R ORRISON AT THE END OF A MISSION - Creighton University€¦ · UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE WINTER 1999 COVER STORY 14 AT THE END OF A MISSION: The Rev. Michael G. Morrison, S.J., tells

FR. MORRISONAT THE END

OF A MISSIONPage 14

Exploring the 10 Commandments

Page 22

The Millennium in Western Society

Page 30

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

W I N T E R 1 9 9 9

C O V E R S T O R Y

14 AT THE END OF A MISSION: The Rev.Michael G. Morrison, S.J., tells writer Bob

Reilly that life as Creighton�s 22nd president hasbeen more than a job � it�s been a mission. Fr. Morrison has announced he will step down asthe University�s chief executive on or before June30, 2000. Now in his 19th year, Creighton�slongest-serving president will leave behind a legacy of accomplishments.

ABOUT THE COVER...Six hundred unique images and 2,400 totalimages of Creighton University — its people,places and stories — were used to make up the front-cover photo illustration of FatherMorrison for this issue. The magazine’s editors extend a special thank you to Collegeof Business Administrationjunior Jay Langhurst for useof his digital pictures ofcampus. Other pictures wereculled from previousWINDOW magazines and other sources. The originalpicture of Father Morrisonwas taken by Monte Kruse,BA’83.

2 WINTER 1999

4 • LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

5 • LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

6 • U N I V E R S I T Y N E W S

8 • INTERCHURCH MARRIAGES:A Creighton study finds thatsharing religious activities andmanaging religious differencesplay a vital role in marital success.

12 • THE SOUND OF MOONLIGHT:Creighton�s Lied Education Center for theArts is home to a 71-piece Javanese gamelan.

36 • P R O F I L E

36 • HOOP DREAMS: The NBA�s CharlotteHornets name Creighton alumnus Paul Silas,BSBA�64, as the franchise�s fifth head coach.

40 • A L U M N I N E W S

41 • ORGAN DONORS: Creighton alumnusRobert Metzger, MD�64, serves on twonational committees within the transplantfield.

46 • A VOICE FOR THE HILLS: CU alumnaJanice Marcantonio, BSN�83,works to preserve a unique landformation shaped by the runofffrom ancient glaciers.

50 • DEVELOPMENT NEWS

51 • T H E L A S T W O R D

51 • THE OTHER SIDE OF HENRY JAMES:Usually depicted as an ultra-proper, uptight,reclusive and elitist writer, renownedAmerican author Henry James reveals awarm, tender, informal side in his personalletters.

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WINTER 1999 3

22 EXPLORING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS:Are the Ten Commandments �etched in

stone?� Biblical scholar Leonard Greenspoon,Ph.D., Creighton�s Klutznick Chair in JewishCivilization, provides insights into how changes incultural, social and historical circumstances haveshaped one of the most recognizable of OldTestament doctrines.

30 THE MILLENNIUM IN WESTERNSOCIETY: History professor Eileen

Dugan, Ph.D., investigates how people haveviewed the millennium and the end of time. Shewrites that while millennialism has its roots inthe Judeo-Christian anticipation of a Messiah, it has evolved over time to a more secular celebration.

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.

RELIGION NOT DEADI hope you received a lot of letters regarding Brian Hill�s

�Dead Hand of Religion� letter (Fall �99). It should be said thatDavid Hume�s primary method of tossing out a logical proof ofGod, the denial of causality, effectively would dispose of the sci-entific method as well. And Kant, while asserting that the exis-tence of God could not be ascertained through �Pure Reason,�posited God�s existence in his Critique of Practical Reason.

Mr. Hill cites various �disaster� phenomena as evidenceagainst order in creation. In fact, it takes a very unique andorderly set of physical events to create a hurricane or tornado.What Mr. Hill�s letter boils down to is that he has chosen to placehis faith in, not the scientific method, but the icon of science. Ifeel he ought to admit that and refrain from ridiculing believerswho, with the same evidence but perhaps a different perspective� and trusting in the testimony of Jesus Christ � choose to gowith God.

I abandoned my faith, with the best intentions, while in collegeand was blessed to have it find me again 11 years later in LasVegas. (That alone should prove God exists, and that He has asense of humor.) I found that pride lies behind disbelief, whereignorance is absent. It is a bitter path to follow.

Another note: I hope Creighton�s administration supports ExCorde Ecclesiae. It is imperative that the faith be taught for what itis, the truth, at what few Catholic universities there are!

Bob Henchal Jr., BA’75New Brighton, Minn.

MORE ON BANKRUPTCYI found your discussion on the issue of bankruptcy (Spring

�99) interesting. But there is a salient underlying considerationthat needs to be discussed.

When our Federal Reserve lends money into the economy, itonly lends in principal. Due in return is principal and interest.The money lent is basically created from nothing. When it is paidback, it disappears into nothing. Since interest due on this princi-pal is not lent in, we will always be short. How do we deal withthis shortage? One way is through bankruptcy. Money lost viabankruptcy disappears, returns whence it came. If the economy

is growing, more money is lent in, providing a temporary sur-plus. Some of that is used to pay off interest on previous debt. Aslong as we increase the money supply, there is no need for hugeamounts of bankruptcy as a means of disappearing debt.

Continued growth is important to our economy. But whathappens when we no longer want growth? Economists shouldcreate a virtual reality situation and explore our options. It�s nottoo soon to start.

Ward R. Anthony, MD’54Boulder, Colo.

INSULIN DEBATEI have read only one article in the fall issue, but since it con-

tains an unfortunate error, I feel the need to inform you of itimmediately. Banting and Best did not isolate insulin. The NobelPrize was given jointly to Banting and Macleod, but bothBanting�s paranoia and Canadian chauvinism conspired to haveMacleod treated as a fraud and a cheat. This was probably themost acrimonious feud ever encountered in physiology. Macleoddivided his share of the prize with Collip, a biochemist whomore than anyone else made the isolation possible. Bantingdivided his with Best, a medical student at the time. The wholesorry episode has been described by Michael Bliss, a Universityof Toronto historian, who had access to the long-ignoredarchives.

D.F. Magee, M.D., Ph.D.Professor of Physiology, Emeritus

Editor’s note: Writer Lori Elliott-Bartle did not creditBanting and Best with isolating insulin in her article,“Peptides: Messengers Between the Cells.” She said,“Peptides have been used therapeutically since Dr. FrederickBanting and Charles Best ... discovered that insulin ... couldbe extracted from animal tissue and injected into humans tocontrol diabetes.” As with most research, this clinicaladvance was part of a team effort described vividly inMichael Bliss’ book The Discovery of Insulin. Dr. Magee isright to point out that Dr. James Bertram (Bert) Collip isolat-ed insulin. Dr. John James Rickard (J.J.R.) Macleod, an experton carbohydrate metabolism, directed portions of theresearch, and Banting and Macleod were awarded the NobelPrize in 1923.

L E T T E R S

L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R

4 WINTER 1999

Publisher: Creighton University; Rev. Michael G. Morrison, 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 Dougherty, Ph.D.;

M. Roy Wilson, M.D.; Mark Huber, and Diane Dougherty.

Creighton University Magazine (USPS728-070) is published quarterly in February, May, August and November by Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE68178-0001. 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 © 1999 BY CREIGHTON UNIVERSITYRECYCLEDAND RECYCLABLE

This is my final Creighton University Magazine columnbefore the year 2000. It seems an appropriate time tolook back on a century of service and growth at theUniversity.

In the 1890s, the Rev. William F. Rigge, S.J., wrote inhis memoirs that Creighton seemed �doomed to extinc-tion.� Fewer than 200 undergraduate students wereenrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences, which wasfounded in 1878.

Under CU President the Rev. Michael P. Dowling, S.J.,the School of Law (1904) and the Schools of Dentistryand Pharmacy (1905) joined the School of Medicine(1892) as Creighton�s professional schools.

World War I cast a shadow over the early part of the20th Century. By ArmisticeDay, Nov. 11, 1918,Creighton counted 1,377war casualties among itsfaculty, alumni and stu-dents. Nearly 30 gave their lives.

The College ofCommerce, Accounts and Finance (now theCollege of BusinessAdministration) was established in 1920. Thedecade saw the end of oneof the visions of the found-ing family. Economic reali-ty required that tuition be charged for the College ofArts and Sciences starting in 1924.

The Graduate School was founded in 1926. Two yearslater, a bachelor of science degree in nursing was set up.The Graduate School conferred its first doctorate in1971, the same year a free-standing College of Nursing(now the School of Nursing) was established.

By the end of World War II, 2,000 Creighton students,faculty or alumni were in uniform. One hundred died.One, Ensign John J. Parle, BSC�42, was awarded theMedal of Honor posthumously.

The Rev. Carl M. Reinert, S.J., became Creighton�spresident in 1950 and the University experienced aboom under his leadership.

A dramatic change in the struc-ture of the University occurred in1968 when the board of directors,which consisted of five members of the Society of Jesus, voted toexpand and restructure itself toinclude lay persons.

In 1982, the School of Pharmacyexpanded to become the School ofPharmacy and Allied Health Professions. In 1983,University College opened to make credit courses and degree opportunities available to non-traditionalstudents.

The �Creighton 2000� strategic vision was developedin the late 1980s, providingthe foundation for theCreighton 2000 Campaign,which by 1998 raised $127million. It was the most successful campaign in theUniversity�s history.

Creighton�s burgeoningcampus is a testament to theUniversity�s success: TheCardiac Center, the BeirneResearch Tower, the LiedEducation Center for theArts and the renovatedKlutznick Law Library areamong the bricks-and-mor-

tar symbols of success. New scholarships have beenfunded. Creighton�s health sciences clinics continue toexpand their reach into the community.

Creighton enters the Year 2000 as the No. 1 rankedMidwestern regional university in U.S. News & WorldReport magazine�s annual �Best Colleges� issue.Creighton is among the top 100 best values among pri-vate universities, according to Kiplinger’s PersonalFinance Magazine, and Money Magazine ranks Creightonas one of the nation�s best educational values.

One hundred years after Fr. Rigge�s gloomy assess-ment, Creighton University is stronger than ever.

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

WINTER 1999 5

A Century of Service and Growth

Creighton University’s Administration Building at thedawn of the 20th Century.

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

6 WINTER 1999

Creighton UniversityMagazine erroneously identified Nebraska Gov.Michael O. Johanns as�Creighton�s first gover-nor� in the August 1999issue.

That distinction belongsto the Honorable Frank A.Barrett, BA�13, LLB�16,who served as governor ofWyoming from 1951 to1953. Barrett is the onlyperson in Wyoming histo-ry elected to the U.S.House, the Senate and thegovernorship, said his son,Judge James E. Barrett ofCheyenne, Wyo., a seniorjudge on the 10th U.S.Circuit Court of Appeals.

�He was a shiningexample for me of indus-try, dedication and love ofhis fellow man,� JudgeBarrett said.

Frank A. Barrett was born in Omaha on Nov. 10, 1892. Afterreceiving his degrees fromCreighton, he served as asergeant in the U.S. ArmyBalloon Corps duringWorld War I. He wasadmitted to the bar in 1919and opened a practice inLusk, Wyo., where he set-tled with his wife, Alice,also an Omaha native.

Barrett was NiobraraCounty, Wyo., countyattorney from 1923 to 1932.He was a member of theWyoming State Senatefrom 1933 to 1935, and amember of the board oftrustees of the University

of Wyoming.He was elected four

times as a Republican tothe U.S. House, where heserved from 1943 to 1950.He was elected governor ofWyoming in 1950, servingfrom January 1951 untilJan. 2, 1953, when he

resigned because of hiselection to the U.S. Senate.

Frank Barrett champi-oned legislation that affect-ed public lands, miningand livestock. He workedto ensure that Wyomingand similar mineral-richstates got their fair share ofrevenues. A Barrett-proposed amendment tothe Alaska Statehood Act

stipulates that 90 percentof mineral revenues from that oil-rich state stay inAlaska, Judge Barrett said.

As governor, one of hissignificant accomplish-ments was the �town-to-county� road system thatimproved transportation in

rural Wyoming, JudgeBarrett said.

Barrett lost his Senate re-election bid in 1958. Heserved as general counselto the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and heserved as a member of the board of directors ofthe Commodity CreditCorp. in 1959 and 1960.Creighton gave him an

honorary Doctor of Lawsdegree in 1958.

�When I read of some ofthe things that are happen-ing today, I can�t help butreflect on how he was completely honest, how hissole purpose was to serve.He was completely moral� he was an absolutelydecent person,� JudgeBarrett said.

Frank A. Barrett died ofleukemia at age 69 on May30, 1962, in Cheyenne. Histwo sons and his daughterwent on to distinguishedcareers. The late Dr. FrancisBarrett, Arts�42, practicedmedicine in Cheyenne andserved in the WyomingState Senate. (Dr. Barrettleft $25,000 for the estab-lishment of the Francis A.Barrett and Harriet BarrettScholarship at Creighton.)Judge James E. Barrettserved as Wyoming�s attor-ney general prior to hisappointment to the 10thU.S. Circuit Court ofAppeals. Frank A. Barrett�sdaughter, Marialyce BarrettTobin, has practiced law inCasper, Wyo., for manyyears.

Dr. Barrett�s son, JamesH. Barrett, JD �72, ofCheyenne, is Wyoming�schief assistant federal public defender.

Frank A. Barrett�s broth-er, the late John C. Barrett,Law�13, and his nephew,James E. Barrett, LLB�48, of Reston, Va., also areCreighton alums.

BARRETT FIRST CREIGHTON GOVERNOR


WINTER 1999 7

Patrick Borchers, the new dean of Creighton�s School ofLaw, can comfortably discuss international law or the laws ofphysics, although he may be a bit rusty with the latter.

Borchers was a physics major at the University of NotreDame and is the son of Robert R.Borchers, an internationally recog-nized physicist and former academi-cian now working as a director at theprestigious National ScienceFoundation.

�I followed my father into physics,�Borchers said. �I liked physics, and Idid well. But then I wanted to dosomething different.�

Borchers, a member of the studentsenate at Notre Dame, decided to pur-sue his growing interest in politics.After graduating cum laude in physicsfrom Notre Dame in 1983, Borchersenrolled in law school at theUniversity of California, Davis.

