“All of these graduates you see with their hands raised here before us demonstrate who Knox is—a community made up of individuals coming together from around the globe to learn and discover their place in the world.”
– President C. Andrew McGadney
Stuart Allison, Watson Bartlett Professor of Biology & Conservation and director of Green Oaks, joined the Knox community 28 years ago. He has found Green Oaks to be an excellent laboratory for research and ideas, and an even better place to work with students. He sees the new Knight Living & Learning Center, which houses students who participate in Green Oaks Term, as the culmination of many years of dreaming and planning. It has provided the students and Allison with the perfect base from which to study, live, and grow at Green Oaks.
From its beginnings in 2002, the Green Oaks Term (GOT) has always included student musicians. Campfire sing-a-longs are a key part of the Green Oaks experience. The 2025 Oakies (GOT students) included even more musicians than usual and brought a large collection of instruments (including a sousaphone!) with them. I can’t imagine the GOT without music by the campfire.
A key part of the GOT experience is student exploration of the literature about nature and living in nature. We have a large collection of books that move from the Seymour Library to Green Oaks for every GOT. Our first year in the Knight Center was an experiment in how to live there. When we moved in, we didn’t have enough bookshelf space, so we stored the books in a cupboard.
The Oakies are inveterate collectors. As they walk around Green Oaks they pick up interesting rocks, bones, pieces of old pottery, feathers, seeds, sticks, and anything else that catches their eyes, and bring them back to the Knight Center. The window ledges serve as excellent places to display their treasures.
The kitchen table is the heart of the Knight Center. Every night the Oakies gather for a communal meal and share stories about the events of the day. Breakfast and lunch are more informal, but throughout the day you can always find people gathered around the table, relaxing, regaling each other with stories, building a community.
If the kitchen is the heart of the Knight Center, the white board is the nerve center. One side has a calendar of scheduled activities and the other side has a place for each Oakie to write down where they are going and what they are doing if they leave the Knight Center. That way we always have a good idea of what everyone is up to.
KNOX WRITES
FEATURES
CLASS NOTES
PARTING SHOT
ABOLITION FOR ALL TIME
Three years after receiving a $1.2 million Mellon Foundation grant, interdisciplinary learning and collaboration has been reinvigorated at Knox and beyond. 01
MEET NEW BOARD CHAIR JOHN LAWLER ’88
John Lawler ’88 brings his belief in the power of a Knox education and its mission to educate students from all backgrounds to his new leadership role.
16
VENTURE BOLDLY LAUNCH ENGAGES HUNDREDS OF ALUMNI
With 11 stops from coast to coast,Venture Boldly comprehensive campaign events generated excitement and momentum as the Knox community came together to celebrate our prairie college.
ABOUT THE COVER
Members of the Class of 2025 raise their hands for President C. Andrew McGadney during June’s Commencement exercises. Photo by Steve Davis P’12.
Volume 108, Issue 2
EDITOR
Megan Scott ’96
MANAGING EDITOR
Scott Holland
LAYOUT DESIGNER
Ami Jontz
CONTRIBUTORS, WRITING & PHOTOGRAPHY
Peter Bailley ’74, P’05, P’08 Rick Bender Suyash Chitrakar ’25
Steve Davis P’12
Sarah Dean
Jlynn Frazier
Jennifer Gallas
Shaswot Karki ’28 Kent Kriegshauser
Nysa Phulwar ’26
Cheri Siebken P’11
Knox Magazine is published twice yearly by the Office of Communications, Box K-233, Knox College, Galesburg, IL 61401-4999; Phone: 309-341-7760; Email: knoxmag@knox.edu.
The magazine welcomes information and story ideas. Please query before submitting manuscripts.
ISSN: 0047-3499
Visit us online at magazine.knox.edu.
Dear Knox Friends,
As I turn the page on my fourth year as president, I am grateful for the many celebratory moments from the last 12 months—welcoming one of our largest entering classes, launching the Venture Boldly comprehensive campaign, granting tenure to four dedicated faculty members, completing the renovations of Green Oaks, breaking a Knox Fund fundraising record, and celebrating the Class of 2025. In addition to more than 200 bachelors degrees, we awarded honorary degrees at our 2025 Commencement ceremony to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, renowned Chicago artist Theaster Gates and our very own Honorary Trustee, Mary Kent Knight ’60.
Mary received an honorary doctorate in humane letters for her life-long dedication to the liberal arts and as Knox’s most loyal advocate, generous collaborator, and truly inspirational friend. The night before the Commencement ceremony, she shared her journey from California to the Illinois prairie in 1956. Her tremendous spirit, infinite curiosity, transformative generosity, and deep love for her alma mater was felt by all:
“I owe Knox College, my beloved Alma Mater, big time. And it's been my great honor and pleasure to be able to repay my financial debt in what I hope are good, meaningful, and lasting ways . . . It was indeed a long, long road that led to my Alma Mater. As our beautiful hymn relates, a road which has afforded me a whole host of burning bright memories.”
I am honored to have a partner and friend like Mary as we work to make a great College even better, and her life-long dedication to the liberal arts, Knox, our mission, and our community is forefront in my mind as I begin my fifth year as president. Knox is starting this academic year the same as we have done for
the last 188 years—with excitement, expectation, and opportunities to learn and grow. Yet we’re sailing into ever stronger headwinds, facing an increasingly competitive landscape and many who are questioning the value and purpose of higher education. I remain steadfast in my belief that the power of the residential liberal arts experience we provide for our students here at Knox is transformative, not only for our students, but for our global society. At this moment, there is only one way forward for our little college on the prairie—we’re going to double down on Knox’s mission and values.
As our mission states, we will continue to “. . . provide an environment where students and faculty work closely together and where teaching is characterized by inviting and expecting students to pursue fundamental questions in order to reach their own reflective but independent judgments.” While we may be sending Knox graduates out into a global society that continues to change and evolve at an extraordinary pace, we know that a Knox education prepares them with the fundamental skills to adapt, lead, and create that change. Their Knox education will “. . . foster a lifelong love of learning and a sense of competence, confidence and proportion that will enable [them] to live with purpose and to contribute to the well-being of others.”
By affirming the power of a Knox liberal arts education, exploring new opportunities, and venturing nimbly and boldly into the future, together, we will ensure that Knox College lives up to its full potential for decades to come.
With warmest regards.
Sincerely,
By Scott Holland & Nysa Phulwar ’26
In 2022, Knox received a $1.2 million, three-year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to fund various research and archival courses and projects to develop a greater understanding of historical and contemporary social justice issues. Former Provost and Dean of the College Michael Schneider introduced the grant as challenging Knox faculty and students to “to question how faithfully we have pursued the activism of our founders and, more
importantly, what should be the focus of our educational mission, in light of that activist legacy, today and in the future.”
Three years later, the grant has not only helped create a physical and figurative space on the Knox campus for learning, guiding, empowering, and holding accountability, but has also reinvigorated interdisciplinary collaboration at Knox and beyond.
The Mellon Foundation grant supported experimentation with new courses and programs, aided faculty mentorship of students, and helped establish the “Abolition for All Time” Digital Humanities Lab (Abolition Lab), through which all projects were filtered. The goal of the Abolition Lab was to create opportunities to support and encourage learning about the history of abolition at Knox College and explore how the past can serve as a guiding light for social justice and activism in the present and future.
“Abolition is the lens through which we are focusing our goal because it can help us show students why the humanities matter—that humanities education teaches us what matters so that we are empowered to make change in the world,” said Associate Professor of History Danielle Fatkin, who managed the grant as Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs during its first two years.
Fatkin worked with Jen Andrella, who served as the Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities for the duration of the grant and oversaw the lab and its projects. Andrella worked directly with faculty members who sponsored and worked with students on
projects, showing faculty and students how to implement digital skills and methods into their research. She also showed faculty how to implement digital humanities into their coursework, key components of the Abolition Lab projects.
Staff members in the Seymour Library, Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study, and the Kleine Center for Community Service were also frequent collaborators on projects.
“Jen and I worked together to develop the [Abolition Lab] space. The library staff was working to move the reference section into the general section, and it opened this huge space,” Director of Seymour Library Anne Thomason said. “We planned the software and hardware requirements, the podcasting studio, and the modular furniture that has helped make it a popular space to congregate. We want it to be and remain a space for faculty and students to come together and talk as well as introduce different interdisciplinary programming works for many years.”
Year One of the Abolition Lab had a strong start as 69 students from five different classes worked with Andrella. In December 2022, the Lab hosted a conference, Making Knox: The Anti-Slavery and Abolitionist Aspirations of a Midwest College. During the two-day work-
In addition to student and faculty work, faculty and library staff hosted in the Abolition Lab community discussions on current events, including Totalitarianism, Fascism, and the Humanities: Knowing Fascism Then and Now hosted on May 15, 2025.
“Abolition is the lens through which we are focusing our goal because it can help us show students why the humanities matter.”
—Associate Professor of History Danielle Fatkin
shop, participants learned about the founding of Knox, past definitions of abolition, and why it matters today. Christian Ayne Crouch of Bard College and John F. Bell of Assumption University served as the keynote speakers.
The Abolition Lab also fostered a partnership with Oberlin College, Grinnell College, and Colorado College to better understand the history of abolition and social justice at each institution. The schools laid the groundwork for the April 2025 Abolition for All Time Conference held on the Knox campus.
In the second year of the Abolition for All Time grant, the focus shifted to innovation with the goal being to help faculty engage students in new ways. During the 2023-24 school year, Lab usage increased with 126 students participating. In December of that year, Knox held a workshop, Lessons in Liberation: Contemporary Abolition and Knox College in the 21st Century, led by faculty who explored modern abolitionist projects and their relevance to the College and its core beliefs. Erica R. Meiners, Bernard J. Brommel Distinguished Research Professor at Northeastern Illinois University, gave the keynote speech of the conference.
Faculty members were given tutorials on the various equipment and resources available to better understand the equipment students would be using.
“We’ve been able to work with more and more faculty. These tools take time to understand. People need to know what options are
available. It’s been a gradual process, but I’ve seen increased growth from year one to year two,” Andrella said.
Thanks to a strong partnership with the library, the lab’s new space in the former Reference Room served as a space for workshopping projects and ideas. The Abolition Lab features monitors on the wall, allowing presenters the opportunity to share research digitally and reach a wider audience. Various presentations and discussions were hosted in the space over the last two years.
“I think the space itself is the most important part of the lab in general,” said Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs Ole Forsberg, who managed the grant during its third and last year. “The fact that there’s space on campus where faculty members can be drawn together to meet and talk about cross-curricular topics that touch them all. A space to talk about humanities, which is the core of a liberal arts education, and how humanities are expressed in every disciple—that is the key to the success of the lab. I don’t see that going away.”
As the Lab moved into its third year, it hosted a faculty development workshop in December 2024, called The Future of Abolition. The goal of the workshop was to embrace the future of abolition and discuss what that means. The workshop featured required readings that accompanied and spearheaded discussions throughout the program. The last year also featured a full-scale conference on the Knox College campus to showcase the work done during the grant’s three-year duration.
Students from the dance department perform a dance to promote social justice and the narratives of histories at the April 2025 Abolition for All Time Conference.
This past April, Knox celebrated the fruits of the Mellon Foundation grant, hosting an Abolition for All Time conference. The conference brought together past and present faculty, staff, students, institution partners, and community collaborators to showcase their work. The conference united students and faculty from Knox and other colleges in the Midwest that participated in abolitionist research and projects.
Research covered by the lab not only branched into the various humanities disciplines, but also into the sciences. Associate Professor of Biology Nick Gidmark brought a scientific perspective to the discussion. His work within the Abolition Lab focused on bringing a 3D modeling software called Maya, which is typically used in biology to model organisms for creative digital storytelling. This served as a means to open educational resources for
Over the three-year grant period, the Abolition Lab produced 38 digital projects and 55 class collaborations and reached 739 students, more than 50 faculty members, and four liberal arts colleges.
the rest of the campus. Gidmark displayed his project at the Abolition for All Time conference.
“The kind of foundation and conception of the Abolition Lab was to bring diverse people together from different corners and get them to talk in the same way a science lab does,” Gidmark said.
Students from the dance program also participated in the conference by choreographing performances to promote social justice and the narratives of histories that have been suppressed, providing a platform for marginalized communities to claim their agency.
“Working with an ensemble this year, I realized it was the perfect opportunity to integrate my students into the world of origin and the Abolition Lab,” Associate Professor of Dance Kathleen Ridlon said.
Phyllis-Anne Kuteesa ’26, a performing student, appreciated being able to participate in this project.
Projects included:
Course Projects
• The Scraps of Time Podcast
• Intro to GIS Story Maps
• The Black Arts Movement at Knox
• Visualizing Human Rights
• Theatre & Incarceration Project Showcase
Collaborative Faculty Projects
• Abolition and the Arts
• Displaced Voices: Stories from the Prairie
• Supporting Innovation in Classrooms at Knox
• 3D Structure for Scientific Storytelling
• Towards an Abolitionist Model of Media Literacy
• Reimagining the Humanities in the 21st Century
• Ethics in Healthcare Inequality in Rural America
• Knowledge in Business Ethics
• Abolition of Detention
Inter-Institutional Projects
• Regional Reconciliation: Situating the Southwest and Colorado College
• “That’s my tree”: Visualizing the Grinnell College legacy of Edith Renfrow Smith ’37, DHL ’19
• Japan Meets Midwest America: Overseas Students, Teachers, & Missionaries 1860s–1920s (Colorado, Grinnell, Knox, and Oberlin Colleges)
“The kind of foundation and conception of the Abolition Lab was to bring diverse people together from different corners and get them to talk in the same way a science lab does.”
—Associate Professor of Biology Nick Gidmark
“I had a beautiful opportunity to collaborate with my professor and to tell the story of the generations before me,” Kuteesa said. “Technique aside, this piece asked me to listen and understand where this music was coming from.”
The conference ended with notes on the future of the Abolition Lab, including round table discussions and audience conversations.
“The Abolition Lab is not where Knox started, but it is opening doors to where Knox is going to go,” said Kari Santos, administrative assistant to the associate dean for faculty affairs.
Work in the Lab continued after the conference. In one of the spring term’s final presentations, students blended old technology with new, combining late 19th and early 20th century forms of social media with 21st-century technologies. Students took historical scrapbooks from Knox’s Archives and Special Collections and used them to produce a podcast episode with an accompanying digital exhibit using Microsoft Sway. The presentations were held in the Abolition Lab in Seymour Library.
The grant may have expired, but it is not the end of Knox College’s Abolition Lab, as future projects and proposals continue.
“While this conference serves as the culminating celebratory event for the Mellon Foundation Humanities for All Times Grant that launched the Abolition for All Time Digital Humanities Lab in 2022, the Lab lives on,” former Provost and Dean of the College Mike Schneider, said during the Abolition for All Time conference in April. “We still have some exciting grant news to share with our colleagues.”
Provost Schneider announced at the end of spring term that the school is accepting proposals for the final round of grant opportunities for the Mellon Faculty Innovation Grants for 2025. Faculty can create proposals for the grants to develop future curriculum.
The purpose of the grant funds is to continue the Abolition for All Time Lab ideals and advance academic programs. All faculty members were eligible to apply, and there is no limit to project proposals.
“During the Fall Term, we have these Faculty Innovation Grants that are still tied to the original Mellon Grant. We’ve got a dozen or so faculty taking advantage of those,” Forsberg said. “As for the Abolition Lab, the faculty love the space, and the students love the space. It is not going away.”
Other goals of the grant are to continue Knox’s efforts to provide innovative programs, educational opportunities for students, student engagement with key social and ethical issues, faculty development opportunities, and preparation for student success after Knox, as well as opportunities to develop future curricula that highlight the College’s vast array of student educational opportunities and experiences.
“The faculty can take classes to the Abolition Lab to learn to use the space, to use the materials that are offered there. It seems to me that the faculty-to-faculty interaction is the hallmark of what we’ve taken away from The Lab,” Forsberg said. “For instance, Nick Gidmark in biology is working on a project with someone in the social sciences, and that doesn’t happen unless there is a central place for everyone to get together.”
To help ensure that the Abolition Lab continues to connect students and faculty across disciplines, Knox recently hired a full-time digital scholarship coordinator to oversee the Lab. While the Mellon Foundation grant may expire, its original mission and purpose not only will continue, but will also grow into the future.
“It’s an exciting space. The faculty need a space to talk and get together and the lab now plays that part,” said Thomason, who will supervise the new digital scholarship coordinator. “I think that’s why Provost Schneider used the name ‘Abolition for All Time’ for the grant. It’s not something that is only here for three years, but will be here for years to come.”
By Megan Scott ’96
John Lawler ’88 is a true believer in the power of a Knox education and its mission to educate students from all backgrounds, changing their lives for the better. As the new chair of the Board of Trustees, Lawler sees his leadership role as helping the College better
share its story and continue the journey to bolster its enrollment, philanthropic support, and reputation. His personal and professional backgrounds are true assets to helping him meet this goal.
We have the right leadership, and we need to continue to focus on our vision, our mission, and our strategic framework to gain the traction needed so that Knox is recognized and acknowledged for the life-changing education it provides.
As a first-generation college student at Knox, Lawler studied economics, was a member of Beta Theta Pi, and a letterwinner in football. Each of these experiences transformed his life. “I would not be where I’m at today if I had made a different decision when I was 17 years old,” he said.
After Knox, Lawler received his MBA at the University of Iowa and then pursued a successful career at Ford Motor Company, where he has worked for the past 35 years. He started as a member of the finance team and worked his way up to pivotal roles in the Fortune 100 company, including chief financial officer, vice president of corporate strategy, and chairman and CEO of Ford China, among others. He currently serves as vice chair.
“Working in a large and complex industry all around the world has allowed me to integrate with many different cultures and instilled in me the appreciation of different points of view,” Lawler said. “I bring these skills to my role as chair, as well as my experiences as a Knox alumnus and first-generation college student, all of which will be valuable as I work with President McGadney and the Board of Trustees to deliver a plan and coordinate a vision for Knox’s future.”
A member of the Knox Board of Trustees since 2017, serving as vice chair for the last year, Lawler supported the strategic planning framework created by President McGadney in
2022, which formed the basis for the Venture Boldly comprehensive campaign, and the strategic investments needed to move the College forward. This support has helped build the momentum that Knox is experiencing today— investments in faculty salaries, record-setting enrollment, the launch of the largest comprehensive campaign in Knox’s history, and the new Knight Living & Learning Center at Green Oaks, as well as new investments in accessibility and capital projects.
“When President McGadney was hired, the Board decided to invest in Knox’s future, to grow and move forward,” Lawler said. “This opportunity was made possible thanks to all the work our past Board members and administrations did to build the endowment and establish the foundations that have allowed the College to invest in our faculty, students, and infrastructure and to grow to where we are today.”
For Lawler, Knox’s mission is its most compelling story and is key to ensuring recognition as the outstanding national liberal arts college he knows it to be. Knox’s original Circular & Plan from 1837 states that “hundreds of youth of talent, piety, and enterprise stand ready to enter upon the work of preparation . . . whenever a wide and effectual door is opened.” Today’s mission statement builds on this original idea, noting, “we take particular pride in the College’s early commitment to increase access to all qualified students of varied backgrounds,
races and conditions, regardless of financial means.” And this historic commitment is where Lawler believes Knox’s distinction lies.
“For nearly 200 years, Knox has admitted individuals regardless of background or economic means who may not recognize their potential and teaches them how to believe in themselves,” he said, “Knox helps students discover that there are no limits to what you can do.”
For Knox to sustain its current trajectory, Lawler believes that the College must continue to move at a speed that keeps up with our changing world, “without losing the essence of who we are.”
“The energy we have now is palpable,” Lawler continued. “We have the right leadership, and we need to continue to focus on our vision, our mission, and our strategic framework to gain the traction needed so that Knox is recognized and acknowledged for the life-changing education it provides.”
To do that, Lawler understands the importance of sharing the College’s accomplishments more broadly through storytelling, particularly on social media, as well as leveraging the Knox community to ensure that faculty receive the support they need to provide an outstanding liberal arts education for our students, helping them thrive and become positive members of society. “It’s important that our community supports the Venture Boldly campaign. Every little bit helps,” he said.
At the start of his three-year term as chair of the Board, Lawler is confident that Knox can build on its current achievements, noting, “I look forward to continuing to work with President McGadney, the Board, and faculty and staff on the transformation of Knox into the school we all believe it deserves to be.”
Board Chair
John Lawler ’88 welcomes members of the Knox and Galesburg communities to Commencement 2025.
By Megan Scott ’96
Now is the time to be bold.
President C. Andrew McGadney shared this statement with hundreds of alumni across the country over the last six months at events launching the Venture Boldly comprehensive campaign. He was not only referring to the strategic initiatives the College has invested in over the last four years of his presidency, but the College’s approach to the Venture Boldly campaign as well.
“Venture Boldly allows us to dream big and think boldly. This is how we take a great place and make it even better.”
—President C. Andrew McGadney
A traditional fundraising campaign generally kicks-off on campus before heading out to engage with alumni and friends across the country. The Venture Boldly campaign, however, flipped that approach and visited nine cities from coast to coast before heading back to campus in May to celebrate the launch of the first comprehensive campaign in 20 years—and the largest in Knox’s history. From its December start in Chicago to Denver in March and Los Angeles in May, with six other stops in between, Venture Boldly events generated excitement and gathered momentum as Knox alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff, and friends came together to celebrate Knox’s historic past and bright future.
On May 2, Venture Boldly returned to Knox and Galesburg to host two events that brought together more than 500 members of the Knox and Galesburg communities. The first event was held at the Galesburg Public Library, where representatives from Knox and the City of Galesburg discussed ways to improve the partnership between the city and College in front of a standing-room-only crowd. An event on the Knox campus followed that evening featuring great food, vibrant company, a program featuring Knox trustees, alumni, faculty, and staff, and concluding with a drone show and dancing.
“Both events solidified that there is continued significant outreach by the College to make it
known that the College is part of our community. And the truth of it all is this: Galesburg and Knox College are the offspring of the same father,” said local writer Stephen Podwojski in an op-ed for Galesburg’s The Register-Mail.
With the official launch of the campaign complete, Knox now turns its focus on working with members of the Knox community to meet the historic campaign’s goal of raising $175 million for the College. With more than $121 million raised to date, Knox is 69 percent of the way toward meeting its goal, and the work continues.
“The main point of a comprehensive campaign is to dream big and think boldly," President McGadney said. “And there are four main ways we, members of the Knox community near and far, can make our great College even better—attend events, volunteer, be a Knox ambassador, and, of course, give.”
The College will hit the road again this fall, engaging with alumni and friends. Stay tuned to the website www.knox.edu/ventureboldy to learn more about upcoming events and how you can support the comprehensive campaign.
Since the founding of Knox College and the City of Galesburg in 1837, the two have been bound together, sharing a history of collaboration and cooperation. Galesburg residents work or enroll at Knox, attend events hosted by the College, and support the school. Knox students, faculty, and staff are involved in the community, working in schools, volunteering in the community, even serving in city government.
That history of working together continued as Galesburg and Knox strengthen their investment in each other.
Knox College and Galesburg city leaders gathered for a public dialogue on the future of community and College relations at the Galesburg Public Library on May 2. The conversation was part of Knox’s Venture Boldly Galesburg event. Moderated by Peter Schwartzman, Galesburg mayor and Knox professor, Vice Presidents Bradley Nolden and Heather Bumps were joined by Galesburg City Manager Eric Hansen and City Clerk Kelli Bennewitz to share their visions for a better partnership between Knox and Galesburg.
Galesburg City Manager Eric Hansen, City Clerk Kelli Bennewitz, Chief of Staff and Vice President for Strategic Initiatives
Heather Bumps, and Vice President for Administrative Services and General Counsel Bradley Nolden speak to members of the Galesburg community during a standing-roomonly Venture Boldly comprehensive campaign event at the Galesburg Public Library.
Increased communication and interaction between the two communities were the focus of the dialogue. Community members also wanted to see the return of programs that presented opportunities for students to pursue internships, relationships, and partnerships with local businesses and community members, which led to the announcement of the return of KnoxCorps, a program that connects Knox students with local nonprofit organizations to help with projects and assist the community.
After the Venture Boldly luncheon at the Galesburg Public Library, President C. Andrew McGadney took to heart another concern of the community—strengthening connections. Building connections via programs and work experiences is one way to strengthen the bond between community and College. Another way is simply being neighbors—literally. When a desire for housing meets a desire to be neighbors, new ideas and new programs emerge. Enter the Galesburg Reinvestment Fund. The fund is the idea aimed at leveraging philanthropic support to launch projects that assist in attracting
businesses and prospective families and students to Knox and Galesburg. Galesburg residents, George P’97 and Mary Mangieri Burgland ’68, P’97 made a generous donation to kickstart the project.
“We were approached by President McGadney concerning this concept after I went to the Venture Boldly luncheon, which was a conversation about Knox working with the Galesburg community,” Mary Burgland said. “I thought, ‘What if we got the ‘Burgers’ together and we help this city and the College in a sense of investing in housing, thinking it might be a win-win situation for everybody. This is not a town of billionaires, but there are a lot of individuals I feel who are interested in giving back to their community in a way like this.”
The idea of giving back is one that sticks with George Burgland, a Galesburg native whose family roots run deep into the city’s history. “My family had a business in Galesburg for 150 years,” he said. “It was tough to close, but it was the right time to do it. We all want to give back. This is a chance to do so. This is where we earned our money, so we feel this is where it needs to go.”
Knox College does already have many ties with the Galesburg community. Along with Mayor Schwartzman, Heather Acerra ’90 and Steve Cheesman ’80 both serve as representatives on the City Council.
Serving on the city government or in economic development are not the only ways Knox connections are giving back to the Galesburg community. Knox also has a number of well-established and burgeoning programs that are bridging town-gown relations. Programs include the George Washington Gale Scholars Program, a nearly 30-year partnership between Knox, Galesburg District 205, and Carl Sandburg College that encourages and supports higher education goals of first-generation and income eligible youth; the Knox-Rootabaga Jazz Festival, bringing jazz to Galesburg youth and larger community for more than 40 years; the beloved College 4 Kids program held each summer on the Knox campus; annual athletic summer camps; and the renewed KnoxCorps program that connects Knox students with local nonprofit organizations, allowing them to engage in meaningful projects and support community needs.
Students perform skills that they learned during the Drumming and Dance in Ghana research trip.
In continuing efforts to bolster Knox’s signature immersive learning, the College is offering a trio of experiences for students during the summer and fall 2025 terms.
Immersive terms are part of Knox’s core curriculum and provide students with hands-on experiences in the real world, outside the comfort zone of the classroom. Travel immersive terms have been part of the Knox experience since 1971, when a group of students took a 10-week, three-credit “Farm Term” in Wisconsin. As outside the box as that first immersive term seemed more than 50 years ago, now it is part of the traditional education and experience that continues to set Knox apart from peer institutions.
Travel limitations due to COVID-19 cut into immersive experiences, but with the pandemic in the rearview mirror, travel experiences are making a strong comeback for Knox students and faculty. After the success of Japan Term and Drumming and Dance in Ghana, students can partook in a domestic travel experience this summer, exploring Chicago for Chicago Term: Life, Work, and Culture in the Second City.
Political science faculty members Andy Civettini and Thomas Bell led the students on a three-and-a-half-week experience of life, work, and culture in Chicago. This is the second consecutive summer Bell and Civettini have taken students to the Windy City.
During the course, students participated in a 12-day internship to learn what it is like living and working in one of the world’s largest cities.
“The internships are all over the place. Immersion is the goal,” Civettini said. “Chicago is a vibrant, multicultural city. The neighborhoods have character and there’s a flavor in each neighborhood. There’s also the museums, the
cultural centers, the historical sites. We want our students to experience that along with the internships and the soft skills they’ll learn that are so valuable.”
During the fall and winter terms, Knox is also offering a pair of international immersive experiences, as new students can learn and explore the history and cultures of Taiwan or Peru.
Students must also complete a project and deliver a presentation based on what they learned during the experience, along with the classroom coursework.
