Cornell Report, Fall 2021

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Cornell Report

Traditions That Unite Us

Hilltop welcomes large class

ON THE COVER: One of the oldest Rams team rituals is the ringing of the victory bell in Van Metre Field at Ash Park.

—CORNELL COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

Cornell College welcomed 404 new students this fall, our largest group of firstyear and transfer students since 2003. Cornell’s total enrollment is now 1,055, with students from nearly every state and 18 countries outside the U.S. “When we look at the quality of students coming in, this is a big year,” said Vice President of Enrollment Management Wendy Beckemeyer. “This class has a high-performing GPA, excellent test scores, increased diversity,

and we’ve extended our geographic reach. This class will contribute greatly to our already outstanding student body.”

Student turnout at the first home football game was estimated at 300, a large increase over games in the recent past.

“There’s a vibrancy that happens as you increase the number of people participating in a community. We are certainly seeing that on our campus,” Beckemeyer told Iowa’s News Now, the local CBS affiliate.

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CONTENTS

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Cornell culture

CORNELL COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

The traditions and rituals that unite us

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Living life audaciously Cornellians are reinventing their lives

THE KIOSK

A large class has arrived on the Hilltop, and it took no time for them to get into the spirit at a football game against rival Coe College.

KANESHA LEE BAYNARD ‘94

L I F E A F T E R CO R N E L L

Lee Swanson ’60 Possessed by the prairie

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Belen Castellanos Tokarski ’95

Leonard Stewart Jr. ’20

Leading people forward

Futuristic fashion

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43

DEPARTMENTS

2 You Said 4 Around the Hilltop

16 Ram Report 44 Alumni News 1

54 In Memoriam

56 Last Word

You Said Volum e 4 5 / FA L L 2 02 1

Cornell Report EDITOR

Dee Ann Rexroat ’82 drexroat@cornellcollege.edu 319.895.4241 ASSISTANT EDITOR

Lisa Gray Giurato DESIGN

Amy Belice Graphic Design PRINTER

Lane Press CLASS NEWS CONTRIBUTORS

Zoe Russell Maxwell Love

Cornell Report is published fall, spring, and summer for alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends of the college by the Office of Marketing and Communications, Box 1648, Cornell College, 600 First Street SW, Mount Vernon, IA 52314-1098

Contact Us GIFTS TO CORNELL ADDRESS CHANGE

877.MVERNON (683.7666) giving@cornellcollege.edu ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT OFFICE

319.895.4204 alumni@cornellcollege.edu

I LEARNED SO MUCH The day the summer 2021 Cornell Report arrived, I read it cover to cover without stopping and then went back to reread. I learned so much. My emotional responses are these: Gratitude to guest editor Heather ‘Byrd’ Roberts ’09 for what she and others are doing and for the vast amount of work involved in this issue; disappointment and anger with myself for being so slow to learn over the last decades; and concern about how difficult the message is to give and, for too many of us, to receive.

Much of the reading and factual knowledge I know from the DEI work at the private school where I teach and from my faculty friends and students. What stood out to me is the honesty with which Cornellians of color spoke, and I’m sure we are only reading a tiny sampling of the pain—as well as the successes and joys felt by Cornellians too often thought of as “other.” At the same time, even over five decades since my graduation, the qualities that made Cornell so special to me are ones that we share still today.

Your combination of visual art, poetry, historical context, and people’s personal stories make this issue a special gift and one of the most significant ones you could give as Cornell continues educating both on the Hilltop and in the lives of alums.

Helen Smith ’67 Brookhaven, Georgia

REGISTRAR

319.895.4372 registrar@cornellcollege.edu ATHLETICS

319.895.4230 athletics@cornellcollege.edu ADMISSION

800.747.1112 admission@cornellcollege.edu cornellcollege.edu/cornell-report

COVERAGE EVOKES CONCERNS, QUESTIONS The announcement in the Cornell Report of a “foundational shift” to what appears to be institutional advocacy for a particular social justice agenda aroused concerns and questions that fall into three categories.

One: Does such advocacy for a particular social justice role conflict with the traditional role of the university to continually seek truth in diversity? The question is wellposed by Jonathan Haidt in his YouTube video on “Two incompatible sacred values in the university.”

Two: The apparent choice of the social justice agenda seems unpopular and highly problematic, if not dangerous.

Three: The acceptance of this foundational shift suggests an orthodoxy of thought on campus not reflective of the general population of our culture, and it doesn’t reflect positively on the existing diversity of thought on campus or the level of scholarship at Cornell. Discussed plans suggest this situation could grow worse.

Robert Clark ’72 ONLINE-ONLY OPTION To opt out of the printed magazine and be notified by email when each issue is online, contact the editor at cornellreport@cornellcollege.edu

Glendale, Wisconsin

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION We are delighted to publish letters and social media mentions. Tag @cornellcollege to be considered on social media. Send letters to cornellreport@cornellcollege.edu or Cornell Report, Box 1648, 600 First St. SW, Mount Vernon, IA 52314-1098. Submissions are edited for style, length, and clarity.

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YOU SAID

SUBSTANTIVE, MULTIVOCAL CONTENT

DEEP AWAKENING IS NEEDED

I am just starting to delve into the rich content and conversations that are part of guest editor Heather ‘Byrd’ Roberts’ special summer 2021 issue of the Cornell Report and I want to tell her congratulations on another amazing achievement. I will never forget her amazing production at Cornell of Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow is Enuf.” It is still the best production I have ever seen.

I am loving the substantive and multivocal content of this issue, its visual layout, and resources.

Thank you for kicking off some courageous conversation at Cornell!

WOW! What an issue!

Congratulations to Heather ‘Byrd’ Roberts ’09 on a very professional and well done issue. Even the artwork is so moving. I read the whole thing cover to cover and was inspired. This is an issue everywhere and it is difficult.

I guess if it were easy, it would have been dealt with years ago.

The issues were there in the late ’50s when Gary (Jorgensen ’60) and I were at Cornell and are still there now. We need an awakening that goes deep into our hearts. We need more people like Byrd who are opening our eyes. I’m proud of (President) Jonathan (Brand) and the Trustees for taking this issue seriously. Change will happen!

Professor of History Catherine Stewart Iowa City, Iowa

REPORT NEGATES WONDERFUL MEMORIES So much of what is in the Report negates the wonderful memories I had during the best four years of my life at Cornell. Cornell was a small Christian college where all students were equal. I learned about Korean culture and food from two friends from Korea. An Indian friend went on to be a pediatric specialist in Chicago. The Iowa girls were sure that I had to fight for my life back home in Chicago, and of course, they were wrong. I found out that Iowa gals were a lot more sophisticated than I expected them to be, and we all melded.

The college made rules for freshman women to protect us. Freshman women needed to be locked in their dorms by 8:15 p.m. weekdays for the first eight weeks to be sure we were getting the needed grades to allow us more freedom. Freshman boys had no such rules … the thought being that if the girls were locked away. the boys would stay in their dorms too. The old Cornell was what we needed. Everyone

was a Cornellian. That’s all that mattered. Those days of freedom to associate with everyone are gone. The fact that Black Cornellians want separate activities is counter-productive. Separation does not produce inclusion.

Equity of color and culture can’t be forced on people. It must come naturally as the opportunities for inclusion increase. I certainly miss our old Cornell. It was a place of exploration, new friends, and a feeling of protection for all of us.

Judy Hesler Jorgensen ’60 Milwaukee, Wisconsin

COURAGE, BRUTAL HONESTY Congratulations on the recent edition of the Cornell Report titled “I See You.” It was superb. Thanks to everyone who is powering this institutional dive into how to become an anti-racist institution. This takes courage; it takes brutal honesty from speakers of the truth and listeners to the truth alike. I have never been prouder of Cornell College than I am at this moment.

Mardell Koop Schumacher ’54 Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Marcia Radosevich ’74 Wellington, Florida

Said on campus

“Face this year like the Ram: Fearless, bold, powerful, aware of your capabilities, willing to leap into new opportunities, and vowing to forge ahead without fear.”

Health Promotion Director Marcia Sisk All-College Gathering, Aug. 23, 2021

DISSONANCE, SOUL SEARCHING, HOPE Thank you for all the emotion and insight packed into the Cornell Report! It caused some dissonance, some soul searching, and some hope for systemic change.

Marta Wherry Mathatas ’74 Wooster, Ohio 3

ULYSSES PHOTOS: MEGAN CISZEK

Around the Hilltop

A new Ulysses mascot burst on the scene in 2021.

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Meet Ulysses, our fearless mascot.

He’s a ram, sure, but there’s a lot more to him than his fuzzy visage.

Likes SELFIES, HIGH-FIVES, ZAMORA’S COFFEE, LOCAL FARM-TO-FORK FOOD AT THE HILLTOP CAFÉ, CROCHETED RAMS, PUZZLES, THE CORNELL BOOKSTORE, TROPHIES, AND PEP RALLIES.

Favorite things to do SLEDDING DOWN PRES HILL DURING WINTER, PARADES (ANYTIME AND ANYWHERE), SNOOZING IN HAMMOCKS, CHEERING THE RAMS, BROWSING AT THE LUCE ART GALLERY, MAKING HIS MARK AT CHALK THE WALK, EATING AT LATE NIGHT BREAKFAST, GIVING SCRATCHES DURING PET THERAPY DAY, AND PLAYING FOOSBALL.

Favorite authors JAMES JOYCE, WINIFRED MAYNE VAN ETTEN, AND ROBERT P. DANA.

Causes CORNELL SUCCESS LAB, CORNELL’S LUNCH BUDDIES, SUPPORTING CORNELL STUDENTS.

Best friends CORNELL T MOOSE, ALPHONSE ALGEBEAR, AND DIDI, PRESIDENT BRAND’S CANINE RUNNING BUDDY.

Rival CHARLIE THE KOHAWK (OF COE COLLEGE). THE CORNELL VS. COE RIVALRY IS THE OLDEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL RIVALRY WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

Favorite traditions RINGING THE BELL WHEN A VICTORY ON THE FIELD IS ACHIEVED, THE TOILET PAPER TOSS ON THE BASKETBALL COURT WHEN CORNELL SCORES THE FIRST BASKET IN A HOME GAME AGAINST COE, PAINTING THE ROCK AND THE KIOSKS.

Favorite color PURPLE, OF COURSE!

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ROB ALWAY

ENVISAGE STUDIOS

A RO U N D T H E H I L LT O P

Jean Russell ’65

Honorary alumna Dyan Smith and John Smith ’71

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Ralph “Chris” Christoffersen ’59 and Barbara Christoffersen

xcitement on campus is building as generous gifts continue to fund the top priorities of Cornell’s Greater > Than campaign. Three gifts totaling $11.25 million will support the new Ingenuity curriculum. Adding momentum are four major gifts to the Athletics and Wellness Facilities Project, where construction is progressing toward a fall 2022 opening.

Trustee Jean Russell ’65 has provided a $6.25 million endowment gift for the Ingenuity curriculum. In addition, longtime supporters Trustee John Smith ’71 and honorary alumna Dyan Smith are giving a $4 million endowment to support the new program. Ralph “Chris” Christoffersen ’59 and Barbara Christoffersen have committed $1 million, with $900,000 going toward startup costs and the balance toward endowment. Now in its second year, Ingenuity leverages One Course At A Time with first- and second-year seminars, an exploration of disciplines, and real world experience over a student’s four years.

Russell is the namesake for Russell Science Center and Russell Hall (a suite-style residential building), for which she provided leadership funding. She has also contributed recent major gifts to the Athletic and Wellness Facilities Project and Thomas Commons renovation, as well as operational and strategic plan support.

New gifts build momentum for Ingenuity, athletics

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The Smiths have demonstrated their support in numerous ways, particularly with John’s longtime Board of Trustees leadership and major gifts to the recent science campaign, first-year residence halls, the Thomas Commons, the Garner President’s House, and the Rick Meredith Wrestling Complex.

This is the Christoffersens’ third major gift to Cornell, following a gift to the science campaign and the establishment of the Deskin Chair in Chemistry in honor of Professor Emeritus of Chemistry William Deskin, with whom Chris studied and conducted research as a student.

Four gifts toward the $19.5 million Athletic and Wellness Facilities Project are also bringing that project closer to reality. The contemporary health, wellness, and sport center has attracted new gifts of all sizes including four of note: • Trustee Scott Simmer ’73 and his wife, Peggy Schoen, have contributed $250,000. A soccer goalie at Cornell, Simmer said he has always felt competitive sports are an important part of college life.

• Fred Burke ’70, who coached Rams women’s tennis for 28 years without a losing season, has given $200,000.

Burke was inducted into the Cornell College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.

wife, JoAnn Bryant, contributed $150,000. As a former vice president for enrollment, Bryant brought in record-breaking classes for Cornell. The couple are the parents of Cornell Alumni Board President Julie Bryant ’88.

• Trustee John McGrane ’73 and Martha “Marty” Benson McGrane ’73 have increased their generosity to the college with a $100,000 gift to the project. John is a former Board of Trustees chair, both were class agents, and Marty has served on the Alumni Board.

The 1953 Field House time capsule was opened, revealing a large splinter from the old gym, an all-school photo, complete athletic records, then-current newspapers, and other documents. A new time capsule will be placed in the new lobby, with hopes that it will be there for another 70 years, thanks to the generosity of donors who are making the new facility possible.

Among the relics found in the time capsule was a large splinter taken from the 1910 Alumni Gymnasium, now McWethy Hall.

MEGAN CISZEK

Facilities Operations Manager Luke Fischer breaks open the Field House time capsule that was placed in the cornerstone in 1953.

MEGAN CISZEK

• Trustee and honorary alumnus Peter Bryant and his

A RO U N D T H E H I L LT O P

Travel abroad with Cornellians Just as travel is opening up and people are eager to venture into the world again, Cornell is launching the Cornell College Alumni Travel Program.

If you never got to study abroad, or if you did and loved it, now is your chance to join other Cornellians and embark on a learning adventure. AHI Travel, a company with 60 years experience that specializes in alumni travel, is Cornell’s partner. The first two trips will take place in 2022 to France and Italy.

