FROM TEU TO THE NFL Sam LaPorta, the latest Tight End U graduate, makes his pro debut.
MAGAZINE
OBJECTS AS INSPIRATION The Stanley Museum of Art provides a creative spark for Iowa’s top writers.
FOR UNIVERSITY OF IOWA ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
FALL 2023
HERKY TURNS
75!
Happy birthday to our favorite feathered mascot.
THREE DAYS IN IOWA CITY Plan your Hawkeye homecoming with a guide to local events and attractions.
WE CAN’T WAIT TO READ WITH YOU! Our latest pick, A Prayer for Owen Meany, by acclaimed novelist John Irving (67MFA), kicked off in August. Grab your copy today! Join us for the conversation and community: The University of Iowa Book Club for Alumni and Friends foriowa.org/bookclub
CONTENTS F E AT U R E S
EDITORIAL EDITOR IN CHIEF
Shelbi Thomas (05BA) ART DIRECTOR
Nick Beecher (03BA) MANAGING EDITOR
Josh O’Leary (00BA) CONTRIBUTING WRITERS/EDITORS
Ben Frotscher Leah Klevar (93BA, 95MA) Dex Provido (23BA) Tyler Strand Ellen Yandel
30
p.
GRAPHICS MANAGER
Herky Turns 75! The Hawkeyes’ playful mascot celebrates a milestone birthday.
COVER PHOTO: JOHN EMIGH
36
Jared Salasberry
CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS
Danette Angerer (85BFA) Jodi Schmucker email : uimagazine@foriowa.org website : magazine.foriowa.org
DIGITAL SENIOR WEB DESIGNER/DEVELOPER
Jimmy Losasso (09BFA) WEB DEVELOPER
Mike Miersen
SENIOR DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIST
Nicole Knoll (08BA, 22MS)
DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIST
Megan Walsh
MULTIMEDIA SPECIALISTS
John Emigh (11BBA, 13BFA) Jason Smith
LEADERSHIP PRESIDENT AND CEO
Lynette Marshall
HERKY PHOTO: JOHN EMIGH; LAPORTA ILLUSTRATION: ELIZABETH WAKOU/FOLIO ART; STANLEY PHOTO: JUSTIN TORNER/UI OFFICE OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
22 From TEU to NFL
Sam LaPorta (23BBA) graduates from Tight End U and joins the proud tradition of Hawkeyes in the pros.
Objects as Inspiration
Iowa’s acclaimed authors and poets find a creative muse at the UI Stanley Museum of Art.
D E PA R T M E N T S
2 B I G P I C T URE 4 CA M P U S M AIL 6 ON IOWA
Returning for Hawkeye homecoming? Here’s our guide to a festive weekend in Iowa City.
15 GO HAWKS
New starting quarterback Cade McNamara and tight end Erick All bring instant impact to the Iowa offense.
48 FOR IOWA
Former Minnesota Viking linebacker Chad Greenway (05BA) and his wife, Jenni (05BBA), are among the recipients of this year’s UI Distinguished Alumni Awards.
43 IOWA WRITERS
A mother writes about watching her son graduate and launch his career with support from UI REACH, a program for students with learning disabilities.
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ALWAYS A HAW KEYE
English professor emerita Miriam Gilbert has more to teach us about Shakespeare.
VICE PRESIDENT, ALUMNI & DONOR ENGAGEMENT
Colin Hennessy (01BA) ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT, ALUMNI & DONOR ENGAGEMENT
Leslie Prideaux (08BA, 12MA) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MARKETING & DIGITAL STRATEGY
Zack Schmidt (03BA)
OFFICE OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT One West Park Road Iowa City, IA 52242 phone : 319-335-3305 email : uiowa@foriowa.org website : foriowa.org
Iowa Magazine, Volume 76, Number 3 © 2023 University of Iowa Center for Advancement. The UI Center for Advancement publishes Iowa Magazine four times a year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Iowa Magazine, UI Center for Advancement, One West Park Road, Iowa City, IA 52242. Opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by the university, the publishers, or the editors.
BIG PICTURE
Casting Memories Grandparents and grandchildren enjoy some reel time together learning fly-fishing techniques on the pond near Art Building West. Fly-fishing was one of several sessions in which families participated this past summer as part of the University of Iowa’s first-ever Grandparents University®. The program invited kids ages 8-14 to experience a day on campus with their grandparents while engaging in fun and educational activities, ranging from falconry and digital music creation to earthquake engineering and playground physics. For more on Grandparents University®, visit foriowa.org/grandparentsu. JOHN EMIGH
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CAMPUS MAIL Veteran Support
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark makes a breakaway layup during a Sweet 16 game against Colorado this past March in Seattle.
I loved the Iowa Magazine feature, “Out of the Rough” [summer 2023, p. 38]. My Army service was in Germany in the later ’80s, so the stress was constantly preparing for a giant conflict that would probably involve nuclear weapons. At the university, I still felt a little alienated being four years older than classmates and being treated like a child in the Iowa City community. It was bewildering to learn I had to register my car where my parents lived. In my job as a public defender, I help veterans with trauma get the help they need. It’s hard for them to say what they need, because they often don’t realize how deeply impacted they have been by their experiences. I’ve spent many hours trying to get better policies and policymakers, and I appreciate what Don Snyder (86MFA) did with the Caddie School for Soldiers.
Compassion for Patients
“The Covenant of Water” is an excellent article [summer 2023, p. 44]. Abraham Verghese’s (91MD) words about being with his patients at their most intense life moments took my mind to my own patients whom I’ve cared for, mothers who delivered babies too young to live. Though I told the mothers that there was no medical intervention for their babies born without a heartbeat or making gasping movements, it was always so difficult when they or their partners looked at me “to do something.” The babies were so desperately wanted and loved. The mothers would see me as a trusted, compassionate, miracle-working doctor. It was understandable that they thought I should be able to change the situation. Most doctors do not stay with the mother and her family until the baby stops living. I found it hard to leave. I gave the family time and space to be with their new baby but stayed nearby to declare the baby deceased. I was often present for the blessing of the baby or the chaplain’s visit after death. It is an honor to be with people during their grief and most vulnerable moments. It feels holy. Infinite. Thanks for the thoughtful article. Paula Mahone Des Moines
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Homegrown Hotshots
As a graduate of the UI in journalism and mass communication and a former member of the Hawkeye marching and pep bands, I felt a big sense of pride while following the Hawkeye women’s basketball team, led by Caitlin Clark, during their magical run to the NCAA women’s basketball championships final. I remember when Tom Davis (1986–99) led the men’s team, Hayden Fry (1979–98) steered the football team, and Dan Gable (1976–97) helmed the wrestlers in front of full houses at CarverHawkeye Arena and Kinnick Stadium regularly, while C. Vivian Stringer (1983–95) coached her women’s squad inside a Carver that was maybe one-third full. Nearly 30 years later, we are seeing a once-in-a-generation crop of homegrown players, with Clark and Kris and Keegan Murray. Clark still has one more year to go before she can join the WNBA, and we’re already seeing Carver selling an unprecedented number of season tickets for women’s hoops based on what happened last season. I hope the next athletic director will take the energy from the 2022–23 season and continue the momentum by improving the facilities for UI sports. I know Carver is undergoing a renovation right now, and the wrestling program is getting new facilities, along with the addition of a women’s program for that sport, but there needs to be more emphasis on basketball. Maybe some of the executives or owners of Iowa’s biggest businesses should get together to persuade the WNBA to put an expansion franchise in either Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, or the Cedar Valley, and have Clark stay at home when she gets to the next level. Eric VanSickle (95BA) Cedar Falls, Iowa
Shroom Service
I was delighted to read in the summer 2023 Iowa Magazine [“Mushroom Medicine,” p. 13] that University of Iowa researchers are planning to study the use of psilocybin-assisted therapy for the treatment of alcohol use disorder. There is an even earlier Iowa connection to psychedelic research.
I obtained my PhD in medicinal chemistry from the UI College of Pharmacy in 1973, followed by postdoctoral research in the College of Medicine, all involving psychedelics. I continued that work at Purdue University and in 1993 founded the Heffter Research Institute, which obtained funding from philanthropists to support renewed
PHOTO: BRIAN RAY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
Mark Wallace (10BA) Iowa City
clinical studies of psychedelics. Indeed, the HRI supported the two seminal studies of psilocybin in alcohol use disorder that serve as the foundation for the UI study. In the immortal words of the Grateful Dead’s “Truckin’,” whose UI concert I attended in February 1973: “What a long, strange trip it’s been.” David E. Nichols, (73PhD) Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Another Hawk at the Oscars I was reading the summer 2023 issue and noticed one oversight. On p. 60, you listed several Hawkeyes that participated in the 2023 Academy Awards [“Hawk Night at the Oscars”]. I would also mention that Erin Casper (05BA) had her National Geographic film, Fire of Love, nominated for best documentary. The film—about a volcanologist couple—also gathered several other awards. Casper was the editor for this project. Casper begin her media editing career when she worked for me at UITV in 2004–05. She is based in Brooklyn, New York. Michael J. McBride (07MBA) Morton Grove, Illinois
Transformational Meeting
When reading the 2023 spring edition of Iowa Magazine [“In Memory,” p. 61], I felt a twinge of melancholy when I saw an image of Ted Wheeler (57BA) with his accompanying obituary. I only met Wheeler once, but that day became a cornerstone in my awareness of racial injustice. In July 1956, I went to the UI campus for a two-week high school band camp. Wheeler was sitting alone in the cafeteria of the Iowa Memorial Union, dressed in a blue sport coat and gray dress pants. He was the only person so dressed up. Everyone else was outfitted in casual summer wear. How I decided to plop myself down next to this formal-looking, tall Black man, I do not know. You see, I was 14 and likely a foot shorter than Wheeler. Another friend of mine joined us. I was intrigued, as not only was this my first
CONTACT US Iowa Magazine EMAIL uimagazine@foriowa.org One West Park Road Iowa City, IA 52242 PHONE 319-335-3305 or 800-648-6973 magazine.foriowa.org
exposure to a university campus, but it was the first time I had ever met a Black person. We learned about Wheeler that afternoon. We learned he was a student-athlete on the Hawkeye track and field team and how proud he was of recently being selected to the U.S. Olympics team. He had just returned and was wearing the clothes the university had given him for the trip. I asked Wheeler somewhat naively, “Why are you wearing them now?” “These are the only nice clothes I have,” he told me. “I can’t afford other clothes.” This white boy from a small county seat town, where there were no Black people or people of color, had a wake-up call. This friendly, congenial college athlete had no money, and I had a feeling that his being Black played a part in it. Still, Wheeler was among the fortunate. He had a place to display his talent, receive a college education, and wear a nice suit. Meeting Wheeler was the beginning of an impactful year for me. I was given an essay assignment in my ninth-grade English class. Not having any idea of a subject on which to write about, I thumbed through the stacks of periodicals strewn around the tables at our house. I then found an old copy of Look magazine and was forever moved. The Look magazine article, and my resulting essay, was about Emmett Till. That article and meeting Wheeler sprung me into a consciousness about racial injustice that helped form my beliefs for the rest of my life.
The 50th anniversaries of Hancher and the Bijou reminded me of seeing Les Misérables at the former and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at the latter. The Stanley Museum of Art, the new home of the university’s art collection, reminded me of Sally Shafto (00PhD), my rhetoric instructor, conducting a class trip to see the art gallery. Even though I haven’t been to Iowa City in more than five years, I stay connected to the UI through your magazine and with Iowa Club events in the Twin Cities. Lyle LaRue (96BA) St. Paul, Minnesota
John F. Allen (66BBA) Sausalito, California
Music Memory Lane
I was a year behind on reading Iowa Magazine, but I am thankful I could finally read the past year’s editions. I loved reading “Revisit 25 Legendary Iowa City Concerts” [summer 2022, p. 26] and attended the Guns N’ Roses show in 1993, just before spring break. That concert, basketball games, President Bill Clinton’s speech, and my graduation were events I attended at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
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Letters to the editor may be edited for style, length, and clarity. While we welcome feedback, we regret that we are unable to print or reply to every letter.
The Mill Remembered
“Thirteen Ways of Looking at The Mill” [winter 2022-23, p. 50] was a great read, and I enjoyed the way the author used little snippets to weave a colorful story that really captured the vibe of The Mill. Personally, I loved the music because it was different, and I learned a lot of lessons in the pool room—and not all of them were about the eight-ball in the corner pocket. It was so sad when they tore the ol’ Mill down. Bill Huffman (73BGS, 75MFA) Tempe, Arizona
MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG | IOWA MAGAZINE
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ON IOWA PA R K I N S O N ' S P R O G R E S S
Catch the Hawkeye Marching Band at this year's homecoming parade and game. Turn to p. 8 for a guide to the weekend's festivities.
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IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
PHOTO: TIM SCHOON/UI OFFICE OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
FALL FESTIVITIES AI FUTURE
ON IOWA
Three volumes of Historia Animalium pass through a CT scanner at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics.
NEWSMAKER: UI LIBR ARIES
Lost and Bound An Iowa team uses medical technology to reveal secrets along the spines.
The UI Libraries is part of the Iowa Initiative for Scientific Imaging and Conservation of Cultural Artifacts. The initiative, comprised of faculty and staff representing a range of disciplines, has been working since 2021 to learn more about the fragments found at Special Collections and Archives and the John Martin Rare Book Room in the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences. The group’s book spines and fragments project seeks to find new methods to help uncover hidden collections in the UI Libraries and others around the world. Other methods of scanning medieval books face limitations, so the team of UI researchers decided to try CT scanning to see the fragments concealed within their bindings. The group used CT technologies at the UI Hospitals & Clinics and experimented using Special Collections’ copy of Conrad Gessner’s five-volume Historia Animalium. They chose this book, an early printed attempt at a holistic encyclopedia of the world’s animal kingdom, because its binding had already come undone and revealed evidence of binder’s waste. “This sort of work shows what can happen when humanities, sciences, and information professionals work together,” Ensley says. “We each bring different expertise to the table and think about problems in new ways.” —ELIZABETH RIORDAN
PHOTOS: LAURA MOSER
Eric Ensley, curator of rare books and maps in Special Collections and Archives at the
University of Iowa Libraries, calls it “a goose bumps moment.” An interdisciplinary group of UI researchers had just found new layers of history beneath the surface of 16th-century books using medical CT scanning technology. The find: recycled medieval binding fragments, called “binder’s waste,” that came from a Latin Bible dating to the 11th or 12th century. The group recently shared its discoveries in an academic article in Heritage Science, which confirmed that the method is a cost- and time-effective means to recover fragments hidden beneath bindings without damaging a valuable book. The project also earned national media coverage when it was featured in The New York Times.
Scans uncover the medieval Latin text in the binding of Historia Animalium. MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG | IOWA MAGAZINE
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ON IOWA
Alumni are invited to return to campus during homecoming week, Oct. 1-7. For a full listing of events, visit homecoming.uiowa.edu.
Friday, Oct. 6
4 P.M.
Three Days in Iowa City Get the most out of homecoming weekend with this itinerary of things to see, do, and eat in the land of Hawkeyes. BY ELLEN YANDEL
From literary readings to Big Ten sports, Iowa City is a small college town with plenty to do. Restaurants and attractions come and go, but even through the town’s rapid growth and change, some traditions and landmarks have stayed the same. Whether you’re a lifelong resident or a first-time visitor, take Iowa homecoming weekend to discover what Iowa City has to offer. 8
IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
7:30 P.M.
Dinner with Craf t Beer Open until midnight on the weekends, Big Grove Brewery is an Iowa City staple for both family dining and the craft brewery experience, with a rotating selection of locally sourced, sustainable drinks. With a large outdoor patio space, live music often adds to the evening. Big Grove is also closely involved in the community, with ongoing charitable efforts to support the environment, as well as equality and opportunity in Johnson County. Other local brewpubs with dining include ReUnion Brewery in Iowa City and Coralville, Backpocket Brewing in Coralville, and Field Day Brewing in North Liberty.
SPIRIT SQUAD PHOTO: TIM SCHOON/UI OFFICE OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION; STORE PHOTO COURTESY IOWA HAWK SHOP
HOMECOMING 2023
S tock Up on Hawkeye Gear Many Iowa City stores sell at least some black and gold merchandise, but a few stand out as convenient stops on a school-spirit shopping trip. Iowa City RAYGUN , on the corner of Washington and Dubuque streets, sells, in its description, “words on things”—mostly commentary on all things Iowa. The company, founded by a central Iowa native, also gives a portion of all sales to charity. A more classic option is Iowa Book on Clinton Street (pictured above); now owned by Barnes & Noble, it provides everything from licensed UI merchandise to coffee and treats through the attached Dunkin location. For even more official spirit wear and accessories, visit University Book Store in the Iowa Memorial Union.
ON IOWA
Sunday, Oct. 8 10 A .M.
Munch on Br unch Opened in 2018, The Dandy Lion was originally intended to be an early bird breakfast option. Now, the restaurant is a cozy, classic breakfast and lunch spot located in the center of the Pedestrian Mall. Popular with students, the Dandy Lion tends to be busy, so check in ahead of time about the wait. No time for breakfast? Order a meal to go, or pick up some of their house-brand coffee beans. Other downtown brunch favorites include Bluebird Diner and Pullman Bar and Diner.
FRIDAY 5:45 P.M.
Iowa on Parade
Gather downtown to watch the parade, one of the oldest homecoming traditions. This year’s celebration features the student homecoming court, marchers from a variety of UI and community organizations, and Hawkeye superstars Caitlin Clark and Spencer Lee (21BS) as the parade’s grand marshals. Afterward, go to dinner or head to the Pentacrest for a live concert.
Saturday, Oct. 7 9:30 A .M.
Far m Fre sh On Saturdays from May through October, the Chauncey Swan parking ramp and nearby Washington Street are transformed into the Iowa City farmers market , a hot spot for fresh fruit, vegetables, baked goods, and more from local vendors. Pick up a breakfast treat, scout ingredients to take home, or just enjoy a morning walk in friendly company.
12:30 P.M.
FOOD PHOTO COURTESY NODO; FOOTBALL PHOTO: BRIAN RAY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM; PARADE AND STANLEY MUSEUM PHOTOS: TIM SCHOON/UI OFFICE OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
KICKOFF TBD
T he Big Game This year, Iowa football will face Purdue in the homecoming game, working to build on last season’s 24-3 road victory. In addition to the halftime show, the Hawkeye Marching Band will perform an hour-and-15 minutes prior to kickoff at the Hawkeye Indoor Track Facility.Visit hawkeyesports.com for an updated game time. EVENING
NOON
S andwich S top Head to Nodo, a two-story sandwich and wrap restaurant on Dubuque Street, for lunch with a casual, quirky vibe. Snack on sides like Mel’s Spicy Carrots while enjoying trendy décor, including local art for sale. Or, for more sandwich options, try another lunchtime favorite like Marco’s Grilled Cheese or Cortado.
