Monmouth College Magazine - Spring 2021

SCOTS DAY through the years

VOL 36 | NO 1 | SPRING 2021

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

Several inches of accumulated snow in late January gave these Pi Beta Phi sisters an opportunity to temporarily escape the pandemic blues and continue a Monmouth College tradition—sledding down the hill behind Wallace Hall. Pictured from left are Skylar Garey ’24, Kaitlyn Fox ’23, Nina Bozovic ’24 and Elise Pate ’22. Photo by CJ Bonifer ’22

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

SPRING 2021

PRESIDENT Dr. Clarence R. Wyatt BOARD OF TRUSTEES

13 COPING WITH COVID

From teaching to testing,

Scots persevere through the pandemic

16 RENAISSANCE MAN REMEMBERED

David Suda’s passion for the liberal arts was contagious

24 A SPRING TRADITION

From Maypoles to Scottish games to loyal giving, Scots Day still thrives

34 TANNEY’S NEXT STEP

Alex Tanney’s playing days may be over, but his NFL career continues

around campus 6 academics 8 books 20 newsmakers 22 in the scotlight 23 sports 31 alumni news 38 the last word 48

Mark Kopinski ’79, Chairman Dr. Ralph Velazquez Jr. ’79, Vice Chairman Douglas R. Carlson ’66 Daniel Cotter ’88 Robert Dahl Dr. Harvey Echols ’81 Nancy Speer Engquist ’74 Christine Beiermann Farr ’90 William J. Goldsborough ’65 Kevin Goodwin ’80 Augustin Hart III ’68 Mahendran Jawaharlal ’86 F. Austin Jones John Kemp ’82 The Rev. Robert C. McConnell ’72 Michael B. McCulley, Esq. ’70 J. Alex McGehee ’81 Gary Melvin Bradley C. Nahrstadt ’89 Gail Simpson Owen ’74 J. Hunter Peacock J. Stanley Pepper ’76 Anthony J. Perzigian ’66 Dennis M. Plummer ’73 Anita Ridge ’88 Susan Romaine The Hon. John J. Scotillo ’72 Dr. Carlos F. Smith ’90 Sherman Smith ’72 Nancy L. Snowden Mark E. Taylor ’78 Dwight Tierney ’69 Beth Bowdoin Tyre ’96 Jean Peters Witty ’88 Jackie Bell Zachmeyer ’89 ALUMNI BOARD REPRESENTATIVES TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Andrew Kerr ’73 Jerri Picha ’75 Roy Sye ’13 ALUMNI BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Andrew Kerr ’73, President Sean Maher ’73, Vice President Eveline Lipecka ’06, Secretary Michelle Perry ’89, Member at Large EDITORIAL BOARD Duane Bonifer Associate Vice President for Communications and Marketing

NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION

Kristen English Vice President for Enrollment Management

Monmouth College does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, military service, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy or other factors as prohibited by law.

Hannah Maher Vice President for Development and College Relations

Monmouth College admits students of any race, religion, color, sex, and national or ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to Monmouth students.

Barry McNamara Associate Director of College Communications

Monmouth College, an Equal Opportunity Employer, is committed to diversity and encourages applications from women and minority candidates.

Any inquiries regarding Title IX or the College’s Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation (www.monmouthcollege.edu/nondiscrimination-policy) should be directed to the Title IX Coordinator identified below. The Coordinator will be available to meet with or talk to students, staff and faculty regarding issues relating to Title IX and this policy.

Michelle Merritt Title IX & VI Coordinator 309-457-2114 titleix@monmouthcollege.edu

Jeffrey D. Rankin College Editor and Historian

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

HONORING THE EXAMPLE OF OUR FOUNDERS

F

rom its origins as a May Day celebration in the late 19th century, through its various manifestations and on to today, Scots Day is an enduring tradition of Monmouth College.

I appreciate many characteristics of present-day Scots Day, but

one I especially value is how it ties together the past, present, and future of the College: • We celebrate Scots Day on or about April 18 to commemo-

rate the College’s founding on April 18, 1853, and to honor

those who came before us.

• Scots Day also recognizes exceptional academic, artistic and

service achievement on the part of our current students,

faculty and staff.

• And during the 18 hours and 53 minutes of Scots Day of Giv ing, Monmouth’s supporters make generous contributions

that will enable the College to serve young people for gener-

ations to come.

You’ve heard me say before that these are challenging times

for Monmouth College, as they are for all of American higher education. The financial, demographic, and teaching and learning assumptions upon which higher education—especially residential liberal arts colleges—rest are being questioned as never before.

We must recognize, understand and respond to these changes.

Through the new cycle of strategic planning that we’ve just

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MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

MON MOU TH COLLEGE MAGA ZIN E VOL. 36 | NO. 1 EDITOR AND DESIGNER Jeffrey D. Rankin ASSOCIATE EDITOR Barry McNamara PHOTOGRAPHY Kent Kriegshauser Monmouth College Magazine is published three times a year for alumni, students, parents and friends of Monmouth College. All opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial staff or the College.

begun, all of us who believe in and support the mission of the

CONTACT US:

College will, together, answer these challenges.

MAGAZINE EDITOR jrankin@monmouthcollege.edu 309-457-2314

It’s easy to forget that what we now regard as traditions were once the next, new, untried thing. When looking at the portraits of Ivory Quinby, Robert Ross, David Wallace and the other founders, it’s easy to regard them as stolid figures from a long-ago time.

In reality, they were innovators. They lived in a time in which every aspect of our nation’s life was under tremendous pressure.

They saw a need and an opportunity to respond to those challenges. They thought creatively and acted boldly to bring into being something new that would address that need and opportunity. That something was Monmouth College.

Let’s honor their example by thinking creatively and acting boldly in meeting the needs and opportunities of our time. Let us today, in all that we do, found the future of Monmouth College.

In doing that, we will make every day Scots Day. As always, Lobie and I are grateful for all that you do for our students and our College.

ADDRESS CHANGE monmouthcollege.edu/update 888-827-8268 Development & College Relations Monmouth College 700 East Broadway Monmouth, IL 61462-1998 ALUMNI PROGRAMS 309-457-2231 888-827-8268 alumni @monmouthcollege.edu REGISTRAR 309-457-2326 registrar@monmouthcollege.edu ATHLETICS 309-457-2176 athletics@monmouthcollege.edu GIVE TO MONMOUTH 309-457-2231 888-827-8268 monmouthcollege.edu/give ADMISSION 800-747-2687 admission@monmouthcollege.edu

Dr. Clarence R. Wyatt President

Printed on Cascades Rolland Enviro 100 paper, made with 100 percent post-consumer fiber.

SPRING 2021

3

Planning our future

Dear Monmouth College Community,

I

n January, we announced that the College is commencing a new cycle of strategic planning, one that involves all members of the Monmouth College community—faculty and staff, current students, trustees, alumni, and members of the area community.

To be sure, this planning process will be a demanding one, but we will work through it together, purposefully and expeditiously, completing it on a schedule so that the College emerges in a strong position to meet its challenges. To be clear, as the process identifies good ideas that can help us to advance our objectives, we will not wait to act upon them.

As we all know, the environment within which Monmouth College and all of us exist has changed radically over the last year: The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed our nation, especially the American higher education landscape: —Economic downturn has greatly increased the burdens of families, most of which were already struggling to send their children to college.

—These increased financial challenges, plus disruption of high school and college teaching and learning, have had a significant negative impact on student recruitment and retention.

—Colleges and universities have lost student revenue and seen expenses increase, forcing budget and personnel reductions across the spectrum of American higher education—large, small, public, private, wealthy and less so— not seen in generations, if ever.

As it has at institutions across the country, COVID has exacerbated a decrease in Monmouth’s enrollment that has contributed to budget shortfalls that require long-term solutions.

Competition from the region’s community colleges is increasing, especially in the form of initiatives which allow students from Warren County and Galesburg schools to attend Carl Sandburg College for free for three years or 64 credit hours.

Beginning in the fall of 2026, the number of U.S. high school graduates will shrink substantially—even more dramatically in the Midwest—which will significantly reduce the number of traditional college-age students available for Monmouth to recruit.

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MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

In immediate response to these challenges, Monmouth, like many other

We must strengthen the

institutions, has undergone substantial

College to become

reductions in expenses, including reductions in faculty and staff, and additional

a “Fortress Monmouth,”

reductions will take place. We all regret

one that is better able to

the pain and disruption that these reductions have caused and will cause.

But we cannot cut our way to longterm stability, much less greatness.

To shape and ensure the College’s destiny, the Monmouth community can

turn back the challenges that confront us so that we will succeed in the new

Because the Trustees understand the importance of this work, we have received a donation to hire an expert in stakeholder engagement to help facilitate these discussions. Members of the stakeholder groups were selected based on conversations with the Faculty Senate, the Senior Staff, the Board of Trustees, the Alumni Board, student government and the Parent and Family Council.

This is how the process is working:

landscape and remain a

Seven separate stakeholder teams made up of a mix of stakeholders were place of high opportunity and resolve equal to the depth of these created. The teams included: a trustee, a challenges. But for the College to achieve faculty member, a staff member, a student, and high achievement. long-term stability and strength, that two alumni (an alum who graduated in the experience must even more clearly understand and even more 20th century and one who graduated between 2000–10) and a fully serve the needs and ambitions of students. member from the Monmouth-Warren County community.

Every aspect of our educational program—curricular One moderator per team, who is responsible for reporting and must respond with a creativity, focus

and cocurricular—must be a part of this student-centric

effort. Monmouth must become a more attractive investment for students and their families and achieve a stronger position in a rapidly changing and highly competitive environment.

We must design, describe, and present that experience so that prospective students, those who will employ them, and the communities they will serve understand with absolute clarity the value and relevance of this experience.

As the College’s mission statement proudly asserts, “As a residential liberal arts college, we empower students to realize their full potential, live meaningful lives, pursue successful careers, and shape their communities and the world through service and leadership.”

The planning process that we formally announce here is the instrument for this work. We must, with similar speed and determination, identify those elements in the external environment that present the greatest threats and opportunities to our mission and goals. We must also identify those internal strengths and weaknesses that serve or stand in the way of achieving our mission and goals. We must strengthen the College to become a “Fortress Monmouth,” one that is better able to turn back the challenges that confront us so that we will succeed in the new landscape and remain a

the team’s comments and conclusions.

Every two weeks, the teams are given one of seven questions and convene under this schedule to consider a reply.

Every team’s answers to the questions are being posted on the College website. We encourage everyone to stay up to date on teams’ progress and contribute their thoughts by regularly checking the website.

Work will wrap up by June with a final report on the conversations completed over the summer.

We understand what a difficult period this is—the pressures, the fatigue, the anxiety. But the only way forward through our present difficulties is to seize control of the College’s destiny through this process of thought and action. This work will be best achieved through the collaboration of open hearts and open minds.

This is an extraordinary time, at Monmouth College and throughout American higher education. In this great sorting-out period for colleges and universities, this is the moment for Monmouth to serve students more creatively and effectively, and by doing so to emerge stronger for the generations to come. We look forward to this process and we appreciate everyone’s participation in it.

place of high opportunity and high achievement.

One of the first steps in the planning process is a series of stakeholder conversations, which began in late February.

— Mark Kopinski ’79, Chair, Board of Trustees — Clarence R. Wyatt, President

SPRING 2021

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AROUND CAMPUS

Educational Farm gets another boost from Compeer Financial

C

ompeer Financial’s Fund for Rural America has awarded a $25,000 grant to the Monmouth College Educational Studies PLACE Site.

An acronym for Partnerships Linking Agriculture,

Community and Education, the PLACE Site program seeks to be a catalyst for agriculture-based educational partnerships and curriculum. It scales up work that began at the College’s Educational Farm and Garden in 2019 with another grant.

“We received a $10,000 grant from Compeer last year, so this grant shows their confidence and trust in what we’re

It will be a nice, full curriculum that is housed

trying to achieve,” said Monmouth educational studies professor Craig Vivian. “With this grant, we want

to build up the infrastructure at our

out at the farm, with

farm and garden for education and

…microscopes and tools

that is to furnish the new geodesic

to observe, measure and

different tools and technologies.”

analyze the natural world we find at the farm.”

curriculum. One way we plan to do dome (see page 10) with some Doing so would take the farm, which is located a half-mile east of campus, from a field trip destination to a site where all-day learning could

—Professor Craig Vivian take place.

“The idea is that students can spend the majority of their school day out there,” said Vivian.

“It won’t just be a 30-minute field trip and then head back to school. We’ll be able to cover a lot of areas with them, such as biology, math and literature. The math could come from things like measurements and statistics and tracking things like rate of growth. The literature could be reading about agricultural

features: an agricultural curriculum for the community and students from kindergarten through high school; spaces for the public to interact with agriculture; an interdisciplinary network of experts; and a platform to highlight the community’s agricultural experiences.

Vivian’s hope is that the program will serve as a model of agricultural education and engagement for other rural communities in the region.

“I’m really big on agrarian philosophy, and this type of learning, specifically, helps students think about the world and their place in it through the culture of agriculture,” said Vivian. “It also provides a way to connect public schooling to Monmouth College and to connect the city and College.”

Vivian’s department colleague Jenni Dickens agreed with Vivian about the importance of connections.

“This grant will give our community’s students an

issues that we’re facing locally. It will be a nice, full curriculum

unprecedented opportunity to learn how agriculture connects

that is housed out at the farm, with plenty of tools they can use,

us all,” said Dickens, who serves as the educational studies

such as microscopes and tools to observe, measure and analyze

department’s director of partnerships and initiatives. “Even

the natural world we find at the farm.”

better, it will give them the space and resources to change

Through presentations, digital and on-site workshops, and social media outreach, the PLACE Site aims to develop four

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Located within easy walking distance of campus, Monmouth's Educational Farm continues to develop, expanding both its agricultural production and its educational offerings.

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

their community for the better, starting now, through the vital, common thread of agriculture.”

A gift of contemplation A gift to Monmouth College will help members of the College community unplug, unwind and enjoy a contemplative experience.

Jon Dahl ’75 and his wife, Barbara, of Indianapolis have made a gift to enable Monmouth to build a labyrinth on campus. Expected to be completed in 2021, the labyrinth’s location is yet Jon ’75 and Barbara Dahl hope their to be determined. gift of a labyrinth on campus will help “We have enjoyed the labyrinth ex- students reflect and relax. perience, and we want to share it with the Monmouth community, as a spiritual and meditative outlet,” said Jon. A labyrinth is a meandering, often unicursal, path that has a single way that leads to a center.

Experiencing a labyrinth can help Monmouth students bring issues into a spiritual context, Jon explained, adding: “When I think about a labyrinth on Monmouth’s campus, I think about decisions a student might need to really reflect on, such as, ‘Should I pursue an MBA after I graduate?’ or ‘What are my plans after Monmouth?’ It could also be for fun. My first time in a labyrinth was on New Year’s Eve in 1998 at a monastery. I thought it would be a fun and different way to ring in the new year. And my first experience was giddy. I wanted to laugh out loud, but I didn’t. The director told me I should’ve—that it’s part of the unique labyrinth experience that every individual has.”

Monmouth Dean of the Chapel the Rev. \Teri Ott said a labyrinth will become a great campus resource. “(Associate Chaplain the Rev. Jessica Hawkinson) and I look forward to facilitating individuals, student organizations, classes or visiting church groups in its use,” she said. “We live in such a noisy, distracting, digital age.

This labyrinth will offer a meditative, centering practice to our campus community and will be an invaluable spiritual resource.”

Echols named trustee Dr. Harvey Echols ’81 of Plano, Texas, has been named to the Monmouth College Board of Trustees.

Echols, who most recently served as a member of the College’s Alumni Association Board, said he is “deeply honored and humbled” to be named a Monmouth trustee.

“In one sense, I don’t feel like I’m old enough to be a trustee because I still remember seeing the trustees on campus when I was a Monmouth student and thinking, ‘These are people who are the pillars of their community and have served long, distinguished careers,’” said Echols, who is pharmacy medical director for Oscar Health, a New York-based health insurance company.

“That’s why I am deeply honored and humbled to be invited to serve on the Board, because of the caliber of individuals who serve on it and work to ensure that Monmouth remains a strong college for generations of students to come.”

After graduating from Monmouth with a biology degree, Echols spent a year working in the College’s Office of Admission before heading to medical school at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Cook County Hospital in Chicago and a sports medicine fellowship at Midwestern (Ill.) University.

Monmouth joins ranks of transfer-friendly colleges Monmouth College has been named to Phi Theta Kappa’s 2021 Transfer Honor Roll, recognition that it is one of the nation’s most transfer-friendly schools for community college students.

Phi Theta Kappa is the leading academic honorary society for students at two-year institutions.

Monmouth is one of 150 colleges and universities named to the honor roll for “excellence in the development and support of dynamic and innovative transfer pathways for community college transfer students,” according to Monmouth Associate Director of Admission Wendy Downing.

President Clarence R. Wyatt said the national honor is the result of a campus-wide effort to work with students who want to transfer from a community college.

“As has long been true, Monmouth puts the student at the

center of all that we do,” said Wyatt. “In recent years, that has included being a place that is more attractive and accessible to students who begin their college careers at two-year institutions.”

Business administration, education, exercise science and psychology are among the more popular majors with community college students who transfer to Monmouth.

“In many cases, students can earn a bachelor’s degree in two years from Monmouth after studying for two years at a community college,” Downing said.

Monmouth offers a special scholarship for community college students who are a member of Phi Theta Kappa. The College also annually awards a full-tuition scholarship, the Wallace Founders Scholarship, to one transfer student.

