The Carthaginian – Summer 2021

IN THIS ISSUE Feature Articles

cover story:

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We Are Firebirds

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Our bold new team name and imagery matches the Carthage spirit.

Beneath Red and Blue Students on both sides of the political aisle provide a road map to civility.

26 Grounded in Compassion Twenty years later, alumnus Glen Prasser recalls the light of hospitality that pierced the darkness of 9/11.

28 32 carthage.edu

Music on the Brink As a Fulbright scholar in Tanzania, Professor Peter Dennee helped to prevent a cultural extinction.

National Champs The undefeated men’s volleyball team wins Carthage’s first NCAA title in team competition.

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IN THIS ISSUE Departments

THE CARTHAGINIAN Volume 100, Number 2

4 12

On Campus

35

Athletics

39 48

A School of Business and Economics will open in 2022, consolidating popular programs and opening new doors.

Faculty/Staff Notes Meet the 2021 faculty and staff award recipients and catch up on other recent achievements.

The Carthaginian is the official magazine of Carthage College, which is raising expectations for a private college experience. Carthage blends the best liberal arts traditions with desirable degree programs, transformative learning opportunities, personal attention from distinguished faculty, and a focus on career development, which makes its graduates competitive in the workforce. Founded in 1847, Carthage is located on an idyllic shore of Lake Michigan in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the thriving corridor between Milwaukee and Chicago. For more information, visit: carthage.edu

In a recruiting hotbed, Carthage creates a coed esports program for competitive gamers.

Carthaginian Editorial Team

Class Notes

A series of events celebrate 75 Years of Black Excellence since the College’s first African American graduate, Lorraine Wiggan ’46.

Page From the Past Because of a principled stand in the 1980s, the Firebirds team name especially resonates with the campus music fraternity.

Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications Elizabeth Young

Steve Janiak Alexis Greve ’24 Tyler Farino ’23

Managing Editor

Contributing Writers

Mike Moore

Dana Ehrmann ’15 Mike Moore Traci Parker Nina Werger ’24 Elizabeth Young

Design/Art Direction Steve Janiak Kim King ’06

3 President’s Message 15 Pastor’s Message 43 Alumni Message

Photographers/Illustrators

Chair of the Board of Trustees Jeff Hamar ’80

Corrections

President

• A n article in the Winter 2021 issue honoring the new Athletic Hall of Fame class underreported the men’s volleyball accolades for inductee Connor Wexter ’14, M.Ed. ’16. He was a four-time All-America selection who made the first team in three of those years.

Vice President for Institutional Advancement Thomas Kline

• I n Memoriam sections of previous issues contained incorrect or incomplete death notices for two alumni: ○ Joanne (Reiss) Zmuda ’84 of Dublin, Ohio, died Dec. 23, 2017. ○ Darrell Erdman ’96 of Middleton, Wisconsin, died Feb. 11, 2020.

John R. Swallow

For More Information The Carthaginian Office of Marketing and Communications 2001 Alford Park Drive Kenosha, WI 53140 262-551-6021 • editor@carthage.edu CMYK

Update Address/Mailing Preferences carthage.edu/mycontactinfo 800-551-1518 • alumnioffice@carthage.edu

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Summer Carthaginian 2021

Transparent PMS

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Moments that reinforce the urgency of our work I

t was one of the most meaningful moments of my presidency.

I was standing on a platform in Siebert Chapel, looking east through the central doors, witnessing graduates posing for photos with their families in front of a peaceful Lake Michigan. Every few minutes, another robed graduate would join me on stage, receiving their diploma as their family looked on, completing their procession through a series of graduation stations from the Johnson Arts Center through Hedberg Library and finally into the chapel.

Happiness was everywhere. The nearly 650 members of the graduating class of 2021

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were feeling a combination of excitement and relief after a difficult 13 months, including a tragic shooting that some students witnessed off-campus at Somers House only the weekend before.

The night before, I had watched the men’s volleyball team complete Carthage’s quest for a first team national championship. I was thrilled to see so much campus spirit for that victory — and for our new team name, Firebirds. On that Sunday afternoon, I awarded the very last diplomas to men’s volleyball teammates who had flown back from Virginia that very morning for the ceremony.

I looked through the chapel doors to the glorious blue lake and the beautiful day and recognized I could never know the full range of emotions our families were experiencing.

But I was proud of our graduates and proud of what Carthage had achieved for

them, especially during those incredible Commencement ceremonies.

I share this with you because I know you share my love for Carthage and my appreciation for the work of educating our young people. The work will never be easy, and, as the world changes around us, Carthage must always endeavor to prepare students best for that changing world.

I know in my mind that Carthage’s impact is as powerful as its work is noble. At moments like this Commencement, I feel the same in my heart. At Commencement, we affirm that our students graduate with a broad education enabling them to meet the world’s needs, ever more effectively, over their long lives. That is what we are about, and always must be.

John R. Swallow

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ON CAMPUS

A glimpse of what’s happening in the Carthage community

Coming soon: School of Business and Economics Carthage plans to open a School of Business and Economics, bringing distinctiveness to an already well-respected program in the heart of a major business corridor.

This holistic approach to business education will bring together distinguished faculty members from several disciplines.

The new structure is designed to foster greater collaboration, expand hands-on learning, and pave the way for new programs and partnerships in emerging fields.

“Carthage attracts well-rounded students who want to spread their wings and don’t want to be pigeonholed into any one path,” said David Timmerman, provost and chief operating officer. “The interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to creating the School of Business and Economics is the model for how we will launch new programs at

Carthage for years to come.”

The search for a dean to oversee the new school will continue this fall. The College intends to have the structure in place for the 2022-23 academic year.

Input from prominent alumni and business leaders from the region’s largest employers will continually inform the curriculum.

“We regularly hire Carthage graduates for our rotational program and find them to be passionate, curious and highly engaged,” said Craig Simpkins, an executive at Johnson Controls. “I’m excited to play a role in shaping Carthage’s School of Business and Economics and providing opportunities to prepare the next generation of business leaders.”

Carthage offers majors in accounting,

finance, economics, international political economy, management, and marketing; and minors in business administration and economics. Nearly a quarter of Carthage’s undergraduate students pursue a degree in one of those areas.

At the graduate level, Carthage offers a Master of Science in business, with tracks in design and innovation and sports management.

“Carthage faculty members are some of the most dynamic experts in their fields,” added Craig Leipold, majority owner of the Minnesota Wild NHL team and chair of the College’s Sports Management Advisory Council. “They’re building courses that not only teach students the fundamentals of business, but also how to think innovatively and solve real-world problems.”

Help the next generation of Firebirds

discover all that carthage has to offer.

Share Carthage with a high school student TODAY! carthage.edu/requestinfo

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Summer Carthaginian 2021

New degree options bring in-demand skills The flurry of academic additions continues, as Carthage works to blend the liberal arts tradition with in-demand degree programs. professor Nick Pilarski. Besides video games, faculty see untapped potential for training simulations, storytelling, and other uses.

The concentration in game development can lead to associate-level Game Developer certification through Unity. As of 2020, more than half of mobile, console, and PC games were made using the company’s platform.

athletic training 3+2

engineering science More flexible than a traditional undergraduate engineering degree, Carthage’s new engineering science major provides a rigorous engineering foundation for students looking to solve complex problems.

“This program appeals to students who want to explore this expansive profession without being locked into a specific track,” says Professor Julie Dahlstrom, chair of the Physics and Astronomy Department and co-creator of the new major. “There are a few students who already know at 18 that they want to design bridges, but that’s a very narrow brand of engineering.”

Pairing naturally with students’ interests in business management, physics, data science, and other subjects, the major could pave the way to a variety of careers or further engineering study in a more specialized graduate program.

game development The College has added a pair of options in game development: a minor, as well as a concentration for computer science majors.

Computer science professors Rick Bingen ’15 and Perry Kivolowitz designed the curriculum with communication and digital media

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To equip students for an evolving field, Carthage now offers a fiveyear track to a master’s degree in athletic training.

The College has been phasing out its long-running undergraduate athletic training program to meet changing professional standards; by 2026, a master’s degree will be required for certification.

The new program, taken entirely through Carthage, leads to a Master of Arts in athletic training and a Bachelor of Arts in allied health science. It can shorten the typical route by a full year.

public health 4+1 Under a new agreement, students can earn a bachelor’s degree in any area of study at Carthage and a Master of Public Health from the Medical College of Wisconsin in five years.

The MCW coursework is offered entirely online. The MPH degree can lead to positions in health departments, nonprofit organizations, hospitals, universities, insurance companies, and federal agencies.

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ON CAMPUS

The Guest List Carthage hosted some prominent speakers during the spring 2021 semester, including:

business and professional coalition

Daymond John Co-star of “Shark Tank” Founder / CEO of FUBU

Further steps toward equity and inclusion The Carthage community wears its anti-racism commitment on its sleeve — or just below it, to be exact.

Faculty, staff, and students took part in the Red Bracelet Project, an initiative that began in spring with a mission to reimagine a society where all people can flourish. Besides showing solidarity on their wrists, participants were invited to a series of informative events.

“African slaves and their descendants ... found woven in the texts of the Bible

a crimson thread of divine justice

Catherine Jacobson President / CEO of Froedtert Health

chapman executive-in-residence

Brian Peccarelli ’81 Co-COO of Thomson Reuters

office of equity and inclusion

Jackie Joyner-Kersee Olympic medalist

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antithetical to the injustice they had come to know all too well.”

— Allen Dwight Callahan, “The Talking Book: African Americans and the Bible”

The Rev. Kara Baylor, Carthage’s campus pastor, introduced the Red Bracelet Project during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day program. She explained the inspiration for its name: author Allen Dwight Callahan’s description of the “crimson thread” in biblical text that provided hope to enslaved Africans and the generations that followed.

At that MLK Day program, speakers from a range of multicultural student organizations pledged to work together to eradicate injustice. That led off a full schedule of events that the Office of Equity and Inclusion held to celebrate various cultures, educate the campus community, and combat racism.

Carthage’s work toward equity and inclusion advanced on several other fronts, including: fundraising: In the last fiscal year, individual donors gave over $450,000 to Carthage for intercultural programs and more than $100,000 for scholarships that support students of color. Major contributors included LeAnn Pedersen Pope ’79 and Clyde Smith McGregor; Patrick ‘85 and Kim Anderson; Alan ’79 and Sally Mills; and Phil ’74 and Diane ’76 Slocum. anti-racism course: Kateryna Sylaska, an assistant professor of psychological science, taught a new course titled Challenging White Supremacy and Practicing Anti-Racism during “May Term.”

The elective class filled quickly, and so did the wait list. networking: The Office of Equity and Inclusion developed Black at Carthage — a group of students, faculty, staff, and alumni who gathered weekly throughout the spring to forge relationships and expand their professional networks.

Summer Carthaginian 2021

Giving Day 2021 sweeps ratings When the Carthage Good News Network signed off for the night, it was time to broadcast the best news of all: Giving Day 2021 was a rousing success.

Thanks to the generosity of alumni, parents, employees, students, and other supporters, Carthage exceeded its primary goal with 1,037 gifts on April 7.

That unlocked a $250,000 “challenge gift” that the Board of Trustees had pledged if the College reached its target of 1,021 gifts. That number was chosen in part to honor the resilient Class of 2021.

