Magazine for McKendree Winter 2014

The Magazine for

c M Kendree WINTER 2014

Joshua Hall ’13 and Emily (Williams) Hall ’13 in Newtok, Alaska

Kicking Cancer • On Top of the World at the 60th Parallel • Homecoming

Magazine Contributors:

PRESIDENT’S Message Dear Friends, As this issue of The Magazine for McKendree arrives, I hope 2014 is off to a great start for you and your family. The New Year is often a time when we look carefully at our relationships, careers and personal habits, and this new beginning often inspires us to take action and change.

If you have been to campus in recent years, you have likely noted the presence of “The Inspiration,” a statue (pictured below) which stands near the front of the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts. It is inspired by “The Thinker,” French artist Auguste Rodin’s icon of intellect. “The Inspiration” is intended to portray a moment of sudden enlightenment. The artist, St. Louis sculptor Julianne Meder Sesti, described it this way: “My sculptures are almost always expressions of hope through strength and perseverance. We think, we dream, we learn, we teach and we inspire, so that we can have those moments of inspiration that can solve our problems, change our lives and improve the world.

‘The Inspiration’ depicts a timeless classic (figure), who upon the foundation of other great thinkers and teachers, has arrived at that moment when the solution is clear and the future is at hand.” It represents the kind of creative, original thought that takes place on our campus every day and that we hope will stay with our students as they graduate.

As you read the stories in this edition, I am confident you will see this ideal lived out in the lives of several remarkable individuals. I am personally inspired by the strength and faith of Emily and Joshua Hall, who are sharing the first year of their married lives living in remote Newtok, Alaska. I am, of course, particularly moved by this story because Emily worked in the President’s Office as a student.

Then there is the story of Alex McMahon, a current student and member of our football team who has been called on to show more courage and perseverance at a young age than many of us will have to exhibit in a lifetime. A true inspiration to all who know him.

Finally, you will also find a number of other stories about alumni, students and members of our community who have been inspired to excellence, service and commitment to the welfare of others. All of these individuals are living reminders of the strength of the human spirit, and the ideals embodied in “The Inspiration” and fulfilled through the gifts of education and community.

I hope 2014 will be a year filled with inspiration in your own life, and that the stories we have shared in these pages will cause you to look for ways in which you can solve problems, change lives and improve our world.

Sincerely,

James M. Dennis President

Editorial content, writing and production: Lisa Brandon, Director of Media Relations Krysti Connelly, Executive Director for University Communications and Marketing Victoria Dowling, Senior Vice President Whitney Fraier, Director of Alumni Relations Sherry Hall, Graphic Designer Britani Beasley ’15 Scott Billhartz ’85

Photography: Don Adams Photography Scott Cummings Michael Embrich Michele Erschen Josh Monken Photography Ed Vernon James Visser Photography Austin Vuichard ’14 Rick Windham

By printing this magazine on 10% post consumer waste recycled paper, the following resources were saved: 15 mature trees 405 lbs of solid waste 1384 lbs of greenhouse gases 5 million BTU’s 6664 gallons of water

Published twice a year, The Magazine for McKendree connects alumni and friends to the McKendree University community.

Please send address changes to: McKendree University Office of Development, Alumni and Parent Relations 701 College Road Lebanon, IL 62254 Keeping in touch is easy.

Call 1-800-BEARCAT, ext. 6826, or send e-mail updates to alumni@mckendree.edu.

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FEATURES Homecoming 6

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Hundreds of McKendree alumni returned to campus during Homecoming 2013 to reminisce about memories of their college days, reconnect with friends, and relish the place they know and love.

Kicking Cancer 14 McKendree punter Alex McMahon ’15 was given nine months to live. He refused to give in and his determination to return to college and life empowered him to triumph over cancer. Through a collaboration of doctors around the world Alex has overcome his diagnosis, is back at college, and is playing football.

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IN THIS ISSUE On Campus 2 Bearcats Unleashed 12 Cycling For A Cure 17 Not My Day Job 21 Alumni New & Notes 22

Joshua Hall ’13 and Emily (Williams) Hall ’13 began married life in one of the country’s most remote, beautiful and challenging locations: a native Yupik village in bush Alaska.

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ON Campus resolving issues that arise during field experiences and student teaching,” said Dr. Christine Bahr, provost.

Dr. Tami Eggleston, associate dean, praised Brenda’s “extremely high level of commitment, energy, and passion. Her rapport with teacher candidates in the classroom, as well as her mentoring of those in field experiences and student teaching, is outstanding. She has taken student teaching seminars to a higher level by including guest speakers that can discuss interviewing practices, new trends in education and transitioning to the career.”

Awardee Mentors Future Teachers Dr. Brenda Doll balances the high academic expectations of her McKendree education students with a sense of caring.

The director of teacher education received the 2013 Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award for her outstanding contributions to the profession and her students.

environments so my students can study, practice and learn to take risks by trying out new and innovative instructional strategies,” she said. “Building trusting relationships with teacher candidates enables us to set the bar high and produce high-quality teachers.”

Since 2009, Brenda has prepared McKendree’s teacher candidates academically and emotionally for the challenges they can expect to face in education. “I need to provide safe learning

“She is an organized and purposeful teacher who models the effective instructional methods about which she teaches. She spends countless hours meeting individually with students and

RENNEGARBE RECOGNIZED FOR COMMITMENT TO RURAL NURSING Dr. Richelle Rennegarbe ’92, associate professor of nursing and division chair of the School of Nursing, received the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network’s (ICAHN) Service Award for her role in the development and enhancement of rural nursing. She was recognized for her leadership and contribution to the expansion of a new 12-month nurse residency program specially designed for critical access and rural hospitals. SOARRN, which stands for Supporting Onboarding and Retention of Rural Nurses, is a new program that helps nurses acquire the knowledge and skills to deliver safe care with confidence.

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Dr. Richelle Rennegarbe (right) accepts the ICAHN Service Award from Mary Jane Clark, ICAHN SOAR-RN coordinator, at the Critical Access Hospital Statewide Conference on Nov. 6, 2013 in Springfield, Ill.

“I chose to teach at McKendree so I could continue to build strong relationships with my teacher candidate students in the same way that I nurtured connections with my elementary students for many years,” said Brenda, who taught school for 18 years in her hometown of Elkhart, Ill., Katy, Texas and Hampton Roads, Va. Six current or former students are also 2013 Emerson Excellence in Teaching Awardees: • Deborah (Brandenburger) Brimm ’78, a fifth-grade teacher at Bluffview Elementary School in Dupo, Ill. • Cristal (Thomason) Faust, MAED ’10, a honors math teacher at Shiloh Middle School in Shiloh, Ill. • Jill Kraft, MAED ’12, a Title 1 reading teacher at Franklin School in Belleville, Ill. • Christy Lutz, MAED ’08, a K-4 teacher at Illini Elementary School in Fairview Heights, Ill. • Crista Schafer, MAED ’14, a speech teacher at Whiteside Middle School in Belleville, Ill. • Rebecca Sedabres ’06, a second-grade teacher at Bernard Long Elementary School in Madison, Ill. The awards were presented to 103 St. Louis area educators on Nov. 10, 2013 at the Ritz-Carlton in Clayton, Mo. They are sponsored annually by Emerson, a global manufacturing and technology company.

strong commitment to community service, is McKendree’s 2013 Lincoln Laureate.

The Lincoln Academy of Illinois annually recognizes an outstanding senior from each college and university for overall excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities.

ANTHONY RHOADS NAMED LINCOLN LAUREATE

Anthony has taken numerous advanced courses and aced them all, while working toward a bachelor’s degree in two majors, mathematics and computational science, and a minor in biology. Two summer research programs have bolstered his studies—a mathematical biology project involving HIV, at the University of Tennessee; and an internship in biostatistics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He plans to pursue a graduate degree and a career in biostatistics, which applies statistical analysis to various topics in biology.

Anthony Rhoads ’14, an honors student from Litchfield, Ill., with a 4.0 GPA and a

“I am interested in many branches of the field, including research in public health,

the design and analysis of clinical trials in medicine, and statistical genetics, which can be used to identify genes that can cause predispositions to certain diseases,” Anthony said.

His accomplishments outside the classroom have been equally impressive.

Since 2010 he has volunteered over 250 hours, tutoring children in science and math, visiting local nursing home residents or organizing service projects for Alpha Phi Omega, the national service fraternity of which he is chapter president.

“My New Student Orientation leader was very passionate about community service, and it was inspiring to see that there could be so much more to college than just classes and studying,” Anthony said. “I knew that I wanted to have that same kind of experience, and student organizations provide a great opportunity for that fulfillment.”

MAJOR GIFT ESTABLISHES SCHOLARSHIP FOR EDUCATION STUDENTS A $100,000 gift from the Allison Cassens Community Foundation has established a new scholarship that will have an immediate and significant impact on education majors. It represents the first of several installments to support the Allison Cassens Scholarship Fund, which benefits students who want to pursue a teaching career at the K-12 level or in special education. It honors the life and legacy of the late Allison Cassens, daughter of Allen and Linda Cassens of Edwardsville.

Allison was a teacher, an internationally competitive swimmer, a pilot and a flight

instructor who lost her battle with cancer in 2004 at the age of 33.

family for their generosity, benevolence and support.”

“This scholarship fund will carry forward Allison Cassens’ passion for teaching— and notably teaching special education children—for years to come, through a new generation of teachers. It will make a great difference in the lives of McKendree students who want to pursue a college education or teaching career but are unable to do so for financial reasons,” said Dr. James Dennis, president. “The university is deeply grateful to the Cassens

A trustee for 18 years, Allen R. Cassens received the 2013 Friend of the University Award for his consistent exemplary service. He and his wife, Dr. Linda Cassens, a retired professional counselor and the founder of InterAction Limited, have provided financial support for many university projects, including the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, a natatorium and the annual fund.

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ON Campus A GRAND ENTRANCE A monumental new entryway to be dedicated in 2014 will welcome visitors to the Lebanon campus at the corner of Alton and West St. Louis Streets. The brick plaza surrounding a fountain will not only make a grand first impression; it will also be a place to meet, take photos, and line up for commencement. Two small Universityowned houses were razed last summer to make way for the new entrance. Financed by donor funds, the project was designed by the St. Louis firm Arcturis and built by Holland Construction.

MILITARY APPRECIATION WEEK ACTIVITIES To honor America’s armed forces, past and present, McKendree University hosted several “Military Appreciation Week” activities from Nov. 11 to 16: At right, a noon service on Veteran’s Day outside Bothwell Chapel included the dedication of a new 117th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment monument to honor the “McKendree Regiment”; a keynote address by Lt. Corporal James Sperry, founder of The Fight Continues; and a volunteer reading of fallen soldiers from multiple U.S. conflicts since the American Revolution. Students placed over 1,200 flags around campus to honor the military.