SPRING 2021

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AC A DE MIC S

P O L I T I CA L S C I E N C E I N AC T I O N

Fresh from the campaign trail, young Monmouth alumni reminisce about a memorable election year By Barry McNamara

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A half-dozen recent Monmouth College graduates celebrating Rep. Rita Hart,” said Steve Oaks ’16, who “This is a had front-row seats to the craziness of the past said he regretted the strategy of pulling back from celebration of election season, and some of them even found door-to-door campaigning during the pandemic. “But our students’ themselves in harm’s way as historic events unfolded. we wanted to be above it all. We wanted to be the safe The six graduates took turns sharing their stories campaign.” achievements. in February during a Zoom event organized by the Monmouth College Tony Salgado ’20 worked a close campaign in College’s political science department.

Georgia, where two special Senate run-off elections graduates can No one had a scarier time than Josh Perschall were held Jan. 5, with the balance of power in the go out and work U.S. Senate at stake. He was stationed in Atlanta ’19, who was part of the team that helped Randy on anybody’s Feenstra defeat incumbent Steve King in Iowa’s after working in Omaha during the run-up to the campaign.”

4th Congressional District. Perschall is now part presidential election. of Feenstra’s staff in Washington, D.C. It was only “It didn’t feel Midwestern-y at all,” he said of his fourth day on the job when the Capitol Hill insurrection Georgia. “I felt a little more intimidated there. A lot of the occurred on Jan. 6.

Republicans I spoke to were dissatisfied. They didn’t feel a “It was an absolutely horrible event,” said Perschall, who was push to get out and vote. I saw a spike in voter fatigue. I firmly in the Longworth Building, next door to the Cannon Building, believe Trump questioning the results of the election hurt the where a more serious breach occurred. “I’d only lived in Republicans’ chances there.”

Washington for a week. It was very surreal. I was a little bit in “This is a celebration of our students’ achievements,” said fear for our safety, but there wasn’t any commotion on our floor. political science faculty member Robin Johnson ’80 while … We were holed up for six hours. We didn’t get to go home until introducing the event. “Monmouth College graduates can go out the National Guard showed up.” and work on anybody’s campaign.”

Alex Altamirano ’19 also recalled some tense moments going “The only reason I got into campaigning was because I took door-to-door in Kenosha, Wis., in Jacob Blake’s neighborhood. your class­—that got the ball rolling for me,” Alex Cruz ’20 told On Aug. 23, 2020, Blake was shot seven times by Kenosha Johnson near the end of the Zoom session. Cruz worked for the police, an event that sparked outrage across the nation.

Progressive Turnout Project, primarily contacting inconsistent “I wouldn’t say it was fear, but I was at times concerned Democratic voters. because the tension was just so thick in Kenosha,” he said. “There Salgado’s takeaway from the 2020 election was that more was definitely animosity there. There was definitely tension subjectivity is needed. there.”

“The only way to get better is to take away the reality TV In the end, Altamirano and his co-workers were not able to tip part of politics—worrying less about ratings and more about Kenosha County’s vote in the Democrats’ favor. subjectivity,” he said.

It was an unusual year in politics and in the world, and Libby Altamirano spoke to that sentiment, and also about learning to Meyer ’15, who writes for the online site Iowa Starting Line, said take his lumps and to keep moving forward. maybe we should have seen that coming after the struggles by “Josh and I don’t usually agree, but it doesn’t influence Iowa Democrats to provide timely results of the February caucus. what I think of him as a person. We agree to disagree. … As “Pete Buttigieg won by a hair, but The Associated Press for campaigning itself, you’ve got to be comfortable being actually never declared a winner,” said Meyer. “The struggles uncomfortable. You’ve got to learn to take the punches and roll with the new reporting app the Democratic Party developed was with them.” one of the first signs that 2020 was going awry. If only we knew Said Salgado: “Be empathetic to people, be patient. Knocking then that the whole year was going to go awry.” on doors is truly like a box of chocolates. You never know what Iowa had another instance of a candidate winning by a hair, as you’re going to get.”

Mariannette Miller-Meeks edged Rita Hart by just six votes out But, as Oaks said, being face-to-face sure beats a phone call— of nearly 400,000 votes cast in the 2nd Congressional District, one of two rules-of-thumb he said applies whether the subject is the narrowest margin of victory in a U.S. House race since 1984. the wild 2020 election, or one from previous years: “Yard signs “Iowa would still be a Democratic state, and we’d be don’t vote, and nobody wants to talk to you on the telephone.”

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

ACADEMICS

Business, science students look to the future of solar energy

By Barry McNamara

T

om Prince doesn’t claim to be Nostradamus, but he’s pretty sure about a prediction he’s made for the 2030s.

“We need to take stress off the (energy) grid,” the Monmouth business professor told his students. “Looking 10 or 20 years out, all I have to worry about is where the fish are biting. It’s you guys who are going to have to deal with these changes.”

Prince is spearheading a project that has recently kept select Monmouth science and business students occupied—monitoring two cutting-edge Prince solar panels mounted atop the College’s Center for Science and Business.

Last fall, those students heard from Ben Damiani, co-founder and chief scientist for Atlanta-based Solar Inventions.

The company won all three levels of the inaugural American-Made Solar Prize competition with its Configurable Current Cell (C3) subcell technology, which allows current to flow more directly by electrically dividing each cell into subcells.

Solar Inventions split the first $1 million prize as part of a group of 20 and the next $1 million in a group of 10, then split the final $1 million with another competitor, for a total of $650,000 in prize money.

Damiani told the students that solar accounts for 1% of the current $1.4 trillion global energy market. But as improvements are made to solar energy storage, he predicted that solar power’s share of the world market could rise to “30, 40, even 50%.”

Damiani said solar panels—which have become twice as efficient as they were several years ago—have a lifespan of 25-30 years.

“As efficiency has increased by two times, the price has dropped by 10 times,” he said. “Ten or 20 years ago, the argu-

ment was that solar power was only for the rich. Solar was 300 times the cost, but now it’s the cheapest because storage is so much better. It’s easy to install, it’s user-friendly. Now, the estimates are that in the next 10 or 20 years, we’ll see a meaningful percentage of people that can be taken off the grid.”

Monmouth is an attractive option to test Solar Inventions’ new panels because its Midwest location provides some benefits.

“When it gets really cold, when there’s a snow load on the panels—those will be very interesting things for us to track,” said Damiani.

The College was also selected because of a connection between Damiani and Prince.

“I’ve known Ben a long time,” said Prince, whose family became connected to Damiani when he tutored Prince’s daughter at Georgia Tech University. “We talked about this kind of project this summer. He said, ‘I’ll get the panels to you.’”

Prince relayed that development to Monmouth physics professor Chris Fasano, who is also based in the Center for Science and Business and has been tracking results from a pair of solar panels for quite some time.

“These are cutting-edge solar panels,” said Fasano of the eight panels, which each measure 66-by-40 inches. “We keep looking for ways for science and business to work together.”

Analyzing the pure data, which Fasano believes will be positive, will be helpful to Damiani and the College.

“After we have some real data, we could show that solar really makes sense,” said Fasano. “We’d need at least a year’s worth of data. It wouldn’t be an emotional decision. It would be a decision driven purely by the data we collect.”

Prince’s business students come into play as they will help Solar Inventions

determine how best to take their product to market. Working on that part of the project are Dominic DeCello ’21, Gavin Gard ’21 and Bryan Peters ’22.

“We’re sitting here in a building called the Center for Science and Business,” said Prince. “Ben has created this wonderful science. What drives decisions are two things: management decisions and profit.

Management decides ‘Is it time for this science to go public?’ This project with Solar Inventions is a way for them to gather the right information to make the most informed decision.”

If it is indeed time, there will be some major companies interested, said Prince.

“Both Ford and General Motors have committed to fully electric vehicles and production, which will include a heavy demand on solar both for production and recharging,” he said.

Damiani said solar companies often work with universities on research, but that the project with Monmouth “might be the only one blending business and science.”

“We are the only college or university in the country with this particular technology in the panels,” said Prince. “Science and business students are working together, and we are planning a busy spring getting this set up and collecting data. It’s great for the school, and it’s an ongoing story. Tune in for episode two.”

Damiani points out features of his C3 cell to students as they unload the solar panels in the Center for Science and Business.

SPRING 2021

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ACADEMICS

A DOME FOR LEARNING a new monmouth college open-air classroom is helping area school children

better understand their environment while giving future teachers new ways to reach students.

Located on the Monmouth Educational Farm about four blocks east of campus, the open-air classroom was built last fall.

The 30-foot wide geodesic dome, on the edge of the nearly seven-acre working farm, hosted socially distanced projects this fall for nearly five dozen area grade school students who were part of the Warren County YMCA’s Y Academy program.

The classroom was built by members of the College’s educational studies department, with support from the Rural Schools Collaborative and a grant from Compeer Financial.

The classroom’s purpose is to support the department’s efforts to promote place-based learning, which encourages teachers to incorporate students’ local geography into their lessons.

For Monmouth educational studies major Alex Johnson ’21, the socially distanced education events with area school children gave her a rare opportunity to practice place-based education.

“The Monmouth

farm provided the YMCA students with an amazing learning opportunity, especially during a time when these experiences are hard to take place in schools due to the pandemic and all the restrictions that it brings into classrooms and schools,” said Johnson, who is also a member of the College’s TARTANS rural teacher corps.

“This opportunity and experience was so eye-opening for me as a TARTAN, since I have not yet been able to see place-based education taking place in person until now,” said Johnson.

“The experience at the farm and working with the students really showed me just how much place-based education can impact students and their learning.”

During their visit to the College farm, the children worked on educational projects that had them hunting for insects and collecting leaves. Some of the children even discovered new foods.

Educational studies major Mariah Garzee ’22 said the field trips were a welcome respite from the sense of isolation that has been

Y Academy students receive a lesson in the outdoor classroom.

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MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

By Duane Bonifer

created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It made me happy to see the students so excited about looking for insects, and I think they were excited to just get to be outside for a little while,” said Garzee, who is also a member of the TARTANS rural teacher corps.

Seeing students’ interest in the activities inspired Garzee “to continue thinking about how I’m going to incorporate my future students’ place and the nature around them into their education.”

That was precisely why the open-air classroom was built, according to professor Craig Vivian, chair of the Monmouth educational studies department.

“This was a way to reach out to the community and get kids interested in the farm,” Vivian said. “I was also trying to find a way we could get kids to spend more time engaging in the cultural aspects of agriculture, and one of those is an appreciation of nature.

I was so happy that every single kid was interested in what we were doing and what they could learn. What they reinforced, for me, was that this idea and vision for the farm and our program is good and has a place.

It was very affirming and confirming.”

Professor Craig Vivian stands by the newly constructed dome classroom.

ACADEMICS

$600K grant funds study of student attitudes toward data science Marjorie Bond, a Monmouth mathematics professor who specializes in statistics, is a member of a seven-researcher team that has received a $600,000 grant to better understand student attitudes toward learning about statistics and data science.

Funded by the National Science Foundation for Marjorie Bond Motivational Attitudes in Statistics and Data Science Education Research, the project seeks to gauge motivational attitudes toward statistics in students and instructors, as well as understand environmental characteristics and other elements that influence student learning.

The research group expects that its results will be brought back to teacher education as best practices. Because data science—which Monmouth launched as an academic major in 2019—is a new field of study related to statistics, the group will produce the first instruments written to study that discipline.

Bond, who used her 2020 sabbatical to study data science, led a section of the College’s introductory data science course last fall and is doing so again during the spring semester.

“Data science education research is in its infancy with

minimal research on attitudes and no validated measurement instruments,” Bond and her colleagues note in the proposal.

“Quality instruments to measure student attitudes are priorities in both the statistics education and data science education communities.”

The three-year “Developing Validated Instruments to Measure Student/Faculty Attitudes in Undergraduate Statistics and Data Science Education” grant was written by Bond along with researchers from Villanova University, Winona (Minn.) State University, Mount Saint Vincent University in Canada and California State University, Monterey Bay. Working alongside the researchers are Bond’s faculty colleague at Monmouth, Wendine Bolon, and a professor from Elizabethtown (Pa.) College.

Bond said that work in Monmouth’s Summer Opportunity for Intellectual Activity program—known as SOFIA—allowed students to adapt the research tool Survey of Attitudes Towards Statistics (SATS) to study attitudes toward disciplines other than statistics. When the group’s results “didn’t make sense,” she realized they needed another instrument to measure attitudes toward statistics instead of the SATS. “We saw similar patterns—no change in attitudes from precourse to post-course,” said Bond.“We were looking at other science disciplines like biology and psychology and were not seeing changes in attitudes. This didn’t make sense. It was at that point that I realized that the SATS wasn’t working.”

Globe-trotting Godde looking forward to another Fulbright With a little luck at the end of this year, Monmouth biology professor James Godde will be able to continue a personal streak he began in 2006.

Godde has worked on an academic project outside of the United States every year since then, and he already has his foreign travel plans for 2022—thanks to a Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant he recently received to study at the University of Murcia in Spain.

The Core Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program sends about 800 U.S. scholars and professionals per year to about 130 countries, where they lecture and/or conduct research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields.

This will be Godde’s second Fulbright. The first one he received was in 2015 to study in the African nation of Mauritius. His international streak started by leading a Monmouth study-abroad trip to Japan in 2006, the year before he spent a sabbatical there.

Godde, who led students on a study-abroad project to Belize and Guatemala before the pandemic hit last year, hopes to lead another student trip to El Salvador during Christmas break at the end of this year.

During his sabbatical next spring, Godde will study the evolution of histone-like proteins in bacteria.

James Godde

SPRING 2021

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ACADEMICS

GUTIERREZ

ROMANO

CANTERBURY

RODEFFER

EVANS

MARTINO

MORENO AYUSO

OLUSOGA

SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION DRAWS EIGHT GIFTED CANDIDATES Eight high school seniors make up the top scholars in Monmouth College’s Class of 2025. The students were chosen from a group of 165 high school seniors from 15 states who competed in early 2021 for the top three scholarships awarded to incoming freshmen, 30 students more than for any of the past three years.

Two students were named William J. and Beverly Goldsborough Scholars, a four-year, full-tuition scholarship available to students from the Chicagoland area: Michelle Gutierrez of Chicago, who plans to major in biology to prepare for medical school; and Emma Romano of Wilmington, Ill., who plans to major in business administration and music.

Two students were named Admiral’s Scholars, a four-

year, full-tuition scholarship plus a $5,000 academic enrichment fund and a place in the James and Sybil Stockdale Fellows Program leadership program: Emily Canterbury of Orion, Illinois, who plans to major in either English or neuroscience; and Ilese Rodeffer of Bushnell, Illinois, who plans to major in psychology to prepare for medical school.

Four students were name Trustees’ Scholars, an annual $30,000 scholarship: Bailey Evans of Indianapolis, who plans to major in English; Mia Martino of Palatine, Illinois, who plans to major in history; Christian Moreno Ayuso of Chicago, who plans to major in mathematics; and Damilare Olusoga of Chicago, who plans to major in biochemistry.

Pursuing philosophy through alchemy and Harry Potter Monmouth philosophy professor Anne Mamary has been a huge fan of the

Anne Mamary

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Harry Potter series for two decades, so much so that she even teaches a course called “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Soul.”

Mamary now has another text that she can use for the class, a book she edited titled The Alchemical Harry Potter: Essays on Transfiguration in J.K. Rowling’s Novels, now available through McFarland Publishing.

Mamary also authored the book’s final essay, “Ruddy Stargazers: Centaurs, Philosophers, and a Life Worth Living.”

A pair of 2018 Monmouth graduates, Isaac Willis and Sean Paulsgrove, have essays in the book, titled, respectively, “Re-Reading Harry Potter, Re-Creating Ourselves” and “Tapping on Just Another Brick in the Wall.” Middle school teacher Tamy Rankin ’81 wrote the

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

introduction to one of the book’s three sections.

Mamary’s attachment to the series, which debuted in 1997, took a while to develop. She was in her 30s when she read the first three books of the series, simply because “I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. By the time the fourth book came out, I was in line at Barnes & Noble at midnight to get it with all these students wearing Hogwarts costumes.”

Although many books have been written about the Harry Potter series, Mamary’s book has a unique angle, based on Rowling’s personal interest in alchemy, which provided the internal logic for the series.

Alchemy is an ancient branch of natural philosophy. Modern discussions of it

are generally split into an examination of its exoteric practical applications and its esoteric spiritual aspects.

Mamary, who studied chemistry in college, now wishes Rowling’s books had been available when she was growing up and that perhaps they would have steered her toward studying alchemy.

“But alchemy is not about money or eternal life,” said Mamary. “It is much more about the transformations of desire, of power and of people—through love. Harry’s equally remarkable and ordinary power to love leads to his desire to find but not use the Philosopher’s Stone at the start of the series and his wish to end the destructive power of the Elder Wand at the end.”

The collection of essays on alchemical symbolism and transformations in Rowling’s series demonstrates how Harry’s work with magical objects, people and creatures transfigure desire, power and identity.

UPDATE: COPING WITH COVID

Prior to the opening of spring semester, COVID testing was performed in the fieldhouse of Huff Athletic Center to allow ample room for social distancing.

Saliva-based testing allowed campus to open safely

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onmouth College’s spring semester opened on schedule in January, but not before all in-person students, faculty and staff had been tested for covid-19, using an innovative saliva-based test developed by the University of Illinois.

The College received a $150,000 grant from the Community Health Foundation of Warren and Henderson Counties to purchase 5,000 SHIELD Illinois tests, which are being administered not only to the campus community but also to any residents of Warren or Henderson counties.

