Happy Halloween! In honor of the day, a few photos from our annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest, held in the Library Learning Center. (You can see them all on Flickr.)

First Place -- Erika Lanham

Second Place -- Stacie Baugh

Third Place -- Kat Dettloff

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Zev Buffman is a legendary Broadway producer who has produced more than 40 shows and 100 national tours. He brought Elizabeth Taylor and Dustin Hoffman to Broadway and was a founding member of the NBA’s Miami Heat. He has spent the last eight years as the director of Owensboro’s RiverPark Center.

Laura Early, assistant professor of theatre arts at KWC, arranged for Buffman to spend last evening at KWC reminiscing about his life and career. The story that follows was in the Messenger-Inquirer today.

Buffman shares tales of his past and announces his departure at KWC
By Dariush Shafa, Messenger-Inquirer
Published: Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Nearly every seat was taken in Roger’s Hall at Kentucky Wesleyan College on Tuesday night as students, faculty and residents turned out to hear Zev Buffman talk about his experiences in show business. The crowd got an extra treat as Buffman also shared his favorite stories and some of the lessons he learned along the way.

Buffman’s stories ranged from his first big break as a director and producer to working with celebrities such as Dustin Hoffman, Elizabeth Taylor and Muhammad Ali.

Laughter and applause turned to disappointment though, as the president and CEO of the RiverPark Center also shared the news of his pending departure. Buffman’s eight-year contract at the RiverPark Center was not renewed in a Tuesday meeting of the RiverPark Center’s board, and Buffman announced he has accepted a job in Clearwater, Fla.

Still, Buffman said Tuesday’s event at KWC was something that he was glad to do, even with the day’s events weighing on his heart.

“I’ve been looking forward to this for the two or three months it’s been in the works. I’m only sorry we didn’t do it more often,” Buffman said.

Those in attendance said they not only enjoyed Buffman’s stories and advice, but are sad that his time in Owensboro is drawing to a close.

“I am a Broadway child. My mother was a Broadway dancer, and I’m from New York City,” said Ginny Weant, a vocal performance sophomore at KWC. “Every story (he told) was meaningful and can be applied not only to theater but to life in general.

“I’m very heartbroken I don’t get to spend more time with him, but I’m very grateful for the opportunity (tonight),” Weant said.

Buffman’s departure will be difficult to overcome, said Matt Ruark, Assistant Director for Development at KWC, who came to see Buffman’s event.

“He’s done a lot for Owensboro, and I just wanted to hear about it straight from his mouth,” Ruark said. “That’s a great loss for Owensboro. I don’t think we’ll be able to replace him.”

Laura Early, assistant professor of theater arts at KWC, said she’s glad Buffman was able to come for the event.

“It’s huge. How many times do you have the opportunity to have someone who’s produced 40 Broadway shows speak to students?” Early said. “You can tell the students love it. They’re just ecstatic to meet him.”

Phoenix Jenkins, a senior studying sociology at KWC, also said she was happy to be there and talk to Buffman.

“I felt honored,” Jenkins said. “He’s humble and he shows you that you can be all you can be.”

Buffman said he is especially enthusiastic about the future show business and educational possibilities that exist in Owensboro thanks to the partnership between the RiverPark Center and local educational institutions.

“The marriage between the performing arts center and theater students is not always possible,” Buffman said. “You don’t get that in Miami or New York because you can’t get them (students) across the line because there are strict (labor and union) rules.

“This is not only going to be a more important college town when the new downtown arrives, but also a major destination for theater students,” Buffman said.”There is a great future for this town just around the corner.”

During the event, Buffman said that the opportunity to talk to and share experiences with students is a joy because it’s a chance to pass on the little things that helped make him successful.

“You should never stop dreaming just because you wake up in the morning,” Buffman said, noting how that is one of his favorite sayings.

Buffman later said he felt Tuesday night’s event helped take away some of the sorrow from the end of his time in Owensboro.

“On a day like today, which was a day of departure and moving on, this to me was a phenomenal catharsis of just feeling free and happy about my eight years here and knowing I can still make contact with young people,” Buffman said.

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The crowd on the front lawn ...

The annual Concert on the Lawn with the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra is this Saturday, August 20, at 7:00 p.m. on the front lawn of Kentucky Wesleyan College.

Great Movies — Grand Piano will feature movie music with pianist Rich Ridenour, who performed with the OSO last year in Canon Hall at the RiverPark Center.

This free, family-friendly event (sit anywhere on the lawn you like!) also features a table-decorating contest — the winner will perform with the OSO. The theme for this year’s decorating contest is “My Favorite Movie!” If you want to reserve a table for eight for $100, call the OSO at 270-684-0661.

Pre-concert festivities include a performance by the Owensboro Community Band, while the US Bank Home Mortgage will sponsor children’s activities, including an instrument petting zoo guided by Owensboro Public School teachers. The fun starts at 5:00 p.m.

2nd Street will be playing during intermission, so come ready to kick your shoes off and dance on the lawn!

Contact the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra at 270-684-0661 or check their website at www.theoso.com for more information.

If you know anything about KWC, you probably know about Minerva. (If you don’t, she’s a statue on campus that gets painted by students. A lot. More on how and why here.) Here’s what she looks like, at least in one of her incarnations over the last couple of years:

She’s been on campus since we moved to Owensboro in 1951. However, we do blast the paint layers off occasionally. See these photos for evidence of what she looks like naked, from a couple of months ago.

Imagine for a moment, though, that we didn’t strip her down. What would a cross section of 60 years of accumulated paint look like?

Probably something like this:

This is a composite photomicrograph of a rock at the main intersection in White Rock, New Mexico. The rock is painted often — usually a few times a week — as a community tradition. You know, like Minerva. 

A couple of guys got to wondering what all the paint layers from the last 40 years looked like, so they took a core sample on the front of the rock. Turns out the paint was five-and-a-half inches thick!

You can view the original size for full effect. And here’s the long view, as well as an explanation of how they got the photo. And here’s a photo of the entire rock, in case you were wondering — she’s larger than Minerva.

Maybe we should just let Minerva’s paint layers accumulate over the next 50 years or so. Then our grandkids can do a paint sample of her and we can say, “Hey, some of those paint layers were mine!”

(HT: Kottke)

Another successful commencement has now come and gone — 164 students graduated from KWC last Saturday, and while we had to move the ceremony inside because of the rain, it was still a great day.

CNN’s Ali Velshi delivered the commencement address and did a wonderful job. His executive producer is Kelly Frank, a 1996 graduate of KWC. She briefly addressed the graduates at their Senior Farewell/Honor Breakfast Saturday morning.

We have photos and a couple videos from the weekend now posted online. You can see links to the various Flickr photo sets from the Photos page in the Commencement section of our website.

 Sets posted on Flickr include:
- Graduation
- Senior Breakfast
- Senior Dinner
- Miscellaneous (rehearsal, class photo, etc.)
- Class of 1961 50-Year Reunion

We’ve also got some new videos on YouTube, including:

- Highlights from Ali Velshi’s Commencement Address
- A clip of the Faculty/Staff Chorale’s enthusiastic rendition of “Wesleyan” (complete with instruments)
- A clip of remarks from Kelly Frank ‘96 at Senior Breakfast

We should have more graduation photos soon, as well as the complete text of Ali Velshi’s speech and a video of the entire ceremony. Until then, enjoy – if you see a photo you’d like a copy of, just send an email to bhoak[AT]kwc[DOT]edu.

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