Centralight, Central Michigan University Alumni Magazine, Summer 2022 by Central Michigan University

Centralight CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY | ALUMNI MAGAZINE

SUMMER 2022

REAL-WORLD RESEARCH CMU students never wonder what they’ll do with their degree after graduation because they’ve already been doing it

Centralight SUMMER 2022

Features On the cover

On course for a career

Golf is so much more than a game. For many, it’s a business skill — and even a business itself for some CMU alumni.

Big Picture

Students Scott LaValley (left on the cover, also above) and Liam Daniels (right on the cover) work together on a mussel survey in the Tobacco River. At CMU, students at all stages of their academic career are involved in research across disciplines, from science and engineering to education and technology. Central is among the 300 top-tier research institutions in the U.S. PHOTO BY ADAM

SPARKES

CMU’s annual Greek Week fundraiser features games and activities — including the popular Mock Rock competition — to raise money, in-kind donations and volunteer hours for a local organization. 2

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Executive Editor and Executive Director of Alumni Relations Marcie Otteman, ’87 Editor

Betsy Miner-Swartz, ’86 Managing Editor

Robin Miner-Swartz Visual Media Director Amy White Graphic Designer Erin Rivard, ’07, MBA ’16

Bringing the world to Mount Pleasant

Photographer Adam Sparkes Writers

Terri Finch Hamilton, ’83 Ari Harris Madi Lillie Aaron Mills, ’02 Logan Pellegrom, ’16 Kate Worster Research Associate Bryan Whitledge Editorial Assistant Bonnie Recker Executive Director of Development for Advancement Jennifer Cotter Vice President for University Communications and Chief Marketing Officer John Veilleux

Students come to CMU from nearly 50 countries, bringing with them their culture, their language and even their food. International students and overseas studies help expand the world for students.

Stay connected

Departments 5

CMU Today CMU College of Medicine, marks another successful Match Day.

Alumni News Conservation biology degree helps alumna monitor brown bears in Southeast Alaska.

For advertising information Call Cindy Jacobs, ’93 (800) 358-6903

32 Honors for Chippewas 34 In Memory 40 Do You Remember

Send change of address information to: Alumni Relations Carlin Alumni House Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 Phone: (800) 358-6903 Fax: (989) 774-7159

Email: alumni@cmich.edu Web: cmich.edu/alumni/Centralight

Centralight is published three times each year by the Central Michigan University Office of Alumni Relations. It is printed by Printing Services, Mount Pleasant, and entered at the Mount Pleasant Post Office under nonprofit mailing. CMU, an AA/EO institution, provides equal opportunity to all persons, including minorities, females, veterans and individuals with disabilities (see cmich.edu/ocrie). Copies of Centralight are distributed to alumni and friends of the university who are paid Gold Members or donors to CMU. A virtual edition of the magazine is available free online at alumni.cmich.edu/centralight. UComm 10880–24,000+ (5/22)

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YOUR GOLDEN

OPPORTUNITY Become a Gold Member, and receive over 60,000 benefits

CMU, an AA/EO institution, strongly and actively strives to increase diversity and provide equal opportunity for all individuals, irrespective of gender identity or sexual orientation and including but not limited to minorities, females, veterans and individuals with disabilities. 10129 (5/21)

www.cmich.edu/alumni

CMU ties connect us around the world Ripples of kindness spread through shared Central experiences Throughout the past couple of years, as we’ve navigated the very localized changes to our world because of the pandemic, it’s been easy — and important — to focus on ourselves.

Marcie Otteman, ’87, Executive Director of Alumni Relations

But if the pandemic has illustrated anything for us, it’s how interconnected we are, and how even the smallest act can have a ripple effect.

Stay Fired Up Connect with CMU alumni at upcoming Alumni Association events across the country! Find the complete schedule of in-person and virtual, online opportunities here: https://cmich.ly/3aVgowW

My sister-in-law, Lacy Otteman, is a three-time CMU grad and works as a counselor at West Ottawa High School in Holland, Michigan. She saw a social media post we shared with a photo from the Clarke Historical Library and recognized Jason Reinecke, a fellow alumnus and former colleague. She wanted to surprise him with a copy of the photo. That small act of kindness — sharing a random memory from a huge part of our lives — offered a meaningful way to connect over something seemingly small. I love the ripple effects that come with being a CMU alumna. Sitting on a plane decked out in my best CMU gear leads to a seatmate telling me all about how they got their master’s degree through our Global online program. Being a link for alumni who bring their kids to campus as prospective students and getting to reconnect with them to hear their memories of their undergrad days. Meeting international students who’ve chosen to travel thousands of miles to attend CMU as we stand shoulder-to-shoulder to cheer on runners in a local 5K. These moments — these ripples — connect us to the broader world. And CMU’s global connections mean we can feel those ripples literally anywhere we go. In this issue of Centralight, we highlight the impact those international students have on our community and the importance of CMU students from the U.S. experiencing other cultures through study abroad programs. Those ripple effects happen through connections in business, too — business that’s often conducted under the guise of a friendly game of golf.

Get social Follow our activities and updates on your favorite social channels: FACEBOOK facebook.com/cmualum TWITTER @cmualumni INSTAGRAM @cmichalumni YOUTUBE youtube.com/user/cmichalumni LINKEDIN Central Michigan University – Alumni

Wherever you are, and wherever you travel, we hope you’re creating good ripples in the world. Fire up forever,

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Global learning opportunities surround us at CMU From international students to overseas programs, we strive to connect with the world President Bob Davies

As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, the need for global education and a global mindset is more important than ever before. Global education helps students develop cultural competency and the professional skills employers want most: teamwork, communication, problem-solving and critical thinking. It empowers them to learn about — and develop respect for — diverse communities while gaining an understanding of the cultural, political and economic influences that shape their world. At CMU, we prepare students to lead in life and, as our mission statement says, to be responsible global citizens. Developing a global mindset requires us to learn to see the world from new perspectives and to appreciate the life experiences of others. These learning opportunities are all around us. From engaging with scholars and students from a wide variety of backgrounds on our campus, to sharing and experiencing the culture and heritage of individuals from around the world here in our community. And now, after two years of pandemic-related travel restrictions, it can also once again happen through study abroad opportunities. The Office of Global Engagement has carefully selected safe and engaging learning experiences for students, and also provided virtual options for students unable to travel. We look forward to expanding these opportunities in the year ahead. And, just as global education plays a key role in our students’ success, it also plays a significant role in the future of our region and our state. As Michigan works diligently to rebuild its economic strength, we are competing against companies and countries worldwide for both jobs and talent. To ensure success now and in the future, we must infuse our institutions of education, our workplaces and our communities with a greater understanding of diverse populations. This issue of Centralight explores and celebrates CMU’s global focus: Enjoy learning more about our efforts!

Bob Davies, Ph.D.

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Ways to connect with

PRESIDENT DAVIES: @cmichprez

BLOG blogs.cmich.edu/cmichprez

CMU TODAY “Match Day confirmed that residency programs across the country know the CMU College of Medicine recruits and educates fabulous students,” said Tina Thompson, senior associate dean of academic affairs at the CMU College of Medicine. “They are an amazing group of individuals — bright and dedicated, socially responsive, and eager to positively impact their patients and the communities in which they serve. We are very proud!”

CMU College of Medicine fourth-year students gathered at noon on March 18 at Midland’s Dow Diamond to open envelopes containing the names of the residency programs in which they will continue their physician training for the next three to seven years.

This year, 105 students from the CMU College of Medicine participated in the match process. In fulfillment of the college’s mission to train culturally competent physicians to provide comprehensive health care and services to underserved populations in Michigan and beyond, 67% of CMU medical students matched to primary care residencies in internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, combined internal medicine and pediatrics, psychology, obstetrics and general surgery. CMU medical students also matched to programs including orthopedic surgery, pathology and diagnostic radiology.

At that exact moment, thousands of medical students across the United States and around the world were opening similar envelopes or emails. The annual event is known as Match Day, and it’s one of the most significant milestones in the life of a medical student.

Approximately half the class, 52%, will remain in Michigan. Four students matched with the CMU Medical Education Partners residency programs in Saginaw, and four students matched to CMU-affiliated hospitals. Two students matched with the United States armed services. •

CMU College of Medicine celebrates another successful Match Day More than 100 Central students participated in the process

CMU’s work to earn these honors included successfully diverting more than 1,447 tons of waste from landfills in 2019. This involved recycling, selling and composting materials, food waste and bulk items from CMU’s campus that would otherwise wind up in landfills, contributing to climate change and other environmental impacts.

EPA recognizes CMU as university partner of the year for sustainability efforts Student-led efforts contributed to a key initiative honored by the agency The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized CMU with two honors as a part of its Sustainable Materials Management Program: the 2020 College and University Partner of the Year Award and the 2021 WasteWise National Narrative Sustainability Public Education Award.

In addition, the national narrative award recognized the university’s establishment of Central Sustainability, created in 2020 and led by students Teresa Homsi and Eric Urbaniak. The initiative supports interdisciplinary efforts to create greater sustainability and pursue projects, both on and off campus, that are environmentally and socially conscious. Jay Kahn, director of facilities operations at CMU, said the university has partnered with the EPA for more than a decade. Winning both education categories demonstrates the overall impact made by the university, he said. “These awards not only recognize our efforts over the past two to three years, but all of our sustainability work over the past decade-plus,” Kahn said. “This shows that we have been long-time players in sustainability.” • Centralight Summer ’22

CMU TODAY Awards honor faculty excellence and service This spring, CMU recognized faculty members who set the leadership standard by prioritizing student success, providing rich, knowledge-based experiences and nurturing strong connections inside the classroom. Faculty Distinguished Service Awards Susan Grettenberger joined CMU in 2002 as the field director and has been the program director of CMU’s accredited social work program since 2006. Grettenberger is a licensed clinical social worker, with her practice experience including direct services and administration in the areas of child welfare, domestic violence, substance abuse and HIV/AIDS, primarily in Latino communities in Michigan and Chicago. Bradley Swanson joined CMU in 2001 and works in the field of conservation genetics. During his time at CMU, he has served as the director of Environmental Studies, as the chairperson of the Academic Senate and is currently the director of the Office of Graduate Studies. In addition, he was the major adviser for 40 Master’s students and he mentored 56 undergraduate student researchers at CMU. Excellence in Teaching Awards John Andraka is an assistant professor of physical therapy in the Hebert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions. Andraka designs his classroom activities in an extremely intentional way to convey the subject matter and elicit a productive learning experience for students. He is 6

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praised and loved by students for providing clear and high expectations for his courses. His biggest asset is his ability to inspire students and encourage them to be curious and ask questions that help their understanding. He builds a sense of community within the classroom by including interactive and collaborative activities within his lessons providing a chance to practice professional collaboration with peers. Allison Arnekrans is an associate professor of counseling and special education in the College of Education and Human Services. Her colleagues describe her as warm, enthusiastic and humble. She engages students with respect and integrity, and she works to include various learning activities in her teaching. Students know they can discuss any concerns or questions they may have with her, and they frequently seek her out both in her role as a faculty member and as the adviser for the department’s registered student organization, Mu Kappa Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota. Arnekrans adapts to the unique needs and personalities of each group of students she teaches, all while remaining transparent in her expectations and thorough in her instructional design. Stephen Juris is an associate professor in biology, chemistry and biochemistry within the College of Science and Engineering, teaching at multiple levels. Juris is committed to helping students learn, think and work independently and in teams. His classes are designed to engage students and build their confidence and community. Students say he teaches a difficult subject in a way that is understandable and gives them the tools to study the

content on their own time outside of class. Students also say that he is one of the most upbeat and approachable professors. Keeley Stanley-Bohn is a professor of theater in the Department of Theatre and Dance in the College of Arts and Media. At the heart of Stanley-Bohn’s teaching is the building of a strong rapport with students. She believes that to set students up for success in their chosen field, they need to understand how valuable they are regardless of status, grades and titles. In her own words, Stanley-Bohn affirms that, “providing guidance from the beginning sets them up for success, and I always honor my word to them.” Leslie Wallace is a fixed-term faculty member in the exercise science division in the School of Health Sciences in the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions. As an educator, she describes herself as a cheerleader and coach encouraging students to become better versions of themselves in and out of the classroom. Colleagues note Wallace uses personal and real-life examples and case studies to illustrate applications and capture students’ interest, helping students visualize and conceptualize processes. This gives students ownership in the course and fosters a sense of community in the classroom. Student Choice Excellence in Teaching Award Daniel Ballou is an assistant professor of physical education and sports within the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow

Strengthening CMU student-alumni ties Central Connections taps into university’s powerful network Pam Murray, ’77, M.S. ’83, says she’s not a “techie.” But for the sake of those following in her footsteps as Central Michigan University students, she’s one of many CMU alumni signing onto a new interactive program called Central Connections. College of Health Professions. Ballou has taught facility management, statistics, economics and finance courses at multiple course levels. Students say he has made math and finance accessible, leaving them wanting more experience. He engages students in discussion, allowing them to develop their own deeper understanding of the material. Ballou’s lessons are designed in a student-friendly manner that gives real-world experience and prepares students for the future. Lori Ryan Memorial Excellence in Teaching Award Lorrie Ryan was a faculty member in human environmental studies and an awardee of the 2002 Excellence in Teaching Award. This award, established in 2006, is given in her memory each year to a faculty member who inspires students by building a sense of community within the learning environment and demonstrating a profound mentorship and respect for others. Jeffrey Weinstock is a professor of English language and literature in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. Students appreciate how Weinstock creates a sense of shared ownership of the learning experience, providing them with new ideas and opportunities for exploring life and literature. Described by his students as an instructor with high expectations, he also offers students the support they need to succeed. His enthusiasm and attention to detail are shown in his assignment design and classroom rapport. One student noted, “He really cares about us as people, and this makes us more engaged with his teaching and the rest of the course.” •

Its purpose: to help current students tap into the powerful network of CMU’s vast alumni community. Central Connections is a web-based app that’s accessible through web browsers on phones, tablets and computers. This joint project by the Career Development Center and Alumni Relations launched for students in mid-March, but alumni have been building its userbase since late last year. They’re completing online profiles listing locations, areas of expertise, and help they can offer, such as resume reviews, advice for college life, mock interviews, career consultations and more. “The platform gives alumni and students the ability to connect with one another,” said Erica O’Toole, interim director of the Career Development Center. “LinkedIn can be great for networking and making connections, but it’s hard to know if working professionals will reply to a student’s outreach. Central Connections eliminates the guesswork by connecting those individuals who are already committed to networking with and mentoring CMU students.” Or, as Associate Director of Alumni Engagement Brittany Milan puts it, Career Connections provides “a friendly foot in the door, giving students a boost of confidence and support from alumni who want to see them succeed.” Central Connections not only serves current students but also offers something many alumni want: a peer-to-peer networking platform and a way to stay connected and give back to the CMU community. “I give back because of the positive impact CMU had on my life — both personally and professionally,” Murray said. “I want students to have the same positive experience I did, as well as take advantage of programs that I wish I had.” Murray earned her bachelor’s degree in family relations and psychology from CMU in 1977 and a master’s degree in personnel management in 1983 through what is now Global Campus. She retired in April 2020 as senior benefits administrator at Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “I have met many alumni who say they would like to get involved with CMU, but they do not know how because they have lost contact with their campus connections,” she said. “Central Connections will enable them to get involved.” There’s no charge for students, faculty, staff or alumni to activate their accounts and use the web app on their mobile or desktop device. Find it at centralconnections.apps.cmich.edu. •

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CMU TODAY Nancy Mathews named new provost Her CMU tenure begins Aug. 1 Central Michigan University President Bob Davies has appointed the university’s next provost and executive vice president, Nancy Mathews. Mathews currently is dean of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont and has more than 30 years of higher education experience. “Nancy has a track record of being a collaborative, empathetic and courageous leader with a strong understanding of the challenges and opportunities we face,” Davies said.

