THE MAGAZINE OF ELMHURST COLLEGE
BUEN CAMINO Finding our way along Spain’s historic Camino de Santiago
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The Magazine of Elmhurst College
Fall 2018 volume
1,
number
1
F E AT U R E S
22
28
34
Students and faculty explore history, faith and culture on Spain’s historic Camino de Santiago.
Amid rising rates of online harassment, April Edwards’ research on cyberbullying is more urgent than ever.
Today’s nurses are leaders — and Elmhurst is preparing student nurses to fill those roles.
Buen Camino
D E PA R T M E N T S
To Catch a Cyberbully
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The New Face of Nursing
I N T H E CLASS ROOM
The Psychology of Happiness
3 P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S AG E 6 CAMPUS NEWS
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B E YON D T H E CLASS ROOM
39 ALUMNI NEWS
Tyler Turner’s Hoop Dream
4 3 C L A S S N OT E S
Suellen Rocca’s Big, Hairy Who Splash
4 8 M Y C A R E E R PAT H
James McCluskey, a Friend of the Court
18 Read the magazine online at elmhurst.edu/prospect.
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S P O RTS S P OT L I G H T
Jordan Bartolazzi Sets the Pace A RTS S P OT L I G H T
The Mill Theatre at 50
The Magazine of Elmhurst College
Fall 2018 volume
1, number 1
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Jonathan Shearer EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Desiree Chen CREATIVE DIRECTION & DESIGN
Laura Ress Design CONTENT STRATEGY
Margaret Currie CONTRIBUTORS
Judith Crown, Lauren Galvin, Andrew Santella, Barbara Sedlack PHOTOGRAPHY
Daniel Archundia, Both/And Pictures, Mark Campbell Photography, Bob Coscarelli, Getty Images, Roark Johnson, Yuma Nakada, TrueLee Photography, Steve Woltmann Photography PHOTO COORDINATOR
Lauren Altiery
A N E W P RO S P E C T Welcome to Prospect, the new magazine of Elmhurst College. We’ve redesigned and expanded our flagship publication to better capture the spirit of the College, and we’ve renamed it to honor a legacy publication. The original Prospect magazine at Elmhurst, introduced in the winter of 2000, ushered in a new era of alumni communications at the College. Today, we’re honoring that history and looking forward to a bright future.
ILLUSTRATION
Andrew Banks, Adam Hayes, Stéphane Poirier CONNECT WITH US
We welcome your comments! Contact us by emailing marketing@ elmhurst.edu or read Prospect online at elmhurst.edu/prospect. Prospect is published twice a year by the Office of Communications and Public Affairs. Elmhurst College 190 Prospect Ave. Elmhurst, Illinois 60126 © 2018 Elmhurst College All rights reserved.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
A DYNAMIC FUTURE, A TREASURED PAST
It’s an exciting time for Elmhurst College. Equipped with a new Strategic Plan, a strong financial base and an energized, collaborative community, we are building confidently toward our 150th anniversary in 2021.
Yet while this is a time to envision a dynamic future, 150 years also reminds us how much there is to celebrate in our rich, proud past. Those dual ideas come together beautifully in the pages of Prospect, our reimagined magazine for the whole College community. I am delighted to introduce you to its inviting new look and historic name. The redesigned magazine reflects the character of the College while extending its reach to a broader audience by highlighting how our faculty, students and alumni engage with the world. Stories in this issue illustrate their impact through computer science research, achievements in the visual and performing arts, and much more. I hope Prospect will be one more thing to entice you to stay in touch and get involved with the College. Come out and see us when we come to your neck of the woods during the President’s Road Trip. I look forward to meeting you then.
TROY D. VANAKEN
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IN THE
CLASSROOM
IN (RE)SEARCH OF HAPPINESS
THE CLASS
The Psychology of Happiness
THE PROFESSOR
THE ROLE OF MONEY
Liz Majka ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY
The happiness class is a capstone course for psychology majors, and the primary goal is for students to write their own literature review on a topic of their choosing. Happiness applies to a lot of different areas of study, so students can easily connect it to something that interests them personally for their final paper.
People assume that the more money they have, the happier they’ll be—but it turns out that above $75,000, the impact of money depends on what we spend it on: spending on experiences instead of things; spending on others versus on yourself; making things a treat. I have the students research those topics and lead class discussions about different principles.
THE EMPIRICAL APPROACH
What does it mean to be happy? What role do life circumstances play? And what does science tell us about how we can boost our sense of well-being? Students in Liz Majka’s capstone course dig into the research—and make some surprising discoveries.
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Happiness is a hot topic in a lot of fields, but this class looks at it from a social psychology perspective. We take an empirical approach: We all think we know what makes us happy, but what does the evidence say? What interventions actually work? We start the course by reading the key research about what makes people flourish.
APP-IFY YOUR HAPPINESS
HAPPINESS WITH INTENT
THE UPSHOT
Research tells us that 50 percent of happiness is genetics, and 10 percent is life circumstances like where you live and what you do. The remaining 40 percent is intentional activities like expressing gratitude or being kind to others. So in the next part of the course, we focus on how people can increase their happiness by engaging in intentional activities.
One big takeaway for students in this class is that 40 percent of our happiness is within our control. They learn that getting into grad school or moving to California does not ensure happiness, because we adapt to our new circumstances. So by the end of the course, students are starting to think about the intentional activities they can engage in to increase their own happiness.
Toward the end of the course, the students choose a happiness app and use it for a couple of weeks. Then they analyze it: What was the app trying to do? Did it succeed? How does it measure happiness? Some of the apps are actually very good, and the students can see how they use principles from psychology.
THE STUDENT VIEW
“This course was a huge eye opener for me. I was surprised to learn how much control we have over our happiness—and how much of what we do to increase our happiness doesn’t actually make us happy! You might think your daily trip to Starbucks makes your day better, but it doesn’t, because it becomes an everyday thing. If you go every Tuesday and Thursday, though, then it makes you happy because it’s a treat. Now I only go to Starbucks when it’s Happy Hour.” — MORGAN RICHARDS ‘18 PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR
Research indicates that we can boost our happiness through intentional activities such as practicing gratitude, building community, setting meaningful goals, taking care of our health, and living in the present.
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CAMPUS
NEWS
SPEAKER
Q&A CAMPUS TREES ���
Giuliana and Bill Rancic visited Elmhurst on Oct. 25 to talk about the breast cancer diagnosis that changed their lives.
In advance of their appearance before a crowd of more than 700, the E! News host and her entrepreneur husband chatted with Prospect about college memories, taking your health seriously and Chicago’s best pie.
What do you want people to take away from your talks?
G: I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 36, with no family history of it, and perfectly healthy. I was fortunate enough to find it early, and now I’m blessed to be seven years cancer free. I want people to think, if it can happen to her, it can happen to me, and to take their health seriously.
B: When you transition to college, you enter adulthood, so for me, it was experiencing this freedom, and being proud of what I was able to accomplish. What would you tell your college self now?
G: Keep a journal. I wish I had kept a journal that I could reference and remember all those great moments. B: Enjoy the moment more. And learn from failure. My parents instilled in me that it was OK to have failures, but it was never OK not to try. What’s your favorite Chicago restaurant,
Planted in 1968, a Dawn redwood grows just north of the Schaible Science Center. It’s a “living fossil” species that dates back 100 million years, though it was believed to be extinct until 1941, when it was rediscovered in its native China. It looks like an evergreen but drops its feathery leaves each fall.
