Chronicle Summer 2020

Summer 2020 Volume 30 Issue 2

WELCOME TO “THE HILL” CULVER-STOCKTON GREETS

DR. DOUGLAS PALMER, THE COLLEGE’S 27TH PRESIDENT, AND HIS FAMILY

culver.edu

01

| FROM THE TOP OF THE HILL |

Our Culver-Stockton College community is amazing. When first starting this letter, I planned to discuss the incredible results of our comprehensive campaign, Culver-Stockton: Changing Lives!, thank President Kelly Thompson for leading our College to new heights and welcome Dr. Douglas Palmer, our 27th president, and his family to our campus. But before I could finish, the world began to recognize that a coronavirus (COVID-19) had a mean grip on our daily lives. Hopefully, by the time you hold this edition of the Chronicle in your well-washed hands, we will be experiencing a brighter side of life. We were asked to move forward in a manner unlike anything seen in modern times, and our community has met those challenges. Thank you to our students for transitioning to academic and co-curricular changes. What an impact on the final weeks of the year, especially for seniors. You showed why you are successful and will be our future leaders. Thank you to the families, friends and spouses of current and future students. Your notes, letters, emails and phone calls of support and suggestions for the actions needed added strength to our mission to prepare students of promise for a dynamic world. Thank you to our alumni. Your ongoing contacts remain strong and supportive. Your many gifts ensure a solid financial path. We look forward to seeing you on campus. Thank you to friends who support the College with words and gifts. Your continuing belief means much to the College’s health and welfare. Thank you to our dedicated faculty. Your ability to move quickly to online classes demonstrated your talents. This showed your desire to ensure our students continued to receive the experiential learning you have deftly created. Thank you to our untiring staff. Adjustments were everywhere, from working in the office to working from home; moving from a closed area of the College to help in another area; moving from face-to-face to online meetings; and working together “from a distance.” Your caring made the days productive and bright. Thank you to our Senior Leadership Group. They always are thinking of what is needed and how to do what we do better. Preparing for changing times is a strength of a group that works well together. Thank you to now President Emerita Thompson. Her leadership, compassion and drive during the pandemic ensured the College continued to operate during a neverbefore-experienced time. She made us proud to be Wildcats. Thank you to the Board of Trustees. Most were required to stay at home, but they shared their time, expertise and wealth to ensure that the College moved forward while supporting President Emerita Thompson during a tough time. We should be proud of Culver-Stockton and the role everybody plays in the Student Experience. Tomorrow will be exciting!! Ron Leftwich ’64 Chairman of the Board of Trustees

CHRONICLE

CULVER- STOCKTON COLLEGE Summer 2020

Vol. 31

Issue 2

The Culver-Stockton Chronicle is published two times each year by the Office of Marketing & Public Relations for alumni and friends of the College. CONTRIBUTORS Stephanie Schmitz Marketing & PR Coordinator David Adam Media Content Specialist Rev. Amanda Sorenson Chaplain Dr. Patrick Hotle Professor of History ADMINISTRATION Dr. Douglas Palmer President Dr. Lauren Schellenberger Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College ADVANCEMENT & ALUMNI Marjorie Ellison ’90 Interim Vice President for Advancement Missy DuBuque ’88 Director of Alumni Programs CONTACT INFORMATION Culver-Stockton College One College Hill Canton, MO 63435 800-755-CATS alumni@culver.edu

| CONTENTS |

DEPARTMENTS

2 Happenings on the Hill

24 Victory Bell

26 From the Chaplain 36 Post Grad

41 Passing the Test 42 Class Notes

47 In Memoriam

FEATURES

8 PREPARED FOR CHANGE

Dr. Douglas Palmer gets ready to move his family to Canton, start his first job as president and lead CulverStockton through these unprecedented times.

12 BAKING A DIFFERENCE

Underbrink’s of Quincy, Ill., was named in November as the best bakery in Illinois by Taste of Home. Owner Amy Stevens ’08 remembers visiting the bakery as a child, and she bought the business in 2017.

0 COWELL THRILLED TO FOLLOW IN 2 PARENTS’ FOOTSTEPS Summer 2020 Volume 30 Issue 2

WELCOME TO “THE HILL” CULVER-STOCKTON GREETS

DR. DOUG PALMER, THE COLLEGE’S

ON THE COVER

C-SC welcomes our 27th president, Dr. Douglas Palmer along with his wife Cathy and sons Theo, Charlie and Jack.

Madison Cowell ’20 looked forward to attending C-SC and following in the footsteps of her parents for as long as she could remember.

8 EXPERIENCE AT C-SC HELPS LEAKE 3 GO FROM TERRIFIED TO TALENTED Evan Leake ’17 always knew journalism would be his calling, but he never dreamed he would be on television.

27TH PRESIDENT, AND HIS FAMILY

culver.edu

1

| HAPPENINGS ON THE HILL |

WOMEN’S LACROSSE PROGRAM MAKES DEBUT A new era of Culver-Stockton athletics became a reality on Feb. 23 as the women's lacrosse team played its first game against Madonna (Mich.) University at Ellison Poulton Stadium. The result wasn't what Wildcat fans had hoped for as the Crusaders defeated the Wildcats 18-1, but the excitement of a new sport on campus was very positive to the sun-drenched crowd that witnessed the first contest. Freshman Erin Bodine gave the crowd its first thrill by scoring the first goal in program history at the 5:22 mark of the first half. Goalkeeper Jace Murphy made 16 saves in her debut despite being peppered with 40 shots. The team, under first-year coach Caitlyn Erickson, lost its first five games before the season was canceled because of the coronavirus.

THREE C-SC ATHLETES QUALIFY FOR NAIA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS Alan Leyva finished 11th in the long jump finals with a jump of 22 feet, 6 inches, and Stephen Benson finished with the 11th-best time in the 60-meter dash with a mark of 6.87 seconds at the NAIA Indoor Championships on March 6 in Brookings, S.D. Their finishes were the highest for Culver-Stockton athletes at the NAIA indoor meet since 2016. Tyrin Holder recorded the 22nd-best time in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.27 seconds. 2

Summer 2020

| HAPPENINGS ON THE HILL |

ATHLETIC TRAINING TEAM TAKES SECOND IN QUIZ BOWL COMPETITION A team of athletic training students representing Culver-Stockton took second place in the quiz bowl competition during the eighth annual Missouri Athletic Trainers’ Association Educator and Student Leadership Conference in February at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Mo. Culver-Stockton’s team consisted of Tom Greene, a master of athletic training student from Freeport, Ill.; Stormy Simons, a master of athletic training student from Mustang, Okla.; and Maryanna Catrine, a senior athletic training major from Springboro, Ohio.

WALKER PIECES ACCEPTED INTO QUINCY ART CENTER SHOWCASE Steven Walker, a senior art major from Palmyra, Mo., had three pieces accepted into the Mary S. Oakley and Lee Lindsay Artist Showcase, which is on display at the Quincy Art Center in Quincy, Ill. The showcase is open to artists 18 years of age and older living within a 50-mile radius of Quincy. Artists belonging to the Quincy Artist Guild and the Great River Watercolor Society living outside that region also are eligible to enter. Approximately 300 pieces were entered for this year’s showcase, and only 100 were accepted. Kent Miller, retired professor of theater arts and technical director emeritus at Culver-Stockton, also had three pieces accepted into the showcase. Other C-SC alumni with pieces accepted were Rachel Loyd, Connie Triplett and Bill Yates, whose acrylic piece “Walls & Fences” was awarded Best of Show.

culver.edu

3

| HAPPENINGS ON THE HILL |

MEMBERS INITIATED, OFFICERS SELECTED FOR PHI ALPHA THETA Five new members were initiated into the Culver-Stockton College chapter of Phi Alpha Theta on March 3, and new officers were elected. Phi Alpha Theta is an American honor society for undergraduate and graduate students and professors of history. New initiates were Kenna Armstrong, Oquawka, Ill.; Jacob Burton, St. Charles, Mo.; Courtney Deeds, Fair Grove, Mo.; Ahnna Matthews, Florissant, Mo.; and Gabriel Schneider, Lake Sherwood, Mo. New officers were president Erica Lundt, Oak Brook, Ill.; Deeds, who was elected as vice president; secretary Brandie Colbert, Winfield, Mo.; Schneider, who was elected as treasurer; and Burton, who was elected as historian.

DOOLEY GIVEN HONORABLE MENTION ON ALL-AMERICA TEAM Culver-Stockton’s Ryan Dooley was named 2019-20 NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball All-America team as an honorable mention selection. Dooley, a senior from Assumption, Ill., started all 31 games for the Wildcats this past season. She ranked sixth in the Heart of America Athletic Conference in scoring. Dooley led the Heart and was 10th in the NAIA in free throw percentage (85.6 percent). She also set the school record for most 3-pointers made in a season with 74.

4

Summer 2020

| HAPPENINGS ON THE HILL |

TWO STUDENTS ATTEND STUDENT LEADERSHIP FORUM K.T. Seth and Lauren Paisley from CulverStockton were among 98 collegiate students selected to participate in the 33rd annual Missouri Governor’s Student Leadership Forum on Faith and Values held Feb. 14-16 in Jefferson City, Mo. The forum challenged students’ character development by encouraging them to reflect on their own decision-making skills, values and belief systems. Students learned about how to reconcile relationships, stand for truth and love others as they love themselves. Seth is a senior from West Linn, Ore., and is majoring in biological chemistry. Paisley is a senior from Mount Sterling, Ill., and is majoring in psychology.

SIX NAMED TO ALL-COLLEGIATE BAND AT MMEA CONFERENCE Six Culver-Stockton students were selected to the All-Collegiate Band that performed during the final night of ceremonies at the Missouri Music Education Association Workshop/Conference at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, Mo. Selected to the band were J.J. Kaeshoefer, Beaufort, Mo.; Vicki Alumbaugh, Neoga, Ill.; Emilie Rieffer, Canton, Mo.; Nicole Smart, Willow Springs,

Mo.; Makenzie Prenger, Hannibal, Mo.; and Audra Wood, Cabool, Mo. The All-Collegiate Band consists of 106 students from 29 colleges and universities. This year’s band was conducted by Allan McMurray, a world-renowned musician and professor of conducting emeritus at the University of Colorado. Accompanying the C-SC students at the conference were Dr. Trent Hollinger, associate professor of music, and Dr. Aren VanHouzen, assistant professor of music. culver.edu

5

CULVER-STOCKTON: CHANGIN GOAL $25,000,000 FACILITIES ($6 MILLION)

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Carolyn L. & Robert W. Brown Residence Hall

Proposed Student Experience Center

ENDOWMENT AND ACADEMICS ($12 MILLION) • 54 new endowments for scholarships, buildings and programs

• • • • • •

6

Carolyn L. and Robert W. Brown Residence Hall The Student Experience Center Gladys Crown Student Center Dining Hall Renovation Athletic Training classroom Remodeled Cats Pause Esports arena

Summer 2020

Stadium seating Stadium lighting Restroom/hallway upgrades in Henderson Hall Classroom of the Future in memory of David Predmore Women’s/men’s locker room upgrades Johnson Residence Hall parlor renovation Carl Johann Memorial Library lower level renovation Weight room upgrades Wood Hall renovation Schwan Plaza and overlook Schwan Archway Roof signage to W.A. Herington Center Artwork (artist Susan Morrison) in Science Center Classroom renovations throughout campus

NG LIVES! 2014-2020 CAMPAIGN RAISED $33,000,000+ • Upgraded restrooms throughout campus • Upgraded carillon system • Additional gifts included Press Box upgrades, Steinway piano, golf simulator, technology and more

SENIOR CLASS PROJECTS

(with challenge grant provided by Susie and Ron Leftwich ’64) • Large clock near Carl Johann Memorial Library • Tables/chairs for Cats Pause • Bronze Wildcat statue • Eco friendly water stations • Travel study kiosk • Wildcat Statue plaza

Schwan Archway

$5,000,000 Student Scholarship Fund raised to support students $10,000,000 documented planned gifts

TOTAL CAMPAIGN $33,000,000+ Campaign Committee: Scott Johnson ’71 (chair), Bob ’71 and Donna Stone (vice co-chairs), Ron Leftwich ’64, Susan Goderstad ’81, Mat Holt ’08, Tory Lucas ’92, Mike McCay ’68, Chuck Scholz, Jason Stratton ’96, MBA ’17, H.B. Turner ’79, Kathy Turpin, David Yonker ’00

Dining Hall

culver.edu

7

PREPARED FOR CHANGE Dr. Douglas Palmer gets ready for move to Canton, first job as president and leading C-SC into the future

Dr. Douglas Palmer compared how he will approach his new job as the 27th president of Culver-Stockton College when he comes to Canton, Mo., in July to when he was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army in Fort Bragg, N.C. “When you’re in the 82nd Airborne (the rapid deployment force for the U.S. Army that specializes in parachute assault operations), you’re always talking about strategic threats that the country faces,” Palmer said. “That’s strategic thinking. “But when you step off the ramp of a C-130 or C-141 (plane), only one thing matters. Will your parachute open or not? All the geopolitics in the world mean nothing. You better focus on that one thing that matters. That’s tactical thinking. “We must think strategically and tactically at the same time, and I must do it every day as president. We have to know that we fit into a bigger picture and know what that bigger picture is but also must know when it’s time to focus on the steps, how to prioritize those steps and to stay focused on those steps and implement that strategy.” The Board of Trustees announced in February that Palmer was hired to replace Dr. Kelly M. Thompson, who retired on June 30 after six years as the president of C-SC. Palmer has served as provost, vice president of academic affairs and dean at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio, since 2015. He was responsible for academics, including two doctoral programs, enrollment management, retention, assessment and institutional effectiveness, the library, the academic resource center, advising, experiential learning, career services and accreditation. Before serving as provost, Palmer was the assistant dean of academic innovation and a professor of history at Walsh. 8

Summer 2020

He realizes his role as the president at C-SC will call for him to change how he operates. “I’ve been a provost, I’ve been a professor, I’ve been a department chair, but this is my first presidency, and I need to remind myself I’m no longer just the academic person,” Palmer said. “We have a talented faculty and a talented dean in Dr. Lauren Schellenberger. I’ve already told her that if I’m too involved in her business, she should not be afraid to tell me to take my provost hat off and put the president’s hat back on. “Frankly, I love being in the classroom and being around students. It will be hard to resist, but that’s not my job anymore.” NOT A TYPICAL PATH Moving to Canton won’t be the first time for Palmer to live in a river town. He grew up in Pittsburgh, which has three rivers running through it. His father worked in the river industry. “The campus looking out over the river, it gives you a sense of perspective. There’s a city on the hill feel in Canton,” he said. “What a great physical environment for learning and reflection and building a sense of community.” Palmer didn’t follow a typical path to a career in higher education. He attended college for one year after high school but dropped out. “I sat around watching TV, feeling sorry for myself,” he said. “Then I finally decided the Army would be an excellent way to serve my country and give me some time to mature and grow up and reflect.” Palmer always had an interest in history. His grandfather was a career Army officer and served in the old horse cavalry when the Army still had horses. While stationed in Fort Bragg, Palmer was assigned by the Army to work in the Airborne Museum while convalescing from an injury he received during a training jump. He decided to go back to college and first thought about becoming a high school history teacher. “I loved everything there was about studying history,” Palmer said. “I got immersed in the texts and the books and the arguments and the research and decided, ‘This is what I want to do.’ I wanted to be a historian. I wanted to be a scholar. I was lucky that I had incredible undergraduate teachers. They were models to me. “I wanted to spend the rest of my life in a place devoted to learning.” Instead of pursuing his teaching license, Palmer decided to earn his Ph.D. and become a college professor. He graduated from UNC-Asheville in 1996, then earned his master’s degree in modern European history from the University of Oregon in 1999 and a doctorate in European history from The Ohio State University in 2004. He spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in 2001-02, and he was a research fellow at the Emory University School of Law in 2004-05.