France, June 25–July 3, 2022

President Jonathan Brand and Rachelle LaBarge look forward to sharing their passion for France with Cornellians during this eight-day trip to discover the history and culture of Normandy.

Brand holds a master’s degree in French literature and a bachelor’s degree in history and French. He has studied the language and culture of France and, with Rachelle, has traveled extensively throughout the region. He has led student trips through the country, served as an interpreter, and spent time living in the region.

Italy, Sept. 17–25, 2022

TOP: Cornell’s alumni trip to France includes a visit to Mont-Saint-Michel.

ABOVE: The Cinque Terre is on the itinerary for Cornell’s alumni trip to Italy.

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Professor of Art History Christina Penn-Goetsch will host an eightday trip to discover the treasures of Tuscany. An engaging teacher, she has lived in Rome and worked in the Vatican Secret Archive and Rome’s State archives. She also was a study leader for Smithsonian Journey tours to Sicily and Southern Italy in 2013-14.

Both trips include an AHI travel director who knows the language and customs of the region. The company also provides pre-trip support and customized travel tips. For more information, visit crnl.co/travel

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Ask the Expert

By Assistant Professor of Engineering Niloofar Kamran

Space tourism takes off I hope soon that by advancing space technology, space travel will be safe and affordable to the general public. After all, it was the same path the airlines took not many years ago.

Professor Kamran holds a Ph.D. in engineering physics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, and an M.S. in aerospace engineering from Shahid Beheshti University, Iran. She joined the Cornell College faculty in 2017.

MEGAN CISZEK

Twenty years after the first tourist went to space and more than a decade after the last one, space tourism is making a comeback. In the near future, private companies Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic will offer tickets to fly to suborbital heights at the edge of space, where passengers will experience a few minutes of weightlessness.

A suborbital altitude is about 60 miles from Earth, compared to the altitude of the International Space Station (ISS) at a little over 250 miles. Blue Origin has an advantage over Virgin Galactic, since it is preparing for future flights that orbit the earth and provide a few hours to a couple of days of weightlessness. For now, it seems the Virgin Galactic vehicle cannot do that.

Meanwhile, SpaceX, which has been taking crew and cargo back and forth between the Earth and the International Space Station since 2012, plans to send tourists on a 10-day trip to the ISS before 2021 ends.

The price of tickets for Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic most likely will be around $250,000, which certainly is only attainable for a small percentage of the population. To travel to the ISS with SpaceX, you will pay approximately $55 million. However, as with other luxury goods, there will be enough demand for the businesses to move forward and flourish.

With private companies at the forefront of space tourism, we will soon need to have extensive technical and environmental laws in place to avoid overpopulating space and to guarantee safe travels for the passengers. Debris even in small sizes can be fatal to space travelers. Jacob Winslow ’23 and I worked on the subject of space debris and its mitigation during the 2021 Cornell Summer Research Institute. Inspired by space debris removal methods, Winslow designed and built a net launcher to catch space debris and transfer it to a lower orbit where it eventually burns in the atmosphere.

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A RO U N D T H E H I L LT O P

King of Cornell

By Peter Hoehnle ’96

One of the oldest and most noteworthy of Cornell’s athletics records is the 99-yard touchdown run of George Phelps ’60.

His teammate, Keith “Turp” North ’60, tells the story.

“At Knox College the Rams had held Knox from scoring and we had the ball on their one-yard line.

We called a fullback up the middle play in the huddle. Hall of Famer in three sports, George Phelps, took the handoff and rambled those 99 yards for a Ram touchdown. That record of a touchdown from scrimmage still stands today!”

In fact, it stands as the longest in Midwest Conference history and will never be broken, as 99 yards is the longest possible from scrimmage.

Phelps died in 2019 at age 81.

He had been a second-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos. He earned an MBA at the University of Iowa and worked as the CEO of a bank in his hometown of Kingsley, Iowa, from 1965–2018. Phelps was married with one son and was active in service activities including as a city council member.

From his obituary: “Throughout his life, George had every reason to boast about his successes, but he never did. He was a truly humble, kind, and gentle soul who helped people in countless ways, without ever asking for or expecting anything in return.”

ROBYN SCHWAB AARON ’07

The unbeaten 99-yard run

For nearly 150 years, the 130-foot tower of King Chapel, crowned with a railing of Victorian iron work, has dominated the Cornell landscape. As the first feature of Mount Vernon you see when approaching town, it adds a sort of European gothic academic flair to the Hilltop.

The Chapel was the product of an over-enthusiastic Board of Trustees who chose a Chicago architect who misjudged the costs so much that construction nearly bankrupted the college. The key factor in saving the school was the strict management and frenetic fundraising of Cornell’s third president, William Fletcher King, who also donated 40% of his own salary toward paying the debt.

An Ohio native, King was associated with Cornell as an instructor, acting president, president, and Trustee for 60 years. His presidency, 1863–1908, is the longest in Cornell history.

As a widower whose only child died at age 11, he donated his home to the college for the use of future

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presidents and gifted the college with a fortune— earned through shrewd real estate investments— that was approximately double the salary he had been paid.

King was a gifted administrator with a knack for hiring talented faculty to whom he could delegate authority and who, in turn, respected him for his personal integrity, fairness, personal warmth, and complete devotion to the college he led.

He was every inch the proper Victorian gentleman: 5-foot-10 with a beard and frock coat, serious, dignified, and reserved, but also generous, humble, never pompous, and capable of making bad puns. He was a fixture of the college until his death, 100 years ago this fall, on Oct. 23, 1921.

In 1943 Cornell named the most prominent landmark on campus, the chapel, for King.

On the centennial of his death, we remember King— husband, father, classical scholar, educator, administrator, world traveler, writer, fundraiser, minister, and investor. King should be remembered as more than a name on a building.

He was a visionary who saw the tides of changes

New alumni director not new to Cornell Zoe Russell is the new director of alumni engagement, but she’s not new to Cornell alumni.

Russell has worked in the assistant and associate positions in that office since 2018. She’s helped with Homecoming, numerous alumni events, and is well acquainted with the Alumni Board and many class agents.

Fun fact: During the pandemic she came up with the popular trivia night that engaged alumni from the 1960s to 2020.

“Something I try to do is introduce new forms of events that can engage alumni. It brought people together when we were needing to do virtual events,” Russell says.

Russell is from Ames, Iowa. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a master’s degree in communication studies from Ball State University. Prior to Cornell she taught communication studies courses and was the co-director of the University of Northern Iowa speech team.

“One thing I enjoy about Cornellians is that they represent a variety of interests, careers, and backgrounds, just like we see in students today,” she says. “I enjoy getting to know alumni across generations and hear about what Cornell was like when they were here.”

Look for Zoe at your next alumni gathering.

President William Fletcher King served the college with complete devotion for nearly 60 years until his death 100 years ago.

in education and who took Cornell from a tiny regional college into an established national institution of higher education.

For over 60 years he truly gave everything in service to the college, and town, that he loved. During that time, William Fletcher King was not just the president of the college; in many ways, he WAS Cornell.

Peter Hoehnle ’96 holds a Ph.D. in history from Iowa State University. He assisted professors William Heywood and Richard Thomas in researching “Cornell College: A Sesquicentennial History.”

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ROBYN SCHWAB AARON ’07

One Professor of Biology Marty Condon works with a student outside her office in Russell Science Center.

COURSE

Sex Advice to All Creation”

by Olivia Judson (2002). In recent years, at student requests, she added several books that veer from a traditional binary view of biology, including “Evolution’s Rainbow: Diversity, Gender, and Sexuality in Nature and People” by Joan Roughgarden (2004).

Chemistry and biochemistry and molecular biology major Ravi Parekh ’22 said he learned a lot about how food and sex evolved and how it’s been optimized for our bodies. He also benefited from the group discussion format.

ALL OF BIOLOGY IN FOOD AND SEX

For the past decade Professor of Biology Marty Condon has taught an introductory course that covers what she considers to be the majority of biology: food, sex, and evolution.

WEB EXTRA

See a list of the course book titles at crnl.co/biobooks

“All forms of life eat or consume and process energy,” Condon says. “In contrast, sex is not universal. Some forms of life reproduce without sex. Why be sexual? Sex is risky and complicated, but most humans, and many other forms of life, invest a lot in courtship and mating.”

Diversity: Evolutionary Perspective, also known as Food and Sex, answers some big and interesting questions. Like, why do bugs or people or plants eat what they do?

“Plants eat air and sunlight and water. It’s pretty amazing to me to think all of earth is based on sunlight, air, and water,” she says. “Food is how energy is harnessed and converted. And then you add the spices, and the spices are pretty much what plants make that deter animals and fungi.

Most things that are spicy are also toxic.”

Condon has found so many good books by evolutionary biologists for the public that, rather than assigning a few, she offers six and allows the students to choose two—one from the food and one from the sex category. Every other day there’s a discussion session where students who read the same books discuss and summarize that book, then the groups share their summaries with the class.

Among the books are “Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human” by Richard Wrangham (2009) and “Dr. Tatiana’s 12

Ravi Parekh ’22

“This class helped me develop an effective way to study and participate in discussions,” he says, adding, “Any class with Marty is rewarding because she invests all of her time for the students to succeed.”

Why would someone want to take this class?

Well, as Condon says, “Who isn’t interested in either food or sex?”

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Finding love in familiar spaces to connect with a Cornellian from his era who was also involved in local government. Schmidt has been mayor of Crested Butte for nearly 31 years, and so he did what mayors can do. He called the City of Aspen to find Carver’s contact information (Carver was a member of her town planning and zoning commission), and he asked her to meet him for lunch. She was busy and had to decline.

Time passed, and he was going to be near her area of Colorado, so he asked her to lunch again (she was busy the second time too). The third time was the charm that brought them together.

After lunch, they simply fell into the swing of seeing each other more and more until, finally, they were a definite (class news) item.

“Ruth is bubbly and full of energy,” Schmidt says. “I really enjoy spending time with her.”

Schmidt has never been married before, but he keeps his life full of people he cares about and maintains strong friendships with Cornellians and others he has met along his journey. Carver was married before and has four adult children.

Watching them, it’s hard to believe they haven’t been together since their Hilltop days. They finish each other’s sentences, can tell each other’s life stories, and at the same time, they lean into and look at each other with faces and eyes completely lit up.

Schmidt mentioned a few times to Carver over the course of their relationship

that he’d like to host a big party in the fall of 2021, when he plans to step away from his mayoral seat by not running for reelection.

Eventually, Schmidt started referring to this event as an engagement party. And then, as a wedding reception. And Carver thought, “Well, you haven’t even asked me yet.”

After Carver nursed Schmidt back to health post back surgery, over two salads from a fast-food chain, he popped the question. He only had to ask once before she said yes.

“Jim is a kind, gentle, wonderful man,” Carver says. “When my daughter met Jim, she told me, ‘Mom, he is so good to you.’ And he is.”

Their wedding is to take place outdoors in nature— Schmidt’s version of a wedding chapel—followed by a honeymoon in Hawaii.

— Lisa Gray Giurato

DIANE MARKOWITZ

In the two-plus years since Ruth Turnquist Carver ’70 shared her latest news in the Cornell Report’s Spring 2019 issue, she’s seen some big changes in her life. She now has two grandchildren, she moved from Aspen to Crested Butte, Colorado, although she kept her Aspen home, and she’s getting married to Jim Schmidt ’70.

You might think that the two befriended each other while at the Hilltop and stayed in touch over the years or that their mutual interest in local civics tangled up their lives together after 40 years. Nope. Here’s what happened: Carver’s class news submission to this very alumni magazine caught Schmidt’s attention for a couple of reasons. He saw a chance

Jim Schmidt ’70 and Ruth Turnquist Carver ’70

A RO U N D T H E H I L LT O P

Milts turn 150

C

Milts during the last two prepledges of the season,” Ginsberg says. “I didn’t know any of the members very well when I pledged.

I joined because I saw this idiosyncratic aspect within the members of the group.

This unique quality was just indescribable, one that I still have difficulty explaining today. Yet, I now encapsulate this mysterious quality that makes a Milt a Milt.”

All Cornell alumni are likely to have known a Milt or seen them wearing red and white on campus. Those colors and Greek letters were sure to be visible at Homecoming this fall as Milts planned to pilgrimage to the Hilltop for their sesquicentennial.

Cornell’s Milts tend to attract diversity, at least within the context of a predominantly white campus.

Henry Freeman Coleman, Class of 1910, and the second Black student to graduate from Cornell, was a member of the Miltonian Literary Society.

Diversity also was the first characteristic cited by two prominent members when asked to describe the group.

“It was extra diverse,” says Fred Holtz ’86, a former Cornell Alumni Board director. “We had Black guys when Black guys didn’t join, international students, lots of athletes CORNELL COLLEGE ARCHIVES

ASHTON THURBER ‘23

ornell’s oldest social organization turned 150 this year. Officially known by its Greek letters Mu Lambda Sigma, the Milts are descended from the Miltonian Literary Society, founded in 1871 by Hamline Freer, the college’s first dean and longtime colleague of President William Fletcher King.

Max Ginsberg ’22, Milt alumni secretary and vice president of Greek Council, says the Milts today are as unique, proud, and ambitious as their predecessors. Their seven members, he says, provide leadership on campus in roles as diverse as New Student Orientation, KRNL radio, Hillel, and Student Senate.

Ginsberg almost missed being part of the group.

“I was dead set on becoming an Axe my freshman year, until I met someone who introduced me to the

TOP: Current Milt actives, from left: Jason Dodson ’25, Jake Alm ’23, Max Ginsberg ’22, Matthew Briggs ’22, Blaise Dauzvardis ’23, and Rob Grisamore ’22. Not present: Edan Cohavi ’22.

LEFT: A Miltonian Literary Society meeting in College Hall.

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MEGAN CISZEK

even though we were not a jock fraternity, and majors all over the place.”

Milt 150th anniversary Homecoming event organizer Dennis Schertz ’82 noted that a number of international students were in his cohort, expanding his world view and giving him friends from as far away as Lebanon. And, he notes, the friendships lasted.

“It was always nice, the sense of belonging,” Schertz says. “At supper you could sit at the Milt table if you wanted to. Once you pledged you had a bond with these guys—and a bond 20 years after the fact because you went through the same experience.”

