IOWA MAGA ZINE
DIANE OLIVER’S UNFINISHED STORY
MAGAZINE
Decades after her tragic death, a literary talent is rediscovered. FO R U N I V E R S I T Y O F I OWA A LU M N I A N D F R I E N D S
SPRING 2024
FOR UNIVERSIT Y OF IOWA ALUMNI AND FRIENDS M AG A ZIN E.FO RI OWA .O RG
Diane Oliver (66MFA), the lost voice of a generation whose writing continues to speak to the times
A PATH TO SUCCESS
Tippie alumni share the keys to thriving as firstgeneration students.
IOWA WOMEN WRESTLE ‘FOR HER’ Hawkeyes set the standard for a growing sport.
SPRING 2024
TOGETHER, HAWKEYES MAKE A DIFFERENCE! The University of Iowa’s 24-hour online giving day is Wednesday, March 27, 2024. Take advantage of limited-time matching opportunities to support our students, faculty, and programs.
FE ATURES
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‘For Her’ In its inaugural season, the Hawkeye women’s wrestling team wins championships, inspires young fans, and fuels the growth of an emerging sport.
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) Tyler Strand Ellen Yandel GRAPHICS MANAGER
Jared Salasberry
CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS
Danette Angerer (85BFA) Jodi Schmucker e m a i l : uimagazine@foriowa.org w e b s i t e : magazine.foriowa.org
DIGITAL SENIOR WEB DESIGNER/DEVELOPER
Jimmy Losasso (09BFA) WEB DEVELOPERS
Mike Miersen Heidi Schmidt
SENIOR DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIST
Nicole Knoll (08BA, 22MS)
DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIST
Megan Walsh
WRESTLING PHOTO: BRIAN R AY/HAWKE YE YESPORTS.COM; OLIVER IMAGES: W. FLEMMING ILLUSTR ATION
MULTIMEDIA SPECIALISTS
32 A Path to Success Three Henry B. Tippie College of Business graduates recall the University of Iowa resources that helped them flourish as firstgeneration college students.
John Emigh (11BBA, 13BFA) Jason Smith
LEADERSHIP PRESIDENT AND CEO
36
Lynette Marshall VICE PRESIDENT,
ALUMNI & DONOR ENGAGEMENT
Colin Hennessy (01BA)
Diane Oliver’s Unfinished Stor y Decades after her untimely death, an Iowa Writers’ Workshop student has been rediscovered by the literary world for her poignant short stories that examine race and racism in mid-20 th century America. C O V E R A R T: W. F L E M MIN G IL LU S T R AT IO N
ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT, ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT
Leslie Prideaux (08BA, 12MA) ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING
Rebekah Tilley
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MARKETING & DIGITAL STRATEGY
Zack Schmidt (03BA)
SECTIONS
OFFICE OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT
2 | Big Picture
15 | Go, Hawks
48 | For Iowa
4 | Campus Mail
Take a ride through the most sensational moments (so far) of Caitlin Clark’s senior year.
In a historic gift to the Carver College of Medicine, a couple provides dozens of scholarships for Iowa medical students.
7 | On Iowa Nate Kaeding (04BA, 15MBA) and Ben Smart (04BS) revive Iowa City’s landmark Hamburg Inn.
44 | Iowa Writers John Sandford (66BA, 71MA) shares his journey from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist to bestselling crime novelist.
55 | Always A Hawkeye A new documentary goes behind the sequins with Hawkeye Elvis.
One West Park Road Iowa City, IA 52242 phone : 319-335-3305
email: uiowa@foriowa.org w e b s i t e : foriowa.org
Iowa Magazine, Volume 77, Number 1 © 2024 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 Pict u re
B IG P IC T URE
In Motion
Tori Lefler, a first-year graduate student in the UI Department of Dance, perfects a sequence for Panorama, a piece that will be performed by more than 20 student dancers as part of the Martha Graham Dance Company’s upcoming visit to Hancher. The collaboration is part of an ongoing effort to bridge academic study with real-world artistry by introducing current students to creatives who have successfully built a career in the arts. Panorama is set to debut at Hancher March 29.
Extra Go behind the scenes with the dancers at foriowa.info/ im-panorama24.
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Brewing Up Hope
My husband and four of our children were diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa. We are happy to see work is being done at Iowa and people are donating to this research [“Brews for Blindness,” winter 2023-24, p. 48]. It might be too late for us, but hopefully a cure will be found. Rory Conrad Dunlap, Iowa
More Than a Game
“‘It’s Bigger Than Basketball’” is such a great article [winter 2023-24, p. 32]. I never watched basketball until about five years ago and now never miss a game. I love all the stories you told behind the game. It’s so much more than the game; [the student-athletes and coaches] all do so much for the community and are such good role models. Thanks for writing the best story I have ever read. Jean Pinney Cedar Rapids
A Caring Cause
“An Enduring Mission” [fall 2023, p. 52, about a family supporting breast cancer research at Iowa] is such a touching story. My mother, Dawn, was diagnosed with stage 3 metastatic breast cancer in April 2022. She too has undergone chemotherapy, immunotherapy, a double mastectomy, and then radiation roughly two months after that. She also supports Iowa by wearing her Hawkeye gear and celebrating her grandson Wyatt, who is a Kid Captain. Thank you all for the continued breast cancer research! Jessica Keely Solon, Iowa
This story was a wonderful tribute to my sister, Kim Stack Basler (83BM). She loved her family and her alma mater. I would like to point out Kim was born in Iowa City but was raised in Schaumburg, Illinois. She and I both marched in the Hawkeye Marching Band, in which Kim played the piccolo. Our mom, Pat, and our dad, Phil Stack (63BA),
both were avid Hawkeye fans, and they loved watching both of us in the Hawkeye Marching Band, including following the band to the Rose Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Gator Bowl. It was wonderful that years later, after Kim’s untimely death, Dad and his second wife, Anne, could make such a wonderful contribution to the UI in Kim’s memory with the research fund, and now Anne and Kim’s husband, Mark, have made the generous gift of naming an exam room for our beloved Kim. Kristin Stack Hale (85BA) Marion, Iowa
View from Above
The photo of the stadium on the inside of the back cover [“Fan Favorite,” fall 2023, p. 64] mentions the current buildings that are not in the photo—it being from the early 1960s. However, what is in the photo, bottom left, are the Quonset Huts, built for returning World War II vets. Notice the diapers hanging between huts? When my husband and I were married on Sept. 11, 1960, we lived in one CONNECT WITH
IOWA MAGAZINE
Top Teachers
On a recent trip to Iowa City, I reconnected by chance with one of my favorite undergraduate teachers and had lunch with him. John Raeburn is chair and professor emeritus of English and American studies. During my time as an English major, I took three courses from him. He was my academic advisor, and he graciously wrote a reference letter in support of my application to law school. The 2½ hours we spent catching up on each other’s lives over the past 40 years not only reaffirmed how important my degree in English has been to my legal career but also underscored the necessity of brilliant, engaged, and accessible faculty for an overall positive student experience. English majors learn to read texts closely, extensively, and critically; think creatively and analytically; and communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. They also develop research and problem-solving skills. Through their study of a wide variety of literary genres, they become aware of diverse perspectives and thus develop their emotional intelligence and a better understanding of human nature, which hopefully, in turn, enables them to connect and resonate with different types of audiences. These skills are transferable to almost any professional setting. I count myself blessed indeed to have benefited from the academic excellence, scholarship, dedication, and teaching skills of faculty members like Raeburn, and to have earned a degree in English from the University of Iowa. Tom Cunningham (81BA, 84JD) West Des Moines
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Ca mpus Ma i l
2023-24, p. 24]. Best emotional therapy ever. I’ve been active at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and we’ve had therapy dogs (around 80 teams now) for about 15 years. Everyone loves the pups! Donna Siemro (74PhD) Arlington Heights, Illinois
Mascot Memories
Dancing Through Time
POSTER: IOWA DIGITAL LIBR ARY, UI LIBR ARIES
Iowa Magazine had an outstanding special issue and a nice article on the “Dance Revolution” [winter 2023-24, p. 12]. You mention the dance marathons beginning in 1994, but I suspect you realize there were other dance marathons in Iowa’s history. I attended the UI as a doctoral student. In spring 1978, I participated in the “Doing Things Our Way at Iowa” Dance Marathon. The proceeds supported the Muscular Dystrophy Association. At the time I was dating a young woman named Gail, and she asked if I would like to dance in the 30-hour dance marathon with her. As a doctoral student, I was busy but liked her a lot, so I said I would do it. She raised $471, which was good for the fifth-highest total any couple raised. Thank God for Gail, because I don’t remember that I got any sponsors. Christopher N. Walker (81PhD) Redlands, California
of those huts as we completed our senior year. We could hear the cheers from the stadium during home games! Great friendships were formed when living in those duplex units. Kathryn Hinsch Hammer (61BM) Lakewood, Colorado
Pawsitive Impact
Thanks for having Corrin and Nacho at the hospital [“Facility Dogs Offer Comfort at University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital,” winter
I really enjoyed the fall 2023 Iowa Magazine. I was especially interested in the Herky coverage —particularly the picture of the papier-mâché and chicken wire Herky head [“Herky Turns 75,” p. 30]. My dad, Arnold S. Gillette, was the scene design professor in the drama department (then still part of the speech department) from 1932 until his retirement in 1974. He was asked by his friend Rollie Williams, who at the time was an assistant athletic director at Iowa, if he could make a Herky head to be worn by one of the cheerleaders. Dad thought that would be an interesting challenge, and the Herky head on the cheerleader pictured standing on the goalpost was his creation. At the time, I was a sophomore or junior in high school at University High, which was directly across the Iowa River from the Theatre Building. I’d occasionally wander over to the Theatre Building after school, and I remember seeing dad working on that head.
changed my focus from pediatrics to neuromuscular conditions. I built the NeuroBalance Center in Barrington, Illinois, in 2017, focusing on exceeding the current ADA guidelines in every way possible. We had one building and got to plan every inch, so I imagine the daunting job of overseeing an entire college campus and the changes needed to old buildings and landscapes is huge. My heartfelt applause to Stevenson Earl. Joy Wagner (82BSN) Hoffman Estates, Illinois
J. Michael Gillette (63BA) Tucson, Arizona
All-Star Coach
Of all the well-deserved accolades identified in Josh O’Leary’s excellent presentation [“25 Feats of Ferentz,” fall 2023, p. 20], I hope that Coach Kirk Ferentz is also recognized for his even-tempered, well-mannered professionalism and decorum. He always appears to focus on the accomplishments, persistence, and commitment of his staff, coaches, and players. He never points the finger at anyone for the lack of execution or a failure that can occur during a long season. I’m confident that both the Big Ten and NCAA have long appreciated what he has brought to collegiate sports. Joseph Tortorich Chicago
Putting in the Work
I can’t even imagine taking on the campus-wide disability needs as UI Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator Tiffini Stevenson Earl (93BA, 98MA, 02JD) does [“Independence at Iowa,” fall 2023, p. 58]! I’m an Iowa nursing school grad who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2001 and
Fast Fan
When I was a sophomore at Iowa, I saw a poster for a band I had never heard of. I forgot about it, but during a huge snowstorm one night, I cut through the Iowa Memorial Union and heard blues and rock. It was Led Zeppelin [as featured in Iowa Magazine’s “Glory Days,” summer 2022, p. 26]. The organizers quit taking tickets, so I went in with about 300 people to hear most of Zeppelin I and II. Unreal. The next day, the town was buzzing. A month later, they were famous. Frank McLain (72BA) Nevada, Iowa
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.
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FIRST-GENERATION STUDENT
FUTURE TEACHER
Mitch n i l r e t n i W
Student Body President Undergraduate Student Government
Join the campaign to help students like Mitch. together.foriowa.org
8 I N V E N T - A I R 10 S U R G I C A L H O M E R U N 12 T H E B U R G I S B A C K
Eastern tiger swallowtail, a butterfly native to North America
All the Buzz
The University of Iowa Pentacrest Museums added approximately 50,000 insects to its collection through a recent acquisition from the shuttered Iowa Wesleyan University. The collection encompasses a valuable assortment of specimens offering insights into Iowa’s rich biodiversity and ecological legacy, which were gathered during many decades of the Iowa Insect Survey’s research across the state. Pentacrest Museums communications coordinator Jessica Smith (14BA) says, “These specimens can be used in comparative data analysis to answer some of the most important questions we face as a society today—questions about climate, evolution, and survival. They belong to all of us.”
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On Iowa
THE DIRTY TRUTH ABOUT AIR POLLUTION More than one in three Americans live in places with unhealthy levels of air pollution. In 2022, 66 million tons of pollution were emitted into the U.S. atmosphere. More than 100 million Americans live in counties with failing grades for ozone smog.
NEWSMAKER: JUN WANG
Change is in the Air An Iowa engineering professor’s awardwinning NASA collaboration is helping scientists combat air pollution. Even as a boy in China, Jun Wang noticed how shifting weather patterns could cause his parents’ harvests to fail or flourish. Eventually, his studies in atmospheric science also taught him that the average person needs to breathe about 20 pounds of air each day. Such insights fueled his interest in atmospheric composition and air pollutants— and inspired his contributions to a NASA research team that made it onto Time magazine’s list of 2023’s best inventions. Wang, who is the James E. Ashton Professor of Engineering at the University of Iowa College of Engineering, is Iowa’s lead investigator on NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring Pollution
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(TEMPO) project. Tethered to a satellite cruising 22,000 miles above Earth, TEMPO is a space instrument launched in August 2023 that is revolutionizing scientists’ understandings of air pollution. “Last summer, we saw hazy skies because of Canadian fire emissions,” says Wang. “TEMPO can help us plan when and where to go outside, so we can avoid as much air pollution as possible.” Kelly Chance, a senior physicist at the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, heads the joint research venture, which involves approximately 20 principal investigators across the nation as well as a handful of other UI contributors across campus. Wang, who began teaching at Iowa in 2016, has devoted
“
Collaboration is the key to tackling big problems such as air pollution and climate change.” —Ju n Wa ng
more than a decade to TEMPO. T he g roup’s invent ion is a U V-v isible spectrometer that is the first to provide roundthe-clock measurement of the air pollutants—such as sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxide, and particulates —drifting above North America, from Mexico City to the Canadian oil fields. TEMPO can send researchers hourly results, in 3D resolution, and zoom in to Earth as close as street level. According to Time, such innovative technology is “increasingly urgent, given global declines in air quality and bouts of wildfire smoke.” In fact, a recent study by the National Integrated Drought Information System estimated that humancaused climate change contributed to a more than 320% increase in wildfires from 1996–2021—and predicts a further increase, ranging from 3%–52%, in the decades ahead. Wang hopes his scientific pursuits can help mitigate the effects of such dire projections. After immigrating to the United States in 1999 for graduate school, he participated in a highly competitive NOAA climate and global change postdoctoral fellowship program at Harvard University. Today, as professor and interim chair of the UI Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering—and assistant director of the Iowa Technology Institute—he explores the ways in which aerosols affect air quality, weather, and climate. Wang continues his TEMPO-related research and currently is working with Iowa engineering students and faculty to develop a new algorithm for mapping the vertical distribution of smoke particles. “Collaboration is the key to tackling big problems such as air pollution and climate change,” he says. “Together, we can benefit society.” AR B Y L E A H K L E VA R
WANG PHOTO COURTESY UI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING; SPACE PHOTO COURTESY NASA
— Sources: American Lung Association and Environmental Protection Agency
On Iowa
Erik Lie
LIE'S KEYS TO SOUND WEALTH MANAGEMENT Contribute the maximum amount possible to retirement accounts, and if those are topped out, consider allocating more to Roth IRAs. Invest in a diversified portfolio of mostly low-fee index funds, supplemented with individual stocks in non-retirement accounts to give more tax strategy flexibility. Invest mostly in stocks, especially if your investment window is 10 years or more. Sell only if you’re harvesting losses to minimize your tax bill, or if you desperately need cash. Start a 529 college savings account if you have children. Buy health insurance.
ASK AN EXPERT
How Can You Build Wealth?
Buy term life insurance if you have dependents. Don’t buy life insurance before you have dependents or after your dependents are grown.
PHOTOS COURTESY TIPPIE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
A Tippie finance expert helps investors learn more than just the basics with his new book. Personal finance and wealth management may seem daunting, but Erik Lie breaks down the principles of doing it well in his new book. Lie, the Amelia Tippie Chair in Finance at the University of Iowa Henry B. Tippie College of Business, recently published Wealth Management, which gives readers practical knowledge about improving their finances, from their first job through retirement and estate planning.
The book—which started out as notes for his wealth management class—is aimed at people who understand the basics about personal finance and would like to learn more, but don’t need the technical knowledge of more advanced books. All royalties from the book’s sales will be donated to the International Rescue Committee, which helps people in humanitarian crises. BY TOM SNEE
Avoid annuities and permanent life insurance as investments in all life stages. Don’t buy extended car warranties and insurance products that only cover expenses that savings can readily cover. Avoid reverse mortgages.
