FOR RELEASE: Thursday, December 06, 2007
Writers Explore Concept of Aging Well
A poem called "Old Math" by Tom Lavoie, marketing director at the University of Arkansas Press, took first place in the third-annual Aging Well writing contest sponsored by the UA Office for Studies on Aging.
The contest, which was open to all students, faculty and staff members of the university, was made possible by a gift from Bob and Louise Garnett, residents of Butterfield Trail Village in Fayetteville. Several Butterfield residents attended a reception Nov. 29 at University House to hear the winners read their work. Three cash prizes were awarded.
Tyler Copeland, an English student, won second place with his short story, "The Clock Counts Down." Deborah Sabo, a research assistant with the Arkansas Archeological Survey, won third place with her poem, "Our Hair." Margot Lavoie, an administrative assistant in the College of Engineering dean's office, won honorable mention for her poem, "Senior Slam."
The Office for Studies on Aging was created in 1999 by the College of Education and Health Professions and the Graduate School to promote interdisciplinary research and gerontology education on the campus while working with groups in the community to enhance the quality of life for older adults. It is directed by Ro DiBrezzo, professor of kinesiology, and Barbara Shadden, professor of communication disorders. Stacey White, a graduate student, helps direct the office's activities.
Also at the reception, Mary Tinnin Jaye, 95, another benefactor of the college and a 1938 alumna, read several uplifting poems in which she discussed her life after turning 80.
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Contact:
Heidi Stambuck, director of communications
College of Education and Health Professions
(479) 575-3138, stambuck@uark.edu