Gerald James Alred was Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for thirty-five years and author of articles and books reflecting his scholarly and teaching interests. He was recipient of the prestigious Jay R. Gould Award for "profound scholarly and textbook contributions to the teaching of business and technical writing" from the Society for Technical Communication.
His best-known books include The Business Writer's Handbook and the Handbook of Technical Writing (St. Martin's/Macmillan). His most important article is "Essential Works on Technical Communication" in the 50th Anniversary Issue of Technical Communication and most recent is "Reflections on Textbooks: Past and Future," Western ABC Bulletin. He was Associate Editor of the Journal of Business Communication for qualitative, historical, and theoretical submissions.
He was appointed three times as a Guest Professor at Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany, where he taught courses in the theory, practice and pedagogy of business and technical writing. See his interview on technical writing and the humanities in the Giessener Anzeiger, a regional newspaper in Germany (English translation). His article "Bridging Cultures: The Academy and the Workplace" was based on lectures (see photos and text) he presented in Hannover, Germany.
In 2009, he developed the website InlandChorus.com® and worked with Wright State University Special Collections and Archives to preserve and make widely available the music and history of the Inland Children's Chorus of which he was a member from 1951 to 1959.
Favorite Inland Children's Chorus Selections
Adonoi ("Response from the Hebrew liturgy") (Naumbourg) ~ Produced 1954
Adoration of the Magi from Ben Hur (Rózsa) ~ Produced 1964
Blue Bird of Happiness (Harmati) ~ Produced 1966
Danny Boy (Weatherly) ~ Produced 1960-2
Deep in My Heart (Romberg) ~ Produced 1946
Gloria In Excelsis Deo (Mozart) ~
Produced 1960
God So Loved the World (Stainer) ~ Produced 1962
The Green Cathedral (Hahn) ~ Produced 1947
The King and I - medley (Rodgers) ~ Produced 1957
O Divine Redeemer (Gounod) featuring the Skinner pipe organ ~ Produced 1954 ~ Lyrics
O Quam Suavis Est (Yon) ~ Produced 1962
Onward Christian Soldiers (Sullivan) ~ Produced 1960-2
Over the Rainbow (Arlen) ~ Produced 1947
Panis Angelicus (Franck) ~ Produced 1959
Popule Meus (Victoria) ~ Produced 1954
The Rangers' Song (Tierney) ~ Produced 1946
Sanctus (Gounod) ~ Produced 1961
Song of Love (Romberg) ~ Produced 1945
The Sound of Music (Rodgers) ~ Produced 1962
Stardust (Carmichael) ~ Produced 1946
Till There Was You (Willson) ~ Produced 1960-2
V'shom'ru ("Jewish evening prayer") (Federlein) ~ Produced 1959
Were You There? (trad. spiritual arr. by Wilson) ~ Produced 1958
Evening Prayer (Humperdinck) with real-time march off stage ~ Produced 1960