His subsequent political work was brief and limited. While living in Livermore, Calif., he helped organize a successful, pro-environmental ballot initiative to limit hillside development in the city.

In 1986, Borchers clerked for then 9th U.S. Circuit Judge

(now Supreme Court Justice) Anthony Kennedy and thenpracticed law in Sacramento, Calif., for three years.

Encouraged by his wife, Judy, Borchers pursued a career inacademics and, in 1990, became an assistant professor at

Albany (N.Y.) Law School, where heeventually was named an associate dean.

He learned of the Creighton openingthrough his professional association withCreighton law faculty Ralph Whittenand Larry Teply.

�Being a part of a Jesuit school wasvery appealing,� Borchers said. �AndCreighton has always been known as aplace that really, really cares about theeducation of its students.�

Borchers said since arriving on cam-pus, he has been impressed with thequality of Creighton�s faculty, staff andstudents. One of his goals is to heightenthe law school�s presence nationally.

�We need to push the envelope on thenational scene,� Borchers said. �Many of our faculty have anational presence, but we have to do even more. And that�snot going to happen overnight.�

Borchers and his wife have four children, ages 20, 19, 13and 8, and are expecting another this month.

LAW DEAN STUDIED PHYSICS

For the fourth year in a row,Creighton University wasranked as the No. 1 Midwest-ern regional university in U.S.News & World Report maga-zine�s annual �Best Colleges�guidebook. The rankings in-clude more than 1,400 schools.

According to the U.S. Newscriteria, regional universitiesprovide a full range of under-graduate and master�s levelprograms, but they offer fewdoctoral programs.

U.S. News bases the rankingson academic reputation, gradu-ation and retention rates, faculty resources, studentselectivity, financial resourcesand alumni giving.

All of the rankings are at theU.S. News Web site:www.usnews.com.

Creighton University also wasnamedamong thetop 100�Values in PrivateColleges� in theSeptemberedition ofKiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine.

Creighton, which was ratedat 79, was among the topCatholic universities listed inthe rankings.

This was the first review byKiplinger’s of private universi-ties, which were rankedaccording to quality andaffordability. While there are1,600 private universities in

the country, to arriveat theTop 100Valuesin PrivateColleges

rankings,Kiplinger’sstarted with

400 schoolsmost good

students would consider. Fr. Michael G. Morrison, S.J.,

president of Creighton

University, agreed withKiplinger’s magazine�s editorsthat rankings are not the decid-ing factor in choosing a college.�While I�m pleased CreightonUniversity was ranked amongthe top 100 best values and No.1 for the fourth year in a rowby U.S. News & World Report, Ibelieve that rankings are astarting point for parents andtheir children to look at whenconsidering a college or uni-versity.

�We believe Creighton is anexcellent value, but we encour-age students to visit our cam-pus and find out firsthandwhat Creighton has to offer,�Fr. Morrison said.

CREIGHTON RANKED NO. 1, BEST VALUE AGAIN

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Married couples who pray together, stay together � even ifthey happen to be of different Christian denominations. That�sone of the key messages of a new study by Creighton�s Centerfor Marriage and Family.

The national study was the first of its kind to report oninterchurch marriages, unions in which each spouse belongsto a different Christian denomination or church.

The study found the divorce rate for interchurch respondents to be 20 percent, slightly above same-churchrespondents (14 percent) but well below the national divorce rate of 40 to 60 percent.

�If you look at it another way, 80 percent of interchurch marriages remainstable. That�s a huge number,� saidMichael G. Lawler, Ph.D., director of theCenter and The Amelia B. and Emil G.Graff Faculty Chair in CatholicTheological Studies at Creighton.

Lawler said the two most significantpredictors of marital stability are the

sharing of joint religious activities and the managing of religious differences.

Fashioning a joint religious life can include attendingchurch together, praying together, discussing each other�s religious views and participating in church-related social orservice projects together, Lawler said.

With interchurch marriages accounting for one-third of allof today�s unions, the study has important implications forchurches.

Lawler said churches need to redesign marriage prepara-tion courses to meet the needs of interchurch couples. Moreattention must be placed on their discussing religious com-monalities and differences, he said.

�It�s useful to note that fewer interchurch couples reportedhaving had marriage preparation, of any kind,� Lawler said.�And of those who had, many reported that they didn�t find itas helpful because it didn�t deal with their religious differ-ences to the extent it should.�

Lawler said Creighton�s Center for Marriage and Family isdeveloping a marriage preparation instrument called BRIDGE� Building Religious Interaction Decision Making andEnrichment. The booklet, which will include a section forinterchurch couples, will feature questions, exercises andstrategies to facilitate discussion among engaged couples.

�This BRIDGE will make another contribution to buildingreligious interaction,� Lawler said.

CREIGHTON STUDY SHEDS LIGHT ON INTERCHURCH MARRIAGES

�What are interchurch couples doing about their chil-dren?� said Michael Lawler, Ph.D., director of Creighton�sCenter for Marriage and Family. �Answer: Seventy-sevenpercent are raising their children in one church, but,importantly, 12 percent of them are raising their childrenin both churches.�

A chapter in the Center�s new book, Ministry toInterchurch Marriages: A National Study, addresses inter-church marriages and children. The book compiles theresults of the Center�s recent study and is designed to aidinterchurch couples. To order a copy, visit the Web site(http://www.creighton.edu/MarriageandFamily/) orwrite to the Center for Marriage and Family, CreightonUniversity, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, Neb., 68178. Thecost of the book is $10.

Lawler said the number of interchurch couples raisingchildren in two churches may come as a surprise to some,and raises important issues for today�s churches. �Twelvepercent is a figure you have to deal with,� Lawler said.

Interchurch marriages and children

Dr. Lawler

Creighton has received athree-year $1.3 million �HealthCareer Opportunities Pro-gram� grant from the U.S.Department of Health and Hu-man Services to create a pro-gram that will encourage moreunder-represented minoritiesto enter health professions.

Creighton had a post-baccalaureate program for

minorities in place for morethan 20 years, from the early1970s to the mid-1990s.

The new grant expandsupon former efforts byenhancing cooperation withcommunity groups to reachstudents at younger ages.The new program also willprovide more intensive pro-gramming.

Students will enter thepipeline in the seventh gradewith health careers explorationclubs. High school and collegestudents will attend a six-weeksummer program. After com-pleting the college program,students will be prepared toenter a health professionsschool or the Creighton post-baccalaureate program.

Seven students will be selec-ted for the post-baccalaureateprogram, which will includecounseling, mentoring, rigor-ous academic work, informa-tion about financial aid andparticipation in primary careactivities. Scholarships toCreighton�s medical schoolwill be offered to those suc-cessfully completing programs.

CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY RECEIVES $1.3 MILLION GRANT

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WINTER 1999 9

Creighton�s School ofNursing will offer a new mas-ter�s degree thanks to a$817,000 federal grant. Thedegree will be the first of itskind in the nation.

The three-year AdvancedNurse Education ProgramGrant is funded by the U.S.Department of Health andHuman Services, Division ofNursing, and the U.S. Bureauof Health Professions, HealthResources and Service

Administration.Creighton will use the grant

to offer a new master�s pro-gram that will provide gradu-ate students in nursing with theopportunity to apply for dualcertification as a clinical nursespecialist in cardiac rehabilita-tion nursing plus certificationas an adult nurse practitioner.It is the only dual-track cardiachealth/nurse practitioner pro-gram in the country. Thisblended program allows

students to complete two fullmajors with fewer credit hoursthan if the majors were earnedseparately.

Jean DeMartinis, Ph.D.,assistant professor of nursing,is the program director for thegrant. DeMartinis said, �Theprogram, which started thissemester, focuses on recruitingand preparing nurse practition-ers who are specializing in car-diac health, wellness andrehabilitation.�

An on-site exercise testingand training laboratory fornurses to learn how to createappropriate exercise regimesfor clients is an essential andinnovative component of thisprogram, according toDeMartinis.

Graduates of the programwill meet the qualificationsrequired by the AmericanNurses Credentialing Centerand the American Academyof Nurse Practitioners.

SCHOOL OF NURSING RECEIVES GRANT, OFFERS NEW MASTER’S DEGREE

Creighton University�sboard of directors began thenew academic year with a newchair � William Fitzgerald,chair and chief executive offi-cer of Commercial FederalBank, and vice chair � BruceRohde, chair and chief execu-tive officer of ConAgra, Inc.They will serve four-yearterms.

Fitzgerald holds a bachelor�sin business administrationwith a major in finance fromCreighton. After graduating in 1959, he served in the Army Finance Corps, havingreceived his lieutenancythrough ROTC at Creighton.Following his service,Fitzgerald began full-timeemployment with CommercialFederal Bank and has served as its president and, subse-quently, chair of the board and chief executive officer. He has been on Creighton�s board since 1973.

Incoming vice chair BruceRohde received a bachelor ofscience degree in businessadministration from Creighton

in 1971 and a juris doctoratedegree cum laude from theCreighton School of Law in 1973. He has served onCreighton�s board since 1989.

New board members havebeen elected to four-yearterms. They are:

David Sokol, chair andCEO, MidAmerican EnergyHoldings Co. — Sokol hasbeen CEO of MidAmerican,formerly CalEnergy Co. Inc.,since 1993. He has held execu-tive positions with JWP, Inc.,Kiewit Energy Co. and OgdenProjects, Inc.

Richard Davidson, chairand CEO, Union PacificCorp. — Davidson becamechair and CEO of UnionPacific Corp. in 1997. He previ-ously served as president andchief operating officer of the

corporation. Davidson beganhis railroad career in 1960 as abrakeman/conductor with theMissouri Pacific, where he heldvarious positions in the operat-ing department. He joinedUnion Pacific in 1982 when itmerged with Missouri Pacific.He was promoted to executivevice president-operations in1989, and president and CEOin 1991. He then was namedchair and CEO of the railroad,positions he still holds in addi-tion to being head of the corpo-ration. Davidson served a termon Creighton�s board from1991 to 1995.

Ken Stinson, chair andCEO, Peter Kiewit Sons’Inc. — Stinson has been in hiscurrent post since 1998. For theprevious six years, he headedKiewit Construction Group.

Under his leadership, the divi-sion enjoyed a period of sub-stantial growth and recordprofits. Stinson holds an engi-neering degree from NotreDame and a master�s in con-struction management fromStanford University. He com-manded a Navy Seabees com-pany that built bridges andairfields in Vietnam. Stinsonjoined Kiewit in 1969.

Mark D. Huber, chair andchief executive officer ofthe Blackstone InsuranceGroup and president andchief executive officer ofPayFlex Systems USA, Inc.— Huber serves on the boardas president of Creighton�sNational Alumni Board. Heearned a bachelor�s in businessadministration and a lawdegree from Creighton.

CREIGHTON BOARD ELECTS NEW CHAIR, VICE CHAIR, MEMBERS

Fitzgerald Rohde Sokol Stinson HuberDavidson


10 WINTER 1999

School of NursingDr. Cynthia Remington

King, BSN’83, received theSchool of Nursing�s AlumniMerit Award on Sept. 24. Kingearned a bachelor of sciencedegree in biology and psychol-ogy from Trinity College in

Hartford, Conn.In 1983, shegraduated cumlaude with abachelor of sci-ence in nursingdegree fromCreightonUniversity. In

1987, King graduated with amaster of science in nursingdegree from the University ofNebraska at Omaha. She com-pleted an Acute Care NursePractitioner program at theUniversity of Rochester in NewYork in 1994 where she also

recently completed her doctor-al degree. King has conducteda series of research projectsfocusing on quality of life andbone marrow transplantationissues. She has publishednumerous articles andabstracts in the area of oncolo-gy nursing, and delivered avariety of presentations nation-ally and internationally. Kingreceived the 1998 Quality ofLife Award given by theOncology Nursing Society andPharmacia-Upjohn. This awardis the highest honor given bythe 26,000-member OncologyNursing Society.

School of MedicineThe School of Medicine

presented its Alumni MeritAward to James B. Williams,MD’51, MS’56, on Oct. 1.Williams completed a

bachelor�s in chemistry at NewMexico State College. Heearned two degrees fromCreighton: an M.D. in 1951 anda master of science in medicine

in 1956. Prior toreceiving hiseducation,Williams wasdrafted in 1942and later trainedin Air Corpsengineering. Heserved as a 1st

Lieutenant with the TuskegeeAirmen at Freeman Field inIndiana. Williams and his twobrothers, Jasper, who graduat-ed from Creighton�s School ofMedicine in 1953, and Charles,another physician, formed amedical clinic in Chicago. TheWilliams Clinic became thecountry�s largest clinic ownedby African-Americans serving

African-American patients. Hewas the first African-Americansurgeon on staff at Chicago�sMercy Hospital. In 1976,Williams became the firstAfrican-American physicianappointed by the governor tothe Medical Disciplinary Boardfor the State of Illinois wherehe served until 1984. He served on Creighton�s MedicalAlumni Advisory Board from1976-82.

School of Pharmacy andAllied Health ProfessionsJames J. Giesler,

BSPha’60, was the recipient of the School of Pharmacy andAllied Health Professions�

Alumni MeritAward on Oct.8. Giesler earnedhis bachelor ofscience in phar-macy in 1960.With his partnerLuke Coniglio,Giesler built

Omaha�s chain of Central ParkPharmacies. He was presidentof the Omaha PharmaceuticalAssociation and the NebraskaPrescription Service, the orga-nization which established therules and regulations govern-ing third-party payments frominsurance companies to phar-macies. Giesler has served onthe School�s Alumni AdvisoryBoard and as a member of the Omaha Alumni Council.He has twice participated in the ILAC program in the Dominican Republic. Giesler served as chair of theCreighton 2000 Campaign for the School. He also is theco-sponsor of a pharmacyendowed scholarship.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the newCenter for Health Policy and EthicsBuilding took place Sept. 3 on the buildingsite at 2616 Burt St.

Designed to serve as a convening centerwith seminar and conference rooms, the

building will include Center faculty andstaff offices. Construction will be financedwith a $700,000 grant from the HealthFuture Foundation.