In fact, Schertz is part of a Milt bowling team in the Twin Cities area. And Holtz was part of another group of Milts that met at Milwaukee’s Summerfest for many years.

“That ended once we all had kids, because we behaved like Milts, taking advantage of the beer tents,” he says.

There was a time when the Milts had just one member and almost folded. A group of six men approached the Dean of Students in about 2001 about starting a new group, and she recommended taking over the Milts and their rich history.

“I don’t know if it was once they put that red on, but they were old Milts! It was incredible,” Holtz says.

Milts are connected by name to Allee Chapel as well as Armstrong, Pauley-Rorem, Tarr, and Smith halls. Scott Alumni Center is named for a man who is likely the best-known Milt of all, Paul K. Scott ’29, coach of Cornell’s 1947 national championship wrestling team and later the longtime Cornell alumni director. Each year Milt pledges have their picture taken at founder Freer’s gravesite at the Mount Vernon Cemetery, which, Holtz notes, is right across from the liquor store.

“Being a Milt opened my eyes to a whole different world in Cornell,” says senior Milt active Ginsberg. “I’ve been able to build lifelong friendships with some incredible brothers, and I have been able to connect with Milt alumni from decades ago.

“My leap of faith with joining the Milts was one of the best decisions I have made during my time at Cornell.”

Uptown Mount Vernon surviving pandemic Although it has been tough on main street businesses, the pandemic did not close any uptown Mount Vernon storefronts to date.

“We came back in a big way and are basically back where we were before the pandemic. That doesn’t mean businesses aren’t still struggling to make up for that horrible year,” says Joe Jennison, Director of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Development Group.

Jennison was pleased that the town didn’t lose any restaurants to the pandemic, although the Skillet Café at the corner of First Street and Highway 1 closed in late August, in large part for other reasons. Two shared outdoor dining areas were created uptown by converting parking spots.

“We have a strong local community that knew businesses were in trouble and supported them,” he said. “The fire department even worked with all of 15

our restaurants to deliver food.”

At the First Street Community Center, three retail businesses closed and three opened in their place.

The original high school building has been converted into retail and community space and is located just one block from the uptown intersection.

Bauman’s clothing store, owned by Olivia Cotton Randall ’13 and Josh Randall ’14, recently beat out four competitors in a pitch contest to win a $20,000 state grant available only to Main Street Iowa businesses, which will help them convert the store’s basement into a shoe department.

Jennison reports that the uptown area, from the community center to the visitors center near the water tower, is home to 64 businesses: 30 retail, 25 service, and 9 restaurant-bars.

Ram Report

Rams share memorable moments By

Lisa Gray Giurato

From road trips to great opportunities to life-altering coaches to stories about teeth mishaps, Rams athletes across the decades share their unforgettable moments.

Camaraderie

BEING A PART OF A TEAM THAT CARED more about each other

than themselves.

YOU KNOW WHAT’S CRAZY, it’s not even the games I remember; they’re all a blur. It’s the early morning and late-night bus rides. Singing bus karaoke, hearing guys trying to sing at the top of their lungs. Trying to feed Coach Z (Lane Zierten) bananas when he’s asleep. Or the tough games when it’s so silent you can hear a pin drop and multiple guys saying sorry to one another, wishing they could’ve done this or that. Or the locker room where a person you have never met before becomes your lifelong friend. Those are the times I remember, because, in the end, the game is temporary but these relationships I made with my brothers will last a lifetime.

—Darren Hurt ’83 WE ALL PUSHED EACH OTHER all the time. Working out in the weight room or in the Field House, it was very common for other people from all different sports to give encouragement to others as we tried to make the Ram family better as a whole. Many, many shouts of “GO RAMS!” flew around that building from one sport to another. When you add the local community to the mix, it gets even better. People from Mount Vernon using the Sport Center just added some great encouragement.

—Dale Biser ’02

—George Pewu Ziama ’20

WEB EXTRA

Read the nearly 50 responses to our question: What do you remember most about your Rams athletic experience? crnl.co/ramsremember

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Losing teeth and hair

Opportunities

During my freshman year, my good friend Dave Welter ’76 and I were on the sideline in a game against Monmouth College. That particular year they were huge—as big as many teams in the Big 10. On a running play toward our sideline, our 5-foot-8-inch running back got tackled very hard—so hard, in fact, his mouthpiece came flying out of his mouth.

Dave points and shouts, “They knocked out his teeth!” I STILL LAUGH WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT SOME 45 YEARS LATER.

What I remember most about Cornell athletics can be summed up in one word: opportunity. When I arrived at Cornell, I had played basketball, but in Iowa where we played half-court, 6-on-6. I was a defensive player in high school, so had never practiced shooting. Still, I was allowed to play on Cornell’s team and learned so much. Then, I was encouraged to join the track team. I had never participated in track before (and I still wasn’t very good), but it was a great experience. I remember running hills, again and again. Then doing the long slow distance. That was my favorite part of practices. Just the opportunity to RUN WITH OTHER WOMEN, MILE AFTER MILE.

—Dennis Goettsch ’76 Although I have lots of memories of sports in the 1950s, NONE ARE AS VIVID AS THE FOOTBALL GAME where the late Bob Funston ’55, probably the toughest football lineman or wrestler to ever participate in Cornell athletics, was hit in the face by an opponent and suffered a partially broken tooth—after which he went to the sideline to obtain a pair of pliers, pulled the remainder of the tooth out, and returned to the game. None of our players were surprised by this feat since we knew the passion that Bob played every play in every game.

—Pam Nelson Seebach ’81 In the fall of 1970, the NCAA trap shoot was held at the University of Iowa. I got permission from Athletic Director Paul Maaske to put together a five-man team to represent Cornell. I recruited four friends who had done some pheasant hunting but had very little experience with trapshooting. We looked very different shooting next to the Air Force team in their impressive uniforms and using the highest quality shotguns.

We had a great experience. I expect that was the only time CORNELL

—Ken McKinley ’57 At the start of the swimming season, we were picked to finish fifth in the conference. The team was small in numbers—only eight swimmers and two divers competed at the conference meet—but we were a tight, dedicated group and had totally bought into Coach Steve Miller’s philosophy: Winning is a whole lot better than losing. The night before the conference meet we shaved our heads. It wasn’t planned, in fact, Coach Miller described it as something like “a spontaneous act of HYPED-UP CONTAGIOUS LUNACY.” After all, this wasn’t the NCAAs or the Olympics; Division III kids competing at this level just didn’t do that kind of thing.

But something extraordinary happened the next day. Every time a bald swimmer got up on the blocks, he finished ahead of where he was seeded. Time and again our swimmers overachieved. When it was all over, Cornell outdistanced the field to claim the conference championship. Team Captain Tom Ames ’69 summed up our performance on the ride home, “Of course we were going to win; we deserved it. Plus, who would shave their head and come back to campus and say we finished 5th?”

WAS REPRESENTED IN THE NCAA TRAP SHOOT.

—David Howard ’71

—Andy Applebee ’71

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R A M R E P O RT

Impromptu reactions

wrestled them the night after they’d wrestled Iowa State.

I wrestled at the 142 weight class. Dan Gable from Iowa State had broken the ankle of Hofstra’s 142-pounder the night before. As a result, I wrestled one of the extra wrestlers that Hofstra had brought along on the trip. I won the match. When I came off the mat, Barron shook my hand and challenged me by saying, YOU’RE BETTER THAN YOU THINK YOU ARE. Only a handful of people have made a profound influence on my life. Barron was one of those people.

I think it was the 1958 season. We were playing Monmouth and our team had set up the perfect punt return play. The wall was in place. Bob Hilmer ’62 was motoring down the sideline behind the wall headed for the goal line when, OUT OF NOWHERE, HE WAS TACKLED! Come to find out a Monmouth player on the sidelines could not control himself, came off the bench, and made the tackle. This whole situation was published in the next issue of Sports Illustrated!

My guess is Cornell College has only been in that publication twice—once as the 1947 NCAA Wrestling Champions and that play in 1958.

—Kim Luther ’72

Our softball team, during early spring, BUILT A GIANT SNOWMAN in order to clear the field just so we could practice!

I played football from 1975 to ’78. The a.m. practice was early. It was humid and the grass was always wet, and we had to get down on the ground and warm up. Coach Merle Masonholder would say, ISN’T IT GREAT TO BE ALIVE? I just wanted to be back in bed, but it was a wonderful time at Cornell.

—Lori Parks ’00

—Steve Dean ’79

I remember when Coach Masonholder had Ted Van Dorn ’73 and I make up the schedule for our dual track meet with Coe, who had the best team in the conference that year. Ted and I put together a schedule that had their best runners in events that were back to back in a couple of races. When Coe Coach Fizz saw the schedule, I remember him telling Coach Masonholder IT WAS SOME TYPE OF CRAZY SCHEDULE, and Coach Masonholder said, “I wouldn’t screw you, Fizz.”

We ended up with a very close team score, but Coe did win the dual meet.

Although the Cornell athletic experience enriched my on-campus involvement, what was truly remarkable was the off-campus connections I made. Through Coach Brase [Brent Brase ’90], we were heavily involved in the youth community of Mount Vernon. It was through this outreach that I realized how important team chemistry and connections are. Seeing the impact our team had in the community EMPOWERED ME TO GO INTO EDUCATION at Cornell. I am confident in saying that the Cornell athletic experience and the cohesion of our team created from Coach Brase set me up for success in a multitude of ways and for that I am endlessly grateful.

—Keith “Turp” North ’60

—Todd Ririe ’73

—Kat Schilling ’13

More than a coach

A unique remembrance is BARRON BREMNER’S FOUR-HOUR “STORY” with no plot or ending, which he told to the entire bus from front to back via walkie-talkie during a road trip to Northfield, Minnesota. This was in the pre-DVD era when no other “entertainment” was available.

Both my brother Pat [Luther ’71] and I wrestled for Barron Bremner while at Cornell. For those who didn’t know Barron, he was one of those people you rarely meet who was bigger than life itself. I have never forgotten his words of encouragement. During my sophomore year, Hofstra University’s wrestling team was touring the Midwest. and we

—Jim Wallace ’68

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LIFE AFTER CORNELL

Lee Swanson ’60 Possessed by the prairie

I

n 1987 Lee Swanson ’60 and two partners purchased 640 acres of land at the edge of the Driftless Area in southwestern Wisconsin for hunting and recreation. They put the land into the USDA’s conservation reserve program and began planting prairie on what was once cornfields and dairy farms.

And then a new purpose for the land unveiled itself.

“Each time we cleared out the honeysuckle and junk plants, here would come these beautiful plants.

We began to uncover native plants like pale purple coneflower, and with some research we discovered it was all prairie. It revealed itself to us, even in those fields that had been planted in corn for years,” Swanson says of the site near Cross Plains, Wisconsin, where he was a banker for over 40 years. “These were plants that were living here when the settlers came in 1850.”

They soon began hiring help and applying for grants to speed up the restoration of the property, which came to be known as the Swamplovers Preserve. In the years since, they have

uncovered 200 native species and transformed the land into a biodiversity hotspot with wetland, a trout stream, and bur and white oak savanna in addition to prairie.

Swanson’s work has been recognized with a 2010 Conservationist of the Year award from the Dane County Conservation League, a 2012 State of Wisconsin certificate of appreciation for natural resource land owners, and the 2014 Leopold Restoration Award, to name a few. The Ice Age Trail, a 1,000mile footpath that highlights glacially sculpted landscapes across Wisconsin, runs for 1.5 miles through the preserve.

“It’s hard to believe we’ve been able to make this impact on this piece of land,” Swanson says. “We started out so modestly. Then we got possessed. And now we’re getting thousands of visitors to see the farm, going through some of the most beautifully restored land that we have. The farm owns us, we don’t own the farm.”

Swanson and his wife, honorary Cornell alumna Jacqui Swanson, built their home on the prairie 18 years ago and from that setting Swanson has

AMANDA VAN GORDEN

“We discovered it was all prairie. It revealed itself to us, even in those fields that had been planted in corn for years.”

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continued his lifelong practice of walking early each morning. Most days his black labrador is at his side.

Swanson, 83, is a Cornell Life Trustee and was the inspiration behind the Beta Omicron Distinguished Alumni Visitors Program. He retired at age 72 as president and chairman of the board of State Bank of Cross Plains, a community-based bank in Wisconsin.

He came to Cornell after Coach Jim Dutcher and Lowell Reed from Admissions visited his home in Elgin, Illinois, and “convinced my mother that they would take care of me and offered enough grants and aid to make it possible, as we were quite poor.” He and Jacqui were married his senior year.

Their eldest son, the late Mike Swanson ’83, graduated from Cornell too.

Swanson remains actively engaged in weeding and collecting seeds on the prairie with the Ice Age Trail Alliance, and he no longer worries about the future of the property in rapidly developing Dane County. On Nov. 24, 2020, the ownership and management responsibilities of the remaining 433 acres of Swamplovers Preserve transferred to the Alliance, ensuring that the preserve Swanson and his partners worked so hard to restore will be protected as a sanctuary forever. The Swansons will continue to live there.

— DEE ANN REXROAT ’82

Cornell Culture How does a boulder unite generations of Cornellians? Or tossing toilet paper? And, really, how could a stuffed moose become closely associated with Cornell College?

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CORNELL COLLEGE

By Dee Ann Rexroat ’82

The traditions and rituals that unite us “Rituals give meaning and collective consciousness,” says Ringer Distinguished Professor of Sociology Tori Barnes-Brus ’97.

“Traditions reinforce norms and give us something to celebrate. It marks who is in. And it shows us who we are.”

Emile Durkheim, one of the founding thinkers in sociology, wrote that collective consciousness is about building solidarity,

and rituals are a part of that, Barnes-Brus says. “They can be things that are celebrated, or the everyday bubbling up. The way we go to class from 9 to 11 and 1 to 3, that’s kind of a mundane thing. but it’s a ritual. It gives us something to look forward to, and it gets you to a sacred ritual: graduation.”

Being part of a culture rich in tradition and ritual, whether

serious or whimsical, reinforces the Cornell identity and community.

