UNews - James McDowell

Gift of the past creates future opportunities

trevor.kenney — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 20:37:06 +0000

Kay's story was featured on Global News. View the video on the Global Lethbridge website.

When you sit in the presence of Dr. Kathleen Kerr (LLD ’04), better known as Kay, you have the keen sense that she’s the type of person you could shoot the breeze with for hours on end. Often recognized by the hats she frequently wears, she has a twinkle in her eye and carries a certain spunk not typically associated with a 94-year-old. It takes only minutes of conversation to confirm this suspicion as her story begins to take shape.

Kay Kerr and her late husband Jack owned four Kentucky Fried Chicken locations, and she personally developed the gravy recipe still used by KFC, while staying in the home of Colonel Sanders himself.

As Kay will tell you, her first job out of business college was in John Diefenbaker’s law office in Prince Albert, Sask. She was married in 1939, just a few days before Canada joined the Second World War, and she lost a brother (LAC George Hanson) in a flying accident in 1941. Kay and her late husband John (Jack) owned four Kentucky Fried Chicken locations, and she personally developed the gravy recipe still used by KFC, while staying in the home of Colonel Sanders himself.

Although Kay and Jack travelled the world, they made their home amidst the mountains in the Crowsnest Pass where they ran the legendary Turtle Mountain Hotel in Frank, Alta. Kay has received numerous accolades, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and an honorary degree from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Her life history is rich.

It follows then that her former three-story home was filled to the brim with nearly a century's worth of collectables, each with its own memory: German-crafted wardrobes, a long cigarette holder kept in a roll top desk, an intricate Arctic oosik (made from the bone of a walrus penis), a cup and saucer received as a wedding gift, boxes of KFC memorabilia, a K-Tell plug-in coffee maker for your car (still pristine in its box), a red velvet couch and a vintage camera – just to name a few.

However, when Kay made the move to a lodge in Blairmore, Alta., she knew she had to downsize and was faced with finding someone who would love her collection as much as she had.

A former member of the U of L Senate and Board of Governors, and long-time U of L supporter, Kay believed the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ might be just the place. Following a phone call and a visit, Kay made a plan to give the entire contents of her house to the U of L theatre department.

“After packing everything up in boxes, my two-car garage was absolutely loaded. I’ve seen pictures of houses where someone was a recluse and they’d saved everything, and corridors are piled high on both sides, well, that was my garage, right up to the rafters,” Kay recounts with a smile.

What followed was an epic move headed by James McDowell, the technical director for the U of L theatre. A 26-foot U-Haul trailer made the trip twice, three loads were carted in a pick-up and one more in a van – finally Kay’s garage was cleaned out.

The timing was serendipitous. Just weeks later, a set designer came into James’s office, explaining that he was looking for a large collection of antique furniture for his upcoming production, Courting Johanna.

“The opening line in the show was to be: “I have some furniture to ship…”

So I said, ‘come with me,’” James recalls. “We walked into the theatre where we had it stored, and he was like, ‘Oh my gosh, there it is.’”

And so it was, that many of Kay’s items already made their debut on stage earlier this year. As James explains, the newly acquired props can be hard to find and will help expand the drama department and benefit students.

“I’m grateful to Kay for offering this to us. She could have easily put it all up for auction and given the profit to her children. But she wanted to see it used. And she knows we’ll give it a good home. She recognized the value of what we do here, and we’re thankful,” says James.

As for Kay, she carries with her these words on stationery: “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”

“People ask me if I was sad to see everything go, but as far as the stuff is concerned, I really don’t miss it,” she says. “I think it’s just wonderful that my things will be used in a new way. It will just keep on giving, and that’s the best.”

Epp directs impressive cast in The Seagull

trevor.kenney — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:24:34 +0000

Within a rural Russian landscape, Anton Chekhov's masterpiece, The Seagull, weaves a touching and often comic story of love, ambition and hopefulness.