�We hope to create a center in which vis-iting scholars and persons interested inethics inquiry can gather and discussideas,� said Ruth Purtilo, Ph.D., director ofthe Center for Health Policy and Ethics.

The Center, currently housed in the CrissII building, was established in 1988 to con-duct multidisciplinary ethics studies inhealth care and health policy while sup-porting and fostering excellence in teachingethics to students in Creighton�s four healthprofessional schools. Center faculty mem-bers are well-respected scholars, evidencedby the publication last spring of five new books they wrote for use in teachingand service.

CENTER FOR HEALTH POLICY AND ETHICSBREAKS GROUND FOR NEW BUILDING

ALUMS HONORED WITH ALUMNI MERIT AWARDS

King

Williams

Giesler

Dr. Ruth Purtilo, director of the Center forHealth Policy and Ethics, spoke at the Sept. 3

groundbreaking ceremony.

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AROUND CREIGHTONCreighton Hosts

Economic RoundtableEconomists and business

leaders from the six-state GreatPlains region (Iowa, Kansas,Minnesota, Nebraska, NorthDakota and South Dakota)were in Omaha Sept. 16-17 forthe 1999 Great PlainsEconomic Roundtable whichwas presented by CreightonUniversity and the Center forthe New West.

Creighton Receives $25.7 Million in Grants

Creighton received $25.7million in externally sponsoredgrants for research, instructionand training efforts in fiscalyear 1998-99 � a 15 percentincrease from last year. Nearly$11 million (or 43 percent) ofthe funding came from federalsources. Another $6.7 million

(26 percent) came from foun-dations and associations, and$5.6 million (22 percent) fromindustry and corporations.More than 70 percent of themoney ($17.8 million) wentdirectly toward research.Another $1.1 million wasdirected toward equipment,training and instruction. TheSchool of Medicine topped thelist of Creighton�s grant recipi-ents � receiving 573 awardsfor a total of $18.7 million.

Researchers Receive Grantto Study Pancreatic Cancer

Researchers at CreightonUniversity have received atwo-year $250,000 grant todevelop agents that they hopewill be used to treat and pre-vent one of the deadliest formsof cancer � pancreatic cancer.

Funded by the Lustgarten

Foundation for PancreaticCancer Research, Drs. ThomasAdrian and Xianzhong Ding ofthe Department of BiomedicalSciences will investigatewhether they can kill and pre-vent cancer by blocking theactivity of particular enzymes,called LOX enzymes. Theyalso will investigate the mech-anism by which the enzymeinhibitors cause death of cancer cells.

The Lustgarten Foundationfunded seven grants in itsmost recent round of awardsfrom 40 applications received.The foundation�s establish-ment was inspired by MarcLustgarten, vice chair ofCablevision and chair ofMadison Square Garden, whodied in August of pancreaticcancer.

David Broder, Washington Post political correspondent, spoke at the 1999 Governor�sLecture held at the Joslyn Art Museum on Sept. 23. The Nebraska Humanities Council andCreighton�s John C. Kenefick Endowed Chair in the Humanities sponsored the event. Broderspoke on �The Press, Politics and Citizenship.� Broder also participated in a panel discussionon Sept. 24 in the Skutt Student Center.

BRODER SPEAKS AT GOVERNOR’S LECTURE

JOURNALISTCAMPBELL

VISITS CAMPUS

Journalist BebeMoore Campbell pre-sented �Fatherhood is a Social Issue� atCreighton on Oct. 25.

The Washington Posthas called Campbell�one of the most impor-tant African-Americanwriters of this century.�She has written for TheNew York Times, TheWashington Post, The LosAngeles Times, Essence,Ebony, Black Enterpriseas well as many otherpublications. She is aregular commentatorfor National PublicRadio�s �MorningEdition.�

She also has writtentwo New York Times best sellers: Brothers andSisters and the morerecent Singing in theComeback Choir.

David Broder participated on a panel which discussed his remarks made during the Governor’s Lecture on the press and politics. At left is Frank Partsch, editorial

page editor for the Omaha World-Herald.

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12 WINTER 1999

When you listen to musicplayed by a gamelan orches-tra, there is an intricate com-plexity filled with a richtapestry of patterns thatgives the music an almostmystic sound. These subtleand rich blends of medita-tive, harmonious soundshave fascinated the Westsince 1893 when a Javaneseensemble performed at theParis InternationalExhibition. Today it is

recognized asone of theworld�s mostsophisticatedmusical arts.

You mightbe askingyourself, whatexactly is a gamelan (pro-nounced gah-meh-lahn)? Theterm gamelan refers to themusical instruments com-prising an orchestra which isknown by the same name. It

derives from gamel, an oldJavanese word for handle orhammer. This is appropriatesince most of the instrumentsin the orchestra are percus-sion based. Instruments in agamelan orchestra consist ofgongs, kettle-drums, cymbals, xylophones, zither,flute, string instruments rem-iniscent of a cello or viola,and drums.

Thanks to the interest ofMarilyn Kielniarz, D.M.,professor and chair ofCreighton�s Department ofFine and Performing Arts, a71-piece Javanese gamelansits in Room 210 ofCreighton�s Lied EducationCenter for the Arts. Thegamelan arrived on campusin October 1998 fromIndonesia where it washandcrafted out of teak,

bronze and iron. The instru-ments themselves are piecesof art, some with decorativecarvings that highlight thenatural woodwork.

Kielniarz became interest-ed in gamelan music while a college student atNorthwestern University.She has spent three summersin Indonesia, studying themusical art form.

�I originally receivedinstruction on the gamelanin the United States. After acertain point, I felt inclinedto go to where the musicoriginated to continue mystudies,� Kielniarz said.

While in Indonesia duringthe summer of 1997, she wasable to select the type ofgamelan Creighton wouldreceive. There are many different types of gamelan.

Gamelan music is comparable to only two things: moonlight

and flowing water. It is pure and mysterious

like moonlight and always changing like flowing water. Its origin is in the SoutheastAsian country of Indonesia.

Gamelan: The Sound of Moonlight

Members of Creighton’s gamelan orchestra are, from left to right: Mark Eichten,James Borchers, Kate Smyth, Jonathan Clasemann, Penny Gold, Cory Clasemann,Shirley Abbott Clark, Steve Jordon, Jan Michael and Dave Gartlan. Seated is Dr.

Marilyn Kielniarz. Not pictured: Steve Michael and Charles Jurgensmeier, S.J.

Creighton’s gamelan at the workshop in Yogyakarta, Java,Indonesia, in June 1998. It arrived on campus in October 1998.

By Sheila L. Swanson

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WINTER 1999 13

Creighton�s is known as aCentral Javanese CourtGamelan, styled in the tradi-tion of Surakarta, a royalcourt city in Central Java.

�The style really becamesolidified during the Colonialperiod when the Dutch wereoccupying the island.

�During this time, the roy-al families were no longer incharge of governing. So theyturned to the arts and devel-oped an incredibly rich cul-ture of gamelan, dance, songand theatrical performance,�Kielniarz said.

Since the gamelan arrivedon campus last fall, Kielniarzhas assembled a group of 15to perform on the instru-ments. The group is made upof students � past and cur-rent � faculty members and

community members. �It�s really a diverse group

that includes an editor fromthe Omaha World-Herald, alocal dentist and his wife whois a behavioral specialist atthe Fremont (Neb.) PublicSchools,� Kielniarz said.

The group made its debutperformance last winter.Concerts will be given oncampus at least once asemester. The group also hasreceived numerous invita-tions to perform off campusthroughout the next academicyear.

�This year, we will be per-forming as a featured groupat the Nebraska MusicEducators Conference. Nextspring, we will travel to theUniversity of South Dakota atVermillion where there is a

large instrument museum.The museum has recentlycontracted to have its owngamelan made. They haveinvited us to share our game-lan with that community,�Kielniarz said.

Sharing the music of thegamelan is one of the reasonsKielniarz was interested inacquiring the set of instru-ments for Creighton.

�Being able to bring peopleto campus or taking themusic on the road is a won-derful way to show theemphasis Creighton places ondiversity, cultural and artis-tic, and that we are a memberof the world community,�Kielniarz said. �I can�t thinkof a more appropriate institu-tion than one like Creightonto do this.�

All gamelan have givennames. Some are in Englishand some in Indonesian.Creighton�s gamelan isnamed �Son of the GoodEarth.� The name was cho-sen for two reasons. First, itrecognizes the contribution

that Fr. Michael Proterra,S.J., former dean of theCollege of Arts andSciences, made in helpingto purchase the instru-ments. �Good Earth� is thetranslation of Proterra�sItalian name. The secondreason was that the namereflects the sense of theOmaha community being apart of the soil and howthat agricultural emphasishas always been importantto this part of the country.

Creighton�s gamelan isthe only one in Nebraska.There are fewer than 200nationally. The closest arelocated in Boulder, Colo.,Minneapolis, and atGrinnell College inGrinnell, Iowa.

Marilyn Kielniarz, D.M., associate profes-sor and chair of the Department of Fine andPerforming Arts, has been a full-time facultymember at Creighton since 1993. She was apart-time faculty member from 1987 to 1993when she directed the University Chorus.Kielniarz became chair of the department inMay 1998.

Kielniarz received her bachelor of music(1979), master of music (1980) and doctor ofmusic (1984) from Northwestern Universityin Evanston, Ill. She also has a certificate ofDalcroze Eurythmics (a unique approach tomusic learning developed by Swiss compos-er Emile Jaques-Dalcroze) from CarnegieMellon University.

In addition to teaching and chairing thedepartment, Kielniarz is involved with manylocal and national organizations. She is agoverning board member for the OmahaSymphony for which she is this season�s

harpsichordist. She also plays organ andauxiliary keyboards for the Symphonyon an as-needed basis. Kielniarz has per-formed with the Nebraska Choral ArtsSociety, the Omaha Symphonic Chorus andthe Lincoln Symphony. She has been veryactive with the American Guild of EnglishHandbell Ringers as chair of the Nebraskaorganization, chair of the area organization(Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois andIowa) and as a member of the national boardof directors.

Kielniarz has completed a chapter for themuch anticipated Liszt Companion, edited byBen Arnold, Ph.D., from Emory University inAtlanta. This book, scheduled for releasenext summer by Greenwood Press, offersKielniarz the opportunity to present one ofthe first scholarly reviews of the organ worksproduced by Hungarian composer FranzLiszt (1811-86).

ABOUT MARILYN KIELNIARZ‘SON OF THE

GOOD EARTH’

This photo was taken inOctober 1998 when the gamelan arrived atCreighton. Dr. MarilynKielniarz performs a traditional washing of thegamelan’s largest gong.

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In the fourth week of the long Ignatian Retreat, theJesuit confronts the essence of his vocational commit-ment, placing honors and reputation in perspective,

while focusing on a personal relationship with God.You sense that the Rev. Michael G. Morrison, S.J.,

embraced this final stage, the �third degree of humility,�well before his announcement that this would be his lastyear as Creighton University�s 22nd president. He con-fessed that he was tired, that he coveted more time forspiritual growth, and that a fresh approach might be agood thing for the University. For 18 years, he has givenhimself fully to a demanding vocation.

�This isn�t just a job,� he said. �The Society sent mehere. I�ve been �missioned� in the same way Creightonhas been assigned its mission.�

When he quietly exits his second-floor office in theAdministration Building, his legacy will include a num-ber of achievements that can be statistically verified,starting with his record-setting tenure as chief executive.He�s surpassed the two-term total of the Rev. Michael P.Dowling, S.J., (1885-89 and 1898-1908) and the dozenyears that the Rev. Carl M. Reinert, S.J., spent at thehelm (1950-62). Four out of every 10 diplomas awardedduring Creighton�s 121 years bear Morrison�s signature.During his watch, the University�s endowment grewtenfold, reaching $200 million. More than half a dozennew buildings grace the downtown campus. AndCreighton�s academic excellence has been consistentlyrecognized by national media and collegiate rating services.

By Bob Reilly

WINTER 1999 15

C O V E R S T O R Y

But clearly the joys of his administration come, notfrom his fame as a builder, but from his human contacts.

�Fund raising is not a natural instinct for me,� headmitted. �I had to psych myself into it.�

His interaction with students, however, does seeminstinctive. Habitually perched on the wall near St.John�s campus church, Morrison is a familiar andapproachable counselor, confidante or friend. He mayspend an hour a day or more in this manner.

�I get high on kids,� he explained. �They exhibit adeep concern for others; they want to do what�s right.They�re searching.�

To help in this quest, Creighton increased its theologyrequirements by a third, to nine hours.

�Even kids who are Catholic come here theologicallyilliterate,� Morrison said. �Where we were taught

answers, they were taught questions.�He�s reluctant to criticize this generation for their

often-publicized flaws, like their reputed cynicism orlack of commitment.

�They�re products of their environment. So don�tblame them, blame us. It�s the rare person who is reflec-tive enough to counteract the trends. I find today tohave a lot of similarities with the �20s, but the pendulumwill swing again.�

Morrison characterizes his own home life as �almostideal,� with �loving, close parents.� He thinks that�swhere he developed his own balanced views.

Born in Green Bay, Wis., in 1937, Morrison�s rootsstretch back to Scotland, where the clan�s appellationwas �The Manly Morrisons� and the translation of theirGaelic name became �Son of the Servant of Mary.� This

Above: Morrison with hisfather, Gordon. The youngerMorrison was at the hospi-tal bedside when his fatherdied. At left: Morrison withhis two sisters, Ora (front)and Mary Ann, in 1954.

Below: The Morrison family ... sisters Ora (left) and MaryAnn (middle); father, Gordon; Michael; and mother, Gertrude.

At right, Morrison during his early days at Creighton, when he was vice president for Academic Affairs.

Morrison’s high schoolgraduation photo in

1955.

16 WINTER 1999

C O V E R S T O R Y

blend of the pious and practical seems almost prophetic.When Morrison�s father, a former superintendent of

power plants, died at age 89, his son was by his hospitalbed. His sister, Mary Ann, retired a few years ago fromher physical therapy teaching post at Marquette Univer-sity, and Ora works for the Internal Revenue Service.

At age 90, Morrison�s mother, Gertrude, remembershim as a good student, active in sports and in church,and involved with both the Boy Scouts and theater.