The Carthage community responded with almost $220,000 in gifts for student-centered programs and financial aid during the annual 24-hour fundraising sprint. Those who donated nonperishable food to Luther’s Lunchbox — self-serve shelves with supplemental meals for students in A. F. Siebert Chapel —

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also counted toward this year’s donor goal.

After an onslaught of terrible world headlines in 2020, the College adopted the Good News Network theme for Giving Day 2021. “Anchors” Natalie Lall ’22 and Nate Myers ’23 took turns relaying information, while participants shared uplifting thoughts and updates on social media.

The Office of Institutional Advancement held a virtual celebration in place of the face-to-face events traditionally organized on campus and in cities where alumni are clustered. Staff members led a high-energy party with bingo, Carthage trivia, a DJ, and lots of prizes.

The fundraising total includes gifts designated for specific programs and scholarships in nine separate minichallenges. Carthaginians matched contributions from likeminded donors to support equity and inclusion, athletics, mental health, J-Term travel, civic leadership, the fine arts, and other areas.

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COMMENCEMENT

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Summer Carthaginian 2021

New graduates of the Carthage business master’s degree program pose with faculty members for a group photo by Kissing Rock. The Class of 2021 included the first cohort in sports management and the parallel cohort in business design and innovation.

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Ella Spoelstra ‘21, senior class speaker

CLASS OF 2021

With a few safety-driven modifications, Carthage gave the Class of 2021 a sendoff that preserved much of Commencement’s usual atmosphere. At assigned times on April 24 and 25, graduates and their families processed through three buildings lined with photo stations, congratulatory videos, and colorful lights, culminating with the ceremonial stage walk in A. F. Siebert Chapel. Speeches and degree conferral took place at a student-only event the night before.

CLASS OF 2020

Unable to enjoy the pomp and circumstance in person last year due to the pandemic, 180 alumni from the Class of 2020 returned with their caps, gowns, and families on May 22 for a belated procession.

Patricia Flannery, faculty speaker

COMMENCEMENT

Graduate Spotlight Here’s a sampling of the first destinations for the Class of 2021:

Emily Harmon master of music – music theatre vocal pedagogy Graduate student – Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) Northwestern Health Sciences University

The career goal for Emily Harmon, M.M. ’21, remains the same as when she entered the master’s program at Carthage: to help “highlevel singers and dancers reach peak execution and fulfillment in their craft.” But the “how” has changed pretty dramatically.

Rather than continuing her studies in performance psychology, as Ms. Harmon initially planned, she’s bound for chiropractic school in Bloomington, Minnesota. Research into breathwork showed her it’s “much more efficient and viable to change the mind with the body.”

The D.C. degree track involves far more than back cracking. Ms. Harmon looks forward to courses covering “neuroscience, therapeutic exercise, and nutrition.”

Keeley Jones

Jovone’ Stricker*

public relations

physical education, sport, and fitness instruction

AmeriCorps Member City Year Chicago

Phy Ed/Health Teacher and Assistant Coach Hoffman Estates (Ill.) High School

Nohemi Lopez management Quality Training Associate

Briana Parks

Merz North America

chinese, international political economy English Teacher in Changsha, China EF English First

Kimberly Hernandez

Lawrence Jackson

Devan Nelson

management

neuroscience

Associate Technical Project Manager

Graduate Student (D.O.)

Legislative Aide and Research Assistant

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

State Sen. Marisabel Cabrera (Wis.)

Groupon

sociology, psychology

Melanie Gucwa biology Graduate Student (Ph.D.) – Molecular and Developmental Biology Cincinnati Children’s Hospital *December 2020 graduate

Yana Astter chemistry, biology (pre-med)

Grayson Breen social work

Cancer Research Training Award Fellow

Graduate student – Master of Social Work

National Cancer Institute

Aurora (Ill.) University

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Matthew Krzewinski economics Graduate student – Data Science University of Denver

Summer Carthaginian 2021

Three earn Distinguished Alumni Awards Carthage presented the Distinguished Alumni Award to three 1970s graduates on April 23:

Tom Kieso

LeAnn Pedersen Pope

Cynthia Thomas Walker

Tom Kieso ’73 is co-owner and vice president of the Wm. F. Meyer Co., a plumbing supply distributor with 11 locations across the Chicago area. Starting as a pickup truck driver, he learned the family business from the ground up.

Together with a cousin, he bought the company from relatives in 1987. Reminding everyone to “be prepared and you won’t be scared,” Mr. Kieso helped steer Wm. F. Meyer safely through multiple recessions while competitors folded.

Carrying on the tradition of his communityminded parents, Mr. Kieso shares the three T’s: time, talent, and treasure. He has been an active trustee of the College since 2005 and previously served on an advisory board for Lutheran Social Services of Illinois.

Mr. Kieso has given generously toward residential, academic, and athletic building projects on campus, chairing the fundraising committee for the Campbell Student Union.

Beyond Carthage, he donates to a variety of causes that support families.

A frequent traveler, Mr. Kieso has visited 66 countries. He has three children and lives in Chicago with his wife, Lisa.

After an accomplished career as a Chicago attorney, LeAnn Pedersen Pope ’79 retired to focus on social justice ministry and philanthropy.

At Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella, she maintained a national business litigation practice. Founding the Consumer Financial Services Class Action Defense Group, Ms. Pope successfully defended major banks and mortgage banking companies in more than 200 cases.

After 30-plus years, Ms. Pope left the legal profession to pursue a Master of Theology — which she earned from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in May. She engages other white Christians to understand privilege and its role in systemic racism.

Elected to the Carthage Board of Trustees in March, Ms. Pope is the newest member. She has generously supported the College’s equity and inclusion initiatives.

Ms. Pope serves as board chair for Opportunity International, a nonprofit working to end extreme poverty in Africa, India, and Latin America. She also assisted young Black men through CRED (Create Real Economic Destiny), which seeks transformational change in Chicago gun violence.

She has two grown children and lives with her husband, Clyde Smith McGregor, in Winnetka, Illinois.

Recently re-elected for another six-year term, Cynthia Thomas Walker ’78 has served as a judge in Michigan’s 50th District Court since 2003. Originally appointed to fill a midterm vacancy, she became chief judge in 2010.

Before joining the bench, she worked as an attorney for more than 20 years. Positions with Legal Services of Eastern Michigan and UAW Legal Services led her to Pontiac, Michigan, where she later served as city attorney and court administrator.

Through speaking engagements and role-playing activities, Judge Walker strives to make the law and legal careers accessible to younger generations. She has received multiple awards for professional, civic, and philanthropic contributions.

In 2018, Judge Walker co-founded the Wiggan-Kenniebrew Black Alumni Network, which supports students of color at Carthage.

The network and its associated funds are named in part for her aunt, the late Lorraine Wiggan ’46, the College’s first Black graduate.

Judge Walker holds a law degree from Valparaiso University in Indiana. She has an adult son.

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FACULTY/STAFF NOTES

Cynthia Allen, assistant professor of exercise and sport science, wrote an article on the potential health benefits of meditation that was published in the peer-reviewed ACSM Health & Fitness Journal.

Greg Baer, professor of modern languages, added to his duties at Carthage with a three-year term as the new director of student fellowships.

Anthony Barnhart, assistant professor of psychological science, gave a keynote presentation in the American Psychological Association’s virtual conference. The 15-minute video, titled “Magic in the Lab: Psychological Insights from Magicians,” debuted last August.

Ashley Hanson, associate vice president of admissions, received the 2020-21 Distinguished Staff Award. Colleagues credited Ms. Hanson for creative leadership in recruiting during the pandemic. One nominator summed it up: “As some colleges watched and waited for things to get better, Ashley took it upon herself to lead by example.”

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Updates on faculty and staff achievements

Katherine Hilson, assistant professor of sociology, received a Career Enhancement Fellowship to continue studying Black residents’ relationship with law enforcement in Milwaukee. In an effort to diversify faculty in the humanities, social sciences, and arts, the Institute for Citizens & Scholars selects fellows with promising research projects. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation provides the funding for Prof. Hilson’s 12-month sabbatical and other expenses.

Thomas Groleau, professor of management and marketing, and Julio Rivera, an adjunct faculty member in the same department, published a paper describing “a journey of transdisciplinary teaching between business and geography” in the Journal of Geography in Higher Education.

Rebekah Johnson, assistant professor of

Fatih Harpci, associate professor of religion,

Alyson Kiesel, professor of English, was

presented a conference paper on Muslim responses to COVID-19 in November at a virtual conference exploring Islamic pastoral and spiritual care during the pandemic. In addition, Prof. Harpci wrote a book chapter titled “The Myth of Islam as Inherently Violent” and an article that was published in the Journal of Muslim Philanthropy & Civil Society.

granted the Ruth Maxwell Distinguished Professorship in English. Previously held by Pamela Smiley, the seat was established to keep literature relevant and to increase literary offerings.

Andrea Henle, associate professor of biology, received the Thora Halstead Young Investigator Award at the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research conference in November.

The award recognizes her contributions to space biology research and her active involvement of undergraduate students, educators, and scientists.

exercise and sport science, and a collaborator gave a presentation in March during a Virtual Health and Physical Education Conference organized

by Human Kinetics, a leading publisher in the industry. The session focused on the Education Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA).

Allen Klingenberg, associate professor of mathematics, co-wrote an article analyzing the relationship between the time faculty spend grading assignments and their students’ final grades. It appeared in the Journal of Business Management and Change.

Summer Carthaginian 2021

retirements 32 YEARS

Mike Larry ’89, student success advisor

31 YEARS Dan Schowalter, professor emeritus of classics and religion

30 YEARS

Brandon Koltz ’72, adjunct professor of environmental science, received a volunteer service recognition pin for his work with the Water Environment Federation, the world’s largest organization of water quality professionals. A WEF member since 1977, Prof. Koltz has served on its Government Affairs Committee since the mid1990s.

Diane Levesque, associate professor of art, received the first Edwin C. Kalke Award in the Racine Art Museum’s Watercolor Wisconsin 2020 exhibition. Funds donated in memory of Professor Emeritus Ed Kalke, who taught art at Carthage for 28 years, allowed the museum to purchase one of Prof. Levesque’s watercolor and acrylic paintings (“The Grapplers”) for its permanent collection.

Other artwork of hers, “The Lucretius Diptych,” was displayed at the Portrait Society Gallery in Milwaukee.

Janet Levey, associate professor of nursing, co-authored a chapter titled “Health Promotion for Individuals with Disabilities” for a recently published book highlighting the latest evidencebased practices nurses are using to promote health.

Joy Mast, professor of geospatial science, reached a pair of milestones, with more than 2,000 citations of her research publications and more than 35,000 viewers of her work via ResearchGate.

During the American Association of Geographers virtual meeting April 7, Prof. Mast gave a talk about her 30 years studying Southwestern forest dynamics.

Stephanie Mitchell, professor of history, accepted the Valor Distinguished Professorship in the Humanities. Previously given to Tom Noer, the distinction honors an eminent teacher-scholar.

Andrea Ng’weshemi, associate professor of religion and Jerald C. Brauer Chair for Lutheran Studies, published an article in peer-reviewed journal Dialog: Journal of Theology. Part of his ongoing research on Lutheranism in Africa, the paper outlines the reasons behind the steady expansion of the denomination and its implications for global Lutheranism and Christianity as a whole.

