Alumnus Daniel Kolodziej establishes an annual competition in memory of his brother Peter and Unique colleague Iris Chang

By Daisy Hassani
Gargoyle assistant editor
Published Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2006, Gargoyle, news

When 1985 Uni alumna and best-selling author Iris Chang died in November 2004 at the age of 36, talk began of creating a writing award in her name. Now, thanks to the generosity of 1986 graduate Daniel Kolodziej, who co-edited the Unique literary magazine with Chang, as well as contributions from Chang's classmates, the idea has become a reality.

This spring the annual school awards assembly will recognize the winners of a new honor: The Iris Chang and Peter Kolodziej Writing Awards. The writing competition is in memory of Chang and Daniel's older brother Peter, a 1979 Uni graduate and Vanderbilt University scientist who died in March 2005.

“I have long wanted to establish an award of some kind at Uni,” Daniel said in an e-mail interview with the Gargoyle.

“When Iris died, I thought a writing award would be a fitting memorial, while accomplishing my goal to give something back to the school that would inspire students. When my brother Peter died unexpectedly last March, the award also presented a chance to remember him in a way he would appreciate.”

The competition, which will be judged by a panel of Uni teachers, will honor both fiction and nonfiction writing. A $100 check, a book prize, and a plaque will be awarded to the winner in each category. The contest will be open to all Uni students, subfreshman through senior.

Submissions must have been written after May 1, 2005, and must not exceed 2,500 words. Entries may include work written for classes. Writings that have previously appeared in Uni or non-Uni publications are also eligible.

Entry forms containing further instructions will be available in the main office by Feb. 1. The deadline is Friday, April 14. All submissions should be sent to Gargoyle adviser David Porreca.

Daniel Kolodziej and Chang were editors of Unique for two years and developed a connection in their shared appreciation of good writing. His brother Peter was a Harvard- and MIT-trained biochemist and biologist whose research focused on the genetic factors involved in the development of neurons and the trachea. Peter became a faculty member at Vanderbilt University in 1996 as an assistant professor of cell and developmental biology and an assistant investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Daniel, an attorney, felt that the award was an appropriate way to honor Peter's memory because of his brother's interest in the written word. “He read all the time (he was never without a book) and was an accomplished scientific author,” Daniel said.

Chang graduated from Uni to become the acclaimed author of three nonfiction books: “The Rape of Nanking,” “The Chinese in America: A Narrative History,” and “Thread of the Silkworm.”

Daniel hopes the contest will foster a greater in-depth appreciation for writing among Uni students.

“Writing is the most fundamental form of communication and art — it is infinitely flexible and powerful and essential to inform, change opinions, explore new ideas, and allow humans to relate to each other and their environment,” he said. “I hope the award will encourage students to develop their writing skills and help others to do so as well.”