Nebraska Authors

Professor of Speech and Theatre at Nebraska Wesleyan University for 37 years retiring in 1999.

Before coming to Wesleyan, licensed as a Methodist minister, he served a congregation in Malden, IL from 1959 to 1960. He was a playwright – writing and producing several one-act plays from 1962 to 1986, including (among others) "Something There Is" for the Town and Country Commission of the Methodist Church in Philadelphia, PA, and "Souls That Take Wings." "Souls That Take Wings," is a chancel play with a Nebraska foundation. Clark wrote the work as part of the celebration of the Bicentennial of American Methodism in 1984, basing it on the life of Methodist laywoman, women's rights advocate, and social reformer Angie Newman, who lived in Lincoln from 1871 to 1910.

Dr. Clark was also the author of Wesleyan University publications including Student Directing Handbook (1969, revised in 1979, 1982, 1985 and 1991); Speaking: A Guide to Specific Purposes and Thoughtful Preparation (1979); Planning for Creativity: A Workbook on Creative Drama (1986); Theatre Production Handbook (1986); and Preparing Purposeful Speeches: An Analytical Approach (1988)

Served on the review panel for the Artists in the Schools program of the Nebraska Arts Council.

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Thomas Mangelsen says he took his first wildlife photos while accompanying his father on hunting trips near Nebraska's Platte River. These hunting trips taught him the patience necessary for good wildlife photography, and he learned how to move quietly and understand animal behavior. Mangelsen has photographed wildlife in such far-flung places as New Zealand, the Arctic, and Yellowstone, but Mangelsen's first muse was Nebraska and the Platte River, where he returns regularly to photograph the great crane migrations.

Mangelsen has collaborated with many authors over the years to illustrate their books with his stunning photography, but he has also published solo work, including The Natural World: Portraits of Earth's Great Ecosystems, featuring a foreword by Jane Goodall. He has a background in biology and zoology, and is an advocate for conservation of the natural world. Mangelsen co-founded The Cougar Fund, was a founding Fellow of The International League of Conservation Photographers, is on the international advisory council for the Jane Goodall Institute, and acts as a board ambassador for the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance.

See also: Michael Forsberg, Joel Sartore

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The Dick Cavett Show was said to be a smarter, more controversial counterpart to The Tonight Show with its wide range of guests and subject matter. John Neihardt appeared on The Dick Cavett Show as a guest in 1972 at the age of 92, and was one of the most loved interviews Mr. Cavett ever did. Cavett said of the interview, "Meeting and getting to know John Gneisenau Neihardt was one of those thrills of a lifetime. It gladdens me that he was able—thanks to those who had urged me to do a show with him—to live on long enough to enjoy a large dose of well-deserved, and much relished, celebrity in his final years, and that his large body of rich works can now reach a still growing audience of readers who might have missed them."

A 2018 documentary "Dick Cavett's Watergate," recalled the importance of Cavett's show in reporting the Watergate scandal, as from 1972-1974, Cavett interviewed almost all the major players on both sides of the controversy. Despite its recognized depth and critical success, including three Emmy Awards and multiple nominations, an eventual lull in ratings—coupled with the feeling that it was too intellectual for the average viewer—prompted ABC to cancel The Dick Cavett Show in 1974. Following its cancellation, Cavett resurfaced with similarly formatted shows on PBS, USA and CNBC. He has also worked as an actor on stage and screen and is the author of numerous books and articles.

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