“She also will bring strong experience and an understanding of shared governance to the position, and she has the ability to interact well with our university’s many stakeholders, from students to members of the CMU Board of Trustees. I look forward to working with her to advance CMU’s efforts in enrollment through our commitment to rigor, relevance and excellence.” In her current role, Mathews leads an interdisciplinary unit focused on environmental science, sustainability and natural resources. As dean, she has focused on building academic excellence, with an enduring commitment to environmental justice and equity, to prepare students to lead in a rapidly changing world. She also is a professor of wildlife and fisheries biology.

A shortage of teachers is being seen across the country, and CMU is doing what it can to inspire and prepare future educators.

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A former resident of Oakland County, Mathews also said she looks forward to returning to the Midwest — especially to the natural beauty of Mount Pleasant’s community. “Being nestled in among the woods and fields feels like home,” she said. Her tenure at CMU will begin Aug. 1. •

teachers are learning what it means to be a teacher and they are doing it during a difficult time. They are having a oncein-a-lifetime challenging and exciting experience, and they are doing it in the middle of a pandemic, which means their experiences may be different,” Davidson said.

Student teachers are getting classroom job offers prior to their graduation

Jillian Davidson, director of clinical experiences at CMU, said teacher shortages are cyclical. Ten years ago, the

“The teacher-scholar model for CMU — the focus on student-centered learning combined with an emphasis on the integration of new knowledge — is exciting,” she said. “I look forward to partnering with the president, faculty leaders and others to advance excellence in teaching, research and creative activities.”

CMU’s R2 Carnegie designation and its reputation for excellence in both teaching

Supporting — and preparing — future educators

According to the National Education Association’s January 2022 poll, 86% of members say they have seen more educators leaving the profession or retiring early since the start of the pandemic. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says there are 567,000 fewer educators in America’s public schools today than there were before the pandemic, and the NEA’s analysis of BLS data indicates that 43% of jobs posted are going unfilled.

and research led Mathews to consider the role as provost.

field was extremely competitive and during that same time, the state government completely changed many of the employment benefits provided to teachers, Davidson said for the worse. “Now we’re in a completely opposite situation where there are a plethora of job openings. We’re seeing our candidates getting job offers before they even graduate,” Davidson said. Student teachers are facing additional challenges due to the pandemic. “Student

Paula Lancaster, dean of the College of Education and Human Services at CMU, said student teachers provide a tremendous benefit to teachers in the classroom. “It’s just a great way to talk about your craft and problem solve with someone else,” she said. She said CMU’s faculty and staff are passionately committed to their students’ success and provide specific feedback throughout the process. This support helps the student-teacher feel more confident and prepared as they step into their new role as a teacher. •

A championship

M NDSET Benton Harbor native tapped to relaunch CMU men’s golf program BY

TR E I F N C I H OT N , H AL I M ’ 8 3

When Kevin Jennings was 4, his mom took him and his big brother Jeffery along when she applied for a job at Whirlpool in their hometown of Benton Harbor, Michigan.

“It doesn’t scare me to rehash and reconstruct something,” he said. “I’m not intimidated. I welcome the challenge. We can be successful again. I came here to make an impact.”

They ran into a company vice president, impressed by the young family.

As the men’s team prepares for its first season this fall, “the buzz is electric,” Jennings said, fueled by excited support from the university, the community and golf-loving alumni.

“He said to my mother, ‘When your sons are old enough, take them to this golf course,’” Jennings recalled. “‘They have a scholarship for young people who work there.’” The golf course was the nearby Point ’O Woods, one of the top courses in the country and home to the prestigious Western Amateur Championship. His mother, a tenacious and persistent woman “who still puts me in a headlock,” Jennings laughed, followed up. “I grew up watching the best amateur golfers in the country,” Jennings said. When he started playing there himself, he was hooked. Jennings went to college on a combined golf and academic scholarship and became a college golf coach, soon known for turning around struggling teams and making them champions. So, when he was hired to bring back men’s golf to CMU this year after a 36-year absence, the challenge suited him to, well, a tee.

Golf set Jennings on a course to success, including his recent induction to the African American Golfers Hall of Fame. Golf will do that, he said. “Golf teaches integrity, respect and discipline, which are all essential to moving through life successfully,” Jennings said. “I’ve been blessed to meet people I wouldn’t have otherwise met because I’m in tune with the game.” But the golf program, a nonrevenue sport, needs financial support to survive, Jennings said. One generous CMU grad donated a Mercedes Sprint van, the gold-standard vehicle to transport top-notch college golf teams.

“Anyone who plays golf understands this is a challenging game,” Jennings said. “You have to spend time with it for it to love you.” That means team travel to southern states for winter practice, and an indoor golf facility on campus. “The golf team roster is small, so when you give to golf, that $500 or $1,500 will stretch farther and make more of an impact,” he said. Meanwhile, Jennings can’t wait to watch his young golfers thrive. He’s proud to report the average GPA for the team is over 3.5. They’re off to a good start. “These young gentlemen will create a network that will continue to follow them and assist them in their lives,” he said. “This game is a catalyst to help you get where you need to be.” >

Alumni who own prestigious Michigan golf courses have offered their facilities for team practice and to host events — essential to challenge CMU players’ skills and raise the program’s profile. Centralight Summer ’22

n course

FOR A CAREER s e in u b c a h f l G o nepdosahi tler s ec u o tr d

Brianna Hart drives a ball at Braid Hills Golf Course in Edinburgh, Scotland. 10 10

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HUN T ERMCL A REN

TERRI FINCH HAMILTON, ’83

P H O TB Y

Fifteen college interns gathered around the table, eager to each ask one question of the large financial company’s CEO.

office, you’re moving, you’re outdoors. There’s a lot of conversation, so you can get to know someone.”

Brianna Hart, ’20, ’21, listened as the interns asked about his success, his advice, the usual questions. Then it was her turn.

You’re building relationships, she said. “You focus on the people you’re playing with and learning about them.”

“I said, ‘I heard you like golf. What’s your favorite course?’ I saw his face just light up.’”

If you want to make a great change in your company, teach people how to golf — on company time, Gray said.

Later, Hart summoned her courage and asked if the CEO would like to play a round of golf before her internship ended.

“It should hold the same importance as all other professional development training,” she said.

He would. Whoa.

Learn how to golf just for business? You bet, Gray said.

Hart had just returned from a two-week course in Scotland called “Selling on the Green,” taught by Deborah M. Gray, CMU professor of marketing. It’s all about golf as a business tool, a way to build relationships and boost career success. So, how did it go out there on the golf course? “I was so incredibly nervous,” said Hart, now a financial analyst at Lockheed Martin in Washington, D.C. “Here he was a CEO with a 4 handicap, and I’m this 21-year-old intern trying to impress him. Out on the course I was completely shanking the ball.” But Hart, a golfer since age 8, pulled it together and bested the CEO on the first nine. Better yet, “I got to know him,” Hart said. “I found out he had daughters in college who played sports like I did.” The CMU class, that took place on Scotland’s iconic golf courses, gave her the confidence to ask him to play a round with her, Hart said. “I thought, ‘What do I have to lose?’ If he says no, at least I took a chance.” Gray, co-author of “Getting in the Game: Putting Golf at the Forefront of Your Networking Toolbox,” couldn’t be prouder. If you want to get ahead in your career, Gray said, play golf.

Golf as professional development “People are much more relaxed on the golf course,” Gray said. “You’re out of the

“Then let others know you golf. Put a photo of you golfing on your desk. That’s the launching point.” Then, keep it going. “Watch golf on the weekends or watch highlights on YouTube so you at least know who won the PGA tournament,” she said. “So you can talk about that amazing putt.” All this advice goes double for women, Gray said. “Women make up 50% of the business workforce, but we make up just 26% of all golfers,” Gray said. “Very few women in business golf. So, they get left out. It’s actually harmful to their careers when compared to men who golf for career growth.” When Gray spoke at a conference last year hosted by the women of Bosch USA, women told her they felt excluded because of it. “They said, ‘We’re left behind to do the work while the men go golf.’ I said, ‘Do you golf?’ They said, ‘no.’ There’s the problem.”

Golf offers an edge Women who play college golf won’t feel left behind at work, said CMU women’s golf coach James Earle. “They’ll be the first ones out on the golf course,” he said. “When a female athlete excels in golf then heads out into the business world, that opens a lot of doors,” Earle said. “There’s a wow factor. It’s shocking, even for golfers who play on a regular basis, to see a young female athlete play golf and move the ball great distances — farther than

men twice their size who have been playing for 30 years. It sets them apart. Everybody’s looking for an edge in the business world.” His players will have that edge, he said. “When you’re on the golf course you expose who you really are,” Earle said. “Some people are hot heads on the course. Golf shows if you’re a good golfer, but it also shows how you conduct yourself. If you’re cool-mannered and friendly on the course, people want to be around you.” Golf opens the conversation, he said. “It opens the door.”

Golf builds networks Gray teaches students exactly how to open that door in her two-week “Selling on the Green” class. They learn how to use golf as a business networking tool, from how to plan a golf outing to etiquette on the golf course to remembering personal details of golf partners. Big bonus: they’re playing on famous Scotland golf courses and learning about the historic and cultural ties of golf to Scotland. “If you’re a golfer, at some point you’ll be asked if you ever golfed in Scotland,” Gray said. “It’s a bucket list item for most golfers.” When Hart took Gray’s Scotland class in 2019, she and a few classmates spent a miserable night outside in the cold wind and pelting rain for a chance to play the next day at The Old Course at St. Andrew’s, the oldest and most iconic golf course in the world. “It was totally worth it,” she said. “It was surreal, how magnificent the courses are there.” Hart was placed with three golfers from Ohio to play the famous course. Luckily, she was taking a class on how to bond with strangers on the golf course. “Talking to people about who they are and their interests helps me be a better person in business,” Hart said, “but also a better person in general.” >

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‘Golf is a

WORK OF ART’ Kingsley Club has a heart for the game BY TERRI FINCH HAMILTON, ’83 “It’s not the usual country club experience,” Walker said. “There’s nothing wrong with country club golf. But if you want that experience, Kingsley Club is not the place for you.” There’s no alcohol served on the course, no music allowed. The dining set-up is minimal on purpose. No tee times, either. If you’re a member, just show up and play. “It’s about people enjoying each other’s company and nature around the game of golf,” Walker said

If you’re planning on making a big business deal at Ed Walker’s golf course, he has some advice. Forget the business. Here at Kingsley Club, it’s all about the golf. Walker’s Kingsley Club course in Kingsley, Michigan, emulates the great golf courses of Scotland, with fescue grass fairways, bent grass greens, and diverse topography carved by ancient glaciers. “It’s golf the way golf was intended to be played,” said Walker, ’66, the way it was conceived and played in Scotland and Ireland. Kingsley Club, 12 miles south of Traverse City, often shows up on lists of the top 100 golf courses in the country and the world. Golf Week magazine named it among the top 20 courses in the country.

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You can learn a lot about a person — including yourself — playing golf together, he said. “You have to follow the rules of the game, no matter what,” he said. “If you have to take a stroke penalty, you take it. It’s an opportunity for people to mix and mingle in a way that demonstrates respect for other people, respect for the course, respect for Mother Nature, and respect for the game of golf. “You get to interact with people from all different backgrounds in a way that’s real,” he said. Walker played varsity baseball and a little football while at CMU. He met Karen, his wife of 55 years, there, too. After a career teaching math, physics, and coaching football in Midland, Texas (think “Friday Night Lights”), Walker left for a job at Gulf Oil, then started his own

successful oil and gas exploration and production company with projects and investments throughout the U.S. Along the way, he started playing golf, ultimately playing many great courses around the country and the world. “I wanted to create an experience here that reflects the spirit of the game,” he said. Walker found and purchased the land, supervised the construction, and established the philosophy. Members of Kingsley Club come from 44 states and several countries, representing diverse occupations and economic backgrounds. There’s a CMU connection, too. Several CMU alumni are club members, Walker said, and emeritus alumni board member and current board trustee Robert Wardrop occasionally drops by to play. Technically, Kingsley Club is a business. But don’t use the b-word too much around Walker. “The business of golf and the game of golf are two different things,” Walker said. “Golf is a work of art.” >

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Larry Lavely, ’91 (left), and Mike Brown, ’90, have been best friends since seventh grade. Today, they co-own four golf courses in Michigan.