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other than your own (RPM Italian and RPM Steak)? What’s your favorite memory from your college years?
G: In college I studied journalism and it opened up the world to me. I thought, wow, I can make a career out of something I genuinely love. That was the biggest highlight, discovering and nurturing that passion.
G&B: Summer House for brunch, Joe’s Stone Crab for desserts—they have some of the best pie in the city. And Intelligentsia and La Colombe for coffee. What makes you proud to be Chicagoans?
B: The people, plain and simple. Great people, great work ethic. Chicago’s like no other city in the world as far as people. G: Yes. You can count on your Chicago friends.
HASHTAG
HIGHLIGHTS
Join the conversation! Follow us on social media for the latest from the Elmhurst College community. Meanwhile, enjoy these recent highlights.
BY THE
NUMBERS Elmhurst College is celebrating the largest enrollment of new students in College history—again. TOTAL NUMBER OF NEW STUDENTS
1,225 @elmhurstcollege We are loving this view of the Alumni Fountain!
@ElmhurstCollege Elmhurst College has its own playing piece in the just-released board game, “Elmhurst-Opoly!” Wanna play? Get your own game at http://bit.ly/2B0y22T
LAST TIME THE COLLEGE HAD HISTORIC ENROLLMENTS
2017 MOST MILES FROM HOME (PHILIPPINES)
8,119 FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS RECEIVING FINANCIAL AID @elmhurst.alumni Kimberly Gomes ’18, winner of the Windy City Smokeout meet and greet raffle at the Senior Sendoff event, with Brett Eldredge ’08 backstage before Brett’s performance at the festival.
TWO WEB WINS
@SimonaLorena Where it all began. #metandengaged #simonaandzach
100% HIGH SCHOOLS REPRESENTED
Elmhurst College has won two prestigious international awards for its redesigned website. Launched in late 2017, the site received silver awards in the W³ Awards competition, which celebrates digital work across a variety of media and industries; and the Davey Awards, which honor the creative achievements of smaller agencies. Read more at elmhurst.edu/webawards.
257 BROWNIES SERVED ON FIRST DAY OF ORIENTATION
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CAMPUS
NEWS
WIN NING
HIGH MARKS
A FIL M FOR
REINHOLD NIEBUHR On Sept. 24, the Elmhurst College Niebuhr Book Group hosted a screening of the award-winning documentary An American Conscience: The Reinhold Niebuhr Story. The film explores the impact of theologian and Elmhurst College alumnus Reinhold Niebuhr on presidents, civil rights leaders and others during some of the most volatile periods of the 20th century.
Elmhurst College continues to rank as one of the best colleges in Illinois and the Midwest for academic excellence, educational value and other factors. U.S. News & World Report ranks Elmhurst among the top 20 colleges and universities in the Midwest in four categories: Best Regional Universities, Best Value Schools, Best Colleges for Veterans and Best Undergraduate Teaching. Money magazine puts Elmhurst among the top schools in Illinois for value and postgraduation outcomes.
A 1910 graduate of Elmhurst College, Niebuhr was the author of the Serenity Prayer. He had a profound influence on such leaders as Martin Luther King Jr., Jimmy Carter, Andrew Young, John McCain and Barack Obama.
Elmhurst ranks among the top 14 schools in Illinois in Forbes magazine’s
Produced by Journey Films, Inc., the film won the 2018 Wilbur Award, given by the Religion Communicators Council, for the Best Feature-Length Work in Television & Cable.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. — R EI N HOL D N IEBU H R “Niebuhr was the great public theologian of the 20th century,” filmmaker Martin Doblmeier said after winning the award. “He brought a critical voice deeply rooted in faith and history to the social and political issues of his day. He became widely celebrated because he spoke in a way that appealed to both religious and nonreligious people alike. We could use a Reinhold Niebuhr today.” THE FILM, WHICH AIRED ON PBS IN THE SPRING OF 2017, IS AVAILABLE ON ITUNES AND AMAZON.
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America’s Top Colleges 2018 list, which looks at how well colleges prepare students for life after college. The College ranks at No. 13 in Niche. com’s 2019 Best Value Colleges in Illinois, which examines affordability and return on investment. One hundred percent of Elmhurst students responding to an online poll at Niche.com expressed confidence in their ability to find a job in their field after graduation.
CELEBR ATING THE LIFE OF
IVAN FRICK COMMUN I TY PA RTN ER S
HOME FIELD A DVA N TAGE
As president of Elmhurst College from 1971 to 1994, Ivan E. Frick advanced the College’s excellent academic reputation, restored its financial equilibrium and built a strong sense of campus community. The College’s 11th president passed away at the age of 90 on Aug. 25 in Lancaster, Pa. A memorial service in celebration of his life was held on Oct. 13 at St. Peter’s United Church of Christ in Elmhurst. During his presidency, Frick successfully led the College through a challenging financial era for higher education. Under his watch, the College achieved 22 years of balanced budgets, grew its endowment 46-fold, built two new buildings and renovated seven more. “Ivan Frick was a conscientious steward for the College,” said current President Troy D. VanAken. “He helped to secure the College’s future and enhance our community, and we will always be grateful.” Frick and his wife, Ruth, who were married for more than 64 years, fostered a strong sense of community on campus, as well as off. Upon Frick’s retirement, the student union was renamed the Frick Center in honor of their leadership. Professor Eugene Losey, who has taught chemistry and biochemistry at Elmhurst since 1977, recalled the welcoming sense of community the Fricks created. “Many people will tell you that they stay at Elmhurst College because of the people,” he said. “You really felt like you belonged.”
Thanks to a partnership between Elmhurst College and the Elmhurst Park District, College athletes have enjoyed the use of the city’s Berens Park turf fields since 2008. This summer, the partners renovated the fields to ensure that soccer, football and lacrosse players from both the community and the College can continue to enjoy these fields for decades to come.
Memorial gifts may be made to the Frick Endowed Book Fund of Elmhurst College. Please visit elmhurst.edu/give and, under “Area of Support,” select “Frick Endowed Book Fund.” FA L L 2 0 1 8
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CAMPUS
NEWS EN VISIONING
REAL BLUEJAYS WEAR
PINK
Sporting pink hats, pink t-shirts and even pink suits, the Elmhurst College community observed Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October with Real Bluejays Wear Pink, a campuswide campaign to raise awareness and funds in support of breast cancer research. Activities ranged from a Pink Pumpkin
OUR CAMPUS
As part of a comprehensive effort to update its campus master plan, Elmhurst College is inviting input from the entire campus community. Elmhurst’s plan was last updated in 2007, before the Great Recession. “It’s time to take a look at the campus through a 2018 lens, understanding how the world has changed, how students’ needs have changed, and where our priorities need to be,” said Mike Emerson, executive director of facilities management. The new master plan will support the campus infrastructure pillar of the Elmhurst College 2021 Strategic Plan by considering academic, recreational and parking needs, including a prioritized list of deferred maintenance and new projects.
Party and pink-themed sports games to the Campuswide Pink-Out, which invited students, faculty and staff to form a human pink ribbon on the Mall. The campaign was led by President Troy D. VanAken and Vice President for Student Affairs Phil Riordan. President VanAken was one of more than 20 executives and local leaders invited to participate in DuPage County Real Men Wear Pink, which highlighted the role of men—as caregivers, sons, fathers, brothers, husbands, as well as patients—in the fight against breast cancer.