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On Iowa
After a pair of complex surgeries, alumna Christi Eldred (pictured at left with her husband, Cal) is thankful for a UI medical team’s collaborative expertise.
HEALTH CARE
Team Effort Iowa brain and eye surgeons collaborate during a complex procedure to save UI alumna Christi Eldred’s vision. When Christi Eldred (93BA) learned she had a fistula behind her right eye—a dangerous condition that threatened her vision and, potentially, her life—she could have traveled anywhere for treatment. She and her husband, former Hawkeye and Major League Baseball pitcher Cal Eldred, had medical connections around the nation from his days as a player and coach. But the Eldreds knew Christi would receive unparalleled care at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, just a half-hour drive from their home in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Thanks to a quick-acting team of UI neurologists and ophthalmologists— and after two marathon surgeries—Christi Eldred’s decision to stay in her home state for treatment turned out to be the right game plan. “I just knew they were going to take care of me—and they did,” she says. The first signs of trouble surfaced in fall 2021, when Eldred began noticing a prism-like distortion in her vision’s periphery. Eldred had been fighting
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Erin Shriver
Santiago Ortega-Gutiérrez
a recent sinus infection and headaches, but this seemed different. Her right eye became swollen and red, and an uncomfortable pressure built up behind it, keeping her awake at night. Eldred’s family physician and eye doctor were stumped. They referred her to UI Hospitals & Clinics, where she underwent a battery of tests. An MRI scan ruled out an abscess or tumor, but further testing by ophthalmologists the following day revealed the problem: carotid cavernous fistula. Simply put, there was an abnormal connection between a carotid artery and a vein called the cavernous sinus, creating a backflow of blood and putting pressure on the back of Eldred’s eye. Left untreated, there was a chance the fistula could rupture and cause bleeding in the brain. UI neurointerventional surgeon Santiago Ortega-Gutiérrez examined Eldred and put her on a fast track to the operating room. In an initial procedure, which lasted about five hours, the clinical associate professor of neurology performed an angiogram through an artery in her arm to map out the path to the problem area between her brain and eye. He then attempted to embolize the fistula using a catheter inserted into the femoral vein in her thigh but was ultimately unable to reach it because the usual pathways were clotted. Knowing they’d need to take a more direct route, Ortega-Gutiérrez brought in an orbital surgeon, clinical professor of ophthalmology Erin Shriver (06R), to help him access the superior ophthalmic vein—a small blood vessel that travels from the front of the eye socket to the cavernous sinus. With her symptoms progressing rapidly, Eldred gave the go-ahead for the orbitotomy early the following week. In the operating room, Shriver made an incision just above Eldred’s right eyelid crease, dissecting into the orbit, or eye socket, and navigating through the fat and tissues to isolate the superior ophthalmic vein. She then stabilized the
On Iowa
BRIEFS
“
AT THE HEART OF SLEEP
For people like me, whose situations are complicated, you need doctors who are not afraid to try complicated things. They saved my eye, so there's no better outcome.” —Ch risti Eld red
CALL THE MIDWIFE The university’s new Nurse-Midwifery Education Program launched this past fall to help address the shortage of maternal health care providers in Iowa, particularly in rural areas. To learn more about the postbaccalaureate certificate program, visit foriowa.info/im-midwifery.
PHOTO COURTESY UI HEALTH CARE
MIDWEST RESEARCH HUB delicate vein and elevated it for placement of the microcatheter, giving Ortega-Gutiérrez an open pathway to the fistula. After the second five-hour surgery—which at times required improvisation and trial and error with different instruments—Shriver, OrtegaGutiérrez, and the Iowa team successfully sealed off the abnormal connection. Shriver credits the unique teamwork between surgeons, fellows, technicians, nurses, and anesthesiologists for the successful outcome. “There were several times during the case that we could have easily given up,” she says. “We knew that neurosurgery was her only other option, however, and so we persisted.” With the pressure relieved from her ocular nerves, Eldred’s vision soon corrected itself, and she made a full recovery. The radiation from imaging resulted in temporary hair loss, and it took her a few weeks to fully get back on her feet, but Eldred was thankful that doctors were able to avoid a more invasive brain surgery. Two years later, she has 20/20 vision, and follow-up testing has given her a clean bill of eye health. “For people like me, whose situations are complicated, you need doctors who are not afraid to try complicated things,” says Eldred, a mother to five adult children and two grandkids. “They saved my eye, so there’s no better outcome.”
The UI College of Public Health will be home to a new research center to help make communities across the Midwest more resilient to climate change. A five-year, $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration funds the project, which includes collaborations with female farm owners and tribal nations in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri.
A five-year, $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will support UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences research on the connection between adverse childhood experiences and cardiovascular health. Nate Jenkins, an assistant professor of health and human physiology, will explore the role that disrupted sleep has on the heart for patients coping with early life stress.
DOSING DIFFERENCES Current chemotherapy dosing guidelines are based on height and weight, but UI associate pharmacy professor Mary Schroeder is investigating whether there should be more nuance in those recommendations for breast cancer patients with obesity. She recently received a four-year, $2.24 million federal grant to determine optimal dosing guidelines that consider factors such as organ health.
LEADERSHIP CHANGES
PLANETARY PHENOMENON
Donald E. Letendre, the university’s longest-serving dean who helped oversee the construction of the College of Pharmacy building, will step down from his leadership position with the college this summer after 17 years of service. In other news, Bradley Haws returned to the university this past November as the new CEO of UI Hospitals & Clinics and associate vice president of UI Health Care.
A UI-built instrument on MAVEN, a NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars, detected an unusual event in December 2022 in which solar wind disappeared as it approached the Red Planet. Mars’ magnetosphere temporarily tripled in size without the solar wind’s pressure, and a UI-led research team recently published a study of the occurrence in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics.
BY JOSH O’LE ARY
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On Iowa
“
The Hamburg has a soul to it. The hope, aim, and ambition when you create something like this is you want it to be a place where people are coming back as alumni 30 years from now.”
IOWA CIT Y SCENE
Hamburg Helpers Two Iowa alumni revive a beloved college town diner. Nate Kaeding and Ben Smart understand how much Hamburg
Inn No. 2 means to Iowa City. A Coralville native and former pro football player, Kaeding (04BA, 15MBA) remembers eating at the Burg as a kid and reading the newspaper to learn about presidential candidates stumping there. Similarly, Smart (04BS) grew up just a few blocks away from the restaurant, and the once picky eater turned chef has warm memories of the Hamburg’s comfort food. So, when the 75-year-old Iowa City landmark and popular campaign trail stop closed its doors in 2023, the two University of Iowa alumni agreed that something needed to be done. Their restaurant group purchased the Hamburg last summer and quickly set to work restoring the cozy North Linn Street eatery that once hosted visits by Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.
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Nate Kaeding
Ben Smart
By UI homecoming weekend in October, the Hamburg was once again serving its presidential breakfast, hand-cut tenderloins, and signature pie shakes. The restaurant’s reopening also meant the return of the Coffee Bean Caucus—a tradition in which patrons drop coffee beans into mason jars on the front counter to support their preferred political candidates. Kaeding, a former Hawkeye and NFL star who returned to Iowa City to earn an MBA and raise a family, leads Gold Cap Hospitality, a restaurant collective that also owns and operates Pullman Bar & Diner and St. Burch Tavern. He’s also a partner in several other Iowa City-area restaurants and director of business development at Build to Suit, a Coralville-based construction and real estate development firm. Kaeding guides the concepting phase for Gold Cap restaurants—defining their identity and customer experience before launch. With the Hamburg, however, that character was already deeply ingrained. “The Hamburg has a soul to it,” says Kaeding. “The hope, aim, and ambition when you create something like this is you want it to be a place where people are coming back as alumni 30 years from now and saying, ‘Hey, that’s where I had my first date, or that’s where I celebrated an A on my midterm.’ The Hamburg has already been that for people, so our goal is to steward that and enhance it into the future.” Smart studied geoscience at Iowa but ultimately channeled the work ethic and drive he developed as a college student into his passion for cooking. He
HAMBURGER PHOTO COURTESY HAMBURG INN; KAEDING AND SMART PHOTOS: JOHN EMIGH
— Nate Kaeding
HISTORIC PHOTOS COURTESY HAMBURG INN; RECENT PHOTOS: JOSEPH CRESS/THINK IOWA CITY
On Iowa
enrolled in culinary school at Kirkwood Community College after earning a UI degree, then moved to the Seattle area, where he was sous chef at the five-diamond restaurant Herbfarm. After six years in the Pacific Northwest, he returned to Iowa to help open Big Grove Brewery, which now has restaurants in Solon, Iowa City, Des Moines, and Cedar Rapids. The Hamburg is the ninth Iowa restaurant for which Smart is part of the ownership team. Unlike the chef-driven menus he’s developed at other restaurants, Smart says he wanted to preserve the Hamburg’s hearty diner dishes like biscuits and gravy as well as offer some new, lighter options. When he talked with Iowa Citians about reopening the Hamburg, Smart says he was often asked a single question: “You’re not going to make it fancy, are you?” That, of course, was the last thing he wanted. “The whole idea was to preserve the Hamburg that we knew and loved growing up,” Smart says. “And, so, it was about taking the essence of what that menu was—it’s a greasy spoon diner. It’s going to have really good eggs your way, omelets, all those kinds of things. I keep using the word ‘honest.’ It’s just perfectly honest food that’s well-prepared with simple
Since opening in 1948, the Hamburg Inn has hosted generations of University of Iowa students, Iowa Citians, and political hopefuls (including President Bill Clinton, pictured top right with former Hamburg Inn owner David Panther).
Extra Watch Kaeding and Smart talk about the Hamburg Inn's reopening at foriowa.info/im-hamburg.
ingredients. We’re not trying to put any bells and whistles on it.” Smart and Kaeding also aimed to preserve the Hamburg’s timeless charm. That meant studying old photo albums to meticulously recreate the décor from the diner’s heyday and consulting with longtime owner Dave Panther, whose family opened the Hamburg Inn No. 2 in 1948. (Hamburg Inn No. 1 on Iowa Avenue opened in 1935 and closed in 1978.) Today, patrons are greeted by the familiar mosaic-tiled floor, lunch counter, wood-paneled walls, and framed photos detailing decades of visits by politicians and the Hamburg’s cameo in a 2005 episode of The West Wing. Kaeding even enlisted friend and artist Jamie Boling (02MA, 02MFA) to replicate the hand-painted window signage from the 1980s. Channeling lessons from his MBA work at the Henry B. Tippie College of Business, Kaeding calls the Hamburg Inn project a “double bottom line.” It’s not just a business venture, but an investment in a city he loves. “I feel like there’s a greater purpose to what we’re trying to do,” he says, “which is create the greatest college town in America.” It’s hard to imagine an Iowa City without the Burg. Thanks to Kaeding and Smart, we don’t have to. BY JOSH O’LE ARY
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AWARD
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HAWKEYE FAMILY TODAY! foriowa.info/im-familyspirit
WE CAN’T WAIT TO READ WITH YOU!
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16 D R E A M S E A S O N 18 G O E T Z L E A D S 20 A L L - A M E R I C A N A U S S I E
PHOTO: STEPHEN MALLY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
Freshman on Fire
Owen Freeman established himself as one of the Big Ten’s top newcomers this season, becoming the first Hawkeye freshman to record multiple double-doubles since Luka Garza (21BBA) in 2018. Freeman had collected eight Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards as of press time—the second-most honors in conference history. The forward from Moline, Illinois, was also the frontrunner for Big Ten Freshman of the Year, which was last won by a Hawkeye in 1994, when Jess Settles (98BA, 05MA) earned the award.
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Go, Hawks
Caitlin Clark ’s range seems limitless.
Clark makes a buzzer beater to win against Michigan State.
She’s proven that repeatedly on and off the court. So, it only seemed fitting that Clark would become the NCAA women’s basketball all-time leading scorer on a 3-pointer from the logo during Iowa's February home game against Michigan. As she and the Hawkeyes push for another March Madness run, we’re taking a step back to reflect on several highlights from the West Des Moines native’s storied senior year so far.
Homecoming Royalty
The 2023 National Player of the Year teamed with Iowa wrestling icon Spencer Lee (21BS) as grand marshals for the homecoming parade. Afterward, Clark joined ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and media executive Mark Shapiro (92BA) on stage for a conversation outside the Old Capitol.
Crossover at Kinnick
In front of the largest crowd in NCAA women’s basketball history, Clark delivered a triple-double as Iowa defeated DePaul this past fall inside Kinnick Stadium. The exhibition game used ticket sales to raise $250,000 for UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
Beyond the Court
The All-American guard started the Caitlin Clark Foundation to support youth and their communities through education, nutrition, and sport—three pillars she credits for her success. Clark’s name, image, and likeness partnership with supermarket chain Hy-Vee yielded her own sugar-frosted flakes cereal, Caitlin’s Crunch Time, with proceeds going to her foundation.
Expand the Brand
Iowa women’s basketball senior Caitlin Clark is chasing greatness in what could be her final collegiate season.
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Stars Align
Actor Jason Sudeikis and WNBA legend Sue Bird attended Iowa’s victory over Bowling Green at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Sudeikis channeled his Ted Lasso character for the dance cam, shared a postgame hug with Clark, and autographed a “Believe” sign in the Hawkeyes’ locker room.
PHOTOS: HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
Senior Surge
Clark signed a multiyear NIL deal with Gatorade and announced the partnership in a video where she encourages the next generation to dream big. In her TV spots for another prominent NIL partner, State Farm, Clark sings the insurance provider’s jingle while appearing alongside NBA star Jimmy Butler and Fox Sports TV personality Jenny Taft.
Go, Hawks
The Art of Passing
In the Hawkeyes’ final game of 2023, Clark zipped a pass from beyond the arc inside to sophomore Hannah Stuelke for a basket, setting the Big Ten’s all-time assists record in a home victory over Minnesota.
Second to None
Clark set the NCAA Division I career scoring record in February, eclipsing the previous mark of 3,527 points, in a victory over Michigan at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The fourth-year phenom fittingly achieved the milestone with a transition 3-pointer from near the Tigerhawk logo and also set the program’s single-game scoring record with 49 points. BY T YLER STR AND
Top left and right: Clark, the first player in Division I basketball to reach both 3,000 career points and 1,000 career assists, dishes the ball during a game at Maryland, including for a layup by Hannah Stuelke (45). Above left: The Hawkeyes hoist Clark on their shoulders after she broke the NCAA women’s career scoring record in February in Iowa City. Above: Streamers blanket the CarverHawkeye Arena court as the team celebrates Clark’s NCAA scoring record. Bottom left: Actor Jason Sudeikis and WNBA great Sue Bird visit Clark at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Bottom right: Fans clamor for autographs after an Iowa home game.
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Go, Hawks
“
We have the great privilege and opportunity to touch lives and to support young men and women in pursuit of their dreams and to help shape the future leaders of this great community, state, and beyond.”
Beth Goetz helps cut the net at the Elite Eight of the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in Seattle.
ATHLETICS ADMINISTR ATION
A Leader for a New Era Athletic Director Beth Goetz is ready to guide Iowa through the changing landscape of college sports. Soon after the University of Iowa announced its 13th athletic director this past winter, its head coaches joined together to publicly praise her hire. They were unified in their message: These are uncharted waters for college sports, and Beth Goetz is the right person to helm the Hawkeye ship. Describing her as a “tremendous leader who will take athletics to the next level at Iowa,” UI President Barb Wilson introduced Goetz as the Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair following a committee-led national search. Formerly deputy director, Goetz served as interim director for five months after Gary Barta retired last summer following 17 years as A.D. Goetz takes over at a transformational time at Iowa and athletic departments around the nation. New name, image, and likeness rules have empowered student-athletes. The Big Ten is expanding to 18 schools this fall. The transfer portal has introduced new challenges and possibilities. 18
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And the popularity of women’s sports has soared to new heights. “Change equals opportunity, and I am confident the Hawks are well-positioned to navigate the shifting college athletics landscape,” Goetz said at her introductory news conference, which was packed with coaches and student-athletes. “My pledge to all of you here today is to lead the University of Iowa with this foundation. I will serve with integrity, transparency, and a relentless drive for success.” Goetz is the first woman to oversee both Iowa’s men’s and women’s athletics programs since their merger into a single department in 2000, and she’s currently the only woman in the Big Ten serving as athletic director. She continues a legacy left by Christine Grant (70BA, 74PhD), who served as the university’s women’s athletic director from 1973 –2000, and men’s administrators like Forest Evashevski and Bump Elliott . “Her role as one of the very few female directors of athletics at the Division I level is pivotal, and
she has wasted no time making herself visible and accessible to all of us at Iowa,” said Hawkeye gymnastics coach Larissa Libby. Added men’s wrestling coach Tom Brands (92BS): “Beth Goetz earned her way into the business by not making it about business. She is about the right things. The Hawks got the best.” Goetz grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Florissant, Missouri, the oldest of four sisters who all played sports. She was an All-American soccer player at Brevard College in North Carolina before transferring to Clemson University, where she was team captain and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Goetz returned to her hometown in 1996 to work as an assistant coach for women’s soccer at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. A year later, she was named head coach and led the team to eight winning seasons. She earned a master’s degree from UM-SL in 2000. Goetz later served as assistant A.D. at UM-SL, associate A.D. at Butler University, deputy A.D. at the University of Minnesota, and chief operating officer and senior women’s administrator at the University of Connecticut. She most recently was athletic director at Ball State University for four years before being hired as deputy director of athletics and COO at Iowa in 2022. Now as Iowa’s top athletics administrator, Goetz oversees Iowa’s 20 athletic teams, more than 250 full-time staff, and more than 650 student-athletes. “We have the great privilege and opportunity to touch lives and to support young men and women in pursuit of their dreams and to help shape the future leaders of this great community, state, and beyond,” Goetz said. BY JOSH O’LE ARY
PHOTO: BRIAN RAY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
— Bet h Goetz
Go, Hawks
Former Hawkeye star Jolette Law is now an assistant coach at national powerhouse South Carolina in her home state.
