MAGAZINE FALL 2015
Can 16 students launch their new companies in just 10 weeks?
Claudia Fernández, Associate Professor of Modern Languages
1
3
5
2
4
EVAN TEMCHIN ’10 (2)
Claudia Fernández has had an office in the Old Jail since she first came to Knox to teach Spanish in 2010. (Her current office, Room 15, is actually her third space in the building; she moved there in late 2014 when the Eleanor Stellyes Center for Global Studies relocated to Alumni Hall.) How did the associate professor of modern languages wind up here when the rest of her colleagues are housed in George Davis Hall (GDH)? It’s complicated. Before she came to Knox, she spent five years working in a windowless office at DePaul University. When former Dean of the College Larry Breitborde asked if she had any special requests, she mentioned she wanted a window. There was just one problem: Window offices in GDH are in short supply, and the nearest open one turned out to be across the street in the Old Jail. “It’s nice to look away to the sky after staring at the computer for a long time,” she says. “It relaxes me.”
Welcome to her office.
Open Door 8
7
6
1. A Mexican street painting. 2. The director of Claudia’s dissertation gave her this hand-painted cat as a gift. 3. A small painted picture of Castillo de Chapultepec in Mexico City and a small match box with a painting of Frida Kahlo on each side. Both objects were found at flea markets in Mexico City. 4. A cup from the Mexican coffee chain Cielito Querido Café that reads, “Aquí le decimos chico no alto” (“Here we say small, not tall”), in mockery of Starbucks’ size naming conventions. 5. A cultural representation of the Virgin of Guadalupe made out of dyed corn leaves sits in front of a picture of Diego
Rivera and Frida Kahlo, which, Claudia says, students like because they can connect with a portrait of two people they know. 6. A copper pot holds a bouquet of dyed corn leaves that her family gave to her on one of their first visits to Chicago, where she lived at the time. 7. A pot made from lemon tree wood that was carved with a hot needle (when you open it, it smells like lemon). 8. Claudia’s undergraduate diploma from The Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City—which she notes is one of the most modern-looking items in her office.
MAGAZINE VOLUME 99, ISSUE 2
We Are 21st-Century Knox
FALL 2015
Departments
A brief look—in charts and graphs—at how the Knox student body is a direct reflection of our changing nation.
Page 6
From the Prairie to the Desert
Open Door
Inside front cover
2 East South Street
Page 4
The South Lawn
Page 24
Knox Writes
Page 38
Class Knox
Page 41
Parting Shot
Inside back cover
Evan Temchin ’10 follows eight students and instructor Mike Godsil ’76 as they photograph iconic Southwest landscapes.
Page 8
Starting Up: Students Dive into Entrepreneurship Flashback
Learn about the student experience and outcomes of Knox’s newest immersive term—StartUp Term.
Page 14
Page 41
On the cover: Whiteboard doodles from the StartUp Term office. Photo by Peter Bailley ’74.
Endowed with the Spirit of Knox Four new endowed professors represent the best of Knox’s past, how the College is changing, and where we’re headed next.
Page 19
layout designers Ami Jontz
assistant editor Pam Chozen
Contributors, Writing & photography
assoCiate editor
Adriana Colindres
Peter G. Bailley ’74,
Evan Temchin ’10
News & Photography
Special thanks to Melissa Arney and Lori Reed.
Becky Hale
Cheri Siebken
Knox Magazine is published twice yearly by the Office of Communications, Box K-233, Knox College, Galesburg, IL 61401-4999, Phone: 309-341-7760; Fax: 309-341-7718; E-mail: knoxmag@knox.edu. It is distributed free of charge to Knox alumni, students, parents, and friends. The magazine welcomes information and story ideas. Please query before submitting manuscripts. ISSN: 0047-3499
Niki Acton ’16 Visit us online at www.knox.edu/knoxmag.
PETER BAILLEY ’74
editor Megan Scott ’96
Hail to Alma Mater A member of the Class of 2015 honors the Knox hymn, “Hail to Alma Mater,� on graduation day. Read more about Commencement 2015 on page 24.
Editor’s Note
Letters to the Editor
To Love, or Not to Love, Class Notes
Notes on Excellence
I
Excellent spring issue with cogent reporting and quite good graphics to invite you in. Photography and its display outstanding. Only fly in graphics’ ointment in my view is the long line length in president’s letter. Good work. —Jim Biery '53
have a confession to make: I have a very confusing relationship with Class Notes.
EVAN TEMCHIN ’10
As a Knox alumna, I love reading Class Notes, learning about all the wonderful goings on with my classmates and friends. But, as editor of Knox Magazine, I often dislike them. A lot. I’ve been told by other alumni magazine editors that a robust Class Notes is the sign of an engaged school, something other editors are envious of. But in this issue alone, Class Notes took up more than 40 pages and consisted of 42,923 words of text. That’s 42,923 words that needed to be reviewed by at least three people (we take your name and class year very seriously). And you know what? We still always get something wrong. Is this truly something to envy? Right now, as I’m writing this note, I’m in the middle of proofing Class Notes one last time (yes, I’m procrastinating) and worrying about what error I just missed. But I also just finished reading about the Class of 2009 and am truly amazed by all of the degrees received, jobs started, and unions made. Our alumni are doing wonderful things. So while I’m sitting here lamenting the thousands of words still to review, I find myself filled with pride. There is no better testament to the power of a Knox education, the enduring friendships between classmates, or the sheer reach of our small college on the prairie than Class Notes. How can I not love that? But I do ask you, magazine reader, for one favor . . . the next time you see a mistake (or two) in Class Notes, remember that we proof at least 40,000 words for each issue; please be gentle with us. —Megan Scott ’96
“There is no better testament to the power of a Knox education than Class Notes.”
4
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
Remembering Lombard Grads I was touched and sorry to read in the Knox Magazine of the passing of the last Lombard student, Roy Truedson, at the age of 104. In the accompanying note about notable Lombard graduates, including my dad (Theodore Wright) and Uncle Sewall, I missed my other uncle, Dr. Quincy Wright, professor of international law at the University of Chicago. I believe he was a Knox trustee in the 1960s and died in 1970, a couple of months after my father. My maternal grandfather, Judge Lyman McCarl of Adams County, Illinois (1859-1920), was also a Lombard graduate (about 1884, I think) who paid his way through Lombard by teaching school every other year. My dad was also vice president of Cornell University 1948–1960 and acting president in 1951. —Theodore P. Wright, Jr., Prof. Emeritus of Political Science, SUNY at Albany
2 East South Street President’s Note Reinforcing Our Mission
A
Lincoln & the Turkey In the most recent issue, there was a small article regarding Abe Lincoln’s return to Knox, referring to the football team’s victory over Eureka College (page 28). I hope the football team can provide a “Bronze Turkey” for consumption at his Thanksgiving dinner. —G. Trevor Winebright ’57
Send us your letters! Knox Magazine welcomes the opinions and comments of its readers. Write to the Editor, Knox Magazine, Box K-233, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 614014999, or e-mail knoxmag@knox.edu. Letters should refer to material published in the magazine and may be edited for length or clarity.
It seems that every year there are new rankings: alongside U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, there are rankings from the Sierra Club, Washington Monthly, and the Department of Education. Each can serve as a benchmark, and the College takes them seriously as indicators of ways in which we might improve and as important tools for prospective students. But some are especially dear to me because they measure how well we meet our mission.
KENT KRIEGSHAUSER
s I enter my fifth year at Knox, I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of this extraordinary community. Those of us who have this privilege recognize Knox’s special qualities—its mission to provide a high-caliber education to all students, the diversity of its student body, the dedication of its faculty and staff, the contributions its alumni make to their communities. Every fall, when a variety of external rankings are publicized, I look to see whether others recognize these qualities, too.
This fall, for the first time, Knox was ranked number 14 in the nation by The New York Times for how well we serve low-income students. This ranking is especially striking because Knox has the lowest endowment per student of any of the private liberal arts colleges included in the top 25. That tells me that we have been terrific stewards of the College’s resources, spending money wisely to have the maximum impact on student success. Washington Monthly’s annual rankings rate colleges according to their “contributions to the public good” and take into consideration the extent to which colleges provide upward mobility for talented low-income young people, how many of our graduates serve their nation in the armed forces or the Peace Corps, and how we contribute to the growth of knowledge through research activities. Knox is ranked number 11 in the nation among liberal arts colleges, and it is this ranking that I treasure the most. My father served his country as a veteran and as an American diplomat, so I was raised to revere public service, and it remains a core value for me.
“I was raised to revere public service, and it remains a core value for me.”
Higher education has always served our nation as a ladder of upward mobility, and this has been at the core of Knox’s mission since our founding. These rankings honor Knox’s commitment to its mission, and I could not be more proud of Knox than I am today. —Teresa L. Amott KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
5
WE ARE 21st-CENTURY KNOX If you place a photo of today’s Knox students next to photos of students from 1965, 1985, or 2005, you can’t help but notice that the makeup of the student body has changed quite a bit. Yet this shouldn’t come as a surprise—as the nation changes, so do we. Knox’s 21st-century student body is a direct reflection of our 21st-century nation.
According to U.S. Census data, the West and the South contain the fastest-growing states in the country. Not surprisingly, over the last four years, half of the top states from which we enroll students are in the South and West.
Knox’s top 10 enrollment states over last four years (in purple)
High School Graduates by Ethnicity in Knox Primary Enrollment States
Knox Year Over Year Growth Rate - Matriculates
800,000
25%
700,000
20%
600,000
15%
500,000
10%
Hispanic Student Growth Rate Black Student Growth Rate White Student Growth Rate
400,000 300,000 200,000
2015 Entering Class
White Hispanic Black Asian & PI
5% 0%
100,000
-5%
0
-10%
9 0 3 4 5 6 -0 -1 -11 -12 -13 -14 -15 -16 -17 -18 -19 -20 -21 -22 -2 -2 -2 -2 -27 -28 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
Knox’s student demographics are tied to the demographics of its top enrollment territories. For example, the numbers of Hispanic and Asian students in Knox’s primary enrollment states have seen growth in recent years, while the number of white students has been declining during this same time period and will continue to decline for the foreseeable future.
6
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
You can see the same trend among Knox’s student body over the last 10 years, as the number of Hispanic and Black students at Knox has grown by nearly 20 percent, and the number of white students has declined by seven percent.
Difficult Dialogues
886
Student Body: 2004
54 56
89
56
7
743 54
Student Body: 2014 175 110
178
77
Asian/Pacific Islander Multi-racial
White
Black/African-American
Hispanic
In Knox’s diverse residential community, nationality, race, class, religion, and gender are not just topics for discussion but lived experiences both in and out of the classroom. Despite best intentions, many members of the Knox community have found that talking across these differences is often messy and sometimes hurtful. So how do we as a community work together to overcome and embrace our differences? Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) is one solution. Introduced to Knox in 2012, thanks to the generous support of Bob Borzello ’58, IGD is a long-standing approach to social justice education pioneered by the University of Michigan. It gathers a group of people on each side of a social identity to listen deeply to each other’s lived experiences and to offer their own. One thing that makes IGD unique is its approach to conflict: participants are encouraged to sit with and explore conflict, rather than minimize it.
International
According to the Pew Research Center report, The Next America, the Millennial Generation, or 18-33 year olds, is America’s most racially and ethnically diverse generation ever.
4 in 10 Millennials are Non-White*
4 in 10 members of the fall 2015 entering class are domestic students of color *Pew Research Center
At Knox, we believe that we learn the most from the people least like us. And today’s Knox students live and learn in a diverse community that looks much like the world in which they’ll live and work upon graduation. This community is one of the College’s most valuable assets.
“IGD gets people past the point where they say ‘we’ll agree to disagree,’ and, instead, gets them to continue dialogue to deepen their understanding,” says Burkhardt Distinguished Professor of History Catherine Denial. Denial co-facilitates Knox’s IGD program with Assistant Professor of Sociology Gabrielle Raley. Three courses in IGD are now offered at Knox. In the 100-level course, students from groups with a history of conflict work together to understand their own social identity, to learn how structural and institutional power works in relation to their identity, and to foster activism and community. The 100-level course is facilitated by student peers, who are closely mentored by faculty. Students are trained by IGD faculty to become peer facilitators in a 200-level course, and facilitators are enrolled in the 300-level course while they are facilitating the 100-level class. To date, 45 students have participated in the 100-level course and 16 students have been trained as peer facilitators. “Students who have participated in dialogues have consistently said the experience was transformational and one of the most important classes they took at Knox,” says Raley. Faculty and staff have also participated actively in the program. Staff in Athletics and Admission participated in an IGD training on diversity last year, and additional opportunities are planned for faculty and staff in the coming year.
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
7
From the Prai to the Desert 8
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
Muley Point, Bluff, UT
rie A PHOTO ESSAY BY EVAN TEMCHIN ’10
The American Southwest is a beautiful but challenging environment for photographers. That’s why, over Spring Break, instructor Mike Godsil ’76 led his Southwest Desert Photography Workshop to sites across New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. One thing the eight students learned quickly: Landscapes keep their own schedules, independent of the photographer’s preferences. Vaughn Hadenfeldt, our guide in Bluff, Utah, told us that visitors can easily spend five hours in a single location as they scout the best angle and wait for the perfect light. KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
9
Monarch Cave Ruin, Comb Ridg
Eagle Eye, Monument Valley, UT/AZ
10
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
Sand dunes at Monument Valley, UT/AZ
ge, UT House on Fire Ruins, Cedar Mesa, UT
Muley Point, Bluff, UT
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
11
Monument Valley, UT/AZ
Newspaper Rock, San Juan County, UT
12
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
Mike Godsil plans to organize a return trip to the Southwest for Knox alumni next summer. Stay tuned for more information. Below: A backroom tour at Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum in Blanding, Utah.
House on Fire Ruins, Cedar Mesa, UT Bottom row, from left: Evan Temchin ’10, Kate Hovda ’15, Jim Ding ’17, Robert Turski ’15, SaMisty Utley ’15. Back row, from left: Madeline Ferber ’15, Lucy Rae Dorn ’17, Sarah Noel ’17, Laura Lueninghoener ’16, instructor Michael Godsil ’76.
Mesa Verde, CO
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
13
Starting Up: Students Di BY ADRIANA COLINDRES
A
fter the daytime buzz of workplace activity had faded into the springtime quiet of night, Sam Hart ’15 frequently found himself alone on the sixth floor of the Bondi Building in downtown Galesburg. Odds were good that he’d be sitting in near-darkness, in front of a computer screen, developing some of the programming for a business idea that he and three other Knox students were pursuing. He’d work late into the night, occasionally napping for a few hours on the office couch. Hart is one of 16 Knox College students who got a taste of the entrepreneurial world by participating in last spring’s inaugural StartUp Term, the College’s newest immersive learning experience. In teams of four, they worked to shape business ideas into real services and products. By the end of the 10-week academic term, all the teams had taken great strides toward achieving their goals, and one team progressed to the point where it was accepting customers’ orders—and cash. Created and led by three Knox faculty members, John Spittell from business and management and John Dooley and Jaime Spacco from computer science, StartUp Term was designed to be collaborative. On every team, students combined their talents and expertise in different subject areas. Each team was required to have at least one member who had studied computer science at Knox and at least one member who had studied business and management. Aside from
14
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
that, there were no restrictions, and the program attracted students majoring in various academic disciplines, including history, studio art, and environmental studies. “The idea is to give (students) the experience of being in a startup company,” said Dooley, who holds the William and Marilyn Ingersoll Chair in Computer Science. “We think it’s a good blending of the liberal arts education that the students get at Knox, plus the practical application that they’ll need to go out into the business world and do their own startups or go to work for a company.” “This has been a really remarkable experience to watch,” said Spittell, professor of business and management, executive-in-residence, and the Joseph E. and Judith B. Wagner Distinguished Chair in Business. “It’s been absolutely an unbelievable run.” “We’re very, very excited with the work that the students have done,” added Spacco, associate professor of computer science. “It’s been amazing.” StartUp students said they gained a new understanding of entrepreneurship. “I think it’s really clicked for me what it takes to make a successful business. It’s not just sitting down and cranking out something that’s ‘pretty good,’” said Hart. “That’s not going to do it. It’s about resource management and how to do things at the right time, and also [it’s about] valuation of self and idea and company.”
ve into Entrepreneurship
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
PETER BAILLEY ’74
Farmet team members Marc Spehlmann ’15, Inez Peña ’15, Angel Zuaznabal ’15, and Matthew Timmerberg ’15 work on their StartUp Term project.
15
GETTING READY, MOVING IN Months before StartUp Term launched, preparations were under way. During the 2014 fall term and early in the 2015 winter term, Spittell, Spacco, and Dooley organized a series of mixers for students who were considering StartUp Term. The purpose of the mixers was to encourage students to share their entrepreneurial ideas, talk about their interests and strengths, and join or put together an effective working team. Six prospective teams applied for admission to StartUp Term. They crafted business plans and made presentations to Spacco, Dooley, and Spittell. Four were accepted: Farmet, iNQUiSi, MDLX, and Tetra Clock. “Of the four teams that got in, they tended to gel in the fall,” Spacco said. “These sorts of projects don’t just come together overnight.” Students set up headquarters in the Bondi Building, sharing about 1,000 square feet of office space donated by Galesburg businessman Bob Bondi.
“It’s very important to have the four teams all in a common room because the energy that comes off of one team spills into another,” Spittell said. “It motivates the entire group to take productivity and involvement to a higher level.” Establishing the teams in a space away from the Knox campus was a key aspect of the StartUp experience. “You’re in a business environment,” said Matt Klich ’15. “This is an incubator, so we spin ideas off each other.” Students had 24/7 access to the building and their office space, which proved helpful. Just ask Hart, a double major in computer science and mathematics who recently started a job with Epic Systems in Wisconsin.
“This is an incubator, so we spin ideas off each other.”
StartUp Term made its first appearance at Knox this year, receiving support from the College, the Mellon Foundation, the Bondi Corporation, State Farm Insurance, and the Donald R. Stroben Entrepreneur Fund. Here’s a rundown on the four StartUp Term teams. Each team kept a blog, which can be viewed at cs.knox.edu/startup-term. 16
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
GETTING ON TRACK To pursue their projects, students had to tackle a wide range of responsibilities, such as creating the computer code needed for each project’s website and, in some cases, for the primary product or service. Students also had to evaluate potential markets for each product or service, make connections with potential customers and suppliers, compile financial projections, and take care of administrative tasks like ordering business cards and opening bank accounts. Most of the time, teams worked independently and set their own work schedules. The faculty members taught StartUp seminars on entrepreneurship, project management, and planning and teamwork, and they were available to help solve problems. To ensure that all four teams kept making progress, team members and faculty gathered regularly for status updates. Once a week, they conducted a “retrospective” to evaluate what was going well and what still needed
Team: Farmet Members: Inez Peña ’15, Marc Spehlmann ’15, Matthew Timmerberg ’15, Angel Zuaznabal ’15 Project description: Create a network between small farmers and businesses to increase awareness and availability of high-quality, organically produced food.
improvement. On most weekday mornings, the entire group conducted a “standup” meeting where each team quickly addressed three main questions: • What have you done since the last meeting? • Did anything get in your way?
“It’s a method of communication, basically,” Dooley said. The structure of those meetings encouraged students to help one another when they could, even if they were on different teams. A week into the term, for instance, one team mentioned it was having trouble getting in touch with an important expert. Members of other teams offered suggestions on the best way to get in touch with that person. Spittell routinely e-mailed the students what he called “light reading for the day”—generally, an online article about some aspect of business and entrepreneurship. Those articles
PETER BAILLEY ’74
• What will you do between now and the next meeting?
StartUp Term faculty and students often posted important information on a whiteboard in their office in downtown Galesburg’s Bondi Building.
included “The Coolest College StartUps of 2015” from Inc. magazine and “When Entrepreneurs Should Say ‘No’ to Investors” from the Unreasonable.is website. The readings provided “perspective on what’s going on out there” in the entrepreneurship world, said Angel Zuaznabal ’15.
ALUMNI PITCH IN Knox alumni provided StartUp students with even more insight into entrepreneurship. Several graduates—including Hannah Basil ’13, Bob Gillespie ’90, and Knox trustee Carol Bovard Craig ’89— dropped by the Bondi Building to offer advice, answer questions, and
Team: iNQUiSi
Team: MDLX
Team: Tetra Clock
Members: Mike Gerten ’16, Matt Klich ’15, Nate Moore ’16, Cody Sehl ’15
Members: Jinglun Ding ’17, Laura Lueninghoener ’16, Joe Miao ’15, Anda Xu ’15
Members: Austin Finley ’15, Michael Graf ’15, Sam Hart ’15, Gayoung Moon ’15
Project description: Create a better way for instructors and students to interact in class through an application that enables students to answer instructors’ questions from a smartphone or any other device while providing instructors with real-time data on student performance.
Project description: Create a web interface that connects college students who have unwanted furniture, books, and other items with students on the same campus who might want those items.
Project description: Create plug-ins designed to help novice video game creators by shortening their learning curve and enabling them to more quickly get to the “fun” part of building a game.
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
17
PETER BAILLEY ’74
concentrate on the people who “are going to think it’s cool and say, ‘Hey, I know somebody I should introduce you to.’” “Entrepreneurship is not a lightning bolt. It’s coming in and moving the ball by half an inch every day,” Gillespie added. “This is the coolest job you’ll ever have, and it’s the hardest job you’ll ever have. Ever.”
Several Knox alumni, including Bob Gillespie ’90, shared their knowledge and experiences with students as part of StartUp Term.
talk about their own business experiences. Basil, who recently switched from a career in banking to a career in technology at a Chicago startup, spoke to students during StartUp Term’s second week. The program is “a great idea to give students that real-world experience,” she said. “You study coding in class. You study marketing. But you’ve never gotten a chance to apply it yourself, and that’s what I see StartUp Term really being—this immersive period where students can apply what they’ve learned and try it out. That’s a valuable experience.” Gillespie, who has been working with startups in Turkey, warned students they’d probably hear the word “no” a lot when they talk with friends, family, or anyone else about a business idea. His advice: Don’t get discouraged, and
18
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
HITTING THE HOME STRETCH Knox alumni and friends also played an essential role toward the end of StartUp Term, with several serving as judges at the teams’ final presentations, which took place over two days. In addition to the three StartUp Term faculty members, judges included Eric Miller ’02, Kevin Lillie ’12, Bob Bondi, and Knox trustees Mark Kleine and Jerry Vovis ’65. The final presentations didn’t position teams against one another in a competitive way. Rather, every team’s proposal was evaluated on its own merits, and students’ StartUp Term grades depended in part on the quality of the presentations. In each of the four presentations, team members described their projects in detail—business models, potential markets, expected competitors, and projected financial figures. They fielded judges’ questions and listened to suggestions for improvement. Judges advised one team, for instance, to consider targeting a larger customer demographic. Students found the process exhilarating—and sometimes a little scary. “Going in, I was very nervous. I thought the judges might say, ‘You guys don’t know what you’re doing,’” Zuaznabal said minutes after his team, Farmet, finished presenting.
One of his colleagues, Inez Peña ’15, said she wasn’t worried at all about the presentation. “I had complete trust in my team,” she said. Peña’s instincts were right. As it turned out, judges liked Farmet’s plan for providing customers with healthy, locally grown produce, and team members had little trouble responding to judges’ questions. “It was cool to see they actually liked the idea and saw the potential with it,” said Matt Timmerberg ’15. “It’s also important to see that there is a lot more work that needs to be done.” By the time Knox’s spring academic term ended, Farmet had begun accepting orders—and customer payments—and made its first round of deliveries of fruits and vegetables on June 3. That day, team members distributed 40 boxes of fresh, local produce—strawberries, snap peas, radishes, and other items. Customers picked up their boxes at the Knox campus and at OSF St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg. Farmet sold and distributed food for nine weeks, closing up shop on July 29 and donating 10 percent of profits to Knox Prairie Community Kitchen, a Galesburg not-for-profit organization. With the success of this year’s StartUp Term, the 2017 version is in the planning stages. The 2015 StartUp students agree that’s a smart move, because it will greatly benefit future Knox students. Laura Lueninghoener ’16 said she appreciates her StartUp experience, and she’s recommending it to others. “If you have a general interest in entrepreneurship or learning how the world works, put in a bid for StartUp Term 2017,” she advised. “It’s going to be a ride.”
Endowed with the Spirit of Knox Four new endowed professors represent the best of Knox’s past, how the College is changing, and where we’re headed next. BY PAM CHOZEN
T
o be named an endowed professor is one of academia’s highest honors; until this year, there were just 18 among Knox’s faculty. So when four new endowed professors were announced early this spring, it represented an important moment in the College’s history. What makes the distinction so special? Generally, there isn’t a salary increase, a change in duties, or any other perks. What it represents is a commitment to a particular value or area of study, and, by extension, to faculty members themselves. Because an endowed professorship is funded through the College’s permanent endowment (and donor support) rather than annual revenue, it isn’t subject to budget cuts or changes in intellectual fashion. Though it may not have much impact on the professor’s day-to-day responsibilities (one joked, “The only change since my appointment is my e-mail signature”), over the course of decades, an endowed professorship is one of the clearest indicators of the College’s priorities—and its character.
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
19
ANDY FITZ ’08
W
The Pragmatist Kevin Hastings Professor of Mathematics Rothwell C. Stephens Distinguished Professor in Mathematics
“Rothwell Stephens basically directed 35 years of my life, and I have such gratitude toward him for it.”
20
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
hen Kevin Hastings ’76 decided to return to his alma mater in 1986, his thinking was surprisingly unsentimental. “It was a good job market,” he notes, and Knox’s offer was one of several he received. “You have to make the hardest-headed decision you can. I was impressed by the students, I liked the faculty, and it’s very cheap to live in Galesburg. So back I came to Knox College.” Hastings’ academic interests reflect this same practical streak. “I like seeing mathematics used for something,” he says. “There is something about the randomness of the world, and poking at that randomness, that attracted me more than anything else in math. And, these days, the business world in general is starting to key in on the usefulness of analytical techniques.” He helped establish a financial mathematics major at Knox, and, increasingly, the independent studies and Honors projects he supervises have an analytical focus. This year, he will oversee two projects simultaneously—one trying to detect patterns in student retention at Knox, and another examining whether market forces naturally limit insider trading. Even if neither yields fresh discoveries, he sees (as usual) practical benefits for his students. “Many of our Honors projects are close to the level of a master’s thesis. The research and writing is terrific preparation for graduate school.” One topic that does make Hastings a little emotional is Rothwell Stephens, the legendary Knox mathematics professor. Hastings was in the very last class Stephens taught at Knox, and, he believes, the last of Stephens’ students to follow in his footsteps. “By the time I had Rothwell Stephens in class, he was mostly sitting in the back of the room, watching students do problems on the board, and so it put tremendous pressure on us to make sure we did all the work the night before,” Hastings says. It was during those nightly study sessions that he realized, not only was he good at doing the math, he was skilled at and surprisingly comfortable helping his classmates understand the material. “Rothwell Stephens had a quiet strength. He never had to raise his voice; nevertheless, you knew he was completely in control at all times. He made you want to impress him,” Hastings says. He isn’t alone in this assessment. In fact, Stephens had such a lasting influence during his 45-year career that when H. James ’61 and Judith Summers Farver ’61 decided to endow a professorship in his honor, more than 50 other Knox alumni and friends came forward to contribute to it. It’s hard to imagine a better choice for its first recipient. “Rothwell Stephens basically directed 35 years of my life,” says Hastings, “and I have such gratitude toward him for it. I feel so honored to be in this position.”
A
“What I’m trying to do here is to build leaders—and I’ve got great talent to work with at Knox.”
PETER BAILLEY ’74
business major, John Spittell observes, can seem like a “safe” choice for undecided students, but it can also prevent them from discovering, as he did, what truly excites them. “When I started college, when anyone asked what I wanted to do, I said ‘pre-med’—because my father was a physician, and I actually had no idea.” Fortunately, because he was a student at a small liberal arts college, Ripon, the curriculum required him to explore. After his first economics course, he says, “the lights in the living room of my mind went on.” Then, in a psychology course, “the lights in the family room went on, and I was home.” Even though there is no business and management major offered at Knox, it has become one of the College’s most popular minors. That’s understandable, says Spittell, because “what you get in business courses is actually a set of tools—finance, marketing, statistics—that create value. You pull them out and apply them to whatever you’re trying to build.” In today’s knowledge economy, he argues, “students will have at least six different jobs, and, 20 years from now, you won’t even recognize the world they’re living in. What’s important is to be able to learn—a business minor within a liberal arts education is perfect for that.” Spittell knows a lot about changing careers. After earning an MBA in finance and marketing from Northwestern, he was a commercial loan officer at National Bank of Detroit when his father-in-law invited him to take over the family liquor distributorship in Galesburg. By the time Spittell and his partner sold the business in 2007, its territory encompassed most of Central Illinois. He might have retired comfortably at that point. Instead, he became a college professor. Teaching, says Spittell, is just another form of value creation. “What I’m trying to do here is to build leaders—and I’ve got great talent to work with at Knox.” His previous careers are an essential part of that. “I’ve bought companies, I’ve sold companies, I’ve hired people, I’ve fired people, I’ve sued, I’ve been sued. When I teach, my practice is to talk about the topic from a theoretical point of view, and then say, okay, now here’s why that matters. Students love that, because they actually see what they’re learning engaged in real life.” Under Spittell’s guidance, Knox’s business offerings have quietly expanded. “We’ve added marketing, cost accounting, advanced managerial accounting, strategic brand management, and entrepreneurship. You can study industrial psychology, the economics of nonprofits, labor economics. I probably have six more courses I’d like to introduce.” Typically, he oversees one or two independent studies every term. Those often turn into seminars the following year, and, with a few more tweaks, eventually become permanent offerings. (You can read about the most recent addition, StartUp Term, on page 14.) When Spittell learned he had been named the inaugural Joseph E. and Judith B. Wagner Distinguished Chair in Business, he flew to Colorado to thank the Wagners in person. He was surprised by how much he had in common with Joe Wagner ’50, whose Wagner Equipment Co. is the exclusive Caterpillar dealer in Colorado, New Mexico, and far west Texas. “He does the same work I used to do— the only difference is, he’s moving steel and I was moving alcohol. I left my catalog with him, so he could see what we’ve built here—and what we’re continuing to build.”
The Builder John Spittell Professor and Chair of Business and Management, Executive-inResidence Joseph E. and Judith B. Wagner Distinguished Chair in Business
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
21
B
DON HAMERMAN
The Discoverer William Young R. Lance Factor Endowed Professorship in Philosophy
“[Bill and Lance] both embody the idea that philosophy is for thinking through the life we actually live.”
22
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
ill Young was not available for an interview. It’s not just modesty (although colleagues attest Young prefers to direct his energies toward his students and his studies). It’s because he hasn’t been in Galesburg in weeks. Once again, Young has spent the summer exploring Japan, a country he first visited in 2003. Since then, he has returned year after year, trying to connect the ways in which the philosophical texts he reads voraciously have influenced both Japanese culture and the physical space itself. “Bill is trying to visit every single temple in the Kyoto area,” reports his Japan Term co-leader, history professor Michael Schneider. It’s an ambitious goal; there are about 1,600 Buddhist temples within the 1,781-square-mile prefecture. “Occasionally, he’ll read about one that he doesn’t know, and he’ll go track it down.” You might assume that level of dedication is the product of a lifelong fascination with Japan and Asia. In fact, Asian philosophy is a relatively recent interest. “It’s probably the third or fourth new thing that Bill has added to his teaching repertoire since arriving at Knox,” observes Schneider. “He developed an entirely new teaching area in feminist philosophy back in the 1990s, as well as another in postmodern philosophy, as well as other things I’m probably not even aware of.” “There is nothing repetitive about his intellectual agenda,” confirms longtime colleague Professor Emeritus Lance Factor. “He is an excellent example of how a philosophic mind can find deep and enduring questions in a variety of areas.” That approach also informs the way Young teaches. “He treats his students as fellow inquirers,” Factor says. Not incidentally, Young has received citations from three different graduating classes naming him one of their most influential educators. Factor says the endowed professorship named for him—and funded by an anonymous donor—can be understood as a testament both to “the inspiration of philosophy as a vital subject and to excellent teaching, the kind that simultaneously opens a new subject to a novice while building their confidence in mastering a difficult but rewarding discipline.” For his part, Schneider sees a strong resemblance between Factor’s work and Young’s, especially in their fascination with physical spaces. “They both embody the idea that philosophy is for thinking through the life we actually live, and that students especially benefit from seeing the real-world implications of our philosophical assumptions.”
D
“We are a program that is rooted in social justice. All voices are heard.”
JOHN WILLIAMS ’12
iana Beck says she can’t imagine that she’ll ever stop learning. Perhaps that’s why she has dedicated her career to teaching. A while back, she planned to leave the field of education altogether. She’d worked as an elementary, middle, and high school teacher, following her own children as they progressed from grade to grade. Once they graduated, she decided to try something new and enrolled in a pre-med program—only to find herself so frustrated by the way she was being taught science that she swapped her dream of becoming an M.D. for a Ph.D. in education. “The whole way we used to do education, and the way we often still do it, is anathema to me,” she says. “Standing in front of a class and lecturing—students need to be involved, they need to be given interesting ideas and encouraged to grapple with them.” That awareness underscores both how she teaches and where she teaches. Since 1997, she has spent nearly every summer teaching at small Navajo schools in Arizona and New Mexico. She was first drawn to the area by a former student, who reported the Navajo school where she was then teaching didn’t have the resources to offer science classes. Beck volunteered to come out—and has kept coming, bringing Knox students with her through a short-term immersion program for education majors. “I fell in love with the Navajo people and the kids and the school,” she says. The experience has changed the way she teaches at Knox, too. “We are a program that is rooted in social justice. All voices are heard. All children are tended to—not just the brightest.” Being aware of different perspectives, she says, is an essential skill for a teacher. “It’s the ability to put yourself in the place of the student. This is probably the hardest part for new teachers. That’s why it’s important for our education students to get into the classroom immediately—not as teachers, but as observers. I ask all of my students, even if they intend to teach high school, to spend time in a kindergarten or first grade class. I want them to have a complete perspective on what education is like from the student’s viewpoint, so when they are in a high school class with a student who wants to sit in the back and not participate, they don’t just see that—they see that kid as a kindergartener, as an elementary school student, who may have been marginalized and shut out.” The George Appleton Lawrence Distinguished Service Professorship is one of Knox’s oldest faculty honors. Named for an alumnus who was one of early twentieth-century Galesburg’s most prominent citizens, the professorship has been awarded to some of Knox’s most highly regarded faculty members, including Robert Hellenga, English, and Lance Factor, philosophy. “To be in the company of those two men, who were icons even when I first started working here, just makes me feel really humble. ”
The Listener Diana Beck Professor and Co-Chair of the Educational Studies Department George Appleton Lawrence Distinguished Service Professor
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
23
2015
COMMENCEMENT BY THE NUMBERS
298 Graduates
16 STUDENTS graduating with College Honors
108 STUDENTS graduating with Latin Honors
“There are some societies where rain falling on an event like this is good luck, cleanses the air, is a blessing and a fresh start. I think that is fitting for us here today.” —Bill Whitaker, 60 Minutes correspondent and 2015 Commencement speaker
31 19
STATES REPRESENTED
2
COUNTRIES REPRESENTED
Too many to count— Umbrellas wielded at least once during the ceremony
Selfies taken on stage one with President Amott, one with the entire audience
170th Commencement Exercises
www.knox.edu/commencement 24
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
Majors with
10 or more graduates Anthropology and Sociology Biology Computer Science Creative Writing Educational Studies Economics International Relations Music Neuroscience Political Science Psychology Theatre
The South Lawn Sparks “GOT A MESSAGE from a friend I
EVAN TEMCHIN ’10
Knox Welcomes New CFO Knox welcomed Keith Archer to the campus community on August 17 as the new vice president for finance and administrative services and chief financial officer. Archer comes to Knox from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where he has served for the past 10 years as executive director of finance and controller. Archer succeeds Tom Axtell, who retired at the end of July after holding the post since 2000. “Keith Archer brings to Knox a decade of financial experience at a small liberal arts college, a focus on customer service and employee management, and involvement with the selection and oversight of outside service providers,” said President Teresa Amott. “His experience, community engagement, work ethic, and management style are a strong fit with Knox.” The position includes responsibility for the business office, dining services, campus safety, facilities services, human resources, and the bookstore. Archer received his bachelor’s degree in accounting, with a minor in management, from Maryville University in St. Louis. He also has worked in retail management, handling customer service, hiring, training, and performance evaluation. He has served on the board of directors of the Greencastle Chamber of Commerce, Friends of the Putnam County Library, and Putnam County Community Foundation. In addition, he was a member of the curriculum committee for the Greencastle public schools and served as a 4-H Club leader for 10 years.
graduated high school with, that they were in a car with someone I graduated @KnoxCollege1837 with…in Lebanon” Lotte Vonk ’13, June 16, 2015
“WE ARE KNOX, and, therefore, we are unstoppable.” Senior Class Speaker Kathryn Todd ’15 from her Commencement speech, June 7, 2015
JURASSIC FLUNK Flunk Day 2015 theme, seen on T-shirts across campus on April 30, 2015
“If the measure of a scholar can be found in the frequency with which his or her work is referenced by others, then Professor of Psychology Tim Kasser is the
MOST EMINENT SCHOLAR in the history of Knox College.” An excerpt from the presentation of the 2015 Faculty Achievement Award to Professor Tim Kasser, June 7, 2015
“Please try to get engaged in global climate policy. It’s important for your children and for your future...
STAND UP for something and make a difference.” Beverly Wright, founding director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, from the spring EquiKnox lecture, April 13, 2015
“Thank you for this honor, which is right up there at the top of my 85 years!...Always be your
SPECIAL SELVES and you will succeed.” Carlyne Stokesbary, dining services, from her toast to the Class of 2015, June 5, 2015
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
25
Family, Friends, Football (in that order) For nearly two decades, Knox football has been much more than a game for the Paul brothers. From the very beginning in the late ’90s, when a buddy recommended Knox to Dustin Paul ’04, through fall 2015, when Tyler Paul becomes the sixth brother in his family to enroll at Knox, suiting up for the Prairie Fire has been all about families and friends. “It started when Ryan Cannady ’00 told me about a buddy of his, Dustin Paul, and said I should recruit him,” recalls Andy Gibbons, associate head football coach, who’s been at Knox since 1991. The Cannady and Paul families were friends and neighbors in Quincy, Illinois; Ryan is a 2000 Knox graduate and three-sport athlete who played linebacker during football season. Gibbons followed up on the tip and recruited Dustin, starting a veritable parade of “tough, physical, hard-nosed players, always ready to play,” as Gibbons describes the Paul brothers— Dustin, who graduated in 2004 with a degree in economics; Chris, an environmental studies major who graduated in 2007; Brian, who graduated in 2013 with a degree in chemistry; Andrew, an economics major who graduated in June 2014; Jacob, who starts his junior year in the fall; and, last but not least, Tyler, who enters Knox this fall with the Class of 2019. Having family close was important when tragedy hit the Paul brothers with the illness and death of their father, Bruce Paul, in 2011. “The coaching staff and faculty at Knox were more than gracious,” Dustin says, as they made allowances for the brothers’ schedules. “There were my dad’s doctor’s appointments that we all went to.” The team chartered a bus for players to attend Bruce Paul’s funeral in Quincy.
26
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2013
“It really reflects on our belief as a team in the value of ‘family’,” says Damon Tomeo, head football coach. A lot of credit for the way the Paul brothers succeed, both on and off the field, goes to mother Cindy Paul, Tomeo says. “Raising the boys by herself, what she’s done in this almost impossible situation, she could package and sell it.” “My sons have gotten really good educations and they were able to play football,” Cindy Paul says. “I encouraged Tyler to consider different colleges. He’s been coming to
The South Lawn Fired Up/ Burned Out Fired Up The Knox College website, www.knox.edu, received a bronze award in the international 2015 Circle of Excellence awards program from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The website was one of 88 entries in the Institutional Website category and one of eight to win a bronze, silver, or gold award from a panel of experts. This is the first time Knox has received recognition for its digital communications and, needless to say, we are quite proud.