Meal with a Mascot Perfect for staying in the Hawkeye spirit, St. Burch Tavern is named after Burch the bear, an early mascot of the UI football team (and an actual bear). The restaurant offers a mix of classic and elegant twists on bar food favorites. Though the main restaurant closes at 10 p.m. on weekends, The Den, a basement bar and lounge area, is open until midnight daily. Other restaurants steeped in Iowa tradition include The Airliner downtown and The Vine Tavern and Eatery in Iowa City and Coralville.
A r t on Campus Opened in its new location last year, over a decade after flooding forced the previous building to close, the UI Stanley Museum of Art is a free gallery that hosts an impressive and diverse collection. Highlights include an extensive African art display, classics by Iowa artists such as former UI instructor Grant Wood, and Jackson Pollock’s 8-by-20-foot Mural. The building itself, specially designed to house its collection, is also a striking work of architecture. 3:30 P.M.
Take a Hike Stretch your legs with a visit to Hickory Hill Park , an urban wildland just a few miles east of downtown Iowa City. The 185-acre park features walking trails, picnic benches, natural views, and a break from the city’s bustle and noise. EVENING
Show time After dinner at one of Iowa City’s many local restaurants, watch talented UI musicians perform in the Black Pop Music Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. at the Voxman Music Building, or enjoy a live version of the podcast “Welcome to Night Vale” at 8 p.m. at the Englert Theatre downtown. Depending on the length of your stay, you may also catch performances at Hancher Auditorium or Riverside Theatre, two longtime community staples with new homes. MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG | IOWA MAGAZINE
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ON IOWA
Patrick Fan Alicia SolowNiederman
Pamela Gibbs Bourjaily
Nick Teff
ASK AN EXPERT
UI Experts Decode the Future of AI Faculty and alumni examine the impact of artificial intelligence in tech, education, business, and law. HOW COULD AI AFFECT ME?
Artificial intelligence technologies like ChatGPT have burst onto the scene in the past year, offering automated help for writing everything from emails to essays. But as AI becomes more prevalent, it also raises plenty of questions about its impact on the ways we work, learn, and live. The Henry B. Tippie College of Business recently hosted a panel of UI faculty and alumni experts to provide some insight into four major areas of concern regarding this emerging field. TECHNOLOGY Patrick Fan, Henry B. Tippie Excellence Chair and professor in
business analytics, explains that ChatGPT and similar tools are forms of generative AI, in which massive amounts of text data are programmed into a model, then used to answer user queries. The use and abilities of AI will continue to grow, he says, to the point that future AI could potentially perform work in place of a person. In the short term, though, we can expect the technology to advance through: 1 0 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
Higher quality, more accurate data Improved prompting abilities and better support for diverse user needs Ethical and safety controls, particularly to protect privacy and copyright Add-on software for enhanced capabilities Fan also says that because the generative AI model is based on probability and prediction models, it can sometimes be wrong—so even as technologies improve, it remains the user’s responsibility to fact-check the results. EDUCATION Pamela Gibbs Bourjaily, associate professor of instruction in business
communication, says educators should assume students are already using AI. She adds that research suggests professors can’t reliably distinguish AI writing, and that AI programs regularly produce high C- or B-level work. Her recommendation is that faculty handle AI differently based on what they want out of an assignment. For coursework meant to evaluate
ON IOWA Former teacher Whitney Peitzman is enrolled in the UI’s MSN Entry into Practice program to help make a career change into nursing.
The illustration on p. 10 depicts the UI experts in an AI-generated image from AI Mirror.
comprehension, AI use can be mitigated by designing more specific assignments, which are harder for an AI to accurately produce, and by creating less-specific rubrics, giving the AI less to work with. For assignments designed to communicate results or solutions, instructors should help students positively harness AI to make their writing process more efficient and effective. However, questions linger regarding the use of ChatGPT in the classroom, such as when and how it should be cited. BUSINESS Nick Teff (13PhD), a senior data scientist at
Shopify, says that while the exact impacts of AI programs on business are difficult to predict and may take time to emerge, they will likely most affect white-collar jobs that involve writing repetitive copy such as computer code, reports, or grants. However, he emphasizes that human creativity will still be needed in these positions and notes the potential for AI to enhance the human work experience. For example, it may allow professionals to apply their skills to a wider range of activities, rather than spend time on rote, manual work.
PHOTO: REBECCA F. MILLER/UI COLLEGE OF NURSING
LAW Alicia Solow-Niederman, associate
professor of law, says that regulation and legal issues concerning AI will vary by industry, business size, and the ways the technology is used. However, she anticipates the most prominent issues will be discrimination and bias, copyright, privacy, and data security, and says that existing law could provide sources to combat these problems. One big need across the board, she says, is to avoid bias in tools that use AI, including through ensuring that AI programs are trained on quality data that produce reliable and fair results. —ELLEN YANDEL
To watch the Tippie webinar on the future of AI in business, visit magazine.foriowa.org.
NURSING
A First in Iowa A recently launched UI degree helps address the nation’s nursing shortage. Former high school science teacher Whitney Leverich Peitzman (10BS) envied her students’ excitement as they looked ahead to their future careers. “Teaching anatomy, an upper-level science course, meant my students usually had a sense of what they wanted to do after high school—a vet, a nurse, or a doctor,” says Peitzman, who most recently taught in Ankeny, Iowa. “To me, that sounded fun, and I was jealous of the new adventures they were taking. I’ve always wanted to find a way to apply the knowledge I’ve gained over the past couple of decades.” Then Peitzman discovered a new program that launched in January at the University of Iowa College of Nursing. The accelerated Master of Science in Nursing: Entry into Practice program— which only requires a bachelor’s degree in any subject—prepares students to enter the nursing workforce in just 20 months through coursework, 100 hours of clinical simulation labs, and 760 clinical hours. Upon graduation, students are eligible to take the nursing licensure exam and become a registered nurse. The first-of-its-kind program in the Hawkeye State is a direct response to the growing need for nurses in Iowa. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the profession will see a 9% increase in the need for nurses around the country by 2030 because of looming retirements and professional burnout. “We recognized that we wanted to help increase the number of nurses in the state,” says Sarah McVeigh, the director of the MSN Entry into Practice program. “By offering a direct route to a Master of Science in Nursing degree, the program recognizes and values the expertise and qualifications that students bring from their previous professions and degrees.” The first cohort of 15 individuals includes former educators and paramedics, as well as students who previously majored in political science and health and human physiology. The UI aims to welcome 48 students into the next cohort in spring 2024. For Peitzman, the program has been a rewarding change of course. “I’ve always liked to learn, so being back in the classroom has been fun. The struggle is juggling home and school life,” says Peitzman, who has a 5-year-old daughter and is expecting her second child in November. “Everyone has been so supportive, though.”—BEN FROTSCHER MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG | IOWA MAGAZINE
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NEUROSCIENCE
Study Shines New Light on Parkinson’s A widely available medical tool could provide an effective way to predict cognitive impairment. A few minutes of data recorded from a single electrode placed on top of the head may be sufficient to predict thinking problems, including dementia, in patients with Parkinson’s disease. The finding from a new University of Iowa study might help improve diagnosis of cognitive disability in Parkinson’s and develop new biomarkers and targeted therapies for cognitive symptoms of the disease. “Cognitive decline, including dementia, is a significant and underappreciated symptom of Parkinson’s disease,” says Nandakumar Narayanan, a UI associate professor of neurology, neurologist with UI Health Care, and senior author of the study, which is published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. “Furthermore, although we have quite a few effective treatments for the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s, including medical therapies and deep brain stimulation, we have very few treatments for the cognitive aspects of Parkinson’s disease.” The brain recordings were made using an old, widely available technology called electroencephalography (EEG), which measured low-frequency brain waves, known as delta and theta waves, in the frontal region of study participants’ brains. The UI team found that reduced strength of these specific brain waves when a patient is required to engage in thinking is strongly linked to cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson’s. The findings suggest that EEG, which is also inexpensive and noninvasive, might be useful for diagnosing cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s patients. Traditionally, diagnosis involves time-consuming pen-and-paper tests that evaluate memory, problem solving, and language and math skills. 1 2 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
The EEG measurements might also be useful for monitoring and fine tuning the cognitive side effects of medications and brain stimulation used to treat for Parkinson’s disease. Eventually, EEG could even provide a basic assay to determine whether new treatments for Parkinson’s are effective at improving cognitive function. Lastly, the study, which is one of the largest to date, involving 100 Parkinson’s patients across the full spectrum of cognitive function from healthy to dementia, and 49 demographically similar control participants, reveals a fundamental insight into the role of the brain signal being measured by the EEG electrode. Narayanan’s team found that diminished cognitive function was correlated with diminished strength of low-frequency brain waves while the patient was doing a task. Importantly, it did not matter which cognitive task the patient was doing during the measurement. “Surprisingly, the effect was seen simply because the patient was required to pay attention to a cue and respond. I think this is the deep insight into why Parkinson’s patients have cognitive problems: They fail to engage these basic response processes in the brain,” Narayanan explains. Narayanan says this insight might be an opportunity to help patients. Potentially “cueing” Parkinson’s patients to engage in a task—whether it’s walking, talking, or thinking—might improve how well they perform the task. If this is true, it would have important implications for the way rehabilitation, occupational, and speech therapists help patients with Parkinson’s. The next steps for Narayanan’s team are to investigate the mechanisms that link diminished delta and theta brain waves to worse cognition in Parkinson’s, and to better understand how EEG technology might be used to improve diagnosis or even treatment of cognitive dysfunction in patients with Parkinson’s. Narayanan and his colleagues are also collaborating with the UI College of Engineering through a $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to further investigate the use of EEG to diagnose Parkinson’s disease. —JENNIFER BROWN
ILLUSTRATION: NICK BEECHER
ON IOWA
ON IOWA
BRIEFS
Health Sciences Home
The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, has approved construction of the UI’s new Health Sciences Academic Building near the Gerdin Athletic Learning Center that will act as a home for the communication sciences and disorders program, health and human physiology department, and physical therapy and rehabilitation sciences department.
METAVERSE IMAGES COURTESY VICTORYXR; HEALTH SCIENCES BUILDING RENDERING COURTESY UI OFFICE OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
Writers’ Neighborhood
On Sept. 22, the UI will hold a dedication ceremony for the Nonfiction Writing House, a newly open facility on North Clinton Street that houses the Nonfiction Writing Program.
Leadership News
Iowa Enters the Metaverse The University of Iowa joined the metaverse earlier this year with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new virtual reality campus. Created by VictoryXR, a Davenport-based company led by Steve Grubbs (89BBA, 94JD) that designs virtual and augmented reality tools for education, the digital replica of campus will be used for distance and virtual reality-based learning and research, as well as virtual visits. Currently, the project centers on the Henry B. Tippie College of Business, where it is already being used to augment traditional classroom experiences.
Denise Jamieson, formerly of Emory Healthcare, recently became vice president for medical affairs and dean of the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, while Ann McKenna, formerly of Arizona State, is the new dean of the UI College of Engineering. The Board of Regents also extended UI President Barbara Wilson’s contract through 2028.
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Oct. 25–Nov. 8, 2023
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GO, HAWKS!
PHOTO: JASON SMITH
P O R TA L PA L S
FA M I LY O F F I G H T E R S H A L L O F FA M E R S
Erick All and Cade McNamara transferred from Michigan to make an instant impact on the Iowa offense.
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GO, HAWKS
Tight end Erick All and quarterback Cade McNamara bring their leadership, friendship, and competitive drive to Iowa.
FOOTBALL
Riding the Waves Together With Michigan’s season hanging in the balance, teammates Cade McNamara and Erick All were laughing on the sidelines. “I don’t even remember what we were laughing about,” says All of his former team’s November 2021 clash at Penn State. “We just knew we were going to win that game.” The Nittany Lions had just taken the lead late in the fourth quarter on a field goal. But on the ensuing possession, as a white-out Happy Valley crowd roared, McNamara calmly connected with his roommate and tight end for a 47-yard game-winning touchdown. “Before we scored, Erick and I looked at each other, and we knew we were going to do that,” says McNamara. “That’s just a part of our 1 6 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
chemistry—we both have fun and are super comfortable with each other. But also, when it comes to crunch time, we can count on one another.” Three weeks later, the former four-star recruits helped lead the Wolverines to a Big Ten championship game victory over Iowa. McNamara and All were voted as captains ahead of the 2022 season, but the duo missed most of the year with injuries. McNamara suffered a right knee injury, and All injured his back. McNamara announced in December 2022 he was transferring to Iowa, and All made the same decision two weeks later. Reconnected and rejuvenated in Iowa City, the seniors—who each have two years of eligibility—are driven to capture another conference title with the Hawkeyes this fall.
PHOTO: JASON SMITH
A pair of former Michigan football captains return from injuries to lead the Iowa offense.
GO, HAWKS
GET TO KNOW CADE AND ERICK Cade McNamara
Erick All
Friend to Friend “Erick is the most positive, energetic dude. There’s not a single day that he comes in here and is slouching or in a bad mood. We’ve had some tough days, and we’ve done everything we can to get through those days. Even when Erick’s going through something, he’s just so consistent, and I love him for that.” —Cade McNamara
All and McNamara play table tennis at the Hansen Football Performance Center.
PRACTICE PHOTOS: JUSTIN ELSNER/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM; PINGPONG PHOTO: JASON SMITH; UNIFORM PHOTOS: BRIAN RAY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
CLOSE COMPETITORS
McNamara and All first met in January 2019 as early enrollees in Ann Arbor. They argued, wrestled, and quickly gravitated toward one another’s competitiveness and work ethic. They witnessed those same traits in the Hawkeyes during a bowl practice last December on their official campus visit after entering the transfer portal. “The hairs on my neck were standing up watching these dudes,” says McNamara. “It’s cold outside, they weren’t even in pads, and they’re hitting full speed. I thought, ‘There’s some fire here, and I want to be a part of that.’” “That was one of the best practices I’ve ever seen,” added All. Since arriving in Iowa City, McNamara and All haven’t stopped competing—on the golf course, at the pingpong table, in the weight room, or on the practice field. They know exactly what to say to playfully get under each other’s skin and inspire the other. They’ve also continued to invest in relationships, knowing the impact a brothers-like bond and sense of humor can have when adversity strikes. This past June, McNamara invited All and several of his new pass catchers to California to strengthen their chemistry. One day the group went surfing, and All spent hours fighting the waves to get on his board. Once the Fairfield, Ohio, native finally found his footing, McNamara inadvertently whacked him in the head with his own board while trying to catch the same wave, and they fell back into the water. Moments later, they were laughing once again. As McNamara and All begin a new chapter, they feel right at home in black and gold. “I love being on a team with a chip on our shoulder; that’s a dangerous team,” says McNamara. “This team has a lot to prove this season, and we’re well aware of that.” —TYLER STRAND
“Cade is probably the most competitive person I’ve ever met in my life. Whatever he does, he’ll do whatever it takes to win. It’s hard to meet people like that, and this place is filled with them.” —Erick All
Their Time in Iowa City “I feel like I’ve been here forever. The relationships that I’ve built here, the experiences I’ve already had, I just can’t wait to continue to make more. … We’re both really enjoying not just our teammates and the program but also the area, the people, and Iowa City.” —Cade McNamara “It’s real easy to meet people here and get along with everybody. That’s what I love the most about being here— everyone is so cool, and it’s almost like a big family. It’s like that Southern hospitality feeling, but we’re not in the South.” —Erick All MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG | IOWA MAGAZINE 1 7
GO, HAWKS
PL AYMAKER:
BELL A MIR
In Her Blood The Hawkeye women’s wrestler and MMA fighter embraces her trailblazer role. Bella Mir grew up throwing punches and kicks. The daughter of former UFC heavyweight
champion Frank Mir, she competed in combat sports like jujitsu, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts since she was a young child. Those experiences shaped her into becoming the UFC’s first NIL-sponsored athlete and a leader for the Iowa women’s wrestling team, which begins its inaugural season this fall. At her father’s request, Mir used to play sports with less contact like softball, track, and soccer, but she was naturally drawn to one-on-one athletic confrontations. Mir quickly excelled in seventh-grade wrestling, delivered crushing hits as a linebacker on her high school’s freshmen 1 8 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
football team, and thrived in sparring sessions with experienced MMA fighters. “It’s just you and me on a mat or in a cage or ring—and it’s who’s better,” says Mir. “I love that aspect of combat sports.” Wrestling is the foundation for the Las Vegas native’s most recent endeavors. Mir captured four Nevada high school state titles, a junior folkstyle national title, and became the sixth-ranked national recruit at 144 pounds. She also won three professional MMA fights and a national and international jujitsu title before turning 19. Mir came to Iowa for the opportunity to compete on the first women’s wrestling team at a Power Five institution and fell in love with the community’s support for women’s sports. Last season, before the program’s official start, the Hawkeye women wrestled unattached in unmarked black singlets—and without coaches in most of their competitions. “We bonded more as a team because we were learning who we were on and off the mat,” says Mir. As a freshman, she won 19 of her first 24 matches and claimed a title at 68 kilograms in USA Wrestling’s U20 freestyle national championships—earning a spot on USA Wrestling’s U20 world team. With popularity and participation in women’s wrestling soaring, the sophomore embraces opportunities to encourage the next generation. “It’s really inspiring having little girls ask us for pictures and [hearing that] they’re wrestling,” says Mir. “I hope they see that I love what I do and put everything on the mat.” —TYLER STRAND
MIR PHOTO: HAWKEYESPORTS.COM; TRAINING PHOTO COURTESY MIR FAMILY
ABOVE: A family photo shows Bella Mir training with her father, former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir.
GO, HAWKS HA LL OF FA ME
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, 1987-90
Jole t te L aw (90BS) The two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection led the Hawkeyes to four NCAA Tournaments, including two Elite Eights and three Sweet 16s. She played with the Harlem Globetrotters from 1990-94. SOFTBALL, 1989-92
Ter ri McFar land (92BBA) The 1990 Big Ten Player of the Year lifted Iowa to back-to-back conference regular season titles in 1989 and 1990. She still ranks first in UI career shutouts (50) and second in ERA (0.82). Bill Seab erg
Icons Immortalized Basketball great Bill Seaberg is among this year’s Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame inductees.
WRESTLING, 2008-10
Bren t Me tcalf (10BA) Metcalf was a two-time NCAA champion at 149 pounds, three-time All-American, and the 2008 recipient of the Hodge Trophy as the nation’s best wrestler. Metcalf won the World Cup gold medal in 2014 and 2015. WOMEN’S TR ACK & FIELD, 2004-07
P eache s Roach Findlay (07BA, 11MAT) A four-time All-American in the high jump, Findlay is the only Hawkeye to win five Big Ten titles in one event. She still holds school records in the indoor and outdoor high jumps. MEN’S BASKETBALL, 1954-56
It’s been nearly 70 years since Bill Seaberg (60BBA) played basketball at Iowa, but he still has a special bond with the team. For the past four seasons, Hawkeye forward Patrick McCaffery has worn Seaberg’s retired No. 22 with the Hawkeye legend’s permission. So, it was only fitting that McCaffery personally delivered the news that Seaberg, a member of Iowa’s Fabulous Five of the 1950s, was being inducted into the Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame. “That’s pretty nice of Iowa to remember me,” said Seaberg, now 89 and a retired real estate developer in Colorado, when he received the congratulatory phone call this past spring. McCaffery had first reached out to Seaberg in 2019 asking to wear No. 22 in honor of a childhood friend who died of cancer. Seaberg was one of 10 Hawkeye greats honored by the Iowa Letterwinners Club in a ceremony earlier this month at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. He was a member of coach Bucky O’Connor’s legendary Hawkeye team that made two Final Fours, including a national runner-up finish in 1956 to Bill Russell and San Francisco. Now, Seaberg has one more honor to commemorate his days as a Hawkeye. “I’ve had maybe too many awards from Iowa, but they’re always nice to get,” he says.
