Stories this week at WFU

FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS, FOR THE LAST TIME
Senior Allison Jones will climb the winding stairs to the Wait Chapel belfry this afternoon to perform her last 5 p.m. chapel bell concert for the university. Jones, university carillonneur and a music and political science major, plays what are properly called carillons, one of six in North Carolina. Jones controls the 48 bells, ranging from 28 pounds to 4,397 pounds, with a clavier, an instrument set up similar to an organ except in the place of keys are wooden pegs attached to batons that strike the bells. Media are invited into the belfry this afternoon as Jones plays her last concert.
Contact: Sarah Mansell, manselss@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

WFU DELVES INTO LOCAL STORIES OF GHOSTLY LORE
Who is the ghost that supposedly lives in Hanes Park? Why does Lydia, a girl dead since 1923, allegedly appear near a Jamestown underpass and ask passersby to take her home? These urban legends and other folklore related to the literature of “haunting” are among the topics to be discussed at Wake Forest’s Multicultural Hauntings Symposium today from 4:30 – 8 p.m. in Tribble Hall’s DeTamble Audiorium. Admission is free. At the conference, 30 freshman English students will present entertaining, multi-media presentations on topics that include local lore as well as the Jersey Devil, the haunted Winchester Mansion in San Francisco and African-American tales of voodoo.
Contact: Wake Forest News Service, 336-758-5237.

FACULTY SERVE GRITS BEFORE THE GRADES
Faculty and staff will serve a late night breakfast — pancakes, biscuits, grits, scrambled eggs and bacon — as a study break for students from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. May 3 in the Reynolda Hall cafeteria (the Pit). The twice annual breakfast has become a tradition for students and faculty during exam week. Student musical groups will perform.
Contact: Cheryl Walker, walkercv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

BLAIR’S WAR?
A Wake Forest political science expert says the invasion of Iraq was a major detour in the war on terrorism. Worrell Professor of Anglo-American Studies David Coates says that British Prime Minister Tony Blair engaged in a “comedy of errors” on the road to war by offering whole-hearted support to the United States in public speeches in the months leading up to the invasion of Iraq. Coates’ new book, “Blair’s War,” is one of the first books to critically examine the arguments that were given for going to war with Iraq. Coates is available for interviews; copies of his book are available through the News Service.
Contact: Jacob McConnico, mcconnjn@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

WHO ARE THE GRADUATES?
While the university is busy preparing for Secretary of State Colin L. Powell’s May 17 Wake Forest commencement address, the approximately 1,500 Wake Forest graduates who will hear Powell’s address are busy preparing for their next step in life. As commencement date nears, the News Service can connect media with members of the graduating class with inspiring or unusual stories en route to the diploma. Among those students who will march during the ceremony: an 82-year-old dentist, a Rhodes Scholar and a professional baseball player.
Contact: Sarah Mansell, manselss@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

MEDIA ARRANGEMENTS FOR COMMENCEMENT
The Wake Forest News Service will be distributing information regarding media arrangements for the university’s May 17 commencement soon. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell will deliver the address during the 9 a.m. ceremony. It will be his first commencement address as U.S. secretary of state. Parking passes and media credentials will be required for all members of the media. To ensure coverage of the event by your organization, contact Sarah Mansell at manselss@wfu.edu or 336-758-4393.

Categories: Arts & Culture, Community, Events, Faculty, Media Advisory, Speakers