�Michael had problems with stuttering,� she said,�but it never stopped him. When he had the lead in his high school play, my heart was in my mouth. But he did fine.�

The nun who taught Michael�s eighth-grade classurged him to enter the religious life, but his pastoradvised him to wait four more years. After high school

graduation, he was torn between the priesthood and aNavy career. An Annapolis appointment seemed tomake the decision for him.

�He believed that, if he was accepted for the NavalAcademy,� said his mother, �it was God�s way of tellinghim he didn�t have a religious vocation.�

As it happened, Michael failed the physical, betrayedby high blood pressure he attributed to his penchant forsucking cubes of salt. Again, he saw this turnaround asa sign, and, in 1955, he entered the Jesuits, surprisingboth his folks and a confused girlfriend.

�He received a lot of mail from the Jesuits,�explained Gertrude.

Ordained in 1968, he ultimately acquired fivedegrees, including a Ph.D. in history, and he taught atSt. Louis University, Marquette, The University of

At right: Fr. Morrison

presides over theannual Mass ofthe Holy Spirit

this fall.

Above: Fr. Morrison and Fr. James W. Sauve, S.J.,greet Pope John Paul II during a 1985 meeting inRome of Jesuit college and university presidents

from around the world.

Above and left:With the JesuitGardens as a back-drop, Fr. Morrisonpresides over aBaccalaureateMass.

At left: Fr. Morrisonreceives Creighton Uni-versity’s PresidentialMedallion during his 1982 installation asCreighton’s 22nd presi-dent. Presenting themedallion is John C.Kenefick, who, at thetime, was chairman ofCreighton’s board ofdirectors and president ofUnion Pacific Railroad.

WINTER 1999 17

C O V E R S T O R Y

Wisconsin, and both Creighton Prep and Creighton University.

After stints on the Hilltop as vice president for Acad-emic Affairs and acting president, Morrison was chosenby the board of directors in 1981 to head the University.If presidents were issued report cards, Morrison�swould be one to make his mother proud.

Said John C. Kenefick, former CEO of Union Pacificand chairman of the board that appointed Morrison,�He�s good at his job, an outstanding person, withintegrity, and with solid communication skills.�

Another board member, investments executiveCharles F. Heider, echoes these sentiments, remarkingon the president�s total dedication.

�He typifies what a Jesuit is. He�s a great educatorwho handles challenging responsibilities in a variety of

disciplines. I like his management style. He listens, andhe never backs away from a tough decision.�

Commercial Federal Bank president William Fitzger-ald, the current board chairman, agrees with these posi-tive assessments.

�He lives his job, brings a lot of strength to it. I findhim warm, perhaps a little shy. But he�s worked hard toovercome any social hesitation, and he�s reluctant totake credit for accomplishments or to abuse the perks ofhis presidency.�

Morrison�s counterpart at the University of Nebraskaat Omaha, former chancellor Del Weber, sums him upthis way: �He�s never showy. He just gets things done.�

The Rev. Thomas N. Schloemer, S.J., entered the Jesuitseminary in Oshkosh, Wis., with Morrison some 44years ago. They remain close friends, talking often,

Left: A lifelongGreen BayPackers fan, Fr.Morrison waspresented witha “cheese head”during a roastin 1997.

Left: Fathergets a hug aftera Mass of theHoly Spirit.

Right: GertrudeMorrison gives

her son a hugduring a sur-prise visit to

Creighton’scampus in

December 1991to celebrate Fr.

Morrison’s 10thanniversary as

Creighton’spresident.

Above: Father cheers on the Bluejays at the 1991College World Series. At left: He holds the MVCchampionship trophy at a campus rally honoringthe 1989 men’s basketball team.

18 WINTER 1999

C O V E R S T O R Y

taking occasional business trips together, like to SouthDakota, where Morrison is on the Red Cloud IndianMission board of directors.

�Despite his earlier assignments,� said Schloemer,�basically, his career has been here. One thing about himI find fascinating is that he had no financial training.He�s self-taught. He mastered this skill, and he knowswhere the money is.�

The two old friends chat often � about history (�I�minterested, but not in his league.�), the Green Bay Pack-ers (�Did you know his mother was secretary to �Curly�Lambeau?�), other sports (�He took up golf and mayplay half a dozen rounds a year.�) and Morrison�s loveof gadgets, especially in his car (�He taught himself on the computer.�).

Schloemer characterizes his former classmate as a

voracious reader, even though his busy schedule usuallyforces him to divide the reading of his Divine Officebetween early morning and late evening.

�History works are my favorites,� said Morrison.�Right now I�m reading Stephen Ambrose�s Citizen Soldiers. But when I�m traveling, I favor detective stories, spy stories.�

Often, his reading and his work are accompanied by classical music as background, relying on publicradio stations.

On television, he normally opts for sports, especiallyfootball, but he hasn�t been to a movie since the year hewas installed as president.

When he can get away, Morrison, like the Heming-way he superficially resembles, heads for Key West, Fla.

�I�ve been there a dozen times. Just to kick back and

At left: Fr. Morrison looksover constructionof the Lied Educa-tion Center for theArts with thearchitect (far left),Vice President forUniversity Rela-tions MichaelLeighton and benefactor Christina Hixson.

Smaller pictures at left: Top, Fr. Morrisoncuts the giant ribbon opening the SkuttStudent Center in 1987. Below, Fatherspeaks at an awards luncheon.

At top: Morrison helps break ground on The Rev. RichardD. McGloin, S.J., Residence Hall in 1997. At right: A friend-ly chat on the campus mall.

WINTER 1999 19

C O V E R S T O R Y

relax. I liked it better before all the new roads were builtand it became so crowded.�

Whether on the beach or at his desk, Creighton�s 22ndpresident maintains his practiced balance. Always therealist, he can impartially dissect his own personality.

�I suppose my strengths are my ability to take thingsin stride, to never lose any sleep over decisions made.Mental health is a Number One consideration for me.It�s a grace.�

As for weaknesses, he quickly mentions impatience.�I want things to happen yesterday.�Does this mean he has a temper?�Better ask my secretary.��He can get angry,� acknowledges Sally Komrofske,

who has managed the President�s Office since 1986, �butit�s always short-lived. Then he smiles and breaks the

ice. It�s usually because he is anxious for answers,because he expects the same dedication from others thathe demands of himself. Budget times are the moststressful.�

Komrofske likes the variety in her daily duties.�Each day is different, challenging. This is a small

office, with only three people, and it�s a challenge toremain organized. Father doesn�t like to put off peoplewho need help. He wants problems to be handledquickly, so we�re usually pretty busy. Little things likeordering supplies sometimes get neglected.�

Besides the occasional demonstration of impatience,Morrison also has his pet peeves.

�I get mad when people drive vehicles on our cam-pus mall. I call security. And I dislike those people whoact like there is no one else in the world, or those

Creighton’s chief administrator attended numerousmeetings, such as the ones pictured at top and bot-tom right, but he also found time to relax and talkwith students near the steps of St. John’s Church.

At left: Fr. Morrison presents the Hon. Michael R.Murphy, BA’69, a judge on the 10th U.S. CircuitCourt of Appeals, with the University’s AlumniAchievement Citation during May 1997 Commence-ment. Presenting the award with Fr. Morrison isMaureen Shanahan Crouchley, BA’73, MSGuid’75,then president of Creighton’s National AlumniBoard.

20 WINTER 1999

C O V E R S T O R Y

ex-smokers who are on a crusade.�Morrison quit smoking three and a half years ago,

�because it was socially unacceptable.�But he can still enjoy a social drink.�I love scotch. I never met a scotch I didn�t like. John-

ny Walker, Chivas. It should always be taken neat.�This adopted Nebraskan, who has come to love Oma-

ha, has no hesitation in naming his favorite food.�Steak! I hate chicken. It�s served so often when I�m on

the road. Even in salads they stick chunks of chicken.�He also has his local heroes. His predecessors,

the Rev. Carl Reinert, S.J., and the Rev. Henry Linn, S.J., along with his former boss at Marquette, AcademicVice President Ed Simmons. And, of course, his parents.He still telephones his mother every Sunday.

�Right at 4:45 p.m.,� said Gertrude Morrison. �If

he�s going to be away, he alerts me.�Soon, of course, he will be telephoning from a new

destination. He approaches that subject casually.�I�m looking forward to the openness of the future,

the lack of structure. Later, who knows? I�ll have a sab-batical year to think about it. Retreat work has appealfor me. Maybe teaching, although it will be hard to re-tool for the classroom.�

One thing he won�t do is hang around the Hilltop,declaring that would be unfair and uncomfortable forhis successor.

In an article written in 1997 for WINDOW, Morrisonwrestled with the reconciling of his mundane responsi-bilities with his spiritual commitment. He concludedthat, because he helped educate people in the Jesuit tra-dition, he was, in his way, building the Kingdom of

At right: Fr. Morrison gets

some help decorat-ing a cake at a

1995 communityevent held at one

of Omaha’s shopping malls.

Above: Is that real? PatrickNolan gives a tug on Fr.

Morrison’s beard at the openingof the new Creighton Child

Development Center in 1997. At right: Father also was on

hand to watch the childrenbreak ground on the center.

Above:Father sitsoutsideand, atnear left,enjoyssomefriendlycompany.

WINTER 1999 21

C O V E R S T O R Y

God. Still, even though he�s had a minimum of isolation,living apart from his office locale in a high riseCreighton residence hall at 21st and Davenport, he obvi-ously craves fewer distractions.

�I�d like to be able to really concentrate on myprayers for long, uninterrupted periods of time.�

That sort of contemplative ease will be a radicaldeparture from days charged with duties and decisions,but, in that relative silence, Morrison hopes to divine the answers to some of the deeper queries shelved by activity.

One of his Scottish ancestors, the 19th century Gaelic poet, John Morrison, wrote:

�Our hearts, if God we seek to know,Shall know Him and rejoice;His coming like the morn shall be,

Like morning songs Hisvoice.�

Some of Fr. Michael Morri-son�s friends and co-workershave suggested memorials tothe man, perhaps even a specialfund drive, a building namedafter him.

Given the reticent nature ofthis very successful CreightonCEO, an appropriate memento might be a small plaqueon that well-worn concrete wall, reading, �FATHERMIKE WAS HERE.�— About the author: Bob Reilly is a freelance writer in Omaha and a former director of public relations atCreighton.

At right: A young,clean shaven Morrisonwas ordained a priestin 1968. He eventually

became the firstCreighton president to

ever sport a beard.Below: Fr. Morrisonvisits with students.

“I get high on thekids,” Morrison said.

Above and left:Fr. Morrison sitson the concretewall outside St.John’s Church. Itbecame a favoritespot of theCreighton presi-dent, who donneda hat duringcooler weather.

ETCHED IN STONE?Two tablets, 10 Commandments, a multitude of meanings

ETCHED IN STONE?Two tablets, 10 Commandments, a multitude of meanings

By Leonard Greenspoon, Ph.D.By Leonard Greenspoon, Ph.D.

Editor’s Note: With recent Congres-sional debate over posting the Ten Com-mandments in schools and other publicbuildings, Creighton University Magazine asked biblical scholar andCreighton’s Klutznick Chair in JewishCivilization, Leonard Greenspoon,Ph.D., to provide his insights into oneof the most recognizable of Old Testament doctrines — the Ten Commandments.

The receiving of the Ten Com-mandments is among themost dramatic episodes in the

Old Testament. Most of us arefamiliar with some version of theTen Commandments,which include declara-tions acknowledging oneGod, commands to keepholy the Sabbath and hon-or your parents, and pro-hibitions against murder(or killing), adultery, stealing, taking the Lord�sname in vain (or swearingfalsely by His name),bearing false witness and coveting.

I suggest that theseprinciples, although ofuniversal and timeless sig-nificance, nonethelesslend themselves to a vari-ety of applications andemphases given changesin cultural, social and his-torical circumstances. Thisvariety, found within theHebrew Bible itself andwithin early Jewish andChristian communities,allows for what I call flu-idity of expression andelasticity of application.

Such terminology might beviewed as relativizing the conductpromoted by the Ten Command-ments, but I understand it to meanthat these commands constitute thefoundation (but not the entire struc-ture) on which each generation is tobuild an ethical society composedof individuals constantly striving topromote ethical practice accompa-nied by faith and beliefs.

Biblical ContextThe Ten Commandments first

appear in chapter 20 of the book ofExodus, although the words are notreferred to by number or even as

commandments in this text (forthis, see Exodus 34:28). Moses, atGod�s command, leads theIsraelites out of Egypt and slavery.After several months of wanderingin the wilderness, he establishes acamp at the foot of Mt. Sinai.According to the Bible, God sum-moned Moses to the very top ofthis mountain. It is from here thatGod �spoke all these words.� (Exodus 20:1)

Modern biblical scholarsdescribe these commands as apo-dictic � meaning direct impera-tives, admitting no �ifs, ands orbuts.� The assembled people are

spoken to as a group �in a sense, these com-mands form the Pro-logue to Israel�sconstitution � but eachIsraelite also is ad-dressed as an individ-ual; �you� and �your�are second-person sin-gular throughout.

These statements orcommands reappearnear the end of Israel�s40 years of wildernesswanderings in chapter5 of the book ofDeuteronomy, but notwith exactly the samewording.

In Exodus, the Sab-bath commandmentbegins with the impera-tive �remember� andrelates this day of restto creation: �Rememberthe Sabbath day, tokeep it holy.� InDeuteronomy, the people are told to�observe� the Sabbath,a day here connectedwith the Exodus.

WINTER 1999 23

Greenspoon, wearing a traditional Jewish prayer shawl calleda tallit, sits in front of a tapestry of the Ten Commandments atOmaha’s Beth El Synagogue.

At left, Charlton Hestonplayed Moses in the 1956 film The Ten Commandments.

