VISIONS Magazine: Winter 2014 Issue

T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R M E M B E R S O F T H E I O WA S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N |

Winter 2014

The Blackbird Problem And other selections by students and recent graduates of Iowa State’s MFA in Creative Writing and Environment program

›› Community

banker Mick Guttau

›› Kyven

Gadson’s toughest season

›› Homecoming

›› ISUAA

Annual Report

G E TTI NG START ED

by Carole Gieseke

CGIESEKE@IASTATE.EDU

Such stuff as dreams are made on

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often dream about VISIONS. Does that seem weird?

Most of these dreams are more like nightmares, and I awake in a panic: I’m late with a deadline. I’ve misplaced the photos. I’ve forgotten to schedule an interview and now it’s TOO LATE. I always think of these as grown-up versions of the “school dreams” I had for so many years (it’s the end of the semester and I haven’t been to math class …I can’t remember my locker combination…I can’t find my classroom).

But sometimes the dreams take a different, more creative turn. Sometimes

and run the project like a competition.

And – even better – we could use Iowa State art students to illustrate the stories.

It was a great idea. And I’m very excited about the end result. In between, I have to admit, the process was a little shaky. I hadn’t taken into consideration the timing of the project, and we sent the call for stories at the worst possible time: finals week. Thanks to English professor Debra Marquart (MA ’93 English), who teaches classes in the MFA program in Creative Writing and Environment, we were eventually able to get some wonderful writing entries: a serious essay about the Cooperative Lakes Area

in my relaxed, nighttime state I dream up ideas for VISIONS stories. And sometimes I’m even lucky enough to remember them.

One night last spring, I dreamed about the cover story in this issue.

Why not, I dreamt, take advantage of the wonderful writers enrolled in the English Department’s master of fine arts program in Creative Writing and Environment? The students could write short fiction, essays, maybe even poetry about nature and the land and life in the Midwest.

When I woke up, it occurred to me that I could take this idea a few steps further: We could do a call for stories

Monitoring Project at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, a supernatural thriller a la Stephen King, poems that questioned the fundamental issues of life and the land, a short story about a grandfather’s collection of cars and Coke bottles and memories, poems about Iowa’s changing seasons, an essay about one überterritorial bird…and many others.

So, of course, choosing just three or four to print in the magazine was brutal. I enlisted some of my writer/ editor friends to help judge the entries.

Once that difficult decision was made, the next step was working with graduate students in the Integrated Visual Arts program in the College of Design.

Enter Arthur Croyle, associate professor of integrated studio arts and coordinator of the grad program. Arthur managed to prod and cajole a handful of students to do something rather foreign to most of them: illustrate stories for publication. Of course, I figured they’d jump at the chance to be published in VISIONS but, surprisingly, it was sort of a hard sell. In the end, the process was a lot of fun, I met some very talented young (and not so young) artists, and I hope you’ll agree that the final product is pretty impressive.

One thing that’s always really hard about my job is all the cool stuff that gets left on the cutting-room floor. It was hard enough to choose just four pieces of writing to spotlight in the magazine, and it was even harder to cut one of those pieces – along with the artwork – as we began to put the issue together and realized we simply didn’t have enough room. But that piece, Fireworks & Tortillas by Megan White with illustration by Lyndsay Nissen, can be viewed online at www.isualum.org/blog Thanks to all the talented students who submitted their stories, essays, and poems; thanks to the judges; thanks to Debra and Arthur; thanks to the art students; and thanks to all of you for taking time to read these terrific stories and view this awesome artwork. They’re more than I could have ever dreamed of. 

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Snow-covered trees frame Beardshear Hall.

PHOTO BY JIM HEEMSTRA

COVER STORY

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On the cover: Illustration for “The Blackbird Problem”

by MFA student Elita Pan.

Masters of creativity

FEATURES

18 24 26 28 32 35 37

Mick Guttau: Grow where you are planted 2012-2013 ISUAA Annual report Images of Homecoming 2013 Investing in the power to create and innovate 40 years of leadership VISIONS Across America Distinguished Alumni Awards

DEPARTMENTS

2 5 6 30

Getting Started Letters to the Editor Around Campus Newsmakers

39 Association News 44 Sports 46 Calendar

Printed with soy ink on recycled SOYrecyclable paper. and

PRINTED WITH

TM

Trademark of American Soybean Association

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2013-2014 ISU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS

Chair: David A. VanHorn** # ’89 Aerospace Engr., MS ’90 Kingwood, Texas Chair-elect: Thea “Ted” H. Oberlander**# ’77 Industrial Admin.

Des Moines, Iowa Vice Chair of Finance: Melanie J. Reichenberger** ’00 Industrial Engr.

Shorewood, Wis. Vice Chair of Records: Alan E. Krysan** # ’87 Ag. Business Lakeville, Minn.

Immediate Past Chair: Scott Stanzel** # ’95 Journalism Seattle, Wash.

University Treasurer: Warren R. Madden** # ’61 Industrial Engr.

Ex-officio/voting Ames, Iowa ISU Alumni Association President: Jeffery W. Johnson** # Ex-officio/non-voting Ames, Iowa ELECTED DIRECTORS

Mark D. Aljets* ’79 Indust. Admin.

West Des Moines, Iowa Timothy C. Becker** # ’94 Const. Engr.

Ames, Iowa Kenneth R. Bonus** ’85 Construct. Engr.

West Des Moines, Iowa Joy Wiegman Boruff** # ’76 Home Ec. Journ.

Moline, Ill. Richard M. Degner** ’72 Ag. Education, MS ’77 Ankeny, Iowa #

Craig K. Denny** # ’71 Civil Engr., MS ’73 Lenexa, Kan. Geoffrey C. Grimes** ’69 Architecture Waterloo, Iowa Duane A. Halverson** # ’67 Ag. Business, MS ’69 New Brighton, Minn.

Ana M. Hays** # ’84 Fashion Merch.

Menlo Park, Calif.

Trent L. Preszler** ’98 Interdisc. Studies Brooklyn, N.Y. Nicole M. (Bell) Schmidt** ’09 Const. Engr.

Overland Park, Kan. Ryan J. Schon** ’95 Agronomy Ankeny, Iowa Rebecca Murphy Stadlman**# ’74 Journ. & Mass Comm.

Ankeny, Iowa

WE’D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU Let us know what you think about

stories in this issue – or about other topics of interest to VISIONS readers. Email your letters to: CGIESEKE@IASTATE.EDU.

PRESERVING THE FUTURE

This article (“Preserving the future for Iowa State Students,” fall 2013) is so my daughter. As she grew up, seeing her mother (me) can and freeze vegetables, she took it more to heart than I realized.

She is amazing to me as she cans numerous items, from vegetables to sauces to jelly. Along with this, Kerensa makes her own baby food for the two babies she has had, has chickens, and is big into recycling.

And her husband is right there with her helping. It is rewarding to see how she works at it and is always learning. It is great to see that there is more of this coming back with the younger generation.

Carlie C. Tartakov** # PhD ’95 Ed. Ldrshp. & Pol. Studies Amherst, Mass.

Dianne Scott Strickler**

Natasha S. Thomas** ’89 Marketing Scottdale, Ga.

LIFE IN BALANCE

Ryan M. York** ’95 Marketing, MBA ’03 West Des Moines, Iowa APPOINTED DIRECTORS

Office of the President Representative: Miles Lackey* ISU Assistant to the President Ames, Iowa College Representative: Melea Reicks Licht** ’00 Agriculture, MS ’05 Roland, Iowa Non-alumni Representative: Lora Talbot** # Belmond, Iowa Student Alumni Leadership Council Representative: Morgan L. Foldes*** Senior, Marketing Johnston, Iowa ISU Alumni Association Membership Key: * Annual member ** Life member # Sustaining Life donor *** Student member Meet the Board: www.isualum.org/board

choices – usually focused on the good of others. That’s what I want for my children: to be “good.” And if they are, they will be great in MY eyes and hopefully in the eyes of those whose lives they touch.

Great summer VISIONS magazine.

It’s a joy to read. Thank you.

Elin Herrman*

Ames, Iowa BEING THERE

What was the point of printing the picture of the 5-year-old from Schaller holding the gun (“Being there,” a feature on the photography of senior journalism

’80 ag. ed.

Springville, Iowa

I just read your VISIONS editorial “Life in Balance” (Getting Started, summer 2013.) It made me think of our own struggles in finding balance.

Now that I look back on it, I see that most of the time my husband and I were floating along like corks on the ocean, being tossed this way and that and reacting. My biggest regret was that I wasn’t “purposeful” enough.

I’m trying to impart that to my children now. Be purposeful. Discover what you want and WHY you want it and make it happen.

Your line, “It’s a challenge to be great at everything we do. Sometimes we have to settle for ‘good enough,’” really struck me for two reasons: First, it begs the question “great to WHOM?” and also because it’s the theme of the movie “The Great and Powerful Oz.” At the end of the movie, Glenda, the good witch, says to Oz: “I knew you had it in you all along.” Oz replies, “Greatness?” “Better,” she replies.

“Goodness.”

Goodness requires us to make hard

major Yue Wu, Around Campus, fall 2013)? I don’t know if the gun is real, but why promote kids and guns? Do you read the newspapers or listen to the news? Iowa is not a Chicago, but the state has more violent incidents with guns than ever before. Too many of these incidents involve young people.

Actually, most of the articles in VISIONS this issue seemed quite light in content.

Certainly, there is more happening on campus. Where are the graduates headed after degrees at different levels? What types of graduates are in demand? Could an article be done on students and financial literacy? How are ISU graduates helping the rural Iowa communities that never recovered after the ’80s?

Thank you for your time.

Denise Grundmeier Reyerson**

’69 home ec. ed.

Dubuque, Iowa Editor’s note: The photo of the child holding the gun was part of award-winning ISU student photojournalist Yue Wu’s project titled “The Gun Owners.” As a senior journalism major, Wu’s subject matter has ranged from immigrants to union protestors to computer

Meet the ISU Alumni Association staff: www.isualum.org/staff

The ISU Alumni Association mission: To facilitate the lifetime connection of alumni, students, and friends with the university and each other.

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Letters 

WINTER 2014 / VOLUME 26 / NO. 4

Carole Gieseke Kate Bruns PHOTOGRAPHY: Jim Heemstra DESIGN: Scott Thornton / www.designgrid.com EDITOR:

ASSOCIATE EDITOR:

VISIONS (ISSN 1071-5886) is published quarterly for members of the Iowa State University Alumni Association by the ISU Alumni Association, 420 Beach Avenue, Ames, IA 50011-1430, (515) 2946525, FAX (515) 294-9402. Periodicals postage paid at Ames, Iowa, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to VISIONS, ISU Alumni Center, 420 Beach Avenue, Ames, IA 50011-1430. For ad rates please call 515-294-6560. Copyright 2014 by the ISU Alumni Association, Jeffery W. Johnson, president and publisher.

