Omega. Wetzel worked his way up from assistant cashier to president of the Bank of Edwardsville, and by the time he retired in 2004, the bank’s assets had grown from $80 million to more than $1 billion. “Because of his presence and through his efforts, Edwardsville is a much better place,” said the city’s mayor, Gary Niebur. “He helped build this community, and at the same time he helped individuals and businesses grow and prosper.” Wetzel also served in the National Guard for six years, earning the rank of staff sergeant. In 2002, he received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, which had been given to fewer than 1,500 individuals at the time since its creation four decades earlier. Two years later, he received Monmouth’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. Survivors include his wife, Carol Kemmerer Wetzel ’60.
1960
Won Moo Hurh, 80, of Macomb, Ill., died April 12, 2013. Hurh came to Monmouth after serving on the front lines as a second lieutenant in the Army of the Republic of Korea during the Korean War. He wrote about his experiences in his recently-released book, I Will Shoot Them from My Loving Heart. After graduating from Monmouth with a degree in economics, he furthered his studies at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, receiving a Ph.D. in sociology and ethnology. From 1965 to 1969, he was a professor of sociology at Monmouth, eventually settling at Western Illinois University, where he taught for 29 years as one of America’s leading scholars of Korean-American immigration. Survivors include his wife of 49 years, Gloria Hurh, who also taught at MC.
and Northern Illinois University. McKeown was a librarian at the Warren Country Library in Monmouth, Western Illinois Library System and the Galesburg Public Library.
1962 John Whipple, 71, of Scottsdale, Ariz.,
died Jan. 20, 2011. He graduated with a degree in history and was a member of the cross country team and Sigma Phi Epsilon. Whipple was a schoolteacher in three states, including 23 years in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
1963
William Hemphill, 70, of Arlington, Va., died Nov. 10, 2012. Among his many activities as a student was membership in Crimson Masque and Tau Kappa Epsilon. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in history from MC, Hemphill earned a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University. After retiring from the International Monetary Fund, he taught at Georgetown University and George Washington University. Hemphill, who followed his parents to Monmouth, is survived by brothers John Hemphill ’58 and James Hemphill ’65. Phyllis Baker Linder, 85, of Galesburg, Ill., died April 13, 2013. She majored in elemen-
Judith Mohler Pioch, 74, of Elburn, Ill., died May 13, 2013. She studied elementary education and was a member of Kappa Delta. Later in life, she completed an undergraduate degree in early childhood development at Northeastern Illinois University, and she worked with developmentally disabled children. Survivors include her husband of 54 years, Albert Pioch ’58. Gretchen Cook Street, 73, of Houston, Texas, died Sept. 9, 2011. She majored in psychology and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. After raising her two daughters, she worked as a legal secretary for Exxon Corporation.
1961
Charlene Baldwin, 72, of Biggsville, Ill., died Sept. 12, 2012. She graduated with a degree in biology. She worked in a doctor’s office in Kirkwood for 12 years, then continued employment in the health care field with various agencies and nursing homes. Paul Dutton, 73, of Hanover Park, Ill., died Dec. 3, 2012. He worked for Far-mall for 19 years before moving to the Chicago area, where he was the operating manager for Madden Communication, retiring in 2004. Lynn McKeown, 73, of Galesburg, Ill., died Jan. 31, 2013. He majored in English and then received graduate degrees in library science from the University of Minnesota
monmouth college magazine | winter 2014
tary education and was a second grade teacher in Knoxville, Ill., for 35 years. Survivors include a brother, Robert Baker ’65. She was preceded in death by a sister, Joan Baker Watson ’64, and by her husband of 64 years.
1965
William Hanford of Glen Echo, Md., died Oct. 26, 2012. He was a CATA major and a member of Crimson Masque. After graduating from Vanderbilt Law School, Hanford he joined the patent litigation firm Pennie Edmonds in New York City, focusing on making rural water safe to drink in Africa, Asia and South America. Survivors include his wife of nearly 50 years, Mona Hanford, who was on the MC faculty in the 1960s.
1966 Jane Eidt Graham, 69, of Mesa, Ariz.,
died May 27, 2013. A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, she was in ROTC at Monmouth, graduating with a degree in government. During the Vietnam War, she served as a logistics officer in Thailand. Graham earned a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and had a second career as a tax accountant.
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In Memoriam: Beloved Coach Ole led Fighting Scots wrestling program to great heights MIKE “OLE” OLSON, who coached seven sports at Monmouth College before his retirement in 2005, passed away July 12, 2013, at the age of 76 after a long battle with cancer. OLSON, WIDELY KNOWN AS “Coach Ole,” began his Monmouth career in 1990 as an assistant football coach and head wrestling coach. Two wrestlers—John Chapman in 1991 and Scott Bayer in 1998—earned All-American honors under his tutelage. In 1997, Olson implemented his “Operation Pin and Win” strategy, earning the Fighting Scots their only team conference title in the history of the wrestling program. Olson also broke new ground in women’s sports at Monmouth, serving as the first coach of the women’s golf program when the college added that sport in 1999 and guiding the team to a third place finish at the conference tournament. The following spring, Olson took the reins of the men’s program for one season. He also assisted the men’s and women’s soccer programs. In 2001, Olson again answered the call, serving as the head softball coach for a team that set numerous team records while qualifying for the fourteam Midwest Conference Tournament. The squad won a record 21 games.
Away from the field, the community-minded Olson served the college as the director of wellness and was instrumental in beginning the Red Cross Blood Drop Challenge with Knox College in an effort to raise blood donations for the local Red Cross Chapter. During his 41-year coaching career that spanned six institutions from the Midwest to the East Coast, Olson produced 61 All-Americans and eight national champions. His ability on the mats resulted in his induction into four Halls of Fame. His first came in 1984 when he was inducted into the NAIA Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame. Induction into the Halls at UNC-Pembroke, Jamestown and Upper Iowa followed. A celebration of life, which attracted many of Olson’s former team members, was held at the family home across the street from campus, where his wife, Barb Olson, resides. Barb has been a member of the campus food service staff for the past 18 years.
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