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The dr ve to

DREAM BIG

Former CMU roommates building a golf empire in northern Mic BY TERRI FINCH HAMILTON, ’83

Mike Brown, ’90, and Larry Lavely, ’91, have been best friends since seventh grade, so when Larry called Mike and said, “Let’s buy a golf course,” it was just the latest in a bunch of cool adventures. Twenty-five years later, it’s still pretty cool. The business partner pals, former roommates at CMU, bought an 18-hole golf course from an owner ready to retire and turned it into a multi-location resort on the stunning shores of Torch Lake and Lake Michigan, awarded four stars by Golf Digest. Their A-Ga-Ming Golf Resort includes four courses: Torch, Sundance, Antrim Dells and the Charlevoix Country Club. Out on their golf courses, business is booming. “We see it all the time,” Brown said. “A sales rep brings all his clients, pays for them to play, wines and dines them. On the golf course is where a lot of it happens. What better way to do it?” “At some big companies the final job interview will often be out on the golf course,” Lavely said. “The supervisor will take the two or three finalists out. It’s not about who’s the best golfer. It’s who do they enjoy spending a couple hours with?” Those two hours are pretty telling. “Golf is an individual sport, so you’re put on stage for every shot,” Lavely

said. “You use the honor system. It shows how you act under pressure, if you compliment people. It reveals a person’s character. “You can learn a lot about a person,” Brown said. “If they’re hitting it in the bunker and taking four tries to get it out and they drop the F-bomb, do you want to do business with them for the next 10 years?” The golf course, with its rolling hills and chirping birds, is a great setting for a lot of life’s special moments. “You see people in their twilight years of life,” Lavely said. “We get a lot of requests for ashes to be scattered. Obituaries will say, ‘My dad’s favorite place was the golf course.’ We see proposals happen out there. It’s a beautiful, romantic setting. You see dads and moms teaching their kids sportsmanship. “Bachelor parties happen out there, a bunch of guys getting together to have fun,” Lavely continued. “The golf course is a great place to heal relationships or build them.” When you’re in the golf business, it helps to know about golf. And, more importantly, business. After earning a finance degree at CMU, Brown headed to a banking career and earned a master’s degree in sports management. Lavely earned a finance degree at CMU, too, then accepted a four-year apprenticeship at The Pines golf

course at Lake Isabella. The apprenticeship was the path to membership in the Professional Golfers’ Association of America, where Lavely has been a member for 19 years. “Our CMU degrees were a big plus and a big part of our success over the past 25 years,” Lavely said. “It helped us always budget well and have good accounting. Mike’s expertise always saved us money and made sure we got the best rates. I can’t imagine two better degrees for business owners.” It’s been a lot of work, from fundraising to relationship building to risk taking. They toil spring through fall, then spend the winter months brainstorming business ideas and reconnecting with their families. The friends both coach sports at Elk Rapids High School and live in the same neighborhood. They’ve hosted the CMU women’s golf team a few times, including for Labor Day tournaments, and they plan to host the men’s team, too. “It’s a way, as alumni, that we can give back a little bit,” Brown said. “It’s fun to see these kids have goals and achieve them.” “It’s been a nice ride,” Lavely said. “If you do things the right way, tell the truth, and treat people right, you get pulled along to success.” Kind of like the game of golf. • Centralight Summer ‘22

We know you. You know us.

If the status quo isn’t as fulfilling as it was, come back to CMU. We can help you Fire Up your career with online graduate programs that make change happen.

» Move up and have a greater

impact in your current career.

And when it comes to career advancement, it’s all about who you know.

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CENT R AL M I C H I GA N U NI V E RS I T Y

Food to fuel

student success Every day, some students at CMU struggle to meet their most basic needs. As many as 3,000 CMU students struggle with food insecurity. Students experiencing food insecurity drop or fail a class more frequently than their peers and are more likely to experience symptoms of depression. Without support, fewer than 20% of these students will complete their degree in five years or less.

Help CMU

stamp out student hunger

Since opening its doors in fall 2018, the CMU Student Food Pantry has distributed thousands of pounds of food to hundreds of students in need.

We need your support.

Your gift to the Student Food Pantry will help hundreds of CMU Chippewas overcome unexpected obstacles and stay on the path to graduation. Donations in any amount will help us stock the shelves and keep students in school and successful.

To donate online, visit go.cmualum.com/foodpantry CMU is an AA/EO institution, providing equal opportunity to all persons, including minorities, females, veterans and individuals with disabilities (see cmich.edu/OCRIE). UComm 10073

Let’s see what we

CAN CREATE TOGETHER. Graphic design services available. Ready for your next project? Submit your design request. Then we’ll work with you to make it happen. mgx.cmich.edu CMU, an AA/EO institution, strongly and actively strives to increase diversity and provide equal opportunity within its community. CMU does not discriminate against persons based on age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex-based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight.

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YOUR SOURCE for CMU gear! CMU Bookstore Summer Hours Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, closed

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Centralight Summer ‘22

R.I.S.E.

This year’s Greek Week raised $65,000 for R.I.S.E. Advocacy to continue to provide support services and care for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. CMU’s annual Greek Week fundraiser features games and activities — including the popular Mock Rock competition — to raise money, in-kind donations and volunteer hours for a local organization. PHOTO BY

ADAM SPARKES

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bal o l g ase U e r c in t CM s t n de yone a u t s al ever n o i t na ent for , ’83 r e t In gem MILTON engaRRI FINCH HA BY T

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Sainath Makineni’s suitcase was stuffed with treats when he returned to CMU after a winter break trip home to India.

About 650 international students are enrolled at Central from 46 countries, most to earn master’s degrees.

Students on the move: Try to keep up

He tucked in bags of crunchy dal biji — crispy gram flour noodles with cantaloupe and musk melon seeds. He stowed spicy potato noodles called aloo bhujia.

Top-notch programs in information systems, computer science, engineering, public health and more attract international students to CMU, Evanuik said, but location is a big fire-up factor, too.

“They’re definitely not just in their own bubble,” she said.

The most precious cargo? His mom’s homemade boondi laddu, sweet spherical treats made of fried and sugar-soaked batter with seeds and fragrant spices. Makineni, ’22, piled the long-distance goodies on the break room table at work and invited his office pals to dig in. If you worked with Makineni in CMU’s Office of Global Engagement, that was a fun day. “The staff there was so friendly,” said Makineni, who graduated in May with a master’s degree in information systems. “They always greeted me when I came in and asked me how I was doing. They treated me like family. So, I wanted to do something for my family. When you bring food to people, you make them happy.” He did. “It was so cool,” recalled Jennifer Evanuik, executive director of the Office of Global Engagement. “I said, ‘You packed all this in your suitcase?’ Everybody in our office gathered around, so excited, asking, ‘What’s this? What’s this?’” Then everybody started talking about the special treats their own moms make. Evanuik was in global engagement heaven. “It’s all about human connections,” she said. “Students love learning about each other.”

It’s all about human connections. A Mount Pleasant welcome Evanuik loves this stuff. She and Ling Zhang, director of graduate and international recruitment, are the dynamic duo who recruit international students like Makineni to CMU, prepare them for the journey, and welcome them with smiles, an outdoor reception, and helpful programming once they arrive.

Evanuik loves watching students from all over the world immerse themselves in everything CMU.

“We’re a comfortable, mid-sized college town — not too big, but big enough so there are things to do,” she said. “We’re in a sweet spot.”

International students take part in Homecoming parades, get elected to the Student Government Association, host cool cultural festivals on campus.

Maybe not as sweet as Makineni’s mom’s laddu, but the fact that international students want to make CMU their college home benefits everybody on campus, Zhang said.

They’re involved in innovative research, from physics to education to health care.

Anybody who wants to be successful in anything has to learn the world. “The world is getting smaller every day,” she said. “Anybody who wants to be successful in anything has to learn the world. Fifty years ago, you could be fine not knowing much beyond where you live, but the world is changing. Chances are you’ll go on to work with people from different nationalities.”

They head out into the community with intriguing stories from home. CMU’s Global Ambassador Program sends international students to area libraries and elementary schools to speak about their culture. “It gets their stories and their voices out there,” Evanuik said, “and it gives them great experience in public speaking.” The global ambassadors also meet with new international students on campus to help them get settled. Rasheedat Adelabu of Nigeria, earning a master’s degree in public health, is on CMU’s COVID response team, collecting health information when students log it on the campus app and following up, advising students about quarantine rules and contact tracing.

So how does the average college student “learn the world?”

“She’s been on our first line of defense since almost the beginning of the pandemic,” said Jodi Brookins-Fisher, professor and director of the division of public health in the School of Health Sciences.

“We encourage our domestic students to study abroad, but not everyone is able to do that,” Zhang said. “So, we bring the world to them.”

Adelabu worked in public health in Nigeria and plans a career in epidemiology. Her campus job is a perfect fit.

Having international students on campus helps attract domestic students, Zhang said. “Come to CMU and you’ll experience diversity and meet people from different cultures.” It’s a great lesson in perspective.

“I’m getting hands-on experience,” she said. “In public health, you need communication skills, interpersonal skills.”

“Maybe you’re a freshman from Texas,” Zhang said. “You come here not knowing anybody. You meet a student from Africa and think ‘They’re so brave. If they can come here all the way from Africa, I’ll be OK.’

“It’s fear of the unknown,” Adelabu said. “That’s really scary.” She connected worried students to the counseling center as needed.

International students not only bring a different culture, but they bring reassurance, Zhang said.

And calming skills, she said.

“This is real-world experience,” BrookinsFisher said. “Rasheedat got to see how different departments on campus work together to keep our university open. > Centralight Summer ‘22

Priscilla Dzigba, Ph.D. student and mother of three from Ghana, conducts research in Dr. Mallary Wacker & Dr. Ben Swarts’ lab on immunotherapy for bacterial infections.

It’s part of the dynamic nature of public health. It’s so valuable for students. They can learn skills and ways of operating that they can take back to their home countries.” Another of her students, Deepmala Rana Bhat, from Nepal, worked with BrookinsFisher on a national project about the connection between voter registration and mental health. Bhat’s research helped the Society for Public Health Education in its advocacy for new ways to register people to vote, including when they sign up for government programs. “We have a responsibility to families when they send their child to us from so far away,” Brookins-Fisher said. “They’re entrusting us. They’ve saved pennies, in some cases. We have to make it the best experience possible for them … by providing real-world experiences they can take back with them.”

‘It’s a cultural awakening’ CMU faculty have a fascinating front-row view of the cultural immersion — and life-changing experiences — international students have while they’re here. Kaleb Patrick, director and chair of the Master of Science in Administration degree program, tells of a Saudi student in his program who stepped out of his comfort zone to work on a class project with a member of an LGBTQ community, exploring a topic taboo in his culture. “There’s a shattering of their own cultural norms,” Patrick said. “It’s a cultural awakening being part of campus. There’s a loss of innocence in a way that helps them become more worldly in their perceptions and political views. You can’t learn that in a textbook.” He loves seeing the domestic and international students in his department working together creating webinars to 24

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attract more students from Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria and Bangladesh. “These experiences spill into their personal spaces,” Patrick said. “They extend their conversations at events on campus, restaurants, at Central Eats, where they learn even more about each other. It’s fascinating to watch.” He’s amazed at their courage. “I’m always wowed not just by the capability of our international students, but by their resilience,” Patrick said. “It takes a level of grit for someone to go study at an advanced level in a place where the language is second to their own.”

Fire up from Micronesia Some international students earn their degrees online. The Doctor of Health Administration program is a mostly online program, Evanuik said. After all, sometimes it’s tough to get away to Mount Pleasant. Maybe you’re the president of Aga Khan University in Pakistan. Or maybe you’re busy helping run a government, like the secretary of health for the Federated States of Micronesia. Both are completing their dissertations as international students, more than 7,000 miles away. Some of the international students on the Mount Pleasant campus return to their home country after graduation. Others stay. Either way, Zhang said, it’s a win for them. “If international students stay here, their time here helps them tremendously,” Zhang said. “You have to know the culture to be successful here. If they get a degree here and go back home, their time here helps them find a job in their home country with better pay. Employers back home are looking for people with international experience, too.”

Zhang was an international student, journeying from China to earn a master’s degree at a small liberal arts college, then her doctorate. “It gives me an instant connection to our international students,” she said. “I understand how difficult it is to get all the paperwork together, get your visa, travel all the way here, experience cultural differences. You have to conquer a lot of barriers.”

