Monmouth Magazine Summer 2025

A NEW JOURNEY BEGINS

CLASS OF 2025

BIDS FAREWELL

MONMOUTH LAUNCHES BOLD ACADEMIC PLAN

50 + 50 = 100

June of 2025, 1975 and 1925 all featured notable moments in Monmouth College history. Starting with the most recent one, members of the 50th reunion class were back on campus June 5-8 for the annual Golden Scots Celebration. Pictured from the Class of 1975 are, in front, from left, Barbara Sullivan, Suzann Lacy Bennett and Margaret Fottler Johnson. In the second row are Kristin Lees Huntley, Janet Congdon June, Gregory Pemberton, Jerri Picha, Nancy Erickson Schatzeder and Judy Hogfeldt. In the third row are Bill Murschel, Jon Dahl, Chris Lesniak, Bill Pyatt and Alice Dunlap-Kraft. In the back row are Dennis Clark, Joe Svoboda, William Alexy and Michael Millhiser.

This photo features members of the Monmouth College community who attended the June 28, 1975, royal wedding in the Netherlands of Princess Christina, daughter of the country’s Queen Juliana, to Jorge Guillermo ’68, son of former Monmouth Spanish professor Edenia Guillermo. Pictured from left are Charles Speel, Gracie Peterson (1922), Dorothy Donald, Mary Crow ’41, Emma Janis Speel, Ruth McClanahan ’69 and Paul McClanahan ’37.

Finally, the Monmouth College Gymnasium, which came to be known as Waid Gym (designed by Dan Everett Waid, Class of 1887), was formally dedicated on June 10, 1925, with legendary University of Chicago coach Amos Alonzo Stagg speaking at the event. The gym was home to the men’s basketball team from 1925–1983, and to the volleyball and women’s basketball teams from their first official contests in 1974 through 1983. Now part of the college’s expansive Huff Athletic Center, the inside of the facility is completely different, but its distinctive Ionic columns remain.

SUMMER 2025 MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

ON THE COVER:

10 GIVING BY THE NUMBERS

A new format for a look back at the successful 2024–25 fiscal year.

24 CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF

It’s been a long road, but MWC POY Zay Brown is now soaring with the Scots.

30 THE INCREDIBLE LIFE OF DENNIS NOYES

The racer, journalist and novelist tells tales of his fascinating career.

On the eve of their college graduation, Anna Caster and Noelle Faulk enjoyed the Senior Send-Off at April Zorn Memorial Stadium.

PHOTO BY KENT KRIEGSHAUSER

MISSION STATEMENT: Monmouth College provides a transformative educational experience within a caring community of learners. 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.

NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION

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. 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. 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 ’89 Vice President and Dean for Student Success, Title IX Coordinator 309-457-2115 • equitywellbeingoffice@monmouthcollege.edu

PRESIDENT

Dr. Patricia Draves

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Mark Kopinski ’79, Chairman

Dr. Ralph Velazquez Jr. ’79, Vice Chairman

Douglas R. Carlson ’66

Daniel A. Cotter ’88

Dan Dickson ’89

Dr. Harvey Echols ’81

Christine Beiermann Farr ’90

Robin Galloway ’90

William J. Goldsborough ’65

Kevin Goodwin ’80

Augustin “Gus” Hart ’68

Mahendran Jawaharlal ’86

F. Austin Jones

The Rev. Robert C. McConnell ’72

Pamela Meanes ’90

Bradley C. Nahrstadt ’89

Gail Simpson Owen ’74

Anthony J. Perzigian ’66

Dennis M. Plummer ’73

Anita Ridge ’88

Tim Salier ’96

The Hon. John J. Scotillo ’72

Dr. Carlos F. Smith ’90

Nancy L. Snowden

Mark E. Taylor ’78

Jean Peters Witty ’88

ALUMNI BOARD REPRESENTATIVES TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Marybeth Dues Johnson ’93

Jacob McLean ’15

Mark Tupper ’94

ALUMNI BOARD

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Mark Tupper ’94, President

Wade Brown ’07, Vice President

Tessa Jones ’18, Secretary

Maggie Ramirez ’09, Member at Large

EDITORIAL BOARD

Hannah Maher

Vice President for Development and College Relations

Keri Dodson ’18

Senior Marketing Director

Barry McNamara

Associate Director of College Communications

STATEMENT OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Monmouth College is committed to diversity and encourages applications from women, persons of color, and members of other underrepresented groups.

MONMOUTH COLLEGE

MAGAZINE

VOL. 40 | NO. 1

EDITOR

Barry McNamara

DESIGN

Jeff Rankin

Monmouth College Magazine is published 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.

CONTACT US:

MAGAZINE EDITOR

mcnamara@monmouthcollege.edu

309-457-2117

ADDRESS CHANGE monmouthcollege.edu/update

309-457-2231

Development & College Relations

Monmouth College

700 East Broadway Monmouth, IL 61462-1998

ALUMNI PROGRAMS

309-457-2231 alumni@monmouthcollege.edu

REGISTRAR

309-457-2326 registrar@monmouthcollege.edu

ATHLETICS

309-457-2176 athletics@monmouthcollege.edu

GIVE TO MONMOUTH

309-457-2231 monmouthcollege.edu/give

ADMISSION

309-457-2285 admission@monmouthcollege.edu

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

A YEAR OF MOMENTUM, GRATITUDE AND OPTIMISM FOR MONMOUTH’S FUTURE

as i reflect on my first year as Monmouth’s 15th president, I’m filled with gratitude for the energy and commitment I’ve seen across the vast Monmouth community. On campus, from classrooms and playing fields to offices and studios, there’s been a collective focus on supporting our students and positioning Monmouth for a bright future. I was happy to share many of our students, faculty and staff successes with you in the 2024–2025 Highlight Report sent to you in June, also available at: monmouthcollege.edu/highlights

This past year, much of that work has centered around our academic programs. In January, a dedicated task force—made up of faculty, staff, and trustees—began a deep and thoughtful review of the holistic Monmouth academic portfolio. Guided by a commitment to the College’s mission and long-term vitality, the group carefully considered how best to support academic quality, affordability for students, and growth of Monmouth, resulting in a set of recommendations that were reviewed and supported by the Board this summer.

Among the changes is the creation of six new academic schools. These schools will support stronger collaboration across disciplines, more robust advising and mentoring, and a clear structure for the programs we’re investing in for the future. This evolution builds on Monmouth’s liberal arts foundation and strengthens our ability to offer an education that is intentionally personalized for each student and is both timeless and timely.

Many of the changes—like the creation of Academic Schools, stronger support for academic

program growth, and new opportunities for students—are exciting indeed. But other changes are not easy. Phasing out major/minors that no longer draw student interest is difficult, but we remain committed to offering courses in disciplines to provide students a breadth of knowledge while ensuring their major experiences are dynamic and well-supported. Throughout these changes, we’re holding fast to what matters most: helping our students develop the durable skills—critical thinking, communication, creativity—that prepare them not just for one job, but for a life and career of purpose, leadership and service.

Looking ahead, the coming year holds exciting opportunities. We will begin the process of updating our core curriculum, welcome the largest incoming class in years, and continue investing in areas where Monmouth is poised to lead. This year you can expect to see a strategic plan launch, renewed opportunities for alumni to help guide Monmouth’s future, and of course our students and alumni making their positive mark on the world.

I am incredibly optimistic and energized about what’s to come—and confident that together, we will continue to build on Monmouth’s proud legacy in bold and meaningful ways.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

Warmly, Patricia Draves President, Monmouth College

AROUND CAMPUS

NEW ACADEMIC STRUCTURE LAUNCHED

College creates six distinct schools to help ready students for success

Building on its 172-year legacy of academic excellence, Monmouth College is taking a bold step forward in its evolution as a strong, vibrant liberal arts institution. In a strategic move to expand academic opportunities, realign with student interests, and position the college for long-term growth, Monmouth proudly announces the creation of six new academic schools offering a robust and holistic academic portfolio.

The new academic structure reflects the college’s commitment to high-quality liberal arts education while enhancing career pathways and learning experiences for students. The six newly established schools are:

„ School of Business

„ School of Communication and Creative and Performing Arts

„ School of Education and Human Development

„ School of Engineering, Sciences and Innovation

„ School of Health and Natural Sciences

„ School of Humanities and Civic Engagement

“These schools allow us to sharpen our focus and better serve the needs of students now and in the future,” said Vice President for Academic Affairs Mark Willhardt. “We are building on our strengths while creating new, dynamic academic opportunities”—much like we have recently with programs in nursing, marketing and engineering.”

By organizing into six distinct schools, Monmouth is creating vibrant academic communities that foster stronger interdisciplinary collaboration, integrated curriculum design, and innovative program development. Faculty will have more opportunities to work together across disciplines, share resources, and mentor colleagues, which strengthens teaching and research. Students will benefit from broader advising networks, richer cross-disciplinary learning pathways, and enhanced career preparation through real-world applications of their studies.

This school-based structure not only preserves Monmouth’s personalized, student-centered education, but also expands opportunities for experiential learning, professional growth, and meaningful connections that prepare students for success in a rapidly changing world.

“With this reimagined structure, we’re positioning Monmouth College not just for sustainability, but for meaningful growth and continued relevance in a fast-changing world,” said President Patricia Draves. “It’s a powerful reflection of our enduring liberal arts mission, preparing students to lead lives of purpose, service and success. These updates represent the next step in building a Monmouth College education that is as distinctive, dynamic and driven as the students we serve.”

Monmouth receives $1 million NSF grant for students pursuing STEM study

By Keri Dodson

Monmouth College has been awarded nearly $1 million by the National Science Foundation to launch an ambitious new program aimed at increasing the success of Pell Grant eligible students pursuing degrees in STEM—science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

TEAM EFFORT: On hand recently to present a check for nearly

million was U.S.

The $999,764 grant, part of the NSF’s competitive Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, will fund the college’s new FLASH initiative—Focus on Learning for All with STEM as a Home. Over six years, the program

will provide scholarships, as well as robust academic and career support, to approximately 15 academically talented students with exceptional financial need, as determined by the U.S. Department of Education. This opportunity will include transfer students from community colleges beginning in the fall of 2026 scholarship cycle.

Student eligibility requirements for the scholarship include a minimum 3.0 GPA; PELL Grant eligibility; must be an incoming freshman; and must be interested in a STEM major at Monmouth.

“This award is a transformative investment in our students and in the region,” said chemistry professor Laura Moore, who served as the proposal’s principal investigator. “The FLASH program will open doors for students who have the talent but may not have the means to pursue a STEM education, and it will also provide the support systems necessary to help them thrive.”

The program targets students majoring in eight disciplines across four departments: mathematics and computer science; biology and neuroscience; biochemistry and chemistry; and physics and engineering. Selected scholars could receive up to $15,000 per year in scholarships and participate in intensive mentorship, undergraduate research and professional development opportunities.

Community STEM pipeline

FLASH is especially focused on increasing STEM participation among rural students with exceptional financial need, a population historically underrepresented in these fields.

“Monmouth College’s strong ties with regional high schools, community colleges and growing partnerships with STEM employers in many disciplines and national laboratories make us uniquely positioned to build a local pipeline of talented STEM professionals and support economically disadvantaged students,” said co-principal investigator and physics professor Chris Fasano

Aside from scholarship, the program will include outreach to local high schools; the opportunity to participate in a paid eightweek summer research program during college; the opportunity to participate in the SOFIA summer research program; opportunities to attend professional STEM conferences; mentorship from faculty, upperclassmen and other STEM professionals; and support from the college’s Wackerle Center for Career, Leadership and Fellowships. Scholars will also serve as STEM Ambassadors, engaging in science communication and outreach in local communities.

“FLASH is about more than financial support—it’s about creating a strong, supportive community where students from all backgrounds can see themselves thriving in STEM,” said co-principal investigator and computer science professor Robert Utterback.

Beyond individual student support, FLASH includes a rigorous evaluation component that will contribute to national research on student success in STEM. By analyzing how mentorship, research and a strong sense of belonging affects outcomes, the program aims to inform best practices for similar institutions.

“This project is designed not just to support our students, it will also help build knowledge about what works in STEM education for underserved populations,” said co-principal investigator and biology professor Janet Ugolino.

A lasting legacy

FLASH builds on Monmouth’s continued emphasis on STEM and is the latest in a series of strategic investments by the college to expand access to high-impact STEM education and to prepare students for in-demand careers in the region and beyond.

“This is about creating lasting change, not just for individual students, but for the communities we serve and the industries that need their talents,” said President Patricia Draves. “This award reflects the work of our outstanding STEM professors and furthers Monmouth College as a leader in STEM education.”

$1

Rep. Eric Sorensen (right) from the 17th Congressional district. Also pictured, from left, are Dean of the Faculty Mark Willhardt and four professors who worked on the grant: Chris Fasano, Robert Utterback, Janet Ugolino and Laura Moore

Dodson named senior marketing director

In March, Keri Dodson ’18 started a position as senior marketing director at her alma mater.

Since November 2021, Dodson had worked for Bridgeway, serving as the behavioral health clinic’s community engagement director and implementing a strategic marketing plan for its seven central Illinois locations.

Dodson created and led Bridgeway’s media relations effort, including a focus on advertising and digital engagement. She also implemented the organization’s corporate brand standards and developed strategic partnerships that aligned with Bridgeway’s mission.

For three years, she led the planning of the Discover Wellness Summit, which attracted more than 300 attendees, making it one of the area’s largest wellness conferences.

Dodson also gained marketing experience at Western Illinois University while earning a master’s degree in sports management. She helped the Leathernecks women’s basketball program set new attendance records, and she did similar work for several summers for the Rockford Rivets baseball team.

Dodson is eager to blend those corporate and university experiences, bringing a new-school approach to her old school as she focuses on advancing the Monmouth College brand.

“I’m looking forward to implementing initiatives to enhance Monmouth’s visibility and reputation,” she said. “As a former student at Monmouth College, and now an alum, a marketing professional and a community leader, I will draw on many perspectives crucial to creating and delivering effective campaigns to help Monmouth be even more competitive in recruiting students and donors.”

McAllister named CIO

Earlier this year, LeVon McAllister joined Monmouth’s administrative staff as chief information officer, bringing more than two decades of leadership experience in information technology.

In his new role, McAllister will oversee Monmouth’s technology strategy, operations, infrastructure and innovation, guiding digital transformation to support

the college’s growth and academic excellence. Prior to Monmouth, McAllister was the director of campus technologies at Oakton College in Des Plaines, Ill., where he led cross-campus technology initiatives and implemented service delivery improvement.

He held related positions at Joliet (Ill.) Junior College and Purdue UniversityFort Wayne and has also done IT work in government and corporate positions.

Curry aspires to be heard in sports media

Patrick J. Curry Jr. has a nice ring to it, similar to one of his role models in the sports media industry, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. Or maybe Curry, a rising senior, will one day choose another means of identification, something along the lines of Rusty Buckets or Swishout, two YouTubers finding success in sports talk. Together, they have more than 600,000 subscribers.

But whatever moniker he chooses, one thing you can call Curry is “driven.” Over spring break, the communication studies major was selected for the competitive 33rd Annual National Association of Black Journalists Multimedia Short Course, and he also interviewed for an Illinois Broadcasters Association Multicultural Internship.

“I’ve wanted to go into sports broadcasting since my junior year of high school,” said Curry, who prepped at Charles A. Prosser Career Academy on the northwest side of Chicago.

“I’ve always watched Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe, Kenny Beecham,” who has more than 1 million YouTube subscribers.

Sienkewicz receives special award from classics organization

Emeritus professor of classics Tom Sienkewicz received the prestigious Special Service Award from the Classical Association of the Middle West and South.

Sienkewicz, who served on Monmouth’s faculty from 1984 through 2017, has published extensively on the classical world, including the widely used textbook DISCE! An Elementary Latin Course. He has taught all levels of Greek and Latin, ranging from traditional classes such as ancient Greek history and sport in antiquity to “Classical

Mythology and Star Wars” and “Africa and Blacks in Antiquity.”

Beloved by his students, Sienkewicz received numerous teaching awards throughout his career, including the Hatch Award for Distinguished Teaching from Monmouth and the American Philological Association Award for Excellence in Teaching of the Classics.

Sienkewicz is known for his nearly unparalleled record of service to the field of classics, especially to CAMWS. The award cited his crucial work as the organization’s secretary-treasurer from 2012–2020. CAMWS recognized his unique contributions in 2002 with an ovatio, and he has contributed much, much more since then.

“Tom’s impact on our Classics Department, on CAMWS, and on the field in general has been absolutely incredible,” said classics professor Bob Simmons. “His work at Monmouth prior to my arrival set the stage for many of the things that I’ve been able to do at the school that’ve made it stimulating and rewarding for me.”

Draves honored by her alma mater with prestigious award

Monmouth’s 15th president recently received an award from her undergraduate alma mater named in honor of its 15th president.

Patricia Draves returned to Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass., to receive the Elizabeth Topham Kennan Award. The honor is given to an alumna for outstanding achievement in and contributions to the field of education.

In particular, Draves was cited for distinguishing herself as an accomplished scholar and pathbreaking leader, dedicating her career to serving students and to the liberal arts.

“It is such an honor to receive this recognition from Mount Holyoke, a college that ignited my passions for liberal arts, sciences, learning and educating young people on their journeys,” said Draves, a 1985 graduate of Mount Holyoke. “It is extra special that the award honors President Kennan, who I knew as a student and enjoyed interacting with her in lectures and especially in round-table-type debates on a campus filled with brilliant and curious women.”

DODSON

McAllister

Curry

Sienkewicz

Draves

Pillars

At Monmouth College, we believe that a strong foundation is  essential for meaningful progress. When President Draves joined us in July 2024, she identified five strategic pillars that would guide the college for the year and prepare us to flourish in the future.

These pillars are not just strategic—they’re personal. They reflect what we value most: a distinctive student experience, deep connections, financial strength, a forward-thinking approach to technology, and a growing and vibrant campus community. Like a Monmouth education, which prepares you with the skills to evolve, we know the pillars will evolve as we create new opportunities and areas of strength. Many of our wins under these five pillars were shared in the 2024-25 Highlight Report, which can be viewed at monmouthcollege.edu/highlights.

1. Enrollment and Revenue

Monmouth has always taken pride in its small-college feel. But that doesn’t mean we’re standing still.

“Our students change the world,” said President Draves. “And the world needs more of our Monmouth changemakers.”

