Spring 2005
Celebrating CLA Families
Family Pride
Photo by Terry Faust
AT THE CLA assembly meeting in September, the college welcomed 31 new faculty colleagues to the CLA family, bringing to 270 the number of new faculty hired over the last seven years.
IN OCTOBER, at CLA’s annual Scholarship Dinner, we celebrated the opportunity and promise forged in relationships across generations between students and the donors whose scholarship and fellowship gifts opened CLA’s doors to those students.
ALSO IN OCTOBER, we kicked off CLA’s 135th year with a gala celebration at the McNamara Center. IN DECEMBER, the college hosted its fifth annual lunch for retired faculty. We celebrated the lifelong contributions of the scholars on whose shoulders today’s emerging scholars stand to reach even higher.
IN FEBRUARY 2005, at the Regis Center for Art, the college honored new Alumni of Notable Achievement (ANA)— CLA grads who have distinguished themselves in their careers and in service to their communities. And so the celebrations continue!
It’s not unusual for offspring to inherit their father’s dimpled chin or their mother’s brunette curls. But Sandra McKay’s family inherited much more: high educational aspirations and an allegiance to the University of Minnesota.
Two of McKay’s siblings, Jo Poggi and Dan Thomas, earned CLA degrees. Her brothers Mike and Jim Thomas, both emergency doctors, received their training at the University’s Medical School. McKay’s husband, Gerry McKay, earned a B.A., an M.A., and a J. D. from the University.
McKay herself earned three degrees from the U: a B.S. in English and speech education, an M.A. in American studies, and a Ph.D. in applied linguistics. She then brought her expertise to institutions such as Georgetown and Stanford Universities and to global audiences in Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America. She has written 12 books and earned 30 fellowships and grants, including four Fulbright awards.
In honor of her achievements and contributions to the fields of sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, and language pedagogy, the University of Minnesota awarded McKay a 2004 Outstanding Achievement Award.
Photo by Terry Faust
She is not the first McKay to receive such an honor. Her father-in-law, Gerald McKay, whose five children all earned degrees at the University, received the award in 2001 at the age of 92. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree at the University, worked for the University of Minnesota Extension Service for 30 years, and played with the alumni band, which he cofounded, for 50 years.
This fall, the McKays continued their commitment to the University of Minnesota. Sandra, now a professor at San Francisco State University, collaborated on second language education research with University faculty as a visiting English professor. Ninety-sixyear-old Gerald picked up his mellophone after a several-year hiatus and played with the alumni band at the homecoming breakfast.