Miamian - Fall/Winter 2022

miamian The Magazine of Miami University

Fall/Winter 2022

PA INT I N G AS REFU G E After graduating from Miami with a major in environmental design, Christopher St. Leger ’95 moved to Budapest, bought and renovated a house, and taught himself to paint in the Romantic tradition. He now lives in Lockhart, Texas, with his wife, Andrea Foltz St. Leger ’95, an attorney in Austin, and their two children. The creator of “warriors,” a 24 x 24 inch oil on panel, Chris believes depicting mood and place in oil and watercolor transforms the way he sees his surroundings.

“The more I paint, the more I know what to look for: the gift of beauty in my immediate world. In times of complexity, I find tremendous solace in simplifying and returning to painting.”

Staff Editor Donna Boen ’83 MTSC ’96 Miamian@MiamiOH.edu 513-529-5957

Vol. 41, No. 1

miamian

Photographers Jeff Sabo Scott Kissell

The Magazine of Miami University

Copy Editor Lucy Baker

SPECIAL SECTION

Design Consultant Lilly Pereira www.aldeia.design

The Campaign for Miami University 18 Our Promise

University Advancement 513-529-4029 Vice President for University Advancement Brad Bundy Hon ’13 brad.bundy@MiamiOH.edu

Why we say love and honor.

20 Finding Kinship in Chaos

A poignant moment during a nightmarish day.

24 Courage to Change the World

Alumni Relations 513-529-5957 Executive Director of the Alumni Association Kim Tavares MBA ’12 kim.tavares@MiamiOH.edu Office of Development 513-529-3867 Interim Senior Associate Vice President for Development Ryan Elias eliasrr@MiamiOH.edu

Fall/Winter 2022

One person can make a huge difference.

28 With Understanding Comes Empathy A gifted author helps build rapport.

30 We Tell Stories to Connect

Stories are the thread that joins humanity together.

Four Cornerstones (see page 32)

32 Four Cornerstones for the Future

Miami aspires to support great challenges of our times.

MiamiOH.edu/alumni Send address changes to: Alumni Records Office Advancement Services Miami University 926 Chestnut Lane Oxford, Ohio 45056 alumnirecords@MiamiOH.edu 513-529-5127 Fax: 513-529-1466 ON THE COVER

Our cover for this issue was created by Ryan Olbrysh, a Las Vegas-based illustrator who was born in Cleveland and has fond childhood memories of summer days at Geauga Lake.

As Miami launched its billiondollar campaign, we wanted to capture both “Days of Old and Days to Come” on our forward-looking campuses.

IN EACH ISSUE

12 F rom the Hub

We are Those Who Will

13 B ack & Forth Mind Your Step (see page 48)

Miamian is published two times a year by the University Advancement Division of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056. Copyright © 2022, Miami University. All rights are reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

Contact Miamian at Glos Center, 820 S. Patterson Ave., Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056; 513-529-5957 or toll free 866-MU-ALUMS (866-6825867); Miamian@MiamiOH.edu.

To and From the Editor

14 M edia Matters From Tragedy to Appreciation

16 M y Story

The Heart of Friendship

16 A long Slant Walk

34 Love & Honor

10 Such a Life

38 Class Notes

12 I nquiry + Innovation

46 F arewells

Campus News Highlights

Strike Up the Band

Technology Unlocks Secrets to Superior Golf Swing

Taking Others’ Stories to Heart

Notes, News, Weddings

48 D ays of Old

Mind Your Step

from the hub

We Are Those Who Will

By President Greg Crawford Our strength of will at Miami University is embodied

We have a vision for how all of us, together, can make Miami a national leader and how we can equip generations of students to become alumni who spread Love and Honor.

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in our founding and our history, in the ways we prepare students for achievement in a rapidly changing global society, and in our consistent vision for the future. We are a force of will in action.

That force is readily visible when you look at our graduates out in the world today. We have CEOs at Chipotle, Cintas, Merck, Duke Energy, and Enterprise, to name a few of many. We have alumni who are top government and elected officials, such as the governor of the great state of Ohio. Our Cradle of Coaches tradition remains strong, too, with Sean McVay ’08 winning the latest Super Bowl. We are proud of our military leaders as well. We invited Sharon Bannister ’88, a major general in the U.S. Air Force, back to campus as our commencement speaker in May. In entrepreneurship, we’ve had 12 unicorn companies, privately held startup companies each valued at over a billion dollars, founded or led by Miamians.

What they all have in common is the Miami Experience. I commend our faculty and staff who value one-on-one teaching relationships with our students. That is why they come here.

Being one of the best undergraduate institutions in the country because of our teacher-scholar model is, understandably, both intensive and more expensive. At the same time, we want to be a national leader in offering better scholarship opportunities and expanded offerings in the rapidly growing fields of health care, emerging technologies, and business.

We have a vision for how all of us, together, can make Miami that national leader for decades to come and, more importantly, how we can equip generations of students to become alumni who spread Love and Honor through their ambition, vision, and character.

With this in mind, raising funds for scholarships is our No. 1 priority during Miami’s billion-dollar campaign, a five-year endeavor that we publicly launched on Homecoming Weekend in October.

For the campaign — which we’ve titled For love.

For honor. For those who will. — we are focusing on four cornerstones: Scholarships, Business and Entrepreneurship, Clinical Health Sciences, and Digital Innovation and Technology. While we intend to include all private support raised at Miami over the next five years toward our goal, the cornerstones will guide the majority of fundraising between now and 2027.

We’ve been busy providing the needed infrastructure for these areas. If you’ve been on the Oxford campus recently, you’ve seen that the Clinical Health Sciences and Wellness facility and the Richard M. McVey Data Science Building are well on their way to being completed next year.

The College@Elm Innovation and Workforce Development Center, a collaboration among the city of Oxford, Butler County, and Miami, is also taking shape. It will add a whole new dimenYou are invited to write to sion to the entrepreneurial President Greg Crawford at president@MiamiOH.edu. process by providing a space for turning ideas into reality.

We won’t just respond to changing jobs and changing industries in a changing world. We will create them.

Being transdisciplinary and entrepreneurial are key because the problems of our day are too big for any one discipline and too large for any one person. You see that reflected in every single one of our campaign cornerstones, whether it’s clinical sciences or robotics — people from vastly different areas of our academy are learning and growing together.

Love and Honor is a promise we make to each other and to the world of everything we will do next.

Together, we will transform our most ambitious visions into reality because Miami University exists …

For love. For honor. For those who will.

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miamian The Magazine of Miami University

Spring/Summer 2022

IN THIS ISSUE:

Now 100, Scripps Center Ages Gracefully A Dear Friendship with Hank Aaron Sometimes You Just Gotta Brag

Visual Voices

By turning ordinary objects into extraordinary art, the incarcerated find a way to be heard. MacArthur Fellow Nicole Fleetwood ’94 is listening.

Positive content refreshing We very much enjoyed the Spring/ Summer edition and the articles with good positive content … so refreshing compared to today’s negative contentious communications. Well done.

—Charles and Frances Isaly ’66 Cincinnati, Ohio 3 semesters with Milton I was prompted to write after reading Tom Romano’s “Miami Made It Happen” piece in the Spring/ Summer 2022 issue.

I can’t see one more mention of Milton White without writing to Miamian. As a transfer student in 1975, I spent the first half of my junior year catching up before jumping into my English major and Creative Writing minor with abundant energy. My three semesters with Milton were the highlight of my Miami education.

Before Easter weekend of my senior year, we were expected to have our final short story done. I turned mine in, but I was still not happy with it. Since my roommates were going home for the holiday,

I would have the apartment to myself to write, so I knocked on Milton’s door (at his home) and asked for my story back. He obliged, and I spent the entire weekend revising and retyping to meet the extended deadline.

Romano was so right: “Milton believed in growth and development, not gatekeeping,” a lesson that sticks with me as I coordinate the poetry group in my retirement community. It’s a lesson I’m sure Romano’s students carry forth into their own careers. That’s the legacy of a good education.

—Sue Winne Newell ’77 Lititz, Pennsylvania Home away from home I read with great interest in the Class Notes (page 34, Spring/ Summer 2022 Miamian) about the house located at 110 S. Campus in Oxford, which was once the home of Dr. William Shideler.

I lived in the house my sophomore year in 1965-1966 with my fellow Delta Chi, Bob Lucas. At the time, the Delta Chi House and its annex were at full capacity so several brothers rented rooms in the house, which we affectionately referred to as “ Shideler House.”

Bob and I had the ground-level, right-front room that is seen in the photograph.

The first floor of the house had hardwood floors, 12-foot ceilings, and beautiful painted woodwork, including crown molding throughout.

Our room was large and included built-in bookshelves as well as a red brick fireplace surrounded by woodwork and topped with a mantel. Because there was a large living room across the hall from us,

I surmise that our room was likely Dr. Shideler’s study or library.

There was a small kitchen, which we rarely used because we ate all of our meals at the Delta Chi House, which was two blocks away on North Campus.

At the time, there was a shed attached to the rear of the home that housed a massive cistern that was no longer in use. I have photographs of the front and rear of the home, as well as several of Bob and me in our room. We used to have pickup football games right across the street in the large grassy area adjacent to what was then Benton Hall (now Hall Auditorium), and the location provided convenient access to the central part of the campus and the Alumni Library (now Alumni Hall).

We had a great year living in Shideler House, and our room was the envy of many. The next year we moved to the Delta Chi Annex, which totally lacked the fine ambiance and classicism of Dr. Shideler’s home. It was shortly thereafter that the house became the home of another fraternity.

—Dave Bauer ’68 Bowling Green, Ohio Charmed by Hank Aaron It’s funny how we have so many connections to Miami University.

When I read Terence Moore’s beautiful story about Hank Aaron (“From Hero to Kindred Soul,” Spring/Summer 2022 Miamian), I immediately flashed back to my fond memory of Hank Aaron.

In the ’70s, I was in charge of a special event at Lazarus department store in Columbus, Ohio. I started the day enjoying breakfast at the Neil House with Mr. Aaron,

Send letters to: Donna Boen Miamian editor, Glos Center, 820 S. Patterson Ave., Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056 Miamian@MiamiOH.edu; or fax to 513-529-1950.

Include your name, class year, home address, and phone number.

Letters are edited for space and clarity.

Opinions expressed are those of the letter writers and not Miami University or Miamian magazine.

Fall/Winter 2022

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“ That Miami hoodie speaks of the time he, a rarely demonstrative father, on one of those trips, told me how proud he was of me, the first in my family to attend college.”

and he asked me to look for a charm for his wife because he loved buying her charms in the cities that he visited. By the time we had dinner at the Suburban Steak House on Dublin Road, I was so embarrassed because I tried so hard and could not find that charm!

It was a long time ago, but I will never forget his kindness, and for all that he accomplished, he was such a grounded man. I will always cherish my special memory.

Thank you, Terence Moore ’78, for sharing your story.

—Nancy Becker Stir ’76 Ashville, Ohio Photo from a different era I am sending you a copy of page 13 in the 1949 Recensio (in response to the 1919 reading room photo that ran in the Fall/Winter 2021 Miamian). It shows the library reading room as it appeared during my Miami years.

It was a large room — always full of students quietly working on assignments — or — sometimes people watching! I spent many hours there doing both.

As an aside, my father, Herbert Anstaett, Class of 1924, worked in the library as a student. That influenced his choice of career. He went on to become the librarian at Franklin and Marshall College for 40 years.

—Dilly Anstaett Dooley ’52 Cincinnati, Ohio

Alumni Library Reading Room in 1940s.

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Treasured hoodie memories I just had to comment on your “A Note from the Editor” column (“Tales T-shirts Tell,” Spring/ Summer 2022 Miamian).

I’m a little misty-eyed as I type.

I cherish the “Miami University Dad” zip-up hoodie I bought my dad in the mid-’80s. It is a bit yellowed with age, and it resides in a trunk of other cherished childhood and family clothing mementos … the plaid wool skirt my great-aunt Sarah made for me in the ’60s, the yellow floral half apron my mom helped me to make for home ec class in the ’70s. It’s made from the same fabric she used to make curtains for the second kitchen in the basement of our family home.

But that Miami hoodie says so much to me. It whispers of the trips my dad and I made together back and forth to Oxford in the days of the No Car Rule when he often drove five hours to come get me for holiday breaks.

It speaks a little more loudly of the time he, a rarely demonstrative father, on one of those trips, told me how proud he was of me, the first in my family to attend college (neither of my parents graduated high school).

It fairly shouts out the grief I still feel at losing him just nine years after graduating from Miami.

That hoodie says everything it needs to, every time I open that trunk. Your dad’s sweatshirt and the story you told of it will stick with me when I open that trunk after arriving back to the city of my childhood.

Perhaps our dads have met in that great beyond and have had a chance to chat about the university their daughters love so much.

It makes me smile to think that could be so.

—Kathy Branch Spicer ’87 Canton, Ohio Editor’s note: In the most recent Miamian, I wrote about a Miami sweatshirt I gave my dad, and how proudly he wore it. He never tired of telling others who asked about the shirt, that his daughter graduated from Miami. I’ve heard from several of you, such as Kathy, sharing anecdotes and photos of your Miami memorabilia for a future article. If you’d like to include your memories, my email and address are on page 3.

Glad to make his mom proud Since graduating, I have appreciated the ability to retain a connection to Miami University through Miamian. It is truly like reaching back into certain fond memories.

My degree was in Political Science with an emphasis in Public Administration. In one of my Poli Sci classes, Professor Darien McWhirter engaged us in a multi-group exercise in which each group had a president and advisors. We were provided with a mixture of good and bad information from which the president (me) had to make a decision … respond, despite incomplete information, with nuclear weapons to a possible nuclear attack by the Russians or wait for assurance that the Russians had launched. This was still during the Cold War. I recall Professor McWhirter making pronouncements concerning the latest update, and at one point walking up to our group with a written note and then crumpling it up and declaring that we “don’t need this information.”

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At the end, after each group had said “launch” or “don’t launch,” Professor McWhirter walked over to my group. He placed his hand on my shoulder and announced that in all the years he had conducted this exercise, my group was the first to ever launch a nuclear response and the first to respond correctly to the confused situation.

I also had the pleasure as a senior of acting as a proctor for Professor Robert Gump’s Public Administration class.

When I took the course, one assignment was to write an essay on which type of government service I would prefer. I decided to write about a desire to serve in state government. It wasn’t really out of any sense of future service, but simply because I needed to write something, and this was as good as anything else.