“OUR JOB AS EDUCATORS IS TO MEET STUDENTS WHERE THEY ARE AT AND MAKE SURE WE ARE AVAILABLE. OUR JOB AS EDUCATORS IS TO HELP STUDENTS OVERCOME OBSTACLES AND NOT CREATE THEM. I CAN’T DESCRIBE MY VIEW OF EDUCATION BETTER THAN THAT.” A LEADER IN GLOBAL LEARNING Palmer started his job as a professor of history at Walsh in August 2005. Only one year later, he was the chair of the humanities division, and he became the executive director of global learning in January 2012. His education prepared him to excel in the background, but his military background gave him the confidence to handle the administrative roles. “I had a platoon sergeant in the Army who told me there are two types of people – problem indicators and problem solvers,” Palmer said. “The ones who get promoted are the problem solvers. I’ve always tried to be someone who tried to create a solution for things. As a consequence, I got into administration. I was asked to become a department chair, and I had a knack for it. In spite of being a historian, or maybe because of it, I think I have a good ability to think about the future and what it might hold.” Among Palmer’s accomplishments at Walsh were directing the building design planning and assisting with the development and fundraising for the $11.4 million Marlene and Joe Toot Global Learning Center, a 44,000 square foot facility which opened in 2018; and establishing Walsh’s first research institutes – the Institute for Community Health and the Food Design Institute, which allowed faculty, students and culver.edu

9

Dr. Douglas Palmer, wife Cathy and sons Theo, Charlie and Jack

guests to work towards solutions on issues that affect local and global communities. “I’m proud of what I accomplished in making Walsh an institution recognized as a leader in global learning,” Palmer said. “No students ever traveled when we started. We hardly talked about it. Now I think it is the leading distinctive advantage that Walsh has. “We’re a small university that operated a campus in Rome. Walsh sends nursing students to hospitals in Haiti, and our students work with the United Nations in East Africa. Walsh students are working toward finding a solution to major global issues. When I see Walsh students in a meeting with representatives of major research universities and officials from world programs, and they are contributing equally in those discussions, I’m proud of that. “It is less important to me how many students participate in a global experience as is what students are learning.” RUNNING AND FLY FISHING Palmer swore to himself when he left Fort Bragg that he would never run a mile again. He broke that promise to himself about five years ago. His early morning runs help keep him in shape, physically and 10

Summer 2020

mentally. He recently completed his first marathon and plans to run another this fall. “Those long runs are splendid times to be alone with your thoughts,” Palmer said. “Some of my best ideas have come on long runs when I’m out on the streets at 4 a.m. Hopefully, I don’t forget about them by the time I am finished. “I wanted to do something for my health. The enjoyable thing about running is you can step out the front door and get started. There’s a time efficiency to it. It’s a time to meditate. It’s you, it’s early morning, you’re outside and watching the sun rise. It’s very peaceful. I depend on that time to reflect, to pray.” He says his other passion is fly fishing. “Truth be told, if I could do anything for the rest of my life, it would be as a fly fisherman,” Palmer said. “It’s you and nature and a little feather and fur tied to a hook. You’re out there with the water rushing and the wind blowing. I wish I could describe it better, but there’s nothing more restorative than a day out on the river.” And when he’s not filling the role as president of the college, he enjoys being at home with his wife, Cathy, and their sons – Theo, 16, Charlie, 11, and Jack, 9. “I’m fortunate to have a family that is incredibly supportive,” Palmer said. “I try to be as authentic as I can, so

Dr. Palmer ran in his first marathon

Dr. Palmer enjoys fly fishing in his free time

the way I am around my family, I hope that’s the way I am on the college campus – and vice versa. I won’t always succeed at that, and that’s why it’s important to be someone of faith who believes in forgiveness.” CHANGES IN HIGHER EDUCATION Palmer’s first task when he arrives in Canton will be one unlike any that has faced any president at Culver-Stockton. Students left for spring break on March 6, and other than to return to campus to pick up belongings, they haven’t returned because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Professors have conducted classes through online learning. All athletic contests for the spring were cancelled. The current public health crisis has staggered colleges and universities and will leave lasting changes to the way people regard and practice higher education. “When I get there, we will still be adjusting,” he said. “I’m fortunate to come into an institution that is strong and thriving, but there will be some bumps as a result of the pandemic. There will be schools that don’t survive this.” Palmer believes schools will need to be more accountable than ever. “For the sacrifice that families are making when they are paying tuition, we better make sure we’re delivering a value for

that investment,” he said. He also expects schools that provide a good return on that investment to eventually prosper. “Education isn’t just delivering information. We’ve shown we can deliver it in any format and media,” Palmer said. “It’s forming a community where a transformation happens. We will be reminded of why we take men and women in the prime of their lives, 18 to 22 years old, and bring them together in a community devoted to learning. People will miss it and be reminded of why it’s important, and we will see folks celebrate it.” And when he considers reaching future students, he remembers how he felt when he briefly dropped out of college. “Everybody has a story we don’t know. We’re all dealing with challenges and roadblocks, and we don’t know what a student’s dreams and aspirations are at a particular time,” Palmer said. “Someone once said, ‘Talent is equally distributed but opportunity is not.’ Not everybody has the same benefits, the same path. “Our job as educators is to meet students where they are at and make sure we are available. Our job as educators is to help students overcome obstacles and not create them. I can’t describe my view of education better than that.” culver.edu

11

BAKING A D STEPHENS INHERITS HISTORY AT NO. 1 BAKERY IN ILLINOIS

12

Summer 2020

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa when Amy Stevens ’08 was a child usually meant she also would make a special trip down the block to Underbrink’s Bakery, a fixture on the corner of 17th and College in Quincy, Ill., since 1929. “We would always get nut rolls and radio rolls,” she said. Now she’s making those delicacies as the owner of the historic bakery. Underbrink’s was named in November as the best bakery in Illinois by Taste of Home, which offers family-favorite recipes handed down over generations in magazines, cookbooks and its website. Stevens always has enjoyed baking but didn’t own her own business until she was in her mid30s. The skills she learned in earning her business administration degree from Culver-Stockton gave her the confidence to handle small-business issues

Stevens heard many stories from aunts Phyllis Brinkley and Judy Williams, who worked for original owner Claude Underbrink. He sold the bakery to Leroy Rossmiller, who operated it for 27 years before he and his wife retired and sold it to Stevens. “I bought Underbrink’s and the history that comes with it. I couldn’t go wrong as long as I didn’t change recipes,” she said. Some recipes are elaborate. The popular cherrycheese danishes, for example, take three days to make. Planning to have plenty of ingredients for her lattice-topped pies or angel food cupcakes iced with buttercream can become a juggling act – or an educated guess – whether it’s for a holiday or a snow day. “It’s not like if we run out of something, we can come back here and make something real quick,”

such as finding new customers, satisfying loyal customers, paying the bills, making payroll and a thousand other things. She also feels the added pressure of maintaining the popularity and history of the business. “The writer for Taste of Home (Nancy Mock) liked our history, our background, our customer comments,” Stevens said. “I had been sick that week, so when she reached out, I kind of really didn’t even take it in. I was like, ‘Oh, cool. OK.’ “Then we put it on Facebook, and the next day, it was huge. There are so many bakeries, and she picked us out of Chicago and everything? With the history here, 90 years, people have great stories about this place. It’s something that never changes.”

Stevens said. “If we run out of dough, we run out of dough. We’re trying to predict. That’s why it’s important for customers to plan and order a day or two in advance.” Stevens didn’t complete her degree in a traditional way. After graduating from Quincy Notre Dame high school in 2000, she attended C-SC and was the co-captain of the first women’s soccer team – and suddenly left school. “I hit a low in my personal life. I lost sight of it,” she said. “I’d always had the good grades and everything, and then … it wasn’t there. I dealt with depression. I became someone I didn’t like. I coped in the wrong ways.” She returned home to take a job at Highland Gear and later with Winters Insurance. She

DIFFERENCE

culver.edu

13

eventually completed an associate’s degree from John Wood Community College in 2005. Former co-worker and family friend Dr. Pam Williams, a member of the Culver-Stockton faculty, suggested Stevens complete her bachelor’s degree online at C-SC. Her mother offered her a job at the family business, Stevens Heating and Air Conditioning, as she finished her studies. “I was trying to figure out where I wanted to go, and I knew the business administration degree would be a good one to take me anywhere,” Stevens said. “When Pam reached out and told me (about the online program), that kind of lit a fire. So I thought, ‘Let’s do it.’ I went at my pace, and I still worked at my job.” She graduated in 2008 and continued to work for the family business until she heard Underbrink’s was for sale. Her mother reached out to Rossmiller, a first

“I’ll go home and think, ‘Oh my gosh. I’m doing it.’” cousin. He replied that he hadn’t found the right person. Stevens started working for the bakery in February 2016, taking over in January 2017. “It was crazy, but I loved it,” Stevens said. “You don’t grasp what it entails, owning your own business, until you do it – how to interact with your employees and your customers, the back end of the bookkeeping and accounting and all that.” Stevens has made a few changes. The storefront received a facelift. A kitchen expansion allowed for a walk-in freezer and gave her staff more room. She added a line of gluten-friendly or flour-free baked goods.

14

Summer 2020

“People reach out all the time and ask, ‘Can you try this?’ Well, I have gluten intolerance, so I’m always willing to try something new,” Stevens said. She also wants to stay true to the bakery’s roots. “I have the best crew, and it took a lot of sweat equity in the last three years to get here,” Stevens said. “Sometimes, I don’t feel like it’s sunk in yet that I own this place. And sometimes, I’ll go home and think, ‘Oh my gosh. I’m doing it.’ “Now I’m thinking down the road. How long will I be the owner before someone takes it from me? Then I’ll be a part of that history.”

FORMER U.S. DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL DELIVERS SPERRY LECTURE

Larry D. Thompson ’67, who served as the U.S. Deputy Attorney General under President George W. Bush from 2001-03, was the featured speaker for the annual John A. Sperry Jr. Endowed Chair of Humanities Lecture on March 5, 2020. Thompson has stayed connected to Culver-Stockton. He was a member of the C-SC Board of Trustees from 1992-2002. He received the Distinguished Alumni award in 1983, he was the commencement speaker in 2002, and he was the keynote speaker as part of the Konneker Leader in Residence program in February 2017. The lecture honors Sperry, a distinguished professor of humanities emeritus, for his dedication to the CulverStockton community. Sperry taught from 1957 to 1992 at C-SC, and he died in January 2003. He was best known for his enthusiasm and breadth of knowledge in the subjects of history and humanities.

ANALOG LESSONS FOR THE DIGITAL AGE INTRODUCTION + ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you, President Thompson. Over the years, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to return here, including as a trustee. But none are as rewarding as the chance to speak directly with the next generation of leaders, in honor of my dear friend and former professor, John Sperry.

But a lot of things have changed since I was here. The dorms are air-conditioned. You don’t have to sift through a card catalogue to find a book in the library. And, almost the entirety of human knowledge now sits in your pocket. The world outside Culver-Stockton feels different as well. We’re all more connected to each other, but somehow farther apart. We’re bombarded with information – but often that information comes without context, or perspective.