The highly accurate test, which has obtained federal emergency use authorization, gained national attention by allowing the University of Illinois’ three campuses to remain open for in-person learning since last fall, with more than 1.5 million samples collected to date.

At accuracy levels of 99.8-99.9%, with very few false positives, the test matches the accuracy of more invasive and expensive tests. It has been praised for its simplicity, without the need for administration by medical professionals.

Monitored by trained observers, participants fill a test tube with their saliva, and receive results on a phone app within 12–24 hours.

“From the beginning of this pandemic, Monmouth College

faculty, staff and students have pursued the twin goals of safeguarding each other’s health and delivering our educational experience as effectively as possible,” said President Clarence R. Wyatt. “In the current climate of covid-19, Monmouth College also realizes our duty to the city of Monmouth and to Warren County to do our part in the mitigation of the virus.”

Community-wide testing is being offered to the public two days per week in the Haldeman-Thiessen Center. The College is also administering surveillance testing of the campus community periodically throughout the semester.

“Providing rapid results in the case of a positive test for students or employees will allow Monmouth College to take swift action to reduce the spread of the virus,” Wyatt said. “We hope to identify infected individuals early and save lives by curbing the spread of covid-19, while reducing productivity loss and prioritizing the well-being of our students, employees and members of the Monmouth-Warren County community as a whole.”

Spearheading the implementation of the program on campus were psychology professor Joan Wertz, executive assistant to the president Amy Warrington and chief information officer Nick Carlson ’08. Megan Davis ’21 served as student coordinator.

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SCOTS CARE: Student initiative delivers financial support during pandemic

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onmouth College’s student government has continued a campus-wide tradition of “looking out for each other,” raising more than $23,000 for students in need through its Scots Care initiative.

“During the pandemic, we realized that there is a lot of financial strain on students,” said Abierre Minor ’21, president of Scots Student Senate. “Even if we think about the stimulus and other federal programs, students cannot qualify for that, so we recognized that students were really at a vulnerable state. We wanted to create a fund that can help with that and bring some financial security to the students on campus.”

Scots Care is available to all Monmouth students. The emergency fund helps subsidize items such as travel expenses,

“We’re a community-oriented school. We look out for each other and we take each other seriously. We’re a tight-knit group.” ­—­abierre minor ’21

books, laundry, food and other needs. Anybody can apply to receive the funds, said Minor.

“Originally, we were reaching for the stars,” she said of a financial goal. “We hoped the fund would reach a figure like it has. We were OK with a lower figure, but to get to something like $23,000 and counting is really beautiful. It’s a testament to the community strength right now. We’re a community-oriented school. We look out for each other and we take each other seriously.

We’re a tight-knit group.”

Minor said one of the incentives for creating Scots Care was the story of a particular student

who is no longer at Monmouth— an international student who had received a full scholarship from his country to attend Monmouth and was fully engaged as a student, who then lost his funding because of the pandemic.

“That’s when we really came to the table as Scots Student Senate and said, ‘We really need to do something about this,’” she said.

“I think the purpose of student government is to serve students and to tap into the needs of the community. Of course, we can’t fund full tuition. If we could, we would. But we need to do something to help some of these students. That’s what started the

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

Kaitlyn Fisher ’22 and Cullen Marshall ’22 in a recent production of Rajiv Joseph’s Gruesome Playground Injuries.

Masks were an integral part of ancient Greek theatre, but it wasn’t until the pandemic that they once again became a staple. Monmouth’s theatre department has successfully presented two masked productions with limited casts and the option for purchasing a live stream rather than attending in person.

ball rolling for Scots Care. We are so blessed to have people contributing to the fund. It’s going to impact and enrich so many lives.”

Scots Care is a way to reach out to students during a time when opportunities to physically reach out have been limited, providing some of the compassion and empathy that can’t be shown in person.

“One of the things that this pandemic has taken away from us is that interaction with each other and a lot of the physical community building that we do,” said Minor. “Within my friend group, when we’d see each other on the sidewalk, we’d hug. We’ve all missed a little bit of the hugs, the physical encouragement that you get on campus. Even just people waving at you or talking to you randomly.”

When the pandemic first became an issue last spring, Monmouth students were sent home for the rest of the semester.

They returned to campus last fall, but with many social distancing requirements and other covid-19 protocols.

“Unfortunately, because we have to social distance, we have to go back into ourselves and keep our friend groups small,” said Minor. “I think a lot of students miss that community base—being able to speak to whoever and hang out with whoever, whenever.

We’re missing that engagement.

I miss meeting new people on campus. On this campus, you almost make a new friend every day or every week. That’s what we signed up for.” ­—Barry McNamara

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An extraordinary first year A year ago, they were among more than 100 students from the Midwest competing for one of the top scholarships at Monmouth College. This school year, they are among the distinguished members of Monmouth’s Class of 2024, and some of them have experienced an extraordinary first year at Monmouth.

Luis Castillo ’24 said that despite the strange arrangements because of the pandemic, he’s been impressed by what the Monmouth professors have done to make the 2020–21 school year a memorable one.

“The professors are still there to care for you and show you that even though we’re going through tough times right now, they’re still there for you,” said Castillo, a neuroscience major. “That just stands out even more to me because the professors are not only there to teach you but they’re also there for you if you need anything, and that is regardless if a professor is within your major or not.”

Janice Abel ’24, an English and public relations major, said she knows that the 2020–21 school year has been unusual, but she doesn’t have anything to measure against it because this is her first year of college.

“I wouldn’t know how college is without the pandemic because that’s just how it’s been while I’ve been in college,” said Abel. “It’s definitely been weird not being able to go to events or attend events that have all of these restrictions.”

In September, Abel participated in the Theatre Department’s annual FusionFest, a 24-hour theatre festival. “We had to be six feet apart when blocking and the audience had to be six feet apart,” she said. “It was definitely an odd experience, but I enjoyed it a lot.”

Tyler Houck ’24 also said he doesn’t know what he’s missing out on because of the pandemic. But the accounting and business major said he’s enjoying his first year on campus as a Monmouth Scot, which also includes being a member of the baseball team.

“I just appreciated that we were on campus in the first place and being able to live in the dorms and have a roommate,” said Houck. “We’ve even been able to do some stuff with the baseball team, such as get in practices by wearing masks and all that. So I think it can only get better from here, and I already am enjoying it. So that’s a good sign.”

Pandemic inspired psych majors to conduct COVID-19 research The COVID-19 pandemic affected college students in numerous ways during the fall 2020 semester. For three Monmouth psychology seniors, it presented research opportunities.

BOWMAN Alison Bowman, Abigail Haslem and Abby Tucker switched the research topics of their senior capstone project and connected them to the pandemic.

“I’ve been curious about how covid has impactHASLEM ed everyone’s lives,” said Haslem while presenting her final project, titled “Perceptions of covid-19 and Their Effects on Mental Well-Being and Social Support.”

TUCKER “Social distancing has caused social isolation, which correlates with stress, anxiety and depression,” she said. “Quarantining can lead to depression and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). ...

People have become more fearful of infection and death.”

For her project, Haslem interviewed 138 participants, primarily college students. Thirteen percent of the people she surveyed reported that they have delayed their graduation.

“Academic performance has declined as stress leads to lower grades, neglecting responsibilities and increased irritability,” she said.

“A lack of social support contributes to psychological distress, which can be just as harmful to an individual as smoking, obesity or high blood pressure. People gain emotional

sustenance from their social groups, the people who are going through similar life experiences.”

Tucker studied the “Big Five” personality traits— agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, extroversion and neuroticism—for her project, titled “Personality Types & covid-19 Behavioral Tendencies.” She worked with a test group of 224 participants.

Those falling into the category of neuroticism were much more likely to have behaviors such as washing hands and avoiding gatherings, bars and restaurants.

“They showed a fear of the virus and a tendency toward protection of oneself,” Tucker said, while extroverts did not tend to avoid gatherings, due to being outgoing and seeking social interaction.

“Any additional knowledge about slowing the spread of covid-19 is a step in the right direction,” she said of all three projects. “Health officials can utilize this information.”

Bowman studied the relationship between the personality types also examined by Tucker and alcohol use as a reaction to covid-19, focusing on neuroticism and extroversion.

In her study of 120 participants, she found a correlation with the way neurotic personality types behaved.

“Those with a neurotic personality type drank significantly less before covid” she said. “That was in alignment with my hypothesis. Extroverts drank consistently, so there was not as much of a correlation.”

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I N M E MOR I A M

Suda put the ‘human’ into humanities

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avid Suda, a Monmouth College professor widely acclaimed by his colleagues and former students as a “Renaissance man,” died Feb. 27 at the age of 77 at his Sarasota, Fla., home.

Suda officially taught in the College’s department of history, but he was listed in the course catalog as a professor of humanities, also teaching courses in philosophy, religious studies, art and music. A skilled musician, Suda was concertmaster of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony and the violinist in the Knox-Galesburg Symphony Trio, playing alongside his wife, Monmouth music instructor Carolyn Suda, and the symphony’s conductor, Bruce Polay.

In thanking Suda for his 23 years as concertmaster of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony, Polay wrote, “From my view, David Suda has always been an exceptionally intelligent, wellschooled advocate for bringing great music to life.”

Suda joined Monmouth’s faculty in 1984 and taught for 27 years. One of his initial tasks was to help redesign Monmouth’s liberal arts curriculum, and one of the lasting elements of that effort was the College’s honors program, which he coordinated for several years.

“To me, he was the brightest, best-educated and most wellread person I ever knew, and I’ve been around higher education all my life,” said Monmouth emeritus professor of English Jeremy McNamara, who for several years walked five days a week with Suda. “And then my other interest is music, and David was spectacular at that, too. He was a great person to be around in all ways.”

Another one of his former colleagues at Monmouth, music professor Ian Moschenross, shared a similar sentiment about Suda.

“I have never known anyone like David—professional violinist, imposing intellectual, beautiful writer, military veteran, dear friend,” said Moschenross. “David and Carolyn introduced me to a world of great literature which we never tired of discussing, often very late into the night. David believed in the indispensability of culture, of art, and of empathy. His students loved him and remember his courses.”

Melissa Scholes Young ’97, one of his former students, took her first class with Suda by mistake thanks to an error with the room number.

“Dr. Suda strode in and read Anna Akhmatova,” she recalled.

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“It was ‘He Loved Three Things Alone …’ which he read first in Russian. It was a performance—as good teaching often is. The class was ‘Russian Cultural History,’ and I wasn’t supposed to be in it. But I was smitten with the words and Dr. Suda’s passion for them. I declared history my major because I wanted to keep coming to any class with him.”

Young went on to be a professor and author, and Suda has been there with her every step of the way, from the lessons he taught her at Monmouth—including learning how to think—to the help he’s provided with her manuscripts.

“Dr. Suda believed that history, language, music and love would teach us how to live,” she said. “He challenged us to consider how to live our lives backward with intention rather than blindly moving through the decades.”

When Young began writing her own stories, a decade after graduating from Monmouth, she sent them first to Suda.

“He wrote me long letters back and gave me reading lists,” she said.

“He was always present and generous with his time.

We were pen pals Suda with Scholes Young ’97 in 2017. for years and my mentor became a friend. He asked me to call him David. I still can’t. We compared stories of raising daughters. He sent me updates of his beloved (daughter) Anne and shared pictures of the cats adoring Carolyn.”

In short, said Young, Suda provided her a great gift: “He saw value in my mind, so I learned to do the same.”

“For me, Dr. Suda was the epitome of what it meant to be a professor,” said the Rev. John Huxtable ’04, pastor of First Christian Church in Virden, Ill. “Throughout the many courses that I took with Dr. Suda, I was taught much more than simple academics; he taught us how to be better people in the world.

He opened our eyes to see with new lenses that included compassion and grace in all our decisions, and sought to help us see everything that our decisions would impact.”

Suda coupled his almost incomparable intelligence with a humanity that made him approachable for the students he was trying to marshal through their time at Monmouth, and beyond.

“There was a wonderfully noble nature that he carried himself with that resonated from him as he taught or was simply in conversation with you,” said Huxtable. “He was filled with this

‘

To me, he was the brightest, best-educated and most well-read person I ever knew, and I’ve been around higher education all my life.” ­—Professor Emeritus Jeremy McNamara amazing grace for his students and was always willing to listen to you when you needed to be heard. He cared deeply for each of his students, and he shepherded us through his courses with a wonderful grace that is very rare. He was also tough, which made you appreciate the finality and the accomplishment of completing the course.”

Although he retired from the full faculty in 2011, Suda was still a presence on campus, teaching violin to talented musicians such as Syrian refugee Mariela Shaker ’15 and current student Holly Reyner ’21.

“David always had amazing stories and he had a special way of making people want to give absolutely everything they had,” said Reyner. “For music to truly be an art, you have to put yourself into it, and he knew exactly how to get people to do just that. David was one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. Every lesson with him was not only a music lesson, but also a life lesson. He was always inspiring and spirited. He was truly an incredible person.”

To Shaker, Suda was more than just a teacher.

“I am blessed to have had the opportunity to be a student of a profound, humble and intelligent man,” she said. “I still remember the first violin lesson with David in 2013 as if it were yesterday. He worked with me so much to become a better violinist and human. David was not just my beloved violin teacher, but also my American father. I came to the U.S. as a stranger and vulnerable, with no family or friends. Soon afterward, David became my new family. How many Thanksgiving dinners, Easter breaks and holidays we celebrated together.”

Suda earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in his native state at the University of South Florida and his Ph.D. from Emory University in Atlanta, where he was concertmaster of the Opera Orchestra of Atlanta and the Atlanta Ballet OrchesCarolyn Suda snapped this photo of the diverse reading materials next to where her husband was resting the day he died.

“This is exactly how I found his table,” she said.

tra and was a member of the Georgia State University Faculty String Quartet and the Emory Piano Trio.

Suda’s book, The Moving Image, published in 1989, is a study of the idea of time as symbolized in clocks. Books on his reading table at the time of his death included Richard Holloway’s Stories We Tell Ourselves, Celtic Daily Prayer and Anton Chekhov’s Sakhalin Island.

“Dr. Suda was a treasure to Monmouth College, as well as the world, and he will be dearly missed,” said Huxtable. “It is not hyperbole to state that without Dr. Suda and his influence I would not be the man I am today.”

Said Moschenross: “More than anything else, David helped me better to understand the connections among art, music, theatre, history, politics, theology, philosophy, and on. I think this is what he shared with his students as well. He was deeply committed to the study of the human condition and his contribution to the intellectual life of Monmouth College will leave a lasting imprint.”

Shaker said her “American father” will live on.

“In my violin case, I keep my photo with David from my Monmouth College graduation, so every time I play, I feel that Professor David is there with me listening. David is not dead.

He will always be alive in my heart and memory. I shall never forget you, my American father, and I love you so much.” ­­—Barry McNamara

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Capital Campaign onmouth College’s Light This Candle Campaign has reached an impressive milestone, climbing past the $61 million mark with almost two years remaining.

The Campaign, which formally kicked off in March 2019, aims to raise a minimum of $75 million by Dec. 31, 2022.

Light This Candle will significantly bolster Monmouth’s endowment while focusing on four objectives: increasing “The progress of the financial aid and Light This Candle scholarships available Campaign is a result of to students; creating the deep belief in that more opportunities mission held by so many for faculty and staff people.” support and academic ­—President Clarence R. Wyatt innovation; adding to a capital improvements fund that supports campus infrastructure; and creating a stronger financial base for the College by building an even stronger culture of philanthropy.

“The College’s mission statement proudly asserts that ‘we empower students to realize their full potential, live meaningful lives, pursue successful careers, and shape their communities and world through service and leadership.’ The progress of the Light This Candle Campaign is a result of the deep belief in that mission held by so many people,” said President Clarence R. Wyatt. “Their generosity enables the College to navigate the challenges confronting all of American higher

By Barry McNamara

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education with greater confidence and to build the College not just for the present moment, but for generations to come.”

The Campaign, which stood at $61,052,770 million on March 1, was bolstered by a “nice array of donors” in terms of the dollar amount of the gifts and the type of contributions made, according to Monmouth Vice President for Development and College Relations Hannah Maher.

“We’re moving forward successfully despite this being a time when we’ve all been a little unsettled due to the pandemic,” said Maher. “We’re seeing that people still want to give to the institution, The Johnsons and they’re not as hesitant as I might’ve thought.

They’re supporting all our different candles and are especially stepping up by funding student scholarships and support, keeping our students at the forefront of the Campaign.”

Now, instead of later Among the donors who have participated in the Light This Candle Campaign are Bob ’59 and Marilyn Schneider Johnson ’59 of Oxford, Ohio, who met as Monmouth students and are grateful for the education they received.

“When the pandemic started, we had just updated our will and designated a gift for Monmouth College,” said Bob. “We never got around to telling anyone (at the College) about that. But then we received the (Monmouth College Magazine) donor issue, and right around the same time, we got an email about gift annuities from (Director of Development and Legacy Giving) Gena Alcorn.”

With that information about gift annuities, Marilyn said of a gift to Monmouth, “Why don’t we do it now instead of later?”

That “instead of” became “in addition to,” as the Johnsons worked with Monmouth development officer Bobbi Pio to make a stock gift in addition to setting up a scholarship with their estate.

