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LOYOLAN
VOL. 7 1 • NO. 2 5 LOYOLA M ARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY April 2 7, 1 994
Dr. Limon Wins 1994 American Book Award
By Michelle Nordblom
Managing Editor
Dr. Graciela Limon, chair of
the Department of Modern
Languages, has been named a win¬
ner of a 1 994 American Book Award
for her novel, In Search of Bernabe.
Limon has been selected by the
Before Columbus Foundation of
Oakland, California, to receive one
of sixteen American Book Awards,
to be presented at the American
Booksellers Association Convention
on May 29 in Los Angeles.
‘This is a great honor to me,”
Limon stated. “I am very happy to
have been selected to receive such
a prestigious award.” Limon pub¬
lished In Search of Bernabe last fall,
and has earned wide recognition as
a writer. After the novel was fea¬
tured in the New York Times Book
Review , the entire first printing of
the novel sold out.
Dr. Limon joins fifteen other writ¬
ers and editors, including such dis-
tinguished names as Janet
Campbell Hale, Edward Said, and
Joseph Mitchell, in receiving Ameri¬
can Book Awards. The Before Co¬
lumbus Foundation is a non-profit
educational and service organiza¬
tion dedicated to the “promotion. . .
of contemporary American
multicultural literature.”
The selection panel chooses a
group of winners each year that
exhibit the many aspects of Ameri¬
can literature, and all winners are
considered equal in standing. There
are no limitations to the works that
are considered for the awards, for
“the only criterion [is an] outstand¬
ing contribution to American litera¬
ture in the opinion of the judges.”
Limon has also been asked to
join a panel of four Latina writers to
appear at the National Association
of Women’s Studies Conference in
Ames, Iowa, on June 17. Thetheme
of the conference is “Global Femi¬
nism,” and each member of the
panel will read from her work and
discuss her views on feminism in
Latina culture. Limon said they will
also address “ the impact of Latina
identity on writing.”
Dr. Lim6n wrote In Search of
Bernabe as both a “political state¬
ment [and] a statement of concern
for the immigrants who come to Los
Angeles." Limon has also published
Maria de Belen: The Autobiogra¬
phy of an Indian Woman (1 990) and
a short story.
Her next novel, The Memories of
Ana Calderdn , will appear in print in
late May. Limon will continue to
participate in readings, signings
and discussions of her new book.
Awards Ceremony to Honor
African American Students
By Dr. John Reilly
Contributor
Nearly one hundred LMU Afri¬
can-American students will be
honored for their achievements and
volunteer services at the 21st An¬
nual African American Awards Cer¬
emony on Sunday, May 1 at 2 p.m.
in St. Robert’s Auditorium.
Professor Selase Williams of
California State University at
Northridge will deliver the keynote
address on the theme of the convo¬
cation, ‘The World in Our Hands,”
which perceives African-Americans
empowering themselves to direct
the course of the nation and the
world by Afro-centric values.
Professor Williams’ academic
career began at the University of
Washington in Seattle, where in
1975 he was appointed assistant
professor of Linguistics, Black Stud¬
ies and International Studies. In
: 1 981 , he was appointed Director of
the Afro-American Studies Program,
a post which he held until 1987. In
the summer of 1987 he accepted
the position of Director of the Center
for Educational and Cultural Ad¬
vancement and Associate Profes¬
sor at the University of Wisconsin-'
Parkside.
Since the fall of 1988, Williams
has served as the Chairman of the
Pan-African Studies at CSUN, one
of the largest Black Studies units in
the country. As of July 1 994, he will
assume the position of Dean of the
College of Arts and Sciences at
California State University-
Dominguez Hills.
Singing the theme song of the
Ceremony, “We’ve Got the Whole
World in our Hands” is Billy Dorsey,
gospel recording artist, Broadway
performer and grand nephew of the
late Thomas Dorsey, who was the
Creator/ Father of Gospel.
Professor Kenneth Washington,
lecturer in African-American Stud¬
ies at LMU and a notable theatre,
film and television actor, will render
a special interpretation of “Young,
Gifted and Black,” a speech written
by the late African-American
playright Lorraine Hansberry.
Highlights of the awards convo¬
cation will include the President’s
Award for Outstanding Service and
Academic Achievement by Fr. Tho¬
mas P. O’Malley, LMU President,
and the granting of the Golden State
Minority Foundation Award of a
$1500 scholarship and plaque to a
high achiever in business studies
by Ivan houston, Jr., who is presi¬
dent of the Golden State Minority
Foundation.
Also receiving awards of appre¬
ciation for services to the University
and the LMU African-American com¬
munity are several faculty, staff and
parents. Approximately 300 people
are expected to attend and celebrate
the accomplishments of the honor-
ees.
The public is invited and a recep¬
tion will follow in St. Robert’s Audi¬
torium.
Photo courtesy of Dr. John Reilly
Professor Selase Williams , distinguished scholar in African-American
Studies , will give the keynote address at the African-American Awards
convocation .
Photo by Scott Cunningham
Mary Ramsey, a visitor to campus, was startled when this twenty-five
foot tree blew over on top of her moving car last Sunday. Ramsey was
uninjured.
Tree Topples on
Moving Vehicle
By James Keane
Assistant News Editor
High gusting winds created a
spectacle last Sunday after¬
noon when they caused one of the
trees flanking the front entrance to
campus to topple over onto a mov¬
ing vehicle.
The driver of the car, Mary
Ramsey, was unhurt by the 25-foot
tall coral tree when the wind tore it
up by the roots and sent it crashing
into the rightmost lane of the exit to
campus.
The falling tree was one of a
number of coral trees which were
planted approximately 1 5 years ago
on both sides of the entrance to
campus, according to Mark
Jacobsen, Supervisor of Grounds
and Transportation.
Because the trees are planted in
a grassy lawn area, the roots tend to
grow very close to the surface to
capture waterintendedforthegrass
and can leave the trees vulnerable
to extremely high winds.
A strong blast of wind sent the
tree crashing over onto Ramsey’s
oncoming 1985 Toyota Camry at
1:20 p.m. Sunday afternoon, stop¬
ping the car in its tracks and leaving
it almost entirely covered by leaves
and branches.
Public Safety quickly circum¬
scribed the area with cones and
directed curious passersby around
the spectacle. The debris covered
the entire righthand lane of the
Loyola Boulevard exit.
Senior Kelly Younger was wit¬
ness to the incident. “I was just
dropping off my friend John down
the street when I turned back and
saw the tree just topple over,” he
said. “At first I didn’t even realize
there was a car underneath, be¬
cause it was so thoroughly hidden.
Then I saw what looked like some¬
one stepping out of the tree.”
Ramsey’s car suffered minor
damage from the tree, including a
damaged rear taillight, numerous
dents along the right side and roof,
and scratches over most of the roof,
hood, and right side. Costs for
repair are covered by the Univer¬
sity.
Workers from Operations and
Maintenance quickly prunedthe tree
and had it removed in under three
hours. Once the car was freed,
Ramsey brought it to Public Safety
for a damage Assessment and fi¬
nally departed campus at 4:20 that
afternoon.
Campus Life
— Sports — •*
15
Baseball Wins Series over Saint
Mary's
Perspective
Arts & Entertainment—*
Campus Questions Asks about
Dealing with Stress
A Tribute to Richard Nixon
Pink Floyd: An Unforgettable
Experience
Issue