Above, three Bearcat athletic games—men’s basketball, women’s volleyball and football—honored active duty service members, veterans, wounded warriors and military spouses.

A pre-football game tailgate on Nov. 16 included representatives from the Veterans Administration Mobile Center, The Mission Continues, VFW Post #805, and American Legion Post #0283. During the pre-game ceremony, the O’Fallon High School Jr. ROTC marched in the colors and Fritz Mihelcic, Illinois VFW State Commander presented the game ball.

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Presenting the ‘Showstoppers’ An entertaining new show choir called the Showstoppers is forming, led by coach Adam Pulver, who was hired in November.

“Show choir utilizes vocality, choreography, staging, costuming and production simultaneously,” he explained.

“It takes all of our favorite aspects of performing arts and molds it into one cohesive and powerful show. Show choir is not focused on musical theater or ‘Glee’-esque songs, but instead performs songs from different genres, from gospel to Broadway, proving its strength and versatility. Expect great things from show choir; it is the highest form of entertainment!”

The group will begin practicing in 2014 and eventually will participate in competitions, host a high school invitational, and perform at community festivals and fundraisers.

Adam is the founder of the Academy of Performing Arts at Statesboro, Ga., and from 2007 to 2011, he founded and directed the Adrenaline Advanced Show Choir at Georgia Southern University, his alma mater. In addition to leading the Showstoppers, he will work with high schools and community colleges to recruit choir members, and meet with prospective students and their parents throughout the admission process.

In addition, the Emerging Leaders program hosted its 3rd annual Chili Cook Off on Nov. 12 and $625 was raised for The Wounded Warrior Project.

Y98 MISTLETOE SHOW

VIDEO SHARES OUR STORY Can a 90-second video capture the McKendree experience? Watch it at mckendree.edu/admission or on the University’s Facebook page and see for yourself. Join the hundreds who have “liked,” “shared” or commented about the video since its release in September.

Julianna Swanson ’14: Watching this video not only gave me goosebumps, it also made me tear up. This was done amazingly!

Caitlin Schlueter ’15: I don’t think anything could capture what life is like here at McKendree better than this video.

It’s great!

Taylor Rossi ’17: To my senior in high school friends: this is why I chose McK and also why you should. To my friends in community college looking to transfer: watch this, then transfer here. To my family that are wondering if I’m doing OK here: watch this and let it remove all doubt. To my McK family: Thank you for making this message true.

Tom Kupferer Jr. ’03: ABSOLUTELY In LOVE with my Alma Mater, McKendree University!! Check out #McK’s newest admissions video. #McKendree was the first stop off away from home on this long journey in life. I learned a lot about what I was “made of ” and learned how to make my dreams come true. The friends and mentors I made at McKendree, 15 years ago, have become life-long connections.

I am who I am, because of my time at McKendree.

St. Louis radio station Y98 and McKendree University partnered to host the Y98 Mistletoe Show Insider Contest.

Current students were invited to submit a creative entry on “What McKendree Means to You” and then participate in an on-stage audition.

Britani Beasley ’15, a speech communication major, won the campus competition and represented McKendree University as a red carpet correspondent at the Y98 Mistletoe Show on Dec. 8, 2013 at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. Britani won the opportunity to go behind the scenes and interview fans and “Phillips and Company” on-air talent before the show; take part in the artist meet and greet; and introduce Gavin DeGraw on stage. She also contributed to a video blog that was produced by Afton (Wiggs) Spriggs ’05, CBS Radio’s Digital Content Manager.

Britani Beasley ’15 backstage with Phillip’s and Company on-air talent Paul Cook, Courtney Landrum and fellow Y98 Mistletoe Show Insider Erica George. (Credit: CBS Radio)

SOLAR POWER IS REDUCING ENERGY COSTS Demonstrating the University’s ongoing commitment to affordable renewable energy and sustainability, McKendree’s new solar panel system produces 8,600 kilowatt-hours of carbon-free electricity per year, helping to power the bookstore and The Lair and lowering energy costs.

In Ames Dining Hall, a flat panel monitor displays how much power is being generated and used. Over 25 years, a system this size is estimated to offset 169 tons of CO2 emissions—the equivalent of planting three acres of trees or not driving 550,000 miles.

The University installed 28 new solar modules on the roof of the Deneen Student Center.

(Below) Dr. Robb Van Putte, biology professor and chair of the Environmental Awareness and Sustainability Committee, and Rebekah Scher ’14 of the campus Green Team, learn about the system from Mike Hornitschek of StraightUp Solar.

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ON Campus Ho me c o mi ng a nd Re uni on We e k e nd 2 0 1 3 M e mo r i es

Alpha Phi Omega had a unique take on the “Celebration of Heroes” theme.

“McKendree has the unique ability to make us one,” the Reverend Dr. Donald Wagner ’84 told the congregation in Bothwell Chapel during his sermon, “185 Years of Doing What We Ought.”

Carl Clarizio III ’14, an athletic training major from Pawnee, Ill., and Caitlyn Westfall ’14, a psychology major from Alhambra, Ill., were crowned Homecoming King and Queen.

Mildred Pettiford and Karrington Pettiford ’13 enjoy the William McKendree Society breakfast.

A young Bearcat family poses with Bogey at the Homecoming Brunch.

Students dance to “Headphone Disco” at the 2013 Student Homecoming Dance.

Jeff Thornton ’88, Chris Mitchell ’99 and Skip Schwerdtfeger ’63 socialize at the Alumni Awards Dinner at St. Clair Country Club in Belleville, Ill.

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Bearcat fans participate in the homecoming tailgate before the football game.

Michelle Biver ’10 and Lauren Richter ’12 reconnect at the Young Alumni event at the Weingarten in Belleville, Ill.

Melissa (Kaegel) Lampkin ’88 and John Yociss ’88 (holding yearbooks) take a look down memory lane at the All-Class Reunion.

Children play on the giant slide during the homecoming picnic.

FEROX CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF BROTHERHOOD The party was a half-century in the making when 34 Ferox (Phi Rho Chi) brothers, two former advisors and a Little Sister reunited at The Hills Golf Club on Oct. 4, 2013 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the fraternity’s founding. The alumni came from Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Arizona,

North Carolina and Texas to reminisce, reconnect and relive favorite McKendree memories. Homecoming weekend activities included a round of golf, reception, the parade and pre-kickoff tailgating.

welcomed its first pledge class the following year. The members developed a strong bond and “Ferox” soon became a prominent organization on campus.

They continue to distinguish themselves as active alumni and leaders in their communities.

Phi Rho Chi—the Greek letters F R X— organized on campus in 1963 and

Playing of the fraternity drum during McKendree’s homecoming event is a Ferox tradition. Above, Ferox members in 1973 with the drum. On right, Ferox members playing in the homecoming parade.

Brant Harper ’73, Bruce Hogan ’71, Bob Bridges ’69, Ted Mihuta ’66, Tom Higgins ’66 and Mike Howie ’71 reminisce at the William McKendree Society breakfast.

Nick Tropiano ’69 (center, with former Ferox advisor Dr. Carl Stockton, and Mike Howie ’71) received a Certificate of Appreciation for service to his alma mater and the fraternity. A University trustee since 2004, he hosts Ferox’s annual Jersey Shore summer retreat and arranges gatherings at homecoming.

Ferox alumni gather for a group photo at The Hills Golf Club.

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ON Campus

sacrifices, runs scored, total bases, slugging percentage and games started.

Danna owns two of the top five singleseason batting averages in McKendree history, batting .417 and .405 in her junior and senior years. She helped lead the Bearcats to NAIA Softball National Championships in 1998 and 1999.

Three Bearcats Enter Sports Hall of Fame Three former Bearcat athletes, Lance Marcum ’07, Danna Gilbert ’00 and Fred Taylor ’90 (left to right) entered the Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013 for their accomplishments on the pitching mound, softball field and basketball court.

Lance Marcum enjoyed one of the most prolific pitching careers for the Bearcats’ baseball program.

In four years on the mound, he helped McKendree solidify its standing as one of the top programs in the American Midwest Conference (AMC) and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Centralia, Ill., native helped lead the Bearcats to four consecutive AMC Tournament championships, two regular-season league titles, and the NAIA Region V championship game in 2005. He was a first-team NAIA All-American as a junior and senior.

The only player to throw two no-hitters for the Bearcats, he set 11 McKendree 8

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baseball records, all of which still stand.

After college, he signed a free-agent contract with the St. Louis Cardinals organization and made 19 appearances in the Class A New York-Penn League.

Danna Gilbert excelled on the basketball court and the softball field. As a guard on the basketball team, the Florissant, Mo., native twice grabbed All-Conference AMC honors, including first-team accolades as a senior.

She is second in career three-point field goal attempts with 596; tied for ninth in three-pointers made with 99; ninth in career steals; and 10th in assists. Danna helped McKendree to a pair of conference tournament championships, enabling the Bearcats to make their first two appearances at the NAIA Division I National Championship.

In softball, she was a four-year starter in the outfield. Her .395 career batting average is the highest of any McKendree player and she holds the highest on-base percentage record at .439. Her career 47 stolen bases and 10 triples are second alltime at McKendree. She ranks among the Bearcats’ top 10 in career hits,

Fred Taylor was the sparkplug of the high-scoring Bearcat men’s basketball teams of the late 1980s.

A two-year starter, the Chicago native joined the squad as a junior in 198687 and put together one of the top allaround seasons in program history. He averaged 20.1 points per game, scoring 704 points in the process. One of the most accurate three-point shooters in the nation, Fred connected on 51 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, a McKendree record that stands today. Thanks in part to his scoring prowess, the Bearcats posted their first 30-win season and reached the NAIA District 20 Tournament finals.

As a senior, Fred and his teammates were part of an historic 1987-88 season, as the Bearcats won 22 consecutive games on their way to a school-record 35 victories.

The team made its first trip to the NAIA National Championship, the first of 15 in a 23-year span. Loaded with offensive firepower, McKendree led the nation by averaging 102 points per game and Fred averaged a team-high 21.1 points per contest. He saved his best for last, scoring 33 points in the national tournament second-round game. Fred finished his McKendree career with 1,400 points in two seasons.

Home c o mi ng a nd Re uni o n Weekend 2013 Memories

Two to Watch: Winn, Peterson are Rising Stars Daniel Winn ’03, of Ballwin, Mo., and Glenn Peterson ’04, of Belleville, Ill., are McKendree’s latest Rising Stars.