Growing our enrollment allows us to extend the Monmouth experience to more students—and to invest in the people, programs and spaces that help them thrive. This year, we set an ambitious goal to increase our incoming class by 40–50 students. As of press time, we’ve added 45 more new students than last year, with momentum still building. That includes the college’s first class of 26 nursing students and a revitalized Fighting Scots Marching Band, now more than 70 strong. 

New students recite the Monmouth College pledge during the Matriculation Convocation, the first event where all incoming students converge.

Monmouth College Pillars

2. Distinctive Scots Education

AMonmouth education doesn’t happen only in the classroom.

It’s moot court arguments in front of real judges. It’s research presentations by first-year students. It’s studying in Scotland—or making an unexpected detour to Iceland. It’s science in the laboratory and stories told across disciplines. And it’s students involved in everything from fraternity and sorority life to undergraduate research.

That dynamic blend of academics and experiences is what sets us apart and helps ready our graduates for success.

Moot court competition, in which students argue legal cases before real judges, is just one of Monmouth’s special educational experiences.

This year, we announced the additions of six new academic schools—designed to foster collaboration, strengthen advising and provide a clear structure for the programs where Monmouth can lead. The changes are bold but rooted in the liberal arts tradition that has always been our strength.

3. Culture of Connection S

trong communities don’t happen by accident— they’re built through conversation, trust and shared goals.

At Monmouth, students form lifelong bonds with professors and coaches. They collaborate with alumni in innovative classes like “Midwest Entrepreneurs.” They intern at companies like HNI and Deere & Company. And increasingly, they engage with the Monmouth community, from campus events to K–12 partnerships.

This year, President Draves met with more than 1,000 alumni in 12 cities. Back on campus, the new “Monmouth Momentum” gatherings have brought faculty and staff together for honest updates, cross-campus insights and shared inspiration.

4. Financial Future

Monmouth’s mission depends on financial resilience—and this year showed real momentum.

We raised over $5.9 million, completed a clean audit, kept our key financial ratios in the “healthy” range, and significantly decreased our reliance on endowment spending. We also secured over $930,000 for renovations to Greek life housing and invested in campus enhancements, from the Stockdale Center to April Zorn Memorial Stadium.

Scots Day of Giving brought in a record-breaking $350,701 from 916

Monmouth’s innovative Midwest Entrepreneurs class invites successful business professionals into the classroom to inspire future entrepreneurs.

Student volunteers help conduct a phonathon on Scots Day of Giving, which annually raises significant funding for special campus projects and programs.

donors—including 105 first-time donors. These gifts are already making a difference, supporting everything from new sound systems in Dahl Chapel to mental health services and an outdoor basketball court.

5. Digital Transformation

Chalkboards have given way to smart tech—and Monmouth is leaning in.

We upgraded 316 Wi-Fi access points, distributed 115 new laptops, and replaced 72 network switches to make sure our classrooms and labs are ready for tomorrow. We also made critical strides in cybersecurity and restored insurance protections, reducing risk and strengthening our digital foundation.

President Draves has made it a personal priority to stay ahead of the curve— diving deep into artificial intelligence and asking: How can new technology expand what we teach and how our students learn? That question will continue to guide this important work.

Momentum in Motion

It’s still early in this new chapter for Monmouth, but already the energy is palpable. From academic innovation to enrollment growth to expanded student opportunities, the College is moving with confidence— and a deep commitment to its students, faculty, staff and alumni.

These five pillars are more than a plan. They’re a promise: to keep building a Monmouth that honors its proud past and boldly shapes its future—all to prepare students ready for success.

And as we look ahead, that promise continues to evolve. For 2025–26, President Draves has outlined the next set of strategic priorities to sustain and expand this momentum:

A Personalized Scots Education – Delivering an experience tailored to every student’s goals and potential.

Enrollment and Financial Growth – Strengthening our resources to ensure a thriving future.

A Culture of Connection – Deepening the bonds with our alumni and our community that make Monmouth strong.

Our People – Investing in the heart of the college—our students, faculty and staff.

Systems of Success – Building the infrastructure and tools to help every Scot thrive.

With these transformed pillars guiding the way, Monmouth is poised to take the next bold step forward.

Providing fast, reliable digital access across campus is one of the priorities of the Draves administration.

What a Year, Scots!

Monmouth College has always been strengthened by the dedication of alumni and friends, and this year was no exception. Together, more than 2,300 donors gave nearly $6 million to fuel student success, build momentum, and make a lasting impact. Thank you for showing what Scots pride can do.

Your support helped us accomplish more than numbers can express: we resodded and irrigated our softball field, began fraternity housing renovations for Sig Ep and ZBT, launched plans to upgrade Dahl Chapel’s audio-visual system, and secured funding for an outdoor basketball court. You helped remove financial barriers for students through expanded scholarship support and kept our campus vibrant and student-centered.

The Monmouth Fund alone exceeded its goal by 145%, giving the College vital flexibility to meet emerging needs. From major gifts to the hundreds of alumni who gave under $100, each contribution made a difference. Our 1853 Society grew stronger, and our alumni continued to show up in giving, in person, and in spirit.

Whether through reunion giving, Scots Day of Giving, or joining fellow alumni at events across the country, your support reminded us of what’s possible when the Monmouth family comes together.

As you explore the impact in the following pages, know this: your generosity sustains Monmouth’s mission and secures our future for generations of Fighting Scots to come.

$5,973,735.43

Unrestricted Monmouth Fund Gifts: $3.6 Million (145% of Goal)

Number of Donors to the 1853 Society: 426

Donors who gave gifts of under $100: 749

Total raised by gifts of $1,000 and more: $5,744,146

Highest Alumni Class Participation Class of 1962 (42% Giving)

Total Raised for Fighting Scots Society: $164,128 Reached Fundraising Goals for both SigEp and ZBT house renovations

$930,000 (Both Underway)

Special Projects

Fighting Scots Society: $29,285

Dahl Chapel AV Upgrade: $133,101

Top # of Donors by Decade

1970s: 109

1960s: 80

1980s: 72

Top Donations by Decade

1970s: $29,310

1960s: $25,285

1980s: $16,841

Number of Alumni Events Hosted:

17 in 12 Cities

Number of Alumni Marching at President Draves’s

Inauguration: 81

(Representing each living class)

COMMENCEMENT

Being present in the journey allows you to take advantage of opportunities in front of you— opportunities in your wildest dreams you couldn’t see coming.”

—lon helton

One journey is complete, but another is just starting for Monmouth’s Class of 2025

Story by Barry McNamara

On a Sunday afternoon that lived up to its name, 1972 graduate Lon Helton gave the main address to the 142 members of Monmouth College’s Class of 2025 at his alma mater’s 168th annual Commencement Exercises, which was held on the Wallace Hall Plaza in beautiful 65-degree weather.

It was President Patricia Draves’s first graduation ceremony in her new Monmouth role, and she took the time to single out legacy graduates, as well as first-generation students, congratulating the “pioneers” and “trailblazers” for their “remarkable journey.”

Helton, the longtime host of Westwood One’s Country Music Countdown, quipped that his appearance on Monmouth’s stage was “this month’s second miracle from the south side of Chicago,” along with Pope Leo XIV. He thought about having AI generate his speech—and he did provide examples he gathered from ChatGPT. But in the end, he settled for quoting several of the country music artists he’s championed for most of his career.

“Life is about the journey—not the destination,” said Helton,

IT’S ALL ABOUT FASHION: Damarian Stark had a busy final semester, which included speaking to the “Midwest Entrepreneurs” class and showing off his clothing line at an event in Atlanta.

Photos by Kent Kriegshauser

who had two siblings attend Monmouth and has been married for more than 50 years to Anne Buckhouse Helton ’73. “It’s the stories from the journey that you share with family and friends as life goes on. Be confident that your Monmouth College liberal arts education has prepared you for what will no doubt be a journey over a very broken road.”

Helton, who once worked for 11 stations in a 10-year span, said he spoke from experience with that sentiment. “To say my road was bumpy is an understatement,” he said. “I had one job three days, one three months. I got fired four times. In my defense, I only deserved it once.”

But the road isn’t always bumpy, and Helton said there will be joy and good times, too.

“Life is a participatory sport. Be present. Take part. Engage. Being present in the journey allows you to take advantage of opportunities in front of you—opportunities in your wildest dreams you couldn’t see coming.”

Helping others

Those opportunities have allowed Helton to not only serve as a national award-winning disc jockey, but to establish relationships with scores of country music artists. With one of them, Alabama front man Randy Owen, he’s helped raise more than $1 billion for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.

STREAMERS AND DREAMERS: Before they headed off into the

the Class of 2025 shared one final

Right around the same time that organization started in 1989, Kathy Mattea had a hit country song that included the lyrics “It’s gotta come from the heart if you want it to work.”

Helton also quoted a 2000 Lee Ann Womack song, telling the graduates, “I hope you dance,” adding on a phrase from Mattea’s song commonly attributed to Mark Twain: “And be sure you dance like nobody’s watching.”

Helton included advice to graduates that their “journey must include helping those who might be having trouble on theirs. Along with a diploma, at your age you have the most precious gift of all—time. Some of that time needs to go to making the world a better place. Anybody can write a check to a great cause. Giving your time is the greatest gift of all.”

Monmouth’s chaplain, the Rev. Dr. John Huxtable ’04, shared that sentiment the day before in his Baccalaureate sermon, which focused, in part, on the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

“You may say, ‘Rev, the problems out there are too big. I’m just one person,’” he said to the Class of 2025. “But hear me: every movement that ever mattered in the world started with

beyond

world

Monmouth,

moment of fun together.

MAKING IT

OFFICIAL:

The Class of 2025, including, from left, Paige Bergschneider, Tasha Bernius, Maddie Boley and Briggs Bossert, signifies their transition from student to graduate by shifting the tassel from the right side of their caps to the left.

just one person who chose compassion over comfort…caring deeply for something greater than themselves. You were lifted by families, mentors, faculty, staff and friends who believed in you even when you doubted yourself. And now, the world waits for you to be that kind of person for someone else.”

The lieutenant and the laureate

The day before Baccalaureate, Huxtable was part of another graduation event, the commissioning ceremony for Kelsey Holtgrave ’25, who completed the Reserve Officers Training Corps program Monmouth offered through Western Illinois University. For her first salute, Holtgrave chose Huxtable. A mathematics major at Monmouth, the field artillery officer is now a second lieutenant in the Army.

Holtgrave played on the Fighting Scots soccer team, and one of her teammates, Lea Selquist, also spoke at Commencement by virtue of her selection as Monmouth’s recipient of the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Award, thereby becoming a Student Laureate of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois.

“In my second week on campus, I realized Monmouth was really places and people. And I want to thank them all,” she said. “Each of us found that one place ... where troubles fell away, where we could lock in and be academic weapons, where friends laughed, where relationships were formed, where we figured out how to be the people we wanted to be.”

Selquist also mentioned the journey that she and her classmates have experienced at Monmouth, saying “Thank you also for the initial overwhelming feelings of confusion in every single class I’ve ever taken, and the subsequent understanding and confidence come semester’s end,” a microcosm—repeated time and again—of the Class of 2025’s larger journey from “overwhelmed” freshmen to accomplished seniors.

“We have places to be and dreams to fulfill,” said Selquist. “As we

ABOVE: Lon Helton’s wife, Anne Buckhouse Helton ’73 (right) is seated next to her music professor at Monmouth, Dick Griffiths, and his wife, Carolyn Kellert-Griffiths ’81.

BELOW: Noelle Faulk, who also appears on the cover of this issue, was the first female graduate of Monmouth’s engineering program.

find those places, and fulfill those dreams, we know Monmouth—your places, your people, the memories we have here—don’t leave with us.”

Selquist was one of Monmouth’s 16 summa cum laude graduates. The others were Carlos Alcala, Jackson Bergren, Paige Bergschneider, Anna Brunner, Megan Dailey, Sawyer Day, Kiersten

KNUCKLES! Communication studies colleagues Shweta Srivastava and Lori Walters celebrate their promotions to associate professor and full professor, respectively.

Fuhr, Kailyn Gore, Ganon Greenman, Elizabeth Guenther, William Plumley, Camille Prentiss, Ilese Rodeffer, Karli Strom and Cody Szelc.

After posing for a photo with each of the graduates, President Draves took a selfie with the class. She encouraged the graduates to mark the moment by taking “a mental picture that will last in your mind forever.”

Faculty promotions were announced during the ceremony and included Lori Walters to full professor in communication studies. Her department colleague, Shweta Srivastava, was promoted to associate professor, as were Todd Quick in theatre and Janet Ugolino in biology. All three were granted tenure.

WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT:

Friends Izzy Gimm, Paige Bergschneider, Jackson Bergren and Zane Beebe are all smiles shortly before the Commencement ceremony, which was held on a beautiful May afternoon.

RECEIVING LINE: Following a tradition that spans decades, Monmouth’s faculty lined up to congratulate (and sometimes give heartfelt hugs to) the new grads.

With highest praise: A closer look at

Carlos Alcala

BRIEF BIO: Alcala carried a perfect 4.0 GPA through his final semester of college in December. The prior semester, he shared the college’s prestigious Tom Johnson Scholarship, given to a junior who best exemplifies the work ethic and values of Johnson, a successful local businessman. He interned at Monmouthbased Prairie Communications and now has a full-time position at Clear Profits, a local digital marketing firm.

BUSINESS/ECONOMICS/ACCOUNTING: “I stuck with my business major, but what really surprised me was how much I enjoyed economics. Because of that, I added an economics major that I really enjoyed. I also added an accounting minor, so I’ve been pretty busy.”

CARING PROFESSORS: “I feel like I’ve lucked out. All of the professors in my majors have been able to teach very well and made learning fun. Every professor that I’ve had, including outside of my majors, has made me glad I chose Monmouth, because they’re all so kind, and you can tell that they care.”

MONMOUTH’S NEW ERA: “I feel like there’s a lot more hope around campus now that President (Patricia) Draves is here. Maybe it’s just the newness of it all, but I know I’m excited to see what changes she brings to campus. I hope there is a very bright future for Monmouth College.”

Anna Brunner

BRIEF BIO: The lead editor for the latest edition of the college’s Midwest Journal of Undergraduate Research, Brunner earned degrees in public relations and English, also minoring in political science. Among her proudest accomplishments is her semester abroad in Greece, where she broadened her worldview and learned valuable lessons while also gaining a confidence boost. She also worked as a writing tutor and a Scot Ambassador.

EXPLORING THE CURRICULUM: “Since I’ve arrived at Monmouth, I think my future plans have definitely become more fleshed out. ... ‘Africa in World Politics’ helped me understand how large and complex politics can be, especially when pertaining to international relations.”

STUDYING ABROAD: “I was able to continue working on my degree

while 5,000 miles from home. I traveled across Europe, met a lot of new people and made a lot of great memories.”

ADVICE TO NEW STUDENTS: “Keep yourself open to new possibilities. You’re changing, your goals are changing, and what you want for the future is also changing. That’s okay—embrace the change.”

Sawyer Day

BRIEF BIO: Like his older brother, Saxon ’18, Sawyer Day was a member of the Fighting Scots’ tennis team. He also served as president of the college’s chapter of the American Chemical Society and was a supplemental instructor.

STAYING ACTIVE: “For me, it was about doing things I actually enjoyed. Tennis helped me reset mentally after long days of class. Teaching as an SI was super rewarding, and ACS events were just fun. When you enjoy what you’re doing, it feels less like ‘work’ and more like something you get to do.”

WHY DENTISTRY? “I love hands-on dentistry and how quickly you can build relationships with people.” Shadowing dentists confirmed his calling. “Every time, I came away feeling like, ‘Yeah, this is it.’ ... I want to be the kind of oral surgeon people recommend not just because of how good I am, but because of how I make them feel as patients. I want to change the way people experience dentistry.”

ADVICE TO NEW STUDENTS: “Try new things, even if they scare you. The times I grew the most were when I said ‘Yes’ to experiences that intimidated me.”

Ganon Greenman

BRIEF BIO: Greenman shared the prestigious Tom Johnson Scholarship with Alcala. In addition to his studies, he was part of the Fighting Scots basketball and golf teams. His brothers, Ridge ’19 and Briar ’22, are also Monmouth grads.

MONMOUTH OVERDELIVERED: “It’s been more than what I hoped. I knew about the small class sizes, which are awesome. But more importantly, it’s the professors. They make it easier to learn. They really care about you. I’ve formed a relationship with a lot of them, and I show that I care about that relationship by caring about their class.”

Excerpted from profiles by Jesia Choity ’27

seven summa cum laude graduates

PRAISE FROM COACH SKRIVSETH: “Ganon is a tremendous person who is extremely well-respected in our basketball program and across campus. He helps set our standards everyday with his work ethic and program-first approach. He’s an impressive young man with a very bright future, and it’s been an absolute pleasure getting to coach him the last four years.”

BUSINESS, WITH AN EYE ON AG: “When I was thinking about college, I wanted to go into ag, but that’s something Monmouth didn’t offer. So I went with business, because there’s lots of different things you can do with it. It’s very broad. You can go down any path you want, and there are options down the road. ... My time (interning) at Deere has been very eye-opening to me.”

Will Plumley

BRIEF BIO: Plumley grew from a quiet first-year student to a seasoned campus leader with a 3.95 GPA. The double major in history and political science earned the college’s Greek Man of the Year and was also an All-Midwest Conference runner in cross country.

GREEK LEADERSHIP: “Every different avenue requires a different attitude, but an identical passion. Becoming president of SigEp was definitely the pinnacle of that progress. It gave me the most experience and knowledge. It was a valuable learning experience (and) gave me perspective on how to prioritize the needs of the group in a situation that required many opinions.”

BEING INVOLVED: “Having so many things to do and enjoy ensures that even on a bad day, at least one thing makes me happy. The athletic and music parts of the day are the most important for me—they let me truly let loose from all the burdens of academic and leadership work. ... I’d relive it all, because why not? I enjoyed everything. I’m grateful for how much I got to do, and that’s enough.”

FUTURE PLANS: “I want to combine my passion for politics and history with something that hopefully lets me travel the world. Public service offers so many avenues, and I’m especially interested in the State Department or working for an international organization.”

Karli Strom

BRIEF BIO: After transferring from Carl Sandburg College, the communication studies and political science major won Monmouth’s moot court competition as a junior and senior.

WINNING STRATEGY: “I spent a lot of time researching the case law and treaties that were relevant for my argument. That

took about two to three hours each day leading up to the final round. I spent most of my weekend creating a new argument for the final round. I also forced my brother to listen to my arguments, which he may not have found very interesting, but it helped me.”

