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Show 1 Spectrum The Daily Utah Chronicle - Page Eight U. to peace pirofessorawairde candidate against Republican obtained a master's degree in By Heidi G. Sorenson Chronicle Staff Writer ()olitical incumbent Dan Marriott It was at this time that he began a crusade against the MX missile, which has remained a very important issue to him. Firmage said that in 1979, he was the first to speak out, in a Salt Lake Tribune editorial, against basing MX missiles in the western deserts of Utah. A rebuttal by the undersecretary of the Air Force got the MX debate going, he said. The ensuing debate was instrumental in getting the partial nuclear test ban treaty in the early 1960s. "The nuclear issue really began right here with the MX debate," Firmage said. "The nuclear issue had not been in the forefront since Adlai Stevenson raised the issue" during the 1952 and 1956 presidential races. The impact of the MX debate affected Firmage personally. "It science and a doctorate Later, he joined the staff of Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who educated him on social issues in University of Utah law professor has been chosen as the recipient of two awards that A represent part of a logical sequence of events in a life dedicated to issues of peace and justice. Edwin Firmage has been chosen by the Utah Endowment for the Humanities to receive the 1989 Governor's Award in the Humanities. Firmage was recently notified of the award, although it will not be presented by Gov. Norm Bangerter until some time in March after the 1990 Utah Legislative session. The Governor's Award ' is presented annually to a Utahn "who has made an outstanding to ; ' public contribution understanding of and appreciation for the humanities through his or her academic discipline and through intellectual, writing and teaching skills," according to Firmage's UEH announcement the Johnson administration. He had the opportunity to work with notable civil rights leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr. of the Southern Christian Conference; Roy Wilkins of the NAACP, who s Firmage believes to be "every bit of equal stature to Martin Luther King;" and Whitney Young of the Urban League. ; In 1966, Firmage came to the University of Utah law school and has stayed more or less Amendment's speech clause. In 1970, Firmage traveled to Geneva as a United Nations government officials from China's drew me into contact and deep intimate dialogue with religious leaders across the country and around the world," he said. It was during his national speaking tour on the MX issue that he began working with diverse religious Later, at the United Nations in New York City, he attended several Roman Catholic nuns, he visiting scholar, attending the talks. While in arms-contr- ol Geneva, he was invited to visit the Soviet Union to further discuss - In addition to the humanities award, Firmage, with arms control. He was able to talk to Collin Mangrum of Creighton University, recently won meetings . : Orchestra to premiere jazz prof's He began Jazz is his first-love- . trombone professionally at playing a composer as he 15i But is age well. He's written everything from jazz to serious symphonic works. And besides all that, he's a full Institute's Playwrights Conference ' last July. "Though the term refers to the continuing struggle for freedom and individual liberty, it suggests to me a broader interpretation, one that includes the struggle of the soul, studies area at the U. He has just completed a commissioned piece that will be premiered Sunday at " . the U. Symphony Orchestra's concert at Kingsbury Hall. The piece, titled "A Luta Continua (The Struggle Continues)," was composed the mind and the body to find truth, fulfillment, satisfaction, gratification and, ultimately, peace," Wolking said. "It's an unusual orchestral piece. It's hard I to I : r. Some categorize. may characterize it as pop style." f Wolking, originally from Orlando, Fla., graduated from the University of Florida with honors and the Phi Beta Kappa Creative Achievement "I'm W, Chronicle Photo by Andrew Holloway Edwin Firmage, U. law professor, was recently notified that the Utah Endowment for the Humanities will present him with the 1989 Governor's Award in the Humanities. major part of the philosophy he carried from Provo's "Tom human soul's quest for' its found it could not answer social problems he saw in Chicago. A broader and more humane view was required instead of a "Goldwateresque" response. Another-importan- t thread in his cites recent events in Eastern not writing to find something everyone will love," Henry Wolking, U. music professor and composer, said. "But I do want some acceptance." fulfillment. "There seems to be something in us that aspires to ultimate are we fulfillment what said. he Firmage ultimately about," Sawyerish environment" was necessarily destroyed when he Europe as evidence that human beings want fulfillment. ' "The thread linking all Of this is commonness and universalityof what we are about that transcends the individuality of race, religion and color," he said. life is the First Amendment. Firmage considers the amendment a central one because it embodies those parts of law that protect the 'hard-to-categoriz- primarily while Wolking was in residency at the Sundance professor at the University of Utah. Henry Wolking is a professor of music and the chairman of the jazz By Cathy W. Kelly Chronicle 'Staff Writer work e' "Outstanding Alumni Award" this coming April. For. three days the "It makes