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gamers; her image of the child holding the gun was in no way meant to promote gun violence.

THE GREATEST DECADE

Great article (“The greatest decade: How one man – and one little train— transformed Iowa State University,” summer 2013) about President William Beardshear, first cousin to my great grandfather. My two sisters, my son, and I all graduated from ISU, and my mother took graduate-level courses at ISU. We love the history of Iowa State.

Helen Jacobson Nielsen**

’68 elem. ed.

Johnston, Iowa LOYAL SONS?

I love our fight song. Every time I hear or sing it I’m reminded how proud I am to be a Cyclone. That said, there’s always been one phrase that gives me pause.

Every time I sing “loyal sons forever true” I wonder, why can’t we sing “loyal ONES forever true?” I know it’s just a word. But that simple change would sing scores to reflect Iowa State inclusion and diversity commitment and truly bring that song into the 21st-century. The university has gone gender neutral in almost all other areas, even the residence halls, so how about it?

Dee Vandeventer**

’75 child development & psychology Cedar Falls, Iowa

EVEN CY KNOWS that you each have an important link on the ISU “Chain of Loyalty” (a representation of all current ISUAA members) and an important role to play in the life of the university. As a member, you are making a visible statement that you support Iowa State, that you are interested in keeping current on issues and opportunities facing the university, and that you believe in increasing the value of your Iowa State degree or relationship. As we strive to reach 60,000 members, your continued participation – and your encouragement for others to become members – will help strengthen that lifetime link.

THANK YOU for continuing to allow the ISU Alumni Association to serve as your lifetime link to Iowa State University!

*Annual member, **Life member Iowa State University values communication with alumni and other audiences, and VISIONS welcomes letters from readers about topics in the magazine. Letters must be signed and include address and daytime phone number.

Letters chosen for publication may be edited for length and clarity. The editor may decide to publish a representative sample of letters on a subject or limit the number of issues devoted to a particular topic. While universities are places of open discussion, letters deemed potentially libelous or that malign a person or group will not be published.

Letters express the views of the readers and not Iowa State University nor the ISU Alumni Association. Send letters to VISIONS Editor, ISU Alumni Center, 420 Beach Ave., Ames, IA 50011-1430.

Your lifetime link For many generations, the ISU Alumni Association has been there to provide resources to allow ISU alumni, students, and friends to grow, connect, and reconnect with Iowa State University and with each other. We’re proud to begin serving as the Lifetime Link for all Iowa Staters from the moment they first set foot on campus. Explore isualum.org to see everything the ISU Alumni Association does for you, for ISU, and for all ISU alumni, students, and friends. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

294-6525 1-877-ISU-ALUM (478-2586) www.isualum.org

LOCAL PHONE TOLL-FREE WEBSITE

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

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Noted women’s suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt (1880 gen sci) was one of four women selected as the inaugural honorees on the Iowa Women of Achievement Bridge in Des Moines. The bridge, located on the Principal Riverwalk, is designed to recognize Iowa women who have made outstanding contributions, achieved prominence, or advanced the well-being of their fellow citizens.

“The selection committee had a very difficult task limiting the number of honorees to four,” Riverfront Development Authority chair Mary O’Keefe said.

“Iowa has certainly produced a significant group of women who have left an indelible mark. This year’s honorees defied the odds and advanced important causes for women and men of all races, creeds, and economic levels.”

The bridge was dedicated Oct. 7.

“You are spoiled because you will know what a true sense of community feels like.”

ISU student Nicole Patterson (S), a senior in ag and life sciences education, writing a blog post about “Why Small Town Iowa Kids are Spoiled” that went viral in November after she posted it on her blog, “Farm Girl Facts of Life”

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PHOTOS: JIM HEEMSTRA

Around Campus

Catt among first four “Iowa Women of Achievement” honored in Des Moines

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1: Iowa State is building green. This fall the College of Veterinary Medicine’s small animal hospital renovation received LEED® Gold certification for environmental sustainability from the U.S. Green Building Council. So far, Iowa State has met the ambitious goal set by former President Gregory Geoffroy in 2008 to achieve Gold or Platinum certification on all campus construction projects.

cool things you should know and share about ISU

2: Iowa State now has an astronaut on its

faculty. Clayton Anderson (A)(MS ’83 aerospace engr) will join Iowa State University as a distinguished faculty fellow in aerospace engineering.

“It’s not every day that we get an opportunity to hire an ‘astronaut in residence,’” ISU President Steven Leath (L) said.

3: Iowa State has another Big 12 championship in its trophy case. The women’s cross country team three-peated this fall as Big 12

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Student snapshot: Popular study Top 10 programs for undergraduate enrollment this fall Pre-business – 1,907 Mechanical engineering – 1,750 Kinesiology and health – 1,100 Animal science – 905 Aerospace engineering – 767 Civil engineering – 731 Elementary education – 713 Chemical engineering – 678 Psychology – 629 Electrical engineering – 606 Source: Office of the Registrar

Grant will create Midwest Transportation Center at ISU

champions, beating second-place West Virginia by an impressive 69 points Nov. 2 in Waco, Texas.

The men finished second, upsetting two nationally ranked programs along the way.

4: Iowa State really ranks. U.S. News and

World Report has once again ranked Iowa State University among the top 50 public national universities. ISU also ranks fourth nationally overall for its program in biological/agricultural engineering and 15th nationally for materials engineering.

5: Iowa State is internationally engaged.

ISU has joined the Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC), an international organization with a broad scholarly agenda to advance university-community efforts – something that President Steven Leath says provides “extraordinary opportunities to capitalize on the land-grant mission.”

A $5.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation is supporting the establishment of a Midwest Transportation Center based at Iowa State University. In addition to supporting education programs, leadership development, diversity promotion, and outreach, the primary focus of the center, pending approval of the Board of Regents, will be research on transportation infrastructure, traffic safety, and project construction with a focus on datadriven performance measures.

“One example is studying the life-cycle performance of pavement,” said grant leader Shauna Hallmark, a professor of civil, construction, and environmental engineering. “We want to develop performance measurements that tell us how well the system is doing.”

The Midwest Transportation Center will include researchers and students from six universities: Iowa State, Creighton, Harris-Stowe State, Missouri, Missouri-St. Louis, and Wichita State. Hallmark estimates that approximately 40 students and 18 researchers could be involved on the ISU side. “This is a gigantic deal,” she said. “This will keep us busy.”

“Better cooling equals longer-lasting blades. And that could be worth billions of dollars across a fleet of engines.”

Blake Johnson, an ISU post-doctoral research associate in aerospace engineering who is currently working with professor of aerospace engineering Hui Hu and the GE Global Research Center to improve testing accuracy and cooling strategies for gas turbine engines

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bacon memories

T

he nation’s first-ever studentrun bacon festival (Oct. 19 in the Scheman Building courtyard) was a success for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council, with nine local vendors, 16 student organizations, 1,076 ticketed attendees, and 1,250 pounds of bacon in attendance on a cold, drizzly Saturday.

Along with opportunities to sample bacon-based cuisine, the

Kellen Gorman, a freshman in pre-architecture, and Shelby Duncan, a freshman in apparel, merchandising and design, sport their winning bacon-based designs at the 2013 ISU Bacon Expo’s “How Do You Wear Your Bacon?” fashion show.

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flow. But we can identify some contributing factors right now.

We are both recruiting and retaining larger classes at Iowa State. There’s high demand for programs of study that have long been our core strengths. Iowa State offers a robust student experience that allows freshmen to get involved on campus from their very first day – whether in learning communities, intramurals, clubs, or other leadership opportunities. And in the end, students tell us they see a return on their investment because they get good jobs.”

event featured a bacon eating contest and even a “How Do You Wear Your Bacon?” fashion show inspired

by Lady Gaga’s infamous 2011 Franc Fernandez meat dress.

Organizers say the event was highly successful considering its scope and the fact that it was the first ever; chairman Jake Swanson, a senior in global resource systems, says a 2014 Bacon Expo is highly likely. The organizing committee

included 60 students, who spent most of the past year planning.

“We are so proud,” event co-chair Kristin Liska, a senior in animal science, said, “to be able to showcase bacon in such a unique and edible fashion.”

For more information about the Bacon Expo and plans for 2014, stay tuned to www.baconexpo. ag.iastate.edu/.

PHOTOS: BARB MCBREEN

Around Campus

JIM HEEMSTRA

Fall enrollment is 33,241

With an increase of 7 percent (2,201 students) over the fall 2012 tally, Iowa State’s fall 2013 enrollment has once again broken a record at 33,241. It marks the fifth year of record enrollment at ISU and the seventh consecutive year of growth. Students in this year’s population come from every Iowa county, all 50 states, and 106 countries.

“There are so many tangibles and intangibles that go into the college decision process,” ISU President Steven Leath (L) said. “There’s no single force that causes enrollment to rise, and over time, it will ebb and

More than 1,000 people attended the first-ever ISU Bacon Expo Oct. 19 in the Scheman courtyard.

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A lead gift of $25 million from the founders of Reiman Publications has jumpstarted plans to create a grand campus entrance and enclose the south end zone of Jack Trice Stadium. Roy (’57 Roy and Bobbi Reiman agricultural journalism) and Bobbi (’06 honorary) Reiman (L), who have supported multiple campus projects – including Reiman Gardens and the ISU Alumni Center – pledged the transformational gift to the university in November.

When it was created in Kyoto, Japan, in the 1960s, the C.Y. Stephens Auditorium curtain was the largest known textile ever woven on a single loom (80 by 35 feet and 2,800 pounds). The curtain, named Silver Code, is a true work of art that was commissioned in 1968 by J.W. (Bill) (ex’36 engineering) and Dorothy (’36 applied art) Fisher – the lead donors for Fisher Theater. Today, 45 years later, the textile masterpiece is undergoing a major restoration led by Kate Greder (A) (’13 apparel, merchandising, and design), who climbs into a motorized lift and completes the detailed, intensive handwork when she can (that is, when there aren’t other events going on in the auditorium).

It’s a massive undertaking that began in September. Among the tools Greder has used in the restoration are a special vacuum, paint brushes, and microfiber dustcloths (the tapestry is covered in many years’ worth of dust). She is receiving assistance on the project from ISU student Amy Lowery, a senior in anthropology and biology. And the Fishers’ daughter, who works for the Metropolitan Opera, has helped ISU find contacts for preserving the curtain’s grommets and operating mechanisms as well.

The restoration project was kickstarted through the leadership of Warren Madden (L) (’61 indus engr), vice president for business and finance, and Lynette Pohlman (L)(’72 art and design, MA ’76), director of university museums, who recently helped get the tapestry placed in the university’s Art on Campus collection so that it could receive conservation care.