During the term, students will learn the background, history, and culture of the countries, while also brainstorming project ideas. Companion courses that are prerequisites for the trips are offered during the fall. For the Taiwan trip, students are required to take courses on Chinese culture, language, and religion to prepare. For the Peru trip, a course on the Spanish language is a prerequisite.
After the fall term, students and professors will visit each country, putting their classroom knowledge to use in the field. The Peru trip is planned for November 24-December 15, and Taiwan is from November 24-December 10.
The trips are an opportunity for students to have a study abroad experience while not having to stray far from their studies and classes for an entire semester or term.
To help fund expenses for each course, students can apply for a Power of Experience grant, which provides up to $2,000 to support experiential learning opportunities. Students can receive additional support from the Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study to help support their experience.
On June 8, Knox College Commencement was a special occasion as four sets of twins took the stage, delighting the audience with twice the pride. Avi and Arun Rajbhandari, Amelia and Willow Berg, Gabrielle and Madeline Randol, and Kamana’okekai and Meridian Lattig all graduated, joining the ranks of Knox alumni.
Despite sharing a unique bond, each twin’s journey is distinct, shaped by individual goals and dreams that led them to Galesburg. For these eight graduates, their college experience was enriched not only by their academic pursuits but also by the companionship and support that comes with being a twin.
“I think doing it together is the best part of it, I would say, because we’ve done it all together. To finally be at the end together is bittersweet,” Madelina, an environmental studies and public policy double major, said. “We’re both Gale Scholars, so it was kind of a choice of overall, it was best financial-wise and for our families to attend Knox and be part of the program and have that extra sector of support… it was a mutual decision that this was best for us.”
As part of the foundation of a Knox College education, summer common reading assignments have become part of the core curriculum, welcoming first-year students to the College with their first official course: First-Year Preceptorial (FP).
The purpose of FP is simple: Prepare incoming Knox students with what a liberal arts education looks like and give them an idea of what is expected of them in the classroom in terms of participation.
“FP is about fun, it’s free-ranging, the professors can teach whatever they want,” said Scott Harris, faculty liaison to the First-Year Experience. “FP is fundamentally about conversation and knowing what a Knox classroom and education are like.
“I’ve been at other institutions, where the class sizes are much larger and the conversation is much more stilted and difficult to facilitate. When you have 80 students in a lecture hall vs. 18 in a classroom, you get to know your professor on a first-name basis. You’re integrated into each other’s lives. That familiarity provides space for people to be more authentic and comfortable.”
This summer’s First-Year Preceptorial common reading is Learning to Disagree by John Inazu.
Inazu is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Inazu spoke at the Etz Family Institute for Civic Leadership and Dialogue inaugural public event,
Learning to Disagree Across the Culture Wars, in October 2024 at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Galesburg.
The theme of his book is teaching students the importance of establishing dialogues with those with whom they disagree, and navigating differences of belief and opinion with understanding and respect.
“The book tackles how we unpack our issues and talk to others who see those particular issues differently,” Harris said. “How do we have a genuine conversation with someone we disagree with and be comfortable in our disagreement? Sometimes you have a compromise, sometimes a consensus and sometimes, at some point, it’s ‘this is a point we disagree on, and that’s ok.’”
Along with the summer reading, incoming students will receive questions on the material to encourage discussion when arriving on campus and participating in their first meeting with their FP group during New Student Orientation. Throughout the fall term, students and their professors will engage in discussions and activities based on the book’s themes.
“This highlights the interdisciplinary transcendence of a Knox education in a classroom environment,” Harris said. “You may have an environmental studies professor teaching a course on board games or an English literature professor teaching the history of food. There’s such an emphasis on major and minor selection that limits what you can study. This course gives students another set of tools to talk about bigger issues. These topics transcend any discipline.”
FP is a true hallmark of a Knox education. The selected reading and course implementation have changed, but the fundamentals of the course remain the same: prepare and challenge the incoming students with the College’s expectations.
“FP goes back a long way. Every topic and class is different, each instructor chooses the topic to address the themes,” Harris said. “There might be a class on games and culture that features board games, video games, and game theory. There might be an FP on food as social interaction, one on science fiction, or human identity. The students are in different classrooms, have different instructors, and participate in different lessons, but they all have the shared experience of shared reading. There is a common text but also diversity in the course.”
In addition to the reading, discussions, and work, Inazu will visit campus in September, hosting a discussion with students and faculty on his book. Accompanying the talk on his book, Inazu will engage in a question-and-answer session with first-year students.
“The FP students will gather and John Inazu will give a brief presentation on his book. Students will then pose questions stemming from the book or how he applied his methodology to it.”
“We found last fall that the Q & A session was excellent. Knox students are very insightful and curious,” added Harris.
“The book tackles how we unpack our issues and talk to others who see those particular issues differently. How do we have a genuine conversation with someone we disagree with and be comfortable in our disagreement?”
Scott Harris, Faculty Liaison to the First-Year Experience
Knox College is proud to introduce the newest members of its Board of Trustees. “Our newest trustees bring with them valuable skill sets and perspectives that will help the Board continue to support President McGadney and his team as they work to implement important strategic initiatives to make Knox stronger,” said Board Chair John Lawler ’88.
Jeff Bacidore ’92, General Trustee
Jeff Bacidore is an associate teaching professor at the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, where he teaches finance at the undergraduate and graduate level. Jeff is also the founder and president of The Bacidore Group, which provides consulting services to consulting firms, hedge funds, brokers, and fintech firms. He has over 20 years of experience in algorithmic trading and quantitative finance across multiple asset classes and has designed and implemented algorithms ranging from low latency, machine learning-enhanced smart routers through multi-asset, multiday portfolio trading algorithms. Bacidore has a B.A. in economics from Knox College, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in finance from Indiana University.
Jennifer Quinn Broda ’94, P’17 General Trustee
Jennifer Quinn Broda has 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, the past 25 years of which have been as outside counsel. She is a trusted advisor to Bermuda Insurers, as well as domestic insurers and those in the London market. Broda is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS), and the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM). She earned her J.D. at Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2000, and her B.A. in philosophy from Knox.
Megan Clair ’04, Alumni Trustee
Megan Clair is currently the senior manager, internal controls at Revlon, where she focuses on internal control over financial reporting and second line activities across the North American organization. She majored in biology and music with College Honors at Knox and received her M.S. degree in Accounting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Henry W. Bloch School of Management.
Arthur H. Kaz ’90, General Trustee
Arthur H. Kaz is semi-retired from a 30-year career in consulting, leveraged finance, and alternative asset management. He currently provides consulting services to fund managers interested in quantitative, systematic strategies and is a frequent speaker at industry events. Kaz was the founder of Greenbriar Asset Management, LP, a Chicago-based SEC-registered hedge fund, where he served as chief investment officer and held discretionary trading authority on over $300 million of assets under management. After earning his BA in mathematics from Knox, Kaz received his MBA from the University of Chicago. He has been a member of the Board’s Investment Subcommittee since 2016.
Stephen Lam ’88, General Trustee
Stephen Lam became CEO of Tanvex BioPharma in September 2024, overseeing the integration with Bora Pharmaceuticals and launching Bora Biologics as a CDMO serving the global Biologics market. Lam has over 35 years of industry experience at companies like Lonza, Amgen, and Patheon. He most recently served as vice president and general manager of Single-Use Technology at Thermo Fisher Scientific. He graduated from Knox with a B.A. in chemistry in 1988.
Charles E. Shirley, General Trustee
Charles Shirley is East Region Tax Leader for PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Private practice where he has served clients with intense passion and competence for over 30 years. Shirley is a trusted business advisor to clients in a broad range of industries including retail, distribution, manufacturing, technology, logistics, real estate, and service companies. Shirley earned a B.S. in accounting from the University of Connecticut and an MST (Taxation) from the University of Hartford.
Knox also offers it thanks to outgoing Board members, including Joe Bastian ’67, Patrick Lyn ’84, Laura Rosene ’90, Maurice “Mo” Harris ’08, Akwasi Asabere ’05, and Adam Vitale. Bastian, Lyn, and Rosense were named Trustee Emeritus, an honorary title bestowed on a former trustee to recognize contributions and service. “I remain grateful and humbled by the commitment of our Board of Trustees to Knox. The passion for our mission and dedication to service to the College by our Board is exceptional,” said President C. Andrew McGadney.
“Alumni, family, and friends came together and showed what’s possible when each of us does our part to support a transformational Knox education.”
President C. Andrew McGadney
When Knox College asked, alumni, parents, and friends of the College delivered, highlighting one of the most successful fundraising years in school history. Total fundraising for the fiscal year ending on June 30 was $27.2 million, surpassing the year’s goal of $25 million.
Gifts to the Knox Fund, or gifts used to support the annual operations of the College, totaled a record-setting $7.5 million. Unrestricted giving to the annual fund exceeded $6 million, a 32 percent increase over the previous year.
A series of targeted campaigns contributed to the year’s success, including the Fuel the Fire campaign, which raised $507,000 for Prairie Fire Athletics, outperforming its goal of $500,000. May’s Knox Proud Days raised $1.78 million for the Knox Fund over a little more than two days, and the Match for Mission end-of-year campaign, generously supported by a $500,000 matching gift from an anonymous donor, brought in a staggering $1 million in unrestricted funding for the College. The Class of 1974 also set two records in support of its 50th Reunion: 74 percent of the class contributed to the reunion gift totaling $4,029,633.
Highlighting the year was the launch of the historic Venture Boldly comprehensive campaign in December 2024. The campaign visited 11 different cities around the country, sharing the College’s bold plans for its future and encouraging all members of the Knox community to support Knox’s historic mission. This year’s record-setting fundraising helped the comprehensive campaign’s reach $121 million to date, 69 percent of the overall $175 million campaign goal.
“Alumni, family, and friends came together and showed what’s possible when each of us does our part to support a transformational Knox education,” said President C. Andrew McGadney. “Because of the support from donors like you, our students are thriving. Thank you for giving, thank you for believing in Knox, and thank you for showing what we can achieve together.”
“Ignore the coastal institutions who love to brag about their pedigree and history. You will hold a diploma from a college that outshines them in a heritage that is exceedingly rare—a community built around the concept that our lives should be lived every day… with courage.”
—Governor JB Pritzker
Glenn received her bachelor of science degree in psychology from Memorial University of Newfoundland, and her master’s and doctorate degrees in experimental psychology from Concordia University. She also held a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University before joining the psychology department at Colby College.
Professor Melissa J. Glenn officially joined the Knox community on July 1 as provost and dean of the faculty, as well as a tenured professor in the Department of Psychology. Glenn comes to Knox from Colby College, where she has served as the associate provost for academic programs since 2021 and as professor in the psychology department since 2007. In her role at Knox, Glenn will serve as chief academic officer, responsible for overseeing all academic affairs and operations of the College.
“Knox students already have amazing opportunities, and I am eager to ensure that continues and to build on what has already been accomplished.”
Why Knox? And why now?
As I approached the end of my fourth year as an associate provost at Colby College, I knew that I was ready and eager to take the next step into a provost/dean of the faculty position. However, I did not want just any such position as I was first and foremost wholly committed to finding my place at a small liberal arts, residential college. Interestingly, I myself did not attend this kind of college. Instead, all of my education and training was at large research schools until I took my faculty job at Colby 18 years ago. Over the course of my education, I came to realize that a small liberal arts college was the ideal fit for me and being a teacher-scholar was precisely the kind of work and impact I wanted to do and have. Also, part of my not knowing much about the small liberal arts college model stemmed from being a first-generation college student living in a rural location in Newfoundland, Canada, where everyone I knew (and I) was heading off to the provincial university. But while there, I met all kinds of people and saw and experienced first-hand the unparalleled opportunity of a college education and the immeasurable value that came from access to one.
Knox College was extremely appealing to me as a small liberal arts college that upon its founding opened its doors to all. I was also very much attracted to the courage to innovate and the long-standing commitment to inclusion and access that permeated Knox’s materials and webpages. In all my interactions, the Knox community delivered on those fronts and more! I was also deeply impressed by how the Knox faculty members were unwavering in their dedication to students and knew that these were the faculty I wanted to serve.
You have a very active teaching and research agenda at Colby. How do you think that work may shape your experience as provost and dean of the faculty?
As provost and dean of the faculty, I will bring the same energy and devotion to serving the faculty that I did to figuring out the best way to educate my students in my classroom and lab and providing them the kinds of opportunities they needed to understand what their next steps might be. Knox students already have amazing opportunities, and I am eager to ensure that continues and to build on what has already been accomplished.
At a time when higher education is under extreme scrutiny with new federal actions being announced almost weekly, how would you describe the benefits of a liberal arts education and a Knox education, in particular?
A liberal arts education is exquisitely positioned to provide students with the tools they need to confront a challenging national landscape marked by misinformation and suspicion, all too common factors that work to divide us. Knox students, like others at small residential colleges, are obtaining broad insights from many areas of study about how knowledge is created and how to evaluate evidence and sources of information. Further, the residential aspect at small colleges teaches students about building and being a part of a community and communicating across differences. It is my firm belief that the particular features of a Knox education—learning by doing, working in community with others, speaking and writing clearly and authentically, to name a few—guide our students towards meaningful work, bridge-building, gratitude, and purpose. These are things all Americans can and should agree on. It’s our job to make sure everyone knows this—our students, their families, our country.
With the growing influence of AI, the call for micro-credentials, three-year degrees, and so on, how do you envision academic programs and offerings potentially developing at Knox?
I was really drawn to the appetite for innovation that I saw at Knox, and I’m excited and optimistic about what we can do together. Now, more than ever, we need to understand how the workplace is changing and AI is a big part of that. This requires careful and creative attention to how we maintain the liberal arts tradition at our core, while also ensuring that our students are properly equipped to succeed once they leave our campus. I envision an academic program that doesn’t just prepare our students for the world that is out there but positions them to excel and to lead in the places they end up. Using our liberal arts lens with intention as we develop programs and offerings will ensure that our approach to professional preparation stays true to our values and provides a competitive edge to our students.
What are you most looking forward to in your new role at Knox and in Galesburg?
I’m most looking forward to joining the Knox community, getting to know my new faculty and staff colleagues and Knox students, and getting to work!
THREE FACTS
Maddie has pitched softball in five countries. She went to five countries on a cruise and pitched in all of them.
She is deadly afraid of fish. In Associate Professor of Biology Nick Gidmark’s Anatomy class, all she did for the lab was dissect fish.
For five years, Maddie was a competitive bowler, which helped her with her pitching.
Maddie
Hicks
’26 is a biology major and neuroscience minor, with the aim of entering the medical field. She came to Knox to play softball and has found great meaning and value in the relationships she has built.
WHAT LED YOU TO PLAY SOFTBALL AT KNOX?
I played for a travel ball softball team, and my coach was very determined to get all of his girls to play college ball. He sent out an email saying that Knox was a great school for both softball and the pre-med path and that they are interested in watching students play.
I reached out to a coach here saying I was interested and she flew to Las Vegas to see me play at a showcase. I also visited Knox earlier, and I fell in love with the campus, so when I was offered a position on the team, I committed to the school—February of my junior year I believe.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR TAKEAWAYS GOING INTO YOUR LAST YEAR OF COLLEGE?
I think everything I've done has taught me a different lesson. Kappa Kappa Gamma taught me how to hold myself and how I should present myself and also how to love unconditionally. I could barely know a person in the chapter, and immediately there's so much love and care for that person because they have the same values and the same ideals and overall goal that they share with me and the rest of the members. I think softball has taught me how to be a leader. I was a junior captain, and it taught me communication and accountability. Overall, I am more open to trying new things and putting myself out there.
By Rick Bender
Justin Newell began his role as vice president and director of athletics at the beginning of February after more than a decade on the athletics staff at Kenyon College, including the last four as associate director of athletics. He also has served in various capacities at the Division I level at Tulane, Jacksonville, and Michigan, but Division III is where his passion lies. Now that he has his feet under him at Knox, we decided to sit down with him and get some insight into his assessment of the athletics department and his vision for where the Prairie Fire are headed.
What have been your first impressions of Knox College athletics and the college itself?
Everyone always talks about their people being special, but this has truly been a unique experience. I’ve never felt a more welcoming environment at any institution I’ve ever been at. There’s an energy about it. There’s this passion and desire to grow and be better at things, just across the board.
You have talked about making Knox Athletics better. What is your vision for doing just that?
For me, it’s patience and, also, persistence. It’s about building a foundation and being patient and growing it over time. It’s going to be a process of educating ourselves on what really works here, how we build that and, then, as we build that excellence, I think more people will want to come and be a part of it. It’s going to be this kind of slow trickle that in 10 years, I think we’ll look back and think how did we even get here?
Knox Athletics has good facilities—the football stadium, the soccer stadium, Memorial Gym. What does it take to make them great?
President McGadney would say investment, absolutely investment. It’s where we go in the future. And I think there needs to be an investment in our facilities—they’re good, but they can be great. They haven’t been updated in
a little while, particularly, the T. Fleming Fieldhouse, Memorial Gym, locker rooms, things that students really care about. An investment in the student-athlete experience is a big step toward making us great. It’s those improvements that we can make that wow recruits and also make people proud to walk into the space.
What is something that you see as something that could be a game changer for Knox Athletics?
In the world of Division I athletics, as we talk about transfer portals and NIL and everything else, there is the youth sport culture of driving for results. I think we’re looking at the wrong results. It's not about a scholarship. It’s about the process of getting there, and what we are really in tune with doing is using athletics as a part of the educational tool. What Division III does really well and what a place like Knox does even better is leverage athletics to better you as a human being to enter the world. I think athletics provides so many values— resiliency, competitiveness, teamwork— these things that drive us in the business world, the ability to communicate all the things that surround liberal arts. And that’s why I think Knox and athletics go hand in hand, and I think we’re losing focus on that. Yes, we want to win. I want to win. I want to get results, but it's the pursuit of winning that I really want to focus on.
Faculty Retirees
Knox offers its best wishes and heartfelt congratulations to the faculty and staff who officially retired over the past year. Each has served Knox for more than 20 years, adding to Knox’s history of quality education and experience.
(in order of years of service)
Professor of Art Mark Holmes began at Knox in 2004 and retired after 21 years of service. As shared by his colleagues during his last faculty meeting, “Mark’s most notable departmental and institutional achievement was initiating and overseeing the construction of the Whitcomb Art Center. . . . In conjunction with the art and art history faculty, he also served a major role in the operational management of the Borzello Gallery.”
After 29 years at Knox, Magali Roy-Féquière, associate professor of gender and women’s studies, is retiring. Originally from Puerto Rico, Roy-Féquière ultimately ended up in the Midwest, starting at Knox in fall 1995. During her time at Knox, she served both the Gender and Women’s Studies (formerly Women’s Studies), and Africana Studies (formerly Black Studies) programs in significant ways, including serving as chair of both programs.
Recently retired professors Konrad Hamilton and Magali Roy-Féquière together at their joint retirement party in May 2025.
Konrad Hamilton, Burkhardt Distinguished Associate Professor of History, chair of American studies, and co-director of the Etz Family Institute for Civic Leadership & Dialogue, retired after 31 years of service to Knox. Originally trained as a historian of politics and political economy, focusing on the history and impact of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, he has branched out to other areas in American history, covering a highly impressive territory in politics, society, and culture.
Associate Professor of Mathematics Mary Vlastnik Armon ’85 retired after serving her alma mater for 33 years. Over the course of her career, her teaching interests included number theory and analysis, and her professional memberships included the American Mathematical Society, the Association for Women in Mathematics, and the Mathematical Association for Mathematics. She is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
After 33 years of service, Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy William Young officially retired from the College in March. Young was the first recipient of the College’s Lance Factor Endowed Professorship in Philosophy, and his areas of teaching and scholarly expertise include contemporary ethical theory, philosophy of feminism, existentialism, and modern philosophy. His longtime affiliation with Knox’s Asian Studies program led to courses in Buddhism, Japanese Buddhism, and East Asian Philosophy and his role as co-leader of Japan Term.
Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology
Frank McAndrew retired after an impressive 46 years of service to Knox. As shared by his colleague, Professor Heather Hoffmann, “Frank has been a remarkably popular and impactful professor, teaching an impressive collection of 22 different courses. . . . Across these courses, Frank has taught the most students of any professor in the history of Knox—more than 11,000.” In addition, his scholarship has been featured in more than 2,000 outlets, including television and radio, and his research has been used in documentaries.
Staff Retirees (in order of years of service)
Janice Gluba retired from Knox as a food service crew leader after 23 years at Knox. It may be more appropriate to say “retired,” as she will return periodically to assist in dining services.
Becky Canfield, who retired as senior administrative assistant to the associate dean of the College, served Knox in various roles for 25 years. She began as a security officer, moving on to work in the Office of Human Resources, the Division of Student Development, and the Dean of the College. She also served as an advisor for Allied Blacks for Liberty and Equality (A.B.L.E.).
Scott Sunderland, associate director of athletics for sports medicine and performance, event and facility management, and internal operations, retired after 30 years serving the Knox College athletics department. “Scott Sunderland has been the steady presence and quiet force holding this department together,” shared Vice President and Director of Athletics Justin Newell.
After a 34-year career, Melody Diehl retired as accounts payable, loan, and purchasing manager. Diehl worked in the business office for the entirety of her Knox career, providing, as her colleagues shared, “dedicated service, laughs, and countless memories.”
Becky Canfield served at Knox in various roles for 25 years.
Knox College is proud to announce its newest tenured faculty members. At the May meeting of the Knox College Board of Trustees, four faculty members received tenure and were promoted to associate professor.
“For faculty members to be granted tenure is a remarkable achievement and testament to their academic and teaching achievements, as well as their service to the College. The ability to share the news regarding our new associate professors is one of my greatest joys as president, and I offer my sincere congratulations to all.”
—President C. Andrew McGadney
Thomas Bell
Associate Professor of Political Science & International Relations
Pre-Law Advisor
Co-Director of the Etz Family Institute for Civic Leadership & Dialogue
Education: B.A., Trinity University; M.A. & Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
What does a Knox College education mean to you?
I think that a Knox education is about equipping our students to succeed not just in their future careers, but as flourishing people. Our liberal arts emphasis means that if you go on to become a lawyer, for example, maybe you took a poetry class while at Knox and can cultivate that in your life outside of your job. I want our students to leave Knox with a wide range of intellectual interests and talents that can sustain them beyond what they do for work. In my particular role as a constitutional theorist, I hope that my students are well equipped for engaged citizenship.
Roya Biggie Associate Professor of English
Education: B.A., St. Mary’s College of Maryland; M.A., Georgetown University; Ph.D. CUNY Graduate Center
What is your approach to making sure students get the most out of their time in your classroom?
In my classes, students play an active role in shaping both what they learn and how they learn it. I offer students opportunities to design assignments that allow them to examine the questions and ideas that have preoccupied them throughout the term. Some of my favorite meetings with students involve asking them: What did you find most intriguing this term? What do you want to know more about? How do you want to go about exploring these topics and questions? In Introduction to Shakespeare, for example, students’ final projects are always wide-ranging, and might include everything from a sonnet sequence to a podcast to a research essay. I find that allowing students to take ownership of their academic work encourages them to take intellectual risks and to recognize their own expertise.
Deirdre Dougherty Associate Professor of Educational Studies
Peace Corps Prep Program Advisor
Education: B.A., Smith College; M.A., Georgetown University; Ph.D., Rutgers University
What is your approach to making sure students get the most out of their time in your classroom?
I like to make sure that students know that I see them as people with complex and interesting experiences. I also want them to try to forge connections between the materials that we cover in class and the world around them.
Leanne Trapedo Sims
Daniel J. Logan Associate Professor of Peace and Justice Chair of Peace and Justice
Education: B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison; M.A.s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, NY University Tisch School of the Arts, and Fordham University; Ph.D., University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
What does a Knox College education mean to you?
My teaching and mentorship trajectory at Knox College has been life-altering. I have learned much about myself as an educator. One of the strengths I transported to Knox College is an indebtedness and commitment to critical and decolonial pedagogy—not just as rhetoric but as praxis. I carry these liberatory theories and praxes with me to all my classes. At Knox College, I am fortunate to have the freedom(s) to foster my own teaching style and pedagogy, working with intimate classes of students who are passionate about changing the world.
At Knox College, poet Donald Revell discovered a community of creators with a difference—an unexpected level of respect for each other’s individual backgrounds and experiences. With Donald Revell on campus, Knox College students experienced a critic who could engage each writer at the creative place where their poetry was taking shape.
Revell, author of 17 collections of poetry and six volumes of translations from French, was the inaugural Robin Metz Writer in Residence. The residency was established in honor of the late Robin Metz, founder of Knox’s creative writing program and faculty member for a half-century, and is supported by the Robin Metz Endowed Fund for the Creative Arts, established by Robin and Elizabeth Carlin Metz in honor of Robin’s years of teaching creative writing at Knox.
Revell met with students individually, for a dinner, and in a masterclass for the Poetry Workshop. He also read from his own works at the monthly Caxton Club and adjudicated two poetry competitions: the Davenport Poetry Prize and the Audrey Collet-Conard Prize in Poetry.
About his time at Knox, Revell said, “Something is in the atmosphere at this place, and I suspect it's healthy. It lets people be themselves without feeling that they’re being themselves in spite of, or in competition with, or in reaction to anyone. I’m really delighted. The word diversity is uselessly abused, but it seemed to me that all the students I met were incredibly varied and also incredibly comfortable with the variety. Something is going on in the English department, or the arts, or maybe the whole school. I’m impressed. I’ve never felt so comfortable. This place could give tolerance a good name.”
Student Natalie O’Brien ’25 said she entered the Davenport Poetry competition for the chance that Revell would critique her work. “I’ve never submitted to the Davenport before. I didn't care about winning an award for my writing. I was very excited to hear that he was coming, and if there was an opportunity to talk to him about my poems, that would be invaluable."
Revell was brought to campus by Nicolas Regiacorte, professor of English and director of the program in creative writing.
“Bringing writers to campus is among the best ways to refresh how we think of the craft of writing itself and the role of literature in the world,” Regiacorte said. “Robin Metz always sought to renew our sense of why writing matters. Residencies are essential to any art, I’d wager, vital to students and faculty alike.”
The Davenport Literary Awards in fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, and poetry were established by John Davenport, who taught English at Knox from 1945 to 1972, in memory of his parents, A. Eugene and Ella Stewart Davenport.
The Collet-Conard Prize, given in recognition of aesthetic excellence and spiritual resonance in a student’s poetry, was established by Jo Ann Robinson ’64, in memory of Audrey Collet-Conard ’65.
Lines in the Shed Ryan Tracy, Visiting Assistant Professor of English
Auntie Press through Troy Book Makers
Cover designed by Suyash Chitrakar ’25
Lines in the Shed offers at-close-range portraits of a social fracture, everyday paranoia, and unspoken antagonisms, major and minor. At home in the American quotidian tradition of O’Hara, Williams, and Wright, these poems never lose sight of what matters, what’s gay, what comes up short, what we can’t live without, and what endures in the daily struggle to live in the world with strangers, family, and—perhaps the book’s most urgent heroes—friends.
You’re Too Young to Understand
Liz Sjaastad ’89
Itasca Books
Born to a Russian immigrant father scarred by the trauma of WWII and a mother silently battling schizophrenia, Sjaastad was thrust into chaos from a young age. This powerful memoir traces her journey from a childhood steeped in instability to the hard-earned healing of adulthood. With grace and vulnerability, she invites readers into a world where caring for the very people who failed to protect you becomes an act of reclamation.
Love Letters to a Serial Killer
Tasha Coryell ’10
Penguin Random House
An aimless young woman starts writing to an accused serial killer while he awaits trial and then, once he’s acquitted, decides to move in with him and take the investigation into her own hands in this dark and irresistibly compelling debut thriller.
“Coryell expertly renders her protagonist’s uneasy perch between love and suspicion. This is un-put-downable.”
