Byrne Hall

Byrne Hall
The Academy building was turned over to DePaul University, and renamed Byrne Hall. Bygone DePaul | Special Collections & Archives

Introduction

About the DePaul Emeritus Society

DePaul University values its ongoing connections with its faculty and staff retirees, as it values their past contributions to the university’s mission. The DePaul University Emeritus Society was founded in 2008 with the merger of the Staff Emeritus Society and the Emeritus Professors Association. The Society is sponsored by the University’s Office of Mission and Values.

The purpose of the DePaul Emeritus Society is to provide a means for ongoing connection, communication, and socialization between the university and its emeritus faculty and staff, and between individual retirees whose professional lives were for so many years dedicated to university service.

Photos, events, and information of interest to members of the DePaul Emeritus Society will be posted to this blog. Please take a look, add your comment, offer to be an "author" or just enjoy.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Vincentian Heritage Tour - August 2-14, 2011


The 2011 Vincentian Heritage Tour to France is open to retirees and  is now accepting reservations.  The tour travels to many of the locations that were a part of St. Vincent's life.  Some of the highlights include:
  • Paris - home of the Vincentian motherhouse AND excellent food and wine
  • Folleville -  where the Congregation of the Mission had its origins in a sermon given by St. Vincent in the parish church here
  • Dax - Vincent's birthplace
  • Toulouse - Vincent studied at the university in Toulouse
  • Carcassone - the greatest fortress city in Europe
  • Avignon - the residence of several 14th century popes
  • Chatillon-sur-Chalaronne - the Gothic church where St. Vincent was pastor
  • Beaune -  the Hôtel-Dieu, a hospital typical of ones the church operated in the time of St. Vincent and the most amazing and colorful French county market
The tour will be lead by Frs. Ed Udovic and John Rybolt, both Vincentian historians.  Many of the retirees have taken this tour either when they were still working at the University or since retirement.  All would agree, it is a most wonderful experience.

For more information, contact:
Georgianna E. Torres-Reyes
Assistant Vice President, University Mission and Values
Phone: 312-362-8645
Email: gtorres@depaul.edu

New Academic Building

The construction of the new academic building at the corner of Belden and Seminary is moving right along.

Bob Janis shared a few of the highlights of the building:
  • The overall size of the building is 117,000 sf.
  • It is a steel frame building that will be finished with brick masonry and stone accents.
  • Its interior focal point will be a four story open communicating stair in the center of the building that has at its top a large skylight. At the lobby a large stained glass piece is being refurbished to incorporate into the exterior wall at the first floor.
  • At the exterior the southwest corner is being built into a 5,000 sq. foot "park" for students and others to "hang out" and enjoy the outdoors.
  • It will contain 41 general purpose classrooms ranging in size from 25 seats to 110 in various configurations (i.e. flat floor seminar style to auditorium)
  • It will house the departments of English and History of Art & Architecture.
  • It will contain significant student study and gathering areas designed into the common area space.
  • Construction is scheduled to be complete by November 1, 2011. We will furnish and occupy during November and December and open for use Winter Quarter, 2012.
It looks like it will be a beautiful building.   For those of you who haven't been on campus lately, these photos are from late October, 2010.  Thought you might like to see how the building is coming along.




Luncheon, October 29, 2010 - Photos

Over 60 members and spouses of the DePaul Emeritus Society enjoyed the Fall Luncheon in the LPC Student Center.  We were honored to have Cherif Bassiouni, one of us, as the guest speaker.  He shared the accomplishments of DePaul's International Law Human Rights Institute - and a few funny stories too!

The Steering Committee Members informed the attendees of the various activities of the committees and the DES Website and DES Blog were unveiled. We were treated to a lovely Shepard's pie for lunch. It all seemed perfect on this cool Autumn day.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

DES Website

The DES now has its own website thanks to the work of Brian Cicirello and Alice Farrell -- both of Mission and Values. Although work is still being done on the site, it is already full of useful information for retirees. The site is organized as follows:

DePaul Emeritus Society - introduction

      Projects and Programs
  •      Semi Annual Luncheons – dates and photos
  •      Retiree Benefits Issues – who to contact
  •      DES Newsletter – back issues
  •      Oral History Project – view interviews, read transcripts
  •      Philanthropy – annual report of DES giving
  •      Volunteer Opportunities – provides a list
  •      Vincentian Heritage Tours – contact information
  •      Memorabilia Project – what is it; how to contribute
  •      What's New with You? – send in an update
  •      Alumni Connection – gatherings in your area
     DES Calendar of Events – DES dates of interest
     Leadership – steering committee members, emails, minutes
     Committees – description and chair names
     In Memoriam – list of deceased colleagues 2000-present
     University Information – hyperlinks to various DPU resources
     Frequently Asked Questions

Click here to view the DES Website.