Officials say they hope to have the restoration work completed this spring.

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“I’m simply proud to be a Cyclone and to have the opportunity to make a difference at the university that made so much of a difference for me,” Roy Reiman said.

Project details are still in the works, but ISU athletics director Jamie Pollard says he is anxious to get the project moving forward.

“Although we still need to seek approval from the Board of Regents and develop the final plans for the project, we do have an aggressive timeline in our minds to complete the project as soon as possible,” Pollard said. “We would like the project to be completed by the start of the 2015 football season, if possible.”

Silver Code is a unique tapestry that is now part of the university’s Art on Campus collection.

PHOTOS COURTESY UNIVERSITY MUSEUMS

CURTAIN CALL

Reimans pledge $25 million to enclose Jack Trice Stadium, create south campus entrance

At the time it was created in Japan in the 1960s, Silver Code was the largest textile ever woven on a single loom.

No.

Iowa State’s rank on CollegeAtlas.org’s recent “A list” rankings for college affordability, academics, and accessibility.

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Showcasing the work of students and recent graduates in Iowa State’s Creative Writing and Environment and ven in this “university of science and Integrated Visual Arts MFA programs

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technology,” we find ourselves surrounded each day by stories about the humanities: art, music, theatre, English, the social sciences. Our faculty are leaders in these areas; our students excel.

In this issue, we highlight a select few: graduate students (and 2013 graduates) in Iowa State’s master of fine arts programs in Creative Writing and Environment (in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ Department of English) and Integrated Visual Arts (in the College of Design). These students ask questions, take risks, experiment, innovate, and, ultimately, create.

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ABOUT THE PROGRAMS

Iowa State’s three-year MFA program in Creative Writing and Environment emphasizes study in creative writing – poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama – that encourages writers to identify and explore in their stories and lyric impressions the complex influences of place, the natural world, and the environmental imagination. Through a program of study that includes a rigorous combination of creative writing workshops, literature coursework, environmental fieldwork experience, interdisciplinary study, and intensive one-on-one work with a major professor, the program offers gifted writers an original and intensive opportunity to document, meditate on, mourn, and celebrate the complexities of our transforming natural world.

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The MFA in Integrated Visual Arts at Iowa State is a distinctive and unique interdisciplinary program offering integrative study among a combination of the following areas: ceramics, computer applications, drawing, textiles, illustration, jewelry/metalsmithing, painting, printmaking, photography, furniture design, and areas outside of art and design. The program offers unique opportunities for collaboration with diverse students and faculty from around the world in art and design programs that represent a wide spectrum of professional activities. This dynamic interdisciplinary environment allows students to develop a personal visual language, refine media skills, and work on projects addressing social and environmental concerns within a global context.

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I NEVER FEARED BIRDS UNTIL ONE staked a territorial claim on my favorite bike path. Red-winged blackbirds aren’t large, compared to, say, falling branches, lightning, nuclear missiles, or other things that might unexpectedly drop from above. Most have a pleasant if raspy song that I had grown accustomed to hearing around the fields and woodlands of central Iowa.

I never heard this one sing. He was a little feathered bomb with talons.

That particular stretch of bike path had been closed off for construction for several months, and when it reopened in June I was pleased to have my shortcut to work restored. The path wound between a soccer field and the campus coal-fired power plant. A narrow strip of sycamore trees and a drainage ditch marched parallel for a hundred yards or so. On cold mornings, steam rising from the cooling towers smelled, inexplicably, of maple syrup – even the hard-hatted man who gave tours of the power plant couldn’t explain why – and the blades of a lone wind turbine, newly constructed, would scissor out of the cloud.

I never got a good look at the blackbird. I assume he perched among the leafy summer foliage of the sycamore trees, eyeing his targets from above. There would be silence and then,

BY MELISSA SEVIGNY

The Blackbird Problem He was perfectly democratic in choosing his victims, undiscriminating between bicyclists and pedestrians, red helmets and blue ones, height or weight or any other factor that might make a two-ounce bird think twice. I began to wonder how much of his energy he spent dive-bombing the unsuspecting public. Did he have time to find food? Court a mate? Build a nest? Certainly I never heard him sing.

I began taking a different route home from work, when I wasn’t in a hurry. It gave me time to contemplate the little strip of habitat that the blackbird had claimed his own, squashed beside black smokestacks and furnaces that consumed an average of 390 tons of coal each day, some shipped by rail and barge from as far away as Colorado. It wasn’t much of a prize, the longstemmed grasses straggling along the ditch, the sycamore trees all in single file to fit the space allotted.

Then again, a more selective soul might find little to love in Iowa these days – even the remnant squares of prairies abandoned in pioneer cemeteries had begun to fall under the plow – and maybe little to love in all of America, as national parks turned into tourist traps, and highways, cities and carbon billowing out of power plants

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suddenly, his shadow fluttering on the sidewalk just over my shoulder, all wings and frantic excitement, and I’d feel the thunk thunk THWAP as he slammed into my helmet multiple times, claws extended.

Passersby had various means of dealing with this problem.

Helmets were much more in evidence among the bicyclists, who could be found in knots around campus when five o’clock rolled around, discussing tactics and alternate routes.

Pedestrians had it worse, and more than one simply flung their hands over their heads and ran for it. One enterprising fellow took to carrying sticks, which he banged overhead in an effort to distract the blackbird from targeting his scalp.

After the first two or three days of relentless one-bird mobbing, my heart started pumping with useless adrenaline as I approached the urban jungle of the blackbird’s territory. I’d brace myself for impact – thunk thunk THWAP – as I pedaled furiously toward University Boulevard and freedom.

I admit it: I was scared of the bird. I started to wonder how long it would be before he learned to abandon helmets and go for the exposed skin of the neck, or worse yet, the eyes.

Advice gleaned from the Internet suggested I should stare directly at the bird or bark like a dog; instead I kept my head tilted downward, gaze fixed on the pavement where the telltale shadow would appear.

Elita Pan was born and raised in China.

She is now a graduate student in the Integrated Visual Arts program, where her focus is on painting and drawing as well as graphic design. Her work is inspired

by Weiwei Ai, Henry Matisse, Anselm Kiefer, Cindy Sherman, Marlene Dumas, and Hung Liu.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Melissa L. Sevigny is a writer and poet from Tucson, Ariz.

She graduated in spring 2013 from ISU’s MFA program in Creative Writing and Environment. Melissa has worked as a writer in the fields of sustainable agriculture, water policy, and planetary science.

ABOUT THE WRITER:

wrenched landscapes into geometries meant to fit human desires.

Surely the blackbird’s fierce protection had something in it to admire, something to emulate: his crazy passion for the place where he found himself, his full-bodied love of it. Surely I could learn, as he did, to value the in-between places, the silver thread of ditchwater, a single row of trees.

One July day in the waning summer no shadow came fluttering up over my shoulder on my daily trek to work. I never knew where he went – whether he found a new tree and new unkempt ditch to protect, or fell prey to a prowling housecat, or simply gave up. He never returned. I found that I was sorry.

When the Trees Came

BY LOGAN ADAMS

THE FIRST TREE GREW IN A FALLOW Iowa field – some new, strange oak, small as a fingernail clipping, within hours the size of a rib, and so on, until it towered over the empty acres as gray front clouds screamed eastward and whipped topsoil into dervishes that whirled with dry lightning, like some ancient marauding army. The next day a second tree grew and knit its branches with the first. The day after, there were four.

The migrant farmhands found the trees while sweeping for plastic cups, condoms, and bonfire ashes spotting the ground like fairy rings. The trees’ branches so wide, their trunks straight and dark as children’s creyones marrones, their leaves sparkled like scales in the midday sun.

“Hector, llama al hombre,” they said to the one who spoke the best English. Hector grumbled, but he called the owner.

The Iowan.

When the Iowan, a man who fancied himself a Texan, stepped down from his black and chrome pickup, he tipped back his ten-gallon and said, “Well, I’ll be.”

The farmhands stood outside the tree’s shade, chewing bread and bologna. The Iowan scratched his forehead, spit.

“Tractor. Andele!”

While a hawk rode thermals overhead, the Iowan levered the throttle. Chains clanked, tires spun, the chassis groaned, but the tree’s leaves didn’t rustle.

The Iowan swore and got back in his pickup.

“Well, get on! Y’all get that out. Andele!” he shouted again and keyed the ignition.

The undercarriage burst into flames. Before the Iowan could lever the door open, the truck exploded in a ball of heat and spiraled steel. When the fire died and the smoke blew away, the wreckage revealed a small tree. The farmhands placed their seed caps over their hearts.

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Cars crawled southbound from Des Moines, air conditioners fought to filter and cool the exhaust-choked air. Children watched through back windows and parents huddled over smartphones as a dark metal bird flew toward the trees’ center and rained fire from its belly.

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Two weeks after the first tree, the National Guard blocked roads and closed airspace. The ground shook, but the roots kept moving.

Hector raised his phone and took a picture.

Forestry professors came in vans stamped with mascot birds. They lifted their sunglasses at eight identical trees, their branches tangled, their leaves like chainmail. “Thought only four.”

The farmhands nodded.

“Creo que son respiración.”

The professors sketched and measured. The leaves supported weight. Drill bits pressed against the trunks exploded into silver splinters.

By the next day, sixteen trees. Thirty-two the following.

They backhoed, exposed spreading roots. NBC7’s Gabriela Washington reported a chainsaw had snapped like a whip, severing a distinguished professor’s leg. The story showed up on Buzzfeed and quickly fell beneath “Fallen Child Stars,” “Tabby and Croc: Besties,” “39 Ways the Internet is, like, Amazing.”

Planes dusted the two infested acres with dioxins and triclopyrs, which ran off the leaves like rain. Trees sprouted through the county highway and the neighbor’s farmhouse, its roof first crumpled like foil, then sheared in half by the canopy.

Two weeks after the first tree, the National Guard blocked roads and closed airspace. They backhoed, laid Semtex, and waited for the roots. The ground shook, but the roots kept moving.

“It’s the table that can’t be scratched. My wife hopes it takes over our living room next,” joked one late-night host.

The president and Iowa governor stood together, while tanks lined I-35. Longhairs strummed guitars at roadblocks, sang, “Peace Train” and “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” Dreadlocked Earth Firsters screamed reckoning and broke through the barricades, running into the trees.

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 2014

Cars crawled southbound from Des Moines, air conditioners fought to filter and cool the exhaust-choked air.

Children watched through back windows and parents huddled over smartphones – the cell towers along the evacuation route wrung-out for bandwidth – as a dark metal bird flew toward the trees’ center and rained fire from its belly.

When the dust and heat rolled away the trees were only leafless, like a web of synapses.

The bombing continued.

The president appeared on television nightly. He fingered his flag pin, showed us the bottom of this thumb, and said, “America will defeat the trees.