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The prohibition against covetingin Exodus includes the wife asmerely one among a neighbor�spossessions. Translated in the KingJames Bible it reads:

�Thou shalt not covet thy neigh-bour�s house, thou shalt not covetthey neighbour�s wife, nor hismanservant, nor his maidservant,nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour�s.� (Exodus 20:17)

The corresponding pronounce-ment in Deuteronomy presents thewoman as someone other than anddistinct from just another itemowned by a man:

�Neither shalt thou desire thyneighbour�s wife, neither shalt thoucovet thy neighbour�s house, hisfield, or his manservant, or hismaidservant, his ox, or his ass, orany thing that is thy neighbour�s.�(Deuteronomy 5:21)

Such differences lead many toconclude that we are simply unableto recover the original wording ofthe commandments, whether or not

we believe they originated in thetime of Moses or later. But I attachmore significance to these as exam-ples that the principles can vary inemphasis depending on context. (Afurther observation about coveting:The injunction would seem to bedifferent from others, in that itappears to prohibit a feeling ��strong desire� � rather than an action. Investigation of theHebrew term, however, leads to the conclusion that this verse entails not simply the illicit desirefor someone/something, but alsodevious plotting and even carryingout of actions to acquire the objectof one�s obsession.)

Historical ContextThe Israelites did not live in a

cultural or historical vacuum. Overthe past two centuries, archaeolo-gists have unearthed literally thou-sands of artifacts that illustrate thelives of Israel�s neighbors and provide parallels to Israelite beliefsand practices.

For example, we know that theIsraelites were not the first to have acode of laws or to believe that theirlegal system was of divine origin.

And while the Ten Command-ments form an essential part ofIsrael�s covenant with God, thissacred agreement is formulatedwith parallels to other Ancient NearEastern treaties between groups ofpeople and their (earthly) ruler. Forexample, God�s self-description asthe liberator of His people findsparallels in the preambles of treatieswhere a king recounts what he hasdone on behalf of his people.

It also was the practice in theAncient Near East to provide forperiodic readings, reaffirmationsand possibly revisions of treaties. In this light, we can understand theevents of Deuteronomy 5 and latercovenant renewal ceremonies in theLand of Israel itself, such as the onedescribed in Joshua 24, in whichJoshua gathers the tribes of Israeland makes �a covenant with thepeople.�

From this perspective, it is clearthat each generation must choosefor itself whether it will remain inthe unique relationship with Godagreed to by its ancestors.

Early Jewish ContextThere are relatively few writings

from the fourth century BCE (BeforeCommon Era) to the second centuryCE to provide us with data concern-ing how the Ten Commandmentswere transmitted and understoodby Jews during this period. But thepicture we are able to discern is fascinating. As documented bysome of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the first-century CE historian Josephus, many Jews were familiarwith the Commandments in their�biblical� order.

24 WINTER 1999

The rugged mountain ranges of the Sinai Peninsula in northeast Egypt arerenowned as the principal site of divine revelation in Jewish history. Accordingto the Hebrew Bible, it is here, at Mt. Sinai, that God summoned Moses andrevealed to him the Ten Commandments.

But other Jews, especially (so itseems) those who lived outside ofPalestine, knew a different order.The most significant alteration is themoving of the prohibition against�adultery� so that it directly followsthe injunction to honor one�s par-ents. This change is found in the ear-liest Jewish translation of the Bible(known as the Septuagint) and in theJewish philosopher Philo. It reflectsan understanding of adultery as aserious offense that disrupts the bal-ance of family life, in the same wayas dishonoring parents.

Within the context of the HebrewBible itself, adultery had the morerestricted sense of illicit relationsbetween a man (married or not) anda married woman, and seemedmore concerned with the violationof the marriage contract than withthe feelings of those involved.

New Testament, EarlyChristian Context

Jesus, his disciples and theauthors of most of the New

Testament were Jewish, so it is notsurprising to find some paralleldevelopments between early Chris-tians and their Jewish contempo-raries. Jesus, in the Gospel of Mark,enumerates the �commandments�in this order: murder, adultery,stealing, bearing false witness, hon-oring your parents. In addition, heinserts another command, againstdefrauding, after bearing false wit-ness. The Gospel of Matthew fol-lows the same order (without theinjunction against fraud), but adds(perhaps as summation), �You shalllove your neighbor as yourself.� Adifferent order appears in Luke,where the prohibition against adul-tery heads the list. In recordingJesus� teachings, the Gospel writersfelt free to change details of word-ing and ordering, so as to conformto the overall emphases of their nar-ratives. Clearly, then, the particularsof the Ten Commandments werenot, as it were, �etched in stone.�

Elsewhere in the New Testamentand in the writings of early

Christian leaders, wealso find variation inordering and wording.There is little, if any,specific mention of thefirst commandments,on graven images andidolatry. On the otherhand, teachers andpreachers felt free toincorporate othermoral injunctions(against pederasty andabortion, for example)that were especiallyrelevant for their com-munities. Such modifi-cation of the originalbiblical commandswas in keeping withthe fluidity found

already in the Hebrew Bible itselfand with the elasticity evidentamong contemporary Jews.

It also was during this periodthat the term Decalogue, comingfrom the Greek meaning �10words,� was first applied to theCommandments. This was theachievement of Clement of Alexandria (in Egypt) around the year 200 CE.

Classical Jewish ContextWith few exceptions Jews have

historically counted Exodus 20:2(and the corresponding verse inDeuteronomy 5) � �I am the Lordyour God...� � as the first com-mandment, even though it does nottechnically command anything.Most of the oldest Hebrew manu-scripts of the Bible include four pro-hibitions (against murder, adultery,stealing and bearing false witness)in a single verse.

Recognizing the differences inwording between Exodus 20 andDeuteronomy 5, several interpreters

WINTER 1999-2000 25

As tradition prescribes, a pointer is used to follow the Hebrew written in the Torah. The majority of Jewish commentators picture the first five commandments as inscribed on onetablet, with the remaining five on the other.

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First Tablet

1 I the Lord am your God whobrought you out of the land of

Egypt, the house of bondage.

2 You shall have no other godsbeside Me. You shall not make

yourself a sculptured image, anylikeness of what is in the heavensabove, or on the earth below, or inthe waters below the earth. Youshall not bow down to them orserve them. For I the Lord your Godam an impassioned God, visitingthe guilt of the parents upon thechildren, upon the third and uponthe fourth generations of those whoreject Me, but showing kindness tothe thousandth generation to those

who love Me and keep My commandments.

3 You shall not swear falsely bythe name of the Lord your

God; for the Lord will not clear onewho swears falsely by His name.

4 Observe the sabbath day andkeep it holy, as the Lord your

God has commanded you. Six daysyou shall labor and do all yourwork, but the seventh day is a sab-bath of the Lord your God; youshall not do any work � you, yourson or your daughter, your male orfemale slave, your ox or your ass, orany of your cattle, or the stranger inyour settlements, so that your male

and female slave may rest as youdo. Remember that you were aslave in the land of Egypt and theLord your God freed you from therewith a mighty hand and an out-stretched arm; therefore the Lordyour God has commanded you toobserve the sabbath day.

5 Honor your father and yourmother, as the Lord your God

has commanded you, that you maylong endure, and that you may farewell, in the land that the Lord yourGod is assigning to you.

Second Tablet

6 You shall not murder.

7 You shall not commit adultery.

8 You shall not steal.

9 You shall not bear false witnessagainst your neighbor.

10 You shall not covet yourneighbor�s wife. You shall

not crave your neighbor�s house, orhis field, or his male or femaleslaves, or his ox, or his ass, or any-thing that is your neighbor�s.

Source: Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh

26 WINTER 1999

Jewish Tradition

WINTER 1999 27

First Tablet

1 I, the Lord, am your God, whobrought you out of the land of

Egypt, that place of slavery. Youshall not have other gods besidesme. You shall not carve idols foryourselves in the shape of anythingin the sky above or on the earthbelow or in the waters beneath theearth; you shall not bow downbefore them or worship them. For I,the Lord, your God, am a jealousGod, inflicting punishments fortheir fathers� wickedness on thechildren of those who hate me,down to the third and fourth gener-ation but bestowing mercy, down tothe thousandth generation, on thechildren of those who love me andkeep my commandments.

2 You shall not take the name ofthe Lord, your God, in vain.

For the Lord will not leave unpun-ished him who takes his name invain.

3 Take care to keep holy the sab-bath day as the Lord, your

God, commanded you. Six daysyou may labor and do all yourwork; but the seventh day is thesabbath of the Lord, your God. Nowork may be done then, whether byyou, or your son or daughter, oryour male or female slave, or yourox or ass or any of your beasts, orthe alien who lives with you. Yourmale and female slave should rest

as you do. For remember that youtoo were once slaves in Egypt, andthe Lord, your God, brought youfrom there with his strong hand andoutstretched arm. That is why theLord, your God, has commandedyou to observe the sabbath day.

Second Tablet

4 Honor your father and yourmother, as the Lord, your God,

has commanded you, that you mayhave a long life and prosperity inthe land which the Lord, your God,is giving you.

5 You shall not kill.

6 You shall not commit adultery.

7 You shall not steal.

8 You shall not bear dishonestwitness against your neighbor.

9 You shall not covet your neighbor�s wife.

10 You shall not desire yourneighbor�s house or field,

nor his male or female slave, nor hisox or ass, nor anything that belongsto him.

Source: New American Bible

Catholic Tradition

state that God delivered both for-mulations simultaneously. Howthen did the Israelites make sense ofall this? The people, so we learn,directly heard only the first twocommandments � �I am the Lordyour God� and �You shall have noother gods besides Me� � thewording of which is identical inExodus and Deuteronomy. The oth-er eight were mediated by Moses.

The majority of Jewish commen-tators picture the first five com-mandments as inscribed on onetablet, with the remaining five onthe other. The balance thusachieved reflects our comple-mentary obligations to actproperly in our dealings withGod (Commandments 1-5)and with our fellow humans(Commandments 6-10). It mayseem peculiar to place the fifthcommandment, to honor ourparents, on the first tablet, butJewish tradition considers thehonor due our parents as amanifestation of our devotionto God. (See �Ten Command-ments: Jewish Tradition,�Page 26.)

Among the individualcommandments, none ismore important or distinc-tive to Judaism than observ-ing/remembering the Sabbath day.That being the case, rabbinicauthorities enumerated 39 acts as�work� prohibited on the Sabbath,thereby freeing the day for worshipof God.

Although Jewish ritual and beliefnaturally accords a central place tothe Ten Commandments (for exam-ple, in most synagogues the congre-gation rises on the three occasionsduring the year when they areread), there is alongside such honorthe recognition that these

commandments are not inherentlymore important or sacred than anyother biblical laws.

Catholic ContextAlmost all Christians share with

Jews the number �10� for the com-mandments and the view that theoriginal listing of these commandsspilled over onto two tablets. Butthere are significant differences inthe details.

Early in the fifth century CE,

Augustine, one of the most impor-tant of all Christian thinkers, com-bined verses 2-6 as the firstcommandment (�I, the Lord, amyour God ... You shall not have oth-er gods besides Me�); in the Jewishtradition, these verses comprise two

separate commands.As we mentioned before, in

Deuteronomy �coveting� the wifeof another was separated from thedesire one felt for the things aneighbor possessed. Augustineinterpreted these two instances asseparate commands. In this way,Catholics, along with most Luther-ans and Anglicans, maintain thenumber �10.� For these Christians,the first three commandments relateto proper belief and practice withrespect to God, while the remaining

seven define the relationship Godhas enjoined among humans. (See�Ten Commandments: Catholic Tra-dition,� Page 27.)

Catholic theologians understandthe Ten Commandments as anenduring expression of natural law.

28 WINTER 1999

There has been an explosion of Bible translations among Jews, Catholics and especially Protestants. While many get across the same message in a more colloquial style, there are important theological points at stake in translating the commandments from the original Hebrew.

As with all doctrines inherited fromthe Old Testament, they achievefullness only when interpreted inlight of the life and teachings ofJesus.

Protestant ContextProtestants naturally share with

Catholics many of the same under-standings of the Ten Command-ments in the life and liturgy of theirrespective churches. Nonetheless,historically, Protestants (other thanAnglicans and Lutherans) havesupported a different enumerationof the commandments. For these

Christians, verses 2 and 3 ofExodus 20 (�I am the

Lord...you shall haveno other gods...�) con-

stitute the first com-mandment, with verses

4-6 (condemning the wor-ship of false gods) as the sec-

ond. In common with Jews,the last or 10th commandmentencompasses all instances of�coveting.� A difference indistribution also goes with

these variations in enumeration. For Protestants, the first four com-mands relate to God; the last six tohumans.

The earliest Christians observedthe Sabbath biblically on the day ofthe week equivalent to our Satur-day. By the early fourth century,Sunday became the official day ofworship for Christians, but only inlater periods did the injunction to�rest� become a prominent part ofthis day�s observance. Under theinfluence primarily of Puritans,�blue laws� were adopted tostrengthen the biblical prohibitionagainst laboring on the �Sabbath.�A few groups among ProtestantChristians have returned, as it were,to their Old Testament roots by

designating Saturday as their Sab-bath and by adopting a series ofwork restrictions that have parallelswith those enjoined by the rabbis.

Translations ContextOver the past four decades there

has been an explosion of English-language versions of the Bibleamong Jews, Catholics and especial-ly Protestants. Although the Bibledoes not show up on conventionalbest-seller lists, tens of millions aresold every year for home, schooland church/synagogue use.

Some English translations retainthe language and structure of thevenerable King James Version. �Youshall not steal,� for example, repre-sents only a modest updating ofKing James� �Thou shalt not....� Oth-ers, with the direct �Do not steal,�manage to get across the same mes-sage in a more colloquial style.

But there also are important the-ological points at stake in renderingthe Ten Commandments from theoriginal Hebrew into another lan-guage. Some translations haveretained the King James Version ofthe sixth commandment: �You shallnot kill.� The use of the verb �mur-der� in others is a more accuratereflection of the Hebrew. What thiscommand prohibits is the unlawfultaking of human life, and in con-temporary English usage �murder�conveys this idea with greater forceand precision.

