Foundations - fall/winter 2010

potter spoof alumni cast their spell in

foundations

A publication for alumni & friends of indiana university south Bend | Fall/Winter 2010

a message from the chancellor Dear Friends, I am always amazed at the talent, creativity and determination of the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Indiana University South Bend. When they put their minds to something, they do it.

This issue of Foundations highlights some of those people.

Tim Richardson and Michael Kouroubetes are two IU South Bend graduates who have turned South Bend into the Hollywood of spoof movie-making. Their latest release, “Harvey Putter and the Ridiculous Premise,” follows on the heels of “Dork of the Rings” a spoof of “Lord of the Rings.” They use humor, creativity, and ingenuity to take on the Hollywood blockbusters.

Henry Scott, associate professor of physics and astronomy, decided he wanted to see the geological formations he talked about in class, so he got on his bicycle. This summer he rode from coast-to-coast by himself, writing on his blog, taking pictures and making friends along the 4,600 mile journey. He had a great adventure and his students will benefit.

Bill Firstenberger earned a master’s degree at IU South Bend and it has led him to a historic mansion in his hometown of Elkhart. He is executive director of Ruthmere which is both a house and art museum. He sees history as part of the future of Elkhart.

There are also stories about the growth of student life on campus, two new deans, and a look back at the emotional dedication ceremony of the Engman Natatorium in South Bend.

I hope you enjoy this issue of Foundations, as we continue to bring you stories about the wonderful people that make IU South Bend a special place.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Una Mae Reck | Chancellor

Administration & Staff Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs & University Advancement Ilene Sheffer Director of Alumni Affairs Jeanie Metzger, BS’74 Assistant Director of Alumni Affairs Kelly Miller, MSW’13 Director of Communications & Marketing Ken Baierl, MLS’09 Writer & Editor Kathy Borlik, BA’79 Art Direction, Production & Design Melissa Wise, BA’97 Photography Kathy Borlik, Matt Cashore, Sara Lowe, Henry Scott and other photos provided IU South Bend Alumni Association Board Members President Philip Mark, BA’84 Secretary Margaret J. Ridenour, AS’99, BS’01, MPA’05 Treasurer Christine Pochert Ringle, MSBA’86, MBA’88 Past President Durleen Braasch, BGS’83 At Large Members Francois Bayingana, MS’95 Kris M. Langel, BS’03 Shawn Todd, MBA’10 Division & School Representatives Vince Sgambelluri, BS’07, Business Perla Hernandez, AS’04, Dental Hygiene Alma Powell, BS’70, MS’72, Education Kasi Bolden, BGS’94, MS’01, General Studies Laura Midkiff, MLS’10, Liberal Arts Norma Napoli, BSN’95, Nursing Ex officio Members *Chad Crabtree, BA’98 *Chris Craft, BS’89 *Carol J. Evans, BS’73 *Larry Lentych, BS’69 *Linda McDougal, MPA’84 *Doreen Pienkowski, AS’99 *Lucky Reznik, MSBA’75 *Mary Beth Ryan, BGS’99 *Ex officio members representing non-academic constituencies.

Student Alumni Representative Roxanne Sirhan

FOUNDATIONS is published twice a year by the Office of Communications & Marketing at Indiana University South Bend. It is distributed to alumni and friends of the university. Please send comments, class notes, and story ideas to Kathy Borlik at kborlik@iusb.edu.

A publication for alumni & friends of indiana university south Bend | FALL/winter 2010

foundations 10

2

14

18

24

in this issue 2

10

14

Scott’s Great Road Trip

by Kathy Borlik

Alumni Cast Their Spell

by Kathy Borlik

Ruthmere Looks Forward

by Kathy Borlik

18

24

Casino Night

by Ken Baierl

New Leadership

by Kathy Borlik

foundations | 2

Scott’s great

road trip

from washington state to maine

idaho | illinois | indiana | iowa | maine | minnesota | montana | new hampshire | new york | north dakota | ohio | ontario | pennsylvania | washington

foundations | 3

July 25, 2010 ..............................................................................................

The Great Grasshopper Menace of 2010

Filed under: Montana, Section 03 — Henry Scott @ 8:00 pm

Not even the sky would provide something worth writing about — there literally wasn’t a cloud in the sky this morning. Before long I found myself falling into the trap of just staring at long stretches of Highway 2, noting how slowly the miles were adding up on my speedometer and frankly, for the first time on this trip, not enjoying the ride. That is until I noticed the grasshoppers. They’re everywhere! All along the roadside, flying through the air and, frequently, smacking into my legs and occasionally my face while riding. As I rode along the shoulder they would launch out of my way in every direction.Their presence quickly transitioned from a nuisance to a fascination. I’ve never seen so many, and I’m eager to learn what factors cause so many to emerge, after over a decade, at the same time. Is it temperature? The late rains? A combination of factors, or simply time?

So what did you do on your summer vacation? Small day trips or a couple of weeks away from home? A stay cation in the backyard? Or a great adventure on a 27-speed bicycle?

Henry Scott, 37, opted for the last option. Scott, who is an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, started his solo bike journey in Anacortes, Wash., on July 8 and concluded his 4,600 plus miles trip in Bar Harbor, Maine, on Sept. 8.

“The final numbers: 4,631 miles in 56 days of riding, averaging 82.7 miles per day, at an average speed of 12.5 miles per hour. The average daily mileage does not reflect my seven rest days: five in South Bend and two in the North East,” he wrote on his blog page.

He also estimated that he ate between 4,000 and 6,000 calories a day.