“Bobbi made it very easy for us,” said Bob. “We transferred the stock and got it all set up. Instead of receiving a stock dividend, we get an income from the gift annuity. Marilyn and I both had such a positive experience at Monmouth, and this allows us to do something good for the College right now.”

tops $61 million Supporting rural America Roger Ray ’53 of Lacey, Wash., is establishing a scholarship that will support students from small towns who study science. Ray came to Monmouth from Abingdon, Ill., a few years after war heroes (and cousins) James Stockdale ’46 and Bobby Dunlap ’42 also came to Monmouth from Abingdon, which today has a “It’s important to me to population of support students who around 3,500. come from a non-college “When I family background, and took calculus students who come my freshman from small schools and year, I was the small towns.” only one out of ­—Roger Ray ’53 16 students who hadn’t had precalculus in high school,” said Ray, who makes annual gifts to his alma mater. “So it’s important to me to support students who come from a non-college family background, and students who come from small schools and small towns.”

Ray said such students flourish at Monmouth.

“I want students to take advantage of what’s Linda Groves offered at a school like Monmouth, which gives you a good, broad background,” he said. “It’s not so much about what you study, it’s about learning how to learn—that continued learning that is so important today.”

Ray studied chemistry during its Haldeman-Thiessen heyday on campus, so he’s particularly partial to supporting students pursuing what today is called STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

“The national situation is such that we have to fall back on strong programs in the sciences and believe in them and support them,” he said.

Part of the community Another donor who established a scholarship during the campaign is Linda Groves of Galesburg, Ill., who was married to the late Rob Groves ’65. Although she is not a Monmouth graduate, Groves has always been mindful of what the College means to the town where she was born and raised.

“Monmouth College had always been a part of the Monmouth community,” she said, thinking back to her youth of theatre performances and a variety of cultural events held in what is now called Dahl Chapel. “The College gives people an opportunity to express themselves, and for others to see all those types of genres expressed.”

Groves also fondly recalled Monmouth students going into the community in the 1960s and serving as tutors through a program at Jamieson Community Center.

“I absolutely love Monmouth College, and even though I’m not a graduate of Monmouth, I still felt the need for supporting students,” said Groves, who created the Robert & Linda Groves Scholarship through a gift she’ll fulfill over the next five years. The only criteria of the scholarship are to be a Warren County resident with financial need.

“Education is expensive—we all know that,” she said. “There are so many people who want to go to college but can’t afford it.

So we need to support that. If we don’t do it, who will?”

Creative giving Brad Nahrstadt ’89 and his wife, Debra, considered making a gift to support a scholarship, but then decided to get “creative” with their campaign contribution.

“There was no question that Deb and I were going to support the Campaign,” said Nahrstadt, who is a member of the Monmouth College Board of Trustees. “I made my first gift to Monmouth when I was still a senior in college, signing over my room deposit to go toward the Class of 1989 gift. I realized from the word ‘Go’ how important The Nahrstadts it was to support Monmouth. I call it the debt I’ll never fully be able to repay.”

Nahrstadt said he owes that debt, in part, to others who came before him and donated to campaigns before Light This Candle.

“I received a Senate Scholarship to attend Monmouth, which covered about half of my expenses,” he said. “But then there were other scholarships I received that helped me stay at Monmouth. I benefited from someone else’s largesse.”

The students who will benefit from the newly created Nahrstadt Mentorship Fund are Monmouth’s Lead Mentors.

“I’m really passionate about the student experience at Monmouth,” said Nahrstadt, who chairs the Board’s Student Affairs Committee. “There’s never been a consistent source of funding for the mentoring program. So when Deb and I were looking for a more out-of-the-box type gift, this was suggested as a possible avenue, and we both said, ‘Now we’re talking.’ This will be an opportunity for us to really see our dollars put to good use and help multiple students in their mentoring role.”

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SCOT STORYTELLERS

James Mikel Wilson ’66

Melissa Scholes Young ’97

Gregory W. Young ’68

GHOSTS OF PRESIDENTS PAST:

THE HIVE

THE FREEMASONS WHO WON AMERICA’S WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE:

A Reckoning Paperback Fiction, 434 pages Gatekeeper Press What would his White House predecessors have advised President Donald Trump? In this allegorical novel, released just prior to the November election, James Mikel Wilson employs a Dickensian formula in which 23 former U.S. presidents in ghostly forms visit a sitting president loosely based on Trump. A presidential historian, Wilson imagines encounters featuring both well-known presidents such as Andrew Jackson and lesser-known chief executives such as James Garfield. While he had originally been set to release the book last March, he is glad his publisher advised him to wait, as it allowed him to weave a viral pandemic into the plot.

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MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

Hardcover Fiction, 320 pages Turner Publishing Release Date: June 8, 2021 Preorder on Amazon

In her second novel, to be released in June, Melissa Scholes Young explores feminism from her personal rural Missouri roots, as four sisters struggle to keep their family-owned business afloat. Facing an economic recession amidst the backdrop of growing Midwestern fear and resentment, the sisters unite in their struggle to save their fourth-generation pest control company’s finances and the family’s future. To survive, they must overcome a political chasm that threatens a new civil war as the values that once united them now divide the very foundation they’ve built. Through alternating points of view, grief and regret gracefully give way to the enduring strength of the hive.

Washington, Franklin & Their Brothers Paperback Nonfiction, 277 pages Available on Amazon The past master of a Masonic lodge, Young tells the intriguing story of how Freemasons helped launch the American Revolution and how Benjamin Franklin’s Masonic connections brought France into the war, helping to cement American victory.

The book traces Washington’s reliance on generals who were fellow Masons and his use of Masonic resources to achieve the first victory at Trenton.

Along the way, readers are introduced to Masonic soldiers, spies, diplomats and financiers who founded the nation.

Moira Dolan, M.D. ’80

Leith Swanson ’70

Kimberly Van Ginkel ‘97

BONEHEADS & BRAINIACS:

CONNECTED – ABOVE AND BELOW:

IN THE SLEEP OF DEATH

Heroes and Scoundrels of the Nobel Prize Paperback Nonfiction, 260 pages Quill Driver Books Dolan, a practicing physician for more than 30 years, profiles the winners of the Nobel Prize in Medicine from 1901 to 1950—a surprisingly diverse group of racists, cranks and opportunists, as well as heroes, geniuses and selfless benefactors of humanity.

In a highly entertaining book written for the ordinary reader, she reveals the messy human reality behind medical progress. Some were bad scientists; others were great scientists and lousy human beings.

But the majority of these researchers produced knowledge that now saves millions of lives through priceless discoveries such as the role of vitamins in nutrition, the dangers of radiation, treatments for diabetes and deadly infectious diseases, and more. Boneheads and Brainiacs showcases the enthralling, all-too-human personal lives that made modern medicine possible.

A Global Journey to Faith, a Passion for the Ocean, and a Love Story Straight from God’s Heart Paperback Nonfiction, 307 pages Independently Published Available on Amazon An international realtor who has advised the Saudi royal family, Swanson lived for nine years in the Middle East, North Africa and Western Europe, and worked in 31 countries.

His business activities have included directorships in companies he co-founded to introduce a new eight-seat, air-pressure jet helicopter to the international marketplace, and agent for what is today the Semester at Sea collegiate program.

In each of his chapters, Swanson takes the reader on a spiritual, historical and personal travelogue into some of the most interesting and geopolitically sensitive parts of the world. As one reviewer wrote, “the pages before you are the diary of an Indiana Jones without the hype.”

Paperback Fiction, 426 pages Genz Publishing In this debut novel, a dark romance fantasy set in the American West, a woman who is framed for murder schemes to evade the hangman’s noose while traversing a world of stolen Indian magic. Outspoken 1880s socialite Lorena Whittaker vows never to take a husband. No one compares to the mysterious man who shows up in her dreams every night. But that changes when a stranger comes to call. Diedrick Adalwolf is a cold and doddering old man, the least likely candidate for her heart. But Lorena sees him as the robust, dashing young German she has already fallen in love with in her dreams. Lorena soon realizes that her marriage to Diedrick is a mistake.

Worse yet, she can’t escape him, for he is now haunting her dreams.

SPRING 2021

21

NEWSMAKERS

BEADLES’ RESPONSIBILITIES EXPAND BEYOND COUNSELING

the communication studies faculty. Hinck and Utterback have also received a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Border Trade and Immigration Institute, which asked them to analyze media from Central America, Mexico and the United States regarding migration.

Cindy Beadles has been named director

of counseling and accessibility services, a new College position that combines two previously separated duties. Most recently director of counseling services, Beadles will

BEADLES

now oversee compliance with the regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, such as documenting students who require special accommodations in the classroom or while living on campus. Beadles, whose first master’s degree is in special education, specializes in behavior disorders, emotional disturbance and learning disabilities—experience which she believes will also help her set students up for academic success.

CORNELIUS TAKES TOP PRIZE AT MUSEUM’S ART EXHIBITION

Simmons the 2020 Society for Classical

Studies Outreach Prize. Simmons brought

Classics Day to Monmouth from his previous classics faculty position at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro,

a week-long festival, which draws as many as 1,000 students to campus in a given year. Past recipients of the Ouotreach Prize have included producers of documentaries and foundCORNELIUS

about the overwhelming impact of plastic on society. Now in its 12th year, the Davenport, Iowa, museum’s competition featured the work of students from eight area colleges.

COMMUNICATION AND DATA SCIENCE FACULTY COLLABORATE ON RESEARCH

ers of academic journals.

THORNDIKE GAINING RECOGNITION AMONG NEW LATIN AMERICAN GOTHIC WRITERS Jennifer Thorndike, assistant professor of

modern

languages,

literatures

&

cultures, was featured in the leading

Monmouth professors

national Spanish newspaper El Pais as

Robert Utterback and

one of a group of female fiction writers

Robert Hinck collabo-

whose work is styled the “New Latin

rated last fall on a

American Gothic.” According to El Pais,

research article for the

the featured authors have turned “their

non-profit, non-partisan website The Conversation

HINCK

SIMMONS

ulty, it has been held a total of four times and has expanded to

Art Museum’s College Invitational Art Ex-

22

earned Monmouth classics professor Bob

time on campus in 2015 during Simmons’ first year on the fac-

took the top first-place honor at the Figge

color photograph of an outdoor installation

Bringing ancient Greece and Rome to life through his ambitious Classics Day events

where he first held the event in 2011. Presented for the first

Grace Cornelius, a freshman art major,

hibition in February. Her submission was a

SIMMONS EARNS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FOR CLASSICS DAY

UTTERBACK

THORNDIKE

eye to fantasy. After years of realism and autofiction, the darkest imagination is used to portray social, political and

(theconversation.com) that analyzed how Russian, Iranian and

gender issue.” A Peruvian by birth, Thorndike is part of a

Chinese media covered the U.S. presidential election. Along

growing movement of Latin American authors who live and

with a professor from Oklahoma State University, Hinck

publish their work in the United States and are considered

collected research in part by using algorithms provided by

members of a literary movement called “The New Latino

Utterback, who teaches in Monmouth’s data science program.

Boom.” Her work in the gothic realm includes three novels

The topic had been a focus of research by Hinck, a member of

and several short stories.

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

IN THE SCOTLIGHT

REGINA BANNAN JOHNSON ’01 Her old college research paper inspired fund for diversity at Monmouth

Johnson was surprised but pleased when her historiography research paper from 20 years ago inspired the naming of Monmouth College’s new fund for diversity initiatives.

By BARRY McNAMAR A

T

wo decades ago as a monmouth college student, Regina Bannan Johnson ’01 wrote a history paper that

shed light on the life and times of Champion Miller, a Black man who was a distinguished member of the Monmouth community in the 19th century.

That paper was part of the inspiration for the College’s founding of the Champion Miller 1860 Fund, which supports campus diversity initiatives such as lectures, student programming, student recruiting and employee training.

“In a million years, I never thought that, 20 years later, my paper would be relevant, or that Champion Miller’s name would come back up,” said Johnson, who is today Monmouth College’s director of multicultural student services.

Johnson recalled pressing longtime history professor William Urban for permission to write about Miller for his historiography class.

“I wanted to write about underrepresented students, and I got him intrigued,” she said. “He said no one “We need to be more had really put anything reflective of who together on that topic for Champion Miller was and one of his classes.”

Born a slave, Champion what he accomplished.”

Miller came to Monmouth from Kentucky and purchased his freedom in December 1848 for $600 (the equivalent of $19,740 in 2020).

“Regina did amazing historical research that utilized oral tradition as one source,” said Monmouth development officer Mollie Williams Harrod ’07. “This is notable because when studying history in higher education, written documents are often the only accepted research avenue, leaving the stories of enslaved people like Champion untold and incomplete. As a College, we are lucky that Regina was able to bring to life Champion’s incredible journey from slavery to freedom.”

Miller was taught to read and write by William T. Moffet, a student of the Monmouth Theological Society, which operated in conjunction with Monmouth College between 1858 and 1874.

After he established himself in Monmouth, Miller traveled to Missouri to purchase freedom for his wife for $800 ($26,300 in 2020 dollars) and one son for $400 ($13,150). His enslaved daughter was sold just prior to the Civil War, and the Millers

were unable to locate her. Miller’s son died serving the Union in the Civil War. Miller was instrumental in the organization of the First African Church of Monmouth, which was founded by Monmouth College President David Wallace in 1865, and which later became Fourth United Presbyterian Church. After that congregation was disbanded in 1871, he attended First United Presbyterian Church, which was organized by the founders of Monmouth College in 1853.

Miller died in 1882 at his Monmouth home. He and his wife are buried in Monmouth.

Harrod said that creating the Champion Miller 1860 Fund was part of a broader College initiative to focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.

“This resulted in Regina’s research on Champion to be utilized to help move our mission forward,” said Harrod. “I am proud that we are telling Champion’s story. Monmouth College has always been a place to educate women, people of color and others who some in society believed did not deserve to be educated.”

Johnson is pleased that the subject of her research is being recognized.

“I think it’s really cool that this fund has been established,” said Johnson. “We need to be more reflective of who Champion Miller was and what he accomplished. He was a very polished, very bright man, and he was as well respected as a man of color could be in Warren County at that time.”

Johnson said she’s had no luck in her attempts to trace the genealogy of Miller’s two daughters, but hopes to keep searching.

“It would be really amazing if research could be done on that and we could track down some of Champion’s relatives,” she said. “I would love for this tale to unfold to more than just having a fund in his name.”

SPRING 2021

23

A Celebration of Scots Day Monmouth’s beloved spring tradition continues to evolve and mature

By Jeff Rankin Editor

‘I

n the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love,” the poet Tennyson wrote. For generations of Monmouth students, though, the renewal of life on campus following a brutal Midwest winter has turned

their fancy to an annual celebration, known in recent years as Scots Day. Most recently, the day has evolved into a broader observance, encompassing alumni worldwide, who celebrate their alma mater by donating to special projects that benefit Monmouth’s current students.

2021 marks the fifth year of this Scots Day of Giving. It is especially suited to operating despite a pandemic, through its use of a digital platform that allows alumni to view the giving total each project, as well as participate in challenge gifts and even post their own videos to encourage others to support a cause.

T

he virtual aspect of Scots Day is also enhanced by events livestreamed on Facebook. It begins with a bagpipe serenade in front of Wallace Hall before

sunrise and ends 18 hours and 53 minutes later (in recognition of Monmouth’s founding year), with cowbells and confetti celebrating the completion of another successful campaign.

Throughout the day, Scots far and wide watch live video updates from students, faculty and staff, discussing how that year’s special projects will benefit the campus community.

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MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

As the work day ends, many alumni congregate for happy-hour gatherings in person, or more recently via Zoom. But there will still be several hours to go, as volunteers return to their phones, calling for more gifts and pledges. Soon, a U.S. map will be converted completely to Monmouth tartan, signifying donors have

Borrowing from earlier Scots Day traditions, the current Scots Day of Giving begins before dawn with a lone piper playing on Wallace Hall Plaza.

Nevertheless, 725 loyal Scots responded, donating $204,000 during the nearly 19-hour marathon, demonstrating that virtual technology can be remarkably effective—a conclusion that would

come forward from each of the 50 states.

be reinforced over the coming months, as

S

Monmouth figured out how to not only

cots Day 2020 lacked the typical festive atmosphere, in which Scots Day Central—a phone bank and

video screen on the lower level of the Center for Science and Business—buzzed

teach but also hold traditional ceremonies and alumni events via the internet.

Over the course of just four years, Scots Day of Giving has generated nearly

with activity, with students walking

$817,000 in gifts. Among the special

through and purchasing raffle tickets

projects it has funded are a 3D ceramic

for prizes. That’s because the campus had gone on lockdown

printer, a virtual human anatomy simulator, a Chorale trip,

almost exactly one month earlier, with students returning

the Rural Teachers Initiative, Classics Day and musical

home and most faculty and staff working from home.

(Continued on next page)

LEFT: Students, faculty and staff gathered on Dunlap Terrace give a Scots cheer during a recent Scots Day of Giving.

SPRING 2021

25

First Lady Lobie Stone and President Clarence Wyatt are among dozens of volunteers manning the phone bank on a typical Scots Day of Giving.

instruments. Each year, funds are also collected for the senior class gift, the Fighting Scots Society (athletics) and the all-important Monmouth Fund, which narrows the gap between the cost of tuition and the actual expense of educating each student.

Although this year’s Scots Day will again be primarily virtual, there will be a feeling of anticipation, as in-person classes and labs (with social distancing) and the resumption of intercollegiate sports are heralding a return to normalcy.

But as we look forward to the end of

An ice cream social draws the campus community together during the afternoon of Scots Day.

this winter and the promise of future vibrant springs that remind us of the old days on campus, let’s take a moment to look back to those former times of glory and how they evolved into the current Scots Day.

