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 Oettinger, longtime public servant, dies Oct. 29
Mangum leaves UNC
Honors
Elmer R. Oettinger, professor emeritus of public law and
government, was known as a man of music, theater, letters and law. The Wilson
native was born in 1913 and died on Oct. 29 after a long career of service to
North Carolina.
Oettinger entered Carolina to study dramatic art but he said
Albert Coates, founder of the Institute of Government, regularly exhorted him
to choose a new direction: “Albert would say, ‘You’ve got to get rid of all
this drama business, and when you do and become a good lawyer, I want you in
the Institute of Government.’”
Oettinger earned four degrees from UNC – a bachelor’s
degree in 1934, a law degree in 1939, a master’s degree in drama in 1952 and a
doctorate in English in 1966. He studied dramatic art in graduate school at
Columbia University, acted on and off Broadway, and wrote a full-length play,
“The Pied Piper,” based on the life of Huey Long, Louisiana governor and U.S.
senator.
Because of health problems, Oettinger returned to North
Carolina, where he “rested” by entering law school. After working frequently
for Coates as a law student, he joined the institute staff just after
graduation. His first assignment was to cover the 1939 General Assembly as part
of the institute’s Legislative Reporting Service.
After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II,
Oettinger returned to Wilson where he practiced law and then worked as a radio
news director and commentator.
In the 1950s he was recruited to help plan and moderate
“IDEAS,” a program that ran on the University’s new educational station,
WUNC–TV, as he earned his master’s degree and taught in the departments
of English and Radio, Television and Motion Pictures.
In 1960, Oettinger returned to the institute as a specialist
in free press and fair trial, open meetings, privacy, copyright, libel and what
was then known as newsman’s privilege. As his career progressed, he also
covered criminal justice and auto insurance law and taught in the institute’s
Highway Patrol School.
One of his major contributions was development of the
nation’s first News Media/Administration of Justice Council beginning in 1964.
Oettinger guided the groups involved from a contentious beginning to a national
model in which people sought and found common ground.
After he retired at age 65, Oettinger continued in emeritus
status to teach a law course and work with the American Bar Association on
freedom-of-the-press issues.
In 1977, Gov. James B. Hunt appointed Oettinger to the
National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (ULC). He was
reappointed by four succeeding governors and continued to be an honorary
member. In 1978 he chaired the ULC’s special committee to draft a uniform
privacy act for state governments.
In 1990 Oettinger received the North Carolina Press
Association’s prestigious William C. Lassiter First Amendment Award. A
nomination letter described Oettinger’s News Media/Administration of Justice
Council as “the force which brought about a stable and workable relationship in
press-bar matters in North Carolina.”
See www.sog.unc.edu/news/elmeroettinger.php.
Elmira Mangum, senior associate provost at Carolina since
2001, will become Cornell University’s new vice president for budget and
planning effective Feb. 1, 2010. Mangum’s nomination was approved by Cornell’s
Board of Trustees last week.
“Elmira Mangum brings an extraordinary range of experience
to this key administrative role at Cornell,” said Provost Kent Fuchs. “She has
held positions of executive leadership in planning and finance at one of our
nation’s finest public universities and also at a leading campus in our own
outstanding state university system, making her well suited for her new role at
Cornell.”
At Cornell, Mangum will serve as the senior administrator
responsible for managing the university’s resources and the annual budgeting
process. Her duties will include serving as a key liaison with the Cornell
trustees.
Before coming to Carolina, Mangum held administrative and
management posts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the State
University of New York at Buffalo. Immediately prior to her arrival in Chapel
Hill, she was vice provost at the University at Buffalo and on the faculty of
the graduate school of education.
She won Carolina’s 2008 Mary Turner Lane Award, given by the
Association for Women Faculty and Professionals, for her contributions to the
lives of women at Carolina.
HONORS |
Michael Rubinstein |
Michael Rubinstein, John P. Barker Distinguished Professor
of Chemistry, has been awarded the 2010 Polymer Prize from the American
Physical Society. The $10,000 prize recognizes outstanding contributions in
polymer physics research. Barker will receive the award at the society’s March
2010 meeting. |
Mayron Tsong |
Pianist Mayron Tsong, associate professor of music, was
invited by the White House Nov. 4 for a full day of classical music events as
part of the administration’s arts education series. She was the guest of
pianist Awadagin Pratt, who participated in the presentation with fellow
classical music stars Joshua Bell, violinist; Alisa Weilerstein, cellist; and
guitarist Sharon Isbin. The event ended with a concert by the featured artists
in the East Room. Refer to snipurl.com/t6nvl to see video of
Pratt performing. |
Adaora Adimora |
Adaora Adimora, professor of medicine in the School of
Medicine and clinical professor of epidemiology in the Gillings School of
Global Public Health, has been selected by The Root magazine as one of the top
100 African-American leaders. The Root 100 is a new honor that highlights the
leadership and service of African-American men and women whose work impacts
their communities and the world.
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