And news evolves at an unprecedented speed, denying us the chance to process, or think critically. But when you’ve been around for a while, as I have, you learn that while history may not exactly repeat, it does rhyme. I’ve had a life and career that have taken me in a lot of different directions, many of them unexpected. In my life I’ve been a student of great teachers, and a teacher to great students. I’ve come to see the lessons I’ve learned aren’t specific to me or the path I’ve taken – and may prove useful to you as you set out on your own journey. And so today I’d like to share some experiences, some perspective, that I hope will feel Relevant to you. Analog lessons for the digital age, if you will. Because the world really hasn’t changed that much, and neither has Culver-Stockton. The dorms may be a bit too small. The library may be a bit too dark. And the only thing everyone culver.edu

15

has in common is that they’re looking forward to graduation and moving on beyond Canton. And whether you have a few years left here, or are about to begin your journey from here, my first lesson is the same: try to see past difference, and instead see potential. After all, I’m only here giving this lecture today because the man for whom it’s named saw some potential in me 56 years ago. LESSON ONE: SEE PAST DIFFERENCE, AND INSTEAD SEE POTENTIAL. When I first arrived on campus, I didn’t know anyone. And I didn’t even look like anyone here. It was 1963, and I was the only African American student at Culver-Stockton. I then met professor John Sperry. Every day, Professor Sperry would show up to his classroom with nothing but a briefcase and a pipe. To my knowledge, no one ever saw him lecture from notes much. He’d give entire lessons with his eyes seemingly closed. And he taught everything – from archaeology to astronomy. Hieroglyphics to history. Western civilization to the age of revolution. He was a true renaissance man – and by that, I mean he literally taught a class on the renaissance. John and his wife Jean lived on campus, and they were kind enough to invite me into their home for dinner on many occasions. Until then, I’d never seen more than one fork, one knife, and one glass on a dinner table. That became obvious when I asked why we all had “backup silverware.” But the Sperrys didn’t laugh. Instead, they welcomed me into their world. They introduced me to the classical music that rang through their rooms and the paintings that adorned their walls – fostering a love of art that I’ve carried through to this day. When I began collecting paintings, I didn’t look for the pieces that John and Jean would have liked – I looked for the art that spoke to me. The Sperrys helped me gain a real sense of who I am, and how I see the world. A few years ago, Culver-Stockton and the Mabee Art Gallery put together a show called “A Professor’s Influence.” I got to see the art my wife and I collect, artwork by African Americans who were ignored by the establishment, presented side-by-side with the paintings I admired at the Sperrys’ house all those years ago. The love of art was an extraordinary gift given to me by my mentor. But the most important thing that Professor Sperry ever gave me was a push. After history class one day, he pulled me aside. Unprompted, he said, “Larry, I understand you want to go to school for social work. There’s nothing wrong with being a social worker – but have you considered law?” Truthfully, I hadn’t. 16

Summer 2020

Nobody had ever told me that was something I would be good at – or could be good at. But John saw potential in me – and made it his job to help me realize that potential. Now more than ever, we need gestures like this. We’re living in times where it seems easy to view those who are different from us as the enemy, and to paint them in broad strokes. One of my legal heroes, Justice Robert Jackson, often said that we should “seek truth, not victims.” On its face, that’s a quote about the law – but it’s also about the way we treat others every day. It’s about going out of our way to understand the people who don’t look like us. Or live like us. Or think like us. And to seek out that shared humanity that binds us together, rather than the things that set us apart. That’s the kindness that Professor Sperry showed me here at Culver-Stockton, and it’s the kindness that my community showed me when I was a young man in Hannibal, Missouri. I graduated high school the same year that Martin Luther King delivered his “I have a dream” speech. At the time, there were restaurants in Hannibal that I couldn’t eat in. But even amid the turmoil of the era, I made my way in the Hannibal community. I use the word community deliberately because that’s what we were. My classmates elected me class president. My teachers recognized and nurtured the potential in me. And when I was denied service at a restaurant in Moberly after a basketball game, my entire team walked out of the restaurant in solidarity. And though I left Hannibal more than 55 years ago, those bonds have remained. When my mother passed away in 2017, some of the very same people who stood by my side that night in Moberly were the ones standing by my side at the funeral. And so, I urge you all to value each other. Form meaningful relationships and maintain those bonds over the years. Because in the face of loss and unspeakable tragedy, we are all we have. And our enduring community is important. LESSON TWO: ACT LIKE SOMEONE IS WATCHING. The second lesson that I want to share with you is this: act like someone is always watching. Let me take you back to September 11, 2001. Most of you probably did not experience it, but you live in a world shaped by it. In the days that followed the attacks, no one knew what would come next – only that there were people out there who wanted to kill us, and had succeeded in doing so, leaving a smoldering crater in the middle of the world’s most iconic city. We were stunned, scared and vulnerable in ways we’d never even considered. People asked themselves: how do we move forward? And our country’s leaders did the same. One of those answers involved more surveillance of American citizens. Another, I’m sorry to say, involved torturing detainees

abroad. We technically called it enhanced interrogation. The rationalization was that to keep us safe – some things just have to be done in the dark. I thought otherwise. I was Deputy Attorney General at the time, and senior White House officials had authorized a surveillance program involving US citizens that I thought was ill-advised, without the approval of the foreign intelligence surveillance court or FISA court. I told people this effort was legally indefensible as implemented, plain and simple – and they knew that too, because they refused to fully brief me on the details. So I refused to sign off on the surveillance warrants when they were presented to me. Now look, I’m not naïve. I know that some things should be kept secret. But things done in the dark in our business or professional lives are always brought to light. And the people responsible will eventually be revealed. That was not going to be me. Because when leaders allow expediency to prevail over morality, they not only put themselves in a precarious position – they put everyone around them at risk. I’m seeing the consequences of this right now. In 2017, the Department of Justice appointed me to be the independent compliance monitor and auditor at Volkswagen Ag. I was comfortable teaching part-time at the University of Georgia School of Law. But Volkswagen is the largest company in Germany and in Europe. It is also the largest automobile manufacturer in the world. I could not resist being a part of the transformation of this important company. A decade ago, someone at the company decided that creating a low-emissions diesel car was too difficult. So the company took a shortcut. They installed “defeat devices” in the engines, which would trick state and EPA emissions testing machines. Finally, four years ago, after an attempted coverup, Volkswagen was discovered. They admitted to regulators what was going on, and the company pled guilty to several felony charges – including conspiracy to defraud the United States, violation of the clean air act and obstruction of justice. Volkswagen paid $4.3 billion in penalties. The company also got stuck with a babysitter – me – to make sure it didn’t do it again. I’m officially the independent monitor for Volkswagen. And Volkswagen lost the public’s trust. Because of the actions of a reckless few, hundreds of thousands of jobs were endangered, and thousands were lost. And the livelihoods of just as many families hung in the balance. And for what? Pressure to meet unrealistic goals? Failure of executives to speak up and challenge an overly hierarchical culture? It was short sighted, unethical and criminal. Volkswagen simply had a rotten culture. This is something for students to seriously consider when

applying for jobs. I know there isn’t always the luxury to be picky about these things, especially right after graduation, but when you think about your career, and the places you’ll be spending years of your life, it’s important to ask yourself, is this a company I can be proud of, a company that shares my values? Is this an environment where I’m encouraged to bring my whole self to work? These questions are very important. Folks say the only certainties in life are death and taxes. I’ll make one addendum to that: at some point, you will be asked to abandon your principles. I guarantee it. It could be an opportunity to get ahead professionally. Or financially. Or reputationally. When you’re a leader, the first thing you realize is that all the easy decisions get made before they reach you. You’re going to be asked to make the hard decisions – to be a part of the hard decisions. Those are the decisions that say the most about who you are and what you value. So as you make them, remember that when all is said and done, we don’t meet our accountants or even judges. We meet our maker. So avoid that temptation. You’ll sleep better at night. LESSON THREE: THERE IS STILL A PLACE IN THIS WORLD FOR DISSENT. Now, I’ll begin this third lesson with another story about temptation. When most of the students here were seven or eight years old, the global economy was shaken to its core. You’ve probably heard the gist of this before. The housing sector imploded, Wall Street titans fell overnight, and the government spent trillions to prevent a full-blown depression and start a recovery that even today hasn’t yet reached everybody. In towns across America, people were devastated. There were runs on banks. Lines at ATMs. Home values plummeted. Pensions dried up. Families were tossed out onto the street. And the promise of the American dream rang hollow for millions. And as we picked up the pieces, and asked how this happened, all roads led to an uncomfortable truth. The crash was caused by people. By greed. And by willful ignorance. Caught in a web of self-interest, bankers, ratings agencies and mortgage lenders made disastrous decisions. Why? Because everyone around them was doing the same. Focused solely on profits, they blinded themselves to a grim reality: their castles were built on foundations of sand. Lenders underwrote mortgages they knew borrowers couldn’t pay back. Banks bundled those mortgages and sold them off. And the ratings agencies, who were supposed to be independent, were pressured to give those financial instruments sterling ratings, or otherwise lose out. Meanwhile, the mortgage bubble grew, and government officials repeated the same talking point: the fundamentals of the culver.edu

17

economy are strong. his character. The returns were too good to be true, and nobody sounded This was not a safe decision. It was not popular. the alarm. But it was true to my values, and I went to bed each night with a clean conscience. Sometimes the cost of silence is difficult to work out. But in this case, economists have estimated that the financial crisis LESSON FOUR: PURSUE FULFILLMENT ABOVE cost $70,000 for every single American. ALL ELSE. So my third lesson is this: there is still a place in this world But ultimately, the freedom to diverge is about more than just for dissent. ideology – it’s about the freedom to blaze your own trail in life. In this country, we have the freedom to think and speak freely. But we also have a responsibility to do so. Because history And so I offer this fourth lesson: pursue fulfillment above all else. has shown us precisely what happens when no one does. As college students, you’re in the middle of the most To borrow from civil rights icon John Lewis, we must feel formative stage of your life. empowered to get into a little “good trouble” from time to But throughout this time, you’ll encounter people who will time. For me, that started right here at Culver-Stockton, back in the 60s. Back then, the campus played host to all kinds of protests – about war, about chemical companies, about administrators. And at one point, I even led a demonstration of my own – against the school’s decision at the time to offer an honorary doctorate to the wife of a wealthy donor. I couldn’t hold my tongue. In my young, immature mind, that decision undermined the integrity of the institution. I had something to say about it. And today, you all dine in the Gladys Crown Student Center, which tells you all you need to know about my community organizing skills or my wisdom as a young student. What goes around comes around. Mr. Thompson spoke to a criminal justice class while on campus to deliver the Sperry Lecture. I’ve now experienced protests against me at speeches I’ve given at the try to prescribe a path for you. University of Georgia and New York University. They’ll steer you away from majors that could ignite new Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that “there comes a time passions. Classes that could open up new worlds. Careers that when one must take the position that is neither safe, nor could leave a lasting legacy. politic, nor popular – but he must do it because his conscience They’ll encourage you to do things for the wrong reasons – tells him it is right.” for the money, for the prestige, for the “employability.” I’ve tried to live true to that mantra ever since, doing the And so, I urge you to study the things you’re passionate things that I felt were right, not expedient. about. And study them at places that feel like home. It’s never been easy to fit my ideology into a box. After graduating from Culver-Stockton, Professor Sperry I am a black man. And many assume my politics are liberal found me a prestigious fellowship at Columbia University. And toward the end, I had the option to earn my graduate when, in fact, I am a lifelong conservative. degree there. I believe in limited government. But I also believe that the But I didn’t like, at the time, the hustle and grime of the free market needs appropriate regulation. When my good friend, Senator Jeff Sessions, was nominated city. New York City wasn’t for me – so to the disappointment to be the next attorney general of the United States, I stood up of many, I chose to pursue my master’s at Michigan State. At Michigan State, I discovered a passion for employment to defend him against what I deemed unfair attacks on 18

Summer 2020

law and work-related issues. I found lifelong friends. And I found the love of my life, my wife, Brenda. And I learned that only you can decide what’s best for you. But forging that path on your own can be arduous. It can take time to see results or reap rewards. And as you look around at your peers, it can be easy to compare yourself. That’s never been truer than today, where all sorts of online platforms allow us to project success, and wealth, and happiness – even when much of it is an illusion. And so, as you open yourself up to new opportunities, the most important thing you can do is this: find the metrics for success that matter to you. It’s easy – and alluring – to focus on things that are easily quantified. When I was serving as a U.S. attorney in Atlanta, it was easy to measure success based on the number of indictments and convictions. But ultimately, that was not the same as doing justice, which was my real charge as a federal prosecutor. Likewise, as a young professional, it’s easy to use salary as a measuring stick. But ultimately, being well-compensated is not the same as feeling fulfilled. I urge you all to seek that feeling in your gut that you are valued, you are necessary, and you are doing something that matters. Over the course of my career, I’ve taken three pay cuts. Significant ones. Moving from agriculture giant Monsanto to a law firm in Atlanta named King & Spalding. From King & Spalding to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the northern district of Georgia. And again from King & Spalding to the position of Deputy Attorney General of the United States. But I took each of those cuts knowing that I was accepting a job that would be challenging and enriching – and make me feel as though I was working for a cause greater than myself. And decades of putting fulfillment first culminated in an offer from Apple in 2006 to interview with Steve Jobs with the potential to become its general counsel. I turned down the interview in the earliest stages of the process, because I’d committed to stay at Pepsico for five years. But years later, I discovered that the person who did take the job had received a deferred compensation payment of over $60 million. Do I feel a pang of “what might have been”? Sure. But my pride is greater and my relationships deeper from having kept that promise, and on balance I’m very happy with the choices I’ve made. The takeaway here? Follow your passions, build a reputation, and things will fall into place. They always do.

LESSON FIVE: WE ARE SMALL, BUT OUR POTENTIAL IS VAST. All this brings me to my final lesson: that we are small, but our potential is vast. I come from a tiny pin in the midwest, Hannibal, Missouri, a descendent of slaves, born to a railroad worker and a cook. My parents never finished high school, and our family didn’t have much. But they taught us that where we begin does not have to dictate where we end up. And over the course of five decades, I went from washing dishes at the Mark Twain Dinette in Hannibal to prosecuting terrorists as Deputy Attorney General; rooting out corruption at the highest levels of our government as independent counsel; and overseeing the legal division of one of the world’s largest companies as general counsel at Pepsico. Despite what you may hear, America is still a land of opportunity. But it’s up to all of you to keep it that way. Our greatest threat is not China, or Russia, or a nuclear Iran. It’s a force within our own borders – one as seductive as it is pernicious. It’s cynicism. But to be cynical – to see through everything – is to see nothing at all. And the antidote to cynicism is transparency – to see what truly lies within. So perhaps, if we can all take small steps to live more transparently, more lovingly, more courageously…we can beat back cynicism. If we can reject bluster for true acts of bravery…perhaps we can inspire those around us, rather than jade them. If we can act with integrity, even when the lights are off… perhaps we can rebuild trust in our country’s institutions one act at a time. And if we can be honest – and act with grace and forgiveness – perhaps we can repair the tears in our social fabric. Today, young people are more powerful than ever. We’ve seen it all around the world, from Pakistan to Parkland High School in Florida. But understand that making a change doesn’t require grand acts of heroism; it requires more everyday beacons of hope and morality. The world needs people who lead with their values. And here at Culver-Stockton, you learn to do exactly that. Professors like John Sperry made sure of it in 1963. And we’re lucky that those who have followed in his footsteps are making sure of it today. *Mr. Thompson frequently speaks from notes and may depart from the speech as prepared. However, he stands behind the speech as presented in written format.

culver.edu

19

COWELL THRILLED TO FOLLOW IN PARENTS’ FOOTSTEPS

Scott Cowell, Jo Johnson ’87, Randi, Abigail and Madison Cowell

The experiences her parents, Scott ’91 and Randi (Crum) ’91, shared about their time as students at Culver-Stockton College helped convince Madison Cowell as a little girl that she would follow their example. The experiences Cowell had during her time as a student at Culver-Stockton made it that much more difficult to leave a semester early. Cowell completed her bachelor’s degree with a major in political science and legal studies in the spring of 2020, 20

Summer 2020

finishing her last courses online. She now lives in Moline and works for the campaign of Republican Esther Joy King, who faces Democratic incumbent Cheri Bustos in the race for election in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District that covers most of northwest Illinois. Giving up her last semester on “the Hill” was a gutwrenching decision. “It took me about a month to decide. There was a lot of prayer and a lot of trusting that I will do what I need to do,” Cowell said. “I just love Culver-Stockton. It’s my heart and soul. But I needed to keep pushing myself.” Cowell, who grew up in Beardstown, Ill., looked forward to attending Culver-Stockton for as long as she could remember. She recalls going on vacations with friends who her parents met when they were at C-SC. Her first memory of being on campus was seeing the fountain outside Johnson Hall when she was 6 years old and came with her mother, Randi, to watch two former Beardstown students play on the Wildcats’ softball team. “And you know those little envelopes in magazines that ask for donations, and you never fill them out?” Cowell said.