Melanie Nyhof, assistant professor of Debbie Minsky-Kelly, clinical assistant professor of social work and director of field education, received Carthage’s 2020-21 Distinguished Teaching Award. Citing her passion, flexibility, and expertise, nominating students wrote that Prof. Minsky-Kelly “genuinely puts her all into every class” and challenges them to “think in more open and inclusive ways.” She joined the faculty in 2018.

psychological science, gave an invited talk at the annual conference for the Society of Personality and Social Psychology. Her talk focused on “Religious Pluralism in Indonesia: Belief Disagreements and Syncretism.”

Sarah Harris ’87, senior director for major gifts

29 YEARS Pamela Smiley, professor emerita of English

25 YEARS Christine Renaud, professor emerita of classics, religion, and women’s and gender studies

24 YEARS Mimi Yang, professor emerita of modern languages and Asian studies

22 YEARS Tom Groleau, professor of management and marketing Wayne Thompson, professor emeritus of sociology and criminal justice

17 YEARS Allen Klingenberg, associate professor of mathematics

14 YEARS Ed Montanaro, professor emeritus of modern languages and economics

10 YEARS Kathleen Barca, co-director of student teaching Kathy Lauer, co-director of student teaching

tenure The Board of Trustees awarded tenure and promotion to these faculty members, which takes effect this fall: Cynthia Allen (Exercise and Sport Science) Denise Cook-Snyder (Neuroscience) Angela Dassow (Biology) John Kirk (Chemistry) Maribel Morales (Modern Languages)

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Barnes & Noble at Carthage is the official campus bookstore.

Find Carthage apparel and souvenirs, reading or textbooks, and an assortment of gifts and gift cards, in addition to all of your supply needs!

Visit us in the Campbell Student Union or online at

carthage.bncollege.com

SHOW YOUR

PRIDE!

262-551-5778 • 800-551-6202 • 2001 Alford Park Drive • Kenosha, WI 53140

FACULTY/STAFF PASTOR’S MESSAGE NOTES

Cassie Oliver, assistant program coordinator in the Center for Faith and Spirituality, was selected for a yearlong service project through the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Under the Young Adult Volunteer program, she will spend 2021-22 in New Orleans after the pandemic limited participants to virtual events in 2020-21.

Colleen Palmer, visiting assistant professor of communication and digital media, earned a Ph.D. in communication and media arts from Regent University this semester. Her dissertation examined teenagers’ interpretations of provocative TV show “13 Reasons Why.”

Kateryna Sylaska, assistant professor of psychological science, published a new framework for understanding personality as co-author of a paper in Handbook of Personality Dynamics and Processes.

Yan Wang, associate professor of modern languages and Asian studies, received a $1,000 grant from the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles, to host a national Japanese Storytelling and Singing Contest. Students from seven U.S. colleges, universities, and high schools entered. In November, Prof. Wang presented research virtually for both the Linguistics Colloquium (with Alex Rogers ’21) and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages’ conference.

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Holy Spirit breathes wind of change The Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words to express. (Romans 8:26-27) I have a tattoo on the upper part of my right arm as a symbol of my faith and what is central to my journey. It started out as a small cross, colored in with purple and blue — purple for womanist theology and blue for the waters of baptism, the moment when ordinary water and the extraordinary Holy Spirit come together to welcome us into the family of God. A few years later, I expanded the tattoo to include more symbols of the Holy Spirit. The wind at Creation. The dove at the baptism of Jesus. The fire of Pentecost, which molds and shapes us and helps us become who God intends us to be.

This tattoo reminds me of major moments in my life that helped me become who I am today.

Every year of college is filled with learning moments like those, both in academics and in life, but this past year held more lessons than anyone could imagine learning at one time. Two COVID semesters were bookended by the August protests of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha and April’s mass shooting at the Somers House Tavern just up the road from campus.

Life is fragile, and we are pushed to wonder if humanity still sees life as sacred. Trauma is real, both individually and communally.

Shaped by the Holy Spirit, we will see how everything we learned last year —

about ourselves and about humanity — can somehow make the world better.

This has changed us all, and we will feel its impact for years to come.

In Scripture, moments of major change and learning often come with a corresponding change to the person’s name. God changes Jacob’s name to Israel (Genesis 35), for example, and Saul to Paul (Acts 9). Marking large life lessons in that way permanently etches the transformation in memory, like a tattoo.

In a year of turmoil, it seems fitting that Carthage switched team names from the Red Men and Lady Reds to the Firebirds. It was time to let go of names that didn’t honor the full humanity of the indigenous people of the United States, and to claim a single name that unifies our teams regardless of gender.

The new Firebird that represents Carthage will be a symbol of hope for me, because it will remind me of the Holy Spirit — the Holy Spirit that makes me a part of the community of faith, helps to shape who I am throughout my life, and helps me soar, regardless.

It will remind me of the Spirit that promises to intercede for each of us throughout our lives, with sighs and a few cheers as well.

Peace,

Rev. Kara Baylor Campus Pastor

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New team name. New era.

Same commitment to excellence.

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Summer Carthaginian 2021

“i’d be shaking in my boots if the team I was up against was called the Firebirds.”

– Grace Gattorna ’22

bold. fierce. majestic. uncommon. inspiring.

As Carthaginians shared their reactions to each possible new team name, one option consistently evoked strong adjectives like those. One after another, survey respondents noted the parallels between their impressions of that particular name and their College.

Acting on a recommendation from President John Swallow, the Board of Trustees voted in February to adopt the name. It’s official:

we are carthage firebirds.

“We set out to find a team name that represents modern-day Carthage in an inclusive and dynamic way, and this search led us to a name that fits on so many levels,” said board chair Jeff Hamar ’80. “I know I speak for many Carthaginians in saying I’m proud to be a Firebird.”

A legendary creature made of living fire or light, the firebird appears most prominently in Slavic folk tales. Its mythological ancestors, from the Greek phoenix to the Chinese fenghuang, can be traced back thousands of years.

Firebirds won out over fellow finalists Lake Hawks and Fire, capping a five-month process.

“The image we want to portray, as a program, is that we will always fight. We may get beat from time to time, but we will always get up to fight again,” said Brady Lindsley ’95, head coach for the men’s and women’s tennis teams. “To me, that’s exactly what a Firebird is: rising from the ashes, unable to be held down.”

More than one-third of the full-time students here take part in 28 varsity sports. Carthage men and women had competed under separate names for years, so bridging the gender divide became a top priority.

“All teams, men’s or women’s, put in so much hard work and dedication that they should be recognized together, rather than separately,” said Madison Ganir ’21, a four-year softball player who served as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

“I’m proud of our students and student-athletes for standing up for what they believe in, and I’m grateful to the Carthage faculty and athletic staff for listening to us to create a more inclusive community.”

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fire lake hawks firebirds railsplitters storm fighting tide courage vanguard coho fleet navigators waves ice wolves COVER STORY

all fired up

In November 2019, Mr. Hamar convened a Task Force on Team Names and Mascot to review both aspects of Carthage’s athletic identity.

The task force has welcomed input at every stage of the process.

Results from a spring 2020 survey indicated strong support to move on from Red Men and Lady Reds. Many complained that those names impeded the College’s commitment to racial and gender equity.

Last August, the board voted to retire those names, effective immediately. Carthaginians turned in almost 500 suggestions to replace them, with well-thought-out explanations.

“It’s been incredible to witness the fervent enthusiasm that this process has ignited throughout our community,” President Swallow said.

Surveyed about their reactions to each of the 16 semifinalists, 589 users checked “I love it” for Firebirds. Judging from their comments, the value of a unifying identity extends far beyond athletics: Tracy (Hilgendorf) Conner ’07, one of several people who suggested Firebirds from the start, associates the name with the fiery siege

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of ancient Carthage.

B ecause of its roots in mythology, the name reminded some of the College’s Intellectual Foundations (formerly Western Heritage) program.

M any in the fine arts community applauded the choice — largely because of “The Firebird,” a 1910 ballet that propelled composer Igor Stravinsky to fame.

See why “The Firebird” holds extra meaning for Carthage’s music fraternity, Lambda Kappa. – Page 48

For practical purposes, many people pointed out that Firebirds works well with the primary Carthage color: red. It also complements the College’s seal and logo, which feature flames symbolizing the torch of knowledge.

With the name in place, attention has shifted to a replacement for Torchie, the Carthage mascot since 1997. The flame-headed character got a flashy sendoff while “graduating” in April. (Watch it at carthage.edu/torchie2021.)

Thanks to a newly expanded partnership with Nike, the Athletic Department will replace all

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existing team uniforms with Firebirds-branded gear by August 2022. The partnership grew out of a shared commitment to equity and inclusion.

After loosening spectator restrictions in spring, Director of Athletics Nate Stewart is optimistic that public health conditions will allow for bigger crowds at home games this fall. More fans in the stands equals louder “Let’s go, Firebirds!” chants.

The Carthage Spirit Team will be ready. Between its dance, cheer, twirl, and mascot units, the team has more than 50 students signed up for 2021-22 — a record high.

“We are excited to involve our fellow Carthaginians in this brand new era of team morale and Carthage spirit!” said Spirit Team member Brystal Schultz ’23.

It’s always a good sign when the people responsible for firing up everyone else are even more #fiREDup than usual.

“This would seem to honor all those who

graduated in the past and those who will graduate in the future.”

– Judith (DeLapp) Andrews ’62

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the logo guy Pat Cummings ’04, who earned a degree in graphic design at Carthage while interning in the Office of Communications, designed the Firebirds logo and related branding.

Living in Portland, Oregon, he now leads a team that designs T-shirts and other apparel for a major sportswear company. On the side, he has created logos for high school, college, and professional sports teams — including the Indy Eleven of the United Soccer League.

Digging through old Carthage yearbooks for inspiration, Mr. Cummings wanted the Firebirds brand to honor the past while signaling a bold new chapter.

“Being able to combine the two passions that drew me to Carthage in the first place — design and athletics — is one of the greatest honors of my career,” he said. “Working on something so close to me, I wanted to create a mark that will stand the test of time.”

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COVER STORY

WE ARE FIREBIRDS Besides the coolness factor, Carthage set out to choose a name that fits the College’s spirit, history, and mission. With guidance from Jeffrey Brooks, a history professor at Johns Hopkins University and author of “The Firebird and the Fox,” we identified some key themes inspired by the mythical firebird and its relatives. Those same themes show up consistently in our community. So, while the team name is brand new, Carthaginians have been Firebirds all along.

A SOURCE OF LIGHT AND INSPIRATION O n Giving Day, parents Shana and Bill Otto tripled gifts supporting mental health services for Carthage students.

A lready bringing up to 385 jobs to the Kenosha area, gummy bear inventor HARIBO of America established a scholarship fund at Carthage with a $250,000 gift.

ART AND CREATIVITY P rofessor Wael Farouk completed three Rachmaninoff piano concertos in one day, a difficult feat symbolizing the struggle against three forms of injustice: discrimination, oppression, and persecution.

A t 92, avid juggler Don Rapp ’50 still keeps the balls in the air.

Besides practicing daily, he passes on the hobby each summer in youth classes.

INTERVENTION FOR GOODNESS W ith PPE sold out or overpriced and the local supermarket closed, the Rev. Louis Tillman IV ’13 drove to other states to buy supplies for his Baltimore church’s neighborhood.