life much more fun," he ' said. He said the late 60s and early 70s university will honor him and celebrate his achievements. Each day a different type of Wolking's music will be presented: there will, be a day of jazz, a day of chamber music and a day of orchestral were times when jazz was very exciting all across the country. "Everybody jumped on the . , music. Wolking said he has composed d more than 70 charts, as well as many orchestral pieces that have been performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Wolking said, is that jazz isn't taken seriously. "The whole phenomenon of jazzj has been accepted nationwide," he said. "It has never lost its popular support, but people aren't too aware of jazz as an art Utah (which Symphony commissioned four of Wolking's works for its 1988-8- 9 season), the Phoenix Symphony and the U. Symphony. Upcoming form." ,: Wolking said that may be due to the improvisational nature of the beast. "The true art form of jazz is performances of Wolking's works are being planned by the Cedar Rapids Symphony arid the Colorado Springs Symphony. honest improvisation," he said; Wolking called improvisation "I'm not writing to find something everyone will love," "spontaneous composition," which is "the craft of jazz." On Nov. 21 the University Jazz Ensemble Big Band will perform a selection of traditional and contemporary jazz numbers to show Wolking said. "But I do want some acceptance. I am concerned right now about writing music that is universal." Wolking also said he is pleased to be working at 'the U. He said there Award. He went on to study at North Texas State University, where he simultaneously pursued interests in jazz composition, classical composition and trombone . performance. His alma mater the U. of Florida, . is V ." awarding Wolking its Henry Wolking, a U. music professor and accomplished y Chronicle I'hoto In- Aiiron Aslur;ill composer and trombonist, has just completed a, commissioned piece, "A Luta Continua," that will be premiered Sunday by the U.'s Symphony Orchestra. programs here in music generally and in jazz particularly. "This was one of the first 12 universities with a jazz program," Wolking said." Part of the U.'s progressiveness comes from the use of computers," he added. "There is no university worth its weight in anything that doesn:t have computer instruction," Wolking said. "And we have a fairly progressive music facility." Wolking does much, if not all, of his , composing these days on computer. He said that what used to take him months to do by hand can be done now in days. bandwagon in the 70s, and it's now rare for schools not to have a jazz program," he said. "But some of the pizazz went out." Part of the lack of "pizazz," big-ban- off some of its own improvisational talents. Wolking will direct the have always been progressive 4& . also became familiar with past those including, - . Through the acquaintance of discussing the secession of China, religious writers, like St. Francis of the possibility of biological and Assisi, whom he refers to as "the ' chemical weapons prohibition and wonderful man of peace," and Award for Zion in the Courts. : of airline hijacking, he Thomas Merton, "the leading These awards are not - the. the problem ' ' '. - . ! '. Catholic mystic of this century." culmination- of , many "Others said. ; . : to the The religiously oriented MX returned he said received during Firmage's lifetime; Firmage rather, they are a logical step in his, U.' to- - teach law for several years opponents add balance to the before leaving one more time this E" eace movement by providing a pursuit of peace and justice. ase of coherence direction and Raised in Provo, Firmage time to be a teaching fellow in law School. Law Harvard at the double in a major solidarity, Firmage said. They political pursued "The purpose in gding was to come to the organization for science and history at BYU, but his education was temporarily delayed try to understand better how to reasons outside themselves, not while he served an LDS mission. inject the values and ethics of frantically from anxiety about their After returning to BYU, Firmage humanities in professional own situation, he explained. Another important element in got married, raised seven children teaching in professional schools, he his life, his interest uncivil rights and has since become a such as law and medicine," ' ' said. and liberties, began while he grandfather of six. While at BYU, he won a national Later, during the 1978 lived in Chicago's east side with honors scholarship to the congressional race, Firmage ran blacks. Firmage: said at that time a University of Chicago, where he unsuccessfully as the Democratic first prize in the 10th Annual National Alpha Sigma Nu Book ST- Ll leaders, he added. Moscow embassy. co-auth- or A ... permanently since then. He and teaches international constitutional law, for which he developed a course on the First letter. Richard Tuesday. November 14, 1989 . band and also play trombone. Alan Weight, another U. professor, will be featured on trumpet. "We will also be showing off some of the students as well," Wolking said. The concert is free and will be held at 8 p.m. in David Gardner Hall. Sunday's concert will feature, in addition to Wolking's work, Dvorak's Symphony No. 7 and Frank Griffes' "Poeme for Flute and Orchestra," with Jane Morrison as flute soloist. The concert will be conducted by Madeline Schatz, to whom Wolking gives a lot of credit for the creation of "A Luta Continua." It will begin at 8 p.m in Gardner Hall and costs $2. |