Traditions such as freshman beanies thankfully have been lost to time. Others, like Pal Day, are gone but fondly remembered by graduates of a certain era. New traditions—the traveling Bremner Cup trophy with Coe is one example—are gaining traction.

These are the stories behind current traditions that unite us as Cornellians.

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CORNELL COLLEGE ARCHIVES

Kiosks

A couple stops to read messages on the original kiosk.

PREVIOUS PAGE: Students welcome a new class in 2016 at the “new” kiosks, which are now nearly 20 years old.

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The college established its first kiosk in 1966 when a massive oak stump taken from the site of the Thomas Commons was placed east of the building, topped with a big round cap, and thereafter plastered with posters and lettering. It was immortalized soon after when its likeness was embossed in silver on the cover of the 1968 Royal Purple. During the presidency of Samuel Stumpf (1967 to 1973), some called it The Stumpf.

That kiosk was removed during the 2002 expansion of the Marie Fletcher Carter Pedestrian Mall and the current trio of kiosks was added. Special Assistant to the President John Harp recalls working with the architect on that project, which became three kiosks instead of one: “They believed in the ‘rule of three,’ no other reason.”

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Purple and white The very first Royal Purple yearbook came out in 1901 and, as the name implies, proclaimed the school color “Royal Purple,” displacing the original school colors of silver, gray, and old gold. The name and the purple cover created a tradition that outlived even the yearbook itself, which ceased publication in 2015. Never could those turn-of-the-last-century editors have imagined the sheer amount of purple clothing, purple gear, purple swag, and even purple hair they would inspire.

When from thee we’re far away, tears of mem’ry dim our eyes, as loved scenes before them rise, then we’ll sing and then we’ll say: Cornell, greater be thy name.

The first Royal Purple, which gave Cornell its school colors, was published in 1901 but dated 1902 to honor its editors, the junior class of 1902. (This confusing naming policy continued until 1949; now there’s a tradition we are glad ended.)

COLLEGE CORNELL

Alma Mater song

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It may be hokey, but it has the power to make you cry. Yes, singing the “Cornell, Greater Be Thy Name” lyrics by Jennie Francis Cook (Class of 1910) with other Cornellians at poignant moments like Commencement, opening ceremonies, and Homecoming convocation gives a sense of belonging, pride, and loyalty. “When from thee we’re far away, tears of mem’ry dim our eyes, as loved scenes before them rise, then we’ll sing and then we’ll say: Cornell greater be thy name.”

Pass the tissues, please.

CORNELL COLLEGE ARCHIVES

Students in the 1980s use the Orange Carpet as a canvas to spell out CORNELL.

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A special occasion, then as now, merits a pose

by The Rock.

CORNELL COLLEGE ARCHIVES

When The Commons opened in January 1966, its most noticeable feature was the orange carpet on the sunken floor of the atrium. Why orange? According to then-President Arland ChristJaner: “What we were looking for was an accent that would draw you in … something that said POW!, and orange seemed to do it!” When the 2014 renovation took place, a few people suggested replacing it with purple carpet.

That idea was quickly nixed as the OC, as it has come to be known, had become sacrosanct.

The carpet is replaced every few years to keep it looking fresh, and one summer Special Assistant to the President John Harp asked the crew leader if he installs a lot of orange carpet. “His immediate answer was with a laugh: ‘No, but we take a lot of it out,’” Harp says. “Somehow, the comedy in that supported the pride we feel for the OC.”

The Rock is tricked out for Halloween.

CORNELL COLLEGE ARCHIVES

Orange Carpet

The Rock In 1889 a 5,000-pound boulder, hauled six miles on a horse-drawn wagon from The Pal by members of the senior class, came to rest in front of South Hall.

The seniors carved their class year into the granite and left with satisfaction at the permanence of their self-tribute.

They had created one of Cornell’s oldest traditions. But its location was not to be permanent.

Moving The Rock, in addition to painting, burning, and stealing it, is a tradition that unites Cornellians from that day until now. The Rock may be a symbol of permanence and indestructibility, but Cornell students of all eras are nothing if not up to the challenge of moving the unmovable … or using it to relay messages like a stone-age Twitter account.

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Ram mascot Cornell athletic teams were called the Purples or the Hilltoppers until the 1949 Royal Purple yearbook staff decided to hold a contest for a new mascot because nobody knew what a Purple or a Hilltopper was. Keith Colvert ’51 came up with the Ram, took the $5 prize, and established one of Cornell’s most enduring traditions.

At some point a live ram dubbed Ulysses was brought to town from a nearby pasture for display during football games.

In 1985 Jamal Abdullah ’88 achieved a first by coming to the games dressed in a ram costume.

The costume has gone through several iterations, worn by countless overheated volunteers, and in 2021 the best Ulysses mascot yet was revealed.

Cornell T. Moose The moose head that has hung in Law Hall since 1925 is the survivor of a natural history museum the college once operated. He disappeared briefly in the late ’70s until Professor of Math Ed Hill spotted him at a Cornell tag sale and returned him to the building.

When Law Hall closed for renovation in 1999-2000, the moose took an extensive, well-deserved vacation, sending back postcards from around the world. By then known as Cornell T. Moose, he got himself a makeover, set up a Facebook account, and now lives stoically on the wall overlooking Law Hall’s Moosehead Lounge.

MEGAN CISZEK

A new Ulysses ram mascot makes his first appearance in 2021.

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CORNELL COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

Ash Park bell ringing and “Cornell Fight Song” Some rituals are pure jubilation, like the ringing of the victory bell at Van Metre Field after a win.

This year Head Football Coach Dan Pifer is bringing back the “Cornell Fight Song,” rediscovered in an old songbook and recorded for him by members of the music faculty. OK, alumni do sing it, led by Keith “Turp” North ’60 after the C-Club Breakfast each year. But just wait for it to be sung by the 90-member football team before they strike the Ash Park victory bell. Go Rams, and in the words of composer-lyricist Claude Rose ’33, “Fight for the Purple and White”!

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The women’s lacrosse team rings the victory bell in Van Metre Field.

Culture Show Each year Cornell’s students put on the Culture Show, a spectacular production showcasing performances with an international flair. Produced by the student organization Eyes of the World, it began in 2004 on the Orange Carpet and has grown to a standing-room-only extravaganza in Kimmel Theatre. Back in 2012 Thao Nguyen ’15 captured that year’s show in numbers: two hours; 20 songs, dances, poems, martial arts, and monologues; and 27 cultures including Vietnam, Mexico, Hawaii, France, Mongolia, Burma, and Brazil.

CORNELL COLLEGE

Albina Alieva ’12 performs in the 2010 Culture Show.

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Sidewalk squares

Members of Phi Omega celebrate at the squares following their 2019 Commencement

ROBYN SCHWAB AARON ’07

In 1890 some students “stained” the chapel steps, but it is uncertain when the tradition began of painting the concrete sidewalk squares in front of King Chapel with Greek letters. The continuous repainting of these squares eventually made the sidewalk so slick that in 1990 the college poured two flanking rows of concrete squares for the groups to paint while leaving the central path safe for pedestrians. When the walkways were redone in 2020 the sidewalk squares were re-laid. Greek groups long ago incorporated the squares into their activities, beginning pledging at the squares, and meeting there to celebrate following Commencement.

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Student procession through faculty ranks

KYLE SLEICHTER

MEGAN CISZEK

On the day they move in, students are welcomed with a ritual as they arrive at New Student Convocation. The long line of brand new classmates processes along the Ped Mall between rows of faculty members welcoming and clapping for them from both sides of the walkway. Four years later they process between faculty ranks once again on the way to their Commencement ceremony, held in the same location (pending pandemics and rainstorms) beside McLennan College Hall.

Ringer Distinguished Professor of Sociology Tori Barnes-Brus ’97 says there’s no comparison between the look on their faces that first day and at Commencement: “At graduation they’re different, the students are confident and find familiarity in the faculty’s faces. Faculty are shouting their students’ names and high-fiving them. It’s really emotional and meaningful for me.”

Faculty greet 2016 graduates processing to Commencement through their ranks.

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The Class of 2025 walks through the faculty ranks toward New Student Convocation.

KYLE SLEICHTER

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Cornell students get to choose who they sit with at Commencement.

Commencement affinity seating If your last name is Zhao or Zeligman or Zimmerman, you get used to being last in roll calls and ceremonies. But not at Cornell. Our Commencement lineup is based on affinity. This unusual practice (which dates to 1973) allows graduates to participate in the culminating event of their four years on campus seated next to the friends they made here.

Every graduate carries a card with their name and hands it to the Provost onstage to read. No one knows who is walking when, since the printed program is a keepsake in alpha order.

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Toilet paper toss

NICOLE POTTER THERRIEN ’14

Every year when the Iowa air has turned crisp and cold, the campus seems to hold its breath in anticipation of a ritual that has been repeated for decades. Waves of students, faculty, staff, and community members pack themselves into the gymnasium.

Friends and hall-mates pile in wearing matching homemade T-shirts under bulky jackets, often carrying banners made in the Thomas Commons notched under an arm, waiting to be unfurled at the right moment.

When the gym is full to bursting, just when the crowd begins to get restless, the friends and classmates they came to see run onto the floor. Every step they take and every move to the basket is a bit quicker. They feel it too.

And then it happens.

Whoosh.

If the night is clear, the roar that erupts from the Small Sport Center can carry up the hill, and students who didn’t or couldn’t brave the crowds look up or cock an ear to the sound of mayhem coming from the gym.

Because they know.

They know that, as the din subsides, the gym floor is completely, utterly, and spectacularly covered in toilet paper.

For a campus that wraps itself in history like a warm winter cloak, the toilet paper toss that accompanies the first basket scored

by Cornell College in its home game against rival Coe College is a relatively young tradition, even if it is beloved among students.

From “Why Athletics Matter to Cornell” by Blake Rasmussen ’05, spring 2013 Cornell Report

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CAPTION: Toilet paper soars through the air following the first basket against Coe. CREDIT: NICOLE POTTER THERRIEN ’14 [IF USING THE 2006 IMAGE, CREDIT IS CORNELL COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION]

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LIFE AFTER CORNELL

Belen Castellanos Tokarski ’95 Leading people forward

A

s chief operating officer of Mylo, a tech start-up in the insurance industry, Belen Castellanos Tokarski ’95 speaks with a quick intellect, clarity of thought, and with an assurance that demonstrates she leads her team from a place of confidence.

Mylo’s parent company, Lockton, featured Tokarski in a Twitter series of quotes by women leaders: “I have embraced my ambition by having the courage to stand for what I believe is right and not being afraid to be the first to speak up in the face of uncertainty.”

You might credit her liberal arts

degree in psychology from Cornell College as the foundation for her strong voice, or you might credit her grandfather who encouraged Tokarski to consider Cornell. It was her grandfather who said a liberal arts education is the foundation for whatever vocation she would eventually choose. In 2002 she chose a master’s in business administration in eCommerce from DePaul University.

Tokarski herself says that the block plan encourages students to be vocal and active participants in discussions encouraging critical thinking skills.

“I speak up. I’m in the conversation. I’m helping people move things forward all the time,” she says. “The intensity of the block plan prepared me to be successful in all the things I’ve done—the critical thinking, the need to be super dependable, and to be in class, because if you missed a day of class, it was like missing two weeks of any normal coursework.”

Tokarski leads a team in identifying opportunities to redefine business processes that accelerate profitable growth for Mylo. The company develops technology to make the purchase of insurance across multiple product types simple, efficient, and intuitive for the end-users. It finds ways to leverage

“The intensity of the block plan prepared me to be successful in all the things I’ve done—the critical thinking, the need to be super dependable, and to be in class.”

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artificial information and machine learning to augment the sales process.

This turns the insurance purchasing process into something less stressful.

Mylo is located in Kansas City, Missouri, and Tokarski continues to live near Chicago, Illinois. When she accepted the chief operating officer role at Mylo, she knew it would be a challenge not just to build up the insur-tech start-up but to lead remotely from her home office while her staff worked in another state. She negotiated to work remotely so she could integrate her family life in Chicago with her career pursuits. Tokarski is married with three children.

She considers her greatest success to be her ability to pull people together so the team can achieve greater things.

Tokarski says she’s been told people want to be on her team because she is not a micromanager, she doesn’t claim to be the smartest person in the room, and she truly cares what people on her team think. This has made it easy for her to rally people around her and the projects she leads.

When Tokarski considers her future, she says she hopes “that I’m a good example for the next generation of leaders and also to my family. You can’t just be focused on individual success; the greater success is getting people to work together to want to do the same thing.”

She advises students to heed her grandfather’s philosophy regarding a liberal arts education: Learn a little about as many things as possible and get a broader worldview about any industry you enter.

“Anyone can demonstrate leadership. Leaders often start at the ground level,” Tokarski says. “The best chief executive officers did the job and rolled up their sleeves. Never be afraid to start at the bottom and, in fact, embrace it. Get to know the inner workings of the business you’re in. Be intellectually curious. And find alignment on what the problem is before you try to solve it.”

— LISA GRAY GIURATO

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Living life Audaciously

By Lisa Gray Giurato and Dee Ann Rexroat ’82

Cornellians are reinventing their lives.

We often marvel at this in the class news pages.

These are graduates who follow a dream, adapt to major changes, pivot from unfulfilling careers, escape the rat race, pick up and move.

While the changes they make are varied, they all share the characteristic of listening to and honoring their inner voice.

Six Cornellians who have made audacious changes in their lives told us the stories of what they did, why they did it, and how they are finding fulfillment as a result.

One of them has now made a career of leading others through change, and she shares her guidance on how to do it well.

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KANESHA LEE BAYNARD ’94

Transitioning boldly toward opportunity

K

I

SA

BE LL A

anesha Lee Baynard ’94, founder of the Bold Living Today community, realized her mapped out plan for her life had taken a detour and she needed to reposition her GPS coordinates for a new career track. Determined not to see relocation from Chicago to Boulder, Colorado, as a dream crusher, she and Tahllee Baynard ’97 moved for a job offer he received after graduate school.

She recognized that not having a job gave her time to think about what she loves to do, what would be good to do, and what she knew she did not want to do. And that’s when she began to understand how to look at transitions as an opportunity.