I’ve often looked back on this assignment with an incredible sense of irony and amusement.

After working for a law firm and a major regional bank, I went to work for Ohio’s secretary of state.

Five years later, I took the position as the executive director of the Ohio Elections Commission. More quickly approaching retirement than I would care to admit, I’ve had an incredible career in state government that I never anticipated as an undergraduate at Miami.

I was the first person from my family to attend college. My mother could not have been more honored than having a son graduate. I’m fairly certain that my Miami graduation meant more to her than when I graduated from law school. I was glad to make her proud.

—Philip Richter ’80 Columbus, Ohio

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Fast Friends Forever Would you give one of your kidneys to your son or daughter? What about your spouse, partner, mom, or dad? This is one of those soul-searching questions, especially when it’s not hypothetical.

What if the person who needed a kidney wasn’t family, but a friend from college. You were close then, but it’s been nearly 40 years since you graduated, and you’ve been busy with life — getting married, raising kids, then enjoying grandkids while working and paying the bills.

Derik Hines ’84 and Steve Fitzhugh ’86 became buddies while playing football at Miami. A linebacker, Derik ran a 4.7. If you’re into sports, you know that’s darn good. In case that reads like a foreign language to you (I Googled it), it means he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds.

In other words, he wasn’t slow. Derik told Tim Cary, Miami Athletics assistant director of News, Data, and Information, how he met Steve.

“They ran a sweep. I’m sprinting out to get to that running back — no one runs past me — and all of a sudden, this streak goes past me and makes the tackle, and it’s Steve.”

That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship that includes more than a dozen other Miami players from the 1980s. Because they’ve stayed in touch, Steve, a former NFL player with the Denver Broncos who went on to earn a master’s of divinity, felt he could ask his college teammates for prayer when he went into kidney failure. He desperately needed a miracle cure or a donor, a miracle in its own right.

A pastor, Derik started praying daily for a donor. Then one day he felt convicted. “Why are you asking about a donor for Fitz when you can do it yourself?” He gathered his wife, Deb (a Miami Merger), their five daughters, five sons-in-law, and 10 grandchildren, who all live within three miles of his home, to share what he wanted to do. They fully supported him.

Then he and Steve talked. During the emotional phone call, Derik told Steve, “I’ve always wanted to run as fast as you. Now I get to give you my kidney, so at least my kidney will run as fast as you!”

After extensive testing, it turned out that Derik’s kidney wasn’t an optimal match. He became a donor for another in October, moving Steve to the top of the list, which shortened his wait from two to five years to one to two months. Last I heard, Derik is home and recovering nicely, and Steve is scheduled for his surgery in late November.

If you would like to read their full story, “Teammates For Life: A Story of Love, Honor, Faith, and a Kidney,” beautifully written by Tim, you’ll find it at MiamiRedHawks.com/TeammatesForLife. We all know that Miami bonds are strong. You could say we’re joined at the hip, and sometimes even connected at the kidney. —Donna Boen ’83 MTSC ’96

Derik Hines ’84 (left), with Steve Fitzhugh ’86, says, “There’s a lot of history that melts your hearts and minds and lives together.”

Photo courtesy of Derik Hines

Fall/Winter 2022

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Norm Krumpe MS in Systems Analysis ’05

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Construction on the three-story Richard M. McVey Data Science Building is well underway this fall and expected to be finished by the end of 2023.

$1 Billion Campaign Begins “This is an important milestone in Miami’s history.” – Brad Bundy, vice president for University Advancement

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Miami University launched a $1 billion fundraising campaign — For love. For honor. FOR THOSE WHO WILL. — at its Homecoming game Oct. 8.

The goal, the largest in Miami’s history, reflects the aspirations and vision for the university in the next several decades, said Miami President Greg Crawford.

“Miami’s future is about driving transformational change that will guide the university through unprecedented volatility in higher education,” he said. “This campaign will help make that vision a reality.”

The campaign’s four funding priorities — its cornerstones — are Scholarships, Business and Entrepreneurship, Clinical Health Sciences, and Digital Innovation and Technology. “These are areas where the university has already made

significant investments, and where, through philanthropic support, Miami can be best in class,” Crawford said.

“Underlying all of this is our No. 1 priority — scholarships,” he emphasized. “We must ensure that deserving students from all backgrounds have access to a Miami education for generations to come.”

Brad Bundy, vice president for University Advancement, said the campaign is already off to a strong start.

“We’re launching this campaign on the heels of a record-breaking fiscal year for fundraising,” Bundy said.

“Thanks to those who will — our donors and corporate supporters — we have strong momentum carrying us into the launch.”

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Vision Becoming Reality Two major gifts announced the week the campaign goes public The campaign is off to a strong start, with the university surpassing the halfway mark and raising more than $564 million toward its $1 billion goal since fundraising efforts began in July 2016.

“It is extraordinary to be kicking off a campaign of this magnitude having already raised more than half of our goal,” said Brad Bundy, vice president for University Advancement.

“However, For love. For honor. FOR THOSE WHO WILL. is about more than breaking financial records,” he said. “It is about ensuring that Miami continues to thrive for generations to come.”

One of two transformational gifts announced the week the campaign launched was given by John Metz ’57 and his husband, Ali Khan, who have made a commitment to bequeath Miami $46 million upon their passing.

This is the largest individual gift in Miami’s history, and 100% of it is designated for scholarships in support of students who are Pell-Grant eligible.

These are students who are the most in need of financial assistance.

An avid art collector and retired employee relations executive, Metz, a Cincinnati native and longtime resident of New York City, said, “Ali and I are proud to help young people who are

I’M GLAD YOU ASKED As members of the Class of 2026 settled into life on campus, we asked:

Why Miami?

I like the hometown feel. It’s not too big, it’s not too small.

I don’t feel like I’m drowning here. So, super homey.

— Sydney Radke ’26, Zoology, Chicago

Students head to King Library to study on a beautiful fall day in Oxford.

aspiring to achieve better lives and hope they are successful in their goals.”

Bundy also announced a $2 million gift from Dinesh Paliwal MS ’83 MBA ’85, a partner at KKR, a global investment firm in New York, and his wife, ILA, to endow a deanship for the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) and fund scholarships for CEC. Both the deanship and the scholarships will be named in honor of Dinesh and ILA.

“ The more you know about the world, the weirder the world gets. The more fascinating it gets.”

— Hank Green, an American vlogger, science communicator, entrepreneur, author, internet producer, and musician, spoke about “The Science of Lying, the Terrifying Truth about Bananas, and Other Scientific Wonders” in October, kicking off Miami’s 2022-2023 Lecture Series.

The Art program is really amazing. I just absolutely love the campus, and it seems to have a really good sense of community. I love the overall vibe.

— Ellen Long ’26, Communications and Design, Loveland, Ohio

When I toured the campus, I just fell in love with the entire place.

— Asher Kearney ’26, Mechanical Engineering, Cincinnati

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NOTEWORTHY

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine has bestowed its 2022 Inspiring Programs in STEM award on Miami’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program, which provides incentives and opportunities for high-achieving underrepresented minority students to meet their goals in STEM degrees, careers, and graduate school. LSAMP is funded by the National Science Foundation and named after the late U.S. Rep. Louis Stokes, Ohio’s first elected Black congressman.

Darrel Grissom, longtime head coach of Miami Regionals’ Hamilton Harriers Baseball, was named Coach of the Year by the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) last spring. Grissom, who had just completed his 22nd season at the helm of the Harriers, led the team to a 7-1 USCAA conference record. The team advanced to the finals of the USCAA Small College World Series National Championship, falling to Apprentice School Builders.

For the third consecutive year, Miami is one of the top employers in the state of Ohio.

The university was again represented on Forbes’ America’s Best Employers by State list, coming in at No. 17 overall in Ohio for 2022. Forbes and market research company Statista teamed to assemble the 2022 list by surveying 70,000 workers for companies with 500 or more employees. Miami ranks in the top five in Ohio’s education industry.

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RISING RANKS

48th 1st

in public schools among national universities by U.S. News & World Report 2022-2023 Best Colleges rankings

in Ohio, according to Most Trusted Universities special report by Morning Consult’s Most Trusted Brands 2022

Advancing Social Justice The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati was recognized with the Freedom Summer of ’64 Award earlier this fall for “inspiring the nation to advance civil rights and social justice.”

The award honors the 1964 training of 800 college students at what was then the Western College for Women and is now Miami University’s Western campus — to travel to the South to register Black voters.

“The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center embodies the spirit, mission, and tenacity that sustained the bravery of the Freedom Summer activists,” said Miami President Greg Crawford, who called the center a national icon.

Opened in 2004, the Freedom Center is a museum that shares the stories of courage, perseverance, and cooperation from the era of the Underground Railroad to encourage ongoing efforts for equity today. It also pays tribute to efforts to “abolish human enslavement and secure freedom for all people.”

Woodrow Keown Jr., the center’s president, has led a team through a re-envisioning process.

“This award addresses our refreshed mission and speaks prominently to the

Woodrow Keown Jr., president of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, accepts the Freedom Summer of ’64 Award from Miami University on behalf of the center.

work we are doing in advocating for social justice,” he said.

The center is reaching out into the community to train and educate, especially the younger generation.

“Many of the people who participated in community rallies around the world in 2020 were diverse and young,” Keown said. “They are the key to our future, and I want our Freedom Center to be a part of inspiring these modern abolitionists to continue what they started with their global protests.”

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Young Hall graces Western: Beechwoods, a residence hall opened on Western campus in 2014, has been renamed Young Hall to honor Western College for Women’s 10th president, who served from 1954-1969. Herrick Young positioned the college at the forefront of international and multicultural education. The Wisconsin native was president in 1964 when the campus hosted 800 activists who trained for Freedom Summer, a civil rights voter registration drive. The campus became part of Miami in 1974 when Western College closed. From 1974 to 2010, the Western campus housed Miami’s oldest residence-based learning community and division, the School of Interdisciplinary Studies/Western College Program.

Focus On K-12 Mental Health Miami has been awarded $5 million through a partnership with the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Ohio Department of Education to prioritize mental health and wellness for K-12 students and staff across the state.

With the grant, Miami is transforming the Center for School-Based Mental Health Programs into a new SchoolBased Center of Excellence (SBCOE) for Prevention and Early Intervention to address an ongoing mental health crisis.

It will act as a hub to house schoolbased mental health initiatives.

“Even before COVID, mental health issues had skyrocketed,” said Miami SBCOE Director Cricket Meehan. “Social isolation, anxiety, and depression are impacting classrooms and schools at a much higher level than ever before. We will help to identify what each and every person’s role is, ensure that they have the supports and the tools they need, and that collaborative partnerships are working together harmoniously.”

MAY ’23 GRADUATION SPEAKER Nicole Fleetwood ’94, a graduate of Miami’s School of Interdisciplinary Studies (Western College Program), will be the spring commencement speaker.

The native of Hamilton, Ohio, is the inaugural James Weldon Johnson Professor of Media, Culture and Communication at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. She won the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in 2021 after publishing Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration.

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such a life

STRIKE UP THE BAND To start Homecoming 2022 on the right foot, the Miami University Alumni Association revived the tradition of the Homecoming Parade, last held in 2014. The Oct. 8 morning event started at Cook Field, headed west on High Street, and then north down Tallawanda to Millett.

And what’s a parade without a band? The Miami University Marching Band — one of its members is seen here warming up — rallied the fans standing along the route to clap and sing while they played the Fight Song.

In the afternoon, the football team took to the field in new uniform jerseys. Featuring a throwback design from the early 2000, Miami’s classic red tops sported mesh numbering accompanied by a patch that read “For love. For honor. FOR THOSE WHO WILL.” — to signify that day’s announcement of Miami’s new $1 billion campaign. The perfect crisp fall day ended with fireworks over Yager Stadium after Miami beat Kent State by 3 points.

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inquiry + innovation

Technology Unlocks Secrets to Superior Golf Swing

By James Loy

Reflective markers, infrared cameras, and force plates bring new levels of data-driven analytics to the sport.

Golf is not typically known as a high-tech sport.

Nor has it yet embraced the kind of data and performance analytics that drive so many others.

Until now. Miami University Biomechanics professor Mark Walsh and Young-Hoo Kwon, a professor of Kinesiology at Texas Women’s University, are using innovative technology to unlock the secrets of a superior swing.

“Coming from the science side of sport, everything we do is data driven, and I’m amazed that golf isn’t,” said Walsh, who is a professor in the department of Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health. “But we’ve become a data collection center for professional and amateur golfers in the Midwest.”

In the past, golf has largely relied on anecdotal strategies from coaches who often intuit solutions for players based on their own idiosyncratic perceptions of what may or may not have worked.

But that’s changing, Walsh said. The technology in his lab uses a combination of several high-tech integrations including reflective markers and force plates to render computer-generated models of golfers taking different kinds of swings.

“We can show you that this is where you started, and this is where you’re at. Not only are you hitting the ball farther, but this is why. These are the concrete things that changed. You can see it. It gives the golfers validation, and it validates what we’re doing.”

The force plate plays a big role in many aspects of Walsh’s research. It’s also a technology that has

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other multifaceted uses — such as in Parkinson’s and concussion research — to measure minute, almost imperceptible movements that the body unconsciously makes to maintain balance.

The real magic In the past, a force plate may not have translated so well to golf research. But today, modern models are smaller, more portable, and no longer need to be anchored in concrete, which can provide a more authentic research environment that more accurately mimics the postural footing and swinging conditions that golfers experience on an authentic course.

The real magic happens when a force plate’s motion and balance sensing technology is combined with a high-tech infrared quadrascopic camera that takes four pictures simultaneously from four slightly different angles.

The camera calculates ball speed, distance, trajectory, and spin, while also showing if a ball will bounce or roll backward after hitting the ground. In addition, it produces a computer-generated stick figure of a golfer’s form that indicates stress and pressure points, which can further identify potential ways to improve a swing.

inquiry + innovation

Far left: Tess McGuire MS ’22, while a master’s student in kinesiology and health, completed her thesis on the golf swing. She is currently a field clinical specialist for medical device company BIOTRONIK. Center: Reflective markers combined with infrared cameras allow researchers to study various swinging mechanics and motions using 3D computer-generated models.

“We get a lot of useful information,” Walsh said.