Daniel Winn is a news reporter and anchor at ABC 17 KMIZ in Columbia, Mo. He has also worked at KTRS Radio in St. Louis, KTKA-TV in Topeka, Kan., and KRCG 13 in Jefferson City, Mo. He has hosted or emceed various charity fundraising events in central Missouri. He is a frequent guest on News Radio 950 KWOS and coaches the Kids’ Celebrity Golf Benefit for the Mizzou Children’s Hospital. He remains active at McKendree as a Scholarship Weekend volunteer and keeps in touch with faculty and friends.

A certified personal fitness trainer, Glenn Peterson opened the Inspire Health and Fitness Studio in Belleville, Ill., in 2008 and expanded in 2011 with Kinetic Boot Camp. He develops corporate wellness, fitness and nutrition programs throughout the St. Louis area and in 2010 was voted the area’s number one trainer by the local Fox TV news station. He is involved in the Rebuild Belleville civic improvement group and former president of the Belleville Local Business Global Network. Glenn is currently pursuing a doctorate of physical therapy degree at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. He gives fitness and nutritional presentations to Bearcat student-athletes and has created an internship program with Career Services.

Save the Date!

Homecoming and Alumni Reunion Weekend

Check out more photos from homecoming and alumni reunion weekend at McKendree.edu

Lifelong Loyalty: Jerry Cornell ’74 Loyal Service Award winner Gerald “Jerry” Cornell ’74, of Lebanon, Ill., has demonstrated his commitment to McKendree for many years, serving on various committees as a strong supporter of town and gown relations.

He has been an integral part of many site improvements, such as parking lots, playing fields, and the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts.

He is a William McKendree Society member, a Friend of the Hett and sponsor of Hett performances.

Jerry studied psychology at McKendree while serving in the Air Force. After his military career, he became the director of public works for the City of Lebanon. In 1985, he joined Christ Brothers Asphalt Company, retiring in 2012. His civic commitments include Plan Commission and Zoning Board chair, city alderman, Economic Development Commission member, and Chamber of Commerce treasurer.

He was instrumental in projects that helped Lebanon to receive two Governor’s Hometown Awards.

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ON Campus Ho me c o mi ng a nd Re union Weekend 2013 Memories

Academy of Excellence A high school math teacher and coach, a retired university public relations executive, a minister and civil rights activist, and a doctor of osteopathy entered the 2013 Academy of Excellence at the alumni awards dinner. Honorees Melody Evans ’86, Don Winkler ’54, Melvin “Bucky” Jordan ’61 and Tom Kupferer ’76 (left to right) represent achievement, leadership and character in their respective fields of education, literature and communication, the humanities, and science and technology.

Melody (Edwards) Evans ’86, of Mascoutah, Ill., has taught mathematics for 25 years at Lebanon High School in Lebanon, Ill., where she is also the girls’ basketball head coach and National Honor Society sponsor. She was previously an assistant girls’ basketball coach, head coach for volleyball and softball, math team coach, tutor, and sponsor for the Student Council, WYSE team, SADD, prom, and the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes.

Melody is currently pursuing a master’s degree in education.

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H. Donald Winkler ’54, of Gatlinburg, Tenn., has had a distinguished career as a journalist, historian and university public affairs executive, receiving 84 national awards for public affairs programming and publications.

He was the first college public affairs professional to be inducted into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education named him a “trailblazer” in his field. In retirement, Don has become a top authority on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War; three of his five books on the subjects were nominated for national book awards, and he has spoken twice on assassination conspiracies at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Rev. Melvin “Bucky” Jordan ’61, had a 50-year career as a United Methodist Church minister in Kankakee, Ill., Columbus, Ind., and other churches in southern Indiana. He still preaches almost every Sunday in the Columbus area, where he resides. In the civil rights era, Bucky marched with the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, Ala. and Washington, D.C., campaigned against the Ku Klux Klan, and worked

hard to end segregation in his community. He is an active past president of his local Kiwanis International chapter, on the Alzheimer’s Association Board of Directors, part of a Christian clown troupe, and a singer in the “Silvertones” senior group.

Dr. Thomas Kupferer, D.O., FACOFP ’76, of Murphysboro, Ill., established two family medicine clinics in southern Illinois, where he is self-employed. He is also the medical director for the Jackson County Jail and the Masonic Children’s Home in Murphysboro, Ill.; associate regional medical director for Hospice of Southern Illinois; and the county coroner. He is on the medical staff at St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in Murphysboro, Ill., Carbondale Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, Ill., and four other rehab, skilled care and nursing centers. His civic involvement has included the Boy Scouts, Southern Illinois Children’s Choir and the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps. Tom’s four sons also attended McKendree.

first nuclear powered submarine, Nautilus.

Alumni Profile: Cyril Curtis ’43

by Scott Billhartz ’85 Cyril Curtis ’43, Ph.D., of Albion, Ill., received the 2013 Peter Akers Award for professional success, outstanding service and loyalty to McKendree. Cyril completed a degree in mathematics while serving in the Air Force. He trained in meteorology, weather forecasting, electronics, and radar at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and obtained a doctorate in physics from the University of Illinois. As a radar-weather officer at U.S. air bases, he assisted in testing the first atomic bomb for the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, N.M., during World War II. In the 1950s, he performed nuclear reactor physics research and experiments at Argonne National Laboratory in support of the

Through the use of the science and technology that he helped to create, Cyril was treated and saved from prostate cancer. He was involved in the treatment of cancer in two different ways: the first was radiation therapy with neutron beams and the second involved radiation with proton beams. In the mid-1970’s Cyril worked as a physicist researcher for the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, Ill. During this time, the Fermilab operated the most powerful particle accelerator in the world. It was designed for high energy physics research such as what was being done by Cyril and his colleagues. However, the linear injector accelerator was used for only about one second out of four to supply protons for this physics research. It was determined that during the remaining available time, a team, including Cyril, could use the accelerator to research radiation therapy used for cancer treatment. In this therapy the neutron beams were produced by protons striking a target and directed to the tumor to destroy the cancer cells. The neutrons were somewhat more efficient than the protons at destroying cancer cells, but they did not have the advantage of precisely localizing the dose.

In January 1985, the Loma Linda University Medical Center in California wanted to build a proton synchrotron specifically for cancer therapy and they approached the Fermilab because of the successful neutron therapies that were developed with the particle accelerator.

Cyril was part of the research team selected to build the new accelerator.

He retired in 1986 from the lab, but stayed on as a private consultant through 1989. Compared to the proton synchrotron at the Fermilab which spanned four miles in circumference, the proton therapy accelerator at Loma Linda was only 20 feet in diameter.

As per the agreement, it was built at the Fermilab and then moved to Loma Linda in 1989 and put in service in 1990. Officially Cyril retired at that time. Proton therapy has significant advantages over other methods of cancer radiation treatment such as X-rays or neutrons. The greatest advantage is the proton beam limits the radiation dose to the disease site, thereby reducing the side effects caused by damage to nearby healthy tissue. This new accelerator, as Cyril described, was specifically designed for cancer therapy and it had special features, such as precise energy control and long beam spill that are included to make the treatment easier and more efficient. Little did he know that he would be reacquainted with the accelerator by the end of the decade.

In 1999, Cyril was diagnosed with prostate cancer. As fate would have it, Cyril chose to return to the Loma Linda University Medical Center for treatment, specifically for the proton radiation therapy. In an ironic twist of fate, the researcher who helped build the accelerator was now the patient receiving the treatment. Cyril, and his late wife Helen, stayed in California until his treatments were completed in early 2000.

Alumni from the Class of 1963 returned for the Homecoming Golden Anniversary reception on Oct. 4, 2013. Pictured, from l. to r.: Jim Wilkerson; Charles Rann; Ben Lentz; Rev. Harold Shaffer; Gary Spicer; William Opper; Bill Blythe; Pat (Carson) Blythe; Joellen (Minton) Kimmle; Kent Lewis; Virginia (Dude) Albert; Carol (Cope) Schwerdtfeger; Skip Schwerdtfeger; Pauline (Hermes) Jordan; Rev. Melvin “Bucky” Jordan; James Woods; Sylvia (Korte) Fertig; Agnes (Robinson) Pocklington and Lucille (Carlock) Gorsage.

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BEARCATS Unleashed

STUDENT-ATHLETE ADVISORY COMMITTEE GIVES BACK

by Britani Beasley ’15

members are able to better not only our campus but also our community. Men’s tennis player Dylan Faulkenberg ’17 said, “We definitely realize that we are fortunate people, able to attend college and play sports, so we try to give back to the community.”

The McKendree Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) has come a far way in just a few short years. The organization was established in 2011 and keeps on growing in size. Thirty-seven student athletes from 23 different teams are represented within SAAC. Woman’s bowler Tegan Clinton ’15 said, “I believe that now, especially since we are officially a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)school, SAAC is important because we, as representatives need to keep our teams, as well as the whole school, informed about changes and issues.” Advised by Angela Red, assistant director of athletics/compliance and senior women’s administrator, SAAC offers input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes’ lives at McKendree and on all NCAA Division II member institution campuses.

SAAC is also dedicated to engaging students in community involvement.

By encouraging student athletes to get involved in the community, SAAC

Volunteer services that members of SAAC and Bearcat athletic teams have participated in this year include visiting patients at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, Ind.; collecting canned goods and other non-perishable items for the Lebanon Food Pantry in partnership with the Center for Public Service’s Trick or Treating for Canned Goods; and volunteering at the McKendree Race Day, Special Olympics Basketball Tournament, The Warrior Dash, the U.S. Open USTA Wheelchair Championships and a SAFB Youth Tennis Development Program. All Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) SAAC member institutions also proudly participate in the Division II National SAAC initiative to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The 2013–14 McKendree SAAC officers are Caty Ponce ’15 (women’s basketball); Kyle Rutledge ’15 (baseball); Meghan Dohogne ’14 (women’s volleyball) and Edward “E.J.” Rahar ’15 (track and field).

SPRING HOME OPENERS

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Feb. 16, 2014 – Women’s Lacrosse vs.

Grand Valley State University

March 20, 2014 – Softball vs.

University of Missouri–St. Louis

Feb. 25, 2014 – Baseball vs. HarrisStowe State University

For more game-day schedule details, visit McKBearcats.com.

www.mckendree.edu

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

by Britani Beasley ’15 Maalik Walker ’17, a finance major and 6'6" middle blocker on the men’s volleyball team, brings a strong athletic background to the new Bearcats squad.

His past accomplishments include, helping lead Minooka Community High School to a 30-match winning streak and a fourth-place finish in the state tournament in 2012. He earned All-Conference honors as a junior and senior, All-Area honors as a senior and was selected to play in the Illinois High School Boys Volleyball All-Star Game following his senior season. Maalik answered a few questions about his experience as a new Bearcat.