PHOTO: BRIAN RAY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
Meet the 2023 Class
Bill S eaberg (60BBA) The starting point guard on the “Fabulous Five” 1955 and 1956 Final Four teams, Seaberg was a third-team All-American in 1955 after averaging 13 points per game. WRESTLING, 1970-73
J. Daniel Sher man (73BS) The 1973 NCAA champion at 118 pounds was a two-time All-American and Big Ten Medal of Honor Award recipient who led Iowa to a pair of Big Ten runner-up team finishes. FOOTBALL (1999-02)
Eric S teinbach (03BS) Steinbach was a consensus All-American and 2002 Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year. He was a second-round draft pick and eightyear starter in the NFL for Cincinnati and Cleveland.
MEN’S BASKETBALL, 1986-89
FIELD HOCKEY, 1986-89
ROWING, 1995-97
B.J. A r ms trong (89BA) Armstrong led Iowa to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including the Elite Eight in 1987, before becoming a first-round NBA Draft pick. He played a key role in the Chicago Bulls’ first championship threepeat.
Cherie Freddie (90BFA) A member of the 1986 NCAA national championship team and four-time Final Four participant, Freddie was named to the Big Ten Conference All-Decade Team.
A nne We s t Bur meis ter (98BS, 04JD) The first rower inducted into the hall of fame, Burmeister was also the first All-American in program history in 1997. She was a member of the fours team that placed fourth at the 1997 NCAA Championships. MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG | IOWA MAGAZINE 1 9
GO, HAWKS
1980s
1998
Today
FOOTBALL
25 Feats of Ferentz The typical shelf life of a college football coach isn’t long. According to a report last year by the sports analytics company On3, the average Football Bowl Subdivision head coach has been at his current job for just 3.7 years. Kirk Ferentz’s career, however, has been anything but average. This fall marks Ferentz’s 25th season since he took the reins from his predecessor, Hayden Fry, making him the longest-tenured FBS head coach. To celebrate his quarter century of leading the Hawkeyes, let’s look back at 25 ways Ferentz has become an Iowa icon. 200 Ferentz entered the 2023 season two victories away from 200 career wins (186 at Iowa and 12 at the University of Maine).
66 Head coaches in the Big Ten since former Iowa athletic director Bob Bowlsby hired Ferentz.
18-6 Ferentz’s record against Minnesota in the battle for Floyd of Rosedale. 50 Kirk and his wife, Mary, had their first date 50 years ago this past spring. They’ve been married 43 years. 85 NFL draft picks under Ferentz.
4 Ferentz’s ranking among Big Ten coaches for all-time wins (186 entering the season). He trails only Amos Alonzo Stagg (232), Woody Hayes (205), and Bo Schembechler (194).
5 The Ferentzes have five children who are all UI grads, and all three sons played football at Iowa. 2 0 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
25 First-team All-Americans he’s coached.
2 Ferentz has coached two Big Ten MVPs:
Brad Banks (03BA) in 2002 and Shonn Greene in 2008.
9 Seasons Ferentz served as Iowa’s offensive line coach under Hayden Fry in the 1980s. 468 Academic All-Big Ten honorees under Ferentz.
106,128 Total yards gained by the Hawkeye offense under Ferentz. That’s about 60 miles.
20 Ferentz’s Hawkeyes have earned 20 bowl invitations, including 12 January bowl games.
5 Ferentz has seen five new teams join the Big Ten since he took over at Iowa, including the addition of USC and UCLA next fall. $1M Kirk and Mary Ferentz’s extensive philanthropy to the university included a $1 million donation to support neonatal research at UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
8 The Hawkeyes are one of just five teams to win at least eight games each season since 2015, excluding the abbreviated 2020 campaign. Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, and Ohio State are the others. 13 First-round NFL Draft picks produced by Ferentz, including 2023 selections Lukas Van Ness and Jack Campbell (22BA).
2 Ferentz has twice been named national coach of the year—after the Orange Bowl season of 2002 and the Rose Bowl season of 2015.
5 Times Iowa has finished ranked in the top 10 nationally under Ferentz. 2 Head coaches Iowa has had the past 45 years.
1978 The year Ferentz, a graduate of the University of Connecticut, became an English teacher, assistant football coach, and girls basketball coach at Worcester Academy in Massachusetts. 3 Packs of chewing gum stocked each game day in Ferentz’s locker.
144 Victories at Iowa that Ferentz reached in 2018, when he surpassed Fry as the program’s all-time winningest football coach.
13-10 Ferentz’s record against Cy-Hawk rival Iowa State.
7,843 Points Iowa has scored under Ferentz. That’s compared to the 5,872 points opponents have scored.
PHOTOS: HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
The dean of college football coaches marks a quarter century guiding the Hawkeyes.
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BRIEFS
New Leadership
Hawkeye fans had a chance to see Michael Jordan (right) in Iowa City before his stardom took off during a Team USA vs. NBA All-Stars game on July 8, 1984. Former Iowa coach George Raveling, pictured here in 1992, was an assistant for Team USA.
Beth Goetz became the University of Iowa’s interim director of athletics in August. The former deputy director of athletics and chief operating officer holds the Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair, replacing Gary Barta, who retired after 17 years at the university. A search for Barta’s permanent replacement is planned to begin in early 2024.
Regional Return
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? GEORGE R AVELING, MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH, 1983–86
PHOTO COURTESY USA BASKETBALL
From King’s Dream to Air Jordan Sixty years ago this past August, George Raveling made a bold request to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. As a volunteer event security guard for the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Raveling stood near King while he gave his stirring “I Have a Dream” speech. “Just as he was finishing, he started to fold the speech,” Raveling once told the Pac-12 Network. “I said to him, ‘Dr. King, can I have that speech?’” The rest is history. Now that story—and Raveling’s connection with another famous American, Michael Jordan—has been told in the film Air. The movie depicts Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro seeking advice from Raveling, Jordan’s trusted Olympic coach, to help sign the NBA rookie to a blockbuster shoe deal in 1984. Jordan credits Raveling, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer who in 1983 became Iowa’s first African American men’s basketball coach, for convincing him to consider Nike. “George Raveling was with me on the 1984 Olympics team [as an assistant coach under Bob Knight],” Jordan once told USA Today. “He used to always try to talk to me. ‘You gotta go Nike. You gotta go Nike. You’ve got to try.’” Today, Nike’s Air Jordan brand nets around $400 million per year. Raveling, meanwhile, left Iowa in 1986 and coached for eight seasons at USC before he became Nike’s director of international basketball. In 2021, Raveling donated the “I Have a Dream” speech to his alma mater, Villanova University. —BEN FROTSCHER
The Iowa baseball team matched the program’s single-season win record this past spring with 44 victories and reached its second regional final in school history. The Hawkeyes earned their third NCAA Tournament bid under head coach Rick Heller after finishing third in the Big Ten and runner-up at the Big Ten Tournament.
Top Talent
Iowa women’s basketball All-American guard Caitlin Clark won the Honda Cup this past summer, an award presented to the top collegiate woman athlete of the year. The West Des Moines native was chosen by a vote of administrators from more than 1,000 NCAA member schools.
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I O W A
Tight End University BY J OS H O ’ LE A RY
A Hawkeye Football Tradition 2 2 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
ILLUSTRATIONS: ELIZABETH WAKOU/FOLIO
Clockwise from left, distinguished TEU alumni T.J. Hockenson, George Kittle, Dallas Clark & Marv Cook
MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG | IOWA MAGAZINE 2 3
Sam LaPorta
Sam LaPorta becomes the latest in a long tradition of Hawkeye tight ends to make the leap to professional football.
T
his past spring, NFL rookie-to-be Sam LaPorta (23BBA) traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, at the invitation of two of pro football’s top tight ends. LaPorta had played his final collegiate game in this city just a couple of months earlier—a 21-0 Iowa drubbing of Kentucky in the Motor City Bowl. A turning point was the senior’s electrifying 27-yard reception when he dodged, dragged, and flattened a half-dozen defenders. It set up the Hawkeyes’ first touchdown of the bowl and added one more highlight to a career reel that dazzled NFL scouts.
2 4 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
facility at the 75-acre property where he makes his offseason home—they focused on things like footwork, releases, and top-of-the route technique. “Smaller things that make a big difference,” says LaPorta. The Hawkeye tight ends were joined by a few other NFL pals for workouts, including former Iowa quarterback and current Jacksonville Jaguar C.J. Beathard (16BS). Though the 22-year-old LaPorta was the youngest of the group by several years, he already felt like part of the brotherhood of NFL Hawkeyes and its tightly bonded fraternity of tight ends. “They’ve texted me a lot over the last couple of years, and they’ve just been really supportive of me and let me know that they’re in my corner if I ever need anything,” LaPorta says of Kittle and Hockenson. “But to actually get out and train and compete with them was great. I was able to see how they operate and why these guys are the best at what they do at the highest level.” LaPorta is the latest in the proud lineage of tight ends developed at Iowa. Heading into the NFL draft this past April, he was set to be the 12th player at the position drafted under Kirk Ferentz , a coach known for his creative use of the tight end in his schemes. Schools like Miami, Notre Dame, and Stanford have also staked claims as the mythical Tight End U over the years, but no program has more potential NFL starters at the position this fall than Iowa. Four of the league’s 32 starting tight end spots could potentially be populated by Hawkeyes when the season kicks off this month. Iowa’s renown as a tight end factory isn’t just a modern-day phenomenon. In the 1980s, future NFL players Jonathan Hayes (86BGS) and Marv Cook (90BBA) thrived in former coach Hayden Fry ’s unique system that
TEU Alumni Currently in the NFL
Noah Fant Now, the Big Ten Tight End of the Year was back in Nashville ahead of the NFL combine for a week of intensive workouts. It was a rare opportunity for a college player to train with two Pro Bowlers, but LaPorta already shared a special connection with the stars: They were all products of Tight End University. Fellow Iowa alumni George Kittle (16BA) of the San Francisco 49ers and T.J. Hockenson of the Minnesota Vikings put LaPorta through his paces that week. On a 40-yard stretch of field turf outside “The Barn”—the nickname Kittle gave the training
Seattle Seahawks, fifth season
Parker Hesse* (17BA, 18MA) Atlanta Falcons, third season * PLAYED DEFENSIVE END AT IOWA
T.J. Hockenson
Minnesota Vikings, fifth season
George Kittle (16BA)
San Francisco 49ers, seventh season
Sam LaPorta (23BBA) Detroit Lions, rookie
LAPORTA PHOTO: STEPHEN MILLER/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM; KITTLE PHOTO: BRIAN RAY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
T.J. Hockenson
featured standing tight ends. Although Ferentz, who was an assistant under Fry in the 1980s, didn’t adopt that standing strategy, he retained his predecessor’s emphasis on tight ends in the passing game. “We always talk about Tight End U and how prominent the culture is at Iowa and how we just keep producing them,” says Hockenson, who is entering his fifth NFL season after a trade sent him from Detroit to Minnesota last fall. “So to be in the league with all these great tight ends coming out of the same university is truly special. We try to make sure it’s a tightknit group and we all stay connected. The University of Iowa is just truly a special place. It’s a bond that, once you come out of that program, just keeps growing.” Kittle, likewise, continues to be one of Iowa’s biggest hype men. During pregame introductions during 49ers broadcasts, he often announces himself and his alma mater as: “George Kittle, Tight End University.” He’s also borrowed the TEU moniker for the annual summit of NFL tight ends that he hosts with the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce and retired Carolina Panther Greg Olsen. This past June, Hawkeye alumni Dallas Clark (07BA) and Noah Fant took part in the three-day event that includes film study, on-field drills, and charitable activities. As LaPorta prepares to make the leap to the league, he says he’s proud to carry on Iowa’s Tight End U tradition. “It’s really cool to be the next guy,” he says. “I showed up as a freshman, and I was just hoping I could sneak onto the field. Four years later, I leave the University of Iowa and I feel like I’m right up there with names like T.J. Hockenson, Dallas Clark, and Noah Fant. That’s something I’m really proud of.”
“The University of Iowa is truly a special place. It's a bond that, once you come out of that program, just keeps growing.” —S am L a P orta
changing moment ahead when he would hear his name called by the NFL. The Highland, Illinois, native first walked into this building as a last minute-addition to the 2019 freshman class after largely being overlooked by major conference schools. Hockenson and Fant had each declared early for the NFL draft after the 2018 season and would become the first set of tight-end teammates to be taken in the first round. The Hawkeyes needed help at the position—and quick. LaPorta, who likely would have attended Bowling Green University had Iowa not offered the late scholarship, was frustrated by the lack of attention from major colleges after enjoying a record-setting high school career as a wide receiver. But a visit to Iowa City in December 2018 that included a dinner with Hockenson, who served as his recruiting host for the trip, helped sell him on an unexpected future with the Hawkeyes. When he arrived ahead of the 2019 season, he had a chip on his shoulder and was determined to prove he belonged in the Big Ten. “I knew that once they offered me, everybody was going to start at square one, and it didn’t really matter how you got there,” he says. “I had the same opportunities as everybody else.” LaPorta made the most of the opportunity, breaking into the starting lineup as freshman and becoming a sure-handed downfield target. He had played at 215 pounds in high school but immersed himself in Iowa’s strength andconditioning program and eventually added 30 more pounds to his 6-foot-3 frame. Most importantly, LaPorta came to the practice field with an eagerness to learn and work, his coaches said. By his senior year, LaPorta was a team captain and had established himself among the most decorated tight ends in Iowa history.
George Kittle
Opportunity at Iowa
It was mid-April, a couple of weeks before the NFL draft, and the UI’s Hansen Football Performance Center was quiet. Spring practices recently wrapped up, so the team meeting room was empty. LaPorta settled into a chair by the coach’s podium to reflect on his final days in Iowa City before graduating with his business degree and the lifeMAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG | IOWA MAGAZINE 2 5
Marv Cook
(90BBA), 1985-88
Iowa’s first consensus AllAmerica tight end might be best remembered for his stunning 28-yard touchdown catch to upset Ohio State in 1987. The West Branch native had 803 receiving yards as a junior and 63 receptions as a senior, both school records for his position. Cook, who still owns the career record for most receiving yards for an Iowa tight end (1,825), played seven seasons in the NFL, where he twice made the Pro Bowl for the New England Patriots. After retiring from football, Cook coached Iowa City Regina to seven state titles in 14 seasons.
Jim Gibbons
The Legends of Tight End U
Dallas Clark (07BA), 2000-02
College football’s ivory tower for tight ends, the University of Iowa, has a long legacy of players who starred for the Hawkeyes and in the NFL. Here are 10 of the most accomplished alumni who call Tight End University their alma mater:
Jim Gibbons
(58BSPE), 1955-57
Gibbons was an All-American end during Iowa’s spectacular run under coach Forest Evashevski. He famously caught the lone touchdown in Iowa’s 6-0 win over Ohio State in 1956 to send the Hawkeyes to their first Rose Bowl. Gibbons played 11 seasons with the Detroit Lions, where he became one of the NFL’s earliest pass-catching tight ends and amassed 287 catches for 3,561 yards.
Jonathan Hayes (86BGS), 1982-84
Playing stand-up tight end in coach Hayden Fry’s highpowered offense, Hayes was among quarterback Chuck Long’s favorite targets during the 1984 season en route to a Freedom Bowl win. A secondround pick in the 1985 draft 2 6 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
by the Kansas City Chiefs, Hayes played for 12 years in the NFL. Hayes, the father of NBA player Jaxson Hayes of the New Orleans Pelicans, today is a veteran college and professional coach. Earlier this year he reunited with Long (85BBA) as co-offensive coordinators for the XFL champion Arlington Renegades.
The Livermore, Iowa, native came to Iowa City as an unheralded walk-on linebacker. Three years later, he was a consensus first-team AllAmerican and John Mackey Award recipient in 2002. A firstround pick by Indianapolis in the 2003 draft, Clark was an All-Pro selection in 2009 and played in two Super Bowls. Clark set an NFL record for receiving yards by a tight end in a single postseason with 317 on the way to the Colts’ Super Bowl XLI victory over Chicago in 2007.
Scott Chandler (90BBA) 2004-06
Chandler followed his older brother, quarterback Nathan Chandler (03BBA), from Texas to Iowa, where he racked up 1,467 career receiving yards, which ranks third all-
time among Iowa tight ends. A fourth-round draft pick by the San Diego Chargers, Chandler spent nine years in the NFL, including four and a half seasons with Buffalo. He amassed 2,379 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns as a pro. Today, Chandler is an assistant football coach at Liberty High School in North Liberty.
Brandon Myers 2005-08
The Prairie City, Iowa, native posted modest numbers early in his Hawkeye career but developed into an All-Big Ten player by the time he was a senior. A sixth-round draft pick by the Oakland Raiders in 2009, Myers enjoyed an eightyear NFL run with the Raiders, Giants, and Buccaneers in which he tallied nearly 2,000 career receiving yards.
George Kittle (16BA), 2013-16
Nicknamed the People’s Tight End, Kittle is among the NFL’s biggest stars and is considered one of its best players, regardless of position. The son of former Iowa offensive lineman Bruce Kittle (83BBA, 89JD), who helped lead the Hawkeyes to the 1982 Rose Bowl, Kittle is entering his seventh NFL season this fall. Each summer, the fourtime Pro Bowler helps organize a Tight End University summit in Nashville for his NFL peers. Off the field, Kittle made a cameo at WrestleMania this past spring and returned to Iowa City to host a kids football camp that raised money for UI Dance Marathon.
More Notable Tight End U Alumni
Mike Flagg (87BBA), 1984-87 Michael Titley (09BLS), 1989-90 Alan Cross, 1989-92 Scott Slutzker (96BA), 1992-95 Zeron Flemister (09BS), 1996-99
Tony Moeaki (09BA), 2005-09 Allen Reisner (11BA), 2007-10 C.J. Fiedorowicz, 2010-13 Henry Krieger-Coble (15BS), 2012-15 Parker Hesse (17BA, 18MA), 2015-18
Noah Fant 2016-18
No Tight End U alum spent more time in the end zone than Fant, who set a Hawkeye record with 19 scoring catches in his three seasons. Fant was a first-round draft pick in 2019 by the Denver Broncos, where he played for three years before being traded in 2022 to the Seattle Seahawks. He enters his fifth NFL season this fall with 220 career receptions for 2,391 yards and 14 touchdowns.