Monday, October 25, 2010

25-Year Club Invitation - 2010

If you are a member of DePaul's 25-Year Club we hope you will join your colleagues on November 19, 2010 at the Union League Club.

Date: Friday, November 19, 2010
Place: Union League Club of Chicago
          65 West Jackson Boulevard
          Chicago, IL 60604
Time:  Reception at 11:30
          Luncheon at 12:00 p.m.
          Program at 1:15 p.m.
RSVP: Tanya Lewis at 312-362-8253 or specialevents@depaul.edu by Friday, November 12, 2010

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Newsline

Have you missed seeing Newsline, the publication for faculty and staff?  It is now online and the most recent issue can be viewed by clicking on the following link:

Saturday, October 9, 2010

In Memoriam - Michael Murray

Michael A. Murray. A widely admired professor and attorney known for his integrity, compassion and character, having served on the DePaul faculty for 31 years. He passed away suddenly in his home on October 7, 2010, He is survived by his wife Jurate (nee Vilkaite) Murray and son Michael James Murray of Chicago, IL; his son John Murray (Meike Lemmens) and grandchildren Jake and Maggie of Huntington Beach, CA; his sister Anne Marie Murray of Tucson, AZ; and brother Paul Murray (Yvonne Hartmankok Murray); nieces Gretchen Murray, Emily Clair Murray and Emily Ashley McKellar and nephews Kenneth McKellar and Aaron McKellar of Sun City, Calif. The visitation will take place on Sunday, 3 to 7 p.m., at Lakeview Funeral Home, 1458 W. Belmont Ave.; there will be a funeral mass on Monday at 11 a.m. at St. Vincent DePaul Church, 1010 W. Webster Ave. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Urological Research Foundation, Director: William J. Catalona, P.O. Box 855, Manchester, Missouri, 63011, www.drcatalona.com. for info Lakeview Funeral Home 773-472-6300 or www.lakeviewfuneralhome.com
 Visit Guest Book
 
Published in Chicago Tribune from October 9 to October 10, 2010

Friday, October 1, 2010

In Memoriam - James Colliton

James Colliton, 1944-2009

Jim Colliton was a tax law expert and esteemed DePaul law professor for more than 30 years. He served as director of estate planning in the university’s development office, associate dean of the law school and director of the law school’s graduate tax program.

Colliton was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer two years ago. Although he lost his vision due to the illness, he learned to read Braille, get around with a cane and began scanning in his law journals and listening to them on his computer.

“Jim was a very kind and upbeat guy,” says Professor Len Cavise. “Even as he was losing his vision and his mobility due to the cancer, his first sentence was always ‘What’s up with you?’ He was a well-loved teacher, an accomplished administrator, a well respected author and an excellent colleague.”

Colliton was born in Grand Junction, Colorado, graduated from Stanford University in 1966 and served as a lieutenant in the Army Quartermaster Corps during the Vietnam War.

Professor Jerry Friedland, DePaul tax law colleague and friend of 35 years, recalls many conversations with Colliton while, early in their careers, both worked at the IRS in Washington, D.C., and attended Georgetown’s Tax LL.M. program. “Jim loved to talk about his home town of Grand Junction, his experiences as a park ranger, Vietnam, and the characters we worked with at the IRS,” says Friedland. “His conversation always was intelligent, lighthearted and imbued with kind understanding and tolerance for just about everyone.”

According to Jan, his wife of 35 years, Colliton originally intended to practice law in his home town, but discovered his love of teaching.

“Jim was part of a breed that is vanishing from American legal education,” says Professor Bruce Ottley. “He brought to DePaul not just what he learned in the classroom, in practice and from books, but also his experiences in the war in Vietnam and in the grand open spaces of the American West. This made Jim a renaissance man, and, although a tax professor, he taught a wide range of other courses. He repeatedly told his colleagues that they also were capable of teaching any subject — even tax. He conveyed that belief to his students as well: They could be anything as lawyers if they applied themselves. His counsel will be sorely missed.”