Finding your people — and cinnamon doughnuts When they get homesick, many international students find a home away from home in student organizations designed just for them. There are groups at CMU for students from India, China, Africa and Bangladesh. “Students have a desire to meet American friends and learn about American culture, but it can be mentally and emotionally exhausting,” Evanuik said. “I studied abroad in France. Sometimes you just need to be around people who understand you and see your own people.” Sometimes, your CMU people become your own people. Sainath Makineni, who stuffed his suitcase with Indian treats to share, talked about the things he learned at CMU that he would take back home to India. “Punctuality. Discipline. Cheerful greetings. I’ll apply all those things back at my workplace in India,” he said. “When you’re kind to others, they’ll reflect back the same.” Along the way, he discovered a favorite new American treat. “Doughnuts,” he said. “You make them with cinnamon here.” >

Making global

CONNECTIONS BY

T R E I F N I C H TO N , H A L I M ’ 8 3

When Sydney Hutchison, ’21, was at CMU, a student named Dimitri from Germany joined her improv comedy group. That took guts. “I can’t imagine trying to get comedy across when it’s not your first language,” said Hutchison, who works in social media marketing in Bay City, Michigan. “He was so funny,” she said. “He had a whole different perspective on comedy.” Hutchison has a whole different perspective on a lot of things, thanks to interacting with people from different countries — from her fifth-grade student exchange trip to France to making friends from all over the world as a student at CMU. As a freshman in the CMU Honors Program, Hutchison was paired with Jana from Germany through the Honors International Peer Partner Program. Honors students partner with CMU international students to form friendships, practice language skills and attend campus events together. The y navigated college life together, exploring campus and finding their footing. Bonus: Jana baked Hutchison a traditional German apple tart. Hutchison went ice skating with students from the Netherlands and India. She worked with Theophilus from Ghana on an international cooking video contest in the Office of Global Engagement. When you head to college in the middle of Michigan, you don’t assume you’ll meet people from Ghana, India and Germany. “Then you realize there are pieces of a lot of different countries there,” Hutchison said. “You get to experience more than Mount Pleasant.” Hutchison’s love of global culture started in fifth grade, when she went to France for two weeks with a student exchange program. “Your world is pretty small at that age,” she said. “It made the world feel accessible.” That experience helped shape her whole life, she said. “It completely shaped my passions, my interests, my trajectory.” At CMU, Hutchison majored in cultural and global studies, then added a second major in journalism with a public relations concentration. She worked in the Office of Global Engagement and studied abroad in Prague her sophomore year. She’s grateful to Jana, Dimitri, and Theo for the good times and valuable perspective. “After you spend time just hanging out together,” Hutchison said, “at the end of the day, we’re all pretty similar.” > Centralight Summer ‘22 Centralight Summer ‘22

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‘I always take good

OPPORTUNITIES’ BY TERRI FINCH HAMILTON, ’83

When Aurora Chen, ’15, ’16, arrived at CMU from China, one question soon occurred to her: “Is the only thing Americans like sweets?” She could handle that. It was all the sudden freedom that threw her. “In China, the high school schedule is intense,” Chen said. School continued well into the evening. Free time? What free time? “Then at CMU, freedom came really fast,” she said. “It was hard to learn to manage my own time. I wasn’t the best student in undergrad until my last year.” It was then one of her friends gave her a kick and said, “Aurora, you have to work harder. Do your thing.” Chen did her thing and went on to earn her Master of Science degree in information systems. She’s an SAP software specialist at Dicastal North America in Greenville, Michigan. Why travel 6,000 miles for college? “My mom said, ‘I want to send you out to see the world. Let’s find another country where you can study so you’re not closed-minded,’” Chen said. “She said if we’re choosing a country let’s pick the world’s best, where there’s a broader range of cultures. “CMU sent me the best offer, and I took it,” she said. “I always take good opportunities.” The long journey was worth it, she said. “Everybody at CMU my first year was very welcoming and nice,” Chen said. “There was a lot of respect. I couldn’t speak English as well as I can now. With my bumpy speech, I had to try to explain things over and over. “People were very patient and tried to explain things in a way I could understand.”

When she struggled in a business law class and told the professor she’d have to drop it, he let her write extra papers to boost her grade. “I got a lot of second chances,” she said. She shares an unexpected highlight: working in the cafeteria at Herrig Hall. “It was my first time earning U.S. dollars,” Chen said. “It made me feel so accomplished. I made friends there. It was awesome.” The woman who loves opportunity was thrilled to visit Michigan companies on class trips to see how businesses use the SAP processes she studied. “I loved the group discussions in my classes and listening to all the different student opinions,” Chen said. “I use that experience now in my job. I had to set up a meeting this afternoon and it was a group discussion, just like in my classes.” When you’re an international student, people are watching you, Chen said. “International students are walking examples of their culture,” she said. “I didn’t talk about my culture all the time, but I told my friends things about it when they asked. I feel like I let my culture show. “I tell other Chinese students, ‘You have to behave. What people see in you is what they’ll think about China.’” She loved the mingling of cultures she experienced at CMU. “It’s human nature to be afraid of things you don’t understand,” Chen said. “When you go to school with students from other countries, there’s less fear or hate or misunderstanding about people who are different. “You have to see other people to understand the world around you.” •

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ALUMNI NEWS Central Michigan University Alumni Association Board of Directors President Kandra (Kerridge) Robbins, ’90, Jena, Louisiana Vice president Scott Nadeau, ’89, Dexter, Michigan Past president Nathan Tallman, ’07, M.A. ’09, Macomb, Michigan Directors Brooke Adams, ’11, Detroit, Michigan Carrie Baumgardner, ’99, M.A. ’02, Davison, Michigan Lester Booker Jr., ’08, MSA ’10, Canton, Michigan

Central Michigan University Board of Trustees Todd J. Anson, ’77 Regine Beauboeuf Sharon Heath, ’96 Isaiah M. Oliver, ’07 Edward J. Plawecki Jr., ’75 Michael A. Sandler Richard K. Studley, ’93 Robert F. Wardrop II, ’72, ’76 For a full listing of Board of Trustees meeting schedules please see https://www.cmich. edu/bot/Pages/default.aspx

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Lisa (Laitinen) Bottomley, ’97, Kentwood, Michigan

Spencer Haworth, ’12, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Caroline (Powers) Rizzo, ’15, Traverse City, Michigan

Catherine (Bomber) Claes, ’90, Gladstone, Michigan

Sean Hickey, ’88, M.A. ’90, Traverse City, Michigan

Darryl Shelton, ’85, Fennville, Michigan

Megan Doyle, ’03, Chicago, Illinois

Bret Hyble, ’82, M.A. ’86, Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Christine Simon, ’13, Lansing, Michigan

Jonathan Eadie, ’93, Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan

Erica Lagos, ’13, Carmel, Indiana

Norma Eppinger, ’91, Lansing, Michigan

Anthony Lazzaro, ’15, Newport Beach, California

Matthew Franklin, ’04, Grand Blanc, Michigan

Linda (Scharich) Leahy, ’82, Midland, Michigan

Chris Gautz, ’04, Adrian, Michigan

J.J. Lewis, ’06, Simi Valley, California

Jacalyn (Beckers) Goforth, ’82, Beverly Hills, Michigan

John Reineke, ’09, Oxford, Ohio

For a full listing including emeritus board members please see https://www. cmich.edu/alumni/ AboutUs/AlumniBoard/ Pages/default.aspx

Caption goes here.

Photos by Anthony Crupi, Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Alumna tracks brown bears in Alaska Conservation biology master’s degree fuels CMU grad’s rugged research For Women’s History Month in March, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game featured narratives from women working in fish and game, including Stephanie Sell, M.S. ’08, a wildlife biologist in Juneau, the state’s capital. Sell is a wildlife biologist conducting a six-year research to estimate the population and density abundance of brown bears in northern Southeast Alaska, around Haines. To understand the spatial relationships of the bears regarding their seasonal homes and habitat selections, they equip the bears with GPS collars to follow their movements and landscape use over time. The collars are programmed to automatically release after one to two years. This is an abridged version of Sell’s narrative that originally appeared on the department’s website, adfg.alaska.gov, as part of Alaska Fish and Wildlife News.

I was born and raised in Anchorage but am now living in Juneau. I started working with ringed seals in the Arctic as an undergraduate at University of Alaska Southeast and continued my research through to a master’s degree in conservation biology at Central Michigan University. I knew I wanted to be a biologist from a very young age, being inspired by elementary school teachers, like my mom, who promoted educational science programs like “Voyage of the Mimi” and brought me along on her outdoor school field trips to places like Seward and Homer as a kindergartner. I was fortunate growing up to have parents who exposed me and my siblings to the outdoors through travel, camping, exploring and fishing at our cabin on the Kenai. I’ve been lucky in my career to have worked with several species of wildlife, but I am constantly amazed by all the beautiful and rural places they have taken me throughout Alaska. As a woman working in a male-dominated field, I feel very fortunate to have had all these opportunities and hope to inspire the younger generation of women. Follow your dreams. • Centralight Summer ‘22

ALUMNI NEWS Capt. Morgan (no, not that one!) lands his dream job mixing boating and science CMU alum takes to the water at the helm of Wisconsin research vessel Last October, Max Morgan, ’07, landed his dream job: captain of the Neeskay, the research vessel for the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences. He talked with the university about how he’s combined his passions for boating and science into the job he’s always wanted. A longer version of this Q&A appeared on the school’s website, https://bit.ly/CMU_CaptMorgan. What was your path to working at the School of Freshwater Sciences? I love the water and I always loved boats. I grew up on Lake St. Claire (near Detroit). If you look back at pictures, there’s pictures of me driving boats when I was very young while sitting on my dad’s lap.

University in natural conservation and biology with a concentration in freshwater sciences. Then I worked on the East Coast for several years as a NOAA fisheries observer. I worked on the Lake Guardian (the EPA’s Great Lakes research vessel) for eight years, so I’ve seen every single nook and cranny on the Great Lakes. What do you like most about your job? The two most exciting things for me are that I like teaching the next generation and I like helping scientists realize their goals. I like working with the researchers because they come up with great ideas. Then I have to come up with ways to make what they want to do work in real life. It’s problem solving. Because I have a master’s degree in freshwater science, I understand what the data means and what they are looking for — and I know how to manipulate the ship and do a survey plan to get the best quality data.

I’ve always dreamed of being a captain. I did my undergrad at Central Michigan

A pair of CMU Chippewas are on the move in the NFL Washington Commanders tap Todd Storm to work with tight ends The Washington Commanders promoted Todd Storm, M.S.A. ’16, from offensive quality control coach to assistant tight ends coach. Storm is entering his fifth season coaching in the NFL and his third with Washington. He spent the 2018-19 seasons with the Carolina Panthers assisting on the offensive side of the ball, specifically working with tight ends. From 2014-16, Storm was a graduate assistant at CMU. In 2014, he worked with the defensive line and transitioned to the 30

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offensive line during the 2015-16 seasons. Prior to his work at CMU, Storm played defensive end for the Cleveland Gladiators in the Arena Football League in the 2013. Houston Texans hire Joe Danna as safeties coach Joe Danna, ’00, is a former New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons defensive backs coach. He was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars initially as an assistant secondary coach before being named safeties coach and then nickels coach last season. Danna was with the Jaguars from 2017 to 2021 and has extensive experience in the AFC South division. His first NFL coaching position was with the Falcons in 2008 as a defensive

Photo courtesy of UWM School of Freshwater Sciences.

What’s the most interesting or challenging experience you’ve had on the Neeskay? One of the coolest things we do is we service the buoys. We put out a buoy at Atwater Beach and one in Green Bay. You can go online and get real time data, like water temperature up to 60 feet deep. If I want to take my boat out today, I can send a text to the buoy, and it will text me back all the information I need. If that buoy didn’t go out in spring, people would want to know why. •

assistant before being hired by the Dolphins as assistant secondary coach in 2010 and then returning to the Falcons as secondary coach in 2012 and then being hired by the Jets in 2015 prior to joining the Jaguars. Danna has also coached at Georgia Southern and James Madison. Danna, a Midland, Texas native, was a wide receiver and punt returner at Central Michigan and later a graduate assistant for the CMU Chippewas and the University of Georgia. He caught 43 career passes for 567 yards and two touchdowns and averaged 6.7 yards per punt return for his career. He completed one pass for 50 yards as a senior in 1998. •

CMU alum discusses ‘golden ticket’ award, public health research

Mount Pleasant Area Community Foundation welcomes four CMU alumni to its board

Presidential fellowship will allow veterinarian, movie producer to explore Guinea worm parasite

The Mount Pleasant Area Community Foundation elected five new directors to its board, four of whom are CMU Chippewas: Karmen Fox, Sherry Knight, Ryan Longoria and Terrie Zitzelsberger.

Inside CMU’s College of Medicine is a maze of science labs and lecture halls that have trained generations of health professionals, one of whom was Stephanie Baiyasi. Baiyasi, ’20, a veterinarian, movie producer, public health advocate and CMU alumnus, has seen her research published in respected journals and the Library of Congress. Most recently, she became a finalist for the Presidential Management Fellowship. The highly competitive award is given to academics to jump-start a career in the federal government. More than 8,000 candidates competed for a fast track into highly specialized federal positions. “I’ve been told by a number of different people that (being a finalist) is a golden ticket,” said Baiyasi. “This opportunity allows you to apply to jobs that are specifically just for presidential management fellowship finalists.” Examining where animal and human health intersect Baiyasi hopes to obtain a fellowship in public health, with an emphasis on the intersection of animal and human health. One such disease she would like to focus on is Guinea worm, a parasitic infection affecting parts of Africa. “There’s not many diseases that we’ve completely eliminated,” Baiyasi said. “Guinea worm is close to being one.” Guinea worm is a zoonotic disease — one that can be transferred from animals to humans. Baiyasi said zoonotic diseases are her passion. While completing her Master of Public Health at CMU in 2020, she did a final project about them. Interviewing other veterinarians, Baiyasi wanted to find out how clinicians were preventing the transmission of zoonotic diseases. “As a veterinarian, my interest has always been animal-related, but I have a strong desire to help people out in the long run,” she said. Baiyasi has pursued other projects, like videos, to increase her knowledge of public health. “(Film productions) have been an outlet to try and share,” she said. “I feel I’m an educator, but I’ve been doing it for such a long time, and I feel that there’s so much that people should be aware of.” Baiyasi has created several educational films spanning topics like water quality, unions, motor vehicle safety and city violence. “(I want to say) how much I appreciate CMU as an entity, and the opportunities that they give people, students and other community members,” she said. A longer version of this story, written by Zach Kortge, appeared in Central Michigan Life: https://bit.ly/CMU_GoldenTicket •

Top row, from left: Blystone, Fox, Knight; bottom row, from left: Longoria, Zitzelsberger.

Fox, ’08, is the executive health director for Nimkee Memorial Wellness Center on the Isabella Indian Reservation, and she is a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. Knight, ’86, and her husband, Jim, lead Paladin Communications, a marketing and communications firm. Knight formerly was the associate vice president of university communications for CMU. Longoria, M.S.A. ’15, is the director of recreation and sports for the city of Mount Pleasant and teaches in CMU’s sports management program. Zitzelsberger, ’76, is a certified financial planner and co-owner of Total Investment Planners, Inc. with her husband, Mark, and son Chad. The fifth new board member is Bart Blystone, a partner at Blystone & Bailey, CPAs. They join 19 other directors leading the Mount Pleasant Area Community Foundation, which was founded in 1990 to enhance the quality of life for all citizens of Isabella County. Additionally, CMU Executive Director of Alumni Relations Marcie Otteman, ’87, is the foundation board’s vice president. •

Centralight Summer ’22

ALUMNI NEWS Honors for CMU Chippewas Abby Parrill-Baker, ’92, dean of the arts & sciences at the University of Memphis, will serve as interim provost when the current provost, Tom Nenon, steps down at the end of June to return to a full-time faculty job. Parrill-Baker has been with the university since 1998. As dean, her research is primarily in computational structural biology and rational ligand design. She begins her role as interim provost on July 1. Sidd Kaza, M.S. ’03, has accepted the senior leadership position as Towson University’s associate provost for research and dean of graduate studies. Kaza will be the inaugural leader in this role, advancing the transformative influence that research will play in the lives of students, inspiring the faculty and students to engage in creating a productive research environment for the university. His appointment begins July 5. Liz Rouech, ’17, has been appointed senior account executive for Mulberry Marketing Communications Ltd., an international public relations and marketing communications consultancy firm based in London. Rouech will be based out of Mulberry’s Chicago office. Sheryl Haislet, ’11, was named to Mission Critical magazine’s 2022 Top 25 Women in Technology list. Haislet is the chief information officer for Vertiv, a provider of equipment and services for data centers around the world. She holds a graduate certificate in SAP from CMU.