“Now, we know all the forces going through each leg in three dimensions, and all the movements their bodies are making. And we can give them tips on how to decrease their chance of injury. We see some really subtle things that the naked eye cannot see if you’re just visually watching a golfer.”

Not all about raw strength So far, their research has largely focused on longdistance drives. And it’s helping golfers and golf coaches rethink common practices and approaches, many of which may intuitively seem effective, but, in reality, can ultimately be unproductive.

To increase driving distance from 150 yards to 200, you may think that you need to increase your raw strength or swing power.

Not so, Walsh said.

The sequential motion is far more complex than swinging harder or faster.

The researchers begin by dividing the body into different segments that include the club and the arms, both legs, and the torso. The sequential motion is first analyzed starting with the forces that emanate from the ground, and then, as they move upward through the body.

After studying data from hundreds of computergenerated models, they see that many other, more nuanced biomechanical factors are involved.

For example, a golfer may need to shift weight from the right leg to the left, raise an elbow higher, and increase the backswing-to-downswing ratio.

“So your swing isn’t just your full swing scaled up,” Walsh said. “Some of the things look exactly the same, but other things are changing immensely. And once we document it, the golfers have a little more control over it. Then we can say, ‘That worked. But this is what happened to make that work.’ ” After a golfer gains a better understanding of how the mechanics of their swing affect their drive, as well as what can be done to improve, it’s up to them to practice their new technique until desired changes become routine.

A scientific win-win So far, Walsh and Kwon have worked with several pro golfers and many top amateur golfers around the Midwest.

Various Ohio high school golf coaches are also getting their student-athletes involved. For a $600 lab fee, anyone interested in having their swing analyzed can sign up.

“It’s win-win for everybody,” Walsh said. “The golfers get better, and the sign-up fees keep our lab supplies going.

“It’s also great for our Miami students because they get hands-on laboratory research and elite athlete support experience. And it’s fun. As far as jobs go, it’s a fun way to spend a weekend.”

From a sport analytics perspective, it’s also arguably a win for the game itself, as their work is helping golf move from an art to a science.

Both pro and amateur golfers interested in having their swing analyzed may contact Miami Biomechanics professor Mark Walsh at walshms@MiamiOH.edu.

Mark Walsh, a professor in Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health at Miami University, has several scholarly interests, including sport biomechanics. More specifically, he studies balance and postural sway characteristics of healthy, fatigued, and injured athletes as well as the mechanics of running and jumping as it relates to performance and injury.

James Loy is a writer/editor in News and Media Relations at Miami University.

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media matters

From Tragedy to Appreciation Ben Ewell ’63 believes perseverance leads to hope and better times Ben Ewell ’63 opens his memoir, Sunday Afternoons

Family home in Brighton, Ohio.

“I wanted to maybe inform people how they can deal with tough times and tragedies in life. Never give up,” said Ben Ewell ’63, author of Sunday Afternoons and Other Times Remembered.

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and Other Times Remembered, with the gruesome, high-profile murders of his brother Dale ’54, sister-inlaw Glee, and niece Tiffany on Easter Sunday, April 19, 1992, in Fresno, California.

Despite repeated media requests through the years, Ewell, a lawyer, rancher, and developer who also lives in Fresno, has never talked publicly about his family members being gunned down in their own home.

He decided that a memoir was his way to finally express his feelings.

In his book, he recounts being told over the phone that they are dead and deciding to drive to his brother Dan’s house to break the news to him.

“I started to feel wobbly and fainter, and tears came to my eyes and ran down my cheeks,” he wrote.

“I put on my sunglasses and walked out of the office, strangely wondering what others in the office might think about my crying. From my early childhood days on our Ohio farm, I’d learned that boys and certainly men … didn’t really show emotion, cry, or hug people.”

Ewell goes on to tell about the funerals, the investigation, and the trial. In the following chapters, he travels back to his childhood on the family farm in Brighton, Ohio, south of Cleveland, showing how life’s good times balance the bad.

His best early memories revolve around his family — his father, a farmer who went to work after high school; his mother, who attended college at the same time he did and became a teacher; his brothers, Dale, Richard ’59, and Dan ’61 (who died in 2019 of complications from Parkinson’s); and his sister, Betty. Life on the farm was isolated and demanding. He didn’t mind.

“We just had one telephone, and we didn’t have a bathroom or running water until after I was at Miami,” Ewell recalled. “But you know the old saying, you don’t miss things if you don’t know them.”

Although work on the farm didn’t stop on Sundays — cows still needed to be milked — it certainly slowed and allowed for fried chicken after church and lazy afternoons with the siblings goofing around.

After college, Ewell moved to San Francisco to attend law school, living one block east of the HaightAshbury intersection, soon to be famous for its counterculture movement. Among his neighbors were The Grateful Dead. Talk about a culture shock.

The father of five sons — his youngest is a junior at Miami — compares life to riding a train.

“You get on and other people get on and get off.

Sometimes you go fast, sometimes you go slow, sometimes it’s rough, sometimes it’s smooth. The idea is to persevere and keep going toward the station.”

media matters

No Way Out Lee Flandreau ’58 Bluewaterpress Lee Flandreau, a veteran of African safaris, found a friend with a similar fascination in animals and forests, and planned a private river tour of Amazonia. A disaster, the adventure quickly morphed into doubts that they’d ever see civilization again.

Baseball’s Best Ever: A Half Century of Covering Hall of Famers Ira Berkow ’63 Sports Publishing Though we will never hit like Joe DiMaggio, play the outfield like Willie Mays, or run the bases like Jackie Robinson, Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist Ira Berkow places us on the field, in the locker room, and at home with the game’s greatest players.

Time Traveler 1492 Robert D. Oberst ’72 Global Future Press When the story’s hero sails to 15th century London, he acquires the first books ever printed in English. They are worth millions.

He hopes to transport them back to the 21st century. But he stays when he learns of a priceless

2,500-year-old manuscript containing the lost wisdom of the ages.

Sozo Unshackled Co-writer Brad Cousino ’74 Brad Cousino tells of being raised in an alcoholic home where physical and emotional abuse was the norm. Cleaning sewers to pay for college, he was a highly successful walk-on at Miami and went on to play in the NFL. Then everything came crashing down.

Sex Offender: My Father’s Secrets, My Secret Shame Danica Hubbard ’90 Fulton Books Danica Hubbard’s father was a pedophile appearing to live a “normal” life while terrorizing young girls in secret. Families related to sex offenders suffer in isolation, engulfed in stress and shame. This book is for them.

Chinese Americans in the Heartland Huping Ling ’91 Rutgers University Press Focused on the Heartland cities of Chicago and St. Louis, Huping Ling draws from government records, personal stories and interviews, and media reports to shed light on the commonalities of

the region, as compared to AsianAmerican communities on the East and West coasts and Hawaii.

Soccer in Mind Andrew Guest ’96 Rutgers University Press This thinking fan’s guide to the world’s most popular game uses stories and data, along with ideas from sociology and psychology, to provide new ways of understanding fanaticism, peak performance, talent development, and more.

Diving into Darkness to Find Light Mark Neff ’96 Find Your Light Now Selling his business and embracing three years of sobriety, Mark Neff begins navigating with new clarity and purpose. He shares his perspectives and struggles through his poetry and vignettes.

The Liar Benjamin Cunningham ’02 PublicAffairs In the 1970s, both the CIA and KGB were watching Karel Koecher, convinced he was working for the enemy. Both were right. Using newly declassified documents, interrogation tapes, and firsthand accounts from the Koechers, Ben reconstructs their double lives.

After the Mask: A Guide to Caring for Students and Schools Co-writers Jessica Sorcher ’20 and Rachael Sorcher ’20 Diagnosing Education Press This guide integrates high-level science from public health leaders with the expertise and perspective of educators to provide evidence-based strategies that enhance student well-being without asking teachers to be health-care providers or social workers.

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my story

MY STORY is a place for you to share reminiscences and observations about everyday happenings.

Submit your essay for consideration to: Donna Boen, Miamian editor, “My Story,” Glos Center, 820 S. Patterson Ave., Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056 or Miamian@ MiamiOH.edu. Please limit your essay to 900 words and include your name, class year, address, and phone number.

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Celebrating Matt Salyer’s wedding are 1989 classmates and former housemates: (bottom, l-r) Pete Powanda and Matt; (top, l-r) Greg Ingrassia, Jim Bisenius, Ron Eyink, and David Baskind. Not in the photo are Maher Bahu and Chris Meinhardt.

The Heart of Friendship

By David Baskind ’89

Matt Salyer was the kind of guy people fell in love with instantly. He had a big smile, enjoyed laughing, and could easily form friendships with anyone. He lived two doors down from me on the top floor of Dodds our freshman year, and we rented a house together with seven of our friends during our final two years at Miami. To say that living with nine guys was chaos would be an understatement. There were parties at our house pretty much every Friday night, even when none of us were there!

my story

We graduated in 1989, one week after our housemate Peter Byrne tragically died in a motorcycle accident.

In the first few years after graduation, our group got together for many weddings. But, other than a trip to Las Vegas about a dozen years ago, the truth is that those reunions became less frequent over time.

To commemorate 30 years since our graduation and Peter’s death, we came together once again for a great weekend in Indiana in 2019. Those days on the lake helped us to reconnect. It happened during the weekend of my daughter Olivia’s senior prom. I will never forget her telling me that she hoped to make friends in college that she would still want to spend time with 30 years later. I wished that for her, too.

During the pandemic, our group held a few Zoom gatherings where we reminisced and had a lot of laughs.

On Memorial Day weekend of 2021, our housemate Jim Bisenius asked us to participate in a Zoom call. He said it was urgent. He and another housemate, Pete Powanda, broke the news that Matt had just found out he had an aggressive form of cancer and would likely live for only a few more weeks.

All of us were stunned. We couldn’t believe that Matt was dying at the age of 54. A registered nurse, Matt excelled in and loved his role of caring for others. He had many interests and hobbies and was always curious and learning. He loved the Cincinnati Reds, and his cat, Pepper, and deep discussions and debates with friends and family, but his true purpose in this life was to simply love and connect with those around him.

During the Zoom call, Pete mentioned the possibility of Matt getting married soon. He was the only one from our group still single, but he’d had a serious girlfriend, Kristi, over the past year.

Sure enough, about a week later, they did marry. And, most of the guys from our house were there. It was a wedding like no other I have been to. This was partly because the groom was wearing an Under Armour shirt, cargo shorts, and sandals.

It was a strange mix of emotions knowing that we were celebrating one of the happiest days of Matt’s life while also knowing his time was limited.

Matt was grinning as widely as ever, and the bond between Kristi and Matt was clear and powerful. For a man who was in physical pain and who knew that he wouldn’t be around much longer, he never let it show. He was happier than we had ever seen him. The

reception afterward was fun and casual. Saying goodbye to the newlyweds at the end of the evening was almost too much to bear. Jim, Pete, Greg Ingrassia (another housemate), and I really struggled getting into the car and driving away.

We received frequent updates from Jim and Kristi over the next few weeks. Matt spent his final days with Kristi at their home dealing with the challenges of pancreatic-liver cancer. Seeing the love shared between the two of them during this impossibly difficult time was an inspiration to everyone around them. Matt’s passing on June 26, 2021, was heartbreaking but expected. He died just about a month after receiving his initial diagnosis.

There was a memorial Mass some five weeks later, but few of us attended. Matt wanted our last memory with him to be the celebration weekend he hosted for his wedding.

I keep thinking about how much that fits with Matt’s character. He wanted people to remember a festive event. When I think of Matt — which I do often these days — I think about his big smile and silly laugh. From his infectious laughter and quick wit to his caring presence, his family, and many, many friends often described Matt as “always there for you.”

We all have a limited amount of time in our life. Most of us do not know how much time that is. Matt did. He decided to spend some of his marrying the woman he loved and bringing together his friends and family.

Peter’s death more than 30 years ago really shifted my focus. We were on the verge of graduation and excited about what lay ahead of us.

Losing Peter helped me realize that our time is short.

The friendships we make matter, and spending time with those you love should be a priority. Matt’s death was a reminder of those lessons. Since Matt’s death, the guys have gotten together both falls at housemate Maher Bahu’s place in Illinois for a weekend of golfing, boating, and reuniting.

It really amazes me that the connections we formed after being randomly chosen to live together in Dodds Hall in 1985 forged friendships that have lasted ever since. Reconnecting with my longtime friends has meant so much to me, especially over the past few years.

To Matt and Peter and all of my Miami friends, thank you for your friendship.

“If you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.” — Muhammad Ali

Most of us do not know how much time we have. Matt did. He decided to spend some of his marrying the woman he loved and bringing together his friends and family.

Matt Salyer (left) and David Baskind, both Class of 1989, enjoying the reception after Matt’s marriage to Kristi Manwaring. Matt and David started their lifelong friendship as freshmen in Dodds Hall.

David is a professor of Psychology at Delta College in Michigan.

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SPE C I A L S E C T I O N :

The Campaign for Miami University

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Our Promise We say love and honor to remember.

We say love and honor to celebrate.

We say love and honor to inspire, To encourage, To connect.

But most of all We say love and honor Because it’s a promise we make To each other To the world Of everything we will do next.

We will learn and grow across disciplines Pioneering better solutions to challenges that don’t yet exist.

We will break down barriers to learning, Empowering new perspectives And new voices That strengthen our own.

We won’t just respond to changing jobs, Changing industries, And a changing world.

We will create them.

Together, we will transform our most ambitious visions Into reality.

This is our promise.

Because Miami University exists …

For love.

For honor.

FOR THOSE WHO WILL. Fall/Winter 2022

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Finding Kinship in Chaos We say love and honor to inspire, to encourage, to connect.

BY DONNA BO E N ’8 3 M TSC ’9 6

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Prologue: On July 4, 2022, at 10:14 a.m., a gunman killed seven people during Highland Park, Illinois’ Independence Day parade. Forty-eight others were injured by bullets or shrapnel.

KIM GOLDSMITH ’00 ducked and escaped into Walker Bros. Original Pancake House. She kept running until she found herself in the manager’s office. Thinking she might pass out, she lay down on the floor and put her feet up on a desk.

Still breathing heavily but starting to focus, she noticed a dog watching her. He had blood on his face. Not all over. Just a little bit on his white fur above one eyebrow.

It wasn’t his blood.

She looked up and saw a man sitting on a desk across from her. The dog belonged to him.

Kim Goldsmith ’00, Jeff Korman ’77, and Jeff’s dog, Max.