M

any younger alumni remember Scots Day as a time for celebrating spring

with classes cancelled, outdoor games and general partying (which often began the night before). To avoid confusion, that day still exists under a different name and with a different focus. Now titled Scholars Day, the event still begins with a morning Honors Convocation,

Professor emeritus Lee McGaan ’69 (right) chats with Kyle McEwen ’13 and his wife, Laura, at a local Scots Day happy hour, held in downtown Monmouth.

but the rest of the day is devoted to celebrating academics—with a luncheon for scholarship recipients and donors, poster sessions, arts presentations and fun outdoor activities, weather permitting.

Some older alumni remember a much older spring tradition, known as the May Fete. Ralph Whiteman ’52 , who grew up in Monmouth, witnessed the spectacle many times, and would be among the last to experience it as a student before it ended in 1957.

“As a youngster in the Monmouth College neighborhood, one of the things

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MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

Gowned in ‘night shirts’ of various hues, the men gave the usual mock ceremonies on the campus and then headed by a little traveling German band, made a weird march down through the heart of the city. we looked forward to was the May

While the May Party was initially

got to cast their votes for the Queen of

Fete,” he said. “It was very colorful and

performed exclusively by women and

the May. Then the ceremonies would

involved a lot of student musicians and

children of the community, the College

begin, with College women dressed in

dancers. The pole and streamers were

men were not completely left out. An

elaborate costumes, parading to the

set in aptly named Valley Beautiful,

annual male tradition held the night

grounds, which featured a platform and

where the elected king and queen

before the event was the Nightshirt

throne for the queen. The costumed

presided over the program.”

Parade or “Nighty Night,” which began

ladies would then perform elaborate

with a mock Maypole dance. According

dances, ending with the winding of a

Day tradition began in 1896, when

to a local newspaper, “Gowned in ‘night

Maypole.

Monmouth’s two female literary

shirts’ of various hues (the men) gave the

societies—Aletheorian and Amateur des

usual mock ceremonies on the campus

Belles Lettres—staged a pageant in the

and then headed by a little traveling

Auditorium that included the crowning

German band, made a weird march

of a queen and a Maypole dance. The

down through the heart of the city.

event rapidly grew in popularity, causing

Refreshments were secured and then

it to be moved outside to the Valley

the various members of the faculty were

Beautiful, a former creek bed behind

visited.”

The Monmouth College May

Wallace Hall, which is today occupied by a parking lot.

The morning of the May Party, the male students and male faculty also

A

s the event evolved, it took on the name May Fete, and added a Chancellor, who was elected

to escort the Queen. Beginning in 1958, the King and Queen of the May reigned instead over a spring formal, which would continue for decades as a popular annual event.

(Continued on next page)

SPRING 2021

27

Eagerly anticipated by hundreds of town-and-gown observers, the May Party, later known as the May Fete, concluded with an elaborate and colorful winding of the Maypole. It was initially staged in the Valley Beautiful, a former creek bed now occupied by a parking lot at the base fo the Wallace Hall hill.

After the May Fete went out of style, students tried to initiate “Skip Day,” in which they took a holiday from classes, but faculty resistance shot it down. In 1962, Blue Key held its first Scots Sing, a springtime musical competition that remains popular to this day under the name “Scotlight.”

I

n 1963, Whiteman, who had become the first director of the

One diver landed on the roof of the proprietor of a student bar and the other landed in the mayor’s garden.

new Student Center, created the

ScotOlympics, which debuted on the athletic field following the Monmouth-

was preceded by a stunt mimicking the

Knox track meet. In what was billed as

famous six-day French track bicycling

a “brain versus brawn” contest, College

event, but added on an extra hour—

staff defeated a faculty team in relay

logging a total of 1,450 miles. Student

races around the track. In addition

women would keep a bike going from 7

to bicycles, contestants rode a hobby

a.m. until 7 p.m., when men would take

horse, a live pony, a pogo stick, skiis, a

over. All went fine until the weight of a

baby carriage and a tricycle. Subsequent

football player caused a bike wheel to

student races ended in numerous bloody

collapse. Publicity director John Niblock

spills.

’58 also got in on the fun, planning to

The 1964 ScotOlympics would be reported by The Associated Press, as it

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MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

ride his bike behind a large blanket, then emerge on the other side riding a

As the “flower power” movement blossomed, so did a popular springtime phenomenon on college campuses known as the Festival of Life. Monmouth’s first such festival took place on May 1, 1971.

The all-night affair, featuring folk and rock performances, was to run from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. on the Wallace Hall Plaza, but fear of police intervention eventually drove the affair into the gym.

The ScotOlympics of that year were an equally ambitious undertaking, featuring evening concerts by REO Speedwagon and the Ides of March.

Combining the back-to-nature appeal of the Festival of Life with the zaniness of ScotOlympics, students in 1974 celebrated a “Festival Olympics” with outdoor movies and concerts on Student activities director Ralph Whiteman ’52 gives last-minute instructions to ScotOlympics bike race participants during the 1965 ScotOlympics.

the Hewes Library terrace. Participants brought sleeping bags and spent the night in the quad (then known as

motor bike. According to Whiteman, “He entered too fast on his bike

the social programs.

The 1966 edition honored beloved En-

and came in sliding on his side. His

glish professor Eva Cleland, but also took

handlebars became antlers and the Elks

on a pop-culture element, paying tribute

initiated him on the spot!”

to that year’s wildly successful Batman

To gather a crowd for the 1965 ScotOlympics, Whiteman planned a skydiving exhibition, in which two skydivers would land on the field. “They tossed out their windsock to check velocity and it landed right on the 50yard line,” Whiteman recalled. “They

television show. Each fraternity submitted a candidate to be named Vampira, Queen of the Bats. The nominees’ photos were forwarded to Batman star Adam West, who selected Sandra Wade ’67 to reign over that year’s festivities.

People’s Park). The same year was also notorious for its Streakers Weekend, when Ray Stevens serenaded the nation with his novelty song and Monmouth students shed their clothes, running a gauntlet between Gibson Hall and Winbigler Hall.

T

he 1980s saw the emergence of Scots Day as an integral part of the school year. The date of the

event was kept a closely guarded secret, only revealed to the College community

jumped OK until about 200 feet high,

when a bagpiper would stroll through

when the wind carried them parallel

residence halls at 7 a.m., blasting

to the ground west about two blocks,

students out of bed. Teams would

where one diver landed on the roof of

then gather for breakfast on Wallace

the proprietor of a student bar and the

Hall Plaza in their pajamas, and a day

other landed in the mayor’s garden.”

of games, from tug-of-war to Jell-O

Typical ScotOlympics events included a water ballet in Waid Pool, pie eating,

wrestling, would ensue.

(Continued on next page)

a raw egg toss, a wheelbarrow relay and bike races. Independent students were very enthusiastic, because for the first

Mad John entertains at Monmouth’s 1973 Spring Festival in People’s Park.

time they were included with Greeks in

SPRING 2021

29

By 1993, the value of Scots Day was being questioned. Faculty did not like the idea of students dictating when classes would be canceled, and the administration worried that the “secret” date for the celebration was leaking out, leading to student drinking binges the night before. The following year, the event was replaced with “Scots Weekend” so that class attendance would not be compromised.

P

resident Sue Huseman took office in 1995 under the theme “Creating Community.” She believed that

instilling a campus-wide sense of pride in the College’s heritage would help bring students and faculty together.

Scots Day took on an even more Scottish flavor in the early 2000s, with the introduction of Scottish games.

Scots Weekend was scrapped and Scots Day was reinstated as a planned event

the outdoor spectacle, but weather didn’t

featuring Honors Convocation, Scottish

always cooperate, so in 2012 the games were moved into Huff Athletic Center’s Glennie Gymnasium. At the same time, the rest of the athletic center was used to celebrate academics, with poster sessions, theatrical and musical performances and demonstrations. The Hatch Distinguished Scholarship and Research faculty award was also presented.

The opening of the Center for Science and Business in 2013 brought a new

As the rest of the Huff Athletic Center hosted academic events in 2012, students also enjoyed a casinothemed Scots Day in Glennie Gymnasium.

food in the dining hall, a trip to South

excitement to academics, and the

Henderson Church (where the College

spacious building seemed custom-made

had its roots), music and games. In

for celebrating Scots Day, which had been

2000, Monmouth’s Scottish heritage was

redubbed Scholars Day. By 2018, the

further incorporated into the celebration

poster sessions had expanded to such an

with the introduction of the “Flatland

extent that they were moved to the more

Games,” adding competition in the caber

spacious Huff Athletic Center fieldhouse.

to great fanfare in the spring of 2017.

There is no doubt that support

toss, hammer throw and tug o’war. For a

Planning for an annual day of

couple of years, the name was changed to

giving based around Founders Day

during Scots Day of Giving will continue

Ceilidh (pronounced Kay-Lee), the name

(April 18) began in 2016. By this time,

to play a major role for years to come in

for a traditional Scottish folk festival, but

the name Scots Day had been retired,

the College’s academic programs, as well

it was eventually abandoned because of

but it was so ingrained in the fond

as in the lives of students, just as Scots

the confusing spelling and pronunciation.

memories of alumni that the planning

Day will continue to evolve to serve the

committee decided that no other name

needs of the next generation of

would do, so the new Scots Day debuted

Monmouth students.

During the decade that followed, outdoor inflatable games were added to

30

An academic poster session drew an appreciative crowd to the Huff Athletic Center fieldhouse during 2019 Scholars Day.

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

generated from alumni and friends

SCOTSPORTS

GAME ON!

The men’s lacrosse team warms up for the 2021 season during a late February practice.

Intercollegiate athletic competition returns after year’s hiatus

M

onmouth College athletics returned to competition this spring.

The announcement in late February by Monmouth officials followed a decision by the Midwest Conference Presidents Council that the conference would hold competition for the sports of baseball, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field.

Monmouth’s men’s and women’s lacrosse and golf programs will also compete this spring. Lacrosse competes in the Midwest Lacrosse Conference, and golf competes in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

“We are excited that our student-athletes on spring teams will have the opportunity to return to competition,” said Monmouth Director of Athletics Roger Haynes. “During spring sports competition, the Monmouth community will continue to adhere to best practices and guidelines so that we can ensure the safety and health of our students, coaches, officials, guest teams and fans.”

Midwest Conference schools will be permitted to engage in spring competition against non-conference opponents as long as they adhere to the conference’s covid-19 returnto-play protocol and end competition against non-Midwest Conference institutions 15 days before the start of conference play in each respective sport.

Midwest Conference competition in most spring sports is expected to start between late March and mid-April and will conclude by mid-May. Conference schedules will be posted online in the coming weeks, but they will be subject to change based on how health circumstances change.

Monmouth’s last home athletic event prior to the resumption was a March 4, 2020, women’s lacrosse match against Illinois Wesleyan University, played at April Zorn Memorial Stadium. The Fighting Scots’ last intercollegiate athletic competition of any kind had been a softball game played March 13, 2020, in Florida.

Water polo to end after 2020–21 Monmouth College will discontinue its men’s and women’s varsity water polo programs at the end of the 2020–21 school year.

The men’s varsity program began competition in 2012, and the women’s program started in 2013. Both programs have attracted students from Illinois and several other U.S. states, but a decrease over the last several years of the number of Midwest high school students who participate in the sport was a major factor in deciding to end the sport on the varsity level for men and women.

Another factor that contributed to the decision is a lack of opponents available in the Midwest. NCAA Division III women’s water polo has a total of 20 programs that compete in California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Minnesota, Wisconsin and New York.

Men’s water polo has only 15 NCAA Division III programs, and Monmouth is one of only two NCAA Division III programs not located on the East or West coasts.

After the 2020-21 school year, Monmouth will have 22 varsity athletic teams who compete at the NCAA Division III level.

SPRING 2021

31

SCOTSPORTS

IN MEMORIAM Monmouth College swim coach Tom Burek died Dec. 12, 2020, of complications of COVID-19. He was 62.

Burek was the second-longest serving swim coach in Monmouth history. Before he was named the program’s head coach and the College’s director of aquatics in 2013, Burek spent two seasons as its assistant coach.

“Everyone in the Monmouth College family is brokenhearted at the passing of our good friend and colleague Tom Burek,” said President Clarence R. Wyatt. “Tom’s work as a swim coach, both at the College and in the community, touched so many lives in such a positive way. Tom always sought to lift others up. A profoundly good person has left us far too soon.”

During Burek’s tenure, members of Monmouth’s men’s and women’s swim teams won 12 individual Midwest Conference titles and four times qualified for the NCAA Division III swimming and diving championships.

Monmouth swimmers earned 57 Midwest Conference academic all-conference awards under Burek, and three times his teams won College Swimming Coaches Association of America National Academic Team Awards. Rewriting the Monmouth record books became a habit for Burek’s teams, which currently hold 37 men’s and women’s records.

Monmouth assistant swim coach Erin Willhite Lafary ’15, who swam for Burek as a Monmouth student, said her former coach had a profound impact on those he worked with and “will forever leave his legacy with the Monmouth swimming program.”

“Coach Burek had a huge heart for all of his swimmers,” said Lafary. “He cared for each and every swimmer as if they were his own. His laugh and smile were contagious and always turned frowns quickly to smiles. You always knew where Coach was on a pool deck full of swimmers, because you could spot his bright yellow Crocs. Better yet, you could hear him say his well-known ‘Goggle up!’ from miles away.”

A retired master sergeant, Burek served the Illinois State Police for 23 years. He also coached several swim clubs in the region and had assisted other college swim programs.

Remembered fondly for his booming voice and signature yellow Crocs, Tom Burek coached Monmouth’s men and women swimmers to 12 Midwest Conference titles.

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MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

Listen to former Scot swimmers reflect on Coach Burek’s legacy:

monmouthcollege.edu/burek

SCOTSPORTS

REFLECTIONS ON THE MEANING OF SPORTS AND LIFE

By Dan Nolan

A

s I prepared to retire from Monmouth at the end of December, my emotions were raw.

Raw because my original retirement plan was targeting December of 2023, not 2020. Circumstances changed all that, and I found myself trying to compress my three-year plan into just five short months.

The three-year plan was to fully train each incoming class of student workers in multiple sports and multiple statistics software. COVID restrictions changed that model to just covering the basics last fall, giving them the foundation, and for my replacement to take the training from a 100-level course to a 300-level by next fall.

Raw because just hours after I received a call for a part-time job interview, I received word that our beloved swim coach, Tom Burek, had passed away from complications of COVID. My anticipation of possible retirement employment was quickly displaced by the anguish of the gaping hole Tom’s passing left in our collective hearts.

My hope is Coach Burek’s passing will put into perspective what truly matters in life. Yes, many senior student-athletes have lost their senior seasons. That is sad, but not tragic. Tragic is the loss of a man who impacted so many people over the course of his almost 63 years.

Raw, because over the course of my career at Monmouth, I’ve written far too many press releases on the deaths of coaches and student-athletes. Student-athletes Tommy Hoerr ’13 (football), Malcolm McGuire ’18 (tennis) and Austin Ray ’18 (football and track), all with so much promise, left us way too soon. Then there were coaches Mike “Ole” Olson (football, wrestling, softball, you name it) and Jeff “Fluff” Tyrell (softball).

I consider both good friends, which made it even tougher.

Raw because I simply don’t have space here to thank everyone who made my 21 years, five months and 19 days at Monmouth such a treasured experience. From Becky McAfee ’85 (my former summer league softball player who introduced me to the College some 40 years ago), to Jeff Rankin (the director of college communications at the time) and Dick Valentine (then the VP for external relations) who decided to take a chance on a former sportscaster in the summer of 1999, to my student workers who made a one-person shop doable, and everyone in between, I say, “Thank you.”

I remember the concern of one of the members of the hiring committee who knew me only as the local sports play-by-play guy on WRAM-AM/WMOI-FM, and the fear I wouldn’t stick around if I wasn’t covering sports, and then asked, “We know your radio persona, but can you write?”

Writing radio copy is a bit different than print media, so that was a tough question to answer, although I did cite the Illinois Broadcasters’ Association Silver Dome Award for Excellence in Broadcasting I received for a 1997 sports editorial. As far as covering sports? I’m sure the committee was caught off guard when part of my response was, “If I never cover another sporting event for the rest of my life, I will be just fine.” Now, 21 years later, I’m powering down the laptop.

Athletics has been a huge part of my life and I developed a keen eye for athletic ability at a young age—and knew I had none. If no one was going to pay me to play, maybe they’d pay me to report on sports, and that’s how the radio job came about, eventually landing at Monmouth College, an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything.

For a guy with absolutely no athletic ability, athletics has been kind to me. Little could I imagine a 21-year journey in the sports information field.

Yes, I’ve been fortunate, lucky and blessed with a great place to work, a great career and an even better family—in both the Nolan and Fighting Scots bloodlines.

I’ll part with this simple advice to my successor—the same advice I give to the seniors as they enter their final seasons: Take a moment to look around and take in the surroundings before each game. Soak it all in and enjoy it, for it will be gone in the blink of an eye.

Nolan retired in December as sports information director after 21 years at Monmouth. During his tenure, varsity sports at Monmouth expanded from 14 to 24, and he also witnessed the construction of the Huff Athletic Center and numerous other modern sports facilities.

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33

SCOTSPORTS

STAYING POWER

After 9 years and 8 teams, a seasoned Alex Tanney brings his unique quarterbacking skills to the NFL coaching ranks

By Barry McNamara

T

As a Fighting Scot, Tanney led Monmouth to three NCAA playoff berths.

