1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

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Community invited to help Transylvania live up to its name this Halloween

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON Ky.—What better place for a spooky jack-o’-lantern extravaganza than Transylvania? This year, Fayette County elementary school classes are invited to participate in the university’s Pumpkinmania Halloween celebration. The students will compete in a pumpkin carving contest that will transform the steps of historic Old Morrison into a frightfully awesome Halloween display. The university also will have trick-or-treating for the public on Oct. 28, the night of the pumpkin lighting. Everyone is invited to drive or walk by campus to see the display until Oct. 31. “Transylvania should be associated with Halloween like fireworks on the Fourth of July,” said Jeff Mudrak, human resources director. “It has one of the coolest names in higher education.” Not only will schoolchildren get to say they celebrated the holiday at you-know-where, but they’ll also see their jack-o’-lanterns glow alongside hundreds of others. “The best thing about it is to be able to look up and find your pumpkin and see how it fits in with the rest,” Office Services Coordinator Eric Ramsey said. “It’s just fun.” Some pumpkins from previous years included ones the university’s Department of Public Safety made to look like their safety officers; another participant carved Old Morrison’s façade. “We encourage people to be as creative as possible,” Ramsey said. Participating classes earn a chance to win a pizza party and $50 in educational supplies. Also, the school that provides the most carved pumpkins will receive special recognition. When entering

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Transylvania’s newest art exhibition connects Lexington’s vibrant gay history and current LGBTQ* community

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—“I’ll Be Your Mirror,” Morlan Gallery’s exhibition opening Oct. 25, reveals Lexington’s historically rich, vibrant and fairly secretive gay culture. Referencing the well-known Velvet Underground song, “I’ll Be Your Mirror” depicts the story of the town’s drag queens, sexual outlaws and gender-bending guerilla artists from the turn of the twentieth century right up to present day through the work of contemporary visual artists. “I’ll Be Your Mirror” was curated by Lexington-based artist Robert Morgan, who as a child of the 1960s met people who had identified as gay in the early part of the twentieth century. “I was mesmerized by the tales from their lives and was given loving advice and guidance as I began my life’s adventure as a gay kid from Kentucky on his way into a new century,” explained Morgan. The exhibition explores the flamboyant local lore of days gone by, including ghost stories from the Thomas January House on Lexington’s West Second Street; cross-dressing civil war hero Sue Mundy who, at John Hunt Morgan’s death, took over Morgan’s Raiders and became a legend; and images of the colorful and much loved Sweet Evening Breeze, Lexington’s 1950s version of RuPaul. In “I’ll Be Your Mirror,” Morgan creates a nexus between the historical gay Old South of the twentieth century and the political activism of the twenty-first century. The show celebrates the rebirth of the gay community with young visual artists who have a new way of

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Transylvania welcomes British archaeologist for talk about our love of music

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Why do people in all cultures sing or play instruments? And why do humans have a special capacity to make and enjoy music? Steven Mithen, professor of early prehistory and pro-vice-chancellor at the University of Reading in England, will offer his theories on these questions during a lecture at Transylvania University on Thursday, Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m. in Carrick Theater. The lecture is sponsored by the Bingham-Young Fellowship Program and Transylvania’s Creative Intelligence Lecture Series. It’s free and open to the public. The subject of Mithen’s lecture, “The Music Instinct: The Evolutionary Basis of Musicality,” is drawn from his life-long research into early prehistoric communities and the evolution of human intelligence, language and music. His research includes long-term field projects in western Scotland (Mesolithic) and southern Jordan (early Neolithic). In 2005 he wrote “The Singing Neanderthals,” one of several books he has authored on the creative and cognitive life of early man. Having originally studied fine art at the Slade School, he completed a B.A. in prehistory and archaeology at Sheffield University, an M.S. in biological computation from York University and a Ph.D. in archaeology from Cambridge University, where he taught prior to moving to the University of Reading in 1992. For more information about the Bingham lecture, contact music professor Ben Hawkins at bhawkins@transy.edu or 859-233-8259.

Opening ceremonies for Transylvania’s new athletics field Oct. 19

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LEXINGTON Ky.—Transylvania University has transformed the site of an old tobacco warehouse into a $10 million athletics facility that will benefit not only the school but also the entire community. Join us Saturday, Oct. 19, to celebrate the opening of the new field at the 555 West Fourth Street facility. Opening day events will include an introduction of sports teams and words from President R. Owen Williams around 3 p.m. and games, music and face painting. A full day of sports will kick off at 1 p.m. with a women’s soccer game. The field will be home to the university’s soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and track and field teams. A grandstand that seats more than 800 spectators will overlook an eight-lane track and artificial turf field lighted for nighttime intercollegiate competition. The field is part of the Athletics Complex, which will include a field house with locker and conference rooms, office space, a sports medicine facility, concessions, a ticket booth and public restrooms. The field house is expected to be open in early January. “We’re absolutely excited,” Athletics Director Holly K. Sheilley said of the project. “It’s a state-of-the-art facility that I think the community and the university can be very proud of.” The public is invited to come out and cheer on our Pioneers and attend the opening ceremonies. With this project, Transylvania is helping revitalize this area of downtown. The site is near the future campus of Bluegrass

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Michele Norris comes to Transylvania to discuss her memoir, “The Grace of Silence”

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Michele Norris, award-winning journalist and host and special correspondent for National Public Radio, will speak at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 8 in Transylvania’s Haggin Auditorium  as part of the Kenan Lecture Series, funded by a grant from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust. This lecture is part of Transylvania’s year-long program, Still Overcoming: Striving for Inclusiveness, and is free and open to the public. Norris will discuss her book “The Grace of Silence: A Memoir,” which focuses on how America talks about race and explores her own family’s racial legacy.   Before coming to NPR, Norris was a correspondent for ABC News. As a contributing correspondent for the “Closer Look” segments on “World News Tonight with Peter Jennings,” Norris reported extensively on education, inner city issues, the nation’s drug problem and poverty. She has also reported for the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times. Norris has received numerous awards, including the 2009 Journalist of the Year award from the National Association of Black Journalists and their 2006 Salute to Excellence Award for her coverage of Hurricane Katrina. In 2007 she was honored with Ebony Magazine’s eighth annual Outstanding Women in Marketing & Communications Award and in 2009 was named one of Essence Magazine’s 25 Most Influential Black Americans. Norris also earned both an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award for her contribution to ABC News’ coverage of 9/11. Norris attended the University of Wisconsin, where she majored

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