R ecognized as a model user of the Student Outreach System, Marla Polley (adjunct faculty) connects students with academic, social, or financial challenges to the help they need.

THE POWER OF MAGIC F or the American Psychological Association’s 2020 virtual conference, professor and magician Tony Barnhart demonstrated new insights from the science of magic.

Discover more about these difference-makers at:

carthage.edu/wearefirebirds

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Summer Carthaginian 2021

AN EMPOWERING QUEST J aisyn Daher ’24 became an Eagle Scout, part of the first class of women to attain the rank through Scouts BSA (formerly Boy Scouts of America). our years after a program for incoming first-generation students F launched, the first class graduated – including Alanna Sullivan ’21, who chronicled her ups and downs in a journal her grandma gave her as a going-to-college present.

APPRECIATION / PRESERVATION OF BEAUTY mbracing her autism, studio art alumna Elle Maru ’20 wrote and E illustrated a children’s book that encourages kids to do the same. i Theta sorority won the monthlong Carthage EcoChallenge. In all, P students from 20 campus groups conserved 7,407 gallons of water and prevented 7,737 pounds of CO2 emissions.

THE SPIRIT OF AN UNDERDOG I n its first year of competition, the Carthage women’s bowling team finished second in the conference championship.

REBIRTH rom rising sommelier to law student, Emma Terrell ’17 pivoted F gracefully when COVID-19 dampened the restaurant industry’s outlook.

FLIGHT he Carthage Microgravity Team conducted its latest zero-g experiments T in May, marking 10 years of NASA-supported research into fuel gauging technology. One night, the group fittingly ate at a place called Firebirds.

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The antidote to political venom S

Cameron Swallow

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ometimes it’s up to the young idealists to break down the walls that society has built, like the political divide that widens every year.

As the statewide co-coordinator for Braver Angels, a nationwide movement to thaw the icy relations between red and blue voters, presidential spouse Cameron Swallow brought the template to Carthage.

After the bitter 2020 presidential election, roughly equal contingents of left- and right-leaning students gathered virtually last November for two events called With Malice Toward None. They shared personal hopes and concerns while committing to remain one community.

Then, in March, the group broached another sensitive topic. About 50 students turned out for a workshop on Depolarizing Conversations About Race, organized by Mrs. Swallow and Professor Corinne Ness, dean of the Division of Arts and Humanities.

In a political era when screaming the loudest is

rewarded, the respectful dialogue quenched a thirst that students didn’t know they had. They kept the momentum rolling.

Appealing directly to the leaders of two other political student organizations, Tyler Kelly ’24 of the Carthage Democrats recruited the Carthage Republicans and the Carthage Left Alliance for a debate that centered on free speech at college campuses. Other workshops followed.

“Braver Angels events have really shown me that the only way for society to progress is by taking everyone with us,” he says. “Having conversations where everyone feels comfortable is essential to the political process.”

The goal isn’t to compromise. Blue and red voters can stand pat without meeting at some watereddown purple midpoint.

Disagreement on issues is healthy. Contempt for those with opposing views is not.

Braver Angels events provide a safe space for honest but civil conversations, which can shatter stereotypes about what people on the other side

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actually believe. Christian Lubke ’22, treasurer for the Carthage Republicans, has welcomed the chance to challenge — and often reinforce — his own views.

“Despite being a staunch conservative, I have always thought it is crucial to be able to talk with others across the political aisle,” he says. “Politics, no matter how important, does not solely define us as human beings.”

The olive branch from Tyler came at a pivotal time.

As the faculty advisor to the Carthage Republicans, Professor Michael Phegley noticed a rift developing on campus as right-leaning students felt increasingly alienated.

A municipal judge with a background in dispute resolution, Prof. Phegley understood the benefit of these cross-party talks early on. Noting that “the law is front and center” in each Braver Angels activity, he strongly encourages students in both the Mock Trial Program (which he directs) and the Legal Environment of Business course to participate.

In their written reflections, many admitted they could see things more clearly after wiping the smudges off their blue- or red-colored glasses.

“They realized not only are many of their classmates like-minded from a political perspective, but the views on the other side of each debate are not vastly different from their own,” he says.

Mrs. Swallow, the wife of Carthage president John Swallow, has led face-to-face and Zoom workshops for groups all over Wisconsin since joining Braver Angels in 2018. Well-acquainted with the unifying power of

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music from playing in a bluegrass band, she’s helping to build a musical component into the national movement.

She saw the campus as fertile ground to plant the seeds of civility.

“I’ve been impressed and gratified to hear the Carthage students all speak from the heart,” she says.

“It shows that a new generation can work toward depolarization with as much dedication and passion as I do.”

In the debates and workshops, she’s observed that the wall between left and right in Generation Z is thicker in some parts and thinner in others.

“They seem united on issues like climate change and women’s rights that have divided my generation deeply,” Mrs. Swallow says. “And, yet, they need even more support and structure in healthy dialogue across differences, because the world they grew up in had few examples of it.”

Now firmly committed to the cause, Tyler is trying to start a Carthage chapter of BridgeUSA. The national organization has similar bipartisan goals to Braver Angels but works exclusively with college students to create a lasting dialogue.

Whether they identify as Democrats, Republicans, or something else, he’s been excited to see more students get off the sidelines and become politically active.

“I am really happy that members of both campus parties now talk to me around campus,” Tyler says, “and I am excited to continue to bridge this divide.”

“Politics, no matter how important,

does not solely define us as human beings.”

– Christian Lubke ’22

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Grounded in compassion Glen Prasser ’77 still amazed by small town’s hospitality on 9/11

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len Prasser ’77 graduated from Carthage with a degree in business and public relations on a Sunday and started a new job at Procter & Gamble that Monday.

He spent the next 31 years at P&G, working his way up to associate director of global acquisitions and divestitures. In pursuit of big names like Clairol and Gillette, his job took him to more than 40 countries. He even lived in Germany for nearly three years with his wife, Jolie (Harris) Prasser ’78, and their two children.

Yet Mr. Prasser’s most memorable international trip was one he never intended to take.

It began Sept. 11, 2001, a day that, for most, represents the worst of humanity. For the Carthage alumnus and a few thousand others, though, the day marked the beginning of a journey that put the very best of humanity on display.

As the 20th anniversary of that day approaches, Mr. Prasser can’t help but look back on “a place in time when everyone got along, if only for a few days.”

Flying back home to Cincinnati from London, he heard a message come over the intercom. The pilot told passengers the flight would divert to Newfoundland to examine a mechanical issue.

“Those things happen on a plane, so I didn’t think anything of it,” Mr. Prasser says.

He did suspect something was wrong, though, when he noticed it wasn’t the only plane landing at the Gander, Newfoundland, airport.

There were 37 others.

With the only working cell phone on board, Mr. Prasser finally learned of the terrorist attacks that had shut down all air traffic to the United States. Many passengers used that phone to make contact with their loved ones.

Stranded and anxious, almost 7,000 total travelers wondered what

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was next — until local residents took action.

Though local school bus drivers were on strike, they didn’t hesitate to get back behind the wheel and transport passengers to different Newfoundland communities with temporary accommodations. Mr. Prasser and roughly 700 others ended up in nearby Gambo, a town of about 2,000 people.

Those residents’ selfless acts of kindness, compassion, and service brought comfort during a dark, uncertain time. They set aside their normal day-to-day to ensure their guests, the “plane people,” had everything they needed.

Some opened their homes, others cooked meals. Teenagers who were pulled out of school lined the streets, just waiting to assist.

Some chauffeured guests to and from the town’s lone watering hole.

“We were so well taken care of, I wasn’t the least bit concerned,” Mr. Prasser recalls. “You almost felt guilty when someone from home would ask ‘Are you OK?’ because you’d think, ‘I’m better than OK.’” Strong bonds formed easily. When the plane people bought and signed a card for a resident who turned 75 that day, she called it her best birthday ever. Townspeople and plane people alike gathered for a church service, joining hands and reciting the Lord’s Prayer.

Not everyone spoke the same language, but everyone cried the same tears.

Flags fly at half-staff outside a fire station in Gambo, Newfoundland, in the days after Sept. 11, 2001.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF GLEN PRASSER

Glen Prasser ‘77 helps with dishwashing in the kitchen at Emmanuel United Church in Gambo, where many travelers stayed until flights resumed.

Mr. Prasser and the others stayed in Newfoundland for four days before U.S. flights resumed, but their interactions with the locals left indelible marks on their lives.

If you’re starting to think this all sounds like a Hollywood story, you’d almost be right. Turns out it’s more Broadway. After interviewing hundreds of passengers like Mr. Prasser about their experiences, playwrights Irene Sankoff and David Hein wrote the award-winning musical “Come From Away.”

“I’m not a theatre guy,” Mr. Prasser admits, but he’s seen this one five times — in theatres across the country. He attended a pre-Broadway showing at the famous Ford Theatre in Washington, opening night on Broadway in New York, and touring company performances in Appleton, Wisconsin, and Kansas City.

“Each time, I have tears in my eyes: sad, and incredibly happy and joyful for what I experienced,” he says. “It’s fabulous and so well-done.”

When the show came to Cincinnati in 2019, Mr. Prasser reserved 50 tickets. He invited friends and family, along with flight attendants, passengers, and the pilots from the 2001 flight.

Though 18 years had passed since their last meeting, one of the attendants recognized him instantly. “You were seat 3B! The guy with the international phone!”

The group held an after-party, where members of the play’s cast joined them. Together, they raised $3,000 for Gambo’s only public school.

After his long career with Procter & Gamble, Mr. Prasser worked as CEO of an orthopedics and sports medicine company for seven years. He has since retired but still does some consulting.

This year on Sept. 11, he’ll return to Gambo for the first time since the townspeople took care of him those 20 years ago. The mayor invited him to take part in a memorial service.

“It’s going to be emotional,” he says. “I’ll enjoy showing everything to my wife, like the church where I stayed and, of course, the bar.”

He’d also like to find the woman for whom they bought the birthday card, or her family. But his main goal is simple.

“I want to thank people again.”

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Passengers go through the serving line for dinner at the church. Locals fed them three hot meals each day, with moose stew as one of the staples.

You almost felt guilty when someone from home would ask ‘Are you OK?’ because you’d think, ‘I’m better than OK.’

Award-winning musical “Come From Away” is based on stories from passengers like Glen Prasser.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF PETER DENNEE

A man from a Chagga community in Tanzania plays an instrument made from a kudu horn.

Music on the brink Fulbright scholar Peter Dennee works to preserve traditional songs in Tanzania

L

ike a conservationist working to protect the California condor or the black rhino, Peter Dennee ’86 stepped forward to preserve endangered music.

As the fifth Carthage faculty member ever to receive a Fulbright Scholar award, Prof.

Dennee is wrapping up a seven-month research project in Tanzania. Trying to keep the region’s traditional music alive, he’s compiling a comprehensive set of classroom resources for teachers there, here, and everywhere.

Although he genuinely enjoys teaching classes and conducting a choir at Tumaini University Makumira, “TGIF” still applies. On Fridays, he gets the bulk of the legwork done.

That’s the day each week when Prof. Dennee, along with a

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translator, hops in his 2003 Toyota RAV4 for a road trip to the foothills of either Mount Meru or Mount Kilimanjaro. He visits musicians from indigenous groups — primarily the Meru, the Chagga, and the Maasai — and records their performances.