Along the way, he studied rock formations, wildlife and people. He visited national parks, diners and campgrounds. He kept a blog at hpscott.wordpress.com that detailed his journey. His words and photos were transmitted via an iPad. The blog captured the essence of the trip with descriptions of the characters he met along the way, often other bike riders or folks he started to talk to in small towns and rest stops.

He wrote about the breakfasts he ate (sometimes two breakfasts per day) and the beauty of the northern tier of the United States. His photos often made you stop each day and reconsider a career as a park ranger. Or maybe it is time to take up this biking thing and head out on the open road.

Scott said he had this idea to ride across the country in his teens. His stops in the national parks would give him first-hand knowledge for his geology of the national parks course at IU South Bend.

July 30, 2010 ..............................................................................................

August 6, 2010 ..............................................................................................

Filed under: North Dakota, Section 04 — Henry Scott @ 8:00 pm

Filed under: Minnesota, Section 05, Section 06 — Henry Scott @ 1:59 pm

Stuck in the Middle

I applied my brakes hard enough, in a panic, to lock my rear wheel in a skid for the first time this morning. Not to avoid a collision with a motorist, but because what I thought was a prairie dog crossing the road from a distance turned out to be a skunk.

(Editor Note: Fortunately, he didn’t get sprayed.) The day still went kinda badly, but for different reasons.

Like a Drifter, I was Born to Walk Alone

People often ask what I think about while biking. Some of the time my thoughts are specific and task oriented, such as where I’m going to camp, how my legs and back feel, and what my next meal will be. But, a lot of the time I think about more long-term issues such as ideas for new experiments, how to incorporate what I’m learning on this trip into my courses, etc. That said, sometimes my mind just wanders, and fairly often I get a song stuck in my head, and I’ll keep hearing (and very occasionally singing) fragments of the lyrics.

He planned the trip by taking the Adventure Cycling Association route through the northern tier of the country.

During the two months, he faced occasional sore legs, headwinds, hills, humidity, a hawk and a skunk. He had the pleasure to meet great people who gave him a front yard to camp on, something cold to drink and cookies. He got tired but things along the way brought back his spirit. There were numerous big meals at the out-of-the-way diners that served up good conversation with the pancakes.

Scott said in a phone interview from Minnesota that he is not surprised at how nice the people have been to him and that the trip was going well at that point. “I don’t want to be cocky, but I did everything right in preparing for the trip” with training and equipment.

The blog delves into the glories of geology. For example: “The sandstone quarries are interesting to me because I’ve been reading about the 550 million year old inland sea in which the sediments were deposited leading to the abundant shale, sandstone and limestone which make up the western portion of New York. These relatively weak rocks were no match for several episodes of glaciation and, accordingly, this part of New York is fairly flat. To the east, however, there are more igneous and metamorphic rocks, and their more resistant nature has preserved more topography.”

And as he ended his trip, he wrote on the blog:

“It wasn’t the risk-your-life adventure that early explorers experienced, but rather an extremely enjoyable way to meet new people, learn some history — both natural and cultural — and see the country.”

August 7, 2010 ..............................................................................................

August 28, 2010 ..............................................................................................

Filed under: Minnesota, Section 06 — Henry Scott @ 12:00 pm

Filed under: New York, Pennsylvania, Section 09, Section 10 — Henry Scott @ 5:00 pm

What If vs What Is

...Today was still a good day for non-cycling reasons. It started with breakfast at Kelly’s Kitchen in Palisade. I arrived early and could quickly tell it was a local’s place. The owner, Kelly, made me feel right at home. She knew all about the northern tier (trip) and offered to customize the menu so I could get just what I wanted.

I had a Portage Omelet, which included eggs, Swiss cheese, turkey and lots of wild rice — ­ a major local crop. The rice worked incredibly well in the omelet. I also had a short stack of sweet potato pancakes. They were big and dense, and I felt wonderfully satisfied by the meal. It was good that I spent a surprisingly large portion of the day reminiscing about it. Uh oh, now I’m thinking about it again.

Empire State

Well-rested after visiting family in North East, I had a great ride into New York (North East is just a few miles from the border), where I am again taking advantage of warm showers and staying with a host in Buffalo.

My nephew Christoffer joined me for the first fifteen miles to Jack’s restaurant — biking there for breakfast has become a tradition during family get togethers — and my parents drove to meet us, along with my niece Sofia and her friend Zoe. It was a wonderful way to start the day.

foundations | 7

why drive when you can

Bike

by Kathy Borlik

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. ~H.G. Wells Biking as a mode of transportation has a number of faculty supporters at IU South Bend. The bike owners cite convenience, parking and the environment as reasons for the two and sometime three wheeled approach to getting to campus.

Matthew Mooney is one of a number of faculty members who ride bicycles. They are a determined group who ride in almost every type of weather and laugh at parking problems or gas prices. If there is snow, put chains on the wheels. Rain isn’t a big deal.

Sometimes there are issues with bike thefts and not enough bike racks. And then there are aggressive drivers. But the good outweighs the bad.

Mooney chose to buy a home near enough campus to make the bike ride very practical – within a mile of campus. Mooney, who is a lecturer in the School of Education, is also one of the organizers of Michiana “Bike to Work Week.”

8 | foundations

The “Bike to Work Week” in June has grown in popularity in the city. Mooney said there is a strong committed group of supporters and sees good things ahead for the event with more people involved.

As for riding to campus, Mooney said he has been a bicyclist for years and was a bike mechanic as well.

He rides throughout the year and uses studded bike tires for the winter.