America will win.”

Perched in the booster seat in his parents’ Volvo, James Brumfield fingered through Elmo’s Big Car Ride as his parents shoveled bulging suitcases into the hatchback. Each time he looked up from Elmo’s adventure across the Mississippi and through the West, James scrunched his face and thought very hard about why his neighbors had decided to hack down the trees planted in their St. Louis sidewalk. James never decided on a reason, he just went back to Elmo, while in adjacent parking lots piles of young elms burned.

Looting was isolated at first.

After Des Moines, young men in Cleveland and Chicago ran down the sidewalks, arms filled with TVs and laptops. Two days later the trees crossed beneath the Mississippi’s waves, and leafy rivers toppled and repaved Omaha and Kansas City.

Cows in Ohio watched pointed saplings rise around them.

Americans streamed toward the coasts.

Erma Thomas survived Katrina in an attic. When trees pierced the asphalt beneath her window on Dallas’ Southside, Erma packed a picnic and went Continued on next page 15

Grotto of the Redemption to Wilson Park. Over the buildings, pillars of smoke rose and mixed with clouds. Families abandoned their skewered cars with what they could carry.

Erma sat on a bench and ate.

On the coasts refugees clamored onto boats and passed children into outstretched arms. Parents dove into the oily water and followed ships to sea.

Others met on beaches, watching the approaching wall.

They shared stories and sipped Budweisers, toes in the sand.

The sun crossed the sky and the trees grew taller. Branches flexed and knit until the last spots of sunlight shrank into nothing.

In orbit, the International Space Station continued in automation, beaming pictures of the spinning planet. It did so whether or not somewhere on Earth, beneath the leaves or on the Atlantic, on some hard drive, some monitor, someone saw its photos, all white, blue, and green.

ABOUT THE WRITER:

Logan Adams is a freelance writer, Northeast Minneapolitan, and 2013 graduate of Iowa State’s MFA program in Creative Writing and Environment. Find lists of his work at loganmadams.com.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Rahele Jomepour is an Iranian illustrator who was featured in 200 Best Illustrators Worldwide in 2010. Her works have been selected for several international awards including the 3x3 Illustration show, New York, 2013; Fourth Picture Book Award, Korea, 2012; and Theater Illustration and Poster Design, Venice, Italy, 2011. Her illustrations have appeared in books and magazines in Iran and Portugal. She currently lives in Ames, where she is completing an MFA in Integrated Visual Arts at Iowa State.

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BY SARAH BURKE

– West Bend, Iowa

Air cools in the built caves, stones releasing breath of salt and sea on Italian statues – infant Jesus, Adam and Eve, Moses clutching twin slabs against his ribs. In gardens of moonstone, seaglass, stalactite plucked like fruit from distant caverns, arches and cupolas studded with stars, I imagine the weight of trains bearing these stones in 1912, veins of jewel ripped from earth, scrubbed clean until the priest’s hands cracked and bled, each splinter of rock – white shell, raw amethyst, petrified wood – collaged with sand in nine linked shrines, rising without blueprints from a sea floor older than prayer.

ABOUT THE WRITER:

Sarah Burke recently earned her MFA in Creative Writing and Environment from Iowa State University and now lives in Pittsburgh. Her poems have appeared in Cimarron Review, Copper Nickel, Fourteen Hills, Midwestern Gothic, Passages North, and other journals.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Nick Friess, a former Green Beret medic, was wounded in March 1970 in Vietnam.

He is a lifelong artist currently exploring the relationship between traditional and digital art forms as a graduate student at ISU. Nick has also been a farmer for 25 years.

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ONLINE EXTRA!

Fireworks & Tortillas Work by poet Megan White and artist Lyndsay Nissen can be viewed at www.isualum.org/blog

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 2014

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Mick Guttau’s community-focused bank has become much more than a financial institution

M

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of Treynor State Bank in Treynor, Iowa. Whatever his “troops” are – his employees, his clients, or the community – they come first.

Thanks to Mick’s dedication to his “troops” – as well as careful planning and ethical banking practices – TS Bank thrived through the recent financial crisis, setting itself apart from other banks. Today, while much of the nation is still recovering, TS Bank is growing.

* By Kayla Choate *

SURVIVAL SKILLS

Mick grew up in Treynor – an agricultureWINTER 2014 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

JIM HEEMSTRA

ick Guttau learned one simple message while flying Cobra attack helicopters in Vietnam: “The troops come first.”

“If my wingman isn’t with me 110 percent, I’m dead,” Mick said. “That’s why it’s so important for him to know how important he is to me.”

“It’s just as true in a family or business environment as it is in the military,” he said.

More than four decades later, Mick continues to apply that philosophy as chairman and CEO

Mick Guttau (seated) is surrounded by his family – wife Judy, son Josh, daughter Heidi – at Treynor State Bank.

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 2014

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As Treynor State Bank grew, it quickly became a Guttau family business.

based community located 20 miles from Omaha, Neb., with a population of 1,000.

Wanting to study agriculture, Mick attended Iowa State. He held leadership positions in Theta Delta Chi fraternity, ROTC, and Pep Council, and was even Cy. Mick says the best thing that happened to him at Iowa State was meeting his wife, Judy (Frazier) Guttau (L)(’68 home ec. ed.). He was in love by their third date, and they married in 1968.

After graduating, Mick (L)(’68 farm operations) went to flight school and served one year in Vietnam, earning numerous awards including two Distinguished Flying Crosses.

When Mick returned home, he and Judy moved back to Treynor. They lived in a trailer house while he worked at TS Bank. Mick’s dream was to farm, but he continued to hit brick walls trying to acquire land.

Frustrated – and bored working at the bank – Mick finally decided to leave for a job in Omaha.

His boss, the owner of TS Bank, had another idea: “Just buy the bank.”

After prayer and discussion with Judy, Mick finally agreed.

Despite the fact that he “hated banking” and “couldn’t stand being inside,” Mick says he realized what he truly wanted was to call the shots, take risks, and be in control – qualities he had in Vietnam and that appealed to him in farming.

“And I thought, I can do that in the bank,” Mick said.

His parents refinanced the family farm to help fund the purchase and in 1978, at the age of 31, Mick became the owner and president of the one-location, $8 million-assets community bank.

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JIM HEEMSTRA

While other banks nationwide were “loosening the ropes” and giving risky loans, Mick Guttau refused to compromise.

“I always say it’s because I didn’t know any better,” Mick said. “But it also took some courage.”

Soon after, the 1980s farm crisis hit.

Already heavily loaned up and in debt, TS Bank was nearly destroyed. When the two nearest community banks closed, everyone was, according to Mick, “waiting for the new kid on the block to close, too.”

Mick still considers the farm crisis to be TS Bank’s biggest threat in his 35 years as owner. He credits the bank’s survival to community support.

“When we had difficult situations with farm families, those families worked with us to get through it in the best way possible,” Mick said.

TS Bank had only one bankruptcy during that time – a young man who walked into Mick’s office years later and apologized.

“He said, ‘I should have listened to you,’” Mick said. “And we’re friends to this day.”

As TS Bank grew, it quickly became a Guttau family business. Judy began marketing the bank and is now director of community reinvestment and secretary of the board.

Their daughter, Heidi Guttau-Fox, an attorney, is on the board of directors. And their son, Joshua Guttau (L)(’99 animal science, MBA ’01), joined the staff in 2003 and assumed the role of president and CFO in 2007.

TS Bank expanded to include four branches and 75 employees. Recently, the bank earned recognition as a top workplace in Iowa for small businesses.

Through the decades, Mick says he never considered selling the bank. “I’ve had a lot of offers,” he said. “Not many lately, because

I think people are aware that we’re committed and we’re growing.”

HISTORIC OPPORTUNITIES

In 2007-08, the United States experienced an economic decline that led to the worst recession since the Great Depression. At the core of the crisis were the nation’s banks.

TS Bank was an exception – managing to not only avoid the financial crisis but to actually profit from it.

About two years before the crisis hit, the senior staff at TS Bank felt a recession heading toward them. They began to position the bank, relying on the experience of Mick and others who endured the farm crisis.

“They never changed their credit standards; they always held good-quality lending practices,” Josh said.

While other banks nationwide were “loosening the ropes” and giving risky loans, Mick refused to accept credit scores less than 660.

“We’d hear people say ‘you’re outdated’ or ‘you’re missing the boat,’” Josh said. “And 12 months later is when everything blew up and proved that the ‘old geezer’ was right.”

For Mick, it was about protecting the bank as well as protecting the clients.

“If it’s not a sound financial decision and a solid loan, it’s really not good for the community or for the borrower,” Mick said.

“You’re doing a disservice by making them a loan that they shouldn’t have.”

He says they ensure that there’s enough cash flow and income being generated to service the debt, so their clients are never forced to sell the family farm or business.

“We never moved anybody off their farm,” said Mick, whose still lives on his own 135-year-old family farm. “My objective was WINTER 2014 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

to keep those people in their homes.”

Mick also wanted to protect the community.

“If [families] sell out, then they would likely move somewhere else, then we’d lose them in the community,” he said. “So the school, the churches, and the retailers start losing that family’s business.”

Mick and Josh didn’t dodge the financial crisis simply by avoiding risks, however. In fact, they sought out new opportunities.

“If you don’t take risks in a bank, you don’t make money,” Josh said. TS Bank just picked “different types of risks” within the bank.

Josh says most community bank presidents get their start as loan officers, so they tend to focus on lending. Josh’s experience, however, came from the trust department at First National Bank.

“I’m more interested in capital markets,” he said. So while other banks were putting their deposits back into loans, TS Bank was looking into investments.

“We made the bond portfolio a second focus of our bank,” Mick said. “So we have the loans; we have the bonds. We look at both of them in great detail and analyze them.”

Josh says this gave the bank a “second arm to the business,” instead of simply generating loans.

“It’s not just traditional banking,” Josh said. “It’s risk management; it’s finance management.”

When Lehman Brothers failed in September 2008 and the financial markets exploded, TS Bank was able to reposition its balance sheet to capture what Josh calls “historic opportunities in the bond markets.”

“We had prepared,” Josh said. “Other

Each year, TS Bank has dedicated 10 percent of its pre-tax profits to community reinvestment and charitable donations.

banks didn’t take advantage of it because they didn’t have the systems in place to identify the opportunity and manage it in an appropriate way.”

Those opportunities generated profits for TS Bank, which were put back into technology, employees, and facilities for the bank.

Mick and Josh don’t take all the credit for TS Bank’s success during the crisis. Neighboring Omaha had one of the most stable economies in the nation during the recession, which gave TS Bank an advantage. Josh says if they had implemented their same philosophy in a different city, the bank could have failed.

“So some of it is definitely geography or luck,” Josh said.