“Well, we got (the Chronicle) in the mail, and my mom ripped out the envelope, put a check in it and sent in the mail. I asked her, ‘Why are you doing that?’ She said, ‘Because someone else always did that for me (at C-SC).’ She never received one of those envelopes without giving something back. “I got to see what Culver-Stockton does and what CulverStockton is, it wasn’t just hearing about it. I grew up seeing firsthand what it meant.” She so eagerly awaited attending C-SC that she missed a softball game so she could attend a registration day in May of her senior year of high school. “I didn’t want to wait one moment to become a student. That’s how excited I was,” Cowell said. She learned not to waste a single moment – but first had to

Cowell works for the campaign of Republican Ester Joy King

learn a lesson. Cowell played three sports in high school and was on the volleyball team as a freshman at C-SC. During the winter, she had more free time than ever – and she struggled. “I did not know what to do with myself,” she said. “I’d been playing sports and doing things all the time since I was 2 years old. Sports had helped me stay grounded. I got behind in some of my classes because I didn’t know how to manage my time. It wasn’t good. “I talked with a lot of my teachers and worked to get back to the level that I deserved to be at. Everybody was really good with letting me fail and not do my best on things. They also helped me get back to the position where I should have been.” She credited Melody Schroer, an assistant professor of legal studies, for helping her survive that semester and for finding her passion for law. “She knew where my true character lies,” Cowell said. “She knew my heart. She was patient with me, because she knew

that I had to fail to learn and succeed.” Cowell eventually discovered plenty of activities on campus to stay busy. She was a member of the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, participated in mock trial, got involved in local politics and started a campus group called Women of Promise. She also joined the Student Government Association, serving as president during her senior year. Those experiences helped prepare Cowell to work for King. “I enjoyed connecting people,” she said. “That’s one of the best parts of our school. I enjoyed bridging the gap between students and faculty and administration.” Now, along with social media and data collection duties, she’s meeting people in the 17th District. “Before the coronavirus hit, I was at a lot of events,” Cowell

Registration Day her senior year of high school

said. “I was making connections. If this business owner has a problem with taxes, then I meet somebody who does taxes and does things pro bono, I can connect them. If I have a question about agriculture, I know a couple of farmers who can help. It’s important to listen more than you talk. That way when you need them, you will always know who to go to. It’s finding the people with the right answers.” November’s election will determine Cowell’s immediate future. Her long-term goal is law school. She believes her experiences at C-SC have her prepared for whatever happens. “College isn’t easy. College isn’t perfect all the time, but neither is life,” she said. “College is a time where you have to be OK with failing. Culver-Stockton is a really safe space. It’s a place where you can fail, and no one will shame you or make you feel bad. They’re going to help you learn from it. They will help you right back up, and they will do all of that while loving you. “That’s why I have always loved Culver-Stockton right back.” culver.edu

21

Castles in the Sky A sabbatical provides faculty members the opportunity to develop skills that will enhance teaching assignments at Culver-Stockton and/or provide opportunity for scholarly or creative activity. Dr. Patrick Hotle, a professor of history at C-SC, used his sabbatical to finish a history of Palestine/ Israel and travel to Venice, Wales, England, Lebanon and Jordan to collect classroom materials related to courses on medieval civilization, early modern Europe and Middle Eastern history. Hurricane Ciara pitched giant waves into the cliffs below the stark and brooding ruin of Criccieth Castle on a stormy February afternoon. While watching, I couldn’t help but think that it was this kind of experience that inspired 19th century Romantic painters to use castles, cliffs and sea to celebrate nature’s awesome power. It was the first day of a two-week expedition to Wales in search of medieval architecture. This massive storm was the first of two my wife, Mary, and I endured during our odyssey. However, as the artists knew, dark and tempestuous weather seems the most atmospheric kind for exploring castles, so February in Wales was ideal. Mary and I were hunting castles as one of several projects 22

Summer 2020

I pursued on a sabbatical that Culver-Stockton was generous enough to grant. Castles are wonderful teaching tools, appealing to a student’s imagination but also revealing interesting things about medieval technology, social stratification, warfare and living accommodations. The Welsh castles we visited were bound for starring roles in my medieval history course, “The Age of the Crusades.” Wales is castle hunting ground par excellence because during the height of medieval castle building in the 12th and 13th centuries, Welsh princes were in constant conflict with English kings bent on domination. The most relentless of these, and the greatest castle builder of them all, was King Edward I. A key part of his planned conquest of Wales was the construction of massive fortifications from north to south and along the coast and border. He built powerful Criccieth Castle to control the north coast. At the same time, Welsh princes fortified strong positions to resist and rebel. Many English and Welsh castles survive today, although almost all are in ruin largely thanks to the 17th century English Civil Wars. Victorious Parliamentarians blew them up so they couldn’t be used by Royalists. Although some castles were refortified in later centuries, much of the work that survives today dates back to the great age of castle building. Crusaders like Edward returned from the Middle East with first-hand experience of cutting-edge

BY DR. PATRICK HOTLE, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY

military architecture built by Byzantines or Templars. The walls of Edward’s castles resemble the great castles that still survive in Israel, Syria, Turkey and Lebanon. These mighty structures fulfill popular expectations of castles with their rings of thick walls, massive round towers, moats, inner and outer wards and impregnable gate houses. Welsh castles are smaller but often sited higher up on magnificent hilltops. These were working castles. All that we visited, Welsh and English, were besieged at least once and most many times. One of many dramatic castles sited on a hilltop, although much ruined, is Castle Dinas Bran. The best story is that it was built by legendary King Bran as defense against the treasure-hoarding giant, Gogmagog. Another story, probably closer to the truth, says it was built by Welsh prince Gruffydd Maelor II, Prince of Powys Fadog, in the 1260s to resist another kind of giant, Edward of England. However, the castle was abandoned and burnt to keep it out of the hands of the English when they approached. It remains a stark romantic ruin that can be seen from miles away. Equally dramatic as Castle Dinas Bran is Harlech Castle, built on a high rocky outcrop overlooking the Irish Sea. UNESCO calls it one of the best examples of late 13th and early 14th century military architecture in Europe. Mary and I visited it during a howling snowstorm, weather

almost but not quite too much for serious castle hounds. Harlech was built on the sea so it could be resupplied by water. Today the water has much receded. This castle figures so prominently in history that one of Wales’ best known songs, “Men of Harlech,” celebrates the place. It was built by Edward to dominate the north coast of Wales, and it was besieged many times. Owen Glendower, a nationalist hero who rebelled against English domination, captured Harlech in 1404 and used it as his capital. The place was recaptured in 1409 by the English, and within a few decades, it was attacked again in the Wars of the Roses. The Lancastrians only gave up to the Yorks after a long siege that was memorialized in the song. In the English Civil Wars a couple centuries later, it was one of the last castles to surrender to Parliament. They ordered it demolished, but thankfully contractors didn’t finish the job. Fifteen castles and two weeks later, we finished with another of Edward’s fortresses, Kidwelly, in the south. This one is well-preserved because the English Civil War overlooked it. It starred in the opening scenes of the 1975 movie, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Mary and I encountered no insufferable knights who say “Ni!” to thwart our visit. Since we have traveled from brooding castle to parody in this story, this probably is the right place to close. culver.edu

23

| VICTORY BELL |

Pat Atwell was proud of himself. He recently had been promoted to the varsity basketball team during his sophomore year at Andover (N.Y.) High School, and after he scored 26 points in a game, he eagerly anticipated the traditional late night grilled sandwich his mom, Corinne, would make for him when he got home. “And I’m just waiting for her to tell me that I am the greatest thing in the history of the universe … and I got nothing,” Atwell recalled. “She laid the grilled cheese down, and I say, ‘Everything good?’ And Mom says, ‘I didn’t like the way you treated the official.’ I remember giving the official a really dirty look and flipping them the ball a little non-sportsmanlike-ish. I didn’t get a technical, but I made it obvious I wasn’t happy with his call. Mom made it obvious she couldn’t care less how many points I scored. It was about how I treated people. “It just resonated with me. I’m so thankful that I got that lesson at 16 years old.” When Atwell details his duties as the athletic director of Culver-Stockton College, ranging from budgets to fundraising to enrollment to human relations, he believes hiring people, how he treats them and how they treat others is most important. “Hire the right people, and the job is much easier,” Atwell said. “Hire the wrong people, it’s a nightmare. Managing 24

Summer 2020

personnel is a big part of the job. We have about 30 people in the athletic department, and I spend a lot of time talking to them. Some of the coaches are over in (the) Herington (Center), and they might peek in my office to grab their mail, but I don’t want an entire week to go by and I fail to talk to a coach about how a trip to Kansas City went. If you’re missing out on that as the AD, you’re missing out on the good stuff.” Atwell came to Culver-Stockton on Oct. 28, 2014. He came to Canton from Drury University, where he was the athletic director for seven years. His first AD position was at Quincy University from 2001 to 2007, where he also holds the school record for victories as a baseball coach (288). He believes experience gained as a coach in multiple sports at four colleges during 17 years helped him excel as an athletic director. “Helping mold coaches, that’s what I love,” he said. “That’s my team. I want those guys to have the best experience. As a coach, when you helped a kid be a better hitter or better pitcher, it was the best thing in the world. If you can hire somebody and help them enjoy their profession and be successful, that’s the best.” Enrollment consumes much of Atwell’s time. C-SC had 548 students take part in athletics (62 percent) during 2019-20, so if a committee on campus involves attracting or retaining

| VICTORY BELL |

LESSONS LEARNED FROM MOM CARRY OVER TO ATWELL AS ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

students, Atwell is part of it. “I’m constantly relaying information to our coaches,” he said. “How’s this fall looking? Maybe we’re a little behind in this sport, but we’re good over here. We’ve got kids who have had offers for four months. Can we convince them to sign? (Enrollment) is a big part of the job.” Each coach at C-SC is given a sport-specific budget, and Atwell helps coordinate fundraising efforts to pay for anything that falls outside that budget. “Our budget may pay for us to travel to games to St. Louis, but now you want to make a spring trip to Texas? OK, that’s on you to find that money,” he said. “We can buy a set of uniforms, but you want sweats to wear when you travel? You do that. I have to manage all of that.” The Heart of America Athletic Conference handles most scheduling and hiring of umpires/officials, but Atwell serves on a variety of task forces and committees, both for the conference (he’s on the scheduling committee) and also as the Heart’s representative on the NAIA-Athletic Director Association’s Board of Directors. Atwell tries to attend all home games, so game management – ranging from getting drinks for the officials at halftime to operating the instant replay system to implementing a bat

testing protocol before a doubleheader – also falls under his direction. He gets assistance from sports information director John Schild and administrative assistant Traci Bringer. When all is well at a game, Atwell’s eye typically turns to his coaches. “How are they interacting with the players?” he said. “What’s the coach-player relationship? How are they interacting with the officials? How do you handle pressure?” He says the worst part of the job is answering the hundreds of emails he gets daily. He’s adapting to the demands of social media (he jokes that he was one of the last coaches at Quincy to buy a cell phone), and he admits he should pay more attention to the marketing side of his job. “I care way more about how we’re playing than what T-shirt we’re throwing out to the crowd, but I know I have to have somebody who does care about that,” Atwell said. Technology changes his job rapidly, but the importance of developing relationships has not. “How do you work with the faculty? How do you work with the administration?” Atwell said. “I tell our coaches it’s how you treat people. Treat them with respect. It’s not difficult. It’s how I approach life, and it’s how you have to do it at a small school like Culver-Stockton.” culver.edu

25

| FROM THE CHAPLAIN |

SPRING BREAK SERVICE TRIP 2020: The One Where Everything Changed BY REV. AMANDA SORENSON, CHAPLAIN “We closed nature!” he exclaimed from the backseat as we pulled up to what was supposed to be a hiking trail to Natural Bridge. Instead, it was a set of stairs that lead directly into a pond. There was no way through. The van exploded in laughter. This was just par for the course at this point in the trip. It was the last day and we were on the way home. It only made sense for this to happen on one of our last stops. On the first day, we tried to stop at a fast-food restaurant for breakfast, but it had been demolished. A gas station we tried to pull into later that day, closed. The restaurant I really wanted to introduce them to for dinner, closed. Our site seeing spot the next day? You guessed it, closed. This was also the beginning of the spread of COVID-19 in the United States but this had nothing to do with these closures. We were so unaware that the whole world was about to change and that by the end of the week, the campus would also be partially closed and so much of the world would soon follow suit. Looking back these coincidences started to feel more like foreshadowing. When we started off, we were mostly strangers. Yet, here we were embarking on a week long journey that would forever change us while the world was also changing around us. What we didn’t yet know is that for us, this trip would be the bridge that connected the before and after realities of a global pandemic. 26

