists play

TV newsman John McCaastudies Plato and Aristotle. “Ihave to,” he said. “It’s the journal-ist’s job to examine society’s insti-tutions. To do that, you must haveknowledge of what is good anddecent. That comes from thestudy of ethics and philosophy.”

Creighton University agreeswith its alumnus. That’s why Dr.Carol Zuegner, journalisminstructor and faculty advisor toThe Creightonian, begins everysemester by going through theSociety of Professional Journal-ists’ Code of Ethics with her stu-dents. “The code addresses suchtopics as personal responsibility,minimizing harm, accountabilityand admitting and fixing mis-takes,” she said. “Then, we spendthe rest of the semester puttingthat code into practice.”

Zuegner said Creighton stu-dents “by and large, really careabout others; they believe in theJesuit mission and for that, we

are blessed. But journalists can be confronted with a situationwhere they must decide what to do in a matter of minutes. So journalism students need a

strong foundation in ethics.”She finds today’s students

more cynical about journalismethics than when she began teach-ing at Creighton three years ago.“I ask my students how manythink journalists are always ethi-cal, and no hands go up,” Zuegnersaid. “Then, I ask how manythink journalists are sometimesethical, and a few hands go up.”

But when she tells them sheworked 15 years for the Associat-ed Press, they all believe she wasalways ethical. “Their vision of ajournalist is colored by the excess-es of what they see,” she said.“They don’t understand yet that,for most journalists, the sins areof omission, not commission.”

Beginning this fall, Zuegnerwill receive some hefty assistancegetting that ethics message across.

Course Explores Media Ethics

“This all has to do

with the appetites

of the American people.

So I ask, should

we treat them as

consumers or citizens?”

Mary Alice Williams, BA’71Emmy-award-winning

television journalist

“I want them (students) torealize that if they havestrong convictions aboutright and wrong, and theconfidence to apply those

convictions, they can handle the multitude of

situations they’ll encounteras working journalists.”

Jeff Maciejewski, assistant professor of journalism and

mass communication

38 FALL 2000

a special role in the constitutionalsystem of checks and balances?There’s a reason for the (FirstAmendment) and that reason isnot to make money.”

Still, even such a high-mindedpurpose doesn’t change reality. “Idon’t think there’s any questionthat we are going to live with thisforever,” said Wirth. “There is noturning back. It used to be that ifNBC News didn’t run the storybecause the news director didn’t

think it appropriate for family TV,NBC’s counterparts made a simi-lar decision. They were all comingfrom similar standards, and theywere reasonably sure that othersfrom the L.A. Times to the NewYork Times would exercise similarrestraint.”

Now, it’s about profit and rat-ings. And restraint is often out thewindow.—About the author: Shanley is a for-mer reporter and feature writer for the

Des Moines Register. The Creightonjournalism graduate currently works asan author and free-lance writer fromher home in West Des Moines, Iowa.Shanley has written for such nationalmagazines as Better Homes and Gar-dens and Family Circle. Her sixthbook, For Parents Only — Tips forSurviving the Journey from Home-room to Dorm Room, which she co-authored with Julia Johnston, waspublished this summer by Barron’sEducational Series, Inc., New York.

FALL 2000 39

Jeff Maciejewski, an assistant pro-fessor of journalism and masscommunication, will teach MediaEthics. His students will explorethe ethical and practi-cal questions of masscommunications.

“We know thereare moral and ethicalprincipals that can beapplied to problemsin mass communica-tions,” Maciejewskisaid. “But you canprescribe manyanswers to one problem, and thoseanswers will differwidely. So within thisframework, we’ll lookat specific problems,asking the students to assess eachfrom varying viewpoints, butalways using moral and ethicalprincipals.

“And,” he added, “we’ll talkabout how that applies in real life.

I want to engage students in theprocess of saying, ‘What do Ithink? What do I believe? Whatwould I do if…?’ I want them to

realize that if they have strongconvictions about right andwrong, and the confidence toapply those convictions, they can handle the multitude of situations they’ll encounter as

working journalists.”He concedes that moral sensi-

tivities are low right now, addingthat junk journalism isn’t helping

anybody or meeting anyhigher end. But hebelieves that can change.“People imply that themedia is like some kind ofthird party, created by other-worldly beings andbeamed down to us fromGod knows where,” hesaid. “But the media is ahuman product, suscepti-ble to subtle and signifi-cant changes in the humancondition.

“I have faith that wewill move beyond, riseagain, partly because we

are teaching students they canmake a difference. They don’thave to do what everybody else isdoing,” he said. “You can be amoral communicator simply bydoing what is right.”