“Because I wasn’t so stressed out and pressured to get something and thirsty to have something work out, this great job landed into my lap,” Baynard says of a part-time position teaching English to linguistically diverse adults with preschoolers. “I told Tahlee, I’m gonna block plan this job! I know it’s this much time. I’ve chunked out my time. I know this is not forever.”

Eventually she moved into higher education. And then came another sudden transition when Tahlee took a position in California. By then the mother of two, Baynard took a year off to focus on family and began the process that eventually resulted in becoming a full-time consultant, author, creativity expert, and productivity specialist.

Her mom life is what jump-started her new career.

Baynard was helping her high school daughter, Bella, navigate her college search. When a friend found out how she was tracking all the information, she asked Baynard to present to a Girl Scout troop, and that led to other troops until she was in demand on the library workshop circuit— which led to an interview on the “Dr. Oz” show.

“I didn’t have a beautiful, formal business plan. I had a bunch of sticky notes to get started. I tell people, don’t let the logistics stop you from moving, don’t figure all that out by yourself because that will stall your genius, the part that you’re actually good at,” she says. “Know your craft or what you do, and lean on that. Package it in a way that it’s going to serve you in the moment. It doesn’t have to serve you forever.”

Today she provides keynote presentations and workshops, provides one-on-one coaching, and runs the Bold Living Today online community to help people disrupt unfulfilling patterns through creativity.

BA YN AR D

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BY KANESHA LEE BAYNARD ’94

Tips for transitions Four B.O.L.D. things to remember when you’re navigating a transition:

B Be okay with being a skilled beginner. Build on what you already know.

O Own your unique skills and talents. Be creative and

apply them to your next job or project.

L Listen to the internal whispers that tell you, “Your time is now.” You get to create your own timeline.

D Dedicate time to figuring out what you don’t want to do. This will support you in getting clearer about your “what’s next.”

To combat the exhaustion, fear, and obstacles of getting started when making changes, it’s a good idea to pause and create a personalized well-fitting plan.

The beauty of a well-fitting plan is it has to tap into your natural talents and capabilities. The plan has to be linked to your values, your strengths, and your creativity. You have to be excited about the plan so that you’ll actually do it.

When crafting a well-fitting plan, ask yourself these questions: • • • • • • • • •

What is my plan?

What did I learn when I had or launched a similar plan?

How can I tap into my strengths?

How can I access my natural talent(s)?

Where should I focus my efforts?

Who can help me with this?

What is my desired result(s)?

What is my timeline or due date?

What is my body’s message to me when I think about the plan?

• Do I need to revise my plan?

Burning out before you have a chance to “go for it” is not a good place to be. If you are ready to make a change and want to create a well-fitting plan, resist the urge to overburden yourself with what you should be doing. Be clear on what you can do, what you don’t want to do, and how you can support yourself while you move forward.

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CARRIE HILL STECKL ’92

From the halls of academia to a broom closet CARRIE HILL STECKL ’92 KNEW LIFE IN ACADEMIA WAS NOT THE RIGHT FIT FOR HER. HERE IS HER STORY IN HER OWN WORDS.

I

was finishing up my Ph.D. at Indiana University and deciding what to do next. Most of my professors, peers, and family expected me to seek an academic position at a major research university. I was primed for it, with several scholarly publications already under my belt. But deep down, I knew that wasn’t the right fit for me.

I found myself in Utah, working as the first Southern Utah Outreach Coordinator for the Alzheimer’s Association. My office was a donated broom closet in an assisted living facility.

At 6 feet tall, my knees didn’t fit under the tiny desk supplied.

What have I done? crossed my mind more than once. But accepting that challenge was one of the best choices I’ve made because it taught me how to build relationships with others who share a goal of service. It allowed me to be part of something that helped hundreds of local families affected

by Alzheimer’s disease who, before then, had nowhere to turn. And it helped me see that it’s well worth doing what you know is right for you, even if others wanted you to do something else.

Since then, I married at 41, had my daughter at 44, and started writing screenplays at 47. Right before the pandemic, I won a screenplay competition at a local film festival that fortified my love of the written word. Now, as I explore all sorts of creative writing, I think back to those days in the broom closet and smile. Finding success and satisfaction with that career choice seemed implausible. But so did having a child in my mid-40s, or writing a screenplay with no formal training. We need to try to do those things others think we cannot or should not do.

IT’S WELL WORTH DOING WHAT YOU KNOW IS RIGHT FOR YOU, EVEN IF OTHERS WANTED YOU TO DO SOMETHING ELSE.

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In Madison I had fallen in love with sailing. While on the river I made a promise to myself to get a captain’s license. After the river trip I pedaled a bicycle from New Orleans to Ft. Lauderdale and began working on sail and motor yachts ranging in size from 75 feet to 210 feet in various locations including Florida, the Hamptons, through the Panama Canal, a passage from Costa Rica to Seattle, a trip to Alaska—anchoring among glaciers calving into the water—and a four-month stint in Baja, Mexico.

In 2017 my mother had cancer surgery and chemotherapy. I was home with her for that entire year. Her resolve, determination, and sheer will in the face of that extreme challenge taught me many lessons about life.

In 2018 I worked aboard a 150-foot schooner in The Netherlands. I had the wonderful opportunity to work with world-renowned shipwrights in the Royal Huisman sail yacht yard for nine months. In 2019 I was aboard a 150-foot motor yacht that traveled from the Caribbean to the Bahamas to New England, with many stops and great experiences along the way!

After six years at sea, the fun, adventure, travel, and constant 16-hour workdays started to wear thin. It was time to make a change. I spent much of 2020 improving Mike Wright ’99’s house in Southampton, New York, and then moved to Boston in late 2020. In April 2021 I decided to move to Burlington, Vermont, because of its natural beauty, the multitude of outdoor activities that I love to do, and the good people.

Since then, I have started a contracting business, spent time as a sailing instructor, started a long journey into Jiu-Jitsu, and have begun a side business crafting wooden taps for tap dancers around the world!

Lately I have been seeing my dad through a bout with cancer. There were some serious complications and likely more to come, but the lessons my dad has taught me by example over the years are to roll with the punches and do the best you can!

In my experience, the world has an uncanny way of opening up if you’re open to it. Opportunities and obstacles seem to present themselves as you move forward. As good Cornellians, I think we can evaluate the opportunities well, and figure out the best way to get through the obstacles!

RYAN BECKMAN ’99

Navigating the waters of life RYAN BECKMAN ’99 TOOK INSPIRATION FROM HENRY DAVID THOREAU’S “WALDEN” AND TURNED TO CARPENTRY AS A WAY OF IMMERSING HIMSELF IN A MORE RUGGED LIFESTYLE IN THE HOPES OF FINDING A LIFE SIMILAR TO THE ONE THOREAU FOUND IN HIS CABIN IN THE WOODS. HE RENOVATED A RUN-DOWN HOUSE IN IOWA CITY AS HIS FIRST STEP TOWARD LIVING HIS LIFE AUDACIOUSLY.

I

was building a contracting business and then, in my late 20s, I decided to move to Madison, Wisconsin, because I did not want to lock myself into the professional trajectory I was on.

After 14 years of working in the construction industry, I got in my canoe and paddled down the Mississippi River. It took three months, and I camped along the riverbank from Minneapolis to New Orleans. I met up with six Cornell connections along the river.

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CAROLE BASKERVILLE CARSON ’63

Reinventing life at age 79 CAROLE BASKERVILLE CARSON ’63 FOUND A WAY TO TRANSFORM HER GRIEF INTO A RADICAL LIFESTYLE MOVE FROM CALIFORNIA TO FRANCE.

A

t age 79 I joined the 700,000 women who become widows annually in the U.S. In dealing with grief, I’ve discovered there’s no checklist that I can tick off to get back to full recovery.

I can’t get over my loss any more than I could get over an amputation. Instead, I must find a new center of gravity.

In the three months after my husband died, I sold my big house (complete with a pool) and disposed of the possessions he and I had acquired during our 30 years of marriage. I live in a one-bedroom, furnished apartment near my son, his French wife, and two teenage grandchildren in Montpellier, France.

I’m reinventing myself. Instead of eating at six after the nightly news and retiring at 10 (as my husband and I did for years), I eat around eight with my extended family and seldom get to sleep before midnight. I study French on Duolingo most days and have a tutor.

My basic needs are met—a desk, plenty of paper, pens, my laptop, internet access, an international phone line, and a printer. And I have an ongoing commitment to write a monthly column for The Union, a newspaper in Nevada City.

Plus, I have a novel to write.

As an unexpected gift resulting from processing grief, I have a greater appreciation for friends and family, both here and back in the U.S. I also have a keener awareness of how fragile and short life is, and I remember to give thanks that I’m alive when I awake in the morning. I feel stronger and more resilient because of what I’ve faced and overcome.

Most surprisingly, my health since moving to France has dramatically improved; I’ve stopped taking most of the prescriptions I needed before. Moreover, I don’t sweat the small stuff because the love of friends and family is all that really matters. “Things” mean less to me than ever. And I think I’ve learned to be kinder to those around me who’ve suffered a loss. Until now, I didn’t grasp what the other person was going through. In retrospect, I am embarrassed at my callousness.

I would not have chosen to be alone at this stage of my life.

I miss my best friend terribly. But I also know that I’ll emerge a better person for having gone through the experience and having made a dramatic lifestyle change.

I DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF BECAUSE THE LOVE OF FRIENDS AND FAMILY IS ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS. 40

C O R N E L L R E P O RT | FA L L 2 0 2 1

SUSAN ZIMMERMAN ’73

From Wall Street to advocacy SUSAN ZIMMERMAN ’73 KNEW SHE WOULD RETURN TO

that the need to ask the right questions to get resources like a good IEP (individualized education program) for my daughter was taking all my time. What began as advocacy to get the resources she needed grew in time to a new career as an advocate for children with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges. In my new work I created a network to support families whose children had disabilities and lobbied for laws to benefit these families and these children. My political science degree gave me the skills I needed to work with state agencies and state legislators on systems change initiatives. There has been nothing more exciting in my life than being in the Connecticut legislative office building with hundreds of families who were letting their legislators know what they needed.

When I had a bout with breast cancer, a third segment took root in community service. This brought together my advocacy and financial skill sets, while giving me the time to pursue a new interest in hiking and renew my interest in travel. I was elected to the local school board where I led the policy subcommittee to see the implementation of the laws I had been working to enact. I served three terms on my local food cooperative and successfully transitioned to a policy governance model. I was appointed to the regional mental health board to continue legislative advocacy work.

SA OS EL Recently widowed shortly after moving D A ND BRE to a new home, I find myself starting my fourth segment. Too soon to report on this.

WORK AFTER HER DAUGHTER WAS BORN, UNTIL HER DAUGHTER WAS ACTUALLY BORN AND SHE KNEW SHE NEEDED TO SPEND HER TIME ADVOCATING FOR HER DAUGHTER’S NEEDS.

I

N

TO S

think of my life in segments. The direction I expected my career to take when I graduated from Cornell with a degree in Russian and political science immediately changed after I earned my MBA degree from Columbia Business School. The Wall Street financial career that followed was my first segment. I worked for several commercial and investment banking firms in jobs as varied as a team developing a risk management system for commercial banks to a team rating the bonds of major American corporations. I also advised a fund manager on phoenix companies and worked with investment bankers to bring debt to market. The work relied on my knowledge of finance, but it also required the same kind of factual knowledge I needed in college. One day I might need to know how cement was made and the next what goes into making a silicon chip. The key to success was to ask the right questions to get company managers to disclose the strengths and weaknesses of their businesses.

Then, I left the financial world when my daughter was born with developmental disabilities and needed me full time. While I had always thought that I would stay at work after my children were born, I found

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RENEE MINGES JEFFREYS HEIL ’93

Frustration leads to action RENEE MINGES JEFFREYS HEIL ’93 LEFT HER FACULTY POSITION TEACHING EXERCISE SCIENCE AT FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY BECAUSE OF HER FRUSTRATION WITH THE LACK OF HIGH-QUALITY YOGA ON HER ISLAND HOME. SHE DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

T

he FMB Yoga Project was born in 2018. It provides yoga classes on Fort Myers Beach at various locations along the island.

I was first exposed to the physical practice of yoga in 1998 during graduate school. As an avid distance runner and group fitness instructor, flexibility was missing from my wellness routine. It wasn’t until 2001, after the birth of my first child, I found the true meaning of yoga and began to create a complete yoga practice.

My initial yoga training was in Ashtanga and Hatha yoga, which led to years of teaching yoga in gyms and recreational centers. I left the university to pursue a bucket list that included spending two weeks at an Ashram for my 200hour Yoga Teacher Training under the tutelage of Shree Yogi Hari. I became a disciple of the guru and have made regular pilgrimages to the Ashram since then, completing additional training goals.

With the onset of COVID-19, the FMB Yoga Project expanded to online/live-streamed classes. During the pandemic shutdown, these classes were streamed from the living rooms, bedrooms, and porches of staff members. Not a very good long-term solution, right?

Enter my second yoga project, the Saba Movement Center. As studios were reopened in Florida, I was offered studio space. This fantastic space allowed me to expand class offerings and livestream from a more sustainable place. In December 2020, the Saba Movement Center moved to its current, larger location.

I take my passion for yoga and knowledge of the human body and its movement into every class, event, and workshop. I love working with beginners and individuals who do not believe that yoga is appropriate for their bodies. For me, movement is my meditation.

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LIFE AFTER CORNELL

Leonard Stewart Jr. ’20 From historic neighborhood to futuristic fashion Another Cornell connection was incredibly helpful: Stewart was introduced to Kurt Kloss ’83 and Tracy Fares Kloss ’84 on campus. The St. Louis couple are the parents of supermodel Karlie Kloss, and have opened doors for his career.

Is it a surprise that Stewart’s roots in his St. Louis neighborhood have led him to create a clothing label, SSTEW3, that he says is high-fashion streetwear? There seems to be a connecting thread. For Stewart, his clothing is also a response to his concern for the environment—in particular, the fashion industry’s contribution to pollution. Stewart wants his line to reuse textiles, or use textiles that can be recycled or will biodegrade with minimal impact on the environment when the garment’s use has ended. He sees SSTEW3 as a futuristic, mindful approach to designing clothing.