Dialogue, Winter 2009, page 12. • DePaul University College of Law

In Memoriam - Frederick Miller

Frederick S. Miller ; 1930--2006; DePaul music dean brought school to a crescendo; Passionate educator thought of university's program as his baby-- and spent 19 years elevating it to national recognition

Frederick S. Miller's passion for music grew from a desire to learn the trombone as a young man to becoming dean of DePaul University's School of Music, which became nationally recognized as a quality institution during his 19-year tenure.  "Before Fred came, the school had some pockets of excellence but as a whole was not a distinguished institution," said Donald Casey, who was dean after Dr. Miller retired in 1996. "It is my sense that the path the school traveled in those 19 years was so steeply uphill, it could almost not be imagined as possible if you were to look at it from the other end. It is clear that Fred Miller brought a vision to this place for what it could become, and we have been rapidly realizing that vision for over 30 years now."  Dr. Miller, 75, of Wilmette died of pulmonary fibrosis on Wednesday, Feb. 1, in Evanston Hospital.

"Fred could be tough on matters of principle; he was willful and carried a strong voice," Casey said. "On the other hand, he was a compassionate, kind, generous, caring individual who was extraordinarily giving and loyal to his friends and family."  In the months before DePaul hired Dr. Miller, it had been considering closing its school of music. Instead it opted to recruit a "top-flight dean" and provide new facilities, Casey said.  Prior to Dr. Miller's arrival, the school had not required students to audition for admission and had an uneven enrollment, heavy on drummers and light on musicians playing other instruments. He instituted admission standards that included auditions and academic criteria.  "Fred also could see as he was considering the position that he would have the opportunity to replace the choir, wind ensemble and orchestra directors who were all approaching retirement," Casey said. "He recruited and hired top-flight directors for those positions. A school of music is carried by the quality of their performing groups, and that is those three and opera and jazz. He worked to build all five."  The school now has a faculty of 110 professional musicians who are respected conductors, composers and performers, including members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Many of its students also perform with those renowned institutions and others.

"Fred loved DePaul," said his wife, Florence, who had been his college sweetheart before they married in 1959. "They had a school of music there when he came, but he could see the potential of being in the city with access to so many talented people and the opportunity to build a school. He just loved building that program and thought of it as his baby."

Born in Lima, Ohio, Dr. Miller was in the Navy for four years, performing in a band unit in North Carolina. After his discharge in 1952, he received a bachelor's degree in music education and a master's in music, both from Northwestern University.  He began his teaching career in 1958 as an assistant professor, brass instructor and assistant band director at the University of Arkansas. Six years later, he joined Northwestern's music faculty, rising to associate dean. During those years, he heard Casey play the trumpet in his high school orchestra and recruited him to attend Northwestern.  Dr. Miller received his doctorate in music performance and literature from the University of Iowa in 1974 and the following year was recruited by DePaul.  Among his achievements was founding DePaul's Community Music Division, which provides high-quality music instruction to children and adults. He also expanded the school's annual schedule to more than 300 public performances to showcase student and faculty talent.

During his many years in academia, Dr. Miller taught orchestration, conducting, music education, wind literature, brass research and performance. He published compositions and appeared as a clinician, soloist, adjudicator and guest conductor at concerts and music education events throughout the Midwest and South.  He enjoyed traveling and for many years raced his sailboat on Lake Michigan.

Other survivors include a daughter, Jennifer Greene; a son, John; and four grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at the DePaul School of Music Concert Hall, 800 W. Belden Ave., Chicago.

Chicago Tribune, Feb 11, 2006, pg. 23, Barbara Sherlock Tribune staff reporter

In Memoriam - Jeanne Barry

Jeanne Barry, nee McCarthy, age 87, passed away on Oct. 12, 2006. Beloved wife of the late Edward Barry; loving mother of Paul (Cheryl), Allen (Kate), John (Debby) and Martha (Marion Kryczka); grandmother of Phillip (Kelly), Renee (David) Cullinan, Sean, Nicholas Kryczka and Anna Kryczka; fond sister of Mary Patricia Pershell; and great-grandmother of Makaela Cullinan. Jeanne graduated from DePaul University School for New Learning with a BA, and went on to earn her Master of Theological Studies from the Catholic Theological Union. Her career besides raising four children included newspaper reporter for The Daily Calumet and The Chicago Tribune, Director of Public Relations, DePaul University, freelance writer of travel, fiction, poetry and television. She enjoyed Chicago and its cultural offerings. Jeanne has visited all of the Continents and sailed many of the world's seas on small sailing vessels. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Catholic Charities Chicago, 651 W. Lake St., Chicago, IL 60661, or Horizon Hospice, 833 W Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60622. A memorial service will be held at Old St. Mary's Catholic Church, 1500 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, on October 23 at 10 a.m.

Chicago Tribune, October 19, 2006, pg. 11