Mick adds that the majority of nearby banks are also doing “OK.” “It’s just that there were opportunities offered in the financial crisis that we capitalized on,” Mick said. “We did better than OK.” COMMUNITY FIRST

Today, TS Bank’s success is reflected on Treynor. The bank has become a central part of the community, reinvesting a great portion of its profits into local programs and organizations.

After Josh became president, he met Mick and Judy for lunch one day. While discussing how much of the bank’s profits should be given back to the community, they each wrote numbers on their napkins. When they flipped the napkins over, they had all written the same amount: 10 percent.

Each year since then, TS Bank has dedicated 10 percent of its pre-tax profits to community reinvestment and charitable donations.

One program TS Bank has funded is a K-12 financial literacy program for the Treynor school district. Students learn about investing, credit, loans, entrepreneurship, and more. Elementary students even have an in-school bank to deposit money for savings.

Another project TS Bank is helping sponsor is the new Treynor Family Recreational Complex, which will feature baseball and softball diamonds, soccer fields, and a pool.

“There are a lot of businesses out there that extract from the community,” Josh said.

“I would hope that people look at our bank and just know that we’re going to support the community.”

The Guttaus are involved outside the bank, too. Mick and Judy both participate in their church, local groups, and community boards. Mick has served on the ISU Alumni Association Board of Directors and as the superintendent of banking for the state of Iowa, and he is currently on the ISU Athletics Council. He still enjoys flying, and he has five tractors on his 80-acre farm, which is located within a few miles of their children and grandchildren.

Mick has no plans to retire any time soon.

As long as he’s able, he wants to continue to be involved and work to develop the bank and community.

“This is our hobby,” Josh said.

The past 35 years – buying the bank at age 31, surviving the farm crisis, and then thriving through the financial crisis – has been “a great education,” Mick says.

“It’s just been a continuous challenge.”

Kayla Schantz Choate is a 2012 ISU graduate with a degree in journalism and mass communication, international studies, and Spanish. She lives in Des Moines and works as a freelance journalist.

“It’s not just traditional banking.

It’s risk management; it’s finance management.”

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2012-2013

ANNUAL REPORT Message from the Chair DEAR MEMBERS: American cowboy and humorist Will Rogers once said, “Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

As the 93rd Iowa State graduate to serve as chair of the Iowa State University Alumni Association’s Board of Directors, I chose to highlight this pearl of wisdom with the board and staff because I believe it embodied opportunities we were well-positioned to capitalize upon over the past year. Thanks to the tremendous leadership of past board chairs, board members, board associates, and the incredible staff and leadership of the Association, the state of our organization is strong and getting stronger. I have been continually impressed by the manner in which members of the Association team carry out the mission with creativity, generosity, and professionalism.

This year, our Association sought to provide firm support to President Leath’s vision and goals for the university while continuing to strengthen the financial health of the Association. In addition, in an effort to not just “sit on the tracks,” we endeavored to enhance the culture of innovation and use of new technologies to further serve, communicate with, and connect ISU alumni, students, friends, and ISUAA members. We also set out to examine our board structure

and meetings, to ensure that the many talents of ISUAA board members are being fully utilized in the effort to support the Association and the university. Those efforts will help enrich the long-term health of our Association.

The Association has had a great year and remains the secondlargest dues-paying membership alumni association in the Big 12 Conference. We also salute the university on its many exciting outcomes, such as record enrollments, successful fundraising, and winning athletics. Under the leadership of Dr. Leath, Iowa State is continuing to make steady progress. Again, it’s been a thrilling year, and the future looks even brighter.

I was truly humbled and uplifted by the experience of service as chair. I am proud to be an Iowa Stater and honored to have had a small part in helping guide and support this university we all love so dearly.

Thank you for the incredible honor of being part of this amazing Association and for being part of the Cyclone family.

Sincerely, Scott Stanzel (’95 Jlmc), chair ISUAA Board of Directors

›› WHO BELONGS TO THE ISU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION? JUNE 30, 2013

Non-alumni friends: 14%

1930s: .2% 2010s: 4.1% 2000s: 8.8%

International: 1% Iowa: 45%

1990s: 15.9%

Students: 1 1%

Total Alumni Association members: 50,322

Alumni: 75%

Out of state: 54%

1980s: 24.9%

1940s: 2.5% 1950s: 8.1%

1960s: 13.4% 1970s: 22.1%

Student Alumni Association members: 5,627 Total living alumni: 231,656

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BY AFFILIATION

BY LOCATION

BY DECADE OF GRADUATION

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Your Lifetime Link The “Your Lifetime Link” membership campaign continues to move forward with an emphasis on the positive impact the Association and membership has on communicating and enhancing the excellence of Iowa State University and all Iowa Staters.

In FY13 we welcomed more than 400 new Life members, bringing our total number of Life members to 24,177!

We invite you to upgrade your Annual membership today at www.isualum.org/join

Wall of Alumni and Friends expands Thanks to generous gifts from Patricia “Patty” Yungclas (L) (’48 child dev.) of Webster City, Iowa, Gene and Richard “Dick” Johnson (A) of Ames, Iowa, and two area businesses, Story Construction and Nelson Electric, the introduction of Phase II of the Wall of Alumni and Friends was a huge success. The original Wall sold out in just over four years. Phase II of the Wall extends both north and south of the original Wall and has added an additional 2,300 spaces for all Iowa Staters to include their stories, or those of friends or family members. (Update: As of 12-01-2013, only 1,500 spaces on Phase II remain. Reserve your space now at www.isualum.org/wall)

2012-2013 Board of Directors Front row: Scott M. Stanzel (’95 journalism and mass communication; Seattle, Wash.), chair; Joy Wiegman Boruff (’76 home economics journalism; Moline, Ill.); Thea “Ted” Oberlander (’77 industrial administration/accounting; Des Moines, Iowa), vice chair of finance; James DeLano (’87 DVM veterinary medicine; San Ramon, Calif.); Rebecca Stadlman (’74 journalism/mass communication; Ankeny, Iowa); Carlie C. Tartakov (’95 PhD educational leadership and policy studies; Amherst, Mass.); Natasha Thomas (’89 marketing; Scottdale, Ga.); Sam Behrens (senior, history; Waverly, Iowa), Student Alumni Leadership Council representative; Melanie J. Reichenberger (’00 industrial engineering; Shorewood, Wis.), vice chair of records. Second row: Lora Talbot (Belmond, Iowa), non-alumni representative; Jeffery W. Johnson (ISU Alumni Association president, CEO, and publisher; Ames, Iowa), ex-officio/ non-voting; Ryan Schon (’95 agronomy; Ankeny, Iowa); Miles Lackey (Ames, Iowa), ISU president’s designee, Alan E. Krysan (’87 ag business; Lakeville, Minn.); Craig Denny (’71 civil engineering; M.S. ’73 soil engineering; Lenexa, Kan.). Third row: Ryan York (’95 marketing; MBA ’03; West Des Moines, Iowa); Richard Degner (’72 agricultural education, M.S. ’77; Ankeny, Iowa). FOURTH ROW: Craig R. Foss (’71 industrial engineering; Fairfield, Iowa), immediate past chair; Warren R. Madden (’61 industrial engineering; Ames, Iowa), treasurer; ex-officio/voting; Billi Hunt (’93 housing; Urbandale, Iowa). Back row: Duane A. Halverson (’67 ag business; M.S. ’69; New Brighton, Minn.); Ana Hays (’84 fashion merchandising; Menlo Park, Calif.); David Alan VanHorn (’90 MS aerospace engineering; Kingwood, Texas), chair-elect. Not pictured: Melea Reicks Licht (’00 public service & admin in ag; M.S. ’05; Roland, Iowa), ISU Alumni Relations Council representative; Michelle Moseman Miller (’98 computer science; Lenexa, Kan.); Timothy C. Becker (’94 construction engineering; Ames, Iowa); Kay Kretschmar Runge (’69 history education; Davenport, Iowa); Nicole Bell Schmidt (’09 construction engineering; Denver, Colo.)

A special thank-you to our sponsors Sponsorships, financial and in-kind, are central to the ongoing success of the Alumni Association as it works to support students, alumni, friends, and university-related programs. FY13 was a success because of the awesome support and sponsorship the Association received from the following businesses and groups: ISU Alumni Association Programs

Golf Outing Sponsors

Green Hills Retirement Community Gateway Hotel & Conference Center Iowa State University Book Store The Greater Des Moines Partnership Liberty Mutual Insurance Marsh Affinity Services Bickford Assisted Living Northcrest Community Kaplan Test Prep Central Iowa Symphony ISU Memorial Union Olde Main Brewing Company

100th Homecoming Sponsors Iowa State University Marketing Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau

Green Hills Retirement Community Party Time Events Clapper Corporation Mel & Kathy Weatherwax Judy & Bill Hoefle Hedlin Ag Enterprises Northwest Bank Snyder & Associates Legacy Bank LMC Insurance Van Wall The Millhollin-Hensen Group at RBC Wealth Management Danfoss Johnson Controls NIROD Corp, Inc Alumni Force LLC Jay & Karen Chapman Iowa Credit Union League Grinnell Mutual

To learn more about the Association’s sponsorship options or to become an Alumni Association sponsor, please go to www.isualum. org/sponsorship or contact Jenny Pollard at (515) 294-9603 or email pollard@iastate.edu

To view the Association’s financial information, go to www.isualum.org/financial Veterinary Medicine: 2.6%

Interdisciplinary: .3% Agriculture & Life Sciences: 20.6%

Male: 55%

Unknown: 30.7%

Business: 12.1% Caucasian: 66.1%

Other ethnic group: .3% Asian: 1.2% Hispanic: .8% African American: .9%

Liberal Arts & Sciences: 21%

Design: 5.1%

Female: 45%

Human Sciences: 18.4% Engineering: 19.9%

BY ETHNICITY

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BY GENDER

BY COLLEGE

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Images of HOMECOMING

(Right) The ISU Cyclone Football “Varsity” Marching Band performs on the steps of the ISU Alumni Center during Homecoming Cyclone Central.

Nov. 8-9, 2013

PHOTOS BY JIM H EEMSTR A

S

tudents, alumni, and fans surrounded the ISU Alumni Center to attend Homecoming IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY festivities that included the Friday night Pep Rally and Open House, the 40th anniversary reunion of former Student Alumni Association/Student Alumni Leadership Council participants, and the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Alumni Center – including the dedication of the Talbot Hall of Alumni Association Leadership and History and the Guttau Hall of Student Leadership.

The building was full of energy and excitement, with people of all ages sharing their love for all things “Cyclone.”

ISU President Steven Leath (L) shares a laugh with Athletics Director Jamie Pollard (L) and Jon Fleming (L) (’75) at the ISU Alumni Center 5th anniversary celebration and donor reception.

The top three Yell-Like-Hell skits were performed during the Pep Rally on Friday night.