How do you feel about being on the first men’s volleyball team and what are your goals? It feels good to be the foundation of what can become a great program.

Being our first year, we want to achieve a .500 record, and as sophomores we want to qualify for the national tournament.

How do you hope to “Make your Mark” on McKendree University? On campus I hope to make my mark by being seen as an outstanding student and as a leader on and off the court. On the court I want to do whatever it takes to help make us successful.

Favorite quote and why: “Winners don’t take breaks.” This is my favorite because by being pushed to our limit it helps make us better, and prepares us for the bigger and more experienced teams.

FALL SPORTS WRAP-UP Cross Country Men’s cross country standout Blake DeLong ’14 became the first Bearcat to qualify for the NCAA Division II National Championships. His 17th place finish in 30:57:80 made him the program’s first NCAA-All American.

The women’s cross country team placed ninth at the GLVC Championships.

Megan Doty ’14 was named to the AllGLVC squad. She closed out her cross country career with a 51st-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional.

Soccer The women’s soccer team made program history by qualifying for the GLVC tournament. With seven seniors, the team closed out its season with an overall record of 7-6-6.

The men’s soccer team finished with an overall record of 4-12-1. Forward Alex Risdale ’16 earned second team AllGLVC honors with a team high seven goals and two assists.

Volleyball The women’s volleyball team closed out its first year of NCAA Division II play with an overall record of 13-18.

FOLLOW US ONLINE Can’t attend the game? Tune in to listen to live audio play-by-play on the Bearcat Sports Network at www.mckbearcats.com/listenlive.

In addition, “Follow” us on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook.

Football Brett Pearman ’16 and Richie Rebmann ’14 were named to the All-GLVC first team in football. Ryan Herring ’15 became the 18th Bearcat to rush for 1,000 career yards. The team finished with a 4-6 overall season record.

BEARCATS TAKE ON FIGHTING ILLINI IN EXHIBITION GAME On Oct. 24, 2013, the men’s basketball team traveled to Assembly Hall in Champaign, Ill. to take on the Fighting Illini in the exhibition opener for both teams. Over 300 alumni, students, faculty, staff, and parents donned their purple and white and cheered on the Bearcats as they broke out to an 11-point lead in the first half, but the University of Illinois bounced back to post a 101-66 victory.

“I thought in the first half we did a very, very good job,” said Head Coach Harry Statham, who is in his 48th season at the helm of the Bearcats’ program. “Especially in that first 15 minutes. We came out and attacked and tried to be aggressive. We expected a lot (of Illinois) and they gave it to us. It’s a big gym and they’ve been practicing for a while.”

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Kicking Cancer

by Krysti Connelly, Executive Director for Communications and Marketing

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Like any athlete who makes it to the college level, there are so many hours put into their sport, so much effort. Alex McMahon ’15 is no exception. In high school, his father Mike, a former high school football player, encouraged his son to play football at Westville High School in Westville, Ill. With the great kicking ability he developed from playing soccer for ten years, Alex naturally became a punter and field goal kicker. He earned a scholarship to play football at McKendree. In 2010, he was on top of his game, coming off a stellar sophomore season that saw his team reach the quarterfinals of the NAIA Championships. Alex averaged 43.4 yards on 22 punts, ranked third in the NAIA in punt return averages and was named to the All-American second team.

A few weeks after the season ended, things started to change for the 20-year-old athletic training major. He started suffering from headaches and overall fatigue. “It just started out like a cold or a sinus infection,’’ he recalled. He visited urgent care on numerous occasions and was prescribed six different rounds of antibiotics for a sinus infection. His sickness continued right through spring football, but Alex didn’t let it slow him down. “I’m already a punter, and I didn’t want to be the guy that wasn’t out there because of a cold or migraine headaches,’’ he said. He continued to lift weights, dropping from an average 235 pounds to 185 pounds. In warm-ups, he noticed his kicks did not have as much height or explosiveness. Things continued to get worse for Alex as he had trouble sleeping, problems drinking water without coughing and his weight dropped over 40 pounds.

His mom Lori, a cardiac nurse, encouraged him to come home and get it checked out. “It was just insane,’’ Alex said. “I was trying to get ready for finals and I just couldn’t sleep. I was calling my parents every night it seemed like. Then with just eight days left in my school year, they came and got me.” Alex went to the hospital and got an MRI. “My mother came in and told me they found a tumor in my nasal pharynx,” Alex said.

On May 2, 2011, Alex’s life changed. A doctor at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo., diagnosed him with Stage IV Nasopharanygeal Carcinoma, a rare form of cancer, prevalent in Asian countries, that only seven in every 1 million people are

expected to develop. This type of cancer can stem from a combination of dietary and viral factors, such as eating cured fish and the Epstein-Barr virus (mononucleosis).

Upon getting the diagnosis, Alex remained upbeat. “I was RELIEVED,” he noted. “Most people do not think that. I was happy because I finally got an answer. For four months I had been told I had sinus inflammation and finally I knew we were on a treatment plan and something would get better. I hoped.”

Alex was used to studying playbooks, but there isn’t a playbook for dealing with a situation like cancer. He began his weekly journey of receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments close to home at the Cancer Center at United Samaritans Medical Center in Danville, Ill. After two-and-a-half months, and over 75 treatments, Alex’s PET scan came back clear in August.

Alex never fell into that dark place some can’t climb out of. He took on the treatments, with all their side effects, and he planned out the small steps he would take to reach his ultimate goals.

“I never broke down,” said Alex. “I felt that I had to be strong for my parents and my friends because they broke down. I couldn’t imagine hearing that your kid who is 20 years old has cancer. You have to put on a good face as much as sometimes you don’t want to. But I felt that it helped the situation to have a positive attitude.”

While Alex was undergoing his treatments, the ongoing support from his family, friends, McKendree faculty, athletic training classmates, teammates and coaches kept him motivated and looking toward the future. His family and friends started “Alex’s Army” to raise money toward his medical expenses. They held a benefit raffle, golf outing and sold t-shirts. Dr. Dawn Hankins, professor of athletic training, kept in regular contact with Alex and sent him a signed picture of the whole athletic training family. His classmates sent him cookies and banana bread.

Coaches contacted him weekly. When he would come down to visit, the team let him break the huddles before games. They gave him a signed football and let him keep his #1 jersey until he was ready to come back. The team also hosted Alex McMahon Day and sold purple and black “Road to Recovery” bracelets.

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With his cancer in remission, Alex turned his attention to getting his life back to normal and finishing his coursework. He attempted to return to school in the fall of 2011, however shortly after classes began he started getting pain in the shoulder and hip. On Oct. 3, 2011, his doctor at Barnes confirmed the old tumor showed no growth, but there was a large lesion in the back of the skull, a lymph node in the left side of the neck, a lymph node in the left armpit, and the neck of the femur was affected with cancer. His cancer had spread.

“My mom cried,” he recalled. “My dad asked all the questions.

Would I ever get to play football again? The doctor answered, No! When could I go back to school? The doctor answered, Never! She gave me nine months to live. That was when the realization of how serious things were hit me. I was ANGRY. Not angry at having cancer, but at the doctor. She didn’t know me.

She was telling me what my life was going to be. I was not going to be a statistic.”

Alex decided to switch doctors and with the help of his local oncologist, Dr. Jomel Labayog, they were able to put together a team of doctors from around the world. They consulted with an ENT from Loyola Hospital in Chicago, an oncologist from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Orlando, Fla. and an oncologist from Hong Kong, who specializes in Alex’s type of cancer. The doctors came up with a new game plan, a combination of four chemotherapy treatments and radiation. “Each week I would get three chemos and then on the fourth week I would get an additional chemo treatment,” said Alex. “I called it BAD CHEMO. The fourth one was when I felt the sickest and would lose all my appetite. I was now down to 130 pounds. It was hard on my body. It just wasn’t fun.”

In February 2012, another lesion was found on Alex’s right shoulder. After a trip to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Orlando, Fla., his game plan was once again altered and he started his current chemotherapy treatment plan. Traditionally used to treat breast and colon cancers, Alex is now taking a monthly combination of Cisplatin and Fluorouracil “5FU.” “With the new treatment plan underway, I was finally able to regain weight and started to feel normal again,” he said. “I ate everything. I had no real mind for nutrition at that point. I craved Reese’s Cups. I started playing summer softball with friends. And

in the fall I started training for football again. I realized that my kicks were still good and that I still had a chance as a punter.”

Alex overcame his October 2011 diagnosis and was able to return to McKendree in January 2013. Still unsure of his college football career, he emailed Coach Mike Babcock and was invited to attend the team meeting in January and all the spring workouts.

“I kept up with everyone during the workouts and that was when I realized that I could play again at the college level,” he said.

After multiple rounds of chemotherapy, radiation and more than two years of healing and rehabilitation, Alex earned his spot back on the team and finally stepped back onto the football field on Sept. 7, 2013. “I was super nervous,” he said. “I had butterflies until the first snap, but after the first snap it all went away.” He had an outstanding game with a 62-yard career punt and was named the special teams’ player of the game. He took that momentum and played the remainder of the season, finishing with a 37.6 yard punt average.

Since returning to McKendree, his life has been filled with a lot of ups and downs. It has been difficult at times to balance monthly chemotherapy with keeping up with classes and performing on the football field. It has also been hard to acclimate back into his social life. “When I returned to school, I had a hard time communicating,” he said. “I was/am still introverted a little bit.

I was alone honestly for six—seven—eight months there after the first diagnosis.” The support from his family, teammates, coaches, and friends certainly have made things a lot easier; but, his trek has been a huge grind, both mentally and physically.

“I want to show people who have a life long illness, it doesn’t matter what you have, as long as you have a good support system and you want to do it, you can always put your mind to it and achieve the goals you want,” he said.

He has not let his illness stop him from reaching for his dreams.

Alex is on track to graduate in December 2015. Upon graduation, he plans to attend graduate school for athletic training or get a job as a personal trainer or strength and conditioning coach.

“I want to help athletes get back to the field and enhance their performance to the best of their ability,” he said.

When reflecting on his journey, Alex quotes Robert Frost using three words to sum up everything he has learned about life: “It goes on.”

A

s a child, Charlie Caciano ’82 had the selflessness of helping others embedded in him by his father who, in turn, received the same message from his father. “My dad served as an MP in the U.S. Army during WWII,” said Charlie. “He always said, if you really want to win a fight, what you should do is bring your best and brightest.”