“Hip hop culture is a big influence when it comes to beating the odds, and it has always been the platform where the American dream has happened 10 times over—in fashion, music, and even education,” he says.

You can see this influence in his streetwear.

His designs have caught the attention of Rent the Runway, Neiman Marcus, the St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum, and the stylists of Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott.

His designs have caught the attention of Rent the Runway, Neiman Marcus, the St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum, and the stylists of Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott.

“Cornell prepared me for my career when it comes to learning core concepts. You have to pick up things fast in 18 days,” Stewart says in reference to Cornell’s 18-day block calendar, where you take one course per block for an immersive and experiential education.

Keep your eyes on this young alumnus because his career is like the block plan, moving quickly and with creative innovation as a propellant.

— LISA GRAY GIURATO

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WESLEY LA W

L

eonard Stewart Jr. ’20 grew up in a St. Louis neighborhood known for a landmark 1948 Supreme Court Case, Shelley v.

Kraemer, that struck down racially restrictive housing covenants. The Shelleys, a Black family, moved into the neighborhood, and Louis Kraemer tried to use the courts to block the family from staying.

“I had a lot more resources open to me, tailored to students who don’t have resources, because of this neighborhood,” Stewart says. “I got into a program in high school, College Bound, and Cornell College was the top school for them.”

College Bound assists economically disadvantaged high school students achieve college degrees and successful careers. The program’s influence brought Stewart to Cornell, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in business management, completed an internship with Susan Sherman, co-founder of the Saint Louis Fashion Fund, and held a fashion show next to Kimmel Theatre, a nod to the building where he got his start crafting pieces in Costume Construction during his first year with Resident Costume Designer and Costume Shop Supervisor Jenny Nutting Kelchen.

Stewart appreciates the people at Cornell who supported him—from Director of Intercultural Life Hemie Collier during Each One Teach One orientation for students of color to the Artist in Residence Alvon Reed in his hip hop dance course.

“President Brand and [Special Assistant to the President] John Harp were always kindhearted and understanding, even through the hard-headedness of a young college student, and they were very supportive of me and the community as a whole,” he says. “They don’t get enough credit.”

ALUMNI NEWS

Alumni News

CRAIG ENGEL ’87

The Rev. Catherine Quehl-Engel ’89 shares a smile with the Rev. Richard Thomas, her predecessor. Quehl-Engel recently completed a quarter century serving as Cornell’s chaplain, leaving the position to offer parttime soul care and other healing ministry through CalmwithCatherine.com.

After 54 years of service between them as Cornell’s chaplain, both continue their journey of passion, service, and love.

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C O R N E L L R E P O RT | FA L L 2 0 2 1

1940s

Mary Alice Walrod Hering ’45, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, spent quarantine in her condo with her daughter and son-inlaw doing the grocery runs.

FaceTime and Zoom kept her connected with grandchildren and great-grandchildren on three continents. “Overlooking Kona, and the whole Pacific Ocean, I never felt isolated,” she writes.

1950s

Blair Benjamin ’54, Sun

City West, Arizona, reports he has emerged from the COVID cocoon and is resuming activities in his living complex as well as with the Kiwanis Club. He’s also completing 10 years as a member of Sun City West Sheriff’s Posse, following 10 years with the California Highway Patrol Volunteers.

Mardell Koop Schumacher ’54, Elk Grove Village, Illinois,

won a close and contested election for elementary school board. After 33 years on the school board, this will be her last term. “I truly enjoy the many hours I spend each week attending meetings and doing research for our school district,” she writes.

“My husband of 61 years died in 2019, so this gives me a purpose to be involved in a worthwhile endeavor.”

Wayne Bicknese ’56, West

Union, Iowa, fondly recalls the instruction given by Biology Professor Frank G. Brooks.

Wayne is retired and enjoying family, who are all within 100 miles. He has two young great-granddaughters, and writes: “The problem with great-grandchildren is that it makes me the father of a grandfather.”

Wayne Bicknese ’56 writes: “The problem with greatgrandchildren is that it makes me the father of a grandfather.”

Thomas Blasingame ’57 is

an independent equipment designer in Boise, Idaho. He specializes in the design of alternative fueled locomotives, rail mobile electric generation plants, and modular quickchange truck equipment.

With the recent decree to eliminate fossil fuels, his current project is to modify his equipment designs to operate without fossil fuels, with no combustion emissions, and with unlimited operating range.

Greenwood Village, a suburb south of Denver. They are closer to their three adult children—Scott Kirkpatrick ’93, Kristin, and Brooke Kirkpatrick ’02—”who have been of tremendous help to pack us and more importantly get rid of stuff we have accumulated over 50 years!”

Mary Ann Clark Ambrose ’58, Peoria, Arizona, celebrated her 63rd wedding anniversary in June.

Tom Reinhard ’65 and Carol Monson Reinhard ’67, St.

1960s

Louis, Missouri, continue to enjoy their condominium after moving three years ago from their home of 43 years in West Des Moines, Iowa. They traveled to Arlington, Virginia, to see their son’s family, which includes a 6-year-old granddaughter.

Tim Frazer ’63, Concord,

New Hampshire, reports that after more than a year of lockdown, he and his wife, June, considered going to the supermarket a big adventure.

He’s looking forward to swimming a mile or two a week again.

Arlene Cutshall Rengert ’65 has relocated to the

retirement community of Kendal at Longwood in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

She continues to lead the Laundromat Library League which provides children’s books via laundromat placement. Arlene also enjoys interaction with her five children and 10 grandchildren.

The most recent additions to the grandchildren are a sibling group of three adopted by her youngest child, a medical doctor in the Philadelphia area.

Dennis Bark ’64, Portola

Valley, California, says that due to the pandemic, for the first time in 46 years he and his wife were unable to go to France, where she was born.

He reports that they were able to make a modest contribution to the restoration of College Hall where he spent many busy days as a student, and more years teaching there in the 1990s.

Lewis Brown ’65, Sault Ste.

Marie, Michigan, returns to the classroom this fall. He’ll teach Sedimentation and Stratigraphy in the geology department at Lake Superior State University.

Bruce Lauerman ’66,

Galesburg, Illinois, reports that fellow former U.S. Army Captain John Struchen ’66 and Pat Christ hosted Bruce and Edith Baker Lauerman ’66 at the April meeting of the Military Officers Association of America held in Clearwater, Florida.

After 18 years in central Denver, Doug Kirkpatrick ’65 and Joan Landquist Kirkpatrick ’66 downsized to a single-level condominium in

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by Nov. 15 for the spring issue.

ALUMNI NEWS

Since his retirement as a lawyer in 2017, Keith Collins ’69 and his wife, Beth, split their time between sets of grandchildren in Pullman, Washington, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa—roaming between those homes in their RV.

mental health, geriatric care, and finally in physical rehabilitation psychology. “It has been a fulfilling career, and I owe its beginnings to the psychology faculty at Cornell College where I got my first introduction,” he writes.

After raising twin daughters in Connecticut, he lives in Texas with his wife, Carolanne, and between them they have 17 grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, keeping them busy just trying to remember birthdays.

After 15 months of Zoom and hibernation, Sue Leigh Kingston ’67 and Tom Kingston ’66, Santa Fe, New Mexico, were excited and thankful to travel to California to celebrate May birthdays with the gathered Leigh and Kingston families.

Joe Gebhardt ’68, Bethesda,

Maryland, reports that he and his wife, Suzy, are vaccinated and seeing more of their two adult children and two grandsons in the D.C. area. “It really was a tough year being cloistered and fearful all the time, and now it’s fun to get out and see people again,” he writes. Joe still works part-time as an employment and civil rights lawyer. Early this year he was selected to the executive committees of both the Montgomery County (Maryland) Democratic Central Committee and the Washington Metropolitan Employment Lawyers Association, which keep him busy and engaged. Joe also led the voter protection program for the local Democratic Party in 2020.

A manuscript by Paul A. Lubenkov III ’67, LaGrange, Illinois, titled “Songs Along Cermak Road” was selected as a finalist for the Iowa Review Award for fiction. His poems “And So On And So On” and “Reunion” were accepted and published in the 2021 edition of the journal Fresh Ink.

David Meyer ’67, Chicago,

Illinois, published “With All Faults: Essays About Old Books,” a compilation of essays about books he has collected over the years. The title is taken from an auctioneer’s term for describing an old or rare book suspected to be imperfect. The essays in this collection are based on Meyer’s experiences as a book collector, dealer, and publisher. Mary Schmich, long-time columnist for the Chicago Tribune, wrote this about one of the essays: “I loved this piece ...

There is some weird allure to letterhead stationery, and I’ve never heard anyone pinpoint it.

And you did it so eloquently!”

Neil Norton ’68 and Stephanie Walters Norton ’68, Davenport, Iowa,

celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary June 19.

Since his retirement as a lawyer in 2017, Keith Collins ’69 and his wife, Beth, split their time between sets of grandchildren in Pullman, Washington, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa—roaming between those homes in their RV. He hopes to travel to Europe next year to visit friends made over the years, primarily through Sister Cities International and Rotary Youth Exchange programs, “and to refresh my German (good), Czech (bad), and French (ugly),” he writes.

Thomas Reid ’67, Sachse,

Texas, completed 50 years as a practicing psychologist. He still works a few half days per week but is phasing down.

After Cornell he attended the University of Illinois, receiving the university’s first doctor of psychology degree in 1971. Since then he has worked in community

1970s

Kathryn Deason Frieden ’73, Nottingham, New

Hampshire, looks forward to a birdwatching trip to France along with a stop in Paris for a few days and a visit to Glasgow to see her granddaughter. In the meantime she’s studying Scottish Gaelic, since that is her granddaughter’s primary language. She’s still doing sprint triathlons, and spending a lot of time birding and volunteering for NH Audubon.

Doug Lia ’73, Huntley,

Illinois, has published his third children’s book, “Danny’s Nighttime Prayers with Grandpa.” The intergenerational story connects Grandpa and Danny as they share prayers each night and is a true account of Doug and his grandson. Doug notes that the book helps young children to learn simple prayers.

Lawrence Kuo ’74, Denver,

Colorado, is president and co-founder of biotechnology company Mebias Discovery, which received a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to advance MEB1170 as an analgesic drug candidate for the prevention and treatment of opioid use disorder.

Sharon Goodwin Fogleman ’75 and her husband, Lynn,

moved from Colorado to Coralville, Iowa, just as the pandemic was starting, buying their first home and unpacking boxes long in storage. As travel restrictions lifted they left for their first international trip in 15 months, to Kenya and Uganda, where they will visit family and friends and share in trauma healing training.

“We are excited as our five grandchildren (soon to be six) will be able to play together in Kenya, experiencing safaris and new experiences. We are grateful for good health and the ability to remain active!” she writes.

Joyce Cooke ’77, Denver,

Colorado, has long planted a garden in her yard each year, but last year she enjoyed it so

46

much she decided to pursue a new volunteer adventure. After teaching and volunteering at a community correctional facility for four years helping recently released felons finish their high school diplomas, she helped start a community garden on the grounds of the facility. “Many of the residents rolled up their sleeves, and we tackled the overgrown, weedy plot and created an area of growth and serenity. We planted tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, carrots, beets, squash, berries, onions, and most of all, flowers. We will continue to work on the garden over the years to truly make it a peaceful place where the residents can enjoy the beauty and productivity of the new area,” she writes.

Laurie King ’77, Novato,

California, published the third book in her Curious Traveler series, titled “An Elephant Ate My Arm: More True Stories from a Curious Traveler.” Its 21 true stories take place in locations around the world, including a man-eating lake, the forest home of a threeeyed cannibal, a portal to the Uncanny Valley, and the perfect site for watching eagle sex. In addition, her interactions with local people raise questions about free will, domestication, compressing time, body image, extinction, memento mori, and rewriting history, for starters. The first story she wrote, for the first book, was about an incident that happened during her junior semester abroad—so her Cornell experience was the catalyst for this series of 60+ stories.

MEGAN CISZEK

Having spent the spring and summer of 2020 sewing masks and scrub caps, JuliAnne Pardon Diesch ’93 has resumed her commitment to making and bestowing Random Acts of Knitting.

John Lohnes ’77, Wichita,

Kansas, retired from clinical practice in July and is chairman emeritus and senior strategic advisor of Wichita Radiological Group. Also, in 2021, he was an invited author for the Journal of the American College of Radiology on independent radiology practices, and was named a Healthcare Hero by Wichita Business journal.

Deidre Nitschke Dragon ’85, Professor of Psychology William Dragon, Will Dragon ’21, and Amanda Dragon ’22.

It pays to be a Cornellian

For the last 32 years, until February 2020, Laurie Lemmlie-Leung ’78, Paso Ancho, Panama, was living and working in Hong Kong with her husband, operating their small textile factory located just across the border in China.

In 2019 the factory became a casualty of the trade war. At the same time, Hong Kong became mired in protests.

They pondered their next step and eventually decided on moving to Panama. They arrived in Panama City on Feb. 29 and were fortunate to be able to get their visas issued just before the country started shutting down due to COVID-19. They took refuge in the small town of El Valle. For three months they were confined to their home, only allowed out two hours a day, and only to shop for groceries; women on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and men on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In July they managed to get permission to move to a remote island in the Pearl Islands (of “Survivor” fame), where they house- and dog-sat for three months.

In October 2020 as Panama started to open up, they moved to the highlands and settled in the small town of Paso Ancho at the base of a dormant volcano, Volcan Baru.

Children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren of Cornell College alumni are eligible for a renewable $2,000 Legacy Award Applicants should note their alumni relationships on their admission application

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LEGACY AWARD

Cornell College

The gulf between the lifestyle in rural Panama and Hong Kong is about as wide as can be, Laurie writes, but they are loving it.

proudly inducted these alumni into the Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2021

1980s

After living in Florida and Georgia for 21 years, William Keyser ’82 and his wife moved back to Illinois and are living in Belvidere. “I am currently shopping for an out-of-season deal on a snow blower,” he writes.