Centralight Summer ‘22

Caitlin McBride, ’16, was appointed Ionia County assistant prosecutor. Most recently, she spent two and a half years with the Michigan Court of Appeals in its pre-hearing division, working on cases involving crime, termination of parental rights, and abuse and neglect. Sarah Opperman, ’81, was inducted into the Junior Achievement of North Central Michigan Business Hall of Fame. She has served as a director on the Isabella Bank Corporation and Bank boards since 2012 and was elected chair in May 2021. She started her career at Dow in 1981, retiring in 2009 as vice president of global government affairs and public policy. Angella Durkin, ’01, was named chief financial officer of Forgotten Harvest, leading the finance function and strategy for the organization. Durkin was the Chief Operating Officer at NextEnergy, a Detroit-based nonprofit, prior to joining the Oak Park, Michigan, organization dedicated to fighting hunger and food waste. Dave Clark, ’96, is the new editor of the Midland Daily News. After spending more than 15 years as a reporter and editor, Clark was the director of student media and adviser for CM Life at CMU. During the nearly nine years he spent in that role, the student newspaper’s staff earned five College Media Company of the Year recognitions, seven Division 1 College Newspaper of the Year awards from the Michigan Press Association, three Pacemaker Awards from the Associated Collegiate Press, and numerous other honors.

Robert Kolt, ’79, has been appointed to the Michigan Community Service Commission by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Kolt is the president and CEO of Kolt Communications, Inc. and a public relations professor at Michigan State University. He was reappointed to represent experts in promoting service and voluntarism among older adults; his term expires Oct. 1, 2024. Jacalyn Goforth, ’82, has joined Henry Ford Health System’s board of directors. Goforth, a retired CPA partner who most recently lead a team for PricewaterhouseCoopers, also serves on CMU’s Alumni Board and chairs the board of Health Alliance Plan (HAP). Kevin MacMillan, ’07, has joined the Reno (Nevada) Gazette Journal as city editor. MacMillan previously was editor of Northern Nevada Business Weekly and a reporter/sports editor, managing editor and co-general manager at Sierra Sun and North Lake Tahoe Bonanza. Mohibullah Israr, M.A. ’12, is the new Americans navigator for Capital Area Michigan Works in Lansing. Israr, who came to the U.S. in 2007, helps work-authorized new Americans access housing, health care, childcare, transportation, educational, training, employment, and legal and financial services, all while adjusting to their new community. He speaks Pashto, Dari, Persian, Urdu and English, enabling him to speak fluently with new Americans from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. •

Connectivity and Affordability. Competitive rates available to CMU Alumni for AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless products and services. connect.cmich.edu 989-774-3087 connect@cmich.edu Centralight Summer ‘22

In Memory Alice (Turner) Denison, ’43 teaching certificate, ’75 BS, ’78 MA, Saginaw, Mich., died Jan. 15, 2022, age 97

Margaret (Blum) Westie, ’43 BA, Glen Arbor, Mich., died Nov. 27, 2021, age 99

Doris Shearer, ’46 BS, Lansing, Mich., died Jan. 4, 2022, age 98 Phyllis (Roberts) Nehil, ’46 BS, Midland, Mich., died Sep. 24, 2021, age 97

Barbara (Harkness) McHugh, ’47 BS, ’61 BS, Remus, Mich., died Dec. 30, 2021, age 95

Georgia (Clendening) Warner, ’47 BS, Cadillac, Mich., died Nov. 23, 2021, age 97

Eleanor (Schnepp) Costley, ’48 BS, ’65 MA, Alma, Mich., died Nov. 11, 2021, age 94

Elma (Neely) Mays, ’49 BS, Mission, Tex., died Oct. 19, 2021, age 97

Thelma (DeMott) McKellar, ’49 BS, Charlevoix, Mich., died Oct. 31, 2021, age 96

Mary Jane (Graphos) Tubekis, ’50 BS, Wilmette, Ill., died Feb. 17, 2022, age 95

Robert Fiedler Sr., ’50 BS, Flint, Mich., died Oct. 19, 2021, age 96 Nancy (Hood) Roberge, ’51 teaching certificate, Midland, Mich., died Nov. 5, 2021, age 90 Pauline (Temple) Pitcher, ’67 BS, Ithaca, Mich., died Feb. 3, 2022, age 89

Richard Roehrs, ’51 BS, Beaverton, Mich., died Mar. 24, 2022, age 95

Betty (Tinklepaugh) Miller, ’52 BA, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died Dec. 14, 2021, age 91

George Manutes, ’52 BS, Estero, Fla., died Jan. 22, 2022, age 94 Joye (Smith) Giroux, ’52 BA, Clayton, N.C., died Jan. 23, 2022, age 91

Kathleen (McQueen) Hackett, ’52 teaching certificate, Scarborough, Maine, died Nov. 23, 2021, age 91 Mary Schroeder, ’53 BA, Lansing, Mich., died Nov. 5, 2021, age 91

Russell Clark, ’52 BS, Flint, Mich., died Nov. 8, 2021, age 91

Ruth (Thompson) Melvin, ’52 BS, Muskegon, Mich., died Jan. 16, 2022, age 91

Cleland Dame, ’53 BS, Washington, Mich., died Feb. 16, 2022, age 94

Gerald Atkinson, ’53 BS, Temple Hills, Md., died Dec. 19, 2021, age 90 Jean Hallock, ’53 teaching certificate, Kalamazoo, Mich., died Nov. 13, 2021, age 88 34

Centralight Summer ‘22

Violet (Seccombe) King, ’53 BS, Standish, Mich., died Dec. 9, 2021, age 90

Devonne Cassiday, ’54 BS, Holland, Mich., died Jan. 6, 2022, age 95

Gerald Hughes, ’54 BS, Goodrich, Mich., died Oct. 30, 2021, age 94 Mary (Bulger) Schaefer, ’54 BS, Inver Grove Heights, Minn., died Sep. 16, 2021, age 89

Gerald Oehmke, ’55 BS, St.

Johns, Mich., died Dec. 16, 2020, age 93

John Ghere, ’58 BS, Charlotte, Mich., died Feb. 3, 2022, age 87 Lloyd Williams, ’58 BA, Ft. Mitchell, Ky., died Dec. 29, 2021, age 91

Patricia (Henwood) Smrekar, ’58 BS, Cadillac, Mich., died Jan. 16, 2022, age 86

Richard Blanzy, ’58 BS, Dearborn, Mich., died Oct. 1, 2021, age 88

Robert Beaumont, ’58 BA, ’63 MA, Charlevoix, Mich., died Oct. 4, 2021, age 86

Delmer Mathews, ’61 BS, Leroy, Mich., died Jan. 30, 2022, age 87 Dick Taylor, ’61 BS, Grand Rapids, Mich., died Dec. 11, 2021, age 85 Donald Wujek, ’61 BS, ’62 MA, Saint Charles, Mo., died Nov. 8, 2021, age 82

Gary Keefer, ’61 BS, ’66 MA, Sanford, Mich., died Oct. 12, 2021, age 82

Jack Schnepp, ’61 BS, ’66 MA, St. Louis, Mich., died Feb. 24, 2022, age 85

Joyce (Harris) Beard, ’61 BS, Ithaca, Mich., died Dec. 5, 2021,

Glen Williams, ’55 BS, Boyne City, Mich., died Feb. 20, 2022, age 93 Margaret (Bueker) Clark, ’57 BS, Saginaw, Mich., died Oct. 25, 2021,

Robert Buchner, ’58 BS, Alpena, Mich., died Jan. 21, 2022, age 86 Barbara (Winterfield) Johnson, ’60 BS, ’72 MA, Big Rapids, Mich.,

Joanne (Conners) Vander Meulen, ’56 BS, Caseville, Mich.,

Barbara Fabus, ’60 BS, Saginaw, Mich., died Jan. 11, 2022, age 83 Bruce David, ’60 BS, Caledonia, Mich., died Jan. 16, 2022, age 88 Charles Smiley, ’60 BS, ’64 MA, Unionville, Mich., died Dec. 19,

Larry Lindke, ’61 BS, Alma, Mich.,

David Nelson, ’60 BS, Saginaw, Mich., died Jan. 20, 2022, age 87 David Skillman, ’60 BS, Oscoda, Mich., died Oct. 25, 2021, age 83 Douglas Moody, ’60 BA, ’64 MA, Grand Haven, Mich., died Feb. 28,

age 82

James Lynett, ’60 BS, ’69 MA, West Branch, Mich., died Nov. 15,

David Batzer, ’62 BS, ’68 MA, Bad Axe, Mich., died Jan. 30, 2022,

2021, age 83

age 82

Jerome Bechtel, ’60 BS, Bay City, Mich., died Jan. 10, 2022, age 85 Judie (Hauck) Rochon, ’60 BS, Westerville, Ohio, died Feb. 9,

Donald Nummer Sr., ’62 BS, Birmingham, Mich., died Nov. 8, 2021, age 82

age 86

died Feb. 24, 2022, age 87

Mabel (Delaney) Jansen, ’56, Southampton, Pa., died Sep. 18, 2021, age 87

Robert Barner, ’56 BS, Novi, Mich., died Feb. 3, 2022, age 87 Robert Glass, ’56 BS, Greensboro, N.C., died Feb. 5, 2022, age 87

Arlene (Piper) Proper, ’57 BA, Woodstock, Va., died Oct. 31, 2021, age 93

Delbert Giem, ’57 BS, ’61 MA, Hudsonville, Mich., died May 28, 2020, age 84

Donald Tuckey, ’57 BA, Hilton Head Island, S.C., died Oct. 23, 2021, age 86

Floyd Moore, ’57 BS, Boyne City, Mich., died Nov. 23, 2021, age 92 Jason Flower, ’57 BA, ’61 MA, Dewitt, Mich., died Dec. 8, 2021, age 86

Lavonna (Fox) Decker, ’57 BS, ’77 MA, Williamsburg, Mich., died Jan. 18, 2022, age 87

Louise (Swagart) Beemer, ’57 BS, Norton Shores, Mich.,

died Nov. 15, 2021, age 86

Robert McNamara, ’57 BS, ’62 BS, Gaylord, Mich., died Jan. 9, 2022, age 86

Betty (Taylor) Hall, ’58 BA, Grand Rapids, Mich., died Feb. 27, 2022, age 90

Charles Janke, ’58 BS, ’68 MA, Brooklyn, Mich., died Dec. 30, 2021, age 85

Grace (Bessinger) Richmond, ’58 BS, Lehigh Acres, Fla., died Dec. 18, 2021, age 84

Irving Berner, ’58 BS, Rochester, Mich., died Nov. 5, 2021, age 85 Jack Cottrell, ’58 BS, Muskegon, Mich., died Aug. 10, 2021, age 86 Jo (Kelly) Bourez, ’58 BS, Rochester, Mich., died Dec. 13, 2021, age 86

died Feb. 18, 2022, age 84

2021, age 90

2022, age 83

Lorene (Dietrich) Barker, ’60 BA, Manhattan Beach, Calif., died Aug. 21, 2020, age 82

Marvin Walker, ’60 BS, Naples, Fla., died Dec. 22, 2021, age 87 Mary Wagner, ’60 BA, Yale, Mich., died Dec. 29, 2020, age 81 Marylee (Baker) Pischner, ’60 BS, Rockford, Mich., died Dec. 7, 2021, age 83

Roxane (Anderson) Miner, ’60 BS, Benzonia, Mich., died Jan. 30, 2022, age 82

Sharon (Cowley) Landsburg, ’60 BS, Rockford, Mich., died Nov. 13, 2021, age 83

Susan (Seidel) Emerick, ’60 BS, Saginaw, Mich., died Nov. 29, 2021, age 84

Bruce Livingston, ’61 BA, ’69 MA, Saginaw, Mich., died Sep. 4, 2021, age 83

Charles Pries, ’61 BA, Saginaw, Mich., died Nov. 19, 2021, age 83 Dean Salisbury, ’61 BS, Rockford, Mich., died Oct. 25, 2021, age 82

age 95

Judith (Gass) Lopus, ’61 BS, Kalamazoo, Mich., died Feb. 8, 2022, age 82

died Sep. 28, 2021, age 83

Margaret (Koopman) Molitor, ’61 BS, Atlas, Mich., died Jan. 13, 2022, age 84

Robert Hodge, ’61 BS, ’63 MA, Vista, Calif., died Feb. 16, 2022, Ruth (Fosnaught) Fankhauser, ’61 BA, Birch Run, Mich., died Jan. 4, 2022, age 82

Daniel Bodary, ’62 BS, ’63 MA, Grawn, Mich., died Oct. 24, 2021, age 81

Gerald Hanson, ’62 MA, Ellenton, Fla., died Oct. 26, 2021, age 89 James Gerlach, ’62 MA, Morton, Ill., died Feb. 5, 2022, age 92 John Kozler, ’62 BA, ’68 MA, Muskegon, Mich., died Feb. 9,