This year he followed his father’s advice and recruited 14 soldiers from the Scott Air Force Base United States Transportation Command to participate in Pedal the Cause, a community-wide cycling fundraising challenge in which all donations raised stay in St. Louis to provide direct funding for cancer research at Siteman Cancer Center and St. Louis Children’s Hospital. An avid cyclist, Charlie rides to free our world of cancer. A partner of the Ride for a Child program at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Charlie rode for Kwesi, a cancer patient who is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital and who loves Cardinal baseball, his custom Converse shoes and Captain America.

He also dedicated his first 21 miles in the Century ride as a 21-mile salute in honor of McKendree punter and cancer survivor Alex McMahon’s courage and winning approach to cancer.

Charlie was pleased to meet with Alex before the Homecoming football game on Oct. 5, 2013. “It always inspires me to hear the courage of a cancer survivor and Alex sure exemplifies how to move beyond survivorship and into ‘thrivership’,” said Charlie.

“I was thrilled that Alex autographed my helmet along with his #1 right next to his name. What a treat. It will serve as a constant reminder of why I ride.”

The drive to help others, inspired Charlie, and his wife Marcia, to incorporate the Caciano Family Charitable and Educational Foundation in Missouri. “The purpose of the charitable foundation is to serve as a means of deliberately passing this legacy from one generation to the next so that we and future generations may be deliberate in our helping others in need,” said Charlie. Through their mission they hope to provide a positive impact on many lives.

f CYCLING FOR A CURE

by Britani Beasley ’15

In 2000, the McKendree accounting and marketing graduate also founded Morgan Consulting as an extension of an accounting and business advisory practice he started. Morgan Consulting shares its professional skills and experience with non-profit agencies by participating in area social causes and community fundraisers. Staying true to its roots in service, Morgan Consulting has been a proud sponsor of “Team Caciano” since 2009, with more than 20 volunteers who raise funds for life-saving cancer research and treatment. They have participated in the annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge bicycle ride, a two-day, 200mile bike ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown, Mass., in which 100 percent of all rider-raised funds are donated directly to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for life-saving cancer treatments and cures; the Komen Race for the Cure in St. Louis, Mo.; and a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society half-marathon in Florida.

In 2013 “Team Caciano” raised a little over $17,000, which combined with the money raised the past few years, puts them at just over $38,000 raised for cancer research. As part of their mission, “Team Caciano” will continue to raise money and they hope to share the message that cancer patients are not alone in the fight.

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O n To p o f t h e W o r l d a t t h e 6 0 t h Pa r a l l e l

by Lisa Brandon, Director of Media Relations

The effects of climate change are evident in Newtok.

Emily’s first Alaskan blizzard arrived on her birthday in January.

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“If you ever want to really get to know someone, move to rural Alaska in a 250-square-foot house and live with them,” Emily (Williams) Hall ’13 wrote in her blog, “The Halls Day-to-Day in AK” at http://emilyrhall.blogspot.com/. She and her husband, Joshua Hall ’13, took a 4,000 mile leap of faith to leave behind everything and everyone they knew in the “lower 48” and begin married life in a remote corner of Alaska.

When Emily and Joshua met during their first year at McKendree University, they shared a dream: to live in Alaska someday. “The mountains, snow, and all the wild game seemed to be the most appealing,” Emily said. “When we got engaged, we knew it had to be our first year of marriage.”

Decisions replaced dreams last February, when they met an Alaskan school district representative at a teachers’ fair. “Hearing him describe this kind of lifestyle as ‘primitive’ and ‘hunting and gathering’ scared me to death,” Emily admitted. Joshua, an outdoorsman, was in at the word “hunt.”

Acce ssible o n ly b y sm all plan e, it lie s on the N in g lick Riv er, 15 m ile s from the Ber in g S ea. T he v illag e has no road s . . .

A teaching position was open in Newtok, an isolated village on the southwestern coast. The school principal suggested the couple speak to a few local teachers about the challenges they would face in “bush Alaska.” Relieved to learn that some Newtok’s teachers had been there several years, Emily accepted a job with the Lower Kuskokwim School District—a district the size of Ohio.

In May they graduated from McKendree, Joshua with a degree in sociology-criminal justice and Emily with a degree in elementary education. Two weeks later, they were married in Emily’s hometown of Mt. Carmel, Ill. The newlyweds put most of their wedding gifts in storage, sold Joshua’s truck, and shipped a crockpot, coffeemaker and some clothes to their new address.

In August, Emily and Joshua arrived in Newtok, an isolated tribal community of 350 residents, 95 percent of whom are native Yupik. Accessible only by small plane, it lies on the Ninglick River, 15 miles from the Bering Sea. The village has no roads; boardwalks connect the school, health clinic, post office, police station, two small stores, steam houses, church and community center. Many residents get around on four wheelers or snow machines.

The nearest doctor, fast food restaurant, typical grocery store or gas station (at nearly $7 a gallon) is a 45-minute flight away.

Anchorage is 500 miles east as the eagle flies. (Russia, across the Bering Strait, is 130 miles nearer.) Scientists predict Newtok will be underwater in four years, as melting permafrost erodes 90 feet of shoreline each year. The townspeople have been called America’s first “climate refugees” and some have begun evacuating to an island nine miles away.

The Halls’ first home was a tiny two-room trailer behind the school. They adapted to life without indoor plumbing, taking showers at the school, and hauling water in buckets and jugs for cooking and washing. A waste-burning “incinolet room” similar to an airplane restroom is attached to the small bedroom.

“It is surprisingly amazing how used to something you can get if you have the right mindset,” said Emily, with characteristic optimism. “We really are fortunate though, in having one of these in our place so we don’t have to go to the school every time we need to use the restroom.”

She teaches fifth and sixth grade math, reading, writing, and junior high reading at Newtok Ayaprun K-12, a dual language school where English is not her students’ first language. “The morning message is always in Yupik,” Emily said. “I have no idea what the message is. It is amazing to still see their native language being spoken and incorporated every day at school since half of their day is spoken in Yupik.”

With its access to running water and internet connectivity, the school is an extension of home, she explained. “In our house, we do not have internet or satellite or cable TV. We do have a television that we watch movies on. To get internet, we have to go to the school and use their Wi-Fi. Sometimes it is an inconvenience. You start to feel like you are always at the school.

On weekends, we try to stay away as much as possible, excluding the times our family wants to Skype.” The school also hosts movie nights, open gym sessions, bingo and basketball games, and an annual Native Youth Olympics.

Joshua’s preferred recreation is hunting, trapping and fishing.

He was invited to accompany six other men and a boy on a weeklong moose hunt camping trip. “I have dreamt of going moose hunting since I was a little boy and it did not disappoint,” he said. The hunters performed a spiritual ritual that helped them get two small bulls and a cow. After 12 hours of butchering and meat grinding, Emily and Joshua filled their “arctic room” freezer with 25 quart-size bags of ground moose, as well as steaks, roasts, enormous ribs and backstraps.

“Moose is fantastic! It is one of the leanest meats you will ever taste,” Emily said. “If I had to live off moose instead of beef for the rest of my life, I would be okay with it. In fact, this year I doubt we will buy beef again!” Emily and Joshua have also enjoyed freshly caught salmon and the wild berries that grew in abundance in summer. Neither have acquired a taste for akutaq (berries and Crisco, known as “Eskimo ice cream”); stink fish (raw fish packed in a box between layers of moss and left to age); or bird soup (head, talons and all).

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Emily and Joshua respect the Yupiks’ custom of using every bit of an animal they hunt or trap. “They will not waste any part of it,” Emily said. “They will eat anything that the animal provides.

The bone marrow is one of their favorite parts. My principal’s favorite part of the salmon is the eyeball.”

Thriftiness is important because life in bush Alaska is pricey.

An $18 frozen pizza or a $15 package of string cheese is a rare splurge. Care packages of snacks and card games sent by the Halls’ Illinois families help sustain the couple’s spirits when the thermometer dips to well below zero and the sun doesn’t rise until late morning.

Joshua points out melting permafrost on the eroding shoreline.

“ When you r d ream s b eco m e yo u r reality, yo u kn o w yo u are w here you are suppo sed t o b e.”

Emily and Joshua choose to focus on life’s small pleasures rather than what they don’t have. “The most rewarding thing is really understanding that we do not need everything. We are learning how to survive in one of the toughest areas of America,” Emily reflected. “I am teaching wonderful students who are so different than the students down states. They are teaching me more than I ever thought possible. Joshua is hunting and trapping as much as he can and wants.

“Our perspective on life has definitely changed. Sure, we may not have everything we used to, but we have what counts. This experience already has taught us so many things about each other that if we were anywhere else, I do not know that we would have realized yet.”

The newlyweds’ first home.

Moose—it’s what’s for dinner.

The couple faced another challenge in December, when Joshua was hired as a correctional officer at the maximum security Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward, more than 500 miles away. Emily is eager to join him there, in a new house with all the amenities, after the spring semester ends in May. “When your dreams become your reality, you know you are where you are supposed to be,” she said. “Moving up here definitely took a leap of faith. Faith that people would welcome us, faith that we could survive, faith that we would actually like it here. That was our biggest fear; that we would move all this way and end up hating our lives.

“It is, in fact, the complete opposite of that. We thank God every day that he gave us the awesome disposition on life to take it as it comes and to enjoy the life we are given. We believe that we did not choose this life; God already knew where we would end up together. We just have to believe we were sent here for a reason and enjoy it while it lasts!”

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The school is a hub of activity.

Emily with one of her students on “movie night” at the gym.

NOT my day job Tom Pawlow Has Fallen for Ice Dancing

by Lisa Brandon, Director of Media Relations

Retired Air Force Colonel Tom Pawlow is earning medals of a different type these days—for competitive ice dancing.

“It’s a lot of fun. It’s good exercise, too,” said the associate dean of McKendree University’s Center at Scott Air Force Base and part-time human resources instructor.

A Winter Olympic sport since 1976, ice dancing combines skating, music and artistic expression. It resembles ballroom dancing’s graceful moves more than figure skating’s dizzying spins and jumps.

Tom stepped on the ice for the first time about ten years ago. As he sat in the stands watching his young grandson take hockey lessons, he commented to his son Jeff that skating looked like fun.

That Christmas, Jeff gave him a gift certificate for three lessons. “He did it as sort of a joke,” Tom recalled. “I’d never been on ice skates before. But hey, I’m an ex-Air Force guy, I never turn down a dare.”

He laced up his skates and began to practice at the U.S. Ice Sports Complex in Fairview Heights, Ill. “It was a struggle the first couple of times, but by the third time I could go all the way around the rink,” he said.

Tom channeled David Lee Roth for his “Just a Gigolo” solo routine and paired with former ice dancing partner Joy Paeth in competition. Watch Tom online at www.mckendree.edu/notmydayjob

A group of ice dancers who were skating to music caught his attention. “I played music in college and had a band. I like a good beat and I thought swing dancing on ice looked pretty fun.”