Showing Feb. 15-19 (8 p.m. nightly with a Feb. 19, 2 p.m. matinee) in the David Spinks Theatre, the U of L's interpretation of the Seagull is directed by Richard Epp. Written in 1895, The Seagull set a new a standard of realism on the stage.

"By the time Anton Chekhov turned his attention to crafting The Seagull, he was established as an award-winning author of short stories, and a playwright of brief, farcical entertainments," says Epp. "It was The Seagull which assured Chekhov's place as a celebrated Russian playwright and as a most influential figure of 20th century theatre."

The Seagull exposes the complex relationships and conflicts of an eccentric collection of characters visiting a sprawling country estate. Early on, it is apparent that playwright Konstantin loves his mother Irina, but is jealous of her fame as an actress and depressed about his own lack of success. From the moment Konstantin's play is presented to family and friends, everything begins to go wrong.

"In support of The Seagull's interest in generations of writers and actors, our talented cast and crew comprises students and alumni, faculty and staff, young and old, all of whom share a great respect for the play and a love of theatre," remarks Epp.

"The artistic designers of The Seagull, Roger Schultz (set and costumes), James McDowell (lighting) and Kelly Roberts (sound), are alumni of our degree program in Theatre and Dramatic Arts. As students in 1989, all three worked on my production of Chekhov's Three Sisters. It's a pleasure to work with all of them again," Epp says.

Among the talented cast are alumna Dr. Laurin Mann, who returns to campus as Arkadina, and Drama Education associate professor Dr. John Poulsen, who plays the bumbling estate manager, Ilya Shamrayev. Also featured, in a rare performance, is English Professor Emeritus, Dr. Brian Tyson, as the retired court official, Pyotr Sorin.

For a full look at the January issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

U of L Long Service Awards

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 May 2010 22:02:22 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is holding its annual Long Service Awards and Retirement Recognition Ceremony on Wednesday, May 5, at 1 p.m. in the Students' Union ballrooms. A total of 116 employees who have completed 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 years of service will be honoured, along with 20 retiring employees.

Following is a list of honoured employees.

Retirees

Hart Cantelon, Adrian Cooke, Hank DeRidder, Linda Gray, Rose Helmer, Bill Hennessy, Randy Joseph, Dave Kunimoto, Toni Nelson, Rita Nieuwenhuis, Fran Olivier, Joanne Overn, Frank Perrotta, Ralph Pollock, Kent Rolfson, Gloria Samuels, Jonathan Seldin, Dennis Thompson, Frank VandenHeuvel and Hafizah Yahya

Long Service Recipients

35 Years | Reg Bibby, Merle Christie, Richard Epp, Christina Lastuka, Leroy Little Bear and Ian Wells

30 Years | Lynn Arnold, Leslie Lavers and Timothy Pope

25 Years | Donna Court, Marion Eastman, Rita Law, Jennifer Mather, Ralph Pollock, Leslie Robison-Greene, Pamela Loewen and Charlene Sawatsky

20 Years | Scott Allen, Pat Anderson, Steve Calvert, Garth Copeland, Leslie Dawn, Karen Dow-Cazal, Barbara Dudley, Linda Embury, Kim Fowler, Rumi Graham, Ruth Grant Kalischuk, Linda Gray, Anthony Hall, Wendy Herbers, Pat Hodd, Shelly Hutchinson, Leona Jacobs, Tom Johnston, Cindy Kabelka, Stella Kedoin, Hadi Kharaghani, Al Kizuk, Vern Leckie, Patti Leeb, James McDowell, Ken McInnes, Mike McKenna, Glen Montgomery, Jane O'Dea, Fran Olivier, Joanne Overn, Debbie Payne, Margaret Rodermond, Catherine Ross, David Siminovitch, Jackie Slezina, Dan Sudo, Darlene Sutherland, Julie Tran, Nancy Walker, Wendy Westergreen and Pamela Winsor

15 Years | Nola Aitken, Heather Anderson, Katherine Chiste, Fred Del Cid, Susanne Garner, Linda Gilbert, Al Hill, Rebecca Johnson, Lyn Jose, Catherine Kanashiro, Terry Kirkvold, Marc Roussel,and Lorne Williams

