9/11 HERO TO RECOUNT MIRACLE RESCUE AND SURVIVAL — Salvatore “Sal” D’Agostino, a member of the New York City Fire Department’s Ladder Company 6, will tell the harrowing account of what happened when he and six other members of his company rushed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. The lecture, titled “The Miracle of Ladder Company 6,” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 7 in Pugh Auditorium in Benson University Center and is free and open to the public. Media are invited to a 15-minute Q&A session at 7 p.m. in front of the auditorium.
Contact: Pam Barrett, barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
ANNUAL WFU EVENT PUTS FOCUS ON DANGERS OF ALCOHOL ABUSE — The annual “Alcohol Speakout” at Wake Forest shines the spotlight on the dangers of college alcohol abuse Sept. 7 with two important events, including a 7 p.m. talk in Wait Chapel from Michael Lanahan, the step-father of Lynn Gordon “Gordie” Bailey Jr., who died from alcohol poisoning related to a fraternity hazing incident at the University of Colorado in September 2004. Lanahan created the Gordie Foundation, http://www.gordie.org, to raise understanding of the dangers of alcohol abuse. The 7 p.m. event will also feature an introduction by Katie Hendrick, chair of the Greek Alcohol Advisory Council (GAAC), and a talk from Anna Ball Hodge, president of Chi Omega sorority. Hodge will honor two sorority sisters, Maia Witzl and Julie Hansen, who were killed in 1996 while riding in a car that was hit by a drunk driver. An earlier event at 5:30 p.m. in the Benson University Center offers free, non-alcoholic beverages, food and a performance by the singing group Demon Divas. More than 1,000 students attended last year’s event, organized by the Wake Forest Greek system and the GAAC.
Contact: Jake McConnico, mcconnjn@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
GULF COAST STUDENTS TO ATTEND CLASSES AT WAKE FOREST — Students from Gulf Coast universities began arriving this week at Wake Forest, where they will study this fall after their own schools were closed by Hurricane Katrina. Wake Forest President Nathan O. Hatch extended an invitation last week to undergraduate, graduate and professional school students from New Orleans and elsewhere along the hurricane-damaged Gulf Coast. Fourteen undergraduates spent Sept. 6 in a special one-day orientation session and began classes the next day. Thirteen of the undergraduates are from Tulane University; one is from the University of New Orleans. All were accepted as visiting students for the fall semester. To interview students who have just arrived, please call the Wake Forest News Service.
Contact: Kevin Cox, coxkp@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
COUNSELORS OFFER MENTAL HEALTH HELP TO HURRICANE VICTIMS — Two Wake Forest counseling professors will volunteer as mental health counselors for the American Red Cross in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Donna Henderson, professor of counseling, leaves today for Montgomery, Ala. She does not know where she will be sent from there, but will spend two weeks counseling hurricane victims and relief workers. After 9/11, she completed the Red Cross’ Mental Health Disaster training and this is her first time volunteering in this capacity. Laura Veach, assistant professor of counseling, will leave for Shreveport, La., Sept. 16 to counsel hurricane victims in the four evacuation centers there. She lived in New Orleans for three years and would like to contribute what she can to hurricane relief efforts. Students in one of Henderson’s classes made kits for children, including small toys, crayons and notebooks for the two to take with them. Veach is available for interviews before her departure. Henderson is available for a phone interview only.
Contact: Cheryl Walker, walkercv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
WFU STUDENTS FROM GULF COAST AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS — David Coons, one of a few dozen Wake Forest students from the Gulf Coast area, is a native of New Orleans. His family left their home before Katrina came ashore and are safe with relatives in Arkansas. “A lot of professors who knew I was from New Orleans contacted me,” Coons said. He and the other students were also contacted by the University Chaplain’s office to find out if they needed assistance. Coons helped with the orientation for hurricane-displaced students yesterday. A senior economics major, he plans to return to New Orleans for law school and to practice law. The News Service can arrange interviews with Coons or other Wake Forest students from the Gulf Coast.
Contact: Cheryl Walker, walkercv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
WAKE FOREST STUDENTS, OTHERS ORGANIZING RELIEF EFFORTS — Wake Forest has organized a group called the Hurricane Katrina Relief Committee to create and coordinate events and activities on the university’s Reynolda Campus to aid the victims of the hurricane. The first event scheduled is an interfaith vigil in Wait Chapel at 9 p.m. Sept. 11, featuring speakers from various faith groups on campus, as well as music. The event is free and open to the public. Plans are developing now for a concert, a white ribbon campaign, community service trips to the Gulf Coast region and more. To speak with organizers, please call the Wake Forest News Service.
Contact: Kevin Cox, coxkp@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
SECREST SEASON OPENS WITH RENOWNED CELLO-PIANO DUO — Wake Forest University’s 2005-2006 Secrest Artist Series opens with a concert by renowned cello-piano duo David Finckel and Wu Han at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 8 in Brendle Recital Hall. The couple will also give a lecture with a question-and-answer session at 11 a.m. Sept. 8 in Scales Fine Arts Center, Music Wing, Room 103. Media are welcome to attend the lecture or either practice session from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. or 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Contact: Pam Barrett, barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
WHAT IS A ‘JACKSON SANDWICH’ ANYWAY? — Jack Lucido, a lecturer in communication at Wake Forest University, won’t say. “You’ll have to see it to get it,” Lucido said about his film chronicling the diagnosis and treatment of his son, Jackson, with an autism spectrum disorder. The film will be shown at 7 p.m. Sept. 20 in the university’s Carswell Hall, Room 111. A panel discussion and reception will follow the film. The event is free and open to the public. Lucido produced the film to advocate the importance of early diagnosis and treatment for children with developmental disorders such as autism. He plans on submitting the film to various film festivals in the near future.
Contact: Maggie Barrett, barretmb@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
CONSTITUTION DAY: FREE SPEECH VS. NATIONAL SECURITY — Throughout U.S. history, national crises have raised profound questions about civil liberties, including freedom of expression and association. In observance of Constitution Day, the Wake Forest School of Law will address these questions in a panel discussion titled, “First Amendment Freedoms During Times of Crisis.” The university-wide event will be held at noon Sept. 21 in the Worrell Professional Center, Room 1312. Panel members include Wake Forest professors Michael Kent Curtis, Robert Chesney and Wilson Parker. The event is free and open to the public. Media are welcome to attend.
Contact: Pam Barrett, barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
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