1970s

Ken Dunham ’70, Folsom, Calif., received the West Coast Lumber and Building Materials Association’s eighth Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as executive director since 2006, lobbying the state government, leading federal and state programs and contributing to various industry publications, political and public relations materials. Dunham published “The Legacy of Lumber” in 2017. He has worked as a news director and reporter in Great Falls, executive director of the Montana Republican Party, owner of Dunham Advertising and manager for the Associated General Contractors in Montana, Washington and Illinois. Dunham is a member of UMAA’s Board of Directors, among other organizations, and his wife, Janelle Fallan ’74, also is an alum.

Ron Flickinger ’70, Fort Wayne, Ind., dons his UM polo shirt alongside his daughter Tracy and granddaughter Courtney at a park overlooking Florence, Italy, just before a daylong trip through Tuscany in June.

George Venn M.F.A. ’70, La Grande, Ore., received the Lifetime Achievement Award from The College of Idaho, where he also presented a reading from his newly released fourth poetry collection: “Lichen Songs: New and Selected Poems.” Entered for the Pulitzer Prize, the collection was featured on a Northwest book tour. Venn recently was nominated as the next Oregon poet laureate, but withdrew from consideration to pursue new work. Since becoming professor of English emeritus in 2002, Venn has published two historical works, a volume of personal essays and a 460-page portfolio of Northwest literary history that concludes with a free speech battle set in downtown Missoula in 1909. Venn also served as president of the Oregon Council of Teachers of English and the general editor of the nationally recognized “Oregon Literature Series” (Vol.1-6) in the 1990s.

Dale Burk ’71, Stevensville, was inducted into the Montana Outdoor Hall of Fame for his writings on conservation. He worked as a journalist in the U.S. Navy and served as a press representative in Tokyo, Japan, at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club. Burk then worked in journalism and public relations throughout Montana and wrote for various national publications, winning numerous awards. He was the first writer from Montana to win Harvard University’s Nieman Fellowship for Professional Journalists in 1975, as well as the first public member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. He just published his memoir, “A Brush With a Wild Thing or Two in Montana.”

Lyle Manley ’72, J.D. ’79, Helena, published “More Adventures of a Montana Misfit,” the second volume chronicling coming of age in 1960s Montana. Beginning in junior high school with an awkward attempt to navigate teenage society, it ends in the late 60s with the social turmoil that mirrors the narrator’s inner disorientation. The works have been described by Aaron Parrett of Montana Senior News as “…consummately charming…Manley has returned to his roots and writing talent to deliver this singular biography to Montana letters.”

Dick Gallagher, M.Ed. ’75, Ronan, spent Thanksgiving 2018 in the Bahamas with his wife, Kathy, and daughters Maureen Gallagher Crooks ’90, ’93, M.Ed. ’98, Monroe, La., and Colleen Gallagher ’94, Delray Beach, Fla. While there, his Dave Dickenson hat caught the attention of another vacationing Griz. Gallagher is a member of the Grizzly Scholarship Association and supporter of all UM athletics and academics.

John Lyle ’76, ’79, ’80, Hawaii National Park, Hawaii, holds degrees in business administration, anthropology and education and now works as a correspondent in Hawaii after living with his family in Fairbanks, Alaska. His report, “Volcanic Eruption: Pay attention to the winds,” details Hawaii’s volcanic eruptions and the effects felt by entire communities and towns.

Excerpt: “Never turn your back to the ocean. From my vantage point on Hawaii’s Big Island, observing the sea keeps one vigilant, humble, alive. Any number of things – shore breaks, rips, currents, rogue waves – can grab an unsuspecting person before they realize what’s happening. Annually, dozens of people are taken by the sea, locals and visitors alike. Strong swimmers with experience in these waters have some advantage but in the end the ocean decides.”

Thomas Winfree, Jr. Ph.D. ’76, Los Lunas, N.M., just published “Mental Health and Criminal Justice” with Anne Segal and Stan Friedman. The text focuses on how the mental health care system and the criminal justice system operate together.

Kim Zupan ’78, M.F.A. ’84, Missoula, will have his novel “The Ploughman” adapted into a movie directed by Ed Harris and filmed in Fort Benton and Great Falls. “The Ploughman,” published in 2014, tells the story of a sheriff’s deputy working overnight at the Copper County Jail. According to Harris in a Los Angeles Times article, Zupan’s novel is “really hauntingly beautiful” with “suspense and great drama but it’s a real character thing.”

Charmaine Wilson ’79, Aiken, S.C., earned the Lloyd Rohler Career Teaching Award from the Carolinas Communication Association. Wilson is the chair of the Department of Communication at the University of South Carolina and has taught for 27 years. She received the award for her passion and willingness to help students, as well as her teaching methods and example in interpersonal communication. Other awards she has won from USC include the Teaching Excellence Award, the University Service Award and the Excellence in Academic Advisement Award.