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AFTER THE LULL

A special education teacher in South Korea for the U.S. Department of Defense, Kim spends her summers in

Chicago with her dad. She’d eaten at that restaurant in Highland Park, Illinois, two days earlier when her family celebrated her dad’s 70th birthday.

The morning of July 4, Kim debated on whether to go to the hometown parade. She was working on a second master’s degree and struggling through a lot of homework. However, her best friend from childhood would be marching. Plus, Kim loves a good parade.

Quietly leaving the house to not wake her dad, she drove the seven minutes and was shocked to find a space in the parking garage beneath the pancake house, as the underground garage was at the center of the parade.

Kim saw her sister right away. Ashlee was sitting on a circular bench in front of Walker Bros., holding her friend’s

2-year-old on her lap. Her 5-year-old son and her friend’s son, also 5, were standing in front. It was crowded, so Kim stood behind the bench. Her sister turned around, saw her, and waved for her to come up front, but she didn’t want to get in their way, so she stayed where she was.

The parade started a few minutes later. Kim saw the mayor, the high school band, and the horses. Then there was a lull, and she heard what she thought were fireworks.

It was gunshots.

DOOR TO SAFETY

“This is all in a split second, right?”

Kim said. “There’s a bit of a fog here. I remember people, like, what I thought maybe were dropping to the ground on their stomachs, like kind of getting down.

“It was silent. Everything went silent.

“I remember thinking, ‘Squat. Don’t lie on the ground. Bullets ricochet.’

When I ducked, I happened to be behind that bench. The second thing that kicked in was the school training where they’re always saying get into an enclosed indoor inside room without windows.

“So I turned and I saw the restaurant, and I ran in. In my head, it’s a very short run. When you stand there, in reality, and I’ve gone back a million times, it’s actually quite a dash.

“They have a revolving door, and I remember looking up and thinking, ‘I don’t remember they had a shattered door.’ I didn’t connect that a gun had just shattered the glass.”

MIAMI MEMORIES

“Being in that restaurant, that was my safe place,” said Kim Goldsmith ’00. “The outside was terrifying. That’s where bullets were. That’s where my sister was shot. Employees at the restaurant did so much for us.”

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Jeff Korman ’77 figures he must have been standing near Kim. He’d bent down to pour water in a Starbucks cup for Max when he heard the shots. He and Max rushed into Walker Bros. seconds before Kim.

Photo courtesy of Walker Bros. The Original Pancake House

The man was talking. Something about a charger. He needed a charger for his phone. She happened to have one.

She might need it, she thought, although maybe she should give it to this man.

They started talking. The man was Jeff. His dog was Max. Kim didn’t know what had happened to her younger sister, Ashlee, who’d been sitting in front of her on a bench.

Was she hurt? Or dead? She tried calling her brother-in-law. He didn’t pick up. It was maybe 30 minutes later when she heard from Ashlee. She’d been shot. In the hand.

customer communications manager at Bimbo Bakeries USA in Chicago.

“Seriously!?”

The two alumni started talking Miami sports.

Jeff: “Were you there for Roethlisberger?”

Gregg: “No, I missed him by a year.”

Jeff: “What about Wally Szczerbiak?”

Gregg: “No, I missed him by a few more years.”

Jeff: “That’s OK. I was back in the days of Sherman Smith and Rob Carpenter.”

They chatted awhile longer. Then Jeff returned to the office with Max in his arms. “That was really weird,” he told Kim. “Of all places, I meet an alum of Miami University, where I went to school.”

“I went to Miami, too!” Kim told him.

Being in Oxford at different times didn’t matter. Sharing their memories of Miami was calming — a poignant moment during a nightmarish day.

Gregg Rollins ’08 with his 4-year-old son, and Jeff Korman ’77.

They joined many others taking refuge inside the restaurant.

While in the office with Kim, Jeff noticed a younger man leaning against a walk-in cooler in the next room. He was with his 4-year-old son and wife, who looked to be about 8 months pregnant. The man was wearing a battered gray baseball cap with a white M bordered in blue.

Jeff, an entrepreneur in the apparel business, walked over to the younger man, and said, “I like your hat. You’ve got the right shaped M, but you’ve got it in the wrong color. What is that? Michigan?”

“No, it’s Miami University,” said the younger man, Gregg Rollins ’08,

Although the pain and memories should lessen with time, Jeff says he doesn’t want to be a victim. He wants to be a voice, reminding others to appreciate life, as it can change in a split second.

“Gregg and I talked. All we want people to know out of all of it is, don’t think it can’t happen where you live because it did, so just be aware of your surroundings and appreciate your family, appreciate your life experiences, appreciate that you went to Miami. And Love and Honor everybody around you.”

Epilogue: Jeff, Kim, and Gregg are discussing a possible Miami University scholarship for Highland Park students in memory of the victims.

Donna Boen ’83 MTSC ’96 is editor of Miamian.

APPRECIATE YOUR LIFE

To try to deal with their trauma, Kim, Jeff, and Max met up many times in Highland Park throughout the rest of the summer. Gregg was too busy with his new baby girl, although he did run into Jeff in passing.

Sharing their memories of Miami was calming — a poignant moment during a nightmarish day.

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Courage to Change the World We say love and honor because it’s a promise we make of everything we will do next.

BY DONNA BO E N ’8 3 M TSC ’9 6

AMITOJ KAUR ’23 is earning two degrees — Emerging Technology in Business and Design and Political Science. She runs her own business, selling crew necks that she and her mom embroider. She co-founded W.O.K.E. (Women of Kolour Excellence), an academic support group for women of color at Miami.

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She’s co-authored million-dollar grant applications, sits on the provost search committee, participated on the Armstrong Student Center Board, was a student orientation leader, works two campus jobs, and served as a student member on Miami’s board of trustees her freshman and sophomore years.

Oh, and she’s Miami’s student body president. Actually, she’s the first Indian student to be president (she’s Punjabi), first South Asian, and first commuter in the role as well. She’s also a firstgeneration college student.

And to think that she almost didn’t attend college. Make that almost couldn’t.

THE PERSON BEHIND THE RÉSUMÉ

Amitoj would be mortified if you thought she was bragging about her accomplishments.

At 5-foot-1, she’s not an imposing figure. She considers herself a laidback introvert. She talks quietly, but fast. And people gravitate toward her.

That’s likely because she listens.

A resident of West Chester, Ohio, about 40 minutes east of Miami’s Oxford campus, Amitoj (pronounced

Ah-muh-taj) is the daughter of two hardworking Indian immigrants.

When her parents, Raj and Amrik, moved to the United States, her mom began 12-hour shifts in physically demanding jobs so her family would be covered by health insurance. Health benefits weren’t available to her father, a pastor at the only Sikh temple in Cincinnati.

“Suddenly, my mom became the primary breadwinner,” Amitoj said. “While she was off at work, my dad would take care of me during the day. Our life was unconventional, especially for a typical Indian family, but I loved my childhood.”

Although she treasured her upbringing, she could see that hers varied from many of her friends and classmates.

For example, at the elementary school book fair, other parents would give their children upwards of $50 to buy books and treats. Amitoj’s parents could afford only $5 or maybe $10 in a good week.

She never resented them for this.

She understood.

So much so that when she had the opportunity in high school to become national vice president for Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America, a career and technical student

I’m going to do things that are going to change the world. And I’m going to do that because Miami gave me the courage to do that.

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— AMITOJ KAU R ’ 23

organization that she loved, she was going to turn it down.

There was no way her parents could afford the uniform and travel associated with the role.

“However, my teacher, Mrs. Roberts, who is, ironically, a Miami grad herself, applied for a grant on my behalf that went through and allowed me to make memories that will last me a lifetime and put me on the map to be recruited by universities.”

NO PEDESTAL FOR HER

Miami was one of the universities that was interested in her. But, despite the $8 an hour, pretax, that she was earning at the local Hollister clothing and accessories store, college didn’t seem financially possible.

That all changed when Miami offered her an Access Fellows Scholarship, which would cover her tuition.

“The Access Scholarship is tragically beautiful,” Amitoj said. “The donor put Miami in their will, and the remaining estate would go toward students who needed it. I often wonder if the donor would be proud of who this scholarship went to. I get emotional that I will never be able to thank them in the way they deserve.”

Proud? How much more can a student add to a resume? And hers are stellar achievements.

By mid-October, she and her administration in Associated Student Government had already fulfilled nearly all of their goals for the school year.

She worked diligently last summer, ironically, without pay, to collaborate with Miami’s leaders and successfully raise students’ minimum wage.

She’s most proud of persuading the university to provide free menstrual products in all of the academic buildings as well as buildings with high student frequency, such as the Rec Center.

Amitoj Kaur ’23, Miami’s student body president (red sweatshirt), with her vice president, Khenadi Grubb ’23, in front of MacCracken Hall.

As for serving as president, sometimes it’s hard to be so visible. It’s also quite the balancing act as other students can forget that she’s a student, too, earning two degrees.

“In a weird way, they look up to you, and they put you on this pedestal. And it’s like, No. I still worry, I’m still very insecure. I’m trying to find my way like everyone else. Behind the presidency, I’m just Amitoj.”

1 PLUS 1 PLUS 1 …

She’s in no rush to finish her senior year.

Still, she’s excited and grateful to have a job as a digital marketer already lined up with JPMorgan Chase in Columbus.

“It goes back to Love and Honor. Cool, I’m a digital marketer, but I’m going to do things that are going to change the world.

And I’m going to do that because Miami gave me the courage to do that.”

She takes nothing for granted and says her success is a culmination of the adults in her life who invested in her before she even knew her worth.

There’s her teacher, Ann Roberts ’87.

There are her mom and dad, who instilled in her an incredible work ethic while sharing their love and confidence in her.

And there’s the person who funded the Access Fellows Scholarship, and made college possible.

Just one person.

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With Understanding Comes Empathy We will break down barriers to learning …

Columbus native Wil Haygood ’76, journalist and author of nine nonfiction books, including Tigerland, Colorization, and The Butler, which was made into a critically acclaimed film, received the 2022 Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award this fall from the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation. His vast body of work has “led readers to a better understanding of other cultures, people, religions, and political points of view.” In the following excerpts, Haygood talks about what he writes and why.

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Wil Haygood ’76 with Winnie Mandela, wife of imprisoned Nelson Mandela, in South Africa in 1990 before the racially segregated system of apartheid fell.

“The history of America — much of the world even — is marked by a relentless struggle for peace. This is our hard climb. Where it concerns Black Americans and their quest for justice, I’ve been drawn to many stories, often stories missing from the history books.

My real-life characters ask a simple question when it comes to peace: ‘Why can’t we all get along?’ ” “It didn’t take too long after I reached The Boston Globe in 1984 that editors began sending me out across the country to report about complex issues.

America seems to be in a constant sociocultural turmoil, so I wrote about economic malaise, racial battles, politicians like Bill Clinton and onetime segregationist governors George Wallace and Orval Faubus. I covered a lot of the American South, and it was always gratifying to go off the beaten road and find ‘undiscovered’ stories. I’ve always tried to dive inside a news story and pull out a human story.”

“If what I write — and I’m talking both books and journalism — empowers anyone at all, I think it is in the selection of stories I write, and the news that those stories bring. I remember landing in Los Angeles in the aftermath of the acquittal of the police officers who brutalized Black motorist Rodney King, and the city being full of fire and anger. You can tell the story of this country, sad to say, in its uprisings.”

“I don’t think it can get any more interesting than being a Black reporter riding alone across Louisiana with Ku Klux Klansman David Duke.”

“Every time there is a crisis in America — or elsewhere in the world — we anxiously await what words will be uttered by certain leaders. We have seen this with President Zelensky in Ukraine who has made some beautiful, brave, and heartbreaking speeches about saving his nation from tyranny.

I’ve been in war zones, and I’ve seen how brutalized populations look to their leaders in times of crisis. I saw it up close with Nelson Mandela in South Africa. His calming words gave the whites who had been in power the confidence to remain in the country and help move the country from apartheid to democracy.”

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We Tell Stories to Connect … empowering new perspectives

… that strengthen our own.

In 1995, Dayton, Ohio, was chosen as the site of what came to be known as the Dayton Peace Accords, a last-ditch effort to stop the ethnic cleansing that had claimed more than 300,000 lives and displaced 1 million people, according to the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation.

It was “the worst killing ground in Europe since World War II,” wrote Richard Holbrooke, the chief U.S. peace negotiator at the time, in his 1998 book, To End a War. Then assistant secretary of state, Holbrooke chose Dayton because of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. It provided stark accommodations for the nine participating delegations, sealed off the press, and displayed America’s air power.

His strategy, now known in diplomacy circles as a “Dayton,” locked the negotiators in a room until they reached an agreement, signed by the presidents of Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia on Nov. 21, 1995. It ended the war in Bosnia and outlined an agreement for peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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“In 2005, when Richard Holbrooke came to Dayton to accept the Dayton Peace Prize because he ended a war with words, he stood on the podium right in front of me, and he challenged Daytonians to celebrate peace annually. I felt as though he were talking directly to me.”

“Me” is Sharon Honaker Rab ’68, longtime English teacher at Kettering Fairmont High School and Miami University, now retired. Soon after hearing Holbrooke’s challenge, she founded the Dayton Literary Peace Prize (DLPP).

It’s likely no surprise that an English teacher’s perspective is honed by literature, but how does that relate to a peace prize? Why a literary peace prize?

“The syllogism works for me,” Rab said, explaining, “War is possible only when the enemy is dehumanized. Reading brings empathy. The enemy is humanized, and war can be averted.”

Like many of us, if not most, she is a “child of the canon,” the authoritative texts of Shakespeare and Chaucer and other “dead, white men,” as she calls them. She learned from them, cherished them, and taught them. But as powerful as their works may be, the DLPP winners are part of our world — breathing the same air, sharing the same resources, fearing the same fears.

No one expects writers to change the world all by themselves, she said, emphasizing that readers, writers, publishers, and prizes are in this together.