BRIEFS
STACKING WINS Earlier this season, Iowa women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder earned her 500 th victory with the Hawkeyes at the Gulf Coast Showcase. Iowa men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery became the program’s all-time wins leader in January—surpassing Tom Davis’ 271 victories —when the Hawkeyes won at Minnesota.
EYES ON PARIS
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? JOLETTE L AW (90BS), WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, 1987-90
LAW AND BLUDER PHOTOS: HAWKEYESPORTS.COM; MURRAY PHOTOS: STEPHEN MALLY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
Stringer's Protégé Coach C. Vivian Stringer recruited Jolette Law to Iowa from South Carolina and quickly let her know the expectations. “So many of my memories there, it was about how I grew as a person,” says Law (90BS). “[Coach Stringer] had high academic standards, which really prepared me for what I was going to embark on in life.” Law was a Kodak District V All-American in 1990, along with being a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 1989 and 1990. She was part of four Big Ten regular-season championships and four NCAA tournament teams, including two that went to the regional finals. She scored 1,137 career points. “Coach Stringer, I will always be indebted to her,” Law says. “She saw something in me that I didn’t know I had within myself.” Law later coached at Rutgers, Illinois, and Tennessee. She’s now an assistant coach at South Carolina, where she's been on the staff since 2017.
Former Iowa track and field thrower Laulauga TausagaCollins (21BA) became the first U.S. woman to win the discus at the World Championships last year in Budapest, Hungary. The eight-time All-American completed a career-best throw of 69.49 meters and will compete for a spot in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
TWIN THREADS Law speaks during her induction into the UI Athletics Hall of Fame this past fall.
Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder delivered the news last year of Law’s induction into the 2023 UI Athletics Hall of Fame class. “The impact Coach Stringer made on the program, Lisa is doing a phenomenal job of keeping that going,” Law says. “This is a prestigious honor, just being recognized.” BY JOHN BOHNENK AMP
Former Iowa men’s basketball players Keegan Murray of the Sacramento Kings and Kris Murray of the Portland Trail Blazers traded jerseys after their initial NBA showdown earlier this season. In December, Keegan Murray set a Kings single-game record with 12 three-pointers and scored a career-high 47 points in a victory over the Utah Jazz.
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Go, Hawks
Left: Tory Taylor unleashes a punt in Iowa's win over Purdue this past fall in Iowa City. Below: Taylor is pictured with his father, Stuart, on Senior Day.
PL AYMAKER: TORY TAYLOR
Last Leg The decision to move from one side of the world to the other to play a sport he knew nothing about is something Iowa punter Tory Taylor says he’ll never regret. Taylor’s first game as an American football player was in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in an empty stadium at Purdue. In his last home game this past November at Kinnick Stadium, Taylor received possibly the loudest cheer of any senior from a fan base that learned to appreciate the kicking talents of the Melbourne, Australia, native. It’s a journey that led to recognition as the two-time Big Ten punter of the year, a consensus All-American this past season, and the 2023 Ray Guy Award recipient as the nation’s top punter. He’s also in position to be one of the top punting prospects in April’s NFL draft. “I just learned that good things happen to those who are willing to get out of their comfort zone and take chances,” Taylor said. “Don’t stay in your comfort zone all of your life. Just try to get out there and do things that are uncomfortable because that’s 20
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the only way you’re going to grow.” Taylor leaves as one of the best punters in program history. During the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl game against Tennessee Jan. 1, Taylor broke an 85-year-old NCAA record for most punting yards in a single season, finishing the year with 4,479 yards on 93 punts. Taylor's 48.2-yard punting average this past season also set a new NCAA record. W hat makes those numbers even more astounding is, until he arrived at Iowa, Taylor had never played the sport. Taylor, who played Australian football, wanted to try the American game, so he reached out to Prokick Australia, an organization that helps place players at universities in the United States. “I said, ‘I think I’ve got what it takes,’ and they said, ‘Well, come down and we’ll see,’” Taylor said. “When I first got there, I saw guys hitting tight spirals, and I was about ready to turn around and go back home. I thought, ‘This isn’t for me.’” It was perfect for him. Taylor was eventually discovered by Iowa special teams coordinator
LeVar Woods (00BA), who offered him a chance
to kick for the Hawkeyes. “His story is so unusual. It puts a smile on my face,” says Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. “[In] his first game ever, he was so naive to American college football. It was kind of refreshing, actually. He’s become Americanized now. He’s part of the pack here.” Four seasons later, Taylor was greeted at midfield by his father, Stuart, who made the trip from Australia for Senior Day. It was a fitting moment because it was his father’s advice that helped Taylor make the decision to come to Iowa “He said, ‘Don’t be one of those guys sitting in the bars or the pub in 20, 30 years going, I should have, I could have, I would have,’” says Taylor. “‘You either do it or you don’t, and we’ll support you no matter what you do.’” Taylor has one year of eligibility he could use, but he has said that, at 26, it’s time to move on. But he’s glad he came to Iowa, and he’s glad he stayed for his senior season. “I’ve really enjoyed myself this year, and that’s why I came back—to be closer to the guys and just enjoy it,” says Taylor. BY JOHN BOHNENK AMP
PUNTING PHOTO: OWEN AANESTAD/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM; SENIOR DAY PHOTO: BRIAN RAY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
Tory Taylor caps his collegiate journey from Australia to Iowa by winning the Ray Guy Award. Now he’s eyeing the NFL.
GRANDPARENTS U N I V E R S I T Y®
THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2024 Experience a day of discovery for the young and young at heart. Join the fun and make core memories together. Registration opens March 25, 2024. foriowa.org/grandparentsu
The term Grandparents University® is a registered trademark originating at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and is used with permission. This intergenerational learning opportunity is for children ages 8-14. They may be accompanied by a grandparent or honorary grandparent.
Iowa wrestler Emilie Gonzalez signs autographs during the team's first meet this past season at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania.
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for
he r
THE INAUGURAL HAWKEYE WOMEN’S WRESTLING TEAM BLAZES A TRAIL FOR THE FUTURE OF THE SPORT. BY JOSH O'LEARY
PHOTO: JEROD RINGWALD/HAWKYESPORTS.COM
W
restling can be a solitary sport. Beyond practice, student-athletes devote countless, lonely hours to training and perfecting technique. When they step inside the circle and lock arms with an opponent, victory or defeat rests squarely on their shoulders. Yet it was hardly an individual journey this past season for the 26 members of the inaugural Iowa women’s wrestling team. They formed bonds with teammates from around the nation, won over a new fan base, and competed for something greater than personal accolades. That’s why the Hawkeyes adopted “For Her” as the rallying cry for their debut campaign—they were wrestling not just for themselves, but for the women who came before them and those who will follow. “It’s a good reminder of how to represent themselves, lead with gratitude, and know there’s a bigger ‘why’ than themselves,” says Iowa coach Clarissa Chun of the mantra. The first women’s wrestling team assembled by a Power Five conference school, Iowa made an indelible mark on the sport this past winter. The Hawkeyes drew record crowds and set a new standard for the growing sport. They won their first National Duals championship and finished undefeated in dual meets. And above all, they proved that major college women’s wrestling is here to stay. MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG
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r e h for “ There are so many people that
paved the way for us, and there are so many more to come.” —Felicity Taylor, one of several Hawkeyes who have "For Her" tattooed on their arms
A GREATER PURPOSE
Shortly after arriving on campus as the first crop of Hawkeye recruits, the new teammates sat down together to watch a documentary about Christine Grant (70BA, 74PhD), the late UI women’s athletic director and a revered figure in the national Title IX movement. The student-athletes saw the parallels in Grant’s struggle decades ago for equity in women’s athletics with what they face today in their male-dominated sport. “We were just so moved and enlightened by her story and the upbringing of women’s athletics in general,” Hawkeye sophomore Sterling Dias says of the UI-produced film, Unshakeable Belief: The Dr. Christine Grant Story. “We knew we wanted to dedicate something special for her
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and everyone else who we have been impacted by—and the little girls watching us in the stands.” Inspired by pioneers like Grant and embracing their roles as leaders for the next generation of wrestlers, Dias and her teammates adopted “For Her” as their ethos. They break their huddles with the chant after every practice, and several Hawkeyes went together to get the phrase tattooed on their arms before the start of the season. “There are so many people that paved the way for us, and there are so many more to come,” says Iowa senior Felicity Taylor, who wrestles with “For Her” inked on forearm.
PHOTOS: HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
From left, Iowa wrestlers Felicity Taylor, Ella Schmit, Ava Bayless, Kylie Welker, Anayka Besco, and Nanea Estrella
RECORD-SETTING DEBUT
The Hawkeyes ushered in a new era when they hosted the Trailblazer Duals in November at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa’s first home meet drew 8,207 fans—a new women’s college wrestling attendance record. The spirited crowd fueled a dominant Hawkeye performance. Iowa grapplers went 32-1 on the day to record team victories over Presbyterian College, Lindenwood University, and Sacred Heart University. “Our women know how to bring a lot of energy,” Chun said after the meet, which featured the nation’s first four Division I schools to sponsor women’s wrestling. “They know how to have fun, keep it light, but they also know how to flip that switch and get to business.” The Hawkeyes also wrestled in front of a hometown crowd in December at the Soldier Salute at Xtream Arena in Coralville, where they captured a team championship and five individual titles, and at a double dual in January at Carver against Missouri Valley College and Life University.
Fans set a new national attendance record for women's wrestling this past November at CarverHawkeye Arena.
HOMEGROWN TALENT
The state’s passion for wrestling is reflected on the Hawkeyes’ roster. Three Iowa natives suited up for the black and gold this past season: freshman Lilly Luft of Charles City, sophomore Ella Schmit of Bettendorf, and fifth-year senior Felicity Taylor of Spillville. According to the National Wrestling Coaches Association, more than 50,000 high school girls currently compete in wrestling in the U.S.—up from 804 in 1994. Here in the Hawkeye State, where the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union officially sanctioned the sport in 2022, the popularity has soared. In 2023, Iowa had 2,379 high school girls involved in wrestling, more than double the previous year, according to FloWrestling. Taylor, who grew up in a family of Hawkeye fans, previously won a national title for Division II power McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois, before transferring to the UI. Taylor has broken barriers since she started wrestling as a ninth grader. At South Winneshiek High School in northeast Iowa, she became the first female wrestler in state history to earn 100 wins while competing against boys. “Being able to put on the Tigerhawk singlet and compete in front of thousands of fans is honestly my favorite memory being here so far,” says Taylor. “Coming out of the tunnel and taking in everything that was going on—I was super emotional, just really taking in the moment. I’m just so thankful that I have the opportunity to compete here as a Hawkeye.”
PHOTOS: HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
Senior Felicity Taylor is one of three wrestlers from Iowa on the Hawkeyes' roster.
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IN THEIR CORNER
Some of wrestling’s top minds are the architects behind the Hawkeyes’ newest scholarship sport. Chun, hired in fall 2021, was a World champion and Olympian who previously served as an assistant coach on the USA Wrestling women’s team. She lured two colleagues to Iowa City—former USA Wrestling Greco-Roman programs manager Gary Mayabb, Iowa’s associate head coach, and former Canadian National Team coach Tonya Verbeek , who serves as Iowa’s assistant coach. That coaching cachet—along with Iowa’s proud history in men’s wrestling—has attracted many of the nation’s most decorated recruits and transfers to Iowa City. Dias, a Las Vegas native, first met Chun years ago at a national event, and she grew up idolizing the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist. “Once I heard the program was starting and I realized that Coach Chun was going to be the coach, I was really excited,” says Dias, who was a two-time Cadet World medalist before signing with the Hawkeyes. “I wanted to be a part of this environment and coached under the person that I’ve been idolizing my entire life.” Iowa assistant coach Tonya Verbeek, associate head coach Gary Mayabb, and head coach Clarissa Chun congratulate wrestler Marlynne Deede after a match at the Trailblazer Duals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
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NEW TEAM, NEW RULES
While Iowa fans are well-acquainted with the ins and outs of collegiate men’s wrestling, which follows folkstyle rules and scoring, women’s wrestling uses a freestyle format. Freestyle matches are often quicker and produce more points. Matches feature two three-minute periods with a 30-second break in between, and the scoring system rewards dynamic moves, technical superiority, and quick actions, whereas folkstyle emphasizes control, positioning, and riding time. Freestyle is also the format used for international women’s wrestling competitions, including the Olympics.
PHOTOS: HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
Hawkeye 101-pounder Sterling Dias battles at the National Duals in Cedar Falls.
Iowa wrestlers Alivia White, Lilly Luft, and Emily Frost celebrate the National Duals championship in January in Cedar Falls.
PHOTOS: HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
Jaycee Foeller recorded two pins at National Duals and earned a point in the finals to secure the team title.
NATIONAL DUALS CHAMPIONS
January’s National Duals featured 36 mats of action at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. But on the final day, all eyes were on the women’s championship circle, where Iowa squared off against North Central College of Naperville, Illinois. In a thriller, the second-seeded Hawkeyes defeated their top-seeded adversaries 21-20 to earn their first National Duals women’s crown. Hawkeye star Kylie Welker gave Iowa the late lead over North Central with a decision at 170 pounds, then 191-pounder Jaycee Foeller secured the team title by collecting a passivity point in her bout. The midseason championship put the nation on notice: Iowa, which had vaulted to the top of the national polls, was the new standard-bearer for women’s wrestling. “It was definitely a surreal moment,” says Dias, a 101-pound sophomore who recorded three pins and a technical fall at the two-day tournament. “It wasn’t anything like I’ve ever experienced on a team. We’re trying to start a movement with women’s wrestling, and we got to really showcase who we are and what we represent at the University of Iowa.” Later in January, the Hawkeyes closed out a perfect 16-0 dual meet season with a road win over the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota. With the 39-7 victory, Iowa outscored opponents in dual competitions 593-108.
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AN EMERGING NCAA SPORT
P H OTO S: H AW K E Y E S P O R T S.C O M
Iowa’s ultimate goal this season was to capture gold at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championship. The event, hosted by a coalition of national organizations, was held earlier this month in Cedar Rapids. Although the NCAA doesn’t yet sponsor a women’s wrestling championship, the association released its latest sports sponsorship report this past October, stating that women’s wrestling—categorized as an “emerging sport”—is on track to soon gain NCAA championship status. According to the NCAA, 51 schools sponsored women’s wrestling in 2022-23, which is 12 more than the previous year. This past season, Iowa became just the fourth Division I program and the first team from a Power Five conference. Chun is hopeful that other major conference schools soon follow suit, and Iowa can serve as a model for new women’s programs. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics, which oversees the Emerging Sports for Women program, recently announced plans to recommend the addition of a national collegiate women’s wrestling championship. That would put women’s wrestling on track to host its first NCAA championships in winter 2026.
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“
2024 is a year that has been glued into my mind since I was 7 years old, and it’s finally here.” —Kylie Welker
OLYMPIC HOPEFULS
At least three Hawkeyes will compete this spring for a chance to represent the U.S. in the 2024 Summer Olympics. Senior Marlynne Deede finished in second place and freshman Rose Cassioppi took fifth at the Senior Nationals this past December to qualify for the Olympic Team Trials. Welker, a 2021 Junior World Champion and runner-up at the previous Olympic Team Trials, had already qualified. The Iowa trio—who could be joined by other Hawkeyes should they win a collegiate national title this month—will wrestle for a spot on Team USA April 19-20 in State College, Pennsylvania. International competition has been a part of Iowa wrestling’s DNA for decades. The newly formed Iowa Women’s Wrestling Club joins the men’s Hawkeye Wrestling Club as a supporting program for athletes with World and Olympic ambitions. Welker is considered Iowa’s top contender for the Summer Games in Paris. The Franksville, Wisconsin, native who became Chun’s first recruit when she committed in early 2022, has dreamed of being an Olympian since she was in grade school. After leading Iowa to the National Duals title in January, Welker traveled to Croatia with Team USA to compete against some of the world’s top wrestlers in an Olympic year tune-up. “2024 is a year that has been glued into my mind since I was 7 years old,” Welker wrote on Instagram. “And it’s finally here. Time to continue to chase my goals.” Left: Iowa’s Kylie Welker, pictured here during the Trailblazer Duals earlier this season in Iowa City, will compete in the Olympic Team Trials in April in State College, Pennsylvania. Top: Iowa’s Marlynne Deede pins Lindenwood’s Rebecca Strong in November during the Trailblazer Duals.
