University of Mary Washington - Index

University of Mary Washington - summer08 - Index

NOTABLE & QUOTABLE
ALUMNA SNAGS ‘REEL’ HONOR
As creator of the award-winning biographical PBS series American Masters,
Susan Wagner Lacy ’70 has spent more than two decades honoring the
outstanding artists who have helped define culture in this country. Earlier this
year, Lacy was recognized for her own cultural contributions, when she was
presented a Women in Vision Award by Women in Film & Video (WIFV).
The nonprofit group, which works to advance the professional development
of women who work in film, television, video, multimedia, and related
disciplines, presented the award to Lacy at a May 8 gala at the Ritz-Carlton in
Washington, D.C. The event was designed to honor women who embody the
theme “Inspire, Mentor, Teach, & Learn.” Also recognized were actress and
activist Patty Duke, documentary filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady,
and producer Linda Maslow.
“These visionary women have all led and made enormous contributions
to shape the industry and the world,” said Felicia Barlow, president of WIFV’s
D.C. chapter.
Now in its 22nd season, American Masters tells the stories of artists who
have left enormous impressions on the American cultural landscape. Among
many others, the broadcasts have featured the great jazz musician Duke
Ellington, Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry, celebrated popular
musician Bob Dylan, Peanuts cartoon creator Charles Schultz, and the prolific
novelist and journalist Norman Mailer.
Lacy has produced more than 150 documentary biographies and won a
multitude of awards – including Emmys, Grammys, and Peabodys – since
launching the television shows in 1986.
“A combination of things led to my vision for the series,” the American
Masters website quotes her as saying. “Part of it was my own academic
background … I’ve always been interested in looking at American culture in
its broadest context.”
The show was awarded the primetime Emmy for Outstanding Nonfiction
Series five out of six years, from 1999 through 2004. Lacy also has received
numerous additional Emmy
nominations and three Oscar
nominations.
After earning her bachelor’s
degree in American studies, she
went on to receive her master’s
degree from George Washington
University and to be awarded an
honorary doctorate from Long
Island University in 1994.
In 1996, Lacy was named
UMW Alumnus of the Year,
and in 2005, she was among
50 women recognized for their
exceptional accomplishments
at the Museum of Television &
Radio’s “She Made It” event.
50
Susan Wagner Lacy ’70
“These visionary women have all led and made enormous
contributions to shape the industry and the world.”
Felicia Barlow, president of WIFV’s D.C. chapter
UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON MAGAZINE����������������
Karen Pearlman
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING
POET DISHES OUT SOME
OF THE SAME
Two years ago, UMW Professor of English Claudia
Emerson made national news when she won the
Pulitzer Prize for poetry. This year, Emerson had
another brush with the prestigious award, this
time as one of the jurors who chose recipients.
The team, which included some of Emerson’s
fellow Pulitzer Prize-winning poets, this year
awarded the honor – the highest issued for a
distinguished volume of original verse by an
American author – to Robert Hass and Philip
Schultz. The award recipients were announced on
April 7.
A University of California, Berkeley professor
of English and former U.S. Poet Laureate, Hass
won the award for his book Time and Materials.
Schultz, who founded The Writers Studio, a
program that helps fiction writers and poets
develop their talents, took the prize for his poetry
collection Failure.
Emerson nabbed the award in 2006 for her
extremely personal body of work Late Wife, a
three-part series of poetic letters in which a
woman addresses herself, along with her current
and former husbands. The collection was
published in 2005 by Louisiana State University
Press.
In addition to Late Wife, Emerson has penned
Pharaoh, Pharaoh and Pinion: An Elegy, which
was published and nominated for a Pulitzer by
Louisiana State University Press. Her writing
also has appeared in Poetry, Southern Review,
Shenandoah, TriQuarterly, New England Review,
and other journals.