Mick (’68) and Judy (’68) Guttau (L) and their family gather in the Guttau Hall of Student Leadership.

Ardie (’67) and Don (’61) Roehr (A).

Photos of the SAA/SALC 40th ANNIVERSARY REUNION are on page 32.

Special thanks to Homecoming weekend sponsors, the University Book Store and Gateway Hotel & Conference Center.

Russ and Lora Talbot (L) stand in their namesake Talbot Hall of Alumni Association Leadership and History.

(L) = ISUAA life member (A) = annual member (S) = student member 26

Cardinal Court’s Homecoming king and queen Szuyin Leow (S) of Apple Valley, Minn., and Jake Swanson of Ottumwa, Iowa.

ISUAA President Jeff Johnson (L) speaks to the crowd during the unveiling of the ISUAA Wall of Donors and Members.

A former chair of the ISUAA Board of Directors photographs his portrait in the Talbot Hall of ISU Alumni Association Leadership and History.

The newly unveiled ISU Alumni Association Wall of Donors and Members.

(Left) Ted (’77) and Al (’75, MA ’78) Oberlander (L) and their daughter Angela share their Cyclone spirit on one of the new “Cydewalk” benches on the west side of the ISU Alumni Center.

(Below) Russ and Lora Talbot (L) at the ISU Alumni Center 5th anniversary celebration.

Jim (’93) and Wendy Anderson (L) and their children celebrate at the ISU Alumni Center 5th anniversary celebration and donor reception.

(Right) Children flocked to meet Cy at the Alumni Center open house on Friday night.

27

Michelle Donahue at Semuc Champey, a natural monument tucked away in the mountains of an isolated jungle in Guatemala.

Investing in the power to create and innovate

W

ith more than 20 percent of all undergraduate students and 50 percent of all credit hours taught in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University, one might think the college is for undergraduates only.

In fact, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers 29 doctoral programs, 36 master’s programs, and 14 interdisciplinary graduate degrees, many of which are unique to Iowa State.

One such program is the master of fine arts in Creative Writing and Environment, which Michelle Donahue was happy to discover. “I had this dual interest in environmental science and creative writing, and there are no other programs like this in the country,” said the California native, who is in her second year of the program.

A big incentive also drawing Donahue to Iowa State was the Pearl Hogrefe Fellowship she received.

“The Hogrefe Fellowship made it possible to enroll and meant I didn’t have to teach my first year, which was an incredible gift of time,” Donahue said. “I wrote as much as I could and got my first short story published.

I was even able to save money for a research trip to Guatemala for a book I’m writing, which I hope will be my thesis.”

Indeed, an overlooked reality about graduate degrees is that they can be harder to finance – and more expensive – than an undergraduate education. Often, graduate students are financially independent and leave paying jobs to return to school.

Yet many professions require the deeper knowledge and advanced expertise of higher degrees – making graduate fellowships and other support crucial in preparing tomorrow’s experts in many important fields.

One key priority for Moving Students Forward, the university’s five-year initiative to raise $150 million for scholarship support, is to create new graduate support across all colleges. According to College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Beate Schmittmann, “To give the best students the opportunity to pursue graduate degrees, it’s vitally important to provide attractive teaching and research assistantships, fellowships, and other forms of financial assistance.”

Taylor Bergquist stood out as an undergraduate student in computer science at Iowa State, and faculty hoped he would 28

continue his graduate studies here. “He is simply a brilliant student, with a rare ability to look at ideas and concepts in unique ways,” said Jim Lathrop, co-director of the Laboratory for Nanoscale Self-Assembly, where Bergquist is on his research team.

A Pragmatics Graduate Fellowship in Computer Science helped entice Bergquist to remain at Iowa State for his graduate studies. “The fellowship allows me to focus on research and not worry about details like finding funds for new equipment,” he said.

Increased support for outstanding

graduate students like Bergquist and Donahue will play a key role in ensuring the best students are drawn to Iowa State – and leave with a minimum of debt, allowing them to focus on meaningful careers.

“These are the future thought leaders and innovators,“ Schmittmann said, ”who will continue to explore and enhance the human condition and our world.”  Learn more at: www.movingstudentsforward.com

WINTER 2014 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

Newsmakers I O WA S TAT E A L U M N I I N T H E N E W S

 RAGBRAI run

While more than 10,000 bicyclists pedaled 423 miles across Iowa the last week of July 2013 as part of RAGBRAI XLI, Richard Kresser (’09 civil engineering) chose to do it the hard way: He ran.

for lavish weddings and events.” Her client list includes Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, Drew Barrymore, Richard Simmons, and Jennifer Aniston.  Iowan to lead bankers’

association

Jeff Plagge (L) (’78 agricultural business), president and CEO of Northwest Financial Corp. in Arnolds Park, Iowa, is the new chairman of the American Bankers Association (ABA). The Latimer, Iowa, native was raised on a soybean and corn farm. He previously served as vice chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based ABA. Plagge was featured in the Des Moines Register in August 2013, where he discussed The 27-year-old Raymond, Iowa, native averaged three to four hours of sleep a night and ran between 12 and 20 hours a day. He alternated among four pairs of running shoes and ate breakfast burritos and other food from vendors along the RAGBRAI route, plus energy supplements to help get him through. As he finished the race in Fort Madison, he told the Des Moines Register, “Now that I’m done, the body is like, ‘OK, let’s move on to something else, like a couch.’”

A few months later, he told VISIONS, “RAGBRAI was definitely an adventure!

I went through many different emotions, from pure elation to utter desperation and defeat. I was proud to raise over $20,000 for the Iowa Veterans Home with the help of my team and everyone involved.”

Kresser is an engineer for the U.S. Army in Seattle, Wash. He recently ran the 93-mile Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier in just over 27 hours.  Kimm Birkicht, celebrity florist

Los Angeles Magazine featured “petal pusher” Kimm Birkicht (’80 sociology) in its September 2013 issue. Birkicht grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and moved to L.A. in her 20s.

After designing window displays at Nieman Marcus and serving as art director at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, the magazine says Birkicht opened the Velvet Garden and “became the go-to florist

topics ranging from “Too Big to Fail” banks, running a community-based bank, the farmland price bubble, and his agenda as ABA chairman.  Promoting women’s basketball

Teresa Kuehn Gould (L) (’90 journalism & mass comm), the deputy director of athletics and chief of staff at the University of California Berkeley, was honored in March with the 2013 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Administrator of the Year Award. The award is presented annually to an athletic director, associate or assistant athletic director, or senior female administrator who has excelled at encouraging the growth and quality of women’s basketball programs and women’s athletics programs overall. Gould is in her 12th year at Cal-Berkeley. Her four siblings and her father are also graduates of Iowa State.

 Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame

Physician Deborah Ann Turner (L) (’73 distributed studies) was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame last August.

Turner was the first African-American woman to be certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the specialty of gynecologic oncology and to be hired as a gynecological oncologist at the University of Nebraska, University of Iowa, and Medical College of Wisconsin. In 2000, Turner moved to Des Moines and became director of gynecologic oncology at Mercy Cancer Center, where she currently continues her practice.

In addition to making contributions in her field of medicine, Turner has made civic responsibility a high priority, including serving on the Board of Regents, State of Iowa (while simultaneously pursuing her law degree), and as vice president of the League of Women Voters of Iowa and president for the Metro League of Women Voters in Des Moines. She is a former member of the ISU Alumni Association Board of Directors. The late Barbara Mack (’74 journalism), an award-winning media law professor at Iowa State, was also inducted. The Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women.  Top doc

Mark Neustrom (L) (’79 zoology), a specialist at Kansas City Allergy & Asthma, was recently named a 2013 US News & World Report/Castle Connolly Top Doctor. Neustrom is a board-certified allergy, asthma, and immunology physician. He joined KCAA in 1994 and practices at its Overland Park and Lee’s Summit offices. Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. is a healthcare research and information company. Its physician-led research team reviews and screens the credentials of tens of thousands of physicians each year who are nominated by their peers. The physicians selected as Top Doctors are considered to be among the best in their respective medical specialties.

WINTER 2014 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

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Reservations call: 515.296.6848 or 800.433.3449 mu.iastate.edu/hotel

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Ken Bonus (L )(’85), Beth Ro uzer Wooster (L)(’ 84), and Larr y Wooster (L)(’82).

Brad Matt (L)(’ 02), Chad Harris (L )(’01), and Paxton Wi lliams (L)(’00).

er Croll 2), Abby Thay ers Saron (’0 Ev hs (L) a ic nd er Li Fr ), h sc n (’02, MPA ’10 ), Lisa Kolla ro 05 Sa )(’ n ), and (L to e 02 en nk )(’ Br t War vy Snyder (L rea Rheinhar eggan McIlra M ), (L)(’02), And 04 )(’ (L Guggisberg (’03), Angie 03).

Nichols (L)(’ er Bo De ra Sa

SAASALC SAASALC 40 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP LEADERSHIP

     

     

), Amy Lander ann Swanson (L)(’96 Front row: Jen Gelbm nberger (L) che Rei son der An lanie Williams (L)(’98), Me ), Ann ’03 A MB , an York (L)(’95 (’00). Second row: Ry yer Matre (L) Me a Lis ), (’94 (L) n Brinkman Carstense tre (L)(’97).

Galvin (A)(’96), Jay Ma (’96), Jenn Plagmande Krol Van e ayn il (L)(’96), Dw Back row: Sarah Uchyt ), and Jeremy ’00 A MB , (’96 (L) s (L)(’93), Murray William ).

Galvin (A)(’97, MS ’09

* (A) ISUAA Annual member ** (L) ISUAA Life member *** (S) SAA member

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Katie Gieseke (A)(’ 10) and Er in McKeown Heer en (L)(’05).

PHOTOS: JIM HEEMSTRA

A

mild, late-fall weekend provided the backdrop as more than 120 alumni returned to campus to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Student Alumni Association/ Student Alumni Leadership Council. The event was held on Homecoming weekend, Nov. 8-9.

“We had great weather, despite the wind, and it was nice and toasty in our tent while SAA/ SALC members reminisced about their time here,” Shellie Andersen (L)(’88), ISUAA director of alumni travel and student programs and one of the reunion organizers, said. “Everyone had Shellie Anderson (L)(’88), Sam a chance to browse through memorabilia and Behrens (S), Brittany Kuntz (S), pictures from the past 40 years.” and Kurt Beyer (L)(’04).

Alumni, many of whom brought their families along, traveled from as far away as Washington.

The Student Alumni Association was started in 1973 SAA/SALC by the ISU Alumni Association; the organization’s name was REUNION COMMITTEE changed to Student Alumni Leadership Council in 2000.