2022, age 82

Linda (Lucke) Schudlich, ’62 BS, Alpharetta, Ga., died Sep. 15, 2021, age 81

MaryLou (Rydall) Del Balso, ’62 BS, Brookfield, Wis., died Nov. 19, 2021, age 81

Peter Helgemo, ’62 BS, Dimondale, Mich., died Feb. 22,

2022, age 83

Robert Finn, ’62 BS, ’70 MA, Saginaw, Mich., died Dec. 10, 2021, age 85

Alan Slowinski, ’63 BS, ’66 MA, Stanwood, Mich., died Nov. 13, 2021, age 80

Charles McNary, ’63 BA, Rio Rancho, N.M., died Jan. 18, 2022, age 89

G. Lyle Rasmussen, ’63 BA, Ossineke, Mich., died Nov. 25, 2021, age 86

Larry Rupp, ’63 BS, Saginaw, Mich., died Feb. 17, 2022, age 81

Lois (Nauman) Prause, ’63 BS, ’73 MBE, Grayling, Mich., died

Dolores (Pepera) Holmes, ’66 MA, Beverly Hills, Fla., died

Patrick Feneley, ’63 BS, Ithaca, Mich., died Feb. 15, 2022, age 82 Wayne Sedlow, ’63 BS, Presque Isle, Mich., died Dec. 7, 2021, age 81 Brian Woolcock, ’64 BS, Stockbridge, Mich., died Dec. 13,

Eloise (Reynolds) Shubert, ’66 BS, Alpena, Mich., died Nov. 14,

Feb. 12, 2022, age 81

2020, age 79

Burt Matteson, ’64 BS, Petoskey, Mich., died Dec. 27, 2021, age 85 Carol (Munn) Pixley, ’64 BS, Petoskey, Mich., died Jan. 29, 2022, age 79

Carolyn Bailey, ’64 BA, Midland, Mich., died July 18, 2021, age 78 Dale Avery, ’64 BA, Paw Paw, Mich., died Dec. 21, 2021, age 80 Don Morris, ’64 BS, ’70 MA, Lapeer, Mich., died Jan. 30, 2022, age 80

Gary Story, ’64 BS, ’70 MBA, Ithaca, Mich., died Sep. 25, 2021, age 80

Joan (Dolio) Herrick, ’64 BS, Sandy, Utah, died Jan. 23, 2022, age 79

Karen Shaw, ’64 BS, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., died Nov. 3, 2021, age 79

Margaret Croft, ’64 BA, Saline, Mich., died Oct. 28, 2021, age 83 Roger Hargreaves, ’64 BS, ’65 MA, Granger, Ind., died Dec. 7, 2021, age 79

Roy Koenigsknecht, ’64 BA, Fort Collins, Colo., died Oct. 18, 2021, age 79

Barbara (McMillan) Pemberton, ’65 BS, Soquel, Calif., died Jan. 14, 2022, age 94

David Beracy, ’65 BS, Fountain Hills, Ariz., died Jan. 8, 2022, age 78 Gary Scott, ’65 BA, Ossian, Ind., died Aug. 20, 2021, age 78

Jon Verplanck, ’65 BA, Lakeland, Fla., died Oct. 11, 2021, age 82 Linda Ebeling, ’65 BS, ’74 MA, Clio, Mich., died Jan. 16, 2022, age 78

Marilyn (Whittet) Sheets, ’65 BS, Benzonia, Mich., died Jan. 2, 2022, age 81

Robert VanVleck, ’65 BS, Lawton, Mich., died Oct. 9, 2021, age 79

Althea (Dewey) Mulloy, ’66 BA, ’73 MA, Freeland, Mich., died Dec. 11, 2021, age 94

Ardith (Carter) Josephson, ’66 BS, Marshall, Mich., died Nov. 6, 2021, age 77

Christopher Shaw, ’66 BA, Carlinville, Ill., died Jan. 11, 2022, age 84

David Williams, ’66 BS, Midland, Mich., died Feb. 17, 2022, age 77

Feb. 26, 2022, age 86 2021, age 87

Frederick Balcom, ’66 BS, Owosso, Mich., died Sep. 18, 2021, age 83

James Cleaver, ’66 BS, ’72 MA, St. Johns, Mich., died Oct. 30, 2021, age 78

Joseph Etienne, ’66 MA, Estero, Fla., died Dec. 19, 2021, age 83 Julia Daniels, ’66 BS, ’68 MA, Cary, N.C., died Feb. 26, 2022, age 77

Kathleen (Bradley) Oelslager, ’66 BS, Fenton, Mich., died Jan. 31, 2022, age 79

Linda (Bangs) Redman, ’66 BA, St. Johns, Mich., died Mar. 2, 2022, age 77

Meredith (Rogers) DuPuis, ’66 BA, Caro, Mich., died Feb. 6, 2022, age 77

O. Robert Keefe, ’66 BS, ’67 MA, Lapeer, Mich., died Oct. 10, 2021, age 77

Sandra Bergstrom, ’66 BS, Byron Center, Mich., died Dec. 7, 2021, age 78

William Modders, ’66 BS, ’77 MBE, Alma, Mich., died Nov. 8, 2021, age 78

Helen (Walker) Grass, ’67 BS, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died Nov. 14, 2021, age 94

Cheryl Manschesky, ’67 BA, ’70 MA, Rochester, Mich., died Dec. 3, 2021, age 76

David Nelson, ’67 BS, Grand Haven, Mich., died Dec. 8, 2021, age 79

John Berends, ’67 BS, ’68 MA, Middleville, Mich., died Feb. 27, 2022, age 76

Ken Patton, ’67 BS, Marshall, Mich., died Nov. 28, 2021, age 82 Robert Sparks, ’67 BS, Alma, Mich., died Dec. 17, 2021, age 78 Ann (Hoffman) Baker, ’68 BS, ’72 MA, Grand Rapids, Mich., died Nov. 16, 2021, age 75

Carol Lankenau, ’68 BS, ’73 MA, Bay City, Mich., died Jan. 30, 2022, age 75

Catherine (Sturgeon) Kovacs, ’68 BS, Parrish, Fla., died Nov. 26, 2021, age 75

James Hayden, ’68 MBA, Beverly Hills, Calif., died Jan. 26, 2022, age 78

Jeffry Haskins, ’68 BS, Emory, Tex., died Nov. 13, 2021, age 76 Julie (Mitchell) Mikulak, ’68 BS, Ludington, Mich., died Feb. 16, 2022, age 77

Centralight Summer ‘22

In Memory Keith Cleland, ’68 BS, ’75 MA, Plymouth, Mich., died Nov. 27, 2021,

Bonita Hunt, ’70 BS, North Branch, Mich., died Nov. 28, 2021,

Marjorie (Nagy) Wright, ’68 BS, Ann Arbor, Mich., died Nov. 6, 2021,

Charles Zeiter, ’70 BS, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died Feb. 16, 2022,

Peter Komlen, ’68 BS, Livonia, Mich., died Dec. 22, 2021, age 76 Ronald Marklevitz, ’68 BS, Denver, Colo., died Nov. 25, 2021,

Elizabeth (Curry) Todd, ’70 BS, Concord, Calif., died Nov. 11, 2021,

age 76 age 75

age 76

Warren Caruss, ’68 BS, Dimondale, Mich., died Oct. 21, 2021, age 75

William Hamilton, ’68 BS, Afton, Mich., died Mar. 26, 2021, age 75

C. Dennis Vanderstelt, ’69 BS, Muskegon, Mich., died Nov. 8, 2021, age 74

Catherine Skalnican, ’69 BA, Midland, Mich., died Dec. 1, 2021, age 77

Frank Cizek, ’69 BS, St. Louis,

Mich., died Oct. 21, 2021, age 80

Gary Gershon, ’69 BA, ’70 MA, Stockton, Calif., died Jan. 27, 2022, age 75

George Moreno, ’69 BA, ’72 MA, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died Nov. 24, 2021, age 80

Gerald Dalton, ’69 MA, Casper, Wyo., died Oct. 11, 2021, age 82 James Crocker, ’69 BS, Salem, Va., died Sep. 15, 2021, age 76 Janice (Johnson) Shanahan, ’69 MA, Clare, Mich., died Jan. 21, 2022, age 86

John Winchester, ’69 MBA, Midland, Mich., died Nov. 28, 2021, age 82

Julie (Strieff) Strieff-Hancock, ’69 BA, Battle Creek, Mich., died Dec. 23, 2021, age 74

Marcia (Bennett) Stahl, ’69 BA, Okemos, Mich., died Dec. 29, 2021, age 74

Margaret (Furtaw) Nicholas, ’69 BS, San Diego, Calif., died Oct. 17, 2021, age 76

Mary (Cook) Arnold, ’69 BS, Manistique, Mich., died Feb. 12, 2022, age 75

Michael Zimmerman, ’69 BS, ’82 MA, Manistee, Mich., died Oct. 26, 2021, age 75

Richard Kirk, ’69 BS, Batavia, Ill., died Jan. 11, 2022, age 75

Sandra (Dooley) Stark, ’69 BA, Clinton Township, Mich., died Dec. 2, 2021, age 73

Thomas Fritz, ’69 BS, Traverse City, Mich., died Oct. 24, 2021, age 76

Anthony DeRoo, ’70 MBA, Sanford, Mich., died Feb. 21, 2022, age 86

age 73

age 84

age 101

Eric Lentner, ’70 BS, Saginaw, Mich., died Dec. 10, 2021, age 76 James Stapel, ’70 BS, Columbia City, Ind., died Jan. 28, 2022, age 73 Jeanette (Sanford) Andrews, ’70 BS, Kansas City, Mo., died Nov. 15, 2021, age 73

Centralight Summer ‘22

Dec. 11, 2021, age 71

Carolyn Bartlett, ’72 BS, Caldwell, Idaho, died Dec. 27, 2021, age 78

Charles Hulse, ’72 BS, Constantine, Mich., died Jan. 21, 2022, age 76

Elizabeth Schaub, ’72 MA, Green Bay, Wis., died Feb. 6, 2022, age 96 Eric Keiber, ’72 BA, ’75 MA, ’97 MA, Hillsdale, Mich., died Nov. 30, 2021, age 71

John Polaha, ’70 MA, Vineland, N.J., died Feb. 24, 2022, age 81 John Ruark, ’70 BS, Grand Haven, Mich., died Jan. 14, 2022,

George Wiseman, ’72 BS, St.

Julia Villars, ’70 BS, Bath, Mich.,

age 73

Mary (Raymond) Howell, ’70 secretarial certificate, Prudenville, Mich., died Dec. 25,

2022, age 71

age 78

died Nov. 30, 2015, age 68

2021, age 72

SuAnn Sager, ’70 BA, Clare, Mich., died Nov. 9, 2021, age 72 Teresa (Kirchner) Kreger, ’70 BA, Ann Arbor, Mich., died Jan. 15, 2022, age 72

Petersburg, Fla., died Sep. 3, 2021, age 72

James Boyle, ’72 BS, Bark River, Mich., died Dec. 27, 2021, Karen (Firman) Brown, ’72 BS, Clarkston, Mich., died Feb. 21, Karen (Holm) Beede, ’72 BS, Holt, Mich., died Oct. 28, 2021, age 71 Maribeth (Youmans) Tronsen, ’72 BS, Morley, Mich., died Nov. 24, 2021, age 72

Myron Wernette, ’72 BS, Hudsonville, Mich., died Dec. 21,

Toni (Minda) O’Neil, ’70 BS, West Branch, Mich., died Dec. 26, 2021,

2021, age 71

William Bartman, ’70 BS, ’72 MA, West Branch, Mich., died Nov. 9,

2021, age 74

William Bouck, ’70 BS, Wayland, Mich., died Jan. 27, 2022, age 75 Carl Jurica, ’71 MA, Johnstown, N.Y., died Oct. 26, 2021, age 84 Charles Lacefield, ’71 MBA, Hertford, N.C., died Jan. 9, 2022,

age 71

age 73

2021, age 77

age 81

Donald Smeznik, ’71 MA, Attica, Mich., died Dec. 26, 2021, age 89 Ethel (Lyness) Hoffman, ’71 BA, ’74 MA, Saginaw, Mich., died

Ronald Gwilt, ’72 BS, ’75 MBE, Mackinaw City, Mich., died Oct. 27, Ronnie Morley, ’72 BS, ’78 MA, Gladwin, Mich., died Oct. 9, 2021, Shirley (Anderson) Looney, ’72 BS, Acme, Mich., died Dec. 1, 2021, age 96

Beverly Bristol, ’73 BS, Lansing, Mich., died Dec. 8, 2021, age 70 Carol (Schutte) Baranic, ’73 BS, ’85 MA, Au Gres, Mich., died Mar. 31, 2022, age 71

Dorothy (Roach) Streichert, ’73 MA, Midlothian, Va., died

Dec. 7, 2021, age 85

Feb. 13, 2017, age 81

Jay Rouman, ’71 BS, ’72 MA, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died Apr. 3,

died Oct. 31, 2021, age 70

2022, age 73

Kathryn (Ankney) Hudecz, ’71 BS, Alma, Mich., died Nov. 26, 2021, age 72

Lawrence Olson, ’71 BS, Dayton, Ohio, died Dec. 14, 2021, age 72 Marshall Lupp, ’71 BS, Essexville, Mich., died Sep. 15, 2021, age 72 Mary (VanDenBerg) VandenBerg, ’71 BS, Midland, Mich., died Oct. 17, 2021, age 73 Richard Valentine, ’71 BS, Cary, N.C., died Dec. 25, 2021, age 74 Susan (Ladwig) Lake, ’71 BS, Wayland, Mich., died Sep. 12, 2021, age 72

Susan Gresham, ’71 BS, Oxford, Ohio, died Aug. 31, 2020, age 71 Bonnie (Shakinis) Plodzik, ’72 BS, Coldwater, Mich., died

Fred Vetere, ’73 BS, Alma, Mich., Hulda (Sommer) Gast, ’73 BS, Frankenmuth, Mich., died Jan. 19, 2022, age 98

Jill (Hages) LaChance, ’73 BS, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died Dec. 17, 2021, age 70

Larry Hanson, ’73 BS, Petoskey, Mich., died Nov. 30, 2021, age 70 Margaret (Trombley) Covert, ’73 BS, Germfask, Mich., died Dec. 10, 2021, age 70

Mark Denay, ’73 MA, Bay City, Mich., died Jan. 13, 2022, age 77 Alice (Ensign) Benson, ’74 BS, Alma, Mich., died Jan. 5, 2022, age 87

Barbara Duey, ’74 BS, Toms River, N.J., died Jan. 31, 2022, age 69 David McCoy, ’74 BS, Rochester, Mich., died Jan. 1, 2022, age 69 Edith Diller, ’74 MA, Chestertown, Md., died Sep. 16, 2021, age 82 Elizabeth (Brown) McLean, ’74 BA, ’84 MA, Boca Raton, Fla., died Oct. 23, 2021, age 69