Smoldering
The Paul family lines up: Tyler ’19, Chris ’07, mom Cindy, Andrew ’15, Brian ’13, Jacob ’17, Dustin ’04.
Knox (to watch his brothers play) for 15 years. He knows the campus and the coaches and the field. He feels comfortable there.” Despite all that playing time, line positions don’t generate many numbers, and you won’t find much about the Paul brothers in anybody’s stat books. “The big play isn’t what it’s about for them,” Gibbons says. “They haven’t been stars. They’re strong, physical linemen, with great character. All of them have been ‘rocks’ of our team.”
PETER BAILLEY ’74
If you visited Green Oaks this summer, you’ll have noticed that the boats and canoes that once dotted the shore of Lake Sharvey have disappeared. Don’t worry—this wasn’t the result of a grand boating theft at the biological field station. The College simply can’t offer the use of Knox-owned boats at the lake until a new check-in/checkout system is made available. Until that system is in place, you can still hike, picnic, camp, and fish from the shore. And you can always bring your own human-powered boat to cruise on beautiful Lake Sharvey.
June 22, 2015, was a sad day in Knox athletics, as the College announced that it was no longer offering a wrestling program, starting with the 2015-16 academic year. “This was a difficult decision to make and one that we took very seriously,” said Athletic Director Chad Eisele ’93. Knox has struggled to field a wrestling team and sustain a viable program in recent years despite strong alumni and donor support. Alumni, students, and supporters of the program are rightly upset by the decision, but we have worked to share with them the reasons underlying the decision.
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
27
I am Knox — Evelyn Coffin ’17 Vitals Hometown: Spencer, Indiana Major: Creative Writing Campus Clubs & Organizations: Cellar Door, Caxton Club Class Year: 2017
EVAN TEMCHIN ’10
What makes Knox a good place to study writing? I actually came to Knox because I didn’t really have any career plans, not specifically, and knew that I would have lots of time to explore here. Being in this energetic, thoughtful space is incredibly healthy for growing stories. At this point, I’m trying my hand at everything I can: this term, I took my first poetry class, and, next year, I’ll be learning about screenwriting and playwriting in Ireland. I’m all about exploring my options before settling down!
Three Facts about Evelyn Her short story, “Proudly, Unburied,” won the Associated Colleges of the Midwest Nick Adams Short Story Contest in 2015. Amazingly, she wrote that story as an assignment in the first writing class she had ever taken—ENG 207: Beginning Fiction Writing. Some of her favorite authors include Ray Bradbury, F. Scott Fitzgerald, poet Seamus Heaney, and Knox alumnus Edgar Lee Masters (interestingly, she didn’t learn of his Knox connections until after she had applied).
28
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
Describe your writing process. Inspiration is such a strange thing. Sometimes a line or an idea will work its way into my head, and the whole story will just follow. Sometimes I have to sit down at my computer and really slam something out, so that I can tear it up in revisions. I probably have a dozen drafts that I’ve started and not really pursued (I guess you could call those works-in-progress); it just takes more time to build some than others. What’s your favorite thing you’ve written so far? It’s hard to have a favorite! I’m working on a story right now about goats that I like pretty well so far, but it’s not finished so I can’t tell you about it that much. (And, while I’m writing it, every story is my new favorite thing I’ve written.)
The South Lawn Donors Give $18 Million to Knox Knox ended another strong fundraising year in June, as donors to the Record-Setting Years $20,000,000 College gave more than $18 million $19,515,204 during the 2014–15 fiscal year (July 1, $18,811,894 $17,700,000 2014-June 30, 2015). This year’s $16,000,000 fundraising success follows on the heels of two record-setting years. In $12,000,000 2012–13, Knox raised a record-break$11,274,893 ing $17.7 million in a single year. A $5-million gift from Dick ’57 and Joan $8,000,000 $8,460,000 Whitcomb ’56 to support a new art building, the largest gift from living $4,000,000 donors in College history, significantly contributed to $19.5 million in total giving for the 2013–14 fiscal year. $0 This year’s total of $18,811,894 in 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 cash came from 7,748 alumni, parents, “Over the past three years, the College has focused friends, and private organizations. Donations supported Knox fundraising on a series of giving initiatives collectively called faculty and students, the College’s educational program, Above & Beyond to enhance the educational experience for annual operations, and capital improvements. This year both students and faculty,” said Beverly Holmes, vice marked the return of Alumni Hall as a functioning hub of the president for advancement. Since 2011, the Above & Beyond campus after being shuttered for nearly 40 years, and design initiatives have raised $12.6 million for Alumni Hall and work continues on the new Whitcomb Art Building with more than $38.6 million in support of faculty, students, and plans to begin construction later this year. Design work is other campus facilities for a total of more than $50 million. also progressing on creating a contemporary, environmentally See the center of this issue for a complete list of alumni, sustaining, educational and residential complex at the friends, and organizations who made leadership gifts last year. College’s Green Oaks Biological Field Station near Victoria.
$1.5 Million Grant for TRIO Knox was awarded a federal grant for its TRIO Achievement Program, which provides individualized support and comprehensive programming to promote students’ academic success and personal growth. The grant, which covers a five-year period starting September 1, allows Knox to continue and enhance the TRIO program. Knox will receive $302,731 during the first
year of the grant, and the total five-year amount is projected at more than $1.5 million. With the grant, Knox’s TRIO program will expand to serve 185 students, instead of the 165 served in years past. A new summer academic bridge component also is being added to the program. “It is an exciting time to be working
at Knox College with such institutional momentum for supporting firstgeneration, low-income students and students with disabilities,” said Risa Lopez, director of the TRIO Achievement Program.
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
29
Students Explore Law, Service in JusticeCorps Knox students and local residents benefitted from a new program introduced this past January in Knox County— JusticeCorps, a program that allows specially trained volunteers to assist people who are not represented by lawyers. JusticeCorps “combines something I’m passionate about (pursuing a law
comes to navigating the court system. They perform different types of work, such as helping individuals fill out and file paperwork related to orders of protection, legal name changes, and uncontested divorces. They do not, however, provide legal advice or work with people who are dealing with criminal matters. Marisol Gonzalez-Castillo ’15, who now attends the University of Wisconsin Law School, said that participating in JusticeCorps built on her Knox education. “It gave me another way of learning,” she said. “JusticeCorps pushed me outside my comfort zone and taught me a lot in dealing with legal issues.” JusticeCorps continued over the summer with two student volunteers and will recruit more interested students throughout the year.
career) with my interest in community service,” said participant Andrew Whitehill ’15, one of three Knox students who participated in the program last winter and spring. JusticeCorps students help guide individuals who are dealing with civil legal matters and who might otherwise be intimidated and uncertain when it
PETER BAILLEY ’74
Marisol Gonzalez-Castillo ’15, one of three Knox students in the JusticeCorps program last winter and spring, works with her supervisor Ben Mullison ’10.
Go Figure
3,524 Applications for admission for the Class of 2019, the most in Knox history
30
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
2 Number of train whistles that punctuated Bill Whitaker’s 2015 Commencement speech
18 Gender-neutral bathrooms on campus
The South Lawn
Honest Abe or the King of Rock & Roll? To answer that question, you might need to ask the Knox students who attended this year’s Lincoln Fest, an 11-hour music festival featuring student bands and headliner Hellogoodbye. This was the sixth year for this now-annual music festival, sponsored by Union Board and WVKC, which has evolved from a three-day music event to a single day highlighting student talent. “I always joke that it’s a low-budget Lollapalooza,� Kati Stemple ’16, chair of Union Board’s Music and Expressions Committee, told The Knox Student. Design by Kate Hovda ’15.
92 Total bases for outfielder Drake Sykes ’17, setting a new single-season record
���
34 300+ Galesburg elementary and junior high students attended College For Kids in June
Graduating seniors inducted into Phi Beta Kappa
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
31
High Aspirations for Board, Knox Richard Riddell ’72 Begins Term as Board Chair
DUKE UNIVERSITY
“I’d like to see members of the Board and the Knox community gain a deeper sense of confidence in the ongoing value and health of the college.”
32
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
It’s safe to say that Richard Riddell ’72 knows more about board governance of higher education institutions than most anyone at Knox. In addition to serving as a Knox trustee for the last decade, Riddell is the vice president and university secretary at Duke University. Or, to put it more concretely, he serves as chief of staff to the president and liaison between the university and its board of trustees. He is the only Knox trustee who works on both sides of trustee governance, providing him with a truly unique perspective. “It helps me understand better the role of the administration and the role of the Board,” he says. Riddell, a Tony Awardwinning lighting designer, also had a successful career as a faculty member in theatre at the University of California-San Diego, Harvard University, and Duke, before moving over to administration full-time. This unique perspective is of particular use in his role as chair of the Knox College Board of Trustees, a role that he assumed on July 1. Knox Magazine asked Riddell a series of questions about his aspirations for his term as chair and Knox itself. It’s clear from his answers that he has high aspirations for a College that has a “deep impact on the lives of students.” What do you believe are the greatest strengths you bring to your new role as chair of the Board of Trustees? I bring to the board years of experience as a Knox trustee, during which I led the search committee that brought Teresa to the presidency—I welcome
the chance to support her and help her realize her vision for the College. Professionally, I’ve been involved with higher education governance for the last decade and believe that a high-functioning board is a strategic advantage to an institution. I look forward to doing my part to help the Knox board be a real asset for the Knox community. Where would you like to see Knox progress during your time as chair? Over the next few years, I’d like to see members of the Board and the Knox community gain a deeper sense of confidence in the ongoing value and health of the college. What do you believe is Knox’s greatest challenge right now? Greatest opportunity? They are the same, I think: to define and realize a strategy that builds on Knox’s reputation as an outstanding liberal arts college while adapting to the changing demands on higher education today. Describe Knox in a single sentence. A college that has had a deep impact on the lives of students, helping them develop, mature, and graduate to lead lives of value and meaning.
The South Lawn History Comes Alive at Knox
PETER BAILLEY ’74 (3)
The unique links between Knox and Abraham Lincoln, and still-relevant issues the nation confronted during Lincoln’s lifetime, are showcased in two newly completed historical exhibits on the Knox campus in Galesburg. The new exhibits, which opened in June, comprise the Dr. Douglas L. Wilson Gallery in Old Main. Named in honor of Douglas L. Wilson, George A. Lawrence Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of English and co-director of the Lincoln Studies Center at Knox College, the exhibits are funded by a gift from Lowell Dixon ’65 and his wife, Mariclaire. The Wilson Gallery focuses on the history of Old Main—a National Historic Landmark and the only remaining building
from the Lincoln-Douglas Debates—and the pioneering Lincoln scholarship conducted by Wilson, along with colleague Rodney Davis. The Old Main exhibits feature dozens of documents, maps, and photographs drawn from the College’s 178-year history. “These new exhibits show Old Main as the center of academic and student life at Knox,” said Knox Librarian Jeffrey Douglas, who coordinated the research and development of the exhibits. “They also highlight Abraham Lincoln’s own self-directed education that took place in the early 1800s, the same era in which Knox was founded.” The Whitcomb Heritage Center in Alumni Hall opened following completion of a $12 million renovation of the historic building. The Whitcomb Heritage Center is named in honor of Dick ’57 and Joan ’56 Whitcomb, donors to the Alumni Hall renovation. Funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Library of Congress, the exhibit vividly illustrates the historical context—local, regional and national—for the Lincoln-Douglas Debate at Knox in 1858.
Exhibits in Alumni Hall (left) and Old Main (below) showcase the history of Knox, Illinois, the Midwest, and the nation.
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
33
Tools of Their Trade Three faculty members were promoted at the June meeting of the Board of Trustees—Weihong Du, Asian studies (Chinese) and Todd Heidt, modern languages (German), were awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor; Gregory Gilbert, art history, was promoted to full professor. All three have dedicated themselves to teaching and learning at a residential liberal arts college, and each brings with them scholarship, research, and tools to help their students succeed.
Weihong Du Weihong joined the Knox faculty in 2009, after receiving a Ph.D. and master’s in Chinese from the University of Minnesota. She also holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Chinese language and literature from Nanjing University. Weihong enjoys teaching in a growing department, as “helping our program develop and add to Knox’s rich offerings is exciting and fulfilling,” she says. She’s currently exploring internet culture and its effect on popular linguistic evolution, giving her the opportunity to explore “new facets of Chinese with my language students.” Her tool: The book Xu Beihong: Pioneer of Modern Chinese Painting. “It’s symbolic of my literary training, but the content of this particular text relates to research I did for my dissertation and first publication,” she says. A bit of trivia: If she wasn’t a professor, she’d be an editor.
PHOTOS BY EVAN TEMCHIN ’10 34
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
The South Lawn Todd Heidt
Greg Gilbert Greg has taught at Knox since 1995, first as a visiting professor and then in a tenure-track position. He received his Ph.D. and master’s in art history from Rutgers University, and his B.F.A. in art history from the University of Kansas. Greg also has graduate certification in museum studies from Rutgers University and served from 2009 to 2011 as senior curator at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa. His primary research focus is the early career of the abstract expressionist artist Robert Motherwell, and he was named the 2015 Dedalus Foundation Visiting Scholar at the Archives of American Art Fellowship for his research. While receiving the Philip Green Wright/Lombard College Prize for Distinguished Teaching is his most memorable moment at Knox, Greg says that he’s always gratified to see his majors present their senior research— “I marvel at their strong academic development and intellectual maturation.” His tool: A framed Eric Gill print from the Knox art collection in Special Collections and Archives, which currently hangs in his office. It represents both his specialty in twentiethcentury art and the College’s strong holdings in fine art prints, which he says “needs to be more widely known.”
Todd, who received his Ph.D. in Germanic studies and bachelor’s in German literature from the University of Cincinnati, as well as master’s in Germanic studies from the University of Chicago, came to Knox in 2009. Knox is, according to him, klein aber fein, or small but great. “When I tell colleagues about the range of students in a typical Knox classroom, they are shocked that I am talking about a liberal arts college on the Illinois prairie,” he adds. He is currently researching Mario von Bucovich, an Austrian-born photographer. His tool: A Sigmund Freud bobblehead. “During grad school, Freud was on my desk, positioned next to my computer staring at me,” he explains. “Since coming to Knox, I’ve positioned Freud to look away from me and at students, who love to reach out and make his head softly bobble while we talk.” A bit of trivia: Leading students to Berlin and Istanbul on the study and travel program European Identities in winter 2014 was a “dream come true.”
A bit of trivia: Galesburg is definitely the smallest place Greg has ever lived, but “it has been a pleasant town to call home.”
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
35
The ’Burg Galesburg: Salmon Capital of the Midwest
PETER BAILLEY ’74
In 2012, Nic Mink, then a visiting professor of environmental studies at Knox, wanted to connect independent fishers in Alaska with customers in Galesburg who wanted sustainably harvested salmon. Today, his business, Sitka Salmon Shares, has grown into a multi-state operation with customers in Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, the Twin Cities, and across Illinois. It also employs a number of Knox alumni and students, including Lindsay Morgan ’16 (pictured), who interned in the company’s Galesburg headquarters this summer. As a Community-Supported Fishery, Sitka Salmon pays its suppliers more than they would receive from large multinational processors and also returns 1 percent of revenue to fisheries conservation, helping sustain both fish populations and fishing communities. Nic also returns to the Knox faculty this fall as a lecturer, following a fellowship at Butler University.
36
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
Remember This: Professor Receives $600,000 to Explore Memory Daniel Peterson, psychology, received a $600,000 Scholar Award in Understanding Human Cognition to research the mechanism that enables people to retrieve information from memory. The grant is from the James S. McDonnell Foundation’s 21st Century Science Initiative. The foundation funds fewer than a dozen Scholar Awards in Understanding Human Cognition each year. Peterson’s research will explore the memory mechanism that lets people recall a bit of information more easily if they already have remembered it. “We know that when I ask you to retrieve, say, a list of words that I showed you earlier, that act of retrieval actually makes it more likely you’ll be able to again retrieve those words at a later point in time,” Peterson explained. “We know that phenomenon, and we’ve known it for the last 20 or 30 years. But we still don’t have a really good understanding as to why—what is the mechanism underlying that?” Another part of his research will involve a related phenomenon: that there might be certain situations in which information is remembered that can make it tougher to retrieve the same information later. Peterson plans to include Knox students in his research work, both as assistants and as subjects. Advanced students can pursue their own research, with Peterson as their mentor. Peterson’s grant covers an eight-year period, beginning January 1, 2016. He has been a member of the Knox faculty since 2011.
The South Lawn
George Steckley, above, with a student in his office; Jon Wagner, left, with skeleton and fossils in class.
PETER BAILLEY ’74
Professors George Steckley and Jon Wagner may not have taught in the same department, but their Knox careers followed very similar paths. Both joined Knox in 1973, and both decided to retire this past spring. After teaching at the same institution for 42 years, their influence on the Knox community is nearly impossible to quantify. But we’ll give it a shot, all the same. While his teaching focused on European and British history, Steckley, Seeley Distinguished Professor of History, was able to reach and relate to students in both happy circumstances and stressful, notes his fellow history professor Konrad Hamilton. In a resolution approved by the faculty in the spring, Hamilton passed along reminiscences from Steckley’s current and former students. One student who ended up coming to Knox and majoring in history related her experience as a prospective: “Professor Steckley listened to the students who had come to visit him. He asked us real questions, let us disagree, and took our disagreements seriously. We had an academic conversation, which was new and wonderful to me...This conversation is the reason I approached my freshman year with optimism, and it remains one of the best examples of all that is good about my time at Knox.” “The career of George Steckley reminds us that Knox College, above all else, is a community,” Hamilton said in his resolution, “a special community based upon the goal of the personal development and transformation of young people.” From the fossilized origins of humanity to its imagined destiny in the stars, Jon Wagner’s teaching and research career spans not just decades but eons. He could always be “counted upon to ask the really Big Questions,” said colleague Nancy Eberhardt, professor of anthropology. In his teaching and research, Wagner’s interests have included gender dynamics and religious aspects of utopian communities, the interface of people and geography, how the Star Trek series used encounters with aliens in outer space to promote very human values of diversity, friendship, and independence, and interdisciplinary analysis.
STEVE WOIT
Careers of Steckley, Wagner Speak to Community, Span Decades
One of Wagner’s most popular courses was American Communal Utopias, a course which, Eberhardt said, “entailed extensive field trips and where, legend has it, at least one student decided to ‘go native’ and, immediately upon graduation, joined one of the intentional communities they had visited.” Many who never set foot in one of Wagner’s classes will recall him as a folk musician, performing with Knox students and colleagues as well as members of the Galesburg community, showing, Eberhardt said, “his commitment to— and celebration of—the critical role of folk arts in keeping us connected to our roots.”
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
37
First Impressions “The day Robert Ryan turned nine, the entire nation celebrated.” The first line of The Lives of Robert Ryan (Wesleyan, 2015) by J. R. Jones ’85. J.R. Jones is an award-winning film critic and editor for the Chicago Reader. His writing has appeared in New York Press, Kenyon Review, Da Capo Best Music Writing, and Noir City. The Lives of Robert Ryan, which chronicles the life of the legendary film noir actor, is his first book.
Translating Memory Born in Boston, Alex Kuo ’61 spent his childhood in Shanghai’s French Concession during the Second World War and later in Hong Kong before attending Knox College and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His most recent novel, shanghai.shanghai.shanghai, follows the culture writer and closet novelist Ge as he encounters a Bogota pickpocket, a defiant Uighur woman with a borrowed baby, a German naval attaché, American evangelicals working the Beijing Olympics, and China’s first woman conductor of western classical music. It explores the thin fabric that separates state censorship and self-censorship and collaboration and corroboration within Shanghai during its foreign occupation of 1939, state occupation of 1989, and self-occupation of the present. In addition to the publication of shanghai.shanghai.shanghai, a bilingual edition of Kuo’s selected and new poems, Meeting Words at the Gate, was published in China this fall.
You spent your early childhood in the French Concession of occupied Shanghai during the Second World War. How has this impacted your career as a writer? I think writers have different ways of engaging with their work. Sometimes it is impossible to trace its original impetus, and sometimes it is a deliberate act of concentration: it could be a line or a word from a newspaper headline or an overheard conversation; it could be a scene from a play; it could be something totally imagined; it could be a memory from childhood. In the actual writing process we put all these possibilities together in different combinations inhabiting a deliberate structure. What the successful writers have in common is the determination and dedication to focus on this subject and pursue it to wherever it leads, hopefully offering exciting insights for both the reader, as well as the author. My early life was very unstable, and parts of what I remember have surfaced in my work, sometimes embellished, sometimes as if I were the translator. This is why the
38
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
subtitle for shanghai.shanghai.shanghai reads “translated by the author.” In some ways we are all translators of what we remember and what we imagine.
What inspired you to stray from traditional narrative tactics in your newest novel? I try not to think about marketing tropes when I write and concentrate instead on the pursuit of my subject. In the case of shanghai.shanghai.shanghai, the linear time line twists, bends, and reverses within the constantly changing dimensions of language and place, but because the novel’s text appears on the page or monitor as a two-dimensional, flat surface, the narrative episodes are accordingly flattened out, as in a Möbius continuum, twisting, bending, reversing, sometimes running into each other, sometimes in the same sentence.
Pauline Chen of The New York Times describes your poetry as a fusion of the political and the literary. How do you walk this line without sacrificing either? I am not comfortable separating the “literary” from the “political,” at least
Knox Writes Books by Members of the Knox Community not in my own work. I remember someone once said that to write is to have ideas. (It may have been Robert Frost, but I’m not certain.) And good ideas are dangerous and a threat to one’s emotional and psychological well being. As such, good poems and stories provide an imagined and revelatory experience for us and alter the way we think about things—otherwise they are expendable and have only entertainment value. And as such, good ideas are always political.
You attended the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. What is your advice to Knox undergraduates looking to pursue MFAs in creative writing? This year, our nation is awarding somewhere between 3,000 and 3,500 MFAs in creative writing, compared to about 20 in the early 1960s. No more than 10 will get jobs teaching creative writing at any level. About 750 will get temporary adjunct college positions teaching freshman composition with no benefits and, in a year or two, maybe a section of an introductory American literature course. This is not exactly a dream career. Being a waiter at a good restaurant will allow one to earn a higher salary, have access to more material, and more important, have more time to think and write. That said, I have the following suggestions for those who are thinking about pursuing an MFA in writing and a serious writing career. Check out not only the specific MFA program but also who will actually be in residence and teaching when you’re in it. Read their work and go sit in on some of
their workshops and see if you can learn anything from them. And you must read, and read, and read. Forget about finding a voice; you have one already. But above all, see and remember everything, especially for a fiction writer—you can’t afford to make up things, you’ve got to get it right. The poet Simon Ortiz has said, “If it’s fiction, you better believe it.” And finally, above all, don’t let the workshop discussions on the need for conformity to get published distract you from writing about things that are important. Alex Kuo is married to the writer Joan Burbick and has lived and worked in the Pacific Northwest for most of the last 60 years, with extensive teaching appointments in Beijing, Changchun, and Hong Kong. He has published 13 books, received three National Endowment for the Arts grants, Fulbright and Lingnan Professorships, a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio residency, a Knox College Alumni Achievement Award, and the American Book Award in 2002 for Lipstick and Other Stories.
Letter to a Future Lover: Marginalia, Errata, Secrets, Inscriptions, and Other Ephemera Found in Libraries Graywolf Press, 2015 ander Monson ’97 Letter to a Future Lover collects pieces written in response to library ephemera and addressed to readers past, present, and future. Through witty, idiosyncratic essays, Monson reflects on the human need to catalog, preserve, and annotate; the private and public pleasures of reading; the nature of libraries; and how the self can be formed through reading and writing.
Personalized Philanthropy: Crash the Fundraising Matrix CharityChannel LLC, 2015 steven l. Meyers ’69 Using a metaphor of an imprisoning Matrix—the typical development office with its goals and deadlines—Meyers artfully and persuasively works through and explains three concepts: virtual endowments, philanthropic equity gifts, and step-up gifts. Each captures what’s wrong with the current fundraising model and provides a basis for improving it.
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
39
Knox Writes Sheep Meadow Press, 2015 professor of english natania rosenfeld Hailed as resonant and graceful, Wild Domestic is Rosenfeld’s debut collection of poetry. The poems explore a range of topics both personal and historical, including her Jewish heritage, her childhood in a small Midwestern town and post-war Germany, and her love of visual art and music.
Worlds Between Light Messages Publishing, 2015 Carl nordgren ’73 In Worlds Between, book two of the River of Lakes series, readers are immersed in the idyllic setting of the fishing camp Maureen and Brian have built with Joe Loon’s clan along the English River. The visit of IRA sympathizers, the building of a hydroelectric dam, and a dangerous accident provide chilling reminders that old threats still lurk even as new dangers emerge. In this evocative series spanning oceans and decades, award-winning author Carl Nordgren weaves a tale about the power of dreams and the dangers of ghosts who haunt our past.
40
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
Soviet Baby Boomers: An Oral History of Russia’s Cold War Generation
Calling All Alumni Playwrights!
Oxford University Press, 2013 donald J. raleigh ’71
The Knox Department of Theatre announces New Plays Festival II, to take place in spring 2016. As with the inaugural festival in 2013, the 2016 festival will feature original works by current and former Knox students, as well as Knox faculty. More than six weekends in spring term, we’ll present new plays in staged readings and workshop productions in Studio, Harbach, and other spaces on campus. All alumni (whether you were involved in theatre at Knox or not) are invited to submit one-act and full-length plays of any style or genre (but no musicals, please). Maximum of three submissions per person. E-mail scripts to newplays@knox.edu.
Soviet Baby Boomers traces the collapse of the Soviet Union and the transformation of Russia into a modern, highly literate, urban society through the fascinating life stories of the country’s first post-World War II, Cold War generation. Including rare photographs of daily life in Cold War Russia, the book offers an intimate portrait of a generation that has remained largely faceless until now.
British Naval Supremacy and Anglo-American Antagonisms Cambridge University Press, 2014 donald J. lisio ’56 During World War I, British naval supremacy enabled it to impose economic blockades and interdiction of American neutral shipping. The United States responded by building a navy so powerful that Great Britain could not challenge America’s economic interests. This book reveals that when the United States offered to substitute naval equality for its emerging naval supremacy, the British used the resulting international arms-control conferences of the 1920s to ensure its continued naval dominance.
PETER BAILLEY ’74
Wild Domestic
Class Knox
Flashback Sidewalk Calculations Associate Professor of Mathematics Mary Vlastnik Armon ’85 takes a class outside. Do you know the year? The students? Do you remember the sidewalk lesson? Share the story behind the photo—e-mail knoxmag@knox.edu. To read responses to the last issue’s Flashback photo, Anti-War Protest, visit www.knox.edu/knoxmag.
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
41
Alumni News Black Alumni Network Promotes Advocacy, Mentoring, Service This spring, Knox College alumni established the Black Alumni Network (BAN) in an effort to provide a structured and sustainable organization that encourages alumni networking, support of current students, and engagement with the College through the donation of time, talents, and financial gifts. In partnership with the Black Alumni Association of Knox College (BAAKC), BAN is working to increase alumni interaction with the College through communications, advocacy, service, and events in support of Black alumni and current students.
The most recent BAN initiative is 100 Strong, a drive to gather Black alumni on campus for the 2015 Homecoming. In addition to connecting Black alumni with each other and the College, BAN runs a mentorship program that pairs black students with alumni to engage in mentor-mentee relationships. Goals of the BAN Mentoring program include helping students with strategic career planning, assisting graduates as they transition to post-college life, and establish and expand networking circles.
BAN also formed an Advocacy Program, through which students can reach out to alumni to discuss their concerns and garner support around topics and events that affect their college experiences. The Advocacy Program is a direct result of student activism and outreach, and the need for alumni support and advocacy. Ultimately, the Black Alumni Network hopes to serve as a voice for the Black alumni body and foster lifelong engagement with Knox. To learn more about BAN, visit their website at www.knoxcollegeblackalumninetwork.com.
Alumni Return to Campus for Cultural Leadership Consortium
EVAN TEMCHIN ’10
Knox students polished their leadership skills and got advice on how to run student organizations in a more efficient and inclusive way at the Cultural Leadership Consortium in May.
Seven alumni returned to campus to participate in the Cultural Leadership Consortium, left to right: Fabio van Roon ’88, Arlene Mitchell ’94, Clarence Parks ’92, Debra Banks ’73, Randy Strickland ’90, Isis Ferguson '01, Tasha Weatherspoon ’96.
42
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
Current and newly elected student officers of 13 cultural organizations, including ABLE, Harambee, Lo Nuestro, and SASS (Students Against Sexism in Society), connected with alumni who founded or held leadership positions in those organizations. “Their guidance helped current students determine their legacy as leaders of these organizations and Knox College,” said Anabel Menifee, associate director of alumni engagement, who collaborated with the Center for Intercultural Life and Student Development to organize the event. Isis Ferguson ’01 was one of the alumni in attendance. “These experiences put me into meaningful relationships with professors, administrators, and older students who modeled what it meant to care and to practice that care.” In addition to providing a leadership workshop, the consortium served to increase collaboration among the student organizations themselves. The event enabled student leaders to connect and develop ideas on how to share their resources and ideas. Menifee observed, “The consortium provided an opportunity for alumni to re-engage with the College, learn and be part of what the cultural organizations are doing, and invest their time in a cause that is dear to their hearts.”
Class Knox Why have you chosen to stay involved with the College? Knox helped me grow academically and personally. It was a springboard for me to launch my career and capitalize on various educational and work opportunities after college. I’d like to give back to my alma mater, to help the school as it continues to provide amazing opportunities to current and future generations of students.
Meet The Alumni Trustee: Helen Haiching Lin ’94
What were some of the highlights of your Knox experience?
What do you hope to accomplish as an alumni trustee?
A native of Shanghai and Illinois, Helen Haiching Lin is director of product management with Markit, a global financial information services firm. After immigrating to the United States with her parents in middle school, she attended the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at Knox in 1994, and an MBA from Harvard Business School,
The University of Chicago Business Fellows program, where I learned about various business opportunities available for college graduates, in addition to stimulating classes and conversations with MBA students. “Paradigm shifting” economics classes with Professor Steve Cohn, where I learned to view history and society using an economics lens. Flunk Day!
Since I work in business and technology, I am interested working with the school to provide more opportunities to prepare students for careers in these areas. A liberal arts education teaches a student how to think, solve problems independently, and communicate. These are all great preparation for a career in management.
Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Craig received a Knox College Alumni Achievement Award in 2009. Susan Haerr Zucker is vice president and general counsel of City Real Estate Incorporated, of Chicago. She has served on the Knox College Alumni Council and Annual Fund Steering Committee, as Chair of the Alumni Achievement Award Selection Committee and as an Alumni Trustee from 2005-2009.
Jan Koran is retired general counsel to the YMCA of America. She joined the Board of Trustees as a general trustee in 1995 and served as board chair from 2006 to 2012. John Sauter ’63 is president of Action Associates, Inc. in Reston, Virginia. He replaces Joyce Hertko ’82, who served on the Board for the past two years in a seat designated for the past president of the Alumni Council. Read more at www.knox.edu/trustees.
SUBMITTED
starting her career with the Boston Consulting Group. Prior to joining Markit, Lin worked as an independent consultant in the technology, financial services, consumer products, and retail industries. For the past few years, she has worked with the Bastian Family Career Center to establish an internship at Markit for a Knox student and was actively involved with the College’s Campaign Advisory Committee. She began her role as alumni trustee on July 1.
Board Welcomes Five Alumni In addition to Helen Lin, the Board of Trustees welcomed four new alumni as trustees on July 1: Carol Bovard Craig ’89 and Susan Haerr Zucker ’78 joined the board, while Jan Koran ’71 re-joined the Board as general trustees, while John Sauter ’63 was appointed to a seat on the board as past president of the Alumni Council. A native of Galesburg, Illinois, Carol Bovard Craig is founder and president of Craig Technologies Aerospace and Defense Manufacturing
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
43
“I’ve never remodeled a winery before, but better
1941
We are Knox. You are, too. If you attended Knox for one year, two years, or graduated with honors, you are a Knox alumnus/a. You are the best reflection of Knox College and the education it provides. So, keep us informed. Tell us what you’ve been up to, if you’ve been promoted or honored, or simply say hello. Here’s how: • Contact your Class Correspondent; • If you don’t have a correspondent, e-mail, call, or “snail mail” us directly (see below); • Or have other media sources send us press releases, articles, and publicity. Please send information about births, marriages, and deaths directly to: Alumni Records Knox College, Box K-230 Galesburg, IL 61401-4999 E-mail: records@knox.edu Send all other updates, correspondence, or questions to: Pam Chozen Class Notes Editor, Knox Magazine Knox College, Box K-233 Galesburg, IL 61401-4999 E-mail: pachozen@knox.edu Please note that Class Notes may be edited for space and in accorance with the Knox Style Guide.
44
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
Elizabeth Brook was selected to receive an FYC Scroll of Honor this year. The award recognizes lifetime achievements in the service of the recipients’ community, society, or humanity. The Scroll of Honor awards are presented each year at the annual FYC lunch at Homecoming. Congratulations, Betty! Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu
1942 Barbara Young writes, “My brother, Harvey Young ’37, was the writer in the family. I arrived at this accomplishment rather late. The last night I talked to him on the phone before he became so ill, he said in a wavering voice: ‘I must think about what I’m going to write next.’ I imagine that as he lay in a coma for several years, his little gray cells were still searching. He taught American history at Emory all his career, and he used to tell his grad students that when they finished three years of dedication to writing their dissertations, they should always know where they were going next. Otherwise, they might lose their way.” Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu
1943 Art Holst and wife Elizabeth report that they had a beautiful five months in Florida with their two little dogs, Sammy and Molly. They enjoyed lots of walks and multiple visits with children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Art says of their grandchildren, “They travel more than we would have ever imagined. One had a fourmonth college course in film production in Denmark. Another visited us after her twomonth stay in South America on her way to Canada, and then to Africa; and she lives in Australia! When we were in college we were lucky to get further away than Chicago!” Art continues to write verse. Here’s one he wanted to share: A DAY In the early morning stillness, with a new day drawing nigh, The dawn began to creep into the leaden eastern sky. The “Artist of the Morning” brushed in streaks of red with ease, While countless arms reached skyward, the limbs of lovely trees. I thought about the promise that comes with every morn. The gift of yet another day, as if we are reborn. The only day we have to live is the one pulled skyward by the sun.