FUTURE PLANS: “I plan to apply to the Dunn Fellowship program in Chicago and also the Illinois Legislative Staff Intern Program in Springfield and see where those take me. Within that year off from school, I plan to continue studying for the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) and apply to the University of Iowa Law School or the University of Illinois Law School. …Moot court cemented that law is the path I see for myself.”

PRAISE FOR PROFS: “I feel so grateful to have been mentored by my professors. They saw something in me that I doubted in myself, and I would have never done this had they not pushed me to just see how it would go. I hope that I can continue to prove them right in my future career.”

Cody Szelc

BRIEF BIO: Szelc, who’s from Riverview, Fla., was a recipient of the prestigious Mike Evans Family Foundation Scholarship, and he was even chosen to speak at the event announcing that year’s winners. A kicker and punter on Monmouth’s football team, he holds the school record for most career PATs. During his senior season, which saw him go 57-of-59 on extra points, he booted his way past the old mark of 167 successful kicks, finishing with 181.

GRATEFUL FOR HIS SCHOLARSHIP: “Honestly, receiving the Mike Evans Family Foundation Scholarship meant everything to me. Without this generous gift, I would not be where I am today, and I cannot tell you how grateful I am.”

PRAISE FROM COACH BRAUN: “First and foremost, Cody is an outstanding young man of high character. We knew coming out of high school that he was a super-high academic guy. ... He doesn’t look like a kicker. He’s yoked. Most kickers are allergic to the weight room, but Cody is a big weight room guy.”

ADVICE TO NEW STUDENTS: “You owe it to yourself to put in the work necessary to excel in both academics and athletics. Live in the present, not the past or future—RIGHT NOW. Don’t waste any of your time.”

FUN AND GAMES, AND MUCH MORE, FOR GOLDEN SCOTS

“A reunion doth slips the bonds of time. It maketh friends of enemies, strangers of friends, and is a hoot to boot.”

author unknown

By Barry McNamara

Many Monmouth College alumni would agree with that quotation, shared during one of the programs of the Golden Scots Celebration, which was held on campus June 5–8.

Part of the “hoot” came via the fun and games aspect of the annual event. Bill Pyatt and Jon Dahl—classmates from the golden anniversary year of 1975—hosted a “Name That Tune” competition, which ended with the group trying to identify a flurry of 20 songs from just the first few seconds of their instrumental intros. The final one, which “is great for driving, late at night,” said Pyatt, was Golden Earring’s “Radar Love.”

The Golden Scots also played “The Madmouth College Game,” with questions written by retired College Historian and Editor Jeff Rankin. The Scots, The Invincibles and Team Liedman tackled trivia ranging from Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s pet ocelot to Dwight Tierney ’69, one of the co-founders of MTV. Collectively, the group was stumped by questions about one of Monmouth’s founders who was also a general (Abner Harding), as well as identifying all three of the campus locations named in honor of the late legendary music instructor Gracie Peterson.

Some of the other lighthearted moments came during a talk by Joe Svoboda ’75 on his recent book, Brothers, Bears and Beers, at the evening outdoor socials by Bowers Hall, and at the “Scots Hop” on the final evening.

PROUD SCOTS: Gordon Yocum (left) and his wife, Bronwyn, pose with Monmouth’s chaplain, the Rev. Dr. John Huxtable, a 2004 Monmouth graduate.

SLIPPING THE BONDS OF TIME: The Golden Scots gathered for social time outside their residence hall, just as they did decades ago during their time as Monmouth students.

‘MY EDUCATION INFLUENCED MY CAREER’: Gary Sears ’70 discussed his Monmouth background and his time as an award-winning city manager for several communities in the Denver area.

Class is in session

But it wasn’t all fun and games for the Golden Scots, as they also attended a series of informative talks, including one featuring students participating in the Doc Kieft Summer Research Program.

“I’m proud that this type of program is happening at Monmouth College,” said Pete Paulson ’75. “This is some very, very cool research.”

A packed Pattee Auditorium heard from President Patricia Draves as she reviewed her first year in office, spotlighted student success stories and shared her vision, including “foundational pillars” of the college, one of which is a distinctive education— “some things we’ll really be known for.” Draves listed Monmouth’s rural education initiative, as well as nursing and engineering programs that have attracted a total of nearly 50 new students for the fall, as some of those distinctive elements.

Life-changing experiences

During their time on campus, the Golden Scots also heard from award-winning city manager Gary Sears ’70, who shared the quotation at the start of this story, as well as the impact Monmouth’s had on his career.

“I really feel Monmouth provided some guidance to me,” said Sears, who took advantage of study-abroad opportunities in Besançon, France, and Washington, D.C., during his time as a student. “My education influenced my career. Government, language, communication—they all enhanced my skills,” and helped prepare him for a graduate degree in public administration and serving several Colorado communities.

While that was one student’s story, the group also gathered for a session titled “Then, Now and Next: Monmouth’s Unique Impact on Our Lives, Even Now,” at which several alumni spoke.

“I learned so much from my classes being so small and so personal,” said Janet Congdon June ’75, a music major and 30-year teacher who’s now a leader in her community’s theatre group in Peoria, Ariz. “Had I not had my experience at Monmouth, I would never have gone this way.”

Her husband, Pete June ’74, spoke of another way that Monmouth is “life-changing.” His fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, hosted a tea for freshman women where he first met Janet. Long story short, after the event concluded, they sat and talked for three hours on the hill overlooking the football field.

“That was 52 years ago, and this August, we’ll be celebrating our 50th anniversary,” he said. “That is a life-changing event.”

Asked to summarize Monmouth’s unique impact in three simple words, the Golden Scots’ replies included adaptability, confidence and leadership, as well as “embracing different ideas” and “stick-toit-iveness.”

Gordon Yocum ’73 shared that he almost left Monmouth during his freshman year, but a meeting with Dean Jean Liedman prevented what would’ve been a mistake.

“I told her, ‘I can’t do this,’” said Yocum, who hadn’t been accepted at the East Coast schools to which he’d applied and thought he wasn’t making the grade at Monmouth, either. “She said, ‘What the hell’s the matter with you? You’ve got a 3.7.’

After that, I woke up. I’m glad I picked a school where they paid attention to what was going on with the emotional side of things.”

MONMOUTH MERGERS: From left are Terry Burke Murschel ’79, Bill Murschel ’75, Julia Van Cleve Paulson ’75 and Pete Paulson ’75, just two of several couples at the Golden Scots Celebration who can trace their roots back to campus.

By Barry McNamara

Alumni success stories inspire ‘Midwest Entrepreneurs’ class ACADEMICS

Like clockwork they came at 2 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday of the spring semester—nearly two dozen speakers making their way to Room 276 of the college’s Center for Science and Business to discuss being a “Midwest Entrepreneur.”

During the final week of February, the visitors were alumni Chris Byers ’89 on Monday and Will Zimmerman ’11 on Wednesday.

“This class builds a bridge between you and the alumni you’ll be working for,” business professor Herb Schmidt told the class that week. “It’s a great asset to have this course. I wish we would’ve have had it at the school I came from.”

Later, Schmidt, who co-teaches the class with longtime Monmouth professor Mike Connell, said, “I’ve never seen anything like this class. It was an awesome learning experience for our students— truly distinctive and unique.”

Connell had seen the class before. He first taught it in 2011, and Zimmerman, who now runs a general construction company, Modern Grain Systems in nearby Avon, Ill., was one of its students.

Cooley’s story, bro

A younger alum with a somewhat-related business to Zimmerman’s is Alec Cooley ’21 of Clinton, Ill., who, in his fourth year out of college netted more than $1 million in income through his Cooley Dump Service, which hauls material items such as dirt, rock, sand and grain.

Success came so swiftly that a student asked Cooley if his time in college was even necessary.

“When I came here, I learned a lot from Connell, from Dicky J (business professor Dick Johnston),” said Cooley, who was greeted mid-presentation by Johnston, clad in Cooley Dump Service attire. “They talked about a lot of real-world situations.

It gives you something to go off of when you’re going through it yourself.”

Cooley also learned a lot through his Fighting Scots football career with coach Chad Braun.

“Just the team aspect of it was important,” said Cooley, who never experienced a regular-season conference loss in his three years with the Scots. “Running a business is like a team, and hiring good employees is huge.”

Cooley also appreciated the team dinners that “Mama Braun”— Chad’s wife, Monmouth lecturer Jen Braun—would host regularly along with her husband. “I was out to their house quite a bit,” he said. “It was like a family.”

Cooley appreciated that personal touch, and it’s something he applies to his business. “Be nice to everybody you know,” he told the entrepreneurism class. “Contacts and relationships are big in business, and customer service is huge.”

He said one satisfied customer led him to a $500,000 contract, telling him, “You’ve always been good to me.”

Cooley, who sold his Mustang to purchase his first dump truck, told the class that he wasn’t an overnight success.

“I was back in town from college, and a friend wanted me to go out to lunch with him,” he said. “I just didn’t have the money for that kind of thing, but he cashed a winning lottery ticket for me, just so we could have lunch. The first couple years, it was like that. I had to get the company off the ground.”

That included covering the cost of insurance on his growing fleet, which ran $10,000 per vehicle.

“Start early, that’s what I can tell you,” he told the students. “The sooner when you get out of school, the better. There’s less risk then, because you don’t have a house, you don’t have a family. If there’s a time to do it, it’s sooner than later.”

Lessons from Zimmerman and Byers

Byers knows the feeling of additional business costs.

“The expenses of being a business owner now are vast,” said Byers, who co-owns Advanced Rehab & Sports Medicine with Mike Salaway ’89. “Expenses are high and eat into revenue. For example, it costs $15,000 a year just to stay licensed. It can be burdensome.”

Zimmerman’s story had some parallels to Cooley’s, including the importance of college and the need to purchase heavy equipment such as cranes, forklifts, trailers and trucks and the insurance that goes with it.

Zimmerman said his business classes, including the

Alec Cooley is flanked by Monmouth professors Dick Johnston (in Cooley Dump Service swag) and Mike Connell.

first iteration of “Midwest Entrepreneurs,” as well as the department’s core economics (BUSI 105) and finance (BUSI 306) courses, have helped him run his company, where he gets assistance on the books and payroll from his wife, Kelly Sheets Zimmerman ’10

“I knew I wanted a college degree to fall back on,” he said.

Byers said his Monmouth education made him a better communicator in Advanced Rehab. He and Salaway have 13 clinics in central and western Illinois, including one in Monmouth, just a few blocks east of campus on Broadway.

“When you leave here, you know a little about a lot of things,” said Byers, whose company has around 130 employees. “You’re well-rounded, and I’ve found that I can relate to just about anybody. It’s rare that you’ll run into somebody and they’ll talk about something you know nothing about.”

Both Byers and Zimmerman told the class that they took over established practices or businesses, then developed them into their own. Zimmerman said it was a “life-changing moment” when he casually asked his boss, Bill Thompson, “When are you going to sell your business?”

“I’m ready whenever you are,” came the reply.

“I knew I wanted to run my own business, be my own boss,” said Zimmerman, a sentiment that Cooley also shared. “Whatever I did, I wanted to do it well, and that helped set me apart. Customers noticed that I would go above and beyond. Bill Thompson noticed. I was a foreman at age 16, and I had a CDL at age 18.”

The line of succession took a little longer for Byers and Salaway, who bought out another physical therapist over the course of a 10-year period. Byers said a banker in Bloomington, Ill., who’s been with him and Salaway the past 30 years, offered valuable counsel through that process and many other developments since.

Throughout the semester-long course, there were countless pieces of advice offered by the speakers, some of it overlapping. Zimmerman provided a handful of words of wisdom:

„ “Book smarts only get you so far. You have to be motivated. You have to have that drive.”

„ “Five or six years ago, my thoughts were the sky’s the limit on what’s to come for the business. Now it’s more about quality over quantity and making sure that what we’re doing, we’re doing very well.”

„ “If you make a bad hire, don’t be afraid to let them go. Do what’s best for the company.”

Other speakers

Some of the other alumni speakers were urban fashion entrepreneur Damarian Stark ’25; Corbin Beastrom ’15, founder of the Chicago-based search firm Illyrian; Desert Cactus founder and president Joe Stefani ’04; Andrew Hoth ’95 of the Burlington (Iowa) Junction Railway; artist Dusty Scott ’03; and fire ecologist Chuck Bushey ’73 (and his dog, Flynn).

Sarah Walters and Chris and Lisa Gavin, who run a pair of popular establishments on Monmouth’s Public Square, were featured at two class sessions. Local entrepreneurs Mike and Tina Huston, Thad Tharp, and John “Beefy” Huston were also guests, as were brothers Bryon and Jason Robbins, who own several Monmouth businesses, including the reputed birthplace of Wyatt Earp, which they have converted to an Airbnb.

A few of the speakers made a considerable drive to Monmouth, including Rich Hornbaker of Hornbaker Gardens in Princeton, Ill., and Martha Lowry and Meghann LaBadie, the grandmother and mother of Claire LaBadie ’27 of Griffith, Ind., who run Bee Quilting & Such. Former Monmouth College employee Rod Smith, who sells NASCAR parts on eBay, and Burlington CPA Ann Menke also shared success stories.

Nice Guys finish high

Stefani told the class that his entrepreneurial roots go back to his days as a Monmouth student. Along with his Sigma Phi Epsilon brothers, he operated Mr. Nice Guy Pizza. The fraternity sold “hundreds and hundreds” of pizzas on Wednesday nights, then pumped the profits back into campus organizations.

„ “When I start to have a bad time, I think, ‘What do I need to do?’ I make a list, do the top thing first, and keep moving through it. By the time I get to the bottom of the list, I feel pretty good.”

„ “I try to hang out with people who are more successful than me. I want to learn how they did it.”

Stefani’s entrepreneurial spirit continued with another venture, as he sold what Connell called “fraternity and sorority bling” out of his dorm room. Today, that bling business of licensed products – including such items as keychains, magnets, lanyards, patches and posters – is known as Desert Cactus. It had $20 million in sales in 2024. Among related non-apparel licensed products companies, it’s moved into the No. 9 position nationally, trailing, among others, Topps and the No. 7 company on the list, Fanatics.

Continued on page 40

Joe Stefani was one of the first alumni to visit the class, sharing the success story of Desert Cactus.

Claire LaBadie (left) was a student in the class, which hosted a visit from her mother and grandmother, Meghann LaBadie and Martha Lowry.

YOU’VE COME A

Zay Brown elevates for a basket during Monmouth’s 84–73 home-court victory over

SCOT SPORTS

Knox on Feb. 11.

Photo by Kent Kriegshauser

LONG WAY, ZAY

Brown’s patience, hard work rewarded with special season for Scots

By Barry McNamara

For many standout basketball players, there’s a gap of only a few months between the end of their final game as a high school senior and the start of their collegiate career on the hardwood.

But that was not Zay Brown’s journey. And perhaps because it’s not, his debut season was the finest that any Fighting Scot hoopster has ever put together.

In February, Brown was named not only the Midwest Conference’s Newcomer of the Year but its Player of the Year. He had a slam-dunk case after leading the Scots to the regular-season title and topping all MWC players in rebounds (9.0) and blocks (35) while ranking fifth in scoring (18.2).

Watching a game like the one he had late in the season against Cornell, when he scored 31 points and hauled down 19 rebounds as the Fighting Scots clinched the outright MWC title, it might seem that Brown’s dominance at the D3 level was a given. But that hasn’t been the case at all.

“I worked my ass off to get here,” said Brown in the athletic office room overlooking the Glennie Gym floor where, a few weeks earlier, the Scots’ season ended with a tough 81–79 setback in the MWC tourney.

Pre-COVID hoops

“I first picked up a basketball when I was 6,” said Brown, who grew up in Peoria, Ill. “It wasn’t until I was 11 that I really knew I wanted to play. My dad got me into AAU ball, and I really started to take it seriously.”

Helping matters was a growth spurt that took him from around 5-foot-9 as an eighth grader to 6-2 as a sophomore, the same year he threw down his first dunk in a game for Peoria’s Quest Charter Academy. Spurred on by talented teammate Chaz Sardin, he became a varsity starter that year.

“I saw what he did, and I wanted to take after his footsteps,” said Brown, who now stands 6-6.

“Isaiah has been so consistent. But I don’t need him to be just average, he needs to be better than that. He knows what we need every night. I don’t have to write anything up for him or motivate him at all. He is at another level.”

That sentiment might have passed through Monmouth coach Todd Skrivseth’s head a time or two during the season, but it is actually a quotation from Quest coach Dustin Brooks, who spoke those words during Brown’s senior season, which ended in 2020, just as COVID began. And Brown was, indeed, at another level at Quest, eclipsing Sardin’s school scoring record and earning Class 1A second team all-state honors.

But there’s a long time between early 2020 and late 2024, when Brown played his first game for Monmouth, and the action canceled by the pandemic only accounts for a small part of it. For part of the time, Brown was at prep academies in Florida and Indiana.

“Needless to say, I was excited. He had some things to get right academically. We came up with a plan for him.”

But then there was the whole other matter of Brown’s absence from the game.

“He hadn’t played for three years, so we knew there were going be some adjustments,” said Skrivseth. “Part of it was just getting back in the flow of going to school, being on a campus, living in a dorm. We had to negotiate all that first and get his feet on the ground. I’m sure there were some doubts he had, but he’s worked extremely hard.”

“It felt good, like I was finally in the right place.”

The Indiana connection led to his first experience with college basketball at Ball State University.

“I tried to walk on there,” he said. “It was a good experience, I’d say. I didn’t want to redshirt, and then the coach got fired (following the 2021–22 season). So I took a year off and just went to school. After Ball State, everybody gave up on me. I felt alone.”

Making it Monmouth

Importantly, though, two people didn’t give up on him. One was Brown himself.

“I talked to Coach Brooks, just weighing my options,” he said. “And honestly, I just worked really hard to get back on the court. I persevered, and it means a lot to me. I appreciate Coach Skriv taking a chance on me.”

“He reached out to us,” said Skrivseth, who was well aware of Brown’s exploits with Quest.

Brown made his official return to the court Nov. 13 in Glennie Gym during Monmouth’s 93–79 victory over Westminster. In 26 minutes, Brown netted 27 points, hitting 10-of-16 field goals and 5-of-5 free throws. “It felt good, like I was finally in the right place,” said Brown, who’s majoring in exercise science and has an interest in athletic training. “Being around a crowd, just hoopin’—it brought back all the good memories. I was trying not to tear up.”