James Hilliker, ’74 BS, Jupiter, Fla., died Aug. 13, 2020, age 69 Jeanne (King) Leavitt, ’74 BS, Rochester, Minn., died Oct. 26, 2021, age 91

Martin Blackmer, ’74 BS, ’00 MA, Marlette, Mich., died Dec. 8, 2021, age 71

Patricia (Bucchianeri) Wolfgram, ’74 BS, Saginaw, Mich., died Feb. 4, 2022, age 79 Peggy (Sluiter) Comrie, ’74 BS, Muskegon, Mich., died Feb. 10, 2022, age 70

Raymond Hasenauer, ’74 BS, Marquette, Mich., died Dec. 26, 2021, age 71

Ronald Harsen, ’74 BS, ’87 MA, Attica, Mich., died Nov. 15, 2021, age 69

Ronnel Deeg, ’74 BS, ’78 BS, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died

Dec. 4, 2021, age 87

Susan (Bauer) Forro, ’74 BS, Davison, Mich., died Dec. 3, 2021, age 69

Weldon Ginzel, ’74 MA, Cypress, Tex., died Feb. 8, 2022, age 83 William Brown, ’74 MA, Vincentown, N.J., died Jan. 3, 2022, age 88

Adele (Colchy) Klickstein, ’75 BS, Weston, Mass., died Nov. 2, 2021, age 91

Alfred Talbott, ’75 MA, Springfield, Va., died Sep. 30, 2021, age 87

Betty (Donovan) Dooley, ’75 MA, Springfield, Ohio, died Dec. 11, 2021, age 84

Jerry Plaggemars, ’75 BA, Holland, Mich., died Dec. 3, 2021, age 69

John Zempel, ’75 BS, Topeka, Kans., died Mar. 21, 2022, age 68 Mary (Thering) Willoughby, ’75 BS, Shepherd, Mich., died Dec. 26, 2021, age 84

Thomas Hosford, ’75 MA, Grand Rapids, Mich., died Nov. 28, 2021, age 76

William Osen, ’75 BS, Gaylord, Mich., died Feb. 6, 2022, age 94 Arthur Breithaupt, ’76 BS, Cadillac, Mich., died Mar. 23, 2022, age 69

Douthard Butler, ’76 MA, Alexandria, Va., died July 10, 2021, age 86

Gerald Dontje, ’76 BS, Cadillac, Mich., died Feb. 26, 2022, age 71 Judith Thiesse, ’76 MA, Redlands, Calif., died Dec. 9, 2021, age 75 Michael Plahutnik, ’76 BS, Fruitport, Mich., died Nov. 9, 2021, age 68

Pamela (Perin) Lukey, ’76 BA, St. Joseph, Mich., died Nov. 28, 2021, age 68

Paul Odendahl, ’76 BS, ’79 MA, Carmel, Ind., died Dec. 21, 2021, age 87

Ronald Romas, ’76 BS, Ecorse, Mich., died Dec. 2, 2021, age 72 Stanley Loucks, ’76 MA, Pryor, Okla., died Dec. 15, 2021, age 74 William Hagedorn Sr., ’76 MA, Millersville, Md., died Jan. 22, 2022, age 75

Billy Bland, ’77 MA, Summerville, S.C., died Feb. 14, 2022, age 85 Carl Bolick Jr., ’77 MA, Corvallis, Mont., died Nov. 1, 2021, age 80 Charles Stephens, USA Ret., ’77 MA, Fort Mill, S.C., died Feb. 14, 2022, age 81

Donelda (Turner) GuntherWeeden, ’77 MA, Flushing, Mich., died Nov. 16, 2021, age 85

Dwight Carpenter, ’77 BS, ’86 MBA, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died

David Thomas, ’78 BS, Jacksonville, Fla., died Feb. 28,

Thomas Shlaffer, ’78 BS, ’78 BS, Fremont, Mich., died Feb. 2, 2022,

Faye (Boynton) Thornhill, ’77 BS, Redford, Mich., died Dec. 25, 2021,

Dennis Konkel, ’78 BS, Dayton, Ohio, died Jan. 26, 2022, age 65 Douglas Cook, ’78 MA, Annapolis, Md., died Feb. 25, 2022, age 90 Frank Merk, ’78 MA, Levittown, Pa., died Oct. 16, 2021, age 79 Gary Ethier, ’78 BS, Escanaba, Mich., died Feb. 2, 2022, age 69 Gene Wills, ’78 MA, Georgetown, Tex., died Oct. 31, 2021, age 79 Janice (Pember) Pember-Doerr, ’78 BS, ’79 MA, Bay City, Mich.,

Alan Wolf, ’79 BS, Gambier, Ohio,

Mar. 8, 2022, age 69 age 65

Harold Arbogast, ’77 MA, Bear, Del., died Feb. 5, 2022, age 73 John Rauser, ’77 MA, Iron Mountain, Mich., died Feb. 5, 2022, age 88

John Sydor, ’77 BS, Rochester, Mich., died Dec. 27, 2021, age 69 Lois Ehle, ’77 BS, St. Petersburg, Fla., died Feb. 14, 2022, age 66

Michael Minshall, ’77 MA, Plain City, Ohio, died Dec. 13, 2021, age 78

Richard Costello, ’77 MA, Arlington, Va., died Nov. 1, 2021, age 78

Steven Kirker, ’77 BS, Algonquin, Ill., died Nov. 8, 2021, age 67 Val Chappell, ’77 BS, Gainesville, Va., died Nov. 3, 2021, age 66 Charles Hartman, ’78 BS, Kalamazoo, Mich., died Dec. 3, 2021, age 70

Charlie Gamble, ’78 BS, Asheville, N.C., died Feb. 16, 2022, age 67

2022, age 66

died Nov. 2, 2021, age 64

Mary Ojerio, ’78 BS, Waianae, Hawaii, died Feb. 16, 2021, age 100 Nancy (Reif) Spragg, ’78 BS, ’84 MA, Weidman, Mich., died Dec. 17, 2021, age 81

Paul Durbin, ’78 MBE, Roscommon, Mich., died Nov. 16, 2021, age 80

Ralph Tack, ’78 MA, Land O’ Lakes, Fla., died Sep. 27, 2016, age 70

Steven Kruithoff, ’78 BS, Holland, Mich., died Oct. 29, 2021, age 67

age 66

died Feb. 3, 2022, age 71

Annette (Aldrich) Clouse, ’79 BA, Peoria, Ariz., died Oct. 12, 2021, age 69

Catherine (Grindatti) Thomas, ’79 BS, Bradenton, Fla., died Feb. 14, 2022, age 64

Cheryl Yako, ’79 MA, Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada, died Nov. 19, 2021, age 71

David Janusiewicz, ’79 MA, Muskegon, Mich., died Dec. 11, 2021, age 72

David Moulton, ’79 MA, Scarborough, Maine, died Jan. 26, 2022, age 74 John Green, ’79 BS, Caro, Mich., died Sep. 29, 2021, age 84

John Olsen, ’79 MA, ’80 MA, Jackson Springs, N.C., died Jan. 4, 2022, age 89

Louis Lamanna, ’79 MA, Ocean View, N.J., died Jan. 4, 2022, age 81 Louis Volk Jr., ’79 MA, Albuquerque, N.M., died Feb. 8, 2022, age 87

Centralight Summer ‘22

In Memory Penny Angeli, ’79 BS, Palm Desert, Calif., died Jan. 11, 2022, age 64

Robert Richer, ’79 MA, Lively, Ontario, Canada, died Jan. 31, 2022, age 75

Robert Smith, ’79 MA, Findlay, Ohio, died Oct. 2, 2021, age 80 Roger Penry, ’79 MA, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., died Oct. 11, 2021, age 81

Susan Webster, ’79 BS, Riverdale, Mich., died Apr. 11, 2022, age 64

Daniel Balinski, ’80 MA, Woodbridge, N.J., died Nov. 15, 2021, age 79

Douglas Jones, ’80 MA, Jacksonville, Fla., died Dec. 3, 2021, age 84

Gerrie (Allen) Davis, ’80 BA, Hemlock, Mich., died Sep. 18, 2021, age 77

J. Michael George, ’80 MA, Brighton, Mich., died Oct. 7, 2021, age 81

Jimey Edgar, ’80 BS, Chesaning, Mich., died Feb. 14, 2022, age 65 Joe Lindsay, ’80 MA, Universal City, Tex., died Jan. 28, 2022, age 78 Lauchlin MacGregor, ’80 MA, East Lansing, Mich., died Nov. 30, 2021, age 73

Lorena (Shull) Johnson, ’80 MA, Saginaw, Mich., died Dec. 10, 2021, age 84

Lynn Keber, ’80 BS, Greeley, Colo., died Nov. 19, 2021, age 64 Rebecca Quillen, ’80 BS, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died Nov. 7, 2021, age 65

Terry (Cranford) Cranford, ’80 MA, Biscoe, N.C., died Feb. 26, 2016, age 64

William Hicks, ’80 MA, Fort Mill, S.C., died Sep. 21, 2021, age 87 Catherine McCarthy, ’81 BS, Plantation, Fla., died Jan. 18, 2022, age 63

Doyle Mullis, ’81 MA, Savannah, Ga., died Dec. 19, 2021, age 85 Eric Howard, ’81 BS, Midland, Mich., died Oct. 1, 2021, age 62 John Holmes, ’81 MA, Hiawassee, Ga., died Feb. 9, 2022, age 79 Kevin Molter, ’81 BS, ’88 MA, Hudson, Mich., died Feb. 24, 2022, age 67

Richard Fedchenko, ’81 MA, Clio, Mich., died Dec. 7, 2021, age 71 Ronald Szelist, ’81 MA, St. Marys, Ga., died July 27, 2021, age 74

Ted Eichler, ’81 BS, Broken Arrow, Okla., died July 3, 2021, age 74

William McCamy, ’81 MA, Orange Park, Fla., died Jan. 28, 2022, age 76 Anthony Schorr, ’82 MA, New Baltimore, Mich., died Mar. 13,

Thomas Walters, ’84 MA, Wichita Falls, Tex., died Dec. 3,

Don Persons, ’82 BS, Gaylord, Mich., died Oct. 20, 2021, age 84 Edward Brown, ’82 MA, Columbus, Ohio, died Mar. 8, 2022,

Sep. 23, 2021, age 62

Henry Frank, ’82 MPA, Lincoln, Calif., died Dec. 9, 2021, age 86 John Schreyer, ’82 MA, Manchester, Md., died Jan. 7, 2022,

age 73

2022, age 76

age 83

age 84

Leslie Lee, ’82 BS, Fremont, Mich., died Jan. 2, 2022, age 92 Michael Welch, ’82 MA, Hermosa Beach, Calif., died June 7, 2021,

2021, age 73

Brian Middlebrooks, ’85 BS, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died David Caputo, ’85 BS, Columbus, Ohio, died Feb. 23, 2022, age 59 Fred Bowman, ’85 MSA, Harlingen, Tex., died Sep. 16, 2021, Robert Worth, ’85 MA, Pitman, N.J., died Feb. 20, 2022, age 78 Scott Chapman, ’85 BS, Chelsea, Mich., died Nov. 17, 2021, age 58 Charles Hagen, ’86 MSA, Northfield, Minn., died Nov. 25, 2021, age 81

age 75

Craig Hawkins, ’86 BS, ’93 MA, Midland, Mich., died Feb. 24, 2022,

Patricia (Simkins) Griffin, ’82 BS, Sanford, Mich., died Feb. 19, 2022,

Floyd Wilson, Jr., ’86 BS, ’19 DHA,

age 86

Renee (Beaudrie) Carleton, ’82 BS, Monroe, Mich., died Jan. 29, 2022, age 60

Thomas Rouse, ’82 MA, North Augusta, S.C., died Oct. 26, 2021, age 86

William Robertson, ’82 MA, Lees Summit, Mo., died Oct. 4, 2021, age 84

Fortunata (Pangaliman) Labrador, ’83 MA, Lake Mary, Fla., died Sep. 25, 2021, age 79 Jerry Ford, ’83 MA, Columbus, Ohio, died Feb. 9, 2022, age 85 Joann (Haddad) Merrelli, ’83 BA, Chesterfield, Mich., died Dec. 6, 2021, age 60

Mark Biehl, ’83 BS, Whitmore Lake, Mich., died Mar. 17, 2022, age 61

Nancy (Trowbridge) Wright, ’83 MA, Petoskey, Mich., died Oct. 14, 2021, age 78

Ronald Sweeney, ’83 MA, Troy, Ohio, died Sep. 14, 2021, age 79 Spencer Brown, ’83 MA, Virginia Beach, Va., died Jan. 8, 2022, age 85

Kelly (Johnson) Collins, ’84 BS, Royal Oak, Mich., died Oct. 25, 2021, age 60

Regina (Bartoszewicz) Stormes, ’84 BS, Grosse Pointe, Mich., died Jan. 15, 2022, age 58

Richard Powell, ’84 BSW, Aurora, Colo., died Jan. 2, 2022, age 59 Richard Roekle, ’84 MA, Corpus Christi, Tex., died Jan. 9, 2022, age 74

Ryan Gilbert, ’84 BS, DeWitt, Mich., died Feb. 15, 2022, age 63 Tedd McIntyre, ’84 MA, Belleville, Ill., died Feb. 26, 2022, age 70

age 61

Grand Rapids, Mich., died Mar. 15, 2022, age 58

Jeffrey Sturm, ’86 BS, Valparaiso, Ind., died Jan. 3, 2022, age 58 Patrick Bray, ’86 BA, Marquette, Mich., died Nov. 30, 2021, age 58 Steven Osstyn, ’86 BS, Davison, Mich., died Oct. 18, 2021, age 57 Susan Parker, ’86 MA, Southfield, Mich., died Dec. 4, 2021, age 70