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NEW HAWKS’ NEST
Any comments? Email uimagazine@foriowa.org.
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PHOTOS: HAWKEYESPORTS.COM; RENDERS COURTESY NEUMANN MONSON ARCHITECTS
Another milestone for Hawkeye wrestling arrives this spring: the opening of the Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center. The culmination of the yearslong Carver Circle campaign, the $31-million, donor-funded facility is the new practice home for the men’s and women’s teams. The facility connects to Carver-Hawkeye Arena via an underground tunnel and houses a 13,000-square-foot wrestling room, strength and conditioning areas, locker rooms, student-athlete lounge, training and therapy rooms, and operations offices. The Hall of Champions, which is open to the public, showcases Iowa wrestling’s storied history. “It’s all the hard work and efforts of the men’s wrestling program, the University of Iowa, and every donor that’s given to build an amazing, world-class facility,” Chun says. “I’ve not been in a bigger facility in my wrestling career and lifetime as an athlete or coach, so it’s going to be the best.”
Extra
Watch a video about the inaugural Iowa women’s wrestling season at foriowa.info/im-wrestling-watch.
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g Supportin ks w a H first- gen f o e m a n is the ! the game
A PATH TO SUCCESS Iowa offers a model of support for first-generation students throughout their college journey.
BY TYLER STRAND
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Move Ahead
mer Program gives um S y a w te a G ie The Tipp ad start on their he a ts en ud st n first-generatio ge. transition to colle
Anibal Mares Marquez (20BBA) didn’t envision
attending a four-year university. Immigrating from Mexico to Rock Valley, Iowa, in 2010 at age 13, he spoke little English and was steered toward community college by his high school counselors. In 2015, Mares Marquez initially dismissed an invitation from the University of Iowa Henry B. Tippie College of Business to attend its inaugural Tippie Gateway Summer Program, which offers rising high school seniors a free, weeklong immersion into college life. Participants meet professors, staff, business professionals, and fellow prospective students and learn about career opportunities in business. Mares Marquez’s mother helped him reconsider, and he returned
from the experience certain of his future. “I fell in love with the university—the campus and people in the program,” says Mares Marquez. “The faculty were excited to meet me and know my story. They were willing to sit with me after the sessions and answer my questions. That made it easy to get to a point where I could envision myself being a student there.” Today, one in five UI undergraduates are first-generation college students—meaning a parent or legal guardian has not completed a four-year degree. The university assists these Hawkeyes by providing college prep resources, academic coaching, support networks, and financial aid and scholarships. The Tippie College of Business is a leader in these efforts, providing a path for students to excel before, during, and after their time at Iowa.
Edge ts to Gain an uden st-generation st
ers fir BizEdge empow ss resources twork, and acce ne , ns tio ec nn larships. form co ppor t and scho su ic em ad ac e lik rd a space. Move forwa
Zahra Aalabdulrasul (21BBA)
struggled to f ind a sense of community growing up in Cedar Rapids as a Muslim of Iraqi and Dominican descent. She feared she’d face the same reality at Iowa. Her perspective changed in fall 2017, when she joined the inaugural cohort of BizEdge mentees. “For the first time I felt like I belonged somewhere, and I was with people who had similar experiences to me,” says Aalabdulrasul, a daughter of immigrants who became a first-generation student. “When you have that foundation where you’re comfortable and feel like you belong—that’s where you can really start to thrive because you’re not second-guessing your place there anymore. You’re confident and growing.” Aalabdulrasul became a BizEdge mentor and student program coordinator and served in other campus leadership positions. An advocate for inclusion efforts, Aalabdulrasul now serves as an executive assistant of global diversity, equity, and inclusion at Warner Music Group in New York. “No matter what sphere you’re in, whether it’s school, work, or life, mentorship is really everything,” says Aalabdulrasul, who graduated with an entrepreneurial management degree. “I’m a firm believer that you can’t really get through life alone. It’s important to find people that you can rely on.”
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Mares Marquez experienced homesickness and doubted his abilities as a college student in fall 2016 during his first semester at Iowa. Gabriela Rivera (99MA), associate director of engagement and belonging at Tippie, introduced him to other first-generation minority students who had worked through those same challenges. The next semester, Rivera asked Mares Marquez and other Tippie student leaders to create the ideal peer mentoring program for underrepresented students in business. Their input shaped BizEdge —the next step in Tippie’s method of supporting underrepresented students. Launched in fall 2017, the program empowers students to form connections, network, and access resources like academic support and scholarships. Freshmen are paired with mentors who help them transition to college life. Mares Marquez mentored for three years, paying forward the assistance he received. “Having the validation from other people that you’re not the only one feeling this way helped a lot,” says Mares Marquez, an accounting graduate. “That pushed me toward making sure that any students who came after me would not feel the same way I did.”
A Place of Belonging BizEdg
e of fers first-gen eration students suppor tive envi a ronment where they can flouris Collect a "Co h. mmunit y" ca rd.
Luz Alcala (22BBA)
Discover Yo ur Passion Tippie Gateway and Bi zEdge help first generation stud ents gain experie nces and build connections that inform their care er paths. Collect a "Ca reer Advance ment" card.
Mares Marquez’s Tippie journey has come full circle. He’s an information technology auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers, a Big Four audit firm and Tippie Gateway sponsor that he interned with as a UI undergraduate. Mares Marquez remains involved with the college as a member of the Tippie Young Alumni Board, an opportunity for graduates to continue supporting students and the college. “For someone who grew up in a different country and had a different outlook of what an education is really about, my time at Iowa was a surreal experience,” says Mares Marquez. “If I didn’t attend the Tippie Gateway Program, I would have been a much different, not as successful person.”
called on her support system early in her f i rst semester at Iowa. After failing her first exam, the Villa Park, Illinois, native thought she wasn’t cut out for college and considered leaving. A conversation with her BizEdge mentor and others in the program helped her realize she wasn’t the only one to experience this. Finding community in BizEdge made it easier for Alcala to seek help, voice her struggles, and get involved in groups like the Multicultural Business Student
Association.
“ S ome t i me s p e ople don’t understand that students of color or first-gen students feel like they have to work a lot harder—or they do have to work a lot harder—to get to where other people are,” says Alcala, a first-generation student whose parents immigrated from Mexico. “BizEdge introduced me to other students who were interested in seeing me succeed.” Attaining a business administration and management degree, Alcala was inspired by her mentoring experiences in BizEdge and Tippie Gateway to help college students as an advisor. She supports UI student-athletes as a graduate assistant in Student-Athlete Academic Services and is on track to graduate this spring with a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs, so she can continue mentoring students as a career.
On a Roll With First Gen Hawks The University of Iowa offers all first-in-family students resources to help them excel. First Gen Hawks is a catalyst for these efforts. The program helps new first-generation students transition to college by providing academic coaches, peer mentors, tailored courses, and interaction with their peers. This year, First Gen Hawks expanded services to participants in their second year of college, including continued coaching and career development. First Gen Hawks has improved retention among firstgeneration students, and its participants have earned higher grade point averages than other Hawkeyes on campus. The program embodies the UI’s overarching mission to help these students feel a sense of community, support, and belief in their success at Iowa.
For more on the program, visit foriowa.info/im-firstgen.
rd Pay It Forwa aduates
allows gr g Alumni Board The Tippie Youn e college. t students and th to suppor t curren rward ce game pie fo Move another u. h yo one space wit
Join the Cause
Support First Gen Hawks at foriowa.info/ im-firstgen-give.
Any comments? Email M Auimagazine@foriowa.org. GAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG IOWA MAGAZINE
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DIANE OLIVER’S STORY Promising Iowa Writers’ Workshop student and Civil Rights Movement activist Diane Oliver died tragically just days before her graduation. Decades later, her newly rediscovered work has been heralded for its haunting look at African American life in the Jim Crow era. B Y C A S S A N D R A J E N S E N | I M A G E S B Y W. F L E M M I N G I L L U S T R AT I O N
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someone were to map the life of Diane Oliver (66MFA), three street corners would be marked with pushpins. First, the corner of Mulberry Street and Washington Avenue in McCrorey Heights, the African American neighborhood where she came of age in then-segregated Charlotte, North Carolina. Next, the corner of Tate Street and Walker Avenue in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she and her college classmates braved picket lines during a boiling point of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. And last, the intersection of North Dubuque and East Davenport Streets in Iowa City, where—days before her graduation from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop—she was thrown from a motorcycle and killed. All the miles in between those markers, 22 remarkable years’ worth of material, are distilled into the writings she left behind, including six short stories that scholars have compared to the work of literary icons such as William Faulkner, Shirley
Jackson, and Alice Walker. Oliver’s place in their ranks was little known until February 2024, when publishers Grove Atlantic (U.S.) and Faber & Faber (United Kingdom) released the firstever collection of her published works. The book, Neighbors and Other Stories, is introduced by author Tayari Jones (94MA, An American Marriage) and blurbed by Iowa Writers’ Workshop assistant professor Jamel Brinkley (15MFA, A Lucky Man) and “Ursa Short Fiction” podcast co-host Dawnie Walton (18MFA, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev), among other celebrated writers. A couple relaxing on a 1960s-era couch gazes up at the reader from the collection’s cover art, well-dressed and weary-eyed. They represent the people Oliver portrays in her stories: midcentury young Black Southerners who board crowded buses north, or shush their kids in waiting rooms, or toil in white families’ homes all day so they can come home at night to take care of their own.
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ILLUSTRATION REFERENCE: HISTORYSOUTH.ORG
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Mulberry Street and Washington Avenue, Charlotte, North Carolina
liver’s upbringing, however, was not identical to that of her poor and working-class protagonists. She was a member of the African American middle class—a relatively miniscule elite back then, especially in the South. Black middle-class families drew their social status less from wealth (they typically made much less than middle-class white families) or from zip code (they lived in segregated all-Black neighborhoods that were socioeconomically diverse) than from education. Oliver hailed from a line of teachers, and her grandparents attended college. Her parents, who both had master’s degrees, owned a red-brick house on Washington Avenue in Charlotte, with a flowering tree in the front yard and a picture window through which passersby might glimpse her mother, Blanche, teaching piano and voice lessons. Oliver’s father, Bill, was a teacher who later became a school principal; Diane’s younger sister, Cheryl, who still lives in Charlotte, followed in his footsteps. As Diane and Cheryl walked home from school, they would have greeted a procession of distinguished neighbors, including the Rev. J.A. DeLaine, who helped bring one of the lawsuits behind the landmark 1954 school desegregation ruling Brown v. Board of Education, and Rufus Patterson Perry (27MS, 39PhD), the president of nearby historically Black Johnson C. Smith University, Bill Oliver’s alma mater. A relentless reader, Diane perhaps would have carried a stack of books under her arm, ready to show them off to her grandmother—who, Cheryl remembers, fostered her and Diane’s love of words, introducing them to Black poets such as Paul Laurence Dunbar and James Weldon Johnson. “We learned to recite it; some of it I can recite now,” says Cheryl, who is now 76. “It’s still in my head from trips we took as kids in the car. That was our entertainment—and telling stories.” By 12 or 13, Diane aspired to become a writer herself. Photos show she had movie star looks, a Mona Lisa smile, and a trim fashion sense. “She was beautiful,” says Cheryl, “but she didn’t act like she was.” Soft-spoken Diane instead seemed to prefer the world of fictional characters to her own. “When my parents would call for dinner, she ignored it,” Cheryl recalls. “And they would say, ‘Oh, she’s with her book people.’” Bookishness didn’t preclude her wry wit, however, which attracted a sizable social circle. Diane was friendly, for example, with Dorothy Counts, who left their segregated high school in
1957 to become the first Black student at Charlotte’s all-white Harding High School. The four harrowing days Counts attended Harding generated an international firestorm and produced one of the most famous photos of the 1960s: Counts walking to school in her checkered dress as an enormous crowd of white classmates and onlookers jeered, laughed, and spat at her. Her friend’s experience with integration shook Diane Oliver’s foundations. Her entire community could speak of nothing else. “You overheard teachers talking,” Oliver’s classmate Madge Hopkins told a Southern Oral History Program interviewer in 2000. “Everybody knew about it.” The theme of failed integration wove its way into Oliver’s work—most particularly “Neighbors,” the title story of her new collection, which shadows the family of a boy the evening before he becomes the first Black student at an all-white school. Many readers have speculated that the piece is based directly on the Counts ordeal. Much as Oliver thrived in her own mostly Black high school— winning the annual countrywide Betty Crocker Homemakers of Tomorrow writing contest, working on the school newspaper and yearbook, and being dubbed “Miss Journalism”—she must have sensed she was soon to turn that next important corner, en route to the front line of the Civil Rights Movement. Her childhood friend Linner Ward turned with her: They both accepted admissions offers from Woman’s College (now the University of North Carolina, Greensboro) to help integrate the predominantly white, all-female institution. The semester before they enrolled in 1960, both young women watched news reports of Black students in Greensboro refusing to budge from a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter, returning every day for months until African American customers could be served there too. Those nonviolent protests became known as sit-ins, and the sit-in movement erupted across the country that year. But the furious, counterprotesting white faces on TV did not inspire confidence in Ward or Oliver. How would they manage when surrounded by such hostility? According to Ward, in an interview for the UNCG Libraries’ Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, she and Oliver made a pact: “When we went to this college, we weren’t sure what to expect, so we said we’re going to room with each other the first year. And then, after that, we would know people well enough to be able to venture out.” MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG
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he two were among a handful of Black students in Woman’s College’s class of 1964—all placed in the same hall, separate from the other students, so white pupils would not have to share bathrooms or kitchens with them. Ward was “a little disappointed” at the lack of integration, but the group seemed determined to make the most of their surroundings: They bonded with each other and reveled in the extra dormitory space. The young women also socialized with the city’s other African American students—including two of the original Greensboro Four whose sit-ins inspired bus integration efforts, voter registration campaigns, and the March on Washington. Despite culture shock, a heavy workload, and late nights of bid whist and pinochle with her dormmates, Diane Oliver wasted no time pursuing her journalistic ambitions. She took grammar, literature, and French, and became the only African American staff member of the school newspaper, The Carolinian. One
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dormmate described her as “kind of an introvert,” but another remembered that Oliver “did not segregate herself. Some of us went out of our way to socialize across races and some of us didn’t.” Oliver was one of the people who did. Cheryl Oliver marvels in retrospect at the number of white friends her sister introduced her to when she visited Diane on campus. Among the closest was Debbie Kahn, one of two Jewish women who eventually moved into the segregated hall. In an interview for the UNCG archive, Kahn (now Debbie Kahn Rubin) explained the significance of the connection: “I didn’t have any interactions with African Americans [growing up] other than servants or people in stores and that sort of thing.” Yet, with Oliver and the other Black students, “we pranced around in our pajamas ... studied together ... for me, it was very comfortable.” One memory, though, hit a wrong note in Kahn’s mind: She invited Oliver to see a movie at the corner of Tate Street and Walker Avenue. “[Diane] said, ‘Well, you know I won’t be able
ILLUSTRATION REFERENCE: GREENSBORO NEWS AND RECORD
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Tate Street and Walker Avenue, Greensboro, North Carolina
“I remember at the Greyhound station when I picked her up. We caused stares because no young white girls greeted and hugged and got in the car with young Black girls in 1961.” —Debbie Kahn Rubin, a college classmate of Diane Oliver
to sit with you, and I can’t go.’ I think she had to enter another entrance and sit in the balcony, and that was the first time I realized that there were limitations.” The same summer as the Freedom Rides, where white and Black activists sat beside each other on buses headed South to protest segregation in public transportation, Bill and Blanche Oliver permitted Diane to accept Kahn’s invitation to visit her home in South Carolina. “I remember at the Greyhound station when I picked her up,” Kahn Rubin told her UNCG interviewer. “We caused stares because no young white girls greeted and hugged and got in the car with young Black girls in 1961.” Oliver met the Kahn family, Debbie’s white childhood friends, and the Black woman who cooked for the family. When Oliver returned Kahn’s invitation, however, Kahn’s father wouldn’t let his daughter visit the Oliver home. It was too dangerous, he warned, for Debbie and for the Oliver family. Around this time, Oliver began crafting short stories. Any number of happenings could have elicited them: the Cuban Missile Crisis; her writing classes with novelist Peter Taylor and poet Randall Jarrell; the continuing sit-ins, which morphed into student boycotts of restaurants; and picket lines on the same street corner where she could not see a movie with Kahn. Though not published until a few years later, her story “The Closet on the Top Floor” could have occurred to her then—its central character is a Black student whose alienation from the white women’s college she is integrating causes her to disappear. Oliver did much the opposite. She was promoted to managing editor of The Carolinian and became a front-and-center supporter of the protests on Tate Street, listing herself on a campus flyer as a contact for classmates who wanted to picket. Although the chancellor warned that any students arrested would face expulsion, many of Diane’s Black and white friends picked up signs that spring of 1963, just a few months before Martin Luther King Jr. delivered “I Have a Dream” in the nation’s capital. As Linner Ward recollected, by the following fall—their final year in college—the two stores and the cinema on the corner of Tate
