In brief: Desmond Tutu to speak at GU graduation in May

Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu will speak at Gonzaga University’s commencement on May 13.

Tutu, who played a key role in the fight against South African apartheid, retired as archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, in 1996. The archbishop emeritus announced in 2010 he was limiting public appearances to spend more time with family.

But Tutu accepted GU’s invitation to speak after learning of the worldwide “activism of its students, faculty and alumni,” university spokesman Pete Tormey said.

Tutu will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree at the ceremony.

Tutu will speak at the GU’s commencement, set for 10 a.m. on May 13 in Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Admission is by invitation only to ensure adequate space for Gonzaga’s graduating seniors and their families.

Man hit by car downtown dies from head injury

A 75-year-old man has died after being hit by a car in downtown Spokane on Tuesday night.

Ray H. Wise was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center with a serious head injury following the accident at First Avenue and Cedar Street, Spokane police reported.

Police said the investigation into the accident is continuing but it does not appear the driver was impaired or driving recklessly.

Services will be Sunday for slain mother, sons

Services will be held for Tracy Ader and her sons Kadin and Damien on Sunday at Turning Point Open Bible Church.

Ader and her sons were killed by strangulation a week ago by Dustin W. Gilman, police say, then Gilman took his own life.

The services will begin at 3 p.m. and are open to the public, according to Steve Ponsness, Tracy Ader’s stepfather. Ponsness’ brother, David Ponsness, will conduct the services.

Turning Point Open Bible Church is at 11911 N. Division St.

Steve Ponsness said a fund has been established in Tracy Ader’s name to pay for the services and burial. Donations can be made at any Numerica Credit Union branch. Any money left over will be donated to charity, Ponsness said.

Send in summer camp details for S-R guide

As winter begins to wind down, The Spokesman-Review is ramping up plans for the annual Summer Camp Guide. We’re now accepting submissions for the print section, which publishes April 28, and the online listing, which can be found at spokesman.com all spring and summer. If you would like your listing to be included at no charge in these sections, please email the info to summercamps @spokesman.com, fax to (509) 622-1163 or mail to The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210, attn: Summer Camps.

Please include the name and location of the camp, dates of operation, general theme, any costs, recommended ages, contact information, and any other details our readers might want.

Listings received after 5 p.m. April 2 will be included in the online version but won’t be guaranteed for the print edition.

For more information on the section, please email summercamps@spokesman. com.

UI can no longer use its ‘flagship’ brand

BOISE – The University of Idaho’s ego took a bruising Thursday when education officials said it can no longer proclaim itself the state’s “flagship” institution.

The state Board of Education revised mission statements for all of Idaho’s public universities during a meeting in Boise.

The University of Idaho’s mission statement has branded the school as “the state’s flagship and land-grant research university.”

But the state Board of Education felt the word “flagship” simply carried too much weight, suggesting a special prominence over the state’s other universities, and it was struck from the mission statement on Thursday.

The board is trying to promote collegial relationships between the institutions, said president Richard Westerberg.

“We don’t want to do anything that tries to indicate prominence, or to not encourage them to work together,” he said.

The board voted to remove the word “flagship” amid strong objections from university President Duane Nellis, who argued his Moscow-based school was part of the very fabric that made up the state. The university is Idaho’s oldest and was founded in 1889, a year before statehood. Also, the university has a statewide presence, Nellis said, and brings in substantial research dollars each year.

“It’s part of our brand,” Nellis said. “I think it’s more divisive to remove it.”

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines “flagship” as “the finest, largest, or most important one of a series, network, or chain.”