Fossett and Solo Spirit airborne

University trustee and alumnus Steve Fossett lifted off Saturday over Northam, Western Australia, in his latest try to make the First Solo Balloon Flight Round The World (RTW).

Weather conditions were calm at the launch and liftoff went without a hitch at 7:06 a.m. Australian time (6:06 p.m. CDT) as a crowd of 1,500 cheered on Fossett and his balloon, Solo Spirit. Chief Meteorologist Bob Rice had hoped to launch around 1 a.m. that day but was delayed due to light winds on the ground.

The launch was broadcast live on the Solo Spirit Web site, solospirit.wustl.edu, where regular updates appear throughout the flight.

Fossett had a pre-launch cold that slowed his acclimatization process, and he had to use more liquid oxygen --5 liters per minute rather than the anticipated 2 liters per minute. On Tuesday, the Mission Control team was concerned about Fossett's oxygen consumption; he was using oxygen at a much higher rate than expected.

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Kidney removal: Less-invasive procedure effective, yields benefits

By Jim Dryden

Minimally invasive surgery can remove a cancerous kidney just as effectively as traditional open surgery while providing patients with equivalent long-term survival, a new study finds.

"Patients who had a kidney removed by laparoscopic, minimally invasive surgery had virtually the same five-year, cancer-free survival rate and recurrence rate as those who underwent open surgery," said senior investigator Ralph V. Clayman, M.D. "The overall effectiveness of the laparoscopic procedure is absolutely equal to that of the open procedure."

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Trustee Jones, 'hero for this age,' dies

By Kevin M. Kiley

Emeritus Trustee Edwin S. "Ted" Jones died Monday, July 23, 2001, at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur of complications from a fall. He was 85.

Jones had been a member of the Board of Trustees for more than 32 years, beginning his tenure in May 1969 and serving as vice chairman from 1977 until 1983, when he was elected to the emeritus position.

As a trustee, he served on the Executive Committee (1971-83) and the Buildings and Grounds Committee (1969-80), contributing as chair from 1971-76. He also served on the Development Committee for 11 years.

William H. Danforth, chancellor emeritus and vice chairman of the Board of Trustees, remembered Jones as a great St. Louisan and wonderful human being.

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$13 million renovation brings new look to Bixby, Givens halls

By Liam Otten

A $13 million renovation project is giving the southeast Hilltop a whole new look this summer.

Bixby Hall, home of the School of Art, and Givens Hall, the School of Architecture's headquarters, are undergoing extensive remodeling, with additional improvements to the covered "links" between those buildings and Steinberg Hall, home to the Gallery of Art, Art and Art History Library, and Department of Art History and Archaeology in Arts & Sciences. The work comes in preparation for the new construction phase of the University's Visual Arts and Design Center, currently being designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Maki.

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$3 million pledge supports new Olin entrepreneurship program

By Robert Batterson

A pledge totaling $3 million from Robert and Julie Skandalaris will establish the Skandalaris Program in Entrepreneurial Studies at the Olin School of Business.

The Skandalaris entrepreneurship program will offer a full suite of courses in entrepreneurship and expand Olin's Center for Experiential Learning (CEL). Olin students in the program will benefit from traditional classes as well as simulated and real-world entrepreneurial learning formats.

Student teams at Olin currently create business plans for new start-ups in the business school's hatchery. The Skandalaris gift will offer a possible funding source for those companies.

"This is a very generous gift from Bob and Julie Skandalaris, made all the more significant by the fact that they are parents of a student at Washington University," Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton said. "It represents to me the strong faith the Skandalarises have in our institution and in our innovative programs. We are very fortunate to count them among our dearest friends and to receive their support."

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