T.J. Hockenson Winning the Mackey Award as college football’s top tight end in 2018, Hockenson departed Iowa for the NFL following his sophomore season. He was the eighth overall pick by the Detroit Lions, where he played
Sam LaPorta 2019-22
The newest alum of Tight End U makes his pro debut this fall with the Detroit Lions, who drafted him in the second round. Iowa’s all-time leader for receptions by a tight end, LaPorta harnessed his NIL star power last season to raise money for UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital by designing a Tight End University T-shirt, which included his name alongside several other Hawkeye greats on this list.
Marv Cook
He finished his career as Iowa’s all-time leader for receptions (153) by a tight end and second in career receiving yards (1,786) at the position. A torn meniscus in his knee sidelined him late in the 2022 season, but, remarkably, he rehabbed in time to compete in the Motor City Bowl just six weeks later. “Nine out of 10 times someone in his position would never have played in that bowl game,” says Iowa tight ends coach Abdul Hodge (05BA). “I’m looking at him in practice after he came back working in drills as part of his rehab process, and I’m thinking to myself, here’s a guy who has a 100 percent chance to get drafted. I’m thinking there must be something wrong with this kid. But that says a lot about Sam.”
‘The Right Type of Kid’
Noah Fant
PHOTO: HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
2017-18
three and a half seasons before being traded to Minnesota last fall. The Chariton, Iowa, native and two-time Pro Bowler surpassed 2,500 career receiving yards in 2022 and has 18 career touchdown receptions to date.
Tight end is a hybrid position that requires a unique blend of size and strength coupled with skill and athleticism. In the mold of players like Clark and Kittle, LaPorta’s knack for making difficult catches and his doggedness as a blocker made his stock soar among this year’s deep tight end class. His Tight End U pedigree certainly didn’t hurt, either. LaPorta had studied hours of film of his tight end predecessors at Iowa, but working out in Nashville with Hockenson and Kittle—along with Robert Tonyan of the Chicago Bears and former 49er Jordan Matthews—LaPorta got a firsthand glimpse of what makes them tick. “Tight ends in general are a little bit like goofy offensive linemen, but they also have a little more swagger,” LaPorta says. “They’re all characters in their own right. Like what you see with George on TV—he’s the exact same way in person. He’s just a big goof ball. Somebody made a comment that he’s like a 12-yearold kid in a grown man’s body, and now he has money too. So he has all the toys, and they have so much fun.” LaPorta was all business when he met virtually this past spring with a long line of NFL teams over hour-long video-conference interviews, as well as in-person at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and Iowa’s pro day at the football complex. During the combine showcase, he posted an eye-opening 4.59-second 40-yard dash, the third-fastest time among tight ends. One of LaPorta’s more memorable meetings in Indianapolis was with Detroit’s charismatic coach Dan Campbell, himself a former pro tight end. Campbell had a “big chaw” packed in his lip and a firm handshake, MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG | IOWA MAGAZINE 27
“I came in here and nobody really wanted me, but I left a big impact on a program that meant so much to me.”
recalls LaPorta. Campbell played a clip of Lions game film to start the interview. Then, at the end of the meeting, the coach quizzed LaPorta to see if he remembered the receiving routes from the play. As it happened, it wouldn’t be LaPorta’s last conversation with Campbell. LaPorta says there’s no secret formula for Iowa’s ability to develop NFL-caliber tight ends. While the Hawkeye offense features tight ends more than many other programs, and Iowa’s strength and conditioning program is famous for developing pro-ready players, LaPorta credits the coaches for identifying student-athletes who thrive in the Hawkeye system. “It’s not so much the right athletic ability; it’s about bringing in 2 8 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
the right type of kid with the qualities that you look for,” LaPorta says. “I think that goes beyond the tight end room; it goes to every position group in the building.” Hodge brought a unique perspective when he was hired as Iowa’s tight ends coach ahead of LaPorta’s senior season. An All-Big Ten linebacker at Iowa from 2002-05, Hodge was teammates with several Hawkeye tight ends who went on to the NFL, including Clark, Tony Moeaki (09BA), Scott Chandler (07BBA), and Brandon Myers. “The guys who typically do well at Iowa are guys who are hungry, guys who have felt like they’ve been passed over, guys who have something to
PHOTO: JUSTIN ELSNER/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
—S am L a P orta
A Hawkeye Brotherhood
PHOTO: HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
Dallas Clark prove,” Hodge says. “They’re guys who are great teammates, guys who are high character, and guys who are selfless and willing to do anything on a field that a coach tells them to do.” Of course, physical attributes also play a big role. Hodge says Iowa discovers diamonds in the rough by asking “what can Iowa do with this kid?” and projecting where they’ll be after a couple years of coaching and strength training in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes similarly have a knack for identifying versatile athletes with long frames who excel in multiple sports, says Hodge. Clark, for instance, was a four-sport high school athlete who came to Iowa as a walk-on linebacker. Kittle was a tall, lean prep receiver and defensive back who also played basketball. LaPorta grew up playing soccer and was a standout high school basketball player whose parents and three sisters were all former and future college athletes. “Those guys had untapped potential,” Hodge says. “They were really great athletes who were really great competitors. ‘Upside’ is a term I consistently use in the recruiting game, and their upside was huge.”
LaPorta and about 100 family members, friends, and former coaches gathered in late April at an events venue in his hometown of Highland, Illinois, for the second night of the NFL draft. Hodge, who was in nearby St. Louis that week for a recruiting trip, also joined the party. LaPorta had watched as Hawkeye teammates Lukas Van Ness and Jack Campbell (22BA) were selected a day earlier in the first round by the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, respectively. Now it was LaPorta’s turn. When commissioner Roger Goodell stepped to the podium in Kansas City with the third pick of the second round, cheers erupted in Highland. LaPorta pumped his fist, gave out high-fives, and hugged his family. Like his former roommate Jack Campbell, he was heading to Detroit, the team he first interviewed with at the combine. Congratulatory texts and calls lit up LaPorta’s phone. Among the people who reached out was Dallas Clark, who had been in LaPorta’s shoes on draft day 20 years prior. The two met when Clark returned to Iowa City for a visit during LaPorta’s freshman year in 2018, and they’d stayed in touch ever since. Today, LaPorta considers Clark one of his biggest mentors. Says LaPorta: “After a tough loss or after I didn’t have a great game, he’s the first one to call and say, ‘How do you feel about that? You’re going work through it, and don’t let this get to you.’” That Hawkeye network also helped LaPorta settle into his new life following the draft. When he arrived in Detroit for rookie minicamp in May, he asked Hockenson, a former Lion, for advice about where to live in the city. “Sam’s a great kid,” Hockenson says. “It’s good to be able to keep in touch with people like that and help as much as I can.” LaPorta, who’s expected to make an immediate impact for Detroit as a rookie, says he hopes that he can likewise serve as a mentor one day for Hawkeyes with NFL ambitions. Iowa has a stable of talented tight ends ready to step in this fall, including junior Luke Lachey and Michigan transfer Erick All. “They’re definitely going to carry that torch,” says LaPorta. Hodge says LaPorta’s impact at Iowa will be a lasting one. Like a master’s student who leaves a thesis project for future students to study, LaPorta left Tight End U with a master class worth of film clips. Hodge says it’s not the big grabs or jaw-dropping runs after a catch that he screens in the tight end room. Instead, it’s how LaPorta gave maximum effort every snap, looked for the extra block downfield, and made hustle plays that don’t show up on the stats sheet. “The films I pull up to show our guys are the ones where Sam doesn’t have the football,” Hodge says. “It’s his selflessness and his love for his teammates.” Ferentz likes to preach the importance of leaving the jersey in a better place. LaPorta took that message to heart in his four years at Tight End University. “When I’m wrapping up hopefully a long NFL career, I’ll be like, man, that was cool,” LaPorta says. “I came in here and nobody really wanted me, but I left a big impact on a program that meant so much to me.” Any comments? Email uimagazine@foriowa.org. MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG | IOWA MAGAZINE 2 9
HERKY
TURNS
Iowa celebrates a milestone birthday for its favorite feathered mascot. BY M EGAN WAL S H | P H OTOS: J O H N E M I G H
3 0 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
H
erky doesn’t just walk into a room;
he breezes through the door, exuding his signature swagger. He tousles the hair of nearby fans, snatches baseball caps to place on his imposing head, and brings smiles to those who try—though often unsuccessfully—to ignore his presence. It’s a big job, carrying the weight of the Hawkeye brand on his rather narrow shoulders, but Herky has been up to the task for 75 years. He celebrated his birthday with party hats, noisemakers, and dessert earlier this month at FRYfest alongside Hawkeye fans in town for the football season opener. When Herky first hatched in 1948, he was rough around the edges, a mascot still discovering himself. It took 11 years for Herky to take
flight from a drawing in the sketchbook of University of Iowa journalism instructor Dick Spencer III (43BA) to a friendly, energizing presence at Hawkeye football games. Now booked at more than 400 events each year, Herky lights up the room wherever he goes. He’s attended weddings and funerals, visited patients at UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital, and boogied through the night at Dance Marathon. On any given day, he might tour a nearby elementary school or dole out high-fives while cruising around campus on a golf cart called the Hawk Mobile. But his goal is always the same: bring superstar entertainment and instill universal pride in Hawkeyes everywhere.
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“
Herky makes people happy. There’s something magical about his interactions with fans.” —Angie Anderson (01BA), a former member of Herky's team
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BIRDS OF A FEATHER H erky rarely goes anywhere without an entourage thanks to Gregg Niemiec, who took over as head cheerleading coach and coordinator of the UI spirit squad in 1998. Niemiec plays a major role in deciding who joins Herky’s innermost circle. Iowa students audition to earn the privilege of being his coworkers. Niemiec looks for student-athletes who are creative, sharp, and team-oriented. They must demonstrate a deep affinity for the university and protect the integrity of Iowa. It’s not an easy task, keeping up with Iowa’s mascot. Herky’s teammates must keep an eye on his surroundings to protect him from accidentally being hurt by exuberant fans and trickster opponents. As an anthropomorphic hawk, Herky isn't immune to the woes of the human body. In 1999, he took an ambulance to the hospital after members of the opposing team’s marching band snuck behind him during an away game to hit him with a 3-foot foam banana. Beyond protecting the safety of the mascot, Herky’s entourage must tap into their own child-like imagination. During tryouts, hopefuls are asked to grab an object in the room and create multiple skits with the prop. Take a wheelbarrow, for example. “You hop in, and immediately it’s a canoe,” says former Herky security guard
Tommy Wisniewski (14BA, 17JD). “Then
you get others to join, and it’s a pirate ship. Or the front wheel becomes a loom, and you’re sewing a masterpiece.” This boundless imagination is the cornerstone of Herky’s interactions. “Herky doesn’t just open a door,” says Wisniewski. “Suddenly, the door is outrageously heavy— it’s so heavy—and he’s pulling with both hands to open this now immovable door.” This usually happens after bounding ahead of a group to open the door, like a true gentleman. “Herky makes people happy,” says Angie Anderson (01BA), a friend of Herky’s who felt fated for the role. “There’s something magical about his interactions with fans.” Anderson and Carrie Norwood (02BA) were the first women to join Herky’s squad, and they used that honor to take Herky’s shenanigans to the next level. “We wanted Herky to have a toilet paper gun at an event, but we had no budget,” Anderson recalls. “So we rented a leaf blower from Home Depot and rigged it so you could essentially TP the crowd.” “They loved it,” says Norwood, who persuaded Herky a few weeks later to jump in the pool at a swim meet. “That one was a terrible idea,” Norwood says. “His head is too heavy to float.”
HAWKEYE LORE Where did Herky hatch? Was it at the water tower behind Kinnick, beneath the gold dome of Old Capitol, near the boathouse on the Iowa River, or somewhere else entirely? On the occasion of Herky’s 75th birthday, UI Spirit Squad coordinator Gregg Niemiec invites Hawkeye fans to become a part of creating mascot history. Send your fictionalized Herky origin story to uimagazine@foriowa.org.
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SOARING
SPIRITS
T
o Herky, every interaction requires joy. And sometimes that joy can be life-changing. On one visit to UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital, Wisniewski made the rounds with Herky, who colored outside the lines with patients and grabbed the hands of nearby nursing staff, inviting them into the silliness. Afterward, they visited patients who weren’t able to leave their beds. A young boy had been in the hospital for months, his condition worsening in the weeks prior. As soon as Herky poked his head in the room, the boy popped up in bed, lit with delight.
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“His parents came up to us afterwards,” Wisniewski says. “They told us their son hadn’t sat up in weeks.” This is the power of Herky. And if he could talk, he’d share how much it means to represent the university with the best fans. How nothing compares to game day at Kinnick Stadium or seeing the overwhelming excitement on a kid’s face when they see their hero. After 75 years, Herky would be the first to say that there’s nothing better than being a Hawkeye. So happy birthday to our beloved, rambunctious, over-the-top mascot. You don’t look a day over 22.
HERKY THROUGH THE YEARS
Once upon a time, our Hawkeye predecessors hatched a mascot who would become a symbol of pride for the university. He would be fierce and a testament to Iowa’s prowess on the field. And while Herky may not have been the first to represent the University of Iowa, he would far outlast the competition. After all, time flies when you’re having fun.
1948 1908
FIGHTING HERKY: UI ATHLETICS; HERKY HEADS AND STATUES: UI CENTER FOR ADVANCEMENT FILE PHOTOS; JORDAN, TREBEK, AND OBAMA: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS; BEAR, FLAG, AND GAVEL: STOCK PHOTOS; FRYFEST LOGO COURTESY FRYFEST; ALL OTHER PHOTOS: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES/UI LIBRARIES
Burch, a real-life black bear cub, premieres as Iowa’s first mascot, then “drove the entire [football] squad into one small corner of the bus” as they traveled to Mizzou, according to the UI student newspaper.
1927
Rex the Dog (I and II) assumes the role of the UI’s mascot and “good-luck dog.” Rex sported a plumed cap and black-and-gold blanket with an ROTC insignia.
What are your favorite Herky memories? Email uimagazine@ foriowa.org.
1996
UI Athletics business manager Frank Havlicek (48BSPE) issues a call for a mascot to rival Minnesota’s Goldy Gopher and Wisconsin’s Bucky Badger. Journalism instructor Dick Spencer III (43BA) submits a cartoon sketch of a barrelchested anthropomorphic bird.
1954
Herky dresses as a Scottish Highlander for a homecoming pin.
I owa’s mascot dons
three different looks, thanks to his new Kevlar heads.
1973
1949
A statewide competition is held to name Iowa’s mascot. John Franklin of Belle Plaine, Iowa, submits the winning name: Herky the Hawk, short for Hercules.
Herky is included in a Daily Double question on Jeopardy!
Herky intimidates opponents when he is drawn by Jim Hutchinson (76BGS) as a strong and aggressive character.
1959
With a head molded from heavy papiermâché and chicken wire, Herky debuts at a football season opener.
2002
1990
Herky meets Michael Jordan when the Chicago Bulls play an exhibition game at CarverHawkeye Arena .
Herky meets Michelle Obama at the White House.
2014
Herky undergoes another makeover. Six special-collection Herky on Parade statues go up for auction at FRYfest (All Sports Herky, Big Ten Tour Herky, Franken Herky, King Herky, Leprechaun Herky, and Santa Herky).
2001 Herky plants the American flag in place of the Iowa flag on the Kinnick Stadium field in the first home football game after 9/11.
1980
s
Herky becomes the mascot for all sports.
2012
2004
Ninety Herky statues are unveiled across Iowa City and Coralville as part of Herky on Parade.
2023 Herky celebrates his 75th birthday at FRYfest.
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Objects as Inspiration By Derek Nnuro
Dozens of Iowa’s most celebrated writers find their muse in the Stanley Museum of Art’s collection for the new book, In a Time of Witness.
U
sing a work of visual art for literary creation—a writing approach known as ekphrasis—has the power to not only make a painting or sculpture more understandable, but also to allow viewers to see their own life’s journey within the artwork. The poem “Öklid Dışı Uzay Tehlikelidir” (“Non-Euclidian Space Is Dangerous”) by Turkish writer Efe Duyan does just that. Written in response to George Rickey’s Two Lines Oblique, a stainless-steel sculpture that fronts the new University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art, the love poem is inspired by the story of how Duyan met his future wife when he was a 2019 fellow at the UI’s International Writing Program. Duyan’s ekphrasis (see p. 39)—equal parts ode to Iowa City and, of course, romance—is the opening piece of In a Time of Witness, a new book published this month by the Stanley and distributed by UI Press in a partnership with 3 6 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
Iowa’s renowned writing programs. Beyond a traditional museum exhibition catalogue, this unprecedented interdisciplinary project features 31 writers—alumni of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, International Writing Program, and Literary Translation Program—who contributed original literary responses to artworks they chose from the Stanley’s permanent collection. These writers are among the most celebrated of our time, including former U.S. poet laureates Rita Dove (77MFA, 22LHD), Joy Harjo (78MFA), and Juan Felipe Herrera (90MFA); and groundbreaking fiction writers like Adam Haslett (99MFA), Carmen Maria Machado (12MFA), and Yiyun Li (00MS, 05MFA). Iowa Writers’ Workshop professor emerita Marilynne Robinson (17LHD) writes the foreword.
For more on In a Time of Witness, visit foriowa.info/ im-witness23.
PHOTO: JASON SMITH
Since opening its doors last fall, the Stanley Museum of Art has quickly established itself as a premier hub for cross-disciplinary activity on campus. Thirty departments and programs have made 175 class visits to the museum, including students from dermatology, management and entrepreneurship, nursing, and music. Museum director Lauren Lessing, believing art to be a catalyst, is committed to nurturing a museum environment that supports creativity, innovation, and discovery across disciplines. Lessing’s vision has its origins in the “Iowa Idea”—when UI visionaries in the 1920s unified studio arts with the study of art history and theory—and Iowa’s proud literary tradition. “When university president Walter Jessup (34LITTD) and graduate dean Carl Seashore (27BSAS) brought artists and scholars together to create the first graduate degree programs in the arts anywhere in the world—the UI’s twin MFA programs in studio art and creative writing,” says Lessing, “they understood that art enables new perceptions, hones our ability to think critically, and opens a world of possibilities.” Eleven poets and 10 fiction writers make up the Iowa Writers’ Workshop alumni featured in the book. Alumni of the International Writing Program include three poets and two fiction writers who contribute in Yoruba, Turkish, German, Argentine Spanish, and Japanese. Through their respective English translations, five writers—an Iowa Writers’ Workshop alum, director of translation, and translation alumni—add another layer of response and interpretation. Aron Aji, director of translation programs at UI, translated Duyan’s poem from the Turkish to English. Duyan captures Iowa City—and more specifically, the UI—as one of its realities: an abundant, flora-marked global haven, where a Turkish writer can—and does—meet the love of his life, a Latvian writer. Rickey’s Two Lines Oblique, a pioneer of kinetic sculpture in which two balanced arms twist and spin effortlessly in the wind, catalyzes a meditation on the free flow of budding love and inventiveness that marks the UI’s ethos. At its core, In a Time of Witness is a celebration of this ethos. The catalogue’s distinctiveness embodies the UI’s storied history of innovative arts and humanities education. The book also proudly celebrates the UI’s long history as a home for diverse artistic voices by highlighting alumni whose literary practice centers lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, and people of color, LGBTQIA+, and economically underserved communities. In these ways, In a Time of Witness is quintessentially Hawkeye.
