Page 4A — TUESDAY, April 6, 2010 Columbia Missourian

MU professors honored for teaching

The Kemper
Fellowship comes
with $10,000.
By Kourtney Geers
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
Two MU professors were
caught off guard early Mon-
day afternoon as they were
paid visits from Chancellor
Brady Deaton and named
recipients of a prestigious MU
award. Part of the surprise
included an award of $10,000.
The William T. Kemper Fel-
lowships for Teaching Excel-
WILLIAM LOUNSBURY/Missourian lence have been given out to
Estella Cupp, left, and Joyce DeWeese look at the artwork five outstanding MU educa-
on display Monday at the Boone Hospital Center. The tors annually since 1991 and
exhibit will be open until April 23. are funded by a $500,000 gift
from the family that founded

Art exhibition portrays Commerce and United Mis-

souri banks. William Kemper
was a 1926 MU graduate prior

various sides of cancer

By TAYLOR COMBS
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
From around the country,
patients, their families and
caregivers have poured their
feelings about cancer into art-
work now on display at the
Boone Hospital Center.
“Oncology On Canvas”
opened Monday on the hospi-
tal bridge over Broadway.
Planned to coincide with
National Cancer Awareness
Month, the 580 pieces on dis-
play include photographs,
oils, watercolors, pastels and
mixed media collected from
entries across the country.
“Cancer has a dark and a
light side,” said Yvonne Fuqua,
a breast-cancer patient who
also works at the hospital at
Women’s Health Associates.
She hinted that she may enter
the next competition.
“At the end of that tunnel it’s
like, ‘Yay, I can have my hair
back,’” she said.
A cancer diagnosis carries
a lot of emotion, mostly anger,
said Fuqua who paints as a
hobby.
“Art is a way to express the
inner turmoil,” she said.
The entries identify the art-
ists only as patient, caregiver
or family member. Some have
accompanying narratives to
explain the meaning of the
If you go
What: “Oncology On Canvas” art
exhibit
Where: Boone Hospital Center
bridge across Broadway
When: Until April 23, culminat-
ing an Artrageous Friday event
that day.
Cost: Free
piece.
In a narrative with a mixed-
media piece, titled “The Heal-
ing Pear,” the artist explained
how a colleague told her to
“paint the cancer and then
make it go away”.
Alicia Baim was in the hos-
pital Monday while her father
had surgery, and said she
stumbled upon the art pieces.
“I’m pretty impressed,” she
said. “The one with the pear
and the tumor, it gave me
goosebumps.”
“This exhibit is connect-
ing patients and visitors in
the hospital to what it feels
like to be experiencing an ill-
ness,” Laura Noren, director
of patient care services, said.
Available to view for the
next three weeks, the pieces
will be the display for Artra-
geous Friday on April 23.
to his career in banking.
MU College of Engineering
assistant professor Gregory
Triplett’s semiconductors and
devices class was interrupted
by Deaton, Commerce Bank
Chairman Jim Schatz and a
group of supporters, includ-
ing his wife and department
heads, to award Triplett the
fellowship. It is a tradition to
present the award during a
class.
Deaton described Triplett’s
work “teaching some of
the toughest classes” in the
department of electrical and
computer engineering and
emphasized his commitment
to students. Triplett acts as
the adviser to the MU chap-
ter of the National Society
of Black Engineers and has
received a grant from the
National Science Foundation
to help increase retention of
students in his field.
Upon receiving the Kemper
award, Triplett said, “I think
that this is more of an indica-
tor of the support that I get
from the department and the
college to encourage excel-
lent teaching. Sometimes it
requires a lot of work, but I
think that the students really
give me real-time feedback
and that helps out a lot.”
He added, jokingly, “I’m not
sharing the money, but thanks
for the support.”
Kelton Clements, a student
in his class, said Triplett
Photos by WILLIAM LOUNSBURY/Missourian
Michael Middleton, middle right, hugs 2010 Kemper Fellowship recipient Anand Prahlad, far
right, after MU Chancellor Brady Deaton, far left, and Commerce Bank Chairman Jim Schatz
presented him with the award Monday.
deserves the
award. “From my
experience, teach-
ers are sometimes
more focused on
their research
than the actual
teaching part of
the job, but Dr.
Triplett actually
does a great job of
teaching.”
The second
recipient of the
day, professor
Anand Prahlad
from MU’s Eng-
lish department is
in the midst of a
yearlong research
leave as he works
on a memoir and
a manuscript of
poetry. Prahlad
usually works from Professor Gregory Triplett accepts the 2010 Kemper Fellowship for
home but was told Teaching Excellence on Monday.
he needed to be on
ton said he had been aware about them as people, not just
campus for a meeting.
of Prahlad’s reputation for a as students.”
The soft-spoken Prahlad while because three of his chil- Prahlad said he was influ-
said he was in shock and that dren took classes with Prahlad enced by mentors throughout
he considered it “a special during their time at MU. his education and is aware of
honor” to be considered among MU English department the impact they had on his life.
the winners of the award. executive staff assistant Sha- “I try to be that kind of mentor
Prahlad teaches creative ron Black said, “Students for my students,” he said.
writing, folklore, Africana lit- comment about how much he Three more recipients will
erature and film studies. Dea- cares. ... He’s really concerned receive the award today.