Street had fully integrated. Objectively, Oliver’s senior year was filled with laurels. An essay about the protests won her a summer guest editorship in New York at Mademoiselle, the era’s leading U.S. magazine for young women. She was also selected to participate in an Experiment in International Living program later that year, where she would study French and live with a host family in Switzerland, and she landed a full graduate scholarship to the University of Iowa for the 1965–66 school year. An article in The Carolinian just before she graduated from UNCG interviewed Oliver in her dorm room in front of her typewriter. The reporter asked what she was working on, and Oliver said it was a piece she hoped to publish about a young boy who attends an integrated school. Printed in The Sewanee Review two years later, “Neighbors” has become her most anthologized work; it also received third prize in the 1967 O. Henry Awards. In a 2022 Bitter Southerner article about Oliver, critic and essayist Michael A. Gonzales observed that within “Neighbors,” “there is a sense of social realism that is as straightforward as an essay on the regular folks behind the movement.” To her college newspaper, Oliver deemed it simply “a quiet little story—I just can’t seem to write any other way.” The record doesn’t offer many details about Oliver in New York or in Europe. In broad strokes, she completed her guest press editorship with Mademoiselle, working on the August 1964 “College Issue” with young fabric editor and future fashion designer Betsey Johnson. Oliver likely traveled to England with fellow guest editors to tour Oxford University and William Shakespeare’s birthplace, then returned to the Big Apple for a look at New York’s publishing houses. That fall, she crossed the Atlantic again to spend eight weeks living with a Swiss family, immersing herself in French, and no doubt working on a new story, “Key to the City,” which became her first-ever published fiction—in the Red Clay Reader the following fall, just as she enrolled in the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG
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North Dubuque Street and East Davenport Street, Iowa City
liver must have passed that fateful crossroads frequently without pausing. North Dubuque and East Davenport Streets met on the way from her Iowa City apartment to Black’s Gaslight Village, a section of Brown Street where many of her Workshop friends lived. Fiction classmate Suzanne McConnell (67MFA), in an essay for the program’s 50 th anniversary, reminisced about her and Oliver’s cohort from 20 years back: A contingent largely of white men, they held their classes in Quonset huts. They were taught by fiction writers Kurt Vonnegut, Richard Yates, Vance Bourjaily, and Nelson Algren. Oliver may well have been the only nonwhite, let alone African American, writer of the group—and though she meshed well with everyone, according to McConnell, “Diane always seemed so cautious and careful, but I suppose, considering what she was surrounded by, she had to be that way.” The Daily Iowan that year told a slightly different story. Oliver, it reported, was a local civil rights advocate and
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the publicity chairman for the Committee to Defend Iowa Students. That school year, the committee had unofficial overlap w ith the universit y ’s chapter of the activ ist organization Students for a Democratic Society and publicly supported UI students who burned their draft cards to protest the Vietnam War. In the span of two semesters, Oliver also completed most of her oeuvre. Negro Digest published two of her short stories, “Health Service” and “Traffic Jam,” in fall 1965 and summer 1966. A third—the horror-inflected “Mint Juleps Not Served Here”—was anthologized a year later in Southern Writing in the Sixties. Author and Iowa Writers’ Workshop alum Dawnie Walton’s two favorite short stories of Oliver’s (“Health Service” and “Traffic Jam”) involve a single mother of five children. Walton marvels that “these stories were written so long ago, but at the same time, they’re actually very contemporary, in the sense that they are
trying to make sense of an era that the author is living through.” Much more will be written, of course, about Diane Oliver’s Walton finds Oliver’s productivity unusual; her own experience published work—its richness, its incisiveness, its contemporary at the Workshop in the late 2010s included several other Black resonance. Her stories have remained timely during the past women who offered each other moral and literary reinforcement. half-century, quietly anthologized in Black Voices: An Anthology of Between Oliver’s youth, at 22, and the homogeneity of her 1960s Afro-American Literature (1970), adapted into a film for the PBS cohort, Walton “just can’t imagine producing work at that level trilogy Tales of the Unknown South (1984), and saluted by writers under those conditions. … I’m assuming she was getting all kinds Dawnie Walton and Deesha Philyaw in a two-part episode of of crazy feedback—insulting, probably, at times—simply because the “Ursa Short Fiction” podcast. In his 2022 article, Michael there was nobody there who could be a support in that way. A. Gonzales compared her alternately “gothic” and “naturalistic” “I think some younger people who go into the Workshop, narratives to that of Get Out filmmaker Jordan Peele. they tend to struggle a little bit,” she adds. “And not even The U.K.-based literary agent Elise Dillsworth saw because they’re the only person of their background or situation, Gonzales’ tribute and became intrigued. She dusted off out-ofbut because when you’re still trying to develop your voice, it’s print compendiums, searching for Oliver’s stories, and found difficult when you have all these other voices coming in. It can “Neighbors.” “I was astounded by its acute observation of the be intimidating.” personal and political dynamics of race,” Dillsworth recalls. “I By 1966, however, Oliver’s voice had become pronounced couldn’t quite believe that I had never come across Diane Oliver.” enough to attract Johnson Publishing Company—the force behind Further sleuthing, with help from McConnell and Iowa Negro Digest, Ebony magazine, and Jet. The latter Writers’ Workshop librarian Leah Agne, linked her publication offered her an editorial position starting with Oliver’s niece, Kim, on Facebook. Kim alerted in June after her graduation from the Workshop. Cheryl Oliver, who found herself well prepared for She would relocate to Chicago, now the hub of the this moment: “My mother had kept all [Diane’s] Civil Rights Movement in the North, armed with stories in a box with folders and labels,” she says. her MFA and her social conscience and the job in “So when Elise contacted my daughter on Facebook, publishing she had dreamed about since those days all we had to do was pull the box.” of reading with her grandmother. Soon, the three women were Zooming about But, first, a pig roast was in order—a Workshop publishing a compilation of Diane’s work. At first, celebration at Black’s Gaslight Village to mark Cheryl was cautious: “I asked her how much would a cohort’s impending graduation. Suzanne everything cost, and she said, ‘It wouldn’t cost you McConnell, who was present, wrote in her essay anything. In fact, you would make money.’” that the beer was flowing and the conversation lively. Neighbors and Indeed, Dillsworth, who now represents Several undergraduate seniors sat around the table Other Stories Diane Oliver’s literary estate, worked with with her and Oliver and the other writers. One by Diane Oliver (66MFA) the family to secure two renowned publishers, of them, a young fiction student, was a stranger Grove Atlantic, 320 pp. Grove Atlantic and Faber & Faber. The book to Oliver. Around 10 p.m., it had become dark—too dark for will also be published in France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden. Oliver to think of walking home. She needed a ride, and the Its synopsis hails Oliver as a “missing figure in the canon of fiction student offered. It would be fun: He had a motorcycle, 20th-century African American literature.” and Oliver had never been on one before. Another list on which her name belongs, a longer though Perhaps the fiction student didn’t have an extra helmet, or perhaps less lauded one, is of young Black women in the 1960s maybe he wasn’t wearing one either. The article in The Daily who struggled, sometimes in vain, to better all the world’s street Iowan on May 24, 1966, didn’t specify. What it told was that corners for themselves and their neighbors—to spur the Civil Oliver climbed on the motorcycle behind him, and they roared Rights Movement forward. The routes Diane Oliver traveled off toward her apartment. When they reached North Dubuque during her too-brief life, and all six stories in her long-overdue and East Davenport, a Volkswagen emerging from an alley didn’t collection, reflect an extraordinary attunement to the inner yield the right of way. The collision flung Oliver from the moving lives of the people for whom, and by whom, that movement bike. She and her fellow passenger were taken to the university’s was forged. hospital, where he was pronounced “in good condition.” Less than an hour later, Diane Oliver died. She was 22 years old. Cassandra Jensen (20MFA) is a graduate The University of Iowa conferred Oliver’s MFA posthumously. of the UI’s Nonfiction Writing Program who Her family arrived to escort her body back to Charlotte. Her writes about 20 th-century African American Workshop friends wept or punched holes through walls. Her history. A 2017–18 Iowa Arts Fellow and a college friends attended her funeral. One of them told a UNCG former nonfiction editor at The Iowa Review, interviewer that what happened to Oliver was “one of the major traumas of my early adult life.” Another, speaking 45 years after she currently works as an associate editor for the Council on Foreign Relations. the fact, remarked, “I think of her often.” MAGAZINE.FORIOWA.ORG
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44 W O R D S O F P R E Y 45 B O O K S H E L F P I C K S 46 F I T T O P R I N T
“
I like a good light, a good chair, and a good book more than anything I can think of, except my wife.”
PHOTO: BEOWULF SHEEHAN
—Joh n Sand ford in a past interv iew w it h The New York Times
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Iowa Writers
BOOKSHELF PICKS
AUTHOR Q& A
Toxic Prey by John Sandford (66BA, 71MA) Penguin Random House, 400 pp.
Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez (21MFA) Macmillan
John Roswell Camp (66BA, 71MA) likes to
keep busy. Better known by the pen name John Sandford , the prolific writer is set to release Toxic Prey, the 34th novel in the crime-thriller series Prey, in early April. He is also the bestselling author of the Virgil Flowers novels, the Kidd novels, and several standalone books. Sandford’s latest installment follows fatherand-daughter detective team Lucas and Letty Davenport as they rush to find a missing infectious disease expert before one of his creations becomes a planet-threatening bioweapon. A Cedar Rapids native, the author recently spoke to Iowa Magazine about his new novel from his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The bestselling author’s second novel follows a first-generation Ivy League student who discovers a forgotten female artist, posing questions about power and identity in an elite environment.
You have a background in journalism. What inspired you to make the jump to novel writing? I’ve been a devoted fan of thriller fiction for my entire life, ever since I was a child, so there’s that. But money was a major factor. In 1986, I won a Pulitzer, and the newspaper I was working for [The St. Paul Pioneer Press] gave me a raise, but I had two children and a wife who all wanted to go to college, and that just was not going to make it. So, I decided I had to have another income stream somewhere. I really liked journalism. I was a lifelong reporter, and I just kind of assumed until I ran into the money crunch that that’s what I’d do until I retired. But I spent three or four years teaching myself to be a thriller writer. I wrote a couple that did not sell, and they didn’t sell because they were basically not very good. And then the third book sold. And then the fourth book sold about the same time—I wrote two books almost on top of each other. And the financial rewards were large enough that I just decided to leave journalism and devote myself to writing fiction. When it comes to writing crime thrillers, how do you go about gathering research and inspiration, especially considering that the genre can be dark and difficult at times? It can be dark, but on the other hand, I was a general assignment reporter in Miami for 20 years and also in southeast Missouri for a brief time. I did a lot of crime coverage. You get familiar with dead bodies and blood, and cops and how they do their paperwork. And what comes from that experience are the
technical and visual details: the way cops talk, or at least the way they talked in Miami; those kinds of background elements that really have to be there. But not so much the inspiration. What I actually do is sit down and talk to my wife, who was a screenwriter and a reporter. We talk about what I might do and what things might come up. And then we figure out what the next book is going to be.
Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story by Leslie Jamison (06MFA) Hatchette Jamison’s first memoir explores motherhood, artistry, and what it means to find new love after the end of a marriage.
How do you stay invested when you stick with a series, character, or story for an extended period? There’s a good deal of calculation involved. A series sells better than individual books because people get invested in the character. They enjoy following him as he goes through his life. My main character in the Prey series is named Lucas Davenport, and Lucas has gotten older as he’s gone through. He started out in his 40s, and now he’s looking at 60. So, I have to handle that aging, but people get caught up with it because they’re aging. If a book comes out once a year, they’re one year older when they get it, and Davenport is going through some of the same changes that they’re going through. B Y E L L E N YA N D E L
Come and Get It by Kiley Reid (19MFA) Penguin Random House Set on the University of Arkansas campus, Come and Get It examines the intersection of money, desire, and bad decisions as a resident assistant navigates an unusual relationship with a professor and three other students.
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Iowa Writers
JOURNALISM
From Newsrooms to Bookstores How a growing number of Iowa journalism alums have rewritten their career path as bestselling novelists B Y D A I S Y H U T Z E L L- R O D M A N
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As a University of Iowa journalism and mass communication student in 1996, I walked into my job at the Resource Center one day to find a colleague intently reading The New York Times. I inquired about what held his interest, and he pointed to a review for a book written by a name familiar to both of us. Chelsea Cain (95MA) graduated from the UI School of Journalism and Mass Communication the year before and wrote a column for The Daily Iowan when I worked on the metro desk. I looked in reverence at Cain’s name in black ink as part of the news that was fit to print. Her debut book, Dharma Girl: A Road Trip Across the American Generations (1996, Seal Press), was nonfiction, but Cain has since become a New York Times bestselling novelist. She has written thriller series for adults and youth, and has more recently produced graphic novels. Cain credits Iowa City—and the university’s journalism school—as part of her success. “One of the things I love about Iowa City is that everyone is working on a book,” Cain says today. “It has that sense of community: going to Prairie Lights every time there was a reading, going to coffee houses—the J-School,
Iowa Writers
especially. I’m still really good friends with people I went to school with in Iowa.” Now in its 100 th year, the UI School of Journalism and Mass Communication has long taught students to question details from sources and investigate the facts when stories don’t add up. Publicists, who also often graduate from journalism schools, help to control messages and foresee the perceptions of the public. These skills are transferrable to novel writing. In reading Cain’s 2015 novel, One Kick, I discovered the book’s 21-year-old heroine, Kick Lannigan, uses her detective skills and experience as an abducted child to help others who have gone missing. This past fall, my job change from editing magazines to editing books sparked my interest in discovering bestselling works of fiction written by Iowa journalism graduates. That led me to a young adult novel written by the first person to earn a master’s degree from the school: Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson (25BA, 27MA). After graduating in 1927, she became well known as the first ghostwriter of the Nancy Drew series, under the pen name Carolyn Keene. I read some Nancy Drew books as a youth, but my preferred fictional crime solver was Encyclopedia Brown. As an adult reading The Hidden Staircase (1930, Grosset & Dunlap), the second book in the Nancy Drew series, I discovered Nancy was ahead of her time—not afraid to slog through puddles, follow complete strangers, or ask tough questions. Another Iowa-educated writer whose main characters tiptoe around corners to solve crimes is John Roswell Camp (66BA, 71MA), who goes by the pen name John Sandford. In the late 1980s, the former Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist tried his hand at fiction to earn money to help send his children to college. “I’d always been a reader of top thrillers,” says Sandford. “I wrote a couple of books that did not work. I had to analyze what successful books looked like. That took me a couple of years.” Although he enjoyed reading crime novels, he started writing them because his research discovered thrillers paid the best. Sandford has now written 59 novels, nearly all of them part of a series. His latest, Toxic Prey (2024, Penguin Random House), comes out April 9 (see p. 45). Not having previously read Sandford, I started with his first book, Rules of Prey (1989, G.P. Putnam’s Sons). The book is fast-paced and fun, because his detective Lucas Davenport doesn’t always adhere to the rules. Author and journalism graduate Rebecca McKanna (07BA) incorporated Iowa City into her fiction after earning an MFA degree from Purdue. Her mystery novel, Don’t Forget the Girl (2023,
Sourcebooks Landmark), was optioned last year by screenwriters. While she says being optioned is no guarantee the book will be made into a movie, having Hollywood interested in her story was a “really cool experience.” McKanna says an Iowa journalism education helped inform novel writing in a couple ways. “I think there are practical applications to it,” she says. “I think that practice of having to write on deadline, not having to be precious with your writing because you have to get it done, was really helpful.” Journalism also gave her, and others, a more developed sense of curiosity. “I think the journalism program really nurtures and encourages that in the students,” she says.