Learn more at elmhurst.edu/pinkonprospect.
The planning team, which is led by Emerson and includes members of the Ayers Saint Gross architectural firm, will host listening workshops with the campus community through Fall Term. The team hopes to build on ideas that emerged during the employee retreat in August with input from students. Topics will include academic environments, parking and transportation, open space, sustainability, athletics and recreation, performing arts, and student life. The final plan will be both action-oriented and visionary, Emerson said, identifying areas of short-term need as well as a long-term vision. The team hopes to share a final draft of the plan with the Board of Trustees in March of 2019.
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AN HONOR FOR
MARK COLBY
Mark Colby has performed and worked with a who’s who of musicians and bands, including: Sammy Davis Jr. Tony Bennett Dr. John Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones Wilson Pickett The Bee Gees Maynard Ferguson Frank Sinatra Sarah Vaughan Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Elmhurst College music faculty member Mark Colby has won the 2018 Centerstage Lifetime Achievement Award. Presented by Conn-Selmer, a leading manufacturer and distributor of musical instruments, the award recognizes Colby’s extensive service in music education and performance. A renowned saxophonist, Colby has played and recorded with the country’s most prominent names in jazz, pop and classical music, from Frank Sinatra to the Bee Gees to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He joined Elmhurst College in 1998, and is the coordinator of jazz combos and a jazz saxophone instructor. “This award validates my commitment to music and jazz education,” Colby said.
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Miami Symphony Orchestra
“What Mark is able to accomplish with his students is simply magical,” said Peter Griffin, chair of the music department. “He is able to communicate and share his craft in ways that make our students some of the most accomplished jazz saxophonists anywhere.” Colby performs regularly in Chicago clubs, including the Jazz Showcase and Catch 35. In October, he was a featured performer in the World Music Festival at Elmhurst College.
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BEYOND T H E C L A S S RO O M
STUDENTS
HOOP DREAMS Bluejays basketball forward Tyler Turner ’19 dreams of a career as a scout for a professional basketball team or a big-time college program. So last summer, he was thrilled to land an internship with the Houston Rockets that gave him a taste of what it would be like to work for an NBA franchise—a top-tier one, no less. Turner began his internship in May, when the Rockets were still in the playoffs. He handled a range of tasks, from leading tours of Toyota Center in downtown Houston to setting up for the team’s youth basketball camp. He even had the opportunity to evaluate players during a summer league for prospects, watching live action as well as film, and focusing on particular skills such as shooting, rebounding and passing.
“You see a lot of talent,” Turner said. “The scouting at that level is amazing.” Turner knows competition is tough for scouting jobs with NBA teams and leading college programs. After he graduates in May, he plans to polish
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An internship with the Houston Rockets offers a taste of the big time.
his credentials by pursuing a master’s degree in sports administration or sports management. “That could open doors to other sports, other teams,” he said. A Chicago native, Turner played basketball in high school at Kenwood Academy on the city’s South Side, and transferred to Elmhurst as a sophomore. “Tyler has flourished at Elmhurst,” said head basketball coach John Baines. “He’s made key rebounds and is a good defender.” Scouting is a demanding business, Baines noted. Superstars are easy to spot, but the next level down, where players’ abilities and character are less obvious, is more difficult. “But Tyler is intuitive,” the coach said. “When we’re on the road, he asks me what I think of the skills of a pro player such as Steph Curry” [the star point guard of the Golden State Warriors]. Turner is confident of his ability. “You need tenure, credibility and a good understanding of the game,” he said. “Basketball is one thing I really know.”
BEYOND T H E C L A S S RO O M
FACULTY Suellen Rocca makes a big, Hairy splash at the Art Institute.
ART HISTORY
Elmhurst College art curator Suellen Rocca started taking drawing classes at the Art Institute of Chicago at the age of 8. Surrounded by many of the world’s best-known works of art, she dreamed that someday one of her own paintings might hang on the walls.
The Art Institute’s recent acquisition of her painting is one in a flurry of milestones for Rocca and the other five members of the Hairy Who, the groundbreaking artist group founded in the 1960s. The Art Institute is presenting the first major historic exhibition on the Hairy Who, and several pieces from the Elmhurst College Art Collection have traveled recently to exhibitions at the Elmhurst Art Museum and around the world. In December, the College will host a daylong symposium on the Chicago Imagists, which include the Hairy Who. Rocca is deeply gratified that the Art Institute considers the Hairy Who important enough to “place it in the history of art” with its own show. The show and the museum’s purchase of her painting “are wonderful, a dream come true.”
For more on Suellen Rocca, the Hairy Who and the Elmhurst College Art Collection, visit elmhurst.edu/artcollection.
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ARCHIVAL PHOTO BY BOB KOTALIK, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, COURTESY PENTIMENTI PRODUCTIONS
Today, her painting Bare Shouldered Beauty and the Pink Creature is on display in the Art Institute’s Modern Wing. “It’s next to a David Hockney!” she exclaims.
LEFT:
Rocca in 1967 with her painting Curly Head. ABOVE:
Rocca with pieces from the Elmhurst College Art Collection, on view at the Elmhurst Art Museum.
BEYOND T H E C L A S S RO O M
ALUMNI
FRIEND OF THE COURT Throughout his nearly 40 years of practicing law, James McCluskey ’76 has either been mentored or has mentored others. It was a part of the culture in the law firms where he started out, and he made it a priority at Momkus McCluskey LLC, the firm he cofounded in 1991. He views showing young attorneys how to succeed as best practice, good business and just the right thing to do. His first experience with that kind of personalized teaching and learning was as a student at Elmhurst College. “They had a hands-on approach, with professors who knew you and were very open to one-on-one discussions,” he said.
“Elmhurst gave me the best individualized instruction of any institution I’ve ever attended.” Over the summer McCluskey left his law firm, which he and co-founder Ed Momkus ’74 (chair of the Elmhurst College Board of Trustees) built into 16
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Attorney James McCluskey adds new roles to an impressive career docket.
one of the largest in DuPage County, to assume two new roles: president of the Illinois State Bar Association, and associate judge of Illinois’ 18th Judicial Circuit. McCluskey has brought his belief in professional development and support to the state bar association, rolling out plans for attorney education programs on running a business, managing finances and preparing for retirement; and wellness programs to help members address stress, mental health issues and substance abuse. He believes his initiatives will help the state’s lawyers take better care of themselves and their practices, which will enable them to better serve their clients. McCluskey also has made a successful transition to the bench. “I accomplished what I wanted to in the practice of law, but wanted to stay involved,” he said. “My work now is still about the law, but it’s something new, something different.”
SPORTS SPOTLIGHT
SETTING THE PACE Coach Jordan Bartolazzi ignites the women’s cross-country team.
During the winter of 2017, Jordan Bartolazzi ’15 was working as a senior admission counselor in the Elmhurst College Office of Admission, coordinating with the College’s head coaches to recruit student athletes. An organizational communication major at Elmhurst, Bartolazzi planned to continue his career in higher education admission or student affairs. But then he found out that there was an opening for head coach of the College’s languishing cross-country and track and field programs for women—and he was intrigued. He had run cross-country and track at his downstate Illinois high school and at Elmhurst, specializing in middle-distance races. “I was always a sports guy and interested in leadership,” he said. “I thought I could have fun with it and turn the program around.” Eighteen months later, the program’s transformation is dramatic. For the first time, the team cracked the weekly regional rankings published by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Two runners set school records. The students Bartolazzi recruited in 2017 have become seasoned sophomores, and the roster has swelled to 19 from six.