The book proudly celebrates the UI’s long history as a home for diverse artistic voices.
Visit the UI Stanley Museum of Art 160 W. Burlington St., Iowa City Free admission For hours, visit stanleymuseum. uiowa.edu
Derek Nnuro (16MFA), a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and author of What Napoleon Couldn’t Do: A Novel (one of Barack Obama’s 2023 Summer Reading List picks), is the curator of special projects at the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art. He served as the editor for In a Time of Witness. MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG | IOWA MAGAZINE 37
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Non-Euclidian Space is Dangerous
By Efe Duyan, 2019 International Writing Program participant from Turkey Inspired by George Rickey’s Two Lines Oblique sculpture in front of the UI Stanley Museum of Art (pictured at left) and translated by Aron Aji, director of translation programs at Iowa
two oblique lines (even in euclidian space) if only drawn long enough can meet at one point just days ago Iowa was a point on the world map now we are at Prairie Lights when I’m smug about the author you mention I get interrupted friends, you yell, let’s get some beer on the way back to the hotel at the tip of my tongue a Bukowski verse underlined *
STANLEY PHOTO: JUSTIN TORNER/UI OFFICE OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION; DUYAN PHOTO: DAVID KONEČNÝ
growing slowly underground two seeds can touch each other only on the face of the earth on the way back from the farm you had held my hand in the car
* two trees touching each other with the tips of their leaves once cut down can only meet while swimming down the river it’s raining we’re in the middle of the street I tuck your hair behind your ear sawdust drips from its ends * two waves advancing back to back can only meet when the first reaches the shore and slowly ebbs in the stairwell you turn and kiss me my mouth full of sand *
your hand a creeper vine * in the darkness of space two meteors advancing back to back can see each other only when they enter the atmosphere we go to Dublin others join too you order two whiskeys down my throat a ball of fire
advancing back to back two clouds only after hitting the cold air can intermix in the soil you lie next to me naked
I didn’t sleep next to you went back to my room at the Graduate in the blind of the night my regret clammy liquid delicious * turritopsis dohrnii two jellyfish who mated in their first lives must wait to change into polyp sponge to find each other again you weren’t speaking to me we had returned to our earlier lives as if we could
when we reconnect en route to New Orleans you sat next to me teach me a few words, you said to allay your fear of flying tabii ki, her zaman, mutlaka comparable, dependable words hard as eggshells * if only back to back they strike the same point two lightning bolts can find each other
after rehearsal we share my umbrella your eyes translucent
out of the shower you ask, will you come with me
* I wrap my arms around your neck and smell the burnt smell
oozing down the tree bark two resin drops can only meet when hardened in a fossil layer
* after two oblique lines meet at one point they keep to their own trajectory in euclidian space
as if pledged we go straight into Bread Garden you eat from my hand the last watermelon slice
we are in 319 you sit in the space between the beds clothes, blankets, plastic bags snuggling next to you I say maybe I’ll move to Riga
on my back instead of sweat droplets of mud
in the corner of your lips gleaming an amber stone
*
*
apple slices turning brown dry out and only then can interfuse their smells
if the male and the female storks cannot feed all their babies they push one down with their beaks and only at winter’s end can they look each other in the face
POETRY FROM IN A TIME OF WITNESS. USED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA STANLEY MUSEUM OF ART.
I wasn’t ready for anything beyond an adventure you left on the trip you had already planned with someone else we didn’t speak just as unlike as our voices were our silences
time will tell, you say, and hold my hand tightly as if something that should not be dropped or even seen is hidden between our palms
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Framing a Story
M
Iowa Writers’ Workshop faculty members including Lan Samantha Chang (93MFA), Mark Levine (90MFA), Carmen Maria Machado (12MFA), and Marilynne Robinson (17LHD) IWW poets including Rita Dove (77MFA, 22LHD), Joy Harjo (78MFA), and Juan Felipe Herrera (90MFA)
1
“History parades beneath the clouds up there. Ancestors live in the shine of star shadow,
Their homes and horses a mirror of down here, This land that never belonged to anyone.” Joy Harjo (78MFA), the first Native American U.S. poet laureate, in “A Country on Your Shoulders,” a response to American Indian No. 4 by Fritz Scholder
2
“Look at that yellow, falling all over itself, laying down tracks as if to say There’s no
law against being beautiful and bodacious; leave your laps on their sofas and come out dancing!” U.S. poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize recipient Rita Dove (77MFA, 22LHD) in “Yellow Embracing Spring,” a response to Spring Embraces Yellow by Alma W. Thomas
IWW fiction writers including
Tameka Cage Conley (18MFA), Adam Haslett (99MFA), and Yiyun Li (00MS, 05MFA)
International Writing Program participants including Turkish poet Efe Duyan, Japanese novelist Minae Mizumura, and Argentine writer Pola Oloixarac Translation Workshop literary translators including Aron Aji, director of translation programs
3
“Heat life lives in humanity experiment come to you we burst Across lands & skyscrapers dripping machine particles”
Any comments? Email
U.S. poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera (90MFA) in “Future
uimagazine@foriowa.org.
Forms Future Worlds,” a response to Jackson Pollock’s Mural
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HARJO PHOTO: SHAWN MILLER/LIBRARY OF CONGRESS; DOVE PHOTO COURTESY RITA DOVE; HERRERA PHOTO: CARLOS PUMA
ore than 30 of Iowa’s esteemed writers and translators took inspiration from the collection of the UI Stanley Museum of Art for the new exhibition catalogue, In a Time of Witness. They responded to works by renowned UI artists like alumnae Elizabeth Catlett (40MFA) and Ana Mendieta (69BA, 72MA, 77MFA) and former professors Hans Breder and Grant Wood; as well as to Stanley masterpieces such as Max Beckmann’s “Karneval,” Henri Matisse’s “Blue Interior with Two Girls,” and Andy Warhol’s “Mick Jagger.” Here are a few UI faculty and alumni whose works are featured in the In a Time of Witness project:
1 Fritz Scholder (Payómkawichum [Luiseño], 1937–2005), American Indian No. 4, 1972. Lithograph on paper, 30 1/8
× 22 1/8 in. (76.5 × 56.2 cm). Stanley Museum of Art, Gift of Lloyd E. Rigler, 1981.276. © Estate of Fritz Scholder
2 Alma W. Thomas (American, 1891–1978), Spring Embraces Yellow, 1973. Acrylic on canvas, 68 × 52 in. (172.7 × 132.1 cm). Stanley Museum of Art, Gift of Vincent Melzac, 1975.103. © 2023 Estate of Alma Thomas / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
3 Jackson Pollock (American, 1912–1956), Mural, 1943. Oil and casein on canvas, 95 3/8 × 237 3/4 × 2 1/2 in. (242.3 × 603.9 × 6.4 cm). Stanley Museum of Art, Gift of Peggy Guggenheim, 1959.6 MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG | IOWA MAGAZINE 41
IOWA WRITERS
IOWA WRITERS IRVING IN IOWA
SIXTIES GIRL GROUPS REACH FOR INDEPENDENCE
PHOTO: JASON SMITH
Weekend Booked One of the most celebrated authors to emerge from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, John Irving (67MFA), returns next month during the Iowa City Book Festival. Workshop director Lan Samantha Chang (93MFA) hosts a Literary Legends event with Irving Oct. 13 at Hancher that’s also part of its new Infinite Dream festival. Irving then joins the Refocus Film Festival at FilmScene for an Oct. 14 screening of The Cider House Rules, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Leading up to the ticketed events, readers can participate in a free UI Book Club for Alumni and Friends discussion of Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany through Oct. 7 at pbc.guru/foriowa.
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IOWA WRITERS
The Sh irelles
as andell The V
The Marv elettes
The Chantels
The Supremes
AUTHOR Q& A
els The Ang
But Will You Love Me Tomorrow? An Oral History of the ’60s Girl Groups
tes onet The R
by Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz (11MFA) Hatchette Books, 448 pp.
Emily Sieu Liebowitz
so the University of Iowa graduate was thrilled when she met a friend in New York with similar musical tastes who was excited to attend shows with her. Curious by nature, Liebowitz (11MFA) was surprised that more information about popular women performers from the 1960s, some of whom were still touring, was not readily accessible. “One of my all-time favorite songs is ‘Please Mr. Postman’ by the Marvelettes, but if you wanted to find information about the performers, you’d have a difficult time,” Liebowitz says. “We really wanted to learn more about these women, but there was nothing geared toward a mainstream audience. So we decided we should write about them.” Liebowitz, who earned an MFA in poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 2011, teamed up with pal Laura Flam, an interior designer and fellow girl group aficionado, to tell the groups’ stories. Over three years, the duo conducted interviews with more than 100 subjects, from performers and producers to songwriters and sound engineers, and then compiled a narrative in But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?: An Oral History of the ’60s Girl Groups, published this month by Hachette Books. Although the book is a departure from her work in poetry, which includes her 2018 debut collection, National Park, Liebowitz says the experience has informed her writing. She shares what she learned from working on But Will You Love Me Tomorrow? as well as what’s next for her.
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PHOTOS: ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
Emily Sieu Liebowitz grew up in the Bay Area grooving to oldies such as “Be My Baby” and “Then He Kissed Me,”
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BOOKSHELF PICKS
The book covers the Ronettes, the Shirelles, the Supremes, and many other popular groups. How did you determine the subjects? We couldn’t interview everybody, so first we considered the songs we thought were important and then went to the groups. From there, we honed our questions, but we didn’t even know at the time what we needed to know—we kind of learned as we went. After reviewing the interviews, we started seeing patterns come together—different years, different parties, different relationships. We tried to give every group their moment and emphasize each group’s journey. Laura would conduct the interviews, and I listened and suggested follow-up questions. I wasn’t at all the interviews, but I’ve probably listened to each one four to eight times. I also carved out the narrative. Having a workshop background really helped, because Laura and I had to ask each other tough questions about the manuscript, like “What’s not happening here?” and “What can we move around?” What surprised you as you listened to these women’s stories? How many different ways they were taken advantage of. I don’t know enough about the modern music business—I feel like I would have to take on a whole separate project to really understand it—or how much it has or hasn’t changed. But these women were just kids, many still in high school. I was surprised by what was expected of them and how much they worked. Putting them on a bus and sending them across the country didn’t seem like a good idea to me. I was also shocked to learn that a lot of songwriters didn’t own their copyrights and had to buy them back later. Another thing is that women just were not considered something worth investing in, and I think that’s still true. There were expectations that they were going to leave the business and have children. I think most of them have children and are happy to have children, but it was more an expectation than a choice. What do you want readers to take away from the book? That the accomplishments of these singers and performers are incredibly valuable. They were on the forefront of so many things that we benefited from. They really pushed the needle forward for women’s
rights, for example. “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” was cowritten by Carole King and recorded by the Shirelles in 1960. It’s a feminist song—it references premarital sex, literally asking a man, “What do you owe me for giving myself to you?” The birth control pill came out the same year. The Shirelles, who were young Black women, also regularly desegregated places by performing concerts for both Black and white audiences—not necessarily knowing it or signing up for it. I hope that people can see through how we treated them in our culture and acknowledge their accomplishments, and that some people who were invisible but major contributors will be more visible. This music is some of the first nationally distributed pop music, especially from women, and because it’s not considered a serious genre of music, our fear is that it’s at risk for erasure.
Iowa Prairie Wildsam This creative field guide to the state of Iowa offers everything from insider travel tips to featured stories from its famous writers.
How was your experience at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and in Iowa City? Iowa City was the first place where I felt writing was valued—not just by the Writers’ Workshop or the International Writing Program or the English department or the thriving library, but also by my landlord and anybody I interacted with in the community. Everyone there thinks literature matters. Having that time to focus on my writing felt like a huge gift. Everyone in the program assumes that you take writing as a serious, lifelong commitment, and I felt like I had permission to be a poet. I was exposed to different perspectives through seminars and conversations and visiting professors, and there were amazing bookstores and readings and writers coming through town. Being in the workshop solidified for me how I wanted to move forward in my life: with writing at the center of it.
You Were Watching From the Sand by Juliana Lamy (23MFA) Red Hen Press, available Sept. 19 In her debut short story collection, a recent Iowa Writers’ Workshop grad spins tales of Haitians who embrace the strange in response to the tragic and unimaginable.
What’s next for you? I’ll always have my poems, but I’m also looking for projects that can challenge me and teach me things that I can bring back to my poetry. Currently, I’m working on an intergenerational memoir-esque thing called Motherland. It’s about my mom and my paternal grandmother, who raised me together after my father passed away, and it weaves in California history. It’s a really different type of writing for me, but I have been enjoying applying my poetry skills to prose and narrative. —SARA EPSTEIN MONINGER
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (87MFA) Harper The bestselling novelist returns with a story set during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that explores how a mother’s surprising past affects her family in the present.
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John celebrates his graduation from UI REACH this past spring with his mom (left), Herky (below), and UI College of Education Dean Daniel L. Clay and UI President Barbara Wilson (at right). For more information about UI REACH, visit education.uiowa.edu/reach.
Peace is in Reach BY SUZANNE BARTLETT HACKENMILLER (96MD)
A mother shares her son with autism’s journey to independence through UI REACH. My 22-year-old son signed a lease for the new Iowa City apartment he moved into last month. As his guardian, technically I signed a lease. But John signed it too, in a ceremonial rite of passage. It’s the time of year when young adults in college towns clamor for rental properties in an annual game of musical chairs. Sealing the deal is a challenge for anyone but, for John, two decades of hurdles preceded this day. John was diagnosed with autism at 2 years and 9 months of age. A condition affecting language development, intellectual ability, and interactions with others, autism now affects an estimated 1 in 36 children in the United States. Twenty years ago, the prevalence was 1 in 150. Whereas autism centers now pepper the country, services were scant in 2003, which set the first row of hurdles for John. Baby John’s big brown eyes locked with mine as he nestled into my lap, his tiny hand wrapped around my finger as we rocked in our glider. I said to myself, “Thank goodness he doesn’t have autism.” Having worked with students and patients on the autism spectrum, I thought our bond meant one of my maternal fears had been averted. Yet something about John seemed off: He was calmed by music and geometrical patterns, and he had precocious abilities (singing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” identifying octagons in everyday objects, counting to 10 in three languages, and pronouncing six-syllable words all before age 2), but conversation wasn’t developing. While other toddlers’ language improved and tantrums subsided, John’s tantrums worsened. If he wasn’t screaming, he was spinning a toy, a wheel, or himself. 4 6 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
PHOTOS COURTESY SUZANNE BARTLETT HACKENMILLER
PERSONAL ESSAY
As a physician, I knew about milestones. John landed on the far right-hand side of the developmental bell curve, so our pediatrician dismissed my concerns. But intuitively, I dug old pediatrics textbooks from my basement to search “language delay.” I was shocked to find—in each resource—the only diagnosis was autism. Early intervention professionals confirmed it. When our options for services were to relocate or hire in-home professionals for $120,000 per year, our local autism team rose to the occasion and created a program for John that would later become the district’s special education preschool standard. I have vivid memories of picking John up from preschool, of that solemn-faced little boy strapped in his booster in the back of my minivan. “What did you do at school today, John?” I would ask. “Friends,” he would say. And that was it. This was our dialogue day after day, and day after day, that was it. “Friends,” he would say, just, “friends.” Every day I would pray he could one day say more. I would pray he would truly have friends. Meanwhile, I bought toys—too many toys—in my quest to stimulate John. If a toy or video was educational and kept his attention, I bought it. As John got older, I struggled to find age-appropriate playthings. One of my victories was a VHS tape called Animusic. The video showed animated robotic instruments in whimsical rock bands and symphonies. It was inspiring, innovative brilliance, and John loved it. The 2000s was the decade of autism awareness and fundraising to cure autism. Documentaries depicting dismal lives with children on the autism spectrum arose. Our family
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volunteered, walked, ran, and bicycled in charity events. We attended a Hollywood gala and shared the red (well, blue for autism) carpet with celebrities Jerry Seinfeld, Ed Asner, and Paul Simon. At another event, former President Bill Clinton noticed my autism hat and stopped. He believed stem cell therapy would cure autism during my son’s lifetime. Maybe it will. Maybe it won’t. But over time, the fervor to cure autism gave way to a movement of acceptance—a realization that human existence, itself, is a spectrum. It was acknowledged that people with autism could (and deserved to) live and thrive like everyone else. An early advocate was Sally Pederson, former lieutenant governor of Iowa and the mother of a son with autism. Seared into my memory is her 2005 presentation at the Autism Society of Iowa, where she shared her son’s experiences at an Illinois college. She pressed for the creation of a similar program at the University of Iowa, later named UI REACH, for Realizing Educational and Career Hopes. This gave me hope. But my hope faded over time. Secondary school meant fewer services, special education budget cuts, and Individual Education Plans that seemed not-so-individual. I became “that parent” who often lost but always fought for more. The district and I seemed to be on two different tracks, and the hurdles just kept growing higher. Then, in John’s senior year, post-graduation talks started. I had this niggling voice in my head: Remember UI REACH? It dangled like a carrot in the back of my mind, a what-if. But as I considered John’s progress, it seemed unattainable. John’s language remained stilted; how could he manage an interview? John needed help crossing the street; how could he navigate campus? That little voice was stifled and weary but deep in my head whispered, “Go!” So, in the eleventh hour, John and I visited the UI REACH program in Iowa City. Faculty members expressed optimism and noted qualities I took for granted: John did our laundry, loved to vacuum, drove a riding lawnmower, and was polite, kind, and courteous. They encouraged him to apply. They rekindled hope. So, we applied. And we waited. And John interviewed. And John was accepted.
***
UI REACH is a two-year program with an optional extension. Students live in
“It’s my dream job, Mom,” he says. John works out at the gym most days and buys himself a treat on payday. He enjoys hanging out with friends, who, it seems, are everywhere. Joe and I are amazed at how often we bump into friends—UI REACH and traditional college students alike—in restaurants, around town, and at airports in two different cities who tell us they know and love John.