Summer 2020

When we got to our destination, Neon, Ky., the twisty roads and lack of cell service told us we really were in the mountains. We pulled in at night finally finding the location where we met Harry, our host for the week. We were in a house that from the outside looked complete but on the inside was missing flooring and paint on the walls and the makeshift kitchen provided just enough essentials for us to cook our meals. Of course, there was no wi-fi, so our connection to the rest of the world was limited. It was a strange feeling for all of us but one I’m proud to say we mostly adapted to. Our first morning, we had a quick orientation and learned that we were heading to a place a few towns over. The homeowner, Mrs. Apple was in need of a drainage ditch behind her house. We were working with Homes, Inc., a non profit dedicated to providing safe and affordable housing for their clients in Eastern Kentucky. They are in the Appalachian region of the state where poverty is high and the largest industry, coal, is no longer the booming industrial giant it once was. But that is not the picture of the region we walked away with. When we got to Mrs. Apple’s house we went straight to work. Some digging the ditch, some sealing up and painting around a door frame. A little while later, we found Mrs. Apple sitting on the front porch swing looking out at the

| FROM THE CHAPLAIN | creek and toward the old barn where she and Mr. Apple had kept their goats. She immediately stopped us and started up a conversation. She was warm and friendly and funny. She told us her story. How Mr. Apple had loved this place so much. About 50 yards from where we stood was his mother’s house and the place where he was born. Another 50 yards over is where his sister had lived. Mr. Apple, who had died 16 years before from lung cancer, a common ailment in this region, had never wanted to leave this land. He was so deeply rooted to it, that Mrs. Apple didn’t feel as though she could force him to part from it even in death. So there his headstone stood and his body rested in the backyard. She loved her home, too. It was where she had lived her entire adult life, where she had raised children. Where she had lived with and lost her husband. She too had become deeply rooted. But she had also been growing weary and starting to feel as if the home she had loved was starting to fall around her. Gradual wear and tear that happens in a home over the years had taken its toll. Mrs. Apple was starting to feel hopeless about the state of it until Homes, Inc. began their work. We were just a small piece of the puzzle. Mrs. Apple was incredibly gracious. She had a wonderful rapport with the regular crew. She even laughed about the time they accidentally trapped her cat under the floorboards. (Don’t worry, they came back to let it out as soon as it was discovered.) While I and another member of our team chatted with Mrs. Apple, the rest of the team finished the ditch. We stopped for lunch and Mrs. Apple went back inside. After lunch, we finished up the job only seeing her again long enough to say goodbye. We only spent a few minutes talking to her, but she left an impression that will stick with me for a long time. This interaction was so abnormal – we were at her home doing work for a nonprofit organization. We had traveled 12 hours to do this job and we would only spend about 30 minutes total with her. Yet, it was so normal. It was like sitting on the front porch talking with a neighbor. Looking back it feels like one of the last normal things we did. At the end of the day we returned to our unfinished but comfortable enough home for the week. We cleaned up, prepared dinner, and reflected on the day. We tried, mostly in vain, to contact our loved ones and tell them about our day. As the week went on, we started to get little tidbits, from the radio, from the crew, from what little we could get on our own devices about schools shutting down, churches closing for the time being and it started to feel like two different worlds. The one where things were normal and we sat on the front porch talking to a friend and continued odd jobs for the week, and the one in which things were changing at such rapid speed that we couldn’t keep up. In all the chaos and the ordinary, we were changing too. We spent more time in prayer and reflection. We had learned to

adapt and to be flexible, to leave room for the Spirit to work, to sit in the quiet and to rest our eyes and our minds from our screens, while also learning to lay flooring, work as a team and install insulation. We learned that even in this place that felt so different and foreign that people are people and that we all long to connect. We learned that a group of strangers along with the in breaking of the Holy Spirit could take something ordinary and make it feel extraordinary. We came as strangers, mostly students trying to find connection and put some good into the world and we walked away as friends, forever connected by a time and place that now feels so distant. And yes, we even closed nature.

culver.edu

27

‘I OWE VERY MUCH TO CULVER-STOCKTON’ Bruno Wu ’90, one of the world’s top entrepreneurs, philanthropists and investors credits time on “the Hill” to understanding American culture

Dr. Bruno Wu graduated from Culver-Stockton College in 1990, and he is celebrating 30 years of being an alumnus in 2020. Dr. Wu is the chairman of Ideanomics, a fintech and asset digitization services company based in New York City. He also is chairman and CEO of Sun Seven Stars Investment Group and Sun Seven Stars Media Group, Limited, one of the biggest private media and investment conglomerates that operates mainly in China, Korea, southeast Asia, the United States and the United Kingdom. Wu, who hasn’t been back to visit the Culver-Stockton campus in 25 years, did an interview in May through Zoom with then President Kelly M. Thompson and David Adam, media content specialist for the College.

28

Summer 2020

You were interviewed by the Press News-Journal in the spring of 1990, and one of the things you mentioned in that story was that you sent letters to two schools. How did you pick those two, and how did you end up picking Culver-Stockton? I came to United States in 1988, and I had no way to support myself. Prior to that, I spent about two years in France. Then I went back to China, then I came to the States in 1988. I came to Culver-Stockton in 1989. My first stop was in California in 1988. I needed to look for a college that would offer a full scholarship for a non-resident foreign student. At that time, there's no Internet, so I had to go through all these thick books, you know, thick catalogs, and I finally found two schools that would do that. One was a school in Alabama, and the other was Culver-Stockton (through an endowed international scholarship). Of course, I did not want to have an Alabama accent. At the time, I spoke a little English, but I was limited, and I had a heavy French accent. My French, I was

very, very fluent at the time. I think I made a fantastic choice of coming to Culver-Stockton, not just to absorb Midwestern DNA so important as part of my upbringing, but also I managed to avoid the Alabama accent so I wouldn't be talking to people like “Howdy� and stuff like that. Describe what kind of student were you like when you came to Culver-Stockton. What was life like for you when you weren't in the classroom? I understand there were not many international students on campus when you were here. Yeah, I was probably the only Asian. There might have been one from Korea, but I don't remember. I was definitely the only Chinese, the one and only. It was great fun. I had a great life at Culver-Stockton. I was very active at the time. When I was in China, I was the captain of the martial arts team. So I demonstrated certain techniques at the time to some of my fellow students and gaining other respects. I became sort of a culver.edu

29

Dr. Bruno Wu ’90 and his wife Yang Lan with Bill Gates

little group leader. I remember one time that we were having a football match with another college, and the students almost had a clash on the field. I moved up and intimidated a couple of people. What kind of student were you? How difficult were the studies for you? It was actually quite difficult, very, very difficult for me, because the English language was a big barrier. To complete the general curriculum. I had to take all these classes without the culture DNA that I never had. English writing was difficult. Speech was difficult. Everything was difficult. Astronomy was difficult. Christianity was difficult. Theater was difficult. Everything was. The only things that weren’t difficult were math and science. Now that was a piece of cake. Calculus wasn't difficult. I had a pretty tough time at Culver-Stockton academically, but it gave me the right training so I could speak English with a minimal accent like I do today, and I can read and write very, very well. I’m a very fast reader. Did you get any help from anybody with some of those classes, or did you have to figure it out yourself? I had to figure it out myself. I'm grateful because CulverStockton paid for my tuition and minimal living expenses, but I still didn't have pocket money. After June 4, 1989, the massacres in Tiananmen Square, I actually came to CulverStockton after that, and right after I got to Culver, President 30

Summer 2020

Bush signed (an executive order) for all the Chinese students to get work permits in the United States. I immediately got a job as an electronic salesperson at Sears in Quincy, Ill. I bought myself a little car, and I drove four or five days a week to Quincy to make a couple of bucks so I could have pocket money. I didn't really have much time to spend on campus seeking mentoring help. I was on my own. I did OK. I passed all (my classes). Did you have plans in mind for what you wanted to do after you graduated? Or did you just want the degree and would then figure it out afterward? I knew that I needed to be away from colleges in California, which are inundated with other Chinese-Americans. I needed to learn American culture. I needed to be part of American society. I needed to speak English well, and that's why I came to CulverStockton, and I'm very happy I did that. When I was at Culver, I always knew that after that I needed to go to a bigger city, which I did in St. Louis (where he earned his master’s degree from Washington University), and get more education. I always knew that I needed to be in the business field. What did you learn while you were here that continues to have an impact on you today? The understanding of American culture. The understanding of hard-core Midwestern Americans was very, very important for me. If I had spent all that time in New York, I would have

been very different. I'm blessed that I spent that time in nice Midwestern city, a nice little city called Canton in Missouri. Today I have a very different perspective than many other Asian businessmen towards American culture. I (understand) details and nuances. I could read the average American, the straightforwardness and what they mean and what they were trying to say. One of the most important things I picked up from my days at Culver-Stockton was my communication skills.

“ THE UNDERSTANDING OF HARD-CORE MIDWESTERN AMERICANS WAS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT FOR ME. IF I HAD SPENT ALL THAT TIME IN NEW YORK, I WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY DIFFERENT. I’M BLESSED THAT I SPENT THAT TIME IN NICE MIDWESTERN CITY, A NICE LITTLE CITY CALLED CANTON IN MISSOURI.”

Had earning a doctorate been a lifelong dream? Yes, because my grandfather was a PhD. I, at least, wanted to be academically equal to my grandfather, because I'm always his darling eldest grandson. That's why I went to finish my master's in St. Louis, and when I actually returned to China in 1997, right away, I started my PhD program at Fudan University (finishing in 2001). Afterwards, I took a rest. Eight years later, I finished my EMBA (Executive Master of Business Administration) at Harvard, and then 10 years later in 2019, I started my post doctorate at Cambridge. I'm still completing my post-doctorate program, which will probably be finished this year. Now I’m a little step ahead of my grandpa. Have you stayed in touch with any of the people who you met while you were here? I did for a while, but at that time, of course, there was no internet. There was no social media. We just had phone numbers, and there was very little cell phone use, either. We kept on moving, and we lost contact with people.

When you graduated from Culver-Stockton or Washington University, did you ever consider staying in the United States? I had already made a decision to stay in the United States, and then I met my wife. I met her in New York in 1994, and we got married in 1995. How did you meet her? We met in December of 1994 in New York City. At the time, the Chinese minister of radio, film and television was a great friend of mine. I hosted his trip to America. So he came to visit Time Warner, and I took him around the different divisions and so on and so forth. We were very well received by the chairman and CEO of Time Warner, Jerry Levin. The first lunch when we got to New York City was hosted by a friend of mine, and my wife, Lan, was going to school at Columbia. Of course, she's the biggest star of Chinese television. She was invited to the lunch, and she was placed either by accident or purposely by the host right next to me. We got to know each other very well. During the lunch, the host already started making jokes. He said, “Bruno is the most eligible bachelor, and Lan is single. You should go out together.” I, of course, took that opportunity and made some moves. It was love at first sight. How often do you think back to those days when you were a kid in China and your family was divided? I treasure every experience that I have, good or bad. It's all part of your upbringing. I'm blessed, either way. I'm very, very blessed. God has always been watching for me, and one of the most important things for me is that I became a United Methodist while I was at Culver-Stockton. That to me is very, very important. How did that happen? Because I started going to church. I started because all my classmates were going to church on Sunday, so I went with them. I even went with some classmates during the holidays when I had no place to go. I got baptized when I was in Canton, Mo. I became a Christian. That's very important for me. It became part of my life and the most important part of my soul. I've been very blessed. I actually don't look back too much. I just look forward. Thank you for your time. My pleasure. I owe very much to Culver-Stockton, because if you had not taken me in and paid for my tuition and living expenses, then either I would be stranded in California or forever speaking with an Alabama accent. culver.edu

31

t ’ n d i d e c i v r e s o t t n e m t i m Com e e r g e d m o r f n o s n h o J p e e k

Johnson played football at Culver-Stockton as a freshman

32

Summer 2020

Irish novelist Oliver Goldsmith once wrote that the journey is more important than the destination, but the opposite seems to best describe Corey Johnson ’07 and his quest to finish his biology degree at Culver-Stockton College. Serving his country unquestionably helped mold Johnson as a man, but three deployments across the world as a member of the Army Missouri National Guard took him away from Canton, Mo., for nearly two years. Johnson contemplated taking a job when he returned. He was unsure about resuming his studies, as are many adults who leave the classroom for an extended time, but he also knew he needed a degree to work in his chosen field. In the end, he remained determined to finish what he started. “I looked at other schools, other options, whether to get a job. But in the end, it was just an internal drive to want more for my life,” Johnson said. He was the first person from his family to graduate from college, earning a bachelor’s degree in biology in 2007. Johnson now works as the manager of environmental field operations for Union Pacific Railroad in Kansas City. He says he first learned about environmental management when he was an undergrad at Culver-Stockton, and he credits biology professor Dr. Indiren Pillay for pushing him toward public health jobs. “He helped streamline what I wanted to get out of my degree, and he refocused me, helping me at what I wasn’t good at,” Johnson said. “A lot of the lab work, I was good at, but I struggled to comprehend concepts associated with scientific theories. I got one-on-one time with professors. At a bigger school, you miss a lot of that.” He joined the National Guard as a high school student in Eureka, Mo., then went to Culver-Stockton in the fall of 2002, playing football as a freshman. His unit was deployed in 2003 to Fort Polk in western Louisiana near the Texas border. Johnson was 19 years old when he arrived, and he spent 18 months assisting the military police. “9/11 happened, and you wanted to do your part,” he said. “You didn’t expect to be deployed unless something catastrophic happened, but I didn’t take any negative effects. It was just my time to serve. Now, I didn’t expect to be gone that

Johnson with his wife Sally and their children Kortney and Bryn.

long. Deployments were typically six months to a year, but we were extended a couple of times. “It opened my eyes that the world is bigger than myself. I was part of a bigger mission. We’re just screws as part of a big machine.” He returned for the start of football practice in the late summer of 2005, but his unit was sent to New Orleans in September when Hurricane Katrina hit. He provided enforcement protection, doing ride-alongs with local police as curfew laws were enforced in Jefferson Parish. Back on the team after his 30-day stint in New Orleans, Johnson didn’t play in a game. He finally played in 2006 as a regular on special teams, but his lack of time on the field never deterred him from the primary goal. “I remember a meeting with the athletic director (Rod Walton) when twoa-days started, and he asked us how many people went from the NAIA to the National Football League,” Johnson said. “It reminded everyone of the importance of an education.” Even Johnson’s final days at C-SC were interrupted, this time by a 30-day humanitarian mission to Guatemala in May 2007. He didn’t participate in the commencement ceremony. “I had to finish up all my classes before I left to be able to officially graduate, but I didn’t get back (to the United States) until June 1,” he said. With degree in hand, Johnson got a job in environmental protection with the state of Missouri, focusing on day-to-day compliance, air monitoring compliance, classifying hazardous waste, taking water samples and performing water analytics. Shortly after he started, he was deployed to Iraq for 15 months. He started work on his master’s degree at Webster University upon his return, completing it in 2011. He then took the job with Union Pacific in Chicago in June 2011 before being deployed to Afghanistan for a year in 2012. He’s been working in Kansas City and living in Raymore, Mo., since his return in 2013. He then left the National Guard after 13 years. “The National Guard helped me become a person who can face adversity and adapt to adverse situations and make logical solutions,” Johnson said. “Over a

decade of my life, I’d been here and there, and no norm was associated with it. That was the only bad part. “I decided to walk away and start a new chapter.” This chapter still involves job-related time away from home, but “I’m always home on weekends” with his wife, Sally, and their two children – Kortney, 10, and Bryn, 7. He also maintains contact with a group of friends from C-SC.