Jeff Maciejewski, an assistant professor of journalism and mass communication,

and Dr. Carol Zuegner, journalism instructor

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50 FALL 2000

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

D O N O R P R O F I L E S

NURSING DEAN ESTABLISHES ENDOWED

SCHOLARSHIP FUNDGraduates of Creighton’s School of

Nursing truly personify the University’smission of “men and women for and withothers.” As nurses, they have dedicatedtheir lives to caring for humanity, provid-ing not only physical care but oftentimesmental and spiritual support as well.

Dr. Edeth Kitchens, dean of the School ofNursing, is passionate about furthering thenursing profession as well as the Universi-ty’s mission. She recently demonstratedher commitment to the nursing programby establishing the Dr. Edeth KitchensEndowed Scholarship Fund for Nursing toassist nurses in furthering their education.

As a former non-traditional student,Kitchens appreciates the financialdemands and special challenges these menand women face. Due to the rigorousnature of the nursing curriculum, studentshave little time for employment. Therefore,

they must rely heavily upon scholarshipsupport as they balance the demands ofthe classroom and the clinical components.

Kitchens decided to make the gift inhonor of her parents, who provided

unconditional support through every stepof her education and career. Her success inthe nursing profession has been especiallytouching to her mother, who always hadaspirations of becoming a nurse but neverhad the opportunity to pursue her dream.

Through the endowed scholarship fund,Kitchens will assist non-traditional nurs-ing students and ensure that her parents’encouraging spirit, as well as her mother’sdream, will continue in perpetuity.

CORDOBAS HELP CONTINUE DENTAL

SCHOOL’S TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE

Since 1905, Creighton’s School of Den-tistry has been providing an excellent, values-centered education to its graduates.Dental students complete a rigorous cur-riculum, and many students participate inservice opportunities. Alumni and friendsof the School of Dentistry ensure the continuation of this tradition of excellencethrough their work and volunteer serviceto the Creighton community.

David, DDS’63, and Rose Ann Cordobaare an excellent example of the wonderfulsupport Creighton receives from alumniand friends. Longtime members of theCreighton Society, David and Rose Annfeel strongly about ensuring that otheryoung men and women have the opportu-nity to share the Creighton experience.

The Cordobas have supported the Uni-versity, giving of both their time andresources. They recently illustrated theircommitment by establishing the Davidand Rose Ann Cordoba Endowed Scholar-ship Fund for Dentistry. The scholarshipfund will assist students in the School ofDentistry who are in need of financialassistance.

“I decided to establish the scholarshipfund because of how much Creighton hascontributed to my education and well-being. When you get to a certain point inyour career you begin to consider what’sbeen important in getting you there,”David said.

Thanks to the generosity of the Cordoba family, Creighton’s School ofDentistry will continue to provide a quali-ty, values-centered education for manyfuture students.

Creighton University holds a special place in the hearts of Dr. Gene, BA’75, andPam (Brown), BSMT’76, Brooks. The two met at Creighton on their first day of

freshman orientation, fell in love and got married. They havebeen together for 24 years and are the parents of two daughters.

Just as their relationship has continued to grow, so has theirfondness for Creighton. Recently, they decided to express theirsupport for the University, as well as their belief in strengthen-ing educational opportunities for minority students, by creatingthe Mary Dora Endowed Scholarship Fund. The scholarshipfund is named in honor of Pam and Gene’s grandmothers,acknowledging the vital role these women played in theirupbringing.

Gene and Pam spoke of the scholarship saying, “We wantedthe scholarship to be a general merit scholarship. There are somany different avenues that students can choose, and we didn’twant to limit their options.”

The Brookses hope their gift will encourage others to supportminority students, enabling them to cultivate their talents and see their dreamsblossom. Through the Mary Dora Endowed Scholarship Fund, Gene and Pamhave ensured that their grandmothers’ nurturing spirit will help young men andwomen for generations to come.

LOVE FOR CREIGHTON CONTINUES TO GROW

Dr. Kitchens with a patient

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3

Dr. Gene andPam Brooks

T H E L A S T W O R D

Mortui vivos docent, the dead teach the living, is a phrasethat has been used since the early days of anatomy.

Medical students have dissected human bodies as part oftheir training since the days of ancient Greece, although thepractice has not always been accepted. Pope Boniface VIIIplaced a ban on human dissection in 1248, which lasted untilthe end of the 13th century. It would be many years beforethe science of anatomy could equal that which the ancientGreeks possessed.

Anatomy became a more modern discipline in 1542 afterthe publication of Andreas Vesalius’ work, the beautifullyillustrated De Humanis Corporis Fabrica, which was based onhis personal dissections. The demand for bodies for dissec-tion rapidly increased in the ensuing years and soon hadoutpaced the supply of “unclaimed” bodies.

