2021
W celebrate! This spring marks the 50th class year for Columbia College, and more than 350 graduates participated in two in-person ceremonies on May 1, 2021. About 3,000 students nationwide will complete their degrees over the course of the year and continue the legacy by making an impact on our world.
arm greetings from Columbia, Missouri, where the tulips and daffodils have heralded the arrival of spring and the ritual of graduation has once again filled our students with eagerness to begin their life’s pursuits. I hope this note finds you well. My name is Dr. David Russell, and it is my honor to serve as the interim president of your beloved alma mater. Normally, my wife Lee and I would be traveling around the country, visiting alumni and hosting socials and luncheons celebrating your legacy. Yet with the pandemic forcing its will on our world, travel plans are still on hold. Know that our college family values and misses connecting with you. Since assuming this role, I have heard countless inspiring stories from alumni across our nation about the profound impact the college has had on their lives. I am looking forward to visiting you where you live and when we can welcome you back to campus to remember your days as a student. Until those days of personal connection are resumed, I hope this edition of The Cathy provides you with some fresh insights into the exciting things that are happening on campus and stirs memories of your own exciting and formative times at Christian College. While we eagerly await that day, I encourage you to reach out to me at any time with your questions and ideas. After all, we are all “CC.” Sincerely,
The Cathy is produced by the Columbia College Division of Advancement, copyright 2021. 1001 Rogers St., Columbia, Missouri 65216. Development: (573) 875-7563; Alumni Relations: (573) 875-2586; Online: my.ccis.edu
Dr. David Russell, Interim President (573) 875-7201 | drrussell@ccis.edu
The Russells personally congratulated seniors and handed out individually packaged cupcakes at a special Ivy Chain celebration on March 22, 2021.
Miss Congeniality ALUMNA SURPRISED WITH GIFT OF A LIFETIME
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iane Herman Hill ’70 had spent the day in Columbia with her husband, Greg, their two daughters and four of their six grandkids when Greg said he had something to show her. Her first reaction was, “Oh geez, what is he doing?,” and much to Diane’s surprise, Greg pulled into a parking lot at Columbia College. Diane began her college career at Christian College, a popular choice among her hometown female classmates at Hickman High School located just down the street. As the women started their second year in 1969, the institution also planned a significant transition. Diane’s class was the last group of all-female students before the college was renamed Columbia College the following year and admitted men for the first time in the school’s 120-year history.
Flash forward to the fall of 2020, and she wasn’t sure why her husband had decided to stop by her alma mater. Known in the family for his crazy ideas, Greg almost let her walk past the benches outside New Hall before directing her gaze downward. It was then Diane saw her gift — three engraved bricks to commemorate her time at Christian College and her unexpected reign as Miss Columbia College 1970. “I was awfully young then,” Diane says with a laugh. She entered the pageant for something fun to do, and remembers wearing an evening gown and being interviewed by judges. Diane was honored to be selected as Miss Columbia College, but the college’s pageant left out one key detail — a talent portion. Diane recalls she didn’t have a talent for the statewide Miss Missouri pageant. “When I got there, some of the girls were extremely serious and I realized I was totally out of my league. A group of us formed the ‘F Troop’ – we were there for food, fun and friends! I don’t think I was ever in serious contention, but I had a lot of fun.” While Diane claims to not be the “beauty pageant type,” her positivity captured the spirit of the contest with her fellow contestants, who voted her Miss Congeniality.
d Greg Hill “Town Girl” Diane ’70 an 2 | The Cathy 2021
The recognition doesn’t surprise Greg in the slightest. The couple met in high school when Greg, a junior, set his sights on a certain senior. “I got the courage to ask out the prettiest girl in the school and held on to her,” he says.
Left: Diane Hill was voted Miss Congeniality by her peers in the 1970 Miss Missouri pageant. Right: The Hill family visits Diane’s bricks outside New Hall. Pictured are Diane and Greg with their grandchildren and daughters.
The couple has been together for more than 50 years. After completing her associates degree, Diane joined Greg at the University of Missouri. She continued her studies in elementary education, while Greg had made a name for himself on the Mizzou football team. They’ve built their family here in Columbia, raising their two daughters and both enjoying rewarding careers. Diane is a retired school teacher and Greg is an insurance agent with State Farm. After all these years, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Greg still has a few tricks up his sleeve. “It meant so much that Greg surprised me that it was a little overwhelming,” Diane says. “He’s a bit modest when he says he had ‘a little success at Mizzou,’ and I’ve always been happy to be his support system for all of his success and notoriety. He has pictures and stones and awards and accolades [on Mizzou’s campus], and it really touched me that he took this special time in my life and magnified it.” Diane may not have claimed the title of Miss Missouri in 1970, but it’s clear she won Greg’s heart.