***
residence halls alongside traditional undergrads for two years and spend additional years in an on-campus apartment. They take UI REACHspecific courses and are encouraged to audit or complete community college or university courses, if appropriate. Students enjoy social activities each week and learn independent living and job skills. Internships are tailored to their interests, and students graduate with a certificate of completion. UI REACH is a model of excellence, a prototype for others to emulate. John moved into the dorms in August 2019. Despite the program’s many safety features, I suffered weeks of hair-graying stress. I’ll admit I tracked my kid electronically at first, fearing he would be hit by a car, lost, abducted, or worse. In week two, John called me in a panic, lost on campus. I was about to give a large work presentation, but technology allowed me to locate and reroute him, and get both of us breathing again. A month later, my husband, Joe, and I visited John and took him out for lunch. We planned to drop him off on our way home. “That’s OK,” John said. “I can walk.” Joe and I were in disbelief as John blended in with the crowd, strolled down the sidewalk, crossed at the light, and walked the six blocks to his dorm. My anxiety lifted like a hot air balloon. “He’s got this,” Joe said with a grin. John has now completed three years of UI REACH (plus a COVID gap year). He expressed his desire to live in Iowa City after his spring graduation, but I couldn’t see how it could work. However, the universe conspired with John’s circle of support, and a friend had a friend who had apartments for rent. He found a roommate and support services, and things seemed to fall into place. In May, John finished a paid internship in production at Procter & Gamble and accepted an offer to return after graduation. He navigates the campus and city buses to get to his job—a fact that still blows my mind. He loves the constancy and repetition of the production line, I believe, and watching the line’s robots at work makes his day.
In 2010, I was asked to lead a discussion on the Dalai Lama’s book, The Art of Happiness, correlating with a visit to our community from His Holiness. In preparation, I read numerous books on the spiritual leader. The challenges of work burnout, my late husband Dave’s terminal cancer, and raising two young kids often made me contemplate the purpose and meaning of life. “The very purpose of life is to be happy,” the Dalai Lama is quoted as saying. “The key is to develop inner peace.” “Is that really it?” I have wondered. Is the purpose of life to find happiness and joy? To develop inner peace? That’s it? And how do you know when you’ve found it? Remember that old VHS tape, Animusic? You can now stream it; my son happens to know. Home on his final spring break this past year, he asks me to watch it with him. Twenty-two years of memories wash over me as I sit on the sofa with John, pure joy igniting his face. Blinking back tears, I am flooded with gratitude for the village of people who have always been there for him. I picture that little boy in the back seat whom I’d prayed for. I reflect on his progress, his independence, his apartment, his friends, his job, and his ability, now, to sit on the couch and chat. I see peace in my son like never before— inner peace. I realize I have it too. “Look, Mom,” John says. “There are robots like this at my job.”
Suzanne Bartlett Hackenmiller (96MD) is an OBGYN and integrative medicine physician, author, wife, and mother. She divides her time between Iowa and Arizona. This essay first appeared on her blog, Integrative Initiative, at integrativeinitiative.com. MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG | IOWA MAGAZINE 47
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KITTLE CONNECTS
ALUMNI AWARDS BREAST CANCER CARE
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
George Kittle (16BA) seems to be everywhere these days, but
the San Francisco 49ers star found time to return to Iowa City this past May to visit with some of his youngest fans. Joined by his wife and fellow University of Iowa alum, Claire Till Kittle (16BA), the San Francisco 49ers star played video games, signed autographs, and brought smiles to the faces of patients and their families at UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Kittle was back in Iowa for his spring youth football camp at Kinnick Stadium that raised $25,000 for UI Dance Marathon, the student-led
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organization that supports pediatric cancer patients. Just like on fall game days, Kittle and hundreds of campers took a break from football to wave to patients at the nearby children’s hospital. Kittle has been a longtime supporter of UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital, dating back to his playing days at Iowa, when he helped lead the Hawkeyes to a Rose Bowl as a senior in 2015. To team up with the children’s hospital or learn more about pediatric patient care and research at Iowa, visit foriowa.info/im-uisfch23. —JOSH O’LEARY
PHOTO: JESSE WALLACE/UI HEALTH CARE
Special Guest
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TOP: Tevin Middleton, a certified professional school counselor, reads to a child. Middleton is a Scanlan Center for School Mental Health Workforce Expansion trainee and a counselor education and supervision doctoral student at Iowa. BOTTOM: Barry Schreier, director of higher education programming for the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health, works with children during a recent visit to a local school.
Hometown Hawkeyes: Quad Cities
PHOTOS COURTESY UI OFFICE OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
The John Deere Foundation joins forces with the UI to boost school mental health. Kari Vogelgesang (01BA, 10MA,
15PhD) has spent nearly two years leading teams of University of Iowa researchers, educators, and trainers who are addressing the mental health crisis within Iowa’s K–12 schools. While she’s inspired by the work of America’s teachers, she’s also worried about the ever-growing needs of youth and their educators. “I’m impressed with the level of commitment and passion that educators in our state have for our students,” says Vogelgesang, director of professional development for the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health at
Iowa. “It’s powerful, heartwarming, and makes me tear up because our educators are suffering with their own personal issues and worrying about their students.” In Iowa—and throughout the U.S.—the statistics surrounding mental health and suicide are dire. According to the Iowa Department of Education and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the No. 1 problem facing schools is mental health, and suicide is now the second leading cause of death among Iowa youth. Teachers throughout the state and nation lack training and support to help students, and
since its founding in 2021, the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health has become a leader in providing social, emotional, behavioral, and psychological services to schools. A recent gift from the John Deere Foundation will bolster the crucial work being done by Vogelgesang and her Iowa colleagues. The foundation has committed $525,000 to advance research efforts and support educators, students, and their families—specifically underserved and underrepresented youth—in John Deere communities throughout Iowa and Illinois. “There is an urgent need for social, emotional, and behavioral health interventions for youth facing poverty, food insecurity, homelessness, discrimination, and other forms of trauma,” says Nate Clark (99JD), president of the John Deere Foundation and global director of corporate responsibility at John Deere. “As the only center in the nation with a comprehensive approach to student mental health, the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health is pursuing cutting-edge work that supports marginalized youth across our home communities in Iowa and Illinois. We hope to motivate others to invest in this important work and help educators and students alike to overcome the challenges they face today.” —BEN FROTSCHER
Learn more about the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health at scsmh.education. uiowa.edu. You can also support the mission at foriowa.info/smhsf23. MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG | IOWA MAGAZINE 4 9
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Former Hawkeye student-athletes Jenni and Chad Greenway continue to invest in their communities and in the lives of patients at the UI Stead Family Children's Hospital.
Top Honors The university presents medallions to six alumni luminaries this fall, continuing a tradition that began in 1963. For 60 years, the University of Iowa has honored alumni who best embody its core values with its annual Distinguished Alumni Awards. Meet this year’s recipients of the UI’s highest honor for alumni and friends who have made a difference at Iowa, their communities, and the greater world. RECENT GRADUATES
Chad (05BA) and Jennifer Greenway (05BBA) Chad Greenway and Jenni Capista Greenway have translated their leadership as
top Hawkeye student-athletes into a legacy of community service. The couple is passionate about children’s health and youth sports, creating and nurturing Chad Greenway’s Lead the Way Foundation while juggling careers, family, and a business. During their time at Iowa, Jenni ran cross country and track and field, while Chad was an All-Big Ten linebacker. Jenni became certified 5 0 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
as a personal trainer and has excelled as a fitness instructor. Chad organized and leads the Wayzata Girls’ Basketball Association; they are both coaches. In 2006, Chad became a first-round draft pick for the Minnesota Vikings, where he remained for his 11-year career. Chad’s peers recognized his service leadership by naming him the 2015 “Whizzer” White NFL Man of the Year and as the Vikings’ Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee. After retiring in 2017, Chad co-founded Gray Duck Spirits. He is also a sports consultant. In addition to raising four daughters, the Greenways have focused on directing the Lead the Way Foundation and its mission to support
HICKERSON RECOGNITION
Louis G. Crist Jr. (60BA, 81MA)
For more than 40 years, Lou Crist’s unmistakable voice has echoed across Kinnick Stadium and at bowl games, parades, and other events. As the inspiring voice of the Hawkeye Marching Band, Crist’s pregame cue, “It’s time to get ready for the BOOM!” rouses every home game crowd. He also supports the band as a mentor and donor. Crist received both of his degrees at Iowa, where he and his brother, Lyndon (66BM, 90MA), were Hawkeye Marching Band members. Crist marched in the 1959 Tournament of Roses Parade and at the Rose Bowl. Following graduation, the Des Moines native was a radio announcer for 22 years before moving to Iowa City to work in health care, retiring from the UI Carver College of Medicine in 2007. In 1981, Crist became the announcer of the Hawkeye Marching Band, and he’s announced every performance since then. Crist has added his familiar voice to pre-season shows, the Band Extravaganza, and more. This included virtually announcing the 2022 Citrus Bowl halftime show from Iowa when he was unable to travel due to COVID concerns. He also mentors band members interested in helping with the group’s public relations and social media.
PHOTO COURTESY GREENWAY FAMILY
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDS
families of seriously ill children. Whether building accessible playgrounds at hospitals, fulfilling children’s wishes, or serving respite luncheons for mothers of ailing children, the foundation has touched thousands of lives. The UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital is one beneficiary of Chad’s Locker, a program that supplies video games and other electronics to engage kids during treatment. Jenni’s former coach, Layne Anderson, says giving back is in their DNA. “They have displayed the Hawkeye spirit through their incredible spirit, love for others, and willingness to step up and support others with their time and resources.”
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Crist and his wife, Jan Olson Crist (61BSN, 77MA), have established the Lou Crist Legacy Fund to support the band’s future. Eric Bush, associate director of bands and director of the Hawkeye Marching Band, says, “The Hawkeye Marching Band will feel the positive impact from Lou and his family for as long as the band is in existence.”
Legion of Honor Award. Mitchell has also supported the West Des Moines Library Friends Foundation and the Society for Human Resource Management. He was inducted into the Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame in 2009. FOREVERMORE STAFF
Charles Swanson (75BBA, 76MBA)
ACHIEVEMENT
Chuck Swanson, retired executive director of
Thomas James Johnsrud (66BSPh)
PHOTO: TIM SCHOON/UI OFFICE OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
Thomas “TJ” Johnsrud is a visionary in health
care, business, and service to others. For the past 50 years, he has cultivated a pharmacy in Conrad, Iowa, into a multifaceted organization serving thousands of patients daily in the upper Midwest and Texas. In addition, Johnsrud has maintained involvement in the pharmacy industry at the local, state, and national levels and served as a lifelong advisor to the UI College of Pharmacy. As president of NuCara Management Group, Johnsrud oversees more than 39 community pharmacies specializing in traditional, compounding, and infusion therapy. NuCara also includes 10 medical equipment locations and two LTC pharmacies serving multiple nursing home facilities. “He has achieved success based on an inclusive, motivational approach that values innovation and elevating others,” says NuCara CEO Brian Wegmann. Johnsrud authorized NuCara pharmacies to participate in pilot programs that advance pharmacy practice, and he innovated the “tech check tech” program that freed up pharmacists to provide more direct patient care. He continues to enhance health care through the Iowa Pharmacy Association and other industry organizations. “It brings him joy to bring everyone to the top with him,” says Pamela Wiltfang (08BA, 12PHR, 12MPH), director of clinical services and innovative practice at NuCara. “TJ always puts family, friends, colleagues, employees, and patients first.” A lauded alumnus and constant champion of the UI College of Pharmacy, Johnsrud has served as a guest lecturer, donor, and advisor. He shared ideas and support for the development of the new pharmacy building and currently serves as chair of the Executive Leadership Board. The college honored him with distinguished alumni and lifetime achievement awards. Johnsrud is a pillar in his profession and an alumnus who advances the careers of Hawkeye pharmacists while improving health care nationwide.
Retired Hancher executive director Chuck Swanson
SERVICE
Robert A. Mitchell (62BA) Robert A. Mitchell is renowned across Iowa
for his human resources expertise as well as a lifetime of volunteerism to UI alumni organizations, Kiwanis, and other endeavors near and dear to his heart. Mitchell is president of Bob Mitchell and Associates, a human resources and management consulting firm. Before that, he was a human resources professional in education and financial services and co-founded a nationally recognized job fair sponsored by Iowa’s state universities. A longtime member of the Polk County I-Club, Mitchell served on the UI Alumni Advisory Board and Alumni Leadership Council. He was named 1999 CoVolunteer of the Year for his service. Mitchell has channeled considerable energy into the Des Moines Kiwanis Club for more than 35 years. Most notably, he led a campaign to develop the Kiwanis Miracle League at Principal Park—an accessible facility where children and adults with disabilities can enjoy playing baseball. Opened in 2000, it was the first of its kind in Iowa. It has since hosted hundreds of games at which Mitchell can be found doing whatever requires attention. Mitchell was a Kiwanis Distinguished Governor of the Nebraska-Iowa District, and for his longtime service received the organization’s
Hancher Auditorium, has had a remarkable influence on the University of Iowa. His 37 years with Hancher elevated it to new heights, even after the loss of its original home. While putting people first, he has cultivated relationships that enrich the arts, university, and state of Iowa. During college, Swanson attended performances at Hancher, which was built in 1972. Upon graduation, he worked in finance before becoming Hancher’s business manager in 1985. He was promoted to associate director in 1991, which ushered in a golden era. Swanson began strengthening partnerships to continue bringing world-class artists and innovative programming to the stage. He was promoted to executive director in 2002. When the original building was destroyed in the 2008 flood, Swanson shepherded the organization through the redesign and rebuilding process. The new Hancher opened in 2016 with a celebratory gala, and the house was packed. That is, until the COVID-19 pandemic stunted arts venues worldwide. Swanson’s solution was to take performances outside and across the state—similar to a collaborative 2007 Joffrey Ballet venture. Through thick and thin, Swanson went above and beyond to ensure people came first, involving others in refining Hancher’s role as “the largest classroom on campus” and a key recruiting tool for the university. Jane Downer worked with Swanson for 25 years. She credits him as one of the UI’s best ambassadors for “helping all Iowans recognize the contributions the UI makes to our state’s citizens.”
2023 Distinguished Alumni Awards Ceremony WHEN: 3:30 p.m. CDT Oct. 6 WHERE: Voxman Music Building concert hall DETAILS: Visit foriowa.org/daa. MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG | IOWA MAGAZINE 5 1
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Kimberly with sons Nathan and Andrew
Mark and Kimb erly Basle r
Kimberly Basler and
Anne Kelty at a breast
cancer walk in 2006
CANCER RESEARCH
An Enduring Mission Kimberly Stack Basler (83BM) is remembered by her loved
ones for her selflessness. Whether it was caring for family and friends in times of need or through her community volunteerism, Basler put others first. “She was always so positive and had a smile and hug that could heal most anything,” says her husband, Mark Basler. Kimberly was diagnosed at age 44 with a disease that, in the end, couldn’t be healed. After a four-and-a-half-year battle with breast cancer that eventually metastasized in her hip, the mother of two died in 2010 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Today, Kimberly’s family honors her enduring spirit through its support of the University of Iowa’s Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her father, Iowa alumnus Philip Stack (63BA), and his wife, Anne Kelty, became passionate champions for cancer research after Kimberly’s death. The couple established the Kimberly A. Stack Basler Breast Cancer Research Fund at Iowa in 2016, and most recently, after Philip died in 2021, Anne and Mark made a $50,000 gift to name an exam room for Kimberly in Holden’s breast center. The breast center, which opened in May 2022, makes cancer screenings, diagnoses, and treatments easier and less stressful for patients by bringing together providers who specialize in the disease. The center 5 2 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
is home to a team of breast surgeons, genetic counselors, medical oncologists, and radiologists who had previously worked across the UI Health Care system. Although Kimberly underwent treatments in Massachusetts, her family knew it would be particularly meaningful to her to support cancer research at her alma mater. The Iowa City native, who studied music at the UI and played flute in the Hawkeye Marching Band, would don her Iowa sweatshirt on football Saturdays and play the Iowa Fight Song for her family. Kimberly was a PTO president and aerobics instructor who rarely missed the sporting events of her sons, Nathan and Andrew. During her cancer fight, she endured two surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment, but the disease never took away her love of life and her ability to touch the hearts of others, says Mark. Today, Kimberly’s giving spirit continues to burn bright through Holden’s mission. “The amazing research work that the breast health center does is so important to Anne and me, and we were so happy to participate in supporting the center and remembering Kim in this way,” says Mark. —JOSH O’LEARY
Do you know your risk for breast cancer? Take the UI Health Care quiz at foriowa.info/im-cancer-risk23.
PHOTOS COURTESY MARK BASLER
A late alumna's family continues her cancer fight by supporting Holden's breast cancer center.
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BRIEFS
Leadership Legacy
An early Alumni Band photo shows the bus used to travel to performances. An archival photo shows Alumni Band members preparing to enter Kinnick Stadium.
Global Impact
ALUMNI BAND
PHOTOS: UI LIBRARIES SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES
The four-generation Hawkeye family of legendary Ironman Max Hawkins (41BA) will receive the UI Family Spirit Award during the Sept. 30 game at Kinnick Stadium for its service to the university. Hawkins Drive in Iowa City is named after Max, as is Max Hawkins White, his great-grandson who’s currently a running back on the Hawkeye football team. For more information on the Family Spirit Award, visit foriowa.org/family-spirit.
Golden Homecoming In 1973, former Hawkeye Marching Band director Tom Davis launched Alumni Band with a small group of musicians playing in the back of a flatbed truck during the homecoming parade. Davis would go on to direct the Alumni Band at homecoming parades and football game performances for the next 30 years, creating a new tradition with his crowd-pleasing arrangement of “Hey Jude.” Alumni Band celebrates its 50th anniversary this fall with more than 300 former Hawkeye Marching Band members returning for homecoming Oct. 5-7. The Alumni Band also will debut its new logo of a fossilized Herky, which gives a nod to its “Fossil Band” nickname. To join Alumni Band or for more information on upcoming events, visit foriowa.info/im-band23.
In November, Linda R. Baker (68BA) will receive the UI’s 2023 International Impact Award for her global volunteerism and philanthropic support that includes establishing scholarships for hundreds of UI students and faculty to learn, teach, and serve abroad. Baker says, “It brings [me and my husband] great joy knowing that many Iowa students have had life-changing travel experiences, reminding us that we are indeed all citizens of the same world.”
Catch the Game
Across the country, Hawkeye fans are connecting to watch Iowa football games this fall. For a listing of Iowa Club game watch locations, visit foriowa. info/im-gamewatches23.
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HAWKEYE MICRO LENS SHAKESPEARE SAGE SPORTS PUNDIT
PROFILE MATT GRIMM (04BFA)
PHOTOS COURTESY MATT GRIMM
LEGO Life Like most people on Instagram, Matt Grimm (04BFA) frequently posts pictures of himself and his family on everyday adventures. But in an unusual twist, he depicts them all as LEGO minifigures. The Cedar Rapids resident says that the hobby started as a way to keep creative outside of his work at a film
production company. He says it’s helped him stay active and explore his community as he looks for new angles to push his photography. “Sometimes, with anything creative, you might hit a roadblock,” says Grimm. “But it’s just striving to mix it up and not do something the same.” As a University of Iowa art graduate, Grimm often finds inspiration on campus, with his Instagram featuring many shots of Kinnick Stadium and the Old Capitol. “Just experiencing that atmosphere, it’s fantastic,” Grimm says of the university. “And I hope that some of those photos bring that out.” —ELLEN YANDEL
Matt Grimm
Follow LEGO Matt on Instagram: @lego_grimmy1
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UI English department chair Blaine Greteman (right) and his students studying abroad in London this past summer visited Shakespeare professor emerita Miriam Gilbert (center) at her second home in Stratford-upon-Avon.