“
One of the things I love about Iowa City is that everyone is working on a book.” —Chelsea Cain
Don’t Forget the Girl was one of my favorite books by a UI journalism grad. It combined a thrilling murder mystery with the familiarity of Iowa City landmarks such as the Black Angel. While many Iowa journalism alumni love reading and writing mystery novels, others write literary fiction. Stephanie Wilbur Ash (97BA) wrote The Annie Year (2016, The Unnamed Press), a novel about a small-town accountant who becomes smitten with a new teacher in town. The book is interwoven with a storyline about the growing methamphetamine crisis of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Those who haven’t lived in small towns may not relate, but I found it quietly educating. Ash’s novel has been optioned for several years. She noted the UI’s dedication to developing writing in its students across disciplines greatly helped her. “Some students in my MFA program [at Hamline University] didn’t have an identity as a writer, and they were chasing that identity a little bit,” says Ash. “And I, by my freshman year of Iowa, was already identified as a writer, in my mind. By sophomore year, I was writing at The Daily Iowan, there was the undergraduate literary journal, there
were readings at Prairie Lights.” One of the biggest accolades for any author is a nod from media mogul Oprah Winfrey. In September 2023, she chose Wellness (2023, Knopf), the second novel by Iowa journalism graduate Nathan Hill (99BA), as her book club selection. Hill’s writing career, and switch in majors, came almost by accident. “I had always wanted to be a writer, but my parents were very much like, ‘You can be a writer in your spare time,’” he says. “So, I was studying engineering. I discovered [writing] when I was living in Iowa City, and I took my first creative writing class.” Hill noted The Daily Iowan was important to his development as a writer. “We broke stories that ended up in the Associated Press and other wires,” he says. “That was a great experience to learn on the job at the DI, and to be taken seriously as a reporter very quickly was wonderful and unexpected.” Wellness pokes fun of middle-class, middleaged Americans in a way that was painful to this middle-class, middle-aged American, though its biting commentary still made me laugh in places. My reading of books by fellow journalism alumni reinforced my personal experience that Iowa develops writers who can use their skills across disciplines. The School of Journalism and Mass Communication, in particular, teaches students how to write on a deadline, take an editor’s advice, and find the devil in the details. For more than a century, those lessons have equipped alumni for meaningful careers—whether in journalism, public relations, or the literary world. Daisy Hutzell-Rodman (98BA) is the managing editor of Content Studios Omaha, a new division of Omaha Publications that focuses on branded content and business books. She is on the boards of the Iowa Women’s Alumni Network and the Nebraska chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, and lives in Glenwood, Iowa, with her husband and their four cats.
Celebrate 100 Years of Journalism at Iowa Attend the anniversary dinner this April in Iowa City, or learn about other ways to mark the milestone at foriowa.info/im-journalism100.
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For Iowa
MARATHON MILESTONE
Iowa students celebrated the 30 th year of UI Dance Marathon this past February by raising $1.4 million to support patients and their families at Stead Family Children’s Hospital. For more about the UI’s largest student organization, visit dancemarathon.uiowa.edu.
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PHOTO: TIM SCHOON/UI OFFICE OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
49 S I G H T S A V E R S 50 D O C D O N O R S 51 V E T S P L A Z A
For Iowa
UI ophthalmology residents treat eye conditions such as cataracts and diabetic retinopathy through their volunteer work with Operation HawkEyeSight.
HOMETOWN HAWKEYES: IOWA CIT Y
Visionary Volunteers PHOTO COURTESY UI DEPARTMENT OF OPHTHALMOLOGY AND VISUAL SCIENCES
Ophthalmology residents restore sight to free clinic patients through Operation HawkEyeSight. For years, a patient of the Iowa City Free Medical and Dental Clinic found joy in lovingly preparing pupusas—a traditional El Salvadorian dish of corn griddle cakes—for family and friends. But over time, her eyesight deteriorated so much from cataracts that the delight of cooking became a struggle. University of Iowa ophthalmology residents who volunteer at the clinic regularly saw her and other low-income and uninsured patients whose vision could be restored—if only they had access to the proper treatment. Limited in the past to diagnosing patients and prescribing eyeglasses or eye drops, the resident volunteers recently expanded their services to offer cataract surgery, as well as laser treatment to fix diabetic retinopathy. Determined to further break down barriers to accessing local health care, resident volunteers
identified cataracts and diabetic retinopathy as two of the most common causes of major vision loss that they could address at the free medical clinic. “Those diseases tend to affect these patients worse and to a greater degree, just because they don’t have as good of access to care to keep those things under control,” says Andrew Pouw, an ophthalmologist and UI clinical assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences who advises the clinic’s resident volunteers. “And they can be permanently blinding.” For the past two years, the resident volunteers have secured a $100,000 UI Carver College of Medicine grant addressing health disparities to purchase the necessary equipment for diagnosing and treating the eye diseases. They worked with UI Health Care leadership for administrative clearance and to schedule cataract surgeries at the Iowa River Landing facility twice a year. With the purchase of
portable equipment, the laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy can be performed at the free medical clinic in Iowa City every other month. Already, the resident volunteers have helped dozens of patients restore their sight—and they are continuing to seek ways to extend their reach. That includes plans to offer more treatments for other eye diseases, spread awareness of the program to optometrists across Iowa, and find additional funding to help maintain equipment, expand services, and manage cataract surgery costs. Sean Rodriguez , one of the resident volunteers who leads the effort, says he’s encouraged to see more than 50 volunteers—from ophthalmology and anesthesia faculty, fellows, and residents to medical students—join Operation HawkEyeSight. “Getting involved in this helps keep a great perspective on what’s important, which is taking care of the patient—regardless of the cost,” he says. In August 2022, the pupusa maker became one of the first free medical clinic patients to benefit from cataract surgery. “It was a very touching moment when she came out and was able to see again for the first time in a long time,” says Pouw. “A lot of tears were shed. That’s why our resident volunteers do this.” During a postoperative visit to the clinic, the woman could finally clearly see the faces of the volunteers who restored her sight. Able to return to her livelihood of making pupusas, she brought a cooler of her specialty dish to the clinic to thank her healers for helping her return to the cooking she loves. BY SHELBI THOMAS
Support Operation HawkEyeSight Operation HawkEyeSight serves low-income and uninsured Iowans by diagnosing and treating preventable blinding conditions that affect a patient’s quality of life for free. Learn more at foriowa.info/im-hawkeyesight.
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For Iowa
“
We’re hoping to see the best come to the University of Iowa—and become part of Iowa's great medical tradition.”
Karen Simmonds and Mark Gilbert
SCHOL ARSHIP SUPPORT
Helping the Healers Through a remarkable gift to advance medical student education at Iowa, a couple provides at least 27 full-ride scholarships for aspiring physicians. Karen Simmonds saw f irsthand
the benef its of having access to quality physicians. Decades ago, her husband battled acute myelogenous leukemia on two separate occasions. Through bone marrow transplants, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments, she was grateful to have physicians such as Mark Gilbert (82BS, 86MD) by her side. “Mark was very straightforward and thoughtfully answered my questions,” says Simmonds. “He saw a patient as the entire person—the whole picture— not just some case on his rounds. Throughout the process, I learned the importance of care providers having the best education possible—capable of practicing medicine at its leading edge.”
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After her husband died in 1996, Simmonds began rebuilding her life. A year later, Simmonds and Gilbert reconnected. Now married, the couple lives in Seattle—Gilbert is an immunooncologist in academic medicine and biotechnology and Simmonds is now retired from a career in education law. The couple’s initial connection also fueled their interests in giving back. Recently, they made a $3 million commitment to support medical students within the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. Over the next decade, the Mark J. Gilbert, MD, and Karen H. Simmonds, JD, Medical Student Scholarship will provide at least 27 full-ride scholarships to in-state students—helping to keep top students in Iowa.
Currently, the Carver College of Medicine has just one privately funded full-ride scholarship available to future physicians. “We’ve heard too often of students graduating with so much debt; it’s life-changing debt and may cause them to take a path they don’t want to take,” says Gilbert, who credits cardiologist Donald Heistad (67R) for making a profound difference in his educational journey. “I owe so much to Iowa; I loved my experience there, and this is our small contribution to make it even better.” Gilbert and Simmonds have already made a big difference in the lives of Iowa’s students—previously supporting various research projects within the Carver College of Medicine. Haley Steffen (23MD) has been able to pursue global health efforts in Uganda because of their philanthropic support. She’s grateful for their giving and hopes to pay it forward in the future. “My dad taught me that you should never forget where you came from, and when you’re able, send the elevator back down and help others,” says Steffen, who aspires to be an OB-GYN. “My classmate, Samantha Swartz (18MS, 23MD), and I were fortunate enough to meet Mark and Karen, and they truly care about medical students. If it wasn’t for them, it would be harder for us to chase our dreams. They sent the elevator back down for Samantha and me.” While helping offset the financial decisions of future physicians is important to both Gilbert and Simmonds, it’s not their only reason for making this gift. “Iowa City is so critical to the care of Iowans,” says Simmonds. “For us, helping provide greater access to health care and having well-trained physicians serve the state, in both clinical and scientific medicine, are equally important. We’re hoping to see the best come to the University of Iowa—and become part of Iowa’s great medical tradition.” BY BEN FROTSCHER
PHOTO COURTESY SIMMONDS AND GILBERT
—Karen Sim monds
For Iowa
BRIEFS
FOOTBALL RETURN Former Hawkeye and Super Bowl champion tight end Dallas Clark (07BA) will deliver the annual Hawkeyes Give Back lecture at 4 p.m. March 27 in the Old Capitol Senate Chamber. He will speak about philanthropy as part of One Day for Iowa (1day.uiowa.edu), the University of Iowa’s 24-hour giving day.
TOGETHER HAWKEYES TOUR
PHOTOS: TIM SCHOON/UI OFFICE OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
VETER ANS PL AZA
A Dedication to Service The University of Iowa paid homage to Hawkeyes who have served in the military with the dedication this past fall of a new Veterans Plaza on the north side of the Iowa Memorial Union. The plaza features a United States flag and granite monuments to represent each of the military branches. Along with the ceremony, the UI also honored the following veterans with the annual Hawkeye Distinguished Veterans Award: Army Lt. Col. Katie Boesen Hanna (94BS), Army Capt. Tess Judge-Ellis, Army Spec. 4th Class Larry Lockwood , the late Army Maj. Gen. John Peppers (59BBA, 72MA), Air Force Senior Airman Yareli Reeve-Mendoza, and Air Force and Iowa Air National Guard Col. Kevin Techau (81BBA, 84JD). BY SHELBI THOMAS
UI President Barbara Wilson and other campus leaders hit the road to share their vision for the Together Hawkeyes campaign (together.foriowa.org). Upcoming cities include Atlanta, Kansas City, Des Moines, New York, Chicago, and Minneapolis. For more information, visit foriowa.org/events or email events@foriowa.org.
DAILY DOUBLE The Daily Iowan recently purchased two weekly newspapers: the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun and Solon Economist. The acquisition retains the papers' staffs while also giving UI students more opportunities to gain local reporting experience.
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Members of the James Gang, a community service organization founded by a group of UI students during the 2001-02 academic year, are pictured during a recent reunion at Public Space One in Iowa City.
The James Gang Builds Community A UI student-founded nonprofit incubator marks more than 20 years of serving Iowa City. In true Midwestern form, potlucks are at the heart of this story. Over takeout pizza and Oreos in the early aughts, an informal gathering of University of Iowa undergraduates interested in service, community engagement, and the arts led to the formation of a nonprofit incubator called The James Gang. More than two decades later, the organization is still going strong, providing a range of services and experiences to the Iowa
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City area. At a recent reunion, participants wondered how many people had been touched by The James Gang. Recalling initiatives such as the Mission Creek Festival, Iowa Youth Writing Project, and free Wi-Fi downtown, the estimate landed in the hundreds of thousands. An exact assessment of The James Gang’s impact is impossible to measure. What is clear is the indelible mark it made on its members. “I got a career out of it without even intending to,” says
For Iowa
James Gang members and
alumni gather for a recent
PHOTOS: JASON SMITH
Andy Stoll (03BA, 03BBA), a former UI Student Government
president who is now senior program officer in entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City. The James Gang, which helps fledgling organizations obtain 501c3 status, emerged during the 2001-02 academic year through the meeting of many minds and aspirations. UI honors students Jesse Elliott (03BA) and Mike Brooks (03BA) were inspired via one of their classes by philosopher William James’ theory of pragmatism that encouraged people to act upon their ideas. They began hosting potlucks for their peers to share the creative endeavors they’d like to launch in the community. The prompt spurred multiple projects and collaborations. At one potluck, Spencer Griffin (04BA) shared his need to find a performance venue. When the theatre arts student couldn’t find a place on campus to produce a play, the group’s connections enabled him to access a space above The Deadwood bar on North Dubuque Street. He produced several plays and sold student art in the location—named Public Space One. The organization continues today along Gilbert Street as an anchor of Iowa City’s arts scene. Another project that evolved into something bigger was inspired by a music festival that attracted more than 800 people, which engineering student Forrest Meggers (03BSE, 05MS) hosted on his parents’ farm. Its popularity led James Gang members to create The 10,000 Hours Show, a new project linking live music and service. For nearly a decade, UI students who volunteered 10 hours got free tickets to a concert by major acts.
reunion at Public Space One
in Iowa City.
The model was so successful that other campuses and United Way adopted it. Today, The James Gang continues to provide support to Iowa City nonprofits. Current endeavors include Brink literary journal, the Immigrant Welcome Network of Johnson County, and The Quire, a mixed voice chorus. Some early members still work in community engagement, influenced by this collegiate experience, while others have followed their original academic paths. Elliott now works with regional arts and family philanthropies out of Arkansas and Chicago. Brooks runs a social impact agency in Washington, D.C. Meggers leads the CHAOS Lab, or Cooling and Heating for Architecturally Optimized Systems, at Princeton University. Tyler Lechtenberg (03BA), who directed The 10,000 Hours Show, became a speechwriter in the Obama White House. And Griffin is a television producer in Los Angeles. The James Gang is now mainly community-run. Bob Kirby, director of the Office for Undergraduate Research and an honors mentor to early members, believes the UI can learn from these alumni. “There’s tremendous focus right now on experiential learning,” he says. “What The James Gang showed is how competent our undergraduates are to make an impact and develop that confidence in themselves.”
Join the James Gang Learn more about how the James Gang fosters communityoriented projects through its spirit of creative collaboration at jamesgangic.com.
BY JENNIFER NE W
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$200 cash back bonus offer*
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For information about the rates, fees, other costs and benefits associated with the use of this card or to apply, please visit bofa.com/uialumni Residents of the US and its territories only. See full disclosure for details. * Bonus Cash Rewards Offer. You will qualify for $200 bonus cash rewards if you use your new credit card account to make any combination of purchase transactions totaling at least $1,000 (excluding any fees) that post to your account within 90 days of the account open date. Returns, credits, and adjustments to this card will be deducted from purchases, even if this card was not the original payment method. Cash Advances and Balance Transfers are not considered purchases and do not apply for purposes of this offer. Limit 1 bonus cash rewards offer per new account. This one-time promotion is limited to customers opening a new account in response to this offer and will not apply to requests to convert existing accounts. Your account must be open with active charging privileges in order to receive this offer. Other advertised promotional bonus cash rewards offers can vary from this promotion and may not be substituted. Once you qualify, you will receive your cash rewards within your next 1–2 billing cycles. The value of this reward may constitute taxable income to you. You may be issued an Internal Revenue Service Form 1099 (or other appropriate form) that reflects the value of such reward. Please consult your tax advisor, as neither we nor our affiliates, provide tax advice. 1 Mobile Banking. Mobile Banking requires that you download the Mobile Banking app and is only available for select mobile devices. Message and data rates may apply. By opening and/or using these products from Bank of America, you’ll be providing valuable financial support to the University of Iowa. This credit card program is issued and administered by Bank of America, N.A. Visa and Visa Signature are registered trademarks of Visa International Service Association, and are used by the issuer pursuant to license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Bank of America and the Bank of America logo are registered trademarks of Bank of America Corporation. The Contactless Symbol and Contactless Indicator are trademarks owned by and used with permission of EMVCo, LLC. ©2023 Bank of America Corporation 5919952 AD-09-23-0552.A
56 H A W K E Y E E L V I S 58 I O W A ’ S S W E E T H E A R T 64 ’ R O U N D T H E M A Y P O L E
Home at Hancher PHOTO: JEREMY DANIEL
Amy Rodriguez (21BA) remembers working as a student stagehand
at Hancher, walking out on stage and imagining what it would be like to perform in front of an audience there. That opportunity came in February when the touring Broadway production of Hairspray brought the University of Iowa theatre arts grad back to the Hancher stage as the standby for Tracy Turnblad.
Rodriguez played the musical’s lead character for two performances before a crowd that included her former theatre arts professors and classmates, past Hancher coworkers, and family from Schaumburg, Illinois. “When I was looking into the tour, I saw it was going to Hancher, and it’s in that moment that I knew I was going to be in this show,” says Rodriguez. “It’s a very cool, full-circle moment for me.”
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“
I do it because it's
Hawkeye Elvis supports Iowa on the road at a 2021 football game against Maryland.
fun, and I like to make people happy.” —Greg Suckow
PROFILE GREG SUCKOW
Bigger Than Elvis Hawkeye Elvis does it all—sings, dances, takes pictures, and signs autographs. He has been a staple at Iowa football and basketball games since 2010, when he made his first appearance in the crowd at Kinnick Stadium wearing a black-and-gold sequined jumpsuit for Halloween. Documentarian Skyler Knutzen (18BA) had just one big, driving question for the Hawkeye megafan: What, exactly, leads him to keep coming to Iowa games as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll? To find out, Knutzen connected with Hawkeye Elvis’ everyday alter-ego, attorney Greg Suckow. Suckow was enthusiastic about the idea of a documentary. While Hawkeye Elvis has been the focus of plenty of news profiles, both Knutzen and Suckow were excited for the opportunity to tell a different kind of story: one that focused on the person behind the costume. Suckow then introduced Knutzen to the source of his love for Elvis, the designer of all his costumes, and his frequent companion at games: his mother, Maggie Suckow. Knutzen documented the cheerful banter between the mother-son duo as he followed them to tailgates and Hawkeye football games, into Maggie’s memorabilia-filled Elvis Room, and everywhere in between. It’s that in-between space that Knutzen hones in on in the documentary, rather than interviews or exposition. “I’m not trying to explain anything,” the UI cinema grad says of his methods. “I’m just showing how things come to be.” And on car rides to and from games, breaks from the crowd, and time spent at home—the quiet moments— it’s easy to see: Elvis is a constant through change. As Greg puts it, he and his mother shared “a natural connection” to Elvis’ music while he was growing up. She professes her belief that the King is not dead. And now, as the two navigate the beginnings of her journey with dementia, Hawkeye Elvis keeps them close.