Randy Hertz ’76** In 40 years, more than 3,000 Iowa State students have ** Tim Coble ’77 been a part of the group. One of the goals of the weekend ** Kevin Drury ’83 was to kick off a fundraising campaign to establish a Kristyn Cassidy-Tjaden ’85** $1 million endowment to support future SALC programs Dwayne Vande Krol ’93** and events. * Jenn Plagman-Galvin ’96 ** Abby Thayer Croll ’02 Andrea Reinhart Warnke ’05** Sam Behrens, current SALC student*** Brittany Kuntz, current SALC student***

Throughout the month of April 2014 Grab your Iowa State friends and make a difference in your community this spring! Last year, 298 alumni and friends from 30 states and around the world volunteered a total of 3,226 hours during the secondannual Cy’s Days of Service. Let’s make 2014 even bigger!

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 2014

Cy’S DAYs E C I V R OF sE

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We’re Back Home!

Coming this spring: The long-awaited VISIONS Across America edition Your next issue of VISIONS magazine will be truly special – the 128-page VISIONS Across America edition – so be sure your ISUAA membership is up to date!

As an ISUAA member, you’ll receive one copy free; additional copies may be purchased at http: //store.isualum.org or by calling 877-ISU-ALUM. Order your extra copies today – just $10 ($12 for non-members) plus postage and handling. This magazine will make great gifts for friends, family, or prospective ISU students. Be sure to order extra copies to display in your home and office to show your ISU pride and showcase Iowa State University.

Read the blog Photographer Jim Heemstra and editor Carole Gieseke have traveled to all 50 states and the District of Columbia since November 2011 to showcase and celebrate Iowa State alumni.

As of October 2013 they’re happy to be back in Iowa.

Read more than 100 stories about Iowa State alumni featured in the VISIONS Across America project at www.visionsacrossamerica.com. New stories will continue to be posted throughout winter/spring 2014.

Announcing a very special art exhibition featuring photos of ISU alumni from all 50 states and the District of Columbia

VISIONS Across America P O R T R A I T S O F I O WA S TAT E A L U M N I BY J I M H E E M S T R A

Brunnier Art Museum, April 3 – August 9, 2014

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 2014

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BENTON • CEDAR • IOWA • JOHNSON • JONES • LINN • WASHINGTON PickYourPace.com

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WINTER 2014 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

2014 Distinguished Awards Celebration Congratulations to the following recipients of Iowa State University’s highest awards administered by the ISU Alumni Association and the ISU Foundation:

Awards Administered by the Iowa State University Alumni Association

Awards Administered by the Iowa State University Foundation

Distinguished Alumni Award

Campanile Award

Simin Nikbin Meydani*

Michael and Jean Steffenson**

PhD ’81 nutrition Director, Jean Mayer-USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University Boston, Mass.

Mike: ’59 chemical engineering Chairman and CEO, Parr Instrument Co. Jean: ’60 zoology Community volunteer Davenport, Iowa

Cynthia Z. F. Clark* MS ’73 statistics, PhD ’77 statistics Administrator of USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Washington, D.C.

Stephen G. Juelsgaard DVM ’72, MS ’75 veterinary clinical science Executive vice president, Genentech (retired) Woodside, Calif.

Gerald A. Kolschowsky** ’62 agricultural business Chair & co-CEO, OSI industries (retired) Downers Grove, Ill.

Cardinal and Gold Award Dr. Jon Fleming** ’75 meteorology Gastroenterologist (retired) Ames, Iowa

Corporate and Foundation Award Iowa Pork Producers Association Clive, Iowa

Faculty and Staff Award Honorary Alumni Award Jeff and Deb Hansen CEO/president, Iowa Select Farms West Des Moines, Iowa

Nancy Polster** ’60 applied art ISU associate professor emerita in art and design, College of Design Tucson, Ariz.

John T. Pesek, Jr.* ISU Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Life Sciences; Agronomy Emeritus Professor Ames, Iowa

You are invited to attend

The 2014 Distinguished Awards Ceremony * ISU Alumni Association annual member ** ISU Alumni Association life member Note: Only ISU degrees are listed

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 2014

Friday, April 11, 2014 1:30 p.m.

Sun Room, Memorial Union Reception to follow ceremony For more information: www.isualum.org/dac 37

Elegance Tradition ✧

MAKE HILTON MAGIC WHEREVER YOU ARE! Get your basketball gamewatch guide online at

www.isualum.org/gamewatch

42 0 BEACH AVE NU E • AMES, IOWA (5 1 5 ) 2 9 4 -46 2 5 W WW. I S UAL U MNIC ENTE R.O RG

Join alumni and friends for

CY’S BIRDIE CLASSIC GOLF OUTING Sponsored by Liberty Mutual Alumni Cup

Thursday, June 5 Tournament Club of Iowa 1000 Tradition Drive Polk City, Iowa

GIVEAWAYS • SILENT AUCTION PRIZES • FOOD • FUN Team prizes include merchandise from Taylormade, Adidas, Sports Vision, Polaroid, and more

Details: www.isualum.org/golf Call: 877-ISU-ALUM (478-2586) Winning team advances to the 2014 Acura College Alumni Team Championship held at Pinehurst, Oct. 5-8, 2014

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Congratulations to the winners of the 2013 Cy’s Birdie Classic – Kevin Oswald, Johnny Larson, Tyler Brady, and David Blum – who went on to become the Acura College Alumni Team Championship gross scoring champions. Go, Team Iowa State!

WINTER 2014 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Vote online for ISUAA Board of Directors…

This spring, the ISU Alumni Association Board of Directors will recommend four candidates for membership on the board. Each of these alumni will serve a four-year term.

As a member of the ISU Alumni Association, you are eligible to go online beginning in March (www.isualum.org/boardslate) to vote in this election. Names and brief biographies of the candidates will be found on this site. Ballots must be completed

by May 16 to be counted. Members may complete only one ballot.

Final results will be announced at the annual meeting during the Inspiration Awards and Annual Reception on May 30.

To request a printed copy of the ballot, please call 877-ISUALUM and request that a ballot be sent to you by mail.

… and attend the Inspiration Awards and Annual Reception Members of the ISU Alumni Association are invited to attend this year’s special Inspiration Awards and Annual Reception that will take place in the Brunnier Art Museum (Scheman Building) on May 30, 2014, at 5:30 p.m. The evening will showcase Jim Heemstra’s photos from the VISIONS Across America project.

To register, please go online at www.isualum.org/annual meeting by May 16. For more information, or to register by phone, call toll-free 1-877-ISU-ALUM. Locally, call 294-6525.

• Did you know the ISUAA offers career-related webinars? Archived presentations are also available. (See calendar, page 46.)

New representatives join Board of Directors Five individuals joined the ISU Alumni Association Board of Directors in 2013. Newly elected directors serving five-year terms are Mark D. Aljets (A)(’71 indust admin), shareholder at Nyemaster Goode, P.C., Des Moines, Iowa; Ken Bonus (L)(’85 const engr), CEO and executive manager of GuideOne Taylor Ball, West Des Moines, Iowa; Geoffrey C. Grimes (L)(’69 arch; ’70 JLMC), retired partner of StruXture Architects, Waterloo, Iowa; and Trent Preszler (L) (’98 interdisc stds), CEO of Bedell Cellars, Brooklyn, N.Y. Morgan Foldes (S), a senior in marketing and management from Johnston, Iowa, is the 2013-14 Student Alumni Leadership Council president appointee to the board.

Spotlight on career resources The ISUAA offers a variety of resources if you are looking for a job, changing your career path, or would just like some additional professional development options. Check out the two highlighted services offered below and visit www.isualum.org/career for more information.

• Did you know the ISUAA partners with the Cyclone Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management to provide free resume critiquing to all ISU alumni?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 2014

Trent Preszler, Geof Grimes, Morgan Foldes, Ken Bonus, and Mark Aljets.

Happy New Year from the Iowa State University Alumni Association staff! It’s been our pleasure to serve you in 2013, and we look forward to keeping you linked to Iowa State in 2014. To learn more about the ISU Alumni Association staff, go to www.isualum.org/staff.

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ASSO C I ATI ON N EWS

Introducing new Alumni Association staffers

Inflatable fun

Two new professionals have joined the ISU Alumni Association staff.

Katie Hartranft (A)(’09 liberal studies) is the ISU Alumni Association’s new program assistant for reunions and awards. She holds a master of higher education administration and student personnel from Kent State. Prior to joining the Association staff, she was the chapter services coordinator for Kappa Delta Sorority. Originally from St. Charles, Ill., Hartranft currently coordinates the annual Alumni Days 50-year reunion event for the ISU Alumni Association and oversees special interest societies. She can also be contacted regarding assistance with planning reunions.

Susan Pratt (A) has been named the ISUAA program assistant for communications, OLLI at ISU, and ISU Retirees. Pratt is a graduate of Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., where she achieved her master’s degree in library and information science in 2006.

A Grand Rapids, Mich., native, Pratt has worked in libraries in South Dakota and in Milford, Iowa. In her current position she will be assisting the communications team, heading up the memorabilia collection for the ISU Alumni Center, and working with the OLLI at ISU and ISU Retirees programs.

CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF

Cyclone Central tailgates became slightly larger-than-life this fall thanks to a new giant, inflatable Cy donated by John and Shirley (’71 home ec ed) Knipfel (L). If you missed it this year, be sure to stop by the ISU Alumni Center next fall – Cyclone Central begins three hours before each home game, with food, fun, football on the big screens, and lots of Cardinal & Gold camaraderie. Watch for “Inflatable Cy” to make appearances at other special events.

1964

May 15 -17, 2014 ATTENTION, CLASS OF 1964: The ISU Alumni Association has exciting activities planned for your 50-year class reunion!

Graduates of the classes of 1959, 1954, 1949, 1944, 1939, and 1934 are also invited to attend Alumni Days for their milestone recognition on May 16.

Registration materials will be mailed in February.

If you have questions about the reunion, please contact Katie Hartranft at khartran@iastate.edu or (877) 478-2586.

For information and to register for Alumni Days, go to www.isualum.org/alumnidays2014

Thank you to our Alumni Days 2014 sponsor: Green Hills Retirement Community

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WINTER 2014 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

CHOOSE THE ACTIVE AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLE AT GREEN HILLS Green Hills is a retirement community but, like you, we’re not the retiring type. We have the amenities, activities and services you need to stay healthy and active. Enjoy the privacy and comfort of your own home while building equity and creating financial security for your future.

Independent Living • Apartments or Town Homes A Continuum of Health Care • Wellness Center Assisted Living • Skilled Nursing 2200 HAMILTON DRIVE AMES, IOWA 50014-8209 (515) 296-5000 visit us at www.greenhillsrc.com

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 2014

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PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT 1.

2.