He said he drove his real estate agent up the wall by telling her specifically the radius to look for houses - a mile to three miles. The agent him to look at homes in Granger. However, he bought a house within a mile of campus. “On a nice day, there is nothing better and it is good for the environment.” And he feels great that he is not tied to a car. “I thumb my nose at parking problems.”

Elizabeth Bennion, associate professor of political sciences, said she won’t ride her three-wheeled bike in winter or rain. However, when the days are nice, nothing will stop her. She loads the basket in back with her laptop and books. “I have great parking under the bridge at Wiekamp.”

Gail McGuire, chair and associate sociology professor, also lives close to campus and is a one-car family. She started to bike ride after a runner’s injury and was encouraged by her husband. She finds it mentally relaxing and loves the health benefits.

Jerry Hinnefeld, chair and professor of physics, said he rides his bike to campus most days. About 20 days are so inclement that he gets a ride to work. He lives about two miles from campus. He last had a parking pass in 1991.

“I get streaks of bad weather that you can’t ride. If it is raining, wait a bit and it will stop,” Hinnefeld said.

Bruce Spitzer, associate professor of education, has never had a parking permit and he lives within a half-mile of campus. He preferred the campus neighborhood. And he also has one of those great parking spots - the back door at Wiekamp.

foundations | 9

alumni cast their spell in

potter spoof 10 | foundations

by Kathy Borlik

Wizards, HoGwarts, potions and all forms of hocus-pocus from the Harry Potter series have been ripe for parody since the first movie release in 2001. So after waving the magic wand and chanting “spoofus cinematus” two IU South Bend graduates wrote, produced and directed the independent and inventive “Harvey Putter and the Ridiculous Premise.”

foundations | 11

tim richardson ’96 & michael Kouroubetes ’88 spent nearly

three years with the epic from writing to post production. The 90 minute plus film was presented in July at Infinitus, a Harry Potter fan convention in Orlando, Fla.; at Gen Con, a gaming convention in Indianapolis, and on campus in July and August.

The “Ridiculous Premise” combines plot points from all seven of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. For the Richardson Productions’ film, Harvey is a punk version of the famed wizard and he attends Snogwarts School with his best friends, Rod Cheesely and Hernia Grunger.

There is the evil wizard, Lord Moldymort, and the good teacher, Professor Mumblemore. There is a quidditch match, a sorting hat and spells a plenty. As the plot goes, Harvey discovers he is a fictional character who needs to escape from the books. It all leads back to the author K.J. Bowling for the final answers.

12 | foundations

The film was shot around South Bend in places such as Potawatomi Park Zoo. Interior shots were done in a warehouse for Better World Books. Special effects, such as the floating candles in the Snogwarts dining hall, were added by technicians. All in all it was shot on a shoestring and Richardson will pay off the credit card with sales of the DVD, and continuous promotions on websites and fan conventions. They said they shot it for less than what it cost to make

the indie sensation “Blair Witch Project” in 1999, which was $20,000.

Richardson and Kouroubetes are adjunct instructors in the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts. Richardson teaches an introduction to theater and on-camera techniques and Kouroubetes teaches scriptwriting.

They have known each other 15 years and have been making independent films for just as long. Both are active in the Mid American Filmmakers and the River Bend Film Festival in South Bend.

Richardson said he was influenced by Monty Python, Mel Brooks and the parody music of Weird Al Yankovic. Kouroubetes remembered that he was inspired by “Star Wars” and “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

Beginning in the 1980s, Richardson has shot more than 30 films including a parody of “Lord of the Rings” called the “Dork of the Rings,“ and 40 episodes of a cable program.

In the early years, Richardson said he borrowed cameras for homework assignments and shot skits on weekends with friends and relatives. Kouroubetes co-wrote and/or produced several feature films with Richardson, including “Bloodlines,” “Kill The Messenger” and “The Dork of the Rings.”

When “Dork of the Rings” was completed, Richardson and Kouroubetes needed another project. “We were fans of the movies.

We had a big challenge to whittle down the plots. We watched all the movies” to get a script, Richardson said. That was late 2007.

They filmed for 16 days in the summer of 2008. More than 50 actors and dozens of crew members volunteered. including Kiran Shah, a British actor who appeared in the”Lord of the Rings.” Richardson and Kouroubetes met him at a “Rings” convention, and he loved the idea of a Potter film spoof. “He is great to hang out with. He has no ego and he gave other actors some pointers,” Kouroubetes said.

Shah spent his summer vacation painted blue.

Why would people spend part of their summer on this project?

Who gives up their time for no pay? Who would be painted blue?

There was an easy answer. “They are all hams,” Richardson said.

All have a love of acting, film and creating. If they aren’t in the film, friends made costumes, built sets or worked on the filming in other ways.

A few actors appeared in other Richardson films, such as Bryce Cone (Harvey) and Dave Keifer (Mumblemore). Joe Scheibelhut (Ron Cheesely) is another returning performer and he came from Florida for the shoot. “The shoot was more like a family gathering,” Richardson said.

Cone has been in seven or eight films with Richardson and has a great time with the people. “I do it to help out my friends,” he said.

The filming fits his summer schedule because he is a middle school music teacher.

A new friend was Sunny Williams, who played Hernia. She is a big Harry Potter fan and wrote a fanbook. She found the Harvey Putter auditions on a website. She talked to Richardson, sent a DVD, got the role and moved from Reno, Nev., for the summer shoot.

Once filming was done, post production work started and Richardson estimates that he spent “thousands of hours, sometimes 60 hours per week” in editing.