How can I be a help for others ’ere this day is done? For the length of life is really in a package called, “A Day.” What will we pack, deliver, as we travel on the way? What have we done to build a better family, nation, world? Before the sun pulls night’s shade down and this day’s flag is furled. Tom Howes says that, while he has some health issues that keep him from getting around as much as he’d like, he still enjoys life. He is especially proud of his three children. One son lives in London, England, and works as co-owner of an investment firm, with a daughter who received a Ph.D. from Cambridge University and works in immunology research. Another son works in technology at the University of Texas and has four children. Tom’s daughter lives in Calgary, Canada, where she works as an artist. Tom fondly remembers his days as one of the People’s Building (PB) Boys. He recalls that so many students had to work their way through college in those days. He’s still in California and says he enjoyed his many years in exploration for Chevron. Tom says hello to all his former classmates. Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu
1944 Barbara Lemke is thrilled to have passed her driving test again and to not have to renew her license for another two years. She’s still busy with her church groups and all the usual activities that keep one going daily. Due to a back issue, she undergoes physical therapy at home. She says that the exercises are painful, but her therapist says they will help. Barbara sends her best regards to those in the Class of 1944 “who are still hanging in there.” Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu
1945 Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu
1946 Shyla Slobodkin Wollman called to say she was back at her place in Door County, Wisconsin. And, yes, at 90, she drove herself there with her dog. She told me that she continues to delight in all the entertainment that Ellison Bay offers— plays, concerts, and art. Shyla remembers being the youngest and shortest in her class at Knox. She also recalled one of her happiest memories from those days. She said that she and five other classmates (Babara Sinclair Glick, Carolyn Falvey Ferrand, June Pendarvis Cecil, Betty
Class Knox late than never.” —Elizabeth Harler Van Steenwyk ’48 Bartz Dahlgren, and Carolyn Chain Smith) were known as “Uncle Ira’s (Neifert) Rabbits.” The six women were all chemistry majors who asked many questions and followed Professor Neifert around like a “bunch of rabbits.” When the six graduated, he gave each of them a silver Bugs Bunny charm. (Shyla still has hers.) Unbeknownst to him, the six women purchased and presented him with a Bugs Bunny figurine. Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu
1947 Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu
1948 Harry Babbitt wrote, “I really enjoyed Medellín [Colombia]. It had been almost 60 years since my last visit there. The Old Historic Center is for the most part the ‘old’ Medellín with the street vendors and colonial buildings; however, the ‘new’ Medellín is ultra-modern with beautiful malls, Office Depot, McDonalds, and the like. My friends and I spent the month of December there. We rented a furnished penthouse apartment on the 16th floor of a new complex. The views over the valley and cities were great. Christmas is especially colorful. And, with its perfect climate, Medellín in an ideal and safe place for a vacation and to live permanently. This summer, I was back in Florida. I love the weather here around Tampa. Sun everyday and maybe a 15-minute shower in the evening if it rains.” ❯ Wendell Mustain is still in the Missouri Veterans Home in Mexico, Missouri, suffering from dementia. From daughter Susan Wilson: “He can still tell us where he went to college, so we feel down deep he has a warm feeling for Knox. Thank you for keeping up with the Class of ’48— they are special to our family!” ❯ Betty Alice Sharp wrote: “I have lived in the same place since 1959, and, in 1985, we had a severe hail storm. A new roof was installed, but it was not done properly. I put up with the mess for 17 years, then decided I would have a new roof that was done correctly. Petroleum products were higher, and the shingle manufacturing industry had changed the composition of shingles.The shingles without sufficient petroleum products curled up as if I had used the curling iron and hair dryer on them. By April of this year, I found a product that looked like shingles, but was steel, and had it installed. Thirty years and three roofs. Project ONE done. Most of the population lives within 200 to 300 miles of a coastline, but I am tied to the Midwest because of a farm. Mr. David Scharfenberg does the farming. Last August, we conferred and decided to cut the pasture into as much tillable acreage as possible. David has directed and worked at the project, as the farm is 100 miles from my home. This project has pre-
sented difficulties, as there are waterways and an old railroad property to work around. The pasture was rented until November 1, and winter started. Corn is growing there now. Project TWO completed. Many of David’s family members attended Knox—his mother, an uncle, and a brother, I think, and his great aunt.” ❯ Jim Moser spent a pleasant hour or so with a delightful traveling Knox rep, major gift officer Meghan Genovese, who brought him up to date and helped him recall his fond days there and rekindle his admiration for his time there long ago. They discussed a recent David Brooks column in which he reported current college students nationally only study an hour a day, less than half of that of our generation. “I suspect today’s Knox student is closer to the old figure, and that is one reason I am proud of Knox and support it.” Meghan told of plans for a new math professorship to be named for Rothwell Stephens, one of Jim’s favorite professors, with whom he had continuing contact after graduation. “I’m pleased he will be honored, as he devoted his life to his students and deserved it.” Not only does it seem we have fewer old friends, but it is also true. Moving so far from the Midwest, Jim’s Knox friends dwindled long ago, but time has taken most of those from here. For Jim, one of the rewards of the Osher program is that so many of the participants are not only interesting but younger and still around. ❯ Eizabeth Harler Van Steenwyk wrote: “My focus these last months has been on a building project. I’ve never remodeled a winery before, but better late than never. Of course, I have a great construction crew, but I don’t always speak their language, so it’s been quite a learning experience. This is my way of saying that everyone is invited to our grand open house sometime in mid-January 2016 in central California. As we get closer, you can check our website for details. My granddaughter just arrived home from Knox for her summer vacation. I asked her if she had a report, and she said everything was great. Can’t ask for more than that. Next year she’ll be a great big junior— at least that’s how I felt when I reached the halfway mark. I went to a grand family reunion on the other coast in South Carolina, on an island in Charleston’s harbor. There was a golf tournament (family only), swimming, barbecues, programs by the musicians in our gene pool, and lots of conversation. I also sold another manuscript, and it will become a book in spring 2016.” ❯ Arlyth Rogers Atkinson wrote in December: “Life in Riverside is beautiful and serene. My daughter and son-in-law live here. My two boys and their families are in Menlo Park and Santa Cruz, and I have four grandchildren. In May, I decided that the long drive to Laguna every Sunday for church was a bit much (45 minutes each way). I gave my car to Goodwill. I now am a full-time resident of Riverside. I still crochet every day, no aches or pains; I’m so very lucky. I remember Knox fondly!” ❯ Finally I would like to comment on the obvious fact that our numbers
are decreasing. My wife and I visited Ashland, Oregon, to view some excellent Shakespeare one last time with two of our children. I guess even at 90 one can still enjoy life. Class Correspondent: Sidney E. Norris 3135 Agate Street, Eugene, OR 97405, 541-683-6160, senorris@comcast.net
1949 John Palmer wrote that he has many good memories of his years at Knox, as well as some regrets. “While I may have received an ‘A’ in Hermann Muelder ’27’s English history course, I failed in my love affair with the girl who by chance sat next to me. I had no idea then that I would have a career as a university professor and administrator. We have been in Madison, Wisconsin, for 50 years and now deal with the challenges of old age. Bob Russell is the only classmate I have kept in touch with over the years.” ❯ Bill Wedan sent the following e-mail from Spain. “I am, and have been for many years, in contact with Takashi Kurisaka ’64 and Adrian Mazar ’80, whose families (and themselves) are prominent in my book. I met Takashi under what I consider unusual and uncanny circumstances during the completion of my trip around the world. Later that year (1962), Takashi came to Galesburg and spent the latter part of summer meeting my family, relatives, and friends, including Adrian, his brothers Vlastamir and Daniel ’70, and parents. When I worked in the London office of the Ferguson Company, I took Adrian and his mother on sightseeing tours and to a few of my favorite restaurants. I was also fortunate to have his brother, Daniel, his wife and daughters as my guests in Reus, Spain, for a week’s visit of Catalunya. The Mazars (Daniel and Vlasta) were the hosts of many get-togethers with my parents and family, so I felt fortunate to return their hospitality.” ❯ Dolores “Dee” Kennedy Moscou wrote to me about her summer travel, “I first flew to San Ramon, California, for the Chevron stockholders meeting. Then, I flew to Portland, Oregon, to visit my youngest brother and his wife. From there, I flew to Missoula, Montana, to visit my youngest daughter and her oldest son (the father of my only greatgrandson), then on to Chicago to visit my youngest sister (two of her children attended Knox, plus her granddaughter is currently a Knox student) and various other members of my family. Then, I flew to Manassas, Virginia, to visit the sister who is next to me in age. She is, unfortunately, bedridden. Then I flew home! This fall, I plan to become active again in our fire department auxiliary and our local community association, after taking a year off. I spent 29 years helping out and needed a vacation. The auxiliary has raised about $125,000 for the department in the 36 years of its existence.” Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
45
John D. Cooke ’52 recently finished the second of two books on the
1950 I can always count on Bob Willett to send in some news. He wrote of his recent travels: “We did get in a cruise this year. We took a Princess transatlantic from Ft. Lauderdale to Copenhagen. Stopped in Ireland, then Le Havre, where I landed in 1946, saw tulips in Rotterdam, and spent a day with our former German exchange student and her daughter in Hamburg. We ended in Copenhagen and were met by our other exchange student, Ingrid from Sweden, who escorted us by train to Malmo, Sweden, and by car to her home in Lund. We stayed three days there, then two days back in Copenhagen being tourists. It was great to have daughter Barb on the trip; she had just returned from Ethiopia and Sudan doing work for Mercy Corps.” Bob writes further of his longtime search for his cousin lost in WWII. “Last week, we were notified that the Army is sending a search team to Dali, China, to investigate the crash site of my cousin Jim Browne’s C-47, which crashed in November 1942. We were able to find Jim’s plane by sending our own search team to China in 2011, so this is a real milestone in our effort. I talked to Frank Johnson, a fellow Sigma Nu who just went to Washington, D.C., to attend the funeral of a high school classmate whose body was just returned from Germany. He was killed in 1945, flying fighters as a bomber escort. Frank just turned 96, and his wife turned 100 in February. He still bowls and rides his bike five miles a day, and wife Kathryn could pass for 75!” ❯ Karl Gengler writes, “I am now 90 years of age. I have two great-grandchildren, Alex (5) and Evelyn (2). They are great kids and keep me from getting old. I still go to Montana and fly-fish for trout on the Otter Creek. The creek is from three to 10 feet wide. On a sunny afternoon, you can catch your limit in less than an hour. Last August, I caught a 26-inch brown trout. I gave it a kiss and returned it to be caught again by another angler. Life has been, and is, good. I would like to write a note again to Knox next year, and the next, etc. I hope there will be a trout stream in Heaven. I would like to teach you all how to fly fish.” ❯ Ken Radnitzer served as a representative of retired veterans at the Blackhawks championship game at the United Center in Chicago! The team designates a military veteran and an active duty military member to stand on the ice at each game as the national anthem is sung. He said that it was an exciting and amazing experience. The Blackhawks won that night, so perhaps Ken brought them luck! Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu
1951 Jay Burgess and wife Shay enjoyed a cruise to Alaska in June. Another exciting trip will be the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., as a Korean
46
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
War veteran. Jay recalls very fondly running the Siwash Goal Post with his brother, Ralph Burgess ’50. In case you don’t remember, the restaurant was next to the Phi Gam House. Jay says it was fun working there. ❯ Carlee Bengtson Hallman and husband Howard take lots of pleasure in tending a big flower garden at their retirement community. The couple, however, is only allowed one tomato plant! They traveled to Hutchinson, Kansas, in July for a family reunion. ❯ Cliff Van Dyke reported that he attended the 60th reunion of the Harvard Business School (HBS) this summer. He continues to be amazed at the number of Knox alumni who are also HBS graduates, including Don Stroben ’52, Harry Thompson ’51, Jack Ingersoll ’51, and Bill Ingersoll ’51. He is sure there are more. He says only 24 attended the reunion, which was very small considering there were 600 in the graduating class! ❯ Barbara Pebler Hughbanks will take her annual trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland in October this year. She is a member of a Shakespeare class that travels to the festival; it will be her ninth year attending. She also spent a week earlier this year birding in Tucson, Arizona. ❯ Marian Tenhaeff Trythall writes, “I was so pleased to have Mary-Lee Patterson get in touch with me when she came to Portland to attend a family reunion. We spent a few days together, including a visit walking on the sands of an Oregon beach, and had a chance to bring up every name and happening from our time together at Knox. MaryLee has certainly had an interesting life, and it was great to have her share those post-graduation days. We had met previously at our 60th Knox Reunion but didn’t have much time to visit, so this time together was special. Mary-Lee still lives in the Galesburg area and can keep tabs on Knox and our classmates who live close by. Hopefully, other Knoxites will get in touch if ever in the Portland area. It is so much fun to talk to someone about the old days.” Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu
1952 Martha Thrasher Stroben writes: “I keep up with Knox through various periodicals and communications from the College. I am really curious about how many from our class are still among the living. I think it would be great if 100 percent of the ’52 alums gave money (even a dollar) to Knox this year. That would be a terrific way to say we remember classmates, activities, and learning at Old Siwash. I saw Martha Jacobsen Roskam in Michigan this summer and others at the FYC get-together at Interlochen. (I think Martha has a good idea. Why don’t we all try to contribute to Knox this year as a tribute to our time there? We have 111 living fellow alumni. ) ❯ John D. Cooke recently finished the second of two books on the Second World War. This book dealt
with the Okinawa campaign—the last battle of World War II. John researched, edited, and wrote a portion of both. He continues to work on the development of Prairie Ridge of Galena, a senior living complex that he founded. It will include 50 independent living apartments and a 14-bed memory care unit. They hoped to break ground in July. John also turned 88 in July. “Thank God, my health and mind still work well.” Wife Marge is happy, healthy, and busy. They have five grandchildren ranging in age from 4 to 24, and one great-grandson. All the family is healthy. John has nine active projects, and his theory is that he can’t go until all are done. So when one is finished, he finds another new one. Class Correspondent: Anne Reutlinger Porter 407 Russell Avenue, Apartment 316, Gaithersburg, MD 20877-2853, 301-987-6894, justjim22@gmail.com
1953 Class Correspondent: Nevin C. Lescher 295 Reed Avenue, Windsor Locks, CT 06096, 860-6230550, nesu@cox.net
1954 My pleas for news of now or memories of the past have elicited little response this time. Possibly many of the class are fully occupied trying to use the many essential toys (a.k.a. devices and apps) of the second decade of the 21st century. Or, like me, striving to ignore those toys. Technologically, I made it into this century, but not the second decade. I read two newspapers the old-fashioned way each day and check the websites of at least two others. Then, I try to keep my aging brain functioning by mentally drafting responses to some of the faulty reasoning displayed on the opinion pages. But only very rarely do I reduce my thoughts to a stern letter to the editor. About once a month, The Galesburg Register-Mail website offers the opinion of the current chair of the Knox Department of Political Science, Sue Hulett. I’m sure I would enjoy an opportunity to debate Professor Hulett. I continue to respect the chair from our days at Knox, Charles Lerche, who said in 1953 that there will never be peace in the Middle East. Charlie remains correct. And also is remembered by Don Stoffel, who writes, “Upon reflection, I have been a bit taken aback by the number of contemporaries who have gone the lawyer route.You, Bill Ives ’55, Jack Bandy, Don Hines ’53, Don Weston ’55, Dick Everett, myself. Was it the Charlie Lerche influence? Since my dear wife expired several years ago, I have had my own battles with health issues; almost departed myself due to e.coli in the bloodstream. But, excelsior, I am the progenitor of three generations of Knox degree-holders (daughter and granddaughter also are grads). I now pass the days at a retirement home on the outskirts of Madison, Wisconsin. Daughter is an OB-GYN in Madison; sons are an electrical engineer for Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, associate director of online education at Northern Arizona
Class Knox Second World War. University in Flagstaff, and a U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel in San Antonio (soon to retire). ❯ A lawyer classmate Don did not mention is Jim Wirt, who called to say he is now recovered from the major medical issues that prevented him from attending the 60th Reunion last year. Sounded as strong as ever, at least to my aging ears. On April 13, Ron Hill, Jack Bandy, and I finally managed a mini TKE reunion in Pasadena, a more or less central location for old guys who live in Bakersfield, Los Angeles, and Menifee, California. ❯ As I recall a cartoon character of our youth saying, “Th-th-th-th-that’s all, folks!” Class Correspondent: Jim Dunlevey 27419 Embassy Street, Menifee, CA 92586-2005, dunlevey@aol.com
1955 At this stage of our lives, as we lose dear friends and family, it seems most important to cherish the friendships we have had for so long. ❯ Roland Peaslee, our class poet, sent a newsy letter and a touching poem, “Our Loom of Life.” I wish I had room to share it here. Ask him to send you a copy; his address is 506 South B Street, Fairfield, IA 52556. Last spring, Roland and wife Bonnie attended three grandchildren’s graduations. Three down and nine to go! Many of us have downsized our homes recently, as have the Peaslees. Roland keeps in touch with classmates George Elliott, Mort Weir, Carol Davis Drennan, and Vivian Najim, and looks forward to seeing more of us at Homecoming. ❯ Nubs and Letitia Luther Schactner ’58 had two granddaughters graduate last spring, one from Bradley and the other from University of Illinois. ❯ Because she has had a couple of “small world” experiences due to her car’s Knox sticker in faraway Corvallis, Oregon, Lynn Weise Victor urges displaying one. (You can order one online very easily.) The Willamette Valley is a beautiful place to live, and Lynn, her daughter, and family enjoy nature hikes frequently. ❯ Bill Ives and wife Virginia haven’t slowed down at all. In June, they returned from their annual week in Paris in time for a high school graduation. Virginia is a purser for Delta Airlines, and Bill still practices law. (Seems he flunked retirement.) They look forward to the Aledo High School reunion, Harvard Law School, and Old Siwash reunions. ❯ Jerry ’57 and Jackie Geis Treece have planned a trip to Hawaii, Samoa, and the South Pacific in October. They have often been with us at Reunions, but will be missed this year. ❯ Don ’53 and Gail Holmes Curtis report that grandson Dan married his Northwestern classmate Kate Schref a week after graduating from medical school. He will do his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Chicago. The Curtises cruised to the islands on their trawler before leaving Florida for the summer in Illinois. ❯ Ward Knockemus and wife Evy visited the Black Hills in South Dakota and saw Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, and Custer State Park; they highly
recommend the experience. Ward and Jim Jones usually call and congratulate each other on their mutual birthdays but missed it this year. Mark your calendars, boys. You’ll find Ward daily hitting golf balls in a field adjacent to their house, and all that practice shows in his weekly golf games, I’m sure. ❯ Diane Ridge Odgon is a busy gal. She lives in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and sensibly spent part of January in Florida, where her son lives. She’s been to Eagle Scout ceremonies, graduations, birthdays, and a couple of just fun trips. One daughter lives in Geneva, Illinois, and another in Sherwood, Wisconsin. When she’s home, she volunteers for her church, hospital, and a jail ministry program. Keeping active is not a problem for her! ❯ Jack ’56 and JoAnn Nystrom Reiners have had to miss a granddaughter’s wedding but were able to watch via Facetime. JoAnn has health issues, but they still walk two miles most days, and Jack is a great caregiver. They live in a very active community, Prairie Point, in Madison, Wisconsin. ❯ With family in Utah, California, Oregon, Hawaii, and Alaska, Mitzi Haynes Eisenscher is never at a loss for a wonderful place to visit! ❯ Mary Ann Ruzecki has a lodger in her front yard in Flagler Beach, Florida—a gopher turtle. Mary Ann’s house is just across the street from the water, so GT#1 (Mary Ann’s name for “it”) has chosen a great location. In her Christmas letter, she mentioned that people open doors for her and ask to carry her packages. I would guess that is the case with many of us, and how nice to find we can command a modicum of respect in our “golden years.” She reported problems with the scenic highway program in her area. Mary Ann has always been deeply involved in the welfare of her community. ❯ Russ Fuiks was the only classmate who reported attending a preschool graduation. He and wife Jan also had a high school graduation to attend but, sadly, have had to cancel a few of planned trips due to Jan’s health. They hope to take a cruise around the Hawaiian Islands early next year, along with a couple of trips this fall. Russ was the events chairman for a charity golf tournament, so was very busy the month of May. Seems he’s busy every month! ❯ Al Paulus sent me a list of news that he said was not fit to print, but I’ll share it anyway. He’s in a men’s chorus in Tucson and performed in a July 4th concert. He also reported that the brother of Barb Behringer Paulus ’56, who lived in Altona, Illinois, died in the spring; she couldn’t attend the service, so Al represented the family. He then drove to Galesburg and saw the refurbished Alumni Hall. He was impressed but feels it has lost its ambience! Ha. They went to Portland in July and northern Arizona in August. ❯ Sally Dolder Stewart’s husband, Willie, has some health issues, so Sal terms herself live-in assisted living. She reports he is in good spirits and hasn’t lost his sense of humor. Cheers for them both. They flew to Orlando to meet their Qatar family in July. Sally is a recent recipient of a pacemaker, and has adjusted to having a “little intruder” embedded
in her chest. ❯ Mort Weir and wife Ceil have a summer home in Lake City, Colorado, and spend time in the winter in Tubac, Arizona, but home is still Urbana. Their big news is that they are great-grandparents, and will soon be blessed with another. That means fun trips to North Carolina and Chicago to see the babies and the parents. They are looking forward to seeing “the gang” at Homecoming. ❯ Our middle granddaughter married in April. She and her husband are headed to his residency in St. Louis at a Washington U teaching hospital. It was a great weekend, surrounded by family and friends. ❯ Bud Wharton and I have had our challenges this year, too, and will not be able to go to Homecoming. I know Wally Larkin and Nubs Schactner have a wonderful weekend planned; I hope you can be there. Class Correspondent: Dorothy Thomas Wharton 351 SE Fairway West, Stuart FL 34997, 772-220-9433, dtwharton33@gmail.com
1956 It is with great sadness that I write class notes for this issue. For those of you who are unaware, longtime class correspondent Phyllis Holowaty Albrecht passed away suddenly in April. Her columns were fun to read, they were informative, and they were often insightful. In her last column, she wrote, “Life is full of transitions, and the key to enjoying life is embracing change and the positive opportunities that await.” Words to live by. Thank you, Phyllis. You are missed. ❯ Bob Rothe and Judy Bowers Rothe ’58 celebrated two milestones this summer with a threeweek holiday to Brazil (Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte), where they visited three different foreign exchange students who had lived with them in their beautiful home in Boulder, Colorado, in years past. One milestone was their 58th wedding anniversary! The second was the fact that Bob survived a hemorrhagic stroke and a third heart attack well enough that the two of them were able to travel to Brazil. The Rothes are excellent hosts and would welcome Knox alumni traveling west to spend a few days in spectacular Boulder. Contact them at judy.bob.r@comcast.net. ❯ In June, Bob Sparks and wife Kathy attended Knox’s 170th Commencement activities. Bob commented that the campus looked great and that Alumni Hall and the landscaping around the College were really beautiful. He remembers a time when Cedar Street ran right in front of the library. Now you can walk easily around campus on wide sidewalks with amazing natural gardens, shady spots with benches to stop and enjoy the view, and lush, green lawns with plenty of space for any variety of activities. Bob says if you haven’t been back to campus for a while, it’s worth a trip to Galesburg to see the changes on campus. ❯ Dave Yount and wife Rebecca continue exchanging homes with English couples. In early autumn, they will stay in a Suffolk village. Rebecca recently published
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
47
Jan Shroyer ’59 got a new cello. “At my age, that is probably a When Half-Spent Was the Night, the fifth book in her Mick Chandra mystery series. Her subject this time around is international sex-trafficking. She also mentors Afghan women who seek to be published in English. ❯ Bob and Paula Egbert Kadanec wrote that they finally sold the condo in South Carolina and will now be back in the “frozen tundra” of Wisconsin full time. Though their kids are unhappy with the move, Bob and Paula found that running two places took too much time. ❯ David Wait ’53 lives in Albany, New York, where he has semi-retired as a lawyer. He served as district attorney in Saratoga County for 25 years. Now he enjoys work as a certified law guardian and adjunct faculty at Empire College. David served the New York District Attorneys Association as a former president and the National District Attorneys Association as a board member. ❯ While keeping up with the Class of 1956 is always fun, I would gladly hand over the duties of class correspondent to someone else. Could it be you? Please let me know if you’re interested. ❯ (Editor’s note: We will greatly miss Phyllis, with whom we worked for so many years, and who was both an excellent class correspondent and a wonderful person. Our thoughts are with her family.) Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu
1957 The Class of 1957 should have as its subtitle, “the education class.” Talking with so many of our fellow classmates, I find the number of educators our class produced amazing, from K-12 to professors at various colleges and universities. The impact of our Knox education has been shared by whole bunch of pupils and students. ❯ Julie Engel Schertz is sure a perfect example, living in Metamora, Illinois, and retired from the local school system. She and her husband own a family farm and work it as owners and operators. Guess the number of family-owned farms is dwindling across the country. ❯ Ron Lowery is also a retired educator and former high school coach. He hung up his hat in Dunlap, Illinois, three years ago. Now he lives in Benton Harbor, Michigan, where he has some health problems but is determined to win that battle. ❯ John Bergeson retired after many years at Central Michigan. He now resides in Arizona. Among many sources of pride and joy is his ownership of a ’53 Cadillac, which he restored to mint condition. ❯ June Lynch Bath, also a retired teacher, recently celebrated 60 years of marriage. She taught in the Naperville, Illinois, vicinity, later moving to their current home in Canton, where she concluded a 35-year career teaching special education. Her comment: “I loved it.” June told me about meeting a recent Knox alumnus. When he mentioned that he was a Knox graduate, June burst into a chorus of “Hail Knox, all Glorious.” He smiled and responded, “Veritas.” Neat happening, and now that is something you might see in Schaffer’s
48
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
Pen. Ah, the days of The Knox Student newspaper. See, Bill, we got your name in one more time! Class Correspondent: Jack O’Dowd 4837 88th Street E., Bradenton, FL 34211-3606, 941-753-1483 jodowd310@msn.com
1958 Sally Arteseros and Fred Kauffman attended the opening of Some Assembly Required, featuring the work of six contemporary artists, including Duane Paluska. It was held at the Curator Gallery in Chelsea, New York City. Duane’s gallery, Icon Contemporary Art, is located in Brunswick, Maine, where he lives with wife Ellen Golden. Duane has a doctorate in English and American literature. His hobby of painting and woodworking became more contemporary in nature, with furniture as an art form. (Side note to classmates: Duane’s son is married to the daughter of Whit and Nancy Buckmaster Humphreys ’60. Both Duane and Whit were from Naperville. Whit and Nancy are deceased.) ❯ Walt ’60 and Rennie Greenhalgh Smith spend the winter in Vero Beach, Florida. They do a lot of yachting, often going to the Keys. Last year they made a wonderful 21-day trip up the coast to Charleston, with lots of interesting stops along the way. In the summer, they return to Galesburg and enjoy their two children and grandchildren, who live in the area. ❯ Bill and Joan Walant Baffes were featured in a Chicago Tribune publication that recognized long-time achievements in family business. The Baffeses started County Fair grocery store 50 years ago. It’s still active today, with other family members involved in the business. Bill was quoted in a 2009 Knox Magazine article: “You need a passion for what you’re doing.” The former Beverly Arts Center in Chicago officially changed its name to Baffes Theatre in December 2014, as an acknowledgment of the generosity of the family and their interest in theatre. ❯ Congratulations to Jacquelyn Lopez on becoming an honorary member of the Fifty Year Club. Being married to Mondo Lopez for more than 50 years, Jacqui has attended many Knox functions and is a strong supporter of Knox. Mondo was recently inducted, along with his 1951 football teammates, into the Hall of Fame by Kewanee High School. Mondo and Jacqui attended a Knox event at Balboa Park in San Diego. They were pleased to visit with Don ’56 and Suzie Swanson Lisio. Don’s book, British Naval Supremacy and Anglo-American Antagonisms, has been published. ❯ Another Kewanee native, Caroline Andrews Evans, enjoys life in Davenport, Iowa, and keeps busy with swimming exercise and church activities, including playing hand bells. Being interested in politics, she’s looking forward to February’s Iowa caucuses and meeting presidential candidates. ❯ I completed my two-year secretarial position on the Knox Alumni Council and will continue on the council, along with Bill Baker. At the Commencement weekend session, President Amott
met with our group and told of future campus building plans, as well as informing us of what’s happening at Knox. We were honored to share her time that busy day and ask a multitude of questions. ❯ I enjoy serving on the Knox-Galesburg Symphony Board (probably over 20 years). On Commencement weekend, the symphony orchestra performed a wonderful outdoor concert behind Old Main on a beautiful summer evening. The “Concert on the Lawn” was followed by a reception and fireworks display for Knox grads, their families, and all who attended. ❯ Mondo offered this advice to classmates: There is still time to accomplish things, and we should continue to look forward, not backward, and use our precious time wisely and wholeheartedly. Class Correspondent: Letitia Luther Schactner 246 East Dayton Street, Galesburg, IL 61401-1833, 309-342-0748, letnor@comcast.net
1959
Hi, classmates! I have news from Christmas cards and a few e-mails. ❯ Mary Coyne Karau visited her daughters in the far west. This summer, she expected a couple of out-of-town guests and, in addition to doing “Wisconsin activities,” planned to go to the very famous American Players Theatre in Spring Green (where she has been seeing plays every year since 1980). In late summer/early fall, she’ll go out west again for a short visit. Early October, she will head to Downers Grove, Illinois, for her 60th high school reunion. They have lost a lot of people along the way (including Dave Maller, sadly). She asked for Ron Dudas’s e-mail address. Mid-October, she will go on a tour, cruising on the Danube and visiting Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania. The trip concludes with five days on land touring Transylvania. Her grandchildren have grown up, as kids do. The oldest will be 14 in August, the next is 11, and the third just turned 6. She is doing a lot of re-planting since a bad tornado ripped up a lot of her landscaping last June while she was in Russia. Miraculously, her house was untouched. She is ever so grateful for that. ❯ The only thing Jan Shroyer did (other than attend memorials—yuck, the age trend) was to attend the Lakeside Chamber Music Workshop in Lake Forest, Illinois. She played Dvorak’s Quartet #51. She got a new cello, so it was fun to be able to play it. “At my age, that is probably a DUMB thing to do, but, hey, what have I got to lose? Won’t I keep going for many for years? Like you?” ❯ Karl ’60 and Barbara Fowler Nagel hosted their family Christmas in their new home in Lake Forest. ❯ Larry and Barbara Woods Blasch ’61 have recently attended graduations of grandchildren from college, high school, and elementary school. The eldest graduated from the Citadel and was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy. Larry still rates golf courses in the area and serves as a president of their regime. Barb tutors one day a week and does some
Class Knox DUMB thing to do, but what have I got to lose?” substitute teaching at the local school. She also runs the elections at Kiawah Island. Larry participated in the Knox golf outing in June at Soangetaha Country Club in Galesburg. ❯ Jenice Jaekel Tremelling said she and Dottie Schulein Borchardt were sorry to miss Homecoming. Dottie sent Christmas greetings. ❯ Ralph Harju and wife Elaine did their usual Italy trip but ferried to Barcelona from Genoa. They loved Barcelona and hope to return. They attended a play in Strafford, which they termed “the best.” ❯ Paul Hohe and wife Elva are always busy with their vineyard, winters in Chicago, and all their family. ❯ To celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary, Jim and Janet Eiszner MacDonald rented a theater in their local nonprofit art cinema. The film they chose to show, Bread and Tulips, swept the Davids (Italian Oscars) in 2000. They are very fortunate to have a very rich cultural life in their area. ❯ Carol Nelson and husband Ken have done a great deal of traveling since Ken retired. ❯ Catherine Witschey Tompson is happy in her new home in Waco, Texas. She enjoys a lot of musical productions, as well as outdoor activities, at the nearby YMCA. ❯ Nick and Betty Burgland Karay ’60 have become great-grandparents! ❯ Once again, Mike ’58 and Pat Craig Ruffolo ’58 invited us to their home in the sunny San Francisco Bay area so we could escape from the Illinois winter. We had a lovely time visiting their grandchildren, my niece and great-niece, and Rachael Humphries Paluska and son Pablo. ❯ We went on a family trip this June to Spain to “bring home” our grandson Ben Couri ’16, who has been there since January on the Knox program. He has had a great experience. We are going to test his translating skills. We also visited a former exchange student and her husband in the Rheingau, where the best German wine is produced. They are both employed in the wine industry. ❯ Please send news whenever you can, and remember Knox in your giving plans. Class Correspondent: Louise Bost Wolf 3 Gilbert Park, Knoxville, IL 61448, 309-289-6435, 309-337-6435 (cell), wolfl@grics.net
1960 I would again like to thank Susan Greco Straetz for all the fine work she did as class correspondent for so many years. I think I read all her articles. It was the first thing I turned to in the magazine. ❯ In June 2014, Maury Klein was awarded a New York/New England regional Emmy for best writing for his work on a documentary entitled, Jay Gould: Railroad Man. This spring, his book on the 1911 New York Giants will go into production at Bloomsbury USA. In June, Maury and wife Kim journeyed to Galesburg to attend the graduation of stepdaughter Shannon Perry ’15. Afterward, he went on to Denver to visit his daughter, Stephanie, and to Laramie, Wyoming, to give the dinner talk at the culmination of a four-day celebration of the
state’s 125th anniversary. ❯ Ed Vondrak has dealt with several health problems, but his brain still fires on all cylinders. Shortly after he retired, he launched a volunteer tutoring ministry in his church. He continues to do pro bono tutoring. Ed has tutored all ages from preschool to retirees and, thereby, has met many interesting people. He continues to pursue a personal physical exercise regimen. In recent years, he has been writing relatively short, single-topic memoirs. ❯ After visiting friends in Chicago, Denny Geraghty and wife Jeanne drove 90 minutes up to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to spend some time with Joe Pankus and wife Pat. Denny and Joe played Knox basketball during those spirited and best recordbreaking years ever ... ’58, ’59, and ’60. Both played a round of golf, and each “shot better than their body temperature with a fever.” ❯ Bill Beanblossom and wife Sue have been married 48 years, have three children, and seven grandchildren—of which five are nearby. Retired, they frequently see Karl Nagel, live in Lake Forest, Illinois, spend part of the winter at their Marco Island place, and enjoy a round of golf. ❯ Bob Bennett has kept in touch with several Knox classmates. Bob and wife Lynne live in Sarasota, Florida. Bob plays a fair amount of golf and is active in their club. They like to travel, but have been slowed down the last couple of years due to several hip operations. Bob has played golf on the Alabama RTJ Golf Trail several years with a bunch of Knox Siwashers, including Denny Geraghty, Bill Graning, Joe Pankus, Gary Hoopes ’59, Mel “Junior” Brown ’59, Jim Valentine ’61, Ray Godsil ’61, Denny Braiden ’62, Nick Karay ’59, Bill Boyd ’61, Bob Schmid ’62, Bill Fay ’61, Karl Nienhuis ’61, and Bob Grover ’59. Todd Allen ’61 and Bob Kucik ’62 did most of the arranging. Sadly, Todd died a few months ago. Bob plans on returning to Knox for Homecoming. ❯ Jane Ann Scott Bradbury eagerly looks forward to the 55th Reunion in October. She writes: “My roommate of four years at Knox, Doris Janes Lawton, will join me from her home in Florida. The last time we were together was for the 40th Reunion. The 50th, with Dick and Mary Lu Aft leading the preparations for it, was such a wonderful event. I am grateful to be able to return again this year.” ❯ Since Frank Gustine was the last Korean War GI to graduate from Knox, personally knowing all members of the class has been difficult; however, working with the College on various functions has helped. Thanks to the 50 Year Club for adding him to the Scroll of Honor at last year’s Homecoming meeting. Getting to know the Class of 1960 was much easier after the meeting. “I was treated to a Caribbean cruise on the Allure of the Seas in December. The Allure is the largest ship in the world. It was fantastic, and I hope to go again.” ❯ George Hook has been very much involved with haiku and recently published Best 100 Hooked on Haiku of 2014. Details for the book can be found at www.hookedonhaiku.net. ❯ Mary Kent Knight has made progress on her bucket
list of places to visit. This year began with a cruise from Buenos Aires in mid-March to Madrid in mid-April (after visiting ports in Uruguay, Brazil, Canaries, Tangier, Malaga/Granada, and Barcelona). Mary headed over to Scotland for a rail tour this summer and will also visit Alaska. ❯ Since returning from two years in Burkina Faso in West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer (2010-2012), Jan Drew Larsen has taught at John Carroll University, where she is professor emerita in the fall and travels in the spring. Recent trips include visits to the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador with daughters Janet and Dawn; a three-week Road Scholar tour of India; a two-and-a-half week tour of Peru with granddaughter Abby (who is now a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal); a photography tour of Costa Rica with Road Scholar; and a Globus people-to-people tour of Cuba. ❯ Anne Wetzel Faubel joined twin sister Barb Wetzel Marsh, Mary Macdonald McCray, and Marcia Muelder Eaton at Mary’s home in Prairie Crossing, Illinois, for another mini-reunion. The four have been getting together at least yearly, and often twice a year, for more than 25 years. They have been all over the U.S., on a cruise, and visited each others’ homes many times. “It is a wonderful and lasting result of our friendship at Knox.” ❯ Janet Orr Dahl and husband Dave recently celebrated 52 years of marriage and continue to be grateful for good health and shared lives. Dave practices neurology at a nearby clinic, while Janet finally retired in October 2014. They audit classes at UW-Milwaukee, but with no papers and tests! Janet visits church members who are elderly and frequently infirm and socially isolated, this time more as a friend than as a therapist. Their firstborn, Sarah Dahl Gednalske ’88, earned a master’s degree from Northwestern and is an academic advisor in Minneapolis. Her 11-year-old son (Janet and Dave’s only grandchild) has his mom’s sense of humor, writing ability, and artistic talent. Daughter Beth graduated from Grinnell College and teaches political science and conflict resolution at UN-Omaha. Son Christopher works as a landscaper and attends a technical college, hoping to become a teacher. Janet and Dave are inveterate travelers and hope to continue as aging bodies allow. “Look forward to seeing many of you at our 55th.” ❯ Thanks to all of you who submitted articles for my first turn as correspondent. Please encourage your classmates to also submit for the next issue. Class Correspondent: Richard “Dick” Riggs rriggs3@charter.net
1961 Your correspondents drove to Natchez together for a wonderful time at the Spring Pilgrimage. Next, Ella Major Morin will take her grandson to the Grand Canyon, and Susan Shea Worthington will take a cruise with stops at Key West and the Bahamas. ❯ You may have noticed the clever way we segued our greeting into news
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
49
Jane Ehrenberg Rosen ’61 received the Pi Beta Phi Crest Award in of our own travels. We solicited your experiences, emphasis on travel, and received such a large response that they made us edit down our submission. ❯ Norm Porter wrote: “For our 50th anniversary, we enjoyed a trip to the Peruvian Upper Amazon River with Lindblad Expeditions. We took my daughter and her boyfriend, as well as my former OB-GYN partner and her husband. Eight days on the river in a small ship with 24 passengers. We were out in skiffs, hiked twice a day with innumerable wildlife sightings plus visits to villages. Food was local and excellent. With all the traffic up and down the river, from mediumsized ships to dugouts, and visits to villages, we gained great appreciation of life on this huge river. We love Lindblad and partner National Geographic; their trips are all water-based and on small ships.” ❯ Glad to hear from John Napierski. “I am alive and well, living in Mesa, Arizona. Still golfing several times a week and even shot my age again recently. I retired from the actuarial department at State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. 17 years ago. Since then, my wife and I have seen the sights of Paris, Rome, Barcelona, and London and got to experience the local flavor in quaint neighborhoods. I still get back to Illinois occasionally to visit my brothers in Decatur. Don’t know why I haven’t shared info before, because I always read the class news with interest. Go Siwash.” ❯ Carol Haseley Schmudde writes: “Husband Ray and I, with another couple, crossed the North Atlantic on the Celebrity Infinity, following in reverse the route the Titanic would have taken. In Halifax, Nova Scotia, where many of the Titanic dead are buried, and in Cobh, Ireland, the Titanic’s last port, we visited excellent museums. Landing in Harwich, we drove to Corbridge to begin hiking 45 miles of Hadrian’s Wall, which stretches for 70 miles across the north of England. In addition to the Wall itself, we saw many other Roman ruins along the way and visited the archeological site and museum at Vinolanda, a Roman fort near the wall. The pastures and fields we walked through were green and muddy, full of sheep and lambs. Following that, we spent a week in the Lake Country.” ❯ Russel Johnston and his wife sold their house in Bridgewater, New Jersey, and moved into a 55+ community in Somerset, New Jersey. They also bought a co-op in Pompano Beach, Florida, on the Intracoastal Waterway. They became grandparents three years ago when Russel’s daughter had triplets! In January, Russel suffered a stroke, but he is doing well. We wish Russel total recovery and strength to enjoy those triplet grandchildren! ❯ Bill Fay wrote, “One of the influences that Knox had on me was to broaden my appreciation of the arts. Wife Barbara Lee Fay and I enjoyed time in Bentonville, Arkansas, exploring one of the country’s finest museums of American art. The museum collection includes art from the early American portrait painters to Post-Expressionism. The surrounding 120 acres of grounds provide excellent mini-trails, all native trees and plantings.