PROFILE MIRIAM GILBERT
Shakespeare for All Ages Miriam Gilbert may have retired from the University of Iowa’s
Department of English a decade ago, but she’s far from finished with teaching. Described by colleagues and mentees as “a force of nature” and “brilliant and generous,” the professor emerita and expert in all things Shakespeare continues to turn audiences of all ages on to the possibilities of theater. Following more than four decades in the formal classroom, Gilbert now teaches from different stages. She leads frequent talkbacks at Riverside Theatre, the Iowa City company she’s been intimately involved with since its inception in the early 1980s. She also teaches an annual class for UI Senior College (foriowa.org/senior-college), which since moving online attracts 150 people from all over the country. Among the students she taught at Iowa from 1969–2013, Gilbert is best remembered for the acting groups that were central to her Shakespeare classes. Having students move from the page to the stage came naturally to Gilbert, who spent the lion’s share of her own undergraduate days at 5 6 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
Brandeis University in Massachusetts and the University of Manchester in England working on theatrical productions. “I did sound, stage management, producing—you name it,” she says (including a performance of a Harold Pinter play that the playwright attended and “loathed”). By senior year, she figured she needed to get serious about her actual major in English. With a lifelong love of teaching, Gilbert was attracted to join the UI faculty because of its unique team-taught program, The English Semester. Students met daily and read deeply. Small groups were assigned to perform scenes from the plays on the syllabus. Gilbert immediately understood the value in this embodied practice and adapted it to her future classes. “When you rehearse, you really understand how a play works,” she says. Gilbert gives people permission to find immediacy in words composed more than four centuries ago. “Miriam understands that theater is a living, breathing thing,” says Adam Knight, Riverside Theatre’s producing artistic director. Whether it’s turning a scene from Coriolanus into an Iowa caucus with the characters beating each other with seed corn caps, or donning
PHOTO COURESTY BLAINE GRETEMAN
A retired English professor makes the Bard accessible for Senior College students and new generations of theatergoers.
ALWAYS A HAWKEYE
punk garb for Hamlet, her point is that these plays are as germane to the current moment as to Elizabethan times. April Lidinsky (88BA), who took several classes from Gilbert and is currently professor of women’s and gender studies at Indiana University South Bend, says, “I remember Miriam’s immense delight in every weird staging we conjured. She roared with laughter at our comic turns and took seriously our interpretations of challenging scenes.” Part of Gilbert’s pleasure in shifting her teaching focus to the older students of Senior College, a program run by retired UI faculty and staff, is the depth of experience they bring to the plays. “When I teach King Lear to undergrads and ask what’s happening in the opening scene, they always say he’s crazy or senile,” says Gilbert. “But in Senior College, a woman said she thought he was facing empty nest syndrome. It was the reaction of a person who has a lived understanding of what it’s like to have their children move away.” It’s Gilbert’s curiosity that makes her such an irresistible champion of Shakespeare. “She seems to be constantly learning new things about plays she’s been teaching for decades,” says Knight, “which speaks to the brilliance of Shakespeare but also of Miriam.” Recently, she surprised herself when her teaching of Henry V coincided with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As is her practice, she spent hours reviewing and selecting clips of productions of a play that she’d long taught as “a success story.” This time, however, she read the play differently and was overcome by war’s ruinous effects. “I was unprepared for how emotionally devastated I was by it,” she says. Gilbert’s capacity to help people not only decipher Shakespeare but relish in his plays is very much alive. This past summer, a group of UI undergraduates taking a travel-abroad class, Shakespeare’s England, attended a production by the Royal Shakespeare Company and then went to Gilbert’s second home in Stratford-uponAvon, the birthplace of Shakespeare. UI professor Blaine Greteman, who taught the class and accompanied the group, said they were mystified by the avant-garde production. But not for long. “Miriam cooked us an incredible meal and conducted a master class in her garden,” says Greteman. “They were hooked. Walking back to the train station, one of them said, ‘Well, now I think that’s the best play I’ve ever seen!’” —JENNIFER NEW
Jennifer New (84BA) played Goneril in a 1982 class production of King Lear. Thanks to Miriam Gilbert, she still knows her lines by heart: “Pluck out his eyes!” Jennifer lives in Iowa City where she runs her own business focused on facilitation and storytelling. What are your memories of Miriam Gilbert’s Shakespeare classes? Email uimagazine@foriowa.org.
UI Celebrates Shakespeare’s First Folio at 400 When William Shakespeare died in 1616 at age 52, many of his plays had never been published. Those in print had appeared in quarto—small, inexpensive publications not intended to last. Seven years after his death, 36 of his plays were printed in the First Folio, including 18 that had never been published before. This was still in the early days for printing folios, and the undertaking was complex and expensive. Each of the 750 copies printed would have cost about $200 in current money. Today, 235 copies are known to exist, with more than a third of those at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. Four hundred years after its 1623 publication, the world is celebrating the First Folio, considered one of the most influential books ever printed. The UI is hosting a series of Folio@400 events, spearheaded by professors Blaine Greteman of the Department of English and Mary Mayo of the Department of Theatre Arts. Highlights include an October production of Macbeth and a weeklong visit by author and Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate Jane Smiley (75MA, 76MFA, 78PhD), whose Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Thousand Acres is an adaption of King Lear. She’ll be in conversation with Gilbert during her residency. For the full list of events, visit sitesshakespeare400.prod.drupal. uiowa.edu.
Stories From Gilbert's Classroom “Miriam lit up my life. I took her Shakespeare course as a wide-eyed first-year grad student in the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Her approach to Shakespeare—as a dramatist, whose plays were meant to be performed, not ossified in a textbook—was revolutionary. The highlight? I got to play Puck in a classroom performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream.” —T.C. Boyle (74MFA, 77PhD), novelist “As a science major [at the UI in the 1980s] who loved literature, I really wanted to take one of [Gilbert’s] Shakespeare classes back then, but never managed to do so. This was one of my biggest regrets from my undergraduate years. I was thrilled to see [she] would be teaching via video this spring through Senior College. I am living and working in California these days, and it is an amazing experience to be able to realize one of my undergraduate ambitions from 2,000 miles away!” —Mary Malik (89BA) “She has every right to be intimidating, but Miriam may be the most positive, affirming teachers I’ve ever had. When I did The Tempest, the two of us went through the play word for word. She helped expand my understanding of what was possible. Miriam made me a bolder actor.” —Jody Hovland (81MFA), Riverside Theatre co-founder
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University of Iowa ADA coordinator Tiffini Stevenson Earl (pictured on left at Dancer's Garden outside Halsey Hall) says one of her proudest moments was seeing her daughter Keonna (pictured on right), who has cerebral palsy, compete at high school crosscountry meets. Says Stevenson Earl, “Even though we’re a basketball family, that was the best time of my life to be there watching her do something that none of us had ever done.”
Independence at Iowa A student with cerebral palsy inspires her mother's work as ADA coordinator. Keonna Earl was afraid to go
to college. Born with cerebral palsy, a condition that affects her body movement and coordination, the Iowa City native found daily tasks like fixing her hair or getting dressed difficult. “It’s gotten better over the years,” says Earl, “but when I was younger, I was like, ‘I can’t open a water bottle; how can I live by myself ?’” Her mother, Tiffini Stevenson Earl (93BA, 98MA, 02JD), had similar concerns. “Will she be able to do it on her own at the University of Iowa? This is a little Black girl with cerebral palsy who’s gone through cancer.” Earl had already overcome cancer at age 14. (Children with cerebral palsy are five times more likely to be diagnosed with cancer at a young age, according to a recent Preventive Medicine Reports study.) In 2017, Earl became one of the 5 8 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
first patients at the newly built UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital to peer out the windows into Kinnick Stadium. Now she was ready for her next big challenge: starting college at Iowa in fall 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stevenson Earl raised each of her five children—Kendra, Kenya, Keonna, Kacie, and Kareem—to be independent, but college would be Keonna’s first time without the presence of her family. It would also be an education for Stevenson Earl. As the UI’s Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator and director of equity investigations, Stevenson Earl would receive deeper, more personal insight into what campus life is like for the students, faculty, and staff she’s served for more than 15 years. “Keonna’s disability has given me a new outlook,” says Stevenson Earl, who earned a law degree from Iowa as a young mother.
To watch an interview with Tiffini Stevenson Earl or learn more about UI Student Disability Services, visit magazine.foriowa.org.
PHOTO: JASON SMITH
PROFILE KEONNA EARL AND TIFFINI STEVENSON EARL (93BA, 98MA, 02JD)
“When individuals look at our campus and see an accessibility issue, it’s going to fall on my shoulders. I don’t want to be the barrier or the reason why someone couldn’t achieve something.” Earl says college took some adjustment, but UI Student Disabilities Services has supported her need for accommodations, including additional time to finish assignments. Now a fourth-year criminology and sociology major, the 21-year-old lives in her own apartment downtown and works at the front desk of Mary Louise Petersen Residence Hall. As Stevenson Earl puts it, Earl is “doing it all.” This past summer, Earl held an internship at Centro, a plastics manufacturing company in North Liberty, which inspired her to consider a career in human resources. “It’s just so rewarding to see my paycheck, because there are some people [with disabilities] who don’t have the confidence to work, or they’re scared. They’re like, ‘Oh, what if someone makes fun of me, or what if I do this wrong?’” says Earl, who jokes about her income, “I think I spent it all at Lululemon.” Stevenson Earl says passion for her work has only grown with her daughter’s college experience, and she hopes more people with disabilities will find belonging at Iowa. “One of my goals would be to have a community where, when people are on our campus, they see others who look like them,” she says. “For the University of Iowa, we want to be the school of choice, the employer of choice. And I think the way you achieve that is that you make sure you’re providing a welcoming, inclusive campus for all.” —SHELBI THOMAS
ALWAYS A HAWKEYE
UI grad Ty Schmit shares his perspective on sports as a Hawkeye fan and producer of The Pat McAfee Show, which airs this fall on ESPN.
PROFILE T Y SCHMIT (14BA)
Live on ESPN
PHOTOS COURTESY TY SCHMIT
A UI grad scores a role on The Pat McAfee Show. If someone had told Ty Schmit (14BA) in his first year at the University of Iowa that within 10 years he’d be sitting down with his favorite NFL player, Aaron Rodgers, every week to discuss football, he would have said it was crazy talk. But that is just what he gets to do as a producer of The Pat McAfee Show, a live weekday sports talk show. The show is hosted by McAfee, a retired punter for the Indianapolis Colts, and A.J. Hawk, a former NFL linebacker, and features Schmit as one of three contributors known as “The Boys.” Schmit offers commentary, questions guests, and regularly cracks up peers and viewers with his impressions, notably of former football coach Lou Holtz and ESPN football analyst Mel Kiper. The show accrued 2.2 million subscribers on YouTube and made a multimillion-dollar deal to move to ESPN this fall. Schmit attributes the show’s success to the personality and drive of McAfee, a pandemic that gave sports fans time at home to discover the show, and its irreverent nature. “We speak from the lens of a fan, which you don’t get a lot in the media,” says Schmit, who studied cinema and communication studies at Iowa. “I am a die-hard Packers fan and obviously an Iowa fan, and we all talk openly and excitedly about our individual teams. For the people watching, it feels like a conversation they’ve had 100 times with their group of friends. It’s relatable, plus they get access to some of the biggest names in professional sports.” In addition to Rodgers, former Hawkeye football players George Kittle (16BA) and Micah Hyde (13BS) have made appearances. Although the show’s primary focus is professional football, the team will discuss any sports news—including the success of Iowa’s women’s basketball standout Caitlin Clark.
Schmit participated in sports during high school and dreamed of working on ESPN as a sports analyst. But as his passion turned to movies and screenwriting, he was drawn to the UI, where he knew he could develop his writing skills. “I took a creative writing class at Iowa that was probably the best class I ever took,” he says. “We could write whatever we wanted, and that allowed me to explore stuff I was really interested in.” After graduation, Schmit read a tweet from McAfee soliciting video applications for internships at his media company in Indianapolis. Schmit decided to go for it—along with 1,500 other applicants. Schmit was one of 20 who secured an internship that summer and one of seven who were later hired full time. After Schmit spent several months writing and blogging for the show, McAfee invited him to be a producer—an opportunity to be on mic. In 2020, McAfee tweeted, “I’m so incredibly grateful for the gift that is Ty Schmit from Waterloo, Iowa. Your work ethic somehow trumps your hilarity. I appreciate you, brother. Tell Mad Mel, Lou Holtz, Good Ol’ Billy, and the many other hysterical characters you’ve brought to life I said thanks as well.” The show, which has logged more than 900 episodes, offers something different from other sports talk shows, Schmit says. “The crux of many of those shows is debate, instantly pitting two people against each other where they’re just arguing and yelling at each other and trying to get their point across,” he says. “Pat’s big thing is that sports are supposed to be a unifier, something that brings people together. We try not to take anything too seriously and just have fun.” —SARA EPSTEIN MONINGER
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2020S Xochitl Gonzalez (21MFA) was a
finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in commentary for her columns in The Atlantic. Noah Zach Laird (22PhD), co-founder of Petrost Therapeutics, a bone regeneration company in Coralville, won a first-place UI John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center Innovation Challenge Award to help fund his startup business. Connor McCaffery (22BA, 22BBA) is a team assistant for the Indiana Pacers. Glen Waters II (23MFA) is an adjunct poetry professor at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. 2010S Tania Davis (19BA), a former
Hawkeye guard, is director of player development for the Iowa women’s basketball program. Kelly Hoffer (17MFA) received the 2021 Lightscatter Press Prize for her first book of poetry, UNDERSHORE. Kathryn Reynolds (14BBA, 17JD) is president and commissioner for Northwoods League Softball, the first for-profit women’s summer collegiate softball league beginning play in the upper Midwest in summer 2024. Kelsey Ryder (14MA), an associate director at the UI Office of Student Financial Aid, received the 2023 Lola Lopes Award for Undergraduate Student Advocacy. Vauhini Vara (10MFA) was a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in fiction for her debut novel, The Immortal King Rao. 2000S Brad Banks (03BA) is sports
sales manager for the Aurora Area Convention & Visitors Bureau in Illinois. Nick Benson (06BA, 10JD, 12MS), executive director for the UI Office of Community Engagement, received the university’s David J. Skorton Award for Staff Excellence in Service. Nicole Johnston (94BBA), chief sales officer in the food division of Newell Brands in Atlanta, received the UI Tippie College of Business’s 2023 Alum of the Year award. Karunya Kandimalla (04PhD) 6 0 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
is an associate dean for graduate education for the University of Minnesota Department of Pharmaceutics and Brain Barriers Research Center. Edan Lepucki (06MFA) is author of Time’s Mouth: A Novel, named by Salon and Library Journal as one of the most anticipated books of the year. Yiyun Li (00MS, 05MFA), a writer, professor, and director of the creative writing program at Princeton University in New Jersey, recently received Princeton’s Howard T. Behrman Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Humanities. Karen Dunn Lopez (08PhD), an associate professor at the UI College of Nursing, director of the UI Center for Nursing Classification and Clinical Effectiveness, and leading expert in the emerging field of nursing informatics, recently received a 2023 Iowa Mid-Career Faculty Scholar Award. John Mikelson (07BA, 08MA) is a 2023 National Small Business Week Winner, receiving the Small Business Association’s 2023 Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year award. Katherin Nolte (03MFA) released her debut novel, Back to the Bright Before, a magical-realism middle-grade adventure. Susie Beederman Regan (02BBA, 05MA), associate director of academic and leadership programs at the UI Pomerantz Career Center, received the university’s Staff Award for Distinguished Leadership in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Lorie Reins-Schweer (03JD), professor of legal analysis, writing, and research at the UI College of Law, received the 2023 President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence, the university’s highest teaching honor. Abby Emmert Stamp (08BA, 17MBA), an assistant coach for the UI women’s basketball team, has been named one of Silver Waves Media’s 50 Most Impactful High Major Assistants: Women’s Division I. 1990S Lan Samantha Chang (93MFA)
received a 2023 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, which recognizes books that raise awareness of
diversity and racism, for her novel The Family Chao. Jane Dalton (92SE), a professor of art education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, is author of The Mindful Studio. Brian Farrell (98JD), director for the Citizen Law Program, associate director of the Center for Human Rights, and associate professor of instruction at the UI College of Law, received the 2023 Board of Regents Staff Excellence Award. Derek Gaskins (94BBA), chief marketing officer at Yesway, was named to C-Suite Spotlight’s 2023 list of the Top 25 executives of Washington, D.C. Rick Gates (95BSPh) is the chief pharmacy officer at Walgreens. Martha Sixt Kirby (95BLS, 97MA), senior academic advisor for the UI political science department and creator of the UI
Law School Readiness Program, received the university’s 2023 Staff Award for Distinguished Leadership in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Timothy Krabill (93BA), a member of the State Hygienic Laboratory central services team, received the UI’s 2023 Richard E. Gibson Merit Staff Award for Innovation and Excellence in Customer Service. Jolette Law (90BS), assistant coach for the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team in Columbia, South Carolina, has been named one of Silver Waves Media’s 50 Most Impactful High Major Assistants: Women’s Division I. Rebecca Lee (92MFA) a professor of creative writing at University of North Carolina Wilmington, received a 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship to support
Music at the Met Emily Duncan (16BA, 16BM) played flute alongside Grammy Award-winning artist Lizzo this past spring during a star-studded night at the Met Gala. Duncan, a New York-based performer who studied music, theatre arts, and creative writing at Iowa, wrote on Instagram following the event: “I’m still pinching myself because I don’t believe this actually happened! To work with such incredible talent AND be directed by Baz Luhrmann AND to share the set with Sir James Galway all while wearing a fabulously beaded cape?! That’s like four dreams come true.” A contemporary flutist and producer who incorporates theatrical elements into her work, Duncan is also founder of GigCrunch, a financial literacy web app that helps musicians check if they are being paid fairly. She says the UI Center for New Music ignited her passion for working with living composers, while an Iowa acting course influenced the way she views her craft. “It took me to a place of vulnerability that I was never able to get to with music before,” says Duncan, “and it made me approach artmaking in a different way and form a deeper relationship with the material.” —SHELBI THOMAS
PHOTO: REX LOTT PHOTOGRAPHY
CL ASS NOTES
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ART COURTESY UI STANLEY MUSEUM OF ART; CHOO PHOTO COURTESY SMITHSONIAN
an upcoming novel. Zina Manji (98BSPh, 98MS, 00PharmD) is head of North American regulatory affairs for Ellume Health in New York. Stephen McCahon (96PhD) is the chief science officer of Applied Energetics, a company that develops laser and optical technologies. Jessica Meeske (99MS, 99PedoS), a clinical instructor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center's College of Dentistry, has been named 2023 Pediatric Dentist of the Year by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Tom Piazza (93MFA) is author of The Auburn Conference, a novel published by UI Press. Gabriela Rivera (99MA), an associate director of engagement and belonging at the UI Tippie College of Business, received the university’s 2023 Diversity Catalyst Award. Kelby Scandrett (94BS, 01BSN), nurse manager in the periodontics department for the UI College of Dentistry, received the 2023 Board of Regents Staff Excellence Award. Roxanna O. Pellin Scott (96BA), executive editor and vice president for USA Today Sports, has been inducted into the UI School of Journalism and Mass Communication Hall of Fame. Karin Weber-Gasparoni (99MS, 99PedoS, 03PhD), professor and chair of the pediatric dentistry department in the UI College of Dentistry, received the 2023 Regents Award for Faculty Excellence. 1980S Kevin Gruneich (80BBA),
a retired publishing analyst, received a Hancher-Finkbine medallion for his giving to the UI and commitment to helping students make connections in the professional world. Dan Hauser (86BA), a writer based in Minneapolis, recently released She Left the Party Early: A Memoir about his wife’s death from metastatic breast cancer. Mitch J. Kelly (87BA, 91MSW, 95PhD), a clinical professor at the UI College of Education, received the 2023 President and Provost
Award for Teaching Excellence, the university’s highest teaching honor. Jim Skogsbergh (82MA), co-CEO of Advocate Health, a non-for-profit health system, received the American Hospital Association’s 2023 Distinguished Service Award. Catherine J. Kenney Welch (80BBA, 84MA, 90PhD), professor of educational measurement and statistics at the UI College of Education, received the 2023 Regents Award for Faculty Excellence. 1970S Thomas Colbert (73BS, 78MA,
79MFA) is trustee and treasurer of the Wayne County, Pennsylvania, Historical Society and chair of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Park at Lock 31 committee that created for the park a full-scale model of the canal boats that once transported the state’s coal to New York. David Goist (72MA), a conservator of paintings through Goist Art Conservation in Raleigh, North Carolina, received the American Institute for Conservation’s David Magoon-University Products Conservation Advocacy Award this past spring for advancing the field of art conservation. Jeffrey D. Nelson (79MD), a retired family doctor based in Minnesota, has published two books: I Got to Live with an Angel and What Should I Do? A Family Physician Discusses Abortion, Religious Freedom, and Difficult Decisions. Carla Nesbitt Perry (70BA) is author of The Jew Girls Adventure Series: You Can Call Me Andy. Richard Tyler (78PhD), a UI professor of otolaryngology, manages and restores the Secrest 1883 Octagonal Barn in Johnson County, Iowa, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. 1960S Rolena Klahn Adorno (64BA),
Sterling Professor Emerita at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Rome last year and delivered the Josephine Waters Bennett Lecture this past spring at the annual meeting of the Renaissance Society of America. George W. Counts
(65MD), a retired professor of medicine, has been honored by the Infectious Diseases Society of America Foundation with an executive conference room named after him in recognition of his contributions to patient care, research, and medical education. FACULT Y & FRIENDS Dean Bakopoulos is an associate
professor of screenwriting in the UI department of cinematic arts. Sara Baume, a former resident of the UI’s International Writing Program, had her novel Seven Steeples named to the shortlist for the 2023 Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize, which showcases exceptional young writers. Meenakshi Gigi Durham, a UI professor of journalism and mass communication and gender, women’s, and sexuality studies, is featured as an expert commentator in the Hulu docuseries Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields. Louisa Hall, UI assistant professor of creative writing, is author of Reproduction: A Novel, published by Ecco. Robert Kirby, director of the Iowa Center for Research by Undergraduates, received a Hancher-Finkbine Medallion for his leadership in the UI honors program. Cornelia Lang, UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences associate dean for undergraduate education and professor of physics and astronomy, serves as chair of the National Science Foundation’s mathematical and physical sciences advisory committee. Christopher Merrill, director of the UI’s International Writing Program, received a HancherFinkbine Medallion for his service to the university and success as a poet. Liz Tovar, UI executive officer and associate vice president of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Division and senior associate athletics director for student-athlete academic services, has been named a 2023 HER Women of Achievement honoree by The Gazette.