LEAVE YOUR MARK ON CAMPUS Engraved bricks are situated around main campus, including the pathway to Alumni Fountain on the Quad, in the Christian College Garden, in front of the Gerald T. and Bonnie M. Brouder Science Center, and most recently, along the west side of New Hall, home of the Robert W. Plaster School of Business. Additional naming opportunities are also available for benches, classrooms or even a building. For more information, contact Mitch Gosney ’13 at magosney1@ccis.edu or (573) 875-7492. 2021 The Cathy | 3
Our Impact Barbara Bilger ’62
Dear Christian College Sisters, This March we watched the CC Annual Fund grow significantly as volunteers, alumni, faculty and friends joined together to set new records. Your support as part of the college’s 3rd annual Giving Day has truly made a difference in the lives of our students, through scholarships, student services and activities, innovative learning opportunities and on-campus technology improvements. I thank everyone who joined this effort by making a gift of time or financial support or both. We saw growth in participation areas and total funds raised. From the Christian College Class of 1949 to current students working to graduate in 2024, members of 66 class years made gifts. I share with pride that we increased funds raised by 27 percent over last year’s total, raising $118,834 this spring. The college can do so much more because of you. Time and time again, CC calls on us to offer guidance, support and input. Christian College Cathies have always answered the call with generosity of every kind. For this reason, our alma mater continues to offer a quality liberal arts education. We are proud to support the talented students at CC and provide them the opportunity to make life-long friendships. As we look forward to the fall when a new class will arrive on campus, each student will benefit from the generosity of our Christian College legacy. We came before, and these bright new students continue to carry our traditions forward. Thank you again for your gifts, your shared experiences and how you continue to benefit student success. We could not be more grateful. Warmest regards,
Barbara Bilger ’62 SAVE THE DATE: October 16, 2021 Columbia College Homecoming Plans are underway for an in-person alumni luncheon hosted by the St. Clair Society and family-friendly activities. This is a great opportunity to reconnect with classmates and see how campus has changed in recent years. Registration details will be shared later this summer at my.ccis.edu/homecoming. 4 | The Cathy 2021
408 INDIVIDUAL GIFTS
66
PARTICIPATING CLASS YEARS
76%
OF GIFTS CAME FROM ALUMNI
GIFTS CAME FROM 38 STATES AND TWO COUNTRIES!
Inside Affinity Magazine The college published three digital issues of the alumni magazine over the last year and will return with a printed magazine later this summer. For the Fall 2020 edition, we spoke with Joan Pata. Here, she shares memories from her first job as a political speech writer.
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uring her senior year at Christian College, Joan Puchta Pata ’63 was president of the Student Government Association and “felt blessed by God to have classmates and good friends that served with me,” she says. After completing her associate in arts degree, Pata earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas. Her first professional opportunity led her to Washington, D.C., to work as a speechwriter for Missouri Senator Stuart Symington. One of her duties would be to report back to Sen. Symington what was occurring on the Senate floor, so on occasion she would ride the Capitol’s internal subway system from the Senator’s office building to the Senate chambers. “One of the times that I got on the subway car, Robert Kennedy jumped in next to me, introduced himself, and said, ‘I’ve seen you around here.’ We began chatting, and he was delightful.” On another occasion, Sen. Symington was invited to give a speech to the National Geographic Society. In preparation for crafting that speech, Pata expected to hail a taxi to the NGS offices. She was instead met by a limousine for her first experience of the grand style of Beltway life. The Senator had also
Above: Joan Pata gathers with classmates at the 1963 Ivy Chain Ceremony in front of Missouri Hall. Inset: Joan and her husband, Bob, reside in Nixa, Missouri.
reserved office space inside The Capitol building to allow Pata quiet space to focus on her writing. “I remember looking out the window out onto Washington and thinking, ‘What’s a girl from rural Missouri doing here?!’” After her year in D.C., Pata returned to Arkansas to work on and complete a master’s degree from the University of Arkansas, where she began a teaching career in her specialty of communication that included a stint at what is now the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Reflecting on her time in Columbia, Pata says, “I wouldn’t trade that for anything. There was an authenticity at the college. It mattered whether I succeeded or not.”
