Posted by Terry Rombeck September 6, 2006 at 8:24 a.m.

Is Quantrill 'glorified?'

¢ Is William Quantrill a glorified Civil War figure? This columnist from the [Daily Reveille][1], the student newspaper at Louisiana State University, thinks so.In our War Between the States, we glorify the depredations of men like William Quantrill, who massacred hundreds in Lawrence, Kan., for the Confederacy, or Gen. William T. Sherman, who some believe is worthy of having a building named after him at this University, whose terrorist actions against the civilian population of the South ought to have brought him shame instead of glory. After that war ended, some disenfranchised former Confederates donned white robes and waged a terrorist campaign against black citizens and the Reconstructionist government of the South. Though the organization was broken up, many participants in that Klan and its future variations were rewarded with both state and federal offices.¢ James K. Gentry, journalism professor at KU, is quoted in this [(North Andover, Mass.) Eagle-Tribune][2] story about the popularity of blogs."The business is changing right before your eyes," said Gentry. "Ordinary members of the public are turning into photographers and reporters. It is a world of mine, yours and ours."¢ News of KU grad Alan Mulally's appointment as CEO of Ford Motor Co. made plenty of mentions of the university. Here's the Associated Press story, as posted by the [Charlotte Observer][3].Mulally, a top executive at Boeing Co., earned a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering in 1968 and a master's in 1969, both from Kansas. He is a member of the advisory board of the University of Kansas School of Engineering.¢ Former KU football great Gale Sayers is profiled today in [Indianapolis Star][4].This was not a return to Sayers' roots. He was born in Wichita, Kan., but grew up in what he calls the "toe," or ghetto, in Omaha, Neb., where his father earned a meager living buffing cars for auto dealers. Abel raises Angus cattle on his farm. Sayers keeps a discreet distance. They make him nervous. He loves the country peace, but he is not a country guy.¢ A former KU law professor, Lawrence R. Velvel, now dean of the Massachusetts School of Law, blogs about the legal battle of IBM pensions at [opednews.com][5].¢ Former KU baseball player John Nelson was called up to the St. Louis Cardinals, the [St. Louis Post-Dispatch][6] reports.Nelson, a University of Kansas alum chosen in the eighth round of the '01 draft, received a promotion after leading Memphis with 21 home runs and 48 RBIs despite a .215 average.¢ A Kansas University graduate, Munira Al-Meer, has opened an exhibit of her work in Qatar, the [Gulf Times][7] reports.The artist is a pioneer in the field of ceramics. After completing her studies in Qatar at undergraduate level, she was the first Qatari to win a scholarship to study Masters of Fine Art in Ceramic Design from the University of Kansas in the US. [1]: http://www.lsureveille.com/media/storage/paper868/news/2006/09/06/Opinion/Dont-Fight.Terror.Fight.The.Ideology-2258237.shtml?norewrite200609060227&sourcedomain=www.lsureveille.com [2]: http://www.meadvilletribune.com/opinion/cnhinscolumns_story_246113658.html [3]: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/15447842.htm [4]: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060906/SPORTS0303/609060386/1100/SPORTS03 [5]: http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_lawrence_060905_re_3a__addendum_on_the.htm [6]: http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/0DA76FC7647F25B3862571E1001B8952?OpenDocument [7]: http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.aspx?cu_no=2&item_no=106329&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16