—Publishers Weekly
We Declare You a Terrorist
Tim Lord ’98
Dramatic Publishing
After being held hostage in a Moscow theatre by terrorists demanding an end to Russia’s war in Chechnya, a Ukrainian-Russian playwright is still haunted by the relationships he made during the crisis and unable to move past the tragic events that surrounded the siege’s conclusion. In a desperate attempt to understand what he and his country have become, he attempts to sneak into Chechnya only to be captured by Russian agents and suspected of being a terrorist himself. All alone in an interrogation room on the Russian frontier, he is forced to confront just what happened during those 57 hours in 2002.
Men at the Brink Masculinity in the 21st Century
David P. Jachim ’71
International Psychoanalytic Books
Drawing on mythology, psychoanalytic investigation, and sociocultural trends, this book traverses the ever-changing landscape of masculinity from classical images to current-day sociocultural perspectives on the male gender. The author explores early roots of the masculine character, the skewed view of the masculine character in mental health research, as well as the impact of present-day male taglines such as “patriarchy” and “toxic masculinity.” The text illustrates the misunderstanding of men’s needs and treatment by mental health practitioners, the media, as well as the social justice system.
Crossroad of Politicians
Senator Bob Dole leaving Memorial Gym on March 13, 1988, after visiting campus during his campaign for presidency.
There was a second political figure on campus at the same time as Dole’s visit. Know who it was? Share your answer with us at knoxmag@knox.edu.
Thanks to Atikem “Mamo” Haile-Mariam ’84 for sharing his memories of last issue’s Flashback photo: “[I’m] pretty sure Masood (Class of 1983?) and Co. did a martial arts display in 1981 or 1982 to the song “Eye of the Tiger” . . . [and] I am pretty sure my freshman class organized the first I-Fair in 1981… None of this would have happened without the efforts of our international advisor Shelley Roberts.”
Washington State University Vancouver campus. See page 44 for more.
Read more on page 61.
Bottom
the Democracy in Action Coordinator
Mano a Mano Family Resource Center, with colleagues on an advocacy trip to Springfield in May to fight for immigrant healthcare. Read more on page 69.
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, 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: Jennifer Gallas
Associate Director of Donor Relations
Knox College, Box K-230 Galesburg, IL 61401-4999
Email: classnotes@knox.edu
Please note that Class Notes may be edited for space and in accordance with the Knox Style Guide. If you are submitting photos, please send high-resolution images that are at least 300 dpi.
Update your contact information:
1954
Greetings Old ’54 Siwashers: I’ve heard from only one of you—Wes Dusek—of the two dozen or so we emailed, so you get the news from Wes and Jim.
Wes wrote, “It would be interesting to know who is still among us. So many have passed on.” So I sent the names, and herewith the Wes news: “I’m retired, of course: 30 years teaching high school biology and 45 years coaching five different sports teams. Now I am a caregiver for my wife of 68 years. Gardening and swimming for exercise. 60 years ago, Jean and I started a Bible class. This year we will have a banquet to celebrate. We are the only one of the originals still in it.” That seems a very rewarding and productive life.
► I, too, am retired, of course, and as I write, people around me are stripping our house of many, many things and much, much stuff acquired over the years. In five days, we move to an apartment with half the space in an old folks’ home. My younger (82) wife of 58 years, Kathie, is now my primary caregiver as spinal stenosis and other things limit my mobility. After and during a few years in journalism, I got a law degree, became the first Nebraska State Court Administrator, and later a senior administrator for the U.S., 9th Circuit Court. And for some years now, the ’54 Class Correspondent.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: JIM DUNLEVEY dunlevey@aol.com
1955
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: MEGAN CLAYTON pclayton@knox.edu
1956
Another reality check for life at 90—along with a reduced class surviving membership comes a reduced amount of class news. As I write this at the end of April, the class contact list stands at 27. That means that 27 of us are dealing with the joys of bodies that don’t always cooperate and with increasing visits
to a variety of medical providers. Back in 1956, we sure didn’t worry about such things!
► Gay Taylor Jolley did make a contribution: “I guess I already told you about the trip to Scotland and the wedding in the castle. If not, use your imagination. It was better than that! I had the challenge of trying to see everything with inflamed corneas in both eyes, which flared up three days before I was to leave. Palliative treatment helped, but navigation in Heathrow was even more challenging than I had dreamed. Almost all better now, though. Allergic reaction to treatment for macular degeneration. Interesting to see, sorta, and not really see. The weather here seems to have settled down to summer, with lows in the 50s to 60s, and highs in the mid80s. Lovely, except for the pollen. This, too, shall pass. Otherwise, I keep busy. This place sees that opportunity is always there to learn something, do something, or eat and drink. Love it! Happy seasons, whatever they are where you live.” Gay lives in a retirement community near Atlanta, Georgia.
My daughter, Susan, and her husband (and two pups!) are staying with me while their new house is under construction in Vancouver, Washington. That has altered my usual quiet routine but in a good way. Since their arrival in January, I have attended community events, wine tastings, and sightseeing that I would have passed up prior to their arrival and meals are more adventurous. I am feeling thoroughly spoiled and will miss them (probably not the dogs) when their house is finished in July. This will be a fun summer!
CLASS CORRESPONDENT:
RICKY JUNG SCHWARZLER schwarzler@msn.com
The other morning at breakfast at the Admiral at the Lake Retirement Home, a friend, Cam Nielson, asked me where I went to college. I proudly replied, “Knox, Class of 1957.” She said her late husband, Chatfield “Chat” Nielson was in that class, as was his TKE room-
mate and life-long buddy, Alex Lockhart. Asked me if I knew the Heartthrob of the TKEs, Ginger Gengler Barr-Morketter. I replied in the affirmative. Then told me she thought Anne Cooper Munson would have made a more attractive Hearthrob. Also, told me, in confidence, that Chat and Alex had a secret hiding place under the floorboards in the TKE House in which they hid their booze. But she wouldn’t tell me the location, as it remains a TKE secret. Wow, you learn something new every day!
► Jamie Bjorkman reports that under the guidance of Wendy Scherwat Ducourneau ’72 and Chip Evans ’68, plans are moving along to rejuvenate the Gold Star exhibit in the lobby of Memorial Gymnasium. When completed, the 129 names of all Knox College Gold Stars will be included. Check out the online version at www.knox. edu/99lives. Very impressive!
I asked Jamie who was the first Knox student to be killed in combat. It was George Gregory Foster, 1862, apparently from the Princeton area. George was a Knox senior, studying to be a minister. He mustered in the famous 33rd Illinois Regiment on 3 September 1861 and was killed a month and a half later in the battle at Big River Bridge, in Missouri, on 15 October 1861. His rank was First Sergeant. Apparently training for combat and leadership was minimal in those days. Very few males attended Knox during the Civil War, as they were either in the war or back home tending the farm while their fathers served.
► Learned recently that Nick Panos, before he became a famous Chicago Loop attorney, was the head of elementary education at Stateville Prison in Joliet. Apparently spending 10 years in prison is great training for a successful law career. I sort of suspected that.
► Bill Shaffer says that he and Trev Winebright have settled their long-standing argument over on which Old Main lawn our graduation ceremony was held. It happened so long ago that neither can remember. Bill says they are now debating the more age-appro-
priate issue of the relative merits of walkers versus rollators.
► June Lynch Bath writes that she donated memorabilia from her husband, the late Judge Ken Bath ’55, to the Knox archives. Also donated the video of our 25th Class Reunion. This epic video, produced by June, Ann Elwert Blum, and the late Pat Roze Fleming, won the Cannes Film Festival Award for the longest class video ever filmed. Hours and hours of our classmates milling around, in silence. Should provide a rare treat for future generations to view.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT:
HOMER JOHNSON Hjohnso@luc.edu
1958
Don Pizza P’84 wins the “keeping in touch” award for the last few months! I have received two or three e-mails from him, and he deserves congratulations for getting started on his plan to visit several classmates this year.
► Starr Kirklin reports that he and wife Mary shared a delightful dinner visit with Don when he traveled up to Minneapolis recently. He later reported that he preferred the two-hour flight over the seven-hour train trip from Chicago that he tried one way.
► Ed Yonan passed away in January 2025. There is a bench outside Seymour Union at Knox that celebrates the lifelong friendships begun at Knox and enriched through the years, placed by the “Hounds”— John Feemster ’59, Jonathan S. Smith, Ralph Tyksinski, Edward Yonan, and Jerome Long ’56.
► While not much news is flooding in, it is nice to see that the column is prompting some classmates to get in touch with others. Letitia Luther Schactner let me know she appreciated my note and also heard from her freshman-year roommate, Janet Van Der Sluys Brown P’13.
► Harriet (Hatsie) Drew Barringer sent the following: “When I read in the Knox alumni magazine
that there was a fellow Knox alum living nearby, I reached out to him. Russell Freeburg ’45, lives about 30 miles away from me. Each time I visit him, I am rewarded with a wonderful conversation. My most recent visit was no exception. On this occasion, he shared some of his experience as Bureau Chief for the Chicago Tribune in Washington, D.C. Russ continues to be active, participating in the book club at his local library, traveling to Michigan for the summer, and keeping his yard clear of pine needles that fall from the enormous “long leaf” pines in his yard. He enjoys telling of his adventures at airports when the airline personnel or the TSA question his identity. Their computers use only the last two digits of one’s date of birth. They are expecting to see a toddler, but, as a centenarian, they see before them a mature gentleman.
Although we are slowing down, my husband and I continue to live independently, enjoying the Florida weather. I tutor math for those who wish to pass the GED here in Florida and English as a Second Language with several folks in Ukraine. This would not be possible without the modern technology of Zoom.”
► Mike Ruffolo and I attended the VENTURE BOLDLY Knox event here in San Francisco on April 22. It was well attended with a wide range of classes represented. President Andrew McGadney and others from the Knox Team presented and explained the goals for the Venture Boldly campaign. They also discussed the plans and actions the College anticipates with funds created by the efforts. Updating buildings and technology will be a high priority, providing students with expected environments and resources. Continuing to evaluate and update faculty positions is always a priority.
► Now that everyone has dealt with April 15 Tax Day—please give extra consideration to your financial plans for Knox this year. Any increase in annual amounts, as well as plans for long range giving, will help the VENTURE BOLDLY GOALS. After you give some thought to that,
PLEASE, send me your news and get in touch with a classmate or two.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT:
PAT CRAIG RUFFOLO pmrfore@comcast.net
Bob Grover and I sent emails to the 1959 classmates asking them to contribute some information and not asking for $$$. A very special thank you to those who responded:
► Bob Grover and wife Jane attended a Knox event in December at the University Club in Chicago, more than 200 were in attendance to kick off the ambitious Venture Boldly campaign. Bob believes he was the only attendee from the 1959 class and he also believes he may have been the oldest attendee. Also, an important part of Bob’s life for the last 10 years has been taking courses in person and virtual from the Northwestern chapter of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)—OLLI’s motto is “curiosity never retires.” The NU chapter’s courses are all peer-led, so the cost is nominal. Since Covid, virtual Zoom courses mean you can enroll wherever you may be. For more info, just google “OLLI Northwestern.”
► Jim Stoltie and wife Mary Walworth Stoltie just downsized to an apartment in Sarasota, FL. He writes, “I continue on the Board of the Anna Maria Island Concert Chorus & Orchestra, where I was the president for 12 years. Played bassoon in the orchestra for 10 years. Still play saxophone in the Suncoast Band—a 95-year-old musical institution in Sarasota. Our daughter Annie continues as Editor in Chief of Adirondack Magazine.” Mary, besides driving Jim everywhere, is active in Northminster Presbyterian Church as a Deacon and active in her Circle.
► Paul Hohe responded, “Nothing stupendous! Just plugging along! On our road trip, Elva drove 4,080 miles in a rental car, 32 days, 14 states, visited relatives and friends and had a sister-in-law’s 100th birthday celebration. In September, another road trip from Chicago to
Maine and return.” Well, Paul and Elva, keep plugging along and enjoy your life on the road.
► Good news from Mel “Junior” Brown. “Life is good in Oregon, where wife Carrie and I have been for 62 years. Most of our family is near so it makes seeing five great-grandchildren possible and fun. After 44 years in real estate, I retired, and it agrees with me. I still golf, read lots, and get my “honey dos” done. I especially enjoy hearing from Knox friends.”
Perhaps next time we will hear from other classmates.
CLASS CORRESPONDENTS:
CONNY DREW TOZER
connytozer@yahoo.com
BOB GROVER melvincrudley@gmail.com
1960
Hats off [or better yet, mortar boards off] to our classmate Mary Kent Knight who was recognized with an honorary degree at this spring’s Commencement. The citation read: “In recognition of her rich and varied life, life-long love of learning and dedicated service to her community and alma mater.” Earlier this spring, she wrote, “In the spring of 2024, I decided to spend all my time here in Lake Forest, where I live in a lovely retirement community. This meant giving up my Florida residency status and joining the list of Illinois’ finest taxpayers. But I love my community and am fortunate to reside amongst several other Knox grads, including Lowell Dixon ’65, Bob ’62 and Barb Cady Schmid ’62, Bill Beanblossom, and Barb Fowler Nagel ’59. I’ve managed to continue travel adventures: last year was a 20-plus day train trip across Canada, starting in Halifax and ending in Victoria. What a beautiful country! From forests to lakes and rivers to the prairie...all lovely. All but one train was top-notch, and we had vouchers to stay in the really nice Fairmont Hotels (owned by Via Railroad) on the nights we didn’t need to stay on the train. Then, I recently returned from a 25-day cruise down through some Caribbe-
an islands to Manaus, Brazil, in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest. A great trip to a part of the world that I’d not seen before. When I’m stationed here at what I affectionately refer to as “The Old Folks Home,” I enjoy serving on several committees: IT, choir, playreaders, employee scholarship, spiritual life, and fundraising. And with one son and my crew of four grandsons living just a few minutes down the road, I am a happy camper. I’ve been doing my best to sell Knox College to all of them (they are all in high school), but so far, no luck. HOWEVER, I will persevere!”
► Domestic travel continues on Chuck Dunn’s itinerary. He reported, “A question that arises among grandparents is ‘Would I wish to bring grandchildren along on travels?’ My own grandchildren have been to much of the U.S., Alaska, Europe, South America, and African safari, all much more than their grandfather. But, my spouse, Sally, and I have not lived in Illinois for many years; that is where the grandchildren have not been. Thus, what we are now planning is a historical trip to central Illinois starting with Illiopolis, a small town near Springfield, where there are several family farms (with no family still on them), a large Federal-style great grandfather house, a graveyard on the Sangamon River, where the great grandfather is along with other ancestors. Then on to Springfield and the highly regarded Lincoln Library and Museum. Central Illinois is Lincoln Land. From there to Galesburg, showing the kids Knox College, although the two oldest have committed elsewhere, one to Williams, and the other to Cornell. (Tough competition.) But, perhaps the two youngest would be interested. Then, finishing the tour in Kewanee and surrounding prairie, along with me, the original home of several Knox graduates.”
► While Bob Bennett’s travel is limited these days, he wrote, “We are doing well down here in Sarasota. It is a great place to live with lots of theater, music, and great places to eat. We enjoy all of it. I stay in touch with our classmates Charlie Hurmence, Denny Geraghty, Dianne Mitchell Townsend P’91,
and Anne Wetzel Faubel. Our lives continue to be filled with the joys of volunteer board and committee meetings, concerts, family ZOOMs, and bridge with friends. While our hips are still functioning, the joys of arthritis demand increasing coping skills. We cope. We enjoy.”
► Haiku publications are among George Hook’s continued contributions. He reported “While theoretically, available to assist with grandchildren, I am more usually just observing the Banyan grow at the front of the San Diego condo, the Zelcova from my desk window at the Swedesboro house, writing haiku, a form of poetry I knew nothing about during my days at Knox, nor until long after, gathering them into books titled Hooked on Haiku and publishing them on Amazon.” Finally, Ken Craig shared this: “Just a short note to update. I spent 30 years in the Navy, three on a destroyer in the Pacific, the rest in Naval Aviation, flying jet attack aircraft (A-4 and A-6) including three combat cruises over mostly North Vietnam, exciting to say the least. I later commanded an A-6 squadron and had other admin jobs, including a tour in Belgium, traveling extensively, and getting a fantastic education on history and real politics in European settings. Sandy, the greatest Navy wife, and my two young ones really enjoyed the experiences. I retired after 30 wonderful and exciting years working for and with the greatest officers and enlisted men this country produces—an honor! After retirement I started on my bucket list: I hiked the Appalachian Trail, all 2,200 miles of it. A beautiful experience! Took up the sticks (golf) that I had to defer while in the Navy. Sandy and I traveled via river cruise boats in Europe and cruise ships all over the place. Many cruise books in the shelves! I did some woodworking. We love PBS TV and sports. I sing in our local church. We recently moved to a nice retirement home in Virginia Beach. Both of us are experiencing some medical issues, I can’t drive (neuropathy) and my wife is losing her vision. So, regretfully, our days of travel are rapidly approaching an end. We cannot complain as the Good Lord has blessed us with
abundance!! Hope you and your loved ones are equally blessed.”
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: DICK AFT
aftd@fuse.net
From Nancy Fuchs Krueger: “When I received my diploma in front of Old Main where Lincoln had a debate with Douglas, I was expecting our son, Keith. This year Keith is on the threshold of retiring as an American Airlines captain. Life on this earth is fleeting! What is next?”
► Barbara Woods Blasch says, “Larry ’59 and I still stay busy here in Richmond. We recently traveled to North Carolina to our youngest grandson’s lacrosse games. He is a senior at Lake Forest College.”
► Doug Delong P’00 writes, “Hurricane Helene hit Anna Maria Island, Florida, in September with a 10-20 inch storm surge, and our home three blocks from the Gulf received 15 inches of water. Dianne and I elected to sell ‘as is’ and move inland to the 6th floor in a retirement community. We continue to spend our summers with our son Ted ’00, and his family, who recently moved to Evanston, IL from Ashland, OR.”
► Jim Valentine’s most recent book, Wabaningo, was published in April. You can read more about the book and even order a copy at Jim’s website: jim-valentine.com.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: MEGAN CLAYTON pclayton@knox.edu
1962
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: KATE CALVERT BLOOMBERG kateberg40@gmail.com
1963
Will Burrow says, “What I love about retirement is that I am not responsible for anyone or anything. My time is my own. I am church treasurer and occasional handyman. I do data entry for the local histori-
cal society. I do data entry and traffic control for the local food pantry. I do intensive reading interventions 25 hours-a-week at a local elementary school. I see 20 students three days-a-week. The local school is one of New England’s few International Baccalaureate elementary schools. It serves upper class students and recent immigrants in a welcoming and effective setting. Each student teaches me something new every day. I love retirement.”
► Paul and Eileen Klimick Schoaff report that they are living in North Carolina near their oldest son and his family. The couple met at Knox their sophomore year when he came into math class and sat on her feet. Eileen had her feet propped on the chair in front to form a table so she could finish a math problem. Paul just sat down without looking and immediately jumped up. They both apologized and laughed and dated for the next three years. They married in August after graduation. Eileen taught math and got her Ph.D. in 1986 from SUNY Buffalo. Paul worked for Union Carbide until he retired. They have lived in Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, Florida and North Carolina and have visited all 50 states for business or pleasure. They have been back to Knox for many Reunions. “We definitely feel old as our sons have reached middle age. Our oldest granddaughter has graduated from UNC Wilmington with a degree in psychology and a minor in training service dogs. Our other granddaughter is piercing ears in a mall in Buffalo, New York. Our only grandson is doing some amazing things in high school. He is an A student, a mathematics wizard, and a fantastic musician. We have also been grandparents to my sister Jean’s grandchildren. Sadly, Jean Klimick Pereira ’65 passed away before her daughter married, so those two girls have added to our joy.”
► From Jo Mannino Hockenhull: “I had a busy 2024. Seven of my large paintings were installed in the new biology-science building on the Washington State University Vancouver campus (WSUV). Six of the artworks are based on X-ray images of humans or animals. This allows
viewers to compare the underlying structures of living beings without skin, fur, feathers, or color. The similarities are enlightening. The largest painting/print, The Inheritors (H=72"xW=132"), fills a wall in the students’ study area. I think of myself as a visual researcher/explorer. As a former educator, it is rewarding to have my pieces installed in this educational setting.”
Dr. Jack “Denver Jack” Holmes wrote that after he earned a Ph.D. at the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver, he served as a captain in the Politico-Military Affairs Section of Army General Staff as a Research Assistant. Now emeritus faculty, he taught political science at Hope College in Holland, MI since 1969. He enjoys his summer home and activities in Colorado. He also serves as district assistant to a U.S. Congressman and Presidential Elector, and he is active in the Washington Honors Program and publications.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: RAMONA REED LANDBERG rrlandberg@gmail.com
Linda Bodensiek Schoneberger:
“After 42 years of living in the Sonoran Desert we moved to Cockeysville, MD in 2023 to be near my daughter. It was quite a move. We had to deal with two airplanes, three hangers, five automobiles, a motorcycle, and years of collecting too much ‘stuff.’ But here we are. I am wondering if some Knox friends are in the area. I know that Fay Stevenson-Smith is not too far because we have met several times. I think Babs Kothe Fiala is in Delaware. Would love to hear from all of you.” lschon64@gmail.com
► Gabrielle D’Elia Shufeldt: “I spent birthday #83 with family
at the Salem Witch Museum in Salem, MA. One of the solutions to creating a museum with a hefty entrance fee but no artifacts is to paint numbers and words on walls. The walls in the foyer were devoted to how Arthur Miller reported the facts of the Salem Witch Trials in The Crucible and how Miller suffered under the McCarthyism of his time. Many in our class will remember seeing The Crucible performed during our time at Knox. Several of us will remember going to watch a film on HUAC at the American Legion in Galesburg and finding the College criticized in the Chicago Tribune afterward. Hear, hear to all the College offered us.”
► Karen Freedlund McCauley: “Still teaching psychology and astrology. Enjoying time online and in person with my grandson, JJ.”
► Leighton Scott: “In November of last year, I started my 21st year of living in my Greencastle, PA, semi-custom home with a view of trees and a field behind me. I am still ‘batching’ it. Attempts to downsize and find a suitable living situation in a different area have resulted in no solutions that would work for me. Desirable properties still sell quickly, I need a tolerable climate and to be near good medical facilities. I enjoy writing memoirs augmented by photos that I have or find on the internet to make them read like magazine articles. I am now submitting some of my ‘images’ to local art and photography shows, although they do not fit cleanly in the category of photography. I describe them as ‘Collaborative Digital Images.’ My ‘partner’ is Meta AI, and the process involves my envisioning the finished work, then ‘coaching’ my AI assistant to work through many changes to get something that I am happy with. AI has a lot of imitations and sometimes makes funny or frustrating errors like placing a paintbrush in mid-air instead of in the artist’s hands! I have also been working on a new test for creativity that would make it very difficult to get a good score by guessing. Finally, I have removed my NASA-themed front license plates from my van. For many years, I got instant respect and admiration when I wore a NASA cap
or told someone that I used to work for NASA. Unfortunately, now the plates might indicate to someone that the owner actually can do critical thinking! I need to survive to fight another day.”
► Kris Welch started at Knox in fall ’60, pledged Pi Phi, dropped out after sophomore year, came back after three years in NYC and acting school to get a BA in English literature a year and a half later. She writes: “I’m still working at my radio show and still digging it. (kpfa. org, “The TALKIES,” Fridays,11 a.m -1 p.m. Pacific. N.B. I am known to break into a chorus of ‘Hail Knox all glorious’ on-air at least annually...) My network, Pacifica, is named in Project 2025, and not in a good way! I assumed we were too small to be a real target, but…now it looks like no target too small, or too large. Never a dull moment. I live w/my daughter and my two grandchildren, Mandela (11) and Sarafina (8): WAY fun and lively; I forget to feel old—at least most of the time! (I have always been immature...!) I’ve lived in the Bay Area since 1972, when I arrived ‘for just a few months, long enough to make some money, and then go back to Europe’ where I’d lived for the previous four years, largely working on English-language newspapers in Rome and Tehran. I did get back to Europe a few times, but just as a visitor. I did a good deal of traveling this side of the Atlantic (Cuba, Nicaragua, Guatemala), and a visit or two to St. Charles, IL (my hometown), but I haven’t made it back to Galesburg—yet! I want to tour the grandchildren around, quickly while I can still see! (I was diagnosed with macular degeneration: but so far so good...).”
► Pam Norton Nelson: “I had a wonderful cruise with a nice man I’ve been seeing. A week on the beautiful Holland America ship Nieuw Statendam in the Eastern Caribbean in February. The weather was beautiful and we missed some of Illinois’ dreary weather.”
► Nancy Anderson Levin: “I’m going to join in the National Day of Resistance and hope many of our Knox family are out there making our voices heard and seen! And I just read Alexei Navalny Patriot: A
Memoir and I highly recommend this very timely book.”
► Ron Lebeiko: “As I age, I experience the need to compensate for physical losses and struggle to achieve a balance with the limitations posed by aging. The availability of the internet and streaming today enrich my life, and I avidly read and have taken up bridge. In the Seattle area for 11 years now, my visits to physicians and medical institutions outweigh limited social activities—yielding cardiac stent(s), a titanium disc, hearing aids, cataract lens replacements, and an occasional ankle brace. (My skis and snowshoes haven’t been used for years, and the e-bike suffers from neglect.) I learned recently that I am the first male in my family’s Eastern European lineage to reach 82 years of age—records prior to WWI having been destroyed by multiple disasters. That’s a tribute both to the well-being of USA life and to medical science. It’s apparent that balancing this elder life is greatly aided by a caring family circle. Our condo is but one block from my son and our three grandchildren, an arrangement that keeps my wife and me connected to a dynamic (though frequently raining) Northwest world.”
► Leslie Martens Nauta: “I was excited to have two short stories published on Amazon called Gather, Grayslake Arts Alliance Writers Group 2024 Anthology. Also in the process of completing three other novels and hope to publish them this year. Busy with my art groups and book club. Sadly, after my husband passed four years ago, I lost my middle son last April.”
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: TERRY KLOPCIC klopcicjt2@yahoo.com
1965
Plans are underway for Homecoming 2025 and our sixtieth (yes 60th!) class Reunion. Plan to arrive in time to attend our kick-off gathering on Friday evening. For more information, contact Gary Moses at garymari@aol.com. We hope to see you there!
► Wendel Swan, who is also facilitating the Reunion, sent the following note: “Diane Lipke Swan ’64 and I strive to remain active mentally and physically. Both of us take and teach courses at OLLI at American University and continue to exercise. Despite respiratory illnesses in 2024, we want to travel as much as possible, including to Homecoming in October. Although there is no Reunion committee per se, some of us are following the planning and are very interested in knowing who is likely to attend as well as any ideas for spending quality time at what may be the last Reunion for many of us. I’d appreciate any responses at wdswan@ erols.com.”
► Joe Thompson also plans to attend: “Edie and I are coming out a day early for the 60th Reunion and plan to take some classes. Hope they still have Latin on the schedule. Marshall continues to dig out after Hurricane Helene caused the French Broad River to rise 27 feet, wiping out our entire Main Street. Many people have asked where to donate. I tell them to send checks to the Community Housing Coalition of Madison County, P.O. Box 1166 Marshall, NC 28753, or visit chcmadisoncountync.org.”
► Mary Alt Johnson will try to be there: “It’s been a long time since the last Reunion that I attended and I hope to get to the one coming up this fall. I say hope because it’s a long time away, and since I am moving to a much smaller house, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that all will be done by then and I can go to Knox without any guilty feelings. I’ve lived in this house for 52 years in a small town where everyone knows everyone on one of Minnesota’s lakes—had a great time, big parties, and lots of fun, but now—For those of you who have down-sized, I have new respect for all the work that meant! So much stuff (that at the time seemed dear) got saved—and now I am wondering ‘What is this???’ Are there any of you who have been realtors? Mine has kept me hopping! Seems like every week he has some more projects to put on my list. If you have some pointers, please send them my way! And please come to
our beautiful campus for the 60th Reunion. We sure were lucky to go to Knox!”