10 Years | Amir Akbary-Majdabadno, Debra Basil, Michael Basil, Jasminn Berteotti, Brian Black, Jodie Black, Bill Cade, Jane Cahoon, Steve Craig, Brian Dobing, Anne Dymond, Richard Feenstra, James Graham, Arlene Grimes, Thelma Gunn, Erika Hasebe-Ludt, David Hay, Lynn Hopkins, Gordon Hunter, Tanya Jacobson-Gundlock, Mary Kavanagh, Dan Kazakoff, Abdie Kazemipur, Stefan Kienzle, Danny Le Roy, Becky Lore, Heidi MacDonald, Kevin Matis, Muriel Mellow, Richard Mueller, Brenda Nixon, Sam Ogita, Gail Postman, Drew Rendall, Kelly Roberts, Gongbing Shan, Kim Skura, Heather Stevens, Trent Takeyasu, Gwen Umeris, Paul Vasey, Cindy Venhuis, Mike Whipple, Ilsa Wong and Wei Xu

Celebrate Long Service Awards

trevor.kenney — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:01:14 +0000

Following is a list of honoured employees.

Retirees

Long Service Recipients

35 Years | Reg Bibby, Merle Christie, Richard Epp, Christina Lastuka, Leroy Little Bear and Ian Wells

30 Years | Lynn Arnold, Leslie Lavers and Timothy Pope

25 Years | Donna Court, Marion Eastman, Rita Law, Jennifer Mather, Ralph Pollock, Leslie Robison-Greene, Pamela Loewen and Charlene Sawatsky

Festen offers dark perspective

trevor.kenney — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:29:32 +0000

Secrets, scandal and slander are the themes of David Eldridge's Festen, the next Theatre and Dramatic Arts production, playing Nov. 24 to 28, 8 p.m. nightly in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre.

This dark and intriguing work shakes the skeletons in the closet of a family's shameful past, rocking their foundation and threatening to destroy their middle-class respectability.

"This is one of those plays actors starve for," says Director Jay Whitehead. "The cast has truly embraced the challenges of this play – to go to the dark places the material takes them. We've spent a great deal of time preparing relationships, as there is a great deal of love among the hate within each of the characters."

The play begins at patriarch Helge's 60th birthday party as family members gather to celebrate and to smooth over the cracks left by daughter Linda's recent suicide. As Helge's eldest son, Christian raises the first toast, and guests are rocked by revelations he is determined to expose.

"The play is so confronting," says Whitehead. "We want the audience to be right in the middle of it."

Quite literally, the audience will feel like guests at the table as seating is set on stage – an intimate and eye-opening spectacle as the plot unravels. From the revealing lighting to the stark set, the elements of the production add to the emotional character of the play.

"The lighting, sound and set are innovative and interesting," says Whitehead. "The look and feel of the production very much aligns with the mood and tone of the play."

The set was designed by James McDowell, with Kelly Roberts as sound designer and Mike Takats as the lighting designer.

"This is an emotional night at the theatre," adds Whitehead. "The themes revolve around relationships that are universal. Festen exposes the big pink elephants in the room, which all families can identify with."

Audiences are warned that the subject matter is very mature, and may be unsuitable for audiences under 18 years of age. Seating is very limited, and tickets are on sale at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Box Office.

Festen offers dark perspective

trevor.kenney — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:39:34 +0000

This dark and intriguing work shakes the skeletons in the closet of a family's shameful past, rocking their foundation and threatening to destroy their middle-class respectability.

"The play is so confronting," says Whitehead. "We want the audience to be right in the middle of it."

"The lighting, sound and set are innovative and interesting," says Whitehead. "The look and feel of the production very much aligns with the mood and tone of the play."

The set was designed by James McDowell, with Kelly Roberts as sound designer and Mike Takats as the lighting designer.

UNews - James McDowell

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