What’s next? Taking a rest, Richardson said. He was exhausted after two films productions in a row. He is enjoying the down time and marketing Harvey as much as possible.

What about the big time? Richardson said he loves what he does and working in the area. “I love the challenges of filming here. I love the energy here.”

Kouroubetes said he has family commitments in South Bend but he is hoping to get a master’s degree in screenwriting. He has entertained moving to Los Angeles or commuting to make some L.A. connections for writing jobs. However, in the meantime, he loves teaching. “Working with the students is amazing. Your entire creative team is the class. I never stop being amazed by them.”

But there must be another movie waiting to be done? “Yes,” Kouroubetes joked, perhaps a Bollywood themed production with vampires.

foundations | 9

R

Ruthmere looks forward with new director

by Kathy Borlik

Ruthmere Mansion is a reminder of a more elegant and genteel time. It was shortly after the turn of the 20th century when Elizabeth Beardsley invited the ladies of Elkhart to tea at Ruthmere, and Albert, her husband, had the gentlemen over to talk politics and perhaps to play a little poker.

Today the 12,000-square-foot house is a hybrid – a house museum and an art museum – and an important part of Elkhart’s history. Now it has an IU South Bend connection. It is the workplace of Bill Firstenberger.

He is an IU South Bend 2000 Master of Liberal Arts graduate and the new executive director.

foundations | 15

His challenge is to add to the legacy of Ruthmere and make it more accessible to Elkhart residents. It is a job that he says he is infinitely qualified for as an Elkhart native, a graduate of Jimtown High School and a historian. “I know the community and have a number of connections to the museum including a grandfather whose medical practice was in the Havilah Beardsley home,” he said.

“I am thrilled to lead Ruthmere through this exciting period of recovery and rebirth in Elkhart. The country is looking to Elkhart to rise to the challenge both in our economy and in our citizens’ quality of life. Ruthmere has a strong role to play in these goals–not only in telling the history of Elkhart’s past, but also by inspiring the next generation of innovators, business leaders, artists, teachers–every citizen of Elkhart,” he said.

He earned his undergraduate degree in anthropology and psychology from the University of Notre Dame in 1989 and got a job at the Northern Indiana Historical Society, now known as the Center for History. Firstenberger worked at a copy machine company and delivered a copier to the Courthouse Museum. He began talking to the staff. He came away with a job as assistant curator and later curator of collections. He was there eight years which was the time of major growth and the construction of the new museum on Washington Street.

Firstenberger’s next job was director, curator and lone employee of the Billy Sunday Museum in Winona Lake, Ind. Sunday was a baseball player and an evangelist in the 1910s and 1920s He built a home in the lake community in the 1910s.

Firstenberger said he would not have gotten the Sunday job without the master’s degree from IU South Bend.

The liberal studies program “was a perfect college program for me. It helped me go to the next level. There was no college program in museum studies. It allowed me to assemble classes and to write a thesis on Billy Sunday,” he said. The master’s degree prepared him for the work.

After retooling his Billy Sunday master’s thesis, it was published in 2005 by the University of Iowa Press as “In Rare Form: A Pictorial History of Baseball Evangelist Billy Sunday.”

Anyone who is familiar with Elkhart knows the Beardsley name.

Coming from Ohio in 1830, Dr. Havilah Beardsley settled in the area and built a mill on Christiana Creek. In 1831, he purchased the land at the junction of the St. Joseph and Elkhart rivers for $1,500 from Indian chief Pierre Moran. The tract is most of downtown Elkhart. Thus he became the father of Elkhart and its only doctor. In addition to the milling, Dr. Havilah brought the Michigan Southern Railroad to the area in 1850. He died in 1856.

Havilah and his wife Rachel built the Beardsley Mansion, which is about a block from Ruthmere. From 1913 to 2007, it was a private home. Recently, the Ruthmere Foundation obtained the house to create an historical, educational and cultural resource.

Albert, who was Havilah’s nephew, came to Elkhart at age 14 to live with his aunt Rachel and to clerk in a general store. A natural at business, he soon owned the store and other business followed including joining in with Dr. Miles Medical Co., which later became Miles Laboratories and an international leader in over the counter drugs such as Alka Seltzer.

Albert and his wife Elizabeth moved into the mansion in 1910.

They named the house after their daughter, Ruth, who was born in 1880 and died in infancy. “Mere” means “near the water” as the house was built along the banks of the St. Joseph River.

The Beardsleys lived there until 1924 when they died within a few months of each other. In 1967, Robert Beardsley of the Beardsley Foundation purchased it. Restoration took place between 1969 and 1973.

The property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The Beardsley Avenue Historic District was established several years later.

As the summer came to a close Firstenberger was becoming accustomed to the structure and routines at Ruthmere. He was also gearing up for fundraising for the Havilah Beardsley home.

An observer could see that he was comfortable with his new post. He said it is the “perfect job” for him – the hometown boy with a love for local history. foundations | 17

After 10 years in Winona Lake, the perfect job opened — Ruthmere. He was back in his hometown telling the familiar

stories of the Beardsley family and the house on the river.

student life

best bet on the IU south bend campus

18 | foundations

by Ken Baierl

foundations | 19

Record enrollment, fraternities, sororities, Las Vegas night, student housing, service learning, intramural sports, club sports and the upcoming Titan basketball season all add up to bustling student life on campus at IU South Bend.

20 | foundations

Let’s start with the numbers This fall, 8,591 students are taking 83,326 credit hours.

Both are records. The profile of the student body is also changing as 69 percent of students are taking classes full-time and 68 percent of students are 24 years old or younger. This means a lot of traditional-aged college students are staying on campus longer which energizes student life.