34

he most successful quarterback in Fighting Scots history announced his retirement from the National Football League in February, but it didn’t take long for him to find his next NFL gig.

Two days later, the Philadelphia Eagles announced they had hired Alex Tanney ’11 to join first-year head coach Nick Sirianni’s staff as an offensive quality control coach.

“I’ve known for quite some time that I wanted to transition into coaching,” said Tanney.

“I was home for about half of the fall last season, so I started to prep for making the transition. One good thing about bouncing around with as many teams as I did is that I built relationships with a lot of players and coaches around the league.”

It was widely believed that Tanney would find his way into coaching sooner rather than later, especially after the praise he received for working with young New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who is now the team’s starter.

“In my career, I didn’t have a lot of experience playing on Sundays, but bouncing around from system to system like I did, I had 13 or 14 offensive coor-

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

dinators,” said Tanney. “So I had a lot of experience in the classroom and I was able to pick those guys’ brains. Also, you really appreciate when you’re a young player the help you get from the veteran guys. In my first year, Matt Cassell did that for me in Kansas City, and in my second year, it was Tony Romo in Dallas.

Then Josh McCown in Tampa. Those guys were always willing to help. So I knew how beneficial it can be to have that type of relationship for a younger quarterback like Daniel.”

When Tanney provides input in his new role with the Eagles, he won’t just be falling back on his NFL lessons. He’s been closely involved with the game of football his entire life, growing up as the son of IHSFCA Hall of Fame coach Don Tanney ’79.

“Obviously, the wealth of knowledge he had about the game, I was able to sponge that up over those first 12 years I was in school,” said Tanney, whose time as a first-grader through high school senior were the 12 years that his father coached at Lexington (Ill.) High School.

“A lot of players only get exposed to football for the couple of hours they’re at practice each day, but for me, I was able

to absorb that knowledge seven days a week, 365 days a year. It was super beneficial to me.”

In particular, Tanney studied how his father went about achieving success— success that included 91 victories in 12 seasons at Dunlap (Ill.) High School and 96 more at Lexington, where Tanney quarterbacked the team to nine wins and a state semifinal berth as a senior.

“I was able to see his approach to the game and just how detailed he was,” said Tanney. “Everything was about fundamentals and details. I always felt going into games that we were one of the most prepared teams in the state.”

Tanney’s learning curve continued at Monmouth, especially from the head coach at the time, Steve Bell, and his top two assistants, Dave Ragone and current Monmouth head coach Chad Braun.

“Coming from high school, I felt I knew a lot, but Coach Bell expanded that knowledge even more—focusing on things like protection and identifying coverages, that type of stuff,” said Tanney. “The longer you play the game, the harder it gets.”

“I always knew Alex would be a coach

someday,” said Braun. “His dad is a hall-of-fame high school coach, and in a lot of ways Alex was like having a coach on the field when he played at Monmouth. He was given the freedom to get us in the right play a lot of times.”

Tanney was the Midwest Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year each of the three seasons that he led the Fighting Scots to MWC titles and NCAA playoff berths (2008, 2009 and 2011). His name remains atop the all-time NCAA list for all divisions with his 157 touchdown passes, and his 14,249 passing yards and 1,205 career completions are both Division III records.

“All three of those coaches at Monmouth helped me not only become a better player, but helped me mature and become the husband and father I am today,” said Tanney. “I still stay in touch with all of them and have great relationships with them.”

Speaking of fatherhood, Tanney and his wife, Rebecca, were expecting their third child at press time. Tanney said the plan is to stay at their home in Normal, Ill., until the baby’s arrival, before heading out to Philadelphia for the next chapter in his football career.

“I’m excited,” he said of joining the Eagles. “I’m really looking forward to it. It’s very similar to playing in the NFL, where you’re hoping to work your way up to trying to play on Sundays. I think a lot of coaches have similar aspirations to me. I want to work hard and work my way up the ladder.”

Scots welcome three new head coaches Joining the athletics staff in the middle of the pandemic has brought new dimensions of challenge to the jobs of Monmouth’s three new varsity coaches.

Alexa McClaughry became head softball coach in May 2020, replacing retiring veteran coach John Goddard. Also in May, Ian Hateli was selected to lead the men’s soccer program. Lucas Henderson assumed the head women’s soccer position in December.

McClaughry comes to Monmouth from MacMurray College and Robert Morris UniversitySpringfield, where she was head softball coach.

Just six games into the pandemic-shortened 2020 season—her first at MacMurray— McClaughry guided the Highlanders to within one win of the previous year’s entire win total. The team was rewriting the program’s record books and had two players hitting .500.

A four-year member of the University of IllinoisSpringfield softball team, McClaughry graduated cum laude with a degree in mathematical sciences.

She earned a master’s degree in kinesiology from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.

Hateli, who is the 13th men’s soccer coach in the program’s 48-year history, spent the last five seasons as an assistant coach at Wabash College, where he also directed the recruiting efforts in the Hoosier State.

While Hatleli was a member of the Wabash staff, the Little Giants posted a .650 winning percentage and produced eight all-region selections and two Scholar All-Americans while qualifying the last four seasons for the North Coast Atlantic Conference Tournament.

Hatleli earned his undergraduate degree in exercise science from Millikin University in 2014, where he was a four-year starter and two-time captain, starting 56 of the 62 games in which he appeared.

Henderson most recently served as the inaugural women’s head coach at Bryant and Stratton College in Wisconsin. In two seasons, he guided the NJCAA Division II program to a 14–10–1 record and two NJCAA playoff appearances. Under Henderson, the Bobcats earned nine All-Region selections, two All-American nominees and two Academic All-Americans.

A 2016 graduate of the University of WisconsinEau Claire with a degree in history,Henderson has extensive coaching experience from the youth to semiprofessional ranks. He most recently served as director of goalkeeping for Milwaukee Kickers Soccer Club during their 2020 season.

7th Annual FIGHTING SCOTS SOCIETY

GOLF OUTING FRIDAY, Gibson Woods Golf Course www.monmouthcollege.edu/golf-outing

SPRING 2021

35

INSPIRED BY THEIR MONMOUTH EDUCATION, ALUMNI BOARD MEMBERS CONTINUE TO SERVE

A

lumni young and old regularly sing the praises of Monmouth College, but there’s a group that pulls together to do that job officially—the 34 members of the College’s Alumni Board of Directors.

“I enjoyed my time at Monmouth, and I come from a background of service,” said Deanna Marchand Baele ’95 of Washington, Ill., who is nearing the end of her second five-year term as an Alumni Board member. “My parents instilled in me BAELE the desire to give back to community. So that’s what inspired me to join the board—to be involved and have the opportunity to get back on campus, to see what’s going on with my beloved alma mater, and really having an opportunity to serve.”

The Alumni Board supports the Monmouth College Alumni Association—the body of all former Monmouth students who have completed at least two semesters of academic work. They are elected from nominations submitted by or solicited from alumni and College administration. The board meets twice a year—in the spring and in the fall around Homecoming.

“What inspired me to join the board was two-fold,” said Jerri Picha ’75 of Warrenville, Ill., who, like PICHA Baele, is nearing the end of her second term. “I wanted to pay back and to pay forward. Had I not gone to Monmouth, the direction of my life

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MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

professionally and privately would not have gone the direction it did.”

Wade Brown ’07 of Bloomington, Ind., said he was drawn back in to his official role at Monmouth through helping to put together his class’s 10-year reunion.

“Things have been BROWN tough in Illinois for quite some time, but when I was on campus for the reunion, it was as if the College was this oasis, this place where things were going well,” he said. “What I was really amazed at was both the condition of the College—the upkeep and improvements—but also there was a very positive attitude between the College and community.”

One of the board’s newest members, Anthony Bryant ’18 of Chicago, said one of his mentors is Dan Cotter ’88, a member of the College’s Board of Trustees. Cotter gave him the idea about board service while Bryant was still a student.

“As an African-American male student from Chicago, you ask questions about who’s involved, who’s participating, who’s at the table, BRYANT who’s going to listen,” said Bryant. “As a student, I always asked myself, ‘Where are all the Black alumni?’ When I started to ask that

question, I wanted to be the answer, as well. I wanted to be the Black alumni when I graduated from this college.”

The Alumni Board is also diverse by age, something that Brown and Baele said they both appreciate.

“We have a great group of about seven generations of Fighting Scots,” said Brown. “We look at how can we help the College to be able to continue its mission to serve students. A lot of what we do is try to generate excitement for the College and to figure out ways that we can use our individual talents and gifts to be able to help the College.”

Baele has enjoyed the new relationships she’s built on the board.

“One of the reasons I joined was because of my desire to serve, but You connect what I didn’t realize was with individuals that I would from different walk away with a whole decades, and group of new that experience friends,” she said. “You is definitely rich connect with and valuable.’ individuals from different decades, and that experience is definitely rich and valuable.”

Baele looked back at one of her favorite elements from her nine years of service.

“The board really does serve a key function—alumni engagement, awards, engaging students,” she said. “One of the things we do is write notes to incoming students—students who have been accepted at Monmouth—and really just encourage them and share our experience and why we feel Monmouth is a good option—what it’s meant to us in our life. I attribute my success to

Monmouth’s tight-knit environment and their philosophy. I always felt that it was such a fantastic experience there.”

Student recruitment is part of the responsibility, said Picha, who referred talented first-year artist Grace Cornelius ’24 to Monmouth.

“It’s our responsibility as members of the Alumni Board to promote Monmouth College in any way that we can,” said Picha, who served on the board’s executive committee and helped develop its current “more participatory” direction. “Certainly, talking about

Monmouth College, wearing my Monmouth College gear, representing the College whenever I can—those are all parts of it. And it’s important for all of us to help the College with recruitment and talking to people about Monmouth to keep it in the forefront—being the boots on the ground and the ambassadors for spreading the good word about Monmouth College.”

The board members were asked what they’d say to Monmouth alumni who were considering joining them.

“I was a little nervous at first, too,”

said Brown. “Being brave enough to step back in and reengage has definitely been worth it. If you’ve just graduated or it’s been 40 or 50 years since you set foot on campus, please submit an application.

We’re always looking for members. It’s a wonderful way of giving back to the College with your talents.”

Said Bryant: “I would tell young alumni, ‘We need you. This is an opportunity, this is a space for you to step up, to get involved, to be heard, to really be a pillar and foundation to how the future of the College moves.”

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FOUR KEY BENEFITS OF GIVING STOCKS: . If you make a gift rather than sell your appreciated investment, you can avoid paying capital gains tax.

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Because you are making a gift of an asset, your gift will not adversely affect your cash flow.

Making gifts from your investments, instead of from your checkbook, may allow you to make a greater gift than you ever thought possible.

Visit monmouthgift.org to learn more about gifts of stock and other gift-planning options.

SPRING 2021

37

ALUMNI NEWS

WE WELCOME NEWS AND PHOTOS related to your career, awards, reunions or travel with your Monmouth College friends, and any other information of interest to your classmates or alumni. We also welcome announcements and photos of alumni weddings and births, as well as alumni obituaries.

Please see page 39 for submission guidelines.

1952

Ralph Whiteman 301 Courtyard Blvd.

Monmouth, IL 61462-1098 njwherry@gmail.com

We had a very upbeat card from Barb Atchison Bailey and husband, Jim Bailey ’51, who celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary in March. They both are still quite active in their retirement home in Penney Farms, Fla. Janie Black Snyder has moved to assisted living in Indianapolis. Having lived in many places, she is struggling to keep up with friends and family from Maine to California, with some in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Barb Watt Johnson of Moline, Ill., was given a surprise 90th birthday party—of the drive-by variety—last August.

Shirley Moser Irion of Normal, Ill., and her husband, Ron Moser ’51, are keeping busy during the pandemic planning future trips.

“If you keep moving, the virus can’t find you!” she contends.

Pat Acosta Wiedenman checks in from Avinger, Texas, where the community threw a big boat parade to celebrate her 90th birthday—a really special event. Pat is physically pretty active and swims regularly. Her Christmas letter closing says it all: “With loving thoughts,” and she does. She’s very grateful to have made it to 90 and reveres and regrets those ’52ers who did not.

1956

Sally Smith Larson 5135 Davantry Dr. Dunwoody, GA 30338-4554 njwherry@gmail.com

1960

Nancy Van Natta Wherry 1910 Highwood Ave. Pekin, IL 61554 njwherry@gmail.com

Joe Suffield and his wife, Janis, moved back

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MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

Ken Knox ’62 of Libertyville, Ill., and his wife, Judith, took their granddaughter, Emma Celaric, on a European cruise in the summer preceding her senior year in high school—a fortunate decision rather than waiting until the COVID-19 travel shutdown after her senior year. Emma entered Monmouth College as a freshman last fall.

to Peoria, Ill., in 2008 to be closer to families.

He has become an author of historical fiction, set in Colonial America, and is currently at work on book No. 5. Joe has seen Pete Margetis, Bob Smith, Mary Ann Smith Work, Ken Rager, Gary Wellman and Darrel Edson (in the Phoenix and Peoria areas).

Judy Lamb of Tamarac, Fla., is enjoying retirement following a high school teaching career in Egypt and the Philippines, but has still managed to travel extensively, including Habitat for Humanity trips working in Ecuador, Mexico, Romania, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. She has also backpacked in India, Morocco and Peru, and loves to go kayaking with a companion. Judy maintains contact with the Rev. Martha and Skip Schmidt.

Floyd Sours of Zanesville, Ohio, is a retired clinical psychologist who has written three

books based on his experience, including Burnt Offerings: The Art of Politics and the Consequences of Freedom. His website is burntofferingsbook.com.

Patty Baird Link of St. Louis has retired from Pi Beta Phi headquarters after having served as its receptionist for 30 years. Over the years, she enjoyed visiting the Alpha chapter at Monmouth 14 times.

William “Soapy” McBride of Elyria, Ohio, is on Facebook and would love to hear from classmates.

1962

Deeks Carroll 12433 Steamboat Springs Dr. deekscarroll@yahoo.com

After 20 years of hiking and backpacking I was in great shape. But because of a knee

ALUMNI NEWS | CLASS NOTES

injury and doing more sedentary things I have quickly gotten out of shape. My New Year’s resolution is to get out every day and build up my endurance. I do not want to be dependent on someone else for my daily needs. And I want to be able to walk around campus for our 60-year reunion. How will we celebrate our 60year reunion? It is only a year away, and you can contribute if you would like. For the past two reunions, we have had Dave Jones speak after the Saturday class dinner. Bill Irelan gave a presentation to the general alums at our last reunion. So if you are doing something of interest and want to present it, contact me and I will include it in our planning meetings. For example, how do you fill each day at our advanced age? What kind of life experiences have you had that gives you something to look forward to? Another example: Harlow Blum, the last living faculty member from our era, will turn 87 in March. He is still working on his art and had a show last July.

1966

Susan Kauzlarich Kuster 1863 Township Rd. 2850N Seaton, IL 61476-9608 susan.kuster@gmail.com

1972

Nick Tucker 429 Linden Ave. Apt. 1-W Wilmette, IL 60091 njtuckersr@gmail.com

Lon Helton of Nashville was named National Air Personality of the Year for the 10th time by the Country Music Association. The longtime radio host of Westwood One’s Country Countdown USA, he first won the award in 2002.

1974

Gail Simpson Owen 14 Oak Ridge Point Morton, IL 61550 gowen@itv-3.com

1975

Dave Boyd 11237 OH-38 SE London, OH 43140-9716 jdb00750@gmail.com 614-477-9383

have passed since our graduation, seemingly, too quickly. Certainly, the pandemic that snuffed out many jobs and businesses, many personal interactions, many family and institutional gatherings certainly crippled our country last year and continues to disrupt our day-to-day life journey.

All the more reason to recover and massage our friendships and memories as long as we’re alive. Who am I and what’s my story? I’ve always been a grateful Monmouth alum. English literature was my focus before arriving and through graduation. As a freshman at age 20, this caused me to focus on what I felt was “productive” pursuits, such as writing for The Oracle and establishing The Wells Elevator tabloid with Duncan Hill. Collaboration among fellow students was particularly awesome, because once an idea was voiced, we all pitched in for hours, days and weeks following. I left the campus in 1973 to study art and literature in London. The College naturally supported me in this adventure with nearly full credit. In ’74, I was a teaching tennis professional, and that allowed me to pay for my final year at Monmouth.

Today, my wife, Amy, and I live in southwestern Ohio at the 1,200-acre Procter Camp and Conference Center we oversee.

We have two kids: Aubrie, age 21, soon to graduate from The Ohio State University; and Eddie, age 23, who is a Triple Crown Hiker and works at a local urban brewery.

That’s my story, now what’s yours? I can be reached by email (fastest), snail mail or phone.

The Rev. William Pyatt of Godfrey, Ill., has retired after 42 years as a United Methodist minister.

1976

The Rev. R. Bruce Weiman of Fisher, Ill., was asked by his bishop to deliver the sermon for the retirees’ recognition service for the Illinois Great Rivers 2020 Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Due to covid-19 restrictions, the service and conference were presented online.

1978

WEIMAN ’76

Kathleen Clark Kimmel 347 Blackhawk Dr. Hopewell, IL 61565-9457 kckcat@gmail.com

1980

Carl Forkner, a research psychologist and veterans advocate in Mesa, Ariz., spearheaded an expansion of his local Disabled American Veterans (DAV) service office to begin providing services at the Mesa Veterans Resource Center. Opened three years ago, MVRC provides assistance and resources to veterans and their families. With the addition of DAV services, the center can now help veterans navigate the VA System and file their disability, education and VA home loan paperwork.

