Barbara Pebler Hughbanks ’51 was awarded a 50-year membership
1940
We are Knox. You are, too. If you attended Knox for one year, two years, or graduated with honors, you are a Knox alumnus/a. You are the best reflection of Knox College and the education it provides. So, keep us informed. Tell us what you’ve been up to, if you’ve been promoted or honored, or simply say hello. Here’s how: • Contact your Class Correspondent; • If you don’t have a correspondent, email, call, or “snail mail” us directly (see below); • Or have other media sources send us press releases, articles, and publicity. Please send information about births, marriages, and deaths directly to: Alumni Records Knox College, Box K-230 Galesburg, IL 61401-4999 Email: records@knox.edu Send all other updates, correspondence, or questions to: Pam Chozen Class Notes Editor, Knox Magazine Knox College, Box K-233 Galesburg, IL 61401-4999 Email: pachozen@knox.edu Please note that Class Notes may be edited for space and in accordance with the Knox Style Guide.
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KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2018
Believe it or not, 101-year-old Ed Jurkens continues to serve as a volunteer at the Pacific Aviation Museum in Pearl Harbor. I received a wonderful email from someone who encountered Ed at the museum. He wrote, “On a recent trip to Hawaii, my family and I had the tremendous opportunity to meet a distinguished Knox alumnus. Major Edward A. Jurkens graduated from Knox College in 1940. In his last year, he participated in the Civil Aeronautics Program and served in the Army Air Corp during World War II. While serving in the Pacific theatre as a heavy bombing group leader, Major Jurkens received the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism and extraordinary achievement. He has lived in Hawaii for the past 50 years, and he volunteers at the Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor naval base. Meeting him was coincidental and a great thrill for my family.” Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu
1941-1943 Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu
1944 Barbara Lemke still lives at home despite advanced macular degeneration. She manages with the help of caregivers, who take her to appointments. Says Barbara, “At age 95, life slows down a bit. I send regards to my classmates who are aging, as I am.” Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu
1945-1947 Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu
1948 Jim Moser writes, “As we age, it often is more pleasant to look back to times, places, and friends. One help is the tales of my fellow students, ‘The Stories of the Class of ’48,’ assembled by Sid Norris, a fascinating story of their lives after Knox. How fortunate I was to know them. But I still have friends at my senior living facility. Many I worked with or knew socially. Life here is pleasant but slowing the last few months with heart problems. Fortunately, my doctors forecast improvement. Being largely homebound, much of my time is spent reading and watching national news, not on FOX. I am very concerned about the inward turn of our government and abandonment of our friends and allies and believe we
must return to the true American values that have served us well for centuries. It might not only help our country and the world but also my health.” ❯ Harry Babbitt writes, “Spouse Luis Ríos and I currently live in different cities depending on the climate. We alternate among Buenos Aires (Argentina), Santiago (Chile), Lima (Peru), and Medellin (Colombia). At 91, I am still active, although with the normal pains that go with age. Colombia is very American, while Buenos Aires is European. I am publishing a series of bilingual books (English/Spanish) on Amazon for use in high school and college. Luis, who is Argentinian, looks after me well, and we go out for lunch every day. We don’t live around other ‘gringos,’ so I seldom hear English spoken. I fondly remember Dr. Sherman Brown, my Spanish professor at Knox, who encouraged me in my love of Spanish and photography.” ❯ Elizabeth Harler Van Steenwyk’s daughter, Kedrin, wrote in with an update about her mother. “Elizabeth has lived in a dementia care facility for two years now. She is healthy but not ‘with it’ enough to live on her own. Her mental status varies daily, but she still knows her closest friends and family.” Her daughter hopes to send a personal message from Elizabeth soon. ❯ I haven’t heard from Bob White since Christmas, but he was well, still golfing. ❯ As for me, Sid Norris, I am well into my nineties … I never thought I would last that long. I golf with my youngest son, and each day, I despair over what is happening with our current leader … a disaster. He too shall pass. Class Correspondent: Sidney E. Norris 3135 Agate Street, Eugene, OR 97405, 541-683-6160, senorris@comcast.net
1949 Elmer Chessman is very proud of his six grandchildren. He says three of them graduated from college, while the other three are currently in college. Of those who have graduated, one is a lawyer, and another has gone into physical training. Of the three who are in college, he reports that one is an honor student preparing to be a doctor, one is preparing to be a nurse, and the third is studying to be an astronaut. Elmer says that Knox prepared him well for his own career as a college chemistry teacher and a research chemist. Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu
1950 Writes Bob Willett, “We are a complete family now, with daughter Barbara having moved from Washington, D.C., to our compound in Rockledge just a few weeks ago. Now we have both daughters and a grandson in our home for the first time in many years. Son Tom lives in Satellite Beach, about 20 minutes away, so our circle is complete. Both Tom and Leslie have bands that