Most of the traditional singers they meet are elders. Aside from the Maasai, whose connection to their musical roots remains strong, interest dwindles with each passing generation. Kids prefer the latest hits.

It’s hard to blame them for tuning out. Sung in traditional languages, the lyrics are foreign to children whose families speak the more universal Swahili — a segment that continually grows as Tanzanian families relocate from remote villages to the cities.

Still, it lends an urgency to the project. Prof. Dennee hates to watch entire categories of artistry fade away.

“It’s like an animal going extinct. Our world is changed forever,

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and not for the better,” he says. “This is one way to keep both the music and the language alive.”

Rather than futilely trying to reverse a worldwide trend, the visiting Fulbrighter set out on a more bite-sized quest: to salvage the rich vocal and instrumental legacies of a few cultures he knows and admires.

sounds of the world A musical omnivore, Prof. Dennee listens to “just about everything,” like the CD of world music chart-toppers and new releases that comes with each issue of Songlines magazine.

That enthusiasm shows up in the Global Music Education class he teaches at Carthage.

“I think what makes Dr. Dennee the perfect person to teach that course is his own personal interest in different cultures and the sensitive approach he takes to unfamiliar things,” says Morgan Taylor ’21. “He also establishes a very safe classroom environment that allows for vulnerable discussions and willing participation.”

That worldview crystallized over time. Tours of Europe with his high school band — young Peter played the euphonium — and the Carthage Choir got the wheels turning.

“I’m really into being a citizen of the world,” he says, “and understanding people’s music is one way of getting to that.”

Working in the Milwaukee Public Schools early in his career, Prof.

Dennee started looking for a global music curriculum. All he found were poor imitations of multicultural music from Americans.

“It has to be authentic,” he says. “Back in 1990, that was hard to find.”

Well, what’s more authentic than seeing a culture in person?

Joining the faculty at his alma mater in 2005 opened a promising new door in the search.

Carthage consistently ranks in the top five nationally for participation in short-term study abroad, and few faculty members lead more J-Term study tours than Prof. Dennee.

In most years, after wrapping up his duties as director of the annual Carthage Christmas Festival, he has just enough time to exhale before heading to the international terminal. His favored destinations are clustered in Africa.

First came Namibia, a somewhat hidden gem on the southern end of the continent where English is the national language. Since forming a lasting connection with the Oonte Centre for Orphans

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The Carthage Treble Choir gives a joint performance with local dancers from the Ibuka Dance Foundation during a 2019 study tour in Tanzania.

and Vulnerable Children in 2010, he’s raised thousands of dollars for it. J-Term students carry out service-learning projects at the center.

Any students expecting five-star hotels and room service in Namibia are warned to look elsewhere. As the description explains, the course is “designed for the adventurous student who … does not mind the challenges of bush camping.”

When the same travel agency offered a deal to Tanzania, he became intrigued with the East African country. More than 120 tribes contribute to a remarkably diverse cultural mosaic.

This is Prof. Dennee’s third visit to Tanzania. After scouting the location in 2016, he led the Carthage Treble Choir on tour in 2019 to perform for — and learn from — the welcoming residents.

Those existing relationships made it easier for the visiting scholar to hit the ground running when he returned this year.

a delicate balance The chance to create a world music curriculum appealed to Ms. Taylor, an aspiring music instructor. Awarded a Summer Undergraduate Research Experience grant before her senior year, she collaborated with Prof. Dennee to create a Meru music teaching guide.

No, Ms. Taylor didn’t get to visit the republic she studied so closely from afar, but their work set the stage for the more expansive Fulbright project. It also gave her plenty to consider.

“Developing resources about another culture's music highlighted the importance of cultural sensitivity and respect,” she says. “There

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The Maasai people hold a music-filled ceremony to choose a leader among the young men and boys, who are preparing for the next (Warrior) stage in their development.

Members of the Meru community perform a traditional wedding song welcoming the bride into her husband’s family.

Professor Peter Dennee meets with members of a Maasai women’s group to discuss and record their music.

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is a very fine line between appreciation and appropriation that, as a future educator, I need to be mindful not to cross.”

Likewise, Prof. Dennee assured Fulbright officials in Tanzania that the educational resource library he develops will keep the spotlight on the indigenous musicians, rather than the outsider behind the camera.

“I’m not making their music mine,” says Prof. Dennee, explaining the distinction. “I’m celebrating it.”

The carefully edited videos will show musicians singing in their tribal languages while dancing and playing instruments. Musical notation, translated lyrics (in English and Swahili), and lesson plans will be available separately.

In a normal year, the fellowship spans 10 months, but the Fulbright Program’s COVID-19 restrictions left Prof. Dennee in a holding pattern throughout last fall. Finally cleared to make the trip, he arrived in Tanzania in early January, but more obstacles emerged.

Shortly after he settled in at the university, a health scare unrelated to the pandemic threatened to cut the residency short. Prof. Dennee lost 40 pounds in a matter of days before a visiting doctor diagnosed the mysterious illness as an ulcer.

Concerned students brought food to the house while he was laid up.

To their relief, the professor they address as “Sir” returned to work after missing just three days of classes.

The road trips resumed, too.

“We end up going places where cars have never been,” says Prof.

Dennee. “We just keep driving until my car can’t go any farther.”

And then some. Bogged down in a remote area on one harrowing trip, the researchers paid local residents to dig out a 50-foot path so their vehicle could connect to an actual road.

A lighter wallet and some mud-soaked clothes seems like a small price to pay for the privilege to document vocal and instrumental styles that are found no place else.

“Each one of these groups has their own distinct way of making music,” says Prof. Dennee.

His checked baggage on the return flight will reflect that. A craftsman from the Iraqw tribe hand-made a couple of string instruments for him using local materials like gourds, agave stalks, and goatskin. Prof. Dennee also bought a long, narrow Chagga drum and some ankle bells.

Thankfully, some of the most valuable artifacts take up no space in a suitcase. Intangibles like deeper cultural understanding will guide his work as director of Carthage’s new African Studies Program.

Assuming no other unexpected roadblocks pop up, the Fulbright Scholar will stay right up to the completion date of July 30. There are more people to meet, more unique sounds to record, and a cultural extinction to prevent.

Summer Carthaginian 2021

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Summer Carthaginian 2021

ATHLETICS

Undefeated men’s volleyball wins Carthage’s first NCAA team title

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s momentum swung the wrong way, the Carthage men’s volleyball team found itself in a precarious spot – down two sets to one in a match where the first team to three sets would take home the national championship trophy.

Based on past results, it appeared the Firebirds were heading down a conveyor belt to heartbreak.

Despite making the elite field four times between 2014 and 2019, the Firebirds had won just one NCAA Division III tournament match in that stretch. Fair or not, those postseason struggles made it easier for the more entrenched volleyball powers on the East Coast to dismiss the rising program from Kenosha as a pretender rather than a contender.

But this team refused to wear the “can’t win the big one” label. The confident Firebirds rallied to defeat Benedictine University in five sets on April 24 in Salem, Virginia, securing Carthage’s first national team title in any sport.

The dominant Firebirds made national history, too, going 23-0 to become the first undefeated champs since the NCAA started sponsoring the D-III sport in 2012. In fact, they lost only one set before the feisty Eagles from suburban Chicago took two in the title match.

So, what was in the secret sauce that put the 2021 Carthage crew over the hump?

Stacked roster The Firebirds brought plenty of talent to the court, and the American Volleyball Coaches Association rewarded them with a basket full of individual accolades.

Three Carthage players made the 2021 All-America first team: Matt Slivinski ’22, Zach Bulthuis ’23, and Gene McNulty ’24. Honorable mention went to Carter Schmidt ’23.

The go-to hitter, Matt, went on to win the tournament MVP award for his clutch play in the three NCAA matches. His 3.79 kills per set rank second on Carthage’s all-time list.

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The freshman setter, Gene, integrated nicely into the lineup, averaging 11.1 assists per set – second in the nation. The AVCA named him national Newcomer of the Year.

The young head coach, JW Kieckhefer, received the D-III Coach of the Year award in just his second season at Carthage.

And the vocal leader, Blake Arnold ’21, kept his teammates focused.

“When he communicates, they all listen,” Coach Kieckhefer says. “At certain times, I’d call a timeout and tell Blake ‘Just go talk to them.’”

Then again, the roster is perennially long on skill, so there had to be more to it.

Major chemistry In team sports, it’s never as simple as snapping a bunch of talented individuals into place. It takes a certain kind of glue to bring them together as a cohesive unit.

“I don’t think you win a national championship with talent alone,” says Coach Kieckhefer. “It’s all about camaraderie and the team dynamic.”

That ramped up noticeably in Blake’s fourth and final season. He played libero, a kind of defensive specialist.

“The main difference with this team was the chemistry,” Blake says.

“We all knew each other very well. We knew what each of our strengths and weaknesses were, and that allowed us to be more aware of how we can play better together.”

That bond can form in odd times and places.

“I will always remember the weird conversations we always had after practices when we were stretching. From A to Z, every topic was hit in those circle talks,” Blake says. “We were always a little slap-happy after a long and tough practice, so those conversations and jokes hit differently.”

Taking the court in Salem for their first match in the 12-team tournament, many of the guys did feel those pesky butterflies. As the No. 1 seed going in, Carthage got every opponent’s best effort.

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“By remaining calm and cracking a couple jokes in between plays, we were able to get over those nerves and play the Carthage Volleyball that made us the best team in the country,” says middle blocker Parker Connolly ’21. “It was a simple scheme for us: Have fun and you win.”

Commitment and belief With about a month left in the season, the three captains – Parker, Blake, and Matt – gathered their teammates to hammer home a point.

They convinced the other players to commit to a loftier goal, one that had repeatedly eluded previous Carthage squads: a national championship. A message on the team’s whiteboard reminded them to dig a little deeper as it counted down the days, practices, and matches left.

“They talked about how Carthage has always been a powerhouse team over the years but has never fully proven it, and, if we wanted to prove it, we needed to give it everything we had,” Zach says. “After that meeting, there was a different atmosphere when we played. We were all fighting toward that one goal together.”

Supreme confidence left no openings for self-doubt to creep in.

“This group truly believed they would win every match they played,” says Coach Kieckhefer. “When you believe that deep down, it shows up on the court.”

To maintain a perfect record, the Carthage men had to climb out of a few valleys — like the deficit in the championship match.

“I have played on teams in the past where, if we were down at set point, there were teammates of mine who would just accept that we were going to lose that set,” Zach says. “With this team, that was never the case.”

Savoring the moment After the coronavirus abruptly cut the 2020 season short, the student-athletes returned with a stronger appreciation for the chance to compete.

“It felt like Christmas morning getting to play together in Tarble Arena,” says libero Kyle Cohan ’22. “That energy was present throughout the whole season, because we learned from the previous season that nothing is guaranteed. Each day was a gift to play volleyball as a team.”

Unlike the traditional fall sports at Carthage, the timing of the men’s volleyball schedule was relatively unchanged. That was pretty much the only routine thing about the 2021 season.

Safety precautions kept spectators away for the first several weeks. In an arena where home attendance can reach 400, that made for an eerily silent atmosphere.

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“We have such a great following,” Coach Kieckhefer says. “To create our own energy was difficult.”

Around midseason, revised guidelines allowed a limited number of parents and other guests in the arena. The silence broke on March 20, as Carthaginians gave their squad a boost in a memorable three-set win over conference rival North Central.