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Publication Title: VISIONS Publication Number: 1071-5886 Filing Date: 9/16/13 Issue Frequency: Quarterly Number of Issues Published Annually: 4 Annual Subscription Rate: Annual membership dues ($57) Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: Iowa State University Alumni Association, 420 Beach Ave., Ames, IA 50011-1430. Contact person: Carole Gieseke.

Telephone (515) 294-6560 Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: Same as No. 7 above Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Jeffery W. Johnson, Publisher; Carole Gieseke, Editor; Kate Bruns, Managing Editor / 420 Beach Ave. / Ames, IA 50011-1430 Owner: Iowa State University Alumni Association (same address as No. 9 above) Known Bondholders, Mortages, and Other Security Holders Owning 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None Tax Status: The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes has not changed during the preceding 12 months Publication Title: VISIONS Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: Fall 201 3 Extent and Nature of Circulation: Average No. Copies Each Issue No. Copies of Single Issue During Preceding 12 Months Published Nearest to Filing Date a. Total Number of Copies: 34,858 35,066 b. Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (1) Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscribers: 32,809 33,014 (2) In-county Paid/Requested Mail Subscribers: 0 0 (3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS: 0 0 (4) Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS: 277 278 c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 33,086 33,292 d. Nonrequested Distribution (1) Outside County Nonrequested Copies: 0 0 (2) In-County Nonrequested Copies: 0 0 (3) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS

by Other Classes of Mail: 0 0 (4) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail: 1,099 1,099 e. Total Nonrequested Distribution: 1,099 1,099 f. Total Distribution: 34,185 34,391 g. Copies not Distributed: 673 675 h. Total: 34,858 35,066 i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 96.78% 96.8%

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 2014

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Sports

by Kate Bruns

KBRUNS@IASTATE.EDU

CARRYING ON After wrestling through the toughest season of his life, Cyclone Kyven Gadson enters 2014 inspired by his Dad’s legacy

O

ne of the best pieces of advice Kyven Gadson ever got from his wrestling coach, who was also his father, was never to let outside distractions affect him on the mat. “’Clear your mind, come in here, and try to get better.’ That’s one thing he always said,” Kyven remembers about Willie Gadson (’77 phys ed).

Last wrestling season, Dad’s advice was put to the ultimate test. Kyven faced the 2012-2013 season knowing Willie could die any day of lung and bone cancer, would be unable to come watch him wrestle in person, and — because he was also his son’s longtime coach — believed wholeheartedly that Kyven should focus on his wrestling and not worry about “Pops” back in Waterloo.

When you come into the wrestling room, anything that’s going on outside of it, don’t bring it in.

Those words gnawed at the injury- and tonsillitis-plagued sophomore as he fought through the season, collecting wins at 197 pounds that he knew would make his dad, a two-time Cyclone All-American and Big Eight champ, proud.

“The last time he saw me wrestle in person was against Old Dominion on Nov. 25, 2012,” Kyven said. “Then, after that, he just kept telling me not to come home.

You know, during the season there’s a tournament every weekend and I wanted to come back home, but he didn’t want me to. He wanted me to focus on wrestling.”

So Gadson focused on wrestling, continuing to fight through the pain of illnesses and injuries and continuing to rack up victories. He placed fourth at the Midlands Championships in December.

February rolled around, and Gadson was undefeated in dual meets. The Cyclones 44

were playing host to Arizona State Feb. 1, and one of the Sun Devils’ assistant coaches had wrestled for Willie Gadson at Eastern Michigan University. So, while he was in Iowa, he traveled up to Waterloo to see Willie.

“I was going to go with him, but I had class,” Kyven said. “He posted a picture on Facebook [of the visit] that I saw right before the meet, and what I saw wasn’t my dad. I hadn’t seen my dad since November, and now his neck was really skinny and his eyes looked big and I felt so bad about myself because I hadn’t been home.”

As soon as he finished the weekend with wins over opponents from Arizona State and Oklahoma State, Kyven went home to see Willie.

“I was like, ‘Dad, you need to let me know. Every time I ask you say everything is fine, but when I saw that picture it threw me. I don’t even know how I won the matches.’ I just told my mom and dad, ‘If my wrestling falters, it falters. I don’t want this to be some abrupt thing where Dad just dies and I didn’t get to say anything or see him.’”

Renewed by the conversation with his parents, Gadson went back to Ames and focused on wrestling again. He returned to Waterloo the weekend before the Big 12 championships. That Sunday, Willie was moved to the hospital and Kyven saw the writing on the wall: The rest of his father’s life would now amount to a matter of days.

Kyven kissed Willie and told him he would bring him back a gold medal from the conference meet.

Willie Gadson watched his son’s Big 12

Although the tournament was even harder than he anticipated… Gadson felt a sense of calm and relief at its conclusion. He would have another chance next year, and his father’s wisdom would guide him through it.

matches from a hospital bed. Although he had stopped talking a few days earlier, family members say he moved with his son. He was still with them, still cheering Kyven on.

Meanwhile, in Stillwater, Okla., Kyven was having a hard time. “I won my first match and then I [drew] the Okie State kid again. But I just didn’t feel like myself,” he says. “I didn’t feel explosive. I just felt drained.” After narrowly beating his opponent, Kyven crumpled in the corner crying. “[ISU] Coach [Kevin] Jackson said, ‘You know you have permission to go home if you feel like that’s where you need to be.’

WINTER 2014 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

JIM HEEMSTRA

I think he played reverse psychology on me, though,” Kyven said, “because he knew I wouldn’t go home because that’s not where my dad would want me to be.”

Kyven remembered his last conversations with his dad and made peace. He regrouped. He won the Big 12 title. As soon as he got off the bus from Oklahoma, Kyven drove home to Waterloo, clutching his championship medal. He was able to give it to his father before he took his last breath.

“I told him, ‘Hold on if you can; we’ve got another one to get at nationals.’ He was unresponsive, but I think he heard me,” Kyven said. “I’m pretty sure he heard me.”

The week of one of Willie Gadson’s VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 2014

favorite events – the NCAA wrestling championships, he was laid to rest. Since the 2013 event was being held in Des Moines, family members and friends came from all over to honor Willie Gadson and the sport he loved. After Kyven pinned his opponent in the first match, the crowd gave an extra roar. The wrestling community is tight-knit, and they knew what Kyven was going through. They knew how proud his victory would make Willie.

Kyven finished sixth at the 2013 national championship, joining his father on the list of Cyclone All-Americans. Although the tournament was even harder than he’d anticipated and didn’t result in the national

title he’d hoped for, Gadson felt a sense of calm and relief at its conclusion. He would have another chance next year, and his father’s wisdom would guide him through it.

“Dad came from South Carolina and grew up picking watermelons, picking cotton,” Kyven said. “He didn’t come from the best background; his parents were divorced, and putting food on the table was a struggle.

Thanks to my dad, I always had clothes on my back and food on the table. He always told me to work hard. He didn’t raise me to make excuses and say ‘I can’t focus because my dad died.’ If you only see the negative, you can’t get positive out.”

“I’m just trying to get positives.”  45

 Alumni events

CA

Calendar INA RD

L AND GO LD

Feb. 14: Cardinal & Gold Gala April: Cy’s Days of Service May 15-17: Alumni Days class reunions May 30: ISUAA Inspiration Awards & Annual Reception June 5: Cy’s Birdie Classic golf outing

2014

 Events in the

ISU Alumni Center Feb. 14-15: ISUAA Board of Directors winter meeting April 12: VEISHEA open house April 12: Wall of Alumni & Friends Memorial Service April 25-26: Young Alumni Council spring meeting May 10: ISUAA commencement reception May 26: ISU Retirees Memorial Day ceremony May 30: ISUAA Board of Directors meeting

 On campus Jan. 13: Spring semester classes begin April 5: ISU Fashion Show April 7-13: VEISHEA May 9: Graduate commencement May 10: Undergraduate commencement

 Cyclone Athletics March 7-10: Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament in Oklahoma City, Okla., with ISUAA spirit gatherings March 12-15: Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament in Kansas City, Mo., with ISUAA spirit gatherings

BOOK NOW!

 Arts and entertainment Through May 9: Illuminating Perception: Explorations of Light and Shadow by Mac Adams, Christian Petersen Art Museum Jan. 26: Cinderella, A Storybook Ballet Production, Moscow Festival Ballet, Stephens Jan. 28: The Addams Family, Stephens Feb. 14: Béla Fleck, Abigail Washburn & Del McCoury Band, Stephens March 13: The TEN Tenors on Broadway, Stephens March 24: Australian Chamber Orchestra, Stephens March 26: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Stephens March 28: Brunnier in Bloom April 3 – Aug. 9: VISIONS Across America portrait exhibit, Brunnier Art Museum April 10: Disney’s Beauty & the Beast, Stephens April 25: Bring It On: The Musical, Stephens May 4: Mamma Mia! Stephens

 Awards Feb. 1: Award nominations due for Homecoming 2014 awards* April 11: Distinguished Awards Celebration May 30: Inspiration Awards & Annual Reception *For criteria and to submit a nomination for ISUAA awards: www.isualum.org/awards

Jan. 14: OLLI at ISU winter classes begin Feb. 13: OLLI at ISU spring open house March 17: OLLI at ISU spring classes begin

 Find more events online

Jan. 9: ISUAA career webinar: Career Entrepreneurism Feb. 5: ISUAA career webinar: Career Exploration Feb. 5: College of Ag & Life Sciences career fair Feb. 11: Engineering career fair Feb. 12: Business, industry & technology career fair

 Alumni travel

ISUAA career webinars are free and are held 7-8 p.m. central time. Go to www.isualum. org/webinars for more information.

 Lifelong learning

 Career resources

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Feb. 27: Design career fair March 5: ISUAA career webinar: Networking April 2: ISUAA career webinar: Leadership May 7: ISUAA career webinar: Twitter June 4: ISUAA career webinar: Job Search

Campus Calendar: http://event.iastate.edu/ ISU Alumni Association: www.isualum.org/ calendar Cyclone Athletics: www.cyclones.com Department of Music and ISU Theatre: www.las.iastate.edu/newnews/arts/isuarts. shtml Reiman Gardens: www.reimangardens.com Iowa State Center: www.center.iastate.edu University Museums: www.museums. iastate.edu Lectures: www.lectures.iastate.edu/ VEISHEA: www.veishea.iastate.edu

Scandinavian Odyssey Aug. 21 – Sept. 6, 2014 Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, and Norway’s fjord country ST. LOUIS

American Queen: Autumn in America’s Heartland Oct. 3-1 1, 2014 Minnesota to Missouri along the Mississippi River

Polar Bears Oct. 30 – Nov. 4, 2014 Wildlife expedition in Churchill, Manitoba

For a complete list of 2014 Traveling Cyclones tours, go to www.isualum.org/travel2014

WINTER 2014 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

Iowa State University Alumni Center 420 Beach Avenue Ames, Iowa 50011-1430

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