Wednesday, January 24, 2001
Contact: Peter Bailley
news@knox.edu
309-341-7715
Knox College will present four distinguished guest speakers for the lecture series "Dimensions of Dying and Death" during February 2001 on the Knox campus in Galesburg, Illinois. The speakers are Linnea Larson, an expert on hospice care; William Colby, an attorney in landmark "right to die" cases; Gabriel Rotello, journalist and author of a critically praised book on AIDS; and Marilyn Webb, author and former editor of Psychology Today. Larson, Colby and Rotello are all Knox College graduates.
The lecture series is presented in conjunction with a course at Knox this term, Dying and Death. The lectures, all in Kresge Hall, Ford Center for the Fine Arts, are free and open to the public. The schedule is:
The guest speakers are brought to Knox to meet with students in the course, Dying and Death, taught by Robin Metz, Philip Sidney Post Professor of English. "The students are studying films and works of literature -- fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays -- and doing independent projects, as they come to grips with their own mortality and how it shapes their endeavors," Metz says.
Dying and Death is one of Knox's Advanced Preceptorials, an innovative program of upper-level classes that examine interdisciplinary topics. The course was created by Knox faculty Timothy Kasser, assistant professor of psychology, and Diana Beck, associate professor of educational studies, who will teach the course again in the spring.
An additional event planned for this spring will feature Metz and Bruce Polay, professor of music at Knox. Metz will read excerpts from "Unbidden Angel," his book of poetry about his personal experiences with the grieving process, while Polay, a pianist, composer and music director of the Knox Galesburg Symphony, will perform a group of original piano works inspired by the poems in the book.
Sponsors of "Dimensions of Dying and Death" are The John and Elaine Fellowes Fund, Knox College Lectures and Concerts Committee, and the Office of the Dean of the College.
More about:
The Preceptorial Program -- Timothy Kasser -- Diana Beck
Robin Metz -- Robin Metz's Book, Unbidden Angel
Bruce Polay -- The Knox-Galesburg Symphony
William Colby represented the family of Nancy Cruzan in a landmark "right to die" case before the United States Supreme Court in 1992. He has spoken throughout the United States on the legal issues involving the right to die. He recently stepped down from his position as vice-president of Kansas City's largest law firm -- Shook, Hardy & Bacon -- to write a book about the Cruzan case. He is a Fellow at the Midwest Bioethics Center in Kansas City and has taught law and bioethics at the University of Kansas Law School. He earned his bachelor's degree in Creative Writing at Knox College in 1977, and his law degree from the University of Kansas Law School. He was awarded an honorary degree from Knox College in 1995.
More about William Colby:
U.S. Supreme Court Ruling
Midwest Bioethics Center
William Colby's Forthcoming Book
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Linnea Larson is associate director of the Center for Integrative Medicine, part of West Suburban Health Care in Oak Park, Illinois. Recently she was appointed to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy, a national panel of experts in various fields who will study alternatives to traditional medical care. A clinical social worker, Larson provided inpatient and home hospice services at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Illinois where she was also associated with the St. John's Center for Mind-Body Medicine. Larson received her bachelor's degree in English from Knox College and her master's in social work from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
More about Linnea Larson:
West Suburban Health Care
White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy
Linnea Larson's appointment to the Commission
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Gabriel Rotello is a film producer, journalist and author. His controversial and best-selling 1997 book "Sexual Ecology: AIDS and the Destiny of Gay Men" was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. He founded OutWeek Magazine, and has been a guest columnist for Newsday, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Out Magazine, The Village Voice, The Nation, and The New Republic. Rotello co-produced the Cinemax documentary "Party Monster," which won an Emmy award; the series "Vinyl Justice" for VH-1; and the feature-length documentary "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," which won the Audience Award at the Newport Film Festival. He is a senior producer for the television company World of Wonder. He produces the documentary series "100 Greatest" for VH-1, and is writing "Wisecracker: The Life of Billy Haines," a documentary for American Movie Classics on the life of the first openly gay movie star. Rotello earned a bachelor's degree in history at Knox College.
More about Gabriel Rotello:
Feature stories in The Nation: April 1997; December 1996
"Sexual Ecology," By Gabriel Rotello
Book Reviews:
Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review
New York Times Book Review
Center for the Study of Popular Culture
Powell's
Salon.com
About OutWeek magazine
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Marilyn Webb is the author of the critically acclaimed book "The Good Death: The New American Search to Reshape the End of Life," which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. She also wrote the introductory essay, "Death and Dying in America," for the book "Hospice: A Photographic Inquiry." Webb has been the editor-in-chief of Psychology Today; a senior editor at Woman's Day, US and McCall's; a writer for New York, Ladies Home Journal, Redbook, Self and Glamour; and a contributor on end-of-life issues to The New York Times and USA Today. Her book, "The Good Death," has received enthusiastic reviews in The New York Times Book Review, Washington Post Book World and The Journal of the American Medical Association. Webb has spoken to medical and community groups nationwide, discussing the six years of research she conducted for her book, "The Good Death." She is cofounder of a non-profit organization that sponsors public discussions -- Town Meetings Across American on Death and Dying. Webb also serves as a faculty member at the Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University.
More about Marilyn Webb:
Book reviews --
Journal of the American Medical Association
Amazon.com
Growth House
Hospice Cares
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Founded in 1837, Knox is an independent, four-year, liberal arts college, located in Galesburg, Illinois, with 1,200 students from 45 states and 41 nations. Knox's "Old Main," a National Historic Landmark, is the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.
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