Robin Johnson, a faculty member in the Monmouth College political science department, organized a roundtable on Presidents Day featuring six young Monmouth alumni who are involved in politics. Over Zoom, the participants discussed their personal experiences from the 2020 campaign trail.

Speaking were: Josh Perschall ’19, a member of Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra’s staff, who was holed up in the Longworth Office Building on Capitol Hill during the Jan. 6 insurgency; Alex Altamirano ’19,

FORKNER ’80

JOHNSON ’80

Submission Guidelines Submit your news online at monmouthcollege.edu/alumni/ updates, by email to alumni@monmouthcollege.edu, or by mail to Monmouth College Magazine, Attn: Alumni Programs, 700 East Broadway, Monmouth IL 61462-1998. Digital photos should have a minimum resolution of 300 pixels per inch. Please include a photo caption with full names that clearly match faces, class years, date and location. We reserve the right to reject images for any reason, especially those with low resolution and those that require purchase from a photo gallery website. Submissions will be published at the discretion of the editors on a spaceavailable basis.

It’s hard to fathom, but more than 45 years

SPRING 2021

39

ALUMNI NEWS | CLASS NOTES

rials to improve the performance of crop protection and plant health products.

2003

Lauren Williams, a firstgrade teacher at Windsor Elementary School in Imperial, Mo., was among 100 St. Louis-area educators to receive Emerson’s Excellence in Teaching awards. Sponsored annually by St. Louis-based Emerson, a diversified global manufacturer, the awards pay tribute to educators—from kindergarten teachers to college professors—for their achievements and dedication to the field of education.

This year, in lieu of in-person awards, winners were presented with custom gift boxes, which included an engraved crystal apple keepsake from Tiffany & Co.

2005

FARR ’89

Matthew Katsenes ’14 of Moultonborough, N.H., was presented with the Matthew I. Wiencke Teaching Award by the Classical Association of New England. The award recognizes excellence in precollegiate teaching. Katsenes has been teaching Latin at Moultonborough Academy—a small rural public school—for more than 10 years. He is active in the classics field, regularly attending regional and national classics conferences.

DOSWELL ’91

who campaigned last summer in Jacob Blake’s Kenosha, Wis., neighborhood; Libby Meyer ’15, a writer for the Iowa Starting Line political news outlet; Steve Oaks ’16, who campaigned for the Democratic Party in Iowa; Tony Salgado ’20, who campaigned for Republican candidates in Omaha and Georgia; and Alex Cruz ’20, who worked for the Progressive Turnout Project.

1981

Dr. Harvey Echols of Plano, Texas, has accepted a new position as pharmacy medical director for Oscar Health, a New York-based health insurance company.

WOLEK ’01

1983

Paula Rundell Brooks 1702 Aster Ln. Godfrey, IL 62035-5612 dogpau2@charter.net

1984 POTTER ’05

Chris Pio 4262 Maple Dr. Galesburg, IL 61401-9510 pip5@grics.net

1989

Don Farr of Roseville, Ill., retired as principal of Monmouth-Roseville High School in December,

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MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

capping off a 31-year career as a teacher and administrator. After attending a year and a half of pharmacy school at Drake University, Farr decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a high school science teacher. He finished his degree in education at Monmouth and, after working in the College’s admission office for a year, embarked on a teaching career, which led to an administrative career a few years later. He was named Middle School Principal of the Year in 2014 by the Illinois Principals Association.

1991

Ray Doswell, vice president of curatorial services for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, presented a Monmouth College Tartan Talk in February. Titled “Black Baseball & Black History,” the presentation was given via Zoom. Doswell, who has been with the museum since 1995, holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Kansas State University. The museum welcomes nearly 60,000 visitors annually.

2001

Sarah Crummy Wolek of Arlington Heights, Ill., was promoted to technical director of the Agricultural Solutions R & D Division of Stepan Company. Her group develops new mate-

Sara Poggi Potter of Marquette, Mich., was recently presented with Northern Michigan University’s Excellence in Online Teaching Award. She is only the third recipient of the prestigious award. Now in her 15th year in the university’s Communication and Media Studies Department, Potter teaches courses in public speaking, argumentation, interpersonal communication, crisis communication, health communication, and small group process.

2011

Alex Tanney has retired as quarterback for the New York Giants, after a nine-year playing career for the NFL. He has accepted a new position as offensive quality control coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. (See story, page 34)

2012

Kathleen Murtagh Jones has published her first children’s book, Finding Your Magnificence. It is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

2014

Zachary Dixon of Apple River, Ill., is district sales manager for the Upper Midwest region for Hibbett Sports.

2017

Jacob Marx 106 S. Front St., Apt. 2D Philadelphia, PA 19106 jacob.p.marx@uscg.mil

Jacob Marx has been named assistant chief of intelligence for the United States Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay in Philadelphia.

WEDDINGS

2005 Ryan Danzinger and Sherwin Chan

July 19, 2020 2006 Sean Fitzgerald and Amy Crocilla

November 9, 2019 2008 Gianna Sagert and Henry Joern

September 12, 2020 2012 Haley Jones and Tyler Stockton

July 3, 2020 GIANNA SAGERT ’08 AND HENRY JOERN

2013 Amy Kerulis and JP Schmucker

October 3, 2020

AMY KERULIS ’13 AND JP SCHMUCKER

2014 Rachel Whitlock and Jeffrey Kelleher ’13

September 18, 2020 2015 Jayme Homer and Drew Luster

October 10, 2020 2018 Rebecca Guinea and Christian Jones ’18

August 15, 2020

RACHEL WHITLOCK ’14 AND JEFFREY KELLEHER ’13

HALEY JONES ’12 AND TYLER STOCKTON

2019 Tyler McDonald and Jenna Gingrich

January 4, 2020

REBECCA GUINEA ’18 AND CHRISTIAN JONES ’18

JAYME HOMER ’15 AND DREW LUSTER

RYAN DANZINGER ’05 AND SHERWIN CHAN

TYLER McDONALD ’19 AND JENNA GINGRICH

SPRING 2021

41

BIRTHS

OLIVIA GRACE DeBOER

QUINN MARIE AND LINCOLN MICHAEL MILROY

2002 Heather Weber Green and Jeremy

a son, Zechariah Weber

January 7, 2020

2013 Shelby Courtois DeBoer and Ray

a daughter, Olivia Grace

January 30, 2020

2008 Nicole and Zak Edmonds

a son, Zak Mason

May 29, 2020

2010 Kelly Sheets Zimmerman and Will ’11

a daughter, Emersyn Louise

February 15, 2021 2012 Jessica Avila-Cuevas and Alejandro

a son, Diego Martin

January 16, 2021

ZAK MASON EDMONDS

Mackinsey Marquith Milroy and David ’12 twin son and daughter Lincoln Michael and Quinn Marie May 15, 2020

2014 Melinda Craddock Dixon and Zachary ’14

a daughter, Cara

March 29, 2020

DIEGO MARTIN CUEVAS

Have a wedding or baby photo to share?

Email your high-resolution digital image to alumni@monmouthcollege.edu. Be sure to include all pertinent information, including date of wedding or birth, couples and parents’ names and class years (if applicable), and identification of all individuals in photos, if not obvious.

ZECHARIAH GREEN WITH BIG BROTHER, JOSHUA

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MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

CARA DIXON

IN MEMORIAM

1944 28, 2018.

Eva Voetberg Reeck, 95, of Kalispell, Mont., died April

1946

Marilyn Jones Altman, 94, of Santa Barbara, Calif., died in September 2019. During her two years at Monmouth, she studied history and was a member of Pi Beta Phi. Later in life, she completed an art history degree at the University of California-Santa Barbara, graduating summa cum laude. Altman held positions in law offices in her native Kewanee, Ill., and in Santa Barbara.

Jean Hill Ost, 95, of Venice, Fla., died Feb. 5, 2021 of complications due to COVID-19.

She was an English major and a member of Alpha Xi Delta. She served as chair of the Lake County (Ill.) Soil and Water Conservation District and, after moving to Florida in 1979, was a member of the Sarasota Soil & Water Conservation District. She was also a member for many years of the League of Women Voters.

1947

Jean Liggett Burnham, 94, of St. Paul, Minn., died Sept.

6, 2020. She studied music at Monmouth before completing her degree at Simpson (Iowa) College.

After teaching for several years in Sigourney, Iowa, she earned a master’s degree in music education from Northwestern University and taught music at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and Doudna Lab School.

Bonnie Osborne Watson, 94, of McFarland, Wis., died Jan. 18, 2021. Watson and her twin sister, Mae Osborne Dyer ’47, attended Monmouth before graduating from Aurora University and becoming home economics teachers. She was a member of Pi Beta Phi. Survivors include her twin sister.

1948

Joanne Hedstrom Worrell, 94, of Oneida, Ill., died Dec. 19, 2020. She studied elementary education and completed her degree at Western Illinois University.

1949

David Petersen, 94, of Washington Township, Pa.,

died Dec. 2, 2019. A decorated veteran of World War II, Petersen studied physics at Monmouth and also attended Iowa State University and Indiana Tech College, receiving a degree in electrical engineering.

He worked for Hanlon Electric Company for 30 years and helped build Three Rivers Stadium, home to his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers from 1970-2000.

Louise Lauder Roos, 93, of Rock Island, Ill., died Dec. 20, 2020. She studied biology and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma before attending Bradley University. In the 1970s, she returned to Monmouth, assisting her attorney father, Frederick Lauder (Class of 1918) and then managing the family’s farm interests. While in Monmouth, she stayed connected to her alma mater and was part of the team that remodeled Stewart House, the founding home of KKG. Many of Roos’s extended family members attended Monmouth, including her sister, Cherry Lauder McIlvain ’47, who survives.

Elizabeth “Bette” Davis Vance, 92, of Monmouth, died Oct. 23, 2020. She graduated with a degree in elementary education and was a member of Pi Beta Phi. Vance taught grade school in Monmouth, Galesburg and Springfield.

Later in life, she earned a master’s degree from the University of Illinois. She was preceded in death by her husband of 47 years, Donovan Vance ’52, and a brother, William Davis ’50. Survivors include a granddaughter, Nichole Hofmeister ’06.

Molly Ann Wilkens, 93, of Indianapolis, died Oct. 19, 2020. She graduated with a degree in physical education before earning a master’s degree from Indiana University.

Much of her 35-year career teaching P.E. was done at Riverside-Brookfield Township High School near Chicago, where she was department chair for 23 years and coached badminton. She also counseled campers in Maine, Washington and Indiana.

1950

Robert Ady, 92, of Los Altos, Calif., died Sept. 23, 2020. He was born in China to Presbyterian missionaries, who along with his brother, were held in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Hong Kong. Ady had left China before World War II began. He served in the Navy after his 1945 high school graduation, then attended Monmouth, where he was a physics major and a member of the swimming and track teams and Tau Kappa Epsilon. Ady earned master’s degrees in applied mathematics and statistics at San Jose State University and Stanford University, respectively. At the age of 79, he retired from a career in electronics and systems engineering. He worked on a very diverse set of applications, beginning with underwater sound and ending with satellite systems engineering.

Donald Brown, 93, of Downers Grove, Ill., died June 10, 2019. He graduated with a degree in mathematics and was a member of the tennis team.

Claire McWilliams Growden, 91, of Maryville, Tenn., died Oct. 12, 2020. She majored in Spanish. Growden worked in legal offices and as co-operator of a family-run cemetery.

Mary Bannon Johnson, 91, of Berkeley, Ill., died March 17, 2020. A member of Pi Beta Phi, she married her Monmouth classmate, Theador Johnson ’50.

Jane Bakker Morgan, 92, of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., died in November 2020. A mathematics major and member of Kappa Delta, she married her Monmouth classmate Charles Morgan ’50, and the couple built a successful business, Morgan Electric, in Pomona, Calif.

1951

Lyle Bogott, 93, of Alvin, Texas, died Jan. 4, 2021. After serving in the Army for two years, he attended Monmouth, graduating with a degree in physical education and playing on the football, basketball and baseball teams. The St. Louis Browns drafted him to play baseball, but he chose a different direction. Bogott taught and coached in the Illinois communities of Byron and Dixon, serving as athletic director at the

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IN MEMORIA M

Kenneth R. Geiger ’53 Kenneth R. Geiger, 89, of Berwyn, Ill., died Jan. 21, 2021.

Although he was a multiple letter winner in football and baseball, Geiger’s greatest contribution to Fighting Scots athletics occurred following his graduation with a degree in physical education. As a high school coach and administrator at Morton East and West high schools for 34 years, he inf luenced many all-conference student athletes in football, wrestling and baseball to attend Monmouth.

During Monmouth’s 1972 undefeated football season, Geiger served as offensive coordinator and scout for the Fighting Scots. He also coached at the University of Missouri for three years.

Geiger entered professional football in the 1980s as a scout for the Chicago Bears and was with the team when they won Super Bowl XX. He later worked for the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints. Internationally, he was a moving force in bringing American football to Europe, teaching football to European youths and representing the NFL as a clinician.

In 1996, Geiger was inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame. A member of Theta Chi, Geiger also received Monmouth’s Distinguished Service Award. His family was honored as Monmouth College Family of the Year in 2011. Geiger was also inducted into the Illinois High School Association Hall of Fame.

After graduating from Monmouth, Geiger served in the 101st Airborne Division in Korea, then earned a master’s degree from the University of Illinois, where he helped coach the freshman football team.

He later earned a Ph.D. in education at the University of Missouri, where he was a varsity assistant coach. Survivors include his wife of 67 years, Sheryl Johnson Geiger ’56, a son, Gary Geiger ’76, and a grandson, Sean Geiger ’10. latter school. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame at both Dixon and nearby Rock Falls, where he attended high school. Bogott was preceded in death by his wife of nearly 70 years.

Dr. A. Byford Anderson Jr., 91, of Rapid City, S.D., died Feb. 3, 2021. A third-generation physician, his medical school training was interrupted by a serious automobile accident, but he finally earned his M.D. from the University of Nebraska in 1959. In 1961, he became a practicing physician for Homestake Mining Co. in Lead, S.D., a position he held for 30 years before retiring. He was a member of Alpha Tau Omega and played football at Monmouth.

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Wendell Chestnut, 91, of DeKalb, Ill., died Sept. 26, 2020. He majored in history and was a member of the baseball team. After graduating, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, which led to a 39-year career in government service, which included four years of active service and a career at bases in Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Morocco and Japan. Chestnut spent nearly a third of his life overseas serving his country. He also stayed closely connected to Monmouth College and served as a class secretary for many years. He was preceded in death by his wife of 47 years.

Lucille Sallee Hanna, 97, of Monmouth, died Nov. 28, 2020. A native of nearby Gerlaw, Ill., she taught at a one-room school at Tylerville, at multi-grade rooms in Gerlaw and Rio and, for 23 years, at Garfield Elementary School in Monmouth.

Neil Stewart, 91, of Carlisle, Pa., died Nov. 24, 2020. He graduated with a degree in biology and was a member of Alpha Tau Omega before receiving his M.D. from Temple University. Stewart served in the Army Medical Corps and Army Reserves for a number of year before starting his own practice in Camillus, N.Y. Later, he was a founding partner of Pediatric Associates, and he served on the faculty at SUNY Health Science Center in Syracuse.

1952

Patricia Mellon Helfer, 90, of Woodstock, Ga., died Nov. 19, 2020. She attended Monmouth for two years, majoring in business administration, and was employed throughout her professional career by several small businesses as an office manager and financial assistant.

Nancy Owen Schmitt, 90, of Glen Ellyn, Ill., died Oct. 5, 2020. She studied history and was a member of Alpha Xi Delta. A professional model in the Chicago area, she later completed an international studies degree in England at Selwyn College at the University of Cambridge. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Roland Schmitt ’49.

Lois Tornquist Smith, 90, of Rockville, Md., died Dec. 28, 2020, after a short battle with cancer. She graduated with a degree in psychology and was a member of Kappa Delta. In 1968, Smith founded the preschool program at Millian United Methodist Church in Rockville, where she worked for 25 years as a teacher and director. Smith also had a 40-year career as a quilter, instructor and judge in the fabric arts, authoring two books, teaching and winning numerous awards.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Donovan Smith ’52. Survivors include a brother, John Tornquist ’60, and a daughter, Kristen Smith Curling ’81.

1953

Shirley Schacht Ellis, 89, of Tallahassee, Fla., died Oct. 14, 2020. She graduated with a degree in history and was a member of Alpha Xi Delta.

She taught at Rancho Bernardo Elementary School in the San Diego for two decades before moving to Florida in 1977, where she continued teaching.

ALUMNI NEWS | OBITUARIES

IN MEMORIA M

Dr. Tom Nichol ’54 Dr. Tom Nichol, 88, of Estes Park, Colo., died Jan. 4, 2021.

Nichol graduated summa cum laude with a degree in biology and served as president of the Theta Chi fraternity and the senior class. While a student, he served as a Presbyterian elder, making him the youngest in the United States to do so at the time.

A member of the M Club Hall of Fame, Nichol earned three letters each in football and track, helping the Fighting Scot thinclads to the 1954 Midwest Conference title. He had medaled at the state track meet in high school while competing in the discus for the Monmouth Zippers.

After graduation, Nichol earned his M.D. from the University of Illinois School of Medicine in Chicago and spent 10 years as a medical missionary serving the Presbyterian Church in rural western Ethiopia.

People waited in lines for him with conditions ranging from malnutrition, tuberculosis and trauma to parasitic and tropical diseases. He performed surgeries and delivered babies, including the two youngest of his five children.