“It’s amazing the family you make with the short time you’re there and the lasting effects of all the interactions. They’re still with you for life.” “We debate every year if we’re going to homecoming,” he said. “It’s amazing the family you make with the short time you’re there and the lasting effects of all the interactions. They’re still with you for life.” culver.edu

33

Special skill paid off for Gray in many ways It’s been more than 60 years, but Bob Gray is still proud of his work. The degree he earned in 1959 from Culver-Stockton College, with a major in math and a minor in physics, gave him the tools he needed to go on to a career in data processing, the banking industry and the infancy of computer systems. But he left a legacy at C-SC that had nothing to do with lectures and homework, and the chances of it happening today are implausible. His work eventually helped a young man from Lewis County become one of the leading diplomats for the United Nations. 34

Summer 2020

Gray’s remarkable story starts when he learned to be an electrician as a 12-year-old apprentice living in tiny Hull, Ill. “When I was 15, I was working on a job at the hotel in Hull, and the local electrician suffered a heat stroke and didn’t work again,” Gray said. “I took over as the town’s electrician, and by the time I came to Culver-Stockton, I was pretty experienced doing both residential and commercial work.” Gray remembers attending a football game on a Friday night during his first semester as a freshman in 1955. The squawking and squealing of the sound system muffled the announcements by the public address announcer. “You couldn’t understand anything,” he said. “Listening to it, I knew what the problem was. It would be simple to fix. On Monday morning, I went to the office of Adrian DeYoung (director of admissions) and told him that if they would unlock the place, I would fix the problem. He took me next door to Dave Steinbeck (director of alumni affairs). He was the announcer for the games. I told him I could fix it if he would get me in. Then he called Kenny Hinkle, the head of the grounds, and he arranged for someone to unlock the press box. “When I finished class that afternoon, I got in my car, went down to the field, got my tools and fixed the microphone. It worked fine.” Culver-Stockton quickly realized it had a student with a special skill. A ceremony for Dr. Fred Helsabeck, named president of Culver-Stockton in 1956, was scheduled that fall for L.L. Culver Gymnasium – which had no public address system. “The school gave me a letter of authorization, so I drove to Chicago, picked up all the parts and installed a new sound system,” Gray said. Later in his sophomore year, he installed the stage lighting in the gymnasium for fine arts programs. He was then asked to put together a proposal for rewiring Johnson Hall and Henderson Hall. “I spent the next several evenings measuring and checking every room in (both halls) and took them back a quote for how much the material would cost and what the labor would be,” Gray said. “They asked if I would I be willing to take the contract for those figures. I said absolutely not. What I gave them was only cost. There was no profit figured in. “When they said they would pay me for my time, I said that would be reasonable. So I spent the next summer rewiring the basement of Johnson Hall and every bit of Henderson Hall.” Gray says he rewired part or all of every building on campus. He didn’t have to pay for his classes during his final two years at C-SC, and he claims the school still owed him quite a bit of money when he graduated. He was teaching at LaGrange (Mo.) High School during his

senior year at C-SC when he approached officials about using the money the school owed him to establish a scholarship for one of his students, who was a junior. Gray said the college initially balked at the idea, noting concerns about a high school student taking college-level courses. “I told them that if he didn’t cut it, the college could keep the entire scholarship,” he said. “They admitted him, and he passed two semesters of freshmen math, plus calculus and German (during his senior year).” The student, Lynn Pascoe ’64, later attended the University of Kansas when Gray was studying for his masters in mathematics. Pascoe eventually worked for 30 years for the U.S. State Department, then served as the U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia from 1999 to 2001 and to Indonesia from 2004 to 07. Gray returned to C-SC for two years as an assistant professor of physics and mathematics. After working in bank data processing in Ohio for three years, he helped start a similar company in Marion, Ind. Gray moved on to a bank in Placerville, Calif., then started Xenex Computer Systems in Sacramento, Calif. He closed his business in 1994 and retired in 2007. He now dabbles in local politics, serving on the local water district board in Elk Grove, Calif. Gray, 82, was an avid cyclist, but two injuries suffered four years ago has forced him to live a more sedentary lifestyle.

Gray has remained close to the college, establishing endowed scholarships in honor of Edgar Franz, a mathematics professor when Gray was a student, and John Brodmann, a long-time professor of chemistry. He also has a step-grandson, Michael Pinne, who graduated from C-SC this spring. “I met many people through Culver-Stockton who became very important to me,” Gray said. “I got a real education there. My years at Culver-Stockton were wonderful. “And I was certainly busy.” culver.edu

35

| POST GRAD |

GETTING

THE

THIRD DEGREE

CONTINUING EDUCATION AT CULVER-STOCKTON KEEPS TABB MOVING IN PROFESSIONAL CAREER

Each of the degrees Alex Tabb ’03 has earned fulfilled a specific purpose, and he appreciates that most of them have come from Culver-Stockton College. Tabb has spent most of his professional career in public works, a line of work which doesn’t match the classes he took while earning his bachelor’s degree at C-SC. He majored in history and political science, and he also had minors in religion, philosophy and psychology. However, Tabb says the education he earned was perfect for him. “Most people I run into over the years, unless they really knew what they wanted to do, they don’t know when they graduate what they want to do, or they do something different from their major,” he said. “Being cross trained as a young person can open up a lot more doors than pigeonholing yourself into one field of study.” He attended a large public university in Illinois for a semester before two friends from his days at Quincy (Ill.) High School – Tyler Tomlinson ’03 and Rachel (Hughes) Cramsey ’03 – convinced him to make the move to Canton, Mo. “I was just a Social Security number 36

Summer 2020

(in my first semester), and that didn’t do it for me,” Tabb said. “Culver-Stockton was small, and you got to know people. It was a more relaxed atmosphere, and it was the perfect place for me to grow up. Once I joined Lambda Chi Alpha, I knew it was a place I wanted to stay.” Tabb and his wife, Kristin (Chapman) ’02, moved to her hometown in Kansas City after graduating from C-SC. She had taken a job on the pulmonary step down unit with Saint Luke’s on the Plaza. His first job was as a credit analyst with Smith & Loveless, a Lenexa, Kan., business that offers pre-engineered water and wastewater treatment and pumping systems for municipalities. “I was doing mostly phone calls and writing letters,” he said. “But I did a good job of turning over past due accounts.” That led to a promotion to junior buyer and then to application engineer before taking a sales position as the manager of municipal pumping systems. Tabb believes his background from C-SC helped him climb the ladder at Smith & Loveless. “I was learning engineering skills and calculations, all things I never expected to be doing,” he said. “What I’ve learned

| POST GRAD |

is that most people who graduate as engineers only focus on engineering in college. They’re not open to the liberal arts education I received, and I excelled because of that skill set.” The master of business administration degree he earned online through CulverStockton helped him in his career. He earned his MBA in 2017. “(The MBA) was a great thing for me,” Tabb said. “I got to learn more about business.” Tabb also started training people in his department, so he went back to C-SC’s online courses one more time. He earned his master’s degree in education in 2019. “Being a manager is the same thing as being a teacher,” he said. “You have

company which collects data and offers insight into response operations for utilities and public works. Tabb developed his sales department from scratch. “All the complaints that a city might get, ranging from a stop sign being down to water shooting out of a fire hydrant, we take all the reporting that comes in and manage it in a modern way,” he said. He’s adjusting to a different approach at work. Daupler is in a WeWork facility, which provides shared workspaces for technology startups. “Smith & Loveless has been around for 75 years, and I enjoyed it there. They have an established way of doing things,” Tabb said. “But now I wear jeans to

“EDUCATION IS SO IMPORTANT. IT’S SO

FASCINATING TO CONTINUE TO LEARN. IF YOU DON’T, YOU’LL GET LEFT BEHIND.”

to harness skill sets, educate people and motivate people, so a master in education was right in line for me.” Tabb’s position at Smith & Loveless also called for him to travel approximately two weeks a month, speaking at national and international conferences for engineering experts. He also became a member of the Water Environment Federation, a volunteer organization that promotes clean water throughout the world. He said getting a master’s certificate in water engineering management from the University of Colorado in 2018 helped him develop a technical background. “It also gave me something to do in hotel rooms,” he said with a laugh. Tabb recently started a new job as business development manager with Daupler, a Kansas City-based software

work. People bring their dogs to work. It’s a new-age approach to business. It’s a real change of pace.” He’s also traveling less and spending more time with Kristin, who left Saint Luke’s after 15 years, as they raise their sons Landon, Evan and Colin. A new approach at a new job might need more education. He said he’s considered earning a doctorate, but he says he’s “more on the practical side than the philosophical side,” so he’s thinking about learning more about the information technology side of the business. “Education is so important,” Tabb said. “It’s so fascinating to continue to learn. If you don’t, you’ll get left behind.” Thanks to Culver-Stockton, he’s far ahead.

culver.edu

37

Experience at C-SC helps Leake go from ‘terrified’ to talented in TV job Leake in the KATZ5 studio at C-SC. Right: Leake in the WREX-TV station where he now works as a morning anchor

Evan Leake wakes up at about 2:45 and is on the air at WREX-TV at 5 every morning, delivering the news to hundreds of thousands of viewers living in or around Rockford in northern Illinois. He always knew journalism would be his calling, but he never dreamed he would be on television. When he first came to Culver-Stockton College in the fall of 2013, Leake could barely look anybody in the eye. “I had no confidence. I barely spoke,” he said. “I may as well have been a mute. I didn’t speak to people. That’s the honest-to-God truth, and I was terrified. “Now I’m staring at an audience of thousands of people every day, talking to them every day. You find it kind of funny that this is what I’m doing now? I know I do.” Leake, a 2017 graduate, has been the anchor of 13 News Today at WREX since May 2019. He’s on the air for two hours each morning, then does live field reporting afterward. He does two weekly segments for the evening newscasts – 38

Summer 2020

“Teacher of the Week,” which highlights a local educator in or around Winnebago County, and “Inspiring 815,” a look at people who make a positive impact in the Rockford area. “’Impacting lives through civility’ is the tagline for the (815) segment,” Leake said. “A lot of people think the news is the negative, violence all the time. I’m guaranteeing you twice a week for at least a minute and a half that you’re going to watch something that hopefully makes you smile.” Leake also smiles when remembering how his time at Culver-Stockton impacted how he landed in Rockford. He chose to visit Culver-Stockton only to appease his father, Paul, a 1989 graduate. “He’s the only reason I actually even knew what CulverStockton was,” Leake said. “I didn’t think I would ever go to Culver-Stockton, but as it turned out, I loved it.” He played basketball at Hinsdale South High School in Darien, Ill., and played his first two years at C-SC before his failing knees forced him to concentrate on his career path. He

also believed that coming to C-SC would give him the chance to develop his first love – writing. “I loved writing since I was a young kid,” Leake said. “But at Culver-Stockton, I got more into radio than anything else to begin with.” Within his first week during his freshman year, he was filling two hours on KCSW, the campus radio station. He also was writing regularly for the Megaphone, the campus newspaper. Before long, he was doing play-by-play commentary during the live online broadcasts of several of Culver-Stockton’s athletic contests. He also became very involved in the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, which he credits for helping build his confidence and leadership skills. By the time he completed his studies at C-SC, Leake was the host of a two-hour sports talk show every week. “It’s trial by fire. It’s what Culver-Stockton lives on,” he said. “You get pushed into the pool, and you learn how to swim.” Tyler Tomlinson ’03, a lecturer in communication, gave

Leake the shove. He fondly remembers the day when the Wall Communications Lab was dedicated on campus in the fall of 2016. He asked for a few words from Leake as he sat at the KATZ 5 TV news desk. “Oh, he was terrified,” Tomlinson said with a laugh. “I felt bad for him. I could see how scared he was. “There were a lot of mess-ups for Evan, but there also was a lot of experience. What separates us from other schools is that at other schools, they say, ‘If you put in 200 hours of practice, then we’ll let you be on the air.’ For us, you’re going to go do this today. You may do color for a game or do your first podcast immediately. “That’s how Evan got better. He always did things.” Leake said Tomlinson, a former sports reporter at WGEMTV in Quincy, Ill., never coddled him. “He’s just straight up with you,” Leake said. “He spoke to me as an adult. He didn't really speak to me as a teacher to a student. I felt like a contemporary of his. He was just always so easy to talk to and understanding. He always was able to put things in a perspective that at 18, 19, 20 years old, I couldn't see. He was a very real person. He respected me. “I guess that's what I felt like I was lacking going into college. I was so shy because I didn't feel respected, and he gave (respect) to me right away. He helped me develop a work ethic for this business. I attribute a lot of my success to that man. He won't take a lot of credit for it, but he should. He is 100 percent instrumental to where I am. “The day that I win my first Emmy, I'm sure he'll be in the speech.” Leake did an internship with WGEM during his junior year at Culver-Stockton without any hint that it would be the first step toward his current career. “I started using a camera, and I just kind of fell in love with that,” he said. “Before working with them, it was never in the cards. But it just clicked.” He stayed at WGEM to work as a sports photographer during the summer before his senior year, and he called the circumstances to getting his first job at WREX “such a Culver thing.” He applied for a producer position but learned a week before graduating that the job had been filled. However, he was contacted a few weeks later by Audrey Moon, the assignment editor at WREX. Moon had worked with Tomlinson years ago, and her mother, Susan, is the director of counseling and wellness at Culver-Stockton. She offered Leake a position as a multimedia journalist in June 2017. “It’s the most small-town thing in the world,” Leake said. Much like his experience at Culver-Stockton, Leake admits his first few months at WREX were a little rocky. “It was really just kind of a whirlwind, to be honest with you,” he said. “I don’t mind saying it. I definitely took for granted what this industry is. There were some setbacks and culver.edu

39

“CULVER-STOCKTON HAS SO MANY RESOURCES. YOUR EXPERIENCE THERE IS SURELY BASED ON WHAT YOU WANT IT TO BE.”