Bartolazzi credits recruiting for the program’s transformation. He set his sights on the Chicago suburbs and communities in Michigan and Wisconsin that were just a few hours away. The pitch: You can make a difference as a first-year student—you’ll have the opportunity to run meaningful races. Sophomore Elita Spadlowski said she was amazed by how much she’s improved her time for three miles. At Glenbard North High School in Carol Stream, she ran a three-mile race in 20 minutes. As a first-year student, she ran in the 19-minute range, and she recently clocked 18:45.
“Coach Bartolazzi knows what helps us and is good at pushing us, but not so much that we hate it.” — Elita Spadlowski Spadlowski, who plans to major in English and secondary education, said her teammates are her closest friends. “We go to the library together,” she said. “If I don’t do well in a race, they’re there for me.”
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ARTS SPOTLIGHT
From its home in a converted sawmill, Elmhurst’s theatre troupe has tackled contemporary topics and classic musicals for half a century.
THE MILL AT ��
Over the years, the Mill has hosted a broad array of productions, from classic plays and Broadway musicals to contemporary dramas and children’s theatre. Here are a few highlights from the Mill’s first 50 years. B ROA DWAY CON N E CT I ON S
In the 1960s, Elmhurst College theatre productions shared space with athletics in the College gym. But then in 1967 the College acquired the Hammerschmidt Lumber Company, which included several old buildings on Walter Street. One was converted to house the main stage, and the modern era of theatre at Elmhurst College began.
In 1975, the Mill presented A Raisin in the Sun, a drama about a black family living on Chicago’s South Side during the 1950s. A highlight of the show was the appearance of renowned actress Claudia McNeil in the role of Mama— a part she premiered on Broadway in 1959. Charles Schmidt, who directed the Elmhurst production, tapped into his theatre network to bring McNeil to Elmhurst, according to Alan Weiger ’72, chair of the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences.
T W E L F T H N I G HT
A RAISIN IN THE SUN
GODS P E L L
C E L E B RAT I ON
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’75
’77
’78
Students perform Days of Possibilities in 2012.
S E T I N C H IC AGO
Chicago connections surfaced in the 1991 production of the musical Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?, directed by Weiger. Based on a 1975 novel by Chicago writer John R. Powers, the musical focuses on the experiences of a group of Catholic school students in 1950s Chicago. Powers attended a performance and spoke about the origins of the play, Weiger recalled. A L AST ING T RIBU TE
The 2009 production of Carousel was bittersweet because it was the last production directed by Kristin Spangler, a popular theatre professor who died of breast cancer not long after the production wrapped up. The Rogers and Hammerstein classic is about a ne’er-do-well carnival barker
DO BLACK PATENT LEATHER SHOES REALLY REFLECT UP?
GUYS AND DOLLS
’91
’94
who is given a chance to make things right. “She chose a play about death and redemption to be her last thoughts in the theatre,” said Assistant Professor Richard Arnold. An endowed scholarship was established in Spangler’s memory. RE T URN OF T H E 1960 S
One of Weiger’s recent favorites was the 2012 production of Days of Possibilities, a chronicle of life at a small Midwestern college campus during the social upheavals of the 1960s. “It was meaningful to me because I came of age in the ’60s,” he said. The ’60s also enabled a small Midwestern college to dedicate a building to theatre, and to present winning shows for the next 50 years.
CAROUSEL
’09
METAMORPHOSIS
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BUEN CAMINO
Each year, Elmhurst students take on the “beautiful challenge” of walking Spain’s ancient pilgrimage path, the Camino de Santiago.
BY ANDREW SANTELLA PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIEL ARCHUNDIA
Beatriz Gómez-Acuña sees it happen year after year. Each June, she and her Elmhurst colleague Mick Savage lead Elmhurst students on a trek along the Camino de Santiago, the ancient, rugged pilgrimage path through northern Spain. And each year, the long, punishing walks through the mountain passes and meadows of Galicia work a change on students.
“By the end of that trip, they have grown. It’s a dramatic and visible change,” said Gómez-Acuña, associate professor and chair of the College’s Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures. The trip is part of a three-week-long travel course called Walking the Camino de Santiago: An Intellectual, Physical and Spiritual Journey. The course grew out of a First-Year Seminar led by Gómez-Acuña and Savage, a professor of kinesiology, that examined the history, art and culture of the Camino and other pilgrimages from the world’s religious traditions. “Pilgrimage is a natural topic for college students, because the college years are in many ways all about finding a path,” Gómez-Acuña said. Some of the students who learned about the Camino in those seminars expressed an interest in walking the path themselves. The professors have been leading annual student trips to Spain ever since. 22
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BUEN CAMINO
“All travel can be transformational, but there is something different about this trip,” Gómez-Acuña said. “The kinds of meaning that students find on the Camino—that doesn’t happen in every study-abroad course.” The Camino originated in medieval penitential devotions, when Catholic pilgrims would walk hundreds of miles to pray at the shrine of St. James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in northwest Spain. The ancient tradition is now carried on by a diverse mix of hikers, tourists and spiritual seekers. All follow a network of centuries-old routes that wind over mountain passes, through lush valleys and past towns and tiny hamlets. This year, the Elmhurst students followed the Camino Primitivo, one of the least-traveled and most physically demanding routes to Santiago. On typical days, they walked 10 to 15 miles, often climbing steep hillsides that led to stunning views of the Spanish countryside. St. James is believed to have been the first of Jesus’ apostles to be martyred, beheaded in Jerusalem in 44 A.D. According to some traditions, he had evangelized in Spain and his remains were returned there for burial. The Camino follows the route that medieval believers traveled to visit his shrine in Santiago de Compostela.
“You suffer on some of the climbs,” Gómez-Acuña said. “You really have to earn those views. But they are worth it.” In preparatory sessions, the professors introduce students to the history and geography of the Camino. They also do their best to prepare students for the physical demands of the trip. Still, the first long days of hiking can be a trial for some. “I thought, ‘I’m in shape, I go to the gym, this will be no problem.’ But those first three days were incredibly challenging. I had the worst blisters in the group,” recalled senior Daniel Archundia, who participated in this year’s trip. “But you get into a rhythm eventually, and then it’s just beautiful.” Almost inevitably, students weighed down by bulging backpacks discover that some of the necessities they packed aren’t really so necessary after all. So out go toiletries, clothes, anything to lighten the load for long hill climbs.
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“My 380-kilometer pilgrimage was worth all the sweat and occasional tears because I was rewarded with unforgettable moments, uplifting friendships and new strengths.” — Justyne Vu ’19
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BUEN CAMINO
“One of the lessons of the Camino is that you have to think about what you really need,” Gómez-Acuña said. “You might have to leave some things behind. And it’s not just physical things. Sometimes walking the Camino means letting go of resentments, pain, whatever emotional baggage you’re carrying.” Along the 250-mile journey, the students encounter locals and other wayfarers, and exchange the traditional greeting: “Buen Camino!” At stops in hostels or cafes along the way, they present their credencial, an official passport of the Camino that is stamped to mark their progress. Some of the routes have become so popular that they are often crowded with hard-partying travelers. On the quieter Primitivo, though, the Elmhurst students were able to appreciate the solitude of the Camino. Archundia, who set aside 30 minutes at the start of each day for solitary walking, found himself reflecting on his time at Elmhurst. Back home after the trip, he drew on those reflections to write a personal essay for his application to graduate school.