The literal rendering of Exodus20:3 is: �You shall have no othergods before my face/presence.� Isthis monotheism (the belief thatonly one God exists) or a concessionthat there may be other deities, butIsrael is to worship the Lord Godexclusively? Translators need tointerpret such Hebrew phrasesbefore they can choose what is for

them the correct English. This alsois true with �jealous� God, as inverse 5 of Exodus: �I am the Lordthy God, mighty, jealous... .� Sometranslators prefer �impassioned� asmore appropriate in connectionwith the Lord. The taking of theLord�s name �in vain� in Exodus20:7 provides another example. Sev-eral translations substitute �makingwrongful use� or �misuse.�

Cultural and Ethical Contexts

In addition to its being a pro-foundly religious document, theHebrew Bible also is an integralpart of our cultural life. For exam-ple, prohibitions against �bearingfalse witness� and �coveting� aremeaningful in many social and lit-erary contexts that have little to dodirectly with the Bible.

It is the opinion of some that, byand large, the Ten Commandmentsembody practices that define indi-viduals (or, collectively, society) as�good� without regard to specificbeliefs. In their opinion, it is notnecessary to believe in God to rec-ognize the value and validity ofmost of the Commandments; theirethical standards derive from uni-versally accepted norms of �right�and �wrong.�

In response, it is worth notingthat the Hebrew Bible defines theundesirable, if not immoral natureof certain actions within a specificframework. These commands flownaturally from God�s revelation toHis people within the context ofhistory. How one deals with otherhumans is thus inextricably boundup with how we as humans relateto God.— About the author: Dr. Greenspooncan be reached via e-mail [email protected].

WINTER 1999 29

When I was in the fourthgrade, my class attendeda morning matinee of

Stanley Kubrick�s epic 2001: A SpaceOdyssey. Afterward, as I puzzled themeaning of the Star Child, I also cal-culated how old I would be in 2001.(Never mind the answer.) And Iwondered: What�s it going to belike to begin not only a new centu-ry, but a new millennium?

Now that the new millennium isupon us: the year 2000 � or 2001, ifyou prefer (see sidebar, page 34).

But instead of mysterious monolithsand space stations twirling toStrauss waltzes, we are witnessingsomething much more terrestrial:millennium mania. Some peopleforesee widespread social and eco-nomic calamity, others some formof apocalypse, and some are justplain nervous. And we wonder:What�s going to happen? How didpeople handle it the last time themillennium turned?

It is interesting to note how theconcepts of a millennium have

changed over the last 2,000 years,evolving from a religious doctrineto a secular celebration to a com-mercial bonanza. �Millennial�notions, though, are not limited tothe turning of millennia: The fevercan take hold at any time, given theright environment.

“Messianism” Becomes“Millennialism”

Millennial enthusiasm has itsroots in the Judeo-Christian antici-pation of a Messiah. Several Old

30 WINTER 1999

By Eileen Dugan, Ph.D.Department of History

Background: The Four Riders of the Apocalypse by Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)

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Testament books, including theBooks of Daniel, Ezra and Baruch,describe an age of oppression, fol-lowed by a tremendous battlebetween good and evil, the finaldefeat of the wicked, and the com-ing of a Messiah who would usherin an age of joy. The earliest Chris-tians, of course, believed that theMessiah had come in the form ofJesus Christ. In the Gospel of Mark(13:24-26), Christ tells of a greatconflagration preceding His return.His followers believed that thisreturn would be soon, very soon,and eagerly awaited the day.But the days turned intoyears, the years into decades,and, much to their distress,Christ did not come.

Near the end of the firstcentury A.D., a new messianicprophecy, the Book of Revela-tion, emerged. Filled withcryptic references and terrify-ing imagery, Revelation notonly suggested a more distantApocalypse, but also onewhich would progress instages of 1,000 years � in millennia.

Thus Christian messianicprophecy became �millennial,� as itcreated the notion that somethingspectacular would occur over 1,000years. Just when that millenniumwould commence was unclear. But it would � someday.

�The millennium� was a uniquely Christian concept, deeplyreligious, anxiously awaited, andnoncalendrical, that is, not bound tobegin on any fixed date. The 1,000years could begin just as easily inmid-March of 451 as in late Septem-ber of 687 � or on Jan. 1, 1000.Exact dates were not the issue; whatmattered was the millennium itself.

Not all medieval theologians

were enthralled with millennialdoctrines. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyonsin the late second century, pub-lished a compilation of messianicprophecies, while the third-centuryTertullian described visions herald-ing the dawn of a new age. On theother hand, in the third century,Origen discounted a communal mil-lennium, maintaining that any reve-lations and judgments would takeplace within the individual soul.Even St. Augustine was cautious.Although he did make reference toa millennium beginning in the time

of Christ, he, like official Churchdoctrine after him, chose not toplace too much emphasis upon millennial ideas.

Medieval Millennium Mania?

Given the early Church�s defini-tion of the millennium, it is not sur-prising that, even before the year1000, various wandering preachersemerged proclaiming themselvesmessiahs. In each case that isknown, these men drew large, albeitbrief, followings. Their emergencecoincided with periods of economiccrisis or overpopulation, and their

devotees came primarily from thosegroups � artisans, day laborers,landless peasants � most affectedby socioeconomic pressures. In thecourse of the Middle Ages, thesegroups became increasingly mili-tant: Rather than wait passively forheaven�s army to smite the ungodly,these millenarians took matters intotheir own hands, taking up armsagainst the rich, the Jews and any-one else labeled as �unholy� bytheir �messiahs.�

Scholars still debate whether mil-lennium mania swept Europe prior

to the year 1000. One school ofthought describes mass hyste-ria, prompted by famine,plague (both resulting in wide-spread cannibalism), a host ofpreachers forecasting the LastTimes, and a 989 appearance ofHalley�s Comet. Of all of these,only the comet can be verified,and this would have beenalarming indeed. From timeimmemorial, people have inter-preted comets as portents ofdisaster. Remember the Heav-en�s Gate cult and the Hale-Bopp Comet? So Halley�sComet undoubtedly worried

medieval folk; however, it has yet tobe proven that such anxiety was, inany way, linked to the millennium11 years away.

Other scholars view the year1000 as a nonevent. Noting the min-imal references to millennial fears inchronicles and Church pronounce-ments, these authors argue thatvery, very few people made the con-nection between the new calendri-cal millennium and the millenniumof the Apocalypse. They furthernote that the calendar of the RomanChurch was still not yet standardthroughout Europe at the time, sonot all were in agreement as to

WINTER 1999 31

Marshall Applewhite and 39 of his followers in theHeaven’s Gate cult believed they would departEarth on a UFO when the Hale-Bopp Comet flashedacross the sky in 1997. They committed mass suicidethat March.

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when Jan. 1, 1000, actually was.Besides, they maintain, medievalcommon folk were not as concernedwith dates and years as we aretoday, and therefore might not haveeven realized that a new millenni-um was upon them.

Perhaps the truth lies inbetween. There was not, it is safe tosay, mass hysteria on the eve of thesecond millennium, which spansyears 1000 to 1999. (We are enteringthe third millennium.) That the-ory�s dramatic elements makefor good copy, and it may makeus feel superior to those poorbenighted peasants, but it sim-ply doesn�t seem to be true.There are not enough contem-porary sources to substantiatesuch claims. And the hysteriaschool�s argument that there areso few references becauseChurch and state conspired tosuppress record panic to pre-vent further panic is not con-vincing at all.

However, the other position,that medieval people were freeof any Y1K concerns whatsoev-er, is weak as well. True, terror wasnot rampant in this era, but therewere some documented, albeitshort-lived, flashes of millennialactivity. A rumor had long circulat-ed in Lorraine (in modern-day east-ern France) that the world wouldend in the year in which the Feast ofthe Annunciation fell on Good Fri-day. That occurred, coincidentally,in the year 1000. Here and there,bishops and wandering unordainedpreachers did warn their listeners ofthe Apocalypse which wouldaccompany the new millennium.And the reported sighting of anoth-er comet in 1000 filled some heartswith dread as well.

One intriguing document from

this period is the chronicle of theFrench monk Raoul Glaber, com-pleted in 1044. Glaber, who claimedthat he had once seen Satan stand-ing next to his pillow, feared that in 1000 Satan would �soon beunleashed because the thousandyears have been completed.� Butwhen it became clear that no Apoc-alypse had begun in 1000, Glaberaltered his prediction, shifting thefateful date from 1,000 years after

Christ�s birth to 1,000 years afterHis death. Thus Glaber, and otherreligious, attached millennialimportance to the year 1033.

When Will It Happen?The world having failed to end

in 1000, or in 1033 for that matter,people sought other means of reck-oning the beginning of the LastDays. Of great influence in apoca-lyptic thought was Joachim of Fiore(1145-1202). Joachim envisioned his-tory as comprising three ages: thatof the Father, ruled by the Law; thatof the Son, ruled by the Gospel andfilled with faith; and that of theHoly Spirit, in which all would livein love and joy until the Last Judg-

ment. Although Joachim did notaffix a specific time span to eachage, he did assert that the worldwould enter into the third age by1260. Clearly, it did not.

Over the centuries, various mil-lennial movements arose, all claim-ing to have knowledge of when the prophesized millennium wouldbegin, and, of course, to be the oneswhom God would consider Hiselect. As previously noted, each

movement occurred in an age ofacute uncertainty, and especiallyattracted the lower classes. A fewexamples:

� In 1349, in the wake offamine and plague throughoutcentral Europe, countless bandsof flagellants wandered fromtown to town. These men prom-ised that their self-mortificationwould atone for the community�ssins and help usher in the millen-nium. Many flagellant bandswere unabashed in their denun-ciations of the �rich and sinful�clergy and of the Jews, prompt-ing locals into murderous ram-pages against the flagellants�

enemies.At first, the Church had been

cautiously supportive of the peni-tents, but the slaughter of church-men and the obliteration of oneJewish community after anotherquickly altered the official stance. In October 1349, the Pope issued adecree condemning the flagellantsfor their anticlerical and anti-Jewishacts; Church and state now happilycooperated to stamp out the move-ment, executing great numbers ofpenitents. By 1357 the flagellantmovement collapsed.

� Sixteenth-century Germanywitnessed not only the Reforma-tion, but popular unrest as well, cli-maxing in the 1525 Peasants� War.

32 WINTER 1999

Jan van Leyden, a 16th century self-proclaimedMessiah of the Last Days, ruled over Münster,Germany, with an iron fist.

Within this charged atmosphereappeared two Dutchmen, JanMatthys and Jan van Leyden, at thehead of a militant Anabaptist sect.(Anabaptism was a Protestantmovement emphasizingadult baptism.) Thetwo Jans preached ofthe impending mil-lennium, whichcould come aboutonly by the sword,and declared theGerman city ofMünster to be theNew Jerusalem. InFebruary 1534, theAnabaptists stormedMünster. WealthyLutherans fled the city; of the Lutherans remain-ing, those who did notembrace Anabaptism were eitherexpelled or executed. Münsterbecame a theocracy, with Matthysas its dictator.

Jan Matthys abolished privateownership, made money obsoleteand ordered that food and posses-sions be held in common. Mean-while, he strengthened his hold onthe populace through intimidation:On more than one occasion,Matthys executed �sinners� as awarning to others to lead a right-eous life.

Less than two months after tak-ing Münster, Jan Matthys died inbattle outside the city walls. Hisright-hand man, Jan van Leyden,then assumed control, replacingMatthys� dictatorship with anunabashed monarchy. He tookMatthys� widow as his queen, and,claiming an Old Testament prece-dent, instituted polygamy in thecity. Jan van Leyden himself cameto have 15 wives, all under the ageof 20. His regime proved to be even

harsher than that of his predecessor,blithely ordering the beheading ofadulterers, female bigamists andthose who dared to criticize the

Messiah of the Last Days. All this,Jan van Leyden proclaimed,

was necessary to purgethe New Jerusalem of

its sinful elements, foronly then would thelong-awaited millen-nium begin.

The militancy ofthe Münster Anabap-tists was alarming

enough for Catholicsand Lutherans to join

forces against them. Thecombined armies launcheda series of attacks on thecity throughout 1534, cul-minating in a blockade in

January 1535. Cut off from all foodsupplies, the city soon foundfamine setting in among theAnabaptists. During the spring, itbecame so desperate that the inhab-itants resorted to eating old shoes,the whitewash from buildings, pan-fried rats, and, finally, each other.Jan van Leyden retained his follow-ers� obedience through millennialprophecies and even more senselessexecutions.

Finally, in June 1535, Münsterfell. Despite the promise of safe con-duct, the surviving Anabaptistswere slaughtered by their con-querors. Jan van Leyden was tem-porarily spared, led in chains fromtown to town and put on displayfor some six months before his execution. His body and those oftwo of his deputies were placed in cages suspended from a Münster church tower.The cages have remainedthere for more than four centuries.

� Militant millennial fervor nextburst forth within 17th-centuryEnglish Puritanism. Despite theefforts of the Stuart kings to thwartits growth, the Puritan movementgained considerable size and politi-cal power. Clashes between the�Saints� and abusive, absolutist-minded kings led to civil war in the1640s, which the Puritans won.After beheading King Charles I andabolishing the monarchy, the Puri-tans, now guided by OliverCromwell, tried to establish a socie-ty of Saints to purify the land in

Puritan OliverCromwell sought asociety of Saints.

The executed bodies of the militantvan Leyden and two of his deputieswere suspended in cages inside this church in Münster, Germany. Van Leyden and his Anabaptist predecessor, Jan Matthys, had proclaimed Münster to be the New Jerusalem and stormed the city in 1534.

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anticipation of the millennium.�Purifying� measures came toinclude laws against drinking,dancing, theatrical performancesand even going for a Sunday walk.

In time all this �godliness�proved to be too much for the Eng-lish public, which was overjoyedwhen the Puritan government top-pled in 1660 and the monarchy wasrestored. Despite the political defeatof the Puritans, millennial ideascontinued to circulate. Now thefocal point was the year 1666, whichcombined the dreaded number 666of Revelation with the millennium.Anxiety reached fever pitch in 1665,as plague swept through the land.In 1666, the Great Fire destroyedmost of London. But however hardthe Puritans tried to see the adventof the Last Days in 1666, it did nothappen. In time the plague dieddown, London was rebuilt and theworld, with all its saints and sin-ners, continued.