The team built some competitive routines around its lone male dancer; one featured the “Top Gun” soundtrack with Tom in a flight suit. “We even won a couple of times,” he noted. In addition to the team, he has performed in the pairs and solo categories, winning six medals overall.

“I don’t have a lot of competitors in my age category,” the 70-year-old athlete said with a grin.

The all-female synchronized team encouraged him to join them. Tom soon fell for ice dancing, quite literally at first.

Before long, he was mastering lunges, kicks and turns.

Tom’s routines are often humorous.

He began one crowd-pleasing solo performance on center ice in a ballet pose, as classical music abruptly segued into the “Real Men of Genius” beer commercial

song. “I should have been an entertainer.

I like to have fun,” he said.

When mine subsidence damage forced the closure of the Fairview Heights rink in 2012, Tom was undeterred. He now skates one night a week at the Kirkwood Recreation Station Ice Arena in Missouri, when his teaching schedule permits. If a proposed new ice complex is built in the Metro-East before Tom hangs up his skates, he has a plan.

“I want to be the Bearcat on ice skates that gets the crowd fired up before hockey games.”

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ALUMNI News & Notes 70’s

40’s Cyril Curtis ’43 organized the 17th Annual Community Music Recital on June 30, 2013 at the First United Methodist Church in Albion, Ill. Scott Billhartz ’85 attended the concert and is pictured with Cyril.

50’s The Reverend Sam Totten ’54 and his wife, Marilyn, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on July 12, 2013.

60’s Theodore “Ted” Cromack ’60 published his second novel, “The Campus Murders,” in October 2012. He lives in Shelburne Falls, Mass.

Roger Aldridge ’73 had his recent jazz composition entitled “New Tango No. 3” reach #1 on the chart at Hardcoremix Radio. He is a jazz composer and musician, who lives in Olney, Md. Samples of his music can be found at his website at www.rogeraldridge.com.

Christine (Burchyett) Brewer ’76 headlined the “Interfaith Commemoration in Music: An Appreciation of Religious Diversity” on Sept. 8, 2013 at the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis, Mo. Her recent global engagements took her to the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in October to perform Strauss’ “VierLetze Lieder” and the London BBC Symphony Orchestra in November to perform Britten’s “Albert Herring.”

Steve Costello ’86 received the Department of Defense Patriot Award on March 18, 2013. A manager of MRA Process Operations at Humana in Louisville, Ky., he was nominated for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve award by a member of his Medicare team, James Tongate, who is a member of the Kentucky Air National Guard. James nominated Steve because of the respect and support he has shown during James’ multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq over the past 16 years. “Anything I have done is insignificant compared to the enormous sacrifices veterans and active-

Kirk Hinson ’78 was promoted to manager of Lean Six Sigma continuous improvement and corporate master black belt at DTE Energy in Detroit, Mich.

Joseph “Woody” Wright ’81

80’s

John Dosier ’83 was elected as a group director of the Community Bankers Association of Illinois. He also serves on its board of directors and strategic planning and membership committees. He is the president and CEO of First Southern Bank in Carbondale, Ill.

Georgia Costello ’77 was

Pastor Charles McKnelly ’60 was awarded the Medal of Honor from the Chief Executive of Hong Kong on Oct. 26, 2013 for his 53 years of missionary work. He is the director of Glorious Praise Fellowship and Drug Rehabilitation Centre in Hong Kong.

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recently honored as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in the St. Louis area by the St. Louis Business Journal. She is the president at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, Ill.

John Mullet ’77 is the superintendent of Litchfield School District in Litchfield, Ill.

duty military personnel make for all of us,” said Steve, who has worked at Humana for 37 years. He has also been a McKendree associate faculty member since 1997.

is the chief of staff and assistant director, Washington Operations Directorate at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

Steve Hausmann ’83 was Kevin Lee Quaid ’80 was awarded the “2013 Adventurer of the Year” by the Adventurers Club of Los Angeles and the “2013 Outdoor Sportsperson of the Year” by the Orange County Register.

inducted into the Mon-Clair Baseball League Hall of Fame on Nov. 16, 2013.

Save Liuato Tuitele ’84 is the director of the Office of Fraud Prevention and Investigation in American Samoa.

Darryl Furtkamp ’84

Scott Powell ’88 is the senior

Lt. Col. Bradley Pyburn ’94

exhibited a series of monotypes in the Alumni Show at the McKendree Gallery of Art in October 2013. He is an assistant professor of art and the gallery director at New England College in Henniker, N.H.

vice president and deputy chief credit officer at FSG Bank in Chattanooga, Tenn.

was installed as commander of the 624th Operations Center at Joint Base San Antonio in Lackland, Texas.

Jeff Dosier ’87 was honored as one of 12 “Citizens of Character” by the Belleville Achieves Strength in Character Initiative in November 2013.

He is superintendent of Belleville Township High School District 201 in Belleville, Ill.

Dr. J. Alfred Reid ’87 was the guest speaker at the Zion Baptist Church Military Appreciation Day Service on Nov. 17, 2013 in Petersburg, Va. He is pastor of the First Baptist Church in Disputanta, Va. and is currently pursuing his doctorate degree in religion at Bethany Seminary in Dotham, Ala.

Kyle Gordon ’98, MAED ’08 was named the 2013 Warren E. Shull National High School Adviser of the Year by the National Association of Student Councils in June. The first person from Illinois to win the award, Kyle is the student council advisor and a history teacher at Collinsville High School in Collinsville, Ill.

90’s Rebekah McGarrity ’90 and Katie Hoerner, MAED ’10 accompanied 50 of their American Studies students from Belleville East High School in Belleville, Ill. to Gettysburg, Pa. in November 2013, to mark the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address.

Dr. Steve Webb ’92 is the president of the Illinois Association of School Administrators and the Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools Board of Directors. He is the superintendent of Goreville Community Unit School District in Goreville, Ill.

Jennifer Sullivan ’96 was one of 230 choir members chosen to perform at Lincoln Center in New York City on Memorial Day. The concert, “Requiems for the Brave,” featured a New York premiere of “Gettysburg Address” and the world premiere of “Requiem,” both by composer and conductor Mark Hayes. She will also be performing with her fellow choir members in the Midwest premiere of “Requiem” in the spring.

Jekyel (Heid) Schulz ’97 was awarded a “Those Who Excel” Award of Recognition from the Illinois State Board of Education in October 2013.

She is a kindergarten teacher at Freeburg Elementary School in Freeburg, Ill. Jason Zimmer ’97 exhibited

Leading up to the national recognition, he was also named the 2013 Illinois Student Council Adviser of the Year and the Region Five Student Council Adviser of the Year (in a six-state region). Kyle advises the largest student government association in the country with 400 students. While managing such a large group is challenging, the rewards are numerous. “To see the results of our many community service projects is amazing,” he says. “I get to see firsthand what so many dedicated and caring young men and women can do when they work together.”

paintings in the Alumni Show at the McKendree Gallery of Art in October 2013. He is a professor of foundation studies at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Ga.

Jennifer (Gain) Meyer ’98 was honored as one of 12 “Citizens of Character” by the Belleville Achieves Strength in Character Initiative in November 2013.

Angela Grossmann-Roewe ’98 was appointed to the Saint Clair County Board in July 2013. She represents District 12, which encompasses a northeastern part of Belleville, Ill. and a small portion of southwestern Shiloh, Ill.

00’s

Joe Blasdel ’00 was elected president of the Board of Trustees for the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence. He served as an at-large member and also directed the national tournament in March 2013.

He is the speech and debate coach at McKendree.

Zach Haupt ’00 is the head track and field coach at Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, Va.

Clayton Smith ’00, MAED ’10 was voted Coach of the Year by the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association in 2013. He is the girls soccer coach and assistant athletic director at Collinsville High School in Collinsville, Ill.

STAY CONNECTED. With all of our official online networks, staying in touch with your friends and classmates after graduation and connecting with McKendree alumni has never been so easy! Become a fan of the Bogey D. Bearcat alumni group on Facebook and network with other McKendree alumni on LinkedIn. Sign-up for one of our online networks today!

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ALUMNI News & Notes Scott Amrein ’04, MBA ’13 is a project/process owner at Vantiv in Cincinatti, Ohio.

Carl Florcyzk ’04, MAED ’12 is the head cross country coach at Freeburg High School in Freeburg, Ill. He led both the girls and boys teams to the Illinois State Class 1A state cross country match in November 2013.

Stephanie (Schaefer) Berry ’05 was selected as one of the top 10 history teachers in the state of Illinois and received a certificate of excellence from the Illinois State Board of Education. She is a fifth grade teacher at Smithton Elementary School in Smithton, Ill.

Jacqueline Cole ’07 was inducted into the Lewis and Clark Community College Athletics Hall of Fame for soccer in May 2013.

recently graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in San Antonio, Texas.

Cory Sellers ’07 exhibited paintings in the Alumni Show at the McKendree Gallery of Art in October 2013.

Ashley Green ’05 is the

joined the family/sports medicine staff at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland, Ill.

human resources manager for Coolfire Media in St. Louis, Mo.

Jennifer (Atkisson) Logsdon ’05, MBA ’08 is an account manager at The Learning House in Louisville, Ky.

CALLING ALL OUTSTANDING ALUMNI The Alumni Association is seeking nominations for the Academy of Excellence Awards; Loyal Service Award; Peter Akers Award; Rising Star Awards; and Sports Hall of Fame Awards.

To nominate an outstanding graduate who has shown strong leadership in his or her career, outstanding service to the community, and success in athletics or other notable accomplishments for one of these awards, email alumni@mckendree.edu.

The deadline is April 1, 2014.

24

www.mckendree.edu

“Those Who Excel” Award of Recognition from the Illinois State Board of Education in October 2013. She is a second grade teacher at Hartford Elementary School in Hartford, Ill.

Zachary Crawford ’09 Nicholas French ’05 is the special education supervisor at the Central Office of the Bellevue School District in Bellevue, Wash. Nick, his wife Kimberly, and children reside in Issaquah, Wash.

Dr. Brian Klostermann ’04

Natalie (Sneed) Bouillon, MAED ’09 was awarded a

Brady Stewart ’05 won the USA Bench Press Nationals in August 2013. He is the owner of Iron Authority Inc. in Germantown, Ill. Shelly Kuhns ’06 recently joined the hospitalist team at Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital in Mattoon, Ill. and is currently pursuing her doctorate degree in nursing.

Corey Beyerle ’08 was promoted to associate vice president of cash management at First Capital Bank of Kentucky in Louisville, Ky.