“Writers inform us, inspire us, and give us hope as they sit for long hours in the quiet of a room and shape truth with words — words that fill the silence with ideas. They capture a moment, a place in time that allows us to consider how peace can be built — one word, one discussion, one book at a time. They bring

Left: Sharon Honaker Rab ’68 (left), founder of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, with Gloria Steinem, writer, feminist icon, peace activist, and recipient of the 2015 Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award. Right: President Slobodan Milosevic of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, President Alija Izetbegovic of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and President Franjo Tudjman of the Republic of Croatia initial the draft of the Dayton Peace Accords, which paved the way for the signing of the final “General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina” on Dec. 14, 1995, in Paris. Bottom: “Writers inspire us, infuse us, and show us how to work as allies with them to build a better world,” says Rab (far right) with DLPP honorees (l-r) Gilbert King, Susan Southard, Anthony Doerr, James Hannaham, Viet Thanh Nugyen, Marilynne Robinson, Josh Weil, Wil Haygood ’76, Jessica Posner, and Jeff Hobbs.

us closer to peace and challenge us to be our best selves.”

What started with Rab now involves hundreds of volunteers who believe as she does, that enlightenment leads to empathy, to justice, and finally to peace.

In the face of doubters, Rab quotes the late Elie Wiesel, the Romanian-born American writer, political activist, Nobel laureate, Holocaust survivor, and DLPP 2007 Lifetime Achievement winner: “Are we so naïve as to think that we can bring peace to the world through words?

Yes, we are. What else do we have?”

Are we so naïve as to think that we can bring peace to the world through words? Yes, we are. What else do we have?

— ELI E W I ESEL

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Four Cornerstones

For the Future Our financial goal for this campaign — $1 billion — reflects the magnitude of our aspirations. We believe that by strategically investing in four cornerstones — Scholarships, Business and Entrepreneurship, Clinical Health Sciences, and Digital Innovation and Technology — we can address critical global concerns and support the great challenges of our times. The positive impact that this campaign will have on Miami University and our society will be felt for decades to come SCHOLARSHIPS

We Will Open Doors

A Miami education shouldn’t depend on economic circumstances. Our campaign target of $450 million for need-based scholarships will help ensure access and affordability for qualified students, regardless of circumstances. In addition, our University Honors College, Prodesse Scholars program, and Presidential Fellows program will put a Miami degree in reach for more young scholars.

BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

CLINICAL HEALTH SCIENCES

DIGITAL INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

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We Will Lead

Miami has a reputation for educating the business leaders of tomorrow and for fostering an ecosystem of entrepreneurship through campus-wide initiatives that nurture collaboration and innovative thinking. With a nationally ranked entrepreneurship department leading the way, the time has come for a substantial investment in this ecosystem and in new programs and initiatives in cybersecurity, supply chain, and finance that anticipate and meet the changing demands of the marketplace.

We Will Care

A new vision to unify and coordinate health care and science education across the university offers a bold opportunity to shape our impact in the clinical health sciences.

The field of physician associates is predicted to grow by one-third by 2026, and we plan to meet that need with innovative, ethical, best-in-class graduates. New programs, infrastructure, and talent all contribute to this transformative potential as Miami leads in the science and practice of health care.

We will Reinvent

The world’s data doubles every two years. At this staggering pace, it’s no longer enough to keep current —we must anticipate the growth, speed, and direction of the digital universe. A transdisciplinary program in data science and digital innovation will bring together multiple departments, while a new data science building will serve as the launch pad for research, dialogue, and a deeper understanding of how the digital universe continually shapes our world. This isn’t simply a new program, it is a reinvention of what education can be — and what it will become.

C L I NI CA L HE A LT H SC I E N C E S G OA L: $1 5 0,0 0 0,0 0 0

B US I N E SS A N D E N T R E P R E N E UR S HI P G OA L : $30 0,0 0 0,0 0 0

SC HO LA R S HI P S G OA L: $45 0,0 0 0,0 0 0

10%

$1 BILLION GOAL

DI G I TA L I N N OVAT I O N A N D T EC HN O LO GY G OA L: $1 0 0,0 0 0,0 0 0

15% 30%

45%

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love & honor

TAKING OTHERS’ STORIES TO HEART << David Koschik ’79 describes his learning journey and commitment to DEI

By Donna Boen ’83 MTSC ’96

D

avid Koschik ’79 knows all too well how hard college can be, especially when you’re paying your own way.

Growing up in blue-collar Ashtabula, Ohio, he worked diligently to earn money for tuition, and he still had to take out loans.

That’s a major reason why he and his wife, Izumi Hara, have donated $1 million to the LEADS Institute in Miami University’s College of Arts and Science (CAS).

Their gift will help establish the David Koschik and Izumi Hara Academic Excellence and Leadership Development Program. This initiative will expand innovative, high-touch, and comprehensive success programming for students majoring in humanities, the social sciences, and STEMM, which stands for science, technology, equity in public health, mathematics, and medicine.

It also will provide support for peer mentoring, study away and abroad opportunities, and experiential learning outside the classroom.

A founding member of the Pre-Law Alumni Advisory Board at CAS, Koschik, a partner and vice chair at the global law firm of White and Case, serves on Miami’s Foundation Board and is its board chair.

“We are incredibly grateful for this donation from David and Izumi that supports our vision of providing all students, including high-achieving diverse student populations, with the opportunity to succeed at obtaining a college education,” said Carolyn Craig, CAS director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.

“The gift will have an immediate impact, and the DEI team we have assembled here at CAS is excited to offer these opportunities this fall to our incredibly accomplished group of incoming students,” she said.

“ W E ARE INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL FOR THIS DONATION FROM DAVID AND IZUMI THAT SUPPORTS OUR VISION OF PROVIDING ALL STUDENTS, INCLUDING HIGH-ACHIEVING DIVERSE STUDENT POPULATIONS, WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED AT OBTAINING A COLLEGE EDUCATION.” —Carolyn Craig

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“ VERY FEW OF US HAVE HAD AN EASY PATH, BUT THE PATHS ARE ALL DIFFERENT, AND MANY FACED OBSTACLES THAT I NEVER FACED.” —David Koschik ’79

David and Izumi

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A CHAMPION FOR EVERY STUDENT Chris Makaroff, dean of CAS, said he is pleased to recognize David and Izumi’s contributions.

“Since his days on the Sue J. Henry Pre-Law Alumni Advisory Board, David has always been a proud champion for not only underrepresented students, but every student who comes to Miami in pursuit of their dreams,” Makaroff said. “This gift takes us ever closer to our commitment to a diverse, equitable, and high-quality learning and workplace environment.”

Koschik, a leader of DEI initiatives at his firm and on Miami’s Foundation Board, and his wife strongly believe in giving to places they know are doing good things for others, or, in Miami’s case, “great things.”

“We want to help ensure that in addition to recruiting diverse students, Miami has the resources needed to make sure they thrive here,” Koschik said.

“The LEADS Institute is doing just that.”

The institute provides innovative programming to enhance the academic, personal, and professional development of high-achieving students.

With its five foundational pillars of leadership, excellence, achievement, diversity, and scholarship, the institute accelerates talented students’ transition to and success in college and strengthens their potential to become competitive for graduate and professional schools and in employment opportunities.

TAKING OTHERS’ STORIES TO HEART Like the students in the LEADS program, Koschik worked hard throughout college. He had little time for more than his studies and his job as he earned a BA, cum laude, in Political Science and Russian.

The same was true when he attended Georgetown University, graduating with a JD as well as an MS in foreign service in 1984, magna cum laude.

So when he first heard the term “white privilege” some time ago, he bristled.

“Like a lot of white people, my first reaction was, ‘I’ve never benefited from privilege,’ ” Koschik said.

“That suggested my success was preordained or hardwired from the beginning.

“I’ll admit that I recoiled at the suggestion that any success I may have achieved was not due to my own intelligence, my work ethic, and my ability to overcome challenges. I felt that nothing was preordained, and I experienced a real collision between my own personal narrative and the concept of white privilege.”

Over time, though, he engaged in many conversations with friends, family, and colleagues to better understand. More recently, this included many in-depth conversations with Black colleagues and members of the DEI community in the months following the murder of George Floyd.

He also hosted a DEI program for his firm soon after Floyd’s murder in which he interviewed Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility, the New York Times bestseller that explores “why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism.”

Through these discussions and experiences over a number of years, Koschik realized he didn’t have to deny the challenges he had overcome.

At the same time, he came to recognize the daily obstacles his diverse colleagues encountered that he didn’t as a white man.

“For me, the key was in focusing not on the challenges I have overcome, but on the challenges I have

love & honor

not had to overcome. Race and gender — the taxes that I did not have to pay,” he said.

He took this viewpoint back to his alma mater and the Miami University Foundation Board.

One of the board’s strategic initiatives is to increase diversity among its directors as well as support the university’s DEI efforts through fundraising. To do so, the foundation has formed its own DEI task force.

During one of the board’s early task force meetings, Koschik told his DEI story. But he also listened, really listened, to the other board members sharing their backgrounds, anecdotes, and experiences. He appreciated how they all were trying to learn from one another.

“To hear from a Black member of our board of directors, a gay member, a female member, talk about their journeys and how they had to get past challenges during their time at Miami and in their lives was very inspiring,” he said. “Very few of us have had an easy path, but the paths are all different, and many faced obstacles that I never faced.”

Koschik is grateful that his path led him to Miami.

He’s never forgotten about Oxford and how it was the “right place at the right time” for him.

PROMOTING A CULTURE OF BELONGING Staying in college can sometimes be challenging, especially for underrepresented and minority students, who nationally have the lowest retention and graduation rates. Research has identified several key contributing factors, including financial hardships, inadequate academic preparation, and lack of faculty and staff training on cultural intelligence.

Miami is not exempt, and Koschik is intent on helping the university improve this situation.

He is excited about what the future holds for the LEADS Institute. He anticipates that providing academic support, leadership and professional development, and mentoring will greatly enhance these students’ experiences at Miami.

Even though he had to work harder than some to pay his own way through college, Koschik always felt included. He yearns for others to feel the same.

“Miami positioned me for success in life,” he said.

“Not only do we want Miami to be accessible to as many students as possible, we want to promote a sense of belonging and a culture where all feel accepted for who they are.”

HASS SCHOLAR

Grace Leads Grace Stewart is representative of the high-achieving students in HASS Scholars, one of the academic student success programs in the College of Arts and Science’s LEADS Institute.

From Ashburn, Virginia, majoring in Sociology with a focus on Criminology, Grace is an ambitious young woman who is a combination of intelligence, academic curiosity, and hard work, demonstrated by her 3.8 GPA and her place on the dean’s list both semesters last academic year.

She is passionate about expanding her knowledge on social justice issues and advocating for mental health and intends to earn a master’s degree at the University of Maryland in hopes of becoming a homicide investigator.

The second-year Humanities and Social Science (HASS) Scholar in the LEADS Institute is also a Student Orientation Undergraduate Leader (SOUL), undergraduate assistant, mentor for Bridges Scholars, event coordinator for the HASS Scholars Living Learning Community, and student representative on the College of Arts and Science (CAS) Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Council. As if that’s not keeping her busy enough, in addition, she is involved in a women’s Christian ministry called Delight.

She plans to hone her Spanish-speaking skills in order to travel abroad next year. She would also like to obtain an internship with the Oxford Police Department or a nonprofit organization.

“I chose to come to Miami because I’ve always thought of college as a relationship. I wanted the university I went to, to want me just as much as I wanted them, and during the college application process, I could always count on Miami to reach out and contact me about all the opportunities they had to offer, which I greatly appreciated.”

Initially, she said, she was a little anxious about the lack of diversity on campus. However, HASS made it easier for her to thrive her first year by connecting her to a diverse group of students and faculty and staff members she could learn from and grow with.

“Not to mention the numerous transferable skills I learned will help me in many ways beyond my college experience,” she said.

The HASS Scholars Program targets high-achieving, first-year students from diverse backgrounds enrolling on the Oxford campus whose primary major will be in the humanities or social sciences. Its goal is to provide additional academic and personal support to ensure student success.

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class notes How ’bout a friendly game of pushball?

The freshmen take on the sophomores in pushball on Miami Field in 1910. Never heard of it? Not surprising. It’s popularity faded by the mid-20th century, but it was all the rage in its day. According to Spalding’s 1903 pushball manual, players scored points by getting the 50-pound ball past the opposing side’s goal line — eight for hefting it over the crossbar, five for rolling it through the posts, and two for muscling it over the line at all, never mind the goalposts.

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PHOTO FROM MIAMI UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES, FRANK SNYDER COLLECTION

class notes

THIS ALUMNI LIFE

Never Have I Ever … a) competed on a game show, b) received a perfect attendance award in

school, or c) dressed as a mascot.

If you read my column is the last Miamian, you know “a” is not the answer. Sadly, “c” isn’t either. (But those days are long behind me.) It’s “b.” I never earned a perfect attendance award. Not in grade school, middle school, or high school. Not even close. I was always in awe of those who did. Were they supernaturally healthy? Maybe they loved being around people? Did they just really like school?

Then I met Diane Perlmutter ’67, and found out that, yes, some people really like school — in particular, Miami.

Diane has many distinctions, among them her dedicated volunteer work on the Foundation Board, the MIAMI Women Steering Committee, Miami’s Board of Trustees, and the MUAA Advisory Board, where she served as president, too. As if that’s not enough, she’s the only alum to have perfect attendance at Winter College. Launched in 2004, Winter College brought Miamians together for a weekend in a warmer climate filled with lectures from faculty and time for socializing. Diane attended every winter college from 2004-2020.

Our last in-person Winter College was in March 2020. We held successful virtual formats in 2021 and 2022, and we will continue to host Winter College each year as a virtual event. Watch for our new Winter College Week, a week of noon EST webinars and virtual events Feb 13-17, 2023, culminating with a virtual evening event on Feb. 17 to celebrate Miami’s Charter Day. In the spirit of “Old Miami, New Miami,” we’re proud to announce that in addition to maintaining Winter College virtually, we are adding a new off-campus program — Love and Honor Weekend. This is exciting not only because we believe in meeting Miamians where they are, which isn’t always Oxford, but also because it gives alumni like Diane and Kayla Carson ’18, a member of our Atlanta host committee, a fresh opportunity to learn, explore, meet up with new and old friends, and, of course, reconnect with Miami.

On March 9-11, 2023, Love and Honor Weekend will bring Miami to the vibrant city of Atlanta for Miami-exclusive cultural, social, and intellectual events. The weekend is for everyone. Mark your calendars now, and watch for registration details via email in January.

Every other year, we’ll bring Love and Honor to a new city. Know of a city with many Miami connections? We would love your input on future destinations to give you and others the chance to say “never have I ever … missed a Love and Honor Weekend.”—Kim Tavares MBA ’12, executive director, Miami University Alumni Association

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Vincent Tirola, an attorney

with FLB Law, a full-service firm in Westport, Connecticut, was named toThe 2023 Best Lawyers in America in trusts and estates.

