3 minute read
Great Alumni Story
Dan ’75, ’79 and Sheryl ’79 Yoder set up an estate plan, remembering their alma mater
Sheryl Yoder ’79 moved to Alamosa in 1978 to begin her master’s degree in guidance and counseling. She used her education to work in the field of community mental health, until retiring in 2018. “I enjoyed a rewarding career of providing individual and group therapy sessions, with an emphasis on treating individuals with a history of trauma.”
She fondly remembers Gordon Golsan, Ph.D. “He was so warm and welcoming, inviting my friend and I to his home and meeting his wonderful family. This led to a life-long friendship with Gordon and his wife, Wanda. They have had a tremendous impact on my life.”
She and Dan met at the outdoor racquetball courts, then located on the west wall of Plachy Hall. “I quickly fell in love.” They were married in June 1979. “We have had an exciting journey together for the past 40+ years and have been blessed with two wonderful children. It all started at Adams State.”
The decision to remember Adams State in estate planning was a combination of time and age. “Retirement has given me the incentive to reflect on my life and many blessings,” Dan Yoder, Ph.D. ’75, ’79 said. He appreciates his family and friends, and his career which led to a comfortable and good life. “I realized it is time to give back to the people and institutions that made all of this possible. Adams State and the people I met there are at the top of that list.”
Dan Yoder worked as a park and recreation director, then earned his doctoral degree at the University of Illinois, and for the next 25 years served as a professor and ultimately chair of the Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration Department at Western Illinois University. After retiring, he and Sheryl moved to SW Missouri and live on a little farm in the country.
A first-generation student, Dan Yoder attended Adams State on a wrestling scholarship. His parents never attended high school. He learned discipline and accountability from his coaches Moses and Ulrich. “They had high expectations for each wrestler and accepted no excuses. We had to give everything in the practice room, matches, and at tournaments. If we lost, we had no one to blame but ourselves. We didn’t lose very often.”
Off the mat, Dan Yoder soaked up his academics as well. “It was a privilege to learn from some of the brightest and kindest people in the world. Not only did I learn about plant physiology from Dr. Veryl Keen (emeritus professor of biology), exercise physiology from Dr. Joe I. Vigil (emeritus professor of health, physical education and recreation) and tournament bracket design from Dr. Jack Cotton (emeritus professor of health, physical education and recreation), I learned about the vast and exciting world beyond southern Colorado. I developed a life-long love for learning and living at Adams State.”
It would take pages to tell all of Dan Yoder’s favorite memories as a student but a few that stick out include: running the trail along the Rio Grande out past the golf course to Splashland in negative 40 degree weather; green chile burritos at the Ace Inn, and cinnamon rolls at the Campus Café. “My best memory is watching a beautiful young lady playing racquetball. I found the courage to talk to her and we began dating. Sheryl Mumbower became the love of my life.”