KEEP UP WITH THE COLLEGE ONLINE In the ever-growing digital world, Columbia College has many ways to keep you informed online. We encourage you to explore the college’s blog at connected.ccis.edu and the alumni magazine archives at my.ccis.edu/affinity. Would you like to receive regular updates from the Alumni Association through email? If we do not have your preferred email address in our system, we encourage you to contact the Office of Alumni Relations at ccalum@ccis.edu or (573) 875-2586 for assistance. 2021 The Cathy | 5
Guiding the Future
A WELCOMED JOURNEY
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or a young Francie Dittrich, her dreams of college were precarious at best. It was the early 1960s, and she wasn’t ready to be on her own at a large university in her home state of Michigan. Her mother, Lydia “Lee” Forster Dittrich ’38, encouraged Francie to start at her alma mater, Christian College. Dittrich completed an associate degree in art in 1963, honing her skills under her beloved art professor Sidney Larson. “He was always an inspiration,” Dittrich says, as she recalls the delicacy at which he introduced the class to drawing a live model and the wonder of traveling to Kansas City for a Van Gogh exhibition. A pen and ink sketch she drew on a field trip to Arrowhead Lake in Columbia hangs in her studio today. Dittrich speaks of her early struggles with education and her gratitude to Christian College for “taking a chance” on her. With this in mind, she supports aspiring artists with regular gifts to the Sidney Larson Student Art Scholarship Fund. “Sidney was a wonderful advisor, we lived in a small community and students got all the help we needed,” she says. “Because of that, I was able to get into my state school and get a teaching degree. I had a 33-year run teaching elementary school art, and it’s all because CC believed in me.” Dittrich has also joined the St. Clair Society in recognition of a planned estate gift that endowed The Dittrich Family Scholarship Fund to support students majoring in Art. She believes it is her place as an artist to help new artists. Since retiring, Dittrich spends much of her time in the studio and is inspired by a style of Japanese
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Francie Dittrich ’63 competed in the 2018 U.S. Figure Skating midwestern adult sectionals at age 75. Her free solo performance was to music from Chicago the musical. “Skating is my passion,” she says. “I’m still at it!”
black ink painting called sumi-e. She is also a competitive ice dancer and trained in the art of the Japanese tea ceremony. A true artist, she finds a simple beauty in everything she does. “Sidney always said it’s not the final product that’s important but the journey in getting there,” Dittrich says. Just as she is reminded of these words, the Dittrich family’s legacy will ensure the same academic foundation for generations of artists to come.
If you would like to donate photos or memorabilia from your time at Christian College, please mail items to Columbia College Archives Collection, 1001 Rogers St., Columbia, Missouri 65216.
This Labor Day Weekend, Dittrich will be the featured artist at the Hiawatha Sportman’s Club annual art show. She has been longtime member of the private club in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and for 10 years, she ran the show and served as president of the art club. She’s now ready to share a very special piece several years in the making. What began as a pontoon ride with a friend to watch the cranes on Lake Michigan has become a work of art. Enamored by the view, Dittrich created a sketch and waited for the right medium to speak to her.
Luella St. Clair Moss
C O LU M B I A C O L L E G E
St. Clair Society
The St. honors the the valued contributors who The St. Clair ClairSociety Society honors valued Columbia College through planned and estate gifts. contributors whose generosity benefits The societyCollege is namedthrough in memory of Luellaand St. Clair Moss, Columbia planned college presidents in the United States and a three-term estate gifts.
Cranes Marching, Side 2 ©Francie Dittrich
Female College, the forerunner of Columbia College. St. may be Society obtained through a variety ofreached estate planning to St. Clair membership can be charitable gift annuities, gifts of life insurance, charitabl through a variety of estate planning tools retirement accounts.
Last year, she chose a 4-foot square piece of plywood to serve a backdrop for a painting of the cranes. She follows the natural movement in the woodgrain to guide her strokes and chose gold fluorescent paint to illuminate ripples in the water. When she returns to her summer cabin, she will add the finishing touches, including sand from the lake for the cranes to march on an authentic Lake Michigan coastline.
including bequests, charitable gift annuities, To learn more about how to include the college in your gifts of life insurance, charitable remainder contact the Office of Development (573) 875-7563. trusts and retirement accounts. Creating your will is one simple way to protect your loved ones as you establish your vision for the future – and Columbia College is here to help. Courtesy of our partners at FreeWill, you can now define your own legacy quickly and easily by creating your legal will entirely for free online. Get started at FreeWill.com/ColumbiaCollege. To discuss how you can include the college in your estate plans, please contact Missy Montgomery ’06 at (573) 875-7576 or msmontgomery1@ccis.edu.
2021 The Cathy | 7
thank you
2015-2021 ccli campaign UPDATE
The mission of the Christian College Legacy Initiative is to honor and celebrate Christian College alumnae and foster a sense of loyalty and pride among all Columbia College students, alumni, friends and family nationwide. If you haven’t made a gift yet, please consider joining your classmates in supporting this important initiative.
466 donors
$3,368,214 raised
Top five class years by gifts Class of 1962 ~ 116 gifts Class of 1966 ~ 103 gifts Class of 1957 ~ 92 gifts Class of 1964 ~ 90 gifts Class of 1969 ~ 83 gifts
13 new estate gifts
Top five class years by donors Class of 1957 Class of 1966 Class of 1956 Class of 1959 Class of 1967
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
30 donors 27 donors 26 donors 23 donors 21 donors
Columbia College Alumni Association
Alumni Awards Gala A Virtual Celebration: Thursday, June 24, 2021
Victor Ciardelli ’89 distinguished alumni award
Donna Osborne Virginia Bradley ’11 Stewart ’76 professional community achievement service award award
Pat Hagenbuch ’62 jane froman courage award
To read about these outstanding award recipients and register for the presentation, please visit my.ccis.edu/AlumniAwards.