► Glenn Schiffman writes: “My spiritual memoir, Moves Standing Still, which recalls the highs and lows of my 40-year journey on the Red Road (sweat lodges, vision fasts, sun dancing, and NAC ceremonies) will be available as an audio book and on Audible, by the time these Class Notes are published. My short story, ‘Death Row’ is in the April 2025 online issue of The Write Launch. Three novellas about unrequited love will soon be available under one title, This Happened, Even If It Didn’t. Look for it among my other two titles on all ebook platforms. My one-act play, A $1600 Birthday Party, about a Vietnam Vet seeking redemption for his role in the My Lai massacre, debuted at the Helena Avenue Theater in Helena, MT, on March 16, the day of the actual massacre in 1968. Last, if my heart’s amyloidosis cardio-myopathy allows, I’ll see you all at the 60th.”
► Dave Barth sent an update: “Dian and I spend the winter in CA close to our son, John, his wife, our granddaughter, and Dian’s sister. We return to Northbrook in May. My other son, David, lives in Bethesda, MD with his wife, Lisa, and two grandsons. We see them a couple times a year on trips to Washington D.C. I guess I am really retired, but somehow keep busy. I am active at the North Shore Senior Center in Northfield helping to raise and manage their money.”
► Glen Dallman sent this message, “Greetings from Bradenton, FL. Janet and I have lived here for 31 years now. We survived Hurricane Milton with no damage to speak of. We are well and doing our best to avoid too many old-age setbacks. Janet just beat breast cancer, and I managed to get through quintuple bypass surgery two years ago. We don’t travel as much as we used to but still enjoy Florida. Four grown daughters and six grandchildren keep us on our toes. The oldest daughter is the executive director of an assisted living facility in Rockford, another has her masters in nursing and chose to be a school
nurse, and another is a school administrator in Hickory, NC. If anyone is ever at the Houston Zoo, look up our oldest granddaughter Karli Dallman. She is a zookeeper working with the primates. She will introduce you to the apes. Our best to everyone.”
► David Roskelley shared the following: “I am still alive and kicking the tires at 81 1/2…a few health issues that we all have at this age, but nothing serious! Mary, my wife of 57 years, and I have 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, plus another due in May. After 35 years at Baxter Healthcare, I retired in 2003, and we moved to Utah in 2005. Our days are spent helping folks around us and continuing to spend time on the genealogy of our ancestors. If you love skiing, come to Utah, it has the ‘Greatest Snow on Earth’… lots of POWDER SNOW. I would urge all of my classmates from 1961 through 1965 to read Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman, Publisher PUBLIC AFFAIRS, BBS, New York, 2021. If you have not read it, you should. It gives a good understanding of what was happening with the US and Germany and Russia during the years we were at Knox College.”
► Rod Ross half-jokingly refers to himself as a professional Illinoisan, given his former status as a mainstay of the Illinois State Society of Washington, D.C. He was born in Chicago, raised in Batavia at Bellevue Place (which was owned and operated by his parents and which is where Mary Lincoln spent four months following her 1875 insanity court conviction), and educated at Knox and then the University of Chicago. After teaching at Wilberforce University and Indiana University Northwest and serving as a legislative assistant to Congressman Tim Hall, Rod began his 39-year career with the National Archives in 1977. At the archives, he conducted oral history interviews and authored various history-related features while working with the presidential records of Nixon and Reagan, as well as with the record set of US publications. His final 20 years were with the Center for Legislative Archives. In 2015, the National Archives awarded him a
lifetime achievement award. That same year, the agency released a YouTube video seen by googling “Rod Ross Memorial Day.” Rod joined the Powell Society of the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. in 2022, an eventful year in which he curated the Club’s exhibit of early D.C. maps, picked up an alumni achievement award from Knox College, and received the Dace Stone award from the Bet Mishpachah congregation. The Smithsonian holds three accessions from Rod: A lace wheel with a partially completed handkerchief-edging by his wife of 39 years, Clara Restrepo, who died in 2010; documents from Puerto Rico and Columbia related to Clara’s ancestry; and a spoon from Bellevue inscribed with the initials “ML.”
Thanks to all for sending in these notes, which will no doubt inspire others to share where they’ve been or what they’re up to now. I hope to see many of you at our 60th reunion this October, but in any case, please keep in touch.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: DIANE TROUT-OERTEL troutoertel@gmail.com
1966
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: JUDY HOLLAND SARNECKI judithsmamabear@gmail.com
1967
Elsa Swenson Teel sends a message to Knox Women 1967 Graduates: “A group of us who lived in Anderson House our senior year are working on a project commemorating Anderson House. We are hoping to compile a complete list of all the house residents. We would be grateful if you would contact us to verify that you lived in Anderson House your senior year—even if you only lived in Anderson House for part of the school year.” Thanks so much. Elsa Swenson Teel (elsa.teel@ gmail.com)
► Kate Linquist Adams shares her news with us: “Husband David and I still live in Austin, TX. We are both retired. We have a daughter, Sarah,
who lives in Wisconsin. She will visit us later this month, a couple of weeks before I have knee surgery (eeeekkkk). Fortunately for David and me, we live a short walk away from Barton Springs Pool, a big freshwater pool that we swim in often, including yesterday.
It is definitely Spring here, with flowers blooming and trees leafing out....a lovely time of year before the big heat of July and August arrives. I often think about my time at Knox....good years and a time to make lasting friendships.”
► Rick Uebner invites us to visit! “Jetty (my wife of 52 years) and I still live on the outskirts of Yosemite National Park in a rural, cattle-raising town called Cathey’s Valley. We keep busy in our ceramic art studio (Mud Daubers’ Pottery) and with local volunteer projects. We both work for a non-profit that gives grants to local teachers for items that their regular budgets would not allow. Last year our group awarded more than $46,000 in grants. Stop by and visit on your way to Yosemite!”
► Susan Crume Montgomery reports news from her life and would like to show us around wine country! “My husband, Todd Montgomery, and I have been happily living in sunny Southern California for the last 14 years. We moved here from Milwaukee after raising our family there. We live in the heart of the beautiful wine country of Temecula, which is about an hour north of San Diego. We are both in fairly good health and enjoying an active social life with great friends. I have been a writer and publisher for my whole career and am currently focusing on travel, food, and wine writing. I am also working on a screenplay and a book. We have four wonderful children and four grandchildren who we see as much as possible. We would love to have any Knox alums stop by and we will show them around our wine country.”
CLASS CORRESPONDENT:
HELEN GILBERT helengilbert98571@gmail.com
So glad to hear from everyone!
Kathy Suter shared her thoughts. “I am so glad I was able to make it to the 55th Reunion. I was brokenhearted when I broke my ankle and missed our 50th. Jo Rawlings Vieweg and I had a great plan to get together to come to that one. Instead, I got to the 55th, with her help. I flew from Kona to St. Louis and hung out with her and Bruce for a few days, then we ganged up with Jan Thies Fettig and Janie Crawford Walker and traveled to Knox. I really enjoyed seeing everyone who made it, even though the weather was less than great. I had the treat of riding from Knox to Chicago with Lee Balgemann P’94 and Korky Kerouac, visiting their beautiful home and getting picked up by a longtime friend from Chicago.
In January 2024, John Heyer and his family had a family vacation here on the Big Island, so I got to see him and Colleen Conway ’71 multiple times. My reconnection with Jo Vieweg (AKA Joie) has been a delight. She and her daughter, Anne, came to visit us in Hawaii back in mid-May 2024. We had a great time, and it was fun getting to know her daughter.
I realize that my years at Knox did so much to form the person I am today. My classmates have gone in a multitude of interesting directions since we graduated and that supports the magic of a liberal arts education. Keep at it, Knox, keep at it.”
► Lee Balgemann P’94 and Korky sent their news. “We are both still working part-time. Lee’s a security guard and loves the people and the work. Still photographing every full moon. He will leave for his annual golf trip in May. I’m doing home care for seniors and love every minute. Stories from the next generation are fascinating. Seeing our grandbabies all the time and hosting sleepovers with them. We feel so lucky. Looking forward to spring and tending to our community garden. Very active in our Westchester Food Pantry. We saw Janie Crawford Walker in St. Louis this year.
MORE THAN 20 ALUMNI FUEL THEIR FOREVER FIRE FLAMES
Nysa Phulwar ’26
“I’m in a role that I never expected I would be in after college,” said Allison Diamond ’14, a participant in Forever Fire, a two-day career and alumni networking event featuring more than 20 alumni who returned to campus to share their professional experiences with current students.
The first day included two film screenings, followed by a Q&A session with Melvin Taylor ’14, who directed the short film Baldy, and filmmakers Vince Singleton ’03, Rana Segal, and Laurie Little, who created The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt’s Monument to Ida B. Wells. The second day featured panel discussions spanning film, theatre, and entertainment careers, as well as explorations of the corporate world, nonprofits, education, and the sciences.
As one of the panelists, Diamond shared her journey, starting as a fresh-out-of-school theatre major who worked professionally in theatre before pivoting to a nonprofit data management role post-COVID-19. “Part of going to a liberal arts school and taking random classes is that you’ll see connections and gain skills that will help you in your career," she said.
Levi Morgan ’07, associate director of college engagement, said, “Forever Fire was a collaboration between College Engagement, the Bastian Center for Career Success, and the Center for Teaching and Learning. The goal is to be intentional about inviting alumni back to campus so that they can share their experiences with students and faculty so they can connect with each other in meaningful ways. This will be a yearly program that we plan to grow to include departments and disciplines campuswide.”
Hope to visit Chip Evans at Beacon Hill soon. I visit the Misericordia Bakery often with Lucia.”
► Mary Mangieri Burgland P’97 has a bit of bragging on her part for sure! “George and I played in The US Hickory Open last September in Kenosha, WI. We played with hickory shafted clubs, which were used in golf prior to 1935. Yours truly was Runner-Up in the Women’s Net Division with a combined two-day total of 151. Yes, liberal arts graduates are well-rounded indeed!”
► Sharing scary news about Chip Evans from his daughter, Rose. Chip and his wife were in Scottsdale, AZ, visiting relatives. On February 8, he had a stroke. He was immediately airlifted to a more fully equipped facility. He was on the operating table within an hour of his stroke. John Heyer was in the Phoenix area and was able to visit him. Chip is now back in the area at a continuing care facility. If you want to send cards, here is his address: Beacon Hill, 2400 S. Finley Rd. Lombard, IL 60148.
► David Mueller suffered an attack of Bell’s palsy about a month ago. He says it is aggravating in many ways but it hasn’t hampered his activities too much. As far as the condition, he thinks he is gradually getting better. He can almost whistle again.
► Judd and I were lucky to go to Disney World with my youngest son and family last November. We celebrated my husband, Wes, who died in May 2024, while we were there. I had never been and found it amazing and fun. I even rode two roller coasters! We also went to the Space Center. I have been babysitting with my granddaughter, Brooke, lately and enjoying her love of reading that just “turned on.” My other granddaughter, Quinn Mika ’28, is a freshman at Knox and loving it. Judd comes home monthly, and we enjoy our time together. Thanks to anyone who donated to Misericordia Candy Days.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT:
SUSAN MEYER MIKA P’97, GP’28
pottatea@comcast.net
► In an effort to promote more connectivity within our class, we have reached out in a series of ZOOM calls three times a year. We normally have a theme to follow. For the last call in April, we had Mollie Miller Thorn and Kim Adams Post briefly discuss the issue: “To retire or not, that is the question.” This starter led to a great discussion among the 12 attendees. We realize that some of our classmates might prefer not to engage online, so Knox Magazine remains a steady fallback for those folks. We will be looking for another ZOOM session in August, and we hope you will join us. For my part, I really enjoy these high-energy sessions, and I always log off feeling somewhat euphoric.
► David Luery in Arizona writes: “As I reported last year, my wife of 52 years, Nicky Pfaff Luery ’70, passed away in November 2023 after living with Alzheimer’s for almost four years. Since then, at the suggestion of the medical team that cared for Nick, as I called her, I am in the process of writing a book about Nick’s life with Alzheimer’s and my experience as a family caregiver, in the hope that the lessons I learned can be of help and comfort to other families who are or will in the future have to deal with Alzheimer’s. Beyond Nick’s passing, I have resumed traveling, which obviously had to go on hold. In the last year, I have attended four photography workshops (in the South Dakota Badlands, Yellowstone, the Highlands of Scotland, and Death Valley) and have three scheduled for this year (London, Colorado Rockies for wildflowers, and the Colorado Plateau in Utah). As you can infer, photography is a major focus (bad pun fully intended) of my life and has been for a number of years, and you can see some of my—and Nick’s—images at https:// luery.net. Finally, I have discovered that it is possible to be both sad and happy at the same time, as I have met someone who makes me very happy while at the same time, I miss Nick and always will.”
► John Martin P’09 in southern California contributed an excellent summary of his post-Knox life: “My so-called post ‘retirement’ filling
with unpaid but enjoyable time occupants, has included recent enlistment in the California Guard as a lieutenant in the Army Behavioral Health Division (as well as army Chaplain, eventually), to help provide counseling as a psychologist for vets and guard members with stress disorders, PTSD, and marriage and relationship problems, finishing my second book, Seven Sheets to the Wind, on my adventures and especially misadventures as skipper of my seven sailboats (following my book, Psychology Confidential, having fun with my life and adventures as a professor of psychology), travels with wife Catherine to Africa and Alaska, and leading a church ministry to a shelter for the mentally disabled (where we were married some years ago), and finally in a vain attempt to stay healthy, hold back old age (yeah, right) and make the century mark, with road biking on beach and canal paths around where we live, boxing training, and weight lifting (sort of).
But I’ve connected with Ace Hoyt ’68, a fraternity and Christian Brother, through bike riding and coffee together until he moved a little farther up the Coast from me.”
BTW, I read in the recent Knox Magazine a comment about John Martin’s P’09 storytelling about me and the joke played on me when I was a radio DJ at a Galesburg radio station during my senior year. The actual true story is confessed in my Psychology Confidential book, as a ‘Race Riot’ in the city. Terry ‘Junior’ Froman ’71—the party perpetrator—owes me a beer (and apology?) for nearly causing a city riot and my job when I foolishly took the bait!
I’m looking for fellow classmate Kerry Krumsiek for coaxing him down to NM after Knox’s graduation so I can apologize to him (I’ve already apologized—sort of—to the other I abused for getting to come down to NM—Billy Howell). ”
► Nancy Miller Staszak is active in multiple ways. “My life changes seasonally. Right now, gardening, plein air painting, and watercolor classes are my main non-domestic activities. I’m still serving on our library board and the executive board of
our local Democratic organization. Several of my friends ran in the township races and we helped every single one of them win! I’m active in several art leagues and exhibit with them locally. My husband has recovered almost completely from his broken leg, so we are ready to travel again! And all this time he continues to be patient (well, pretty patient) with the messes that my painting and collage work create.”
► Dennis and Kathy Lanham Myers have put down roots in Arizona and Wisconsin. “Hello from the Myers in Arizona. We are about to end another winter in Scottsdale. We have been wintering here for almost 20 years. In mid-May we head back to our summer residence in Lake Geneva, WI. Our winter was somewhat tempered by Kathy’s open heart surgery in early January to replace her mitral valve. She has now completed her cardio rehab and is getting back into a more normal routine. Our youngest now teaches law at Bath Spa University in Bath, England and his wife has recently moved to a position at Imperial College in London, so we will again visit Tim and his wife on a trip to England in early June. After summer in Wisconsin, we will return to Arizona in October.”
► Patrick Kelley has had a fascinating vocation as a thoroughbred horse owner. “Every year, on the first Saturday in May, the Kentucky Derby is run at Churchill Downs. I first saw the horses run for the roses in 2008. As an owner of thoroughbred racehorses, I had a great career winning 18 races with my ‘Idle’ horses. Idle Spur won four. Idle Lion won two. And Idle Talk won 12 at various tracks on the East Coast.”
► Tom Hogarty P’03 informed us about his life in the western U.S. “Bill Shirer ’66 was a senior ADE brother my freshman year. His father wrote the book Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. I read it, and now I am concerned we may be starting to live it. I am so grateful that I WOKE UP at Knox College. Alice Crane Hogarty and I continue to migrate like snowbirds from Big Horn, WY, to Oracle, AZ, trying to stay fit and stretch our bodies and minds.”
► Steven Meyers is author of the book Personalized Philanthropy: Crash the Fundraising Matrix Advising, Training, Coaching Non-Profits and Donors. Recently he was honored to be a delegate of his alma mater and represent its president, Andy McGadney, at the inauguration of Lawrence P. Ward as the seventh president of the University of Hartford.
► Writing us from France is Jeremy Gladstone. “lt is quite a task to summarize one’s present situation in just a few words. I’ve been living in France so long, the USA is a strange place to me. I’ve just downloaded an application that helps us find alternatives to American products. I interpret for migrants seeking asylum and do a monthly writing workshop at the local prison. Keeping fit is also a regular occupation. As well as staying informed and not giving up the ghost. Family and friends keep me busy too. I try not to look back too much, the future’s all there really is.”
► From Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, David McMillin writes: “I retired after 2018. I try to keep fit by swimming a couple of mornings a week. On other days I do floor exercises in hopes of avoiding muscle and joint issues. As we all know, growing older presents challenges. I do service work once a week, and recently I joined a book club that meets once a month. Being in science for so long, I tend to read non-fiction, so this group has been a new experience. I also look forward to reading my classmate Tom Wolf’s next book. Finally, about once a week for the last year or so, I have been a technical consultant for a 95-year-old friend who is preparing to publish his memoirs. His work ethic is amazing, but he struggles at times with his computer.”
► James Dean in Denver writes: “Hey guys, sorry I missed the last Zoom, but, as Jeremy says, the future is all there really is, so hope to make the next one! I’m 10 years retired from 38 years at Denver Legal Aid. Some volunteer work, film festivals, and visiting my three sons and nine grandchildren. I’m currently flying back to Denver to
visit my sister, brother-in-law, and 97-year-old aunt in Florida. I’m in a couple of hiking groups, one of which is walking the Denver Orbital Trail, some 180+ miles (270+km, Jeremy) around metro Denver. Look forward to seeing many of you at our next Homecoming. Our 55th was great!”
► David and Julie Stolarski Ladner ’70 hosted Topper Steinman ’70 and The Great Harley Knosher L.H.D. ’24, P’80, GP’10, GP’20 to watch on TV the last three rounds of the 2025 Masters Golf Tournament. It was an unbelievable time of golf cart rides and lunches at Dave’s golf club, Shady Oaks, and at The Fort Worth Club. Each place has a special sports history in golf and football. However, the most memorable experience of our time together were the hours spent on Dave and Julie’s patio watching the Masters, eating, and remembering our time at Knox! Betting on our favorite golfer (for subsequent charitable contribution) and the events and people recalled by Harley created sustained laughter lasting for days. Harley, a lifetime at Knox; Topper, five years; and Dave only three years: each of us felt like the luckiest person in the room to be in this company.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT:
PAUL BEHNKE pbehnke48@gmail.com
I only heard from a few people this spring…perhaps in the fall there will be more sharing.
► From Marc Wollman: “The news from here is that I have received some extra validation of the photographic work I have done. At the Museum’s request, the Racine Art Museum has curated and acquired 22 works of mine, forming a 40-year archive of work I have done, which has been exhibited at the Museum’s Wustum campus. This was an unexpected honor.”
► Rhayma Blake wrote, “Still enjoying Lummi Island just south of the Canadian border. Lines at Costco are much shorter these days.
A rambunctious puppy has been added to our life of square foot gardens, chickens, weekly all-island lunches, and monthly dinners at the church. And yes, I am now back on the committee working with the county to replace our 65-year-old ferry. Yes, getting home at night continues to be key to the good life. Hoping Knox stands strong and all is well with fellow classmates.”
► Ruth Gilson Bruner P’98: “I will not be attending our 55th Reunion. We have had an annual visit with family for the last 53 years. As my immediate family spreads out, we all choose May for our annual visit to the ’Burg so we can be together and since I grew up in Galesburg, I can also visit cousins and friends in the ’Burg.”
► Jim Kilts: “I just got back from a turkey and hog hunt with Pete Drummond P’04, P’06. I’m looking forward to our next adventure. I’m still working and am chairman of two public companies. Just completed a deal where we partnered with a Guatemala company to buy Harvest Hill, which owns Sunny Delight and Juicy Juice, in a private transaction. Looking forward to attending our 55th!”
► And one last pitch from Sue Schlaufman Deans P’93: “Hello, classmates who are still out there! I was asked to remind everyone that the 55th anniversary of our graduation is this year. A celebration is planned for Homecoming and Family & Friends weekend this fall, October 9-12. It seems like only three years ago that we celebrated our 50th! Oh yeah, COVID intervened, and it was only three years ago. See the link below for details on the fall Homecoming weekend. I’m not sure about exact plans but I’m sure we’ll hear more. Hope you are all well and happy!” www.knox.edu/alumni/ homecoming-and-reunion.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: NANCY HOOVER DEBELIUS nhdebe@zoominternet.net
lap around Sol (like most of the rest of the ’71 bunch) so all too conscious of the disparity between what my mind thinks my age should be and what my body (at least the one I see in a mirror as seldom as possible) can claim. Still working, albeit part-time in a hardware store up in Cheesheadlandia, after a major up-rooting back in 2013. Left my pursuit of photographic expression behind maybe three decades ago, a victim of trying to make a hobby into a vocation and the angst that inevitably results. Made a return to road bicycling back in 2023, a major hurdle given the topographical differences between where I lived and road bicycles back in Illinois (Flatlandia, by another name) only to find the gearing on the 1972 Motobecane Grand Record (bought Easter Sunday 1972) I still have and regularly ride, just wasn’t up to the challenge where I live now in the Driftless Region south of La Crosse. There are some serious HILLS here! Many I’ve encountered since the summer of ’23 are favorites when the weather’s cooperative.”
► David Jachim (dpjachim@comcast. net) is pleased to announce the publication of his new book, Men at the Brink: Masculinity in the 21st Century, released by International Psychoanalytic Books and now available on Amazon. David continues to write, consult, enjoy close friends, and challenge his Labrador Retriever “Gus” to intense tug of wars. He and wife Jeanne have returned from trips to Germany, Sicily, and Jamaica over the last year and are looking forward to additional international travel this next year, along with long weekends at their second home on Whidbey Island, WA.
1971
Stephen P. Clark (spclark@icloud. com) writes: “Just finished my 76th
► Robert Fischer (rafischer1@aol. com) reports that while decluttering last year he came across the original (circa 1960s) operations manual for WVKC. He contacted the college archivist, and they didn’t have it, so after exchanging emails and signing some donation paperwork, he mailed it to him along with some other stuff that had been in a box for the past 50 years. Never really thought it might have any significance, but felt better knowing it would be saved for posterity.
► Larry Kusch (twams67 @comacast.net) has recently been appointed as the new Knox correspondent for the Class of 71. “I take upon this assignment reluctantly, but with vigor. I am not trying to replace Jerry Tatar. I am merely following his stellar lead. We all owe a great deal of gratitude to Jerry not only for his 50+ years as our correspondent but also for his time and energy in helping make our 50th reunion one to remember.”
► Ralph Norman (rnorman31@ gmail.com) and Larry Kusch made their now annual December visit to Galesburg to meet with Harley Knosher L.H.D. ’24, P’80, GP’10, GP’20 at his home and join him for lunch. “After lunch at the Landmark in downtown Galesburg, we drove over to Memorial Gym where Harley escorted us on a tour of the renovated Memorial Gym and an exploration of the bowels of the inner sanctum of the MemoriaI Gymnasium. My gosh, the taping room is now bigger than our locker room was back in the ’70s. (I wonder what Birky and Stan would say?) While on our tour, we got to chat with both head football coach Aaron Willits ’08 and head basketball coach Ben Davis. On our way out, Ralph and Larry both rubbed the bust of Harley Knosher in the foyer of Memorial Gym for good luck. As Larry has said many times before, ‘Harley Knosher is not the reason I came to Knox, but he is the reason I keep coming back.’”
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: LARRY KUSCH
Twams67@comcast.net
Kathy Bairstow Young writes, “My husband of 53 years, Jim Young of Galesburg, passed away recently. I am retired but have been called back to help with accounting at my previous job. Enjoying my two sons and five grands who thankfully live nearby. Looking forward to the next time in Galesburg!”
► Gene Brandt writes, “I live on a golf course in Palm Desert, CA, and wake up every morning to watch the greens keepers. It’s been great fun this year to play with my college
buddies, Dave Wood P’08 and Jim Leech ’71, GP’20. Really looking forward to the next K-Club golf outing and seeing lots of friends.”
► Mike Burke writes, “Just got over fighting an inflamed iliotibial band, which impacted my tennis schedule; now back to playing five times a week without leg issues. Like all of us, do we have to grow old(er)? We’ve had a good winter travel season: Florida, Palm Desert, St. Maarten … next up, Hilton Head with the grandchildren. Great kids and a lot of fun.
I hope to make it back to review the final Startup presentations at Knox in May but will miss Homecoming as Cindy has her 50th high school reunion (I don’t know if she is really that young or was held back seven times). I am setting up an endowment for the Knox Startup program. I have reviewed many funding request presentations in my years of capital investment group participation and have been really impressed with the very practical approach Knox has taken with this program, which came out of adding a business degree a few years ago. The students actually generate a value proposition, program the solution, form a company and put together a funding request. I look forward to this year’s crop of new businesses.”
► Cush Copeland writes, “On 4/8/25, one of my brothers and I successfully scaled Dinosaur Hill without oxygen, porters, or fixed camps. Elevation gain: 173 feet. Horizontal distance covered: 1.5 miles. This is the location from which the Field Museum of Natural History dug up the enormous sauropod fossil it has displayed since the beginning of the 20th Century. Chicago area alums are probably familiar with that fossil, once called Brontosaurus but reclassified as Apatosaurus.”
► Bob Fairbank writes, “We’re going on a Viking cruise down the Rhine River this September, assuming Europe lets us in.”
► Thomas Gamm writes, “Enjoying my 15th year following a terminal diagnosis of stage three kidney cancer. We have a wonderful son
and daughter-in-law with two grandkids who brighten our days in lovely Bend, OR. Anyone dealing with a cancer diagnosis, I’d be glad to help.”
► Lyn Mortimer Tracy writes, “Happy to report that things are going well for me and my family. I am enjoying watching my seven grandchildren grow up as both my sons are living in Illinois. Rachel Krause Abbott and I get together often, and I see Mary Appler Kiepura ’73 regularly. I am a huge UConn fan so was beyond the moon when the girls won the national tournament once again—for the 12th time! Thank you, Coach Geno Auriemma! Half my heart is still in Connecticut, and I look forward to visiting my sisters and their families again this summer. So long, friends … I wish every one of you old geezers well!”
► Nick Peneff writes, “Talked to Fred Forbes, Kevin Anderson P’00, his brother Bryce, and Jim Geschke all this week, but I guess it would always have been that way with no parties lately. Should have more time this year downsizing to PT 60 percent status after hiring a great intern who mostly coordinated a transition to combine with a much larger entity.”
► Jim Rosenthal writes, “After retirement in 2021, I have decided to try and go back to work. I am a little bored and miss practicing medicine. My main delight is my 3-year-old granddaughter who is an absolute peach. Between her, and keeping up with my old boat, going to the gym, cars, etc., I am almost busy enough, but part-time work would be nice.”
► Wendy Scherwat Ducourneau writes, “Tony and I took another long road trip—this time to the Pacific Northwest for 2025 US Masters Swimming LCM National Championships. Our trip included a lovely visit with Brian Heurlin and his wife.”
► Bill Sowle writes, “I am in my fifth year of bicycling in the United States. This year’s trip began in Mesa, AZ, and headed for Santa Fe, NM, where I bicycled 35 miles on trails including Arroyo de los Chamisos. Cimarron Cutoff, a
branch of the Santa Fe Trail, went via Clayton, NM. While visiting the dinosaur track north of Clayton, I saw a herd of pronghorn sheep. Hiking 12 miles through layers of basalt in Black Mesa State Park, I summited (4973 feet) the highest point in Oklahoma.