50
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
This great complex is only 200 miles from our home in Overland Park, Kansas. Joining us were Debbie Gentry McWard and husband Richard.” ❯ Gordon Stagg’s travel story: “We went to Peoria in July for the first-ever Stagg reunion (whoopee). There were about 100 there, and we are the only escapees. Eagerly anticipating soccer season when our grandson will co-captain Brandeis U., and his sister will do the same for our local high school.” ❯ Jim Frankowski told of his interesting activity. “For nine years, I have been a professionally trained voice-over actor, and do my recording in a home studio—almost everything is now done on the internet. The project I take the most pride in is the audio tour of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul in Philadelphia. In an episode of an X-Men podcast, produced in London, I voiced the role of Dr. Bolivar Trask. I narrated a book by Nelson Lowhim, and my next project involves four books by Bruce Ballister in a Dreamland Diaries series.” ❯ Robert Fritz relayed a tragic but inspiring story: “We’ve been working on establishing the Erich Fritz Memorial Scholarship Fund: jbontherocks.blogspot.com/2013/11/erich-fritz.” ❯ Alex Kuo still does spot teaching and workshops. He has two books coming out, as well as the first bilingual edition of his book Meeting Words at the Gate. He has lived in Anacortes, Washington, for the last 13 years, and joins Hal Opperman for musical events in Seattle. (Editor’s note: Read more about Alex’s new work on page 38.) ❯ When Charles (Chuck) W. Davis Jr. and his wife celebrated their 50th anniversary, their children and spouses and four grandchildren (who reside in Pennsylvania) conducted a party in Asheville, North Carolina, with more than 90 relatives and guests. Their immediate family spent a week at a South Carolina beach, and the couple enjoyed a riverboat cruise in France. They have lived in North Carolina since 1984 and also resided in Galesburg, Great Falls, Montana, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Before retiring in 2005, Chuck served as an Air Force captain, worked at IBM for 25 years, and worked 12 years for a local computer company. ❯ Jane Ehrenberg Rosen received one of the highest awards that Pi Beta Phi presents, the Pi Beta Phi Crest Award, in recognition of her excellence and outstanding leadership in her career and community volunteer service. She also received the Knox 50 Year Club Scroll of Honor several years ago. Jane established the Bronx Charter School for Children in the Bronx, New York. Chartered by the State Board of Regents, the school is in Mott Haven, an impoverished neighborhood in the poorest Congressional district in the country. ❯ We chuckled at a note from George Johnson. “On this snowy and really cold day in New Jersey, I sorted through 8,000 emails and came across yours. I write to say that I am alive and well, with a 51st wedding anniversary this very day, and still practice law. (With enough practice I may someday get it right!)” ❯ We salute George (since we all know how old he is) for
remaining gainfully employed while the rest of us wallow in retirement travel. Class Correspondents: Susan Shea Worthington 1611 South Street, Lexington, MO 64067-1431, 660-259-4559, skworth@cebridge.net Ella Major Morin 11234 54th Avenue N., St. Petersburg, FL 33708-2949, 727-290-6984, ellanell1963@yahoo.com
1962 We received good wishes from Lis Reed Mitchell and Monica Heidecker Graham, but, alas, no news. ❯ JoAnne Knox Cope, her little dog, Sophie, and her goddaughter from Littleton, Colorado, enjoyed a six-week road trip to national parks in Colorado and northern Utah, in June. Her trip concluded with 20 days at a family lake cabin. Last spring, she took her two of her grandchildren on a Lincoln trip that included Knox. She keeps active with area arts council activities, tutoring elementary kids through volunteer programs at church, and “just doing fun stuff with friends and family.” ❯ Betsy Wallace Empen reports returning to the Mayo Clinic in June for an evaluation after having been on a new Parkinson’s drug (Rytary) for two months. So far, she is not impressed. She correctly notes, “Being a guinea pig is not fun.” ❯ Jim Horner serves as chief hike coordinator for a group of men who celebrated their 45th annual men’s backpack trip in August. He notes, “It has been great to get to see much of the great state of Colorado over the years! The trips ain’t getting any easier, but they are shorter than we used to accomplish. What a great part of my journey it has been to get up in God’s creation with a group of close male friends!” Jim and wife Pam enjoy attending the Knox events under the able leadership of Ann Feldman Perille ’76 in Denver. ❯ Karen Kuhfuss Koch notes her hesitancy to report on what seem to be very mundane events in her life, but she always enjoys seeing the wide variety of “mundane” when the reports come out. “Adhering to my husband’s itchy-feet mantra ‘Let’s travel. We are running out of time,’ we had a variety of summer travel on tap: two trips to trade shows for my ongoing Music Educators Marketplace business, a July trip to Santa Barbara to visit our youngest daughter, a week in Quebec with friends, and, finally, two September weeks for my first visit to Spain.” Her son was there on business, and the Kochs were tourists with the added bonus of a guide/translator. At home, they enjoy (and curse) the challenges of the virtual internet, biking, gardening, and cooking. They continue to enjoy three grandchildren, whom they see at least weekly in St. Louis. A fourth grandchild lives in Mill Valley, California, but they have a weekly Skype piano lesson, and that brings her nearer as well. ❯ Phil Merikle and partner Freda returned last spring from a twoweek trip to Italy, where they spent six days in Rome and eight days eating their way across
Class Knox recognition of her excellence and outstanding leadership. Aiyoung Choi ’63 Crossing the Korean DMZ for Peace Aiyoung Choi ’63 is a longtime activist for women’s rights and world peace. She is the recipient of many awards for her service and leadership. On May 24, International Women’s Peace and Disarmament Day, Choi joined a group of 30 women peace activists in their historic crossing of the De-Militarized Zone from North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) to South Korea (Republic of Korea). The delegation, called “womencrossdmz,” consisted of women from 15 different countries and was led by Gloria Steinem and Nobel Peace Laureates Mairead Maguire of Northern Ireland and Leymah Gbowee of Libera. Read about Aiyoung’s life-changing journey, in her own words: “Our major accomplishment, beyond crossing the DMZ, was engaging in person-to-person citizen diplomacy. We made time to talk, to exchange views and regard each other with genuine interest and respect. “In Pyongyang, we participated in a Peace Symposium organized by North Korean women. Then, traveling with them by bus, we toured the countryside and noted stark contrasts with life in the city. We shared meals and talked about family, school, work, love, war, survival, and working for peace. We spoke of why we had come halfway around the world to see them and about our hopes for peace and reunification in Korea. We shared tears and laughter. On the day of our DMZ crossing, 5,000 North Korean women lined up along both sides of a wide boulevard to send us off with cheers and tears. “When we finally made the crossing and reached the southern border, we were greeted by South Korean women who had organized a spectacular music festival to welcome us. We spent the next day in a peace symposium (the Mayor of Seoul gave welcoming remarks). Leaders of South Korean women’s peace organizations and members of our delegation shared the podium to speak about our experiences of working for peace in our own countries, and ways we might be able to help further Korea’s peace and reunification agenda. “Singing and colors played a central and symbolic role on this journey. At the North and South Peace Symposia, on long trips together in the bus, and even at Panmunjom (site of the 1953 Armistice Agreement signing) with armed guards standing by, we sang wherever we went, in English and Korean. Brilliant colors came in the form of a handstitched jogakbo (multi-colored patchwork quilt, 20'x30', made by US, North Korean and South Korean women). We brought this quilt to every gathering. Joining in song, many hands held it up and gently waved it in celebration of our diversity, hopes, and unity of spirit. “Our journey ended on May 27, 2015, in Seoul. In parting, we promised to maintain active ties with our sisters in North and South Korea, and reiterated our commitment to support their ongoing efforts for peace and reunification in Korea.” SUBMITTED
Sicily. While disappointed not to get to speak to the Pope when in Rome, they sure enjoyed eating the fresh seafood available in Sicily, especially in Palermo and Catania. Phil is certain that those who have been to Sicily will attest that it’s a great place for foodies. They can’t recommend it more highly. ❯ Elli Boehm Rupp is excited that, after two knee replacements in the past few years, she is finally willing to face air travel again. Accompanied by her younger son’s family, they took their first ocean cruise to the western Caribbean, visited a Mayan ruin, and zip-lined in Honduras. She returned to get things organized for a trip to their Michigan summer home, including repairs to their wind-damaged sailboat, which she looked forward to sailing in the sunshine. ❯ Sandra Sherrick Schuldt reports on an entertaining dinner with Joe and Betsy Wallace Empen last June. A month-long trip to New Zealand and Australia in April was a highlight in spite of the many hours on airplanes. They traveled with their longtime bicycling friends by car, airplane, and ferry. Meals and overnight stays with friends in both countries made the trip all the more memorable. They enjoyed learning about the countries from the natives—very interesting. ❯ Jeanne van Gemert is in the process of transitioning from her position as a mind/body psychotherapist at Duke Integrative Medicine back into a few days per week of private practice and time in her sculpture studio. She has been an instructor of mindfulness-based stress reduction at Duke for 15 years and teaches Buddhism at Triangle Insight in Durham, North Carolina. Her two granddaughters are, of course, wonderful. She sends her best to all. ❯ Dennis East received an e-mail from Stew Dyke ’64 expressing his shock and sadness at Don Lehmann’s passing. One remembrance he shared: It seems he and Don sat in Seymour’s lobby holding up newspapers with eye holes cut out so they could observe and (we’re guessing) make wry, cogent, and perhaps sarcastic comments on the passing scene and cast of characters treading the hall. Sounds like typical Knox students! And it certainly sounds like something from the creative mind of Lehmann. ❯ Some of you continue to inquire about my well-being. Hearing from many Knoxites, not just from the Class of ’62, is uplifting. Thanks to you all. Since the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and two unsuccessful surgeries and radiation treatments in 2013, I’m still here. A Cleveland Clinic doctor says I may have the slowest growing pancreatic tumor in history. That’s okay by me. Still here and doing as much as I can (and as much as nurse Kathy Molda East ’64 lets me) in between chemo and scans and chemo and scans… This past winter/spring, we enjoyed several days with friends in Arizona— even this Cardinals fan went to a Cubs game— before meeting our two sons (Brian East ’92, friend Julie, and daughter Erin; and Brad and wife Jen) in Manzanillo, Mexico, in April. We had a great, great family trip! On the horizon, I plan to direct a play for our local community theatre
To read more about Choi’s experiences in Korea and commitment to peace, read an expanded interview at knox.edu/choi. To learn more about the mission of womencrossdmz, visit www.womencrossdmz.org.
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
51
Judy Holland Sarnecki ’66 wants “to do the Pumphandle with our in September, and Kathy and I hoped to squeeze in a trip to Ontario for summer theatre before play rehearsals begin in July. Class Correspondents: Kate Bloomberg hankandkate@msn.com Dennis East denniseast@att.net
1963 Members of the Class of 1963: Our classmate, Karen Dittmer Bowyer, will be recognized as a Knox College Scroll of Honor recipient at the Fifty Year Club Luncheon on October 17, 2015, during this year’s Homecoming. Scroll of Honor awards recognize lifetime achievements in service to community, society, or humanity. This award will also be announced in the FYC Bulletin. Karen has served as president of Dyersburg State Community College since 1984. She initiated that college’s first annual fund campaign in 1985 and has raised more than $9 million dollars for that cause. Way to go, Karen! Class Correspondent: Ramona Reed Landberg landberg.group@outlook.com
1964 Just missing the Spring 2015 issue, Pat White Strasberg wrote: “I retired September 1, 2014, after working for more than 30 years as a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst—the first 20 years or so in New York, and then for 10-1/2 years in Tucson, Arizona, where I live with husband Michael. Since I retired, I travel, e.g. two weeks in Africa and our Knox Reunion after a visit with Diane Trout-Oertel in Minnesota. I did many things in addition to working the past 10 years. I rode my horse, played tennis, spent several days a week with my Tucson grandchildren, visited often my Colorado grandchildren, and studied Spanish. The latter is a real challenge with this old brain, but I am determined to speak and communicate as fluently as possible—I hope I live long enough, ha, ha. My tennis days are numbered, as my knees are complaining. There were bumps on the road; but we are still standing. I look forward to the next Reunion.” ❯ The prompt for this issue was “volunteering.” For me, once a week, I work the information desk at our local hospital, helping patients and visitors find where they are going, providing wheelchairs, and being generally cheerful: I’m a “WELL-mart Greeter” :>). ❯ Karen Freedland McCauley: “For the past two years, I have been a volunteer driver for the Red Cross and Ride Connection. Before that, I volunteered at Portland missions and programs for the homeless.” ❯ Carol Thompson: “I help with grant-writing with the Iowa Youth Writing Project. The group is affiliated with the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and takes writing and arts activities to schools in low-income areas. I also mentor four children, ages 8, 10, 13, and 15. Keeps me busy.” ❯ Steve Marsh: “For the past 40 years, I’ve been engaged with
52
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
afterlife research and have taught classes through the years—especially during the years I worked for hospice. Presently, I teach evidence of the afterlife classes for a college in the Phoenix area on a volunteer basis—lots of fun and a surprising amount of interest.” [At our age, the interest is understandable…] ❯ Brian Leekley wrote: “I volunteer at the Unitarian Universalist Community Church (UUCC) in Portage, Michigan, which I attend. I volunteered to be the lead organizer of an April 26 ‘justice Sunday’ service and panel discussion forum on the topic what to do about climate change. That went very well. The panelists considered climate change from scientific, ethical, political, and practical approaches. There was a good turnout with lots of interest. I also maintain the church library and its online LibraryThing catalog. I will help staff the UUCC information table at Kalamazoo Pride Festival again this year. I volunteer, as time permits, in local community organizations concerned about systemic racism; the need for creative, multi-faceted responses to climate change; and harmful-to-the-public-good corruption erupting in both private enterprise and government. And I have done a little feedthe-hungry, house-the-homeless volunteering.” ❯ [And the piece de resistance.] Characteristically, Jeff Sandburg was too modest to respond. Fortunately, Jo Ellen Maurer Sandburg ’66 submitted the following. “Since the topic is volunteerism, I will send in a reply for Jeff, as he would never let others beyond our community know of his award. (I’ll probably have to go to ‘time out’ for even writing this ....) Jeff was honored this past spring with ‘Volunteer of the Year’ here at Hammock Dunes in Palm Coast, Florida. He works for and with our local hospital and hospice associations, supports many community organizations, church, the choral arts society, and the local mentoring program for disadvantaged youth; but above all, he spends most of his ‘volunteer time’ as a founding member of KinderVision, a national organization that helps to educate young children on how to safely avoid and/or deal with predators. We have the KinderVision annual fundraising event here every year at Ocean Hammock (where we live), which involves retired Major League Baseball All-Stars and players coming in to work with the local youth on their baseball skills and to raise money for the KV programs that exist in many schools and communities across the United States. Over the years that Jeff has helped to educate and raise funds, he has interacted with many of those major league players, which Jeff finds quite interesting since he played in Galesburg and at Knox and has followed the Cubs and Sox most of his life. Being a stage 4 cancer-survivor, Jeff tries very hard to ‘give back’—his Knox profs would give him a 100 percent, I’m sure.” [Wow!!!] Class Correspondent: Terry Klopcic klopcicjt2@roadrunner.com
1965 I have sad news to share from Winifred Gentry. She is now disabled from a head injury and has moved to a Christian senior living facility in Seattle. She still has many interests, however. She is involved with the building safety committee, the library committee, and proofreads and edits the newsletter. She also attends exercise classes and is involved with high school and elementary students on campus. ❯ Richard Crooker received a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from UCLA and worked for the U.S. offices of the French petrochemical company Atofina (now Total SA). There, he developed environmentally friendly replacements for chlorofluorocarbons. Over the course of his career, he moved from theoretical chemistry to applied chemistry and had a ball. Now, he has switched roles with his wife and helps care for their autistic son while she continues to write poetry (with more than 2,300 publications to date!). ❯ Glen Dallman has moved to Florida after working as a school principal in Illinois. He has been elected to the Wrestling Coach Hall of Fame and still teaches mathematics full-time. He enjoys golfing and traveling with his wife. ❯ Carol Thorsen Rogers lives in Dallas after retiring from teaching. She has four grandchildren, enjoys reading historical novels and mysteries (particularly those written by Laurie King, who writes from the perspective of Sherlock Holmes’ wives), and has traveled all over the world—some of her favorite destinations are England, Scotland, and Alaska. ❯ Joan Morris Young went to San Francisco and was a H-I-PP-I-E following graduation from Knox. She worked as a special education teacher for 40 years before retiring, though she still works as a substitute teacher in her current home in Arizona. In the late 1960s and 1970s, she was a professional dog handler and had one of the top golden retrievers in the country. She helped breed the first blond members of that breed, which were previously exclusively redheaded. She roomed at Knox with Sandy Olson Herrick, one of the first woman executives at at a Fortune 500 company (Kraft Foods), and who is also well-known for her dressage horses. ❯ Nan Garton Siebert teaches a weekly story hour for preschool children and is on the library board of her local school system. She is an active tennis player and has 12 grandchildren. ❯ Tom Batell has retired from teaching political science and business administration at Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa. ❯ Robert Coffman is a professor at Penn State in the education department, where he runs a free service field program. ❯ Glenn Schiffman reports that, following Knox, he earned a degree in creative writing from San Francisco State College. In the 1970s, he was a rock-and-roll roadie and is presently writing about these experiences. In 2014, his book of American Indian fiction was a bestseller on amazon.com in its category. This March, his work won an Eric Hoffer Award. ❯ Janice Sullivan a retired primary school teacher
Class Knox class, sing in a Reunion choir and eat a patty melt in the Gizmo!” whose travels have included England, Ireland, and Hawaii. Her most recent trip was to Graceland. She particularly enjoys visiting England and is the adopted mother of an Englishman living in the States who has served as her “tour guide” through his native country. ❯ Mike Gorham reports: “Here’s how my last 50 years have flown. I earned a J.D. in 1968 from the University of Colorado. I spent two great years in Kenya with the Peace Corps. I practiced a little law, served 25 years as director of the Colorado Division of Real Estate, and still do consulting and expert witness work in Denver. Along the way, I also put together real estate broker licensing programs in Vietnam, Uzbekistan, and Ghana. I am happily married with two great kids and a granddaughter, and I am REALLY really looking forward to seeing EVERYONE at our 50th. (I still remember my hell week name.)” ❯ John Swise recently retired from N.E. Community Services in Michigan. He is doing “swimmingly well” and enjoys boating on Lake Huron, just three blocks from his home. He looks forward to our upcoming Reunion. ❯ Tom Jensch retired from Avon and lives in The Villages, Florida. He enjoys golfing and looks forward to our 50th Reunion. Other likely attendees include Dick Eisinger, Mike Cantor, and David Bloomberg. ❯ Finally, wife Beverly Anderson and I are proud to report our grandson, Ryan Rothstein, will be in the freshman class at Knox this fall. ❯ Following our years at Knox, all of us have wonderful memories about our time at Old Siwash. It will be wonderful to return to campus and see all the places that will surely spark old memories. Additionally, we’ll be able to share our memories with the family and friends who did not attend and may never have seen Knox in person. We look forward to seeing you at the 50th Reunion. Class Correspondent: Terry Rothstein, M.D. 220 N. 32nd Street, Parsons, KS 67357, antiquarian@wavewls.com
1966 We had such a terrific response to our previous request for one-liners that Jo and I decided (thanks to Susan Wood Bailey’s suggestion) to use the same sort of approach again, but with a Reunion twist. We asked you to answer, in a sentence or two: What would you first like to see or do when you return to campus for our 50th Reunion in 2016? ❯ Beth Funk Irish: “I hope to reconnect with my college friends and see those buildings on campus where I spent so much time during my four years at Knox: Whiting Hall (my firstyear dorm), Old Main, the library, the music practice building, Beecher Chapel behind Whiting Hall and, of course, the Gizmo.” ❯ Jim Johnson: “I’d like to see half the class, or more, return.” ❯ Virginia Schwartz: “This retired librarian would like to see Seymour Library!” ❯ Greta Kallio Nagel: “I would like us to compile a booklet of anecdotes about how we handled in loco parentis and gender-segregated practices
(hours, no boys in dorm, date jerks, etc.) in an era of growing liberation.” ❯ Kevern Cameron: “I would like to see my professors and friends exactly as they were in 1966.” ❯ Philip Bradley: “Since this will be my first trip back since graduation, I want to see if some of my old haunts like the ADE house and North Berrington are still standing. Wouldn’t it be great if we could still get a Marti’s pizza?” ❯ Jay Sommerfield: “How about an escorted walking tour of the campus to see what’s old and what’s new, like the redone Alumni Hall?” ❯ Mary Jacobson: “I’d like to laugh with old friends.” ❯ Sue Beck Hoff: “In no particular order, I look forward to visiting the renovated Alumni Hall and remembering wedging myself into the crowded bookstore/Gizmo mailroom when they were housed there, singing again with the Knox Choir, reminiscing about the backroom at the BV where we sang ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco’ as we closed the bar for the night, standing on that doorstep where Lincoln himself stood, and—most of all—walking un-assaulted through Standish Park in the dark!” ❯ Ned Wetmore: “I would like opportunities to kick back and visit with my classmates in informal settings available each day of our Reunion.” ❯ Jim Drew: “I would like to attend a Knox College Choir concert and maybe even sing a piece with them. (Being a member of the choir was my favorite campus activity.)” ❯ Judy Holland Sarnecki: “I’d like to do the Pumphandle with our class, sing in a Reunion choir, and eat a patty melt in the Gizmo!” ❯ Elizabeth Little Bollenbacher: “I would love to sing with the Knox Choir.” ❯ Jerry Sebesta: “I look forward to walking around the campus noting the changes since ’66 and ending up in the Gizmo.” ❯ Ron Lehmann: “When I contemplate our 50th, I reflect on our senior year when another 50-year Reunion took place. I am sure I didn’t even think about those old folks wandering around the campus that weekend. Now that we are those old folks, I realize that their Knox years and ours next fall will combine as 100 years of Knox history— pretty mind-boggling! How great it would be for us to have a chance to get together with some of the current students to reflect on shared experiences, the current state of the world, and their perception of their future, so that they don’t waste an opportunity over this weekend like I did some 50 years ago. Sorry—not a one-liner, but something I’ve contemplated for some time.” ❯ Larry Sommers: “I relish the opportunity to chat with old friends.” ❯ Mike Denniston: “I wanna see the refurbished Alumni Hall!” ❯ Kathryn Knepper Roblee: “I want to attend some classes with current students. At a previous Reunion, I heard students discuss how a dozen common chemicals affect the brain.” ❯ Susan Milne Lashmet Miller: “I think what I would like to see, if I am able to return to Knox, is a college that is firmly planted in the life of the 21st century. Technologically we are with it. At the same time, the alumni appreciate its roots in the first part of the 19th century, affiliated with an early
exponent of civil rights—Henry Ward Beecher. I often share with people that my first experience at college was living in Whiting Hall, which we were told had once been a Civil War hospital. Of course, because I am a history person, I also point out that Knox was the site of a Lincoln-Douglas debate.” ❯ Pete Holstrom: “Have a class dinner!” ❯ Steve Sommers: “Returning to Knox, I’d like to see things I never will see again; on my first visit I sat high up in an Old Main classroom and watched Professor Haring walk and talk in front of a blackboard covered with political geometry as he held a cigarette with its ash growing longer and longer, but never falling off.” Class Correspondents: Steve & Jo Strehle Sommers steveandjo.sommers@comcast.net
1967 Margee Terry Smith retired from Morgan Stanley in Long Beach, California, in December 2014, where she had worked as a financial advisor. She and husband Jerry have moved to Cocoa, Florida, where she enjoys seeing long-time friends and family who live close by, less traffic than Los Angeles, doing some volunteer work, and the freedom to spend time with her grandchildren in Chicago. ❯ Judy Crawford De Leon writes: “As we approach our 50th, the nostalgia has crept in. I remember so fondly my Knox classmates. I have a reunion this fall with some of my classmates from the University of Madrid, where I spent my junior year. I thank Sr. Jorge Prats for making this happen, years before Knox had a formalized program there. On the homefront, we travel a lot, cruising, and visiting Puerto Vallarta. This year, we will cruise the British Isles; next year, Disney World with my granddaughter. (I’ve been avoiding Disney parks until now, but grandchildren have that effect on you.) Warm regards to all my classmates, and I look forward to seeing you for our 50th and beyond.” ❯ Jim Nordin: “Linda and I spent a month in Australia and New Zealand and, by the time this is published, we will have spent two or three weeks in Panama. Yes, we still work part-time, but enjoy retirement.” ❯ Nancy Crane Poole: “Fifty years! Where did they go? Thirty-three of mine were spent teaching high school biology and other sciences here in Plympton, Massachusetts. I spent the last 10 as department head: calming issues, encouraging parents to take their concerns directly to the teacher instead of trying to get me to do it, and hiring teachers, mostly physics. To everyone who knows a student interested in teaching science: jobs for physics teachers are out there! I retired last year and have enjoyed not getting up at 5:00 a.m. I garden and make quilts for family and Quilts for Kids. Son Rob is a mechanical engineer expert in vibration testing and damping on huge ships. Amelia makes natural dyed and printed textiles at www.ecouture.me. ( I now work for her.) Our 6-year-old granddaughter is a budding scientist and provides a wonder-
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
53
Kirk Griffin ’70 and wife Sally’s current favorite phrase: ful outlook on life. They all live in Maine.” ❯ Nancy reminded me about the Great Bedspread Uprising in Whiting Hall, fall 1963. Women from our class probably all remember…we were told that bedspreads would be provided, but they didn’t arrive for months, and turned out to be horrible orange-striped things. The rebellion we staged in the communal rooms downstairs prepared us for future protests on more important topics, like women’s hours and the war. ❯ We Turners recently had the fun of running into Tom Collins and his wife and son in Wind Cave National Park—Oregonians and Californians all enjoying South Dakota! Later in the summer, we caught up with Nancy Rabenstein Pielemeier and husband John during their swing through the Pacific Northwest; Helen Gilbert was next on their itinerary. Class Correspondents: Jack and Anne Talley Turner 90498 Sunderman Road, Springfield, OR 97478, anneturner@wildblue.net
1968 Susan Tracy Van Kirk writes, “Chip Evans started a Facebook page called Knox 68. It is such a wonderful compendium of information about what happened when we were in school, what happened to our profs, and what’s going on with many of us. The page also has a section of people who have passed away. Last issue, I mentioned my first mystery, Three May Keep a Secret. I’ve signed a contract for a second, Marry in Haste, for 2016. I’m working on a third, Death Takes No Bribes, for 2017. I have retired from teaching at Monmouth High School and Monmouth College, have three children and nine grandchildren (two sets of twins in the same family!). Really enjoying retirement. www.susanvankirk.com ❯ Lee Balgemann lost his father, Ralph, at 96. “I was blessed to have him for 66 years.” He spends time grilling burgers at Long Lake Cabin in Phelps, Wisconsin, in his Knox sweatshirt. ❯ Jack Brown published an Occupy Wall Street anthem, “It Takes Love (Love in Action)” on Bandcamp. Download it for free. ❯ Rick Smith fully retired in 2014 after 31 years in corporate leadership with Blessing Health System, Quincy, Illinois. He has plans for foreign travel and time with his seven grandchildren. He was at a Knox Alumni Council meeting and wants to encourage other alumni to volunteer to help bright, energized students get ready for careers. ❯ Dan Gunning retired in 2010 but continues to coach football and track, including weight and agility training. He also supervises his extra-large vegetable garden. ❯ Peggy Gamble Vogelsinger and Ed have moved from Bloomington, Illinois, to Estero, Florida. They hope to spend summers with family in Naperville and San Francisco. When in the Naples area, they hope Knox friends will drop by. Call 309-533-8210 or revpv@me.com. They had a wonderful visit with Chris Schoenberg Black and husband Tom last fall. ❯ Rich Newman was
54
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
immersed in rehearsals for a play that opened in July. ❯ Rich and Holly Thompson Nelson have been retired for three years, living in a retirement community in Tennessee. Their kids and grandkids live in Alabama and Texas, and they try to see them often. He has undertaken a new path and is in his second play, Mary Poppins, at Cumberland County Playhouse and loves it. ❯ Howard Partner and daughter, Madeline drove to Washington University in St. Louis in August, where she started college. No Flunk Days for her. They advised that she stay clear of the local Budweiser. ❯ Lynn Galbraith Fissell wrote, “After Knox, I moved to San Francisco, married Tony Judnich, and had our son, Louis. In the late 1970s, I moved to Hercules, California, cofounded its historical society, and served two four-year terms on the City Council, serving as mayor once each term. Currently, I am president/treasurer of the Hercules and Tsushima, Japan, sister city organization. In 1998, I married Bob Fissell from the University of California. I have three stepsons and five step-grandchildren.” ❯ Pam Harrison Stoffel wrote, “I continue to teach at an all-boys school in Rochester, including the only team-taught class in the school— theatre tech. This spring’s Oliver! was a huge success, and I will direct Cheaper by the Dozen and Fiddler on the Roof this coming year. Husband Jim and I have a home on Sea Island in Georgia, and the family spent the July 4th week there. After we got back, Jim and I headed to St. Louis to see our youngest and Sue Bennetsen Postel and husband Roy. Jim continues as a venture capitalist and sits on numerous boards, and we serve on the graduate research board at Notre Dame, his alma mater. We just celebrated our 43rd, and, as a gift, Jim invested in a share of a nine-passenger private jet. I have our 50th Reunion on the calendar and enjoy keeping up with everyone on the Knox 68 Facebook page.” ❯ Big happenings in the Mary Mangieri Burgland household. “Daughter Caroline Burgland Cormier ’97 gave us a new grandson, William, and son Rich also has a new baby on the way. We will have six grandchildren, ages 5 and under. Husband George sold our drugstore to Hy-Vee. Retirement is now in sight. We hope for more golf and visits with our grandchildren.” ❯ Alan Birkner wrote, “Wife Bettina and I recently returned from a Mediterranean cruise and time in Barcelona. We liked it so much, we have booked a cruise to Alaska next year. Would love to see fellow alums. Sold our house and enjoy the condo life.” ❯ Pat Bangs reported, “After 25 years at Fairfax County Public Library, primarily as a writer-editor in the marketing department, I retired in December 2013 and celebrated with a trip to New Zealand. I live outside D.C. and am active in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George Mason University. I usher at several theaters, keep fit with water aerobics, and volunteer on the information desk at a local library. I visit family in the L.A. area and see my former Knox roommate, Nancy Brunk Loncke, on my visits. I reconnected with Chip
Evans when he ran the Marine Marathon here a few years back.” ❯ John Heyer is very proud to report that his daughter expects his first grandchild, a girl due in October. ❯ Bill Foss and Bill Beard recently played in a regional bridge tournament in Colorado but did not recognize each other. They talked because one was wearing a Knox shirt. ❯ Steve Hayashi wants to be known now as “Steph” since his Warriors won the NBA finals. ❯ Alice McClenahan Burk says, “Life is good here in northern California. Bridge on Monday, babysitting our two darling granddaughters on Tuesday and Thursday, and traveling whenever. I need eight more states and three more continents to complete my travel bucket list.” ❯ Bradley Routon sold his business and retired. Keeping close to nature, he has two part-time dream jobs—winters at a ski area and summers at a state park—but doesn’t get a hat like Smokey Bear’s. ❯ Lynn Heidinger-Brown has retired from Southern Illinois University (SIU), where she served on the curriculum council in 2007. Lynn was married to a former chancellor of SIU, James Montgomery Brown, who passed away in 2005. ❯ I have taken up pickleball and find I can still move after two knee replacements. While our son with Down’s syndrome was at camp in Wisconsin, Wes and I visited La Crosse and Rochester, Minnesota. YEAH BLACKHAWKS! Class Correspondent: Susan Meyer Mika 1519 North Kennicott Avenue, Arlington Heights, IL 60004, 847-253-7719, pottatea@comcast.net
1969 Knox alums, and particularly the Classes of 1968 and 1969, grieve with the families of Mike Burns and Jerry ’68 and Diane Scott Stubbs. In July, Mike succumbed to a lengthy battle with cancer at his home in Alaska; Diane and Jerry lost their lives in a private plane crash near Cody, Wyoming, about a week later. These cherished friends of many will be sorely missed, and our hearts go out to their loved ones. We were all blessed to have the privilege of knowing each of these wonderful human beings, and the warm memories of them that we will continue to treasure. I encourage you to share your personal memories of Mike, Jerry, and Diane, with Susan Meyer Mika ’68 and me. We’d like to publish some of them in the next issue of the magazine. ❯ In other news, Steven Meyers reports: “I’ve recently published a book, Personalized Philanthropy: Crash the Fundraising Matrix. While working on it, I was in touch with Robert King on the Knox advancement team, who took an interest in some of the gift designs I’ve developed. It turns out we were able to help during a Knox effort to endow core program needs. That made me very happy. In fact, there’s a nice anecdote in the book about a gift from a Knox alum to establish a professorial chair. Here is a link to my author page at Amazon: amazon.com/author/stevenmeyers.” Class Correspondent: Bill Combs bcombsi@yahoo.com
Class Knox “Leave no diem uncarped.”
