This article is from the archives of the UB Reporter.
News

Briefs

Published: March 15, 2012

  • Mutua named to ECHDC board

    Makau Mutua, SUNY Distinguished Professor and dean of the UB Law School, has been appointed to the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) Board of Directors.

    Also named to the board were Gary L. Ginsberg, executive vice president of corporate marketing and communications at Time Warner Inc., and Sam Hoyt, regional president for Empire State Development Corp.

    ECHDC is a subsidiary agency of Empire State Development Corp., which has a vision of revitalizing Western New York’s waterfront and restoring economic growth to Buffalo based on the region’s legacy of pride, urban significance and natural beauty.

    “Makau, Gary and Sam are consummate professionals whose years of expertise as leaders in the academia, business and public service sectors will help us create jobs and grow the local economy,” said Kenneth Adams, Empire State Development president, CEO and commissioner. “I look forward to putting their extensive credentials to work for the people of Western New York as key members of our economic development team.”

    Added ECHDC President Thomas P. Dee: “During the past several months, ECHDC has reached critical mass in terms of public engagement and real construction. Our new board members bring a wealth of knowledge and experience that will serve our community well. I look forward to working with them on the revitalization of Western New York’s waterfront.”

    Mutua noted that the work ECHDC has done “is changing perceptions about Buffalo, and I look forward to building on the progress that has already been achieved.”

    “I hope to collaborate with the board and staff to develop a waterfront that will offer something for all of the citizens of our community. I thank Gov. Cuomo for this opportunity,” he said.

  • Nominations sought for award

    Nominations of faculty or staff members and their community partners are being accepted for the 2012 University Community Partners Award.

    The award, first presented in 2010, recognizes collaborations of faculty or staff members and their community partners whose projects improve the area while advancing UB’s mission.

    Previous recipients are George Hezel, clinical professor and director of the UB Law School’s Affordable Housing Clinic, and Laurene Tumiel-Berhalter, associate professor of family medicine, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and Jericho Road Ministries.

    The awards are presented at UB Partners Day; this year the event will be held June 13 in the Buffalo Convention Center.

    For more information and a nomination form, contact Jessica Wangelin in the Office of Community Relations at jbiegaj@buffalo.edu or 829-6145.

  • African-American ancestry examined

    Because so many of their ancestors were slaves, African Americans often have had a difficult time tracking down documentation of their early roots through public and genealogical records and, as a result, early family histories may be unavailable to them.

    However, those who have succeeded in this endeavor have sometimes succeeded spectacularly.

    Two of those searchers will be at UB on March 23 for a free public workshop titled “Searching for African Ancestors: Extraordinary Discoveries.” The session will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. in 1004 Clemens Hall, North Campus. Lunch will be served.

    On that day, Rhonda Brace of Springfield, Mass., and Regina Mason of San Francisco will share their unique stories of genealogical research and academic collaboration.

    Brace discovered that her ancestor, Jeffrey Brace, had published a memoir of slavery in 1810. She worked with Kari Winter, UB professor of American studies and editor of “The Blind African Slave; or Memoirs of Boyereau Brinch, Nicknamed Jeffery Brace” to gather information about the Brace family history in New England from the Civil War to the present.

    After years of searching for her family roots, Mason discovered an ancestor named William Grimes, who like Jeffery Brace, had published a memoir of his experiences as a slave (his in 1825).

    Mason formed a partnership with William L. Andrews, E. Maynard Adams Professor of English, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and devoted years of research to the production of a new edition of Grimes” book, “Life of William Grimes, the Runaway Slave.”

    In addition to the discussions by Brace, Mason and Winter, three respondents will offer comments on the presentations: Barbara Nevergold, co-founder of the Uncrowned Queens Institute; Christopher Lee, associate professor of health studies, University of Western Ontario, and Candice Reynolds-Lee of Ontario, a descendent of Jeffery Brace.

    Sponsors are the UB Humanities Institute, UB Institute on Research and Education on Women and Gender, the UB Canadian-American Studies Committee and the government of Canada.

    Those interested in attending should RSVP via email to Chenelle D. Massey at cdmassey@buffalo.edu.