Taking advantage of that situation are three sororities and one fraternity. They were busy recruiting new members during Welcome Week, offering lifelong friendships, involvement in campus activities and community engagement. The sororities are Sigma Gamma Rho, Theta Phi Alpha and Alpha Sigma Tau. The fraternity is Delta Sigma Phi. Nearly 300 students now live on campus in the River Crossing student housing complex. The presence of students who are on campus 24-hours a day has also given a boost to activities, events and programs outside the classroom. For example, Welcome Week included a casino night at River Crossing where hundreds of students gathered to meet each other, play games and have fun.

Last year, nearly 800 students participated in intramural or club sports which includes flag football, tennis, 7 on 7 soccer, softball, dodgeball, golf, ultimate Frisbee, 3 on 3 basketball, volleyball, racquetball, and billiards. Students also have nearly 90 clubs and organizations to choose from to pursue their interests. By comparison, in the 2007-08 academic year there were 49 clubs.

for presenting student-focused entertainment on campus.

Examples include stage acts, comedians, dances, movies, and game nights. A new addition was Titan Fest, an end of school year music festival which featured four bands on an outdoor stage, along with food, refreshments and games.

The Titans men’s and women’s basketball season brings excitement to the Student Activities Center as the teams play their NAIA Division I schedule in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Both teams opened their seasons on Oct. 30 at Bethel College.

The growth in student life and athletics is not an accident.

Much of the credit goes to Executive Director of Athletics and Activities Gary Demski and Director of Student Life Sam Centellas. They work tirelessly to promote athletics, recreation, events and activities and their efforts are paying off.

“Athletics, intramurals, fitness classes, clubs and activities keep students involved on campus. This involvement is what helps us recruit, retain, educate and graduate quality students," Demski said.

“Our focus in student life has been to give students more options for involvement, more ways to connect with other students, and more ways to have a well-rounded college experience,” added Centellas.

As the campus continues to evolve, student life at IU South Bend will continue to grow. The fun is just beginning.

Titan Productions is a student group that is responsible

foundations | 21

Theaters’ Renovations

Ta k e C e n t e r S ta g e

by Anne McGraw

The

Community

Foundation

of

St.

Joseph

County

awarded

the

prestigious ArtsEverywhere challenge grant in June 2010 to support the renovation of Recital Hall and the Upstage Theater.

Designed to

encourage philanthropy, the ArtsEverywhere is a $150,000 matching grant over three years that requires IU South Bend to raise charitable gifts in an equal amount.

Fundraising efforts are now underway.

Both spaces are in constant demand to meet the growing rehearsal and performance needs of Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts students and faculty. benefit

The university community and public audiences will

from

the

and

seating

Total

renovation

by

an

IU

in

South

improved these

costs Bend

two

of

quality critical

$524,000

allocation

of

sound,

lighting

performance

venues.

will

of

also

$150,000

be to

supported the

project.

Jameson Cooper, Euclid Quartet violinist and lecturer in music, offers, “As teachers, we are building a program in which it is essential to have space that allows our students to gain performance experience and to learn how to deal with the kinds of acoustics in which professionals normally play.”

Acoustical improvements in Recital Hall are paramount to the carefully coordinated plans. Cooper adds, “The proposed renovations to Recital Hall will allow sound to be full and more beautiful.

We foresee that the

renovations to Recital Hall will also make it the premier chamber music venue in

South

create IU

Bend. an

South

We

important Bend

also

feel

concert

sophomore

and

it

will

help

series

for

theater

major,

to the

allow

us

to

community.”

Marlon

Burnley,

anticipates improved opportunity for students, “My peers and I will have a proper black box theater to work with during classes and while staging productions.

I am very excited about the new Upstage.”

Please contact Anne McGraw at the IU South Bend Advancement Office, (574) 520-4801, for further information regarding the CFSJC ArtsEverywhere matching grant or gift opportunities.

New Leadership in liberal arts & schurz Library

by Kathy Borlik

From the chill of Bemidji, Minn., to the orange groves of Riverside, Calif., two IU South Bend’s deans have found their way to Indiana.

Elizabeth Dunn,

dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is originally from Indiana.

Vicki Bloom, dean of Library and Media Services, has ties to both Detroit and Chicago. Both women began in their new roles on July 1.

Elizabeth Dunn came to IU South Bend for an interview in the fall of 2009 for the deanship of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She walked across the footbridge and the trees were in full color. “I felt a visceral connection to the campus. This was my type of landscape” coming from the northwoods of Minnesota.

She said her connection to the campus was enforced by the friendly atmosphere. “It was contagious. I was excited for them,” she said.

Dunn said she was not looking to move from Bemidji State University where she was interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Letters. She saw the advertisement and turned to the website for a visit. “It was fresh and exciting. I saw good things happening.”

She followed with her letter and credentials. After the selection process she had a new job.

The move in summer meant she would be closer to relatives and the family farm. She grew up in Clinton County, which is next door to West Lafayette and Purdue University. She is a third generation Boilermaker. Her family still is questioning her employment at IU and living so near Notre Dame.

At Purdue, she began college as a computer science major but changed to history when she reconnected in a class. Dunn graduated from Purdue and earned her doctorate from the University of Illinois. Her study areas are American history, American intellectual history, America since 1815, America to 1830 and England to 1688.

Before coming to Bemidji in 1999, Dunn taught at Baylor University, Auburn University at Montgomery, Eastern Illinois University and University of Illinois.