1970 Joann Litke Duer retired five years ago as a math teacher in the middle and high schools of Lodi, California. “Since this is the first time I’ve shared an update with my Knox family, I will digress to graduation at Knox in 1970. That summer, I got married and subbed at my alma mater, Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park. The following year, I moved to the newly built Andrew High School (same district). My husband re-joined the U.S. Navy, and we moved to Bath, Maine, then to Mayport, Florida. While Dave was on deployment in the Mediterranean, I was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia. We moved to Alameda, California, so I could have a bone marrow transplant at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center in 1986. I was only the third patient in their transplant clinic, the second to survive the operation, and the first to live longer than a year. We found a home in Lodi, California. In 1988, I began subbing in Lodi Unified School District and got a full-time job in 1989. In 2010, I was diagnosed with Charcot foot, a disease of the bone that caused my arch to collapse, and Type II diabetes. In March 2014, I began peritoneal dialysis at home each night because of failing kidneys. I have been very active in Women of the Moose, Lodi Business and Professional Women, and Delta Kappa Gamma, and was an officer in all three when I was forced to retire because of my foot. I am once again active in Delta Kappa Gamma and serve as the treasurer for Area XVII. I am in the process of applying to be a kidney transplant recipient. I am doing well; my time at Knox prepared me for a lifetime of facing the challenges life offers!” ❯ Mark Goodwillie and wife Jean became grandparents in February 2014. Until this summer, Liam lived in Arizona with their daughter Jennifer and husband Dan, but the family has now moved to Georgia. Mark and Jean are excited to be so much closer to them! Mark works much less, which lets him spend time on his “new” old hobby, racing cars. ❯ Barbara Karr Smith retired from Skagit Valley College in June 2014. Her husband, Stephen Smith, died in 2001. She has three wonderful children and seven terrific grandchildren! Barbara once again lives on a small farm with kids and grandkids, raising sheep, geese, ducks, and chickens. She spends her newfound time farming and gardening with the family, volunteering, and visiting with aging friends. ❯ Becky Hollmeyer Ullman has completed her fifth assignment with Doctors Without Borders, responding to the earthquakes in Nepal. She is a certified nurse-midwife providing maternal and fetal health care, and she trains local staff. She previously worked in Ivory Coast, Laos (twice), and South Sudan. She and husband Bud Ullman, who is a retired lawyer, amateur banjo player, and adjunct professor of water law at the University of Tulsa, have three grandchildren (and, oh yeah, two children), with a fourth on the way. ❯ From Jim Hogue: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKH-pgx-
AtEU ❯ From Rick Hemp: “The only news here is not good. Andy Forberg, my roommate first year at Knox, running buddy, and good friend, died May 9. You can e-mail me or call: 303-7350252 (office) or 720-890-4961 (home) for more information.” ❯ Bill Larkin works in Washington, D.C., as executive director and CEO of the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET). “The position involves some international and domestic travel, so don’t be surprised if I knock on a classmate’s door one of these days!” ❯ Dave and Judy Waggoner Lambert ’71 became grandparents in May and expect a second grandchild in September. Dave is now in the mostly retired/consulting phase of his career. They plan to be at Homecoming and hope to see everyone there. ❯ Marc Wollman’s photographic work has been in a number of juried exhibitions, both for photography and all-media. He is proud to again be a part of the annual juried exhibition at the Hardy Gallery in Door County, Wisconsin. Marc has also been asked to participate in an invitational exhibition of Door County parks photography, opening November 7 at the Mueller Art Museum in Sturgeon Bay. He keeps active with responsibilities with his co-op gallery in Racine, Wisconsin. Marc looks forward to Homecoming and doing some photography in Knox County! ❯ Sue Harastany Goering retired two years ago after teaching sixth grade math for 20 years in Orland Park, Illinois. This year, Sue and husband Vern sold their home in Lisle, Illinois, and moved 12 miles north of Charlottesville, Virginia, near their oldest son and his family. ❯ Ed Kucera is now semi-retired from his job as a software consultant, which he has had for the last 20 years. Ed spends his free time playing piano and guitar and exercising. ❯ Jim Kilts just got back from a prairie dog shoot with Pete Drummond. Over the summer, he headed to Zimbabwe on safari. Jim looks forward to Homecoming and getting together with former roommates Pete and Harry Wong, and many others. Jim and his wife welcomed their fourth grandchild this past November… two boys and two girls! Jim still works full-time but tries to get in as much fishing, hunting, golfing, and grandparenting as he can. ❯ Kirk Griffin and wife Sally have been in the Seattle area since the 1970s. Kirk moved his law office to their home in July in an effort to scale back. Sally continues to work, more selectively, out of the house. They continue to enjoy golf together. Their current favorite phrase: “Leave no diem uncarped.” In late July, Kirk attempted to bicycle his third and last Ramrod: Ride Around Mt. Rainier in One Day (150 miles, 10,000 feet). Their two kids are in the Seattle area pursuing post-graduate degrees. ❯ Rick ’69 and Mary Tarpley Greyson ’69 are in Trabuco Canyon, California, about 60 miles south of L.A. “We have four daughters and five grandkids and life is good. I still keep in touch with a handful of Phi Delts that I connected with on Facebook, and we ran into Frank ’68 and Jean Belieff Mannino ’68 at an alum club event
out here a couple of years ago.” Class Correspondent: Nancy Hoover Debelius 865 Gayer Drive, Medina, OH 44256-2901, 330-723-5658, Knox1970@zoominternet.net
1971 I’m exhausted just looking at Semenya McCord’s (semenya@aol.com) activities! She was the co-chair for Galesburg’s Juneteenth celebration, continues to teach music and direct choirs at Lombard Middle School (Galesburg), is an adjunct at Knox, and performs with jazz musicians. She presented five weeks of “Journey Into Jazz” for all the schools in Newton, Massachusetts, and three days of “Classic Blues Connections” in schools around the Quad Cities. ❯ Congrats to Dave ’70 and Judy Waggoner Lambert (djbkl@ comcast.net) on their first grandchild, Ellison Charlotte Lambert, born to son Brian and daughter-in-law Meghan. Judy and Dave hope that Elli will join the Knox College Class of 2037! ❯ Eric Twachtman (erictwachtman@gmail.com) recently had a successful art show at the Rancho Linda Vista Gallery in Oracle, Arizona. His works can be viewed on the gallery website. ❯ Ted Fagerburg (ted@fagerburg.com) received a visit from Charley Sloan, who was in France to teach an art class at the University of Besançon. Charley drove up to Belgium to spend a couple of days with the Fagerburgs. Ted and family traveled to Korea again—part pleasure and part work. ❯ Dennis Reynolds (dpr2004@comcast.net) reports that Kevin Murray is retired and recently visited Chicago with his wife. Kevin’s daughter Cassie is an elementary school teacher near Denver. A group of Knox alumni joined the Murrays and Reynolds for dinner, including: Bill Ford and wife Cathy, Colleen Conway and John Heyer ’68, Dean ’72 and Chris Rowinski Turner ’72, and Kathy Keller ’73 and husband Dennis. Bill and Cathy live in Oak Park and recently welcomed a second grandchild. Bill’s son clerks at a federal court. Colleen is now a full professor at Mount Mary College in Milwaukee. The client Dennis helped mentor through a two-year bridge community program from St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Naperville, Illinois, “graduated” in July and moved with her two daughters and a friend into a rental home after working with Dennis and others in the program to find a new job, improve some very important life skills, and go from bankruptcy to having money in the bank. Dennis also attended Jim Braun’s retirement party from Clayton State College (southeast of Atlanta, Georgia) with Ben Tovrog. ❯ Don Raleigh (DJR@email.unc.edu) spent most of May in Chisinau, Moldova, working in local archives on his new book project, a biography of Soviet leader Leonid Ilich Brezhnev. Afterward, Don spent five fabulous days exploring Istanbul. On July 1, he became director of the Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. ❯ Brian (ballen7426@cox.net) and Julia Nance
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
55
Linda Nelson Langston ’75 calls husband Dave ’75 “the World’s Allen hope to visit Knox later this year. Daughter Nancy has accepted a new job as the public affairs officer for the Sacramento District of the Army Corps of Engineers. Mom and Dad already plan a California trip. ❯ Dennis Farrell (dennisfarrelllaw@aol.com) and wife Bertie went on a three-week car cruise around the western United States in June. They traveled to Bryce Canyon, the Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone Park. They then went to Portland for a family wedding and camped along the Pacific Coast Highway for a week until they got back to Phoenix. Dennis plans to join John Flood, Terry Denoma, Jim Leech, Geno Brandt ’72, and David Wood ’72 for their annual week of golfing in Myrtle Beach in October. ❯ Carol Hartman Bordet (chezbordet@yahoo.com) retired a year ago and spends time in both the United States and Switzerland, reading, going to theater and cinema, and traveling to Amsterdam; Rhine am Stein; Schauffhausen; the Rhine Falls; Nice; London; Martha’s Vineyard; Stratford, Ontario; and Montreal. Carol also attended a reunion for former students and teachers at her school in Montreux. ❯ Betsy Harris Bowen (rbowen@wi.rr.com) managed to exit her bicycle abruptly—but has recuperated. She and Ann McConachie made their annual trip to northern Wisconsin, ate at their favorite restaurants and kayaked their favorite river, the Manitowish, seeing lots of eagles, a couple of deer, a turtle, and no other people. ❯ Mildred Culp (workwise@comcast.net) reports that The Sacramento Bee, one of her earliest employers, invited her to return on Sundays. ❯ For the second year, Cathy Zollinger Grafton (cathygrafton@ gmail.com) was accepted into the Early American Life directory of American crafts for her silk ribbon embroidery work. She continues to participate in historic eighteenth century festivals in the Midwest and will also participate in the Shakertown Craft Fair at the Pleasant Hill Shaker site near Harrodsburg, Kentucky. When not traveling to festivals, Cathy is the library director of the Odell, Illinois, Public Library. ❯ Mary Barclay Tompkins (mary_tompkins@ncsu.edu) has been happily retired for almost two years. She spends her days riding her dressage horse. She also has four fat, retired horses on her farm. Son Mark is an international expert in infectious disease and vaccine development, especially influenza. He is up for promotion to full professor at the University of Georgia. Mary and Wayne’s two girls, Lisa and Laura, are busy raising their children. Mary and Wayne’s eldest granddaughter graduated from University of Georgia, works in Athens, Georgia, and is looking for a teaching position. Lisa’s oldest is at Indiana University, and their grandson will be a senior in high school. The other three girls (Laura’s two and Mark’s youngest) are all still in grammar school. ❯ Gary Gehlbach (gehlbach@egblc.com) and wife Chris have renewed a friendship with Lonnie Fredenhagen Schaefer and her husband, Dan, who moved from Kansas City to rural Sublette, southeast of Dixon. ❯ Joseph Heumann
56
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
(jkheumann@eiu.edu) writes that wife Mary Maddox Heumann has a new novel, Daemon Seer (Cantraip Press), and is working on two others. Joe teaches part time and writes. His coauthored fifth book has been accepted for publication in 2016 by the University of Nebraska Press. It’s tentatively called Film, Environment, Horror: Monstrous Nature. ❯ Judy and I spent a great Father’s Day with children Daniel and Stepha and granddaughter Olivia in L.A., going to brunch and then riding roller coasters to end the day. Love X2! At the end of August, my 60+ 1917 White Sox hardball team played a game at the Field of Dreams in Iowa. ❯ One business note: Please update me with your e-mail addresses. I had business e-mails for many of you, but, as you leave jobs or retire, I’ve lost contact. Class Correspondent: Jerome A. Tatar 333 Wilshire Drive West, Wilmette, IL 60091-3151, 847-251-4889, jerry@tatarlawfirm.com
1972 In search of ocean breezes, Gene Brandt has relocated to Redondo Beach, where he continues as senior partner in Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt, which he cofounded over 20 years ago. He is delighted to have his children, Cameron and Christopher, with him this summer; they return to Occidental College this fall, where they will be a senior and a sophomore, respectively. In his spare time, Gene can be found on the golf course or exploring Southern California. ❯ Mike Burke writes, “Like half of you so far, I became ready for Medicare this summer. Largely retired, I spend time as board president of Northern Ohio Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, sit on some for-profit business boards, and volunteer with the local quasi-government business startup organization. I visited London this summer, as Lockton sent my daughter to help their local office and to get to know the Lloyds underwriters. She is now cyber-insurance expert for Lockton’s Chicago office. I finally got engaged to Cindy after 12 years and will likely marry next year… Let’s plan a happy 65th at this year’s Homecoming!” ❯ Jane Debowski Pacelli writes, “Carol Cravens Johnson ’71 and husband Bob were out my way in April to visit their youngest son, Chris, in Virginia. While the guys went off sightseeing, Carol and I had a great lunch with Leslie Rozum Quick ’70, Marcia Dragunas McCutcheon ’70, and Marcia’s sister, Deanna.” ❯ Bradley Hinrichs retired as director of facilities planning at Rush University Medical Center after 43 years of service. After graduating from Knox, he became a medical researcher in internal medicine and hematology. After receiving an MBA from Northwestern, he served in operational roles in hospital administration and as an assistant professor in health systems management. Between 2008 and 2012, Brad played an integral part in planning and completing the orthopedic ambulatory building, parking garage, energy plant, and the award winning, LEED-gold certified new hospi-
tal building. His hard work and dedication to advancing diversity and inclusion has led to many accolades. Brad co-founded and co-chaired Rush’s LGBTQ Health Committee. Due in part to his dedicated efforts, Rush has earned national recognition as a “Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality” for six years running. ❯ Lindon Lewis writes, “Now retired, our family is moving to Spain for a year. We leave Colorado for Valencia, where wife Carrie, high school children Eva and Andy, and I will be working intensively on our Spanish. Visitors are welcome; e-mail LX9@aol.com.” ❯ Julie Morrill Abbott writes, “Still in Gorham, Maine, I now live in an apartment over the garage; my daughter and son-inlaw live in the big house. Annabella Lynn is expected October 7, 2015. My two grandkids from daughter number one visit every Friday. My son is divorced, sold his nine-bedroom antique house, and currently lives with me. I volunteer twice a week at Catholic Charities and weekly at an assisted living facility. My best friend ran the Boston Marathon this spring. I’m not in that kind of shape, but I could be a lot worse!” ❯ Marilyn Mortimer Tracy writes, “Greetings to all my classmates from ’72. I still work as student activities assistant at Elk Grove High School and hope to continue for a while longer as long as they don’t mind having an old lady working there. Seriously, I am the oldest person in the place! And only 64 … soooo much younger than the rest of you. ;) I have had two wonderful things happen this year: son Owen and his wife, Paige, had a baby girl in March (Adelaide is my first grandchild) AND son Alex married his super-neat sweetheart, Becky, in May. (Monty and Rachel Abbott were at the wedding—it wouldn’t have been the same without them.) I have much happiness in my life right now, and I am totally, gratefully ‘diggin’ it!’ Be well, all of you!” lyntracy51@gmail.com ❯ Jim Rosenthal writes, “I still work for Kaiser Permanente and enjoy the company of my admirable cats, one of which was a present from Susan Braasch van Bavel ’73, to whom I am extremely grateful. Playing with cars, boating, and trying to stay out of trouble. And spending as much time as I can at Cape Hatteras, which is a great place to goof off and do nothing.” For a variety of entertaining remarks, stories, complaints, and rants from Jim, visit: www.facebook.com/jim.rosenthal.5 ❯ Curt Snook writes, “I retired June 30 after 28-1/2 years at Iowa State University and Iowa Public Radio.” ❯ Bill Sowle writes, “I spent a month bicycling across Germany and France. Tripsite.com arranged accommodations. You can see details on its website archive for May, where it highlighted my amazing trip. Then spent two weeks exploring Alaska, and took Norwegian Cruise Line from Anchorage to Vancouver.” ❯ Bryce Suderow reports, “I’m currently writing Target Richmond: The Civil War North of the James.” ❯ Mike Themas writes, “Son Pete Themas ’00 and his wife, Stacey, blessed us with our seventh grandchild. Quinn Lanee, their daughter and first child, is
Class Knox Greatest Fix-It Dad.” just beautiful!” ❯ Vince Throop writes, “No real news. Just another hot muggy summer here in the Piedmont. Too hot for the chickens to lay much. The dog mostly lays and pants.” ❯ Serge and Christine relocated from Northern California to north San Diego County; we all enjoy being able to visit more easily. Emilie finished her first year at Centre and loved almost all of her professors. Stayed with Jerry ‘71 and Barbara McCauley Baumeister this spring on my road trip to Arkansas and Kentucky. They have an amazing house; it was wonderful to spend time with them again! Class Correspondent: Wendy Scherwat Ducourneau wjsd@jps.net, Facebook Group: Knox College Class of ’72
1973 Class Correspondent: Nancy Bakos Hunter 5280 Easley Way, Golden, CO 80403-1161, 303-278-3163, geo_hunters@q.com
1974 The Class of 1974 had such a great Reunion last fall but realized we missed those who did not attend. And that got us thinking: Who are we missing? The search is now on to locate missing college buds. Not an easy task, as it turns out, since some of the missing did not graduate with us. Whoever traveled with us for all or part of the Knox journey, however, is still part of our class. We have found a few folks, thanks to many of you who responded to an earlier call for help. But there are more to be found. You can help by sending e-mail addresses to me of folks you know. Or suggest a name to search for and I’ll add it to this Missing List: Bill Hunt, Dave Brackney, Eric Larson, Steve Majors, Jim Todd (James Alfred Todd), James Holyfield. Who else should we look for? ❯ Here are updates from those who are NOT missing: Mark Van Raden writes about whom he would like to find: “My best friend during my freshman year was Bill Hunt. I believe his graduation was delayed at least a year. His contact info has been unavailable pretty much ever since. I think someone from our class must know what happened to him. He was a very dear, gentle person. His first- and second-year suitemates might know, but at this point, the two I knew are also missing from the class list as well: Dave Brackney and Eric Larson. I’ve always hoped to see them at a Reunion, but I haven’t seen either, despite having attended a fair number of Reunions.” ❯ Eric Eisemann sent us an updated e-mail address for Jay Larmee. In fact, many of you did! Eric mentioned that he and the “Doc” went hiking in Yellowstone last September and went to the top of Mt. Washburn to see the view out across the super-volcano’s caldera. ❯ Greg Abbott was also part of that Yellowstone visit. The three spent a few days hiking, exploring, and having fun on the deck of Old Faithful Inn. Greg is in his 23rd year of a solo law practice
in Portland, Oregon, where he does mostly consumer and small business law, and is a hearings officer for Multnomah County Animal Control (Greg calls it “Doggie Court”). “In February, a dog owner became so upset that he jumped up, upturned and threw a table across the room, and pulled out a sheath knife and started threatening folks with it. So it can get a bit exciting on occasion.” ❯ Jay Haight retired last year after multiple decades at the Portland Zoo, where he did a variety of things over the years but was, most notably, an elephant keeper for a long time. ❯ Dave Usher’s son Elliott just had a baby boy, Avery Bernard Usher. Elliott is an assistant attorney general for the State of Missouri working on environmental cases. ❯ Kit Evans Parker relocated to Nevada for her husband’s new job. Her kids will both be in college next year. Kit still teaches young children and has recently added captioning to her list of skills, helping the deaf and hard of hearing connect to the larger world through their telephones. ❯ Peter Bailley, associate director of communications in Knox’s Office of Communications, says that he has a photo of James Holyfield (one of our missing persons) dancing on the Harbach stage, which was taken from the catwalk above. Peter: please post this on our FB page, will ya? ❯ Glenda Bailey-Mershon lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. She retired as an administrator from the University of Illinois at Chicago some 20 years ago and now writes poetry and essays. She just published her first novel, Eve’s Garden. “I was thrilled to be part of the alumnifaculty book fair with my novel, to see old friends, and to compare life on campus now and then. I connected with classmates, including Lise Levie ’75, who inspired me all those years ago to join the women’s movement.” Son Ansel is a computer technician in Kansas, a future law student, and the father of three boys. Glenda also says she just connected with her roommate, Joyce Moeller Justice ’74: “I still have one of her paintings in my office.” ❯ Linda Bruce Bucklin is an administrative secretary in Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. She added Jim Todd to our missing list. She remembers that Jim transferred to Knox in January ’71 and only attended winter and spring terms that year, was from Whittier California, went to Duke University and the U.S. Navy, and was close to Lynn Dorrough. She also wonders if there is a “in memoriam” list to tell us who in our class have already gone. ❯ Kathleen Fendley Muniz was lost and now has been found! She lives in Naples, Florida, and is still friends with Liz (Elizabeth) Dorsey Klipsch and communicates on Facebook with Karen Oberlaender Oertley and Gabriel Rotello. ❯ Dave McKillip had his contract renewed as Knox Football’s defensive line coach. He writes: “This fall will be my 11th year coaching football at Knox. Dia and I are settled in our lake house on Lake Bracken, south of Galesburg, now full time. Looking forward to playing golf, boating, and riding my Harley in retirement.” ❯ Finally, a sentiment expressed by Gregg Abbott doesn’t get any better than this: “It is hard to find
the quality of friends I gained at Knox , and they truly have lasted my lifetime.” Class Correspondent: Monta Lee Dakin Littleton, CO 80128-5404, 303-979-9307, mld780@aol.com
1975 Gusty Gizmo Greetings! By now, our 40th Reunion is likely a misty view from our rearview mirror. To my classmates who attended, THANK YOU for helping make it special. Looking ahead, let’s keep connected. Please check out “Knox College Class of 1975” (a private Facebook group) to help us stay in touch. ❯ Here are some friendly communiques sent in by mid-summer: Richard Burke, Lynne Barney Porter, Steven Weidert, Steve Luetger, and Sue Blew send hellos to everyone, and all plan to attend Homecoming. ❯ Dave and Linda Nelson Langston are alive and well in Cedar Rapids. Linda still works for Linn County and completed a term as an executive board member for the National Association of Counties in July, after serving 2013-2014 year as its president. Meanwhile, she has also been appointed to FEMA National Advisory Council and the National Academy of Sciences Resilient America Roundtable. Last year, she received the International Women in Homeland Security and Emergency Managers Hall of Fame. She speaks nationally on the issue of resiliency. Dave has started his own business after leaving the corporate world, and Linda calls him the “World’s Greatest Fix-It Dad.” She is the envy of many of her friends, since there is rarely any problem that Dave cannot fix or devise a solution for! He enjoys himself, as he gets to pick the jobs he works on. His flexibility means he gets to travel with Linda when she has the opportunity. They expect their first grandchild at the beginning of next year from son Evan and daughter-inlaw Amanda. Oldest son Eric Langston ’07 will complete law school this year and head to work with Proskauer Rose in Chicago. They looked forward to attending their 40th Reunion this year. ❯ Paula Ochs’ son, Jess, graduated from college in May. Paula and husband John Willard traveled to Massachusetts to celebrate with him. Jess landed a job at a company called Palantir, which handles Internet/computer-related security for the government and other institutions. Paula and John celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary on October 13. John was recently “downsized” after 19 years heading up the market research department at his employer. Paula’s mother and stepfather have some age-related problems, and she faces some tough decisions ahead that will affect their autonomy. After eight years of study, Paula got her certification in psychodrama, which is a method of psychotherapy that involves putting thoughts and feelings into action. She also founded Salus, a sexual violence prevention program for colleges. She has a private practice in her hometown, training therapists in family therapy and psychodrama. Paula contin-
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
57
“Trying to keep up with my kid [David Baker’14] on a motorbike ues to work as the associate clinical director at a small not-for-profit counseling agency. “On a sadder note, I continue to mourn the loss of Karen Schultz Carlson. As our mutual friend, Libby, put it so accurately, Karen was so busy taking care of everyone else she could never take care of herself.” ❯ Harry Wolin retired at the end of 2014 following a 40+ year career in healthcare management. He began his career at Galesburg Cottage Hospital during his senior year at Knox (thanks to the efforts of Dr. Leland Harris). Harry later got a master’s degree at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and held management positions at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis, Blessing Hospital in Quincy Illinois, Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, Indiana, and at Mason District Hospital in Havana, Illinois. Harry and wife Karen have relocated to Palm Beach, Florida, where their condo is 220 yards from the beach. ❯ Sheri Sprung Morrison is involved with her congregation and helping plan a weekend of celebration for their retiring rabbi. Barb Epstien ’76 visited on her way to a work assignment in Salinas, California. “As always, we had a great time together!” Sheri and husband Jerry spent a few days in Seattle in early June visiting their son and daughterin-law. They also plan to make their annual trip to Ashland, Oregon, to see all the plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. ❯ Gary Pokorn participated in the Colorado alumni scholarship interviews of eligible high school seniors who have applied to Knox. This annual interview day is coordinated by Sarah Colangelo ’10 and sponsored by Dean of Admission Paul Steenis ’85. The event, held at the University Club of Denver, was stellar. “Starting with an alumni lunch and interview preparation—always nice to meet new Knox alumni at this event—we broke into small teams to interview three bright and capable applicants for the Class of 2019. I was honored to participate.” ❯ From Nancy Knapp: “In 2010, I left southeast Alaska after 23 years working in public health with Alaska native tribes to work for the government of Lao PDR. I worked as a technical advisor there for five years, monitoring and evaluating the use of the funding from the Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. In April 2015, I returned to Sitka, Alaska, and have enjoyed the Alaska summer!” (Nancy posted some photos on our Facebook page.) ❯ Rick Partin sends along a friendly hello and says his 93-year-old father Al Partin will be inducted into the Knox Athletic Hall of Fame as an individual coach this October. ❯ After graduating from Knox, John Hughes received an M.A. in English from the University of Chicago. He returned to Knox to complete student teaching and was hired by Galesburg District 205 in January 1977. He taught third grade for six years and fifth grade for 25 years. In 199091, he taught at a school in Northern Ireland as part of the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program. He took early retirement from teaching in 2008 and moved from Galesburg to Chicago. John cur-
58
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
rently works part-time for Knox College, supervising student teachers who are placed in the Chicago Public Schools. In addition to reading and writing, John goes to movies and eats at restaurants throughout the city. He also takes in the occasional Cubs game. Besides the U.K. and Ireland, John has visited Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, and Kenya. ❯ Maggi Johnsen retired in November, after 32 years as a records/information manager at Southern Company. She has started a new business as a book artist and bookbinder. Maggi attended a bookbinding workshop this summer in Idaho, where she made her own paper, thread, wooden covers, and some tools using techniques that used in the Middle Ages. ❯ Keep those cards and letters coming, folks; we like hearing from you! Class Correspondent: Jeanne Pankanin jeanne.knoxfriend@gmail.com
1976
Wow! I’ve received several e-mails from classmates, which is great. ❯ Cindy Corso Heath and Al Heath wrote regarding their Knox alumni bridge group, which has included, over the years, Bob Westerberg ’74, Gail Sand Doescher ’75, Dave Weinberg ’75, Vida Adams Weinberg ’75, Chuck Hoppin ’74, Bonnie Ziarko Hoppin ’74, Tom Kroupa ’73, Paul Neumann, and Lou Moreth ’73, who passed away last year. The group enjoys the competitive frivolity that often accompanies their bridge matches. Many thanks for your note, Al. Al nudged me to reach out to other classmates, so I sent out an e-mail blast and received notes from many, including Pat Littrell Wayne, who is now the statewide arts education coalition director, where she is putting her Knox theatre degree to good use. ❯ Pat has built a home in Beaumont, California, and still keeps in touch with Queenie Kravitz, who is a graduate program coordinator for Carnegie Mellon. I also heard from Renee DeWald, who taught high school chemistry in Evanston for 33 years. Renee recently retired and, naturally, is busier than ever, being both an educational consultant and tutor in chemistry. She’s worked in school districts throughout the country, as well as in Singapore, and very much enjoys parenting her three adult daughters. ❯ Yvonne Johnson Richardson wrote that she is working on a doctorate in management dissertation and works in the biopharma industry. She’s often in touch with Cynthia Manning. Yvonne lives in San Francisco and loves the area. ❯ Mary Marselus Rosic wrote that she and husband George ’74 became grandparents in 2014. Mary, Tammy Walker Myers, and Fran Ott Colby will spend some “girl time” in the Colorado mountains in the summer of 2015. Tammy was recently elected to the Knoxville Board of Education. Mary indicated she has enjoyed teaching but plans to retire in a year. ❯ Carol Brown Lukemeyer wrote that she lives in Indianapolis and is a consultant after working in the not-forprofit industry. She is quite active with horseback
riding and has a place in southern Indiana (no TV, no cell phones, no radios), which she loves on weekends. She keeps in touch with her friend from Knox, Marcia Bruget Mathews, and wishes everyone well. ❯ Becky Cummings wrote that she lives in the Tri-Cities area of northeastern Tennessee, chairing the American Society for Quality, and volunteering for a not-for-profit that is working to distribute no-till seeders in Africa for use on on small farms. ❯ Toni Tweedle Healy wrote that she and husband Rick have retired from their careers as public defenders in the Riverside, California, area. They travel around in their motorhome when she is not involved in quilting. Toni lives in Janesville, California, 100 miles north of Lake Tahoe, with three dogs, three cats, and beautiful scenery. ❯ Brad Rockwell writes that he recently married Joy Sablatura, a beautiful woman he met in the early ’80s. Brad’s involved with a environmental and land use law practice in Texas. On a recent law firm sabbatical, he spent two months in India providing advocacy for slum dwellers and still practices the daily transcendental meditation that he learned on Monmouth Boulevard in Galesburg. He sometimes runs into Kristie Zamrazil ’77 in the Austin area. ❯ Dan Evans reached out to indicate he lives in the New Orleans Garden District and serves as a chief operating officer for Fluor’s strategic petroleum reserve management and operations project. He routinely travels home to Augusta, Georgia. ❯ Jim Carroll wrote that, after Knox, he completed a Ph.D. in chemistry and worked in the pigment industry at Mary Kay Cosmetics. His son recently graduated from college, and his daughter will soon do the same. He and his wife look forward to retirement in the Berkshires, where they’re building a second home, and Jim plans to attend our next Reunion. ❯ Dave Chirbas wrote that he and Ted Moody often exchange theories on how to help the Blackhawks win playoff games and other important matters in life. ❯ Taylor Hays wrote that it was time for him to send a note. He and wife Susan have been married 40 years and have four adult children and two grandchildren. He has been in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic for the past 25 years. He is the director of the Mayo Nicotine Dependence Center. Including Taylor, there are five Knox alums on the Mayo Clinic staff, which is quite impressive. ❯ Kevin Hastings wrote that he received a Ph.D. in math at Northwestern and eventually wound up teaching at Knox and writing four books about mathematics. After serving for many years as Knox registrar, he has has returned to full-time teaching. He was recently appointed the first Rothwell Stephens Distinguished Service Professor of Mathematics. This is a real honor for Kevin and a great deal for Knox. (Editor’s note: You can read more about Kevin’s appointment on page 20.) ❯ I also received a note from Mike McNett. Mike went to medical school at Southern Illinois University, and, following that, started a multidisciplinary fibromyalgia treatment program in
Class Knox was terrifying!” —Mitch Baker ’76 Chicago. He is now the medical director for pain management for Aurora Health Care in eastern Wisconsin. Mike lives in the Kettle Moraine area of Wisconsin, has a daughter and granddaughter, and notes that, even after living in Seymour, he has thrived in his vocational decisions. ❯ I also received notes from Ann Murray Smith, Fran Ott Colby, Mike (Fritz) Fricilone, Harriet Luden Menachem, Ron Woodruff, and a few others, too. I’ll share those notes in my next column! Thanks to all for writing. Class Correspondent: George M. Pearce 1114 Forest Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091-1655, george.pearce@hklaw.com
1977 Hi, everyone! Congrats to all turning 60 or thereabouts this year and just a reminder to start planning for our gala 40th Reunion in 2017. Let’s all be there! ❯ Dean Anderson visited Knox in February for the first time in 20 years, and “it was about -10 degrees. The College looked great, the library a lot bigger, and the Gizmo looked like still a fun place to hang out.” ❯ Mitch Baker ’76 recently spent three weeks in Laos with son David Baker ’14. “Trying to keep up with my kid on a motorbike was terrifying!” ❯ Dennis Gilbert lives with wife Gwen in Sun City in Palm Desert, California. Their home has recently chewed up most of their attention, but they now face retirement from their Marriott sales jobs. “I missed Dave Koester ’76’s March Madness golf event in Las Vegas this year, but I often see Dave, Steve Fraser ’78, and Jon Klem. Jim Tiernan ’76 often attends as well. Speaking of Jim, he and his companion were houseguests of ours last spring. Jim is exactly the same, although his hair is suspiciously darker. Tommy Deets and I met in Las Vegas last year for cocktails.” ❯ Mary Fatora-Tumbaga was in Boston in May to attend the graduation of youngest daughter Tiffany from the master’s program in education at Harvard. She reports Tiffany enjoyed the snow armageddon this winter, a stark contrast from her native Hawaii. ❯ Jon Klem reported that he saw Steve Fraser ’78 and Dave Koester ’76 at their annual March Madness golf outing in Vegas, followed by more golf in Newport Beach with Steve. His youngest son gets married on Halloween to his girlfriend of eight years—they met when they were juniors at Northwestern. ❯ Amy Eichengreen Andrews (married to Steve Andrews ’76) writes: “Oldest daughter Melissa is a lawyer at R.J. O’Brien & Associates, a brokerage firm in Chicago. Younger daughter Rachel, a soccer player, now works for the Soccer Federation. Rachel married last May and expects our first grandchild in October! I still teach middle school and love working with the students.” ❯ Kirk ’76 and Melanie Potter King have a new granddaughter, whose sister just turned four. They enjoy the sunny climate and their “retired” job of flipping houses. They have remodeled more than 30 houses since moving to the Phoenix area.
They met up with Les Hunter and his wife during spring training to watch his son pitch for Seattle. ❯ Jim Dimas has been appointed by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner as the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services. He writes: “I was just at the point of thinking about winding down my career when the Governor’s office called. Decision time: with the support of amazing wife Mary Beth, I’ve decided life is too short to spend it coasting.” Jim has a stellar record of public service, and I put big money on him to clean up the mess in that branch of the Illinois government. Congratulations, Jim! ❯ Doug Hill and his 26-year-old daughter will race on the U.S. team at the World Age Group Triathlon Championships on the Chicago waterfront on September 20. In last year’s championships, they finished second and fourth in their respective age groups. Doug also promised to make a chocolate truffle for the next Mandatory Ghetto reunion. ❯ Missy Mueller reports that she and her husband of 29 years, Mike Rogers, are retired. She worked for 32 years at Northern Trust Bank, mostly downtown but also in the suburbs, heading up the disaster recovery center it built post-9/11. Missy also spent time in Limerick, Ireland, opening up a new Northern Trust operations center. Mike and Missy have one daughter, Mary Elizabeth (27), who married last summer and teaches second grade in Milwaukee. “I see Jan Schlichting Junk all the time—we are still the best of friends. Jan is a realtor in Downers Grove and is quite busy because she’s quite good! Steve Junk ’75 just retired last month for the second time.” ❯ Cindy Watson works in Chicago as an accounting support specialist while taking care of her aging mom. She also coaches young women in achieving inner awareness. ❯ Eileen Larmee Chamberlin shared: “Our big news is that daughter Lillie just committed to Knox! It has been fun getting to know the College again through her eyes and visiting the campus after a 35-year absence. She is a multiple legacy, as my older brother Jay Larmee ’74, my sister-in-law Susan Isono ’69, and Lillie’s cousin Will Gallmeyer ’09, also graduated from Knox.” ❯ Kristie Zamrazil’s painting, Three Girls, was selected to hang in Austin City Hall’s People’s Gallery for 2015. Congrats! ❯ Paul Cimino ’76 recently exhibited some of his ceramic art at Kristie’s Full Moon/Yellow House Art Studio and Gallery in Austin. ❯ Roger Strukhoff spent most of his career in Silicon Valley as a writer, publisher, and conference producer. He got an MBA from California State University, East Bay in 2004, then went to the Philippines for three years. He remarried in Illinois in 2012 and has been in his hometown of Mt. Carroll, Illinois, since then, with an apartment and office in the Philippines as well. His two children, Alexandra (28) and Karl (24), live in the Bay Area and are happily employed and thriving. Roger and his wife will adopt a 2-year-old from the Philippines, Paul, who is one of his wife’s nephews. Roger also heads a small research institute
(www.Taulnstitute.org) and does a lot of work for software companies in Silicon Valley. ❯ From Mike Whitworth: “My band, Open Road, traveled to Hillsboro, Illinois, recently, and Less ’76 and Beth Prough Boucher ’76 came to see us. We had a great time catching up, since we had not seen each other since 1977! The band plays classic and country rock, and we have played 30 dates this year. We toured Colorado in June. This is more fun than the law!” ❯ Jill Reeve Kirk got in touch to report: “Last year we became empty nesters. Somehow the extra space in the house inspired me to consider looking for a new job. So, after almost 23 years with the same company, I became assistant vice president in reinsurance for Lincoln Financial. The icing on the cake is that they allow me to work from home, so I didn’t even have to move.” Class Correspondent: Sarah Kaull 52 Ober Street, Beverly, MA 01915-4733, skaull@icex.com
1978 Susan Haerr Zucker reported that she and Paul recently had dinner in Chicago with Nancy Zajicek and Fernando Lulli ’77, Carol Shaffner and Bob Deitch (Knox Rush Program ’77-78), and Kim Cooper Reese ’79 and husband Jay. There was lively conversation, good food, Monday half-price wine, and a lot of laughs. Nancy and Fernando are the new owners of a small farm with a barn in Delaware. Paul and Susan, always one step ahead of the State Department, took a trip to Cuba in February. They plan a trip to Patagonia early next year. To make us even more jealous, Paul recently retired, although Susan catches him at his desk in their office working from time to time. Meanwhile, Susan was recently re-elected to the Knox Board of Trustees—we are well-represented. ❯ Others in our class have been less forthcoming, so I had to travel once again to the annual Fiji-Phi Delt golf tournament in Glen Ellyn, organized by Norm Hillner ’79 and Bob Szyman ’79. As they always say, what goes on in Glen Ellyn stays in Glen Ellyn, but there were no arrests this year and no life-threatening injuries. It was bigger than ever, with too many names to squeeze into this column. I can say that attendees from our class included Glen Thompson, Paul Brauer, Brent Petersen, Doug Duff, John Pritchard, John “Scott” Luthy, Mike Huck, David Lymberopoulos, Tim Loch, Mike Calhoun, and possibly others, the memory of whose presence has been take from me by senility or exuberance from the celebration of renewing old acquaintances. It was great to see so many old friends (emphasis on old)—it felt like going back in a time machine. Fijis and Phi Delts out there who have not attended, think about it next year (it’s the weekend after Father’s Day), and let Norm, Bob, or me know if you need more information. ❯ Brent Petersen reported that he and wife Cheryl have four children ages 19–29. The older three all live
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
59
Dave Workman ’80 has a half-hour radio show every in the Chicago area, with the youngest entering her second year of college this fall. Brent has had a family medical practice in Algonquin since 1987, practicing for much of that time with classmates who were at Knox for their first year of medical school at Rush. ❯ Scott Luthy is one of my best reporters, but he claims he doesn’t have much news to report, at least related to Knox. He attended a niece’s wedding in May in Napa, and had a great time with family in addition to sharing in celebrating his niece’s big day! He also connected with Kate Sorensen Blunk ’77 via LinkedIn, who actually lives less than two miles from him. Yay, social media. And, he participated in a focus group for Knox on fundraising communications and had the opportunity to meet several alums from different years. Turns out one of them (from the Class of 1981) is a good friend with one of his former managers! They are also parents of a recent alum, who cajoled them into coming to the session! So, the lesson is, get out there and mix it up, and don’t forget to respond to my nagging e-mails to tell me about it. Class Correspondent: David Bates 174 Haversham, Houston, TX 77024-6248, 713-7220815, dbates@gardere.com
1979 Wow…what a weekend! So this little article will focus on the 4th annual FIJI/Phi Delt reunion and golf outing. Norm Hillner (FIJI) and Bob Szyman (Phi Delt) have done a fantastic job hosting this event for the last four years. Friday night is the individual get-together for each fraternity. The FIJI party was at Norm Hillner’s garage. (It was lightly raining, so we had to move it indoors.) There were about 22 FIJIs in his spacious garage, which is decorated with all things Chicago sports, as well as Northwestern memorabilia. We had guys from Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, and Virginia in attendance. Some names familiar to the Class of ’79 include Jim Mocogni, Tom Bannos ’80, Joe Morrison, Chuck Barstow, and, of course, Norm and me. Saturday, we had a beautiful day for golf at Glen Ellyn Golf Club. The FIJIs once again triumphed over the Phi Delts and took home the overall winners trophy. The ’79 Phi Delts in attendance were Bob Szyman, Joe “Howie” Hagemaster, and Steve Laudel. After a great day of golf, we retired to one of the banquet rooms for dinner and libations and reminiscing about the great times we had and the fellowship we experienced. In total, there were about 40-50 fraternity brothers who showed up for this glorious event. We even got a visit from mayor of Galesburg and FIJI Brother…John Pritchard ’78. I again want to thank Norm and Bob for organizing this weekend; it is truly a great time. For those of you reading this who are FIJIs or Phi Delts, start planning for next year. We usually shoot for the weekend after Father’s Day. ❯ The other news I wanted to share is about my best friend and classmate, Eric Jackstadt. He has done an awesome
60
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
job of raising two young men who now serve our country. His older son, Daniel, is in the Army and going through military intelligence training, while younger son, David, goes to school and is in the National Guard. I’m kinda like their distant unrelated uncle, and I’m so proud!! So that is it for this installment of the Class of ’79 news and views. Friend me on Facebook or write me an e-mail telling me about your life. I’d love to hear from you. Class Correspondent: Brian Cox 618-406-7014, bjcox5257@att.net
1980 Hello and greetings! Yes, we do exist and hope to be better participants from now on. We appreciate our classmates who sent updates—so many that we exceeded our word limit! If you don’t see your update here, our apologies; it will be included in the spring 2016 magazine. ❯ Before we share your reports, we’d like to bring you up to date on what we’ve been up to. ❯ Roy Brandys: I have been in Austin for almost eight years. I have three wonderful children. Lyndzee runs a fantastic sushi restaurant in Austin called Uchi. Dylan is a sophomore at Colorado Christian University in Denver, after spending half a year in Athens. Tyler will attend Texas A&M and just returned from a two-month trip to East Asia. I have been a civil rights lawyer for most of my career, the last nine of which have been devoted exclusively to representing landowners in eminent domain cases. I wish I got back to Knox more and look forward to Homecoming this year. ❯ Joe Moore’s recap of his life since Knox: After graduation, I took a year off to work in John Anderson’s independent presidential campaign, moved from Evanston to Chicago, and went to law school at DePaul. After law school, I worked 61/2 years as an attorney for the City of Chicago, where I had the good fortune to argue two cases in front of the Illinois Supreme Court. In 1991, I was elected to the Chicago City Council and have represented the 49th Ward (Chicago’s Rogers Park community) for the last 24 years. I’m now third in City Council seniority, something I never would have imagined when I was first elected, but it’s a job I love, representing an amazing community. Along the way, I got married and had two boys, whom I’m very proud of. Nathan, 25, works in Washington, D.C., for a tech firm that designs websites and manages databases for elected officials, candidates for office, and nonprofits. Zachary, 18, starts at Northwestern University’s School of Engineering this fall. Sadly, my first marriage didn’t work out, but my ex and I remain on good terms and co-parent well together. I remarried in 2008. Wonderful and talented wife Barbara works as the executive director of Democratic Municipal Officials, a national organization of Democratic mayors and city council members. ❯ Our Knox ’80 classmates are also doing well, as the following shows. ❯ From Susan Naomi Bernstein: “I co-coordinate
the Stretch Program at Arizona State University, Tempe. My recent publications include articles in Reflections: A Journal of Public Rhetoric, Civic Discourse and Service Learning 14.1 (Fall 2014), and Community College Moment 15: Self and Other (Spring 2015). Additionally, my team won a 2015 national grant from the Conference on College Composition and Communication to study firstyear college writing, technology, and blended learning. The fourth edition of my book, Teaching Developmental Writing, was published by Bedford/St. Martin’s in 2013, and I also write the blog Beyond the Basics (http://goo.gl/YIjur2) for the Bedford/St. Martin’s website Ideas for Teaching Composition. I live in Tempe with Stephen Cormany, my spouse of 31 years, and our orange tabby cat, Destiny. ❯ Dave Cratty reports that he and his wife now have a second grandson, Hayden. His older brother, Hunter, is learning to swing a golf club. Dave retires in three years and enjoys what he calls his “low-drama lifestyle.” ❯ Kathy Knosher Harden reports: “Rich Harden and I celebrated the 35th anniversary of our wedding on the steps of Old Main this June. We have been in Champaign, Illinois, since leaving Knox. Rich is an attorney, and I’m an assistant editor of The Journal of Nutrition. Daughter Colleen Harden Aziz ’10 and son-in-law Hamed Aziz ’08 had a son, Naseer Emad Aziz, on January 27, 2015. We are thrilled to be grandparents and really enjoy our time with Naseer (perhaps the Class of ’36?). ❯ And, of course, Dave Workman advises: “I thought now would be a good time to let my fellow alums who have been worried about me know about my life, since I haven’t written in 25 years. First of all, I’d like to congratulate Roy on doing such a fine job as our class correspondent. The class participation from the last publication was especially noteworthy. Wife Beth and I have been in Logansport, Indiana, since 1989. We have two sons who graduated from DePauw and reside in Indianapolis. Daughter Katie is a senior at Purdue. I have been fortunate to keep in touch with many of my fellow Siwashers via e-mail and social functions. Roy and I met up in Austin last fall. I visited Bob Alvarez and Mike Quirk earlier in the year. Mike has some very, very serious health issues, and I’m sure would love to have some mail from his Knox friends. Pictures might help him with the notes/letters. His address is: The Fountains of Shiloh, 1201 Hartman Lane, Room 221, Shiloh, IL 62221. ❯ Dave went to the 2015 NCAA Championship game in Indianapolis with fellow Siwash hoopsters Dan Calandro ’77, Gary Jacobson ’77, Tim Bopp ’78, and John Reilly ’78. Tina Pasquinelli ’78, Dan’s wife, Janet, and the Calandros’ two sons made up the better half of our contingent. Met up with Mark Umlauf ’81 and wife Karen at the game, as they were there to see nephew Frank ‘The Tank’ Kaminsky play for Wisconsin. I talk with Steve ‘City’ Holmes every week. He is great except for the significant receding hairline problem. I talk with Danny ‘Stick’ Edwards ’81 almost every other week. He is great and actively involved in his
Class Knox Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. on 1230 AM WSAL.
Franny Killian ’02 and Wendell Thomas—October 26, 2013
church. I have a half-hour radio show every Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. on 1230 AM WSAL. The station has a broadcast radius of at least 4 1/2 miles, so if you are ever within that range on Wednesday mornings, tune in, or listen online at home.indianasbestradio.com/p/listen-live.html. I hope this update finds you and yours healthy. Just remember that America is a tough town, and nobody said it was going to be easy.” ❯ Don and Clarissa Wylie Youngberg have been married for 35 years as of August 2. They have three children—Larsson Youngberg ’07, Margaret (Oberlin, 2008), and Jane (Williams, 2013)—and live in New Haven, Connecticut. Clarissa works for the Yale School of Drama/Yale Repertory Theatre as a senior draper in the costume shop, working with student designers in the MFA program, making patterns of their designs, and overseeing the construction of those designs. “I feel very fortunate to work in such a creative environment, with such talented people,” she says. Don works for the Tessitura Network, a not-for-profit arts and cultural technology company, as the vice president-community. He enjoys working with leading arts organizations in the world—theaters, symphonies, opera and ballet companies and museums. ❯ We hope you enjoyed the updates. Keep those reports coming! We hope to see all of you at our 35th Reunion at Knox this October! Class Correspondents: Roy Brandys 1818 Feather Nest Drive, Cedar Park, TX 78613-1414, brandys@barronadler.com Joe Moore 1431 West Fargo, Chicago, IL 60626-1810, 773-848-5796, joe@joemoore.org
1981 Class Correspondent: John Nicolau 930 Huckleberry Lane, Glenview, IL 60025-2302, 847-657-6311, j.nicolau@comcast.net
1982
Hi to everyone! Lots of updates—thanks much for your participation. ❯ John “Flash” Gordon writes, “I will take a long motorcycle trip on my Harley from Millbrook, Illinois, all the way to Key West, Florida, and back. We will sightsee
Malissa Kent ‘07 and Ragan Webber—October 5, 2014
some on the way down, and plan to ride the ‘Tail of the Dragon’ on Day 2. Visited the FIJIs for Pig Dinner last month and rode through Galesburg and visited some more FIJIs two weeks ago. My daughter is a senior at St. Ambrose University. I still practice dentistry; maybe someday I’ll get good at it.” ❯ Kathy Lorz Siebel writes, “I have good news to share. I recently sold two novels to Knopf. The first is a middle-grade novel, Missing Arabella, due out in spring or summer 2016, and the other is a novel for teens that I’m still working on. Both will be available for sale in bookstores and online. How cool is this!” ❯ From Tim and Chris Bohm Gavlin: “Tim’s company was purchased by Hill Ahern Fire Protection, with Tim staying on as vice president of operations. I continue to work as a tax accountant as little as possible outside of January-April. Our kids currently live in Seattle and New York, so we rack up the miles flying coast to coast.” ❯ And from Carleen Pierce Herring: “I am now the senior vice president and chief operating officer for the Region IV Development Association. Our little nonprofit celebrates 40 years of existence this September. I’ve been here 29 years and can still say that I like my job. I help communities with planning, funding, and construction of everything from fire stations and clinics to sewer and water systems. I’ve got 34 communities spread across about 11,000 square miles. It takes me three hours to drive to meetings in the furthest reaches of the region. I’ve got everything from glamorous Sun Valley to a little farm worker town, Minidoka, with a population of 74. There are a lot of stories after all this time on the job. I helped double the space of a one-room school house! The school serves a huge cattle ranching area and generally has about 3-8 students at a time, depending if the ranchers/ranch hands have families with school-aged children. It really is amazing to see the first-grade alphabet lessons on the blackboard next to eighth-grade chemistry formulas. Now, they have a separate lunchroom/gymnasium/multi-purpose space instead of trying to jam everyone and everything into one little classroom. Husband Joe and I marked our 25th wedding anniversary in 2013 with two weeks in Hawaii. (Okay, he had a board meeting in Honolulu, and I traded in all my fre-
quent flier miles to go along. But I got to check another national park off my bucket list: Volcano on the big island.) My mom and I spent two weeks on Mykonos in Greece last month. She gave me Rosetta Stone for Christmas so I could manage the language. Whoo, boy—Greek is a tough one, but tina kano (“What are you going to do?!”). Daughter Abi and son-in-law Tim live in Vancouver, Washington. I have two grand-dogs, no grandchildren (and I am okay with that). We just came back from a visit there and went for a hike with the kids and their dogs along the slopes of Mt. Hood. Glad they live in the Pacific Northwest again. They were married in September 2013, and Beth Sanborn came up from Oklahoma to keep me from becoming a crazed mother-of-the-bride. It was wonderful to spend some time showing her around the area and revisiting our Knox escapades. Sure do miss Il Primo’s pizza!” ❯ John Crowell says, “Wife Megan Williamson had a solo art show in Michigan in early June, followed by a two-person show in NYC at Bowery Gallery. Later this summer, her work traveled to Ireland for yet another show, this time for a painting group she organized called Seven on Site. Earlier this year, she finished a large commission for a woman who loved the work so much she bought another piece, and traveled to the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design for a show and to appear as part of a panel discussion. She’s on a roll… Son Gavin Crowell ’16, was in Boston for the summer with two research assistantships in neuroscience and cognitive psychology. As for me, I enjoy the job I got last year working for Trexin Consulting, focusing on analytics. I get to work at home a lot, depending on the client, which I enjoy.” ❯ Kate Kendzy Gingold writes: “Many of us remember President E. Inman Fox telling us during Convocation to take a good look around, as a large percentage of us would find our spouse among the group. I met my spouse at Knox, and this past November, our legacy daughter Emma Gingold ’12 married Josh Wood ’12 to continue the tradition!” ❯ And finally, Steve Czerwinski sends greetings. “Jim Murphy, Tom Minick, and I were up in Chicago in June for the 4th Annual FIJI-Phi Delt Golf Challenge, held at The Village Links Country Club in Glen Ellen. The
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
61
“Wife Debbie and I are very excited about the recent Supreme Court
Jessica Strache ’08 and Christopher Brandis—November 7, 2014 FRONT ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): Jessica Strache Brandis ’08, Christopher Brandis. MIDDLE ROW: Jessica Bauer ’08, Molly Nicholas, Kim Neer ’08, Rayla Bellis ’09, Kate Cochran ’10, Megan Hall ’08, Cassidy Bires ’10, Karin Rudd ’10. BACK ROW: Pam Wagner ’08, Jenna Finley Young ’08, Ann Marie Albright ’08, Ike Glinsmann ’08, Bethany Vittetoe Glinsmann ’08, Sean Kraus ’09, Andie Allison Leibach ’08, Leah Heister ’08, Briana Goodwin ’08, Nora Heide ’08, Adrienne Doubet ’08. Megan Krenz ’08 and Mike McKearn ’09 also attended.
tournament, organized by FIJI Norm Hillner ’79 and Phi Delt Bob Szyman ’79, has been a real hit, drawing FIJI and Phi Delt alums from classes ’76 thru ’84 for the past four years. Team FIJI was victorious, as we were the previous three years— but the Phi Delts continue to inch closer every year. Maybe, one day, we will have to relinquish our championship title ... or not!” Class Correspondents: Mary Filosa Brown Brown4atNC@aol.com Sharon L. Schillereff 7780 W 38th Ave., #404, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033, 303-885-7185, Sschil7470@yahoo.com Editor’s note: It is with heavy hearts that we note that Mary Filosa Brown died in August as the magazine was going to press. We send our sincere condolences to Rick Brown ’83 and their families, and we are grateful for her many years of service as a correspondent.
