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news from UNC by the sea
Vol. VIII, No. 3
DECEMBER, 1983
Committee to Consider
UNCW Landmark Ideas
What would you like to see as UNCW’s land
mark? If you have definite ideas about it, now’s
your chance to let someone know. A committee ap
pointed by John J. Burney, Jr., chairman of
UNCW’s board of trustees, is seeking ideas from
the community, alumni, faculty and staff.
This landmark will be the "centerpiece” of the
15-acre University Commons, adjacent to the
University Union, an area of campus earmarked
for development with extensive landscaping; brick
walkways and an amphitheatre.
"The landmark and University Commons will be
one of the most exciting things to ever happen to
the university to save this land,” Burney said, in
announcing the formation of the landmark com
mittee. "It will link the history of the university
with the future.”
"With Sam Bissette agreeing to serve as chair
man along with the other citizen representatives,
this project represents a chance to involve our en
tire community in a very important effort for our
university,” Burney commented.
Besides Bissette as chairman, other members of
the committee are Dr. Sigmond A. Bear, vice chair
man; Charles Boney, Sr.; Dr. Hubert Eaton; and
William Hill, serving as citizen representatives;
and Eric Squires, president of the UNCW Student
Government Association; Dr. George Bair, special
assistant to the chancellor; and Dr. Lee Johnston,
assistant professor of political science, representing
the university community. Serving as advisers to
the committee are John J. Burney, Jr., Dr. Jairy
C. Hunter, Jr., Carl Dempsey (a 1S56 and 1965
alumnus of UNCW), and John Jefferies.
According to Bissette, the purpose of the commit
tee is to "recommend a major landmark for the
campus, something that can be seen, something
that is meaningful, and something that can be a
permanent centerpiece for the university campus.”
The committee has already begun its work to find
such a landmark, by soliciting ideas from the
community—students, alumni, area citizens, facul
ty. "We want a good one for UNCW,” Bissette said.
"The general public is being asked to send their
suggestions to the committee. We are open to sug
gestions from every quarter for anything that will
be meaningful,” he added. The committee will
begin evaluating these suggestions in December,
so alumni with ideas should send them in
immediately.
Once a landmark is accepted by the board of
trustees, a fund-raising campaign will begin to
raise money for the landmark and the University
Commons.
Have an idea? Send it in writing to the landmark
committee in care of Dr. Jairy Hunter, Jr., Vice
Chancellor for Business Affairs and Development,
UNCW, 601 S. College Road, Wilmington, N.C.
28403.
Maybe your idea will become reality right in the
middle of campus!
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Photo by Jean Farmer
This year, the Office of iMinorlty Affairs began the
Minority iMentor program, designed to heip freshmen
minority students with a friend—a biacl faculty member
or administrator who serves as a resource or someone
to talk to. Here, Sandy Martin (near the piano), assis
tant professor of philosophy and religion; Marc Ell
ington (center foreground), HPER lecturer and coach
of water polo and diving; and Joseph Awkard (right
background), professor of psychology, talk with
students at the first meeting for the mentor program.
1
Photo by Bob Penn, Courtesy of Firestarter Productions
The “old lady spy" In Firestarter, as portrayed by Anne FItzglbbon, assistant professor of drama at UNCW.
SCARIER
It began with a call from Mark Lester, the direc
tor of Firestarter. Someone had seen Anne Fitzgib-
bon in her role as Sally in "The 5th of July,” and
they knew she was right for a part in the Dino de
Laurentis movie being filmed in Wilmington. Ac
cording to the assistant professor of drama at
UNCW, she spent a "wonderful three days in the
mountains” filming her scene. She played an "old
lady spy” working for the Shop, trying to find the
little girl Charlie, the one who starts fires by think
ing about them.
The Firestarter crew "couldn’t have been nicer
to work with,” says Fitzgibbon. "It was absolute
ly fascinating and absolutely exhausting. But
everyone went out of their way to be helpful.”
Fitzgibbon’s scene is a short one in the middle of
the movie. She and a male spy are looking for
Charlie, and they dress as tourists. "I love that
hat,” exclaims Fitzgibbon. "They let me choose the
hat. I just love it!” Their job is to find the little girl
and make a phone call. Fitzgibbon calls herself and
the men she worked most closely with in the
scenes—two North Carolinians and a South
Carolinian—the "three Musketeers.” Fitzgibbon
also worked with David Keith and Drew Bar
rymore. She does indeed have a speaking part, but
didn’t divulge just what it was she says in the
movie. As you can probably tell from the
photograph, hers is not a "nice” character, but in
stead a sinister, shady lady.
Fitzgibbon is not the only one in her family in
the movie. Her daughter Kitty plays "Joan the
neighbor.” Kitty is an actress and worked in The
Seduction of Joe Tynan with Alan Alda. When
Fitzgibbon talked with Kitty about being in Fire
starter, her daughter said, "I can tell you about it
[being in a movie], but until you do it yourself, you
won’t really know what I’m talking about.” And,
says Fitzgibbon, she was right. "It really is difficult
to describe the exhiliration, the excitement, the
fun, the exhaustion, involved in making a film,”
she says, "or even in doing a small part like mine.”
But in talking with her, you know it was all those
things, and more.
Would she do another film if she had the chance?
"I would love it!” she exclaims without a moment’s
hesitation. In fact, there is talk of several more
movies being made in North Carolina and Wil
mington.
Anne Fitzgibbon is not the only UNCW "citizen”
with a part in Firestarter. Several of her students
will appear on the big screen as well. Sam Sumner
plays a technician seen throughout much of the
movie. Kim Weeks, a drama and music major,
plays two roles—a prostitute and a college student.
Others had small parts as well. Sandie Ward-
Freeman, a secretary in the creative arts depart
ment, plays a woman in a public bathroom who has
to deal with a man rushing into the ladies’ room
to douse his burning boots in the commode. "It
didn’t take long,” says Ward-Freeman. "I walked
out of the stall and looked shocked to see this man
come running into the ladies’ room.”
For three days, Anne Fitzgibbon had her name
on the door to her own dressing room, which had
a couch, bathroom, dressing table, and other
amenities. Granted, the room was one in a series
encased in a trailer, but it was hers for three days.
And when her daughter Kitty worked in
See FIRESTARTER, next page