Perhaps most fulfilling to Nichol during that time were the eye surgeries he performed, helping people from as far away as Sudan who had cataracts. He also assisted in the construction of the hospital in Dembi Dollo, where the ICU was later named in his honor.

Above all, Nichol ministered to the people of Ethiopia through kindness and humor.

After his service to the church, Nichol worked in family practice at a clinic in Estes Park, which included making house calls. He later played a major role in establishing and running a hospital there. In all, he served the Estes Park community for 27 years, retiring in 2000.

Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Barby Williamson Nichol ’53, and a son, Dr. Tom A. Nichol ’82.

Sidney Shepardson Hoover, 89, of San Rafael, Calif., died Nov. 24, 2020. She came to Monmouth from Hawaii, where she spent much of her childhood, including the attack on Pearl Harbor. She studied speech/ com munic at ion/t heat er and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She and her husband of 68 years, Lyle Hoover ’51, lived in two states and two countries before settling in California, where she resumed her education at San Francisco State University and began her career teaching the hearing impaired.

1954

Gini Hansen Casey-Maines, 88, of Forsyth, Ill., died Nov. 2, 2020. A mathematics major, she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She later received a master’s degree in mathematics from Colorado State University. Her 39-year career teaching math concluded at Eisenhower High School in Decatur, Ill.

1956

Sally Ward Hickerson, 86, of Knoxville, Ill., died Sept. 9, 2020. She taught high school in Cicero, Ill., worked in the admission department at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and assisted her husband’s medical practice as a bookkeeper.

Waring S. Jenkins, 86, of Park Ridge, Ill., died Jan. 14, 2021. He studied speech/communication/theater, then joined the Army, serving for six years and rising to the rank of sergeant. Jenkins worked for Stamar Packaging for his entire career.

Miriam Smith Voors, 86, of Oklahoma City, died Nov. 23, 2020. She followed her father to Monmouth, studying sociology and joining Kappa Delta, before graduating from the University of North Carolina. She was an elementary school teacher and reading specialist in Chapel Hill, N.C., and New Orleans and a library associate in Metairie, La. Diane Wilcox, 86, of Oro Valley, Ariz., died Aug. 15, 2020. An English major, she worked as a Superior Court clerk in Tucson.

1957

Sandy Kelley Morrison, 85, of Quincy, Ill., died Jan. 10, 2021. She graduated with a degree in elementary education and was a member of Crimson Masque and Kappa Delta.

Morrison was a longtime teacher in Quincy and continued to tutor students for many years following her retirement. She was preceded in death by one week by her husband of 62 years, Theodore “Bup” Morrison’ 58, who she met while serving as a Spanish tutor on campus.

1958

JoAnne Waddelow Cook, 84, of Des Moines, Iowa, died April 23, 2020. She studied art and was a member of Alpha Xi Delta.

George Jamieson, 83, of Moline, Ill., died Nov. 13, 2020. He majored in business administration and was a member of the football team and Tau Kappa Epsilon. Jamieson retired in 2017 after a 61-year sales career with C.J. Duffey Paper Company. Survivors include his wife of 62 years and children Todd Jamieson ’82 and Ann Jamieson ’85.

Theodore “Bup” Morrison, 90, of Quincy, Ill., died Jan. 3, 2021.

He graduated with a degree in business administration and was a member of the golf team. During the Korean War, he served in the U.S. Army as a member of the military police. Prior to enrolling at Monmouth

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ALUMNI NEWS | OBITUARIES

and following his graduation, he worked at Moorman Manufacturing, retiring as manager of the purchasing department. His wife of 62 years, Sandy Kelley Morrison ’57, died one week later.

1959

David Schwiebert, 86, of Bluffton, S.C., died Sept. 15, 2020. After serving two years in the Air Force, he graduated with a degree in business administration and was a member of Alpha Tau Omega. Schwiebert was employed by Ford Motor Company as a zone manager in Salt Lake City and later in the vehicle leasing industry in San Diego. He was also a commercial pilot and flight instructor.

1960

Nancy Lee Graves, 82, of Collinsville, Ill., died Dec. 13, 2020. A member of Alpha Xi Delta, she studied elementary education and became a teacher, retiring from Collinsville Unit 10. Survivors include her husband of 59 years, Dean Graves ’60.

Leon Martin of St. Charles, Ill., died Sept.

15, 2017. He graduated with a degree in psychology and was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon.

1961

Tom Bollman, 81, of Monmouth, died Oct. 30, 2020. A Monmouth native, he majored in physical education and was a member of the football and track teams and Theta Chi. Bollman served in the Illinois National Guard from 1957-65. He taught social studies and coached basketball for four years in the Illinois towns of Nauvoo and Lafayette before returning to Monmouth and becoming a licensed plumber. He had a 45-year career as an estimator and project manager for several contractors in the areas and held executive offices with several plumbing and contractor organizations. For several years, he was a radio color commentator for Fighting Scots sports. Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Betty Bollman ’71, and a daughter, Kimberlie Bollman Squier ’84.

1962

Larry Candor, 83, of Galesburg, Ill., died Nov. 10, 2020.

He graduated with a degree in business administration and was a member of Theta Chi. Candor worked for Yemm Chevrolet in Galesburg for 47 years, serving as a salesman and later general manager. He was preceded in death by his wife of 46 years, Janice Youngquist Candor ’56.

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Guy Welch, 81, of San Pedro, Calif., died Feb. 15, 2021. He was a member of Theta Chi and a talented athlete who set a Fighting Scots record in discus his senior year. Upon graduation, Welch joined the Air Force, where he would work his way to lieutenant colonel. His first assignment was with one of the initial Titan II Missile Combat Crews. After the CIA’s U-2 spy plane was shot down, aerial photography over the Soviet Union became impossible, and Welch was assigned to a top-secret mission to build the first camera capable of taking spy photos from a satellite.

The camera now resides in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. In 1965, Welch was selected by the Air Force Institute of Technology to attend Rochiester Institute of Technology, where he received a master of science degree in electro-optics and was appointed a research and development engineer for military space systems. In 1974, he was named a deputy for payloads for two nationally important satellite programs.

He ended his military career in 1982, after serving on special assignment to the Air Force chief of staff responsible for development of ICM treaty inspection and verification methods. He then became a satellite development program manager for TRW Space & Electronics Group.

JeanAnn Kimmel Roberts, 78, of Lake in the Hills, Ill., died Jan. 12, 2019. She studied home economics and was a member of Alpha Xi Delta before completing an education degree at Northern Illinois University. Roberts was a newspaper columnist and longtime realtor.

1966

Rosalie VanRaam Brownell, 76, of Monmouth, died Nov. 19, 2020. She graduated with a degree in physical education and was a member of Kappa Delta. She spent 30 years teaching P.E. and coaching in the Monmouth high school and junior high, serving as athletic director at the latter school.

1967

Catherine Wetz Bennett, 75, of Amherst, Mass., died Oct. 5, 2020, after a short bout with cancer. A member of Alpha Xi Delta, she graduate with a degree in music before earning a master’s degree in music performance from Eastern Illinois University. Bennett was instrumental in the creation

of Jessie’s House, one of the first family homeless shelters in Massachusetts. She directed both Jessie’s House and Grace House, a residential treatment center for mothers suffering from addiction, until her retirement in 2008, receiving multiple awards for her service to women and to the families with which she worked. Bennett was also actively involved as a singer, musician and composer for her church and for Valley Light Opera.

1968

Dawn Schuldt Eckstein of Eagle River, Wis., died June 22, 2019. She studied history during her time at Monmouth and was a member of Crimson Masque.

Norman Steider of Michigan City, Ind., died Sept. 15, 2020. He graduated with a degree in business administration.

1969

Frank Goodwin, 73, of Pewaukee, Wis., died Jan. 30, 2021, after a valiant two-month battle with COVID-19. He graduated with a degree in government and was a member of the baseball team, the Sound of Five and Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Goodwin earned a master’s degree in education from Illinois State University. Survivors include a daughter, Amy Goodwin Bickett ’96.

1971

Calvin Rudman, 73, of Southport, Conn., died Nov. 8, 2020.

Christopher D. Edmonds died suddenly on March 14, 2020. An Alpha Tau Omega alumnus, he was a successful attorney, a U.S.C.G. Yacht Charter Captain, Black Dog Distillery proprietor, master woodworker and avid scuba diver. Survivors include his brother, Jay Edmonds ’67, and nephews Adam ’99 and Zak Edmonds ’08.

1972

Chris Brooks, 72, of Monmouth died Jan. 26, 2021. He graduated with a degree in sociology and was a member of the football and track teams. A talented musician, Brooks was a drummer for many years in various ensembles, including the Brooks Brothers Band. He also worked a series of jobs in the area, most recently serving as a residential specialist for Warren Achievement Center. Part of the Brooks family that received Monmouth’s Family of the Year honor in 2016, Chris was one of eight Brooks children who attended the College. Survivors include siblings Ada Brooks Groff ’59 and Glenn Brooks ’61.

ALUMNI NEWS | OBITUARIES

Charles Donovan, 70, of Crown Point, Ind., died Sept. 20, 2020. He majored in business administration and was a member of Alpha Tau Omega. Donovan served eight years on the Indiana Union Credit League and retired from Members Source Credit Union with more than 20 years of service.

Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Lucy Steudel Donovan ’73.

Laura Jensen Faust, 74, of Topeka, Kansas, died Sept. 9, 2020. Born in Monmouth, she followed her parents, Dr. Russell ’31 and Alice Jensen ’33, to Monmouth College.

Richard Henle, 70, of North Sandwich, N.H., died Sept. 25, 2020. The Monmouth graduate was a member of Zeta Beta Tau. Timothy Naylor, 70, of Chicago, died Oct. 18, 2020.

He graduated with a degree in physics and was involved in several musical groups on campus. Naylor also earned a degree in engineering at the University of Illinois.

He worked on nuclear submarines; nuclear, gas and electrical power plants; and advanced solar plants.

1973

Michael K r a m e r, 69, of Grayslake, Ill., died Dec. 7, 2020, after a battle with T-cell lymphoma. He graduated with a degree in English and was a member of Crimson Masque and Tau Kappa Epsilon. Kramer spent his life in the news publishing business, and joined Law Bulletin Media in 1997. He became publisher of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer magazine in 2007 and company president in 2015.

The Law Bulletin won the Illinois Press Association’s General Excellence Award in 2015. In 2019, Kramer received the IPA’s Distinguished Service Award. “Mike was everything that newspapers are supposed to be,” said one colleague. “He believed in the value of building relationships—with your readers and community. He did that better than anyone else I know.” He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Ann Doherty Kramer ’73.

1974

Robert Flannery, 68, of Glenview, Ill., died Aug. 26, 2020. He studied geology at Monmouth. For more than 40 years, Flannery led White Way Sign Company in Chicago as well as the Water Safety Patrol in Lake Geneva, Wis.

Robert Hutson, 67, of Arcadia, Mo., died April 3, 2019. He graduated with a degree in physical education and was a member of the tennis and swim teams. He worked as a manager at Walmart until he retired.

Gary Pynckel, 68, of Ft. Myers, Fla., died Jan. 11, 2021. He graduated with a degree in biology and was a member of the football team and Alpha Tau Omega. He went on to receive his doctorate from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and maintained a medical practice for 41 years.

Beatrice Zavorski Szaltis, 68, of Monmouth, died Nov. 11, 2020. After graduating from Monmouth, she was a special education teacher for many years at Warren Achievement. She was preceded in death by her husband, John Szaltis ’75.

1979

Jeanine Allison Muzik, 63, of Brookfield, Ill., died Oct. 1, 2020. She graduated with a degree in government. She is survived by her husband, Andrew Muzik ’74.

1984

Mark Cox, 64, of Morton, Ill., died Sept. 29, 2020. He graduated with a degree in physical education and was a member of the football team and Zeta Beta Tau. He taught industrial arts at five schools, completing his teaching career at Morton High School, and he also coached a variety of sports.

1993

Robin Engle Boyd, 49, of Galesburg, Ill., died Nov. 13, 2020. A member of Pi Beta Phi, she also studied at Carl Sandburg College and the Chamberlain School of Nursing. Boyd served in the U.S. Army for eight years and was a nurse for 13 years, including at OSF St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg the past several years.

Althea Flowers Myers, 48, of Kankakee, Ill., died March 8, 2020. She graduated with a degree in art.

2009

Eric Magny, 31, of Philadelphia, died in a hit-and-run accident Oct. 14, 2020. During his time at Monmouth, he was involved with ScotSpeak.

Faculty, Staff & Trustees: Thomas Burek, aquatics director and swim team coach, died Dec. 12, 2020. See story, page 32.

The Rev. Margaret Morris, 79, of Grand Rapids, Mich., a former member of the Board of Trustees, died Dec. 27, 2019.

George C. Nieman, emeritus professor of chemistry, died at his Monmouth home Oct. 8, 2020. He was 81. Nieman, who previously taught at Muskingum College and the University of Rochester, earned his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He retired in 2002 after 23 years at Monmouth.

Douglas Peterson, 94, of Las Vegas, died May 27, 2020. He came to Monmouth to teach chorus in 1962 after having been a music teacher in five states.

He left in 1967 to help start the music program at what is now the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, where he taught for 36 years.

Patricia Kay Felkins, assistant professor of speech communication arts from 1975–78, died Jan. 29, 2021, at the age of 73. She was the founder of Monmouth’s Bridgebuilders, a reader’s theater group that toured the Midwest. After leaving Monmouth, she taught public relations and organizational communication at Chicago’s Loyola University until her retirement in 2016.

Dean St. Ledger, superintendent of buildings and grounds from 197495, died Oct. 9, 2020, at the age of 89. His employment at Monmouth College began in 1957, and he steadily rose through the ranks from custodian to utility man to electrician, a position he held for 17 years. After a brief retirement in 1996, he returned to the College in 1999 as the Wells Theater scene shop and lighting supervisor, working four hours a day. Upon his second retirement, he had given 50 years of service to the College. Survivors include his wife, Nancy St. Ledger ’69, a longtime academic secretary at Monmouth College, and children Aileen St. Ledger ’85 and Raymond St. Ledger ’85.

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THE LAST WORD

LAWYERS AND THE LIBERAL ARTS ED WIMP ’12

M

y favorite thing about being a lawyer is observing how law fits into our everyday lives. In everything we do, it is quite likely that a lawyer, or a multitude of lawyers, played an active role. Here are a few examples of ways you may be enjoying the work of a lawyer at this very moment: • Let’s say there is music playing as you are reading this; it is likely that lawyers were a key part in negotiating the contracts surrounding the release of the song you’re listening to.

• Are you currently sitting in a chair? It is likely that lawyers had to work within the pertinent patent laws in order for that chair to be brought to market.

• Are you reading this at work? If so, you and your employer are currently being regulated under many federal and state laws regarding your employment.

In summary, you will be hard-pressed to find a way that a lawyer is not involved in your life at any given moment.

On a daily basis, I use the knowledge from my liberal arts education in my practice of law. Skills learned in my psychology class have helped me to read the body language of individuals that I am cross-examining; the foreign language courses I took have helped me to broaden my client base by being able to understand non-English speakers; and my religious studies courses have helped me to zealously advocate for my clients that have been discriminated against due to their beliefs.

These are just a few things among many other useful skills that I am thankful to have learned and continue to implement. I was able to immerse myself in a span of studies while still having the time to get a major in business administration and a minor in political science, and they have all enhanced the impact of my career in one way or another.

As lawyers, we are thought leaders. It is our job to absorb a large quantity of facts, decipher through the information to determine what is relevant, and craft an opinion that can be explained to a client, jury, judge or the masses of people.

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Cultivating these leadership skills during a very formative period of a future lawyer’s life is crucial in order to ensure the student is able to form opinions, as well as effectively articulate those opinions during law school and during practice. Frankly, I was a relatively shy student when I entered undergrad; had I gone to a larger state school, it is unlikely that I would have discovered—let alone held—any leadership positions during college. It has been my experience that the expectation of students at a liberal arts institution is to be involved in the college community and the students are therefore not as likely to get “lost in the shuffle” of a more sizeable institution.

As briefly mentioned above, the sense of community is a cornerstone of a liberal arts education, in that every student has the ability to play a role in the unique brand of the school. Instead of students entering a campus culture, the students create the campus culture. Furthermore, because of the establishment of campus culture by the students, there is an immense amount of pride associated with attending a liberal arts school that exists long after graduation.

The alumni of a liberal arts school generally feel an inherent obligation to give back to the students that wish to follow in their path. I have personally enjoyed the benefits of dynamic alumni mentors that have helped me to get where I am today, and I give back by mentoring students and routinely return to my alma mater to meet students in person.

Ed Wimp ’12 of Apopka, Fla., began his legal career defending insurance companies in workers’ compensation disputes at a statewide civil trial defense law firm. He now specializes in representing clients who have been victims of wrong ful termination, discrimination and unpaid wages, as well as whistle-blowers. Pro bono work is a cornerstone of his legal career, as he volunteers guardian ad litem for children in need, serves as a legal observer to protect the rights of demonstrators in peaceful protests, and aids in providing legal services to artists through Lawyers for the Creative Arts.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

ROOMMATES

Two freshmen (perhaps William Laxson ’43 and Robert Connell ’44) hang out in their East Hall room in 1940. Now known as Austin Hall and housing the music department, East Hall was home to 27 male students during that academic year.

Photos by Paul Kobler ’30

Gradelle Vinje (right), a freshman from Park Ridge, Ill., and her unidentified roommate wrap gifts in their Grier Hall room prior to Christmas break in 1940. The new Grier Hall had just opened that fall.

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