1983 Massoud “Matthew” Hassas has recently entered into two business ventures and serves as the chairman of two companies, PMB Corp. (pmbcorp.com) and Rommak Company (rommak.com), involving various commercial opportunities within the region. ❯ Chris DeWald reports that all is good with “my wife, five kids, and me. Two are out of college … busier now than ever.” In light of the recent tragic death of Aimee Coath ’86, Chris added that we “should never blow off get-togethers with friends, as you never know what can happen.” So very true, Chris! ❯ Janet Fawbush Klosterboer has a new job as of last January. “I work at Texas Methodist Foundation, a Christian financial fund, as the leadership ministry assistant. Our youngest child, Brittiany, starts high school, and we can’t to wait to live through marching band again. And Larry Klosterboer ’84 and I love being grandparents.
62
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
Life is good!” ❯ Werner Holz occasionally gets to see fellow alums. “Most recently, Dan Hrozencik came by to watch a Blackhawks game. Honestly don’t recall whether the Hawks won that night but do know that the evening was more fun because Dan was there. Dan, Ed Kemper ’85, and I occasionally golf. We and our spouses also met for dinner and laughed a lot. We have planned the next one for at least a year—we’re hoping that Tony and Dee Dee Kinzie Tedeschi ’85 join us next time. I also had the pleasure of having breakfast with Bill ’82 and Mary Beth Erffmeyer Shomos in their hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska. I love hanging with them. At home, I am still the lucky husband to Mary, who is as beautiful, fun, and kind as the day we met. Our oldest, Michael, graduated from the University of Illinois and is gainfully employed. Our second, Haley, finished her first year at Kansas. Elena is our baby, and she anxiously waits to get her driver’s license in November. Gotta say, I can’t wait either.” ❯ Peggy Sleeth got married! She is now Peggy Addleman—best wishes to you! Peggy still lives in Pittsburgh and works for Cigna Health Insurance. Her daughters now live in California; her son is still in Pittsburgh. ❯ (If you did not receive an e-mail requesting information, please contact me so we can update our 1983 class list.) Class Correspondent: Laura Thompson Sears lsears@gouldratner.com
1984 Mary Beth Satterthwaite-Cunat is in her fifth year as principal of Wildwood IB World Magnet School in Chicago Public Schools. Wildwood is recognized as a leading school in innovative inquiry- and project-based approaches to teaching that foster student ownership of learning. Her latest goal is for Wildwood to be the most fun school in the City of Chicago. Her achievements
Laurie Anderson ’77 and Jon Hanson—June 22, 2014 FRONT ROW (SEATED): Ruby and Dale Anderson, parents of the bride. BACK ROW: Jon Hanson, Jeff Anderson ’80, Laurie Anderson ’77, Kristen Welsh, Carolyn Anderson ’73, Tom O’Sullivan, Mike Anderson, Liana Anderson.
include a doctorate in urban education leadership from University of Illinois Chicago, with her team earning a Next-Generation Learning Challenge planning grant as a Chicago Breakthrough School. Class Correspondent: Valerie Jencks knoxcollege84@gmail.com
1985 David Greenfield wrote: “I started a new job this year at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois as senior IT business consultant. My daughter graduated from Evanston Township High School in May and started cosmetology school at Mario Tricoci University in Chicago in June. My wife is still a tenured professor at Roosevelt University teaching education.” ❯ Michael Spires, currently living in Boulder, Colorado, wrote: “Back in March, I was privileged to take part in the selection process for the Knox Colorado Alumni Scholarship. Got the chance to catch up with Paul Steenis and met a number of really outstanding prospective students.” Mike was elected secretary to the board of directors of the National Organization of Research Development Professionals. ❯ Dale Dilworth, a Houston-area high school teacher, wrote: “I’m proud to announce that four (at last count) of my high school seniors are going to Knox this fall (from Chinquapin Preparatory School). That’s 4/18. Or more than 20 percent. Unheard of.” ❯ Maryann O’Brien wrote: “I moved up the ‘corporate ladder’ by taking over the principal role at Buena Vista Concordia International School in Shenzhen, China, last February. This past spring I started a STEM program with a major focus on engineering and hosted our first K-8 science fair. Looking forward to expanding our arts program next year with our Young Artists
Class Knox decision, as now we are legally married in all 50 states.” —Starla Sholl ’85
Nicole Olson ’06 and Peter Burghardt ’07— September 14, 2014. FRONT ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): Margot Werner ’06, Margaret Rogers ’06, Nicole Olson Burghardt ’06, Peter Burghardt ’07, Amy Daws ’06, Jordi Faber ’08. BACK ROW: Anna Kryczka ’07, Steuart Pittman ’07, Gail Aronson ’08, Michael Huber ‘05, Erik Haggenjos ‘05, William Faber ‘07.
Workshop program.” ❯ Starla Sholl wrote: “I am still a therapist with my own private practice in Chicago, but I have also joined Alphay International (the oldest and largest organic medicinal mushroom company in the world) to help market and promote their products. Yes, it sounds weird, but Google the health benefits and you’ll be amazed. Wife Debbie and I are very excited about the recent Supreme Court decision, as now we are legally married in all 50 states. In early June, we took a trip through the Canadian Rockies and a cruise through the inland passage of Alaska. If anyone hasn’t done this, it is one of the most beautiful places we’ve traveled. While in Alaska, we rented Harley-Davidsons, and so now we have ridden in 47 of the 50 states. And…I am looking forward to Homecoming!” ❯ Dee Dee Kinzie Tedeschi and husband Anthony Tedeschi ’83 enjoyed a family trip to New York City to attend the graduation of their eldest, Anthony John Jr., from Columbia Law School at Columbia University. He will work at a law firm on Wall Street. ❯ Joseph and Margaret Camasto Flanagan are cochairs of the Knox Fund Steering Committee. Margaret is the community engagement manager of Holy Family Ministries and was instrumental in the recent opening of Lucille, an upscale resale shop in Arlington Heights, Illinois. All profits from Lucille support Holy Family’s school and youth programs serving children from low-income communities on Chicago’s West Side. Margaret and Joe’s youngest child, John, will be a freshman at Knox in fall 2015. ❯ We look forward to seeing many of you at our 30th Reunion, October 16 to 18! Please consider stopping by. Even if you only have time to pop in for the day on Saturday, come take the class photo with all of us at 12:10 p.m., and join us for the tailgate
Tawny Wilson ’07 and Bert Boyce—June 22, 2013 CLOCKWISE FROM THE LEFT: Megan Larsen ’07, Caroline Allen ’08, Ian Silander ’06, Julia Strehlow ’07, Bert Boyce, Jessica Watson ’06, Sarah Koenig ’07, Sam Sowl ’07, Kathleen Manly ’08, Tawny Boyce ’07, and Sara Eldridge ’07.
Briana Trainor ’05 and Ken Menconi—August 9, 2014 FRONT ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): Melissa Bundy McCulloch ’05, Juan Cruz ’05, Krista Batey ’05, Briana Trainor ’05, Ken Menconi, Sarah Meinike ’05, and Katie Lambert Weaver ’05. BACK ROW: Jeremiah Sodomka ’05, Amanda Smith Sodomka ’05, Susan Taylor ’05, Stephen Moore ’05, Colleen Bohlin ’05, Sahil Kalghatgi ’07, Emilie McManus Kalghatgi ’05, Gillian Stein Openstein ’05, and Jessica Ramirez ’05.
lunch at 12:30 p.m. (reservations required). Stick around for the Homecoming dinner at the Fieldhouse at 6:00 p.m. (reservations also required). Register for Homecoming at www.knox.edu/homecoming! Can’t wait to see you there! Class Correspondents: Margaret VerKoulen Lynn mvlynn@comcast.net Jane Davis jedavis_ill@hotmail.com
1986 Greetings, Class of ’86! It’s been a busy few months for us, that’s for sure. As I write this, it’s about 98 degrees here in the Flint Hills of Kansas, but, by the time you read this, it will probably be 40 below. (If you don’t like the weather, just wait a few minutes!) But hopefully this news will still feel fresh, so here’s the latest from your classmates… ❯ First, it is with deep sadness that I report that a tragic bus accident in downtown Chicago took the life of our classmate Aimee Coath in early June. Members of our class have created a fund at Knox for memorials in her name. Please see our Facebook page for more information or contact Knox’s Office of Advancement. Our thoughts are with Aimee’s ex-husband, Greg Wilson, her daughter Elaine Wilson ’09, son Jon Wilson, and all her friends as they face this difficult loss. ❯ Alice Congdon writes, “I’ve been inspired by reading what other classmates have been doing and wanted to share, too. I’m an RN now, and have been able to combine this with my French and SO/AN experiences at Knox to work with Doctors Without Borders. They work in about 70 countries providing medical aid to those most in need, regardless of their race, religion, or political affiliation. I’ve been on two missions so far: three months in Cameroon and four
months in the Central African Republic, both French-speaking. It’s very rewarding work, albeit exhausting and filled with challenges. I hope to continue doing missions as my health and checkbook allow. Some classmates already know I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, which as you can imagine, was quite a setback. I’m happy to report after chemo/radiation and great medical care, my prognosis is now very good. I want to give a shout-out to all the Knox family and friends who supported me financially and spiritually during that difficult time... merci beaucoup. And, finally, might was well add that I have two wonderful, amazing children, now 23 and 25, off in the world and making the most of it! BTW, if any of you are visiting New Hampshire: look me up, couch-surfers welcome!” ❯ Jamal Jamaluddin and his wife were blessed in January with a new son, Johan Jordan! He joins 8-yearold brother Mikhail Jordan and 5-year-old sister Noor Jordania Erina at home (notice a naming trend here?). ❯ Kendall Dunkelberg has a new book of poems coming out in 2016 from Texas Review Press entitled Barrier Island Suite, inspired by the life and art of Walter Inglis Anderson. Kendall is director of the new low-residency MFA program in creative writing at Mississippi University for Women, where he has taught for 21 years. ❯ Lisa Metz has a new graduate in the family—son Griffin Belzer ’15! Griffin is also the son of Keith Belzer ’85. Congratulations to you all, Lisa! ❯ Ayesha Khan Sadiq shares that she and husband Karsten Sadiq ’87 are going through a very difficult period. He was diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer in November 2014. They traveled to Belgium for his treatment. He has been receiving chemotherapy since December. Ayesha used to be a full-time teacher at an international school in Bangkok, Thailand, but her career is on hold for the moment. Their eldest son is a freelance architect working in Karachi
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
63
Jeff Clark ’82 recently returned David Casper ’92’s high school
Deana Rutherford ’09 and Avner Shanan—May 24, 2015 FRONT ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): Laura Weiss ’09, Claire Valentine-Fossum ’09, Deana Rutherford ’09, Avner Shanan, Hana Garner ’08, Tony Hinrich ’08. BACK ROW: Angie Martin ’08, Alana Heber ’10, Molly Nicholas, Lily Wirth ’10, Kanjana Rajaratnam ’09, Nick Kalmus ’10.
after graduating from Sci-Arc in 2013. He hopes to find a job abroad in the near future. The two younger children are in their third year of college, studying international business in Amsterdam. ❯ Julia Heller and Ted Gray celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this past June— congratulations! In September, Ted will mark five years working as a librarian at the Deerfield Public Library. He writes, “We recently hired a new director at the library, Amy Falasz-Peterson ’97! We’re all really excited to be working with her. I also work with several other Knox people here at the library: Elizabeth Weeks ’79, Amy Robillard, and Melissa Brackney Stoeger ’98. So, five of us all in the same library!” Just goes to show that Knox grads are everywhere! ❯ Mike Bruno and wife Sue are empty-nesters now, having sent their younger of two children off to college at The United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His brother is currently in his junior year at The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Mike jokes, “Poor lads, no Alfano’s Pizza and endless cornfields of Galesburg for them!” Mike enjoys his medical practice of two decades in beautiful Door County, Wisconsin, and stays active by flying and surfing Lake Michigan (who knew you could do that?). Waxing philosophical, Mike ponders, “Life events lead me to the realization that I am on the cusp of a turning as significant as the one present when arriving at Knox College 32 long years ago.” Aren’t we all, Mike. Aren’t we all. ❯ That’s all for now, folks! Tune in next issue…same bat time, same bat channel! Class Correspondent: Susan Bantz bibliophile@knoxalumni.org
1987
Many of us knew Aimee Coath ’86, and we send our condolences to her family. ❯ Leah Vaselopulos Bethke, Jola Chodorowska Oliver, Cathy Dugan LaBelle, Joanne Lynch Rancich, and I had the opportunity to spend a few days together last spring to mark our 50th birthdays. It was such a pleasure to reconnect with friends from Knox. No matter how many years pass by or how
64
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
our lives evolve, those Galesburg bonds are strong and true. ❯ I have watched Casey Jones and his West Coast adventure, studying and bike riding near San Francisco. ❯ I see other old friends on Facebook. Barbara Kupperman O’Connor and her adorable son enjoy life. Michelle Heriaud Pitstick has two grown boys she adores, too! Xan Ackerman Fischer has lots of adventures. Phil Garrison wishes friends happy birthday! Joanna Chodorowska is very active in Pennsylvania helping athletes with their nutrition and training. Holly Tucker White colors some awesome pics. William Henke lives in Hawaii. If you want be included next time, send me a friend request on Facebook. ❯ If you remember Carol Baldwin, friend-request her, too! Such fond memories of her! ❯ As always, I wish you all the best as we head into our third quarter! Class Correspondent: Lisabeth Simms Belman 12701 York Mill Lane, Clarksburg, MD 20871-4034, 301-972-3751, lisabeth1208@verizon.net
1988 Class Correspondent: Gayle Pikrone Richardson 1220 Crestview Drive, Batavia, IL 60510-1180, gayle.richardson35@gmail.com
1989 John Beadles contributed a drawing to Sprawl (Drawing Outside the Lines) at The High Museum in Atlanta. The exhibit opened on July 18 and runs through October 4. He has seven ceramic pieces currently on display at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport, near the international terminal. Class Correspondent: Mia Jiganti 1850 W. Cortland, Chicago, IL 60622-1035, 773-2780814, mjiganti@prodigy.net
1990 Humor me while I tell you a story. Back in 1986, guys and girls from all across the U.S., plus many
Angela Rossman ’03 and Tom Spierings—May 16, 2015 LEFT TO RIGHT: Tom Spierings, Angela Rossman ’03, Hillary Myers Plumb ’03, Erick Plumb ’02.
other countries, arrived in Galesburg, Illinois. Some were short, tall, funny, serious, rich, poor, nervous, excited, and a whole potpourri of other things, but they all had two things in common. One, they were all freshmen, and, two, they’d all read The Death of Ivan Ilyich for Freshmen Precep. As the year went on, these freshmen dealt with a Halloween hanging at Seymour, progress reports sent to them during the first trimester (which made lots of folks “get serious” and THEN party), and lots more. ❯ Back then, nobody had cell phones. If you read a text, it meant you’d read a book passage. And if you got mail, you retrieved it from the mailroom. Until June 1990, these former freshmen saw each other’s bad days, good days, joys, frustrations, achievements, occasional walks of shame, and everything in between. “Okay, lady,” you say, “and the purpose of this story…?” Back then, we knew where people were from, we learned people’s talents—whether stage, sports, academia, military, or something else. How sad that 25 years later, some people feel they can only share “highlight reels.” Several people have said they don’t have anything to share. They still live where they’ve always lived doing what they’ve always done. That’s still news! It means you are alive, well, and, hopefully, happy. I’m extremely grateful to those who have written! To those who haven’t, feel free to do so! As in 1986, we each have gifts. Back then, it was easier to know those as we saw them daily. Enough from me. Now let’s hear from those who wrote! ❯ Zander Batchelder reports he is still in Seattle and working in tech. ❯ Scott Harris said, “I attended Knox as a freshman in 1986-87. I didn’t graduate from Knox but do still consider myself an alumnus (as do those who keep asking me for my financial support). I believe this makes me a part of the Class of 1990. I lived in Seymour Hall. My roommate was Joris Tinbergen. We were in the last room before the TV room at the end of the hall. I am still in touch with Joris, as I am with Monty Palmer, who lived down the hall, and Giampaolo Pistrelli. I’m fairly certain that Monty graduated from Knox, but Joris was on a single-year exchange and returned home to the
Class Knox football bag. “Was he using that bag the last 25 years?”
Kara Krewer ’10 and Andrew Kottwitz—October 26, 2014 LEFT TO RIGHT: Mckinley Murphy ’10, Ellie Poley ’10, Kara Krewer ’10, Bess Cooley ’12, Brittany Alsot ’08.
Netherlands when classes ended in June. I write to possibly reconnect with some old friends. I have always treasured my time at Knox and know that even though I was there for only one year, that the lessons I learned there have served me well over the years.” ❯ David Casper ’92 expressed, “I feel extremely fortunate to have landed at Knox College. Would like to thank Karyn Halloran who led the Knox Learning Center. She was a huge help in steering me. Recall Gerald Morrow encouraged me to apply? Sounds strange now, but that time of 1986 had no pagers or phones!!! Also, thoughts to the late, great Jack Fitzgerald, Jonathan Lee, and all my professors, but especially the wrestling coach and football coaches, Coach O and Frank—we all enjoyed his sense of humor and great teaching capacity. I am truly indebted to them. Recently ran into Jeff Clark ’82, who was my interviewer at Knox during senior year of high school, and, later, dorm monitor. After some 25 years, Jeff mailed back my old high school football bag that I left in the dorm. Thanks, Jeff! (And, I wonder, was he using that bag the last 25 years?) Truly, my Knox experience was magical. Urban studies, internship with Dean Witter, dance class(?) with Amy Carlson, who we now watch on Blue Bloods. Year in Europe with the wall coming down! And almost being killed in riots! Financial news writer in Vienna, Austria. Priceless moments. Thanks, Knox! Recently hosted Carl McLean ’87, from Tampa, Florida, after Carl was quoted on Facebook saying Tampa was hoping to roll through the Chicago Blackhawks. Carl insisted in 5-to-1 odds in favor…..sorry Carl.” ❯ Heather Zeigler and Mike Acerra ’89 have launched a new startup called Lux Blox LLC, making a construction toy that enables people to build their way to nature by snapping together a “principled block.” It will be in neighborhood toy stores and museum shops this fall. Manufactured in Illinois and Wisconsin, Lux Blox is the culmination of Mike’s journey of understanding nature’s design principles that he began while at Knox. When Heather and Mike met up in Chicago in 1994, they began a courtship in which they discovered their shared
Julia Strehlow ’07 and Ari Bernstein—October 11, 2014 LEFT TO RIGHT: Megan Larsen ’07, Sibel Karabeyoglu ’08, Ian Silander ’06, Caroline Allen ’08, Sara Eldridge ’07, Tawny Wilson Boyce ’07, Sarah Koenig ’07, Ari Bernstein, Andy Scott ’07, Julie Strehlow ’07, Mallory Havens ’06, Ashleigh Honaker Malec ’07, Zoe Berman ’07, Lindsay Fondow ’07, Anne Barker ’07, Mike Boettcher ’05, Karen Kinderman ’07, Ben Taylor ’07.
affinities to people like Frank Lloyd Wright, D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson, Bucky Fuller, and Frederick Froebel (the inventor of kindergarten). A theme of their marriage became developing teaching methods and technologies to give young people better ways to access nature’s design principles. Lux is the culmination of this 20-year enterprise. Heather is the company’s CEO, and Mike is the chief of product design. Together, they have built a company around their passion for bringing the best tools and understandings to children through this innovative new open-ended play system. Learn more at luxblox.com. ❯ David Murphy wrote, “In January 2015, I became a volunteer leader with the LIVESTRONG Foundation. LIVESTRONG helps people affected by cancer through patient and caretaker cancer navigation services, fertility preservation, emotional support, as well as clinical trials testing and diet and exercise programming. As a volunteer, I work to make sure those in the Chicagoland area are aware of the foundation’s services by doing outreach and educational events and engaging with the local cancer community. I am also very excited about my third year working with Varsity Motor Coach (with Bill Rieckhoff ’89), traveling the country this fall. Varsity is a tailgate-for-hire business that utilizes a custom-built entertainment RV that has been featured on the Travel Channel’s Mega RV Countdown. Check out our Facebook page to see where we will be next at facebook.com/pages/Varsity-Motor-Coach/ 113922341990366. ❯ Jim Rodd writes that he lives in Des Plaines, Illinois, with wife Denise, son Charlie (15), daughter Mary (12), and two cats. Charlie just finished his first year of high school, so it will be time to start talking about college. He plans to attend Homecoming with the dual purpose of celebrating with classmates and showing the kids a college campus. “Hope to see many of you there!” Class Correspondent: Darcy Turner 520 Colony Woods Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, bonetbien1@nc.rr.com
1991 Class Correspondent: Jonathan Sheinkop 2049 N Kenmore Ave., Chicago, IL 60614, jonathansheinkop@hotmail.com
1992 Hi, Class of 1992! Thanks to those of you who sent in updates. Here’s an update from Tammy: “I have had the pleasure of connecting with some Knox folks in the past couple of months. I had a quick visit with Melissa Zeigler Monroe ’93 and got to see her fabulous pottery that was on display in the Barrington Art Festival. Aimee Petersen Schabel ’93 and I managed to escape for some school day lunch dates. She always has some new place to try in Chicago that never disappoints. Earlier in the spring, I met up with Stephanie Hackman Fine in Evanston to watch our daughters play each other in lacrosse. It was a long overdue catching-up session and great chance to spend some postgame time with her kids and Mike. And most recently, my daughter had an opportunity to go out to Albuquerque to assist Julie Hirshfield with her summer farm camp she runs at Los Ranchos, where she is the director. My daughter volunteered as her camp counselor and got to hike, do farm work, cook, and craft with young campers. It was an awesome experience for her, and big thanks to Julie and her family for being such fabulous hosts. Hopefully this summer brings many more Knox encounters. As for me, this year I am celebrating 20 years at SunGard Investment Systems as a technical analyst. Time sure flies. On the home front, I will soon have a freshman in college. My daughter will attend Vassar College this fall. I am so excited for her and all the experiences she is about to embark on.” ❯ Kim Chipman wrote: “I am happily settled in Chicago after moving there from Washington, D.C., in 2013. I’m a reporter and editor at Bloomberg News, and if anyone has any good stories to share, please give a shout. Cheers (and hope to see you at Homecoming later this year—I’m 90 percent sure I will go).” ❯
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
65
“It was all cobblestone streets, castles, and beer.” —Brenda
Caroline Coatney ’11 and Peter Walker ’11—October 18, 2014
Cat Manning ’11 and Paul Dodman—August 30, 2014
Audra Boekenhauer ’09 and Matt Allis ’08—June 27, 2015
Grateful Dead show in Chicago with Brian East ’92, EJ Rauworth, and Andrew Iorgulescu! I also took a new job as president of Taylor Farms and will be the first woman to join its executive team. I will be based in Chicago, running a 250person food production team, supplying healthy prepared foods to local retail stores.” ❯ Brenda Gregoline: “Brian Begy and I recently celebrated 20 years of marriage(!) with a boozy, kidfree trip to Portugal. It was all cobblestone streets, castles, and beer. We made it up to Nora by taking her on safari in South Africa before 7th grade (and her hockey season) started. Careerwise, I’m still managing editor of all the specialty journals at the JAMA Network. Brian recently took a position as chief technology officer at JumpForward, continuing his reputation as a ‘startup whisperer.’ We enjoy our house in Chicago and all the maintenance, gardening, and backyard firepits (again, with beer) that the summer has to offer.” Class Correspondent: Rebecca Gillan Ballard rballard@knoxalumni.org
Fiona O’Brien Gill started a new role at ADP as a vice president for client account management and retention for national accounts. She is based in the southwest suburbs of Chicago with her family: Pat, Cormac (10), and Desmond (5). ❯ Mimi Doyle Russell has just accepted a position as an education assistant at Bon Lin Elementary School in Bartlett, Tennessee. After 10 years as a stay-at home mom and a short stint as a cafeteria monitor at Bon Lin, she is excited for this next adventure! ❯ Nicole Havelka moved recently to Columbus, Ohio, to serve as the minister for networking, resourcing, and creativity in the Ohio Conference United Church of Christ. In this new role, she will explore how to build networks and provide resources to churches striving to create innovative ministries. She’s very excited about the incredible possibilities this new position holds for her and the church! Class Correspondent: Rev. Nicole Havelka revnhavelka@gmail.com
1994
Good afternoon, friends (as Bill Brady would say), I hope you’re all doing well and enjoyed your summer. We just returned from a Disneyland trip (three days of fun, two days of travel) and appreciated the fact that California was 30 degrees cooler than Arizona. We’re coming up on monsoon season and can therefore anticipate huge thunderstorms, mile-high dust storms, flash floods, and power outages. ❯ Christina Rakers Holloway writes, “Life hasn’t been too bad for me. I just finished up six weeks of training new customer support representatives for LexisNexis in Iloilo City, Philippines. This is my first ‘real’ trip out of the country, and I have been fortunate to have good trainees and made some good friends with coworkers from Manila (which is located on a different island). I have been able to enjoy a lot of local cuisine and culture and am learning some Tagalog words and phrases. I will travel back to Galesburg as soon as I get back to the States to visit with my family, who still lives in town. At the beginning of May, I celebrated
LEFT TO RIGHT: Sara DeMaria ’11, Katy Renfro ’11, Martha Baumgarten ’11, Peter Walker ’11, Caroline Coatney ’11, Tim Lee ’11, Eric Ballard ’11, David Kurian ’11.
Rene Bouchard also wanted folks to know she really hopes to see them at Homecoming this year. “I’m officially Class of ’92, but originally Class of ’90. I’m excited about the Reunion, but hope to see folks from that whole era. You people are the best!” ❯ Chris Poe wrote: “Bumped into fellow Fiji Mike Gordon ’91 at a softball complex in suburban Chicago. Three cheers for being in your forties,” said Chris. “Two guys who haven’t seen other in decades were more interested in each other’s health, wisdom, and families than their resumes.” ❯ Jen Goldsberry Quandt wrote: “Let’s see, I changed jobs to a new nursery, Cedar Path Nurseries in Lockport. I LOVE my new job. Oh and I might as well have won the friggin’ Lotto because I got tickets to see GD50 FTW (Grateful Dead Fare Thee Well) at Soldier Field. I still can’t believe it. I took the hubs, my little sister Julie, and, of course, Kelly Nye. Oh, and I had some Toasty stickers made for FTW. I will bring some to Homecoming for my Siwash.” Class Correspondents: Celine Gura Matthiessen 6417 Marlar, The Colony, TX 75056-7119, 469-384-1805, celmatthiessen@hotmail.com Tammy Thorsen Ragnini 912 S. Summit, Barrington, IL 60010-5057, 847-382-4022, rragnini1@yahoo.com
1993 With the kids safely ensconced at sleepaway camp, Josh and I headed to Seattle and Portland to visit friends and celebrate the 20th anniversary of our elopement. A highlight of the trip was visiting with Meg Miericke Muran ’92 and her adorable young progeny in Seattle. ❯ Sreedhar Yedavalli’s big update about moving to Texas will have to wait for the next issue. My family and I are happy he’s here. ❯ Beth Middleton Voigt: “Not too much change here in Wisconsin—however, I have switched jobs and have returned to full-time ministry as the interim pastor of Olivet UCC in Columbus, Wisconsin. I have now lived in Reedsburg, Wisconsin for 10 years! A decade…” ❯ Anne Swanson: “I just attended the
66
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
Class Correspondents: Lloy Brodnicki Johnston 5507 N. St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625-4624, 773-539-5519, lloy@steel-springs.com Leslie Combs 5432 N. Bernard, Chicago, IL 60625-4614, 773-539-1775, leslieccombs@yahoo.com
1995 Julie Burdette Leonard has been with Central Arizona College for almost three years now and was just promoted to Coordinator 3 of its recently awarded Department of Labor TAACCCT grant. It is a $10 million dollar regional grant for which the college will create new manufacturing programs and add new technology to some existing programs. Her oldest daughter begins high school this fall. She and husband Dan just celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary. ❯
1996
Class Knox Gregoline ’93 on her trip to Portugal with husband Brian Begy ’93 Michael Cornthwaite ’95 Alumnus Leads Crusade to Renovate Vegas When Michael Cornthwaite moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, he parked cars at the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino and interned for free at the properties’ estates. After working his way up in the hospitality business, he noticed that Las Vegas lacked a space where locals could gather, and his crusade to renovate downtown Las Vegas was born. Cornthwaite now owns or is a partner in 11 downtown venues, including restaurants, bars, and galleries.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Jason Payne, Laura Pilcher Payne ’03, Janelle Gold ’03, Dell Longbrake Gardner ’03, Ian Gardner, Julie Mitchell ’02
my 15th anniversary with LexisNexis. My husband and I just celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary, and our 8-year-old daughter joined the swim team this year and shows improvement at her meets. She will be a third grader in the fall. I hope everything is going well for you and your families.” ❯ Caitlin Muelder writes, “We could sure use your thunderstorms here in L.A. I love California, but this drought is a doozy. Scott and I are great. He’s busy with his photography, and a couple of plays I wrote are being performed at some festivals. I directed a show and am about to start in on a web series. I shot a few episodes of a new comedy series, and I have a small but really fun role in a major feature film coming out early 2016. So we’re feeling very grateful for all that. Megan Scott came out for a visit, which was fantastic, and then my folks (Owen ’63 and Laurie Hall Muelder ’63) came out a little bit later, which was also wonderful. Hoping some Knox grad will invent a stable wormhole travel device, so travels between the ’Burg and California can happen monthly.” ❯ Shannon McDaniel writes, “I’m still out in Frankfurt at the end of my tour. I’m going to Marrakech, Morocco, for the Fourth of July before I start preparing to move back to the States at the end of August. But I’m making that an adventure too—I travel home on the Queen Mary 2 for a seven-day transatlantic cruise! I figured I’d go home in style.” ❯ As a resident of San Diego, Ellen Landers Levisetti commiserates with me over the drought and notes, “Hope you make it back to Disney soon. We love Disneyland—and may plan a trip to Disneyland Paris for one of the girls’ birthdays (but really just for us).” Class Correspondent: Kathryn Dix Biallas, kathybiallas@gmail.com
As a Knox student, you juggled many extracurriculars in addition to your classes (studied abroad in Barcelona, hosted a radio show on WVKC, was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, competed in track and football). How do you think your liberal arts experience has impacted your life after Knox, specifically your role as business owner for a diverse range of venues? My ability to handle stress, manage my time, and solve problems are all skills that can probably be tracked back to a challenging Knox experience. Even with a lot on my plate and 75 employees, the challenges I had in my college years were some of the toughest. If you can walk away from Knox with the ability to deal with diverse groups of people, think critically, and communicate effectively, the only thing between a student and a successful life is a few years of very hard work and a mission. The opportunity to participate in the Knox program in Barcelona was probably the one experience that changed my life, my perspective, and my path most dramatically for the better. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. SUBMITTED
Dorothy “Dell” Longbrake ’03 and Ian Gardner— March 15, 2015
Why did the renovation of downtown Las Vegas mean so much to you? That’s a very interesting question because I really don’t know. The best way I can characterize my experience was that from the moment I first visited, it never stopped calling to me. I’m just happy I was able to listen and recognize the “inner voice.” The history, opportunity, and endless potential won me over from the moment I arrived. What achievement are you most proud of? I’ve had the unique opportunity to positively affect people’s lives and be part of something bigger and more important than myself. It’s something I can be proud of, and hopefully, one day, my daughter will be too.