The Firebirds also played in face masks right up until the NCAA tournament.

Under NCAA regulations, teams could only go maskless by testing for COVID-19 three times each week — a costly and impractical option compared to the weekly testing that Carthage chose.

“All the things we had to do that weren’t normal, the guys didn’t complain,” Coach Kieckhefer says.

One of the silver linings from a difficult period will carry into 2022. Taking advantage of an NCAA rule granting an extra year of eligibility to those who lost seasons during the pandemic, Matt plans to return for one more run.

A new style of play Like his counterpart in the NCAA title match, Coach Kieckhefer employs a quicker style of offense imported from his previous Division I men’s program.

He spent four seasons as an assistant at Purdue University Fort Wayne (Indiana), his alma mater.

“People hadn’t seen that style of volleyball in Division III yet,” he says.

Originally from Hartford, Wisconsin, Coach Kieckhefer returned to Dairyland in 2019 to take the Carthage position. He points out that his predecessor, L.J. Marx, recruited most of the student-athletes on the title-winning team.

Coach Marx’s teams won 318 matches from the program’s inception in 2005 to 2019. Still an enthusiastic supporter, he hosted a championship watch party for some of the program’s alumni.

Big as it is for the College, the win has wider significance. Carthage became the first Midwestern NCAA champion in the sport.

The East Coast can’t downplay it any longer: There’s something brewing in the heartland, which made up three-quarters of this year’s Final Four.

“I was excited for the Midwest,” Coach Kieckhefer says. “To cement our place among the best in the country is pretty special.”

ATHLETICS Women’s Bowling

Impressive debut In the Carthage program’s first year, Katelyn Zwiefelhofer was voted Coach of the Year in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. The Firebirds finished second at the CCIW tournament in March.

Men’s Golf

CCIW individual medalist Zach Shawhan ’22 won the individual title at the CCIW tournament April 30 and May 1 in Normal, Illinois. His three-round total of 219 (71-74-74) earned medalist honors by four strokes.

Calling all gamers Carthage adds coed esports team to varsity lineup Positioned to meet rising demand, Carthage recently adopted esports as its first coed varsity sport (28th overall) and will begin competing this fall.

The popularity of esports, as competitive video gaming is known, has surged in recent years. Hundreds of applicants for admission to Carthage expressed an interest in it over the first six months of 2021.

“As one of the few small colleges in the region with an esports program, we’re eager to tap into the groundswell that’s feeding a billiondollar global industry,” says Nate Stewart, director of athletics.

In May, the Athletic Department hired Kevin Palmer as the inaugural director of esports.

Mr. Palmer built and coached in the esports program at the Comal Independent School District in New Braunfels, Texas.

Carthage resides at the center of a competitive hotbed, with 40 percent of Wisconsin’s registered high school esports teams located within an hour’s drive.

carthage.edu

“The area that surrounds Kenosha is thriving with esports talent, and I believe that this program will become a magnet for prospective students and their families,” Mr. Palmer said.

Jordan Ball ’23, who competed in esports (specializing in Overwatch) as a high school senior, took a lead role in the campus-wide task force that ultimately recommended adding it. The Firebirds are expected to compete on a limited basis in 2021-22 before ramping up their schedule the next year.

A natural partnership is already forming between athletic and academic programs. Students with a game development minor or concentration will consult with esports team members when creating and refining their original games.

“We found Kevin to be a fantastic candidate who is as eager to collaborate with our department as we are with athletics,” said Professor Perry Kivolowitz, chair of the Computer Science Department.

Construction is almost finished on a gaming studio for competition and practices in the Todd Wehr Center.

The facility will feature 24 Lenovo gaming computers, streaming technology, recreational gaming spaces with consoles, and a fully equipped classroom.

Men’s Lacrosse

Two milestones Defender Joe Poremba ’20, MSc ’21 became the program’s first AllAmerican (honorable mention), leading the team in ground balls and caused turnovers. Attacker Andrew Johnson ’24 was Carthage’s first CCIW Newcomer of the Year.

Men’s Soccer

All-state recipients Several Firebirds won individual all-state honors, including Steve Domin (Coach of the Year for the fourth time), Mickey Reilly ’24 (Offensive Player of the Year), and Colin Iverson ’23 (both Newcomer and Defensive Player of The Year).

Men’s Swimming and Diving

Seniors, freshman honored The 200-yard freestyle relay team (Mitchell Mages ’21, Adam Moskus ’21, Nick Nevins ’21, and Mitchel Steinke ’21) made coaches’ All-America team after a Carthage pool record 1:21.96 at the CCIW Cup Series. Their teammate Christian Snyder ’24 won Rookie of the Year in the CCIW.

Men’s Tennis

Coach tops 400 wins Brady Lindsley ’95 reached 400 victories in April, during his 24th season as head coach of the men’s team. Coach Lindsley’s men’s and women’s teams have won a combined 745 duals.

Men’s Track and Field

Throwers qualify for NCAAs Matthew Ausse ’22 (hammer) and Joseph White ’24 (discus) qualified for the NCAA Division III outdoor meet in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Connor Bell ’21 (javelin) joined Matthew as CCIW champions in those events.

Women’s Water Polo

All-American scorer The Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches awarded All-America honorable mention to Arianna Dakuras ’21, who led the Firebirds with 20 goals this past season.

jan

A DAY FOR ALL SPORTS SEASONS

feb

When COVID-19 precautions threw off the usual rhythm of the college sports seasons, Carthage Athletics adapted. All 27 of our NCAA Division III teams — those that normally compete in fall, winter, and spring — crammed their schedules into the first five months of 2021. Focusing on a single day (March 20) when six Firebirds home events took place, here’s a pictorial glimpse into a unique spring.

mar

20

APR may

1

P.M.

12 30

P.M.

TARBLE ARENA

WOMEN’S BOWLING CASTLE LANES (RACINE)

1

P.M.

36

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

WOMEN’S LACROSSE ART KELLER FIELD

Summer Carthaginian 2021

ATHLETICS

4

P.M.

WOMEN’S TENNIS LIFESPORT ATHLETIC CLUB (RACINE)

5 4

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P.M.

P.M.

WOMEN’S SOCCER ART KELLER FIELD

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TARBLE ARENA

37

STUDENTS

ALUMNI

PARENTS

DONORS

The life cycle of a Carthage connection To Debbie (Erickson) Hartfield ’80 and Steve Hartfield ’78, their alma mater means much more than youthful memories.

“We give to Carthage because it has played — and continues to play — an important role in our lives,” Debbie says.

The Hartfields have seen the College’s transformative power from several vantage points: as involved STEVE AND DEBBIE HARTFIELD students, as active alumni, and as proud parents.

Meeting at Carthage when their attendance overlapped in the 1970s, they later married at A. F. Siebert Chapel. Staying in Kenosha while raising three sons made it convenient for the couple to volunteer on campus.

Debbie served on the Alumni Council and multiple advisory boards at Carthage, while Steve spearheaded the Christmas Lane charitable campaign in Kenosha. For their service on and off campus, the couple jointly received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2010.

The Hartfields’ youngest son, Jason ’12, made his own path at Carthage.

Debbie says they’re grateful for the experiences that primed him for success, “especially all the relationships he built with international students and his time working in the alumni and advancement office.” Jason works on the staff at Keck Graduate Institute in California.

Now retired — Debbie from Abbott Laboratories, Steve from the Kenosha Unified School District — they’ve found other ways to lead. He serves on the board of the local shelter (Shalom Center) and their church council.

She earned a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and is awaiting her first call in the ELCA. As members of the Alford Park, Denhart, and Leadership giving societies, the Hartfields have proven to be consistently generous donors. Besides giving toward Carthage priorities in each of the past 21 years, they recently pledged an estate gift.

“Giving to Carthage ensures future students an experience, both in and out of the classroom, that will shape their lives forever,” Debbie explains.

“They will have lifelong friends and a college community that truly cares about them.”

Leadership Giving Society members give $1,000 or more cumulatively to any area of the College in a fiscal year, which runs from July 1 through June 30. Tiers recognize higher levels of giving, and graduated giving levels are available for recent alumni. Membership is renewable annually.

Enduring Gift Society members have cumulative lifetime giving totaling $100,000 or more (exclusive of estate commitments).

Tiers recognize higher levels of giving. Membership is lifetime.

Alford Park Loyalty Society members have contributed any amount to the College for three or more consecutive fiscal years (July 1 through June 30). Tiers recognize greater consecutive years of giving. Membership is renewable annually.

Denhart Society members have made Carthage a part of their legacy through estate commitments and planned gifts. Membership is lifetime.

leaders in philanthropy To learn more about our philanthropic societies and see online donor honor rolls, please visit: carthage.edu/give/recognition

CLASS NOTES

Celebrating the impact of Black alumni far and wide Carthage recently launched 75 Years of Black Excellence, an event series celebrating Black students and alumni whose achievements and contributions have shaped the College and the wider world.

This initiative is designed to lift up Black voices and pay tribute to a tradition of excellence that’s been established in the 75 years since Lorraine Wiggan ’46 became Carthage’s first African American graduate.

“Right now is always the time to celebrate Black excellence,” says Jamin McGinnis ’06, chair of the planning committee. “I am proud to be an integral part in recognizing this pioneering day in history, and I encourage all my fellow alumni to join me on this yearlong journey of Black joy.”

He remains “forever grateful” to the late Ms. Wiggan, a child of Jamaican immigrants, for blazing the trail. After majoring in music at Carthage, she served as a missionary in Lutheran congregations across North America, earned a master’s degree from Columbia University (with further study at The Juilliard School), and taught music in the public schools.

The Office of Equity and Inclusion is organizing campus events in collaboration with the Wiggan-Kenniebrew Black Alumni Network, the Black Student Union, and other interested students. Events began in spring and will resume in September when alumni welcome new and returning students to campus.

Several activities are planned for Homecoming weekend Oct. 15 to 17, including career mentoring, a tailgate party for families, and “A Night of Elegance” at the Apis Hotel and Restaurant in downtown Kenosha. The celebration will conclude with a Martin Luther King Day remembrance in January.

In the months to come, Carthage will share the stories of notable Black alumni and others who have helped Black students to realize their dreams. An awards ceremony during “A Night of Elegance” will recognize those lasting achievements.

board resolution: “BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Trustees of Carthage College enthusiastically celebrates the achievements of Black alumni over these 75 years, and recognizes the program ‘75 Years of Black Excellence at Carthage College’ as a compelling and important means to bring together Carthaginians, both to celebrate the achievements of the past and to inspire the achievements of the future.”

carthage.edu/black-excellence

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Three generations of Carthaginians

1979

1989

John Busacker – Excelsior, Minnesota, co-wrote the book “Gasping for Breath: Inviting God’s Spirit Into Your Overwhelmed Life,” which was published in February. The authors are donating all proceeds to their nonprofit, Things That Remain, which supports the development of Christian leaders.

Chris Rossing – Maple Grove,

Rising sophomore Emily Prosser ’24 continues a family tradition at Carthage. She is the daughter of Nancy Radtke-Prosser ’86 and granddaughter of Marlene Bentheimer-Radtke ’57, as well as the niece of Margaret Radtke-Block ’87.

