People & Places

Reception honors

Tontitown alderman

Henry Piazza, a Tontitown native and a 40-year alderman in the community, will be honored at areception from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Tontitown Park on U.S. 412 west of Springdale.

Piazza was born Jan. 1, 1936, in Tontitown to Blanche Taldo Piazza and Dick Piazza, both immigrants from Italy who came to the United States as infants. They made their way to Tontitown, married July 4, 1923, and had five children, Albert, George, Hubert, Henry and Nora.

Henry married his high school sweetheart, Charlotte Lynn Hunt, on Aug. 11, 1956, and they had five children, Charles, Larry, Andrew, LeAnn and Matt.

Piazza worked at Ball Corp.

from 1957 to 1997, retiring at the age of 61. On behalf of the community, he was responsible for the school bell that was placed in front of City Hall for July 4, 1976, and commissioned a statue honoring the immigrants that first settled in Tontitown.

All friends are invited to bring a lawn chair and visit.

Information: Rhonda Doudna at 361-5606.

Beran honored by fraternity

Kappa Alpha Order fraternity at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith presented its Humanitarian Award to Janice Beran, wife of university Chancellor Paul Beran.

Janice Beran was honored for her contributions to UAFS and the Fort Smith community as a whole. She was largely responsiblefor the creation and installation of Numa, a massive lion statue in front of the university’s Stubblefield Center.

She was also instrumental in the creation of the Chancellor’s Coalition for the Visual Arts and the Lionheart Volunteer Organization. Beran is also active in the Chancellor’s Leadership Council, the Campus Beautification Committee and the UA Fort Smith Season of Entertainment.

Black wins alumnus award

The University of Arkansas department of agricultural economics and agribusiness has namedRussell Black its 2012 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year.

Black was one of the first two graduates to earn a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business in 1966. After working for Pillsbury Co.

and Tyson Foods, Black and his wife Brenda opened Westwood Gardens in 1982.

He has served as the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity chapter adviser for 23 years and is on the UA department of horticulture review board.

Students win for designs

Three students in the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture won awards as part of the fifth annual Hnedak Bobo International Design Competition. The competition recognizes work done from international locales as part of the school’s study abroad programs.

The team of Scott McDonald of Fayetteville and Grace Smith of Prairie Grove created the firstplace design during their year abroad studying at the Fay Jones School of Architecture’s Peru studio. Rachael Raben of Fayetteville won honorable mention for her design, which was created at the UA Rome Center in Italy.

McDonald and Smith will split $4,000 in prize money awarded by the Hnedak Bobo Group of Memphis. Raben received a $1,000 prize from the group.

Mark Weaver, a partner and principal architect with the firm,coordinated the competition. Weaver is a 1982 graduate of the school.

UAFS drama wins awards

The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith theater program earned top honors and regional nominations for its production “Dromnium” at the Arkansas State Festival of the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival, held Oct. 24-28 in Arkadelphia.

Performers Ashley Behm and Fred Delarosa of Fort Smith and Stuart Campbell of Longview, Texas, were nominated for the Irene Ryan Award for Acting. Cheree Spann and Jacob “Bob” Lensing of Greenwood, Casey Moore of Robinson, Texas, and Laura Wineland of Fort Smith received awards for musical compositions.

Other students receiving individual awards include Owen Bailey of Batesville for properties design; Hannah Yeager of Booneville for lighting design; Megan King of Cabot for makeup; L.J. Luthringer of Fort Smith for sound design; Wendy Quick of Fort Smith for costumes;

and Spann for technical direction.

Director Bob Stevenson of Fort Smith received an award for direction, and Pablo Guerra-Monje, also of Fort Smith, received awards for scenic design and production design.

The play also earned the Respondents Choice Award and will be included in the regional festival, set for February.

Send information about birthdays, honors and reunions to [email protected], [email protected] or People & Places, P.O. Box 7, Springdale, Ark. 72765.

Style, Pages 29 on 11/08/2012

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