1997 First, my apologies to the Class of 1997 for my inactivity as your Class Correspondent over the past year…it was a doozy! Rachel Ziech Mika celebrated her ninth year co-owning a therapy clinic. Our two wonderful children, Quinn (9)
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
67
Norman Golar ’02 has been promoted to associate and Pierson (7), love school and are living it up. To celebrate their 40th birthdays, Rachel, Aisha Ansari Hasan, and Brenda Mueller Butler spent the weekend in Innsbrook, Missouri. Aisha has recently relocated to St. Louis with husband Rizwan and three girls, Safiya, Sumaira, and Samina. Brenda, who works at Springboard to Learning in St. Louis, is married to Jerry and is the mama of Jonas (10) and Alastair (7), who both attend a Spanish language immersion/international baccalaureate school. ❯ Over the 2014-15 school year, I started work with the Illinois State Library Association as an ILEAD USA instructor and was chosen as an Indiana University Jacobs Educator, where I helped preservice teachers entering the profession. The opportunities were outstanding, but I realized I was doing way too much. After reflecting on my work beyond the classroom, I found my work with the Apple Distinguished Educators has been the most memorable and engaging. I decided to leave Naperville District 203 after 17 years and became an Apple professional development specialist. I currently help educators around the nation transform their practice utilizing Apple’s products. ❯ Michelle Allmendinger writes, “2015 has already brought two pretty big things to my life. First, I completed an intense first year of a Ph.D. in higher education administration at Michigan State University. Also, I became an aunt for the second time. My sister, Kristine Allmendinger-Goertz ’02 and husband Christopher Page-Goertz ’03 added son Ethan to their family. Niece Emily loves being a big sister.” ❯ Aly Greaves Amidei writes, “Son Joe (17 months), husband Brian (old man), two horrible cats, and I have moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, for my new job as assistant professor of costume design at University of North CarolinaCharlotte. We are excited (and terrified) to leave our beloved Chicago behind to start fresh.” ❯ Cara Jacoby writes, “Kia ora from New Zealand! I’ve been in Wellington for eight years, and with a Kiwi husband, three kids, and a mortgage, it’s definitely become home. Ruby is 5 and started school earlier this year; Orla is 3 and now sorting out her life as a middle child; William was born in May. I have enjoyed parental leave, but look forward to the return to work in about a year’s time. I work in new business development and international partner programs at Victoria University of Wellington. My husband is a research scientist at the national meteorological bureau (read: science/weather geek). Unfortunately, I haven’t been back to the U.S. in years, but thanks to social media, the Northern Hemisphere doesn’t seem so far.” ❯ Dan Polley writes, “I start my 10th year as a Chicago Public Schools high school teacher at Lane Tech College Prep this fall. In that time, I received a master’s degree and national board certification. Although teaching can be very frustrating, it is also rewarding. (Easy to say, as it is summer break as I write this.) Two years ago, I took the big plunge and bought a condo in Edgewater and love it, with help from fellow Knox alumnus, Besançon student, and re-
68
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
altor John Murray ’83. In the new neighborhood, I decided to attend an Episcopal church one Sunday and then and there met the love of my life, Tim Fox, an environmental lawyer for the State of Illinois. We have been very happily partnered for the last two years, and I still go to church. HA! We recently celebrated my 40th birthday in Quebec City during Carnaval with Dr. Novia Pagone and her charming husband, Brent Wachholder. I am still very much in touch with Dr. John McCurdy ’95, Dr. Sarah Blink Polakow ’98, and Janet Haney Melton. I am not on Facebook (a very conservative teacher) but would happily connect via e-mail at dannypolley@gmail.com or phone at 773-6326800.” ❯ Brad Pritts lives in Columbus, Ohio, with wife Lisa and their three kids, Micaela (7), Ashton (5), and Emmett (21 months). He works as a family support specialist for the State of Ohio in special education at the Ohio School for the Deaf, where his daughter is in second grade. The Prittses love the pace of Columbus after Chicago. The challenge of learning and practicing sign language as a bilingual family is also fascinating. He is still in touch with Andre Belanger, whose law firm is based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Dre and wife Ashley have two beautiful toddler boys.) ❯ Adam (Atom) Robinson lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his wife and and soon-to-be first grade daughter. He’s the director of campaigns and outreach for the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless, where he manages statewide advocacy campaigns on housing, homelessness, and public assistance issues. He still plays in bands occasionally and has gone out of his way to avoid Josh Gharst ’98, who moved into his neighborhood a little while back. ❯ Shawn Wynn, Brett Barnhart ’96, Chris Welch, Chad Binger, and Steve Ellingson have taken a fly-fishing trip to Canada together for 17 years now. Here’s what else they have been up to: Shawn is an orthopedic surgeon with ORA Orthopedics in the Quad Cities. He and wife Sara have three children, Zach (9), AJ (6), and Charlotte (2). Brett works as an orthopedic surgeon in a multi-specialty practice in Canton, Illinois. His two boys, Micah (13) and Cale (10), are very active in sports. Chris and wife Kelly live in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, with their four children, Ashlyn (12), Addison (11), Alec (9), and Aubrie (6). Chris and Kelly are both veterinarians and own two practices in the area. Chad is a chiropractor in Huntley, Illinois. He is married to Nancy Binger, who is vice president at Judson University in Elgin. They have 3-year-old twins, Carson and Camryn. Steve is the Lake County site engineer manager at Abbott Laboratories, where he has worked since graduating Knox. He lives in Burlington, Wisconsin with wife Natalie Lanciloti and their four children, Madeline (9), Lucas (7), Jacob (4) and Nicholas (1). ❯ Finally, a few birth announcements. Kate Tummelson and fiancé Rudy Minasian welcomed Eve Myra on November 14, 2014. Mick White and his wife welcomed Macallister Joseph White on January
17, 2015. Becky Richardson Shadlich welcomed daughter Emilia on April 3, 2015. Class Correspondent: Josh Mika 1850 Waverly Way, Montgomery, IL 60538-4130, jrmika@gmail.com
1998
Jo Tolentino Beever gave birth to her fourth child, Eliot Steven Beever, on April 30, 2015. ❯ After 11 years working as the database administrator at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Andrea Crain switched jobs this year. “I now am a technical consultant with Tessitura Network, doing data conversions and custom report code for the arts and cultural organizations that use our software. The best part is, I get to work from home!” Class Correspondent: Julie Landsdown jmlandsdown@yahoo.com
1999 Just a brief update this issue. In June and July, Kevin Kihslinger and I spent a little over a week with good friend Will Lion ’00 in Germany. We did a lot of walking, a lot of driving, and a lot of eating. It’s such a beautiful place, and it was so great to visit with Will. I can see us making another trip out there in the future! Class Correspondent: Valerie Saks Kihslinger S3042 W. Salem Ridge Rd., La Farge, WI 54639, 608268-6903, vsaks@hotmail.com
2000 Class Correspondent: Kristie Wagher Scarffe, D.C. 6985 Merriman Road, Garden City, MI 48135, 734-402-2225, kgwscarffe@gmail.com
2001 Class Correspondent: Allison Honaker allisonhonaker@hotmail.com
2002 Eric Miller was invited to serve as one of Knox’s new StartUp Term judges. He says, “Knox students have some genuinely creative ideas cultivated in a semi real-world setting; what a great experience!” Eric recently hired two more fulltime employees and three interns—all from Knox—at his software development firm in Clearwater, Florida. (Editor’s note: Read more about StartUp Term on page 14.) ❯ Josh Prakash Hart writes: “Wife Nalini Prakash ’03 and I just welcomed our second child, Remy Samuel, into the world this June! After passing the third CFA exam and earning the Chartered Financial Analyst designation last summer, I have spent the extra time with our family here in Chicago.” ❯ Courtney Wiles writes: “I got engaged to John N. Taylor on April 13. It was his birthday. He surprised me with the ring, and I surprised him with
Class Knox professor of English at Stillman College. a birthday cake. The engagement ring is a combination of our mothers’ rings since they both passed away—my mom’s diamond and his mom’s band. The wedding is planned for October 1, 2016.” ❯ Cara Novy reports that she took part in the wedding of Franny Killian and husband Wendell Thomas in October 2013. ❯ In spring 2015, Kate Grigg started a private practice as a somatic expressive movement therapist in Hartford, Connecticut. She is also pursuing a master’s degree in pastoral counseling through the Hartford Family Institute. She still loves getting outside whenever she can and spent the summer selling crafts at farmers markets throughout Connecticut. ❯ Sharika Menon-Halpe and husband Damian still live in Dubai. They just welcomed their first daughter, Sayera, on January 25, 2015. Sharika enjoys life as a full-time mom. ❯ Norman Golar has been promoted from assistant professor of English to associate professor at Stillman College. He also currently serves as the senior faculty representative to Stillman’s Board of Trustees. ❯ Allison O’Brien writes: “Jeremiah Holt ’01 and I are still renovating our home, we hope to be done in the next 12 months! Thankfully, we built our deck a few years ago, so we could still enjoy the amazing Chicago summer. If you are in the area, please stop over for a local beer and a slice of deep dish pizza. I was recently promoted to manager over the Chicago technical recruiting team for Groupon. My team handles all the technical hiring for our Chicago, Kentucky, and New York offices. I enjoy the new challenges that come with management! If any alumni are looking for software development or IT positions, please find me on LinkedIn! (One of our engineering leaders is also a Knox alumnus!) ❯ Pam Hernandez completed a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Maryland, College Park, in fall 2015. She has returned to her hometown of Houston, Texas. Class Correspondent: Jennifer Wreyford jwreyford@gmail.com
2003
Angela Rossman married Tom Spierings May 16, 2015, in Appleton, Wisconsin. ❯ Carla Criscuolo writes, “My first poetry chapbook, Pedestrian Traffic, will be released by Finishing Line Press on October 6. The collection even includes a few poems I wrote and revised as a student at Knox. Naturally, I’m stoked as all get-out!” ❯ Lindsey Roland Nieratka reports, “A lot has happened this year. I had a paper accepted in the journal Conservation and Society, which will come out later this year; husband Steaven and I welcomed our second son, Felix Roland, to the world on March 28; and I have started a new position as sustainability coordinator for the city of Hollywood, Florida.” ❯ Chris Page-Goertz and Kristine AllmendingerGoertz ’02 welcomed baby Ethan to the world on March 7. Chris writes, “Big sister Emily is
very fond of her new brother!” ❯ Dorothy “Dell” Longbrake married Ian Gardner on March 15, 2015. ❯ Michael Langley-DeGroot writes, “Hello, fellow ’03ers! I send greetings from sunny San Diego. Here’s a quick update on my recent goings-on. I just graduated from the University of California-San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. My wife and I love the city and are active in the community. She is an attorney who directs a free legal clinic at the same site where I volunteer to provide free medical services to the homeless and uninsured. We purchased a home a few years ago in the North Park neighborhood, San Diego’s mecca of craft beer. And, happily, I soon start my residency right here at UCSD’s psychiatry residency training program, so we can stay put! I wish everyone well and hope to see some of you at an upcoming Reunion!” ❯ Caroline Martz Lee shares, “Husband Jason and I finished our residencies at Duke this summer and will move to St. Louis, Missouri. Jason will work in private practice radiation oncology in Southern Illinois, and I’ll be a medicine and pediatric hospitalist at Washington University. Our boys, Carson and Darren, will start first grade and pre-K. We are sad to leave North Carolina, which has been our home for more than a decade, but excited for this new journey and to have real jobs for the first time!” ❯ Sean Underwood started a master of information and data science program at University of CaliforniaBerkeley. ❯ Michael Barbezat checked in from Perth, Australia. He writes, “I earned a Ph.D. at the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto in November 2013. I’m currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for the History of the Emotions at the University of Western Australia.” Class Correspondent: Allison O’Mahen Malcom allison.o.malcom@gmail.com
2004 Kelly Ramig Gillespie writes, “I’ve worked at Monsanto for four years now and was chosen as one of their ‘up-and-coming leaders’ for more extensive leadership training. As part of that program, and because I’ve been promoted to a technology leadership position in the company as one of the youngest and most junior (as in, years with Monsanto) people in such a role, I was featured in the company’s annual report. You can see it at http://goo.gl/8NepE4 on page 100.” ❯ Marcy Wiget says, “For once I have news to share! I’m getting married in October to one Charlie Huggard (not a Knox alum, alas). Otherwise, I’m still at the Kansas Historical Society working away with government records as an archivist.” ❯ Chris Tessone reports that he and Sue Massey ’05 bought a house in Silver Spring, Maryland, last March. In April, he published a new translation of Leo Tolstoy’s Childhood. ❯ Sabe Jones writes, “I now work as a web developer for HabitRPG, an LA-based startup developing fun
productivity apps. Come check us out at habitrpg.com!” ❯ Doug Falk graduated from the University of Houston with an M.A. in communication sciences and disorders. He moved to New Orleans and expects his second child in September. ❯ From Chloe Brady: “Our daughter, Adara Rose Ensalaco, was born February 3, 2015. She is happy and healthy and growing fast! We still live in Cortland, Illinois, and I am still a paralegal at a law firm in Sycamore, Illinois.” ❯ Sarah Poole reports, “I moved back to Iowa this summer with my 2-year-old daughter, Stella Louise. I hope to continue my career in special education.” ❯ Jacob Beard writes, “Sienna Watson ’06 and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary on June 10. Our youngest son, Henry, is seven months old and works with his two older brothers, Noah and Max, to keep us on our toes. I have now been at State Farm Bank for seven years, while Sienna, in addition to being a great mom, is an adjunct instructor at Lincoln College in Normal. We wish everyone well!” ❯ Julie Ellegood Pickup says, “Husband Chris and I gratefully welcomed our first child, a baby boy, Maxwell Robert, into our family on March 4. Max is a calm, happy baby full of personality and smiles. We couldn’t be happier!” ❯ From Eura Ryan Szuwalski: “The last two years have brought many changes for our family. We moved to Santa Barbara, California, in March 2014 when my husband took a job at University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB) as a fishery scientist. I returned to work this year, also at UCSB, as a learning management support technician in the IT department of the College of Letters and Science. Our little girl, Evelyn, will turn two in October and is a walking, joke-cracking ball of energy.” ❯ Megan Clair writes, “I graduated with a master of science degree in accounting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in July, accepted a promotion to senior risk analyst with my employer, moved to Houston in August, and traveled to Ireland in September. If anyone’s ever passing through Houston, let me know, and we can grab a beer!” Class Correspondent: Susan C. Vitous Johnson 1321 Iles Avenue, Belvidere, IL 61008-1407, susanvitousjohnson@yahoo.com
2005 Gauher Aftab Ahmad writes: “After an even 10 years in the workforce, I’ve decided to check out on capitalism and the grand delusion of life. Not in a suicidal way, but more existential. I live in Pakistan, a battlefront state in the War on Terror, where over 50,000 civilians have lost their lives to senseless violence. With a few friends and wellwishers, I’ve started writing comic books, organizing debate camps, and printing and distributing free reading materials to kids and young people across the country to fight the war of hearts and minds right here on the ground. It’s a very dangerous thing to do, and I may find myself in the
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
69
Julio Trujillo ’06 won second place on Jeopardy! and took Dr. Julie Mathew Varughese ’00 Alumna Named Medical Officer for AmeriCares
SUBMITTED
Dr. Julie Mathew Varughese ’00 was named the new medical officer and senior technical advisor for AmeriCares, an emergency response and global health organization based in Stamford, Connecticut. In her new role, Varughese is responsible for helping increase access to quality medicines and supplies for low-income patients in more than 90 countries. “I feel privileged to be a part of the great work that AmeriCares is doing in the area of global health and disaster response and preparedness,” says Varughese. Varughese has long focused on her career in global health and international medicine, spending time in India, South Africa, Guatemala, and Ecuador. Most recently, through her new position with AmeriCares, Varughese traveled to Haiti and El Salvador. In Haiti, Varughese traveled to the organization’s field office in Port-au-Prince. Since the earthquake in 2010, AmeriCares has partnered with local organizations. “I visited a couple of the cholera treatment centers where AmeriCares has donated IV fluids, medicines, and other supplies that have been critical during the cholera outbreaks,” says Varughese. “Part of my role is to provide medical oversight on the supplies and medicines we receive so our products are used safely and effectively by our domestic and international health partners. It helps to go out into the field and see first-hand the settings where our donations are being utilized.” While in El Salvador, Varughese visited AmeriCares’ primary care clinic in Santiago de Maria, two hours outside of San Salvador. “The purpose of my trip to El Salvador was to gain a better understanding of the operations of our primary care clinic in terms of clinical service and our community outreach work.” While at Knox, Varughese built the foundation for her career in global health care. “I always knew that I wanted to go to med school,” says Varughese, who pursued a medical degree from Rush University in Chicago and completed an infectious disease fellowship at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York. “For undergrad, I wanted an experience of subject matter other than the sciences.” In addition to her major in biochemistry, Varughese studied religion and Spanish while at Knox. She used her Spanish skills throughout her training program, and continues to use her Spanish today. “Knox allowed me to pursue opportunities that I might not have had at a bigger school,” says Varughese. “Much of what I’ve gone on to do is because of the opportunities and experiences I had at Knox.”
70
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
obituaries section next year, but it’s worth it. This is a fight for freedom from fear and bigotry, and it needs to be waged here against those who would use religion to create hatred, and, in the West, it needs to be fought equally against those who would use secular ideology for the same ends. Islamophobia is the same as religious extremism; they are two sides of the same coin. If you feel you can help, visit CFx Comics on Facebook, download our app, or check out our Indiegogo campaign and see what we’re trying to do. I hope Knox alums everywhere pitch in; we’re willing to sacrifice everything to make even a little bit of a difference, but with your help we can do a lot more.” ❯ Jenny Logan writes: “Micah Riecker ’06 and I welcomed our first baby, Frank Logan Riecker, on March 12, 2015. Frank enjoys life in his new world (as far as we can tell), and we enjoy the fun and challenges of having a little person to care for.” ❯ Erick West writes: “I have spent most of the past 10 years working in the nonprofit industry in my native southern Wisconsin, including stops at the American Red Cross, Boys & Girls Clubs, and Beloit College. I married my lovely wife, Rachel, last summer, and we have recently relocated to the Charlotte, North Carolina area, where I now work as the director of development for the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden.” ❯ Andrea Burke writes: “Husband Vince Odorisio (of Omaha, Nebraska) and I were married this past December. We were lucky enough to be able to celebrate with fellow Knox grads Liz Grana ’06 and Erica Burke Peterson ’03 and Eric Peterson ’02. We also celebrated our daughter Marlo’s third birthday and welcomed our second daughter, Everly Vieira Gunner Burke Odorisio, to the family in February.” ❯ Briana Trainor Menconi writes: “I currently work as a pediatrician in the Chicago suburbs, and I love every minute of it! On August 9, 2014, I was lucky enough to marry my best friend, Ken Menconi, an air traffic controller in Chicago. Our wedding was wonderful, and we were very lucky to have many Knox friends attend!” ❯ Kira Horel Omelchenko writes: “Hello from Florida, fellow Knoxies! Husband Stas and I will celebrate our three-year anniversary in December. We live in Lakeland, Florida, where we both teach at Florida Southern College. I am assistant professor of music and director of orchestras, and Stas teaches theory/composition. We travel a lot, so no pets and no kids yet. This August, I conducted in St. Petersburg, Russia. Let us know if you’re ever in Florida!” ❯ Kim Deschamps Drobushevich writes: “My husband and I bought our first home and our first dog, and I can hardly believe that Jack will be going into fourth grade this year...how does that happen? On a professional note, I just became a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), and I developed and taught a course at Knox College this spring in their educational studies department. I’m so honored that they will continue to offer my course and that I will teach it again next year! It’s really an incredible full-circle to teach
Class Knox home $2,000. at Knox, and it brought back so many memories of when we were students... and also made me feel really, really old!” ❯ Susan Taylor writes: “In November 2014, I left Colorado and moved to Auckland, New Zealand, to work at a university here. Things are going well, and I’m settling in nicely. Rachel Ruiz visited me in December, and I have been able to see Gillian Stein a few times, as well as a quick meet-up with Erica Skog ’06 and her husband last November while they were here on their honeymoon. I won’t be able to make the 10-year Reunion, so I hope folks have a great time!” ❯ Heather Kolber Levine and husband Joe Levine welcomed their first child, Isaac Riley, on April 17. ❯ Nina Neitzke Kindelin writes: “My husband, Bill, and I are happy to announce the birth of daughter Jane Frances, born on April 2, 2015. Her big brother, Will (4), and big sister, Lucy (2), are over the moon with her.” ❯ Meg Huizenga Jedrey is now the proud parent of two wonderful children. Meg and husband Richard welcomed daughter Maggie into the world last September. Maggie’s sibling, Rocky, has done a fine job of settling into the role of big brother. Class Correspondents: Marissa Parkin moeparkin@gmail.com Ashley Steinsdoerfer Gottlieb 815-245-3648, agsteinsdoerfer@aol.com
2006 Matthew Armitage lives near Houston, Texas, working as the sports coordinator for a health club and spa in The Woodlands. This year has been one of new beginnings, as he recently became certified as an EMT and will begin the fire academy in the fall. ❯ David Putnam and wife Audrey moved to northwest Arkansas following David’s 10-year career in the Illinois Army National Guard, where he had progressed to the rank of captain. David, Audrey, and twins Danny and Abby all wanted the chance to pursue new and exciting opportunities, and have enjoyed being part of a very rapidly growing area. David enjoys his new position at Walmart, where he designs and builds their next-generation systems. He is also extremely proud of his wife, who excels at a new project-based learning public charter high school, teaching the sciences. The entire family looks forward to many more spring trips back to Galesburg for the Rootabaga festival and coney dogs. ❯ Melissa Hoffman was commissioned as a second lieutenant of the U.S. Army on May 28, 2015. Her branch is finance, but, first, she will lead field artillery soldiers as a new Army officer. ❯ Ben and Jennifer King Stripe moved with son Will to California’s East Bay for Ben’s job as a staff scientist with Sigray, a company that develops and commercializes new X-ray technologies. ❯ Erika Barrish writes, “I left my teaching position at Potter Valley High School to return to John Muir Charter School as a regional career pathways specialist. The school was recognized this year as one of the recipients of the
Hart Vision Award for California Charter School of the Year. I work with seven of our school sites in northern California to implement a career pathways program, and it is exciting to be part of an organization committed to elevating the underserved students of California.” ❯ In May, Brian Werner started a new job as an economist for the Department of Agriculture’s risk management agency. ❯ Megan Gamble still works for NARAL Pro-Choice America in Washington, D.C., and was recently promoted. ❯ Josh Berry is near the end of his fifth year of practice as an attorney, working at Fennemore Craig, PC, and enjoying all the awesome things Colorado has to offer. He’d like to schedule a trip to Seattle with Chris Ripperda, Huseyin Naci, Nar Ramkissoon, and Rohit Gandhi, but they’re all crum bums. ❯ Sylvie Davidson and fiancé Trevor Wheetman recently returned to Nashville from NYC, where they appeared in the offBroadway production of Lonesome Traveler at 59E59 Theaters. They are now back to work on their music, which they recently shared with Galesburg friends as part of the Carl Sandburg Songbag series. They look forward to celebrating their marriage on September 5, 2015! ❯ Julio Trujillo was on Jeopardy! on March 31. He took second place and won $2,000. He met Alex Trebek and told him about meeting Stephen Colbert when he was our Commencement speaker, and says he definitely owes his vast amounts of apparently not-useless knowledge to Knox and rushing home from class to catch Jeopardy! ❯ Rachel Smith married Damir Kulbayev in Kazakhstan on August 29. ❯ Huseyin Naci has been appointed an assistant professor of health policy at the London School of Economics. ❯ Jon Crylen writes, “This May I successfully defended my Ph.D. dissertation (The Cinematic Aquarium: A History of Undersea Film) in film studies at the University of Iowa. Starting in August, I will teach film courses at Coe College in Cedar Rapids.” ❯ Loren Lindgren works as a technical trainer at Epic in Madison, Wisconsin, and will marry Sara Hudson next June in Racine, Wisconsin. Knox attendees will include Cami Woodruff ’10, John Baillie ’08, bridesmaid Anna Novikova ’13, and officiant Sean McKittrick ’07. ❯ Mary Kiolbasa lives in Nashville and just started a new position at Vanderbilt University researching prospective donors in its development office. ❯ Ashley Palar is proud to report that she recently completed a Master of Social Work degree and looks forward to putting it to good use. ❯ Zack Stephenson writes, “Our second daughter, Elisabeth Belle Stephenson, was born in January. We call her ‘Elsa,’ after my grandmother and greatgrandmother. Elsa, I am thrilled to report, is a much better sleeper than her sister. Even better, she’s perfectly healthy and is quick to smile and laugh.” ❯ Ashlee Heinz Sheely is pleased to announce the birth of her son, James Maddox, on June 18. ❯ As for me, I’m now the director of donor relations at Antioch College, staying busy singing with Dayton Opera, and planning my
wedding for New Year’s Eve 2015. Class Correspondent: Megan Rehberg 220 Shroyer Road, Dayton, OH 45419, 262-909-8784, megan.rehberg@gmail.com
2007 Jacintha Akuetey writes, “I am now Jacintha Elikem Ofori. I celebrated my fifth wedding anniversary on July 3. Our union has been blessed with two wonderful boys, Josh-Kayden (3) and Kurtis-Joel (1). We live in Baltimore, Maryland.” ❯ Donielle Augustson enjoys her deputy medical investigator job in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She also enjoyed the great trip to Greece with Knox alumni and students. ❯ Mary Batterman still lives in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and loves it, but she looked forward to spending time in the States over the summer and seeing lots of Knox folks at the wedding of Caroline Allen ’08 and Ian Silander ’06. ❯ From Mandy Bernstrauch: “My boyfriend and I adopted a shelter dog (a hound mix), Hodor, back in February. He is dopey and adorable and impossible not to love. Kim Kreiling, Sarah Zebrowski Hankey, and I went to the Kentucky Derby together for a girls’ weekend/30th birthday celebration. Alas, we didn’t win any money. Veritas!” ❯ Kourtney Cone Grimm writes, “My first child, Liam Anthony, was born November 19, 2014. He’s the first grandchild on both sides and is getting spoiled. He already loves animals like his mom. I still practice small animal and exotic veterinary medicine full time.” ❯ Jess Drew got a promotion! She now works for alumni relations and development at Northwestern University, along with Amanda Look ’09. She also finished a grant writing certificate program through DePaul and spent a third summer teaching theatre at the Center for Talent Development at Northwestern. Jess and husband Darren will eventually go on their honeymoon, but it’s likely it will be a second- or third-year anniversary trip instead! ❯ Heather Elomaa Galante writes, “I finally have some big news to share. In May, I defended my dissertation on an anonymous book of obscene Latin poetry and earned my Ph.D. in classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania. I’ve accepted a job as a middle school Latin teacher at a private school outside of Philadelphia (Bradley Cooper’s alma mater!). On June 13, I married Dominic Galante, whom I met on a study abroad trip when I was at Knox. My only regret from the wedding is that I forgot to get a ‘Knox picture’ for the magazine!” ❯ Laura Hapeman recently moved to Seattle, Washington, after accepting an instructional designer position with IMS Health. She looks forward to exploring the Pacific Northwest with Whitney Bryant ’06 and cannot wait to catch up with other Knox folks in the area! ❯ Kelsey Jensen writes, “I currently work in program support and communications at a research NGO in Kabul, Afghanistan. Life there certainly has its nerve-wracking (and often absurd) moments, but, for the most part, it’s merely
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
71
“Meredith Schuppy ’08, I miss you, but I love that you are still in my a fascinating place to call home.” ❯ Joe Kerley spent two weeks in Buenos Aires with wife Julie Mowers to celebrate his 30th birthday. He looked forward to another beautiful Seattle summer full of craft beers and boating. ❯ Jake Kuhnline shared updates from himself and other classmates: “I’m still in New Orleans, where I’ve been since graduating. I recently earned a master’s degree in educational leadership and am an assistant principal for KIPP Believe College Prep, a 5th8th grade middle school in the city. I am engaged to Shannon, who also teaches at a KIPP high school, and we plan to get married in March 2016. Logan Schroeder lives in Baton Rouge and works for Louisiana State University Sports Properties. He also got engaged and will marry in July 2016. Andrew Warwick coaches at Clemson and got married on June 20.” ❯ From Brigid McClelland: “After eight years as a bilingual education administrator and teaching ESL in Chicago Public Schools, my boyfriend and I moved to Minneapolis so I could start a new career as dean of ninth grade student achievement at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Twin Cities. While it was sad to leave Chicago, I’m ready for this new adventure. I’ve also been busy traveling in my spare time, with trips to Panama, Argentina, Uruguay, Russia (in winter!), New Orleans, Northern Michigan, and Germany.” ❯ Nick Morris got a new job last year at the Illinois Department of Human Services as a case manager and has become the local office union representative. His son, Owen Morris, was born January 19, 2014. Nick has also helped with stats at Knox home football games. ❯ JoAnna Novak lives in western Massachusetts, where she will be an assistant professor of English at Westfield State University during the 2015-2016 academic year. She has published her fiction, poetry, and nonfiction in print and online, including in McSweeney’s, The Rumpus, Runner’s World, and Paste. Her first book of poetry will be available in 2016. With husband Thomas Cook ’05, she has published and edited the print journal Tammy for the past six years. ❯ Megan Elliott Sarver shared Sam Sarver’s big news: He started his own law practice, Sarver Law, LLC. ❯ Zack ’06 and Austin Stacey Stephenson welcomed a new daughter, Elisabeth (Elsa) Belle Stephenson, on January 22, 2015. Elsa joins big sister Nora and is a perfect addition to the family. Austin is going back to school in the fall to pursue a B.S. in nursing. ❯ Julia Strehlow married Ari Bernstein in the historic Macoupin County Courthouse in Carlinville, Illinois, on October 11, 2014. Julia and Ari celebrated with hundreds of family and friends from around the world, including 16 Knox alumni: Sarah Koenig; Sara Eldridge; Megan Larsen; Anne Barker; Zoe Berman and Mike Boettcher ’05; Lindsay Fondow; Mallory Havens ’06 and Andy Scott; Ashleigh Honaker Malec; Karen Kinderman; Caroline Allen ’08 and Ian Silander ’06; Tawny Wilson Boyce; Ben Taylor; and Sibel Karabeyoglu ’08. They are very happily married and continue to live in
72
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
Chicago, where both are social workers. ❯ Malissa Kent Webber shares, “On October 5, 2014, I married Ragan Webber in Seattle! I was lucky enough to have my best friend, Megan Suttner, as one of my bridesmaids. Ragan is a software engineer at an open data company, Socrata, and I write corporate communications for Starbucks by day and my epic fantasy novel by night. My novel is currently a finalist in the sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal category of the 2015 Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest.” ❯ From Tawny Wilson Boyce: “My husband and I recently moved back to my hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where we enjoy hiking, biking, and good New Mexican food, while our cat, Popcorn, has taken up chasing lizards and killing scorpions. When I’m not outside enjoying the beautiful scenery, I work as a biostatistician for the University of New Mexico Cancer Center.” Class Correspondents: Laura J. Wentink Marcasciano ljmarcasciano@gmail.com Michael C. Sales KnoxClassof2007@gmail.com
2008 Hello Class of 2008! So many things are happening with us, but we would be remiss if we didn’t start off and think about Meredith Shuppy, an amazing and wonderful member of the Knox community. She will be missed dearly. ❯ Emily Jensen has had a great year so far! She just bought a condo in Roscoe Village (Chicago), ran the Boston Marathon in a time of 3:49, and met up with Knox XC pals at Liza Fate’s spring wedding! Louis Munoz, Seth Pyenson, Megan Butler, Agnes Vetinde, Laura Heggs, Vida Lozano Alvarado, and Ashley Blazina ’09 are still as fabulous as ever! ❯ On March 19, Andy Fitz and wife Kristin welcomed Alexandra Marie Fitz into the world. She was the heavyweight in the ward, weighing in at 9 pounds, 6 ounces! ❯ Pam Bell Lozano would like to share that she and her husband and will welcome baby number 2 in October! ❯ Rose Ibis, RN MSN, works in the ER on the south side of Chicago at a busy community hospital. “It’s been great to get a chance to visit my Knox friends throughout the year across the country. :)” ❯ Karl Lefevre will work as assistant prop master on season six of Portlandia this year. ❯ Will Rutter currently lives with his wife in Riley, Kansas. He works as a post-doctoral research scientist at Kansas State University, studying plant-pathogen interactions. ❯ Erica Jaffe says, “In June, I graduated from the University of Chicago Law School, and, in October, will begin work at Jones Day’s Chicago office. Until then, I’ve got the bar exam to study for, then will take some time to travel and relax.” ❯ Lucas Street was promoted to director of the reading/writing center at Augustana College, where he continues to teach writing. He also had a poem published in Fifth Wednesday Journal and
nominated for an Illinois Arts Council Literary Award. ❯ David Ferris currently practices collective living, gardening, co-counseling, and polyamory in West Philadelphia, and works as a communications and community engagement expert for @LISC_Philly, a 35-year old organization that catalyzes neighborhood revitalization. Say hi at doferris@gmail.com. ❯ Ariel Lauryn: “I graduated in June 2014 from Dell’Arte International with an MFA in physical theatre and moved to NYC the following September. I’m so lucky to be living a freelancer’s life: performing, painting, and building sets and puppets. Coming up: I am playing Mercutio(!) this summer and my original two-woman comedy will have its NYC debut in May 2016 for three weekends in a row! Please find me on Facebook if you come to the city! This year, especially, I have felt the importance of Knox in my life; I have been so supported by my Knox friends after losing a dear joy in my life, Meredith Shuppy. Meri—I miss you, but I love that you are still in my life through our Knox family.” ❯ Courtney Meaker finished her first year as a playwright at Seattle Repertory with a reading of her new play, Made of These. Her play, The Lost Girls, will be produced at Annex Theatre in fall 2016. ❯ We had a lot of engagements and marriages this time around, so here they all are! Natasha Robin Berman says, “I got married last summer in August and I have since moved to Stamford, Connecticut. I’m currently enrolled at SUNY Purchase working on prerequisites in the sciences before applying to graduate school.” ❯ Catherine Ray: “I recently got engaged to Kevin Dabrowski and started my last year of anesthesiology residency. The spring will bring a wedding and the end of a long journey in medical education. Fortunately, I will have Rosemary Ibis and Stephanie O’Brien at my side as bridesmaids to support me!” ❯ Benjamin Fitzpatrick says, “I proposed to Chelsea De Jonge ’10 at Hogwarts. She said yes. We’re getting hitched next summer! Boosh.” ❯ Another Knox wedding for the books: Kelli Refer and Tom Fucoloro will get hitched on October 3 aboard a ferry boat on Seattle’s beautiful Lake Union. ❯ Maurice Harris says, “I became engaged in April to Molly Grieder; the wedding is planned for October 2016. I also have hung out with Pat Cavins ’09 in Columbia, Missouri!” ❯ Jessica Strache got married last November in Chicago to Chris Brandis and had a great turnout of Knox alums. ❯ Matt Allis and Audra Boekenhauer ’09 were married on June 27. He says, “It was a great wedding held at Knox.” ❯ Erica Stringfellow Tully still goes to Loyola University Chicago and has turned “just getting an ESL endorsement” into “getting a master’s in English language teaching and learning.” She just finished her fourth year of teaching in Chicago. Class Correspondents: Miriam M. Gillan miriam.gillan@gmail.com Erica Stringfellow Tully e.stringfellow4@gmail.com
Class Knox life through our Knox family.” —Ariel Lauryn ’08
2009 Ahoy, 2009! Time keeps ticking on. It seems many of you have become right proper grownups somewhere along the way! Read on for all of the exciting things everyone is up to. ❯ Pam Schuller moved to New York City and is having a blast exploring her new home, still doing comedy for fun, and continuing to manage youth programs for the East Coast. ❯ Jackie Lee completed a master of public health and healthsystem pharmacy administration residency at the University of Iowa and started as assistant director, pharmacy operations, at the University of Minnesota Medical Center. ❯ Matt Baker writes, “A.” ❯ Patrick Cavins writes, “Ph.D. status attained!” ❯ Audra Adolph is working as a neurosciences nurse at St. Thomas West in Nashville, Tennessee, and spends free time catching the local music scene with Karl Bair ’12, who works with TransAmerica Financial Advisors in Brentwood, Tennessee. ❯ Jacob Scholl writes, “I got married in July to an amazing woman. We moved to Washington, D.C., to be closer to work. I’m still at the National Institutes of Health, working as a scientific information analyst.” ❯ Christina Pfaff and Colin Alber had a busy spring: backpacking in the Grand Canyon, starting new jobs (her as a practice economics analyst, him as manager of a bike shop), and buying a house in Barnhart, Missouri. They officially moved in July with their two cats and the hope of a pug joining the family soon. ❯ Cal Kotz freelances, works on his novella (which he periodically discards in despair), and says clever, amusing things semi-professionally in Des Moines. He works in financial services by day and has totally not sold out at all. Probably. ❯ Taramaria Hood writes, “Life is bright! I am getting married at the end of August at the Red Rock Canyon! Adventures to come (a kayak trip!). I feel very lucky. Hope everyone else is well!” ❯ Hannah Gdalman has worked for the Knox Barcelona Program since fall 2013. Her lifeblood is the WhatsApp group message that she shares with CeCe Manganaro in London, who is a professional badass at the London Original Print Fair, and Amanda Look in Chicago, who is a womanin-charge at Northwestern University. They’re planning a reunion sometime around Thanksgiving. ❯ Anita Longhini Knez and husband Brandon welcomed a baby girl, Addison Lucille, on December 6, 2014. Anita lives with her family and dogs in Minneapolis and continues her work with people living with mental illness, supporting them on reaching their education and employment goals. ❯ Pac Pobric got married to Adrian Marshall on July 31. A reception was held the next day in New York with a big group of the best friends anyone could ask for, including a whole bunch from Knox. ❯ Sarah Williams writes, “I enjoy Chicago life with my rat, my cat, and my boyfriend. I work as a humane education specialist at The Anti-Cruelty Society and attended lots of cons this year. Life is good!” ❯ In June,
Danielle Jones boarded a plane to Budapest, where she has taken a job teaching English. ❯ Simon Lepkin continues to enjoy working at a startup in Silicon Valley, while Liz Soehngen volunteers with a rape crisis center and is building a graphic design portfolio. They’ve bought a condo in San Jose and now own a for-real couch, not just a futon. ❯ Samantha Pelkey-Flock and Drew Flock ’08 still live in beautiful Portland, Oregon. Samantha entered her last year of her master’s program in counseling, and Drew completed his first year as senior program manager at Technolutions. They also enjoy frequent hang outs with fellow Knoxies Alana Ogilvie ’10, Paul Cotton ’08, Jen Wolf ’08, Tim Yee ’10, and Tim’s fiancée, Jaimie Thompson! ❯ Michele Darrow received her Ph.D. in biochemistry from Baylor College of Medicine and will relocate to the UK for her next adventure. Come visit! ❯ Erin Warford writes, “I got my Ph.D. in classics from the University at Buffalo in May 2015! I’m a ‘Dr.’ now! I work as an adjunct in Buffalo while I try my luck on the academic job market. Here’s hoping for a teaching position at a small liberal arts school like Knox…” ❯ Rachael GoodmanWilliams writes, “I finished my first year in a community psychology doctoral program at Michigan State University and am celebrating with a road trip back to Portland. West Coast coffee, here I come!” ❯ Audra Boekenhauer and Matt Allis ’08 finally tied the knot on Saturday, June 27. Knox provided the perfect venue for the intimate ceremony and awesome dance party that followed. The majority of attendees were Knox alums, which of course helped make this a party to remember. ❯ Daniel Hoffman is still a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, farming, biking around, and eating lots of mangoes. ❯ Sean Carmichael writes, “I just accepted a position as a writer on Apple’s retail marketing and communications team and moved to California late last summer.” ❯ As for me, I now have an apartment with a spare bedroom, which makes me feel as if I’ve arrived as an adult. (Come visit me!) Still in Sydney, still working in tech for nonprofits. Other exciting events include diving the Great Barrier Reef, taking up acrobatics, and getting myself all civil unioned. That all this round, folks. Keep rocking it. Class Correspondent: Brittany Leggans knoxclassof2009@gmail.com