1963

1975

Rev. Sandi Britton – Phoenix,

John Shenloogian – Brick, New

retired from ordained ministry after serving the Minnesota and Southwest conferences of the United Church of Christ for 32 years. A board-certified chaplain with a subspecialty in addiction recovery, she was called to a chaplaincy at what is now known as the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies.

Jersey, welcomed his sixth grandchild, Declan Michael Shenloogian, who was born Oct. 8.

1969 Norm Hermann ’69 and Janet Feiler-Hermann ’70 – Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Oct. 17. The couple add that they’re “still going strong after all these years.”

1970

1977 Daniel Michalak – Racine, Wisconsin, retired in December after a 40-year career in finance and accounting. He started with Menasha (Wisconsin) Corporation and finished with Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Michalak met his wife, Yumiko, on a business trip to Japan.

Lee Zimmermann – Wauconda, Illinois, is serving a two-year term as director of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary’s Human Resources Directorate after being appointed Nov. 1.

Rev. Bob Lesher – Huntley, Illinois, remains active at Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church in Huntley. After retiring in 2015 as a senior pastor in Marshfield, Wisconsin, he and his wife, Sue, relocated to be near their family.

40

1978

1985

Minnesota, became captain on an Airbus A320 aircraft based in Minneapolis this past January after three years on a B717 with Delta Air Lines. His wife, Tracy (Lopas) Rossing ’91, works as a part-time substitute teacher and KidStop support staff member for Osseo Area Schools.

1993 Brenda (Muskus) Chamulak – Fenton,

Lee (Samuelson) Prior – Wheaton, Illinois, retired in June 2020 after 35 years of teaching. She spent most of those years as a teacher and special education resource case manager at Monroe Middle School.

In retirement, she has focused on advancing equity practices in the community. She looks forward to traveling and camping with her dog and her teardrop trailer.

Michigan, became president and CEO of Tekni-Plex, a developer and manufacturer of packaging materials and medical products, on June 30. After joining the company in October as president of its packaging products division, she brings nearly 30 years of industry experience to the new role.

Gregory Pierangeli – Racine, Wisconsin, and his wife, Barb, recently resettled in their hometown of Racine. Mr. Pierangeli is the managing optometrist at LensCrafters.

Summer Carthaginian 2021

CLASS NOTES

1994

1997

2003

Rena Weyrauch – Bloomington, Illinois, was recently appointed to lead EY’s central region insurance practice. She is the lead partner for multiple clients and oversees diversity and inclusion for financial services at the company.

Synthia (Denick) Taylor – Janesville, Wisconsin, completed a Ph.D. in leadership for the advancement of learning and service in May at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee. She successfully defended her dissertation, “Bridging the Teacher Knowledge Gap: A Phenomenological Study of Undergraduate Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions of Readiness for the Classroom,” on March 19.

2000 Trisha (Treml) Boussari – Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and her husband, Jean, welcomed their second son, Noah Nathanael Boussari, in September 2020. Noah’s older brother, Jason Jean-Marc, is 2.

Ms. Boussari is a partner and actuary with Aon, specializing in retirement consulting.

the impact

of a scholarship By establishing a scholarship, you can change lives and help Carthage students achieve their dreams.

Endowing a scholarship with a gift through your will provides ongoing impact: • Put a quality education within reach of deserving students.

• Reward students for their hard work and dedication.

• Help Carthage attract and retain top students and faculty.

• Make a gift that honors someone important to you.

To get started, contact Tim Knutson at tknutson@carthage.edu or 262-551-5786.

The Henry Denhart Society recognizes individuals who support the College through a planned gift.

Rachel (Helmers) Blise – Milwaukee, was sworn in March 17 as a bankruptcy judge for the U.S. District Court. She will serve a 14year term. Most recently, Ms. Blise was senior counsel at Foley & Lardner in Milwaukee

2003 Hannah Stolze – Nashville, Tennessee, recently joined Lipscomb University as director of the Center for Transformative Sales & Supply Chain Leadership and associate professor of supply chain management.

2004 Kent Dernbach – Onalaska, Wis., was voted the 2020-21 men’s basketball coach of the year in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. His University of Wisconsin-La Crosse team went 8-3 and reached the championship game in the WIAC tournament.

CLASS NOTES

2005

2006

2010

Annelamia Hodges – Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, wrote “Just Desserts: A Capricorn’s Ultimate Revenge,” a psychological horror/ crime thriller novella that’s scheduled for publishing in 2021.

Adrienne (Saputo) Hoyt – Atlanta, was promoted in December to vice president of internal communications at CNN, where she has worked for the last nine years. In this new role, Mrs. Hoyt’s responsibilities expand to cover internal communications and employee engagement worldwide for WarnerMedia News & Sports, including crisis, executive, and diversity, equity, and inclusion communications.

Pete and Kristen (Pyrz) Serion – Joliet, Illinois, welcomed

Jamin McGinnis – Chicago, and his wife, Ekua, completed their original wedding plan with a small ceremony Nov. 1 in Negril, Jamaica.

Fellow alumni Keena Johnson ’06 and Brandon Jones Harris ’07 celebrated with the couple, who were formally married May 30, 2020, on their front porch with just their parents in attendance.

2009

their son Greyson on June 24. He weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces, and measured 20 inches. Greyson’s big brother, Caleb, was excited to have a new playmate.

Lauren Hansen – Grayslake, Illinois, became executive director of Stand Strong Coalition, a community organization dedicated to reducing youth substance abuse in northern Lake County, Illinois. The coalition was recently awarded a five-year, $625,000 federal Drug-Free Communities grant.

Brett Harmeling – Houston, was accepted to the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University.

He entered an entrepreneurship program that both The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine rank No. 1 in the nation.

Jessica (Arney) and Zach Janssen – Naperville, Illinois, welcomed their first child, Wesley Mitchell Janssen, on Sept. 10.

2012

Kevin ’12 and Kelsey (Blumer) Plagge ’13 – Antioch, Illinois, celebrated the birth of their baby girl, Reese Evelyn Plagge, in October.

Michael DeSerto ’09 and Rachel DeSerto Peck ’02 – Marengo, Illinois, completed their first year since starting High Hopes Farm, a fully integrated hemp farm.

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Summer Carthaginian 2021

ALUMNI MESSAGE

2013 Now, especially, the world needs our Firebirds

Charity (Perez) DiGioia – Racine, Wisconsin, married William DiGioia on April 18, 2020. The ceremony took place at a filming site for the movie “Groundhog Day” in Woodstock, Illinois.

Tara (Davies) Horan – Grayslake, Illinois, was promoted to accounting manager at Eriksson Engineering Associates, where she has worked since 2017. Ms. Horan manages EEA’s accounting and human resources operations, as well as financial reporting, growth forecasting, and strategic business analytics.

Alexa (Cairo) and Brian Konieczny – Glendale Heights, Illinois, welcomed a baby, Lincoln Alexander Konieczny.

Katarina McGuire – Monroe, Wisconsin, is on track to graduate this year with a Master of Science in criminology and criminal justice from Eastern Kentucky University. There, Ms. McGuire has been recognized as a Distinguished Graduate Student for the School of Justice and Safety, as well as Graduate Assistant of the Year in 2019-20. The next step is to enroll in a PhD program that allows her, as Ms. McGuire puts it, “to further explore my research interests and eventually give back to the educational community from which I have gained so much.”

carthage.edu

“From the ashes, a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring,” J.R.R. Tolkien wrote in The Fellowship of the Ring.

Such is the nature of a Firebird — it boldly rises, and shines, again.

The remarkable resilience of Carthage was on full display this spring in a safe, innovative, and all-around impressive weekend celebration for the Class of 2021.

In a year often marked by sadness, strife, and the unfamiliar, it was reinvigorating to gather and center again on what Carthage’s 19th president, the Rev. Harold Lentz, heralded as “The Miracle of Carthage.”

It was uplifting to again hear the choral benediction of “The Blessing of Aaron” (a personal favorite) performed flawlessly by the Carthage Choir.

It was inspiring to learn of the many accomplishments and generosity of this year’s recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award: Tom Kieso ’73, LeAnn Pedersen Pope ’79, and Judge Cynthia Thomas Walker ’78.

And it was heartening to be reminded of Carthage’s talent: from a thoughtful senior class address given by Distinguished Senior Ella Spoelstra ’21 to Carthage’s first-ever team NCAA championship, captured by the men’s volleyball team.

Pomp and circumstance aside, it took a lot to arrive at this moment. The Class of 2021 commences into a world far different than when they first entered Carthage. But everything students learned during their time at Carthage — all of the skills, knowledge, and experiences

— will serve them well in tackling the many challenges that await outside of the classroom.

After all, these graduates are the future doctors, nurses, and public health officials who will help end the COVID-19 pandemic and cure countless other maladies. They are the engineers, scientists, business leaders, and policymakers who will solve our climate crisis.

They are the activists, attorneys, social workers, teachers, and public safety professionals who will build a more compassionate, just, and equitable world. And they are the actors, artists, athletes, musicians, and writers who will pull us all together and remind us of our shared humanity.

Saving the world is no easy task. Life would be easier if we could sit back and order the solution on Amazon, let President Biden save our union, leave the melting glaciers to Greta Thunberg, pass the ball to LeBron James, and ask Baby Yoda to extinguish this fire.

But this world requires more. It is in desperate need of renewal. It wants to be inspired again. It craves compassion, creativity, intelligence, leadership, and resilience.

I witnessed all of those traits in a weekend back on campus — in the Class of 2021, in the distinguished alumni, the dedicated faculty, and the entire Carthage community.

Simply put: The world needs Carthage Firebirds.

Aaron Tinjum ’09 is president of the Alumni Council. He can be reached at atinjum@ carthage.edu.

43

IN MEMORIAM Charlotte Chell Groundbreaking Carthage faculty member Charlotte Chell, whose influence stretched from the sciences to the arts, passed away Dec. 28. The professor emerita was 80.

Primarily teaching mathematics, Prof. Chell served on the Carthage faculty from 1975 to 1977 and then from 1981 until her retirement in 2013. She was the first woman to serve

as governor for Wisconsin’s branch of the Mathematical Association of America.

Largely self-taught, Prof. Chell launched the precursor to today’s computer science program in 1984. She also produced the Christmas Festival for 26 years as it blossomed into a major community tradition.

She received the Distinguished Teaching Award in 1987-88 and the Carthage Flame in 2010. Prof. Chell’s surviving relatives include her husband, Sam, a professor emeritus of English, and two adult children.

Art Landry Arthur A. Landry, professor emeritus of education, died May 23. Known by most as “Art” or “Nip,” he was 87.

Knowledgeable and sociable, Prof. Landry put students at ease while specializing in educational psychology and supervising

their teaching placements. As dean of students earlier in a Carthage career that ran from 1973 to 2005, he championed growth opportunities outside the classroom.

Civically active, Prof. Landry served multiple terms on the Kenosha Common Council. His two children are alumni: Pamela (Landry) Kluka ’95 and Ryan Landry ’98.

2015

Nicholas Cottrell – Chicago, was appointed president of the board for HomeField Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to career advancement and excellence of LGBTQ+ professionals in the sports and entertainment industry. Mr. Cottrell, who works for Chicago Fire FC, took on the role in January. He also taught a sales residency (remotely) for the new sports management track in Carthage’s Master of Science program in business.

2018

Pete Rosengren President’s Leadership Council member Pete Rosengren ’00 passed away March 28 while rescuing young swimmers on a family vacation in Florida.