While at Bemidji, she was an assistant professor, associate professor, interim chair of the history department, chair of the department, professor of history, and interim dean.

As an administrator, Dunn said she enjoys working with faculty and watching them grow as teachers. She wants to strengthen the mission of the university. “I’m not a problem solver but a facilitator” when it comes working with faculty and staff.

With the semester, she said she sees the challenges of enrollment growth and budget concerns, as well as diversity and managing the largest unit on campus - the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Along with her new job, she said she was looking forward to the fall and seeing all the fresh new faces in the classroom and exploring her new city.

Vicki Bloom was looking for a change

in her career, a directorship. It was time to look for new challenges. She wanted to return to the Midwest from California and find a little variation in the weather.

She was impressed with the staff of the Franklin D. Schurz Library. “Everyone was incredibly nice” during the process and made her feel welcome.

Bloom received her bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.; and her master’s degree in library science from Wayne State University, Detroit.

Since 1995, she worked at Riverside Libraries, Riverside, Calif, one of the largest research libraries in the United States. Before that she worked at the Alzheimer’s Association, Chicago, where she was the associate director of the Green-Field National Alzheimer’s Library; Loyola University, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine Medical Library.

Bloom has a smaller budget and staff here, yet a need to “beef up technology offerings.” So the budget is always an important consideration.

Libraries face special challenges in light of the Internet, YouTube and downloading, she said.

“There are pressures to compete. There is the perception that everything is free and it is on Google. We can’t get Stephen King for free.

Publishers need to be paid.”

She is looking forward to getting to know the staff and library users, and working on website development. “I want to get more feedback from them. And we’re going to build on the relationships with the alumni and the community” through art exhibits and speakers.

Just before the fall semester, she said she was getting acquainted with her new town and depending on the GPS for more explorations.

the water is no longer divided the IU South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center Natatorium Opens

Warriors for civil rights stand and be recognized! The local IU South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center‌ better known as the Natatorium, is open. While it brings a symbol of delight and pleasure for many, for some it’s an icon of something they would rather not remember.

Thinking about the Natatorium opening certainly allowed my mind to meander. I think of my family and where the emotions may lie in this particular circumstance. My mother and father would most likely find this project a positive one for two different reasons. Mama would like it because it reminds her of the great times her “very social” older daughter, Catherine, had swimming with her friends. My father would remember the political ramifications surrounding those who fought for its desegregation.

To highlight how I felt, those in attendance at the grand opening of the Natatorium heard my personal renaming of the event as our “March on Washington.” And while the naming may not be unique, it is distinctive in that it marks a significant healing. It is a symbol of overcoming and moving forward. It is also a symbol of justice won and triumph achieved, and a symbol of individuals and organizations coming together to heal the past, and honor its local civil rights champions.

As was witnessed during the program and the momentous walk down Washington Street to the Natatorium, the injustice that was directed toward African Americans in our community has been turned into a symbol of how struggle and persistence can connect partners of all ethnicities. Partners were there that day, just like back in 1936, who shared a passion for social justice.

The Natatorium today is not only paying homage to all of those young black men and women, alive and deceased, who were turned away from swimming at the Natatorium, but it also recognizes those individuals who fought for the right for youngsters to swim in that facility.

Now that the physical facility is open, we as a community must work together to fulfill the vision of the Civil Rights Heritage Center. Until students of today and victims of the past can walk in the door and “touch and feel” the essence of the struggle, we have work to do. We are obligated to gather an abundance of artifacts and stories to make our IU South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center a viable addition to the community. Programming must reflect the mission, and gatherings should be required to echo the theme of civil rights.

As the mission of preserving the legacy of the local civil rights movement and the history of race and ethnic relations in the area is accomplished, the Natatorium becomes a permanent landmark in our community, and no doubt, the nation.

Story by: Alma C. Powell , Member, IU South Bend Board of Advisors Life Member-Indiana University Alumni Association Photos by: Sara Lowe

28 | foundations

Alumni Profile Primmer

P P Power of Attorney by jeanie Metzger

Pat Primmer is a South Bend native and an IU South Bend graduate who has continued to give back to her community. She has recently been elected president of the St. Joseph County Bar Association.

Pat recognizes that she may never have had the opportunity to become a college graduate had IU South Bend not been available and appreciates the difference that it has made in her life.

She started at IU South Bend in 1967 as a math major. But she admits while in high school she did think about being a lawyer. She then switched her major to sociology and graduated in 1971 with a BA. She worked as a caseworker for the St. Joseph County Welfare Department for six years. During that time she worked toward master’s degrees which she received from both IU South Bend and the University of Notre Dame. When her oldest son was one year old, she decided to go to law school. She commuted to Valparaiso Law School and received her law degree in 1984.

After law school Primmer did a judicial clerkship with Judge Robert Rodibaugh, the bankruptcy judge for the Northern District of Indiana. After the birth of her second son, she started with the firm of May Oberfell

Lorber in 1987. She became a partner in 1991 and recently served as the managing partner for eight years.

She finds the practice of law very rewarding and she is still learning something every day. She says, “There is always something interesting going on and new challenges in my profession.”

She said that the legal system, at its best, serves the people and feels that the Bar Association helps attorneys make the legal profession better. Primmer also serves on the YWCA Board of Directors. She has had a connection with the YWCA through past referrals when she worked for the Welfare Department. She says the YWCA has really changed and expanded services over the years and she is happy to be a part of it.