Flash forward to late February, when Brown learned he’d been selected as the MWC Player of the Year.

“I was so surprised,” he said. “I was in a class. I about had to turn away and shed a tear.”

And the accolades have kept coming. In March, he was named first team all-region by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and second team All-Region by d3hoops.com. His 473 points and 235 rebounds are both Monmouth records for a freshman, and he had seven double-doubles during the season.

“He’s a better teammate than he is a player,” praised Skrivseth. “When your best player is a tremendous teammate, you feel extremely fortunate as a coach. And he can get a lot better. That’s what we’ve been discussing. There’s another level he can get to, no question.”

En route to MWC’s Elite 20, Huber has seen nothing but A’s

With a few coaches’ kids on his team, Fighting Scots coach Todd Skrivseth knows his group has some players with a high basketball IQ.

But as it turns out, the Scots boast some high academic IQs, too, none higher than Jason Huber ’26. With his 3.98 grade-point average, the junior guard earned the prestigious Elite 20 honor at the Midwest Conference men’s basketball tournament.

Each year, the MWC honors the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA who is participating in his or her sport’s culminating championship event. The award recognizes the commitment of the student-athlete toward the pursuit of excellence in both the athletic and academic realms as measured by reaching the pinnacle of competition within the league, while also achieving the highest academic standard among peers.

“…it’s an honor to represent Monmouth College in a positive light.”

“I’ve got to give a shout-out to my coaches and teammates for us making the tourney,” said Huber, who was surprised to hear his name when the award was announced, thinking that perhaps teammate Ganon Greenman ’25 was the honoree. “Without those guys, I wouldn’t even be eligible for it. I’m thankful that I’m blessed to have so many great people around me—my family, coaches, players and professors. I’m very fortunate to be in such an environment, and it’s an honor to represent Monmouth College in a positive light.”

Huber has come oh-so-close to a perfect 4.0, with the lone blemish being an A- he received in “Modern Global History.” Technically, that was Huber’s hardest A, but he also recalled having to work especially hard in a Spanish course in his very first semester on campus.

“I was still adjusting to college at that point, and I really didn’t know how hard I had to work yet,” he said. “I really had to earn that A.”

His most enjoyable A’s have come in courses taught by Dick Johnston

“Dicky J’s almost become, like, a friend,” Huber said of the relationship he’s built with the popular business professor. “He challenges us to learn, and he’s taught me a lot of things.”

Huber also singled out “History of American Music” with “my guy, Stevie J” (as in Jackson)—and a sports management class with Chris Goble (who proves that not all Monmouth professors are known by single-letter surnames).

Sports management is an avenue that Huber might pursue

Jason Huber comes away with a steal during one of the Scots’ two victories over Knox last season.

beyond Monmouth. The son of longtime Dundee-Crown High School basketball coach Lance Huber is considering following his father’s footsteps. One path to doing so is becoming a graduate assistant at the next level, as he studies for either an MBA or a master’s degree in sports management.

“I’ve always wanted to get into coaching,” said Huber. “Being a grad assistant would give me a chance to be involved and see how much I like it and if I want to pursue it full-time. I love teaching the game, and I love teaching people. It’s super important to share with people what you know.”

If coaching hits a wall, the talented student understands “I’ve got a lot things to fall back on. My mom (Kristin) would say I’m not as planned out as I need to be,” but hey, Mrs. Huber, he didn’t plan to win the Elite 20 honor, either, and look how well that turned out.

Huber, however, does have a plan for the 2025-26 campaign.

“We set the record for wins, cool, but we didn’t win the tournament,” he said. “So for next year, we have unfinished business. We want to win the conference again, host again and finish the job.”

A side benefit of that could be Huber repeating his Elite 20 honor at the MWC tourney. If he stays on his current pace, it would take a perfect 4.0 to beat him.

Barry McNamara

SCOT SPORTS

RECORD-SETTING RG3, SCOTS REACH BASEBALL PLAYOFFS

If you’re an old-school baseball fan, would you like to have a player on your favorite team who did this over the course of an entire season: .312 batting average, 26 homers, 143 RBI?

Or maybe you appreciate 21st-century stats more. Would this work: .387 on-base percentage, .528 slugging percentage, for an OPS of .915?

Either way, those numbers describe the Fighting Scots career of Raul Guillermo III, whose 149 career games equate to roughly a full major-league season.

Those numbers were all elevated during a special senior season that saw Monmouth reach the postseason for the first time since 2019 and saw Guillermo—also known as RG3—be named All-Region by both ABCA/Rawlings and d3baseball.com. For the year, he belted 11 homers, drove in 51 and had the unique OPS of 1.111.

When Guillermo was asked which of his many impressive stats was his favorite, he pointed to one of the old-school choices, which is not surprising, given that, while doing so, he referenced a quotation from a beloved baseball movie starring Kevin Costner, which hit theaters in 1988, well before Guillermo was born.

“Honestly, my RBIs,” he said. “If you can’t score runs, you can’t win games. The home runs are fun, but it’s like that Bull Durham quote—RBIs are more democratic, because more of your teammates are involved. They get on base and you drive them in.”

During the season, Guillermo not only broke the Monmouth career records for homers, RBI and games played, but also total bases (298) and at-bats (563).

The first baseman, catcher and DH, who started all of Monmouth’s 41 games, said the Scots getting over the hump this year required a day-in, day-out determined approach.

“Consistency,” he replied to a question about the team’s im-

provement. “We know we can’t take a weekend off. A lot of guys have really buckled down. And we’ve done a lot of prep work with Coach (Alan) Betourne in terms of how our at-bats should go. There’s nothing much more you can ask for than a coach who is locked in, just like you.”

Picked to finish next-to-last in the preseason Midwest Conference poll, Monmouth went 12–9 in league play and reached the championship game of the MWC tourney.

TURNQUIST RETURNS TO (NEW) DIAMOND AS SOFTBALL COACH

In June, Heather Downing Turnquist ’99 was named the Fighting Scots softball coach. She has been part of Monmouth’s athletic department since 2019 as administrative assistant and senior women’s administrator—positions she will continue to hold—while also helping as a volunteer softball coach last spring.

“We are very pleased that Heather Turnquist has accepted the challenge of leading the Fighting Scots softball program,” said Director of Athletics Roger Haynes. “Her experience as a multiple-time all-conference

player at Monmouth College and her enthusiasm for the game make her an excellent choice to lead our program. I am confident that she will serve as a strong role model, setting the workload standard for our players on and off the field.”

The field itself will be new, as it underwent an extensive renovation over the summer.

“I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to lead the program that brought me to Monmouth as a student,” said Turnquist. “I would like to thank Coach Haynes for his support and leadership through this process.

I’m looking forward to getting to work with the team and Coach (Addy) Williams this fall on our newly updated field.”

From the shortstop position, Turnquist was a three-time All-Midwest Conference selection, leading the 1997 and 1999 squads with averages of .313 and .346. She tied for the team lead in RBI in both 1998 and 1999.

Turnquist was an assistant coach for the Scots after graduation and also worked in Monmouth’s admissions office. She also has experience at the Warren County YMCA and coaching youth sports at Immaculate Conception School.

DIAMOND DEMOCRACY

Raul Guillermo III (34) didn’t hit this particular home run, but he was still in the center of the celebration of Alexander Dye’s grand slam against Knox at Glasgow Field in April.

MEN’S TRACK RETURNS TO TOP OF MWC

The weekend after the baseball team made its first postseason appearance in six years, the men’s track team also partied like it’s 2019, capturing its first Midwest Conference title since just before the pandemic. The Fighting Scots edged a crowded field that saw the top four teams finish within 10.5 points.

Monmouth also brought home the Men’s Coaching Staff of the Year honor, while sprinter Janius Taylor was the Men’s Newcomer of the Year. Head coach Brian Woodard’s staff includes Kenzie Baker Hyett, Tanner Johnson and Cooper Pauley.

“Our men overcame some adversity in different spots throughout the weekend,” said Woodard, “but they really stepped up in different events to keep us close. Both programs really stuck together and supported each other, and I think that’s what pushed the men’s team over the edge at the end.”

Taylor racked up points for the men in the 100, 200 and two relays to cap an impressive freshman campaign.

“Just a fantastic weekend for Janius,” said Woodard. “Coach Hyett has done a great job with him and his starts, and Janius has grown significantly as a track athlete. He has bought into the race model and that showed in the 200. He has the opportunity to have a fantastic Fighting Scots career.”

On the women’s side, senior Maddie Boley won her second straight

Women’s Field Performer of the Year honor as Monmouth placed third, just eight points shy of a title.

“Maddie capped off an amazing career with three more championships this weekend,” said Woodard. “Her performances and accomplishments pale in comparison to the type of person she is. She is a fantastic teammate and role model for our younger athletes.”

A few months earlier, senior Shane Anderson returned from the NCAA indoor championships in Rochester, N.Y., with a third-place All-American finish in the weight throw, breaking his own school record on his final attempt with a heave of 65-8¼, less than five inches from the national title.

Anderson’s finish is the best for Scots indoor track and field since Danny Evers won the pole vault national title at the 2018 meet, and he’s tied for the best-ever weight throw finish.

Two other throwers, senior Caleb Toberman and Boley, also qualified for the national indoor meet. Outdoors, Boley was joined at the NCAA Championships by junior throwers Jillian Toth and Kayla Braun. Toth’s 14th-place finish in the hammer was the top result.

ALL-AMERICAN: Shane Anderson shows off his hardware from the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships, which were held in March in Rochester, N.Y.

MWC welcomes Luther for 2026-27 season

At the start of the summer, the Midwest Conference announced that Luther College will join the league beginning with the 2026-27 academic year.

“Monmouth College is excited to welcome the Norse to the Midwest Conference as another quality opponent in all 18 MWC-sponsored sports,” said Director of Athletics Roger Haynes.

The Fighting Scots and Norse have met in a variety of sports over the last five decades with spirited contests in both regular season action and NCAA playoff competition.

The addition of Luther College gives the Scots a third conference opponent in Iowa, as the school joins Grinnell College and Cornell College. Monmouth to Decorah, Iowa, is 230 miles.

IN THE SCOTLIGHT

TOBY VALLAS ’98

Sharing coaching philosophy with current Fighting Scots

B y BARRY M cNAMARA

When Toby Vallas ’98 took over the football program at nearby Farmington High School prior to the 2014 season, roughly one-tenth of the student body played the sport. That’s good news for schools with north of 500 students, but it’s not ideal for one that only has 350 kids enrolled.

A decade later, nearly 100 of Farmington’s 350 students are out for the sport, and a few things have followed. One is victories, as Vallas has gone 92–22 over the past 10 seasons, including a Class 2A semi-final appearance last fall.

But the players who Vallas and his staff coach have also made huge strides in leadership skills, and the victories they’re achieving when it comes to teamwork and character are going to pay huge dividends for them down the road, long after their football cleats are collecting dust.

‘Internal Leadership’

Vallas returned to his alma mater in January to speak to Fighting Scot athletes and share some of his coaching philosophies and successes at Farmington. Titled “Internal Leadership,” his talk focused on the importance of relationships within the team dynamic. In particular, he said, “When I let the kids write their own story, the team became powerful. When kids began to help each other, the individuals became powerful.”

He encouraged Monmouth’s athletes to embrace and understand their teammates, such as returning players thinking of ways to help a new teammate. “Be relationship-centered,” he said. “Ease their worries.”

Vallas speaks from experience on what that type of positivity—or, in his case, the opposite—can mean.

“I was the only non-white in the school,” he said of his Chinese ancestry, “and I remember what the other kids used to say about me. I dwelled on it.” He also felt a sense of abandonment, as he lived with a great aunt, rather than his parents. “I remember thinking, ‘You left me here, different than everybody else.’”

The influential coaches of an influential coach

Vallas would eventually become a standout on relays at Monmouth, running on the school-record 4x200 squad and regularly making the Midwest Conference All-Academic team. He didn’t play football for the Scots, but he did for his hometown Blue Bullets.

“As a freshman, I wasn’t worth a darn as a player,” said Vallas. “But my sophomore coach, Tim Engebretson, had high expectations of me as a player. They were higher than I thought

of for myself. He was like, ‘C’mon, I believe in you.’”

Engebretson unlocked some of his prep potential. At Monmouth, that task fell to legendary Fighting Scots coach Roger Haynes ’82 , now the college’s athletic director, who arranged for Vallas’s campus talk.

“He always shot me straight,” he said. “When he was recruiting me, he told me he thought I was the best in the area. But he said if I didn’t come to Monmouth and went somewhere else, ‘We’ll kick your ass.’”

And Haynes was right. Monmouth’s teams dominated that time period, winning all eight indoor and outdoor conference championships from 1995–98, despite a relative lack of All-American star power.

“One of the highlights for me was just how good our team got,” said Vallas. “The women’s team had some real standouts at the time (including his classmate, All-American Heather Furrow Herchenroder). But the men, it was just the whole team. I’m kind of proud of that.”

Vallas, who said, “I always knew I wanted to be a teacher,” majored in special education and history. He taught social studies for nearly two decades but has been an administrator at Farmington since 2018, serving as director of student services, charged with areas such as organizational health, teacher recruitment and retention, and transportation.

And also charged with coaching a football team that is finding high levels of success by empowering its players.

LEARNING TO LEAD: Largely by empowering his players, Vallas has built a winning program at Farmington High School.

IN THE SCOTLIGHT

DENNIS NOYES ’67

The incredible life of a racer, author and world traveler

from which he “dropped out after a semester before they kicked me out. There were 40,000 students. It was another world.”

‘It sounds like I’m making up a novel,” said Dennis Noyes ’67, as he recalled the time in war-torn Guatemala that he narrowly escaped gunfire, sliding in the nick of time like a baseball player under a tavern’s closing aluminum door. He wound up at the feet of a stranger—a CIA operative, as it turns out—who would have a major influence on his life.

Oh, but that’s one of just many adventures—harrowing and otherwise—that the Monmouth College alum has had in his career as a writer, motorcycle racer and commentator for the two largest TV networks in Spain.

And he did make up a novel, too— Yonders, Illinois—which is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle and in his alma mater’s Hewes Library. Through a book tour, that novel might bring Noyes back to Illinois, a place where he spent the majority of his first 20 years and then not much time at all for the next six decades.

Noyes has been a writer and a racer most of his life, dating back to his youth, which was spent near the Indiana state line in Hoopeston. Students were often treated to field trips to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and, in the midst of what he called a “stock car racing culture,” Noyes caught the racing bug. By his senior year, he was racing in the Modified class of the Illinois-Missouri Stock Car Association. But Noyes had academic goals, too.

Noyes returned to Hoopeston and went to work at a factory, gearing up for a second try at higher education. He chose Monmouth after learning that one of his friends had a good experience there. It proved to be a much better fit, as “Monmouth was a lot like my hometown.”

The strong pull of the south

Noyes recalled good experiences with English faculty members David Roberts and John Fox , but he was reluctant to fulfill his foreign language requirement. His adviser, English professor Grace Boswell , told him, “You can’t put this off forever,” so Noyes selected Spanish, unknowingly paving the way for a lifetime in Spanish-speaking countries. The first of three such experiences he had while still a Monmouth student was a summer in Mexico, which he was encouraged to try by his Spanish professor, who told Noyes he had a feel for the language.

THE FACT OF THE FICTION

“The combination of a motorcycle-racing novelist—or a novel-writing motorcycle racer—seems strange to many, but I recall reading, back when I was in high school, a short story by Robert Benchley in which one of his characters couldn’t decide whether to be a poet or a stock car racer. That was exactly my dilemma.”

Yonders, Illinois, is not a real city, but Hoopeston, Illinois, is. Noyes found just the book cover he was looking for when he came across this photo of his hometown’s downtown.

Not long after, Noyes crashed—not in a stock car, but as a freshman at the University of Illinois,

“He told me to go to Mexico and speak only Spanish,” said Noyes. “And if they spoke English to me because I looked American, I was to say ‘Soy noruego,’ which means “I’m Norwegian.’”

Noyes enjoyed a stint in Venezuela the following summer, finding work at the English language Daily Journal in Caracas.

“It was an extraordinary job,” said Noyes. “I was assigned stories not usually given to a cub reporter, things like covering the Japanese Navy’s first touring voyage since World War II and going into the jungle with the U.S. Special Forces to look at their training operations. There were really interesting stories.”

Now fully accustomed to life in Latin America—and having added a Spanish major to his study of English—Noyes signed up for a semester-long Associated Colleges of the Midwest program in Costa Rica.

Noyes’ knack for writing was evidenced by his selection as a student writer of the year by Atlantic Monthly for a story he wrote about Costa Rica and by an invitation to attend

B y BARRY M cNAMARA

LOYAL FAN Noyes hasn’t been back to Illinois much since his days as a Monmouth student, but he still supports the local team.

“Bread Loaf.” The Middlebury Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference is an author’s conference held every summer in Vermont.

“That was quite an experience,” he said. “William Styron (the award-winning author of Sophie’s Choice and other novels) was the writer-in-residence, and I remember him telling me I was pushing too hard to write novels. I needed more life experiences, and I needed to write short stories before trying a novel.”

When it was time to leave his graduate program at Michigan State University, Noyes said “the pull of the south” led him to drive that direction and keep on going past the U.S. border as far as he could.

“I didn’t have a game plan,” he said. “I just knew I wanted to go south again. When I ran out of money, I knew I’d have to find something.”

He wound up in Central America again, teaching English as a foreign language for the Guatemalan-American Institute. The country was in the midst of a civil war, and that’s how he arrived at the point of fleeing gunfire and coming feet-to-feet with the CIA operative.

“He said to me, ‘I know who you are, but I don’t why you’re here. If you’re free, and not here against your will, you should go to Spain. It’s the most beautiful place in the world,’” said Noyes. “I’d never thought of Spain. Buses and cars don’t go there” from the U.S.

Who is this guy?

Soon, Noyes was in Barcelona, working for the Institute of North American Studies.

INTERESTING INTERVIEWEE

As a journalist, Noyes was often the one doing the interviews, but he’s pictured here as the subject, sharing anecdotes about his fascinating career.

“My idea was to stay in Spain a year or two and work on my writing,” he said. “But there’s a strange thing about Spain. Barcelona is the world center of motorcycle racing. I was teaching young kids to speak English, and all they wanted to talk about was their bikes.”