Visionary Artist Chunghi Choo, distinguished professor emerita at the UI School of Art and Art History, received the Smithsonian Visionary Award earlier this year in recognition of her innovative work as a world-renowned metalsmith and jewelry artist. Choo established a metals program at Iowa that rose to international prominence and has mentored many students to become acclaimed artists. Together, their works are featured in art curator Jane C. Milosch’s latest book, Chunghi Choo and Her Students: Contemporary Art and New Forms in Metal. A leading figure of the American Studio Craft Movement, Choo incorporates special techniques such as electroforming and electroapplique to produce fluid, natural shapes in her art. Her work is on display at the UI Stanley Museum of Art, as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. —SHELBI THOMAS
CHUNGHI CHOO, UNTITLED (VESSEL OBJECT) C. 1990 IO 1/4 X 8 1/2 X 9 IN. (26 X 22 X 23 CM) GIFT OF CHARLES READ M.D.
CHUNGHI CHOO UNTITLED (DECANTER) C. 1990 SILVER PLATE ON COPPER 6 X 7 3/4 X 4 1/4 IN. ( I5 X 20 X II CM) GIFT OF CHARLES READ M.D.
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IN MEMORY 1940s
Esther Purkhiser Baker
(49GN) of Davenport, Iowa, on Feb. 5, 2023. Robert Chaney (48BSME) of Rock Island, Illinois, on Feb. 5, 2023. Keith Cook (49BSC) of Dubuque, Iowa, on Feb. 15, 2023. Arlene Hora Dayhoff (49GN) of Cedar Rapids on Feb. 21, 2023. Audrey Moreland Duncan (49BA) of Norwalk, Iowa, on Feb. 5, 2023. Leah Anderson Foster (47BA) of Davenport, Iowa, on March 19, 2023. Ruth Tennermann Frost (49GN) of Thompsontown, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 23, 2022. Margaret Browning Huey (46BA) of Phoenix on March 17, 2023. Erling Larson Jr. (48MD) of St. Augustine, Florida, on June 5, 2023. Mary Ann Croker Lorenz (48BA, 52MD) of Manchester, Iowa, on April 21, 2023. Margery McDonald McKinley (48BA) of Brownsville, Pennsylvania, on April 30, 2023. Phyllis Finkelstein Seltzer (49BFA, 52MFA) of Cleveland on Feb. 26, 2023. Joseph Trotzig (49MD) of Naples, Florida, on Dec. 14, 2022. Sonna Lou Lovrien Trotzig (49GN) of Naples, Florida, on Feb. 7, 2020. Shirley De Forest Van Hoy (46BA) of Southern Pines, North Carolina, on Feb. 21, 2023.
1950s
Charles Barlow (58BA) of
Parkville, Missouri, on Jan. 1, 2023. Minor Barnes (52BA, 61JD) of Cedar Rapids on March 13, 2023. Kenneth Bergman (51BA) of Wheaton, Illinois, on Jan. 24, 2023. Wanda Krabbenhoft Brechler
(52BSC, 57MA) of Denver on April 20, 2023. Orlando Busino (52BA) of Ridgefield, Connecticut, on Jan. 11, 2022. Judd Grove Butler (56BSC) of Omaha, Nebraska, on Jan. 25, 2023. Marvin Dickel (59BA) of Racine, Wisconsin, on April 28, 2023. James M. Flynn (51BA, 56MD) of Mission Hills, 6 2 IOWA MAGAZINE | FALL 2023
Kansas, on Jan. 14, 2023. Thomas Goblirsch (57DDS, 61PedoS) of Del Mar, California, on Jan. 13, 2023. Jared Hills (59BSME) of Cedar Rapids on July 10, 2023. H. Montgomery Hougen (58BA, 60JD) of Alexandria, Virginia, on Jan. 24, 2023. Jerry Hulman (58BSCE, 67MS) of Bethesda, Maryland, on March 22, 2023. Arlo L. Hummel (59BSC) of Sebastopol, California, on May 26, 2023. Louis Hurwitz (52BA) of West Des Moines on Jan. 13, 2023. Shelby Jones (58BSC) of Okoboji, Iowa, on April 13, 2023. Philip McFadden (59MD, 67R) of Oskaloosa, Iowa, on April 14, 2023. Gene Michel (53BA, 56MD) of Frisco, Texas, on Dec. 4, 2022. Clara Beck Mortiboy (55MA) of Davenport, Iowa, on Feb. 20, 2023. Katharine Korns Myers (57BA) of Independence, Iowa, on March 1, 2023. Jack Sandvig (57BA) of Rockwell City, Iowa, on Jan. 2, 2023. James W. Schweiger (54DDS, 57MS, 57ProsS) of Reading, Pennsylvania, on May 17, 2023. Richard Smego (56BSC) of Oak Brook, Illinois, on April 30, 2023. Luella Heitshusen Stone (53GN) of Des Moines on March 10, 2023. Sally Voss Trefz (50BA) of Rockford, Illinois, on May 17, 2023. Charles Warren (58BSEE, 58MS) of Overland Park, Kansas, on Jan. 30, 2023. William Whitmore (56BA, 56MD, 63R) of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, on Jan. 29, 2023. Hugh Wolff (52BA, 55MD, 63R) of Alamo Heights, Texas, on Dec. 23, 2022. Martha Lefesty Zobl (59MA) of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, on March 26, 2023.
1960s
Marvin Berenstein (61JD)
of Sioux City, Iowa, on March 14, 2023. James Bockholt (65BA, 65BSCE) of Palo Alto, California, on Feb. 4, 2023. Carl Christensen (60BA) of Peterborough, New Hampshire, on Feb. 12, 2022. Michael Gregory Dunn (65BA) of St. Simons Island, Georgia, on June 22, 2022. James Egan
(60BA, 64MD, 70R) of Yakima, Washington, on Feb. 13, 2023. Eleanor Britt Engen (69BA) of West Liberty, Iowa, on Jan. 29, 2023. C. Carleton Frederici (60BA, 65JD) of Des Moines on Feb. 21, 2023. George Grovert (63BBA, 65MA) of Shellsburg, Iowa, on March 15, 2023. James A. Jones (61BA) of Sequim, Washington, on March 19, 2023. Stuart Kaplan (63BA) of Sutton, Massachusetts, on Oct. 14, 2022. Paul Koellner (63R) of Portage, Michigan, on March 1, 2023. Alan N. Koufer (69BA) of Nashville, Tennessee, on Nov. 11, 2022. Mancil Laidig (60BBA) of Newton, Iowa, on April 3, 2023. Robert J. Locher (63DDS) of Erie, Colorado, on Dec. 6, 2022. Thomas McSwiggin (61BSCE, 62MS) of Springfield, Illinois, on May 17, 2023. Norman Nichols (62BA) of Allen, Texas, on Jan. 7, 2023. James Nunn (69BA) of Ballwin, Missouri, on Feb. 20, 2023. Jeffrey Pill (64BA, 69MA) of Burbank, California, on Jan. 3, 2023. J. Edward Power (60BA, 64JD) of Des Moines on Feb. 24, 2023. John Roberson (61PhD) of Spokane Valley, Washington, on Feb. 2, 2023. Judith Wissler Transier (64BSN) of Peoria, Arizona, on Jan. 12, 2022. James H. Will (61BSPh) of Rockford, Illinois, on March 26, 2023. John Willett (63BA, 66LLB) of Tama, Iowa, on April 15, 2023. Gordon Williams (68BA) of Iowa City on Feb. 17, 2023. Orrin Wilson (62BBA) of Roca, Nebraska, on Feb. 12, 2023. Stephen Wood (67BSME) of St. Augustine, Florida, on Jan. 25, 2023. Ronald G. Wright (63BSME) of Springfield, Missouri, on Feb. 6, 2023. Marsha Kyle Wurtlin (69BSN) of Rockford, Illinois, on Feb. 9, 2023.
1970s
Rick Anderson (71MD, 76R)
of Salt Lake City on March 26, 2023. Norris Annis II (72BBA) of Waterloo, Iowa, on April 6, 2023. Charles Ayers (74JD)
Diane DeMarco
Whether through gymnastics or dance, DeMarco helped coach University of Iowa students to a mastery of movement. DeMarco used her experiences as a 1975 Big Ten gymnastics champion for Michigan State and a high school coach in Boca Raton, Florida, as a launching pad to become the UI’s head women’s gymnastics coach in 1980. She stayed in that position for nearly 20 years, coaching 12 first team and five second team All-Big Ten honorees. In 2006, DeMarco earned a national certification in ballroom dance instruction. She became UI director of recreational services in 2007 and taught numerous dance classes at Iowa through 2022. “One of the most rewarding things about teaching dance is watching someone evolve and transform,” the lifelong educator told Iowa Magazine in 2015. “Their confidence grows, and joy abounds throughout the entire process.” DeMarco died May 14. She was 70.
ALWAYS A HAWKEYE
of Phoenix on Jan. 21, 2023. John Borg (71BM, 72MA) of Quincy, Illinois, on Aug. 27, 2022. Carl Burkland (70MD) of New Prague, Minnesota, on April 20, 2023. Debra Cheney (78BS) of DeWitt, Iowa, on March 29, 2023. C. Douglass Couto (72BBA) of East Lansing, Michigan, on June 22, 2023. Margaret McMahan Flansburg (71MA) of Oklahoma City on July 30, 2022. Joseph Garrity (78MD) of Dubuque, Iowa, on March 22, 2023. Gary Giesemann (72BBA) of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, on Feb. 13, 2023. Jolene Johnson Hartgrave (77BBA) of Cedar Rapids on March 1, 2023. Patrick Keenan (78BBA) of Kansas City, Missouri, on March 21, 2023. Dennis Keeton (75BSN) of Greensboro, North Carolina, on Feb. 26, 2023. Lawrence Kerr (77BSEE) of Cedar Rapids on March 16, 2023. James E. Klinger (74BBA) of Clyde Hill, Washington, on May 22, 2023. Ann Williams MacMillan (73MA, 80MA) of Iowa City on March 11, 2023. Joseph Meese (76BSPh) of Duluth, Minnesota, on March 17, 2023. David Noble (79BBA) of Rockwall, Texas, on April 15, 2023. Marlee Rundquist Norton (77BA) of Arlington, Virginia, on April 30, 2023. Royce Schweizer (71BA, 72MA) of Des Moines on Dec. 4, 2022. Clark Scriven (73DDS) of Broomfield, Colorado, on March 2, 2023. Merlyn Vocke (71PhD) of Valparaiso, Indiana, on March 4, 2023.
1980s
William Alexander (85MA) of
National City, California, on Feb. 14, 2023. Judith A. Amundson (81MS) of Des Moines on March 6, 2023. Kathryn Lockheart Bozdech (81BA) of Quincy, Illinois, on Feb. 14, 2023. Tracy Fitch (85BGS) of Iowa City on Feb. 26, 2023. Susan Tharp Garzon (85MA, 91PhD) of Stillwater, Oklahoma, on May 28, 2023. Kevin Gertsen (80BA) of
Marion, Iowa, on March 9, 2023. Kimberly Crockett Larson
(80BS) of Cedar Rapids on April 11, 2023. Randy Larson (82JD) of Iowa City on July 16, 2023. Donald Lund (81BA) of North Liberty, Iowa, on April 11, 2023. Rolland Nauman (80BA) of Marshalltown, Iowa, on April 3, 2023. Deborah Strong Randle (87MA) of Cedar Rapids on April 20, 2023. Bryan Samson (88MBA) of Owens Cross Roads, Alabama, on July 23, 2023. Sheila Calfee Sorensen (80BA) of Marion, Iowa, on Feb. 18, 2023. Susan Slaymaker Steckel (80BS, 84CER) of Cedarburg, Wisconsin, on Feb. 19, 2023. Janice S. Beghtol Thoen (83BSN) of Rowley, Massachusetts, on Feb. 23, 2023. William Yates (86MS, 86R) of Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Jan. 19, 2023.
Susan Thalheimer Strauss
Strauss was a patron of the arts known for her generosity throughout the University of Iowa and Iowa City community. Originally from the East Coast, Strauss moved to Iowa City in 1978 when her husband, John, became chair of the UI Department of Dermatology—a position he held for 20 years. The couple quickly made Iowa City home and gave back to the community in many ways, including as major benefactors of dermatology and Hancher. Passionate about theater, music, dance, and the visual arts, Susan Strauss supported Hancher programming and volunteered as a member of the Hancher Guild for decades. The Hancher greenroom is named after the Strauss family, as well as Strauss Hall—a venue for rehearsals and smaller performances. Strauss also supported the Iowa City Jazz Festival through Summer of the Arts. Strauss died May 10 in Iowa City. She was 93.
1990s
Scott Clem (96BBA) of West
Des Moines on Feb. 7, 2023. Laurie Garms (90MD) of Dubuque, Iowa, on April 6, 2023. Genna Herron (93MA) of Prescott, Arizona, on Jan. 12, 2023. Kathryn White Kain (95BS, 95MedT) of Urbandale, Iowa, on April 26, 2023. Linda Langland (90MSW) of Decorah, Iowa, on March 17, 2023. Russell Loven (91PhD) of Guttenberg, Iowa, on Dec. 27, 2022. Edward Myers (90BGS) of Ada, Michigan, on Jan. 31, 2023. Synthia Reiling (90BSN) of Davenport, Iowa, on Jan. 1, 2023. Camille Grimaldi Seaman (90MA, 95MFA) of Iowa City on April 11, 2023. Georgieann Schmitt (95MA) of Plano, Texas, on Jan. 23, 2023. David Treimer (92JD) of Bettendorf, Iowa, on Jan. 4, 2023.
2000s
Jolene Ross Dilks (08BA) of
Fort Madison, Iowa, on Jan. 7, 2023. Ellen Daniels Osborn (02JD) of Sioux City, Iowa, on April 25, 2023. Mark Sindecuse (03MFA) of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, on April 20, 2023.
Michael Slezak (09BA) of Iowa City on Nov. 28, 2022. Matthew Woodin (05BS) of Brooklyn, New
York, on Jan. 14, 2023.
2010s
Benjamin Alvarado (19BSE) of
New Lenox, Illinois, on Jan. 3, 2023. Brandon Stockdale (16BBA) of Denver on March 14, 2023.
2020s
Brent Bappe (20BLS) of Colo, Iowa, on Jan. 24, 2023. Cody Ince
(22BA) of Grantsburg, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2023. Olivia White (21BA) of Johnston, Iowa, on Jan. 24, 2023.
faculty & friends
Judy Novak Allen of Iowa City on Nov. 25, 2022. Barbara E. Mound Hansen of Coralville on March 20, 2023. Richard F. Hansen of Coralville on March
27, 2023.
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ALWAYS A HAWKEYE
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PHOTO: FREDERICK W. KENT COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS, UI LIBRARIES
ALWAYS A HAWKEYE
REFLECT
Fan Favorite An aerial shot shows game day in the early 1960s at Iowa Stadium (now known as Kinnick Stadium). While now‑familiar details such as the press box, digital scoreboards, and the neighboring University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital may be missing, the Hawkeye spirit remains.
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