Determining the direction of the whole
Former professor,
dean Utley recalls a career of involvement
"Societies aren't made of sticks and stones,"
said Plato in "Republic," "but of men whose individual characters, by turning
the scale one way or another, determine the direction of the whole."
Bill Utley, former professor of political science, is one of the
people who determined direction not just for UNO, but also for Omaha. Though
retired from UNO nearly 30 years ago, the 94-year-old Utley still remembers
with pride and fondness the many roles he played in shaping the university and
its local society.
Governmental guru
Utley came to the
University of Omaha in 1948 when he was hired as acting chair of the department
of history and government. At 35, he was the youngest full professor and
department chair at UNO.
An Arkansas native,
Utley graduated from Hendrix College in Conway, Ark., and with a master's
degree from the University of Arkansas. He also studied at the University of
Chicago. Prior to coming to Omaha University he had served on the faculty of
Bradley University in Peoria, Ill.
He first became
directly involved in local government in 1953 when he served as advisor to what
he describes as "an ill-conceived movement for city manager government for
Omaha." Three years later, his efforts as coordinator of the Home Rule Charter
Commission helped formulate Omaha's current city charter. In 1965, he was a
member of the Charter Review Commission.
Utley also organized
the Council of Metropolitan Governments to bring together and open
communications among the city, county and surrounding communities. When the
various governments couldn't agree on a meeting site, Utley recommended UNO's
campus as neutral ground. "The Council was the forerunner of MAPA (Metropolitan
Area Planning Authority)" explains Utley.
He would serve the
community in many other ways. Utley's other civic involvements included:
• Creation of the
Good Government Association, which functioned for several years after adoption
of the charter;
• Serving as
chairman of the Omaha-Douglas County Governmental Efficiency Commission in
1976; and,
• Various leadership
roles in the Omaha Kiwanis Club, the Omaha Human Relations Board and the Omaha
Chamber of Commerce.
Such work did not go
unnoticed. In a letter to then-Douglas County Commissioner PJ. Morgan about the
Governmental Efficiency Commission, Omaha Mayor Ed Zorinsky described Utley as
"perhaps the most recognized political scientist in our area."
Omaha World-Herald
columnist Robert McMorris recognized Utley's contributions, too, interviewing
the UNO professor for the paper in 1975.
"This university has
always assumed a role of participation in the community," Utley told McMorris.
"I very much feel
the academic world needs to do that. After all, higher education attempts to
prepare young people to play an effective role in society. It's difficult for
teachers to inspire students to get involved if we're unwilling to do it
ourselves."
Utley's involvement
in the community went beyond politics.
He describes as "one
of his proudest involvements" his role in the creation of the Nebraska
Humanities Council, formed in 1972 to cultivate an understanding of Nebraska
history and culture.
Local history buffs
also might know Utley as one of the original founders and first president of
Landmarks, Inc., formed in 1965 in an unsuccessful attempt to save Omaha's
historic post office from demolition.
Formed prior to the
creation of the National Register of Historic Places, it today is the oldest
preservation non-profit in Nebraska. It also has enjoyed success in the
preservation of other historic sites, including Union Station and Fort Omaha.
Classroom extension
From the beginning
of his career at UNO, Utley worked at expanding the walls of the classroom, as
well as the mission of the university.
He worked
consistently to open students' minds to new ideas and to get them involved in
building their world.
Utley succeeded in
getting the university to abolish its rule prohibiting political candidates
appearing on campus and facilitated a variety of speaking engagements,
including visits by Herman Ferguson, a Malcolm X supporter, and a group of
students from the USSR. He organized and was the first sponsor of both Student
Democrats and Student Republicans.
Utley also was one
of the first two professors to offer a credit course via television in 1952.
Omaha University
became the first institution in the Midwest and one of the first six in the
nation to offer courses by television via "TV Classroom" broadcast on KMTV. It
became the longest-running TV series in the country, airing for 33 seasons
until its close in 1985.
For 20 years Utley
also ran the university's Institute on World Affairs, a series of annual
lectures by U.S. and foreign government personnels and leading media
personalities.
"I strengthened the
program's quality and attendance by getting sponsorships from local
organizations," adds Utley.
He also was the
founder and director of "Our American Heritage," a lecture series on diverse
subjects in literature, music, theater and law. Utley brought to campus top
experts such as Melville scholar Howard Vincent while keeping the lectures free
to the public.
Transitions
Utley's
expansiveness and willingness to get involved with his community eventually led
to his appointment in 1963 as dean of what was then the College of Adult
Education (today the Division of Continuing Studies). He held the post for 13
years.
One of Utley's
proudest accomplishments as dean was the development of the Bootstrapper
program into the nation's largest. More than 12,000 military personnel had
earned degrees from UNO by 1976.
During this period
as dean, Utley also served as president of the Association for Continuing
Higher Education, an organization representing several hundred colleges and
universities throughout the United States and Canada.
Following his tenure
as dean, Utley was appointed as assistant to the provost. He retired from UNO
in 1978 and moved to Connecticut with his wife, Bea, where they worked to
restore their pre-revolutionary home. After some years, the couple moved to
Harpswell, Maine, and bought a home just down the street from their son, Bill
Jr.
Utley continues to
take care of business in Harpswell. Since his wife passed away about 10 years
ago he has taken care of their home and yard himself.
Though he jokes, at
the age of 94, that his biggest accomplishment each day is "getting out of
bed," he remains active in his community's social and cultural life. He also
remains keenly interested in life at UNO and in Omaha, where he has invested so
much, tipping the scale in a favorable direction for the whole.