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Hawkeye Elvis participates in the HERkys' Hawk Walk in Iowa City last year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX and women's athletics at Iowa.
PHOTOS: HAWKEYESPORTS.COM
A new documentary shares the silly, sweet, and serious moments behind Iowa’s favorite Elvis impersonator.
A lways a Hawkeye
Hawkeye Elvis hits Clearwater Beach in Florida before Iowa's 2019 Outback Bowl.
Maggie Suckow is the seamstress behind Hawkeye Elvis' costumes.
HAWKEYE ELVIS PHOTOS: HAWKEYESPORTS.COM; MAGGIE SUCKOW PHOTO: SKYLER KNUTZEN
In 2017, Hawkeye Elvis was among the fans to witness Iowa's throttling of No. 3-ranked Ohio State 55-24.
“I’ve had friends whose parents had [dementia], and it got to the point where their parent didn’t recognize them or know who they were,” Greg says in the documentary. “I hope that day doesn’t come, but I don’t see Elvis ever leaving her memory. He’s too big of a person, too much of a person to forget.” As it turns out, Knutzen could relate to Greg’s concerns about his mother’s health. While filming the project, Knutzen saw his grandmother struggle with and die from dementia. “I think that’s why I attached to that storyline so much, because it was going on in my own personal life,” says Knutzen. “It was an opportunity to learn more about my own situation and my own family, and that’s a unique position to be in while you’re making a film.” The completed documentary, titled Elvis Isn’t Dead, is shared on Nowness, a global platform that promotes high-quality video storytelling. Knutzen is particularly excited about the visibility that Nowness offers, giving the whole world a glimpse into the tight-knit relationships that make up the Hawkeye community. Greg Suckow, for his part, hopes people will see what has motivated him all along—his simple answer to Knutzen’s original question: “It’s fun. I enjoy doing it. Is there a big, deeper meaning behind it? No. I do it because it’s fun, and I like to make people happy.” This is perhaps even more true than he realizes. Knutzen’s film lets audiences watch as Hawkeye Elvis brings joy to tailgates and stadiums—and as that joy returns to him. In moments big and small, loud and quiet, in the middle of a crowd and with his mother on the car ride home from games, Hawkeye Elvis is having a good time. B Y E L L E N YA N D E L
Extra
Hawkeye Elvis meets with Iowa baseball managers before throwing out the first pitch in a 2022 home game against Purdue.
Watch Elvis Isn’t Dead, and join Hawkeye Elvis and documentarian Skyler Knutzen for a virtual Chat From the Old Cap in April. For details, scan the QR code or visit foriowa.info/im-elvis24.
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PROFILE KENNEDY HANNAN (22BBA)
Cheer for a Cause A Dallas Cowboys cheerleader uses her platform to celebrate the Hawkeye Wave. As a rookie with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Ke n ne dy H an nan electrified fans of “America’s Team” this past season with a pregame dance routine to AC/ DC’s “Thunderstruck” that ended with an iconic kick line and jump split. In joining “America’s Sweethearts,” the lifelong dancer achieved a goal she’d held since her 11th birthday when her dad took her to her first Cowboys game. And now, when Hannan looks up at her youngest fans in the stands, she remembers what it was like in their shoes. “This dream was so important to me, because I wanted more than anything to make a difference in this world,” says Hannan (22BBA), a University of Iowa marketing grad and former member of the Iowa Dance Team. “I want to inspire young girls and boys to be able to go after their dreams and never shy away from them.” Among those she hopes to inspire are patients at UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital, whom
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she honored at a Cowboys home game this past fall by wearing custom boots that paid tribute to the Hawkeye Wave. Hannan shared her love for one of college sports’ greatest traditions with her teammates and fans as part of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ annual My Cause My Boots game, which raises awareness for causes that mean the most to the team. Hannan used to visit patients at UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital while on the Iowa Dance Team. “Every time I would shake my poms, their eyes would just light up,” says the Marion, Iowa, native. On the sidelines for Iowa football games from 2018-22, she also watched a new tradition emerge—the Hawkeye Wave, in which fans at Kinnick Stadium show their support for the pediatric patients and their families. Hannan says of the tradition, “I just felt a wave of emotion and so proud to represent a great university that cares so much for the kids who are in the children’s hospital.”
Hannan says her time as a Hawkeye grew her passion for sports and helped prepare her to become a Cowboys cheerleader, which she describes as “one of my most proud accomplishments.” The audition process that began last spring involved two rounds of remote interviews and dancing before an intense training camp and finals in Dallas. Out of hundreds of applications, a select group of rookies and veterans attended the training camp, and, this past July, Hannan became one of 36 to make the team. “Just knowing that I’ve been given the opportunity to represent something that’s so much bigger than myself is truly the greatest honor,” says Hannan, who also works full-time in marketing. This past season, Hannan cheered for a Cowboys team that went undefeated at home and placed first in the NFC East before being upset in the playoffs by the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round. Hannan also joined the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders for community outreach, such as visiting children’s hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Now in the offseason, Hannan is focused on training to make next season’s squad. “Everyone has to earn it back, which makes being in this uniform what it is,” she says. “I want to continue to live out this dream.” BY SHELBI THOMAS
Extra Watch Hannan share her thoughts on the Hawkeye Wave. Scan the QR code or visit foriowa.info/im-dcc24.
DALLAS PHOTOS COURTESY DALLAS COWBOYS CHEERLEADERS; IOWA PHOTO COURTESY KENNEDY HANNAN
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and former Iowa Dance Team member Kennedy Hannan showed her support for UI Stead Family Children's Hospital and the Hawkeye Wave as a part of the Cowboys' annual My Boots My Cause game.
A lways a Hawkeye
Lily Allen-Dueñas has traveled the world to see what yoga looks like in different countries.
PROFILE LILY ALLEN-DUEÑAS (13BA)
Yogi Podcaster
PHOTOS COURTESY LILY ALLEN-DUEÑAS
An Iowa grad collects yoga stories from around the world. After seven years at a marketing desk job, Lily Allen-Dueñas (13BA) began to experience burnout. At yoga class one day, she reflected on how else she could use her talents to serve others. “It took patience,” says the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences grad, “but the answer eventually revealed itself: to become a yoga teacher and help others embark on their journeys of health, wellness, and wholeness.” Now a business owner and entrepreneur, the former English major says her time at Iowa gave her the skills to help launch an online yoga business and podcast—which has taken her all over the world. Allen-Dueñas started with a yoga teaching training course in Nepal. From there, her international yoga adventure continued, landing her in surf hostels in Sri Lanka, hotels in Bali, and wellness centers in the Philippines—all to teach yoga.
During the height of the pandemic, she expanded her online yoga and wellness offerings, which include personalized coaching, vegan meal planning, and retreats. In June 2021, Allen-Dueñas also launched her Wild Yoga Tribe podcast to share stories about the benefits of yoga from different international perspectives. “My inspiration for creating the Wild Yoga Tribe is a fusion of personal experience, a commitment to community, and a genuine desire to make the world a healthier, more connected, and more compassionate place through the practice of yoga,” says Allen-Dueñas. “It’s a journey driven by the belief that yoga has the power to transform lives, and I am dedicated to sharing this transformative practice with as many people as possible.” Allen-Dueñas is now back in Iowa operating her business, which includes recording and releasing podcast episodes in which she interviews more than 100 yoga instructors from 100 different countries. Guests range from Samuel Muthama,
a Kenyan whose life changed the day he delivered water to the home of a yoga teacher, to Fakhria Momtaz, an Afghani who had to flee her country due to teaching yoga in a hostile environment. “Through these episodes, I’ve traveled the world, exploring the diverse perspectives and experiences of yoga teachers,” says Allen-Dueñas. “Each conversation has been a unique exploration of what yoga means to individuals from various cultures, backgrounds, and traditions.” B Y E M I LY D E L G A D O
Extra Listen to the Wild Yoga Tribe podcast. wildyogatribe.com/thepodcast.
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Class Notes
2010s
2020s
Adeniyi Ademoroti (22MFA) is a 2023-24 writing fellow with the Fine Arts Work Center Fellowship program in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Eliot Duncan (21MFA) is author of Ponyboy, a novel longlisted for the 2023 National Book Award in fiction. Megan Freitag (20MFA), a poet and writer based in Boise, received a 2023 literature fellowship from the Idaho Commission on the Arts. Grace Lynn Keller (21BA), a TV host, writer, and producer, has been crowned Miss Iowa USA 2023. Sydney Papadopoulos (20BA), the assistant director of the Student Involvement Center at St. Louis University, received a 2023 35 Under 35 award from the Delta Zeta sorority. Jichen Zhang (22DMA) a saxophone professor at the North University of China, has been named one of Slingshot’s 2023 Artists to Watch by NPR.
Kelsey Feller (15MPH) received a University of Iowa College of Public Health 2023 Outstanding Alumni Award for her work as bureau chief of data sharing, privacy and open records in the Division of Compliance at the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. Andrew Ridker (19MFA), a Brooklyn-based writer, released his second fiction novel, Hope, this past summer. Elizabeth Mendez-Shannon (10PhD) recently was inducted into the Iowa Latino Hall of Fame for her work as the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, where she advocates for immigrant rights.
2000s
Susan Beebout (01MD, 04R, 05F) received the UI Carver College of Medicine 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award for service in honor of her work teaching and establishing medical centers in Niger. Carla Britton (06MS, 10PhD) received a UI College of
Public Health 2023 Outstanding Alumni Award for her work as lead epidemiologist at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s Alaska Native Epidemiology Center. Kevin Clouther (03MFA), associate professor at the University of Nebraska Omaha Writer’s Workshop, published his short story collection Maximum Speed, which follows three friends navigating a shared secret past. Mary Elizabeth Hamilton (09MFA), a Brooklyn-based playwright and TV writer, wrote the play It’s Still F-cking Tuesday, which follows a mother recovering from addiction and that ran as the conclusion of the Cape Cod Theater Project’s 2023 season. Paul Harding (00MFA), director of the MFA in creative writing and literature program at Stony Brook University in New York, is author of This Other Eden, which was a finalist for the 2023 Booker Prize and the National Book Awards in fiction. Liz Hollingworth (05PhD), a UI professor in educational leadership, has been named faculty athletics representative to the board
for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Edan Lepucki (06MFA) is author of the novel Time’s Mouth. Shane McCrae (0 4 MFA , 12M A) recently released his memoir, Pulling the Chariot of the Sun, and his poetry collection, The Many Hundreds of the Scent. Nicholas Mohr (06MD, 14MS) received the UI Carver College of Medicine 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award in early career achievement for his work building the emergency care research program in the UI Department of Emergency Medicine. Albert Pulido (06MFA) has been appointed deputy secretary for finance and technology for New York State. Chuy Renteria (09BA), an assistant director of strategic initiatives in the UI’s Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, received the 2023 Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award, which promotes promising authors. Bart Stephan (03BBA) recently retired after 19 years as CEO of Lerch Bates, a Denver-based technical consulting firm. James Matthew Vollmer (06MFA) released his latest book, All of Us
Ready for Reality
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The Golden Bachelor
Love is Blind
MasterChef
The Voice
Starring in the senior spinoff of ABC’s hit dating series is Hawkeye fan Gerry Turner, a 72-year-old retired restauranteur who spent most of his life in Iowa with his late wife, Toni. Turner came to the show looking for a second chance at love and found it in contestant Theresa Nist, whom he married Jan. 4 following the season.
Originally from Iowa City, makeup artist Mackenzie Tenold (19BA) is searching for a deeper connection on the sixth season of Netflix’s popular dating show, in which contestants meet and fall in love without ever seeing each other. Tenold, who now lives in North Carolina, enters the “dating pod” hoping to build a genuine relationship and start a family.
Iowa native Grant Gillon (12BS) won season 13 of Fox's competitive cooking show hosted by Gordon Ramsey with dishes that combined his Italian heritage with Midwest staples. Post-win, the sales director at Kinship Brewing in Waukee, Iowa, gave a lecture to University of Iowa students and is considering opening his own restaurant in his hometown of Altoona.
Eli Ward took a year off from running long-distance for the Hawkeyes to compete in season 24 of NBC’s The Voice, where he joined singersongwriter Gwen Stefani’s team. While Ward was voted off in the second round, the coaching and connections he made on the show have encouraged him to pursue a music career, and he already has original songs available for streaming on Spotify.
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TURNER PHOTO: BRIAN BOWEN SMITH/ABC; TENOLD PHOTO: LOVE IS BLIND/NETFLIX; GILLON PHOTO: MASTERCHEF/FOX; WARD PHOTO: GREG GAYNE/NBC
Whether cooking, singing, or looking for love, Hawkeyes have what it takes to shine on screen. These are four of the latest reality shows to feature Hawkeye talent.
A lways a Hawkeye
Director of Change Film director Nick Meyer (68BA) received the 2023 Future of Life award this past fall from the Future of Life Institute for his 1983 film The Day After. The award, which also honored the creators of the 1983 film War Games, recognized those who decreased the risk of nuclear disaster during the Cold War through film. The Day After, which follows the survivors of a fictional nuclear bombing of Kansas City, was a monumental event for the American public during the Cold War; the made-for-television movie saw more than 100 million viewers when it first aired on ABC. And, at a time when tensions were especially high between the U.S. and Soviet Union, the film’s depiction of the horrors of nuclear war helped persuade President Ronald Reagan to shift foreign policy strategy toward peace. The full social and political impact of Meyer’s film is discussed in a new book, Apocalypse Television: How The Day After Helped End the Cold War by University of Southern California clinical professor David Craig.
Together in the End, a family memoir dealing with loss and belief.
PHOTOS COURTESY NICK MEYER AND UI LIBRARIES
1990s
Thomas Braverman (90BGS, 02MA), a retired special education teacher at Iowa City High School, received a 2023 Iowa Character Award for his lifelong commitment to inclusion in Iowa City schools and sports. J. C. Hallman (91MFA), a Brooklyn-based writer, recently released the nonfiction book Say Anarcha: A Young Woman, a Devious Surgeon, and the Harrowing Birth of Modern Women’s Health. Mona Susan Power (92MFA) is author of the new short story collection A Council of Dolls, which was longlisted for the 2023 National Book Award. Eric Rupe (90BBA) is CEO of Lerch Bates, a Denver-based technical consulting firm. Susan Winckler (92BSPh) received the UI College of Pharmacy 2023 Osterhaus
Medal for Lifetime Achievement for a career spent advancing the mission of the Food and Drug Administration.
1980s
Ted Anton (84MA, 84MFA) is author of Programmable Planet: The Synthetic Biology Revolution and had an excerpt featured in The Wall Street Journal. Lori Danielson (87BBA), founder of consulting firm GoTime Coaching, received the 2023 Volunteer of the Year award from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce for her work with the Institute for Workforce Excellence. LeA nn Erickson (8 8M A , 90M A , 92MFA), a professor of film production at Temple University in Philadelphia, re-released her 1996 documentary, From One Place to Another: Emma Goldman Clinic Stories, in Iowa City this past fall as part of the 50 th anniversary of the Emma Goldman Clinic for
Women. Bruce Japsen (88BA), an adjunct instructor in the UI School of Journalism and Mass Communication, released his second book, Walmart’s Second Opinion: How a Retail Giant is Bringing Cost Transparency and Better Quality to Healthcare. Tim Johnston (85BA), an Iowa City-based author, recently released the novel Distant Sons. Stephen Kiernan (89MFA), a journalist and novelist, recently released his latest historical fiction novel, The Glass Château, set in the aftermath of World War II. Michael Mahoney (87BBA), CEO of Boston Scientific Corporation, a global medical technology leader, has been named to The Healthcare Technology Report’s 2023 list of 50 Healthcare Technology CEOs. Suzanne Tick (81BFA), a textile designer and weaver based in New York City, was named to the 2023 Interior Design Hall of Fame.