In 2004 she received the Woman of the Year Award in Business and Professionalism at the YWCA’s 25th Annual Tribute to Women. She is also a past winner of the IU South Bend Distinguished Alumni Award in the College of Arts & Sciences. Besides practicing law, Pat says she “wants to be involved and give something back to the community.” She looks forward to those opportunities in the years to come.

70s

Michael Ham, MS’72, Business, edits research reports for Wall

CLASS

NOTES

Street, and is also active in Toastmasters.

Mark S. Davis, BS’75 & SJD’79, Law, is a lawyer in Lafayette, Ind. F. Scott Powell, BA’78, Chemistry, is a doctor of chiropractic and health director of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe in Washington State.

Dennis Rossow, BA’79, Communication Arts, is senior manager of human resources for Comcast, Shaumburg, Ill. The office covers the Greater Chicago Region.

Phillip Wagner, BA’79, M’06, & M’08, Psychology, Latin American & African American studies, co-founded and directs Rhythm of Hope, a registered 501c3 international community service nonprofit working in the Afro-Brazilian cultural epicenter.

Alumni Board

L to R: Christian Velazquez, Secretary // Margaret Ridenour, VP/Pres. Elect // Phil Mark, President // Christine Pochert Ringle, Treasurer

Phil Mark, President has been on the membership committee of the Alumni Board for six years. He will also serve on the Chancellor’s Advisory Board.

NEW LEADERSHIP on the Alumni Board of Directors

Margaret Ridenour is on the scholarship committee. She served as an At-Large Member before moving to VP. Christian Velazquez also serves on the scholarship committee and is now the chair of that committee.

Christine Pochert Ringle serves on the scholarship committee as the faculty representative and was recently elected as treasurer of the board.

EMERITUS

80s

Larry Shank, BS’80, Business Management and Administration, is president of AE Techron, Inc., in Elkhart.

Michael Kuhn, BS’80, Business, for the last 22 years he has been a pilot for FedEx, and has been a captain for 12 years spending most of his time flying internationally.

Ann C. Hathaway, BS’81, Public Affairs, also received MPA and CFRM at IPFW, is the development director at Matthew 25 Health and Dental Clinic in Fort Wayne. She is also an adjunct instructor in criminal justice through SPEA at IPFW.

Janine S. Andrysiak, BGS’85, is director of development and membership for the Center for History, South Bend.

Jay R. Howard, BA’88, Sociology, is dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Butler University in Indianapolis.

Christopher Craft, BS’89, Business, is the senior vice president and regional manager of Commercial Banking for Lake City Bank. He is also the chairman elect of the IU Alumni Association, South Bend Symphony Board Member, as well as a FCA Advisory Board Member. He was the 2010 winner of the IU South Bend Business School Distinguished Alumni Award.

90s

Joe Kronewitter, BS’93, Accounting, is the economic workforce development fiscal officer for Northern Arizona Council of Governments (NACOG).

Andries Sibarani, MBA’94, is head of National Sales with Putera Sampoerna Foundation in Jakarta, Indonesia. He is helping Indonesian students pursue their dreams through quality education.

Christine Petersen-Grosse, BA’94, Sociology, is a self employed grant writer for non-profit and profit agencies.

W. Brian Capshaw, MBA’94, Business, worked as cost accounting supervisor at Benteler Automotive in Goshen, then moved on to AM General in 2001 in a similar position. He fell ill in 2005, and was forced to retire. He is currently living in Connecticut with family.

Alexandria Trusov, BA’95, History, the director of Getting the Right Things Done with Spearhead Sales & Marketing: Advisory & Management Services. Also, serves as president for the Michiana Chapter of the American Marketing Association, and on the board of the St. Joseph Chapter of IUAA.

Faculty News We thought you might enjoy catching up with some of the professor emeriti. We asked them to let us know what they have been doing. Here is what they shared:

Ernest Brandewie

Since 1969, when Professor Brandewie retired, he has written two books: “In the Light of the Word: Divine Word Missionaries of North America” and “The Last Shall Be First: The Life of Thomas Cardinal Tien Ken-hsin,” who was China’s first cardinal.

The first book was published in 2000 and the second one in 2007.

He has translated articles from German into English for the Anthropos Journal. In 1999, he was invited to speak at a conference in Mainz, Germany.

Roger Hamburg Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Public & Environmental Affairs

Professor Hamburg’s current articles are on bestthinking.com and his website is http://mypage. iusb.edu/hamburgr/. He is involved in high speed rail, South Bend Rotary, International Press Club and Central Asian Productivity Research Center.

Lester C. Lamon Professor Emeritus of History

Professor Lamon has edited three books, each written by one of my former graduate students. These books are part of the “On Their Shoulders” series published

by Wolfson Press.

TUCK LANGLAND Professor Emeritus of sculpture

Tuck Langland retired in 2003 and has become a fulltime sculptor. He completed sculptures for installation in Minnesota, Texas, Michigan, Missouri, and Illinois.

He is currently working on the Oliver Plow memorial for South Bend which is a larger than life full figure portrait of James Oliver and his famous No. 40 plow.

He has done three busts for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio; and a bust of Joe Kernan for Century Center.

Shant Markarian Associate professor Emeritus of Dental Education

Markarian said there are idyllic periods in one’s life, but retirement is not one of them. He teaches at two community colleges, and enjoys views of the Rhode Island coast. Unfortunately, he hasn’t made any inroads into his unread personal library.

Patricia McNeal Director of Women’s Studies

McNeal lives full-time in Vero Beach, Fla., where she enjoys golf, bridge and dancing. She travels with her sons who live in Santa Fe and Chicago. This year she plans to visit Russia. She missed teaching and students so she began teaching at Indian River State College.