The scallop shell, one of the most iconic symbols of the Camino, appears on markers throughout the Camino to help travelers find their way. The shells have been associated with the Camino since medieval times, when pilgrims wore them as proof that they had completed the journey, and have taken on many different meanings over the centuries.
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The long hours of walking seem to encourage contemplation. “You have so much time to just think, which is so nice,” said sophomore Terry Romero. “You are connecting with other people, but you are also connecting with yourself.” At the Camino’s terminus, the cathedral town of Santiago de Compostela, pilgrims traditionally embrace the church’s statue of St. James and receive their Compostela, a document certifying their completion of the Camino. The last leg of the journey can be emotional for students. Some cry. Archundia said he had to resist the urge to sprint the final yards to the cathedral. But students learn along the way that the Camino is less about the destination than about the journey itself, Gómez-Acuña said. The walk becomes its own reward. “When you’re walking for eight hours, dealing with your fatigue and maybe even your pain, you have time to think. That’s where the transformation happens,” she said. “The Camino is a challenge. But it’s a beautiful challenge.”
Terry Romero
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A research project that tracks how kids use smartphones could provide ammunition in the fight against online bullying.
TO CATCH A
CYBERBULLY BY D E S I R E E C H E N
I L LU S T R AT I O N S BY S T É P H A N E P O I R I E R
It used to be possible to avoid a bully. At school, you could stay away from certain hallways and the cafeteria. Take alternate routes home. Retreat to your bedroom and tune out the rest of the world. But because teens and tweens today move seamlessly between the digital and real worlds, there’s nowhere to hide. A cyberbully—someone who repeatedly harasses, mistreats, or intimidates another person through digital devices like smartphones and tablets—can inflict misery in ways that are as pervasive, and as public, as the internet itself. Evidence of the cruelty, whether as embarrassing photos, hurtful comments or a child’s damaged self-image, can last forever. According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, about 34 percent of middle and high school students responding to recent surveys said they had been cyberbullied at some point in their lives. Evidence suggests the incidence of cyberbullying is rising.
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HOW TO CATCH A
CYBERBULLY
The data will be used to develop algorithms that will better equip parents, schools—and even victims— to fight cyberbullying.
And when combined with school-based bullying, as it usually is, cyberbullying has been linked to higher rates of depression, self-harm and thoughts of suicide. April Edwards, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Elmhurst College, is conducting research on this growing problem. In collaboration with Lynne Edwards (no relation), a professor of media and communication studies at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania, she aims to develop innovative ways to detect—and deter—cyberbullies.
Researchers April Edwards (left) and Lynne Edwards have teamed up to fight cyberbullying through innovative uses of technology.
In August, the researchers provided specially equipped smartphones to 75 Chicago-area kids, ages 10 to 14, in order to monitor their every text, tweet and post. The phones contain an app, developed by Elmhurst College senior David Demoll, which captures each electronic communication and transmits it to a central server. About 1,000 messages are being captured every day. Students at Ursinus label each one, according to a number of criteria, for later study. Was it a short argument between two social equals? Did it spread gossip and rumors? Was it one-sided, or directed at one person? Was a member of the group suddenly excluded? The data collected from the phones will be used to develop algorithms and software that ultimately will better equip parents, schools—and even victims—to fight cyberbullying.
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An Anti-Bully App David Demoll ’19, a computer science major and cyber security minor, created an app and a website to collect phone data for the cyberbullying research project led by April Edwards. Prospect sat down with Demoll recently to learn more.
A close look at the data
The yearlong smartphone project is the latest iteration of research efforts that began about 10 years ago, when April Edwards and Lynne Edwards were colleagues at Ursinus College. Their research looks at cyberbullying behavior and how individuals respond to it. Other parts of the study include a behavioral survey and focus groups in which kids talk about their experiences with cyberbullying. Funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation, the research has evolved over the years. After seeing troubling language during the pilot phase of the project, the researchers broadened their work to include not only cyberbullying, but also self-harm. “We realized that some of these kids’ mental lives were in our hands,” Lynne Edwards said. “The weight of that shook me.” The smartphone project is distinctive because it examines exchanges rather than disparate words or phrases. “We’re really looking for interactions between people, versus just a bunch of words in a text message,” April Edwards said. Lynne Edwards analyzes the study subjects’ language patterns during their electronic communications, looking at “how the same information that can create and cement friendships can be turned into ammunition when the relationship goes sour or gets into the wrong hands. That’s what we want to clearly identify.”
How did you get interested in this project? Computer Science Professor John Jeffrey approached me about it as a mobile app development project. Then I learned how big a problem cyberbullying is, and it seemed like a really interesting project to work on. What’s cool about the project? The app can collect and display cell phone message data almost as fast as kids can type. Once the data has been labeled by humans, the computers will learn from those labels. That will lead to development of an algorithm that will be able to detect cyberbullying behavior immediately, then trace it back to the source to stop the offender and help victims more quickly. Any side benefits? It’s not just the contribution to research, but also that the information can be viewed in real time. So if a coder sees worrisome language, she can alert someone who can respond to the study participant right away. What did you get out of it? Dr. Jeffrey taught me a ton, but it was about a lot more than just writing code— it’s something that will help people, so it’s been a really satisfying project.
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HOW TO CATCH A
CYBERBULLY
How can the same information that creates and cements friendships be turned into ammunition when the relationship goes sour or gets into the wrong hands?
Helping parents help their kids
For parents, cyberbullying is a constant worry. Kristopher Norton, a football coach at Elmhurst College, signed up his 13- and 10-year-old sons for the smartphone study, in part out of concern that they might get bullied and not admit it. The older son has had some issues with another boy, while the younger son just started his first year of middle school, which is when bullying tends to begin or increase. “My wife and I talk to them regularly about bullying, and we try to take opportunities to teach them different ways to stop it,” he said. “Being part of the study is a great way for them to learn more about that.” Theresa Robinson, director of secondary education at the College, signed up her 11-year-old daughter, Tori, because she believes cyberbullying and the larger issue of responsible digital citizenship warrant more research and discussion. Tori recently was “overwhelmed” by negative comments after a comment she made about someone else’s video was perceived as mean. She also was a digital bystander once, not sure what to do when people began posting mean comments about one of her friends.
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��%
SAY THEY’VE BEEN CYBER BULLIED
“We had long conversations about her not commenting on the videos of people you don’t know, and when to keep comments to yourself, and how to be a good friend,” Robinson said. Robinson limits her daughter’s phone use, but still worries that she spends too much time on it, mostly watching videos on YouTube and posting her own videos on the Musical.ly app. In some ways, Robinson wishes that Tori didn’t need a smartphone at all. But she acknowledges that not letting Tori have one would isolate her socially. “I’m not sure there are many benefits at this age,” she said. “All of it is a hazard to me—it’s like the Wild West.” The immediate goal of the smartphone study is to better understand cyberbullying, April Edwards said. Ultimately, the research will lead to the development of software that would quickly detect language consistent with cyberbullying or self-harm, and then could notify the appropriate responders, including schools, parents, police and even the victims themselves. “Knowing that we can give parents some peace of mind is wonderful,” Lynne Edwards said. “But we also have the opportunity to empower students to help themselves, by giving them the tools to prevent cyberbullying and make it stop.”