Courtney Logan ’08 is an associate attorney at Heyl, Royster, Voelker & Allen in Edwardsville, Ill. He also is an adjunct professor at St. Louis University School of Law.

Tiffany (Schneider) Niedringhaus, MAED ’08 was awarded a “Those Who Excel” Award of Merit from the Illinois State Board of Education in October 2013.

She is a special education teacher at O’Fallon Township High School in O’Fallon, Ill.

Marcus Mann ’06 is the head girls basketball coach at Normal Community High School in Normal, Ill. He also coaches football and track and field.

Meghan Rooney ’08 was

Bruce Roberts ’06 received

Heather (Elders) Webb ’08

his master’s degree in procurement and acquisitions management in August 2013 from Webster University in St. Louis, Mo.

coached the girls cross country team at Carterville High School to the Illinois State Class 1A cross country match in November 2013.

inducted into the Lewis and Clark Community College Athletics Hall of Fame for soccer in May 2013.

Christina Gibson-Cipfl, MAED ’09 was honored as a “Phenomenal Woman of Metropolitan St. Louis” by The Center for Racial Harmony on Oct. 27, 2013.

Chynna Glasgow ’09 recently earned her master’s degree in public health at the University of Liverpool. She is a medical device representative in Barbados.

Ashley Hayes ’09 teaches social studies and coaches girls soccer in the Carlinville School District in Carlinville, Ill. Mindy (Kamp) Hocking ’09, MBA ’10 is the administration manager at Zachry Industrial in Mt. Carmel, Ill.

Jennifer Mennerick ’09 is the head girls tennis coach at Belleville West High School in Belleville, Ill. Sara Schomaker ’09 is an English teacher at O’Fallon Township High School in O’Fallon, Ill.

WEDDINGS

1 2

3

4

5

8 6 9

7 Michael Acton ’80 and Kathleen Carr were married on Aug. 8, 2013.

1 Angela Chitwood ’03 and Eric Bruce were married on Sept. 28, 2013. She is the human resources supervisor at Perficient in St. Louis, Mo. 2 Lindsey Oertwig ’04 and Kevin Saffa were married on Aug. 3, 2013. She is a learning center instructor at Jefferson College in House Springs, Mo. 3 Laura Poland ’07 and Michael Renna were married on Oct. 12, 2013. She is the annual fund coordinator at Georgia Tech Alumni Association.

Julie Garrison ’08 and John Ruesler ’10 were 4

married on Oct. 5, 2013. She is an occupational therapist at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis,

Mo. He recently graduated with a doctorate in physical therapy from Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo. and is a physical therapist at Prorehab in Brentwood, Mo.

Jessica Montani ’12 and

5

Sara Reinacher ’08, MBA ’09 and Erick Seger were

8 Tiffany Schrage ’12 and Brett Zurliene, MBA ’12

married on Aug. 17, 2013. She is the marketing coordinator at Quigg Engineering Inc. in Collinsville, Ill and a part-time business instructor at McKendree.

were married on June 1, 2013.

She is an eighth grade math teacher at Scott Johnson Middle School in Allen, Texas.

He works as a district outside sales representative for Eaton’s B-Line Business in Dallas, Texas. (photo taken by Jason Winkeler Photography)

6 Jamie Straub ’10 and Bradley Holtman were married on May 4, 2013.

Tricia Straub ’11 and Adam Schwind ’10 were

7

married on July 20, 2013.

She is the graduate education receptionist at McKendree.

He is a substitute teacher at Lebanon Middle School in Lebanon, Ill.

Darren Meyer were married on June 22, 2013. She is a staff accountant at Hoyleton Youth and Family Services in Hoyleton, Ill.

Miranda Brittin ’13 and James Monteith ’13 were married on Oct.13, 2013.

Emily Williams ’13 and Joshua Hall ’13 were married 9

on May 25, 2013. She is a fifth/sixth grade teacher in Lower Kuskokwim School

10

District in Newtok, Alaska.

He is a correctional officer at Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward, Alaska.

10 Cassandra Wolters ’14 and Zachary Frank ’14 were married on April 6, 2013.

WHAT’S NEW WITH YOU? Have you moved recently?

Have you had a career or family change? Do you need to just update your email address?

We want to hear from you.

Fill out the update form at McKendree.edu/Classnotes or email your new information to alumni@mckendree.edu.

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ALUMNI News & Notes Michael Dreisbach ’12 is a cutman at the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

He is also the owner and commissioner of Bout Management Federation, LLC.

Ivan Stoyanov ’09 recently moved to Rome, Italy to obtain a master’s degree in product design.

10’s Fostering Healthy Hygiene Habits in the Himalayas Ashley Huffmon ’11 recently completed a two-year teaching

Christian fiction novel, entitled “Please Friend Me Forever.”

assignment at Kanglung Primary School in Trashigang, Bhutan in December 2013. She arrived in January 2012 through a partnership with Bhutan Canada Foundation to teach English at the rural community school.

Jordan Fark ’10 was

In her time teaching in Trashignag, Bhutan, she not only enjoyed expanding her mind in teaching, but loved being an influence in the lives of the students she taught and the families and friends that took her in. She gained a greater appreciation for what she has and learned to enjoy the little things, such as being called “Madam” or a simple smile or gesture from the welcoming families of Bhutan. She also gained a family away from home. The family of one of her students let her stay in their home and watched over her things while she was out of the country.

In August 2013, Ashley, along with McKendree assistant professors of education Dr. Darryn Diuguid and Dr. Jennifer Hope, received a grant entitled, “Instituting Health Literacy in Rural Bhutan to Foster Health Hygiene Habits in the Classroom and Community,” from the Illinois Literacy Council.

Darryn and Jennifer worked with 40 of their pre-service teachers in their “Children’s Literature” and “Methods of Teaching Science” courses at McKendree to analyze student reading ability data for the Bhutan classroom. The students identified, evaluated, and selected a set of texts on the topic of personal hygiene and health. Two sets of texts, along with required classroom materials for project implementation (art supplies, soap, and paper), were shipped to Ashley in Bhutan.

The healthy habits text sets and informational literacy such as posters, pamphlets, and public service announcements were implemented into her classroom lessons and spread through the village. She then worked with her students to influence healthy routines such as proper hand washing and personal cleanliness.

26

Carol (Pumphrey) Evaul, MAPC ’10 published her first

www.mckendree.edu

promoted to the head strength and conditioning coach at McKendree.

Denise Kennedy ’12 is a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky.

Bobbi Kinkelaar, MSN ’12 was promoted to director of nursing at St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham, Ill.

Kelsey Rittenhouse ’12 is a graduate admission counselor at McKendree.

Abby Baltz ’13 teaches fifthgrade at Nome Elementary School in Nome, Alaska.

Sasha Joyce ’10 works at the Bank of Bahamas.

Jessie (Gottschall) Hassenpflug ’13 is a staff

Holly Karner ’10 is a social science teacher for the Meridian School District in Mounds, Ill.

accountant at Kemper Home Services Co. in St. Louis, Mo.

Renee Ryterski ’10 is a math

Kyle Heckert ’13 is a math teacher at Pinckneyville High School in Pinckneyville, Ill.

teacher at O’Fallon Township High School in O’Fallon, Ill.

David Kirk ’13 is a public

Molly (Britton) Tiede ’10 is the lighting designer for the American musical premier of “LIFT” by the Beautiful Soup Theater in New York City.

Matt Anastasia ’11 is the finance director for the City of Blue Island, Ill.

Melinda Bayer ’12 is a math teacher and assistant volleyball coach at Triad High School in Troy, Ill. Shannon Cich ’12 is the bookstore manager at McKendree University.

relations and marketing director for a physical therapy/occupational therapy group.

Kaycee Nickrell, MSN ’13 is the nurse manager of pediatrics at Norton Women’s and Kosair Children’s Hospital in St. Matthews, Ky.

Derek Sallee ’13 is a brewery ambassador for AnheuserBusch InBev in St. Louis, Mo. Danielle Smith ’13 is a kindergarten teacher at Rich Hill Elementary School in Rich Hill, Mo.

Ronda Smith, MAED ’13

FUTURE BEARCATS

was promoted to assistant principal at Carrollton Grade School in Carrollton, Ill.

Tyler Smith ’13 is a financial representative for Northwestern Mutual in Edwardsville, Ill.

3

BethAnn Swartz ’13 is

1

the varsity softball coach for Althoff High School in Belleville, Ill.

2

Holly Weathers ’13 is a management trainee for Enterprise Holdings in St. Louis, Mo. She is also a marketing and public relations assistant at the Illinois Drill Team Association.

5 6

4

8

6 Emily (Hart) Meyer ’08, and husband Jonathan, announce the birth of Carmen Violet on Feb. 25, 2013.

7 Jennifer (Lerch) Miller ’04, MAED ’07, husband

1

La-Shell (Ebersohl) Riester ’87, and husband

3

Paul, announce the birth of their first grandchild, Chase Anthony Reasons on July 29, 2013.

Eric, and older siblings Jonathon, Raymond and Lucille, announce the birth of Edward Michael on June 24, 2013.

2 Gina (Deiters) Parker ’98, husband Jeff, and big sister Aria, announce the birth of Alexandra “Ally” Belle on Aug. 29, 2013.

Mindy (Kamp) Hocking ’09, MBA ’10, and husband

7

Justin, announce the birth of Riley Jean on Dec. 4, 2012.

Samantha (Barnes) Shewmaker ’10, and husband

4

Lindsay (Weathers) Fark ’07, MAED ’10, and husband Jordan ’09, welcomed their

Robert, welcomed their first child, Peyton, on July 5, 2013.

first child, Cash, on July 16, 2013.

8

Emily (Best) Van Natta ’10, and husband Daniel ’09,

5

announce the birth of Deacon Allen on Oct. 15, 2013.

her daughter, Temperance Jane, on June 26, 2013. She is welcomed by her big sister, Adelyn Rae.

9 Colin Adams ’13, and wife Chandra, announce the birth of Colin Drake II on May 3, 2013.

Melissa (Craig) Conner ’00, husband Nic, and big brother Craig, announce the birth of Myles Anderson on April 28, 2013.

9

Kari ( Jennings) Mayes ’08, announces the birth of

CALLING ALL MCK PARENTS! SUPPORT YOUR STUDENT AND THEIR PEERS. Here in the Parent Relations Office we recognize that parents play a critical role in their student’s University experience. Our goal is to offer you meaningful ways to engage in the life of the University in whatever way works best for you. There’s no “right” way to belong to the Parent Association. To learn more, sign-up for our eNewsletter, or to join a Parent Association Committee visit our website at McKendree.edu/parents or contact our Director of Parent Relations at 618.537.6823.

We’re grateful that your family is part of the McKendree family!

