Janel Torkington

Janel Torkington Receives Fulbright Award

View area resident Janel Torkington of Earlham College has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship to Spain in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced recently.

Torkington is one of over 1,500 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2010-2011 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The Program operates in over 155 countries worldwide.

Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in government, science, the arts, business, philanthropy, education, and athletics. Forty Fulbright alumni from 11 countries have been awarded the Nobel Prize, and 75 alumni have received Pulitzer Prizes. Prominent Fulbright alumni include: Muhammad Yunus, Managing Director and Founder, Grameen Bank, and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient; John Atta Mills, President of Ghana; Lee Evans, Olympic Gold Medalist; Ruth Simmons, President, Brown University; Riccardo Giacconi, Physicist and 2002 Nobel Laureate; Amar Gopal Bose, Chairman and Founder, Bose Corporation; Renee Fleming, soprano; Gish Jen, Writer; and Daniel Libeskind, Architect.

For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, please visit: www.fulbright.state.gov or contact James A. Lawrence, Office of Academic Exchange Programs, telephone (202) 632-3241, or e-mail fulbright@state.gov.

 

Artist of the Month Bill Brooks

September’s Featured Artist is Bill Brooks

When not painting a grandchild, Bill Brooks likes to paint landscapes and the great outdoors. He spent 30 years of his life associated with nature in his position as a Forest Ranger. He always loved nature and it shows in the subjects he chooses to paint.

According to Brooks, “My goal is to help others to see the beauty that I see.”

Brooks has been married for 51 years and has 9 children. He started painting 6 years ago and has progressed immensely. He paints in oil or acrylic and is starting to dabble in pastels. He has studied with various artists and instructors in the Mesa area and is a past president of the Mesa Art League.

Brooks’ art will be on display at the N.E. Mesa FastFrame from September 11 to October 9 at the Mesa FastFrame at 2025 N. Power Rd., on the N.E. corner of Power and McKellips in the Target shopping center. Normal hours are; Monday - Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday. The featured artist will be available to meet the public on September 11 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. The addition of the FastFrame Artist of the Month display offers the Northeast Mesa community an opportunity to see the best in locally-produced artwork, and develops a connection to Mesa’s art community.