��%
HAVE CYBER BULLIED OTHERS
��.�% THR EATEN ED ON LIN E WITH BODILY HA R M
��.�%
SUBJECT OF R UM OR S ON LINE
SOURCE
The Cyberbullying Research Center 2016 surveys
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THE NEW FACE OF NURSING
In today’s volatile health care environment, nurses are taking on more leadership roles than ever—and Elmhurst is preparing them for the challenge. Meet five Elmhurst nursing graduates who are changing the face of nursing through leadership in research, teaching, data analytics and more. BY M A R G A R E T C U R R I E P H OTO G R A P H Y BY B O B C O S C A R E L L I
A LIF E-SAV ING DISCOV ERY Katherine “Kasia” Murzanski and Kinnary Patel were doing clinical rotations at a Chicago hospital as part of their graduate coursework when they made an alarming discovery. “We noticed that a lot of the pediatric patients were not getting their full dose of antibiotics,” Murzanski said. “Because of the inconsistent ways that IVs were being set up, medication was getting left behind in the tubing.” Murzanski and Patel, 2018 graduates of Elmhurst’s Master’s Entry in Nursing Program, immediately saw the potential for catastrophe. “For an adult, missing 1 milliliter of medication isn’t a big deal. But for a small child, even the smallest amount of medication can make a big difference,” Patel said. “We were shocked to discover that patients can miss nearly half of their medication this way. That’s insane!” The two did a comprehensive literature review of the research and developed a new protocol for standardizing the administration of IV antibiotics that would solve the problem. They presented it to their class and then, at the urging of their program director, at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s annual Clinical Nurse Leader Summit in Anaheim, Calif.
“We received a lot of positive feedback from the nurse leaders we met at the conference,” Murzanski said. “People were shocked by the numbers.” The project also got positive feedback from administrators at Elmhurst Hospital, where Murzanski did her graduate capstone experience and now works as a nurse resident. Administrators were so impressed that they’re adopting the new antibiotic protocol hospitalwide. “It’s extremely exciting to see how something so small as a question can revolutionize a system,” Murzanski said. “Nurses have that power.”
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THE NEW FACE OF NURSING
‘An Even Stronger Voice’
“My nursing education taught me how to think, how to present my ideas, how to lead and how to drive change.” — Glen Gomez
Jacinta Staples MSN ’16 started her career in the NFL, with the Chicago Bears Football Club Inc. For eight seasons, she handled everything from special events and advertising to fan services, corporate sales and marketing. “I loved working for the Bears because it was a small, family-run organization,” she said. But then Staples volunteered to coordinate her church’s blood drive and realized she had more to give. She took a position at Children’s Memorial Hospital (now Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago), coordinating the hospital’s Sickle Cell Blood Donor Program. That led her to pursue first a bachelor’s and then a master’s in nursing. “I wanted to have an even stronger voice,” she said. “I knew that a master’s degree would give me a better opportunity to effect real change.” Today, as nursing systems manager at Lurie Children’s, Staples has an impact on everything from nursing budgets to quality initiatives to project management. “I have my hands in a lot of initiatives that make a real difference— not only in patient outcomes, but also in maintaining high standards for the nursing department as a whole,” she said. Staples also serves as president of the Greater Illinois Black Nurses Association. “One of the great things about nursing is that it offers so many ways to make a difference,” she said. “Nurses today are embracing their voices and leadership skills to advance our roles and drive change.”
The Power of Metrics
Data analytics might seem like a surprising career path for a nurse. But for Glen Gomez ’10, helping hospitals improve operations through data was a natural extension of his nursing education. He started his career as a critical-care nurse at Rush Oak Park, but shifted to information technology when he had the opportunity to help the hospital transition to electronic medical records. “It felt like an enormous change, but it aligned my clinical expertise with my technological proficiency,” Gomez recalled. He went on to consult with health care organizations all over the country, providing key support as the industry moved to electronic record-keeping in compliance with federal regulations. Along the way, he earned a master’s degree in medical informatics from Northwestern University and pivoted to a focus on data analytics. Today, as eCQM project manager for Grady Health System, the largest hospital in Georgia, he uses data to identify opportunities for competitive advantage. “I play a critical role in helping the organization assess how it’s doing,” he said. “My job provides clarity into how the hospital can continue to grow and excel.” “I use my nursing background on a daily basis,” Gomez continued. “My nursing education taught me how to think, how to present my ideas, how to lead and how to drive change. Nurses are leaders, and there are so many different ways we can make a difference.”
Teaching the Next Generation
When Fran Roberts ’76 started thinking about a career in nursing, the profession didn’t require a college degree. Today, Roberts has not only a bachelor’s degree but also a doctorate—and a career that would have been unimaginable 30 years ago. “I was in the second nursing class ever to graduate from Elmhurst College,” Roberts said. “Until the 1970s, the route to the nursing profession was through a hospital-based diploma program. I started at Elmhurst just as nursing education was moving toward the baccalaureate level.” After graduating from Elmhurst, Roberts worked as a nurse in everything from rehab to geriatric psychiatry. Along the way, she earned a master’s and a doctorate and served as executive director of the Arizona State Board of Nursing, where she took a leading role in drafting state legislation allowing nurse practitioners to practice independently. Today, Roberts teaches geriatrics and integrated care to medical students at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, in Phoenix. “When I was 18 years old, physicians were seen as the gods of health care. What did I have to share with them?” she said. “But the physician as the sole leader in health care is an antiquated notion. Today we see nurses leading teams and in leadership roles at every level.” “Nursing has been an incredible profession for me,” she added. “It’s opened doors to career paths I never imagined.”
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Join an elite group of leaders who are changing student lives. The President’s Circle at Elmhurst College celebrates our most generous donors. Together, these alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends make it possible for more students to benefit from an Elmhurst education.
M A K E Y O U R G I F T elmhurst.edu/ presidentscircle
We invite you to join the President’s Circle with an annual gift of $1,000 or more. Your support plays a vital role in transforming lives and preparing students to make meaningful contributions to a diverse, global society.
ALUMNI NEWS Alumni Honored at Homecoming Alumni Merit Awards celebrate Elmhurst College alumni who have made exemplary contributions to society and to the College. The College presented this year’s awards on Saturday, Oct. 20, during a Homecoming breakfast. The Young Alumni Award was presented to Rev. Emily Ann Davis ’09, pastor at the First Congregational Church in Crystal Lake, Ill., and a participant in the United Church of Christ’s Next Generation Leadership Initiative.
Did You Know?
Reema Syeda Kamran ’01, co-founder and director of R&R Event Management, received the Distinguished Service to Society Award in recognition of her work to empower organizations and amplify civic engagement within the Muslim community. The Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Award honored Harold Edward Brueseke ’65, a former magistrate judge who retired from a long and distinguished legal career in 2013.
Founders Medal Awarded Elmhurst College has awarded the 2018 Founders Medal to J. David Small ’59 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the College. A generous supporter of Elmhurst and its students, Small is a veterinarian, researcher, author and publichealth professional whose work has advanced medical research in the United States and around the world. Small held a variety of positions with the U.S. Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health and Glaxo before launching a consulting practice. He also is the founder of the George Alexander and Sadie Small Endowed Scholarship, which honors his parents.
