Wednesday, April 19
Davis' Novel
Recognized
by Cindy Craig
Collegian Staff Writer
A novel by Behrend
associate professor of English Dr.
J. Madison Davis has been
nominated for one of mystery
writing's most coveted awards.
Davis' novel, "The Murder of
Frau Schutz," is one of the top
five finalists for the Mystery
Writers of America's Edgar Allen
Poe Award for excellence in the
category of Best First Novel.
The winner will be announced
at the Annual Dinner of the
Mystery Writers of America,
oldest organization of mystery
writers, on May 11 in New York
City. Davis' novel was selected
from, over 200 other entries in the
category.
The novel is about a World
War II German officer's
investigation of the brutal murder
of, a,labor camp commandant's
wife. In it Davis also - probes the
causes of Hitler's rise to power.
"Frau Schutz" took Davis about
two years to complete.
"I will be very happy or very
depressed or very indifferent
(about winning or losing). I don't
know what my reaction to all
this will be. It's been a long time
getting here," Davis said.
Davis recently negotiated a
deal with New York publisher
Walker & Co. for his novel,
"White Rook," which is
scheduled for release in November
of 1989. Walker and Co., which
New
Officers
Stan Washington
SGA President-Elect
Further results available on Page 2
he ~..::...-.'''''''''''''.-:,o1 e.............'.1an
also published "Frau Schutz," has
launched the careers of such
mystery/science fiction greats as
Stanislaw Lem and John LeCarre.
"White Rook" is a thriller
dealing with the white
supremacist movement in the
United States. Although the story
line is fiction, the details are
realistic. "Some serious questions
about how deep and ingrained
racial prejudice is in this country
are raised," said Davis.
The novel is about a white
detective from Pittsburgh who
becomes involved with a black
female detective from New
Orleans. During the course of his
work he goes undercover within a
white supremacist group. The
detective finds himself
questioning his own prejudices
and the extent of their existence.
According to Davis, the book is
partially about "how a person
who thinks he's not prejudiced
simply may not realize it's
there."
Davis, a native of Virginia,
has studied at the University of
Maryland, Johns Hopkins
University in Baltimore and the
University of Southern
Mississippi. He has taught at
Behrend for the past ten years. He
feels that living in both the north
and the south certainly has
contributed to the creation and
contd. on p. 2
SGA
Elected
Marty Cunningham
Vice President-Elect
PENN STATE ERIE'S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
CHANGING HANDS - Behrend's Dean and ProvoSt, Dr. John Lilley
is shown here presenting a medallion to State Representative Bennie
Dombrowski. The medal was first given to Behrend's Dr. Jim Seroka
by Polish Solidarity leader Lech Walesa. Seroka had previously given
the medallion to Behrend. (photos by Marybeth Zawistoski).
Serbka
Medallion Presented to
Behrend, Dombrowski
0 n Thursday, April 13, Behrend
was awarded a commemorative medal
from Poland by Dr. Jim Seroka. Seroka,
Division Head of Humanities and Social
Science and Professor of Political
Science at Behrend, traveled to Poland in
March to examine the democratic
reforms taking place there.
While there, he met with Solidarity
Leader Lech Walesa, who helped
democracy in Poland by setting up the
trade union and the first democratic
elections since World War IL
During the meeting, Walesa gave
Seroka the medallion as a symbol of
their new-found friendship.
Dr. Seroka then presented Dean Dr.
John Lilley with the medal who in turn
presented it to Erie _ County
Representative Bennie Dombrowski as a
token of his thanks for Dombroviski's-
Inside
Schlesinger 2
Letters to Editor 4& 5
Movie Trivia 7
Ask Louanne 9
Tennis 1 1
by Jennifer Rose
Collegian Staff Writer
Foikes
Volume XXXVII, No. 1 8
Ties To Poland
dedication to Penn State and
Northwestern Pennsylvania. .
The medallion commemorated the
Katyn Massacre of 1939 in which
15,000 Poles were killed by Soviets,
4,000 of them officers in the Polish
army. In Poland at this time, most of
the intellectuals were drafted into the
The Medallic)._ pictured here
commemorates the Katyn Massacre of
1939 during which 15,000 Poles
were killed- by the Soviet Army.