Leake on the field after a 2018 Patriots-Bears game

some position changes.” An opportunity to join the anchor desk on a fill-in basis came in April 2019, followed shortly with a long-term commitment. “It all kind of came organically out of nowhere, and it’s a little bit of an unconventional way of getting to it,” Leake said. “I’ve been doing this for about a year now, and it’s been awesome. It’s been such a cool, exciting experience.” He said his most memorable interviews have been with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker the day after he was elected and with Rockford native Dean Lowery, a defensive end for the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. He is especially proud of a story he did about a paraprofessional in the Rockford area who spends time with a special needs child who nearly drowned when he was quite young. “This teacher comes two, three times a week, sits and reads and plays with this kid and dedicates her time, her life to this child,” Leake said. The changing field of journalism provides plenty of challenges, but Leake says he can’t see himself doing anything else right now. 40

Summer 2020

“I'm going to continue to do this thing that I love until I don't, and I think that's the best way that I can go about it,” he said. “I mean, I love this job. I get paid to tell people’s stories. I get paid to talk to people, to learn something new every day, to learn somebody's story every day. I really do think I've found where I belong in terms of my career.” He also has advice for any future student who feels as unsure of himself as Leake did when he first arrived at Culver-Stockton. “If you think you want to try it, do it,” he said. “Don't second guess. Because as cliché as it might sound, if you never do it, you don't know how it would go. There were so many things that I was uncomfortable with. Joining a fraternity, joining a club, everything you do in college is pushing you out of your comfort zone. Don't shy away from that challenge. Embrace it. It doesn't mean you're going to succeed in every challenge, but you find more growth from failure than success. So shoot for where you want to go and see where you can take yourself. “Culver-Stockton has so many resources. Your experience there is surely based on what you want it to be.”

| PA S S I N G T H E T E S T: S H O R T A N S W E R |

Short Answer with Chris Huebotter Chris Huebotter is the registrar at Culver-Stockton and has been in the registrar’s office for 38 years. She is a lifelong Lewis County resident, graduating from Highland High School and from Culver-Stockton in 1997. Chris and her husband, Jack, live in Lewistown, Mo. They have a daughter, Sarah; a son-in-law, Nick; and twin granddaughters, Ryann and Rylee. When I first arrived at C-SC… the college was just starting the upward trend in enrollment under the guidance of President Robert Brown and Betty Smith, the Director of Admissions.

we would have a lot to catch up on. On a historical note, I would love to have a dinner conversation with Elvis Presley, John F. Kennedy and Jack Buck, legendary announcer for the St. Louis Cardinals.

My favorite spot on campus is… the sidewalk by the fountain on the Quad – a beautiful view of the town and river.

I always laugh when… my granddaughters say or do something funny.

My favorite memory of C-SC is… when the college was damaged by the tornado and helped with fighting floodwaters several times. This might seem strange, but in those times of disaster and near disaster, the college community and city of Canton came together to help one another. On a happier note, when the women’s basketball team, men’s basketball team and baseball team went to their respective national tournaments.

The most unforgettable person I’ve met at Culver-Stockton was… Olga Bays. She is legendary to older alums as a hard-nosed administrator, but she really had a heart of gold. She was very good to me and is definitely a female role model for me.

If I could go to dinner with any three people, living or dead, I would invite… my mom, my dad and my husband. My parents both died several years ago, and

Who’s the most famous person you’ve ever met? My husband and I ran into Todd Worrell, a relief pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, in the fan shop at Busch Stadium the afternoon before a World Series game.

How did you become the Registrar? When I enrolled at Culver-Stockton, I worked in the Registrar’s Office under the staff assistant scholarship. When I was ready to finish my associate’s degree, there was an opening in the Registrar’s Office as a clerical assistant, and I was hired. I worked for several registrars, including my good friend Marjorie Ellison. When she transitioned to the Alumni and Development Office, I was hired as the Registrar. When you’re done as the Registrar, what do you hope to do? I have a long list of things I want to try, including working at a library, volunteering at the public school, volunteering at the historical society and working on craft and sewing projects. If you could tell all of the students at C-SC one thing, what would it be? Embrace and take advantage of the opportunities and experiences while you are a student here. Culver-Stockton is a special place. culver.edu

41

| CLASS NOTES |

1950s CHUCK ’56 AND COLLEEN (ROEGGE) ’56 BURLINGAME of Port St. Joe, Fl. were able to move back into their home after Hurricane Michael. They are enjoying their salvaged furniture and sleeping in their own bed! When the hurricane hit, they lost use of their home, and their rental home was a complete loss along with their Mustang car, three sheds and a carport. They are thankful to be back home with a touch of normalcy. GILBERT WOJTAL ’59 lives year round in Green Valley, Ariz. The summer months of July and August are very hot. The humidity comes when the monsoons hit. The only snows are in the mountains and it is very beautiful there.

1960s

DONNA (CROUCH) BENTON ’65 has retired after 50 years in the field of social work. She resides in Denton, Texas. ALICE (PARRY) GRACEK ’66 spends her summers in Aitkin, Minn. and her winters in Florida. STAR (WOOD) WILKE ’67 will be celebrating 50 years of marriage on June 20, 2020. They are enjoying retirement and live in Schaumburg, Ill.

1970s

NANCY (STOUT) VACEK TERRELL ’70 and her husband, Bill, live in Ft. Myers, Fla. JOHN ’71 AND ALICE (HAGAN) BOLEN ’70 are both retired. In retirement, John teaches an online Bible class for those preparing for Commissioned Ministry, and Alice does pastoral care for their church. JIM ’72 AND GINNY (SLUSHER) ’70 BOTTRELL retired on June 30, 2019 from Belton Christian Church in Belton, Mo. where they enjoyed 17 years of ministry. They live in a wonderful retirement community, Blue Springs Terrace, for retired United Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ Ministers in Blue Springs, Mo. 42

Summer 2020

TIM THOMPSON ’72 is the Director of Human Resources for Unimetal Surface Finishing in Thomaston, Conn. He lives with his wife, Tina, in Bristol, Conn. JAY THORNTON ’72 lives in Muscatine, Iowa and teaches Spanish classes for Black Hawk College in Moline, Ill. He believes his C-SC Spanish teacher, Miss Carol Jo Sandy, would be pleased. TOM BARR ’73 was inducted into the Missouri State University-West Plains Athletics Department Hall of Fame. Tom lives in West Plains. MARK AND REBECCA J. (WOODWORTH) SMITH ’74 recently celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary. They are both retired from Griggsville-Perry School District. Becky taught a total of 35 years at Quincy Notre Dame, John Wood Community College & Griggsville-Perry at various grade levels in high school, middle school, and college. Mark worked 31 years at the Perry Building. They live in Pittsfield, Ill., and own a 160-acre farm in Pike County, Ill. JEFFERY SENTS ’75 is preparing for a major art exhibition in Birmingham, Ala. Jeffrey was seriously injured in the service with a brain injury and has not been able to paint until recently. With therapy received through the Veterans Administration, Jeffrey is now able to paint again. His exhibition is in memory of artists John Schleter and Grant Kenner. JUDY (SHAUB) PETERS ’76 has retired from Blue Cross/Blue Shield. She lives in Springfield, Ill. RICHARD ROGERS ’78 retired from being an instructor at Boeing and Wichita Area Technical College. He lives with his wife, Kathy, and their four youngest children in Wichita, Kan. Kathy works for Rose Hill Kansas School District. Their other children live in New Jersey and Kentucky. JILL ARNOLD BLICKHAN ’79 accepted a newly created position of Talent Maker with Adams Telephone Co-Operative/ Adams Fiber in January. She is focused on creating, implementing, and monitoring

a plan that builds and leads to a pipeline of potential employees. Additionally, she is working to coordinate, design, and implement initiatives that assist in bringing training and improving skill sets of current employees. Jill most recently served as President & CEO of the Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois & Northeast Missouri where, under her leadership, assets grew from $500,000 to $40,000,000 and annual grantmaking from $50,000 to more than $1.2 million.

1980s

ELIZABETH GOCKEL-BLESSING ’82 and her husband, Robert, live in High Ridge, Mo. where Elizabeth serves as the Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs in the Doisy College of Health Sciences at Saint Louis University. BRENT BONDURANT ’85 retired from public education after 29 years. He is currently employed by Pepsi Cola Memphis Bottling Company in Memphis Mo. where he resides with his family. DOUG MOSLEY ’85 and his wife, Wendy, live in Boca Raton, Fla. where he is works for The Walt Disney Co./ESPN as executive director of the Boca Raton Bowl. Doug and Wendy were married Jan. 1, 2020. NORA (HAYES) SPRENGER ’88 retired from State Technical College of Missouri, Mathematics Department as of Jan. 1, 2020. Nora lives with her husband, Steven, near Jefferson City, Mo. LORI WAGNER ’88 is celebrating 15 years at Kerber, Eck and Braeckel CPA Firm in Springfield, Ill. where she resides. She enjoys music, golf, bowling and dog sitting.

1990s

SHELLY (LEWIS) CONNER ’93 enjoys working with families adopting children internationally with Madison Adoption Associates. She also loves watching her daughters Abbey (age 19) at C-SC, Grace (age 16) and Mia (age 11) play soccer. MISSIE (MILLS) TYSON ’93 is selfemployed as a CNA/Hospice Aide in St. Louis, Mo. where she resides.

| CLASS NOTES |

SCOTT BELGER ’95 was recently inducted into the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He had previously been named Iowa Coach of the year in 2014 and 2015. He spent the most successful years of his coaching career in the Des Moines Metro Conference. He resides with his family in Des Moines, Iowa. HEATHER (ELLIS) MCNAMEE ’98 recently moved back to St. Louis from Grants, N.M. and accepted a position as Financial Controller for Courion in St. Louis. She lives in Manchester, Mo. with her children, Rylie and Alex. MINDY PRENGER ’98 has been named Boy’s Swimming Coach at Hannibal High School in Hannibal, Mo. She has taught in the Hannibal District for 15 years.

BETSY FAIR ’68 traveled to Zimbabwe last December to the IGANYANA Tented Camp in Hwange National Park.

ANNITA (LANE) BEST ’86 recently began work as a caseworker for North Carolina Congressman Dr. Greg Murphy, where she serves as a liaison for constituents in Onslow and Jones counties. Annita and her husband, Henry, live in Emerald Isle, N.C.

RICK DUPLISSIE ’99 has been named manager of the new Kirkwood Performing Arts Center in Kirkwood, Mo. It is scheduled to be opened in 2020.

2000s

BOB GALLOWAY ’07 has shaped the minds of 6th graders, junior high, senior high, junior college and college students for 40 years. He served as a juvenile probation officer and social worker for 26 years and has retired three times. Bob and his wife, Sharon, live in Keosauqua, Iowa.

2010s

ADAM GUNTERMAN ’12 has been named the head football coach for South Shelby High School in Shelbina, Mo. JOSE SALAS ’12 is the strength and conditioning coach for the Clearwater Threshers, a minor league baseball team in Clearwater, Fla. GAVIN SCHAAR ’12 is a regulation manager for the Michigan Liquor Control Commission for the State of Michigan. He lives with his wife, Amanda, and their daughter in Kent City, Mich. JOSH MCGHEE ’13 was awarded the Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship for 2020. Josh is an investigative

VIRGINIA CARLSON ’68 lives in Nashville, Tenn.

LISA (KULT) WRIGHT ’93 passed away Mar. 5, 2020. She met her husband, Jimmy Wright ’92, during her freshman year at C-SC. She majored in Accounting and Computer Science and passed the CPA exam. She owned a very successful CPA firm in Columbia, Mo. All but the last five years she worked from home while homeschooling their five girls. She loved coaching high school volleyball and watching her daughters play basketball. Her favorite memories from C-SC were walks from campus to the park and along the river with Jimmy. One of the first things Lisa and Jimmy did together on campus was to slide down the concourse on lunch trays.

BRENT ENGEL ’85 published his fifth history book, “They Call Us Pikers,” in December, 2019, and is working on a sixth planned for release in 2020. After 14 years in print and broadcast journalism, Brent has worked for 20 years as public relations officer for the North East Community Action Corporation, a social service agency covering 12 Missouri counties.

DYLAN GAULDIN ’14 was awarded The Institute for Supply Management® 30 Under 30 Rising Supply Chain Stars recognition to honor global emerging leaders across various industries and supply management disciplines. Dylan lives in Charleston, S.C. where he works with contract strategy and risk management for The Boeing Company. culver.edu

43

| CLASS NOTES | reporter for The Chicago Reporter covering criminal justice, labor, politics, culture and the legalization of cannabis in Illinois. In 2016, his “Chicago Homeless Get Left Behind” series was awarded Best Feature Series at the Peter Lisagor Awards. KIM (ARMSTRONG) NOVOTNY ’13, MBA ’19 is controller for Metro Imaging, LLC in Saint Louis, Mo. where she lives with her husband, Brandon, and son Benjamin. RYAN BUCHLER ’14 lives in Livonia, Mich. where he is a CPA in the Corporate Leadership Development Program for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). DYLAN GREEN ’14 is a Career Advisor at Daytona State College in Orlando, Fla. He lives with his wife, Erica (Fields) Green ’17 and their daughter, Penelope, in Titusville, Fla. Erica is an Administrative Health Coordinator for Integrative Physical Medicine. AMANDA BROWN ’18 is the Administrative Assistant at the Quincy Art Center and Beaux Arts Coordinator. She is engaged and will be married in Sept. 2020. She lives in Quincy, Ill. E.J. MCPIKE ’18 graduated from the Law Enforcement Training Institute in Columbia Mo. He completed the Pathway to Law Enforcement program through the Lincoln County Sherriff’s Office in Lincoln County, Mo.