Chicago Blackhawks legend Stan Mikita has an endowed
scholarship at Elmhurst College. The Hall of Famer, who passed away in August, started the scholarship in 1974 with proceeds from a fan appreciation night. A Stan Mikita Scholarship has been awarded every year since, to a student with a good academic record who shows financial need.
Established in 1978, the Founders Medal is one of the College’s most prestigious honors. The award was presented at a ceremony on Oct. 12. That night, the College also welcomed the inaugural group of inductees to the Elmhurst College President’s Circle, an elite group of giving leaders. FA L L 2 0 1 8
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ALUMNI NEWS
W E L C O M E H OME ,
BLUEJAYS
Homecoming 2018 brought together hundreds of alumni and friends for three festive days of class reunions capped by a bonfire, pep rally and football game. We’re already looking forward to next year! See the highlights at elmhurst.edu/homecoming.
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Continue your journey with a graduate degree from Elmhurst College. Graduate programs at Elmhurst are tailored to the demands of the marketplace. This is graduate school on your terms, built around your needs. Choose from 20-plus programs in health care, business, education and technology—and prepare to advance your career to the next level. Join us for our Graduate Programs Open House. Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, 6:00 p.m. Learn more at elmhurst.edu/chooseElmhurst.
“After earning my undergraduate degree at Elmhurst, I chose to go back to the College for a master’s in computer science. A few years later, I went back again for an MBA. As a graduate student at Elmhurst, I felt involved and part of something special.” Zachary Crist ’07, M.S. ’13, MBA ’17 Principal, Crist|Kolder Associates
CLASS NOTES 1940s, 1950s & 1960s Ruth Marsh Hamel ’42 will turn 98 on Dec. 11. She is still mentally alert and is in the good care of her daughter.
1915
This postcard depicts the Class of 1915 and faculty members.
Ralph Meyer ’55, Richard Ellerbrake ’55, Ray Whitehead ’55, and Don Mayer ’55 met for a reunion in May. Mayer, Meyer and Whitehead had been inspired by the participation of Ellerbrake and Richard Felsing ’54 in a 1954 World Council of Churches Ecumenical work camp in Malaya, and signed on to a 1955 work camp in Assam, India. They each volunteer-taught a term in Hong Kong on the way. Their reunion was the first since 1955. The four hope to meet again at the 2020 Elmhurst College Homecoming. John McFadden ’65 is publishing a book later this year with Dignity Press called Empathetic Explanation: A Solution to the Psychological Part of Any Problem.
1970s & 1980s 193o Women were first admitted to Elmhurst College in 1930. Here, president emeritus Daniel Irion welcomes some of the first female students to campus.
1934
An Elmhurst College aviation class at Elmhurst Airport.
Terri Hemmert ’70 was awarded a 2018 Spirito! Service Award. Hemmert is a longtime WXRT radio personality and Radio Hall of Famer. Service is an important part of the Spirito! mission, and each year the award is given to an individual who exemplifies a commitment to volunteerism. William Sturgeon Pharmer ’71 sold his business in Hershey, Pa., on Dec. 1, 2017, and has been fully retired after 45 years as a real estate and insurance broker as of June 1, 2018. While at Elmhurst, Pharmer joined the Naval Air Reserves, serving for six years. He and his wife, Dorothy, recently bought
a home in the “Villager” Village of Fenney, Fla., and will be snow birds this winter. Rita Winters ’73 has relocated to St. Louis, Mo., where she is philanthropy director for St. Andrew’s Charitable Foundation. The former executive creative director of J. Walter Thompson, Chicago, Winters also wrote The Green Desert (Crossroads N.Y., 2004). She and her husband, Clarkson Carpenter, have four children between them. She credits Gordon Couchman, poet Lisel Mueller and her other professors at Elmhurst with encouraging her creative bent. John Quigley ’77, Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry president and CEO, has been chosen by the Daily Herald Business Ledger as a 2018 C-Suite of the Year Awards honoree. Quigley has served as ECCI president and CEO since 1999, the longest-tenured chamber of commerce executive in DuPage County. R. Annette (Holtmeyer) Pugnetti ’78 welcomed her first granddaughter, Skylar Vittoria Pugnetti, on June 28, 2018. Susan Frick ’85 served as executive producer on a film about the experience of younger onset Alzheimer’s disease called Too Soon to Forget: The Journey of Younger Onset Alzheimer’s Disease through her work at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. The film, which premiered at the College in November of 2017, was selected by American Public Television and began airing on PBS on May 6. Information on the film can be seen at toosoontoforget.net. FA L L 2 0 1 8 P RO S P E C T M A G A Z I N E
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CLASS NOTES
�� YEARS
OF TEACHING THEATRE Alan Weiger ’72 got involved in high school theatre after his mother suggested he try out for a show “because you have a loud voice.” When Weiger was selecting courses as a freshman at Bradley University (he transferred to Elmhurst as a sophomore), he envisioned himself as a science major until he learned he would have to take calculus. He stuck with theatre.
Revisit your Elmhurst College yearbook! They’re all available online at elmhurst.edu/yearbooks.
1990s & 2000s
Jack Lowe ’93 published a new book called Flashbulb Danger: Selected Poems 1988-2018. It was published by Middle Island Press of West Union, W.Va. The book is available from Amazon.com. Now Weiger, who chairs the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, is celebrating his 40th year on the Elmhurst College faculty. When he was hired, the theatre program was a one-man show. Weiger directed, designed scenery and swept the floors. Over the years, the program has expanded from two shows a year to four facultydirected plays, a dance concert and student-directed works. “The program is one of the most active small college theatre programs you’ll see,” Weiger said.
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Paul Lubenkov ’96 published a poetry book titled Tap Dancing on the Razor’s Edge. Foad Saghir ’01, M.S. ’04 and Saaema Aslam ’09 are the proud parents of two sons: Humza Saghir, born Oct. 8, 2012, and Umar Saghir, born Oct. 31, 2015. Dena (Schultz) Bonnike ’02 currently works as a speech-language pathologist for children and adults with developmental disabilities. She received her doctorate in education in 2016 and her Director of Special Education endorsement in 2017. She resides in
Geneva, Ill., with her husband and three beautiful children. Nicholas Schroeck ’02 recently was named director of clinical programs and associate professor of law at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Stephanie Callahan Donovan ’03, and her husband, Scott, welcomed their second son, Kellan Scott, on April 25, 2018. He joins big brother J.R., who is 3. Drew Hatzold ’08 and Jennifer (Myers) Hatzold ’09 welcomed their daughter, Morgan Joan Hatzold, on April 23, 2018. She weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces, and was 19.75 inches long. She joins her big brothers Logan, 6, and Blake, 4.
Laura (DiLillo) Simantirakis ’08 and her husband, Michael, welcomed their first daughter, Cora, on Jan. 6, 2018. Sean Kennedy ’09 graduated from Rush University’s Family Medicine Residency at Rush Copley Medical Center on June 30, 2018. He was awarded the 2018 Resident Teacher Award from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, and will be joining the Rush Copley Medical Group as a physician at Fox Valley Family Medicine. Alexandra Starkovich ’11 and her husband, Cory, welcomed their first child, Liam, on April 21, 2018. He was born at 6:10 a.m., at 7 pounds, 10 ounces, and 21.25 inches long, in Chicago.
