TROY News Center

TROY – A Troy University design professor has been awarded the FATE Distinguished Service Award.

The national arts organization Foundations in Art: Theory and Education presented its award to Jerry Johnson for his strong commitment and increasing contribution to the organization, dedication to foundation teaching and administration, his capacity for innovating and a willingness to share knowledge with colleagues.

Termed an “impassioned teacher and leader in the arts,” Johnson has been the voice of FATE as its three-term Vice President for Communications.

“For seven years, Jerry has worked closely with FATE leaders and members to create consistent, relevant communications, delivery methods for which have evolved to keep pace with technology and the needs of FATE members,” said Greg Skaggs, also a TROY art professor and its new communications vice president. “His redesign of FATE communications, including the organization’s website and newsletter, has ensured leaders, members and the general public access to available research and opportunities.”

Johnson introduced the media-rich “FATE Updater” email, which currently has a circulation of 4,200, and brought social media into play for the organization, extending FATE’s community outreach.

Since his third term as a vice president, which began in 2011, Johnson has collaborated with FATE leaders and board members to transition to a new web-content management system called “MemberClicks.” The shift streamlined how educators access information, become FATE members, register for events and receive official communications.

In addition to his role at FATE, he also directs the International Center for Collaboration and Creativity, iC3, headquartered at TROY. He is also an associate with the Center for Design, Technology and Innovation and is currently developing an online graduate program in Arts and Design Management.

Troy University’s Department of Theatre and Dance will present the Broadway musical “Chicago” on stage at the Trojan Center Theatre Feb. 28 through March 2. Nightly shows will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The story of murder, greed, corruption, violence and exploitation is Broadway’s longest running American musical. Tickets for the show are $10 or $5 for TROY students with a valid student ID. The Trojan Center Box Office is open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tickets are also available online at www.troytheatre.org.

Directing TROY’s production is Assistant Professor Roy Hudson with choreography by Assistant Professor Tracy Gilland-Shillabeer.

Grace Bailey, a junior theatre major from Bonifay, Fla., will play the role of Velma Kelly, a vaudevillian on trial for killing her cheating husband and sister. Kara McDowell, a senior theatre major from Pelham, will fill the role of Roxie Hart, a wannabe vaudevillian who is sent to jail for killing her ex-boyfriend after a spat. Quade Sewell, a junior theatre major from Stone Mountain, Ga., will portray Billy Flynn, the lawyer for the two who wins sympathy by making celebrities of his clients.

The remainder of the cast includes:

Nick Stella, a sophomore theatre major from Tuscaloosa, as Amos Hart, Roxie’s husband;

Marissa Mena, senior theatre education major from Pelham, as Matron;

Shane Murphy, a senior theatre major from Montgomery, as Mary Sunshine;

Monica Bates, a senior athletic training major from Wapakoneta, OH, as Annie, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

Mary Catherine Chambliss, a junior theatre education major from Cataula, Ga., as Liz, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

Jordan Gulledge, a junior theatre and dance major from Montgomery, as Mona, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

Jessica Threet, a senior theatre major from Huntsville, as June, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

Brooke Johnston, a sophomore theatre major from Wetumpka, as a reporter, Go-to-Hell-Kitty, Justice and a member of the chorus;

Savanna Moore, a freshman undeclared major from Montgomery, as Hunyak, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

Justin Kirkpatrick, a sophomore theatre major from Birmingham, as Fred Casely, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

Jacobi Hall, a junior theatre major from Huntsville, as Aaron, MC, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

Sean Hopkins, a senior theatre education major from Bonifay, Fla., as Sgt. Fogerty, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

D.J. Gilroy, a freshman theatre major from Enterprise, as Tailor, a reporter, a juror and a member of the chorus;

Ardrell Green, a senior theatre major from Montgomery, as Bailiff, Page, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

DeMarius Copes, a freshman theatre and dance major from Fairfield, as clerk, policeman, Uncle Sam, a reporter and a member of the chorus; and

Scott Wheet, a freshman dance major from Cape Coral, Fla., as Harry, policeman, judge, page, a reporter and a member of the chorus.

For additional information on the production, call 334- 808-6477.

A project designed to stress the importance of tolerance and respect for different cultures at a Tennessee middle school will be the topic of a series of lectures at Troy University Jan. 22-24 as a part of the University’s “Year of Holocaust Remembrance” activities.

Sandra Roberts, the eighth-grade language arts at Whitwell (Tenn.) Middle School, will discuss “The Paperclip Project,” which began in 1998 as an after-school study program to examine the Holocaust, during lectures at the Troy, Dothan and Montgomery campuses.

The lectures are co-sponsored by Troy University, the Alabama Humanities Foundation, the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center, One Clip at a Time, the Troy-Pike Cultural Arts Center, Temple Emanu-El in Dothan and Troy University’s College of Communication and Fine Arts.

The paperclip became the focus of the project when students discovered that Joseph Valler, a Norwegian Jew, was credited as having invented the paper clip and that Norwegians commonly wore them on their lapels as a silent protest against Nazi occupation during World War II. The initial goal was to collect six million paper clips, one for each of the victims of the Holocaust victims.

Students began bringing paperclips to school and then established a website to bolster their collection efforts. The students soon began to receive not only paperclips but also countless letters and documents relating to the Holocaust. To date, the students in Whitwell have collected more than 30 million paperclips and more than 30,000 letters from all 50 states, more than 50 foreign countries and from all seven continents.

The project was the topic of the award-winning documentary, “Paper Clips,” by Miramax Films in 2004.

Roberts will lecture to middle school students in the Claudia Crosby Theater on the Troy Campus beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 22. A lecture for Troy University students and the public will be presented at 1 p.m. in the Trojan Center Theatre, followed by a community reception at 5 p.m. and a gallery lecture, “Learning from the Holocaust,” at 5:30 p.m. at the Johnson Center for the Arts on East Walnut Street in downtown Troy. All of Tuesday’s events are free and open to the public.

On Jan. 23, Roberts will speak with students from Dothan City schools beginning at 9:30 a.m. A public lecture and reception will be held at 4 p.m. in the Sony Hall auditorium inside the Library/Technology Building on TROY’s Dothan Campus. Roberts also will deliver the public presentation “Learning from the Holocaust” at Temple Emanu-El in Dothan at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 23. The event is free and open to the public.

Roberts will deliver her presentation to students, faculty and the public in Montgomery on Jan. 24 beginning at 6 p.m. in the Rosa Parks Museum Auditorium. Earlier that day, she will also lecture to Montgomery area middle school students.

For more information about the lectures or the Year of Holocaust Remembrance, contact the Office of Sponsored Programs at (334) 670-3102.