John Peck Professor Emeritus of Economics

Professor Peck has been enjoying traveling the country and visiting family. He volunteers extensively with Little Flower Catholic Church in South Bend. Peck has conducted a number of economic impact studies and volunteered with the local chapter of Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) since his retirement in 1995.

Gabrielle Robinson Professor Emerita of English

Professor Robinson recently finished a biography/ memoir entitled “An Inconvenient Past.” It combines the account of her grandfather’s survival in Berlin in 1945. The first chapter appeared in the Fall 2010 edition of the Notre Dame Review.

Christopher A. Was, BA’96 & MS’00, Psychology & Education, is an assistant professor of Educational Psychology at Kent State University.

He is doing research in memory processes as well as in motivation and metacognition in collaboration with IU South Bend’s Randy Isaacson.

Blake D. Eckelbarger, BS’97, Business, owns The Music Place, Inc. with his wife Amanda, which is a mobile DJ entertainment company based in Goshen.

00s

Brian M. Alwine, BS’00, Business, started a consulting firm dedicated exclusively to business valuation, ClarityBV. He has attained his CPA license, along with two business valuation credentials, ABV and ASA.

Grace Szpajer, BS’02, Business, employed as the benefits and compensation manager for a non-profit organization in Des Plaines, Ill.

The second edition of her book “Kurt Simon, Businessman and Benefactor” was published by Wolfson Press. It includes a chapter on Simon’s return to Germany after 78 years.

Will Lewis, BS’03, Computer Science, currently working within the

She continues to work on South Bend’s sister city relationship with Arzberg in Germany. Robinson received a Medal of Honor from Arzberg and a key to the city of South Bend.

Constance O. Peterson-Miller, BGS’03, MLS’08, is director of

Margaret C. Scanlan Professor Emerita of English

Professor Scanlan continues to spend time on campus – “thanks to German classes, yoga and a one-credit MLS class.” Along with writing and reading, she is tutoring for the St. Joseph County Literacy Council once a week. Her travels have taken to many places including the Mediterranean and the Lion’s Gate at Mycenae.

Elizabeth Scarborough Professor Emerita of Psychology

Professor Scarborough, former dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and professor emeriti of psychology, was honored in June at the 42nd annual meeting of Cheiron: The International Society for History of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Le Moyne College, Syracuse, N.Y. The traditional invited address delivered at each meeting will be named the Scarborough Keynote Address. An endowment was established to underwrite a significant honorarium for future speakers. “I was one of the founders of Cheiron in 1968, served as its first executive secretary and initiated the newsletter, and have attended each of the annual meetings since the first at Princeton University in 1969.”

Paul Scherer Professor Emeritus of History

Professor Scherer has reviewed scholarly books for CHOICE and teaches history classes for the Forever Learning Institute. His main hobbies are bird watching, travel and duplicate bridge. He is a silver life master in bridge.

corporate audit group at Cardinal Health in Dublin, Ohio, is also pursuing his CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor) certification.

the Office of International Student Services at IU South Bend.

Lauren Magyar, BSN’04 & MSN’08, Nursing, is a labor and delivery nurse, nursing informatics, teaches Obstetrics Clinical for IU South Bend, and works for a home care company.

Christopher Donaghey, BSN’05, Nursing, is in clinical advancement at the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis.

Sheya Martin, BGS’05, in 2009 received her master’s degree in microbiology. She is working at Indiana University in Bloomington, as a biological safety specialist.

Don Metzler, MS’06, Education, has established a professional tutoring service primarily for at-risk adolescents and young adults, as well as teaching Fundamentals of Algebra and Reading Strategies for College Success as an adjunct instructor at Ivy Tech Community College.

Amanda D. Eckelbarger, BS’07, Marketing, is the publication and graphic designer for the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Scott Hoggard, MBA’09, Business Administration, is a senior buyer for Robert Bosch LLC, for the Chassis and Brake division in North America.

Jacob Harmon, BSN’09, Nursing, works in the Stem Cell Transplant Unit in the Children’s Cancer Center at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis.

Alumni Support

Jeanette & David A. Bloss ’73 Lead

D o n o rs

David A. and Jeanette Bloss were the lead donors, along with 25 alumni and friends, who generously assured the renovation of the Alumni Room. Bloss, ’73, a member of the IU South Bend Chancellor’s Advisory Board and supportive alumnus, enthusiastically agreed to support the project.

“What better way to inspire other students and graduates to remember their roots and appreciate the institution that helped build a better life for themselves than to provide an appropriately dedicated ‘Alumni Room’ where they can meet. Jeanette and I are pleased that we could help complete this project.”

In recognition of their support of IU South Bend, David and Jeanette were awarded the 2010 Chancellor’s Medal.

on

P r o ject

The Alumni Room is home to the IU South Bend Alumni Association’s board of directors.

It is also in constant demand for campus meetings, conferences and academic classes. Originally designed as a dining and conference room for the Associates Corporation, the $100,000 renovation of the Alumni Room restored the beauty of this vital space.

Gifts in support of the project are a testimony to the growing ranks of IU South Bend alumni who demonstrate loyalty to the university through their philanthropy. If you would like to make a donation to the university contact Dina Harris, Director of Development at 574-520-4131 or diharris@iusb.edu.

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit 540 South Bend, IN

Indiana University South Bend // 1700 Mishawaka Avenue // P.O. Box 7111 // South Bend, IN 46634-7111

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San Francisco

featuring monterey, sonoma valley, sacramento & virginia city

April 7-13

For information about alumni travel call (574) 520-4271.