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Alice Carson Allman of

Naperville, Illinois, and other members of the Carson Clan held a reunion recently in Red River Gorge, Kentucky. Miamians attending included Kristina Carson Ligons (master’s program), Lee Duffus (dean of men’s staff, 1961-1968), Emily Carson Duffus ’63, Matthew Gable ’98, Mary Beth Carson Schell ’88, Joe Carson ’92, Scott Allman ’92, Alice, Kim Allman Jones ’90, Jason Gable ’94, and Mike Gable ’67 MA ’71.

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Doug Barr ’67 MS ’72 has

retired after 50 years in higher ed. His final assignment was 31 years at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California, where he was dean for seven years and a counselor for 24. ¶ In May 2022, Greenville, South Carolina, County Council Member Liz Ciancio Seman ’92 presented a proclamation honoring Greenville Women Giving to Diane Perlmutter, co-chair of this philanthropic organization, which has given more than $7.6 million in grants to local nonprofits since its founding in 2006. ¶ Shary Louise Williamson taught at Glenwood/ Garfield Elementary in Marion, Ohio, for 25 years, then Harding High School another five before she retired. She has since written The Woodland Elves and was featured in the June 14, 2022, Marion Star. She told the reporter, “I was definitely not a good fit for retirement. It lasted 90 minutes, and then I asked myself, ‘What next?’ ”

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SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE Please send news to: Donna Boen, Miamian, Glos Center, 820 S. Patterson Ave., Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056 or Miamian@ MiamiOH.edu. Include your name, class year, address, and your phone number.

For more class news, go online to MiamiAlum.org/ Classnotes. For online Miamian, go to MiamiAlum.org/ Miamian.

Reunion ¶ John Miller of Los Gatos, California, and Archie

See photo in online class notes, MiamiAlum.org/Classnotes. Online Miamian at MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

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class notes

Ed Belinski ’76 MEd ’77 and Kathy Mitro Belinski ’78 MEd ’79 “Crossed their Wake” in Beaufort, South Carolina, to complete America’s Great Loop. Traveling on their Meridian 408 Vitamin Sea, they circumnavigated the eastern third of the U.S., earning the Gold Flag of America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association. They traveled for 14 months, completing 6,009 miles and 207 locks. You can read about their adventures on their blog edbelinski.com.

When they completed the Loop, they changed from the white to the gold burgee.

met at the Ferry Building in San Francisco in July 2022 for lunch.

on a South Carolina beach and included their daughters, Alissa Williams ’04 and Jennifer Kraus, their three grandchildren, and both sons-in-law. Alissa officiated while granddaughter Anna Williams ’17 did a reading of original verse. Michael is a retired computer software engineer who writes detective novels. Stephanie is a retired nurse manager who volunteers at the local hospital. In their retirement years, they have traveled in Europe, the Caribbean, and throughout the U.S. ¶ Bruce Stowe and a small committee are raising money to fund a mural in downtown Ottawa, Ohio, which Bruce started painting on the Ottawa Feed and Grain north wall in August 2022. The theme is Celebration of Agriculture.

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D’Amico ’70, who lives in Los Angeles,

Kenneth Parsons retired

in May 2022 from EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University after 21 years of service at the campus in Prescott, Arizona. He was awarded professor emeritus upon his retirement.

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Deborah Howard Scott ’70

MEd ’75 and Ron Scott were named the 2021-2022 Don Loss Volunteers of the Year. From 1970 until retirement in 2009, Deb taught in Hamilton City and Finneytown Local schools, where she was named Teacher of the Year. Ron is an associate professor of Media and Communication at Miami and previously served as associate vice president of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion. The award is presented annually to those who demonstrates unselfish service in support of Miami Athletics.

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Reunion ¶ Michael Minton and Stephanie Mills Minton ’87 celebrated their 50th anniversary in June 2022 by renewing their wedding vows. The sunset ceremony was held

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Don Ambroziak retired three years ago after 37 years as a board-certified podiatrist surgeon in Lexington. A native of Cleveland, he is married to his high school sweetheart, Mary Anne. They have one son and a 6-year-old granddaughter.

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Tri Deltas held a reunion within a reunion. Reconnecting during Alumni Weekend 2022 at Miami, which was very special, were Marsha Maurer Robinson ’75, Sarah Coons Lindsay ’76, Wendy Lloyd Buechele ’76, Eileen Dennis Davis ’75, Megan Kuhn Hilmer ’79, Cindy Fehr Kelly ’78, Julia Ritter Barber ’76, Diana Collins ’77, Gretchen Kruger ’75, Anne Romey Gray ’74, Nancy Harris Hern ’77, Ann Whiting Deacon ’75, Susan Shelley Anthony ’74, Jane Morse Demler ’76, Patty King ’74, Carol Corwin Ciepluch ’75, Suzie Strobel Hassett ’76, Debbie Harrington ’75, Sheila Croissant Hull ’74, Mandy Smith Ruffner ’74, and Cheri Chizer Misleh ’76.

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Friends since their days at Miami, which began in

Emerson Hall, this group revived their practice of getting together for reunions during the summer of 2022 as guests of Liz Stotzer Leupp on Lake Leelanau in Michigan: Robyn Heiny Frazier, Wendy Woodmansee Sarmir, Ellen Bruning Abel, and Cyndie Graf Andrews. ¶ Marian Grant was selected to be a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. After a career in advertising at P&G, Marian became a palliative care nurse practitioner. She has worked at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the University of Maryland Medical Center and is now a health policy consultant for the national Center to Advance Palliative Care and the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care. ¶ Miami roommates returned to Oxford in June, 45 years after graduation to reminisce about non-coed dorms, Al and Larry’s, Boars Head, Purity, 3.2 beer, and the original toasted rolls: Rose Chin ’76, Kathy O’Brien Haidet ’77, Diane Burke Wolf ’77, and Harriette Sheer Hansell ’77. Missing in person but present through Zoom were Janet Trelevan “Tree” Fultz ’77, Pam Leffler Pitoniak ’77, and Lynn Green Bennett ’77.

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Reunion ¶ Kay Phillips Geiger, who was regional

president for Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky for Pittsburghbased PNC Bank, retired July 31, 2022, after more than four decades with the bank. Kay, who is widely known in Greater Cincinnati, has been PNC’s local market president for 14 years. ¶ Daniel Zelman is board chair of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland for the 2022-2025 term. Dan is CEO of Paro Services, which owns businesses in the chemical manufacturing and janitorial services industries. He and his wife, Ellen Potiker Zelman, live in Moreland Hills and are members of Park Synagogue.

class notes

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Diane Charles Fell dug up some of her college artwork and Shawn Fell framed the picture and drawings to create a Miami 1979 room.

Diane retired in 2019 after earning the Hawaii State Elementary Art Teacher of the Year in 2018. Shawn, 1977 MAC Decathlon Champion, co-coached daughter Christy’s Seabury Hall track team to the Hawaii State Championship in 2014. Shawn retired from home remodeling and coaching track in 2020. They live in Makawao, Maui. ¶ Joy Baumblatt Resor of Brevard, North Carolina, inspires others as a spiritual mentor, a podcast guest, and through her books. Google Joy on Your Shoulders to discover more about her.

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Michael Bozzo, the Piedmont Regional forester, is retiring after 39 years with the South Carolina Forestry Commission. He assisted private landowners with forest management advice while conducting prescribed burning services and coordinating wildfire control efforts.

Mike was also commander for the state’s Incident Management Team, which responded to large wildfires and to multi-agency hurricane response efforts. He looks forward to retirement with his wife, Jan, and hiking the trails in all the state parks in South Carolina.

They’re excited to be traveling to Italy next September to visit Rome, the Vatican, wine country, and his grandmother’s hometown in southern Italy. ¶ As of October 2022, Bob Hadley has been married 43 years to Kathy Harris Hadley. Bob has been at Hershey 41 years as of November 2022. He’s in National Foodservice Sales (think Reese’s and Heath Blizzards).

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Peter Igel, an attorney and partner with Tucker Ellis in Cleveland, has been selected by his

peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for 2023 in tax law. ¶ Tim Rudd of Independent Solutions has earned the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist designation, identifying him as having the skills and knowledge to remodel or modify a home to meet the needs of the older population, disabled owners, and their visitors.

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Reunion ¶ Holly Weibel May is chief commercial officer for BioLineRx, a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company in Tel Aviv, Israel, that is focused on oncology. In this newly created role, based in the U.S., Holly is responsible for the commercial planning, positioning, and launch oversight for Motixafortide in the stem cell mobilization indication across the U.S. market, pending FDA approval.

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William Barrett was recently recognized as a member of the Indiana 250, the 250 most influential business leaders in Indiana, by the Indianapolis Business Journal, Inside Indiana Business, and Indiana Lawyer. ¶ Chi Omega alum Sherry Gaunt Gentry has retired as director of strategic initiatives for Truist Wealth.

Her 38-year career at the bank started soon after graduation and culminated in leading merger integration teams for brokerage and trust conversions resulting from the SunTrust and BB&T merger. She and her husband, Bill, live in Marietta, Georgia, and celebrated their 35th anniversary with a Danube cruise. ¶ Jeff Stankard worked for 36 years in the auto parts industry, and Gina Terilla Stankard ’87 raised two children, taught yoga, and worked part time in retail. In the midst of the pandemic, Jeff retired, and they started their own business creating, designing, and selling men’s swimwear. The idea was born on a beach in Naples, Florida,

where their company, OLSSA Outdoor (www.olssaoutdoor.com), is located.

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Mark Ray MEn ’85, founder

of RayEA Ecological Applications (www.rayeallc.com), headquartered in Atlanta, has opened an office in Louisville. Mark, a researcher and consultant in environmental science, is active in ecological restoration of many upland and wetland habitats and specific endangered species. He also provides expert witness in land use planning and mitigation banking.

This 8-foot-tall sculpture of President Harry S. Truman created by Tom Corbin ’76 was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Sept. 29, 2022, as part of the Statuary Hall Collection.

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Wendy Lynch Erler shared news about an amazing Miami girls reunion July 8-11, 2022, in Cohasset, Massachusetts. Catching up on current lives and sharing many memories from their Miami years were Karen Crockett Belgam ’85, Tracy Ecklund Thomas ’86, Wendy, Peggy Pozdol Dettlinger ’86, Kristie Lockwood Traverso ’86, and Laura Bertrand Bebout ’85. ¶ After 24 years in the pharmaceutical industry, Lisa Caswell Johnson founded the nonprofit Mentors & Meals to enhance academic achievement in middle-schoolers through mentoring. Lisa was inducted into the Woodford County Hall of Fame in 2020

See photo in online class notes, MiamiAlum.org/Classnotes. Online Miamian at MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

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class notes

future!” At the lake this year were Bart Shroyer, Kevin Pilz, Jeff Henshaw, Dan Allen, Mike Dolloff, and Dave Stock. ¶ Sylvius von Saucken is general manager

of Mass Tort Solutions at Epiq, a global technology-enabled services leader to the legal industry and corporations.

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At the May 7, 2022, wedding for Michael Burkhart and Matt Mallory in Columbus are: (l-r) Doug Watkins, Gary Wickham, Juli Swartzlander, Michael Burkhart, Matt Mallory, Marie Calabrese, Cherise Hairston, and Jeffrey Logel.

They all were involved in GLA/ GLBA’s early days at Miami.

for her work with financially and academically at-risk youth. She serves on city council in Versailles, Kentucky.

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Reunion ¶ Miami friends and roommates got together on Johnson’s Island in Marblehead, Ohio, for a weekend reunion and sun fun: Susan Kmiecik Peterson ’88, Candice Honroth Beaver ’88, Peggy Groves Knaack ’88, and Jen Shea Vallo 87.

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Kevin Jones retired as

Huntington National Bank’s Southern Ohio and Kentucky regional president on July 1, 2022. He had been the local president for Greater Cincinnati’s fourth-largest bank for nearly nine years.

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Kevin Pilz wrote in about friends who first met in 1986 at Miami in Collins and Scott halls gathering at Lamb Lake near Indianapolis in August 2022. “This particular trip we enjoyed boating, water skiing, fly fishing, and miscellaneous shenanigans together. Despite spending a lot of our time at CJs and Ozzie’s, we graduated in 1990 with stellar grade point averages.

It is a great group of friends and more reunion trips are definitely part of our

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Bill Berutti, former CEO

of Plex Systems, a leading software provider to the manufacturing sector, is an operating advisor to Clayton, Dubilier & Rice-managed funds. Bill works with CD&R’s technology team to help source new investments and advise the funds’ technology businesses. ¶ Strangers who met as freshmen in Morris Hall in 1988 and became lifelong friends gathered to celebrate their 30th Alumni Weekend: Trent Nehls, Doug Jones, Jake Rowan, Bill Berutti, Nicole Weber Crowley, Beau Grimes, Mike Grier, Howard Bobrow, Wendy Sylvester-Rowen, Doug Parsonage, Becky Hudepohl Taylor, and John “Goose” Chernesky.

John writes, “We are all so lucky to have each other in our lives.” ¶ Amy Matuza (amyelizabethmatuza.com) has written her first book, Food for Thought: Twenty-Minute Life Recipes from Mom, as a sneaky way to continue imparting motherly advice to her three adult children by disguising it in a “cookbook.” Each chapter focuses on an important tenet or principle and shares positive “nuggets of wisdom” through storytelling. The recipes were served around Amy’s own dining table and are perfect for anyone looking for (mostly) healthy, relatively inexpensive, and easy-to-prepare meals. Amy lives in Andover, Massachusetts, with her husband, Dmitry Nepomnayshy. ¶ In January 2022, Kirk Mueller MS ’92 was selected as the assistant commissioner for the Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections at the

Bureau of Labor Statistics. Prior to his move to the Senior Executive Service, Kirk spent just shy of 30 years working on the Current Employment Statistics program (the jobs data that is released with the unemployment rate each month). Over 20 of those years were spent in management in the program.

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This group tries to get together every year in Michigan City, Indiana. They lived together in Morris Hall their freshman year and now live in Spain, Washington, D.C., Indianapolis, the Detroit area, Chicago, Wisconsin, and Grand Rapids: Peter Wilson, Nicole Kalkbrenner Staskowski, Joni Wright Sims, Peter Gates, Eric Learned, Kaylin Junge Castelli, and Kristin Finlay Sneeringe.