At the end of the 19th cen-tury, students and “resurrec-tionists”( i.e., body snatchers)were plying a profitable tradethat more than once culminatedin the murder of a potentialanatomical subject. The subse-quent public reaction to this dis-reputable trade resulted in thepassage in England of the Anato-my Act of 1832 through whichmedical schools were to receiveany “unclaimed” bodies, those ofexecuted criminals, and the bodiesof those who donated them foranatomical study.

Medical schools in the United States primarily dependedon “unclaimed” bodies until the Uniform Anatomical GiftAct was passed in the late 1960’s. This act gave Americansthe legal right to donate their bodies for scientific study. Theadvent of organ transplantation and the need for individualsto specify their intention to donate has further heightenedthe public awareness that donation of tissue, organs or one’sentire body is a benevolent and humanitarian act. The gift ofone’s body for the education of healers no longer bears anysocial stigma among most in our society. And there is agrowing need for such gifts as more health sciences students— such as those in physical therapy or dentistry programs— learn from dissection. This last gesture affords health sci-ences students and researchers an unparalleled opportunityto experience firsthand the intricacy of the body.

Students often initially are tentative in their approach todissection, but a sense of gratitude for this opportunity

quickly outweighs their natural reticence. The experience isunique and invaluable. Each of our bodies differs at leastsubtly from the norm; time, disease, accidents, surgery andeven the whims of nature uniquely mark each of us. Thislesson is not lost in the flurry of activity surrounding dissec-tion and cannot be replaced with computer-based simula-tion programs. These early encounters with the uniquenessof each body will guide the physicians and other health-careproviders in their future careers to a thoughtful and carefulapproach to each patient.

After many months of lectures and hours of dissection,the basic anatomy of the body has been learned. Studentsrealize that their best instructor was their silent first patient.As the donated bodies are cremated, the students prepare to

lay them to rest. A memorialservice for anatomical donors isheld annually at Creighton.Students from medicine, dentistry and allied healthplan and perform the service,which gives students anopportunity to recognize andthank anatomical donors fortheir gift toward furtheringtheir education. Poems andeulogies are written, flowersare given, and St. John’sChurch echoes with hymns.Students often create

mementos for families filled withoriginal and selected poems and meaningful Bible passages.Even in this time of remembering the dead, there is some-thing very vital here. There is a sense that some immediategood will come to others because of the generous act of the donors.

Following a reception for students and families, there is a graveside service at St. Mary Magdalene Cemetery inOmaha, where there is a marker for the cremated remainsthat says, “Here in honor lie the remains of those whotaught us the secrets of the human body. May they rest ineternal peace.”—About the author: Thomas Quinn, Ph.D., is a professor of biomedical sciences who specializes in anatomy. He coordinates theanatomy curriculum for medical students and assists students inconducting the annual memorial service for anatomical donors.For more information about anatomical donation, please contactyour state anatomical board or discuss a gift with your family and your attorney.

The Silent First PatientBy Thomas Quinn, Ph.D.

FALL 2000 51

Creighton students hold an annual

memorial service for anatomical donors.

For more than 50 years, the Spirit of CreightonAward has been Creighton University’s highest

student honor.The award recognizes those students, who,

through their initiative, wisdom, honesty, tirelesspersonal sacrificeand reverencefor God, haveexemplified thebest qualities ofthe University’sfounders.

These arequalities foundin the mostrecent honoreesSarah ElizabethWaetzig ofBillings, Mont.,and Matt West ofOmaha, whoreceived theirawards atCreighton’s May commencement.

Waetzig earned a bachelor of science degree inbiology in May. West planned to earn his bachelorof science degree in exercise science in August.

Waetzig was recognized for giving selflessly ofher time and energy — as a resident advisor, as a mentor to new students and as an activeleader in the Residence Hall Council, MAGISAmbassadors, Welcome Week and campus ministry retreats. Waetzig also was active in thecommunity, volunteering with the Siena/Francis House, the South Omaha Boys and

Girls Club and Adopt-a-Family.She served as an officer in Omicron Delta

Kappa, the national leadership honor society, and was a member of the National Residence Hall Honorary and the Alpha Phi Omega service

fraternity.West, a

member of theCreighton men’sbasketball team,was recognized as a devoted, dedicated andinspirational student-athlete.Originally a walk-on, Westeventually earneda scholarship anda starting spot on the team. Hehelped guide the Bluejays

to the 1999-2000 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title and a berth in the NCAATournament.

West was an all-MVC scholar athlete and amember of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He enjoyed visiting local schools and talking withstudents about the dangers of drugs and alcoholand the importance of education.

Congratulations to Sarah Waetzig and Matt West — and to all the Creighton students they rep-resent — for their commitment to living as peoplefor others in the spirit of Creighton University.

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.

Spirits of Creighton

Matt WestSarah Elizabeth Waetzig

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