Cimarron Heritage Center in Boise City, OK, was a private residence designed in 1949 by Bruce Goff, the famous Oklahoma architect and student of Frank Lloyd Wright. One museum exhibit included a July 5, 1943, newspaper with headline: ‘Boise City Bombed.’ A B-17 Flying Fortress crew on a training mission became disoriented and dropped six bombs on the sleeping city. No one was hurt, but the crew was given two choices: face a court martial or be shipped over to fight in WWII. They chose to fight and successfully completed 25 missions, which allowed them to return to the States.
I am rediscovering the US, stopping at various points of interest along the way. My route through Kansas included Elkhart, Dodge City, Wichita’s Prairie Sunset Rail-Trail, Halstead and Hutchinson (film locations for the 1955 movie Picnic), Lindsborg (Swedish village mill), Abilene’s Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, the Wizard of Oz museum in Wamego, and the amazing state capitol building in Topeka. Currently in Kansas City, there are several trails yet to bicycle. I did see four great blue heron along the Indian Creek Trail.”
► Ross Terman writes, “Lois and I went to Chicago in February for my aunt’s funeral. We enjoyed dinner with Dean and Chris Rowinski Turner P’12 while we were there but wondered—at 19 degrees and
snowing—why did we move to Florida??? Otherwise, nothing special besides continuing to support the South Florida medical community with even more ailments.”
► Pete White writes from Bismarck, ND, “My news is that I am still working 60 percent time as an intensive care physician (no night call—I’m not that tough). Is there any way to tell how many classmates are still working?”
► W. Dudley McCarter was recently appointed to the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education and Workforce Development. He has been selected for The Best Lawyers in America every year for the past 25 years.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: WENDY SCHERWAT DUCOURNEAU wjsd@jps.net
1973
I asked classmates what they did to celebrate the beginning of Spring. For me, it is getting out and resuming yardwork.
► Bob Bolier writes that he’s healed up and hoping he’s done with surgeries for a while! He is back to enjoying being retired, playing golf, and exercising. He took a 10-day cruise to the Southern Caribbean, which was wonderful. Closer to home, he was asked to join the editorial board of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune as a community member, an experience he is enjoying.
Liz Brasure and Steve Giles wrote to say that they have nothing to report. At least they made contact!
Don Corrigan’s book, In Search of Manhood: American Men’s Movements Past and Present, has been selected as the top pop culture book among those published in 2024. Award recognition is slated for April 18 at the New Orleans convention of the Popular Culture Association. An excerpt from a publisher’s review follows: “American men began an earnest search for the meaning of manhood in the latter half of the 20th century and enlisted in such
groups as Promise Keepers, Million Man March, National Congress of Men, and Fathers’ rights groups. This study chronicles those movements, as well as the more visible male activism of today in such groups as Proud Boys, Three Percenters, and Oath Keepers. The book explores the misogyny and militancy embodied in these new quests for manhood.” Don is the editor emeritus for the Webster-Kirkwood Times weekly newspaper in St. Louis, where he has written on the outdoors and environment for four decades. He is a professor emeritus at Webster University, where he directed student studies for the school’s Outdoor/Environmental Journalism Certificate.
► Joanne Parrish George celebrates the beginning of spring by cutting flowers from her garden (hyacinth, daffodils, tulips, grape hyacinth, and the earliest lilacs and iris), bringing them into the house, and making arrangements. She is preparing for knee replacement in May and looking forward to a new and better-functioning knee.
► John Gorski dug into the archives and sent an ancient article from the Express, dated November 1973 and authored by Ward Larkin ’74, that mentions some of the Galesburg bars near the Knox campus: Shangri-La, Martie’s, Downtown Lounge, Whistlestop, Lasser’s Tap, and the Silver Front Tavern.
► Roberta Hoffman’s husband fell and broke his hip, so her spring has been spent going to and from the hospital an hour away, where he is awaiting an operation. She and her Irish Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier are glad to get back to training in Rally Obedience, Hoopers, and agility after the winter break because of wet grounds. Roberta asks, if you have any extra rain, send it to Germany, please, where the fields are terribly dry.
► Pete Loiselle and his wife Jane (U of NE ’73) are gratefully enjoying retirement and have been living in Arizona for 35 years. They will celebrate their 50th anniversary in October with a gathering on the actual date and a trip to New Zealand as their gift to each other.
► Donna Rockin, Nancy Novit, and Donna Pulaski Bolier enjoyed our 50th Homecoming in 2023 so much that they decided to keep the fun going by meeting regularly for lunch in the Chicago area. Donna R. says, “We are enjoying each other’s company as much as we did at Knox...we could just as easily be in Post Suite 5, talking about our lives and current events.”
► Charlotte Sommer, in Prague since 1993, reports that it has been a busy few months for the Prague Knox Club, with several recent visitors. George Rosic ’74 and wife Mary Marselus Rosic ’76 visited in early fall, Sammi Maier King ’72 and her husband dropped by in late fall, and this April, Susan Davis ’72, P’06 was in town for a week, with a short visit by Neil Blevins ’71, on his way to a river cruise with wife Ruth. So, while it may be the smallest Knox Club (with Charlotte as the only member), the Prague Knox Club is still delighted to welcome visitors to this wonderfully beautiful city.
► Retirement is proving to be all it’s cracked up to be for John Straus, especially in the travel category; he cruised the Douro River in Portugal last fall, visited Barcelona, and visited Los Cabos last February for the 20th year. Visits to Oregon this spring and summer were also on the books. His volunteer work continues with AARP Illinois’ legislative team, baking dinners to give away through Lasagna Love, and serving a life sentence as president of the building condominium board. Finally, for the first time since volunteering for Adlai Stevenson’s 1970 campaign for the US Senate, John took an active role in the re-election campaign of Daniel Biss, who won another term as Evanston mayor. After all, all politics are local.
► Tom and Kim Kroupa called to say they had visited the most amazing lapidary museum in Oak Brook, IL, and that I would be envious, as a geologist, of all the rocks, minerals, gems, petrified wood, and geodes that they saw on display.
► Finally, on a sad note, I received a message that Leon Williams passed away in February.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: NANCY BAKOS HUNTER geo_hunters@q.com
1974
From truffle hunting to championing First Amendment cases, from celebrating the arrival of a first grandchild to welcoming a seventh, our classmates remain vibrant and accomplished well into their seventies. And the excitement doesn’t stop there—something new is on the horizon for all classmates.
SOMETHING NEW starts this September. The Class of 1974 Reunion Committee is launching monthly Zoom seminars/lectures/discussions on a variety of topics. Running the third Thursday of SeptemberMay (minus December), this will be an opportunity to visit and interact with your fellow classmates. If you have an area of expertise or topic idea to share, please contact Annie Reinke at annie.reinke@gmail.com.
Now a word from our classmates:
► Vic Heintz and Barbara Linden Heintz ’77: “We may have told you last fall when we saw you that Barb and I were anticipating becoming grandparents for the first time. Well, Emily Eleanor Heintz arrived on Valentine’s Day! Our son Eric and engaged partner Laura live nearby so we have frequent opportunities to do some proud grandparenting.”
► Jim Mott: “I am mostly retired but still manage to keep busy. This Fall, I will be teaching a course on Applied Statistics with R at Northwestern University. I already know the statistics part, but am having to learn R, which is something I always meant to do but never did. Doing things I never finished earlier in life has been a theme of my 70s. For example, years ago, I started one of my favorite Chopin Nocturnes and a Schubert Sonata for piano but never finished them. Now I have plenty of time and have run out of excuses. More importantly, younger daughter Liba is getting married next year, and older daughter Liat is working on a degree at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. My wife and I also keep
busy taking care of three dogs and three cats. Does anyone want one? I ship for free. Hope to see you all at our 55th Reunion if not before.”
► David Schulz: “I am still running the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at Yale, and the new Trump administration is pushing us into overdrive. The clinic is currently working on three cases challenging various Executive Orders for violating the First Amendment—one involving the censorship of academic articles that contain the word ‘trans,’ one challenging the shut-down of Voice of America, and the third addressing the use of AI to surveil the social media accounts of international students in this country on student visas. We are about to bring a fourth. We are really in uncharted territory, and it looks like retirement is a little further off than I had planned.”
► John Knoche: “A shout out to Jim Fennema ’73, for being elected into the Knox Hall of Fame for his baseball successes. Reading about his records, I see he threw two no-hitters. I remember the one in 1972 as I was behind the plate that day. I can still recall the pop of his fastball hitting my mitt and the sharp curve over which he had great control.”
► Peter Bailley P’05, P’08: “I’ve attended several recent Knox events, both on campus and in Galesburg. (Special thanks to Greg Divers ’73, who remotivated me to venture boldly every Thursday to Jazz Night!) Today’s students and faculty are as interesting, committed, and compassionate as I remember Knox in the olden days 50+ years ago. Also, researching details from Knox’s history in the archives.”
► Ernie Buck: “Wife Fran and I recently met J. Mark Wilson (Knox associate vice president of major gifts) and wife Marsha for a West Texas Weekend. Highlights included hikes at Santa Elena Canyon (Big Bend National Park), golf at Black Jack’s Crossing in Lajitas, a tour of the Terlingua Ghost Town Cemetery, and the Lone Star Cowboy Poetry Festival (Sul Ross University, Alpine.) This was not midwestern prairie scenery!”
► Scot Silzer: “Last July, my seventh grandchild was born just a few months before I became a great-grandfather (November). His sister was born in the middle of COVID, and he was born into the ICU for a week before he came to Florida as a refugee from a hurricane only to have another hurricane hit us a week later. Difficult start means a great life! I am still employed way too many hours a week doing immigration work for professors and students, circus performers (yes, I work with a bunch of clowns, some of which you might have heard or seen if you have attended a circus or circus-like show) and other entertainers, and many other professionals in the engineering, forensics, and financial sectors. It has been a very difficult three months so far this year for many of my clients (and therefore me!). Our 50th Reunion was a lot of fun. I was able to get to know much better many of my fellow students who I barely knew 50 years ago. The Class of 1974 is an extraordinary group and is close to raising the most contributions ever from a Reunion Class (who woulda thunk?). May we continue to wander the earth and spread knowledge and goodness wherever we go. Go Siwash...err Prairie Fire!”
► Karen Zeches Hawkinson P’07:
“Two highlights of our 50th year Reunion were the lecture by Owen Muelder ’63, P’96 on the founding of the College and the panel discussion with participants from our class and current students. Both provided insight into the mission of the College and how that mission continues to be realized. In the midst of current events and our own busy lives, it is easy to forget that we are part of something with deep roots. It is important to reflect on those roots and their value yet today.”
► Fritz Ketchum: “We just attended our niece, Elizabeth’s wedding at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. It was a celebration for the ages! I volunteer weekly with Mane Gait in McKinney, providing equestrian support for mostly young clients with a wide range of disabilities. Additionally, I am returning (after an
absence) to my latest writing project —writing a memoir of my father’s experiences in WW II—based on a cache of some 80 letters he wrote to his German-American parents during the War.”
► Betty Spieth Croll: “After our incredible 50th Reunion weekend last October, Tim and I flew to Quebec City, then took the four-day cross-Canada rail trip, ending in Vancouver, BC, and back home to Seattle. It was the perfect post-retirement adventure, first seeing so many of you at Knox, then crossing Canada, with almost no cell service across four time zones. Another retirement adventure has been training our new pup Neo, a Lagotto Romagnolo, to hunt Pacific Northwest truffles in local Douglas Fir forests. Lagottos are bred for truffle hunting so while he’s still very much a rookie, we found plenty of truffles to share with friends and neighbors. Truffle hunting has provided another good excuse to go winter hiking in our nearby forests.”
► Monta Lee Dakin: “While Betty was indulging in truffles, I delighted in some of my own favorite foods on a recent trip. Spring in Belgium is Spargelzeit, the fleeting white asparagus season, and as spargel is a favorite, I ate as much as I could while visiting friends. In Lille, France, I stepped into the historic gilded tea rooms of Méert to enjoy my favorite tea. Vienna beckoned next, where my museum visits were punctuated by slices of Sacher-Torte. I passed up Prague’s famous beer ’cuz I don’t like it. But when I got to Paris, it did not disappoint as the next feast for the senses. I admired the newly restored Notre Dame and followed Ina Garten’s trail through the city’s coffee and pastry shops. My journey ended in Iceland, where I made a final stop for Appolo Lakkris—a licorice and chocolate candy beloved by Icelanders. It was a sweet finale to my culinary tour.”
► Annie Reinke: “Thomas Wolfe wrote You Can’t Go Home Again, but I beg to differ. Every time I return to campus, I’m transported back in time to my student days. The campus looks very much the same as 50
years ago; places like the library and Old Main, which provided comfort and solitude back in the day, still offer the same. I squealed when I saw Twa (Vicki Huntman) again, and she reunited the DW’s (dateless wonders) with a commemorative pin featuring our favorite moniker, the immature assholes! Jeanne Miyake Cuneo, Thumper (Jan) Thompson, Priscilla Inge, Margie Beers, and I proudly displayed her artwork, and by the end of the reunion, Monta Lee became an honorary member of this elite team. I could write pages about the weekend, and I’m still savoring all the emotional highs it provided. I thoroughly enjoyed working with fellow classmates on the 50th Reunion committee and wonder how I missed hanging out with all these fun people back in the day! To keep the camaraderie going, several of us are planning the ongoing Zoom program launching in September 2025.”
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: MONTA LEE DAKIN mld780@aol.com
George Szostkowski writes, “On behalf of my co-chair Jeanne Pankanin Leininger, myself, and the entire Pot of Gold Reunion Team (Sue Blew, Richard Burke P’07, Nancy Claypool, Shep Crumrine, Jim Mason, Sheri Sprung Morrison, John Nelson, Lynne Barney Porter, Sarah Boydstun Ross, and Gwen Webb) we hope all of you are getting excited about our 50th-year Reunion this October 10-12.
Your thorough preparation for the Reunion includes completing the questionnaire for inclusion in our Golden Yearbook, reserving rooms asap, and encouraging your fellow classmates to attend.”
George looks forward to seeing his friends Richard Burke P’07, Sverre Falck-Pedersen ’74, Don Hill, James Millhorn, Neil Schaye, and Michael “Coo” Wright, who have all remained close over these decades, as well as renewing friendships with many other classmates.
George and Xiaochen continued their world travels with a trip to Egypt and Jordan. At this writing, they are in China on George’s 12th visit, enjoying everything and trying his own version of Henry Kissinger’s “people-to-people” interaction. His retirement proceeds merrily with continued Goodman Theatre GeNarrations participation, board memberships, Chicago Chinese Culture & Arts Society contributions, and staying physically fit.
George says, “Looking forward to seeing many classmates at homecoming and reviewing the varied directions, events, and highlights of their own lives. I’m sure everyone will have many interesting things to share.”
► Ann Ranfranz had a fun “small world” Knox encounter in February. Ann writes that in traveling to and from their vacation at Hilton Head, she and her husband Jeff curated their path to encompass select communities to visit friends and to delve more deeply into the history and culture of each area.
Montgomery, AL was included this year in order to visit the Equal Justice Initiative’s “Legacy Sites,” venues known for their powerful, compelling, and important contributions to historical education.
The impact of these Legacy Site experiences would be profound at any time but was heightened with the backdrop of Black History Month and the current struggle to maintain such awareness.
While touring The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Ann and Jeff chanced upon professor Kathleen Ridlon from Knox, leading a student group. Ann notes, “This encounter happened on 2/14/25, one day before Knox College Founders Day. Coincidence and synchronicity combined between the recent emails about our upcoming 50th-year Reunion and also Founder’s Day, such that Knox was in my thoughts. And then this happened in Montgomery!”
► Jenny Lisenby Lockington notes, “Will see you in October at our 50 year Reunion! I’m going to the UUA
General Assembly in June, are you? I’m to be a delegate in Baltimore since I can make time to visit my granddaughter and great-grandsons who live a couple of hours from there also. Maybe we can grab a meal together!”
► Sue Whittles Hickey says “No news, but Jenny Lisenby Lockington will be staying with me, and we will both go to the reunion activities. Leanne Bailey Schuneman and Merlon will be there, too, if everyone’s health holds up. I know we will get to see you and Linda (Nelson Langston P’07) too.”
► Michael Lincoln confirms “I’m good! VERY happy that spring is here, and I will be spending lots of time outside in my garden and volunteering with master gardeners. I’ve made my hotel reservations for the reunion. I’m really looking forward to it!”
► Daniel Martin and wife Veronica recently returned from Argentina where they spent two weeks in Buenos Aires seeing her family and two weeks in the foothills of the Andes in BARILOCHE. “We took several trips on a lake ringed by the Andes, some by boat, and some involved hiking up a mountain. One in particular was very, very steep, and I wanted to go by chairlift but Veronica implored me to hike the mountain. One of the toughest trips I’ve done in recent years. Next off to France and England, after a few days in Paris, we go to Sarlat to see cave art and, after a few days in London, we go to the Cotswolds, which are lovely old towns that used to raise sheep for the finest wool in Europe. Should be fun.”
► Jack Dare says, “I was at the boat yesterday starting some spring cleaning. The yacht club will launch all the boats in mid-April, so it’s time to get things ready. I also visit our local YMCA. They finished a beautiful new building last spring. The 3rd story track has big views of the river and downtown Ottawa. Also enjoy yoga classes, weight training, and swimming there.”
► Jeff Sandborg notes, “Always good to hear about our Knox friends. Nothing of significance to report on
this end, but hope you and Linda are flourishing. See you in October! Hoping to attend my one-and-only reunion…thus far.”
► Jeanne Pankanin Leininger says, “One of my sisters has been visiting me for all of March. Fortunately we get along great, and she’s an easy-peasy houseguest with Florida friends, golf, pickleball, and other activities. Truly, there are so many wonderful distractions here that it’s hard to buckle down and do some work, LOL!”
► Paula Ochs: “It is very hard to believe that we graduated from Knox 50 years ago! I continue to enjoy my work as a family therapist, supervisor, and trainer in both psychotherapy and psychodrama. My husband, John, and I took care of my mother who had dementia until she died this past June just before her 96th birthday. We have more freedom now and want to travel. I will go to Italy in June and then Maine and Quebec City in July. I have decided to apply for Italian citizenship! My son married a Dutch woman, and it is possible that they will end up living in the Netherlands. If that is the case, we may all be members of the EU, who knows? I started singing lessons last July, plus John and I continue to take dance lessons. I plan on attending our 50th reunion shortly before our 35th wedding anniversary. On a final note, I continue to mourn the loss of Karen Schultz Carlson, Mary ‘Libby’ Becker, and Dennis James, all Class of ’75.”
► Claudia Hicklin Kaufman reports she and husband Gary have been enjoying favorite hobbies, travel and playing oldtime music! Recent travels include hiking the Dolomites of northern Italy and the Swiss Alps. “We enjoy playing with a couple of music groups and performing at outdoor venues. Looking forward to seeing lots of familiar faces at our 50th Reunion, ask me the funniest names of my fiddle tunes! I distinctly remember seeing members of the 50 Year Club at my first homecoming at Knox and thinking ‘they look so old!’”
► Jo Hammerman says, “I am “Healthy, Happy, and Thriving”!
Hoping to see Claudia Hicklin Kaufman at Battleground Bluegrass Festival this June. Our daughter Steph, an award-winning fiddle player, will be performing. Steph also performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on 3/13/25. It was live-streamed. You can watch it on YouTube. She was also interviewed on DemocracyNow! Pretty cool.”
► Dan England P’00 writes, “We’ve adjusted to the winters since moving back to Illinois from Florida. I miss the earlier planting season in Florida but here, not until May. We flew to San Juan to thaw out and cruise in February. We vacationed in Santa Fe last October, renting a house with our boys and their spouses. One of our sons, Ryan England, graduated from Knox in 2000. Looking forward to the 50th Reunion!”
► Gary A. Pokorn reports attending the 50-year Reunion of his 19741975 Knox Basketball team last October. The team was there with three notable exceptions; Kjeld Sorensen P’08 (Hall of Famer) couldn’t make the trip due to family medical priorities; Tim Heimann ’70, P’02, P’04, P’95, GP’27 (assistant coach and Hall of Famer) passed way too prematurely years earlier; and Athletic Trainer, Henry Tischler ’78 couldn’t make the trip from New York. Nonetheless, a great time was had. Gary also participated in the annual Colorado Alumni High School Scholarship interviews in February. Gary and wife Debbie sold their Ladybug Ranch; her Thriving Pets International company; his John Deere tractor; and Ford F350 pick-up truck; and moved into a 55+ community in Aurora, Colorado. Horseless for the first time in more than three decades. Gary continues to sell his book, The Peace and Power of a Positive Perspective, conducting book signing events.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: DAVID LANGSTON dave_langston@hotmail.com
1976
Greetings fellow classmates. The momentum continues to build for our 50-year Reunion next year. Is it
true that our Homecoming dinner will be at Beserra’s Taco House, followed by pizza at Alfano’s?
Dixie Cream donuts for dessert and wash it all down with a stop at the Whistle Stop or DTL? Do you think we can get 76 classmates to attend? That would be awesome. Why not, we all look the same—so let’s all go! There will be special recognition for a classmate who attends our 50th as his/her first Reunion! The planning committee has already begun efforts—more to follow soon. I received notes from several classmates, which is great (our class likes to travel!). I received an update from Herman Goldman, which began with “Aloha!” He has lived in Maui since 1981 and has been extremely active in the renewable energy world. He wrote that he has used his theater background from Knox to pursue some minor acting positions. He visits the US once a year and recently reacquainted himself with classmate Donna Brady… I also heard from Denise Buntin. Denise plans to attend our 50th Reunion and has become quite the world traveler, having visited Iceland (for the Aurora Borealis), Ecuador, the Canadian Niagara Falls, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Antarctica, South Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania. She hopes her 2026 fall trips don’t conflict with our 50-year Reunion…Dan Evans wrote and said he is almost completely retired after a fulfilling career that, after many stops along the way, culminated with Fluor at The Strategic Petroleum Reserve. He and wife Abbey split their time between Amelia Island, FL, and Highlands, NC, as the seasons dictate. This was their Polar Year, with visits to the Antarctic Peninsula and Alaska near the Arctic Circle. Dan enjoys keeping in touch with Seymour Hall classmates and has visited John Manos ’74 and Leah Johnson-Manos at their farm in Kentucky…Ann Murray Smith sent me a great photo of Ann and Sally Everett Etheridge P’05 cheering on Knox at a recent Knox-Carthage basketball game. She also included a photo of Rob “RT” Thornburg, who is learning log rolling skills in northern Wisconsin, which he hopes to demonstrate at our 50th Reunion. Barb Epstien wrote that
she is very excited about our 50year Reunion! Kirsten Ice Mogbo wrote that while travel is fun, her highlight is definitely the addition of a great-granddaughter 18 months ago. Interacting with a new generation is more fun than the last (maybe because there is progressively less direct responsibility?). She was just about to leave for southern Africa when she sent the note and upon her return will be dealing with the joys of moving… I also heard from Cindy Corso Heath and Al Heath They split their time between Frankfort, IL, and Cary, NC. “When we’re not traveling, we babysit for our 2-year-old granddaughters— one from each of our children. That’s keeping us young. We still play bridge with folks from Knox like Gail Sand Doescher ’75, Tom Kroupa ’73, and Dave ’75 and Vida Adams Weinberg ’75. And we already have plans for this summer to see James ’75 and Karen Nelson Lloyd up in Wisconsin.” Sadly, a Knox friend to many passed away earlier this year. Paul Zucker ’78 (married to Knox classmate Susan Haerr Zucker ’78) passed away in early 2025. Paul was well known to many of our Knox classmates—he and I met at the Phi Delt house and had many fun outings together over several decades.
► I also received an update from Kevin Hastings P’16: “After 37 years teaching in the math department at Knox, I finally retired in the Spring of 2023, and my wife and I moved to Burlington, IA. So much time has gone by that my daughter, Emily, who graduated from Knox in 2016, finished her Ph.D. at U. of I. and is teaching computer science at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Hard to believe. But even though I wasn’t exactly a social butterfly at Knox as an undergrad, there are still a bunch of our classmates who I would love to see again in fall 2026. Mike Godsil P’92 has been at Knox for years, I saw Jay Zimmerman for the first time in a while recently at the symposium honoring Dennis Schneider, and I see Keith Maskus, Ann Feldman Perille, Tom Perille, and Gene Procknow occasionally when they come to campus, but that’s about it. So I hope that everyone is making their plans to come back to Galesburg.”
That’s it, keep those notes coming, and get excited for our 50th in 2026!
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: GEORGE PEARCE geoknox@comcast.net
Hello everyone! I shared my news of the birth of our first grandchild and heard from many of you about the joys of your grandkids as well. Thanks for getting in touch.
► Mike Muro shared: “We have 13 grandchildren with the 14th due in December! I have been retired since 2019 after 42 years in public education. I am blessed to still have reasonably good health, with all of the original parts! I am also blessed to be married to my lovely wife, Nan, for 45 years.”
► Roger Strukhoff writes: “I have one grandchild who will turn 4 this summer. I said I wasn’t going to be one of those crazy infatuated grandparents, but it turns out I was wrong! Lyn and I took a cold but rewarding trip to Europe in celebration of my 70th birthday in December. We were joined by friends and family. Highlights were a Christmas concert at Royal Albert Hall, the Cologne Cathedral on my birthday, and chasing my granddaughter through Père-Lachaise cemetery while in search of Chopin’s grave.”
► Kathy Kodl Fridovich ’76 reported that she had recently met up with former Redneck Mother Diane Sipe ’79 (can you name the other members of the “Up Against the Wall” gang? Hint, I still have the t-shirt!), and they shared many Knox memories.
► From Jon Klem: “I have a granddaughter, 4, and grandson, 1, in Baltimore and a granddaughter, 8. and grandson, 5, in Minneapolis. I try to see them quarterly. I’m spending my retirement in Williamsburg, VA, serving as an executive coach and mentor at the Mason School of Business at William & Mary.”
► Debbie Stoneking-Watson and Maureen Fitzsimon checked in to say hi to the class.
► Rick Stiles writes: “I’m having a great time after retiring as CEO of a Wintrust Bank three years ago. We traveled to Hawaii in January and look forward to a two-week cruise to Greece, Italy, France, and Spain in July. I’m on four corporate boards and actively mentoring 10 minority finance college students.”
► Thomas O’Neal just returned from a month in New Zealand. He says, “Auckland is a cross between San Francisco and San Diego. It’s big. Queenstown on the South Island is booming like Austin, except it has a glacial lake to play in. The citizenry of Bay of Islands and Punakaiki could pass for those in Hancock County, IL, except they live on the coasts.”
► This from Barbara Linden Heintz: “We, (Vic ’74), became grandparents on Valentine’s Day. Our son, Eric, and his fiancé, Laura, live close by, so we have been helping out with some babysitting. Vic and I attended his 50-year Knox Reunion last October. The class of ’74 did a fantastic job of organizing a walking tour with Owen Muelder ’63, P’96, a cocktail reception, dinner, and a Sunday brunch. Let’s see if our class can pull off something equally awesome on our 50th!”
► Pam Ord Newton sends greetings to all: “I continue to enjoy my work as Village Manager/COO, and I’m getting much better at balancing travel and workplace commitments. Covid definitely taught us how to have a productive workday remotely, so I am enjoying lots of domestic and international travel while running a city from a cell phone. Being ’Pamma’ for seven grandchildren creates a travel schedule that is both fun and rewarding! I have been in touch with Susan Runyon-Davis and Brian ‘Sully’ Sullivan ’79, a true hero of the Ghetto (Seymour 3). As time marches on, I reflect so fondly on our years at Knox and the friendships that have lasted a lifetime. “
► Bunny Friedman Faling sends her regards and reports that she is still snowbirding in Tucson.