One day in the spring of 1968, Noyes found himself gazing at a poster of “the most beautiful bike I’d ever seen,” which was advertising the Spanish Grand Prix at the Montjuïc circuit. “I knew nothing about it, but I went, and I was hooked. It’s addictive. It was something I needed to try.”

Suddenly, it was like Noyes was back in Hoopeston as a high school senior. Should he pursue racing or writing? This time, the answer was “Both.”

“They thought I was an American professional racing under an assumed name,” said Noyes. “In one article, instead of simply asking me, they thought I was a flyboy from the nearby airbase. The only thing they got right about me in the article was my name and where I placed.”

Noyes spent the months of the year he wasn’t teaching racing for prize money in England. Along the way, he got involved with actually writing about the races, which launched the meat of his career as a racing journalist and commentator.

Noyes went on to win a pair of national championships in his final five years of racing, including the Spanish F2 500cc in 1982. The other was the Spanish 1000cc Endurance Championship at the Circuito de Jerez in 1986.

The second victory ended his racing career, but not his time in Spain, as he wound up living in the country for 45 years. Now “semi-retired,” Noyes made the comments for this story from Borrego Springs, Calif.

Noyes looks back with appreciation at his formative years on Monmouth’s campus.

“It’s hard to remember specifics from my Monmouth days, just a general very good vibe,” said Noyes. “It was at Monmouth where I found a wonderful atmosphere and excellent, caring professors. Monmouth was the jumping off place.”

And Noyes jumped off to places he never dreamed he’d land as a student in Hoopeston.

“College is a special time, a brief period in your life when the only thing you’re responsible for is learning. You never know where it’s all going to take you, but it very rarely goes where you think it’s going to.”

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE Noyes takes his Tsubaki-Ducati into a turn during the Spanish National 1000cc F1 championship at the Jarama circuit just north of Madrid.

BREEDLOVE ’76

Submit your news to monmouthcollege. edu/alumni/ update-your-info, by email to alumni@ monmouthcollege. edu, or by mail to Monmouth College Magazine, Attn: Alumni Programs, 700 East Broadway, Monmouth IL 61462.

NEWS

1962

Joan Rothaus O’Brien of St. Louis, Mo., remains active as a travel consultant with Altair International Travel.

1965

Carole Praet Pawlowski of Ann Arbor, Mich., has retired as an art professor, but she stays active in the discipline, exhibiting her work locally and giving monthly art presentations at memory care centers.

Karen Bush Watts of Bloomington, Ind., was named an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow for 2024, recognized for “distinguished contributions to microbiology, particularly for developing novel antimicrobial agents against gram-negative bacteria and discovery of bacterial resistance mechanisms to beta-lactam antibiotics.”

1966

Susan Kauzlarich Kuster of Monmouth has re-retired from Knox College, where she served as biology laboratory manager for 20 years.

Dick Yahnke of Fort Collins, Colo., is the owner of DSM IV Properties.

1967 Payson Wild of Evanston, Ill., president of North Shoreline, Inc., is collaborating with Northwestern University’s engineering department on a simplified rail-truck transfer concept of containers.

1968

Marcey Cushing Corey of Gainesville, Fla., has retired from teaching at Sante Fe College and is now an educational talent search counselor.

1969

Rossann Baker - Priestley of Galesburg, Ill., writes, “While everyone else my age is retiring, I have sold my Performing Arts Academy and turned to more full-time work with my travel agency,” I Do Honeymoons & More Travel/Starship Travel.

Carla Turner Makowski of Huntsville, Ala., works for Century 21 Prestige. In January, she lost her husband of 54 years to heart disease.

1971 Jeff Teach of Stuart, Fla., is president of Teach Wealth Management.

1972 After a 54-year career—47 of that spent doing weather on Denver television—Ed Greene has finally retired, marking the longest continuous career in Denver TV history. A TV Emmy winner during his career, Greene emceed hundreds of events for non-profit organiza-

tions in Colorado, also donating his time to do narrations for many non-profits, including Garth Brooks’ “Teammates for Kids.”

Carol Hladik of Chicago is the owner of Business Communications Solutions.

1973

1974

Chip Cook lives in Shoreview, Minn., where he is a pastor.

Jay Fox of Charlottesville, Va., is a professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and serves as director of the university’s Comprehensive Cancer Center.

1975

Bill Murschel of Wheaton, Ill., was a district recipient of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity’s outstanding new volunteer award. Murschel played a key role in organizing SigEp’s 75th reunion in 2023, and he has continued to be active as the fraternity raises funds for renovating the new Monmouth fraternity house on East Broadway.

Dutchie Williams of Harvey, Ill., a retired attorney, has now turned her attention to being an artist.

1976

Bill Breedlove was named the 2025 Outstanding Citizen by the Kewanee (Ill.) Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Club. He was chosen for his lifelong service to the community, which includes working for more than 50 of the 75 years that Breedlove’s Sporting Goods has been a staple of the downtown business community.

Romina Reed Stich of North Chili, N.Y., has retired from the University of Rochester, where she served as an adolescent psychiatric case manager. In addition to annual visits to France to visit her daughter’s family, she enjoys volunteering as a court-appointed special advocate for children at the schools her children attended, with a society for the protection of children, and for hospice.

1977

Douglas “Hollywood” Hughes has retired after 44 years of service as a city official in Trenton, N.J.

Chris Kachiroubas of Elmhurst, Ill., is vice chairman of the DuPage County Sheriff’s Merit Commission.

1978

Holly Beck Riordan of Naperville, Ill., is a therapist with Little Friends.

1980

Tim Bresnahan of Monmouth is still in the coaching game, most recently leading the seventh grade boys basketball team at United High School. He also coached Monmouth-Roseville’s golf team last fall.

Carl Forkner of Mesa, Ariz., is adjutant and CEO of Arizona’s Disabled American Veterans Department. An article about his research on moral injury and PTSD in veterans was published in Insider Weekly.

1983

Paul Luepke has a new position as dean of the School of Dentistry at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He came to UMKC after spending the past five years at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, where he held leadership and faculty positions.

Mark Thorn of Zion, Ill., is the owner of Olson Comfort Services, Inc. Heating & Cooling.

1984 Kim Dailey of Tucson, Ariz., is a physical therapist at Oro Valley Hospital.

Chris Pio of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has released a fifth volume in his series, Collegiate Nicknames and Mascots: The Complete Collection. It features every institution of higher education in the country with an athletic program—2,250 separate entries. Earlier this year, Iowa magazine featured Pio’s series, and he presented as a juried independent author at the Tucson Festival of Books.

1985

40th REUNION OCT. 17-18, 2025

1986

Robin Wiseman of Olympia, Wash., is a quality assurance manager for Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services.

1987

Denise Huntley Gaska of Montgomery, Ill., is a student recruiter for Iowa State University.

1988

Jim Cole of Monmouth is the owner of JRC Home Inspections. He also serves as an assistant coach for the Fighting Scots women’s basketball team.

1989

Brad Nahrstadt’s third book, The Democrats in Turmoil: The Bitter Fights to Select a Presidential Nominee, 1896–1924, was released by Bloomsbury Press in June. It tells of the bitter infighting that Democrats engaged in at the turn of the century that led to repeated losses in presidential elections.

“There’s lots of lessons that can be applied to what’s going on today,” said Nahrstadt, whose previous book, a biography of Alton B. Parker, focused on the Democrats’ presidential loss in 1904.

Continued on page 34

Chris Adams Velloff ’82 and her daughter, Erin, have had a few more celebrations since this one in 2021, which marked four years in business for The Brown Bag Bistro in Alton,Ill.

NAHRSTADT ’89

GREENE ’72

IN THE SCOTLIGHT

LISA STEVENS ’ 92

Leading international cancer partnership in Europe

When Lisa Stevens commits, she goes all in. That’s good news for those rooting for victory in the fight against cancer.

It’s a tendency that started even before Stevens came to Monmouth from the Chicago suburb of Naperville in the late 1980s, and it’s a virtue that’s carried her all the way to her current role as director of the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria.

“X-rays, PET scans, radiotherapy—those are all nuclear applications,” she said. “I want every country to have a cancer plan and more people to know about the cancer work that the IAEA does.”

Dig deeper into the 1992 graduate’s résumé, and there are also some titles of “president,” including a pair of Monmouth organizations—her Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and an association of women students.

“When I want to do something, I want to go all in,” said Stevens, who was also an RA, a radio station DJ and an actress at Monmouth. “I’m not a sit-in-the-back type of person. When I do something, I want to move into a leadership position. I enjoy bringing together different groups of people and breaking down working in silos.”

Stevens just can’t help herself, even taking on the board presidency of the school her two sons attended in Europe, an added responsibility to her already busy schedule that she called “just insane.” Her sons have since returned to the United States, studying at the University of Massachusetts and the University of Maryland. The latter is Stevens’ graduate school alma mater, where she earned a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology.

Professionally, Stevens serves as vice president of the IAEA’s chapter of Women in Nuclear, a role she said she took because “mentoring is one of the things I’m passionate about. ... I’m also very interested in helping students who want to talk about careers in science. I’m happy to help people make connections.”

A few weeks after being interviewed for this story, Stevens did just that with Monmouth students.

Undergraduate summer research

As Stevens was starting out, she received a boost from a pair of summer research opportunities, both at the University of Chicago. The first one followed her sophomore year at Monmouth, and she returned a year later.

“When I came to Monmouth, I knew I wanted to go to medical school, and that plan never changed,” said Stevens, who noted she received valuable assistance from Monmouth’s biology faculty. “I received a Howard Hughes Fellowship to do summer research. Dr. (Bob) Buchholz helped me with that application.”

From Monmouth it was on to Maryland where, early on, she encountered adjunct faculty who worked at the National Cancer Institute. She was hired on by the NCI as a graduate student, doing her Ph.D. research there.

MAKING

CONNECTIONS:

“That’s how I got into working with the federal government and into the lab-in-cancer space,” she said.

Hope for elimination

“Cancer” is an intimidating word with its share of intimidating statistics, including 19 million new cases and 10 million deaths in 2020, with a two-decade projection of 30 million new cases and 16 million deaths.

But there’s also hope, said Stevens, citing the IAEA’s appropriately named Rays of Hope initiative—which she oversees—as well as the WHO’s Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative.

“With Rays of Hope, it’s not that we’re doing anything different, it’s how we’re doing it,” she said. “We’re seeing a lot of progress more quickly, allowing us to diagnose and treat more patients.”

Funding is critical, and Stevens has used her “strong relationship with the United States,” to help raise 50 million euros from key U.S. donors, part of the 80 million euros that’s been raised through late 2024.

“We’re building partnerships with the private sector and bringing multiple partners to the table,” she said.

Through a sharp focus on countries without radiotherapy or with inequitable access, Rays of Hope focuses on prioritizing a limited number of high-impact, cost-effective and sustainable interventions in line with national needs and commitment.

In promoting its “ambitious, concerted and inclusive strategy to guide the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem,” the WHO said few diseases reflect global inequities as much. Nearly 94% of the cervical cancer deaths in 2022 occurred in low- and middle-income countries.

Stevens is no longer the scientist seated at the microscope in the lab, running tests and conducting research on the deadly disease. But her leadership within the International Atomic Energy Agency and the relationships she’s built in the field over the past 30 years are helping to drive that research. She’s definitely all in.

With a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology, Lisa Stevens is passionate not only about cancer research, but also mentoring young scientists and preparing them for rewarding careers like her own.

B y BARRY M cNAMARA

Beth Baumann Riggs of Woodland, Calif., recently retired after 33 years of teaching.

1990

35th REUNION OCT. 17-18, 2025

1992 Jill Henson Darin of Geneseo, Ill., is a risk manager for World Insurance Associates. She earned a master’s degree in occupational health and safety from Columbia Southern University in 2021 and her board certification as a safety professional last year.

1995

30th REUNION OCT. 17-18, 2025

Cassie Zelinske Day of St. Louis, Mo., has a new position as the global seed testing digitization lead at Bayer Crop Science.

Jimmy Johnson is retired and has been traveling full-time with his wife, former Fighting Scots soccer coach Sarah ComeauxJohnson, since 2020.

1997 Derek Archer of Navarre, Fla., is director of commercial sales for Mediacom Business.

Duncan McPherson of Vancouver, B.C., is senior project manager of Unity Studio Productions, a branch of Unity Technologies.

Kari Bailey Shimmin, who teaches kinesiology at Monmouth College, completed her doctorate in educational leadership from Western Illinois University in 2024.

1998 Taylor Thiel has taken the coaching reins of the Galesburg High School boys basketball team, one of the most storied programs in Illinois history. Thiel was part of the Silver Streaks’ state runner-up squad in 1998. The Streaks still play in John Thiel Gymnasium, named for his grandfather, who went 398–90 during his 18 years as Galesburg’s coach.

David Thompson has joined the track and field coaching staff at DePaul University. He most recently served as head coach at San Francisco State University, and he’s also led six other collegiate programs. In addition to four All-American track honors at Monmouth, he was a three-time national champ at North Central College.

1999

Tiffany Jacobs Braesch teaches in the Shakopee (Minn.) School District.

Rebecca Ortiz Melvin of O’Fallon, Mo., works in internal medicine/pediatrics for the St. Luke’s Medical Group.

Christina Jesukaitis Podraza of Wheaton, Ill., recently launched Peak Principal

Consulting, a company that specializes in empowering new principals to navigate their first year with confidence. “Our unique approach, the Principal Success Path, helps leaders to focus priorities and create systems that will lead to success for years to come,” said Podraza.

2000

25th REUNION OCT. 17-18, 2025

2001

Trent Cox is the commercial banking manager at F&M Bank in Galesburg, Ill. He recently received his diploma from the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin and elected president of his graduating class. Cox also earned a Certificate of Executive Leadership from the Wisconsin School of Business Center for Professional and Executive Development.

Nick Flowers, who coached 18 years in Carrollton, Ill., was inducted into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association. The Carrollton graduate compiled a 134–58 record with 14 playoff appearances before retiring after the 2021 season, one of two that ended with the Hawks in the state championship game.

2002

C.J. Hollingsworth of Los Alamitos, Calif., is at Westminster High School, which is part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District.

Michelle Vieaux Magnetti lives in Broomfield, Colo., where she reports, “After 20 years in corporate America, I founded my own company, Magneaux, a talent acquisition strategy company. Additionally, I am a co-host on the Wellnest podcast.”

Megan Barber Sears of Adair, Ill., is the bookkeeper for the West Prairie school district.

2003

Kristin Whitver Fouts of Brownsburg, Ind., is director of education and chapter development for the Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity International Headquarters, where she has worked since 2023. She reports that Delta Lambda at Monmouth is one of the fraternity’s strongest chapters.

Kate Grafton of San Diego, Calif., has begun a new position as vice president of client engagement at Ammunition, an Atlanta-based full-funnel advertising agency. Grafton joined Ammunition after spending nearly a decade driving sales and business development at Houzz, the world’s leading home design platform.

2004

Randi Shedlosky, an associate professor of psychology at York College of Pennsylvania, received the school’s 2024 Presidential Award for Excellence in Faculty Scholarship and Professional Activities for “remarkable work in stigma re -

duction, teaching psychology and promoting equity and inclusion.”

Andy Stumpf of Carrollton, Ill., is superintendent of the Greenfield School District.

Matt Troha of Heyworth, Ill., was promoted to an associate executive director position with the Illinois High School Association, where he’s worked since 2008. The IHSA’s executive director is another Monmouth grad, Craig Anderson ’91

2005

20th REUNION OCT. 17-18, 2025

Kelly Frericks Thannert of New London, Iowa, is associate director of services at Imagine the Possibilities, which vows to provide quality community-based services to people with disabilities.

2006

Kristin Chmielewski Johnson received the “Those Who Excel Award of Excellence for Administrators” from the Illinois State Board of Education. She serves at the assistant superintendent of instruction for the Mokena School District.

Debby Cratty is director of special education for the Galesburg (Ill.) school district.

Sean Fitzgerald of Bloomingdale, Ill., is a sales representative for global accounts at Wesco Distribution. He also writes for rink.com and appears on the Chicago Rinkcast podcast.

2007

Greg Bouslog of Gilbert, Ariz., is executive director of one of the Valley of the Sun YMCA locations in the Phoenix area.

Katie Taylor Paullin of Lexington, Ky., was promoted to senior lecturer at the University of Kentucky in 2022.

2008

Zak Edmonds of Peoria, Ill., is an associate insurance agent at Country Financial.

2009

Ryan Kellogg of Williamsfield, Ill., is supervisor of community services at Carle Health Trillium Place.

2010

15th REUNION OCT. 17-18, 2025

Ashley Bergren was named to the Forty Under 40 list for businesspersons in Madison, Wis. A mortgage loan officer for the UW Credit Union, Bergren was praised for helping making “dreams come true” for homeowners. She helped 126 families and individuals buy a home in 2023 alone. Her passion extends to the community, where she serves on the advisory board of Own It: Building Black Wealth, a program that helps minority families buy homes.

ALUMNI

JOHNSON ’06

COX ’01

SHEDLOSKY ’04

SHIMMIN ’97

DeMarkco Butler is at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, where he is the assistant athletic director for football operations and player personnel.

Lindsay Johnson Cocquit of Peoria, Ill., a high school art teacher in Peoria Heights, illustrated classmate Noah Emery’s book Kevin’s First Flight and, in 2023, started the YouTube channel The Creative Arrow, where she posts art videos “encouraging others to explore their creative side.”

Kayt Drost Snowdon of Plainfield, Ill., is a project manager for CIBC US, which provides tailored commercial and personal banking services, private wealth management and small business financial solutions.

Ted Tomlin of Lombard, Ill., is a manufacturing associate at DiaSorin, a leader in the laboratory diagnostics market.

2011

Rissa Inman of Malta, Ill, is a development counselor for Grand Canyon University.

Jillian Hennenfent Nelson of Joy, Ill., is a business intelligence analyst with Bridgestone Bandag.

Andrew Watson lives in Peebles, Scotland, where he serves as the inbound sales development representative for Nourish Care. He said his participation in Monmouth’s study-abroad partnership with the University of Highlands and Islands led to his current position.

2013

Daniela Blandón Hernández lives in Costa Rica, where she is a freelance English instructor.

Matthew Kornacki of Lancaster, Pa., is an outpatient psychotherapist for Move Forward Counseling.

Rod Ojong was named one of “35 Under 35” by the American Football Coaches Association after helping Indiana University to an outstanding season and College Football Playoff berth in 2024. With Ojong as the cornerbacks coach, the Hoosiers finished with an 11–2 record.