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Megan Deegan Burkhart

was elected to Xcel Energy’s board of directors in June 2022. Xcel Energy, headquartered in Minneapolis, provides the energy that powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states.

Megan is executive vice president, chief human resources officer at Comerica, a major financial services company headquartered in Dallas.

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C. Melissa “Missy” Owen

is secretary of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Missy is a founding partner of Tin Fulton Walker & Owen, and her practice areas include state and federal criminal defense, with a focus on white-collar matters, financial crime, sex offense prosecutions, and Title IX representation.

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Shannon McMorrow, an associate professor in the Western Michigan University School of Interdisciplinary Health Programs,

DULY NOTED class notes

Notable Ways to Stay Connected

Love and Honor Weekend in Atlanta SAVE THE DATE FOR LOVE AND HONOR WEEKEND: MARCH 9-11, 2023, IN ATLANTA.

Love and Honor Weekend in Atlanta, Georgia, will be packed with cultural, social, and intellectual events that will connect Miami University alumni, faculty, and friends with one another and back to their alma mater. Including exclusive tours and excursions as well as diverse lectures and social events — all with a Miami angle — this new event from the Miami University Alumni Association will take place March 9-11, 2023. With topics ranging from art and gardens to civil rights and sports, the weekend will give you an opportunity to explore the rich story and vibrant beauty of Atlanta. We hope you’ll join us.

Full schedule and event registration coming in January.

Visit MiamiAlum.org/LoveHonorWeekend for info on courtesy hotel blocks, available now!

Find Your Adventure

Extra, Extra!

Have you always wanted to see the Canadian Rockies by train? Perhaps leprechauns are calling you to come to Ireland. Those trips and many more will be available to you in 2023 through the MUAA’s Miami Explorers, which offers educational group travel experiences for alumni and friends. We partner with top-rated travel companies that specialize in creating unforgettable alumni travel itineraries featuring breathtaking destinations, expert local guides, and highquality accommodations.

Want to receive a monthly dose of Miamian?

Sign up for Miamian Express, our monthly alumni enewsletter, which keeps you up to date on the latest initiatives and news for Miamians all around the globe.

MiamiAlum.org/Travel

MiamiAlum.org/Enewsletter

Sign up today and stay connected.

See photo in online class notes, MiamiAlum.org/Classnotes. Online Miamian at MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

Fall/Winter 2022

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class notes

Operations Group, 105th Airlift Wing, Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, New York, was promoted to colonel on May 26, 2022. Ryan serves the 137th Airlift Squadron and Operations Support Squadron, who are tasked with executing worldwide strategic and tactical mobility missions. He is a qualified instructor pilot and has flown combat and combat support missions.

02 Bob Eckhart ’91, along with his wife, Brieanne Beaujolais (PhD, Social Work), have received Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program awards to Moldova for the 2022-2023 academic year. While in Moldova, Bob is in the College of Foreign Languages and Literature at Pedagogical State University investigating how technology has been used to bridge interruptions in the education of refugees. Moldova borders Ukraine to the west and has received 50,000 refugees so far.

received a Fulbright Scholar award to conduct research and teach at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, September 2022-May 2023. Joining her in Kampala are her husband, Noah Joseph ’96, and 11-year old daughter.

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of investor relations and sustainability for CNO Financial Group. ¶ Stephanie Deye Ebken is senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

She lives in Anderson Township with Brandon, her husband of 22 years, and her two daughters. ¶ Lindsay LaVine joined Adobe as senior legal counsel, IP (Intellectual Property) and advertising, in August 2022. ¶ Nick Rabin is co-founder and CEO of the Cincinnati home-buying startup Homeshake, which closed its first sale in June 2020 and reached $23 million in sales volume in less than two years. The tech startup connects buyers and sellers directly through a secure dashboard, charging 1% and eliminating real estate agent commissions.

01 44

miamian magazine

Adam Auvil is vice president

Ryan Dannemann, com-

mander of the 105th

Jeff Ryznar, president of 898 Marketing, a full-service strategic and integrated marketing agency based in Ohio’s Mahoning Valley, is excited that his company is No. 1,031 on the annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America. 898 Marketing’s ranking is tops in the Youngstown market, 18th in Ohio, and 78th among all advertising/ marketing companies in the U.S.

03

Reunion ¶ Greg Crane is vice president, finance — food distribution at SpartanNash, a grocery retailer in Grand Rapids. In this role, which he began on June 6, 2022, he is leading budgeting, forecasting, monthly results analysis, and risk and opportunity assessment activities. Additionally, he provides financial guidance for strategic initiatives and day-to-day opportunities to boost efficiency and reduce company operating expenses.

Greg is a registered CPA. ¶ Marianne Wellendorf Matthes of Gahanna, Ohio, founded a charity that has celebrated its 10th anniversary. Elizabeth’s Book Drive has provided more than 60,000 books to children in hospitals, emergency shelters, underfunded schools, libraries, and Ronald McDonald House. ¶ James “JC” Risewick, president and COO of Seneca Cos. in Des Moines, was appointed to the Iowa Board of Regents

by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

05

Nathan Chomilo, med-

ical director for the state of Minnesota’s Medicaid and MinnesotaCare programs, is a general pediatrician with Park Nicollet Health Services/HealthPartners. He is also a 2022 Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow, joining 21 other leaders across the U.S. transforming systems so that our youngest children and families can thrive. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and son. ¶ Kelly Barcza Renner presented at the American Psychological Association 2022 Convention in August on “The Future of Pivot Teaching: Inclusive Practices.”

Kelly, PhD, LPC, is assistant dean of curriculum and program chair of Psychology and Social Sciences at Franklin University in Columbus.

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Born: to Lindsey Hossbach ’06 MBA ’12 and Mark

Youngerman, Zachary Beckett, May 5, 2022, joining big brother, Carter, 3, in Loveland, Ohio. ¶ Bryan Moore is criminal trial supervisor in the criminal division of the Montgomery County (Ohio) Prosecutor’s Office. He supervises the assistant prosecuting attorneys handling criminal dockets in Common Pleas Court. He and his wife and their two daughters live in Dayton.

07

Darcy Little Schwass is

director of marketing and communications at the Cincinnati Art Museum. She oversees the museum’s public relations and advertising efforts as well as the development of marketing collateral. ¶ Ben Smith was inducted into the Saint Ignatius High School Athletic Hall of Fame Aug. 13, 2022. He played golf at his high school as well as at Miami. A four-year letter winner at Saint Ignatius, he was the first medalist (state champion) in school history, a member of state title

teams in 2001 and 2002, and firstteam All-Ohio in 2002. He, his wife, Andrea Vilan, and their baby daughter, Penelope, live in Washington, D.C.’s Tenleytown neighborhood. He works for the Federal Trade Commission in the consumer protection division.

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Reunion ¶ Born: to Erik and Melissa Burr Ahlin ’10, Grace Naomi, Jan. 14, 2022. Grace was welcomed by proud big sister Emily, 4.

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Lauren Gorte Gillette is

executive vice president, head of Chubb’s North America Accident & Health. She is helping to grow this market segment, which offers accident and health insurance to businesses, educational institutions, affinity groups, and leisure travelers. Lauren and Mike Gillette ’08 were married on Oct. 16, 2021, in Chicago. ¶ Author/ Illustrator Alina Knoll Loux released her debut picture book on Sept, 6, 2022, The Toothbrush Circus. It’s the perfect night for the circus … but OH NO! The circus leader’s toothbrush broke. Little readers are sure to giggle as they brush the teeth of all the characters and save the show, making brushing fun.

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Tyler Swatek-Carbone

Mecozzi, eighth-grade science teacher at Western Middle School, was one of six chosen to represent Greenwich Public Schools in the 2023 Connecticut Teacher of the Year Program. ¶ Mallory Jennings Moreno, principal at Chuhak & Tecson in the estate planning and asset protection and estate and trust administration and litigation practice groups, was named one of 40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch by Law Bulletin Media.

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Caitlin Patrick Sigler, the Stark County (Ohio) Probate

Court magistrate, of Canton, Ohio, graduated from the nationally recognized National Center for State Courts’ Institute for Court Management’s court management program. She committed three years to advanced study of case flow, workforce management, court performance measures, fiscal management, and project management. ¶ Dennis Vickers MS ’12 is director of player personnel for the North American Hockey League as of June 2022. He had been director of hockey operations and head coach for the Rice Memorial Prep Hockey Team in South Burlington, Vermont. He was 20182019 MPHL Coach of the Year.

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Kyle Greene is an associate

with Ulmer & Berne’s construction practice group in Cincinnati.

Admitted to practice in Ohio and Kentucky, he earned a JD with honors in 2020 from the University of Cincinnati College of Law where he served on the Law Review. ¶ Married: Alice Tullio and Andrew Ford ’15, July 23, 2022, in Erie, Pennsylvania.

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Sharhonda Brown Wiley was

married on March 13, 2021, exchanging vows at Glacier National Park. On March 29, 2022, she had a baby, Felix Elliott. She’s been busy completing her master’s while her husband cares for the family and does custom woodworking and concrete furniture in his spare time. They are also in the process of moving from Washington state back to Ohio.

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Reunion ¶ Jacob Debus is an associate in the business department at McDonald Hopkins in Cleveland. A member of the mergers and acquisitions team, he earned a JD from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

Photo: Jeroen van der Meyde

class notes

19

Adam Frank PhD ’19 and his

family live in Monument, Colorado, where he is the principal at Palmer Ridge High School. He has written a book, Non-Punitive School Discipline, and provides consulting and professional development services.

The new U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Shefali Razdan Duggal ’93 presented her credentials to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander at Noordeinde Palace on Oct. 19, 2022.

20

Cristion Brown started Hypernova Technologies during his senior year at Miami to help small- and medium-sized businesses mitigate disasters by improving their digital health. He was recognized by Cincy Inno’s Five Under 25 as one of the top rising young entrepreneurs in Cincinnati. ¶Amy Knox, among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service since the agency’s unprecedented global evacuation at the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020, will serve in Peru in the youth in development sector. ¶ 2nd Lt. Edmund “Ned” S. Sabanegh III completed his initial pilot training for the U.S. Air Force and earned his pilot wings at Vance Air Force Base.

22

Alex Strehlke is an investment banking analyst at UHY Corporate Finance, based in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

See photo in online class notes, MiamiAlum.org/Classnotes. Online Miamian at MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

Fall/Winter 2022

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farewells 1930s Evelyn Grimm Breytspraak ’39, Middletown, Ohio, May 11, 2022.

Scott Pierce ’54, Yarmouth, Maine, May 7, 2022.

Sharon Hockmuth Glickman ’61, Morris Plains, N.J., Aug. 2, 2022.

J. Richard Dunlap ’69, Grosse Pointe City, Mich., Jan. 13, 2022.

1940 Wells “Bud” Martin Jr. ’42, Naples, Fla., Jan. 16, 2022.

Robert O. Bronston ’55, Springfield, Ohio, Aug. 26, 2022.

Robert W. Peet ’61, Chandler, Ariz., Jan. 22, 2022.

Kathy Emery Mulvihill ’69, St. Petersburg, Fla., March 20, 2021.

Ronald P. Helman ’55 MS ’57, Chassell, Mich., July 27, 2022.

John W. Prothro ’61, Portage, Mich., April 8, 2022.

John H. Murdock ’69, Macon, Ga., July 5, 2022.

Marilyn Grace Whittington Henke ’55, Bath, Ohio, Jan. 10, 2022.

Robert A. Shawhan ’61, Bellbrook, Ohio, March 29, 2022.

Robert P. “Pat” Perkins ’69, Charlotte, N.C., June 7, 2022.

Roger B. Howell ’62, Toledo, Ohio, Feb. 2, 2022.

Judith McDowell Staton ’69, College Corner, Ohio, May 13, 2022.

Martha Jackson Heminger ’45, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Feb. 24, 2022.

Dorothy Curlett Bachman ’46, Mason, Ohio, Jan. 22, 2022.

Patricia Pettigrew Beran ’56, Franklin, N.C., Aug. 18, 2021.

Melissa Bergmann Jahnke ’62 MEd ’64, Portland, Oregon, March 3, 2022.

Sandra Nichols Bertz ’56, Scottsdale, Ariz., March 23, 2022.

Dennis R. Nordeman ’63 MBA ’65, Rome, Ga., Feb. 27, 2022.

Boyd L. Alexander ’57, Occoquan, Va., July 9, 2022.

Edward B. Bell Jr. ’64 MA ’66, Somerville, Ohio, May 21, 2022.

Neil R. Burson ’57, Oregon, Ohio, June 22, 2022.

Peter B. Davis ’64 MA ’70, Fairfax, Va., March 1, 2022.

Joyce Kelly Gerdel ’57, Houston, Texas, Feb. 2, 2022.

James L. Del Torto ’64, Solon, Ohio, Aug. 1, 2022.

Marsha Morse Haffey ’57, Oxford, Ohio, Jan. 13, 2022.

Ronald J. Masanek MEd ’64, Fairfield, Ohio, May 29, 2022.

Frank W. Jirovec ’57, Apollo Beach, Fla., May 18, 2022.

Jeanne Staiger Schatzki ’64, Far Hills, N.J., July 2, 2021.

Barbara Gaver Johnson ’50, Tucker, Ga., Jan. 26, 2022.

William L. Miller ’57, Dublin, Ohio, May 4, 2022.

Daniel J. Szuhay ’64 MEd ’65, Oxford, Ohio, Feb. 21, 2022.

Robert E. Levinson ’50 Hon ’74, Delray Beach, Fla., Feb. 19, 2022.

Emilene Agostini Morrison ’57, Redlands, Calif., June 20, 2020.

Mariann Otonicar Effler ’65, Cumming, Ga., May 2, 2022.

W. Murray Bullis ’51, Rochester, N.Y., May 15, 2022.

Donald J. Ritchie ’57, Ballwin, Mo., June 15, 2022.

Barbara Stevenson Hornbeck ’51, Houston, Texas, April 17, 2022.

Ira H. Bernstein ’59, Short Hills, N.J., May 14, 2022.

Lawrence W. Young Jr. ’65 MEd ’74, Chandler, Ariz., April 25, 2022.

Richard C. Thrall Jr. ’51, Hendersonville, Tenn., May 14, 2020.