► John (JB) Bird writes: “Still practicing law in St. Louis and throughout Missouri. You’d think
after 45 years I’d be done practicing and would know what I’m doing. Which is, helping kids in foster care here get permanent homes through adoption. I love my job. Still married to my beautiful bride, with two great-daughters and two sassy little grandkids. Plus a new canine addition to the family, Laney.”
► So sorry to the classmate who wrote with an update a few months ago. I put it in a folder and now can’t find the email. Please resend!!
CLASS CORRESPONDENT:
SARAH KAULL skaull@icex.com
Our hearts ache, and our thoughts are with Susan Haerr Zucker as we remember her beloved Paul Zucker They met early on during our time at Knox and spent a lifetime together, doing and accomplishing amazing things together.
► Carol Shaffner Deitch reports that she is finally a grandmother! Her youngest had a baby girl in August and she is over the moon. To top it off, the parents live nearby in Chicago. Both her boys recently got engaged, and she finally feels like her family is growing. She is begging her husband to retire, but he loves his job, so she knows for sure it will not happen in the next two years. In the meantime, she will play tennis and travel. She says it was great seeing everyone last year at our 45-year Reunion.
► Faith Miller is attending the Icelandic Writer’s Conference in April and will receive her MAW in fiction writing from Spalding University this June. She reports it is hard to believe she was a member of the Knox Class of 1978, the NYU Wagner School of Public Administration Class of 1983, and the NaslundMann Graduate School at Spalding University Class of 2025! Tuition has gone up a bit, she’s sad to say, but what an example of lifetime learning.
► Susan Hughey Walker officially retired as of March 31. She is not sure retirement has fully kicked in yet, but she does enjoy not having
to use an alarm clock each morning! After 45 years, it was time to start a new journey. She and Marc plan to travel and spend more time in their NC mountain home. They are also headed to Aspen in June for the Food and Wine Festival. She is also delighted to announce the arrival of her second grandson, Franklin Bandit Walker, born March 6 at 8 lbs, 10 oz, 21 inches. He is a precious addition to their family. Lastly, they just found out that their oldest son and his wife are expecting their second son in October. They will have three grandsons by the end of October.
► John Luthy reports he will be getting together with Bob Thompson and Sue Strow Stegeman in Springfield for coffee and conversation. He says he enjoys these opportunities to catch up with his fellow Siwash. He is also looking forward to the annual Fiji-Phi Delt golf outing in June (still doesn’t golf, for which he is sure many golf courses are VERY happy to know!). He also had lunch with Kathy Hearn Leuelling ’77 and her husband in Springfield in March. She is still working and traveling for work, though he says he doesn’t think he could explain what it is she is doing! He continues to tutor math and Computer Aided Design at the local community college and for the Spring ’25 semester has been working a lot with a special needs student. It has been interesting, as well as challenging, and very rewarding personally.
John also wanted me to mention that our 50th Reunion is approaching, and a committee is being formed. Anyone who wishes to be on the committee and/or assist in some way should contact either Megan Clayton at the College or John (john.scott.luthy@gmail.com).
► Lastly, Katherine and I met Cheryl and Brent Petersen P’18 in New Orleans in early April and had a good time. We even participated in their lively protest gathering, joining others from around the country that day.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT:
DAVID BATES david.m.bates01@gmail.com
Welcome to the Spring, Class of ’79! At this time of the year, many of us are embarking on second careers following retirement. Maybe we are planning TRAVEL itineraries to take us to explore dream destinations. Perhaps we are just enjoying the loving laughter and embrace of a grandchild, grand pets, or the love of a significant other. Heck, in my case, it is all of the above: retired from municipal service as a director of parks and recreation (minister of fun), traveling to Ireland with my wife and children, watching my two Grand Puppies over Easter, and settling in with a hug from my robust and hilarious 3-year-old granddaughter, while assuming the reigns at a community NPO as executive director of the Ancient Oaks Foundation, and finally still sharing life with close friends from the Ghetto (aka Seymour 3) and the Phi Delt House (neither still in existence at Knox making us keepers of lore, legend, and outright falsehoods).
What is your story? We would love to hear it, celebrate it, and publish it here. Knox’s Pumphandle was always about bringing people together and making new acquaintances. It seems to me that we can make this area of the Knox Magazine our own Pumphandle for the Class of 1979 to assemble, press some flesh, and get to know one another all over again. So send me your stories, news, accomplishments, dreams, celebrations, and exotic travel pictures. Heck, yeah, I am bored and need some cool reading material in which we can all live vicariously. By the way, if anyone has had rotator cuff surgery, let me know as I have now joined your ranks. Seems while I can still ride natural bike trails, I don’t bounce as well as I used to when I fall, but I stuck the landing!
Now to matters at hand, I routinely hear from Eric Jackstadt, Norm Hillner, Brian Cox, Rollie Thomas, Fred Heger, Bob Szyman, all via Facebook. All are having a pretty good time and living la vida loca!
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: BRIAN J. SULLIVAN bjpscruffy4@aol.com
1980
CLASS CORRESPONDENTS: ROY BRANDYS brandys@barronadler.com
JOE MOORE joe@joemoore.org
1981
Tim Banks: “I retired at the end of last year. Still living in Illinois for now but have spent a good amount of time traveling so far—seeing kids/grandkids and catching up with friends we haven’t seen in a while. Still volunteering with several non-profits so haven’t gotten bored yet at all. And always a new trip to plan for.”
► Janice Dilworth: “My husband and I relocated to Whidbey Island, WA. We’re growing veggies on a small piece of land for us and our community. Last year, we donated more than 1,000 pounds to our local food bank.”
► Tom Woolwine: “Since I retired in 2022, my focus has been on family, health, and service. My wife and I are making multiple trips to the Rockies each year from KC to see our son and daughter-in-law in Denver. We are also primary caregivers for my mom of 94 years (amazing). I’m guessing many of my classmates are in a similar situation and can relate.
I spend considerable time working to stay healthy and fit so I can hike, bike, and play golf. I’m playing in two Senior Men’s leagues this year. I hope to participate in the annual Fiji/Phi Delt tournament this summer in Chicago.
My volunteering efforts are in three areas right now: KC Rotary Club year-round camp for disabled/disadvantaged metro kids; UMKC Bloch School of Management mentoring program; and My Historic Homes Association. I recently retired from the Knox Endowment Investment Committee after 10 years of service. I send my best to the Class of ’81! Thank you for your diligent efforts to keep us in contact.”
► Pat P’14 and Cindy Bonifield Babington P’14: “Pat and I retired a couple of years ago from DePauw University, where Pat taught kinesiology and I was the vice president for student affairs. Upon retirement, we moved from Greencastle to Indianapolis, downsizing our house and upsizing our travel trailer. We spend half of our time in Indy hanging out with family including our 5-year-old granddaughter and half our time on the road camping and biking.
Recently while running on the Monon Trail, we passed a guy wearing a Knox jacket. We had a nice chat once Gary Jacobson ’77 got over his surprise at being called out in the middle of his morning walk. We got together a few days later at a gathering that also included Joyce Hertko ’82, Anna Wilson Flynn ’82, and Sarah Smith Maxwell ’86. It turns out there are quite a few Knox transplants in Indianapolis.
► From Team Nicolau: While we’ve had a few health “bumps” over the past 12 months, we have weathered them well and are grateful. All four of our adult children (three married) still live within 30 minutes of us, so we are able to spend plenty of time with them and our five grandchildren. My wife is celebrating her 44th year as an ICU nurse at the same hospital and plans to work until she reaches her 45th in July 2026. I am still working as an IT
consultant and also plan to work at least until next July. Attended the 2025 Cubs home opener in April courtesy of Dave Mitchell ’83. Jerry Proctor ’82, Dave’s niece, and another of Dave’s friends also joined us. Great to see Dave since his move to Connecticut last year. Hard to believe our 45th class Reunion is next year. Hope to see many of our classmates in Galesburg next fall.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: JOHN NICOLAU j.nicolau@comcast.net
Class of 1982! Happy birthday to everyone turning (or has turned) 65! As usual, we were overwhelmed by the number of updates that we received! (LOL) Next time, let’s do BETTER!
► Ellen Griffin Pauli reports that she is a marketing and RFP consultant in the business-to-business arena. Thanks, Ellen!
► Congratulations to Tim and Chris Bohm Gavlin on becoming new grandparents.
► Let’s start thinking about our big 45th Reunion.
Hugs & Kisses!
CLASS CORRESPONDENTS:
SHARON L. SCHILLEREFF Sschil7470@yahoo.com
CHRIS BOHM GAVLIN cgavlin@gmail.com
Greetings, all! I hope that 2025 is treating you well. I know many of you are close to retirement or already enjoying this time of your life. Please send updates, as truly your classmates want to know what you are doing.
It was wonderful to hear from Cynthia May Schmidt. Here is her update: “Hi classmates! Time is flying by for sure. My husband, Eric, and I celebrated our 35th anniversary last November, and we have been living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan since October 2017. We have been
traveling as much as possible. We have been to all seven continents and recently finished a 30-day cruise from Sydney, Australia, to Bangkok, Thailand. We have one son who lives in D.C. with his beautiful wife. We are patiently awaiting the birth of our first grandchild. It’s never a dull moment with us. We’re on a mission to see every National Park, National Monument, Lakeshore, and Seashore! Nature is our first love, and our advice to anyone is to go to Africa and Antarctica if you can. Both trips were life-changing experiences with National Geographic.
► I see Rose Martin Schneider whenever I’m in Arizona and a few other classmates occasionally. Photography is my hobby so I am always posting pictures on Facebook and Instagram. We are avid fishermen and gardeners even with every critter in the UP after our stuff. Be kind to yourself and everyone else.”
► Please send your news or notes to me at any time.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: BETH ANDERSON SCHUCK bschuckgal@gmail.com
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: VALERIE JENCKS knoxcollege84@gmail.com
Lots of news from the Class of 1985, including a number of recent retirements. We are at that age!
► Ken McDaniel wrote me about the recent death of Geology professor Dewey (Duane) Moore: “I was sorry to hear of the death of Dewey (Duane) Moore in the Knox Magazine. Dewey was one of the best, if not the best, teachers that I ever had. Dewey’s talent was in his ability to recognize different talents in each student and promote or develop those individual abilities. From the first class I attended with Dewey, I recognized his ability and open mind. Dewey is largely the reason that I became a geologist. Dewey taught each of his students
to think independently and if a student had conviction of an idea or theory, he encouraged their pursuit of it. I have always believed that it was a mistake to discontinue the geology major at Knox and not to incorporate geology into other majors at Knox. Dewey mostly taught his students how to think and not what to think. Dewey lived geology, and I will always remember the many field trips that we attended. I can specifically remember one field trip where in southeast Kentucky Dewey pointed out thrust faults along I-75 as we stood in the rain. Dewey was a true field geologist.”
► I heard from Ed Janosky P’26: “I should write more often. That way I would know where to begin. My wife, Kathleen, is working for Loyola University Chicago at the Health Sciences campus in the wellness center as a therapist. I’m in my second school year of retirement after teaching middle school for 33 years. Our oldest child, Storm ’26, is a junior at Knox, studying neuroscience. Our middle child, Rachel, is a freshman engineering student at Lehigh University and on the varsity rowing team. The youngest, Raymond, is a sophomore at Oak Park-River Forest High School and is involved in marching band, show choir, and musicals, as well as maintaining his academic courses. I’m still involved with the teachers’ union and have been getting elected to attend the representative assemblies. I hope to be going to Portland this summer as a retired teacher delegate. In May, I will be spending a week in the North Woods at one of my favorite places, YMCA Camp Nawakwa, as a volunteer getting the camp ready for summer. I will be working there from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., then I hope to dunk a few worms or minnows in the afternoon. Dave Pizza ’84 texted me yesterday, and we are planning a sailing trip along the east coast of Lake Michigan in July. I attended one meet and greet for prospective Knox students last fall (and missed one…) If I can ever get at least some of my own ducks in a row, I would like to organize an Oak Park area Knox event. There are so many of us around here, I’m sure if someone would mention a time and place, we would have a great showing.”
► Wendy Clark retired last June after 28 years as a wildlife biologist/ natural resource planner with the federal government (Forest Service and National Park Service). She writes: “I started relocating back to my hometown of Galena, IL, during the pandemic and now reside here full-time. Instead of relaxing in retirement, I’ve become deeply involved in local planning and zoning issues that came up a couple of years ago. Hopefully, all of that will be resolved soon. Meanwhile, I’ve enjoyed re-acquainting myself with old friends (including Norah Webster ’97; her family and mine go way back) and with this beautiful corner of the Midwest, as well as visiting my son in Des Moines, IA, and my sister and her family in MN.”
► It’s been a “crazy year so far” for Kathy Mateer Gedamke: “Back in the end of January, my husband, son, and I were displaced by a house fire. Our home of more than 30 years was burned out and has now been gutted. The good news is, first of all, no one was hurt. Secondly, my yard was not touched. We were able to stay with family and friends the first two months, but now we have to rent a room about 20 miles away from home (though it is only 5 miles from my job :). My son (32 years old) and my dog are able to stay with my mother-in-law. I do miss my dog. We are just beginning the process of trying to rebuild our house. We have friends who work in the business who are helping us navigate the system and lots of willing volunteers, which is great, because we had no fire insurance. My wonderful daughter-in-law is managing a “gofundme” to help with the cost of rebuilding. (If you are interested in helping, look me up on Facebook.) Through all of this mess, rescuing our stuff, cleaning, sorting and storing our stuff, looking for shelter, navigating the world of community resources, etc., my little garden has kept me sane. Our little semi-tropical yard is still a haven of peace. My strawberries, peppers, and tomatoes that were planted last fall are still happily putting out flowers and fruits. My mulberry tree is budding, and my elder tree has lots of flowers. The newer hibiscus bushes are a little
rough from the latest “cold” waves, but still alive. A few days a week, I stop by to water and make sure everything is good. No matter how stressed I am when I get there, I leave refreshed and renewed, with a little more spring in my step, and a little more hope in my heart.”
► Eric Z. Williams (a.k.a., E.Z.), not to be confused with Eric P. Williams P’13 (a.k.a., E.P.), is checking in from Chicago on our 40th year anniversary! “I am officially retired after 40 years of work in college access and readiness, beginning at Knox and ending after 20 years in the Chicago Public Schools— where I finished as the District’s director of College Pathways. I’m proud that I helped increase college enrollment nearly 50% in CPS and assisted a good number of Chicago Area students in finding their way to Knox over the years! My wife, Adrian Payton-Williams, and I have three sons and seven grandchildren (ages 2-10) who enrich our lives every day! The best thing about seeing them is knowing that we get to return them to their rightful owners after their visits!:) When not on Grandpa duty, I am reinventing myself as an author writing books for both adults and children, the latter under the pseudonym, Ima Kidd. Please check out my website at thechicagokidz.com to view my first release: The Envy of the Winds: How Chicago Became Known As The Windy City. Hope to see many of you at Homecoming in October!”
► Debbie Dehm is busy: “I work for five chiropractors. I have some books published on Amazon for Kindle. The latest is a Reiki 1 manual for my students. My website is angelbytheminute.com. I might make it to Homecoming this year since I live closer, and it is our 40th. Wow.”
► Kristin Esty-Ibarra sent an update: “Husband, Patrick’s consulting firm (The Mejorando Group) is still going strong, and our son, Maximiliano, is in his element as he attends CCNY in Harlem (NYC). Now that Maximilian is in college, and I see him maturing so quickly —I find myself thinking back to my time at Knox and all the growth that I went through there. What a magnificent experience! My family
and I relocated to Cumberland, ME, in July of 2024. After living the past 20+ years in the greater Phoenix, AZ, area, we are reveling in experiencing four seasons and the ocean, abundant rivers, and lakes here in Maine! After living in California and then Arizona, I am LOVING it here —living just outside of Portland. Since I stopped working full time when my parents’ health was failing, I have ample opportunity to explore the area, make new friends, enjoy pickleball and yoga, and settle in here. I hope to see others write in and share what they have been up to.”
► Lee Woolley P’18 has a new job as President & CEO of the Treasury Department Federal Credit Union and also serves as U.S. Army Reserve Ambassador for the State of Montana.
Thanks to everyone who wrote in!
CLASS CORRESPONDENTS: JANE DAVIS jedavis_ill@hotmail.com
MARGARET VERKOULEN LYNN mvlynn@comcast.net
1986
Greetings, classmates!
It is delightful to finally have some news to share with you. After a long drought and thanks to those of you who responded to my plea, we have a column!
► Special thanks to Sonia BonillaLichtenwalter who had the brilliant idea to ask us all how we celebrated our milestone 60th birthdays! (Who really feels 60???) She writes, “I celebrated my 60th birthday with my husband and a few friends in Greece. We spent a few days in
Athens, Santorini and Mykonos. It was a great combination of touring historical sites and relaxing on a catamaran. The food was excellent. It is a beautiful place, which I highly recommend.” So jealous, Sonia! It sounds like a wonderful time.
► Theodore (Ted) and Julia Heller Gray spent a week in London last February celebrating their milestone birthdays. Alison Heller Auerbach ’88 and Julia also celebrated with a Mediterranean cruise —with a few extra days before in Barcelona and after in Paris, where Julia had a ball going fabric shopping! Julia is currently the interim director of campus technologies at Oakton College, and for the past couple of years, Ted has been the manager of the Makerspace at Deerfield Public Library.
► Mike Bruno writes, “Sixty is definitely feeling a little “gut-checky”... but then again so did 30, 40, and 50. For my birthday, I hung up my medical practice, jumped on a boat with my wife, and headed around the Eastern half of North America via Georgian Bay to Montreal, down the Eastern Seaboard Coast, spent a month in the Keys, and now headed up the Mississippi back home to Door County. We live in a big, beautiful country full of lovely people.”
► Kathy Peregrine Fryxell celebrated her 60th birthday with a “Born in the ’60s” party with a groovy playlist, sing-a-longs, and vintage twist boards. Her bestie Sarah Dahl Gednalske ’88 joined her!
► And I (Susan Bantz) spent my 60th in the emergency room with a torn medial meniscus and severe sciatic pain in my right knee. I don’t recommend this method of celebrating to anyone…
► In non-birthday news, Angi Brown is in a new location doing what she loves, enjoying the mountains of central Tennessee as a chaplain for Amedysis Hospice. She can be reached at 2001 60th Ave S, Gruetli Laager, TN 37339 and would welcome hearing from our classmates!
► Congratulations to Adam Bruns who was elevated in fall 2023 to
editor-in-chief and head of publications at Site Selection magazine, where he has worked since 2002, about two miles from his home in suburban Atlanta. He also continues to be engaged as an advisory committee member and mentor in the Institute for Citizens & Scholars Higher Education Media Fellowship program, whose leaders include Greg Toppo, a veteran journalist at The 74 who happened to be a visiting journalist in residence at Knox during the 2022-2023 school year. Adam still writes poetry and songs and was active in the Gwinnett Remembrance Coalition, a group formed around principles established by the Equal Justice Initiative to properly memorialize lynching victims in the county.
► Alice Congdon Maitland writes, “I’ve been a nurse for 18 years and started feeling burned out, so I’m taking a break. I just started a new job at a Family Resource Center in Henniker, NH, where I live. It’s a part of White Birch Center, and the FRC aspect is new. I’ll be starting a Home Visiting program for low-income pregnant women and infants. The idea is support, education, help with depression-like PPD, connection to resources, parenting skills, child development, etc., and overall help getting new families off to a good start. You may remember I did this for five years when I lived in Gorham, NH, right before going to nursing school. I loved it and am happy to be doing it again. I really feel the need now to be involved in something grassroots, something that makes a difference in my community, something to lift people up. My kids are grown, Ethan is 33 and an ER Physician’s Assistant in Maine; Annie is 35, married, and about to earn a Ph.D. in Lichenology. I’m planning on going to Norway for her defense in May 2025. Fortunately (for me) she’ll be moving back to New England afterward. If anyone is in the neighborhood, come visit!” You can reach Alice at 603-723-3432 or email her at amaitlandrn@hotmail.com
► Kendall Dunkelberg published his fourth poetry collection, Tree Fall with Birdsong, in May (2025) with Fernwood Press. He is taking a
sabbatical in fall 2025 to complete the second edition of his textbook A Writer’s Craft, so he’s available to travel. Look for him at a bookstore near you (he is open to suggestions)! His poems also appeared last year in Salvation South and Delta Poetry Review, as well as the anthologies Attached to the Living World: A New Ecopoetry Anthology and Southern Voices: Fifty Contemporary Poets.
► Please reach out whenever you have something to share—you don’t have to wait for me to remind you— and I’ll keep writing this column for you.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: SUSAN BANTZ sbantz001@luthersem.edu
1987
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: BETH SIMMS BELMAN lisabeth1208@verizon.net
1988
Jeff Gossrow lives in Deerfield, Illinois, and works in finance and administration at Oakton College. His son, Ethan, is a sophomore at American University.
► John Marchica is the founder and CEO of Darwin Research Group, a provider of healthcare market intelligence for pharmaceutical, medical device, and health systems executives, in addition to venture capital, private equity, and other healthcare investors. He lives in Carefree, Arizona.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: TRACY DAHLEN BRANDON TracyDB531@gmail.com
1989
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: MIA JIGANTI mjiganti@prodigy.net
1991
Jonathan Sheinkop writes: “2025 has been a bit of a rollercoaster— kicking off with economic rollercoasters, tariffs, and the question of whether an ergonomic seat product I manufacture and distribute will still be viable when we run low on inventory again in six months. Such is the life of an entrepreneur. I’ll make it work. But there are plenty of brighter spots! My amazing wife, Shelbi, had wrapped up a long career in creative services and marketing and decided to go back to school in her later 40s for a Master’s in Business and Entrepreneurship. She’ll be walking at her graduation from Syracuse University this May. She’s a total inspiration to our family—including our 15-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son.
Our daughter, a freshman at Highland Park High School just outside of Chicago, has been playing club volleyball, which means we’ve become weekend warriors on the travel tournament circuit. So far this year: St. Louis, Minneapolis, Louisville, Indianapolis, with Dallas on deck. We try to explore a bit in each city—if you haven’t been, I highly recommend the St. Louis City Museum. It might be the most imaginative museum in the world.
Meanwhile, our 7-year-old recently started ukulele lessons (his idea!) and keeps us on our toes with his endless curiosity.
Life is full, a little chaotic, and good. And as a final note—please keep this column alive and well! I’d love to read what the rest of you are up to in the next issue.”
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: JONATHAN SHEINKOP jonathansheinkop@hotmail.com
My youngest is graduating from high school, and I’m moving in with my aging parents—I guess I’m a stereotypical example of the sandwich generation. My kids think my Gen X ways are so outdated, and my parents think I’m an IT guru. They are both wrong, but the discussions about them are amusing.
Just a few notes this time—if you are getting this publication but not my emails requesting notes please email me—rebecca.m.gillan@ gmail com or update your contact information with the Alumni office.
1990
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: JEFF HALE jeffhale1968@icloud.com
1992
CLASS CORRESPONDENTS: CELINE GURA MATTHIESSEN celmatthiessen@hotmail.com
TAMMY THORSEN RAGNINI rragnini1@yahoo.com
► Danielle Mari Shullaw Filas: “After decades in the classroom, I’ve stepped into an exhilarating new role as my school’s first Innovation and Technology Strategist—helping chart the digital course across all three divisions at Presbyterian School—ensuring we’re ready for the newest wave of emerging technology. The challenges are fresh, the learning curve is steep, and my brain is on fire! Outside of work, I’ve found my artistic home at Cast Theatrical, Fort Bend County’s longest-running community theatre, where I’ve been lucky enough to direct and act alongside a wildly talented and welcoming group. (Shoutout to Kathy Arfken for sending a handmade magic prop for my current show!) I’m also writing more than ever, especially during the New Orleans Writing Marathons with my dad, JR “Bob” Shullaw ’72, P’93— it’s cherished daddy/daughter time. Tim and I are still loving Texas life, from couples’ golf (he’s the ringer) to chasing our ironically named, slightly murderous kitten, Serenity. Through all these adventures, I’m grateful for the joy of keeping in close touch with my Knox friends: Mel Agar, Deb English Kaczorowski, Craig Choma, Peter Von Brown, Erik Nussbaum, and Jen Brown ’94 in our meme-heavy and irony-filled group thread.”
► Dan Rosenberg: “I’m in my 10th year as a financial writer covering the stock market, corporate news, and general finance for Charles Schwab. My job is to keep our clients up to date on what’s moving the markets and why. I began cover-
ing financial news in 1996 at Dow Jones Newswires. Recent market volatility has kept me very busy, and I fondly remember late-night deadlines at The Knox Student office that helped prepare me for life as a journalist.
Wife Debbie and I celebrated 29 years of marriage in June 2025, and our two sons are 25 and almost 22. Older son Jonah lives in Chicago and works in commercial real estate. Younger son Evan finished his junior year at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, where he’s a double major in chemistry and Spanish. He spent spring semester 2025 in Madrid, and Debbie and I enjoyed visiting him there (Debbie teaches Spanish literature and is an academic advisor at Northwestern University). I fell in love with Spain on our Knox 1991 choir tour and have been back four times since.
We’ve lived in Highland Park for almost 23 years. If anyone is ever on Chicago’s North Shore and wants to catch up, let me know!”
CLASS CORRESPONDENT:
REBECCA GILLAN
rebecca.m.gillan@gmail.com
From Reid Broda P’17: “Our daughter, Quinn (Knox ’17), was married in October 2024 in the Chicago area. The wedding was a mini Knox reunion. Class of 1994 attendees included Ana Tobar Hicks and Tracy Le Vine. Other Knox Alumni from our era include Jennifer (Jenner) Lee Dye ’93 and Alex Dye ’95, Jennifer Steiner Mall ’93, Julie Giers ’93, and Chris Currie. Professors Joel and Diane Estes also attended. Quinn also had numerous Knox friends attend and be part of the wedding. We continue to live and work in Chicago with lots of work travel. We also try to spend a lot of time in Williams Bay, WI. I reached 20 years at JPMorgan Chase this year. Quinn lives close by, and our son, Malcolm, attends law school at Texas-Austin.”
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: LISA PRESTON-HSU story.of.a.kitchen@gmail.com
The older I get the more nostalgic I get for my time at Knox. How about you?
Not that I necessarily want to be in college again. But, I remember those days more and more fondly — even though they probably weren’t as great as I remember. Lol.
I’m also a bit reflective. I often ponder about where I am now vs. what I thought I’d be doing. I was just sure that by 2025 I would have been a working journalist with at least one Pulitzer Prize. That didn’t happen. Priorities changed. I did journalism for a while, made a stop along the way to get a Master of Divinity, and became a clergy person. And then a yoga and meditation teacher. THEN I started my own business. My ability to do all those things were in large part due to the mind-opening education and hands-on experiences I got from Knox.
So here’s my question as we journey through our 30th reunion year:
What are you doing now vs. what did you expect to be doing?
► Vikki Rompala writes in response, “It is interesting as somehow I thought I would be crusading around the world to address human rights concerns and living in a country where the primary language was Spanish. But the life journey is just that ... After doing clinical social work for years, I moved into an administrative capacity within nonprofits as the director of quality and outcomes, health services researcher, and now vice president of a department that has been building services in Chicago. It is humbling how life takes different turns and COVID-19 allowed me to remember how much I loved being closer to the families and communities that I wanted to support. I guess my advocacy work is different than when I was 20 but the thread of work with people has remained. Having a child changed everything and being in a blended family with my husband Jeff Zollicoffer has helped me stay grounded to the relationships with my family overall and grateful to have family close by. My 50th birthday was full
of fun activities as I planned 50 activities for my 50th birthday.”
► Shannin Strom-Henry writes, “I thought I would be a famous costume designer who had at least one Oscar, but instead I ended up in theatre management at a 2,000seat theatre in Seattle. I have been the costume, wardrobe, and hair director at the 5th Avenue Theatre for the past 13 years. We produce only gigantic musicals, many of which debuted here and then have then gone to Broadway. While I no longer design costumes myself, I get to work with other incredibly talented designers and artists and put my budgeting and people skills to use and continue to use my design experience to collaborate with the designers we bring in. Most importantly, this job gives me the flexibility and tenacious skills needed to be an advocate for my 16-year-old daughter, Zoe, who has pulmonary hypertension and has proved all statistics wrong. She’s my inspiration in ‘never-give-up’ and has been coming to work with me most of her life. While she does not want to be on stage, she is certainly a better dancer than I ever was.”