Darren Hurt ’83 finished his

Kori Sims Shingles ’04

Carl Small ’95

A two-time first team all-Iowa

leader in Cornell and MWC

Conference volleyball middle hitter, Shingles holds Cornell single-season

38th year of teaching art and coaching football in Newton, Iowa. He and Karen Campbell Hurt ’84 will celebrate their 38th anniversary in December.

“Looking forward to doing the grandparent thing in retirement next year,” he writes.

Gilda Vinzulis Boyer ’84 and Barry Boyer ’84 split

Small is the all-time steals

their time between Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Rancho Santa Fe, California. Barry plans to take up surfing with help from Frances Kao ’85, who spends some time up the road in Orange County.

Gilda plans to cheer him on from the beach. Gilda just finished her last term on Cornell’s Board of Trustees, having served for 14 years and seeing a transformation of the physical campus (“with the launching of the upgrade of the Small Athletics and Wellness facilities, the final and personally most satisfying project,” Gilda writes), two successful capital campaigns, introduction of the Ingenuity curriculum, and 10 years of leadership by Jonathan Brand.

She writes that she had the pleasure of serving with other ’80s graduates, including Steve DeAngeles ’84, George Krivo ’84, Frances Kao ’85, Ann Lewis Murray ’86, and Maureen Johnson ’87. “Cornell College is still producing excellent graduates, who are almost as excellent as the class of ’84,” she adds.

basketball history with 277, and stands fourth at Cornell with 380 career assists.

records for kills (482), attack percentage (.349), and points scored (586.5).

Max Bjerke ’95

David Welter ’76

A three-time NCAA wrestling

Welter is the first Cornell

qualifier and national

baseball player to gain first

runner-up at 134 pounds in

team all-conference four

1994, Bjerke ranks fourth

consecutive years. He caught

on Cornell’s career list with

every inning behind the plate

44 pins and fifth with 121

for four seasons and was

victories.

a four-year football letterwinner.

48

Rebecca Bouyer Laue ’84

serves as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Civil Bureau in the Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office in Rockford, Illinois.

M. Ann McGregor ’84 and

her spouse settled into an empty nest life in their new home in Dunedin, Florida, where both work from home.

She works for Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, writing online computer programming courses for gifted middle and high school students, as well as instructor supervision. Their son is studying aerospace engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Ann’s experience with the block plan proved valuable in helping him decide to go to a project-based school with seven-week terms. She enjoys yoga, hiking, and biking, the beautiful beaches and waterways for kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding, and the nine microbreweries in their town.

G. Paul Beaumaster ’85,

Northfield, Minnesota, survived the pandemic and enjoyed sharing an office with

Susie Wedes Beaumaster ’87. They have also enjoyed

traveling and seeing national parks.

Jackie Fallon ’87, Inver

Grove Heights, Minnesota, is vice president of field operations for the Midwest Peregrine Society, where she coordinates the monitoring and banding activities for the restored peregrine falcon program in Minnesota, as well as advising the other regional state coordinators in the program. She has also just started her own business of environmental education and consulting with wildlife restoration programs, focusing on canid and raptor species.

After 34 years of working in the zoo field, she is excited to pursue new opportunities in sharing her passion for wildlife conservation with others.

LeaAnn Cords ’88, Lisbon,

Iowa, writes that the only man she ever loved heart and soul passed away from four types of cancer. After this she decided it was time for her to do what makes her happy. With a little encouragement and help from Vocational Rehabilitation Services, she became certified as a scopist, hired by court reporters to clean up court transcripts. Her middle child will be getting married, while her youngest is a senior in high school. Her plan is to renovate and sell her house, possibly go to Wisconsin to help take care of her parents for a few years, and then head to either the East Coast or Colorado.

Anthony Gioia ’88, Lake

in the Hills, Illinois, retired in June after practicing as a chiropractic physician for 30 years and plans to move to Florida.

1990s

John Heaton ’91, Madison,

Wisconsin, began working part time as part of the guest services leadership team at the Madison location of Festival Foods, a family-owned grocery chain in Wisconsin. He planned to vacation and camp with his family this summer in western Pennsylvania. “I am eagerly looking forward to rejoining the Madison Symphony Chorus in the fall, since the pandemic brought about an early end to the 2019-20 season and the cancellation in its entirety of the 2020-21 season,” he writes.

Having spent the spring and summer of 2020 sewing masks and scrub caps, JuliAnne Pardon Diesch ’93, Brighton, Michigan, has resumed her commitment to making and bestowing Random Acts of Knitting. To date she has

Do you know an outstanding Cornellian?

sent nearly 200 projects (cup cozies, custom toys, hats, mitts, shawls, and even some sweaters) out into the world to brighten days, increase sustainability, and maintain connections with others.

She and her husband, Matt, are enjoying being driven to baseball practices and games by their learning-to-drive son, Vincent, and will enjoy some time in Northern Michigan as they take their daughter, Verona, back to Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp to enhance her bassoon playing. “We are living out the state motto, ‘Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam, circumspice,’ until domestic and international travel can be fully resumed!” she writes.

Who doesn’t!

Nominate an alumnus now for an award.

Distinguished Achievement Award Leadership and Service Award

Renee Jeffreys Heil ’93,

Young Alumni Achievement Award

Fort Myers Beach, Florida, reports that she left higher education shortly before the pandemic and began working on a passion project. That project grew to become both the FMB Yoga Project and the Saba Movement Center.

Across five locations they run approximately 45 yoga, Pilates, and fitness classes a week during high session. Now they are expanding teacher training and mentorship programs.

“While we face many new challenges in the brave new world we have inherited, we feel blessed to have survived and thrived,” she writes. When not at the studio, Renee can be found underwater scuba diving with their other company, ReefBox.

crnl.co/nominate

BY MARCH 1

Athletics Hall of Fame crnl.co/ramhof

BY MAY 1

Two-and-a-half years after Angela Becker ’95, Lake Mills, Iowa, sold her house to become a nomad, she reports the experience has been priceless and that she’s visited many Cornell friends around the country. You can follow her journey @mymidlifehiatus

Amelia Brandt ’06, Seattle, Washington, was thrilled to receive the vaccination, which reactivated a dormant travel bug.

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C O R N E L L R E P O RT | FA L L 2 0 2 1

2000s

Mira Hoffman ’08, Burbank, California, was hired as the U.S. production coordinator for the historical TV drama “Outlander.”

WEDDINGS Isaiah McGee ’01 to Jennifer Kuhle, July 6, 2021

Brittney Shireman ’06 to Eric Hudson, May 1, 2021 After a year working on a large commercial job site in Tennessee, Tricia Dapelo ’96, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, began a position in diversity and inclusion with the company, Layton Construction. “We are a smaller company that has decided now is the time to bring this aspect to the construction industry, which has been lacking structure with diversity,” she writes.

BIRTHS & ADOPTIONS Luis Daniel Juarez, Aug. 21, 2020, to Alice Juarez ’04 and Jose Villafranco Corona Otis Charles Knox Goldman, April 9, 2021, to Sarah Goldman ’06 and Josh Stober Miles William Hatch Thompson, March 28, 2020, to Sonya Thompson ’06 and Nathan Hatch

For the past three years Jalel Aossey ’97, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and his wife, Surriah, have competed in the Crossfit Open. “Since there are not many opportunities at my age to replicate the competition of team events or training like the days of Ram football, I have found Crossfit to be extremely challenging and rewarding in maintaining physical fitness and health, especially since the outset of the pandemic,” he says.

Mallory Ada Jensen, March 31, 2021, to Kelly Bartolotta Jensen ’07 and Erik Jensen

’07

Dana Z. Ng, June 22, 2021, to Dali Cao ’09 and Darren Ng Teddy Alexander Linn, July 2, 2021, to Haley Kvaas ’09 and Mark Linn

Jaime Arwood Weber ’98,

Angela Bird ’00, Colorado

Redmond, Washington, was featured in Akhtar Badshah’s book “Purpose Mindset,” and has a photograph in the second edition of “Day Hiking North Cascades” by Craig Romano.

Springs, Colorado, says she survived her hardest year of teaching and hopes this year the classroom is a less stressful place for students and teachers. Her husband, Toby Brown ’01, entered seminary, their son, Kavan, graduated from high school, and their daughter, Anabelle, started her senior year.

RJ Holmes-Leopold ’99,

Eagan, Minnesota, was recognized in March as an ACPA (American College Personnel Association) Foundation Diamond Honoree in recognition of his contributions to the student affairs profession. He also received the 2021 Dean Gerald Lee Wilson excellence in prelaw advising award from the Pre-Law Advisors National Council this spring. In June RJ was elected to a threeyear term on the Liberal Arts Career NetWORK executive committee as president-elect (2021-2022) and president (2022-2024).

Heather Scoville ’00, Ladora, Iowa, launched a side career

as an independent educational consultant by registering her business, Custom College Consulting. She helps high school students with their college searches, ACT prep, application and essay writing, and scholarships, while keeping a full-time job as a high school science teacher.

“Also, my son will be a freshman at Cornell this fall, and I’m excited to add Cornell mom to my resume!” she writes.

Anna Norstedt ’02, St. Paul,

Minnesota, worked over the summer at her current school district in a program new to her—with a Pokemon-themed room for kids going into kindergarten and first-grade, teaching them to code.

In March the National Iranian American Council named Derek Johnson ’04, Kensington, Maryland, one of 40 Under 40 Iranian Americans who have inspired, trail-blazed, and made a lasting impact in the world. Derek is chief executive officer of Global Zero, an international initiative for nuclear disarmament.

Alice Juarez ’04, Dallas,

Texas, birthed a pandemic baby on Aug. 21, 2020. His sisters, Monica and Frida, are excited with their little brother, Daniel. The family also moved within Dallas.

Amelia Brandt ’06, Seattle,

Washington, was thrilled to receive the vaccination, which reactivated a dormant travel bug. In May she and her husband, Matt, traveled to the Indian Ocean nation of Seychelles and the country of Georgia. She also traveled to Illinois to meet her godson, Otis, son of Sarah Goldman

Brigid Rankowski ’11, Westbrook, Maine, won the title of Miss Mermaid Maine and is in the running for Miss Mermaid USA. Her platform is neurodiversity and autism acceptance.

50

MIKE GRIMMER

EMILY STAMP AMANDA PARKER/SWEET STORY PHOTOGRAPHY

TOP: Wallace family Cornellians congregate at the Cornell sign with their children, who are potential graduates of 2036 to 2041. From left: Jackie Lockridge Wallace ’71, Jamie Wallace Smith ’05, Eleanor Smith, Teddy Wallace, Lori Hanson Wallace ’99, Caleb Smith, Joel Wallace ’98, Kaitlyn Wallace, Jim Wallace ’68.

ABOVE: Friends gather at the Longmont, Colorado, home of Wendy Gildemeister ’81 in August. Back row from left: Jean Heger ’79, Jan Ray Mitchell ’83, Lisa Richards Howe ’81, Jenny Riggs Ricklefs ’82, Dan Ricklefs ’79. Middle row from left: Gildemeister, Nancy Johnson Huston ’81, Mary Teply Squire ’82, Lori Wood ’83. Seated from left: Jan Lansing Murphy ’83, Greg “Ike” Scott ’83.

ABOVE LEFT: Tom Reinhard ’65 and Carol Monson Reinhard ’67 visit the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.

LEFT: Laurel Fraser Capesius ’16 and Kenneth Capesius ’16 live in Claremont, California, with their puppy, Alfie.

51

ALUMNI NEWS

“We have one grumpy kitty, two terrible kittens, and a goofy dog who all rule the house! Our most recent project has been redoing the landscaping, and I’m totally adding that to my resume,” writes Persephonae Velasquez Rivas ’13.

Rikki Mulloy ’15 to Russell Trombley, Oct. 10, 2020

Ethan Thompson ’16 to Kaitlyn Gurule ’17, March 27, 2021

BIRTHS & ADOPTIONS James Benedict Calderone, Aug. 5, 2020, to Rebecca Spanier Calderone ’11 and Christopher Calderone

’06. She looks forward to

reuniting with other beloved classmates in the year ahead. Amelia started a new role in June as senior vice president of purpose and impact at Zeno Group, a global communications consultancy.

Rebecca Swartz ’10, Long

Beach, California, returned from two years as a missionary in Thessaloniki, Greece, where she worked with refugees. In the fall of 2020 she completed her M.B.A. and M.F.A. in theatre management at California State University, Long Beach and lives with her grandparents, John McConnell ’48 and Kathie Safford McConnell ’48.

Lydia Brock ’07, Houston,

Texas, started a podcast in February called Sip the Sauce (“listen to candid conversations about real life by real people”). “I have enjoyed having several well-known people on the show, as well as fellow Cornellians,” she writes.

Learn more at sipthesauce. com

Marvin Holmes-Leopold ’11,

Eagan, Minnesota, is a senior accountant with Lutheran Social Service in St. Paul. He is also working on a master’s degree in accountancy through DePaul University.

Mira Hoffman ’08, Burbank,

California, was hired as the U.S. production coordinator for “Outlander.”

Brigid Rankowski ’11,

Westbrook, Maine, won the title of Miss Mermaid Maine and is in the running for Miss Mermaid USA. Her platform is neurodiversity and autism acceptance. She has been working to clean the local rivers by magnet fishing and participating in local cleanups.

Kevin Lawrence ’09, Iowa

City, Iowa, completed his doctorate of medicine from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and started his surgical residency at Balboa Naval Medical Center in San Diego.

Megan Dibbern ’12 and

2010s

her partner, Cong, moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, for her pathology residency training in 2018. They purchased a house and immediately turned the front yard into a veggie and flower garden. She’s entering her fourth and final year of pathology residency, with plans to stay at University of Virginia for an additional two years of fellowship training in cytopathology and gynecologic-breast pathology.

WEDDINGS Valerie Collins ’10 to

Matthew Park, May 2, 2021

Kalissa Holdcraft ’13 to

Philip Kleine, April 17, 2021

Persephonae Rivas ’13 to Erin Witt, Jan. 11, 2018

Lorri Leong ’15 to Clinton Allen ’17, Nov. 24, 2020

52

Diego Verdugo ’12, Phoenix,

Arizona, passed his certified financial planner exam and will receive his certified financial planner marks after extensive education, training, and experience requirements.