The Millennium as a Secular Event

At the same time that the Puri-tans were trying to bring about themillennium, a new intellectualmovement was sweeping Europe:the Enlightenment. Known as the�Age of Reason,� the Enlightenmentstressed science over dogma, reason

over faith, the secular over the reli-gious. Even though Enlightenmentthinkers tried to make religion�rational,� their idea of progresssmacked of old-fashioned millennialthought. They replaced the messian-ic millennium with a secular state ofperfection, which man couldachieve through his own efforts,through reason. It would be a socie-ty of peace, joy, harmony, equality,justice and prosperity � not too farfrom Joachite dreams of the ThirdAge, but for the absence of faith.

Thus in one important segmentof Western society, millennial idealsbecame secularized. Soon, too, didfestivities marking the turns of centuries. By 1700, the popularappeal of papal jubilee years, likethat of 1300, gave way to more community-oriented celebrations.By this time as well, people beganto use the ushering in of a new century as a period of reflection on what had been and what was yet to come.

Had westerners completely giv-en up the notion of an apocalypticmillennium? Hardly. In 1830sAmerica, William Miller preachedof the Second Coming of Christ,

34 WINTER 1999

A major bone of contention about the new millennium is justwhen it begins. Does it begin on Jan. 1, 2000, or Jan. 1, 2001? Thesource of this confusion is the sixth-century monk Dionysius Exiguus (a.k.a. Dennis the Short). Pope John I entrusted Dionysiuswith the daunting task of constructing a chronology of the Christianera. Dionysius, after much labor, produced his chronology, makingthe year before Christ�s birth 1 B.C. and the year of Christ�s birthA.D. 1 � Anno Domini, �in the year of the Lord� 1. (For more on thedevelopment of the calendar, see Fr. John Scott�s article in the fall1999 issue of Creighton University Magazine.)

But wait! Where�s Year 0? Dionysius apparently overlooked thislittle complication. Thus, according to his calculations, centuriesand millennia turn on years ending in �01. This position is staunchlymaintained by a host of academics and numerical nitpickers.

Popular opinion, however, seems to have won the day (or rather,�year�). Drawn to what author Stephen Jay Gould calls the odome-ter-like rolling over to a neat bunch of zeros, the public and the popular press have embraced 2000 as their millennium, drowningout the protestations of those who point to poor Dionysius.

2000 or 2001?

In 1830s America, William Miller preached of the Second Coming of Christ,which he declared would take place in 1843 or 1844.

which he declared would take placein 1843 or 1844. After those yearspassed without the foretold confla-gration, the Millerites, more than10,000 strong, discussed their millennial quandary. They came tothe conclusion that God had begunthe process of the Last Judgment in1843, but that Christwould not return to insti-tute the millennium until atime in the future as yetundisclosed. Throughtheir practices preparingthemselves for the LastDays, the Milleritesbecame known as the Seventh-day Adventists.

Still others have tried todetermine the date of theapocalyptic millennium.The Anglican ArchbishopJames Ussher, writing in1650, declared that, as theworld was created at noonon Oct. 23, 4004 B.C., andwould endure 6,000 years,it would end on Oct. 23,1996 (or 1997, if youremember that there wasno Year 0). Supermarkettabloids and other fans ofNostradamus interpretedone typically cryptic pas-sage as presaging a 1997nuclear attack on NewYork City, resulting in theworld�s end. As we inchcloser to the calendrical millenni-um, potential apocalyptic dates aretossed about with greater urgency,but, thank goodness, less accuracy.Nineteen eighty-eight, 1989, 1992,1994, all have had their champions.Some doomsayers have gone so faras to latch onto 2012 as a year ofgreat significance, based upon theMayan calendar.

We need no longer wonder what

it is going to be like at the turn ofthe millennium. At long last, we arehere. What do we see? There are, tobe sure, those who do predict theSecond Coming in 2000, but nowthey tend to face mockery as �reli-gious fanatics.� The preparationsfor secular celebrations are in full

swing, as each community vies tooutdo the next in ringing in the mil-lennium. (It will be hard, however,to beat Times Square�s extravagan-za, which is to feature a descendingball of Waterford crystal.)

And then there is the commercialangle. At the end of this century, itseems that little can transpire with-out a price tag or corporate spon-sorship. Thus South Pacific islands

and cruise lines offer exorbitantpackages promising people thatthey can be the absolute first in theworld to experience the new millen-nium. (�We�re three inches from theInternational Date Line! Booknow!�) Among the travelers thenceare reportedly pregnant women

bent on Caesarian sectionsto ensure the possessionof the first baby born inthe new millennium � avirtual guarantee ofadvertising deals andPampers. �Y2K Compli-ant� is a standard productpitch for anything electri-cal; Year 2000 champagneflutes, jewelry, candles,clothing and trinketsabound. Even candy hasgotten into the act: In aparody of millenniummania, and playing uponthe Roman numeral for2000, MM, M&Ms is theself-declared official can-dy of the new millennium.

Where will I be thisNew Year�s Eve? If I hadmy way, I would be atop amountain in the SwissAlps, torch in hand, look-ing up at the stars, and lis-tening to the church bellsin the valleys below. Mil-lennium mania? Well,maybe just a good excuse

for a vacation. Most likely, I willspend a quiet evening with familyand friends, sipping champagneand thinking about the past and thefuture. There�s no need to go over-board this Millennium Eve. Afterall, there�s always 2001 to ring in, or2012, or 2033 ...— About the author: Dr. Dugan can be reached via e-mail [email protected].

WINTER 1999 35

Thousands of people fill New York’s Times Square annuallyto ring in the new year. These types of secular celebrationswill mark the turning of this millennium.

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P R O F I L E

t this month�s opening of the NBA season, hope reigned at theCharlotte Coliseum, home to theCharlotte Hornets.

The Hornets� near rags-to-riches season in1998-99 and the return of the person many credit for theturnaround, coach and Creighton alumnus Paul Silas,BSBA�64, have this city buzzing.

Ask Tom Apke, BA�65, a former Creighton teammatenow host of a weekly sports talk radio show inCharlotte. When the two met for lunch before the NBAdraft, the restaurant politely refused payment.

�They said, �Oh, no. We�re glad you guys came here toeat,�� Apke said. �It certainly wasn�t because of me (thatthe check was waived). It was Paul�s celebrity status.�

It seemed as if Silas was the one left holding the billwhen he dropped his assistant title and became theHornets� interim head coach last March.

The team had lost 11 of its first 15 games. And theHornets� popular head coach, Dave Cowens, who wasfeuding with management, resigned after the dismalstart. Silas, who played with Cowens on two NBAChampionship teams in Boston (1974, 1976), tried to talkhis friend out of resigning.

�I argued with him,� Silas said. �Then he got this lookon his face, and I knew to back off. I really felt for him.He is such a good person.�

The team�s outlook was one of despair.�The whole perception was that we were going to

have a terrible season,� Silas said. �Somehow I had toturn that around. I had to build that up.�

Silas told his players that he had �unconditional confi-dence� in them. He then asked them to score 100 pointsevery game, which became the team�s motivation.

�It changed their outlook. It took all the pressure off

the team, and it was a fun way to play,� Silas said.The Hornets went an impressive 22-13 the rest of the

season under Silas and missed the playoffs by one game. With the turnaround, Silas was announced as the

franchise�s fifth head coach in May, receiving a four-year, $6 million contract that he called �more than fair�and �exactly what I�ve been looking for.�

Silas had been searching for another head coachingjob since coaching the woeful San Diego Clippers to a78-168 record in three seasons from 1980-1983, immedi-ately following a legendary 16-year NBA career.

After San Diego, Silas became one of the league�s top assistants. He spent four seasons under Hall-of-Fame coach Chuck Daly in New Jersey, two years under Pat Riley in New York, and two years in Phoenixbefore coming to Charlotte. His goal was to return tohead coaching.

�When I was with New York, I interviewed withSeattle and George Karl got that job,� Silas said. �I interviewed in Cleveland, and, within the past year,at Chicago, Seattle and Sacramento. It was really fru-strating that I couldn�t get back in. You have to have alot of patience.�

Apke believes racism was involved. �There are any

!"#$%&'$%('$)#*++,-.//"01

By Rick Davis

2Silas was named the head coach of the NBA’s

Charlotte Hornets in May. He was the team’s interimcoach last season.

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number of white formercoaches who got a secondand third chance,� he said.�Not very many of the for-mer black head coaches inthe NBA get a secondchance.�

�I think there was agood-ol�-boy system,� Silas said, �and probablystill is.�

The situation is improv-ing, though, he said. Thisseason, there are six blackhead coaches in the 29-team NBA: Silas, DocRivers (Orlando), GarHeard (Washington), ButchCarter (Toronto), AlvinGentry (Detroit) and the legendaryLenny Wilkens (Atlanta).

Silas was born on July 12, 1943, inPrescott, Ark., the youngest of threechildren to Leon and Clara Silas. Thefamily moved to Oakland, Calif.,when Silas was 7 or 8 years old.

They lived with Paul�s uncle andaunt, Elton and Sarah Pointer, at thecorner of 18th and Adeline streets,while looking for a place of their own.It was a crowded house. The Pointershad six children of their own (includ-ing four girls who went on to fame asThe Pointer Sisters).

�It was a big family,� said FritzPointer, BA�66, who later joined Silasat Creighton. �That�s the way we didit then. We helped each other out.�

De Fremery Park � located acrossthe street from the Pointers� house �became a frequent hangout for Pauland Fritz. Its courts and ballfieldsattracted some of the city�s best athletes.

�We would watch guys like Bill Russell and K.C.Jones play. We saw Frank Robinson and Curtis Floodplay baseball there. We grew up watching those guys,�Pointer said.

Silas attended McClymonds High School in Oakland,where he broke Russell�s scoring records and, in 1960,was named the high school basketball Player of Year in Northern California.

Silas and his brother Leon (six years Paul�s senior) came to Creighton in the fall of 1960 on

athletic scholarships.�Getting away from

Oakland was what I reallyneeded at that time,� Silassaid. �We were living inwhat I like to call the mid-dle class ghetto. I neededa change.�

Silas� father, Leon Sr.,was a big influence in Paul�s coming toCreighton. Leon hadbeen a porter on the rail-road, and had visitedOmaha during runsbetween Arkansas andChicago.

�He knew there wasn�ta whole heck of a lot to do

in Omaha and that I wouldn�t getinto too much trouble,� Silas said.�He persuaded me to go toCreighton.�

The 6-foot-7 Silas guidedCreighton to two NCAA tourna-ments. In three varsity seasons, Silasgrabbed 1,751 rebounds (21.6 rpg) �an NCAA record for rebounds in athree-year career � and scored near-ly 22 points per game.

�He was the most dominatingplayer we�ve ever had here,� saidJohn �Red� McManus, who coachedSilas at Creighton. �He could controlthe game. He was a leader; every-body respected him.�

After struggling academically hisfreshman year, Silas excelled in class.He was named to Alpha Sigma Nu,the Jesuit Honor Society, and becamean Academic All-American. Silaswas inducted into Creighton�sAthletic Hall of Fame in 1974 andreceived the College of Business

Administration�s Alumni Merit Award in 1993.After graduating from Creighton in 1964, Silas was

drafted by the St. Louis Hawks. He played for five NBAteams, won three NBA Championships and was twicenamed an All-Star before retiring in 1980 as one of thetop rebounders in NBA history.

Silas and his wife of 33 years, Carolyn, live in western New York during the off season. They havethree grown children: Donna, Paula and Stephen, ascout for the Hornets.

WINTER 1999 37

P R O F I L E

Left to right: Ed Hubbard, Jim Bakos and Paul Silas made up the Bluejays’ front line during the 1961-62

basketball season. Silas guided Creighton to two NCAA tournaments.

Silas played for five NBA teams, won three NBA Championships

and was twice named an All-Star before retiring in 1980

as one of the top rebounders in NBA history.

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r. Theresa Townley, BA�87, admits shedidn�t know much about Kosovo whenshe left for the Serbian province in June

1997 with Doctors Without Borders.Townley had just completed her medical residency

in internal medicine and pediatrics at Ramsey (nowRegents) Hospital in St. Paul, Minn.

She had applied to Doctors Without Borders � the Nobel Peace Prize-winning, international medical relieforganization � and, in May 1997, received word thatphysicians were needed in Kosovo.

�At that point, nobody knew where Kosovo was,myself included,� Townley said. �That was quite different from when we returned (to the U.S.) in April of 1998.�

Townley, who earned a philosophy degree fromCreighton and her M.D. from the University ofMinnesota, flew to Belgium and France for briefings andthen on to Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia. There, shejoined three other Doctors Without Borders physicianson a flight to Pristina, Kosovo�s capital.

�When I got there in June, I never thought therewould be fighting,� Townley said. �There was a tremen-dous amount of tension between the Albanians and theSerbs. But it seemed that, with good diplomacy, thingscould be worked out.�

The doctors were assigned to assist with three publichealth projects: water sanitation (half of the province�s 2 million people had no access to running water), vacci-nation and primary health care. Townley�s primaryresponsibility was improving the quality of care in the 40 clinics operated by the Mother Theresa Society.

�It was difficult to move forward on projects,�Townley said. �Kosovo was basically a police state run by the Serbian government. It was very hard to

push issues on public health.�Robert Townley, MD�55, who, along with his wife,

Nancy, visited his daughter in the fall of 1997 said ten-sions between the Serbs and Kosovo�s ethnic Albanianswere visible at that time.

�It was very clear that this was a tinder box waiting to explode,� said Townley, professor of medicine anddirector of Creighton�s Allergic Disease Center. �Therewas obvious intimidation on the part of the Serb policeand Serb military. The number of tanks and military inKosovo was pretty intensive.�

The conflict escalated in March 1998, when Serbianpolice and paramilitary units attacked the village ofPrekaz, a stronghold of the separatist Kosovo LiberationArmy (KLA).

�They destroyed the whole village,� Theresa said.�They killed a number of people, including pregnant

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Photo by Alex Majoli/Magnum Photos

women and children.� The�beautiful� countryside inwhich Townley had hiked andcamped was now tainted withburied landmines.

�It became dangerous to go to some of the clinics,�Townley said. The Serbiangovernment �stopped allow-ing bandages or surgical mate-rial into the clinics,� for fearthat it may be used to aidinjured rebel fighters.

