Giving
Donations to LAS
Gifts in Action: Alan R. Gingold, AB '70, MS '72, Finance
Honoring the Professor Who Touched His Life
One class. Introductory speech communication. That was all it took for Dr. Karl Wallace to make a lasting impression on Alan R. Gingold. So deeply touched by the experience was Mr. Gingold that some 30 years later, and with a successful career in investment banking and private enterprise, Mr. Gingold decided to honor this former professor.
In 1998, Mr. Gingold established a trust that will eventually fund the Alan R. Gingold Endowed Chair in Memory of Dr. Karl R. Wallace. The chair will be in the Department of Speech Communication, where Dr. Wallace was the head from 1947 until his retirement in 1968.
The campus underwent many changes during Dr. Wallace's tenure. Folksingers were a common sight on the Quad in 1966.
Mr. Gingold's gift has inspired others. Lois Craig, who studied with Dr. Wallace from 1956 to 1958, donated funds for a lecture in October 2003 in memory of this extraordinary scholar and teacher.
Karl R. Wallace was born in Hubbardsville, New York, in 1905. He received BA, MA, and PhD degrees from Cornell University, then served on the faculties of Iowa State College, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Virginia prior to coming to Illinois in 1948 to lead the new Department of Speech.
In 1953, students registered for classes by standing in long lines in the U of I Armory. This manual process was replaced by an online system in 1995.
Dr. Wallace is credited with creating one of top speech departments in the nation and for exemplifying such high standards in teaching and research that he literally changed the lives of many of the students and faculty with whom he engaged. He has been described as gracious, an unforgettable exemplar, and a model scholar. Jane Blankenship remembers her former professor as "a great man who loved to teach," and who taught her the true meaning of collegiality. "Regardless of daily differences," she says, "he treated everyone with mutual affection and respect."
R.L. Scott, PhD '55He was one of the wisest minds in communication philosophy.
James S. Measell, MA '68, PhD '70Karl Wallace was the kind of teacher I wanted to be..He once told me that he thought I'd 'rather teach than eat.' That's exactly what I thought of him right from the start... Karl Wallace changed the course of my life.
Thomas M. Scheidel, colleagueHe was my model of the ideal department chair. He assembled one of the best departments in the country and managed it with aplomb while carrying on his own significant and product research program. A complete gentleman and scholar, he was a rare individual.
Jane Blankenship, MA '57, PhD '61By the end of my first semester [with Karl Wallace], I remained scared and unsure that I could survive the second semester. But I also knew that I wanted to stay at U of I, and that I was surrounded by very special people.
Karl R. Wallace was head of U of I's Department of Speech, later Speech Communication, from 1947 to 1968. His former student, Alan Gingold, has established an endowed chair in Dr. Wallace's memory.