BARRON’S HONORS CHRISTINA COLLINS
���8
Top Women
Financial Advisors
Christina I. Collins ’92, a wealth management advisor with Northwestern Mutual – Chicago, has been named to the Barron’s 2018 Top 100 Women Financial Advisors list. Collins joined Northwestern Mutual in 1993, soon after graduating from Elmhurst. Over her 25-year career, she has built a successful nationwide financial planning practice, specializing in helping clients prepare for and transition into retirement. “I am proud of being recognized by Barron’s for the great work that we do for our clients,” she said. “Even more so, I am grateful to have a career that I find enjoyable and fulfilling.”
Clare (Bukowski) Kirkpatrick ’14 married Christopher ‘Boo’ Kirkpatrick ’13 on June 30, 2018. One of the bridesmaids surprised them by having Victor E. Bluejay take photos with them outside of the chapel. Vincent McPherson ’15 performed at Lazarus House’s “A Night at the Opera” fundraiser on July 26 in Geneva, Ill.
While at Elmhurst, Collins studied economics, political science and mathematics, and feels fortunate that she can draw upon her academic background every day. Having an intimate understanding of mathematical logic is very helpful in her work, she said, and her academic grounding in economics and political science gives her a better perspective from which to guide her clients.
CONNECT
WITH
US
Share your news with your classmates! Go to elmhurst.edu/classnotes to submit your updates.
Jasmine Young ’15 recently graduated from John Marshall Law School. FA L L 2 0 1 8 P RO S P E C T M A G A Z I N E
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CLASS NOTES
IN MEMORIAM
Virginia. M. Lithgow ’45 July 11, 2018, Petersburg, Va. Fran Katsaros ’47 June 7, 2018, Villa Park, Ill. Lois S. Harris ’48 July 18, 2018, Cape May, N.J.
REMEMBERING A
TRAILBLAZER
Mary L. Krieger ’49 Aug. 27, 2018, O’Fallon, Mo. Rev. Dr. C. Gene Kuehl ’51 May 10, 2018, Yucaipa, Calif. Joyce Wainwright ’52 Aug. 28, 2018, Northport, Mich.
Gwendolyn Mollison-Douglas ’51—an award-winning teacher, an active volunteer and a seasoned world traveler—was the first AfricanAmerican student to graduate from Elmhurst College. MollisonDouglas died on Dec. 17, 2017, at the age of 88. A Chicago Public Schools teacher for 39 years, Mollison-Douglas spent much of her career teaching in gifted programs. Beloved by her students, she received the Golden Apple Award in 1990. At Elmhurst, she majored in sociology and participated in theatre and the student newspaper. In 2001, the College awarded her an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of her career and contributions to society. Mollison-Douglas traveled all over the world well into her 80s, said her son, Paul Mollison, who said she was also a tireless volunteer—teaching English at the local library, serving as a docent at the Field Museum, making dresses for girls in Africa and more.
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Rodger F. Williams ’52 Aug. 1, 2018, Pass Christian, Miss. Clarence W. Hackbarth ’54 May 24, 2018, Midland, Mich. Glenn R. Wille ’57 July 21, 2018, Shawano, Wis.
For a Beloved Teacher On Oct. 20, alumni and friends dedicated a bench to the memory of beloved music professor Ross Kellan, who died in 2017. The bench sits in a leafy spot between Irion Hall and Old Main, where anyone can “have a conversation, take a break and remember Professor Kellan’s kind and outgoing spirit,” said Kelly Thelen ’14.
Betty Bertke ’58 Sept. 6, 2018, Perryville, Mo.
Sue A. Hoffman ’67 June 26, 2018, Wauconda, Ill.
Timothy P. Breen ’82 Aug. 18, 2018, Birmingham, Ala.
Marilyn A. Rogge ’58 June 6, 2018, Oshkosh, Wis.
John F. Fry ’70 July 13, 2018, Erie, Pa.
Thomas R. Roberts ’84 June 10, 2018, Fenton, Mich.
John C. Robbins ’59 June 22, 2018, Rochelle, Ill.
Norman R. Granbeck ’70 June 14, 2018, Dubuque, Iowa
Victor P. Demiduk ’88 Aug. 23, 2018, Burnside, Ky.
Evelyn C. Mandon ’60 July 26, 2018, Addison, Ill.
Janet Diaz ’71 Aug. 25, 2018, Gallatin, Mo.
Thomas E. Gehrke ’88 June 6, 2018, Itasca, Ill.
Guy Grasher ’61 July 30, 2018, La Porte, Ind.
Michael T. Fick ’71 May 23, 2018, Sycamore, Ill.
Catherine R. Mattis ’93 June 17, 2018, Kenosha, Wis.
William Bobzin ’63 June 20, 2018, Mahomet, Ill.
Thomas H. Burdick ’73 June 28, 2018, Madison, Wis.
Steven T. Watwood ’93 June 11, 2018, Elgin, Ill.
Marcia J. Eichler ’64 May 28, 2018, Chicago
Anna L. Schifeling ’76 July 24, 2018, Eau Claire, Wis.
John A. Kenealy ’15 Aug. 17, 2018, Oak Park, Ill.
Alvin W. Frost ’66 July 17, 2018, Columbia, Mo.
Douglas A. Bizer ’78 June 15, 2018, Saint Charles, Mo.
E D I TO R ’ S N OTE The Summer 2018 edition of FYI erroneously stated that Kenneth Moy ’55
Daniel Eschenbrenner ’67 Aug. 3, 2018, St. Louis, Mo.
Mary A. Capek ’80 July 12, 2018, Antioch, Ill.
had passed away. We apologize for the error.
A Teammate for Life At Homecoming, a tree by the Langhorst Field victory bell was dedicated to Elmhurst football standout Steve Watwood ’93. A veteran, accountant and father of three, he died in June at the age of 48. The tree celebrates his life, said friend David Watkins ’93, with the roots representing “the roots he’s given all of us.”
Watwood’s wife, Donna (holding football), with their three daughters.
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MY CAREER
PATH
SPIRITUAL ADVISOR
Kaiser Aslam ’12 traces his path from pre-med biology major to Muslim chaplain at a major university.
At Elmhurst College I majored in biology, preparing for a career in medicine. But during my time there I became involved with the Muslim community and realized that that part of my identity spoke more to me. At Elmhurst, I served as president of the Muslim Student Association and also worked as the national coordinator for Young Muslims, the largest Muslim youth group in America. Toward the end of my undergraduate career, I switched from medicine to Islamic studies. I pursued chaplaincy because it combined the academic rigor, service and activism that were central to my identity. After Elmhurst I earned master’s degrees in Islamic studies and Islamic chaplaincy.
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Since fall 2016 I’ve served as the full-time Muslim chaplain at Rutgers University. I work at the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University (CILRU), a center that serves 60,000 students, faculty and staff at the New Brunswick, N.J., campus, with particular focus on the 5,000 Muslim students here. At CILRU, I counsel dozens of students a week, helping them feel grounded physically, socially and spiritually. I also educate the community through multiple weekly gatherings, lead Friday prayer and annually guide students through a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Elmhurst College 190 Prospect Avenue Elmhurst, Illinois 60126-3296
REAL BLUEJAYS WEAR PINK In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, the Elmhurst College community came together to form a giant pink ribbon on the College Mall. PAGE 10