Highlights from the latest alumni news columns.
Underground photography
A new exhibition installed in a major New York City subway station features eight large-scale photographs of the subway and its riders taken by Danny Lyon, AB’63. The exhibition, Underground: 1966, is the first time these images have been displayed publicly. Widely known for his photographs of the civil rights movement in the South and motorcycle gangs in Chicago, Lyon has been the subject of exhibits at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
“I was born in Chicago ...”
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 18. Featuring singer and harmonica player Paul Butterfield, LAB’60; guitarist Elvin Bishop, EX’64; and organist Mark Naftalin, AB’64, the band helped bring Chicago blues into the mainstream in the 1960s, recording several successful albums and playing at major festivals across the country.
Under-30 achievers
Dan Kimerling, AB’08, AM’08, and Kai Wright, AB’07, have been named to Forbes’s annual “30 Under 30” lists. Kimerling was featured on the “Enterprise Technology” list as the cofounder of Standard Treasury, a start-up that develops standard application programming interfaces to help businesses facilitate financial transactions. Wright was recognized on the “Music” list for his work as head of public relations and communications for Sean “Diddy” Combs’ cable TV network, Revolt.
Liberal arts leader
David A. Reingold, LAB’86, AM’92, PhD’96, has been appointed the Justin S. Morrill Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University, effective March 1. In his new position, he is focusing on strengthening arts, humanities, and social sciences on campus and in the community. Previously, Reingold was a professor and executive associate dean at Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
Fan favorite
Dmitri Tippens Krushnic, AB’97, better known as Misha Collins, has won the 2015 People’s Choice Award for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor. Since 2008, he has played the angel Castiel on the CW drama Supernatural. Collins has not forgotten his UChicago roots—he hosts a large annual scavenger hunt for his fans inspired by the campus tradition.
Modern theology
Lisa Sowle Cahill, AM’73, PhD’76, is the recipient of Barry University’s 2015 Yves Congar Award for Theological Excellence, which recognizes contemporary theologians who place a special emphasis on meeting the challenges of modern life. Cahill, the J. Donald Monan, SJ, Professor of Theology at Boston College, is a nationally recognized ethicist whose work focuses on the complexity of modern moral issues. She has written several books and is the past president of both the Catholic Theological Society of America and the Society of Christian Ethics.
President rose
Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, has appointed Clayton S. Rose, AB’80, MBA’81, as its next president, effective July 1. He will be just the 15th president in the liberal arts college’s 221-year history. Rose is currently a professor at the Harvard Business School, where he teaches management practice and leadership. Previously he was vice chairman and chief operating officer at JP Morgan. “Clayton Rose has a powerful commitment to the liberal arts and to the value of that kind of education, no matter what a person goes on to do,” said former University president Hanna Gray.
Prehistoric pioneer
In March paleobotanist Ellen Currano, SB’03, received a $450,000 Faculty Early Career Development Program Award from the National Science Foundation to support both her research into prehistoric ecosystems and her efforts to bring more women into the geosciences. Currano, an assistant professor at the University of Wyoming, is one of the founders of the Bearded Lady Project, a documentary and portrait series that aims to show the only difference between male and female scientists is facial hair.