Robert E. Clark ’59, Springfield, Ohio, June 7, 2022.

Nola Kathleen “Kit” Horton Burch ’47, Inver Grove Heights, Minn., Feb. 15, 2022.

Gertrude Brough Kihm ’47, Cincinnati, Ohio, June 3, 2022.

Ernest “Reed” Porter ’47, Las Vegas, Nev., July 20, 2022.

Robert L. Culp ’48, Jackson, Mich., Jan. 26, 2022.

Rodney R. Hill ’49, Kansas City, Mo., March 12, 2022.

1950s Carol Clark Johnson ’50, Cincinnati, Ohio, Nov. 19, 2021.

Bette Mae Woods Schintzel ’52, Williamsburg, Va., April 13, 2022.

Forest A. Singhoff ’52, Williamsburg, Va., April 24, 2022.

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Joan Smith Klitch ’55, Austin, Texas, May 28, 2022.

Marta G. Kurtz ’59, Denver, Colo., June 23, 2020.

Bart J. Pignatelli ’59, Akron, Ohio, March 12, 2022.

Paul M. Trottman ’52, Madrid, Spain, Nov. 26, 2021.

1960s Nancy Gausepohl Mullenix ’60, Roseville, Calif., Feb. 27, 2022.

Don B. Wolfe ’52, Mason, Ohio, June 3, 2022.

Gilbert Resnik ’60 MBA ’61, St. Louis, Mo., May 9, 2022.

Keith B. Daniels Sr. ’53 MA ’58, Eau Claire, Wis., March 4, 2022.

Richard L. Walker ’60, Milwaukee, Wis., Aug. 10, 2022.

Joseph P. Martino ’53, Sidney, Ohio, July 29, 2022.

Thomas J. Davies ’61, Oakland, Calif., Dec. 15, 2021.

miamian magazine

Elizabeth “Jean” Hahm ’66, Naples, Fla., Aug. 5, 2022.

Donald J. Peddie ’66 MEd ’67, Mount Pleasant, Mich., March 5, 2022.

1970s Robert L. Crane Jr. ’70, Hudson, Ohio, March 7, 2022.

Errol R. Kahoun ’70, Columbus, Ohio, June 16, 2022.

Clifford C. Matthews Jr. ’70, Jessamine County, Ky., Jan. 4, 2022.

Cynthia Hahn McManamon ’70, Cleveland, Ohio, May 18, 2022.

Jerome T. “Tom” Paananen ’70, Mount Dora, Fla., April 26, 2022.

Thomas M. Pechaitis ’70, Adrian, Mich., March 19, 2022.

Peter J. Torrey MS ’70, Mandeville, La., Feb. 23, 2022.

George S. “Steve” Wellman ’70, Port Orchard, Wash., Feb. 8, 2022.

Lawrence H. Besselman ’71, Westerville, Ohio, May 12, 2022.

Steven R. Fisher ’71, Smithfield, N.C., March 22, 2022.

Michael A. Fox ’71, Lawrenceburg, Ind., June 23, 2022.

James A. Houk ’71, Hamilton, Ohio, May 10, 2022.

R. John West III ’66, West Chester, Pa., Aug. 2, 2020.

Judy Jones Muhn ’71, Sandusky, Ohio, Feb. 26, 2022.

Maurice E. “Hank” Miller MEd ’68, Chandler, Ariz., Feb. 1, 2022.

Robert A. Spafford ’71, Richmond, Ky., May 28, 2022.

Martin W. Montgomery ’68 MEd ’74, Bonita Springs, Fla., Feb. 8, 2022.

Alice Margaret “Peggy” Latham Springer-Lobes ’71 Milford, Ohio, July 6, 2022.

James J. Shaw ’68, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 8, 2020.

Thomas F. Taylor ’71, Northfield, Vt., Feb. 5, 2022.

James Carbone Jr. ’69, Virginia Beach, Va., July 21, 2022.

Frank J. Greenfield ’72, Marietta, Ga., Feb. 1, 2022.

farewells

Melville D. Hayes III ’72, Wilmington, Ohio, May 23, 2022.

Todd D. Maugans ’84, Bradenton, Fla., Feb. 28, 2022.

Lewis E. “Ed” Lantz IV ’04, Westerville, Ohio, June 5, 2022.

George L. Notarianni ’72, Farmington Hills, Mich., May 5, 2022.

Christopher D. Derr ’86, Paris, Tenn., Aug. 19, 2022.

Daryl F. Robinson ’04, Cincinnati, Ohio, Jan. 30, 2022.

Jacqueline Sumpter Wells ’86, Akron, Ohio, Feb. 10, 2022.

Corey A. McDonald ’12, Goleta, Calif., May 29, 2022.

Thomas G. Coogan ’87, Bluffton, S.C., March 29, 2022.

Jeff S. Akers ’14, Hillsboro, Ohio, Feb. 10, 2022.

Stacy Gamble Curry ’87, Fort Myers, Fla., May 3, 2022.

Reginald G. Brown II ’20, Cincinnati, Ohio, March 28, 2022.

Thomas D. Guthrie ’74, St. Petersburg, Fla., Sept. 23, 2020.

Jennifer Wolterman Getz ’87 MBA ’90, West Chester, Ohio, April 7, 2022.

Jacob J. Fitzgerald MEd ’20, Tipp City, Ohio, July 5, 2022.

Randall L. Welsh ’74, Liberty Township, Ohio, June 2, 2022.

Kenneth B. Heaton ’88, Kettering, Ohio, July 12, 2022.

Nancy Novotny Corrigan ’75, Hedgesville, W.Va., Aug. 5, 2022.

Heather Jackson Little ’88, Englewood, Fla., May 26, 2022.

Linda Leas Tucker ’75, Fairfield, Ohio, Feb. 20, 2022.

Matthew R. Salyer ’89, Fort Wayne, Ind., June 26, 2021.

Christine Milanich Belser ’76, Baltimore, Md., March 6, 2022.

Kathryn E. Stewart ’89, South Lyon, Mich., March 1, 2022.

Stephen W. Frary ’76, Raleigh, N.C., June 27, 2022.

1990s David W. Wiener ’90, Grand Rapids, Mich., July 9, 2022.

Sally Ireland Robertson MA ’72, Wadena, Minn., Aug. 14, 2022.

John W. Hughes ’73, Westerville, Ohio, April 7, 2022.

Dale W. Quigley ’73, Lewiston, N.Y., Aug. 5, 2022.

Russell K. Savage ’77 MEd ’79, Tellico Village, Tenn., June 25, 2022.

Christa Stone Bedel ’91, Walton, Ky., Jan. 18, 2022.

Steven G. Simpkins ’77, Trenton, Ohio, June 6, 2022.

Stephen L. Fuller ’91, Seattle, Wash., March 25, 2022.

Kathleen Bresnahan Ackerman ’78, Cary, N.C., March 8, 2022.

Charlene Smith Phillips ’91, Liberty, Ind., April 6, 2022.

Joan Burghardt Bitonti ’79, Annapolis, Md., May 26, 2022.

Mary Jo Edgren Clark MEd ’92, Oxford, Ohio, Dec. 5, 2021.

1980s Stephen M. “Marty” Nuxhall ’80, Franklin, Tenn., Jan. 29, 2022.

Margaret Schwarzmueller Kuta ’92, Columbus, Ohio, April 9, 2022.

Keith A. Dennis ’81, Columbus, Ohio, June 16, 2022.

Dianne Downey Passen ’81, El Granada, Calif., May 25, 2022.

Kris A. Zimmer ’81, St. Louis, Mo., March 24, 2022.

Melody Dehinten Llewellyn ’82, Naples, Fla., March 31, 2021.

Eric S. Fairfield ’83, Keller, Texas, May 8, 2022.

Lynne Voss Latham ’83 MM ’85, Winston Salem, N.C., Jan. 24, 2022.

Emma Tomarken Grimes ’93, Alexandria, Va., March 27, 2022.

Jerome P. Rahe ’93, Eagle, Colo., April 6, 2022.

2000s David L. Silvers Jr. ’00, Liberty Township, Ohio, Jan. 26, 2022.

Denise Manns Watts ’02 MA ’03, Middletown, Ohio, Jan. 27, 2022.

Gary L. Hetzel ’03, Plymouth, Ill., May 22, 2022.

Kerry Quinn Young ’03, Kettering, Ohio, Feb. 8, 2022.

Thomas E. Howe III ’20, Antioch, Ill., Feb. 15, 2022.

FACULTY, STAFF, AND FRIENDS Frances M. Anderson, Albuquerque, N.M., April 28, 2022.

Founder/director, Miami Honors Program’s Urban Internship Program, retiring in 2004.

Elsa Jane Baer ’46, Oxford, Ohio, Aug. 9, 2022. Worked at Miami for more than 40 years as an administrative assistant for the Office of Admission.

Patricia S. Baugher, Somerville, Ohio, July 25, 2022. Began in 1970 in Student Affairs, retired in 1999 from Scripps. Started Institute for Learning in Retirement at Miami.

Donald C. Kelly ’55 MA ’56, Oxford, Ohio, June 23, 2022.

Professor emeritus of Physics, 1960-1993.

Mary S. Link, Vincennes, Ind., June 9, 2022. Professor emerita, Family Studies, 1976-2005.

Charles G. Mack ’86, Somerville, Ohio, April 13, 2022. Senior director of operations at Miami Middletown, retiring after 24 years.

Ruth G. Miller, Oxford, Ohio, July 13, 2022. Librarian emerita, 1968-2002, head of Instructional Materials Center at retirement.

Gary Moeller, Whitmore Lake, Mich., July 11, 2022. Worked for football coach Bo Schembechler ’51 at Miami before following him to University of Michigan in 1969.

Isaiah O. Nengo, Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 23, 2022. Former director, Miami’s Hefner Museum of Natural History.

Harold R. Patterson, Lebanon, Ohio, May 21, 2022. Electrical engineer, retiring from Miami in 2000.

Dwight J. Portman ’70 MAT ’73, Forest Park, Ohio, April 18, 2022. Part-time educator at Miami for 49 years.

Susan Rae Woodard Berry Brown ’92, Cincinnati, Ohio, June 30, 2022. On University Libraries staff, 1974-2006.

Robert F. Roth, Springboro, Ohio, June 1, 2022. Retired from Miami’s Middletown campus as a business manager after 35 years.

Kimberly F. Collins, Brookville, Ohio, March 16, 2022. Retired from Miami after 30 years.

William E. Scott, Oxford, Ohio, May 27, 2022. Professor emeritus of Paper Science and Engineering, 1974-2004.

Danny G. Cross ’75, Oxford, Ohio, Feb. 28, 2022. In 1995, started at Pearson Hall as a master science store specialist.

Douglas G. Gardner PhD ’98, Columbus, Ind., June 14, 2022.

Taught History, 1990-2001.

Gary L. Johnston, Edgewood, Ky., March 13, 2022. Former director, Miami Jazz Ensemble.

Frank Jordan Jr., Oxford, Ohio, July 1, 2022. Professor emeritus of English, 1965-2001.

Thomas J. Welling, Bronxville, N.Y., March 26, 2022.

Betty Jones White ’77, Camden, Ohio, July 10, 2022. Worked 15 years in Miami’s Registrar Office, retiring in 2021.

Gail Williamson, Elkins, N.H., Jan. 26, 2022. A docent at the Miami University Art Museum, she was appointed chairwoman of the group before she left Oxford in the spring of 2020.

In Memory of… If you would like to make a contribution in memory of a classmate, friend, or relative, send your gift to Miami University in care of Megan Smith, Advancement Services Building, Miami University, 926 Chestnut Lane, Oxford, Ohio 45056. More classmates are remembered online at MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

Fall/Winter 2022

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days of old

Mind Your Step If you’ve walked on Miami’s Oxford campus anytime in the past

53 years, you’ve likely tiptoed around the Seal at the Hub. At least we hope you have. After all, if you ever actually step on the Seal itself, you’ll flunk your next exam, or so “they” say.

No one seems to knows who started that legend. A now-retired Miami archivist once suggested that a clever administrator might have devised the tradition to protect the Seal’s bronze. The archivist wasn’t serious, in case you’re wondering.

What is known is that the idea for developing the Hub began in 1964 by leaders of the national chapter of Beta Theta Pi. They wanted to raise funds during the 125th year of the fraternity’s founding at Miami to “donate something meaningful to the university,” according to a Nov. 12, 1968, article in The Miami Student.

Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and Miami’s classes of 1964 and 1966 contributed financially as well. In the spring of 1969, the Hub’s Seal was unveiled. Elliott and Stoddard halls are on its west side, Upham is on its east side, Roudebush to its north, and Kreger (called Hughes in 1969) on its south.

As for the Seal itself, it’s the 1826 version with the open book (representing the past and its centuries of accumulated wisdom), the globe (the present need for each country to know about its world neighbors), and a telescope (our continuing quest to find meaning in the universe). Half encircling these three elements is Miami’s motto: Prodesse Quam Conspici.

The English equivalent of this Latin phrase is “to accomplish without being conspicuous.”

In his 1998 book, Miami University: A Personal History, the late Phillip Shriver, then president emeritus and professor of history, gave his interpretation to the motto, “The key to life is achievement, not boasting about it; we are known by what we do rather than what we claim.”

Fun fact: The star at the top of the Seal lines up with Miami’s sundial a block away, where, if you rub one of the turtles’ heads, you’ll enjoy good luck — hopefully canceling any bad you may have acquired by missteps at the Hub. At 6 feet in diameter, the Seal is hard to miss, so to speak. Of course, there are always a defiant few who enjoy stomping across it.

Wonder what their GPAs are.

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miamian magazine

Above: Not long after the Seal was installed, visitors on campus tours started walking around the seal, likely at the tour guide’s suggestion.

Below: An aerial shot shows the quad before the Hub and the Seal.

Summer 2022

49

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID

Burlington, VT 05401 Permit No. 396

“Kevin” was photographed by Ashleigh Brelage, a second-year Communication Design major from Muncie, Indiana, for her photography class with Associate Professor Jon Yamashiro. “During the class, I got in a habit of bringing my film camera with me as I walked around campus.” Ashleigh, recipient of the Karen Z. GrayKrehbiel Scholarship, doesn’t know who “Kevin” is and likes leaving it to her imagination. Her photo is one of nearly 30 pieces from the College of Creative Arts Studio Art faculty, scholarship winners, and recent CCA grads on display at Lewis Place this semester.