Roy Sye has collaborated with Jack Clifford ’10 on another Campus A to Z children’s book, this time using the alphabet to explore the brotherhood and traditions of Sigma Phi Epsilon.

2014

Shannon Sullivan Gavrilov of Dayton, Minn., is a program coordinator for Minneapolis Public Schools.

2015

10th REUNION OCT. 17-18, 2025

Lauren DeVolder Jordan is a chiropractic physician at the facility she opened in Bloomington, Ill.—Jordan Spine & Rehab Center.

Megan Armstrong Lohman of Davenport, Iowa, is vice president of her husband’s company, Lohman Earth Works, after 10 years at a previous employer.

Philip Przybyla of Manlius, Ill., is athletic director and dean of students at Bureau Valley High School.

2016

Emily Siefken Garrett, director of volleyball operations at the University of Missouri, was named a recipient of the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s 2025 Thirty Under 30 Award. Garrett oversees all aspects of travel, budget and summer camps for Mizzou volleyball while also managing all statistical analysis and video. Prior to Missouri, she was also the director of operations for volleyball at Texas Tech and Illinois State.

Yahaira Torres-Aceves of Galesburg, Ill., is a universal member service representative for IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union.

2017

Alec Dutko is directing a new Ivy Rehab Physical Therapy clinic in Peoria, Ill. In 2022, Dutko completed his Ph.D. in physical therapy at Bradley University.

Claire Griffith-McCrery is a candidate to receive her J.D. from the Marquette University Law School this year.

2018

Samuel Dummer of Cary, Ill., is the program director for the Northeast Illinois Council of Scouting America.

Abby Baldocchi Gertz of McHenry, Ill., is a marketing analyst for Pepper Construction.

Kyrsten Hume McCright of Monmouth is a psychotherapist for OSF Healthcare.

Luke Pratt is director of bands for the Elmwood (Ill.) school district. He also serves as the director of music ministry at Faith United Presbyterian Church in Monmouth.

2019 Remy Schwass has started work at Monmouth’s Buchanan Center for the Arts as a creative assistant.

2020

5th REUNION OCT. 17-18, 2025

Jared Hankinson has joined the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry as director of legislative affairs, advocating for Missouri employers on legislative, regulatory and judicial issues.

Kaniesha Whatley has graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law and is now at Holland & Knight in its Tampa, Fla., office.

Brennan White is the director of Name, Image and Likeness at Illinois State University. He returned to campus during the spring to

Sara Frakes Reinhardt ’14 of Irmo, S.C., said she used her liberal arts education to help out with an issue that affected her family. She and her husband’s younger son, Zack, was born prematurely and “had quite the long ride in the NICU.” The couple has been working on bringing awareness to necrotizing enterocolitis, a disease Zack developed early on in the NICU. The Reinhardts were able to get a resolution passed by the South Carolina House of Representatives to bring more awareness to NEC. The family is pictured with Rep. Nathan Ballentine, the sponsor of the resolution.

speak to a Monmouth class about NIL.

2021

Along with a faculty member, Will Fox , a fourth-year student at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Rockford, developed the first treatment algorithm for managing boys with a genital skin condition that, if not appropriately treated, may affect the ability to urinate and increase the likelihood of cancer developing. Fox is the son of Kim Buckert Fox ’88

Alex Johnson of Aledo, Ill., is a special education teacher at Mercer County Elementary School.

Stephanie Williams Perez of East Peoria, Ill., is a physician assistant.

2022

Harper Appel of Palatine, Ill., is an animal caretaker for DuPage County Animal Services.

C.J. Bonifer has started a stint in the Peace Corps, serving as a volunteer in Albania. He also received a silver in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s Circle of Excellence Awards for video content produced while working at Central College.

Danny Kadlec is pursuing a degree from the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa.

2024

Alondra Leon of Channelview, Texas, is a core technician at Lonza, a company that serves biotechnology, pharmaceutical, academic and government research industries.

FOX ’21

SCHWASS ’19

WATSON ’11

OJONG ’13

IN THE SCOTLIGHT

IN MONMOUTH, THEY TRUST

Four alumni part of leadership team at Blackhawk Bank & Trust

How did four Monmouth alumni—Scott Beeler ’98, Angie Peterson Bigham ’03, Ashley Owens Horberg ’12 and Chris Lemon ’80—wind up on the leadership team at Blackhawk Bank & Trust, which has 17 locations in the Greater Quad Cities area?

The answer—in addition to the solid business foundations they forged at Monmouth—goes all the way back to the late 1950s in Keokuk, Iowa, where future Fighting Scots Hall of Fame coach Terry Glasgow and future Blackhawk Bank president Gerry Huiskamp were friends and teammates.

Two mentors from Keokuk

A baseball player that both men coached was Lemon, a standout at Alleman High School in Rock Island, Ill. Lemon pitched American Legion ball for Huiskamp and was recruited by Glasgow in 1976 to join a Scots program that had just missed out on a College World Series berth that spring.

Lemon picked up the story.

“Jim and Coach Glasgow grew up together in Keokuk, and Jim spoke very highly of TG,” said Lemon, who went on to lead Alleman to the 2012 state championship game in his side job as a baseball coach. “I went to Monmouth College because of Coach Glasgow, and he kept the promises he made to me. He said I would play, and I wound up being a starting varsity pitcher for four seasons. But it’s more about the life lessons I learned from that man. Truly, he was my baseball coach, but so much more. He was such a mentor to me, and such a good role model. If you worked hard for him, he’d return the favor. He helped get me where I’m at today.”

Another mentor was Huiskamp. On the Monday morning following Lemon’s graduation from Monmouth, he looked up his former coach, who offered him a job on the spot. Lemon gained experience as a teller, assistant branch manager and loan officer, keeping his nose to the grindstone and rising through the ranks, mirroring the growth of the bank.

Entering 2025, Lemon served as the bank’s president, with Huiskamp as chairman of Blackhawk’s board.

“When I started, we had two banks and $40 million in assets,” said Lemon, “and that’s grown 45 times over to $1.8 billion, with 17 locations.”

In addition to his great memories of Fighting Scots baseball, which included a Midwest Conference title, All-MWC honors his senior year and lifelong friendships—including with batterymate Doug Devine ’80—Lemon recalled the “wonder-

ful professors” he had at Monmouth. That included economics professor Rod Lemon, who, despite his roots in Aledo, Ill., is no relation.

“He was on a different level,” said Lemon of the Monmouth professor, who took a one-year sabbatical during Lemon’s time as a student to help President Jimmy Carter’s administration better understand the economics of natural gas regulation.

“I also appreciated the small class sizes at Monmouth and my time with TKE. My four years at Monmouth were extremely formative years for me. It was a pivotal part of my life,” said Lemon, who is fond of referring to his alma mater as “the Harvard of the Midwest.”

Family matters and gaining confidence

It’s not chronological, but another alum at the bank is Horberg, who is Lemon’s niece. That family tie put Monmouth on her radar, but still, she had to see for herself if the school 40 minutes from her home in Andover, Ill., was a fit.

“I went on other visits, too,” she said. “Nothing ever compared to Monmouth.”

Horberg liked art, but she didn’t believe she had the talent

to fully commit to it, choosing to minor in the subject while majoring in business. Along the way, she figured out how to marry the two.

“One of my favorite professors was Tom Prince,” she said. “I loved his teaching style, and I loved his advertising class. That’s when I realized I wanted to do creative marketing. I wanted to design what went out in marketing.”

CHOOSE

’98, Vice President

Angie Peterson

Bigham ’03 and Director of Marketing

Ashley Owens Horberg

’12 .

Classes with art professors Stephanie Baugh and Brian Baugh were also important. She learned graphic design from Stephanie, and Brian made a key contribution, as well.

“I had a photography class with him, and I remember him telling me that I had a good eye for the creative aspect,” she said. “In my work, I second-guess myself sometimes, but then I remember what he said, and the confidence that gave me.”

Today, Horberg serves as director of marketing for the bank, which she joined five years ago.

All signs point to Monmouth

While Horberg is connected to Lemon by blood, Beeler, who serves as a senior vice president, is connected by sport. In 1993, Glasgow coached his final Monmouth baseball game, handing over the reins to his longtime assistant, Roger Sander ’78. The first full recruiting group with Sander in charge was the Class of 1998, and Beeler was part of it, coming to campus from Warsaw, Ill., which is just across the Mississippi River from Keokuk.

“My dad was an acquaintance of Coach Glasgow’s,” he said.

That was just one of many signs pointing to Monmouth.

“ Marybeth Dues (Johnson ’93) was an admission rep at the time, and she was from (nearby) Dallas City,” said Beeler. “So she hit our area pretty hard. There were only 45 kids in my class, and five of them wound up going to Monmouth.”

Once he was on campus, Beeler studied business with a minor in economics, hoping to work his love of sports into the discipline. He did just that during his involvement with the business honors program, helping to formulate a new business model for the Monmouth Country Club.

Beeler began his post-Monmouth career in central Illinois, but he and his girlfriend, Tara Olson, married just a few days after her 2000 graduation from Monmouth. Tara is from the Quad Cities, and the newlyweds wanted to settle there. Beeler has been with “The Chief” ever since.

Several of Beeler’s career highlights have involved working closely with Blackhawk’s acquisitions through the years, helping the bank realize “significant growth,” just as his rank and responsibilities have also grown.

Beeler recently completed the program at the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin, which he said offers “a jump start on senior management” in the banking industry.

The 24-year banking veteran is proud that his alma mater has had such an impact on his organization.

“We’ve had so much success with Monmouth grads,” he said. “In addition to the four of us, there’ve been at least another six who have attained some level of management over the years.”

Serving her hometown

As a student at Aledo High School, Bigham believed that Black Hawk was in her future. That wasn’t the bank, though. It was Black Hawk College, a two-year school in nearby Moline.

“I could’ve gone there for free, but my parents told me I had to take a college visit,” she said. “And I know it sounds cliché, but when I got to campus, Monmouth felt like home.”

Helping to seal the deal was another admission rep from that era, Julie Crisco Ricketts ’95, who assured Bigham she’d have a position waiting for her in her office—a position she held for all four years, helping with campus tours and making phone calls to prospective students.

“I was in school for 9/11, and I remember having an econ class with Dick Johnston, who had brothers working on the force in New York City,” said Bigham, who majored in business and public relations with a minor in Spanish. “That was very impactful. So were any classes I had with him. His worldview was pretty impressive.”

Bigham, whose husband is Brent Bigham ’02, was also an active member of Pi Beta Phi and enjoyed participating in intramurals, particularly the annual Scots Day softball tournament.

She began a banking role in Aledo in 2008 and today serves as vice president of commercial lending.

“During the pandemic, I led the charge for our PPP (Payback Protection Program) loan program for small businesses,” she said of one of her career highlights to date. “It’s challenging and rewarding work, and I really enjoy the opportunity to give back and serve my hometown community.”

Barry McNamara

IN THE SCOTLIGHT

‘FREEDOM TO FLOURISH’ IN IOWA

Stories by Barry McNamara

When it comes to drive times, Iowa City is actually a half-hour closer to Monmouth than Champaign-Urbana.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that many graduates over the years have chosen to cross the mighty Mississippi for their next step, be it as graduate students at the University of Iowa, working at HNI in Muscatine, or finding other positions in the Hawkeye State. These alumni did just that, finding success in Iowa while playing second fiddle to no one.

Knutson making most of his second chance

Monmouth helped provide Chris Knutson ’16 a second chance at college. It was an opportunity that came Knutson’s way after he got a second chance at life.

Knutson was back on Monmouth’s campus last fall to share what he’s been up to lately at the University of Iowa, where he recently completed his graduate studies with a Ph.D. in organic and analytical chemistry.

While still writing his dissertation, the opportunity arose for Knutson to oversee all of the labs in the environmental engineering program at Iowa’s College of Engineering, as well as the university’s water treatment plant. The role encompasses 21 labs across nine buildings, and Knutson works closely with seven faculty members and more than 80 researchers.

There was a time in Knutson’s life when holding such a position didn’t seem possible. A non-traditional student at Monmouth, Knutson didn’t have it easy in his 20s. A bout with testicular cancer nearly claimed his life and derailed his first attempt at college. He eventually found work at a Verizon call center.

“But I realized that’s not what I wanted for my life,” he said. “I didn’t survive cancer to work in a kiosk in a call center.”

So Knutson moved from his hometown of Elgin, Ill., to the Lake Bracken area of nearby Galesburg, where his mother lived. But he suffered another major health setback, needing to have

both hips replaced due to a condition called bilateral avascular necrosis.

“I was living out by a lake, I was isolated and I was in my 30s,” said Knutson. “I didn’t know my way forward. It was either accept that disability or make a change.”

That change was starting college again, this time at Galesburg’s Carl Sandburg College. Monmouth is an attractive option for CSC grads due to its proximity. But there’s still the matter of cost to navigate, and Knutson expressed his concern with Monmouth admission representative Kristi Millar ’93 (who’s now the college’s registrar) that her school didn’t have a scholarship competition for transfer students.

“I met her at a college fair, and I can’t believe I said this, but I told her, ‘There’s a lot of money on the table here. That’s a problem you need to fix,’” he said. “It was complete bluster on my part. But she got back in touch with me a few months later, and she said, ‘We’ve thought about that,

and now we have the Wallace Founders Scholarship for transfer students, and I think you should apply.’”

The full-tuition scholarship is now given to an entering Monmouth transfer student who has a record of exceptional academic achievement and leadership in his or her college and community.

“I knew I wanted to get an education in chemistry, but what I didn’t have yet was an appreciation for the liberal arts side of things—how important writing and communication skills are,” said Knutson. “You can make an important discovery in chemistry, but then you have to be able to communicate what you’ve found and why it matters.”

As he works in his lab manager role at Iowa—which has seen him host visits to campus by Monmouth students and faculty—those communication skills are essential to his career. He relied heavily upon them during his assignment as co-chair of the 2025 Iowa PFAS Conference, which was held in April. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are human-made chemicals that can contaminate the environment in many ways.

Fair to fiddlin’: Reyner named Grand Champion

The Iowa State Fair may be widely known for its life-size butter sculpture of a cow, but it also hosts an annual fiddle competition, and one of Monmouth’s own was crowned the Fiddle Grand Champion.

Holly Reyner ’21 prevailed after three days of competition last August, topping some of the best fiddlers in the Midwest.

The triumph would’ve made her violin instructor at Monmouth very proud. Reyner worked for more than three years with the late humanities professor David Suda , who retired in 2011. Widely acclaimed as a “Renaissance man,” Suda remained active at the college by continuing to teach the instrument for nearly a decade beyond his retirement to talented musicians such as Reyner and Mariela

Knutson speaks to Monmouth students about his chemistry work at the University of Iowa.

Shaker ’15. A Syrian refugee, Shaker later joined Monmouth’s music faculty and served as Reyner’s violin professor, teaching lessons from London over Zoom.

“For music to truly be an art, you have to put yourself into it, and David knew exactly how to get people to do just that,” said Reyner, who teaches orchestra to fourth through 12th grade students in the WACO school district that serves the Iowa communities of Wayland, Crawfordsville and Olds. “He 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.”

One gets the feeling that Reyner’s formal musical training at Monmouth didn’t include “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” or the fiddle tune it references, “Fire on the Mountain.” And she didn’t play those songs in Des Moines, either.

Participants played a hoe down, a waltz and a tune of choice, and Reyner’s selections for the first part of the competition were Sean McGuire’s “When Leo Brown Waltzed Through Town” and “Wild Fiddler’s Rag.” After placing first in the adult division, she competed against the winner of the senior division, playing “Hawkins Rag,” “Valse Gisele” and “The Boxing Reel.”

“I don’t believe David played much fiddle music, but we did talk about it frequently,” said Reyner. “He very much supported my love for fiddle music.”

Not only did the Monmouth grad finish with the highest of marks at the

Reyner proudly displays her award as Grand Champion Fiddler at the Iowa State Fair.

event, but four of her WACO students also participated in front of hundreds of spectators, with one of them placing in the division for ages 13-17, a category Reyner herself won in 2016.

“With violin, you have to play what is on the page,” Reyner explained. “With fiddle, you have a lot more freedom to add ornamentation or to vary the music, so it feels like a much more personal experience.”

When it came time for Reyner to choose a college, she sought out a school that offered her plenty of opportunities.

“I wanted to be able to play in band, choir, orchestra, jazz band and marching band,” she said. “Monmouth College has all of these ensembles. I chose to attend Monmouth because (music faculty) Tim Pahel and Carolyn Suda promised to find a way to let me participate in all of those and they absolutely followed through on that. Monmouth was the perfect college for me because of the dedicated faculty that values individual students. It is a community.”

Cook set to embark on career in finance

As 2024 came to a close, Max Cook ’23 was in the final stages of completing a master of science degree in finance at the University of Iowa. He said the preparation he received at his undergraduate alma mater—both in terms of hard and soft skills—put him in a position to be successful at the Big Ten school.

“I’m a big advocate for Monmouth and what it’s done for me,” said Cook, an economics major and mathematics minor, whose plan after Iowa was to work as a financial adviser with Benjamin F. Edwards. “One thing that I was kind of shocked with was that compared to the students who had graduated with their undergrad at the University of Iowa, I was miles ahead of them when it came to understanding concepts. Monmouth did a good job of preparing me for a broad understanding of finance and economics, and my program at Iowa dove more deeply into it.”

Cook also gained the upper hand when it came to the relatively simple

concept of talking to a professor.

“At Monmouth, where it’s such small class sizes, you’re so close with your professors,” he said. “It was just kind of normal for me to go in and talk with them, to go in and ask for extra resources like books I should read and have discussions that you can’t always get to in class.”

He noticed that his peers from larger schools didn’t take that approach.

“I just thought that everywhere you went, you were close with professors, and it was more of an open-door policy,” he said. “But at Iowa, I was one of the only ones who took advantage of it. Coming from a big school, you’re kind of just told to stay in your lane and not bother the professors, I guess. Or you think that since there’s so many students, you’re not allowed to do that. But Monmouth definitely helped my confidence on approaching professors and getting the extra help that would make me better understand the material.”

And make no mistake, Cook understands the material. In fact, he made at least one of his former professors—Mike Connell —quite proud with how he fared in the 2023 CME Group Commodities Trading Challenge, a global electronic trading competition. Although being what he called “pretty big underdogs,” he and his teammate finished sixth out of more than a thousand teams and held the No. 2 position at one point. He followed that up with a 17th-place finish in 2024 out of roughly 600 teams.