Suzanne (Genix) Parker, ’86 MSA, Charlevoix, Mich., died Feb. 15, 2022, age 72

Valmori Castillo, ’86 MSA, Ijamsville, Md., died Mar. 2, 2022, age 65

Janice Jackson, ’87 MA, Upper Marlboro, Md., died July 22, 2020, age 81

Jill Bailey, ’87 BS, Bow, Wash., died Jan. 18, 2022, age 57

Kathleen (McGillen) Jacob, ’87 BS, Front Royal, Va., died Sep. 23, 2021, age 56

Michael Finney, Sr., ’87 MA, Miami, Fla., died Apr. 3, 2022, age 65

Pamela (Rubert) Manning, ’87 BS, Posen, Mich., died Oct. 19, 2021, age 59

Connie (Ammerman) Kusza, ’88 BA, Mount Morris, Mich., died Nov. 4, 2021, age 55

Danny Taiariol, ’88 BS, Auburn Hills, Mich., died Jan. 27, 2022, age 67

James Baliko, ’88 MSA, Davison, Mich., died Oct. 15, 2021, age 80 Leeona Oszust, ’88 BS, Knoxville, Tenn., died Jan. 16, 2022, age 66 Marlene Peplinski, ’88 MA, Bay City, Mich., died Jan. 7, 2022, age 82

Susan Flynn, ’88 BS, Ann Arbor, Mich., died Jan. 18, 2022, age 59 James Packard, ’89 MA, Suttons Bay, Mich., died Oct. 30, 2021, age 72

Laurence Cristiano, ’89 MBA, Midland, Mich., died Jan. 13, 2022, age 59

LuEllen (Watkins) DeLine, ’89 BS, Midland, Mich., died Jan. 28, 2022, age 86

Melissa Jorgensen, ’89 BA, Wesley Chapel, Fla., died Nov. 3, 2021, age 54

Susan (Henry) Sampson, ’89 BS, ’94 MA, Hope, Mich., died Nov. 15, 2021, age 65

Trisha (Solosky) Ansara, ’89 BS, Waterville, Ohio, died Dec. 9, 2021, age 54

Betty Rainwater, ’90 MA, Midland, Mich., died Nov. 21, 2021, age 68

Christopher Marin, ’90 MSA, Shelby Township, Mich., died Dec. 21, 2021, age 69

Gary Schuster, ’90 MSA, Dacula, Ga., died Nov. 1, 2021, age 78 Jeffrey Stetler, ’90 BA, Henderson, Nev., died Mar. 31, 2021, age 54

Kathryn (Hodgson) Clemans, ’90 MSA, Utica, Mich., died Oct. 28, 2021, age 80

Ken Richards, ’90 BS, Fenton, Mich., died Oct. 7, 2021, age 67 Neil Tidmarsh, ’90 BS, Novi, Mich., died Nov. 14, 2021, age 53 Tammy (Allison) Bidwell, ’90 BA, South Lyon, Mich., died Jan. 7, 2022, age 54

Thomas Lind, ’90 MBA, Midland, Mich., died Oct. 13, 2021, age 74 Barbra (Frost) Alexander, ’91 BAA, ’98 MA, Vestaburg, Mich., died Nov. 19, 2021, age 55

Jamie Kunkel, ’91 BAA, Howell, Mich., died Sep. 23, 2021, age 53 Kathy (Maynard) Wade, ’91 BS, Imlay City, Mich., died Nov. 8, 2021, age 53

Mary (Clark) Pickens, ’91 MSA, Fayetteville, N.C., died Oct. 1, 2021, age 86

Michael Lyons, ’91 MSA, Marietta, Pa., died Nov. 4, 2021, age 82 Robert Daniels, ’91 MSA, Moosonee, Ontario, Canada, died Jan. 23, 2022, age 68

Sally (Lewinsky) Young, ’91 MA, Midland, Mich., died Oct. 24, 2021, age 80

Sheila (Howley) Heck, ’91 MSA, Springboro, Ohio, died Sep. 27, 2021, age 81

Christie Doran, ’92 BS, Buffalo Grove, Ill., died Oct. 10, 2021, age 51 Connie (Gunderman) Timmons, ’92 BS, Holland, Mich., died Oct. 18, 2021, age 71

Debra (Mitch) Card, ’92 BS, Sanford, Mich., died Nov. 28, 2021, age 69

Frederick Mellish, ’92 BS, Clare, Mich., died Jan. 31, 2022, age 60 Jodi Patterson-Curcio, ’92 BS, ’94 MA, Jackson, S.C., died Dec. 15, 2021, age 53

Thomas Nicholas, ’92 MSA, Bowie, Md., died Nov. 15, 2021, age 66

Cheryll (Moilanen) Odendahl, ’93 MSA, Harrison Township, Mich., died Dec. 25, 2021, age 69 John Leatherman, ’93 BS, Hull, Mass., died Jan. 1, 2022, age 72 Melissa Murphy, ’93 BS, Lapeer, Mich., died Mar. 9, 2022, age 50 Sharon (Grasmeyer) Kellar, ’93 MSA, Dade City, Fla., died Oct. 11, 2021, age 81

Ellen (Bartig) Blaine, ’94 BS, Bay City, Mich., died Feb. 12, 2022, age 78

Lawrence Foley, ’94 MSA, Taylor, Mich., died Oct. 11, 2021, age 75 Nancy (Barnes) Parsons, ’94 BS, ’01 MA, Shepherd, Mich., died Dec. 24, 2021, age 77

Evert Hendley, Jr., ’95 MSA, St. Johns, Mich., died Sep. 25, 2021, age 75

Jaclyn (Overmars) Sicilia, ’99 BS, Farmington Hills, Mich., died Nov. 7, 2021, age 45

Kevin Martens, ’99 BS, Sparta, Mich., died Sep. 16, 2021, age 46 William Helbig, ’99 BS, Delray Beach, Fla., died Jan. 6, 2022, age 79

Ruth (Prout) Earnest, ’11 MA, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died

Reynoldsburg, Ohio, died Oct. 8, 2021, age 51

Nicole (Packard) Zapinski, ’00 BS, Canton, Mich., died Sep. 22,

Jessica (Harrington) Berens, ’12 MSA, Wayland, Mich., died

Brett Miller, ’01 BS, Lansing, Mich., died Aug. 3, 2021, age 44 Richard Roberts, ’01 MSA, Grand Forks, N.D., died Feb. 27,

Christopher Guy, ’13 MSA, Woodbridge, Va., died Oct. 13,

Brenda (Peil) Wakefield, ’02 BS, Bay City, Mich., died Nov. 12, 2021,

2021, age 54

Jason Oldman, ’02 BS, Harbor Springs, Mich., died Dec. 12, 2021,

14, 2021, age 63

age 67

2021, age 42

2022, age 66 age 65 age 46

Shantina Davenport-Mitchell, ’02 BS, Saginaw, Mich., died Sep. 29, 2021, age 49

Susan Kurtz, ’02 BAA, Reading, Pa., died Mar. 3, 2022, age 42 April Elder, ’03 MSA, Atlanta, Ga.,

2022, age 60

Margaret (Smith) Given, ’97 BS, Harrison, Mich., died Oct. 13, 2021, age 82

Mark McComb, ’97 BS, Oakland, Mich., died Mar. 15, 2022, age 48 Steven Ostipow, ’97 BS, Owosso, Mich., died Mar. 17, 2022, age 50 Susan Shehan, ’97 BAA, Holt, Mich., died Sep. 12, 2021, age 66 Lori (White) Aumick, ’98 BS, Davison, Mich., died Mar. 11, 2022, age 49

Brian Schieferstein, ’99 BS, Warren, Mich., died Jan. 4, 2022, age 46

Jan. 10, 2022, age 69

Ashley (Wigand) Mayer, ’12 BS, Marine City, Mich., died Dec. 6,

Brian Lewis, ’97 BS, Bay City, Mich., died Feb. 7, 2022, age 50 Charlotte Greene, ’97 MSA, Hanover, Md., died Oct. 17, 2021,

age 74

age 35

Julie Cummins, ’00 MA, Battle Creek, Mich., died Oct. 18, 2021,

2022, age 48

Linda Bauman, ’97 MSA, Savannah, Mo., died Jan. 15, 2022,

Dec. 9, 2021, age 34

John Moore, Jr., ’00 MSA,

2022, age 44

Larry Chapman, ’95 BS, West Bloomfield, Mich., died Jan. 2,

age 54

Renee (Lewandowski) Heikkila, ’09 BS, Grand Rapids, Mich., died Michael Majewski, ’11 BA, Lake George, Mich., died Oct. 23, 2021,

Jeri (Hunn) Loessel, ’95 MSA, Davison, Mich., died Oct. 28, 2021,

2022, age 72

2022, age 58

Jessica Bowhall, ’00 BS, Petoskey, Mich., died Feb. 20,

died Dec. 17, 2021, age 41

age 91

Robert Blaski, ’08 BS, Ortonville, Mich., died Nov. 23, 2021, age 37 Wendy (Musselman) Prehn, ’08 BS, McBain, Mich., died Feb. 14,

Jeremy Johnson, ’03 MA, ’05 PhD, Tea, S.Dak., died Mar. 22, Mahnon (Poland) Cline, ’03 BS, Williamston, Mich., died Jan. 12,

2021, age 32

Dec. 8, 2021, age 39 2021, age 57

Timothy Robinson, ’13 MSA, Washington, Mich., died Oct. 24, Cindy (Kabel) Mitchell, ’15 MA, Whitby, Ontario, Canada, died Oct.

FACULTY Thomas Ahlswede, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died Mar. 14, 2022, age 72

Mary (Williams) Aylor, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died Mar. 9, 2022, age 79

Hans Fetting, Grand Rapids, Mich., died Oct. 31, 2021, age 88 James Hayes, Vancouver, Wash.,

Fred McCorkle Jr., Mount Pleasant, Mich., died Jan. 21, 2022, age 76

Donald Peddie, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died Mar. 5, 2022, age 77 Janet Rocker, Bellaire, Mich., died Nov. 24, 2021, age 84

Rebeca (Torres) Torres-Rivera, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died Nov. 2, 2021, age 89

Patricia (Reed) Nixon, Owosso, Mich., died July 27, 1980, age 37 Rebecca Rees, Stanwood, Mich., died Nov. 7, 2021, age 43

STAFF Jeanne Lannen, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died Dec. 13, 2021, age 92 Timothy Snellenberger, Orange City, Fla., died Sep. 29, 2021, age 64 Edwin Bradley, Grand Blanc, Mich., died Jan. 30, 2022, age 63 Marsha Howell, Fishers, Ind.,

died Feb. 20, 2022, age 70

Catherine Cairns, Rosebush, Mich., died Nov. 13, 2021, age 82 Rachel Cardenas, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died Dec. 11, 2021, age 90

John Kahmann, Houghton Lake, Mich., died Jan. 10, 2022, age 82 John Martinez, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died Oct. 2, 2021, age 75 Judy Simpson, Rosebush, Mich., died Dec. 12, 2021, age 65

Helen Wezensky, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died Nov. 29, 2021, age 84

died May 12, 2009, age 83

Nicholas Nolde, ’03 BS, Escanaba, Mich., died Dec. 2, 2021, age 41

Theresa (Eubanks) Ireland, ’03 MA, Marietta, Ga., died Jan. 22, 2022, age 78

Brad Schneider, ’04 BS, Perrysburg, Ohio, died Jan. 3, 2022, age 41

Marilyn Adan, ’04 MA, Midland, Mich., died Sep. 22, 2021, age 67 Amber (Yaklin) Donajkowski, ’05 BAA, ’07 MA, Fenton, Mich., died Mar. 13, 2022, age 38

Grant Snyder, ’06 MSA, Keller, Tex., died Nov. 4, 2021, age 47 Quintion Eaton, ’07 MPA, Fort Washington, Md., died Sep. 22, 2021, age 52

Sarah (Peura) Peurakoski, ’07 MA, Marquette, Mich., died Nov. 15, 2021, age 41

Centralight Summer ‘22

DO YOU REMEMBER See the world

AT CMU International Expo brought a global perspective to campus

In the 1970s, CMU’s International Club began hosting an International Expo, showcasing the culture, traditions, food and more from the countries represented by the university’s international student population. Each year, hundreds of attendees — folks on campus as well as elementary school classes and community members — visited booths staffed by CMU’s international students, sharing about their home countries. An interview from a story in a 1998 issue of Centralight makes a point about the value of the expo that’s as true today as it was 24 years ago: “It’s especially important for CMU, since the majority of our students come from Michigan and many of our students choose to stay in Michigan. But no matter where we live, we are members of a world society,” said Mary Ellen Brandell, vice provost for academic affairs for international affairs. The expos continue today, organized by the International Student Organization.

Centralight Summer ’22

We drive with pride

YOU CAN TOO

Order your CMU license plate today! www.cmich.edu/alumni CMU, an AA/EO institution, strongly and actively strives to increase diversity and provide equal opportunity for all individuals, irrespective of gender identity or sexual orientation and including but not limited to minorities, females, veterans and individuals with disabilities. 10130 (5/21)

Centralight Fall ‘22 ‘21 Centralight Summer

41 41

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID MOUNT PLEASANT, MI PERMIT NO. 93

Centralight

Carlin Alumni House Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI 48859

CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

Your dollars

MAKE CHANGE Student Emergency Fund

dollars have been awarded

938

Students awarded dollars

$311,651

Dollars raised in 2020-21

3,556

Life is full of twists and turns — events that can threaten a student’s college education. At CMU, our Student Emergency Fund is there when our CMU Chippewas need a boost, often allowing them to stay in school donate.cmich.edu through difficult circumstances.

The Student Emergency Fund allowed Candy Boakyewaa to realize her dream of achieving a college degree. Due to insufficient financial aid, she was in danger of being dropped from her classes in her senior year. With support from donors, Candy earned her degree in integrative public relations with a minor in public affairs.

$1,136,717

Candy Abena Boakyewaa, ’18 Integrative public relations major, public affairs minor

CMU, an AA/EO institution, strongly and actively strives to increase diversity and provide equal opportunity within its community. CMU does not discriminate against persons based on age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex-based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight. (see cmich.edu/ocrie). UComm 10076 (10/2021)

Donors in 2020-21

Centralight, Central Michigan University Alumni Magazine, Summer 2022

Articles inside

Alumni News Conservation biology degree helps alumna monitor brown bears in Southeast Alaska.

In Memory

Honors for Chippewas