► And here are some life updates from some of our fabulous friends:
► Yvette Garcia P’28 is finishing out the last few months of a very productive year as president of the Young Adult Library Services Association. Both of her kids are in college, and she is enjoying an empty nest.
► Mimi Doyle Russell is still teaching special education and hopes to continue in the same position next year. Her son, Artie, graduated from high school in spring and starts at the University of Memphis this fall.
Her daughter, Lily, is a senior at Rhodes College. She wrote, “I’m still young at heart, but how did we get this old?”
► Juliana Tioanda: Her older daughter, Adalea, graduated from New York University last spring. Her younger daughter, Maraella, is starting her freshman year at the University of Southern California. So she is crossing her empty-nester milestone as well. Next time you see Juliana in person or online, also thank her for her service as a member of the Knox College Board of Trustees.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: NICOLE HAVELKA defythetrend@gmail.com
Kathy Dix Biallas: “Here in Phoenix, we’re smack in the middle of end-of-the-school-year chaos, arranging for private driver’s ed instruction since Arizona does not include it in the high school curriculum, figuring out summer activities (and possibly a part-time job) for our 15-year old, and prepping for another hot summer. Our son has become politically aware and has had serious discussions with us over dinner about civil rights and warfare interspersed with the latest updates from computer science class. I’m working for a company that specializes in improving relevant search results for Internet shopping, and my husband is working on a project to add a concourse to the PHX airport.
I’ve become involved with our local buy-nothing group (the best way to purge clutter from the house since neighbors pick up things from my front porch, and I don’t have to take them anywhere to donate) and met some new neighbors who nodded knowingly when we traded addresses (“Oh, you’re THAT house with all the political signs in the yard.”). I’m also enhancing my crochet skills and making garments as well as hats, blankets, and scarves.
We’re working on improving the quality of our diet, so I do a lot of
By Cheri Siebken P’11
Bree Elrod ’00 has built a career working with some of the most recognizable names in film and theatre. She appeared in Shutter Island opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and under the direction of Martin Scorsese. Her off-Broadway debut in My Name is Rachel Corrie was helmed by Alan Rickman. And in 2021, her breakout role in Sean Baker’s Red Rocket took her to the Cannes Film Festival.
Her latest role in the post-apocalyptic series Odessa—now streaming on Hulu—is just the latest chapter in a career defined by daring, emotionally grounded performances.
But before her name appeared in Playbill or Variety, Elrod was a political science major at Knox College, considering law school. “But I was always running across campus to audition for shows,” she says. “Theatre kept pulling me in.”
Knox’s Repertory Theatre Term became a pivotal experience, showing her how actors, designers, and technicians collaborate to tell powerful stories. “It opened my eyes in such a beautiful way,” she says.
Equally influential were faculty mentors Ivan Davidson, Doc Bob Whitlatch, and Liz Carlin Metz. “They opened me up to something within myself that I didn’t even know was there,” she says. Metz, in particular, helped her connect physically and emotionally with her work. “I am forever grateful to her for that.”
Elrod graduated with College Honors in Theatre and earned her MFA at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Over the years, she built a career across cities and stages—from New York to LA to Kansas City, building community and seeking meaningful roles along the way.
Now, whether on stage or screen, Elrod continues to pursue bold stories and authentic characters—driven by a creative foundation first nurtured at Knox.
cooking at home in the Instant Pot and incorporate as many vegetables as possible into our meals, much to the distress of my husband and son (but to the delight of my primary care physician).
We took in a foster dog whose parents are in South Korea for six months for medical fellowships, so our lone dog now has a playmate. (The cat couldn’t care less.) Bonbon is a medium-sized pup who looks like a large corgi with longer legs. We’ll be sad to see her go back home in a few months since she is a Very Good Dog.”
► Liz Webster: “I got tenure last year, so I’ll be at the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Loyola University Chicago for the foreseeable future. I know that many of us have college-aged kids now—or soon will. I’d be happy to show them around campus or answer questions about the school. I’m off Facebook now and generally have lost track of all the things I’m boycotting. But in better news, finally purchased our first home!”
► Shannon McDaniel: “Last June, Mom and I moved from Northern Virginia to Tunis, Tunisia, where we plan to be until summer 2027. It’s been wonderful—a beautiful and fascinating place to live with a very kind and welcoming local population. We’ve been getting out exploring almost every month, both in Tunisia and elsewhere, and plan to keep exploring over the next few years. We’re enjoying the nice weather right now (highs in the mid-70s) as July and August will put us up around 120. Our cats came with us from home and we ended up bringing in two local cats as well. If anyone finds themselves out on this side of the world, drop a line—I’d love to meet you for a drink/grab a bite.”
► Danyell Punelli: “I am still living in the Twin Cities and working in a nonpartisan research office on health and human services issues for the Minnesota House of Representatives. My twin daughters, Lily and Lucy, are high school seniors this year, so we are in the middle of getting ready for prom, graduation, and the transition to college. They
will both be attending Winona State University in the fall.
In addition to all of that, I have been working on getting my house ready to sell. I am looking forward to downsizing since it will be just me and the cat most of the time once the girls go off to college.
When we were in the Chicago area doing college visits last summer, I managed to meet up with Yvi Garcia ’95 for dinner. It was great catching up with her. I see Ella Jaehnig regularly as we both live in the Twin Cities. I also visited Melissa Uhlmann out in Seattle a while back.
I am hoping to go on a ‘big’ vacation later this year to mark the transition to being an empty nester—maybe Hawai’i.”
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: KATHY DIX BIALLAS kathybiallas@gmail.com
If interested in serving as a Class Correspondent, please contact Jennifer Gallas at classnotes@knox.edu
1998 l found myself waist-deep in the Chicago River today at the end of a kayak paddle with my family. During my morning run, I went off the usually paved trail and ran on the dirt footpaths along the shoreline of the river. The reflections on the water were amazing, so when I got home I convinced my family to head to that same stretch of forest and enjoy the spring from the level of the water. We saw herons, geese with goslings, and feisty Blue Jays. After five smooth miles of paddling, I successfully disembarked, and then promptly fell in while reaching for the boat on a riverbank a bit too steep for my tight legs. I’m now a Chicago River-steeped Chicagoan. In much more exciting personal news, I’m very happy to share that my daughter Elsie is attending Knox this fall, and she is looking forward to getting involved in the Knox Farm and Green Oaks and running
with the Cross Country and Track teams.
► Michael Vanlandingham: “It has been a busy winter with the Organization. I am still keeping up with four preschools, a car wash, a five-story hotel, a mosque, and three rental houses. Tracey is still the assistant general manager at our hotel. I got to spend the holidays with all three of my daughters. We have been inundated with heavy rain so I don’t have my garden planted. The fruit trees are going to be great this year. I have three varieties of peaches, four types of pears, cherries, yellow plums, and two types of apples. As always, if you are in the area of Northwest Arkansas, give me a shout.”
Hearing from you is always a joy and makes this column fun to read. Stay in touch and share an update anytime. Send updates to kipconwell@gmail.com.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: KIP CONWELL kipconwell@gmail.com
CLASS CORRESPONDENTS: CASSANDRA WESTFALL MCSHAN cassandra_westfall@yahoo.com
NELSIE BIRCH nelsiebirch@gmail.com
After more than 20 years, Chris Wise and I were able to catch up in New York City this January, which is where we saw each other last. Chris was one of my first friends at Knox—we were both there early for fall sports. This time, we were able to gather our families for pizza and
walk through the neighborhood. It was so wonderful and as if no time had passed! Hopefully, the next time we see each other will be sooner than 20 years.
Hope to hear from some of you all for the next class updates!
CLASS CORRESPONDENT:
JENNIFER PARKER parker_jen78@yahoo.com
If interested in serving as a Class Correspondent, please contact Jennifer Gallas at classnotes@knox.edu
Tom Viner shares: “Greetings from Cedar Rapids, IA. The Viner family is busy busy these days. Aidan, 14, is engrossed in football and baseball, though hopefully only football soon. Summer camp at IMG in Florida in July. Lindy is 12 and continues to impress on the cross country course in middle school—she was fifth fastest on her team of 50 last fall, with the four ahead of her all being boys. Her college interests are already sky-high. Thomas Emerson is 7 going on 17, a growing lad who loves everything including the idea of going to Knox, but admittedly is still working on the idea that though we are both Thomases, he is not a time traveler reliving my life. We are pro-Knox of course. James Grace is 5 and loves Kindergarten. Lennon is one week from 4 years old and is an almost Irish twin. She and James are constantly working on their WWE audition tape. Think: Mermaid princesses off the top rope. Nic is finishing voice writing training to be a Court Reporter and is approaching her 15th year at the Clerk of Court Office in Linn County. I am in my 20th year as a lawyer, busy with Divorce and Criminal Defense litigation at Viner Law Firm, est. 2014. Currently, we have 14 employees at the firm, six of them lawyers. We opened a second Cedar Rapids office in 2021, giving us two locations. Life is good.”
► Courtney Wiles Taylor writes: “My husband, John, and I moved to
Las Vegas in July 2018 to be closer to his family. We bought a house in 2019 that has a pool, which is very much needed in the summer of 100+ degrees. I have been teaching kindergarten for six years at the fifth largest school district in the U.S. It was very interesting teaching remotely during Covid. My husband and I work at the same school, which is nice. He is a Title 1 PE Assistant and works extra hours before and after school for custodial work. My father-in-law has been living with us for three years. We have visited Illinois during the summers of 2020, 2022, and 2024 for weddings. We currently plan to come back in 2026 for my first former student’s wedding. I was really bummed when I couldn’t make it back to Homecoming in 2022 for our 20th reunion. We hope to come back for the 2027 Homecoming. Our goal is to start fostering to adopt soon since I had health complications. We look forward to a relaxing summer!”
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: JENNIFER WREYFORD jwreyford@gmail.com
Class of 2003, if you have any new and exciting changes happening in your lives, I’m sure the rest of the class would love to hear about it. Feel free to email me anytime at danchibnall@gmail.com. Cheers!
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: DAN CHIBNALL danchibnall@gmail.com
“It was great to see everyone at Homecoming and at the Venture Boldly event in New York! I left KPMG in December 2024 and in January 2025 started a new position as senior manager, internal controls at Revlon,” Megan Clair says. “I’m excited to be getting back to industry and working with teams to address issues. (I know what you’re thinking: Yes, I get free product at work.) Otherwise, I’m loving New York and get out to as many neighborhoods as possible on the weekends.”
► Kris Bjork Roggentien says: “I’m living in the Iowa City area with my husband and 10-year-old daughter, who I’ve been coaching in volleyball and now in Girls on the Run!” Kris works at the University of Iowa College of Engineering on the marketing and communications team and likes to spend her free time mountain biking, playing pickleball and volleyball, and camping with family and friends.
► From Ames, IA, Allison Cascio (Julia Allison Beale) says, “I’m in my final year of diaper changing and having a kiddo home with me. When not racing my toddler to the changing table, I make soup and baked goods. I compost, garden, patch walls, bike, play volleyball, shuttle kids to where they need to go, try to grow friendships, and keep the gears of our home from locking up.”
► Marcy Wiget Huggard shares that she left academia in 2024 and now works for Lyrasis, a nonprofit member organization with a mission to help libraries, archives, and museums with knowledge-sharing. “I get to work from home, which makes my cat incredibly happy! My husband, Charlie, also works from home, for Cisco (hardware, not food).”
► In a previous Class Notes update, class co-correspondent Lauren Klinger shared that she’s been writing a book about the logistics of caring for aging parents. Now, she says, “As I continue writing the book, I’ve started sharing in my newsletter some lessons learned as I cared for my dad. If you’re in this ’sandwich generation’ stage of life and want to check it out, it’s called ’Learn From My Mistakes’ on Substack.”
CLASS CORRESPONDENTS: MAGGIE CLAUDY mclaudy@gmail.com LAUREN KLINGER lauren.klinger@gmail.com
2005
Tom and Elizabeth Presley Bazan are coordinating our upcoming milestone Reunion. They look forward to seeing everyone (yes,
that means you) back on campus for our 20th Class Reunion this fall. If you have not yet received the email with additional details, please reach out to Tom, Elizabeth, or Knox staff.
► Tara Converse Rollins is in her 17th year as a psychotherapist and 10th year at Insight Counseling and Wellness in Madison, WI. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Chris Rollins ’04, their cat, and their 2-year-old son. She also loves and dances with Breakthrough Dance Company. Tara tells us that she hopes to see many of you at Homecoming this year, and she can’t believe it’s been 20 years since graduation.
► Ashley Steinsdoerfer Gottlieb visited Rebecca Halonen and her husband, Marc Schumann ’03, in Phoenix, AZ, this past March. They last saw each other in the summer of 2021 in Reno, NV, where Ashley lives. The two former roommates text often, but being together in person immediately felt like old times in their Galesburg dorm room, sharing laughs and snacks, and baring their souls.
► Tim Quirk tells us, “After a few years spent in bars and music venues around Chicago (2005-10), I moved to Vancouver Island in Canada for law school. Since graduation from law school (2013), I’ve been seizing the means of production on behalf of the Attorney General’s office out here. In 2022, I married my beautiful wife, Kailey, and last year we had our first child, a son named Cormac Masaji. After about 10 years of ill-conceived and questionably executed renovations, this spring we finally finished everything and are looking forward to sitting in the sun and taking it easy, as soon as we get back from a big trip to Japan for Cormac to meet his extended family.”
► Emily Myers Thuja and family have been fighting the nation’s alarming slide toward autocracy, participating in the march on April 5, being active locally, and donating to the ACLU. She hopes you are taking action, too.
► Emmie Barford Strassberg is currently practicing Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Winchester, VA. She just received her Distinguished Fellow award from the American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists and has been busy doing healthcare advocacy work with the American Osteopathic Association and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Emmie lives in Purcellville, VA, with her husband, Gordon, her 6-year-old son, Levi, and their two cats.
► Adam Wilhelm writes, “My wife, Jennifer, and I are living in Elmhurst, IL, with our two kids (Michael, 9, and Evelyn, 6). I’m going on 14 years as a workers’ compensation defense attorney in Illinois and Wisconsin. Jennifer is an IT program manager for a local consulting company. Our kids are involved with lots of local sports and activities like dance and piano. I am trying to stay active with playing piano as much as possible, playing jazz and rock music for local events, weddings, etc., as well as catching up with old Knox alum friends.”
CLASS CORRESPONDENT:
ASHLEY STEINSDORFER GOTTLIEB aggottlieb@gmail.com
If interested in serving as a Class Correspondent, please contact Jennifer Gallas at classnotes@knox.edu
2007 Hi All!
First off—my apologies for this round on the Class of 2007. My personal life has been a bit extra crazy in the past six months including an unexpected but awesome move to the San Francisco East Bay. That
being said, as I know all of our lives can get crazy—whenever you have an update, please send it to me and Michael Sales at KnoxClassof2007@ gmail.com. We always love hearing from you. This way, if life gets hectic, but you have something you want to share with the group—it can be done.
We did hear from B.J. Hollars, who reported that he hosted fellow Knox alum, Tasha Coryell ’10, who gave a reading and conversation from her debut novel, Love Letters To A Serial Killer, at the public library in Eau Claire, WI. B.J. says he was the conversation partner, and Tasha was the star!
Take care and stay well.
CLASS CORRESPONDENTS: LAURA WENTINK MARCASCIANO ljmarcasciano@gmail.com
MICHAEL SALES P’07 KnoxClassof2007@gmail.com
After eight years working for the USDA in Charleston, Will Rutter is escaping federal service to move his family back home to the Midwest. He’ll be starting a new job as an associate professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at Kansas State University. He and Christi are looking forward to being closer to family and friends. If you happen to be rolling through Kansas, hit them up!
► Lani Tortoriello has moved to Ann Arbor, MI, to work at the University of Michigan’s University Production costume shop as a draper, and adopted a 3-year-old husky/
shepherd/pit mix named Tina last summer.
► Pamela Bell Lozano says, “I recently got a promotion. I am now the director of development/marketing for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis. I also have the privilege of serving on two boards (Deeply Ingrained and Arts with a Purpose).”
► William Becque says, “I started a new job as the marketing director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at SIU Carbondale in October 2024 and had the opportunity to meet Illinois Senate President and Knox College graduate Don Harmon ’88 in Springfield, IL, as part of our annual Women’s Civic Day festivities.
The Knox connections don’t stop there—the director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute is also a Knox graduate, John “Jack” Shaw ’79, who has authored several books, most recently The Education of a Statesman. In fact, two of the three directors of the Institute have been Knox alumni: Mike Lawrence ’64 served in the role from 2004 to 2008.”
► Ike and Bethany Vittetoe Glinsmann: “We are traveling around the western United States in our 1989 vintage Toyota RV. A highlight has been meeting up with fellow Knoxies, including Heather Ratterree Cole in Kansas City, Andrew Polk ’11 in El Paso, and Devynn Hawley ’10 in Tucson. We are looking forward to more college friend meet-ups in the months ahead!”
► Ben Fitzpatrick saw The Dead and Company at the Sphere in Vegas with Paul Albertine P’08 and Alex Nimmer ’09. It was awesome!
► Brad Middleton and Claire Knowlton ’11, currently of Washington, D.C., were married on September 21, 2024, in the Quad Cities.
CLASS CORRESPONDENTS: MIRIAM GILLAN miriam.gillan@gmail.com
ERICA STRINGFELLOW TULLY e.stringfellow4@gmail.com
Mike Callahan is living his life a quarter mile at a time in Chicago. Hit him up if you’re in the area!
► Rachael Goodman-Williams is leaving the Midwest and heading east—she’ll be moving to Washington, D.C., in July 2025 with her wife, Erika, her dog, Toby, and her cat, Wednesday, to take an assistant professor position at American University in the Department of Justice, Law, and Criminology. Any Knoxies in the D.C. Metro area should hit her up!
► Elizabeth Barrios continues teaching at a small liberal arts school in the rural Midwest (you all know the type) and living in southeast Michigan with her human partner, her dog, and three feline companions. She will be spending the 2025-2026 school year in Ithaca, NY, as part of the Society for the Humanities at Cornell University. In March 2024, she had some pizza with Mike Payne and his beautiful family.
► Cassandra Wylie reports that she was the only one to show up for the 15-year class Reunion photo at Homecoming 2024. She took the picture anyway because she thought it was funny.
► Clint Moore starts soccer season as the head coach at Pomona-Pitzer! Amanda Chavero is still doing grant writing and fundraising things for
schools between unpacking boxes. Dempsey is loving pre-k and is deep into his meteorology era.
► Sam and Kate Heitkamp Jarvis ’12 are still in Iowa City with their almost 2-year-old daughter, Olivia. Sam is finishing his fifth year as an adjunct and seventh year in public health in Iowa. Kate is in her second year practicing psychiatry and family medicine.
► Sarah Pokorny: “I’m expecting another baby in September 2025! Send your thoughts to my cat who yearns for calmer times. Still in Chicago, still working with kids and animals, still playing video games and D&D.”
► Patrick Cavins and Cameron Guthrie were married on April 19, 2025. Several Knox alumni were in attendance!
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: SAM JARVIS samuelpaulleejarvis@gmail.com
Margaret Spiegel Moye is enjoying her first year of marriage and house hunting in Cedar Valley, IA. She serves as executive director of the Grout Museum District and is embracing her growth as a nonprofit leader.
► Cami Woodruff is a 2D cosmetics artist for Wizards of the Coast on
Brad Middleton ’08 and Claire Knowlton ’11–September 21, 2024
Front Row Left to Right: Kevin Megli ’07, Kimberly Sorensen Megli ’08, Leah Heister Burton ’08, Andie Allison Leibach ’08, Elaine Wilson Stern ’09, Brad Middleton ’08, Claire Knowlton ’11, Laurie Watson Knowlton ’82, Jane Middleton Carr ’83, Leah Knowlton, Tanya Novotnak ’11, Britt Anderson ’11, Luke Karner ’09, Nolan Scanlan ’07, Alice Watson ’89. Back Row L-R: Greg Leibach ’08, Bruce Knowlton ’83, Andrea Houlihan ’11, Kevin Morris ’11, Marnie Shure ’11, John Hawkinson ’07. Not Pictured: Craig Watson ’85, Lisa Poor Watson ’85.
Magic: The Gathering Arena. She lives in Everett, WA, with partner Chris and their 2-year-old son, Callen—whose favorite word is “hooray!” Cami often dreams about being back in the Knox cafeteria, feeling out of place among college students. She fondly remembers the unique smell of Seymour’s hallways: a mix of stale food, nerves, and paper.
► McKinley Murphy and her husband welcomed their second child, a baby boy, in January. They are enjoying gardening and hiking in the Denver area.
► Tasha Coryell’s second novel, Matchmaking For Psychopaths, is being released on July 15.
► Sandy Guttman married her partner, Todd Garon, in a small ceremony at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas. The ceremony was officiated by an Elvis Presley impersonator and the couple was joined by friends and family, including Lexie Frensley ’11.
► John Eisemann and Jen Milius continue to run In Medio, a semi-professional chamber choir
in Portland, now entering its fifth season. They also launched Evenstar Ensemble, a professional group focused on Renaissance polyphony. Their choir work has taken them across Europe, with last summer’s tour including Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and Portugal, and this summer is taking them to Spain to perform music by Cristóbal de Morales in Ávila. Living the dream!
CLASS CORRESPONDENTS: KATE MOON RAESS knmoon10@gmail.com
CASSIE MILLEVILLE GARBIN c.milleville11@gmail.com.
Just a few quick updates from our class time around. I hope everyone is doing well, and I look forward to hearing from all of you soon!
► Sundee Perkins recently moved and now calls Tucumcari, NM, home.
► Katie Johnston has been living in New York City for the last 10 years. She was married in June 2025, despite vowing never to date a man who owns cargo shorts. Growth.
► Lisa Marquardt has been working as a team manager and counselor for an employee assistance program in Germany and recently became licensed as a systemic and family therapist.
Left to
Kristin Mussar ’09 and Ryan McCulloch;
’08 and Matt Takane
Ramirez
children, Ada and Clark; Angelo Kozonis ’09 and Alana Ferguson; Pat Cavins ’09; Cameron Guthrie; Erika Anton ’09; Kim Hutson and John Hutson ’10; Ellie Poley ’10 and Brittany Alsot ’08; Josh Alber ’09 and Sarah West Alber ’09 with Lauralyn, AJ, and Maezie.
► Claire Knowlton and Brad Middleton ’08 were married on September 21, 2024, in the Quad Cities.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: TIM SCHMELING trschmeling@gmail.com
2012
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: APARNA KUMAR-BOEHM aparna.boehm@gmail.com
Natalee Young: “Hi Knoxies! First of all, sending endless hugs and smiles to each of you around the world. Celebrating Flunk Day with you all has never sounded as good as it does in 2025. Post being on the front lines of Covid a few things have changed in my career. I left a toxic job and was able to take a six-month unpaid sabbatical, and I honestly did not know how much I needed that. I went on a two-week solo retreat to Taos, NM, which was so healing and powerful. I feel as if I was able to get the rest, peace, and mental tools I needed to start this new professional chapter in my life. I am so happy to share that I am working for my beloved state of New Mexico at the Department of Health Scientific Laboratories as the Biological Sciences Bureau quality assurance coordinator. I oversee General Microbiology/ TB, Molecular Biology, Virology/ Serology, Specimen Receiving, and CTAR (Chemical Threat Analytic Response) to ensure each department is in compliance with the College of American Pathologists (CAP) to continue accreditation that results in quality and safety for all. If
you know me you know that I love infectious diseases and helping people through kindness. I have been able to combine my two passions by working for public health in such a crucial time as this.”
► Emalie Jacobs Moore: Emalie is graduating with her MFA in writing from Lindenwood University in May 2025. She is very excited to be completing her Dark Fantasy YA novel while a part of the program. Her short story, “Swimming till Sunrise,” was published earlier this year in A Coup of Owl Press. She spent the last year working as a substitute teacher while earning her certification in Middle and High School English. This led to a job offer! She will be teaching at a local middle school in the fall! Emalie, her husband, Jeremy, and their two kids are excited about the new adventures waiting for them as she completes her degree and ventures into the publishing world!
► Rebecca Lytle: “I was a nontraditional student during my time at Knox, and I am also a Galesburg native. I had a demanding home life that required me to live off campus and had family needs that took up my time when I wasn’t attending full-time classes. After receiving a Bachelor’s with a major in environmental studies and a minor in philosophy, I had many different jobs. I started as a snake surveyor with IDNR Massasauga rattlesnake survey in Knox County. Then did some substitute teaching, but work wasn’t steady enough due to teachers’ strikes during that time. I ended up working in some restaurants in Peoria, IL, only to come back to Galesburg and work as a qualified intellectual disability professional with the DDHomes. This was a very
rewarding, but very demanding 41/2 years. I then moved on to work more in the sustainability sector, where I was hired at Sitka Salmon Shares, now called Sitka Seafood Market. I learned so much more than I ever could have imagined, and the work was ever-changing and evolving with a small team spread out across the Midwest and Alaska. I worked as a warehouse associate for three months, then was asked to head their customer service department due to staffing changes and shortages. I learned everything from customer service skills to order management software implementation and training and routing management for the home delivery team. After moving into a supervisor role within the first two years, I then made a lateral move to a completely different role as an inventory analyst until 2024. I am now in my first year as a quote and bid specialist at Blick Art Materials. Unfortunately, I was laid off last year from Sitka Seafood Market after several changes in business model and downsizing, but I am learning a whole realm of experiences now at Blick working with art educators from K-12 Institutions. Not where I saw myself, but I’ve had a busy home life with my stepdaughter, who is 20 this year, my stepson, who turns 19 tomorrow, and my daughter, who is now 5 years old and starts school in the fall. My fiance and I plan to get married this year after 11 years together if finances work out for at least a small celebration. We also are caretakers to my fiance’s 96-year-old grandmother, who has lived with us for nine years. Such a busy life it’s been, but I feel left out of the community just taking care of my work and home life. I hope this year I can come to more events or contribute in some other way. I hope you enjoy my summed up after graduation story!”
► Joseph Puntoriero: “I was recently published as a chapter author for a textbook. The book is SURVIVAL IN SPACE by Senior Professor Randall K. Nichols and the KSU Wildcat Team (https://a.co/d/2I750kY). My chapter (Chapter 11) focuses on military theory and perspectives of how war and warfare will occur in
the space domain, both from the near-term terrestrial view to the long-term interplanetary space.”
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: WILLIAM BUDDING williambudding@gmail.com
Hi everyone—we would love to hear your news! Please contact us and tell us what you have been up to.
CLASS CORRESPONDENTS: ESTHER FARLER-WESTPHAL efarler.westphal@gmail.com
NATALIA BINKOWSKI KAPLAN nbinkowski@gmail.com
Kayla Anderson is living in Illinois and working at a private practice as a counselor. Kayla has been busy with travel, crafts, friends, and caring for her betta fish, Ziggy.
► Celinda Davis started a new advising job in late March at UW-Madison! She is advising undergraduate students in the information science major, where the focus is on how tech can be used, studied, and created to better society. A great group of students for a Knox alum!
► Krystal Fritz has been married for more than eight years with two beautiful and smart children. She and her husband are in the Army and currently live in South Dakota. She competed in her first bodybuilding competition in May and has recently taken up making sourdough bread and products.
► Nesha Harper lives in Boston and is completing her postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology at Harvard Medical School’s public hospital. She’s exploring fun vegan restaurants and ran in the St. Louis marathon in April.
► Kate Hovda earned her master’s in Library & Information Science from the University of Washington in June 2024 and now lives in Seattle doing record management as a contractor for the EPA.