Mr. Rosengren, 42, had joined the PLC in 2019.

Members lead the College in philanthropy, advocacy, and volunteer engagement, and offer input to senior leaders.

He was vice president of sales and digital strategies for the Daily Herald Media Group.

Mr. Rosengren is survived by his wife, Maura (White) Rosengren ’00, and their three sons.

Chad Williams Days before Commencement, Chad Williams ’21 passed away unexpectedly at age 27 on April 13. He was taking classes remotely from Scottsdale, Arizona.

Jake Erfourth and Megan Rivard – Brookfield, Wisconsin, married on Oct. 4 in Milwaukee.

The wedding party included fellow alumni Maddie McCullough ’18, Aliyah (Caraballo) Ruoff ‘17, and Kyle Cibrario ’18. The wedding couple met in 2011.

Enrolling at Carthage in 2012, he competed in golf for two seasons. His easy-going personality stood out to teammates.

After stepping away from his studies in 2016, Mr. Williams resumed this past spring with a determination to complete a degree in finance.

The College awarded the diploma to his family.

Summer Carthaginian 2021

IN MEMORIAM

2019 Indi Conover – Oakdale, Minnesota, recently accepted a position as a neuroscientist for the Hayden Lab at the University of Minnesota.

1942 Orelda Peterson

1952 Johann Goetz

Houston, Texas Aug. 15, 2020

Oregon, Ill. July 28, 2020

1944 Connie (Andrews) VanAuron

Robert Kupfer

Rantoul, Ill. Feb. 7, 2021

1945 Rev. Merle Franke Austin, Texas Jan. 28, 2020

1947 Betty (Helble) Urlaub

2020

Garnavillo, Iowa Nov. 30, 2020

1948 Reggie Girdharry Greenville, N.C. July 24, 2020

1949 Christine (Niekamp) Fisher Quincy, Ill. Nov. 13, 2020

Kristen Singer, M.M. ’20 – Kenosha, received a 2020 Claes Nobel Educator of the Year award from the National Society of High School Scholars as the top band/music director in the United States. The award came with a $5,000 grant, which Ms. Singer plans to use in support of her teaching at Harborside Academy when students are allowed to perform with an audience.

Virginia (Smith) Nelson Macomb, Ill. Feb. 9, 2021

1950 Cecelia (Magnusson) Dunnigan Lincoln, Neb. July 31, 2020

Patience (Weidt) Keisler Baton Rouge, La. Nov. 29, 2020

Donald Krueger Rocky River, Ohio Nov. 24, 2020

Phyllis (Boddiger) Linn Glenside, Pa. Feb. 3, 2021

Lois Ann Wilkens Carthage, Ill. Jan. 30, 2021

Carl Zitzewitz Lincolnshire, Ill. Dec. 6, 2020

Buck Hill Falls, Pa. Oct. 27, 2020

Jane Rohwer Tucson, Ariz.

Dec. 25, 2020

David Swisegood Augusta, Ill. Nov. 28, 2020

1953 Harry “Boone” Bradley Dallas City, Ill. July 29, 2020

1956 John Nygard Skokie, Ill. Feb. 16, 2021

Len Rampert Leesburg, Fla. Jan. 17, 2021

1958 John Artman Carthage, Ill. Sept. 10, 2020

1959 Roy Everson Jr. Montgomery, Ill. Jan. 17, 2021

1961 Mary (Anderson) Jackson Fowler, Ind. June 18, 2020

1962 Bob Austin Palatine, Ill. Sept. 7, 2020

1964 Mary (Peterson) Lewis Kenosha Jan. 26, 2021

1965 David Powers Lewes, Del. Dec. 25, 2020

Rev. Douglas Wohn Streetsboro, Ohio Jan. 11, 2021

1966 Randy Vickers San Antonio, Texas Aug. 7, 2020

1969 Jack Krug

1983 Lois Topping Lubbock, Texas Nov. 30, 2020

1984 Chet Felsing (M.Ed.) Kenosha, Wis. Oct. 29, 2020

Scott Sutton

Racine, Wis. Dec. 6, 2020

Tampa, Fla. Nov. 4, 2020

Dr. John Peacock

Joanne (Riess) Zmuda*

West Dundee, Ill. Jan. 26, 2021

Dublin, Ohio Dec. 23, 2017

1970 John Freedlund

1988 Dorothy (Schaefer) Buddenhagen

Batavia, Ill. Sept. 26, 2020

Waukegan, Ill. April 11, 2020

Philip Jaeger Zion, Ill. Oct. 26, 2020

Scott Googins Middleton, Wis. Jan. 26, 2021

Gerald Larsen Sioux Falls, S.D. Dec. 7, 2020

1991 Karen Scholey

Willard Uhler

New Berlin, Wis. Nov. 24, 2020

Reading, Pa. Nov. 27, 2020

1971 Patricia Mentink New Port Richey, Fla. Feb. 27, 2021

1974 Sarah Bryan Miller Ballwin, Mo. Nov. 28, 2020

1975 Carolyn (Loewen) Fenske Racine, Wis. Dec. 4, 2020

1977 Thomas Frederickson Pleasant Prairie, Wis. Nov. 25, 2020

Jeffrey Vanko Hampshire, Ill. Jan. 23, 2021

1979 Lorraine “Holly” Hollingsworth

David Schultz West Bend, Wis. Jan. 5, 2021

1994 Jennifer (Wiltse) Liebenow Crystal Lake, Ill. Jan. 27, 2021

1996 Darrell Erdman* Middleton, Wis. Feb. 11, 2020

2001 T. Skeat Clark Bradenton, Fla. March 19, 2021 friends of carthage

Kim Myers Somers, Wis. Aug. 12, 2020

Joyce Westerman Kenosha, Wis. Jan. 18, 2021

Kenosha | May 31, 2020

* We are republishing these memorials to correct information from a previous issue – see Corrections on Page 2 for a full explanation.

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45

CLASS NOTES

THE PULSE OF THE ALUMNI Thank you to everyone who completed the Alumni Attitudinal Survey last fall! Your insights will guide Carthage’s alumni engagement strategy in the coming months and years. Below are selected results from the survey.

2,379

RESPONSES

Most valuable skills developed at Carthage TOP RESPONSES 1. Critical thinking / Problem solving 2. Communication 3. Life / Social 4. Teamwork / Collaboration 5. Confidence Professionalism / Work ethic

Most impactful experiences at Carthage TOP RESPONSES 1. Academic 2. Social 3. Faculty relationships 4. Residence life

70%

message or talk to at least one Carthage friend every year

77%

agree or strongly agree that they’re “proud to be a Carthaginian”

5. Clubs and organizations

Is Carthage headed in the right direction?

8:1

ratio of those who say Yes to those who say No

46

91%

support ongoing efforts to modernize the curriculum

85%

believe “meaningful strides” in diversity, equity, and inclusion are important

Summer Carthaginian 2021

Class Notes Submission Form

Deadline for the next issue is Sept. 15, 2021

Name (first/maiden/current last name)

Professional Title

Spouse’s Name (first/maiden/current last name)

Class Year

Employer

Class Year

SPRE ADING THE WORD

Street Address

City

Mobile/Home Phone

State ZIP

Business Phone

Email

News

(attach additional sheets as necessary)

Photos are welcome! (Please send non-returnable photos.)

Besides family updates, here are some other examples of news for alumni to share: • Job changes, promotions, or retirements • Awards and other milestones (professional or recreational) • Publications, studio recordings, art exhibitions, etc.

• New service projects, civic appointments, etc.

• Third-generation (or more) Carthage students

Marriage Announcement Name (first/maiden/current last name)

Class Year

Spouse’s Name (first/maiden/current last name)

Class Year

Date of Marriage

City and State of Current Residence

Birth/Adoption Announcement Parent’s Name (first/maiden/current last name)

Class Year

Parent’s Name (first/maiden/current last name)

Class Year

Daughter’s Name (first/middle/last)

Son’s Name (first/middle/last)

Date of Birth

Place of Birth

Death Announcement Name of Deceased (first/maiden/current last name)

City and State of Residence

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Tear off this form along the perforated edge and mail to: Carthage College, Alumni Relations, 2001 Alford Park Drive, Kenosha WI 53140.

Class notes and photos also may be submitted online: carthage.edu/alumni/class-notes

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A slice of Carthage history from the Staubitz Archives

‘The Firebird’ and music fraternity’s principled stand When Firebirds surfaced as one of the leading options in Carthage’s team name search last winter, it drew an especially rousing response from the campus music fraternity.

Lambda Kappa alumni from the 1980s to the 2020s passionately expressed their support for the name. The common thread? It reminded them of “The Firebird” by Igor Stravinsky.

Perhaps no one can appreciate the moving ballet suite and its triumphant finale like a bunch of classically trained musicians, but the piece holds deeper meaning for Lambda Kappa. The unique fraternity considers “The Firebird” its unofficial theme song.

The origin of that emotional connection lies in the not-so-distant past.

In a sternly worded letter dated June 16, 1986, the executive director of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia informed Carthage students that their chapter had been expelled from the national music fraternity.

With that, a penalty the group’s members had

long expected became official. Although the letter only hinted at a “flagrant violation,” everyone in the Lambda Kappa chapter knew what it meant.

What vile act had the Carthage music-makers committed? Coed membership.

It was an odd situation. For the better part of a decade, the national organization had reluctantly allowed chapters to admit women — as federal anti-discrimination provisions under Title IX required professional fraternities to do.

By declaring itself a social fraternity, however, Phi Mu Alpha became exempt from those restrictions. In 1985, the national group reverted to its all-male roots.

Coed since its inception in 1978, the Carthage chapter refused to follow suit. That took guts.

“We were willing to be suspended and expelled,” recalls Jon Winkle ’88, who was elected president of the Lambda Kappa chapter shortly before the hammer came down.

One reason for the students’ resolve was practical. At low tide in the College’s enrollment, the group couldn’t function without women.

The more important reason?

Holding true to their founding principles.

“People valued inclusivity and wanted it to continue that way,” says Mr. Winkle, who teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

and the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra.

The demise of the Lambda Kappa chapter led to the birth of the Lambda Kappa independent fraternity. Venturing out on its own, the Carthage organization inducted four women in that first pledge class.

“We didn’t think we should continue to use all the old Phi Mu Alpha initiation rituals and documents after that, so we made up our own,” says Polly (Gall) Amborn ’89, one of those inaugural pledges.

The revised ceremony featured live singing and a recorded excerpt from Stravinsky’s masterpiece.

“The music is very powerful and symbolizes rising from the ashes — something we were determined to do after being expelled from the national organization,” adds Ms. Amborn, choral music director at Tremper High School in Kenosha.

Outgoing Lambda Kappa president Trevor McDonald ’21 knows the history well. Thirtyfive years after the split, the expulsion letter is practically required reading for new officers.

A spirit of equity remains ingrained in the fraternity’s culture.

“We really pride ourselves (even to this day) on that decision,” Mr. McDonald says, “and our purposes now state that we welcome all musicians of all genders at Carthage.”

With such deep-seated internal motivation, nobody needs to light a fire under these Firebirds.

Members of Lambda Kappa music fraternity pose for a 1987 Carthage yearbook photo.

Explore the rich history of Carthage at carthage.edu/library/archives

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Summer Carthaginian 2021