The Magazine for

Mc. Kendree

27

ALUMNI News & Notes Several alumni gathered at Ron’s Lounge during Homecoming 2013.

Of course, Joanie is in front. She has literally been at Ron’s for 43 years and still knows all of the people mentioned below. Back row l. to r.: Ron Tremmel, former professor; Kurt Klein ’79; Cole Gaebe ’82; Stan Elfrink ’81 and Vince Butler ’81. Front row, l. to r.: Mike

Reddy ’83; Debbie (Burger) Copelin ’80; Debbie (Erwin) Jacobs ’82; Susan (Hines) Wobbe ’82; Janet (Klein) Butler ’81; Teresa “Tracy” (Zimmerman) Elfrink ’81; George “Butch” Lewis ’83 and Jim Johnson ’81.

The alumni men’s soccer game was held on Aug. 30, 2013.

Pictured, front row, l. to r.: David Schmermund ’08; Kameron Young; Thomas Ward ’12;

Patrick Jones ’13; Joshua Brownfield ’07 and Chad Kutscher ’01. Back row, l. to r.: Nathan Stone ’97; Coach John Van Buskirk; Richard Reiniger ’88; William Zobrist ’05; Cole Harres ’08; Andrew Crawford ’10; Ryan Davinroy ’04; and Nicholas Brownfield ’02. Not Pictured: Stephen Demoulin ’06 and Joseph LoFink ’09.

Justin Knolhoff ’01; Brandon Gargus ’13; Patrick Thole ’13; Todd Bauer ’07; Brian Dinkelman ’07; Dustin Kantner ’06; Michael Harris ’06; Chad Ohnesorge ’09; Brandyn Snider ’13; David Causey ’01 and Jacob Flick ’09. Back row, l. to r.: Coach Jim Boehne; Kory Peppenhorst ’11; Lucas Blumhorst ’12; Eric Gentz ’12; Adam Davinroy ’10; Tyler Mattmiller ’10; Thomas “T.C.” Collins ’13; John Frech ’03; Adam Buehne ’08; Anthony Clervi ’08; Robert Beatty; David Session ’04; Craig Session; Tim Klein and Christopher Bellm ’08. Not pictured: Justin Fuhler ’02; David Kossina ’91; Nolan Martz ’12 and Calvin O’Rear ’11.

The alumni baseball game was held on Oct. 12, 2013. Pictured, front row, l. to r.:

28

www.mckendree.edu

IN MEMORIAM

Dr. Walter L. Schewe ’71

Marilyn A. Best ’58

8/27/13

10/22/13

Deceased alumni and friends through Dec. 31, 2013.

Ruby “Jean” Collie

Debra A. (Price) Unseld ’06, MBA ’08

Geraldine “Jerry” Travelstead

9/3/13

7/22/13

Jacob F. Lobue ’80 2/23/13

10/31/13

Maxine E. Barth ’87 Larry M. Baldus ’80

Dr. Don Holst

9/5/13

7/25/13

Victor J. Russell ’63 5/11/13

11/2/13

Wendall A. Kronberg ’53 Judith S. Coleman ’62

Dr. Edward Oppermann ’52

9/6/13

7/25/13

Robert D. McVey ’78 5/13/13

11/21/13

Wanda (Barger) Phelps ’45 Doris M. Wolfslau

Cyclone Covey

9/7/13

7/31/13

Dr. Richard F. Whitlock 5/14/13

11/22/13

Evlyn C. Koch Rev. William Johnson ’53

Clyde E. Dorries ’64

9/12/13

8/4/13

Christopher C. Ray ’16 6/27/13

11/27/13

Doris K. Snead Gerald B. Warton ’51

James H. Davenport ’96

9/17/13

8/7/13

Kenneth E. Burge ’78 7/14/13

12/8/13

William T. Wright ’50 Patterson Warlick, Jr. ’79

Dontes T. Phipps ’14

9/17/13

8/12/13

Barbara (Bowyer) Berry ’71 7/16/13

12/8/13

Angeline M. Haller ’61 Darrell D. Conner ’56

Rev. Rolland H. Devor ’63

9/20/13

8/14/13

Rev. Roy W. Field, Jr. ’61 7/16/13

12/14/13

Zane W. Crosby ’81 Don L. Wells ’60

R. Mason Holmes ’49

9/27/13

8/19/13

Susan (Schiano) Wray ’68

12/19/13

Geraldine (Bicz) Griggs ’65

7/19/13

Martin Philip “Phil” Carmody, Sr. ’73

9/28/13

Elizabeth “Betty” (Messmer) Young ’80

8/21/13

Christina M. Wolinski ’07, MAED ’10

John W. Antonuk Jr. ’58

7/19/13

Yvonne M. Martinich ’06, MAED ’12

10/2/13

12/27/13

Randy M. Hopwood ’76

8/23/13

Ninette M. Hopkins

7/20/13

Joseph N. Millard Jr. ’90 12/23/13

10/10/13

The following alumni participated in the alumni men’s basketball game on Nov. 23, 2013. Pictured, from l. to r.: John

Steppe ’13; Brad Copelin ’13; Chad Brown ’91; Paul Kettwich ’72; Dennis Korte ’70; Bro. Steve Davis ’93; Stan Elfrink ’81; Wendell Johnson ’69; Kurt Klein ’79; Phil Souders ’77 and Rich Stein ’56.

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29

ALUMNI News & Notes

The alumni women’s volleyball game was held on Sept. 21, 2013. Pictured, front row, l. to r.: Jean (Scheller) Sampson ’83; Christine (Albrecht) Coats ’91; Lindsey Gray ’12; Kristina Paisley ’11; Susan R. Mueller ’04; Katelyn (Kombrink) Hagarty ’09; Lauren Sarver ’10; Lindsay Amerson ’09; Megan Dohagne ’14; Michelle (Netemeyer) Floerke ’92 (kneeling) and Pamela (Goestenkors) Haselhorst ’87. Back row, l. to r.: Assistant Coach Ben Duckworth; Hannah Wessel ’16; Sophie Fairman ’16; Trina Isaak ’15; Rebecca Nauman ’17; Maddie Kelly ’14; Taylor Voss ’16; Kelsey Johnson ’15; Lauren Apetz ’16; Carolyn Brickey ’11; Maureen Nesbit ’14; Rachel Nelson ’16; Abby Hanger ’15; Aubry Dickman ’17; Bailey Kampwerth ’17; Breanna Howe ’17; Assistant Coach Bob Vollmer; Cheryl Ahrens ’94; Coach Lisa Orlet; Assistant Coach Nickie Sanlin and Volunteer Assistant Andrea Bolt.

30

www.mckendree.edu

Keri Ousley ’05; Sarah Ryan ’11; Lindsey (Freeman) Apple ’10; Erin (Spotanski) Strausbaugh ’09; Ashley Hayes ’09; Kasandra McIntyre ’12; Carlee Luehmann ’13 and Natalie ( Judge) Simon ’05. Back row, l. to r.: Assistant Coach Andrew Crawford ’10; Jamie Dienell ’04, MAED ’09; Hillary (Czosnyka) Heins ’95; Michelle (Mullins) Hadley ’95; Malinda (Pruitt) Heuring ’95; Jessica Vasiloff ’06; Ashlee Ritchie ’08; Erin Kilian ’13; Jaime Dean ’02; Crystal (Cavins) Yates ’03; Renee (Davinroy) Hauck ’04, MAED ’08; Jennifer (Louthan) Hopfinger ’00 and Coach Tim Strange. Not Pictured: Roxanne (Simpson) Strange ’02.

The alumni women’s soccer game was held on Aug. 30, 2013. Pictured, front row, l. to r.:

Show Your Bearcat Pride!

Get Your McKendree and Alumni Gear at www.McKendreebooks.net The Magazine for

Mc. Kendree

31

McKENDREE PRESENTS

2014 S PRI NG S E A S ON

Homecoming & Alumni Reunion Weekend October 24-26, 2014 Homecoming registration form and complete details coming this summer!

Online registration and a full schedule of events will be available at

McKendree.edu /homecoming We hope to see you on campus in October!

32

www.mckendree.edu

Thodos Dance Chicago, 1/30 John Pizzarelli Quartet, 2/21 “12 Years A Slave” mMN TIPXJOH, 2/23 Valentina Igoshina, 3/5 Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo -JWF PO 4UBHF, 3/8 +4&$0/% 4)08 "%%&% 1.

St. Louis Symphony Monday, 3/31 The Intergalactic Nemesis, 4/3 David J.R. Frakt, 4/21 www.theHett.com

t

618-537-6863

SPRING Events Mc K

D R U M C O R P S I N T E R NAT I O NA L M O N D A Y, J U L Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 4

Visual and Performing Arts Division MCKENDREE ART GALLERY EXHIBITS • February 6-27 – Five Views: A Photography Invitational by John Gardner, Bill Kniest, Don McKenna, Mary Ann Michna and Chris Ruess; Reception on February 20, 2014 • March 6-27 – Brian David Smith • March 17-24 – All Student Show; Reception on March 17, 2014 • May 1-23 – Senior Show by Lauren Bouchard ’14, Kelly Clapper ’14, Emilye Duncan ’14, Kayla Jenkins ’14, and Laura Kanyo ’14; Reception on May 3, 2014

THEATER PRODUCTION • March 27-30 – Spring Production: Blithe Spirit

Check out McKendree.edu for more calendar events.

MUSIC EVENTS

MAKE YOUR MARK

McKendree University Founders’ Day 2014 The annual Founders’ Day event, in celebration of McKendree’s 186th anniversary, will be held on Thursday, February 20.

• April 11 – Chamber Ensembles Concert • April 14 – Celebration of the Visual and Performing Arts • April 25 – Spring Choral Concert • April 29 – Jazz Ensembles Concert • May 1 – Percussion Ensemble Concert • May 2 – Concert Band Spring Concert More information is available at www.mckendree.edu/VPAevents.

RAMBLE INTO SPRING 5K, 10K & 10-Mile Race Saturday, March 22 • Sign up at McKendree.edu/raceday

S T U DE N T P RE V I E W D AYS Monday, February 17, 2014 Saturday, April 5, 2014 Learn more at McKendree.edu/previewday

be inspired

live inspired

COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES The Lebanon Commencement activities are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, May 9 & 10, 2014. The annual Senior Farewell Service will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 9 in the Hett. Immediately following the service, a Graduation Celebration will be held outside in the circle drive by the fountain. On Saturday, May 10, the undergraduate ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. on the front lawn, followed by the graduate ceremony at 2 p.m. The Kentucky Commencement ceremony will be held on Saturday, June 7 at 2 p.m. at First Christian Church in Elizabethtown, Ky.

701 College Road Lebanon, IL 62254

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