2010 Shane Donegan forgot to send his notes in on time because he was busy killing it at Twin Cities Pride. ❯ Samantha Newport returned to Des Moines and may finally be half as tidy as her mother always hoped she would be. ❯ John Eisemann and Jen Milius planted a wicked huge garden, adopted a kitten named Rimsky, and continue stripping 85 years of paint from the woodwork in their historic Portland, Oregon, home. ❯ After completing a master’s degree, Virginia Graves returned to Chicago from San
Francisco and works at Feeding America. ❯ Alexandra Braun is learning the ins and outs of the event planning industry and can often be found in the park with her westie, Elphaba. ❯ Ellie Poley and Brittany Alsot ’08 moved from Seattle to Chicago in fall 2015. “We’re going to try it out for a year and see how it goes!” ❯ Alana Ogilvie still lives in Portlandia, works as a family therapist, and (again) waits for a formal decision on the publication of her article. ❯ Kara Krewer graduated with an MFA in poetry from Purdue University. She married Andrew Kottwitz in October 2014 with many Knox folks in attendance! She taught creative writing at Interlochen Arts Camp this summer, and teaches film studies at Purdue this fall. She and Andrew live in Lafayette, Indiana, with their new cat, Buster. ❯ Richard Thiemann wants to do a cross-country Knox trip before relocating to Singapore for work at the end of the year! E-mail your address to r.e.thiemann@gmail.com, and he’ll show up. “No, seriously, I will appear on your front lawn frothy with party spirit.” ❯ John ’09 and Chanel Miller Lane enjoy Macomb, playing music locally, and tending to their garden. John tunes and repairs pianos. Chanel works at the Carthage Public Library as the children’s librarian. ❯ Abby Harms is pursuing a master’s degree in international human rights at the University of Denver. She also interned with Syria Direct, a nonprofit organization training Syrian refugees in journalism, in Amman, Jordan. ❯ Nicole Henniger is finishing a Ph.D. in social psychology at UC San Diego, doing behavioral health research with the Navy, and teaching courses. In July, she traveled in Europe after presenting at an emotion conference in Geneva. ❯ Jessica Baham completed her first semester of graduate school at New York University and loves living in New York City. This summer, she worked in Dublin, Ireland, as the assistant program director for the NYU Summer in Dublin program. ❯ Ben Scott enjoyed the Virginia heat while preparing for his second year as a Master of Landscape Architecture candidate at the University of Virginia. This summer, he cataloged the Benjamin C. Howland Jr. papers for the UVA Special Collections Library, rehabbed a house and entered a design competition in New York with friends, and completed a garden design for a juvenile detention center in central Virginia. ❯ Kristin Miller and Spencer McNeil moved to Chicago after Kristin graduated from medical school. Spencer started the second year of a master’s degree program in architecture, while Kristin continues a neurology residency at Rush. ❯ Sandy Guttman is in her second year of the MUSE program and researches museum accessibility with an aim to create an audio tour for audiences with vision impairment. ❯ Since graduation, Hue Le Marley enrolled in the post-baccalaureate pre-medical program at Washington University in St. Louis and got married. She started as a first-year medical student at Duke University School of Medicine in August. ❯ Aaron ’11 and Andrea
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
73
Nina Litoff ’12 is co-host of an art/comedy podcast called I Don’t Johnston Palmer settled in Lexington, Kentucky. They both finished their master’s of library and information science degrees, work at the local library, and hope to buy a house! ❯ Angela Zinn moved to Colorado and works in the public schools as an early childhood special education teacher. ❯ Ben Ramsey works for a small newspaper in rural Wyoming. ❯ Max Leitner moved to Seattle in November 2013. He works at the University of Washington and often hikes and climbs in the Cascades. ❯ Helen Bartlett works as an assistant horticulturist at the Chicago Botanic Garden, caring for the bulb and aquatic gardens and Viburnum Walk. She lives in Chicagoland with her boyfriend and two cats, and recently visited Saira Haider and Emily Oliver ’11 in Durham, North Carolina. ❯ Creal Zearing lives in Madison, Wisconsin, and works as the program coordinator at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center. She also plays ultimate frisbee with Doug Fennig and Kevin Box ’12. ❯ A. Hamed ’08 and Colleen Harden Aziz welcomed their first child, a boy named Naseer Emad, in January 2015. ❯ James Schwab was named Educator of the Year for the entire Albany School District and had a son, Blaise Ambrose Schwab, in April 2015 with wife Sable Helvie Schwab ’08. His godparents will be Karl Bair ’12 and Amanda Smith Peterson ’08. ❯ Abby Pardick Clayton and her husband became licensed foster parents and adopted a 9-year-old boy the fall. Parenthood was unexpected five years out of college but has been an amazing experience. Abby works for the Kent School Services Network as a community school coordinator. ❯ Since graduation, Ali Hidden Sobczyk earned a master’s degree, a husband, and a new city (Chicago) to call home. ❯ Joined by some of their Knox friends, Cheyenne Cortez-Faupel and Josh Franklin ’07 married in Ohio in June 2014. The couple live in Brooklyn with their two cairn terriers. Cheyenne finished her first year of OB/GYN residency at Wyckoff Hospital. Josh started law school at New York Law. ❯ Daniel and Laura Miller Dyrda celebrated their first anniversary in May and were excited to go on a honeymoon to Germany in August 2015. They moved to Chicago’s south side and enjoy life together! ❯ Oliwia Zurek earned a Ph.D. at Montana State University and began a postdoctoral position at Stanford University. She is excited for the ocean, changing seasons, and dancing with Lauren Assaf again! ❯ As for me, I snowboarded with Ben Yoder-Henley ’14, worked as a summer associate in Orange County, and started an externship with a magistrate judge in San Francisco. Can’t wait for the Reunion! Class Correspondent: Lauren Assaf knoxcollege2010notes@gmail.com
2011 Hello, 2011! Looks like we’re all keeping busy… which is good because our FIVE YEAR is right around the corner! With professional and aca-
74
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
demic accomplishments, it’s hard to keep track! ❯ Sam Martone beat the final boss in Splatoon! ❯ Nigam Gandhi is a health administrator with the Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York City. ❯ Ndaya Farrell is in Indianapolis working as a legal assistant for an immigration attorney. ❯ Shih Yi “Ruby” Goh celebrated her third year as a credit risk analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in London. ❯ Chloe Bohm works as an analyst for a jail re-entry program in Pittsburgh. ❯ Krista Ahlberg joined Penguin Random House as an assistant production editor on children’s and young adult books. ❯ Rebecca Cordova teaches kindergarten at St. Paul American School in Busan, South Korea. ❯ Akiko Rutledge moved to the Chicago branch of MillerCoors as a commercial operations specialist with its craft division, Tenth and Blake. ❯ Tomi Taiwo Olotu recently clocked two years at Stanbic IBTC Asset Management. ❯ Helen Hapner spent her summer as an associate with Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella in Chicago. ❯ Bill Schaefer owns and operates a bird hunting guide service called High Desert Waterfowl. ❯ Shea Strausman graduated from dev bootcamp and is a software engineer. ❯ Mary Reindl and DeAndre Henderson welcomed Stella, born in May 2015. ❯ Rosie Worthen finished her first year as an admission counselor at Knox. ❯ Courtney Jude teaches in the Chicago Public Schools with wife Christian Lewis Jude ’12 and son Imani. ❯ Helen Schnoes settled into a job as a food systems coordinator in Lawrence, Kansas. ❯ Caitlin Collins finished her first year of teaching preschool. ❯ Hannah McMahon is a project manager intern for a digital advertising agency in Denver. ❯ Cat Manning Dodman was promoted to senior consultant at Capco. She and Mr. Dodman are proud London homeowners. ❯ Ashley Gonzales works as an RN at Kindred Hospital in Albuquerque on the medical-surgical unit. ❯ Colin Davis started as the executive director of the Spoon River College Foundation. He runs the institutional advancement wing, raising private funding for scholarships, programs, and facilities. ❯ Jessica Joyce finished her fourth year of teaching in Aurora. She and the husband just bought a house! ❯ Claire Knowlton accepted a position teaching third-grade dual language in Alexandria, Virginia. ❯ Kristin Niehoff Weisenberger finished her second year of teaching second grade and is expecting! ❯ Andrew Polk anchors Good Morning El Paso Weekend and reports during the week. ❯ Zak Kahn spent five months in Nicaragua working with Carpe Diem EcoProject. He joins his mother, Lynn Sandra Kahn, as she runs for the U.S. presidency as an independent candidate. ❯ Sarah Juist began as the interim minister of Christian Education at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Michigan. ❯ Sara DeMaria spends her days fighting invasive plants in Michigan with The Nature Conservancy. ❯ Lola Copeland enjoyed a Flunk Day-themed bachelor/bachelorette party with fiancé Patrick Herlihey ’09 and friends Cassidy
Bires ’10, Sean Kraus ’09, Nish Dittakavi ’09, Sean Carmichael ’09, and Cary Archer ’09. ❯ David Kurian wrenches at a bike shop in Madison and plays Ultimate. He’s engaged! ❯ Marnie Shure and Kevin Morris are married, and Professor Chad Simpson officiated. ❯ Katie Johnston is one of the 48 Funniest Women on Twitter. ❯ Ashley Antenore took a little visit across the pond in February for a mini Knox reunion. ❯ Caitlin Fones joined the Fox Valley Vixens Women’s Rugby Club. ❯ Jon PierceRuhland works on Garmin Pilot for iOS by day and drops skydivers from airplanes by night. ❯ Laura Johnson Hopfauf had two poems published in the Anthology of Appalachian Writers, Homer Hickam Volume VII. ❯ Liz Ruiz started a MBA program at Kent State University. ❯ Liz Roemer took a temporary job with the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry and ran into Tara Kuknyo Orech, who finished year two of dental school! ❯ Keely Campbell is working toward a master’s degree in social work at Wheelock College, while working as a school counselor and teacher. ❯ Peter Cain is currently pursuing a master’s degree in education at the University of Redlands. ❯ Damilola Olotu finished the first year of her MBA program at Chicago Booth. ❯ Travis Helgren finished his fourth year as a graduate student at Northern Illinois University. ❯ Shruti Patel completed her first year in Georgetown’s public policy program. ❯ Eric Ballard thinks about mechanical engineering. ❯ Isabelle Leventhal is a naloxone-training, temporal discount-studying, improv-slaying baller. ❯ Hyesun Jeong graduated from UPenn with a M.S.Ed. in mental health counseling and M.Phil.Ed. in professional counseling and traveled to Korea. ❯ Lin Shi graduated with a master’s degree in environmental management, moved to San Francisco, and is an environmental engineer. ❯ Leslie Kang finished year one in the University of Chicago urban education program. ❯ Amanda Sicoli graduated from William Mitchell College of Law. She joined Gray Plant Mooty’s Minneapolis office as an associate in litigation. ❯ Caroline Coatney defended her master’s thesis on the genetics of perennials and how converting annual crops to perennial equivalents will improved farming sustainability. ❯ Aaron Palmer married Andrea Johnston ’10 and finished a M.S. in Library Science. They also bought a house. ❯ Priya Sharma finished year one of medical school at Nova Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine in Ft. Lauderdale. ❯ Liz Thomas finished year one at the University of Utah College of Law and interns with the South African Human Rights Commission in Cape Town. ❯ Anita Ahuja graduated from medical school and started a residency in combined internal medicine-pediatrics in Peoria. ❯ Sasha Murphy and Chris Bugajski graduated optometry school in May. ❯ Bill Meyer graduated from Loyola University Chicago and will stay there for residency. ❯ Emily Oliver finished her MFA in poetry at Cornell University. ❯ Tim Lee graduated from
Class Knox Hate This. medical school, traveled around southeast Asia, and returned to Israel to volunteer coach with Ultimate Peace. ❯ Brigette Demke graduated from nursing school! ❯ Kelly Wiggen graduated from vet school at University of Illinois. She accepted an internship at VCA Aurora Animal Hospital. ❯ Alex Davis finished his second year of law school at Saint Louis University. ❯ Brett Daley graduated from Iowa State University with a master’s degree in political science. ❯ Emma Beyer graduated from St. John’s University with a master’s degree in education. ❯ Jackie Stillmaker graduated from Saint Louis University with a master’s degree in occupational therapy. Class Correspondent: Tim Schmeling trschmeling@gmail.com
2012 Rayann Parkinson Puntoriero currently resides in Seoul, South Korea, with her husband, First Lieutenant Joseph Puntoriero ’13. She works on the U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan as a bank teller for Community Bank. She also volunteers as the FRG Leader for her husband’s company at the United Nations Command Honor Guard, where she coordinates family functions with company. She is also happy to announce a new furry addition to the family, a little miniature pinscher named Colonel. ❯ Sara Koehnke lives in Chicago. She is training for triathlon and has competed in Yokohama, Japan; Besançon, France; Austin, Texas; and Italy for the United States of America Paralympic Category PT4. She wants to earn as many points as possible with the hopes of participating in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. She was featured in the paper for her endeavors. She worked as a special education high school teacher’s assistant at the beginning of the year but now works for Cornille & Sons. ❯ Kate Donoghue moved to Dublin, Ireland, to pursue a master’s degree in drama and performance studies at University College Dublin, focusing on the relationship between trauma and performance. Things she brought along: Cricket the cocker spaniel and that ol’ Midwestern charm. ❯ Anna Casey is still in Austin, Texas, with her adorable pit mix, Ruby. She is in the master’s program in journalism at The University of Texas and has been told she has an NPR voice. ❯ Sara Jane Ahmed is an investment advisor at Castle Cove Investments, an investment firm based in Singapore and London that trades global equities and fixed income. She also works on private equity transactions in emerging markets. ❯ Amanda Wollrab Archer still lives in Eastern Iowa and works as a product manager at the HON Company. She looks forward to graduating next spring with an MBA from the University of Iowa. ❯ Lisa Blagg moved from her hometown in Illinois to Phoenix, Arizona. She teaches sixth grade math at Constitution Elementary School. ❯ Oliver Horton lives in Chicago, working as a full-time teacher and musician and performing
with the likes of Jimmy Chamberlin (from the Smashing Pumpkins) and Frank Catalano. He currently co-leads Sedgewick, a dream-folk band, with Sam Brownson and Jake Hawrylak ’13. ❯ Kevin Box lives in Madison, Wisconsin. He knows which dumpsters have bagels in them. ❯ Mark Wolak is in his final year of graduate school at Northern Illinois University, pursuing a master’s degree in electrical engineering. ❯ Karl Bair and Audra Adolph ’09 live in Nashville, Tennessee, where he is a personal financial coach. ❯ Yumna Rathore lives in Beijing and works at the United Nations Development Programme office as an international consultant implementing public-private partnerships and advocacy campaigns. ❯ Julia Shenkar serves as the managing editor of an association’s bimonthly magazine. A lot of people in D.C. have dogs (sometimes two or three). Julia is still not one of those people. ❯ Monica Prince completed a master of fine arts degree in creative writing with an emphasis in poetry in May 2015. She produced her second choreopoem, Something to Keep Me Vertical, three times in spring 2015, and her first choreopoem, Testify (formerly titled Confessions in Living Color(ed) when it was performed at Knox), was produced at the Cut Out Theater in Brooklyn, New York, in fall 2015 by Avery Wigglesworth ’13 and her sister, Thea. She lives somewhere beautiful, writing poems and doing the splits. ❯ Bobby Stuebi and Annika Paulsen got married in July. Soon after, they moved to Chicago with their pup and are enjoying the Windy City. ❯ Alexandra LeFlore earned an M.A. in English: Shakespeare Studies from University College London. She is back in the United States teaching high school English and is expanding her master’s dissertation into a book for future publication. ❯ Erik Hane lives in New York City and is a trade books editor for The Overlook Press. ❯ Josh Wood and Emma Gingold will celebrate their first wedding anniversary at their new place in Lisle, Illinois. Emma added orchestra conductor to her resume in the summer, and Josh experiments with mobile game development. ❯ David Aken graduated with a 3.9 GPA from the masters of nursing program at DePaul University in Chicago and will be an MSN-RN on an intensive care unit in the Chicago area. He has also continued working with medical simulation and received a contract position at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science as a part of its simulation team. He married Carmen Vargas Lamas ’14 last October in downtown Chicago. David plans next to enter a doctor of nursing practice program in anesthesia and finally stop buying textbooks thereafter. ❯ Rebekah Bally just finished a master’s degree in public health at Portland State University. She lives in the wilds of Oregon with partner Thom and dog Books. ❯ Kristi Weller recently moved out of the country and into the big city of Chicago with Paul Lebryk ’14. They are looking for that special dog to adopt soon. She works as an advertising manager at an engi-
neering magazine by day and is a grad student for database and web design at night. ❯ Xander Geisser lives in Michigan and is working toward certification as an American Sign Language interpreter. ❯ Emma Poland is in her second and final year of graduate school at the University of Virginia School of Nursing. ❯ Anna Dvorak is a community organizer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and enjoys organizing people for positive social change and making Governor Scott Walker’s job a little bit harder. ❯ Nina Litoff works in public affairs at the Art Institute of Chicago, and if you would like to visit or are an arts journalist, you should drop her a line at nlitoff@artic.edu! She is co-host of an art/comedy podcast called I Don’t Hate This and in July became licensed as a zumba instructor. ❯ Emily Whelchel lives in Chicago, where she recently celebrated a promotion at the Economic Club of Chicago, now coordinating events for the area’s business elite. Emily is still active in Pi Beta Phi and continues studying Chinese. In July, she traveled to Spain, where she visited her Pi Phi big sister, Linnea Larson ’11. Class Correspondent: Aparna Kumar aparna.kumar@gmail.com
2013 Charmaine Washington reported that she is very excited to be getting married to fellow Knox alum Kyle Sibley ’09 next July. ❯ Mike Youkhana works at a family law firm, Grant and Grant, in Chicago. He will start his first year of law school in August at John Marshall in Chicago. ❯ Sung Joo Lee relocated to Dallas, Texas, and works as a test engineer for Samsung’s mobile division. ❯ Nicole Greene-Winek recently graduated with a master of social work degree from Washington University in St. Louis and will begin her first big-girl job as a mental health intake therapist for a healthcare company in Sedona, Arizona. ❯ Anna Meier does research on terrorism at the START consortium in Washington, D.C., but will be heading University of Wisconsin in the fall to start a Ph.D. in political science. ❯ Amanda Goslawski started medical school at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in August 2015. Before that, she worked as a medical scribe and volunteered as a patient advisor at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. ❯ Elizabeth Woodyard Johnson married Chris Johnson ’11 in January, and they love life in sunny California. The software company they founded together in 2013 (Mewli Software, LLC) has grown rapidly, and they are excited to be expanding their business very soon! ❯ Anna Goldbeck lives in Chicago and works for WFMT, Chicago’s classical radio station. At the moment, she’s getting mentally and emotionally prepared for her quarter-life crisis. ❯ Jessica Brode is engaged to Ryan Frank ’14, and they currently live in Washington D.C. Jessica graduated from George Washington University in 2015 with an M.A. and works for the Smithsonian National Museum of
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
75
PETER BAILLEY ’74
Mya Kahler ’14 is a production assistant at the American Players
Class of 2015 Raises Nearly $13,000 during Senior Challenge Each year, Knox’s graduating class chooses a service initiative to support for its Senior Challenge. This year, the Senior Challenge Committee decided to direct its gift toward improved mental health counseling services on campus. In all, 194 seniors donated $8,587, while Joe and Margaret Camasto Flanagan ’85 provided a challenge gift of $3,500 to inspire students to participate. Committee members included Nicolette Bridgeforth, Camille Brown, Laura Ernst, Anushree Kedia, Bruce Kovanen, Mark Muniz, Manny Orellana, Ashlee Pitts, Delsey Ramirez, Oakton Reynolds, Payton Rose, Hannah Schierl, and Sa’Misty Utley.
African American History and Culture as the DAMS coordinator. ❯ Nathan Williams married Sydney Stensland in June 2015. Their daughter, Archie, will be two in September of this year. Both Sydney and Nathan work for Scholastic. ❯ Franzesca Mayer is back on the Best Coast, enjoying her work stitching costumes for the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California. ❯ Danny Schaefer discovered acting and improvisation after graduation. He spends most of his time running between Second City and iO, honing these crafts and soaking up the impossibly deep and rich theatre culture of Chicago. He encourages alums in the area to hit him up to hang out. ❯ Cole Atcheson finished his first year in the Master of Arts in Children’s Literature program at Simmons College. ❯ Sophie Townsend tutors physics and math to middle school, high school, and college students. She got engaged to Gaige Spencer in January 2015 in the Olympic
76
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
National Forest, and they were married on July 3, 2015, in Southern Illinois. They live in Port Orchard, Washington; as much as they love the Pacific Northwest, they do miss Illinois sometimes. ❯ Abe Eastman recently graduated from Boston University with a M.A. in psychology. ❯ Michael Gasparro lives in Los Angeles. He works in the front office for the LA Galaxy. He spends as much time as possible at the beach and playing soccer. ❯ William (John) Budding lives in Boston, Massachusetts. He works as a recruiting coordinator at State Street Corporation, where he helps develop careers and talent in young people, as well as working on diversity and community outreach initiatives. He continues to sing in choirs and participate in improv comedy. He would love to connect with other Knox alums on the East Coast who might be interested in starting a Knox improv club out there. ❯ Stephanie Fore lives in Galesburg and works as
an admission counselor for Knox. She travels to exotic locations like Oklahoma and Minnesota to recruit future members of the Prairie Fire community. In her free time, she co-leads a Girl Scout troop with fellow grad Sarah Colangelo ’10 and eats too much ice cream at Kastle Kreme with Sean O’Keeffe ’12. ❯ Kristal Romero is nearing her two-year anniversary at The Health Trust, a nonprofit in the Silicon Valley, where she works as a case manager helping people living with HIV/AIDS. She plans to soak up as much of the California sunshine as she can before she plots her move back to Illinois. ❯ Hannah Basil completed the web development course at Starter School and worked at Charlie as an operations intern. She enjoyed seeing what it’s like at a startup and helped launch the company’s iPhone app. Realizing that small business is the happy medium between corporate and startup, she has decided not to return to Starter School in the fall—she will join Basil Financial Group to help people achieve their financial and personal goals. ❯ Megan Lee lives and works in Galesburg as a 5th grade teacher. She has a new dog, Nella, and won the Teacher of the Month Award this year. ❯ Paula Matzek ’73 shared a story she saw in Chicago Athlete magazine announcing that Sean Choate had been named one of its Clif Bar Athletes of the Month after winning first place in the male 20-24 age group for the CARA Runners’ Choice Circuit and first place overall in the CNB Oak Forest Fleadh 5K race. Sean currently works as an assistant coach at St. Patrick High School. ❯ Tina Shuey lives in Denver, Colorado, with Kate Haslem. They both work at Denver Zoo in the external relations department. If you thought it was hard to tell them apart in college, just look at them now! ❯ Brittany Wisniewski started a new job as the program coordinator at the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism. She is thrilled to team up with Tina Shuey as the new Class Correspondents and wants to send a big thank you to everyone who sent updates— keep ’em coming! Class Correspondents: Tina Shuey Brittany Wisniewski knoxco2013@gmail.com
2014 Ryan Hansen is a candidate for a master’s degree in counseling (art therapy) at Adler University. He completed a community service practicum at the Adler University Institute on Social Exclusion and used qualitative research methodology to look into the effects social exclusion has on communities in Chicago. His clinical practicum for art therapy is at Zion-Benton Township High School. ❯ Alyssa Gill moved to Anaheim, California, for the Disney College Program and spent five months working as an attractions hostess on Splash Mountain. In January, she accepted an internship with Walt Disney Imagineering in its creative entertainment studio as a creative development intern. She also pursues theatre opportu-
Class Knox Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin. dance recital and a jiu jitsu competition. ❯ Olivia Barnett starts a master’s program at Northeastern Illinois University in clinical mental health counseling this fall. ❯ Sterling Kowalski has finished all of the core course work for his master’s program and this summer took on a consulting project in big data analytics for a healthcare organization in the Twin Cities. If all goes well, he anticipated graduating in August! ❯ Carmen Caraballo recently left her job as ISACorps representative for Truman Community College District at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to become a financial aid counselor at Concordia University Chicago in River Forest, Illinois. ❯ Karyn Kraska continues to work toward an Ed.S. degree at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and is a personal support worker for autism. ❯ Allison Diamond finished her literary management internship at Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota, Florida. She’s moving to Chicago and was offered a Guest Services Associate position at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. ❯ Hannah Black is a receptionist in a nursing/retirement home and started a master’s program through Brookfield Zoo and Miami University in Ohio, where she will study biology. ❯ Eveline Diallo is still struggling through a master’s program in language sciences in Besançon, France. ❯ Ariana Lisefski is an AmeriCorps member with Texas Conservation Corps in Austin, Texas. ❯ Connor Schmidt is about to hit his one-year anniversary working at a tech vendor out in Redmond, Washington. ❯ Tyler Oakey works at the Madison and Fitchburg Public Libraries and plans to apply to library school soon. ❯ A correction! Grant and Paige Anderson Lowe got married the day after graduation, not Thanksgiving 2014. Paige also reports: “I learned I didn’t like my job and found a new one. Consequently, Grant and I will move across the country to the Seattle area. I’ll work as a programmer at a data analytics company, while Grant interviews for teaching jobs. We also got two cats. One of them’s fat. One of them’s dumb. We’re far too proud of them.” ❯ Miranda Loeber finished her post-bac year and headed to Phoenix, Arizona, for a year-long apprenticeship in the Phoenix Theatre costume shop. ❯ Laura Pochodylo works in digital marketing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. ❯ Ashley Wolfgang is a communications coordinator at Columbia College Chicago. ❯ Noelia Fraga gets by with tutoring, babysitting, and working at an after-school program to teach circus arts to kids in Chicago. ❯ Alan Avitia finished his first year at Northern Illinois University working on a master’s degree in public administration and is an administrative intern in a Chicago suburb. He has started an independent promotional/booking business while writing and playing extreme music in a band and on his own. ❯ Savannah Whitten moved to Gongju, South Korea, to teach English as a second language. ❯ Chris Frane started an online master’s program in bioinformatics at Johns Hopkins University. ❯
Cody Sehl ’15 Trading Pixels for Pedals After picking up his degree in computer science from Knox College at Commencement on June 7 and before starting his new job in Denver, Cody Sehl traded programming pixels for pushing pedals—as he embarked on a cross-country bicycle ride from Illinois to Colorado. SUBMITTED (2)
nities in the Los Angeles area and continues her improvisational work in classes at iO West. ❯ Haley Schutt moved to St. Paul and works full-time for 360 communities in one of its two women’s shelters as a domestic and sexual violence advocate. ❯ Nathaniel Grady teaches elementary school and started a master’s program in aerospace engineering at San Jose State. ❯ Sarah Martin finished her post-bac and will work at the Brookfield Zoo as its conservation science behavioral research intern. ❯ Addie Larson moved into an apartment with Emmett! Together, they helped rebuild a crumbling nonprofit organization that helps people. ❯ Hannah Compton is the costume specialist at Skokie Park District’s Devonshire Playhouse. ❯ Rachael Koene lives and works near Cincinnati. She does schizophrenia research at the University of Cincinnati in the psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience department. ❯ Mya Kahler is a production assistant at the American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin. ❯ Charlie and Erin Megenity left the country at the end of June for Peace Corps service in Ethiopia. ❯ Bill Beeson volunteered as an assistant teacher at the Chinese Community Church of Indianapolis’s Chinese School. This fall, he will begin the Asian studies M.A. program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. ❯ Phil Tallman is a financial advisor for Edward Jones and has established his own office in Mt. Prospect, Illinois. ❯ Jesse Mitchell and Laura Crossley live together in the D.C. area. Laura is a records management specialist at George Mason University and working on a master’s degree in history through employee tuition waivers. Jesse is the assistant general manager at a Jimmy John’s in Arlington and the house manager for an arts center at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria. ❯ Stephanie Campbell is a K-6 general music teacher and 7-12 choir director in Galva, Illinois. She is pursuing a master’s degree in education as a reading specialist at Olivet Nazarene University. ❯ Michelle Orr is the artistic operations manager for the Peoria Symphony Orchestra. She started a youth theatre company, Imagine That Productions, in Morton, Illinois. ❯ Teagan Eastman is a second-year graduate student in the library and information science program at the University of Illinois. She is also a graduate assistant in the Undergraduate Library. ❯ Hannah Bloyd-Peshkin lives in Cleveland with Josh Tatro ’13 and works as a junior cluster (3rd-5th grade) teacher at the Lakeshore Intergenerational School in Cleveland. Josh works for Teach For America and will teach 7th grade social studies in Cleveland this fall. ❯ Katherine “Kat” Kline is a senior life skills instructor at the Little City Foundation in Palatine, Illinois. She lives in a tiny apartment with her guinea pig, Ogg. In 2016, she plans to pursue a Master of Social Work degree and live with her significant other, as well as Ogg. ❯ Amber Hogan graduated from nursing school (Goldfarb in St. Louis) in August. Since the beginning of the year, she has participated in a belly
“I’ve always been interested in going around the country,” Sehl said, as he worked on readying his bike for the two-week trip, Galesburg to Denver, that began June 15. “This is by far the biggest trip I’ve attempted,” Sehl said. He was aiming for 50 to 100 miles a day and chronicled the trip at www.twitter.com/codysehl. “I’ve got a couple of months before I start work, and I thought it would be so cool to ride to Denver,” Sehl said. He started work in Denver as a software developer in mid-August. Before hitting the road, Sehl wrapped up a big computer programming project in Knox’s StartUp Term. Read more about StartUp Term on page 14.
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
77
Emily Nield is a news clerk for Enterprise Publishing in Blair, Nebraska. Her time is split between desk duties (typing obituaries, police reports, etc.) and writing articles. Class Correspondents: Esther Farler-Westphal efarler@knox.edu Natalia Binkowski nbinkows@knox.edu
2015 Class Correspondent: Erik Gustafson gustafson.erik.j@gmail.com
Marriages and Unions Laurie Anderson ’77 and Jon Hanson on 6/22/14. Peggy Sleeth Cardwell ’83 and Robert Addleman on 3/21/15. Paisly Mitchell Di Bianca ’91 and Matthew P. Kauth on 7/2/15. John Doyle ’02 and Stephanie Selmer on 9/27/14. Mary “Franny” Killian ’02 and Wendell Thomas on 10/26/13. Dorothy E. L. “Dell” Longbrake ’03 and Ian Gardner on 3/15/15. Angela Rossman ’03 and Tom Spierings on 5/16/15. Andrea Burke ’05 and Vince Odorisio on 12/13/14. Briana Trainor ’05 and Ken Menconi on 8/9/14. Nicole Olson ’06 and Peter Burghardt ’07 on 9/14/14. Rachel Smith ’06 and Damir Kulbayev on 8/29/15. Heather Elomaa ’07 and Dominic Galante on 6/13/15. Malissa Kent ’07 and Ragan Webber on 10/5/14. Julia Strehlow ’07 and and Ari Bernstein on 10/11/14. Andrew Warwick ’07 and Anita Patel on 6/20/15. Liza Fate ’08 and Brian Steen on 5/24/15. Natasha Robin ’08 and Ben Berman on 8/31/14. Jessica Strache ’08 and Chris Brandis on 11/7/14. Audra Boekenhauer ’09 and Matt Allis ’08 on 6/27/15. Taramaria Hood ’09 and Ryan Lunsford on 8/27/2015. Brittany Leggans ’09 and Vito Russo Moliterni on 6/22/2015. Pac Pobric ’09 and Adrian Marshall on 7/31/15. Kanjana Rajaratnam ’09 and Josh Hartshorne on 8/15/2015. Deana Rutherford ’09 and Avner Shanan on 5/24/15. Cheyenne Cortez-Faupel ’10 and Josh Franklin ’07 on 6/1/14.
78
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
Andrea Johnston ’10 and Aaron Palmer ’11 on 6/29/13. Kara Krewer ’10 and Andrew Kottwitz on 10/26/14. Caroline Coatney ’11 and Peter Walker ’11 on 10/18/14. Cat Manning ’11 and Paul Dodman on 8/30/14. Marnie Shure ’11 and Kevin Morris ’11 on 5/23/15. Emma Gingold ’12 and Josh Wood ’12 on 11/21/14. Jacob Scholl ’12 and Stacey Van Zuiden on 7/10/15. Bobby Stuebi ’12 and Annika Paulsen ’12 on 7/3/15. Sophie Townsend ’13 and Gaige Spencer on 7/3/15. Elizabeth Woodyard ’13 and Chris Johnson ’11 on 1/17/15.
Deaths Knox is in the process of upgrading its alumni records database, which has resulted in some delays in processing updates. If you are aware of a recent death that does not appear below, please let us know. We will publish a complete list in our next issue. Inez McGaan Briggs ’37 on 2/25/15. Betty Ingram Davenport ’39 on 12/8/14. Lucile Coon Troutner ’39 on 2/7/15. Dorothy Cline Walker ’39 on 3/10/15. Helen Weimer Mohill ’40 on 4/4/15. Martha Lingwall LaDuke ’41 on 12/27/14. Theodore Van Vliet ’41 on 10/3/14. Barbara Lindstrom Brigham ’43 on 12/4/14. Betty Madison Gunther ’43 on 4/30/15. Clark Sells ’43 on 1/5/15. Barbara Van Vliet Badger ’44 on 3/19/15. Edward Mulligan ’44 on 12/17/14. Helen Garrett Deyen ’45 on 4/23/15. Maxine Rendleman Fritz ’45 on 3/1/15. Virginia York McCarthy ’45 on 2/3/15. Duane Adleman ’46 on 1/4/15. Joan Kelly Hall ’46 on 1/29/15. Wanda Weaver O’Connor ’46 on 3/5/15. Albert Greer ’47 on 3/17/15. Wilbert Eastman Jr. ’48 on 4/9/15. Richard Firth ’48 on 5/17/15. Margaret Moore Kress ’48 on 3/3/15. Jacqueline Stahl Malley ’48 on 6/30/15. Marylou Guenther Simmons ’48 on 12/14/14. Marcia Faust Swanson ’48 on 4/2/15. Richard Galloway ’49 on 3/29/15. Shirley Chap MacDaniel ’49 on 12/26/14. Richard Pearson ’49 on 3/5/15. John Wagner Jr. ’49 on 1/8/15. Mabel Hunter Weber ’49 on 1/24/15. Grace Bacon Bacher ’50 on 1/30/15. George Bahorich ’50 on 12/28/14. Jane Denninger Erickson ’50 on 12/12/13. Russell Fox ’50 on 4/3/15. Vernon Mannon ’50 on 2/23/15. Jack Mills ’50 on 3/28/15. Elizabeth Potter Sherrick ’50 on 2/11/15.
Fred Swanson ’50 on 3/12/15. Joe Bailey ’51 on 5/10/15. Richard Kirkpatrick ’51 on 11/6/14. Verlyn “Swede” Roskam ’51 on 3/13/15. Charles Carrico ’52 on 3/16/15. Lorna Carlson Drought ’52 on 1/26/15. John Donham ’53 on 10/11/14. Jean Pope Mathews ’53 on 8/10/14. Milton Tanzer ’53 on 8/26/14. Marilyn Kreitzburg ’54 on 4/2/15. Phyllis Holowaty Albrecht ’56 on 4/2/15. Carl Humke ’57 on 2/20/15. John Rossow ’57 on 7/18/15. Judith Meyer Schreiber ’57 on 3/9/15. Paul Sizemore ’57 on 4/26/15. Paul Arahood ’58 on 3/23/15. Heaton Buckley ’58 on 2/18/15. Eva Stone Duncan ’58 on 12/20/14. Jon Johnson ’58 on 1/17/15. Robert Stromquist ’58 on 11/13/14. George Stankus ’59 on 4/17/15. John Connors ’60 on 11/30/14. Victor Fraenckel ’60 on 1/4/15. Martin Judd ’60 on 5/10/15. David Lappegard ’60 on 2/28/15. Richard Todd Allen ’61 on 5/10/15. Richard Bennett ’61 on 5/16/14. Robert Chiperfield ’61 on 5/4/15. James Johnson ’64 on 4/30/15. Gerald Stubbs ’68 on 7/18/15. Mike Burns ’69 on 7/16/15. Diane Scott Stubbs ’69 on 7/18/15. Gregory Thomas ’69 on 1/26/15. Andrew Forberg Jr. ’70 on 5/9/15. Mary Lowe ’70 on 2/20/15. Peter Noznick ’70 on 11/16/14. Debra Sue Koretz ’72 on 2/8/15. William Mannix ’72 on 12/19/14. Bruce Patzer ’74 on 1/31/15. Charles Berg ’76 on 10/20/14. James March ’81 on 3/8/15. Mary Filosa Brown ’82 on 8/18/15. Michael Sieg ’83 on 7/11/15. Aimee Coath ’86 on 6/2/15. Meredith Shuppy ’08 on 3/27/15. Edward Allen ’15 on 1/24/15.
Deaths of Friends Brian Donoghue, father of Kathleen Donoghue ’12, on 2/18/14. Alex Garcia, partner of the late Bruce Ezerski ’71, on 3/7/14. Barbara Trevor, wife of James Trevor ’38, on 6/6/14. Bertrand Cooper, husband of Sandra Cooper ’64 and father of Allison Cooper ’92, on 7/27/14. Thomas Wisshack, brother of Ann Wisshack Kamano ’64, on 8/3/14. Don Johnson, husband of Mary Ellen Alt Johnson ’65, on 8/19/14. Stephen Franklin, father of Stephen Franklin ’98, on 9/3/14.
Class Knox Roxanne Christianson, mother of Angela Christianson ’97, on 10/3/14. Kathryn Olson, daughter of James Weber ’51 and Margaret Wetmore Weber ’51, on 10/26/14. Larry Alkire, husband of Marilyn Busker Alkire ’58, on 11/4/14. Rita Bland, mother of Kenneth Black ’99, on 11/29/14. Virginia Burgess, mother of Phil Burgess ’61, on 12/4/14. Louise Tucker, mother of Joyce Tucker Allison ’72 and grandmother of Reed Allison ’00 and Andrea Allison Leibach ’08, on 12/14/14. David Powell, friend of the College, on 12/15/14. Bonnie Niehus, wife of Ed Niehus, professor emeritus of English, and former Knox librarian, on 12/16/14. Frank Adams, friend of the College, on 12/26/14. Donald Anderson, friend of the College, on 12/26/14. Dean Grimes, grandfather of Michael Wood ’08, on 12/26/14. Norma Bush, friend of the College, on 1/13/15. Shirley Bence, mother of Judith Bence Barnicle ’73 on 1/15/15. James Spaide, father of Stephen Spaide ’86, on 1/16/15. Bernice Fraser, friend of the College, on 1/18/15. Roanne Larson, mother of Ryan Larson ’11, on 1/19/15. Bonnie Wells, mother of Jaclyn Wells ’03, on 1/30/15. Mark Schreiber, friend of the College, on 2/1/15. Nancy Willett, mother of Barbara Schulze, human resources, on 2/11/15. Richard Yemm, friend of the College, on 2/19/15. Wilma Haerr, mother of Susan Haerr Zucker ’78 and mother-in-law of Paul Zucker ’78, on 2/24/15. Thomas Duncan, husband of Eva Stone Duncan ’58, on 2/24/15. Marion A. Nordeen, friend of the College, on 2/25/15. Richard Johnson, friend of the College, on 2/26/15. Ines Mears, wife of Robert Mears III ’43, on 2/27/15. Barbara Lundeen, mother of Julie Nelson, business office, on 3/4/15. Odra Eberhardt, mother of Nancy Eberhardt, professor of anthropology, and mother-in-law of Steve Cohn, professor of economics, 3/10/15. Bonnie Brant, friend of the College, 3/15/15. Herbert Towel Perrin, Jr., husband of Diane Chamberlain ’54, on 3/7/15. Marion Murphy, wife of Robert Murphy ’31 and grandmother of Tony Etz ’83, on 3/16/15.
Jayne Fentem, friend of the College, on 3/30/15. Lucinda Lynch, friend of the College, on 3/31/15. Frank Mower, brother of Robert Mower ’42, on 4/4/15. Karl John Weimer, brother of Emily Weimer ’13, on 4/8/15. Martha Maguire Roest, mother of Mariangela Maguire, Vovis Center for Research & Advanced Study, and de facto mother-in-law of Laura Behling, dean of the College, on 4/6/15. Robert C. Whitlatch, distinguished professor emeritus of theatre, father of Lisa Whitlatch Hodierne ’84, Adam Whitlatch ’06 and Andrew Whitlatch ’10, and father-in-law of Sara Fink Whitlatch ’06 and Rachel Kueker Whitlatch ’10, on 4/11/15. Robert Dyer, father of Jim Dyer, assistant professor of journalism, on 4/11/15. Davey “Dave” Benedict, father-in-law of Karen Benedict, registrar’s office, on 4/16/15. Anna Miller, wife of Lane Miller ’50, on 4/18/15. Pat Rinella, wife of Sam Rinella Jr. ’49, on 4/26/15. Jose Colindres, father of Adriana Colindres, communications, on 4/29/15. Roger Coverley, husband of Celia Morgan Coverley ’55, on 4/30/15. Larry Miller, friend of the College, on 5/4/15. Ralph Balgemann, father of Lee Balgemann ’68, on 5/17/15. Gerald Clark, husband of Patti Ann Clark, admissions, on 6/2/15. Alice Fidler, former director of food service, on 6/9/15. Lloyd Brill, father-in-law of Ann Brill, financial aid, on 6/13/15. Mertyce Erickson Meyer, friend of the College, on 6/17/15. Bernard Lewis, father of Rose Garrison, advancement, on 6/21/15. Bruce Garr Oldfield, father of Duane Oldfield, associate professor of political science and fatherin-law of Karen Kampwirth ’86, Robert W. Murphy Professor of Political Science, on 7/4/15.
In Memoriam Robert Whitlatch, Professor Emeritus of Theatre Robert C. Whitlatch, the longtime theatre professor known as “Doc Bob” to generations of Knox students, died at home in Galesburg on April 11, 2015. He was 79. Born in Detroit and educated at Denison University (B.A.) and University of Illinois (M.A. in 1958 and Ph.D. in 1962), Whitlatch came to Knox in 1966 and, for the next 42 years, was an integral part EVAN TEMCHIN ’10 of its community. A member of the faculty committee that established the interdisciplinary First-Year Preceptorial Program in 1970, he also created, in collaboration with fellow theatre professor Ivan Davidson, Knox’s longest-running immersive term, the Repertory Theatre Term. At his retirement, colleagues noted that, “rather like Brigadoon, [Rep Term] only happens once every three years,” in part because it was such a huge time commitment in Whitlatch’s already-packed schedule. Whitlach was the first Knox faculty member named to the Robert M. and Katherine A. Seeley Distinguished Service Professorship, was twice awarded Knox’s highest honor for teaching—the Phillip Green Wright/Lombard College Prize for Distinguished Teaching, and received the Caterpillar Faculty Achievement Award in 2008. During his Knox career, he served as a teacher, department chair, member of numerous faculty committees (from the Fringe Benefit Task Force to the Curriculum Committee), and as Grand Marshal at formal College events, leading the procession at Commencement. He is survived by his wife, Jo (Finch) Whitlach; a daughter, Lisa (David) Hodierne ’84 of Charleston, South Carolina; three sons: Rob (Chris Clark) Whitlatch of Mapleton, Illinois; Adam (Sara Fink ’06) Whitlatch ’06 of Madison, Wisconsin; and Andrew (Rachel Kueker ’10) Whitlatch ’10 of Galesburg; and three grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Joan (Cochran) Whitlatch, whom he married in 1958.
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
79
80
KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2015
Parting Shot Cheers to the Class of 2015 Carlyne Stokesbary, a long-time dining services employee, raises a glass for the Class of 2015 on Friday, June 5, in Alumni Hall’s Petrovich Atrium—the first time the Senior Class toast was held in the newly renovated building. Photo by Evan Temchin ’10
Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID Knox College
MAGAZINE Knox College Galesburg, Illinois 61401-4999
knoxcollege1837
FOLLOW
KNOX COLLEGE ON SNAPCHAT And don’t forget to follow us on
@knoxcollege1837