WEDDINGS RICHARD ’15 AND BRITTNEY (MCMAHON) BALEK ’16 were

married Nov. 1, 2019. Dylan Donovan ’16, Kelsie Schlager ’16, Stephanie Adelmann ’17, Gabriel Sanford ’16, Ricky Meyers ’15, Evan Leake ’17, Kegan Sill ’15 and Zachery Glen ’14 were in the wedding party. Richard and Brittney live in St. Louis, Mo.

44

Summer 2020

Anny (Nguyen) and Brandon Chesser

Connor and Avry (Gildehaus) Brown

Alex and Jessica (Deters) Gaudian

BRANDON AND ANNY (NGUYEN) ’14 CHESSER were married March 22 in

Jackson, Mo.

ARIEL ORR AND KEN MOORE ’16 were

married Mar. 27, 2020 in St. Louis, Mo. The wedding was planned for the Garden Wedding Chapel with Jared Cooney ’17 and JaQuon Johnson ’18 in the wedding party. They were able to be married however they will have a wedding celebration in August.

CASSIDY (ROGERS) ’16 AND JEFF TREADWAY were married Nov.

30, 2017. On Sept. 10, 2019 they welcomed a baby boy, Jameson. The family resides in San Clemente, Calif.

JESSICA (DETERS) ’12 AND ALEX GAUDIAN were married Sept. 21, 2019.

They reside in West Des Moines, Iowa.

ROBERT & TAYLOR (ZOLECKI) ’16 TATE were married Apr. 4, 2020. They

Robert and Taylor (Zolecki) Tate

Ken and Ariel (Orr) Moore

Brittney (McM

are living in Havre, Mont. and work as athletic trainers for Montana State University-Northern. AVRY GILDEHAUS ’20 AND CONNOR BROWN were married Oct. 5, 2019

at Now Jade in Cancun, Mexico. Her mother, LeAnn (Murphy) ’94 Moyers gave her away. The Browns live in Quincy, Ill.

LEGACIES EUGENE ’12 AND KELINA CARTER are

parents of a daughter, Aybre Ruth, born Dec. 7, 2019. She joins Wyatt (6 yrs.), Kylie (5 yrs.) and Rylan (4 yrs.). The Carter family lives in Bowling Green, Mo.

EMILY COOPER ’03 AND JONATHAN JANSKY are parents of a daughter, Bo,

born March 19, 2020. She joins big

| CLASS NOTES |

Cassidy (Rogers) and Jeff Treadway

TWO SUPER BOWLS, A STANLEY CUP AND A WORLD SERIES BEFORE THE AGE OF 30. It’s been quite a run for Abbey Kortz ’12, who is working for her fifth professional sports organization since 2013.

Mahon) and Richard Balek

brother, Cave, age 15 mos. The family resides in Hawthorn Woods, Ill. TIM AND NICOLE (ABEL) ’06 COPE

welcomed a son, Ezekiel Walter Cope on Oct. 2, 2019. He joins big brother, Oliver. The Cope family lives in Kansas City, Mo.

SCOTT ’07 AND ABIGAIL DEEN are

parents of a daughter, Lucy Mae, born Dec. 14, 2019. She joins siblings Oliver and Annie. The Deens live in Southington, Conn.

MORGAN (WILSON) ’16 AND MASON ’15 DEMOTT are parents of a son,

Hudson Curtis, born Dec. 9, 2019. They live in Flint, Mich. where Mason works for FedEx Express and Morgan works for Grand Blanc as an Assistant Administrator.

TREY FLESNER AND DANIELLE REED ’20 are the parent of a son, Lachlan

Kortz served an internship with the St. Louis Cardinals in the stadium operations department, then began full-time employments with the Florida Everblades minor league hockey team (in sales), U.S. Bank Stadium (home of the Minnesota Vikings, working with maintenance and capital improvements), the St. Louis Blues as the senior manager of building operations, and now the Kansas City Chiefs. She was with the Cardinals in 2013 when they lost in the World Series to the Boston Red Sox. She was in Minneapolis when U.S. Bank Stadium was the site of the Super Bowl in 2018. She was with the St. Louis Blues in the spring of 2019 when they made their Stanley Cup run, but she left two weeks before the team won the title to take her current position as cleaning and conversion supervisor in stadium operations with the Kansas City Chiefs. She was on the field at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami when the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. Kortz helps coordinate a 40-person staff for a wide variety of events at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Chiefs. She could be overseeing a rock concert one night and an NFL game the next. Her forte is organization, preparation and overall logistics tied to game and event management. “It’s a great opportunity, but you have to put in your time,” Kortz told The Quincy Herald-Whig in February. “I’m accepting opportunities when they come, and I’m still trying to learn and grow. One of the most rewarding things has been all of the different people I have met in this industry. I have met people from all over the world.” culver.edu

45

| CLASS NOTES |

Flesner, born Feb. 24, 2020. They reside in Quincy, Ill. SHANE AND BROOKE (LONGMEYER) ’15 GREENWOOD of Springfield, Ill.

are parents of a daughter, Brynlee Sue, born Dec. 9, 2019.

CODY AND LEANNE (CARY) ’12 JAMES are parents of a daughter, Lexi

Lou, born Nov. 22, 2019. She joins big sister, Cora Beth. The James Family resides near Brashear, Mo.

DAVID AND SUSAN (HELLIGE) ’14 JEFFRIES are parents of a son, Samuel

Henry Jeffries, born Feb. 29, 2020. He joins big brother, Benjamin. They live in Ft. Madison, Iowa.

SEAN AND STEPHANIE (ESPINO) ’12 KELLY are parents of a daughter,

Payton Nichole born Feb. 5, 2020. She joins big brother, Jack. They reside in Quincy, Ill.

STEVE ’09 AND SAMANTHA (MILES) ’09 KERR are parents of a daughter,

Isabella Grace, born Jan. 17, 2020. She joins big brother, Camden. The Kerr family lives in Palmyra, Mo.

JORDAN ’12 AND ABBY LASATER are

parents of a daughter, Joanie June, born April 5, 2020. The Lasaters live near Eolia, Mo.

DESIREE DANIELLE RICE-LUCHT ’17 AND DUSTIN SHREVE are parents

of Adalynn Jean Shreve born Jan. 20, 2020. They live in Coon Rapids, Iowa.

MICHAEL AND MINDY (SAPP) ’02 MAURER have adopted two children,

Anton and Amyia. The Maurer family lives in Rochester, Minn.

DYLAN ’14 AND JAMIE (JANNEY) ’14 MCKINNON are parents of a son,

Leighton James, born Feb. 22, 2020. The McKinnon family resides in Canton, Mo.

46

Summer 2020

EMMA (DOLBEARE) ’14 AND JONATHAN RESTER are parents of a

son, Jonathan Alexander Rester (Alex), born Dec. 2, 2019. The Resters live in Speedwell, Tenn.

DONNY AND ANNA (GRGURICH) ’11 ROSHAN are parents of a son, Remi

Edward, born Feb. 19, 2020. The Roshan family lives in Queen Creek, Ariz.

JESSE ’13 AND LEANNE SOONDRUM

are parents of a son, Malachi David Lee Soondrum, born Feb. 11, 2020. The Soondrum family resides in Palmyra, Mo.

PETE ’06 AND KACIE (STOUT) ’05 VAN CLEAVE are parents of a daughter, Elinor

Kelsey Van Cleave born Apr. 2, 2020. She joins siblings, Cormac and Harper. The Van Cleaves live in Mesa, Ariz.

DEAN ’88 AND ROBIN (COLLIER) ’90 WILSON became grandparents on May

9, 2020 to Madeline Therese Abbott, daughter of Katie and Anthony Abbott. Great-Grandparents are Pete ’67 and Shirley (Sanders) ’67 Collier. Mary (Collier) Saale ’93 is her aunt.

HANNAH BEAHAN AND NOAH ZAHN

are parents of a daughter, Aubryn Jene Zahn, born Jan. 27, 2020. Grandmother is Denise (Luzadder) Beahan ’89. They live in Hannibal, Mo.

Send us an update and photo of your new addition and we’ll send you a Wildcats legacy onesie!

| CLASS NOTES |

IN MEMORIAM HELEN (BRICKMAN) BRUDER ’40 Saint Paul, Minn. • Dec. 25, 2019 BETH (JENNINGS) DECKER ’44 Plano, Texas • Aug. 29, 2019 ELEANOR (BURCH) HUNT ’45 Webster Groves, Mo. • Nov. 24, 2019 MARJORIE (STORM) OUNANIAN ’45 Needham Heights, Mass. • Feb. 4, 2020 MARY SUE (MARKS) FINNEY ’46 Saint Louis, Mo. • Feb. 24, 2020 ROBERT POERTNER ’46 Sierra Vista, Ariz. • Dec. 21, 2019 J. ELAINE (HAUSNER) BOHN ’48 Daytona Beach, Fla. • Jan. 28, 2020 ROSEMARY (GOODIN) CLARK ’49 Pittsfield, Ill. • Mar. 21, 2020 V. FAYE (GOLDEN) ENSLEN ’49 Jefferson City, Mo. • Mar. 2, 2020 JACQUELINE (SCROGGINS) JOHNSON ’50 Renton, Wash. • Feb. 17, 2020 HELEN (ZIEGLER) GALLOWAY EDKINS ’51 Boerne, Texas • Jan. 10, 2020

JOSEPH ROGAN ’52 Kensington, Conn. • Aug. 14, 2019 SYLVIA (BLUE) ROBERTSON ’53 Madison, Wisc. • Nov. 6, 2019

TOP TO BOTTOM, LEFT TO RIGHT: Leighton McKinnon, Aubryn Zahn, Ezekiel Cope, Alex Rester, Payton Kelly, Brynlee Greenwood, Remi Roshan, Madeline Abbott, Joanie Lasater, Samuel Jeffries, Adalynn Shreve, Malachi Soondrum, Hudson DeMott, Lachlan Flesner, Lexi James, Bo Jansky, Isabella Kerr, Anton & Amyia Maurer, Elinor VanCleave, Aybre Carter, Lucy Deen

PATRICIA (HARDIN) CARTWRIGHT ’56 Morristown, Tenn. • Feb. 28, 2020 JAMES CREELMAN ’56 Duarte, Calif. • Nov. 10, 2019 ROBERT MEYER ’56 Canton, Mo. • Apr. 3, 2020 LESLIE BRENDLE ’59 Kernersville, N.C. • Dec. 11, 2019

culver.edu

47

| CLASS NOTES | NANCY (BATTLES) RAYL ’59 Quincy, Ill. • Apr. 20, 2020

JAMES BOGENER ’69 Kahoka, Mo. • Apr. 6, 2020

MARCIA (MORGAN) SYKES ’83 Terlingua, Texas • Mar. 16, 2020

ROBERT COOK ’60 Belleville, Ill. • Feb. 22, 2020

CAROL (BARR) RIPPE ’69 Sabetha, Kan. • Dec. 30, 2019

LISA (KULT) WRIGHT ’93 Columbia, Mo. • Mar. 15, 2020

THOMAS SPOERNER ’60 Muncie, Ind. • Mar. 20, 2020

TIMOTHY YOUNG ’69 Gill, Mass. • Dec. 12, 2019

KASEY (AUGSPURG) HESS ’09 Palmyra, Mo. • Dec. 25, 2019

THEODORE DIDESCH ’63 Olympia Fields, Ill. • Dec. 9, 2019

JAMES FOX ’71 Williamson, N.Y. • Dec. 19, 2019

KEELEY (STRANGE) HARSELL ’19 Edina, Mo. • Mar. 30, 2020

WILLIAM WALKER ’65 LaGrange Park, Ill. • Nov. 10, 2019

REVE’ (GNUSE) BUTLER ’72 Overland Park, Kan. • Jan. 18, 2020

FORMER STAFF

ROBERT HARROUN ’66 Glenview, Ill. • Apr. 19, 2020

DANIAL BAKER ’74 Ponca City, Okla. • Apr. 22, 2020

GARY JACKSON ’67 Canton, Ga. • Jan. 11, 2020

MICHAEL FLYNN ’75 Greenfield, Ind. • Jan. 5, 2020

MILO MARR ’68 Hopewell, Va. • Oct. 22, 2019

PHILLIP GLASGOW ’82 Raytown, Mo. • Mar. 23, 2020

BRIAN RITZENTHALER ’68 Camp Verde, Ariz. • Nov. 28, 2019

WILLIAM CRAMER ’83 Clymer, Pa. • Nov. 29, 2019

New pursuits? Share your milestones, experiences, travels and tales in the next magazine. Submit a class note for the next issue of the Chronicle. Photo submissions are welcome, but please make sure to ID everyone left to right.

culver.edu > Alumni > Class Notes 48

Summer 2020

THE CHRONICLE IS AVAILABLE ON

ISSUU DOWNLOAD THE APP FOR ANDROID OR APPLE

LEE ECHTERNKAMP Canton, Mo. • Apr. 2, 2020 BETTY MCBRIDE Monmouth, Ill. • Apr. 12, 2020

TRUSTEES

DEAN PHILLIPS ’54 Quincy, Ill. • Mar. 31, 2020 ROBERT STONE ’71 Hoffman Estates, Ill. • Mar. 5, 2020

KNOW A STUDENT WHO WOULD BE PERFECT FOR CULVER-STOCKTON? SEND US A REFERRAL! Did you know that you have the ability to influence the culture and community of Culver-Stockton College? It happens every time you refer a potential student to our college. If you know a high school student that you think would be a great fit at C-SC, let us know. We value your opinion and take every referral seriously. The friends and alumni of C-SC are our very best ambassadors as we recruit future generations of Wildcats. Fill out the referral form on our website at culver.edu/alumni/resources/ refer-a-student/

Culver-Stockton College One College Hill Canton, MO 63435 800-755-CATS advancement@culver.edu

SAVE THE DATE ROARING 20s

HOMECOMING 2020

OCTOBER 23-25, 2020