Cook gained additional experience during his summer internship at Benjamin F. Edwards between the second and final semesters of his one-and-a-half year master’s program. He was able to sit in on meetings and see, on a daily basis, how the advisers talked to clients.

Cook believes “internships are a great way to test the waters before you make a lifetime decision.”

“Actually, we didn’t call it an ‘internship,’” he said. “We called it an ‘apprenticeship,’ because the final goal (is) to return when I graduate and hit the ground running where I left off.”

Cook says Monmouth’s small class sizes gave him confidence, which translated to an advantage at the University of Iowa.

MONMOUTH ENTREPRENEURS

Continued from page 23

“Staying disciplined is the big thing, and cash flow is king,” Stefani advised the students, who had plenty of inquiries for the alum during the Q&A portion of his talk. He also shared that entrepreneurs need to be prepared for a rollercoaster ride, with the statements, “It’s working!” and “I messed up” often being made in quick succession. “I like my job about 300 days a year, and the other 65, I’m like, ‘Sell it. I’m done,’” he said.

Byers shared a similar sentiment with the class.

“Owning your own business is full of highs and lows,” he said. “Today, my first email was from one of our physicians, giving 30-days’ notice. Not a great way to start your Monday. You have to be pretty even keel. Don’t take your business home with you. If you live it 24/7, it eats you up. I try to leave it at work and walk away.”

Stefani doled out more advice through a cautionary tale of a young entrepreneur hoping for his investment.

“His financials included three company cars, an assistant and an office space that’s as big as what we have now,” after a pair of upgrades, said Stefani. “I didn’t have an assistant for many years. ... Too many people overspend and go for the flashy stuff that doesn’t make a difference. You need to have a proof of concept. Too many people jump in without that.”

The growth of Desert Cactus, which incorporated in 2012, has been steady, reflecting some of the aforementioned discipline. Prior to that year, the company, which also includes his husband, 2010 Monmouth grad Josh Van Swol, operated as a sole proprietor, but Stefani realized, “We have to start doing this the right way.” There are now 23 full-time employees, including 17 in the U.S.

When Desert Cactus eased out of Greek life products and broke through into professional sports in 2019, its sales curve, which had never ceased being on an upward trajectory, really took off, even continuing to rise during the pandemic.

A firm foundation

A first-generation student, Stefani faced plenty of academic challenges, but it toughened him up for his post-Monmouth experiences.

“I went on to get my master’s degree, and it was a cakewalk,” he said. “We had so many presentations at Monmouth, so I was very prepared.”

Stefani’s goal was to use his advanced degree in recreational sports and tourism to become a park district manager, but he also stuck with Greek life merchandising, which continued to do well.

A sense for what sells

Today, Stefani deals with star athletes, including two players who made an immediate impact in their respective leagues— Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks and the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark.

“We sell so much Caitlin Clark stuff, it’s freaking crazy,” he said, before answering a question from Connell. “We pay the (WNBA’s) players association for the rights. Caitlin sees that money, but everybody gets it.”

Clark merchandise might’ve been one of the easier calls for Stefani, who noted, “I’m freakishly good at predicting what products will do well. It’s all about patterns—seeing patterns and trying to match it up, making educated, business-based decisions. I have guardrails, but I do what is the best possible choice for the company.”

After all, licensed products are a $365 billion (with a “b”) business, and Stefani, who knows a thing or two about slices from his Mr. Nice Guy days, is definitely getting his piece of the pie through Desert Cactus.

Cooley knows that feeling of when a business venture reaches solid ground. He might not have his prized Mustang anymore, but the success of Cooley Dump Service has allowed him to buy his dream car, a gun metal gray ’67 Camaro. Not bad for an entrepreneur just four years removed from his college days.

Monmouth College and get a

Visit monmouthcollege.edu for more details. Scan code to schedule your visit.

WEDDINGS & BIRTHS

TIM MORRIS AND MADELINE VOSS

2008 Nicole and Zak Edmonds a daughter, Zophia Andreé Khristine April 9, 2025

2009 Rachel and Ryan Kellogg a son, Jensen David December 31, 2023

2011 Jillian Hennenfent Nelson and Kaden a son, Leo Glen January 13, 2025

2012 Sarah and Dan Steamer a son, Brendan Fenway January 3, 2025

1974 Vickey Lee and Charles Hughes February 21, 2024

1988 Juli Cargill and Jim Cole June 8, 2024

2015 Madeline Voss and Tim Morris August 10, 2024

2017 Claire Griffith and Zach McCrery ’15 March 10, 2024

2018 Kyrsten Hume and Scott McCright October 21, 2022

2021 Stephanie Williams and Mitchell Perez September 21, 2024

2023 Bailey Shimmin and Conner Hill September 28, 2024

ANDREÉ KHRISTINE

2013 Colleen Sinclair Sye and Roy a son, Joseph Gordon September 29, 2024

Molly and Aaron Bubb a daughter, Emerson Rae Bubb June 5, 2025

2014 Shannon Sullivan Gavrilov and Tim a daughter, Agatha June 2, 2023

2015 Lauren DeVolder Jordan and Dean a daughter, Leah February 13, 2023

Courtney and Philip Przybyla a daughter, Gianna March 7, 2023

2017 Taylor Welch Russo and James a daughter, Isabella Violet August 30, 2024

2018 Abby Baldocchi Gertz and Michael a son, James Warren May 24, 2024

ZOPHIA

EDMONDS

ZACH McCRERY AND CLAIRE GRIFFITH CONNER HILL AND BAILEY SHIMMIN

BRENDAN FENWAY STEAMER

EMERSON RAE BUBB

ISABELLA VIOLET RUSSO

1941

Mary Ellen Rowley Kauzlarich, 105, of Monmouth, died Dec. 4, 2024. Born in 1919 in neighboring Henderson County, she graduated with a degree in history and was a member of Kappa Delta. She was preceded in death by her husband of 38 years, George Kauzlarich ’41, with whom she farmed at the Rowley farm. She also taught at Seaton Grade School from 1957–81. Survivors include four daughters—Susan Kauzlarich Kuster ’66, Sarah Kauzlarich Gernand ’68, Toni Kauzlarich Hesseltine ’72 and Cynthia Kauzlarich Ocken ’73

1944 Margaret Turner Gallop of Arroyo Grande, Calif., died in April 2024. A member of Pi Beta Phi, she graduated with a degree in biology. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Gallop ’36, and by a sister, Elizabeth Turner Fox ’47.

1947 Rae Barker Hinton, 98, of Joliet, Ill., died Aug. 24, 2023. A member of Alpha Xi Delta, she studied psychology. Hinton was an educator for more than 25 years with Joliet Public Grade School

1948

Irene McIntyre Garabrant , 98, of Atlanta, Ill., died Nov. 23, 2024. She studied English before completing her degree at Illinois State University. She began her career by teaching in a oneroom schoolhouse, and she was a pastor’s wife for many years. She was preceded in death by her husband of 69 years, the Rev. Richard Garabrant ’49

1949

Mary Lou Rinker Allaman, 97, of Rozetta, Ill., died April 12, 2025. She graduated with a degree in government and later returned to college to receive a teaching certificate. She was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, John Allaman ’46, whom she helped on their farm in Rozetta throughout her life. Allaman also taught second grade in Biggsville for 22 years, retiring in 1989.

Robert “Kent” Murmann, 97, of Monmouth, died June 6, 2025. Before graduating with a degree in chemistry and playing baseball at Monmouth, he served in the Navy, stationed in the Pacific on the USS Oneida. Murmann earned master’s and doctoral degrees at Northwestern University and became a professor, mainly at the University of Missouri, where he taught inorganic chemistry to thousands of freshman students. Murmann also directed the graduate degree of more than two dozen students and pub-

lished approximately 125 research papers. He received a Fulbright Award to Austria in 1981 and retired in 1990. He moved to Monmouth in 2025, where his son, Dr. Steven Murmann ’80, lives.

1951

Imogene Gardner Holliday, 95, of Albuquerque, N.M., died Dec. 13, 2024. She graduated with a degree in psychology and was a member of the synchronized swim team and Pi Beta Phi. Holliday was a teacher in California, Illinois and New Mexico and held a real estate license in the latter state. She was preceded in death by her husband of 45 years, William Holliday ’51, and survivors include a sister, Celinda Gardner del Zotto ’49

Carol O’Neil , 95, of Chicago, died May 14, 2025. A member of Alpha Xi Delta, she completed her degree at the University of Iowa and also held a master’s degree in speech pathology. She had a successful professional practice in that field in Illinois public schools and with private clients.

1952

James Chatfield of Albany, Ore., died Dec. 1, 2024, He was a member of Theta Chi.

Marilyn Schlemmer Gillette, 94, of Portland, Ore., died Feb. 2, 2025. A member of Crimson Masque and Kappa Delta, she graduated with a degree in speech/communication/theater before earning a master’s degree from the University of Illinois. She spent her career in education, including a full-time stint as a professor at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich. Named the school’s Teacher of the Year in 1977, Gillette was also active in the formation and activities of its faculty senate.

Shirley Moser Irion, 94, of Bloomington, Ill., died Jan. 14, 2025. She graduated with a degree in physical education and was a member of the synchronized swim team and Kappa Delta. A founding member of the Illinois State University Women’s Golf Association, she worked part-time for the YWCA, her local school district and ISU admissions. Survivors include her husband of 72 years, Ronald Irion ’51

John “Jack” Kelly of Jekyll Island, Ga., died Feb. 10, 2025. A member of the baseball team and Tau Kappa Epsilon, he graduated with a degree in philosophy. Kelly, who earned a master’s degree in theology from Yale University, served as a minister at churches in Montana, California and Oregon. He decided on a career change and earned master’s and doctoral degrees in so -

ciology from the University of Oregon. He served as a professor at three schools—primarily at the University of Illinois, where he taught leisure studies, a field he was at the forefront of establishing—retiring in 1995. Kelly wrote the first textbook on the topic, part of a dozen books that he wrote or edited on the topics of recreation, economics and aging. Among the honors he received were the Roosevelt Research Award and the National Literacy Award.

Melba Larson Matson, 94, of Mason City, Iowa, died Jan. 11, 2025. She graduated with a degree in elementary education and was a member of Crimson Masque and Kappa Kappa Gamma. Matson earned a second degree from Monmouth later in life, as well as a master’s degree in education from Western Illinois University. She began her teaching career in rural schools in Henderson and Warren counties, then was a reading teacher and special reading coordinator for Monmouth schools, working with a program that received national recognition. A recipient of the City of Monmouth’s Woman of the Year award, Matson was also an accomplished painter and violinist. She was preceded in death by a son, John Matson ’77, and by her husband of 70 years, Bob Matson ’50, with whom she owned the Wyatt Earp Birthplace Museum in Monmouth for three decades. Survivors include children Jane Matson Lee ’78 and Ted Matson ’80, and a brother, Alan Larson ’55

Ladonna Zinger Pipenhagen, 87, of Glen Ellyn, Ill., died Aug. 10, 2024. A member of the synchronized swim team and Kappa Kappa Gamma, she studied elementary education.

1953Carolyn Bovard Callaway, 92, of Grove City, Pa., died Aug. 10, 2021. She graduated with a degree in elementary education. A pastor’s wife, she also taught at Grove City Junior High, was a dorm parent at Grove City College and was the organist at Grace Methodist Church.

Bob Larson, 93 of Eden Prairie, Minn., died Feb. 17, 2025. A member of Alpha Tau Omega, he attended Monmouth before earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration and economics from the University of Iowa. He trained as a military intelligence specialist at Fort Holabird in Maryland, before starting his career as a corporate bond salesman at firms such as Midland Bank, E.F. Hutton, and A.G. Edwards, retiring from Piper Jaffray. Larson’s life was defined by his unwavering

IN MEMORIAM

Charles Courtney ’57

Charles Courtney of New Providence, N.J., died March 18, 2025. Highly active on campus, he graduated with a degree in philosophy and was a member of The Oracle staff, the track and tennis teams, and Theta Chi. Courtney taught philosophy at Drew University in Madison, N.J., for 40 years, retiring in 2004. He held a master’s degree from Harvard Divinity School and master’s and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University. A specialist in phenomenology, Courtney prepared his dissertation in Paris as a Fulbright Scholar, and he was a Senior Scholar at the East-West Center in Honolulu in 1971. Courtney’s publications were in the areas of phenomenology, the philosophy of religion, human rights and poverty issues. For 50 years, he was active with ATD Fourth World, an international movement dedicated to

dedication to tennis and the countless lives he touched with his warmth and vision. He lived by a simple yet profound mantra: “In life, as in tennis, nothing happens until someone serves,” a reflection of his belief in taking action to spark change. His love for tennis blossomed into a remarkable publishing career, beginning with Tennis Midwest and including tennisnews.com, a global news hub for the sport that he launched in 2006. In short, Larson elevated tennis at every turn.

1954

Betty Beabout Boehm, 92, of Chatham, N.J., died Feb. 19, 2025. A member of Crimson Masque and Kappa Delta, she graduated with a degree in speech/communication/theater. Boehm taught high school speech and English, including 25 years in Pekin, Ill. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ronald Boehm ’54. Her brother, Bill Beabout ’57, died the following month (see below)

Margaret Jones of Webster Groves, Mo., died March 4, 2025. A member of Alpha Xi Delta, she graduated with a degree in physical education. In addition to being

overcoming extreme poverty, serving as president of its U.S. branch for two decades. Courtney was a United Nations representative while serving as a member of the Triglav Circle. He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Bonnita McAllister Courtney ’58

a Monmouth alumna, she was a former faculty member. Jones’ mother was a 1920 graduate, and her late brother, Donald Jones ’57, also graduated from the college.

Carolyn Tomazic-Engers, 92, of Joliet, Ill. died Dec. 23, 2024. A member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, she graduated with a degree in biology. Engers served as a medical technologist before working for Joliet Junior College, from which she retired in 2000 as dean of counseling and academic advising. She also served as the school’s registrar. Engers held state and national leadership roles in both the American Society of Medical Technologists and the American Counseling Association.

1955 Janet Carol Presley, 91, of Brawley, Calif., died Nov. 25, 2024. She studied English and was a member of Pi Beta Phi. After completing a degree at San Diego State University, Presley was a teacher and high school counselor. She was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, William Presley ’54.

1956

Ruth Goss McKay, 90, of Hondo, Texas, died on

March 19, 2025. She graduated with a degree in philosophy and was a member of the synchronized swim team and Kappa Kappa Gamma. McKay taught in San Antonio’s Northside School District from 1972–99. In the midst of that service, she earned a master’s degree in guidance counseling from UTSA. Survivors include a sister, Alice Goss Haznedl ’62

Eleanor Read Roberts, 90, of Springfield, Mo., died Feb. 8, 2025. She graduated with a degree in mathematics.

1957

Bill Beabout , 89, of Branson, Mo., died in March 2025. He graduated with a degree in geology and was a member of Crimson Masque, the Octopus Club and Alpha Tau Omega, serving as president of the fraternity. After stints in graduate school, at one of his family’s service stations, at a quarry, at a manufacturing company and on a farm, Beabout worked for 24 years at Fabick Tractor Company, relocating to Kirkwood, Mo. Other pursuits that led him outdoors were serving as a mounted sheriff’s deputy, organizing Fourth of July fireworks, snowmobiling and bulldozing. Even in retirement, he never stopped working, always lending a hand whenever needed. He was preceded in death by a sister, Betty Beabout Boehm ’54 (see above). Survivors include his wife of 67 years, Cheryl Moore Beabout ’58.

Glenn “Rip” Fulton, 89, of Green Valley, Ariz., died Sept. 24, 2024. A member of the basketball and baseball teams and Theta Chi, he graduated with a degree in physical education. While he dedicated most of his career to institutional food sales, Fulton’s real passion was sports. The accomplished ballplayer tried out for the St. Louis Cardinals, but it was in tennis— which he didn’t take up until the age of 35 —where he made a name for himself, eventually becoming the USTA’s No. 1-ranked doubles player in the Midwest. He was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Elaine Richards Fulton ’57.

1958

Albert Pioch, 88 of Elburn, Ill., died April 3, 2025. He studied business administration and sociology and was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon. After graduating, Pioch served two years in the Navy on a destroyer ship. He celebrated his retirement with a 32day safari to Kenya and Tanzania. He was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Judith Mohler Pioch ’60, who he met on

IN MEMORIAM

Jerry McBride ’58

Jerry McBride, 88, of Keystone, Colo., died Jan. 24, 2025. A physical education major, he earned a combined nine varsity letters in baseball, football and basketball. During the fall, he quarterbacked the football team and he played shortstop, second base and catcher in the spring. He made his

a blind date. They were foster parents to 27 children.

Jack Schmidt, 87, of Douglas, Mich., died May 14, 2024. A member of the wrestling team and Tau Kappa Epsilon, he graduated with a degree in business and economics. Before working as a plant manager for Textron and Burgess Norton, Schmidt served in the Army, stationed in Europe at the height of the Cold War. He served as a driver for the division’s general and others on the command staff. He was preceded in death by a sister, Marilyn Schmidt Elliott ’63. Survivors include a brother, Keith Schmidt ’74.

Jane Eddy Wiley of Stevenson, Wash., died May 1, 2023. A member of Crimson Masque and Kappa Kappa Gamma, she graduated with a degree in biology.

1959

James Morton, 84, of Eastport, Maine, died Nov. 19, 2021. A member of The Oracle staff and Alpha Tau Omega, he graduated with a degree in history. Morton served in the U.S. State Department as a foreign service officer from 1964 to 1987 in Luxembourg, Greece, Swit-

mark in the winter months, though, earning selection to the All-Midwest Conference squad for all three of his varsity basketball seasons. One of “The Three Macs” who excelled in sports at both Monmouth High School and Monmouth College, McBride was inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame in 1989. He started his career as an Illinois high school teacher and coach in Joy and Metamora before serving as assistant principal for activities and athletics at Heritage High School in Littleton, Colo. McBride’s career then expanded to college administration, including several years at Monmouth, where he served as director of admission and vice president for development and college relations. He also held positions at the University of Denver, Temple University, Duke University, the University of Wyoming and Indiana-Purdue University.

zerland, New Zealand and Washington, D.C., and he trained foreign diplomats in a number of countries, particularly in eastern Europe

1960

James McDearmon, 85, of Freeport, Ill., died Nov. 13, 2024. He took classes related to engineering and was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon. After high school, McDearmon owned a soda shop in Mount Carroll, Ill., and a bar in nearby Shannon, the first of a variety of positions he held. Most prominent were systems analyst positions at companies such as Intel and Honeywell. He retired from Prudential in 2007.