�MSF (the French acronymfor Doctors Without Borders)started doing mobile clinics,�Townley said. �Attempts tohelp people were blocked bythe government and then by the KLA.

�I don�t think I was in anydirect danger,� she said, butshe feared for her Albanianstaff. Police armed with automatic assault weaponsmanned Serbian checkpoints.

Townley returned to theUnited States and to work at aTwin Cities urgent care facilityin April 1998. But within

months, she was off again, providing medical relief in the famine-stricken Sudan.

�My family�s support has made it possible for me todo this work,� Townley explained. �Their acceptance of this work, frequent letters to the field and interest in my stories when I return have been crucial in my ability to continue.�

This past April, she returned to the Balkans to helpMacedonia handle the crush of Kosovar Albanianrefugees who had fled toward that country.

�When I arrived, there were 30,000 refugees in thecamps and 60,000 in the community,� Townley said.�Our goal was to release some of the pressure off the(health care) system and improve the quality of pediatric care in Macedonia�s Tetovo area.�

Townley said her work in Kosovo taught her theimportance of a �medical system that is trusted andrespected by the community.� She said many ethnicAlbanians, who composed 90 percent of Kosovo�s population prior to the fighting, were distrustful of health programs administered by the Serbian-

controlled government. �And some people tried toincrease that distrust.�

�I also learned how much people in search of politicalpower can whip up hatred. That was disheartening tosee. But on an individual level, I met tremendous peoplewho would do anything for you.�

Townley comes from a family immersed in health care and service. Her mother, a nurse, cared for migrantworkers in Colorado. Three of her sisters are nurses:Ellen Marie, BSN�83, works with AIDS patients atWashington National Hospital in Washington, D.C.;Rose, BSN�90, worked with migrant workers in Oregon;and Sarah, BA�95, BSN�98, works at the Indian ChicanoHealth Center in Omaha. Two brothers are Omaha doc-

tors: Peter, BS�81, MD�86, and Joseph, BA�85, MD�89.Three other siblings are Creighton graduates: Martin,BA�90; Rachel Nordquist, BS�92, and Robert, BS�93.

�My interest in this work comes from my father�ssense of adventure and rampant curiosity and my mother�s firm beliefs in the rights of all human beings toeducation and health care,� Townley said. �The exampleof their life, which is rooted in integrity and simplicity,has made it possible for many of their children to do this kind of work.�

Townley left for Liberia in August with DoctorsWithout Borders. The Creighton graduate said she finds herself turning to God when she�s packing for a relief mission.

�I try not to panic about whether what I bring andwhat I have will be enough � enough drugs to ward offmalaria, enough activities to ward off loneliness, enoughknowledge to be able to complete a project and enoughconfidence to trust in what I�ve done,� Townley said.

�I have to keep telling myself that what I have andwhat God has given me will be enough as long as Irespect the sacredness of others and maintain a clear set of values.�

Townley said she has learned much during her volun-teer missions. �I feel like I�ve learned much more thanI�ve ever given.�

“My family’s support has made it possible forme to do this work. Their acceptance of

this work, frequent letters to the field and interest in my stories when I return have been

crucial in my ability to continue.”

— Dr. Theresa Townley

WINTER 1999 39

Dr. Theresa Townley travels the world aspart of DoctorsWithout Borders — the Nobel PeacePrize-winning, inter-national medicalrelief organization.

This photo was takenin 1998 when Dr.Townley was inKosovo, Yugoslavia.She returned to theBalkans this pastApril to helpMacedonia handlethe crush of KosovarAlbanian refugeeswho had fled towardthat country.

P R O F I L E

PHYSICIAN’S GIFT TO LEAVE LASTING LEGACY

AT CREIGHTONPhysician and Creighton alumnus

Gerald Wieneke, BS’70, MD’74,has passed on a lasting legacy to theUniversity. Wieneke, who died at age 50last spring, made an estate gift of morethan $500,000 to endow one undergradu-ate scholarship to benefit students from hishome county of Palo Alto (Iowa) and stu-dents from North Central Iowa, one medi-cal school scholarship and an equipmentfund for the Success in Science Initiative.

After graduating from Creighton�sSchool of Medicine in 1974, Wieneke put into practice the ethic of caring heacquired through his Jesuit education. He was an active partner with MedicalAssociates of Emmetsburg in Iowa from1977 until his illness. He also served asPalo Alto (Iowa) county coroner, was vicepresident of the medical staff of Palo Alto

County Hospital and was medical directorof Emmetsburg Care Center.

Operating by the Jesuit principle of menand women for others, Wieneke �was very involved in the community,� saidBarb Beattie, a friend who worked withWieneke at Palo Alto County Hospital.�Elderly patients and children loved him.�

Chuck Stillman, BA�69, MSEdu�76, whoroomed with Wieneke during his first year in medical school, described howWieneke�s concern for the person behindthe patient took root and ripened atCreighton. �He went to Creighton tobecome a doctor, that was first and fore-most,� said Stillman, now a fourth-gradeteacher in nearby Algona, Iowa. Along theway, Wieneke developed a special affinityfor the University. �He always said thatsome of the best times of his life were hisyears at Creighton.�

Wieneke�s gift to Creighton stands testi-mony not only to his own generous spirit,

but to his love for the University, its community of Jesuits, students, scholarsand healers.

BLOTCKY ENDOWMENTFUND CAPTURES

SPIRIT OF CREIGHTONLast winter, Wanda J. Blotcky of Omaha

established the Alan J. BlotckyEndowment Fund in memory of her late husband, Alan J. Blotcky, MS’71.Honoring her husband�s commitment toscience and education, Mrs. Blotcky directed her gift to Creighton�s PhysicsDepartment.

Mr. Blotcky was the second person tograduate with a master�s degree in physicsfrom Creighton. He was the longtimedirector of the Medical Research NuclearReactor facility at Omaha�s VA MedicalCenter. The facility � the only hospital-based reactor in the world � was dedicated in his name last July.

Mr. Blotcky maintained a lifelong rela-tionship with the University and regularlyhosted tours of the nuclear reactor forCreighton physics students.

The Blotckys met while in college at theCarnegie Institute of Technology wherethey both majored in the sciences. Theywere married for 45 years.

Mr. and Mrs. Blotcky regularly hostedCreighton physics professor Fr. ClarenceWagener, S.J., for dinner and conversation.Fr. Wagener said, �They were both mostgracious. Our talks would last sometimesuntil 2 in the morning and cover all topics� philosophy, theology and science.�

According to Fr. Wagener, their discus-sions revealed the dynamic interchangebetween science and religion, between theJewish and Catholic communities. Theirfriendship and philosophical discoursespeak to the Jesuit concept of cura person-alis or education of the whole person. Farfrom seeing faith as antithetical to the pur-suit of science, Jesuits believe that faith isenriched by learning, just as learning isilluminated by faith. The Alan J. BlotckyEndowment Fund captures this spirit ofcura personalis.

50 WINTER 1999

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

GIFT ECHOES SPIRIT OF UNIVERSITY’S FOUNDERS

Creighton University lost a valuedfriend and alum when Ralph T.Friedman, BS’50, died last January.Echoing the spirit of the University�sfounders, Friedman made an unrestrict-ed estate gift of $330,000 to Creightonthrough his Charitable RemainderTrust.

Since graduating from Creightonwith a degree in accounting, Friedmanmaintained an active interest in theUniversity and was a generous support-er of its students and educational pro-grams. �Ralph loved Creighton,� JosephJ. Friedman, brother and trustee ofRalph�s estate, said. �I always felt thathe received an excellent education,which prepared him for a successful,35-year career at Enron Corporation.I�m very pleased that he rememberedCreighton University in his CharitableRemainder Trust.�

Friedman grew up in Halbur, Iowa,and served in the 10th Mountain

Division of the Army during WorldWar II. According to his brother,Friedman served in the same Divisionas former KansasSen. Bob Dole.

Friedman worked35 years at theEnron Corporationas an auditor andaccountant. He wasan enthusiasticchampion of WarrenBuffett and hisinvestment method. �Ralph was alwaysinterested in the stock market,� hisbrother said.

Friedman�s estate gift to Creightonrepresents both the legacy of his accomplishments as well as an invest-ment in Creighton�s future. Unrestrictedgifts breathe life into the University, allowing the president to direct vitalresources to the areas of most pressing need.

Henry James (1843-1916), the most studied Americanauthor of the recent past, son of Henry James the the-ologian and philosopher and brother of the philoso-

pher William James, was the author of 25 novels, more than100 short stories, and thousands of pages of literary, dramaticand art criticism and travel writing. He also wrote at least10,500 letters to more than 1,000 correspondents.

James is traditionally depicted as an ultra-proper, uptight,reclusive and elitist writer, who abandoned the democraticUnited States in favor of aristocratic England, �married� hisart, and wanted little to do with those beneath his station. Heis remembered as a writer of overly ver-bose and difficult novels, which are inac-cessible to the everyday reader. Thewords of Harold Frederic typify the tradi-tional view of James as �an effeminateold donkey who lives with a herd of oth-er donkeys around him and insists onbeing treated as if he were Pope.� But thetraditional portrayal of James does notsquare with evidence of his life nowbeing uncovered.

The transcribing and editing of James�letters for The Complete Letters of HenryJames (forthcoming from the Universityof Nebraska Press) presents us with anew portrait of Henry James the humanbeing, rather than James the traditionalsubject of high school and college cours-es. The Henry James of the letters is any-thing but elitist. He cares deeply for hisfriends and family, goes out of his way tohelp those who need or want his helpand kindness, is as capable as anyone of using colloquial lan-guage, is especially attentive to events in the United Statesand enjoys poking fun at himself. This �new� James thusoverturns the �traditional� portrayal.

A March 21, 1897, letter shows a warm, tender side toJames. Addressed to his 4-year-old cousin, George GrenvilleHunter, the letter finds James (then nearly 54) putting youngHunter at ease with kindness and consideration. �Look outthe window at me when I come,� writes James, �for I amvery shy when I keep a visit, and it makes me happy to thinkthere may be a very rare little boy to take me by the hand.�

James often balanced the parody of his own formalitywith a self-presentation that was as democratic as a weekendundergraduate party. For example, �my appetite is

enormous, especially for beer, which I drink largely,� hewrote to his sister Alice in 1869. There�s more in a letter toOliver Wendell Holmes, written in 1868 when James was 25,and written evidently as a reply to Holmes� implicit question,�How are you doing?� James wrote: �There are woods; there are women. You put two and two together.� Not much formality there.

James also loved to gossip. He chatted in very informallanguage with his friend Howard Sturgis on Feb. 1, 1910,about fellow novelist, Edith Wharton, her bad marriage toTeddy Wharton, and Teddy�s embarrassing �quasi-demented

excess of levity and gaiety which hastranslated itself into incongruous andextravagant forms and consequences.�James emphasized the confidentialnature and thus the gossip value of theinformation by adding, �Don�t know this from me,� which he underlines heavily twice.

James� criticism of the United States isa keystone of the traditional view. Hisnegativity is located in part in a passagefrom his critical biography of NathanielHawthorne (1879), in which Jameslaments the poverty of American cultureduring Hawthorne�s time, �No sover-eign, no court, no personal loyalty, noaristocracy, no church, no clergy, noarmy, no diplomatic service, no countrygentlemen, no palaces.� However, Jameswas equally critical of European culture.As he wrote to Charles Eliot Norton onMay 31, 1869, 10 years before the publica-

tion of Hawthorne: �One feels rather sold, living in a Euro-pean town which has so few distinctly European resources:no Antwerp spire, no Rubenses, no museum, churches, opera nor theatre.�

The letters project is valuable for more than the emerginghumanistic picture of James and for the bright light the10,500 letters cast on 19th-century European and Americanculture. As the home of the largest literary letters project inAmerican history, Creighton�s Center for Henry James Stud-ies is, in part, responsible for the emergence of Nebraska as asignificant location in the world for James scholarship.—For more information about the Center, contact Zacharias(402-280-5714, [email protected]) or see the Web site(http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/english/hjcenter.htm).

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American writer Henry James,1843-1916

Letters Reveal the Other Side of Henry JamesBy Greg W. Zacharias, Ph.D.

Director of the Center for Henry James Studies at Creighton University

This fall, Creighton University lost a lifelongfriend. As a 1930 Creighton Law School gradu-

ate, young Phil Klutznick chose a frightening timeto enter public life. The Great Depression had flattened the economy,closed banks, ruined thestock market and reducedpeoples� savings in minutesto pennies.

Years later, PhilipKlutznick would retire frompublic life as an interna-tional luminary, havingserved seven presidents;revolutionized our conceptsof housing and suburbia;sponsored the cause ofworld peace through theUnited Nations; workedtirelessly on behalf of theworld�s refugees, and fostered the establishmentof the state of Israel.

Yet, in spite of his globe-spanning career, PhilKlutznick never forgot Creighton University.

He served on both the university�s early boardof regents and its first lay board of directors.

He established the Klutznick Law Library,

bringing students and the community the resourcesof print and electronic media in a beautiful andpeaceful space.

He and his wife, Ethel, endowed the Philip M.and Ethel Klutznick Chair inJewish Civilization, strength-ening Creighton�s ties toOmaha�s vibrant Jewishcommunity and to world-wide scholarship in Judaica.

Among his richest gifts toCreighton, however, was hischerishing of the values oflearning, generosity, toler-ance and peace. For PhilKlutznick, these values knewno boundaries or limits.

He once wrote, �When Iplead that we try to under-stand that not all of us in thisgreat world ... have grownup alike, live alike or can

be expected to agree, it is a hope of all established religion that we will recognize that we are all oneunder God.�

Thank you, Phil Klutznick, for the bright light ofyour friendship and for illuminating some of thetroubled corners of our world.

I N M E M O R I U M

®

Anchored in ethics. Centered on service. Pledged to excellence.

Philip M. Klutznick, JD’30 — 1907-1999

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Klutznick Served the World

Documents

R ORRISON AT THE END OF A MISSION - Creighton University€¦ · UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE WINTER 1999 COVER STORY 14 AT THE END OF A MISSION: The Rev. Michael G. Morrison, S.J., tells