Winter 2013
A Fish Tale
If Hollywood, freeways, the aerospace industry and water rights are lenses through which L.A. history can be viewed, then tuna is another. L.A.’s tuna story dates back more than 100 years and weaves together entrepreneurial vision, a global canning business, the relocation of East San Pedro’s Japanese American fishing community to internment camps, and today’s popularity of sushi. Andrew F. Smith was interviewed by Editor Joseph Wakelee-Lynch about his book “American Tuna: The Rise and Fall of an Improbable Food,” a history of the tuna industry.
A Conversation With Myla Bui
Myla Bui, assistant professor of marketing, studies factors that influence consumers when making purchases. Her research in consumer decision-making is focused on consumer health and welfare issues. These issues include how factors such as health labels, product design, packaging and social environments influence consumer choices. She was interviewed by Editor Joseph Wakelee-Lynch.
A Conversation with Gabriel Petek ’95
Gabriel Petek ’95 is a senior director in the State and Local Government Group of Standard & Poor’s Credit Market Services in San Francisco. He is S&P’s lead analyst on the state of California. Petek was a political science major at LMU, and he earned a master’s degree in public policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in 1998. He was interviewed by Editor Joseph Wakelee-Lynch.
A Conversation with Jason Baehr
Jason Baehr, associate professor of philosophy, received a grant of more than $1 million from the John Templeton Foundation to, first, study the importance of intellectual virtues and how they can be fostered in an education setting, and, second, implement an intellectual virtues curriculum that will be introduced in fall 2013 at a charter school in Long Beach, Calif. Baehr’s specialty is epistemology. He was interviewed by Editor Joseph Wakelee-Lynch
A Fish Tale
If Hollywood, freeways, the aerospace industry and water rights are lenses through which L.A. history can be viewed, then tuna is another. L.A.’s tuna story dates back more than 100 years and weaves together entrepreneurial vision, a global canning business, the relocation of East San Pedro’s Japanese American fishing community to internment camps, and today’s popularity of sushi. Andrew F. Smith was interviewed by Editor Joseph Wakelee-Lynch about his book “American Tuna: The Rise and Fall of an Improbable Food,” a history of the tuna industry.
Are There Any Jobs?
For the past several years, the job market, especially for new college graduates, has been rough. Some say grim. Although some indicators signal an improving job market, finding a good job remains challenging in an economy struggling to recover from recession. We asked two recent LMU graduates to write about their contrasting job-search experiences.
KXLU
KXLU, the university’s independent, student-run radio station, may be one of LMU’s most valuable programs. With a 3,000-watt signal and a 30-mile broadcast radius, KXLU, occupying prime radio real estate at 88.9 on the FM band, reaches into the heart of one of the most influential entertainment and media markets in the world.
Hearing Voices
In 1978, Oxford University published Albert Raboteau’s “Slave Religion: The ‘Invisible Institution’ in the Antebellum South.” It soon became a classic in the field of African American religious history. In 2002, Raboteau wrote “A Sorrowful Joy,” a brief but deeply moving account of his spiritual journey and life crises. We asked Raboteau to write about what led a young, fatherless African American boy to become one of the nation's foremost scholars of African American religion.
The Butterfly’s Song
In 1990, George Dunning established his first scholarship fund for LMU music students. He hopes that recipients will pursue classical music careers as concert pianists, members of a symphony orchestra, church organists or music teachers.
King Tuna
Hollywood, freeways, the aerospace industry, the beach, the mountains, Olvera Street and the Dodgers — they all probably would be found on most people’s lists of iconic images of L.A. life.
New Orleans
Beth (Van Brussel) Calkins ’02, former LMU admission officer, now lives in New Orleans. New Orleans is quite a city. Its people are resilient. The sense of community here is comforting; it almost reminds me of life on the bluff, though I do miss that Pacific breeze.
Christina English ’05
As a young girl growing up in San Jose, Calif., Christina English, an eager student of dance, piano and voice, dreamed of performing in musicals on Broadway. Instead, she ended up in opera, with an appearance at Carnegie Hall.
John Sessions ’74
In the history of aviation, few people have piloted planes as varied as a British Supermarine Spitfire, a North American P-51B Mustang and a Soviet-era MiG-29.
The Asia Desk
Tom Plate is a friendly guy who listens closely, has traveled the world and, like many newspaper writers, knows a lot yet says it succinctly. A former editorial page editor, Plate is the author of the four-volume “Giants of Asia” book series about important Asian leaders: Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew, Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad, Thailand’s Thaksin Shinawatra and South Korea’s Ban Ki-Moon, U.N. Secretary General. In 2010, he brought his knowledge of Asia and a student-run Asia media project to LMU. Here’s a look at a one-man Asia desk.
Lawrence Kalbers
“The Dilemma” is a feature of LMU Magazine in which we ask a member of the faculty for ethical advice about a complex question. Send your moral quandary to magazine@lmu.edu with the word “dilemma” in the subject line. We’ll pick one, put it to a faculty member and give you an answer in the next issue.
Painting the Letters
The letters L, M and U on the bluff, viewable from afar — even on airplanes approaching LAX — are one of the university’s iconic images.