► Mikko Jimenez has finished his Ph.D. in bird. He and Sarah Jacobson are getting married this summer, saying goodbye to Colorado, and moving back to Chicago.
► Anushree Kedia is living in Wicker Park with the newest member of her family, baby boy Ari. She misses her Knox days dearly!
► Abby Kravis is living in Norfolk, VA, where she began her new career as a physical therapist after graduating from Old Dominion University’s doctoral program in May. She is excited to reconnect with you all at the 10-year class reunion in October!
► Jodi Marver became the assistant women’s basketball coach at Lake Forest College this past spring. For this new position, she left Willows Academy, where she led the varsity girls’ basketball team to win sectionals for the first time in school history.
► Maddie Mondeaux currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts, where she works at the nonprofit Cradles to Crayons by day and attends Emerson College’s MFA Creative Writing program by night! She will graduate in the spring of 2026. This year, she won Emerson’s Rod Parker Playwriting Fellowship, and her play Red Wolf (which her classmates from Sherwood’s playwriting workshop might remember!) premiered at Emerson Stage in March. This summer, she attended a writer’s retreat with Electric Literature in Iceland.
► Laura Myers-Noriega lives with her husband in Portland, OR, and working as an associate content marketing manager at Lucid Software. Recently, she’s learning more than she ever thought she would about Agile software development, watching a lot of comfort TV shows, and trying to get her beagle, Archie, to go on walks in the rain.
► Claire T. Neri celebrated one year seizure-free in April.
► Emily Passarelli is the education and outreach manager at The Sustainability in Prisons Project in Olympia, WA. 2025 marks 10 years of living in Washington and bringing education into prisons.
► Jenna Butler Smigiel lives in the suburbs of Denver, where she teaches high school chemistry and physics. She was married in 2023 and just welcomed a baby boy. She is grateful to see many Knox friends over the years and to have witnessed their weddings. She has visited Knox as an alum to celebrate retirements, drink an Innkeeper’s Iced Coffee, and enjoy a pitcher of PBR at Cherry Street.
CLASS CORRESPONDENTS:
ABBY KRAVIS
CLAIRE NERI
knox2015reps@gmail.com
Emily Roberts started a new job as a faculty librarian at UNM’s Health
Sciences Library & Informatics Center!
► Lianna Davis Arabella got married to Chloe Arabella on December 27, 2024. They have started a new adventure in Painesville, OH, together with their three cats; Willow, Fish, and Greyson. Lianna works as a nurse aide and is beginning her journey into becoming a nurse.
► Michael and Emily Williams Gerten had their first child, Rhys Gerten, on November 18, 2024.
► Amalia Hertel Prohofsky and husband Drake welcomed their second child, Tavion Prohofsky, on February 2.
► Holden Wertheimer-Meier’s new play The Future Room was workshopped at the Knox New Plays Festival, so he visited campus in April to watch the reading, as well as readings of new plays by his friends Karli Shields and Maddie Mondeaux ’15. It was fun to be back on campus for the first time in years, visit with beloved professors, hang out with fellow alumni in the Gizmo, and say hi to the new whale skeleton in SMC. Holden and wife Julie Wertheimer-Meier still love living in New York City and seeing every Broadway show they can, but took a break from the theatre this February to go on a dreamy Caribbean cruise.
► Kate Mishkin is (still) living in LA with Matt McKinney ’13, and working as a podcast producer and writer. She just launched a wedding
podcasting company and released her first independent podcast.
► Tony Foley and Sofia Drummond-Moore got engaged in March!
► Becky Hixon is moving to New York to start her next job as an assistant professor of English at St. Bonaventure University where she’s looking forward to being the resident early modernist and teaching the texts that she fell in love with at Knox!
► After a somewhat difficult 2024 (think Knox winter term with the polar vortex), Emily Finke has so far had a promising 2025. Surrounded by books at work, she participates in lively debates over current events and pop culture with her coworkers. Each day with the bookstore’s customers is a lesson in patience and for that, she is grateful, because apparently there’s always room for improvement. On the home front, she and her boyfriend, Steven, chase after their two cats, pleading for them to finally get along with each other. When Emily is not googling things for people at work, making art, or cuddling the members of her household, she is out trying new things! Cooking with meat, taking Pilates classes, and consistently going to bed at a reasonable hour have been some of her favorites. Her most favorite new thing she has done in 2025 is to volunteer with Duo Dogs, a St. Louis-based non-profit that trains and connects dogs with people in need as well as the community. It’s been a true joy and honor to get to be a part of the training for future service and therapy dogs, as their work is very near to her heart. As for keeping up with her French, she still takes weekly classes and video chats with
her friend Élisa Shields ’14 often to hear about life in France. Speaking of Knox friends, Keegan Dohm, Ellen Lipo, Annie Ford Moore, and Matt Barry ’14 continue to be inspirations to her and she is grateful she became friends with them at Knox. Emily would also like to thank Amy Roth of the Knox Advancement Office for her quilt-making abilities. The graduation quilt she gave to Emily in 2016 remains a treasured piece of Knox that has gotten daily use since its bestowment, although Emily does have to fight with her most stubborn cat for the quilt’s use.
► Casey Mendoza and Kyle Connor have made a home for themselves and their two cats (Tombo & Ollie) in Chicago’s Lincoln Square. After seven years working as a reporter, producer and Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker for Scripps News, Mendoza now crafts videos for Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster. Connor works as data science and tech lead at Semianalysis, a boutique semiconductor industry research firm, having elected to move on from the financial technology industry. He’s also finishing up a master’s in Applied Statistics at DePaul University. The pair are frequent patrons of The Music Box Theater, The Green Post pub, Goblin Market bookstore, and The Getaway bar.
► Last summer, a group of Knox
friends from the Class of 2016, 2017, and 2018 took a fun friend trip to Santa Rosa, CA, and hosted KnoxChella (a play on words to Coachella). We had a great time getting ready together, playing Chappell Roan on repeat, and catching up on life.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT:
ELLEN LIPO
ellenmlipo@gmail.com
Mary Houlihan has continued enjoying life in Colorado with her husband, Nick Foster, and their dog, Shylo. Two exciting updates, Nick and Mary got married on April 26, 2025, with their wedding officiated by Becky Duffyhill ’15; they are grateful to have many other Knox friends in attendance as well! Additionally, in the fall of 2024, Mary accepted a promotion to the early childhood initiatives manager with Illuminate Colorado where she supports state systems-building efforts for the early childhood and maternal health spaces.
► Quinn Broda married Brian Andrews on October 19, 2024, with two generations of Knox grads and Knox professors in attendance.
► Haley Richter graduated from Lewis & Clark in June with a master’s in mental health counseling and started a career as a therapist in Portland, OR.
► Elisabeth Zarnoti and Sean Ramsey ’18 kicked off 2025 with a vacation to Japan. Though Elisabeth leaned on some of her prior experience from Japan Term 2014, there were a lot of new things to learn and explore. They shopped a ton, pet deer and capybaras, and had a ton of great food. Overall it was a great vacation, and they cannot wait to go back! Elisabeth recently celebrated year one with Hired, a workforce development nonprofit in the Twin Cities, and Sean is in his third year of electrical apprenticeship. Outside of work, Sean enjoys DND development, and Elisabeth is performing in her third play, Muyehpen, a tragic folktale story from the Karen people, which showed in May 2025 to the Karen community of Worthington, MN.
► stef torralba started a new job as an assistant professor of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies and English at Grinnell College.
► Marilyn Barnes started a new role this year as a community clinician with the Juvenile Protective Association (JPA). She is doing individual and group therapy work with an organization in North Lawndale, where she supports staff of a residential facility as an LCSW.
► Liz Clay Sienkiewicz has been thoroughly enjoying being a suburban mom—Baby Sienk is almost 6-months-old and loves going for walks in her stroller, listening to mom and dad read her stories, and playing with her stuffed highland cow. Fully embracing her identity as a burned-out escapee of corporate America, Liz got chickens this spring and has learned to make bread in her Dutch oven.
► Carley Bechen Murphy and Mitch Murphy ’15 welcomed a baby girl —Kendall Marie—on February 14, 2025.
► Abby Neuhauser Rapp graduated residency in June 2024 and has since been working full-time in Galesburg as an ER doctor. She and her husband adopted a second dog in December named Vernette who now rules their house.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: JEN RIPKA
jripka1327@gmail.com
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: DANIELLE DIAZ
diaz.danielle@gmail.com
Rafael Cho’s update is short and…a little salty? Here it comes: “Update: I’m broke.” Hopefully, it’s a period with overflow in other areas! Maybe someone would like to PayPal him some ice cream money to sweeten this time of financial struggle?
► Taliah Desjardins Ellis lives in sunny south Florida having just completed her third year of medical school. She is working hard on studying for the step 2 exam, elective rotations, and residency application for the 2026 MATCH (she will be applying for orthopedic surgery!). Taliah prepared for that by attending her first AMEC (Annual Medical Education Conference) in April, where she networked with colleagues from different schools and residency programs. Very exciting, a future Knox doctor coming up y’all!
► Sariah Varnado Fleming: “Since graduating in 2019, I’ve gotten my doctorate in pharmacy from Midwestern University and am currently working as a pharmacist in retail pharmacy at Sam’s Club. I’ve also gotten married so my last name changed from Varnado to Fleming. Hope all is well with the Knox fam!“
► Beatriz Jiménez writes that she is “currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.” She received an SLCL (School of Literatures, Cultures & Linguistics) dissertation completion fellowship, which provides advanced doctoral students with an academic year of support to complete their dissertation. She was also awarded the Douglas A. Kibbee Prize, which is awarded to a recipient of an SLCL Dissertation Completion Fellowship whose dissertation project was judged by the school’s executive committee to be the most outstanding.
► Connie Meade became head of youth services at Franklin Park Public Library in August of 2024. Way to go, Connie!
► Alex Peck shares: “Since graduating I’ve held two jobs. Initially at Boeing in St. Louis, MO, as a software engineer on the F-15 program from 2019-2023, and now at Northrop Grumman in Huntsville, AL. I also earned my masters in engineering management from Washington University in St. Louis in 2023. I am currently a software engineering manager on the Ground Based Strategic
Deterrent (GBSD), now known as the Sentinel LGM-35 program. This is essentially the ‘modernization’ of our current ground-based leg (the literal nuclear missiles the US has stored in in-ground silos around the nation) of our nation’s Nuclear Triad, The Minuteman III system—which has been deployed for more than 50 years. I support the program via leadership in one of our various organizations, specific to software on the weapon system within NG Defense Services. Part of my job is program execution, and the other part is career development and achievement for my ~10 direct reports (it varies), which span from entry-level software engineers to senior (20+ years of experience) engineers, to even data scientists. If you are familiar with Space Camp, I can see the Saturn V rocket from the parking lot at my office! Also since graduating, I’ve moved to Athens, AL, and bought my first home. Have a poodle named Heidi, and proposed to my now fiancé, Ashton. Looking forward to seeing other various updates from folks in my class and others.” What an insight reading about his experiences!
► Domanique Rahman writes: “I’m learning that life has a way of repeating itself. I came from hanging with Knoxies in Galesburg to hanging with them in Chicago. From international student clubs and study abroad programs, to building a [non-profit] that will develop them. Other adventures include venturing off to volunteer with Peace Corps Botswana, diving into the world of film and videography, continuing to explore the world, all while gaining
a second citizenship along the way. As I sit on the verge of completing my EdM at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a second year of funding from the FLAS Fellowship will allow me to continue my studies into an EdD. Other than those, my future plans loom in the direction of more research (through a Ph.D.) and a long life of travel and memories with a fellow Knoxie from the c/o 2016. Cheers to the circle of life!”
► Jess Totten shares: “In 2023, I joined the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Bureau of Land. I am currently an environmental protection specialist and project manager for the Remedial Project Management Section. My job responsibilities involve assisting Remediation Applicants in navigating the requirements of the Site Remediation Program, reviewing technical reports, calculating the projected extent of migration of contaminants in soil and groundwater, and conducting site visits. I absolutely love my job and thoroughly enjoy mitigating the conflicts between human interests and environmental/human health. Over the past two years, I have assisted on a wide variety of cleanup sites, ranging from a dog daycare facility, to a gas station, to an organic grocery store, and even an elementary school. However, my most notable cleanup site to date involves a pipeline release that impacted a neighboring wetland. The wetland is home to federally and state endangered species, the Hine’s emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana), Leafy prairie clover (Dalea
foliosa), as well as the Blanding’s turtle (Emydoidea blandingii). Due to the presence of these sensitive species and consequential importance of remediating the area in a timely fashion, I presented the case to the Natural Resources Trustee Coordinating Council (NRTCC). This was quite exciting as the NRTCC consists of experts from a wide variety of state, federal, and tribal organizations and ultimately helped get this project off the ground, [which] has been the highlight of my career thus far, and I am incredibly thankful to be in a position to help our local community and environment in such a tangible way. Beyond that, I work with some of the most hardworking, motivated, and intelligent people I have ever known. It is a beautiful thing to be surrounded by individuals who are just as passionate about conservation as I am!”
► Rachel Watson attended the wedding of Muneeb Rehman ’18 to his wife Umber. A number of fellow Knoxies joined them, leading to an informal reunion at a very happy circumstance!
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: ELENA IATROPOULOU-BANNAT elena.bannat@gmail.com
Ben Dolezal and Louise Rossiter were married in March 2025, officiated by and at the house of Andie Carlson-Dakes in Madison, WI.
► Cassie Stear obtained her master’s
Eleanor Nelson ’44
Jane Kemper Janke ’48
Mary Webster Curry ’49
Hugh Watson ’50
Mary Simer Bowman ’50
Efthalia Manganari Papavas ’50
Bill Sherrick ’52
Gerald Lippens ’52
Winifred Abbott Stubenvoll ’52
Pam Pierson Glass ’54
Donna Anderson Mosher ’54
Shirley Torsberg Petras ’54
Gene Schwanke ’54
Frances Lyman ’55
Carol Boldt Bentsen ’55
Marianne Adler Beck ’55
Tony Liberta ’55
Donald Mosher ’56
Walter Minor ’56
Harriet Ewing Harburn ’56
Myra Wokoun Morrison ’56
Nancy Tice Norton ’57
Ed Yonan ’58
Ruth Sherwood Haas ’59
Lowell Kent Smith ’59
Douglas Reed ’59
Kathryn Newman Severance ’59
Glenda Taylor Lipsey ’59
Carl ‘Bill’ Graning ’60
Beverly Coatsworth Griffith ’60
Joan Kupskey Ana-Leo ’60
Fred Pacey ’60
Alex Kuo ’61
Susan Shea Worthington ’61
Phyllis Lohmar Schuster ’61
Alan Marsh ’61
Rudolph Ehrenberg ’62
Betty Rucker Sutton ’62
Thomas Bice ’63
John Springer ’63
Nancy Schmid Stanley ’64
James Brown ’65
Susan Doyle Kosobud ’65
Gary Sweatman ’65
David Wotring ’65
John Lorenz ’66
Gerald Sebesta ’66
Ronald Haas ’68
James Buechl ’68
Victor Brown ’68
Thomas Seaman ’68
Donna Yamasaki Govas ’69
Kristine Robison Woldy ’69
Mary Hart Cook ’69
James Rusche ’70
Barbara Rolek ’72
John Patterson ’72
Joseph Bode ’72
Daniel Den Beste ’72
Harry Kopf ’72
Jean Bitunjac Fuehrmeyer ’73
Bradley McLeod ’73
Leon Williams ’73
Paul Wanda ’73
Amanda Roberts LaRosa ’75
Craig Knapp ’75
Nicholas Smith ’76
Dale Crockatt ’76
Less Boucher ’76
Daryl Ioerger ’77
Paul Zucker ’78
Robert Conley ’79
Judith Gladik-Voss ’79
Jacquelynn Simpson ’81
John Jordan ’81
degree in social work (graduated in 2023) and has been working as a therapist in Rockton, IL. She got engaged in October 2024 and is in the process of planning her wedding with her fiancée, Jonny, for May 2026. On a sadder note, her well-known and much-beloved dog, Sarge, passed away in March at the age of 15. He lived a great life, including several enjoyable years at Knox.
► Bailey Morse Thake married Logan Thake ’19 in 2023. They recently bought a house together!
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: ALLEN IRVINE knoxclassof2020@gmail.com
Here is some exciting news from the Knox class of 2021! Some friends are continuing to pursue academic endeavors expanding from Knox.
► Frankie Williamson (Galesburg, IL) was recently accepted into graduate school and will be completing a master’s in clinical mental health counseling at Western Illinois University.
► Lilia Sladcik is starting a doctorate of occupational therapy program at Texas Woman’s University.
► Janki Bhalodi: “Finishing up the last year of my Ph.D. program at the University of North Carolina.”
► Sean Pollock is currently attending National University for a master’s in education and California teaching credential with wife, Hannah Fiedler. After getting married in June 2024, they both went back to school to obtain California
teaching credentials and a master’s degree in education.
► Tina Jeon is finishing her third Ph.D. year at the University of Minnesota for learning technologies. Tina’s continuous work on campus engagement and student advocacy has been recognized by the Mestenhauser Student Award for Excellence in Campus Internationalization and the President’s Student Leadership & Service Award.
► Many others are working hard in different fields! Tyrese Reed (Springfield, IL) is working for the state within the Division of Mental Health and also working as a football and track coach at Springfield High School. Tyrese has been enjoying traveling around the United States for vacation, and this year will travel with a few more states with some other Class of 2021 grads.
► Gabriella Castañeda is having a very pleasant career journey, working for the supply chain at GE HealthCare in Madison, WI. On top of that, Gabriella is about to travel to Boston and Berlin, Germany.
► Matt Cagle (Golden, CO) is working as a director of programs with Foothills Park and Rec. Outside of work, Matt has been going on lots of travel, just came back from New Orleans, going to Europe later this year.
► Le’Andra Mosley is still in Galesburg, IL, working at Carl Sandburg College. Along with lots of concerts and international travel (Le’Andra went to four countries (Mexico, Canada, South Korea (2nd time)), and Japan!), also plans to go back to Canada in June. “I also applied to the University of Iowa, so I’m hoping to hear back soon!”
► Elizabeth Castañeda (Madison, WI) is a quality engineer for GE HealthCare. Elizabeth has been sharing cultura (Peruana) with friends and coworkers every day, and Lo Nuestro helped her feel
inspired to continue being proud of her culture. And Elizabeth is getting ready to travel to Mexico for a wedding in May!
► Simone Boyd works as an event planner at a nonprofit organization, NCSBN, in Chicago. Simone published a children’s book in 2023 titled I Like Being Outside and is currently working on the second children’s book.
► Alexandra Glinski is working as a quality specialist at Nature’s Fynd, Chicago, a vegan food company that grows fungi protein.
► Jennifer Gonzalez (Phoenix, AZ) is “spending time with my cats, also got married on 4-22-2024 so I’m celebrating my 1st wedding anniversary.”
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: TINA JEON jse2053@gmail.com
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: FAERYN SWIFT swiftfaeryn@gmail.com
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: HALEY METZ haleyrmetz@gmail.com
Lexi Ashbeck is starting her master’s in nursing program this May! Lexi’s Flunk Day prediction is May 12 with an “Out of this World” theme.
► Sophia Auron is teaching English in a high school in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, France. Her dear friends and former Knox roommates Sarah Borchert and Isabelle Etheridge came to visit in January! In the fall, Sophia will start her master’s in Library and Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Sophia’s Flunk Day prediction is May 7.
► Claire Dietz was recently promoted from Democracy in Action Organizer to Democracy in Action Coordinator at her nonprofit job supporting immigrant families in the northern suburbs of Chicago! Claire’s Flunk Day prediction is that the theme will be Chaos Theory.
► Erin Cosgrove, until this March, was employed as a photo team member at Shoreline Sightseeing in Chicago. On March 20, she began a new position as a media editor at World Book Inc. at their Chicago location! She is planning to move into an apartment closer to the city this fall. Given that Flunk Day has been on Monday for the past four years, and Monday of Week 8 for the past three, Erin predicts that there’s a decent chance that it will fall on Monday of Week 8 this year. And if that happens, she proposes we rename it “Flunk Monday.” ;)
► Corgan Ball is finishing up their first academic year as the assistant director of campus life and fraternity & sorority life advisor at Knox College. They went through their first Fraternity & Sorority Life Recruitment as a staff member, co-led the Student Leadership Selection process, attended the AFLV Conference and GLACUHO Winter Meeting, and have been working towards a great FSL Week and Order of Omega: Academic Success Week for this year! Corgan has been enjoying working with the students and helping some of them finish up their last term at Knox. They also finished out the Nova Singers 202425 season in April with the “Come to the Woods” program and are getting their plants ready for their summer garden! Corgan predicts that Flunk Day is… tomorrow!
► Annemarie Christiansen has finished up the classes portion of her master’s program at Trinity College, Dublin, and is currently writing her thesis on the socio-technical imaginaries and AI structures in the YA novel series Scythe by Neal
Shusterman. After that, she will be job hunting in the greater European area and hoping to travel a lot this summer! Annemaries’ Flunk Day predictions are that there’s going to be lots of live music (hopefully Midwest Acolyte iykyk) and that it will happen on a Thursday. Fingers crossed!!
► Jazzie Lerner is moving to Iowa City and hopes that the Week 8 Monday Flunk chain is broken!
Editor’s Note: Flunk Day was held on …Tuesday, May 6, with the theme of Boogie by the Bay. Sophia Auron is our winner for closest guess!
CLASS CORRESPONDENT: CORGAN BALL cball@knox.edu
Tony Etz ’83
Eric Storch ’86
Doug Peterman ’87
Christopher Gurley ’87
Linda Lofdahl ’88, and Parent of Kristie Wagher Scarffe ’00
Lisa Rodriguez ’01
Ryan Williams ’02
Nathan Errampalli ’20
Editor’s note: Our sincere apologies to Richard Fiddes ’67 for the accidental exclusion of the passing of his wife, Cindy, in previous issues of Knox Magazine. We regret this oversight and offer our condolences.
Curtis Redden, Former Staff
Carlyne Stokesbary, Former Staff, Dining Services Checker
Jim Young, Spouse of Kathleen Bairstow Young ’72
Brian Harburn, Spouse of the late Harriet Ewing Harburn ’56
David Uhlmann P ’96, Spouse of Former Staff Jackie Uhlmann
Virginia Cheney, Spouse of the late Dick E. Cheney ’43
Jerry Goodin, Former Staff, Audio/Visual Coordinator and Science Technician, and Parent of Katie L. Goodin ’13
John Mohr, Former Staff, Vice President of Office of Advancement
Imogene Allen, Former Staff, Executive Secretary to President
Marjorie ‘Ann’ Nixon, Former Staff, Executive Assistant to Vice President, Finance
Judith Donaldson, Former Staff, Purchasing Coordinator
Jami Strinz, Former Staff, Head Softball Coach/Assistant Volleyball Coach
Janet Fuiks, Spouse of Russ Fuiks ’55
Walter Skinner, Spouse of Angela Lanzolla Skinner ’69
Cindy Fiddes, Spouse of Richard Fiddes ’67
Dale “Pete” Anderson, Parent of Carolyn Anderson ’73, Laurie Anderson ’77 and Jeffrey Anderson ’80
David William Schwartzman, Parent of Peter Schwartzman, Professor of Environmental Studies
Gary Avery, Father-in-Law of Jaimie Avery, Dining Services
William “Bill” Hahn, father of Missy Kratz, Campus Life
Richard Kampwirth, father of Karen Kampwirth, Professor of Political Science and father-inlaw of Duane Oldfield, Associate Professor of Political Science
TONY ETZ ’83,
Knox College Chair of the Board of Trustees
Tony Etz, 64, passed away on March 10, 2025. Etz was a member of the Class of 1983 and a fourth-generation Knox alumnus, following his great-grandfather, John Murphy, Class of 1900; grandfather Robert Murphy ’31, a longtime member and former chair of the Board of Trustees; and his uncle Jim Murphy ’82.
Etz joined the Knox College Board of Trustees as a General Trustee in 2016, and served as chair of the former Campus Life & Athletics Committee and the Presidential Search Committee that brought C. Andrew McGadney to Knox College as its 20th president in 2021. He was elected chair of the Board of Trustees in July 2021.
“Knox College has lost a true champion of the institution, its community, and its transformative education,” said Knox College President C. Andrew McGadney. “As chair of the presidential search committee that brought me to Knox in 2021, Tony was one of the first members of the Knox community that I met and was integral in my decision to join the Knox community. His enthusiasm for the power of a liberal arts education was infectious. As a fourth-generation legacy, his knowledge of Knox history was immense, and his approach to leadership—clear-eyed, dynamic, and mission-driven—was inspiring.”
Etz transferred to Knox during his sophomore year, stating that “it was the key that fit my lock.” At Knox, he strongly connected with members of the Department of English and, ultimately, chose English as his major. He was also involved in Union Board, the College’s student event planning committee, and Catch, Knox’s award-winning student literary magazine, serving as an editor on the 1983 edition that received the prestigious National Program Directors’ Prize from the Associated Writers and Writing Programs.
Following his graduation from Knox, Etz attended the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa, one of the nation’s top writing programs. After earning his M.F.A., Etz moved to New York for a stint working in the film business. He then moved to California to produce television movies and miniseries but wanted a career change. He landed at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in Los Angeles in 1995 as an agent and, most recently, co-head of packaging. Over the course of his successful 30-year career at CAA, Etz represented talent and packaged television shows. He also taught media classes as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California.
Over the course of his service to Knox, Etz was known for his dedication to the mission and success of the College, his deep appreciation for faculty and students, and an insightful and direct approach to leadership, along with a playful sense of humor, which has helped the Board lead the College as it works quickly to address current challenges, meet its mission, and rise to its full potential.
“Connecting with people and instantly making them feel like friends defined Tony Etz. His drive to help shape minds, open hearts, and create dialogue will define his legacy. Tony leaves this world better than he found it,” shared General Trustee Adam Vitale, who joined the Board of Trustees with Etz in 2016.
Trustee Laura Rosene ’90 also shared, “Tony’s deep love for Knox was palpable. He was always delighted to connect with current students, listening to them and helping them find success. I will also never forget his wit and pop culture references that always brought a moment of levity to our gatherings. Tony was a true friend and will leave a true legacy in leading the search committee that brought President McGadney to Knox and in his love and support for his alma mater. I will miss him.”
During his term as chair, Etz worked closely with President McGadney to launch a strategic planning framework, Our Strategy: A Bold and Ambitious Framework for Growth, refine the College’s five-year financial plan, invest in an enrollment growth plan that led to the third highest incoming class in Knox’s history, and launch the $175 million Venture Boldly comprehensive campaign, among other initiatives.
In spring 2024, Etz and his wife, Nancy, established the Etz Family Institute for Civic Leadership and Dialogue, created to enable students and faculty to question their own views and beliefs, collaborate with political adversaries, and develop—and debate—solutions for daunting local, national, and global issues. The Institute helps members of the Knox community build the skills and knowledge necessary to engage with people of differing viewpoints in service of the public good.
“The Etz Family Institute for Civic Leadership and Dialogue solidifies the Etz family’s enduring legacy to Knox College,” added President McGadney. “Nothing encapsulates the family’s dedication to Knox and faith in a transformative liberal arts education like their commitment to preparing our students to be engaged citizens of the world.”
Etz is survived by his wife, Nancy; his son, Alex; his brother, David; and his sisters Kathy and Sara.
Donations can be made in Tony’s memory to the Knox Fund at knox.edu/give or via mail to Office of Advancement, Knox College, Campus Box K230, 2 E South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401. For online donations, kindly specify “in memory” and include Tony’s name in the designated box. If donating by mail, please include a note stating that your gift is made in memory of Tony Etz.
October 9 – October 12, 2025 for a celebration!
We’re planning a variety of special events and everyone’s invited: alumni, parents, families, friends, and fans. Let’s celebrate Knox—past, present, and future. Whether this is your first visit to campus or your 50th—we hope to see you in October! Visit knox.edu/homecoming for all the details.
GALESBURG, ILLINOIS
61401-4999