He was also awarded the Loren Dunton Master of Science Degree Program Merit Scholarship by the College for Financial Planning to pursue his master’s degree in financial planning. Only one scholarship is awarded every year nationally. Diego wrote about his experience as a firstgeneration Cornell student in the summer Cornell Report, which became the magazine’s first bilingual article.

Katelyn Hillmeyer ’13,

Durango, Colorado, started a job during the pandemic as a supervisory archaeologist and GIS specialist at Stratified Environmental and Archaeological Services.

She also works as a fire archeologist during the fire season.

Persephonae Rivas ’13,

North Liberty, Iowa, married her husband, Erin Rivas (formerly Witt), on Jan. 11, 2018, after eight years together and bought a house in 2020. They both work at Leepfrog Technologies, and Persephonae was promoted to technical project coordinator in early 2021. Meanwhile, she’s attending University of Iowa for a joint M.B.A. and M.S. in business analytics. “We have one grumpy kitty, two terrible kittens, and a goofy dog who all rule the house! Our most recent project has been redoing the landscaping, and I’m totally adding that to my resume,” she writes.

Matt Jones ’14, Prague, Czech

Republic, heads the marketing department of cryptocurrency startup Invity.io. He has taken up hiking and remains active in Prague’s cultural scene.

Kira Gaudynski ’15,

Chicago, Illinois, will begin courses for her M.F.A. at Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance in London in the fall. The first year of the program takes place in

Core faculty member Steven Dunn.

MEGAN CISZEK

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Low-Residency Program UPCOMING RESIDENCY DATES Dec. 30, 2021–Jan. 7, 2022 July 1–9, 2022 cornellcollege.edu/mfa

southeast London, and the second is in residence at the National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center in Connecticut. But first, she’s spending her summer in Portland, Oregon, exploring the city and attending a summer intensive with the Actors Conservatory at Artists Repertory Theatre.

Kenneth Capesius ’16 and Laurel Fraser Capesius ’16 moved to Claremont,

California. Laurel is working at Claremont UCC as the minister of children, youth, and families.

Kenny is working as a summer associate at Baron & Budd, P.C. This fall Kenny will enter his third year at UCLA Law. Their puppy, Alfie, is enjoying lots of walks in sunny California.

After three years working for the Kansas City Royals in their player development department, Tony Medina ’16 moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in February to be an assistant baseball coach at Bryant & Stratton College for the 2021 collegiate baseball season. In the beginning of June, Tony was hired by the Texas Rangers to work as a player development data assistant, and moved to Surprise, Arizona, to work at their spring training complex for the Rookie Ball season. “My new role has me working on scouting reports, implementing baseball-related technologies using advanced analytics, and assisting the coaching staff with some on field duties. I’m excited to be with the Rangers and glad to be in a position to help young baseball players get closer to reaching their goals of making it to the big leagues!” he writes.

Alex Place ’17 and her fiance bought a house together in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Steven Coburn ’18,

Casselberry, Florida, is a firstyear law student at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida.

Sydney Pratt ’18, Irwin,

Iowa, received her standard teaching license for K-12 music in Iowa after completing her mentorship program. In July she was in the Grand Tetons as a camp counselor with the nonprofit Go Beyond, which provides all-expensespaid outdoor adventures in Wyoming for underserved teens in the Omaha community.

Adam Bond ’19 is the brigade strength manager for Area Support Group-Kuwait at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. He will be awarded the Armed Forces Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal,

53

Army Achievement Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and Overseas Service Ribbon in support of Operation Spartan Shield.

Kira Fish ’19 was awarded a

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and will start at the University of Hawaii at Manoa this fall as a graduate student in geochemical oceanography.

Jocelyn Torres ’19, Chula

Vista, California, was accepted into CUNY College of Staten Island to pursue a master’s degree in neuroscience.

Brodie Vieweg ’19 is studying

for his master’s degree in sport and exercise psychology at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

In memoriam

Kent Lange ’50 Kent Lange ’50, a starting member of Cornell College’s storied NCAA and NAAU championship wrestling team, died at age 95 on July 8, 2021.

He was in the Aleutian Islands preparing for discharge from the U.S. Air Force when he got a call from his brother, Lowell Lange ’50, a new recruit to the team, to say they wanted Kent to wrestle for Cornell. Kent Lange arrived during the second semester of the 1946-47 year and wrestled in both 1947 national championships. He went on to become an All-American and four-time Midwest Conference champion, compiling a dual meet record with just three losses.

Lange met Carol Petersen Lange ’51 during his first week on campus, and they were married in 1949 after his junior year.

They lived in Clinton, Iowa, for 65 years and raised four children. Lange coached wrestling at Clinton High School and began the Clinton Junior Wrestling Program. He was an agent at Bankers Life and Casualty Company for 40 years and served as a president of the Clinton Kiwanis. Lange was a 32nd degree Mason and member of the First Congregational Church trustees. In 2014 Kent and Carolyn moved to Centerville, Iowa, to be closer to family. He is survived by their four children, 12 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Lange enjoyed reading, golfing, spending time with his family, and following his grandchildren’s activities.

54

Dale Allan Vivirito ’67 One of 14 Cornell students who participated in a historic 1965 civil rights protest march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, Dale Allan Vivirito ’67 died Jan. 13, 2021, in Toledo, Ohio. He was 75.

Vivirito majored in political science at Cornell and earned a master of fine arts degree in theatre, acting, and directing from Brandeis University.

From 1998 to 2009 he was executive director of the Valentine Theatre at the Toledo Cultural Arts Center. Before that he was executive director of the Sandusky (Ohio) State Theatre, producing director at the Flagstaff Festival of the Arts, and director of performing arts at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. During his career Vivirito produced, directed, and professionally stage managed more than 550 productions.

Early in his career he worked all over the country including in New York, Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Denver, with stars and headliners from every aspect of show business. He held positions as a producer, general manager, technical director, production stage manager, designer, publicist, actor, and educator. Central to his work was his fundamental belief in the transformative power of art and its ability to strengthen communities. Dale is survived by his son, Anthony, daughter-inlaw, Leah, and four grandchildren.

C O R N E L L R E P O RT | FA L L 2 0 2 1

Deaths Henry “Hank” Dihlmann ’42, Clinton, Iowa, March 25, 2021

William Schultz ’59, Wheaton, Illinois, Feb. 5, 2021

Forest Johnson ’42, Mechanicsville, Iowa, March 12, 2021

Denis Wilcox ’59, Newton, Iowa, March 25, 2021

Virgil Melohn ’42, Jackson, Mississippi, March 23, 2021

C. Larry Hutchins ’60, St. Louis, Missouri, April 28, 2021

Ann Arganbright Nielsen ’44, Lafayette, California, Jan. 12, 2021

Norman Sterchele ’60, Saginaw, Michigan, June 17, 2020

Elaine Douglass Crittenden ’45, Ojai, California, May 2, 2021

Barry Bauman ’63, Fort Collins, Colorado, July 2, 2021

Maxine Wakey Donaldson ’45, Fort Smith, Arkansas, May 13, 2021

Michael Scobey ’63, Fort Collins, Colorado, May 26, 2021

Marjorie Van Hoesen Butler ’46, Las Vegas, Nevada, April 23, 2021

Sondra Vogt Gamzer ’64, Waterford, Wisconsin, April 1, 2021

Elizabeth Wolfe Kroul ’47, Mount Vernon, Iowa, June 20, 2021

Robert Hadsell ’64, Plano, Texas, March 19, 2021

Carol Dunham Strauss ’47, Chicago, Illinois, March 29, 2021

Gayle Jensen Van Auken ’65, Shawnee, Kansas, June 6, 2021

Clinton Fogde ’48, Pocahontas, Iowa, April 21, 2021

Kathleen Mills ’66, Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico, April 5, 2021

Marjorie Weller Fulton ’49, Ankeny, Iowa, March 10, 2021

Elizabeth Hoyer Beeman ’69, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, July 7, 2021

Opal Paul Gish ’49, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, July 21, 2021

Robert Howard ’69, Tulsa, Oklahoma, July 18, 2021

Loren Knibbs ’49, Porter, Indiana, May 28, 2021

Mark Strosahl ’69, Hazelhurst, Wisconsin, June 19, 2021

Joyce Petersen Hopkins ’50, Evans, Georgia, April 3, 2021

Frederick Tischer ’69, Carol Stream, Illinois, Nov. 30, 2020

John Vifquain ’50, Omaha, Nebraska, Sept. 21, 2019

Larry McClannahan ’70, Mondamin, Iowa, May 6, 2021

Shirley Koethe Crawford ’51, Russellville, Arkansas, May 23, 2021

Nicholas Bacopoulos ’71, Stonington, Connecticut, July 12, 2021

Mary Jacobi McGrew ’51, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, May 14, 2021 Roberta Bloomquist Swanson ’52, Monument, Colorado, May 7, 2021 Marilyn McGuire Andreasen ’53, Algona, Iowa, June 12, 2021

Gail Gerdes Moore ’71, Sealy, Texas, April 14, 2021 Timothy Glenn ’80, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, May 22, 2021 Margo McCaffery Greiner ’80, Milford, Iowa, May 18, 2021

Frances Greison Heusinkveld ’53, Dallas, Texas, June 5, 2021

Michael Goduto ’81, Grand Junction, Colorado, March 15, 2021

Marilynn Skidmore Sawin ’53, Boulder, Colorado, March 16, 2021

Virginia Lent ’90, Greeley, Colorado, Nov. 2, 2020

Kenneth Bacon ’54, Hopkinton, Iowa, March 25, 2021

Ilse Von Roon ’90, Bandon, Oregon, March 27, 2021

Frances Livermore Emerson ’55, Big Spring, Texas, Nov. 28, 2020

Jeff Ribble ’92, Iowa City, Iowa, March 17, 2021

Harold Martin ’55, Waterloo, Iowa, July 22, 2021

Julie Day Bernard ’96, Urbandale, Iowa, May 7, 2021

Janice Craddock Wilhelms ’55, Shannon, Illinois, June 19, 2020 Kermit Dirks ’56, Ames, Iowa, May 12, 2021

Carol Brokel, honorary alumna and staff member who served Cornell from 1962 to 2014, most notably in West Science, Mount Vernon, Iowa, April 26, 2021

Mary Anne Kolbe Rounds ’56, Rockford, Illinois, May 10, 2021 Larry Millhollin ’59, McDonough, Georgia, June 21, 2021

Robert Mendelsohn, sociology professor 1974-76, Manchester, Connecticut, May 12, 2021

John Moorhead ’59, Moorhead, Iowa, March 29, 2021

55

L A S T WO R D

A look back on leading men in Vietnam By

Michael Garvey ’67

T

the soldier could return home to their family for burial, and not be put on a missing-in-action list.

At times I was the only Caucasian in a team of 10 to 12 infantry personnel. The team was of many different ethnic groups, and I felt that everyone was equal and essential every day. Our friendships lasted a lifetime because we returned home alive.

Our overwhelming need to survive helped silence the fear. But I saw soldiers who never recovered mentally. That’s where Cornell helped me. I was 10,000 miles from home, and at times I had to stop and tell myself, “Wait. I can’t let what’s happening affect me mentally and never recover.” At Cornell I learned how to reason.

I was a streetwise Chicago kid, but I had trouble my first year at Cornell. What I learned in Chicago’s public schools did not prepare me for college. Then I began working with [Professor of English] Winifred Van Etten. She helped me quite a bit and I began getting decent grades. I learned how to read and understand. I learned how to function.

And I survived Vietnam.

here is nothing more demanding, more terrifying, and yet humbling and rewarding than to lead men in combat in the jungles of Vietnam.

My experience in Vietnam was very challenging. With helicopters hovering above, we were in active combat firefight within minutes, not hours, days, or even weeks before an advancing enemy. A firefight is terrifying. The noise from machine guns and automatic rifle fire is deafening. Add mortar fire and grenade explosions and the screams for a medic, and the shock to your senses is truly traumatic.

The heat was oppressive. The temps by noon were 110 degrees Fahrenheit. In the monsoon season the rains were intense and lasted for hours. By dusk, the temps would fall into the 70s, but a 40-degree drop produced chills because we were still soaking wet. The GI “bug-juice” (insect repellent) was in constant use because the bugs were huge and relentless. Add to that the need to cross murky waterways, where the threat of a large snake was always present. Vietnam has over 200 species of snakes, and many are venomous and flourish in water.

Three hours of sleep, and usually in spurts, was all we got because most of our combat occurred at night. The nervous adrenaline seemed constant because the apprehension and fear of an attack was always possible.

When not out on patrol our team was needed to help medics secure the dead. In combat areas the most humbling experience was to put the remains of a fallen comrade into a black rubber body bag and carry him to a helicopter so that

Michael Garvey ’67 was drafted upon graduating from Cornell and attended infantry officer candidate school. Following military service he earned his M.B.A. and worked in the medical device-pharmaceutical industry. He and Mary Salisbury ’68 married and had three children before her untimely loss to cancer. Garvey later remarried and is now retired near family in San Diego, California.

56

Make a difference with your estate “I met and became friends with some of my favorite people on Earth at Cornell. So when I sat down with an attorney to decide where my estate should go upon my death, Cornell College simply made sense. I want to support institutions that have been meaningful in

Peter Nielsen ’83

my life and make a difference in the lives of others. As a magnification of the money I am able to provide, I can think of few greater opportunities than Cornell.

“You should continue to donate annually but, in addition, seek out advice on how to include Cornell in your estate planning. It is not difficult, not expensive, doesn’t affect your current financial situation, and ensures a

For more information

meaningful direction for your estate.”

about planned giving or

Peter Nielsen ’83

plannedgiving.cornellcollege.edu

our Heritage Society: Visit or contact Director of Development A.J. Plummer, 319.895.4331 or aplummer@cornellcollege.edu

Cornell’s second oldest building reopened this fall as McLennan College Hall following a $3.6 million renovation funded by Greater > Than campaign donations and a lead gift

by Robert McLennan ’65 and Rebecca Martin McLennan ’64.

The 1857 building blends history with technology and now has air conditioning, new ADA accessible entries, and a hightech finance lab with a continually streaming ticker board.

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID CORNELL COLLEGE

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