1970s
Ralph Jesse Hernandez (79BBA) has been inducted into the Iowa Latino Hall of Fame for his work preserving Latino culture through music and youth mentorship. Jayne Anne Phillips (78MFA) is author of Night Watch, a novel longlisted for the 2023 National Book Award in Fiction. Hung Tao Shen (74PhD), professor emeritus of hydraulic engineering at Clarkson University in New York, received the Bernard Michel Award of the Committee on River Ice and the Environment of the Canadian Geophysical Union, which honors significant contributions to river ice engineering in Canada. Christine Skarbek (78MA) published her memoir, Confronting Power & Chaos: The Uncharted Kaleidoscope of My Life. Mindy Pennybacker Wallace (77MFA), a retired journalist based in Honolulu, published the nonfiction book Surfing Sisterhood Hawai‘ i: Wāhine Reclaiming the Waves. Barbara Halverson Westercamp (74MA), a longtime educator and community volunteer, earned a hero award from the 2023 Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival in recognition of over 50 years serving Cedar Rapids community schools and students.
1960s
Earl Fitz (68BA, 70MA), a professor of Portuguese, Spanish, and comparative literature at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, is author of The Literatures of Spanish America and Brazil: From Their Origins through the Nineteenth Century. Janifer Judisch (63MD) received a 2023 UI Carver College of Medicine Distinguished Alumni Award in service, recognizing her work as co-founder of the Children’s Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, which specializes in holistic care for young patients. James Rosborough (66BA), a retired assistant basketball coach at the University of Arizona, has been inducted into the A STEP UP Assistant Coaches Hall of Fame class of 2023. Bob H. Williams (69BS, 73DDS), a dentist in Lakewood, Washington, has been named the 2023 Alumnus of the Year by the UI College of Dentistry, recognizing his lifetime of support for the program.
1950s
Julia A. Sherman (57MA, 57PhD), a psychologist who celebrates her 90 th birthday this month, donates proceeds from her book, Beating Depression and Bipolar Disorder Without Drugs: A Memoir of Survival in a Male-Dominated World, to the Drs. Roy and Julia Sherman Scholarship that funds psychology graduate students.
faculty & friends
Ethan Anderson, a UI professor of pharmaceutics and translational t h e r a p e u t i c s , r e c e i v e d a $ 1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study sepsis. Gregory Carmichael, the UI’s Karl Kammermeyer Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, has been appointed to lead the Global Greenhouse Gas Watch, an international initiative of the United Nations World Meteorological Organization. Jan Jensen, an assistant coach for Hawkeye women’s basketball, has been inducted into the A STEP UP Assistant Coaches Hall of Fame class of 2023.
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In Memory 1940s
Frederic Ackerson (44BA) of Fort Belvoir, Virginia, on May 31, 2023. Norman G. Greenberg (49BA) of Arlington, Virginia, on Nov. 28, 2019. Margaret Daughton Horn (45BSC) of Sun Lakes, Arizona, on May 25, 2022. Robert Schaal (40BA) of Orange, California, on July 27, 2023. Freda Mikulasek Schlesselman (46BA) of Bellevue, Washington, on July 11, 2023. Virginia Rosenberg Stafford (48BA) of Ames, Iowa, on Oct. 7, 2023. John
Syverud (48BA, 55MD) of Pleasant Valley, Iowa, on June 2, 2023. Virginia Ducharme Thompson (45BA) of Lakebay, Washington, on Jan. 3, 2023. Joseph Louis Trocino (45BSChE) of Woodland Hills, California, on April 3, 2023. Joyce VanPilsum (45BA, 47MA) of West Des Moines on May 27, 2023.
1950s
Ruth Rowland Altenedern (55BSN) of Perrysburg, Ohio, on June 28, 2023. Sally Finkbine Baker (52BA) of Eugene, Oregon, on June 9, 2023. Jean Hickey Bartley (53BA, 61JD) of Iowa City on May 30, 2023. Robert B. Becker (52BSC) of Marshalltown,
Linda Baker (68BA) A teacher at heart, Baker modeled a spirit of generosity that made a difference not only for her students, but for her alma mater. Baker met her husband, Dale (68BBA), at the University of Iowa and graduated in 1968 with a degree in English and a certification in secondary education. Following graduation, the couple established a six-decade legacy of philanthropy to the university and have been among its most generous donors. The Bakers’ support has benefited the Henry B. Tippie College of Business and the Colleges of Education, Public Health, and Liberal Arts & Sciences, as well as women’s basketball, Hancher, and UI Libraries. Linda created the Dr. Ken Magid Child Advocacy Scholarship in 2005 after she traveled to Romania on an alumni service-oriented trip. Volunteering at an orphanage there inspired her to create a scholarship for UI students to engage in similar service-learning experiences. Additionally, the Bakers championed the Linda R. Baker Teacher Leader Center and professional development and cultural learning opportunities for students in the College of Education. Linda’s support extended beyond giving to the university. She served on the UI Alumni Association Board and the College of Education Advisory Board. She was also honored with the 2023 UI International Impact Award. Together, the Bakers received the UI’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016. Linda died Dec. 27, 2023, at age 77.
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Iowa, on May 26, 2023. John Beekman (53BA, 57MS) of Batavia, Ohio, on May 6, 2023. Harold Bergee (54BA, 57MD, 69R) of Moline, Illinois, on July 7, 2023. Howard Borrett (50BA) of New York on Aug. 30, 2023. Gwen Zeitler Brown (58BA, 60MA) of Fort Madison, Iowa, on June 10, 2023. Robert R. Cooper (54MD, 60MS, 60R) of Salem, Oregon, on July 21, 2023. Donald Dahnk (58BA) of Pensacola, Florida, on June 18, 2023. Edward Diekmann Jr. (52BSCE) of Oklahoma City on Oct. 6, 2023. George Eichacker (51BA, 52MA) of Las Vegas on July 26, 2023. James R. Fisher Jr. (56BA) of Temple Terrace, Florida, on July 9, 2023. Charles Fredericks (52DDS, 53MS, 53OrthS) of Bonita Springs, Florida, on April 22, 2023. Robert Glidden (58BA, 60MA, 66PhD) of Rockbridge Baths, Virginia, on Dec. 5, 2023. Stanley Greenwald (59MD, 66R) of Northfield, Minnesota, on Sept. 29, 2023. Marvin Hiddleson (59BSC) of Urbandale, Iowa, on July 1, 2023. Jerry Hilgenberg (54BSPE) of Iowa City on Jan. 14, 2024. Carolyn Marner Kacena (54BSN) of Burlington, Iowa, on August 16, 2023 Lorrence Kellar (58BA) of Cincinnati on Nov. 12, 2023. Charles Kromer (54DDS) of Waverly, Iowa, on Sept. 6, 2023. Louise Bekman Larew (52BA, 76MA) of Iowa City on Aug. 18, 2023. Donald Levy (50BSC) of Palm Desert, California, on July 16, 2022. Rhoda Huxsol McCartney (50BA) of Charles City, Iowa, on Sept. 24, 2023. Dean B. Millman (54MS) of Spring, Texas, on Sept. 4, 2023. Hughlett Morris (52BA, 57MA, 60PhD) of Tucson, Arizona, on June 13, 2023. Alan Moyer (50BA) of Tucson, Arizona, on Aug. 10, 2023. Ronald G. Phillips (57BA) of Rocklin, California, on Jan. 19, 2023. Dallas Schrader (57BSC, 67MA) of Jefferson, Iowa, on June 21, 2023. Wallace Sheets (57BSPE) of Sarasota, Florida, on Oct. 5, 2023. Morey Slodki (55PhD) of Chicago on Jan. 30, 2023. Betty J. Getting Strole (54BSN) of Kingston, Arkansas, on June 21, 2023. Charles Tucker (54DDS) of Storm Lake, Iowa, on June 13, 2023. Rex Vana (51BSPE, 60MA) of Cedar Rapids on May 11, 2023. Paul Wentzien (59BSC) of Webster Groves, Missouri,
on May 16, 2023. David Wetrich (57BA, 60MD, 70R) of Ottumwa, Iowa, on June 6, 2023.
1960s
Dennis Ballard (65BA) of Sturgeon, Missouri, on Jan. 3, 2024. James L. Carroll (60DDS, 64MS, 64OrthS) of Decorah, Iowa, on March 15, 2023. James Collier (60BA) of Medford, Oregon, on Aug. 24, 2023. Mark Costello Jr. (63MFA) of Champaign, Illinois, on July 3, 2023. Joan DeRycke (68BA) of La Grange Park, Illinois, on Nov. 19, 2023. Marcia Jones Everson (66BBA) of Minneapolis on May 29, 2023. Linda Lear Fincham (60BSN) of Iowa City on May 17, 2023. Charles Geisewite (60BA) of San Antonio on Sept. 25, 2023. Ann Benz Graven (62BA) of Greene, Iowa, on April 28, 2023. John “Jack” Grier (60BBA, 63JD) of Marshalltown, Iowa, on May 20, 2023. Arnis Grundberg (61BA, 64MD, 69R) of Des Moines on Aug. 11, 2023. John Harnagel (66BA) of Wayland, Iowa, on Oct. 3, 2023. Robert Hegeman (69BA, 80R, 84JD) of Palo Alto, California, on Aug. 19, 2023. Jack Hill (60BBA, 68MA) of Iowa City on Sept. 7, 2023. John Hohl (65BA) of Clearwater, Florida, on July 10, 2023. Harold Jackson (62BSPh) of Winterset, Iowa, on Oct. 14, 2023. Keith E. Johnson (64BBA, 65MA) of Sarasota, Florida, on Sept. 12, 2023. G. Frank Judisch (62MD, 68R) of Iowa City on May 29, 2023. Ernest Lehman (66BA) of Port Charlotte, Florida, on July 20, 2023. L. Charles Miller Jr. (62BBA) of Seattle on July 31, 2022. James Morrow (60BA, 70MA) of Iowa City on May 27, 2023. James Neumann (65MA, 71MFA) of Iowa City on July 11, 2023. Anders Norgaard (66BBA, 76JD) of Belle Plaine, Iowa, on Sept. 3, 2023. Lewis Perkins (67BS) of Lawrence, Kansas, on July 18, 2023. William Pohlmann (60BBA) of Monroe Township, New Jersey, on Nov. 23, 2023. John Ptacek (67MD, 73R) of Savannah, Georgia, on Oct. 13, 2023. Rebecca Reiter (64MS) of Iowa City on May 9, 2023. Richard Retz (62MD) of Seattle on Oct. 8, 2023. Philip Rever (69PhD) of Queenstown, Maryland, on May 6, 2023. Ronald R. Rogers (61BSPE) of La Crosse,
A lways a Hawkeye
Wisconsin, on May 21, 2022. Carl Rowley (65DDS) of Bettendorf, Iowa, on Aug. 9, 2023. Darvin Schroeder (60BSME) of Bettendorf, Iowa, on July 21, 2023. Doug Slotten (69BBA) of Chevy Chase, Maryland, on Sept. 29, 2023. John Stitzell (62BA, 62BSChE, 64MS, 67PhD) of Glenview, Illinois, on Nov. 10, 2022 Norb Tatro (65BA) of Plymouth, Wisconsin, on Aug. 26, 2023. Jean Whiting (62BBA, 63MA) of Iowa City on July 25, 2023. John Wunder (67BA, 70MA, 70JD) of Lincoln, Nebraska, on June 25, 2023. Ernest Yeakey (60PhD) of Austin, Texas, on July 31, 2023.
1970s
Delores De Wilde Bina (70MA, 71MFA) of Davenport, on Nov. 14, 2023. Michael Bloome (72MS, 72R) of Houston on Sept. 6, 2023. Charles Britton (71PhD) of Fayetteville, Arkansas, on
Dec. 8, 2023. Mark Frazier (72BBA) of Irvine, California, on May 20, 2023. Jon Fussell (76BSCE) of Cedar Rapids on July 19, 2023. Harold Gehle (72MS) of Davenport, Iowa, on July 14, 2023. Thomas Gustafson (76JD) of Denison, Iowa, on July 25, 2023. William Hamm (75MA) of Waverly, Iowa, on June 6, 2023. Ann Harwood-Nuss (70BS, 73MD) of Jacksonville, Florida, on Sept. 2, 2023. Wilburn Hollis (71BA) of Marion, Iowa, on Jan. 31, 2024. John McKeown (70MD) of Ankeny, Iowa, on May 31, 2023. Steve Merry (75MD) of Hartford, Wisconsin, on June 29, 2023. Stephen Reno (71BA) of Largo, Florida, on Oct. 9, 2023. Roy Paul Roth (76JD) of Chicago on June 12, 2023. Carlton Stuvick (72BBA) of Marshall, Missouri, on May 6, 2023. Thomas Temple (77MS) of Urbandale, Iowa, on Aug. 14, 2023. Mark Warner (71BA, 73MA) of Iowa City on Nov. 9, 2023.
1980s
R o s e m a r y C a r r o l l ( 8 3 J D) o f Middletown, Rhode Island, on Sept. 15, 2023. M. Patricia Rohovsky Donahue (81PhD) of Tiffin, Iowa, on May 16, 2023. Dale Herbeck (82MA, 88PhD) of Medfield, Massachusetts, on Oct. 26, 2023. Kevin Koch (81BS, 84MD) of Cumming, Iowa, on July 12, 2023. Randy Larson (82JD) of Iowa City on July 16, 2023. Patricia Neuses Murphy (84BS) of Cedarburg, Wisconsin, on Oct. 4, 2023. Susan Palamara (83MA, 85MFA) of Brooklyn, New York, on July 1, 2023. Jerry Parkinson (85JD) of Portland, Oregon, on Sept. 29, 2023. Kent Pearson (84R, 85F) of North Liberty, on May 5, 2023. Scott L. Taylor (82BBA) of Beaverton, Oregon, on Sept. 26, 2023.
1990s
Charles Blount (98BA) of San Antonio on June 8, 2023. Dwayne Capper (92MD) of Solon, Iowa, on May 7, 2023. Joan Carter (95PhD) of Ellisville, Missouri, on May 11, 2023. Brian W. Davis (90BA) of Ames, Iowa, on Oct. 1, 2023. Steven Kunert (90BSE) of Cedar Rapids on Oct. 20, 2023. Juliet Mattila (92MFA) of Santa Fe, New Mexico, in April 2023. Scott Penisten (93BS, 00MD, 04R) of Norwalk, Iowa, on July 16, 2023. Mark Sertterh (99BS) of Coralville on June 12, 2023.
2000s
Craig Kletzing Kletzing combined a zeal for teaching with a decorated research career in space plasma experimental physics. In nearly three decades at the University of Iowa, Kletzing was directly involved in 30 near-Earth or space missions. Most notable was a $115 million contract from NASA for the TRACERS mission, scheduled to launch in 2024, to study the interactions between the magnetic fields of the sun and Earth. The award is the single largest externally funded research project in UI history. In addition to his research, Kletzing was invested in sharing his knowledge with students. As the inaugural holder of the Donald A. and Marie B. Gurnett Chair within his department, he taught 75 physics classes, from introductory courses for nonmajors to classes for graduate students. He was known for his in-class demonstrations: one involved former UI President Bruce Harreld riding a rocket-powered tricycle. Kletzing died Aug. 10, 2023, in Iowa City. He was 65.
Kristi Bellamy (00JD) of Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 7, 2023. Ann Candace Noble (09MA) of Iowa City on July 11, 2023. Sarah Stone Shonrock (02MFA) of Coralville on Oct. 29, 2023.
2010s
Kaitlin Bergan (18BA) of Mason City, Iowa, on April 27, 2022. Charles E. Brasington (11JD) of Anchorage, Alaska, on Nov. 15, 2023.
faculty & friends
John Carver of Rock Island, Illinois, on Nov. 2, 2023. Betty Adler Schermer of Tucson, Arizona, on Dec. 5, 2023. John Schweitzer of Iowa City on Sept. 28, 2023. Ann Slattery Smothers of Iowa City on Dec. 30, 2023.
Sen. Dick Clark (56MA) Clark used his U.S. Senate seat to shape American foreign policy in Africa to oppose apartheid and support newly independent nations. Facing tough odds against Republican incumbent Jack Miller in Iowa's 1972 U.S. Senate race, Clark introduced himself to voters by taking a 1,300-mile walk across the state. His trek, which attracted significant media attention, won him the Senate seat 55-45. During his term, the University of Iowa history grad served on the Senate Foreign Relations C o m mi t te e as c hair of i ts subcommittee on African affairs. In 1976, he sponsored the Clark Amendment, which banned U.S. aid to military groups in the Angolan Civil War, a Cold War proxy conflict between the U.S. and Soviet Union. Though the Army veteran lost his bid for reelection in 1978, President Jimmy Carter appointed him as an ambassador-at-large for refugee affairs in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. In 1979, Clark left this position to work on Sen. Ted Kennedy’s 1980 presidential campaign. He later became a senior fellow at Aspen, a Washington think tank. Clark died Sept. 20, 2023, in Washington. He was 95.
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RE F L E C T: 1924
Bring in Spring
The University of Iowa’s first annual Frolic Day in 1909 marked the beginning of a tradition to welcome warm weather. Later replaced by Senior Day, the event encouraged students to head outside to compete in games like baseball, human chess, and three-legged races. When the 1924 Senior Day celebrations prompted a letter from Dean William G. Raymond to President Walter Jessup (34LITTD) complaining about the frivolity of the activities, students responded by returning to the Pentacrest a week later to dance in costume around a maypole (as pictured).
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