Life Stories
Adventurer remembered
for hugs, emu egg art
By ALISON GAMMON
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
Robert S. Ghio was a free
spirit who loved adventure,
art and giving hugs.
Mr. Ghio, “the great hug-
ger,” was known to greet peo-
ple with a warm embrace that
friends came to adore.
“He hugged anyone,” said
his wife, Betty Ghio. “It was
just kind of his
nature.”
Mr. Ghio died at
his home Saturday,
April 3, 2010. He
was 65.
He was born Aug.
4, 1944, in New
York to Robert and
Sue (Wright) Ghio.
He moved to
Columbia in his
early years and was
a 1962 graduate
of Hickman High
School. He enjoyed
Robert
riding his motorcy-
cle and was nicknamed “Frog”
by his biker friends.
He briefly attended Lin-
coln University in Jefferson
City before marrying his first
wife, Janet Solter, on Dec. 12,
1964. They had two children,
Jennifer and Eric.
Mr. Ghio became an entre-
preneur of sorts after he
bought the coin laundry busi-
ness he worked for. In addi-
tion to that, he co-owned the
construction company that
built Green Meadows Plaza
and opened Andy’s Corner,
a restaurant now known as
Murry’s.
In September of 1988, the
adventurous Mr. Ghio set sail
down the Missouri River from
Rocheport to Florida with his
good friend Cokie Chapman.
After two months on the water,
Mr. Ghio’s stomach began to
fight with the waves and he
was forced to end his adven-
ture early in Biloxi, Miss.
In 1993, a new marriage
yielded many more adven-
tures for the outdoorsman.
He married Betty Forbes
Ghio Oct. 9, 1993. He became
stepdad to her two children,
Christi and Clif.
“We were best friends,”
Betty Ghio said.
The couple joined the Mis-
souri Offhand Muzzle Loaders
Association and went on many
camping expedi-
tions, sleeping
in tepees or one-
poles.
Mr. Ghio was
also an artist. He
discovered his
passion for emu
egg carving while
raising emus at his
home. He received
many awards for
his emu egg carv-
ings and gourd art
and was a mem-
S. Ghio
ber of the Missouri
Gourd Society.
He was close to his dog, Gin-
ger.
Mr. Ghio is survived by his
wife, Betty Ghio of Colum-
bia; former wife Janet Ghio
of Columbia; four children,
daughter Jennifer Shinkle of
Jefferson City, son Eric Ghio
of Eugene, Ore., stepdaughter
Christi Duran of Centralia and
stepson Clif Nichols of Colum-
bia; a sister, Missie McReyn-
olds of North Carolina; and 12
grandchildren.
His parents died earlier.
A celebration of Mr. Ghio’s
life will take place from 5 to
7 p.m. Thursday at one of the
couple’s frequent hangouts,
Summit Lake Winery, 15 E.
Main St., in Hartsburg.
Memorial contributions
may be sent to Columbia Sec-
ond Chance, P.O. Box 10186,
Columbia, MO 65205.
Condolences can be posted
online at parkerfuneralser-
vice.com.

Missourian Classifieds
Work.
Call 882-5710 to place your ad today!