OUR TOWN
Alain Barker: IU Music School Career Development Director
The Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University’s world-renowned conservatory, has traditionally prepared students for careers in performing, composing, or teaching music. But in recent years, all of those “legacy tracks” in the music field have evolved dramatically.
Applications Now Open for City’s Solar and Energy Efficiency Loan Grants
As part of Mayor John Hamilton’s Recover Forward initiative, the City of Bloomington is providing support for organizations to improve building efficiency through projects such as solar installation, appliance and lighting upgrades, and weatherization with the goals of reducing utility costs and saving energy.
David Brent Johnson: WFIU-FM Jazz Director
David Brent Johnson was in his early 20s and unsure of what he was going to do with his life until one day he was sitting in a Bloomington coffeehouse and he became aware of the music that was playing
Scott Dolson: Director, IU Intercollegiate Athletics
On March 17, five days after the NCAA canceled its Division I basketball tournaments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Indiana University announced that Scott Dolson, deputy athletic director, would succeed Fred Glass as the university’s director of intercollegiate athletics on July 1.
Elaine Monaghan: Journalist
As a foreign correspondent, Elaine Monaghan witnessed Northern Ireland’s 1998 Good Friday Agreement, covered the Kosovo War, and traveled with two U.S. secretaries of state.
OUR TOWN
Alain Barker: IU Music School Career Development Director
The Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University’s world-renowned conservatory, has traditionally prepared students for careers in performing, composing, or teaching music. But in recent years, all of those “legacy tracks” in the music field have evolved dramatically.
Applications Now Open for City’s Solar and Energy Efficiency Loan Grants
As part of Mayor John Hamilton’s Recover Forward initiative, the City of Bloomington is providing support for organizations to improve building efficiency through projects such as solar installation, appliance and lighting upgrades, and weatherization with the goals of reducing utility costs and saving energy.
David Brent Johnson: WFIU-FM Jazz Director
David Brent Johnson was in his early 20s and unsure of what he was going to do with his life until one day he was sitting in a Bloomington coffeehouse and he became aware of the music that was playing
Scott Dolson: Director, IU Intercollegiate Athletics
On March 17, five days after the NCAA canceled its Division I basketball tournaments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Indiana University announced that Scott Dolson, deputy athletic director, would succeed Fred Glass as the university’s director of intercollegiate athletics on July 1.
Elaine Monaghan: Journalist
As a foreign correspondent, Elaine Monaghan witnessed Northern Ireland’s 1998 Good Friday Agreement, covered the Kosovo War, and traveled with two U.S. secretaries of state.
League of Women Voters and Citizens’ Climate Lobby Host Forum on Climate Change
The League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County and the South Central Indiana Chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby will hold a nonpartisan virtual forum on climate change Thursday, October 8, from 6:30–8 p.m.
Rahul Shrivastav: IU Dining Director
Restaurants, cafés, cafeterias, concession stands, catering—they are all under the purview of Rahul Shrivastav, executive director of Indiana University Dining.
Marietta Simpson: Opera Professor
Mezzo-soprano Marietta Simpson’s repertoire ranges from Bach and Beethoven to Gershwin and Bernstein.
Joe Weiler: Golfer
Joe Weiler started golfing at the Bloomington Country Club as a way to spend time with his friends. But by the time he hit seventh grade and was consistently beating his father at the game, he realized he was getting pretty good.
Audrey Heller: Theater Pioneer
The Jewish Theatre of Bloomington was founded 15 years ago by Audrey Heller and Bakol Ruben Geller, and while Rubin Geller departed for Israel several years ago, Heller is still going strong.
Doug Bauder: LGBTQ+ Educator
Following his retirement at the end of 2019, Doug Bauder, founding director of the Indiana University LGBTQ+ Culture Center, is ready to start work on a book reflecting on that experience.
John McCluskey: Author, Athlete, Teacher
Back in 1964, when he was a junior at Harvard University, John McCluskey was the first African American to start at quarterback for an Ivy League team. He also started his senior year, and it tickles him now to think that George W. Bush was a cheerleader on the sidelines and that John Kerry watched from the stands while McCluskey led Harvard to victories over Yale.
Michael Shermis: Connector
Michael Shermis is a connector. As a consultant, he facilitates retreats that help nonprofits connect with their missions.
William Vance: Local NAACP President
In 1909, a multi-racial group of activists formed the NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization. Today, the local branch of the organization maintains that tradition of diversity, with as many white members as African American members.
Rish Naran: From Zimbabwe To Bloomington
At 18, Rishel “Rish” Naran traveled from his home country of Zimbabwe to Texas, his heart set on a career as a professional golfer. Unfortunately, he suffered a back injury during a soccer game, making a golf career unattainable. Changing paths is what eventually landed him in Bloomington where, at 29, he works as the general manager of Andy Mohr Honda.
Kathleen McLean: Bassoonist Professor
When she joined the school band in her hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, 11-year-old Kathleen McLean wasn’t really interested in playing the bassoon. Her first choice was the trumpet. But she was assigned the tall, thin woodwind and, she says, “Then I fell in love with the sound, so akin to the human voice.”
Sammy L. Davis: War Hero
Sammy Lee Davis enlisted in the Army during the Vietnam era while a senior at Mooresville High School, south of Indianapolis. He was sent into battle and had been in Vietnam just eight months when, on the night of November 18, 1967, his artillery regiment of 42 was overrun by about 1,500 North Vietnamese soldiers.
Don Griffin Jr.: Realtor and Civic Activist
Fifteen years ago, Don Griffin Jr. had a thriving real estate brokerage but was disillusioned with the business. He stopped advertising, closed his office, and planned to become a chaplain. Then he made a resolution that would change everything. “I decided I would just work with people I like, and it’s not going to be about money but about helping people get to the next chapter in their lives,” Griffin says. “And it was funny. People started coming to me more.”
Katie Mills: Bassoonist Extraordinaire
When she was in middle school and studying the cello, Katie Mills had a musical epiphany: “I knew I wanted to play an instrument that nobody else played.”
Jackson Njau: Paleoanthropologist
One might say Jackson Njau, 52, was born into the paleoanthropology field—or at least very near it.