Richard Wherry, 88, of Pekin, Ill., died in May 2025. He graduated with a degree in chemistry and was a member of Alpha Tau Omega. He completed a law degree at John Marshall Law School and practiced law for 50 years, retiring in 2020. Monmouth recognized his distinguished career with an alumnus award. Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Nancy VanNatta Wherry ’60, and children John Wherry ’90 and Richard Wherry ’91

Mary Ann Smith Work, 86, of Dallas, Texas, died May 21, 2025. She graduated with a degree in mathematics and was a member of the synchronized swim team and Pi Beta Phi. In 1987, she and her husband opened a tobacco and cigar business in Peoria, Ill., which she ran 19 years beyond his death in 2001. Survivors include a daughter, Roberta Work Parker ’86

1961

The Rev. Thomas Matthews, 85, of Garland, Texas, died Jan. 27, 2025. He followed his parents, John ’29 and Joan Matthews ’30, to Monmouth, majoring in history and joining Tau Kappa Epsilon. He also earned a master of divinity degree from Union Seminary in New York City and a master of theology degree from Pittsburgh Seminary. Matthews was a Presbyterian minister for 40 years, serving churches in Pennsylvania, Washington and Texas. Among his other interests, he was a docent at the Dallas Museum of Art, an ESL teacher at the East Dallas campus of the Vickery Meadows Leaning Center, and a railroad enthusiast. Survivors include his sister, Anne Matthews Kilpatrick ’63.

Jeanine Johnson Millikan of Cumming, Ga., died Feb. 21, 2025. During her one year at Monmouth, she studied physical education and was a member of Kappa Delta. She later completed her bachelor’s degree in speech pathology and held several part-time jobs, including at the library in Covington, La. Survivors include her husband of 64 years, Dr. Larry Millikan ’58.

1962

Nancy Guilinger Coon of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., died on June 10, 2025. She graduated with a degree in biology. Survivors include a sister, Anne Guilinger Dillibe ’67.

Jerome Heath, 84, of Apple Valley, Minn., died Nov. 5, 2024. A member of the swim team, he graduated with a degree in physics. Heath began his career as a chemical engineer in the paper industry and ended it as a professor of computer science at Hawaii Pacific University.

1963

Ann Stewart Cragg, 82, of Aurora, Colo., died Nov. 23, 2023. She graduated with a degree in biology and was a member of Crimson Masque and Kappa Delta. She and several of her KD sisters became lifelong friends, referring to themselves as the “Kool Dames.” Cragg earned certification in early childhood education and started Discovery Trail Preschool. That led to a position as director of early childhood

programming at the Palatine (Ill.) Park District.

Robert Gwynn, 85, of Denver, Colo., died April 26, 2025. A member of Alpha Tau Omega, he graduated with a degree in economics, then went directly into active duty with the Navy. His service included being aboard the USS Vance during the Arnheiter Affair. After active duty, he served for more than 20 years with the naval reserve, retiring as a commander. In the private sector, he worked in production and inventory management with Baxter Healthcare and A.B. Dick. Gwynn also worked for Martin Marietta Data Systems and JD Edwards, retiring in 2002.

1964

Dave Yez, 82, of Monmouth died May 9, 2025. He graduated with a degree in physical education and was a member of the football, swim and track teams. In 1970, he earned a master’s degree from Western Illinois University. Yez worked in the Monmouth school district for 30 years, including 22 years as a high school P.E. teacher. He also coached football and swimming and was a driver’s ed instructor. In retirement, he supervised Monmouth College’s student teachers and coached the Fighting Scots swim team, and he enjoyed working as a handy man doing lawn care and painting.

1965

Jane Jessup Mayer, 81, of Stuyvesant Falls, N.Y., died March 29, 2025. She studied English and, in the 1970s, earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. A founding member of the Hungry Hedgehog Food Co-op, she started the business Alphasprouts. It brought alfalfa sprouts to store shelves and gradually expanded to include many other products. The company evolved to what is now Newton Hook Tree Care, which Mayer served as co-owner and accountant until her passing. She played the dulcimer, was an ardent doll collector and was known far and wide for her homemade applesauce.

1966

James Pilarski, 80, of West Lafayette, Ind., died Feb. 23, 2025. A member of the football, basketball and track teams, he graduated with a degree in business administration. After earning a master’s degree from Northern Illinois University, Pilarski spent most of his career working in human resources, mainly for Schultz Homes and the City of Fort Wayne. He was also a high school tennis coach. Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Judith Anderson Pilarski ’66

IN MEMORIAM

Dick Sloan ’58

Dick Sloan, 88, of Southport, N.C., died Dec. 18, 2024. He graduated with a degree in physical education and was a member of the football, swim and tennis teams and Alpha Tau Omega. Pursuing his master’s degree at the University of Illinois, Sloan became the Illini’s assistant swimming coach and produced five All-American selections from 1962-66. He made a big splash at Kenyon College, producing seven conference-champion swim teams and the national runner-up team at the 1969 NCAA meet. He also had eight individual national champions. In 1973, Sloan began a 14-year tenure as swim coach at Ohio State University, winning eight Big Ten championships, with two U.S. Swimming national titlists. In 1984, he coached on the U.S. Swimming International Team. “Coach Sloan is one of the truly good guys of our profession,” said Ohio State

John Stergulz, 80, of Goodyear, Ariz., died July 17, 2024. He graduated with a degree in physical education and was a member of the football, basketball and track teams, the Octopus Club and Sigma Phi Epsilon. He later earned a master’s degree from Illinois State University and an advanced administration degree from the University of Illinois. Stergulz was a teacher, coach and administrator in Urbana, Ill., from 1969–81 before becoming an administrator in Kankakee, Ill., where he served until his retirement from education in 2000.

The Rev. Gerald Young, 80, of Wentzville, Mo., died Oct. 25, 2024. A member of the baseball team and Sigma Phi Epsilon, his major was religious studies. Young earned his doctorate in theology from Midwestern Theological Seminary and practiced ministry for more than 50 years.

1967

Anne White Beall of Wimberley, Texas, died in October 2020. A member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, she completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of Illinois. Later in life, she completed a master’s degree in divinity and had

Director of Swimming and Diving Bill Dorenkott. “He served our sport for over 25 years, leaving a legacy of strong relationships and cherished memories. His former athletes hold him in the highest regard as a coach, friend and mentor.” Sloan is in the athletic hall of fame at Monmouth and Kenyon.

ministerial assignments in Houston and Wimberley.

1968

Jennifer Lauer Bevington, 78, of Northbrook, Ill., died Jan. 30, 2025. She graduated with a degree in English and was a member of Pi Beta Phi, serving as the Alpha chapter’s president during its centennial year. Bevington held marketing, sales and product management positions at two educational publishing companies. Later in life, she worked in trade publishing.

Thomas Watkins, 78, a longtime resident of Aledo, Ill., died March 1, 2025. He graduated with a degree in speech/communication/theater and was a member of Crimson Masque and Alpha Tau Omega. An Army veteran, he served a tour of duty in Vietnam with the 82nd Airborne. Watkins was a high school English teacher for 33 years at Winola and Sherrard and also served on the Aledo City Council. He was preceded in death by his wife of 52 years, Nancy Koresko Watkins ’68. Survivors include a brother, Lt. Col. Robert Watkins ’68, and children Deborah Watkins McGrath ’94 and Samuel Watkins ’00.

1969

Patricia Anderson of St. Paul, Minn., died Oct. 22, 2023. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Thomas Bowden, 77, of Gresham, Ore., died Dec. 27, 2024, of esophageal cancer. He graduated with a degree in Spanish and was a member of Crimson Masque. Bowden had many hobbies, including acting, which saw him appear in a Chicago production of Hair shortly after his Monmouth graduation. He also enjoyed home brewing and was a certified beer judge. Bowden taught tai qi and did other martial arts, as well, and he was the state director for the Oregon Mutual UFO Network. Professionally, Bowden trained as a computer programmer, eventually finding his niche as a COBOL programmer writing codes for mainframes.

Peter Leverenz, 77, of St. Louis, Mo., died Nov. 7, 2024. He graduated with a degree in speech/communication/theater. Leverenz spent his career in audio-visual sales and was a talented writer. Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Frances Biedenstein Leverenz ’72 , and two children who attended Monmouth, Elizabeth Leverenz and Arthur Leverenz ’98.

1970

James Baine, 75, of Towson, Md., died Feb. 10, 2023. Active in Student Senate, he graduated with a degree in government. A sergeant in the Army Reserves, Baine worked many years computerizing the insurance industry. Throughout his life, he had a love for the water, particularly cruising the world.

Kenneth Barnes, 78, of Awendaw, S.C., died April 17, 2025. A member of Tau Kappa Epsilon, he graduated with a degree in government. Barnes had a career in building materials sales and was a member of the Army National Guard.

John Boubelik, 76, of Elm Grove, La., died Nov. 15, 2024. A member of Tau Kappa Epsilon, which he served as president, he graduated with a degree in economics. Boubelik served five years in the Air Force, trained as a B-52 pilot, and he completed an MBA at Louisiana Tech University during that time. He left the service as a captain and worked for more than a decade at IBM. He then started his own company, Computer Support Group, which he led for 15 years before selling it and retiring. Boubelik was very active in retirement, as well, including building homes in Louisiana and New Mexico. Survivors include a sister, Cathy Boubelik Sheley ’72 .

Daniel Filip of Olympia, Wash., died May 1, 2025. A member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, he graduated with a degree in biology. Survivors include his wife, Judith Shauman Filip ’69, and a brother, Roger Filip ’68.

Sheryl Ball Gregory, 76, of Springfield, Ill., died Nov. 8, 2024, after battling cancer for five years. A member of several music groups, including The Sound of Five, and Alpha Xi Delta, she graduated with a degree in business administration. Gregory spent her career teaching and taking care of others through a home daycare center while living in Decatur and Jacksonville, as a director of a daycare center in Jacksonville, and as a substitute teacher in the nearby communities of Springfield, Chatham and Auburn. Survivors include her husband of 54 years, Arden Gregory ’67.

Wendy Carpenter Koch, 74, of Homer Glen, Ill., died in the September 2023. A member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, she graduated with a degree in physical education. She worked for 33 years in the Homer school district, where she was loved and admired by hundreds of students. Survivors include her husband of more than 50 years, Randall Koch ’70.

Bill Noble of Champaign, Ill., died April 24, 2025. He graduated with a degree in business administration and was a member of the Octopus Club and Tau Kappa Epsilon. Noble served in the U.S. Army at Fort Carson, Colo., before spending a career in seed sales with four businesses, including Noble Brothers Seed Company.

Kathleen Walker of Brockton, Mass., died Dec. 30, 2023. She was a member of Crimson Masque.

1971

Beverly Mullis Odum, 75, of Columbia, Mo., died Dec. 14, 2024, after a battle with a rare lung cancer. A member of the Highland Dancers and the Pipe Band, she graduated with a degree in psychology. She started her teaching career working with second and third graders in St. Louis before working for 37 years as a beloved kindergarten teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes Interparish School in Columbia.

1972

Joy Volz Ellison, 74, of Wheaton, Ill., died on Jan. 15, 2025. She graduated with a degree in physical education and later earned a degree from the Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing in Moline, Ill. Ellison held several positions in the healthcare field and also worked for the College of DuPage and Oakton Community College, teaching at the latter school. Later

in her career, she served as a nursing coordinator and care team member supporting retired clergy at Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica in Chicago.

Ron Nelson, 74, of Kirkwood, Ill., died April 6, 2025. He graduated with a degree in physics and was a member of Alpha Tau Omega. Nelson also earned a degree from the University of Illinois. He spent most of his career as a certified financial planner and founded Nelson Sports Collectibles. His passion for golf led him to play 245 holes in one day, and he memorably hit a prize-winning hole-in-one during a tournament at Gibson Woods. Survivors include his wife of 47 years.

1973

Barbara Fields, 73, of Ojai, Calif., died Feb. 21, 2025. She studied philosophy at Monmouth for one year before eventually completing her degree at the University of California-Santa Barbara. She was a video and TV news producer and, later, the executive director of the Association for Global New Thought, an area of her career that was launched by serving as the program director for the 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago. Among many awards, Fields received Religious Science International’s first Peace Award.

1974

Robert Taylor, 73, of Ballston Lake, N.Y., died Nov. 12, 2024. He attended Monmouth briefly before discovering, in his 30s, a love for the restaurant business. Taylor became a chef and, in his later years, a mentor for disabled individuals who wanted to work in the kitchen.

1975

Rick Levine, 75, of Monmouth, died April 5, 2025. He studied business administration. A sixyear member of the Illinois Army National Guard, Levine worked as the Monmouth Township Supervisor for 21 years, retiring in 2015.

1977

Scott Vehill, 68, of Chicago died June 5, 2025, from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Vehill was a co-founder of Chicago’s Prop Thtr and later served as one of the organizers for the National New Play Network. Emeritus professor of theatre James De Young called Vehill a “theatre stalwart,” who played Tony Lumpkin in the Crimson Masque production of She Stoops to Conquer. “He was a significant figure for many years in the avant-garde Chicago theatre,” added De Young. An obituary in Chicago Reader

described Vehill as “a man with a big heart and a voracious appetite for the weird and the untried, (who) took big chances and provided them for others.”

1980 Kerry Rodeffer, 67, of Champaign, Ill., died June 3, 2025. He served in the U.S. Air Force and, at Monmouth, was a baseball player, graduating with a degree in physical education. “Coach Rody” taught and coached in Pekin and Champaign, retiring in 2018.

1981 Betsy Akey, 84, of Monmouth, died June 5, 2025. A teacher and literacy coordinator at Monmouth’s PASS Alternative School for many years, she studied elementary education as a non-traditional student.

1982 Rae Jean Meier Phillips, 64, of Cottleville, Mo., died April 10, 2025. A member of Crimson Masque, she studied biology before completing her collaborative degree at Rush University. Phillips was an ASCP certified medical technologist in several communities. Survivors include her husband, Gregory Phillips ’82 , and a son, Karl Phillips ’05.

1983 Phillip Fleming, 73, of Canton, Ill., died in the fall of 2023. He graduated with a degree in French as a non-traditional student. Fleming spent most of his career working for the Fulton County Emergency Services Department. He was also a ham radio operator.

1986

Pamela Reinholm Carlino, 60, of McHenry, Ill., died unexpectedly on Feb. 6, 2025, from complications of multiple sclerosis, a disease she fought bravely and inspirationally for four decades. A member of the basketball and softball teams and Crimson Masque, she graduated with a degree in speech/communication/theater.

Todd Curry, 60, of Freeport, Ill., died Dec. 12, 2024, of cancer, 35 years after he initially beat the disease. A member of the football team and Alpha Tau Omega, he graduated with a degree in business. Curry worked for a civil constructor company, The Helm Group, starting in the saw shop and working his way up to superintendent and project manager. Described as “a modern-day George Bailey” from It’s a Wonderful Life, Curry and his wife of 35 years lived on 27 acres where he and his father had broken horses when he was young. Survivors include a brother, Brian Curry ’82 Rebecca Novak, 60, of Colorado Springs,

Colo., died March 18. She graduated with a degree in government and was a member of the cross country, basketball and track teams and Pi Beta Phi. Survivors include a son, Scott Hultgren ’12

1987

Barbara Kerr Altgilbers, 59, of Keokuk, Iowa, died Sept. 20, 2024. She worked at an early childcare center in Quincy, Ill., as a para-educator, at Lee County Abstract and most recently at the Lee County Recorder’s Office. Survivors include her husband, Gary Altgilbers ’87, and a sister, Margaret Kerr Myers ’85.

Rick Gaska, 62, of Montgomery, Ill., died Nov. 29, 2024, following a battle with pneumonia and younger-onset Alzheimer’s. A member of Zeta Beta Tau, he graduated with a degree in business administration. Gaska’s career was primarily in logistics, and he was part of the RR Donnelly and LSC Communication team in Bolingbrook, Ill., for 17 years. His ministry and volunteer work in the nearby Morris community was extensive. Survivors include his wife, Denise Huntley Gaska ’87.

1988

Donna Klenke Avelino, 57, of Fort Madison, Iowa, died Feb. 22, 2024. A member of the basketball and softball teams and Crimson Masque, she graduated with a degree in speech/communication/theater. She worked in human resources at Scott’s Miracle Grow Corporation in Fort Madison.

Joy Stephens, 80, of Monmouth, died July 12, 2022, after an automobile accident that also claimed the life of her husband of 60 years. She first attended Illinois Wesleyan University as a music major. After raising her family, she earned an accounting degree at Monmouth, as well as an MBA in accounting from Colorado State University. Stephens worked as a certified public accountant and held related positions at three Monmouth businesses, including Midwest Bank of Western Illinois, where she was a vice president and comptroller, retiring in 2007.

1991

Jesse Fox, 54, of Grand Prairie, Texas, died in December 2023. He put his Monmouth chemistry degree to good use throughout his career, including nearly 20 years as a chemistry professor at Dallas College. He served the previous five years as a science learning coordinator for Tarrant County College. Survivors include a sister, Carla Fox ’93

2007

Kevin Conrad died May 1, 2025. A member of the basketball team, he graduated with a degree in economics. He earned his J.D. from the Washington University School of Law and served as a law clerk under the Hon. Michael Mosman, a federal judge, before becoming a public defender.

2028

Ya’liez “Yaya” Reed, 18, of Fond du Lac, Wis., died unexpectedly on May 31, 2025. A member of the football team, he was studying business. “He had a way of making people feel seen, heard and loved,” read his obituary.

Word has also been received of the following deaths:

1965- James Hooker of Boise, Idaho, who studied history. Survivors include his wife, Bianca Neville Hooker ’64.

1965- Guy Wegener of Elmhurst, Ill, who was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon.

1969- Robert Bragman of Seattle, Wash., died in June 2021.

1980- Debra Jackson Fitch, 65, of Concord, Mass., died Aug. 8, 2023.

1980-Teddi Long-Owen of Sebastian, Fla., died in September 2023. She graduated with a degree in Spanish.

Ralph Butler, 93, of Savoy, Ill., died Feb. 3, 2025. A lawyer in Monmouth, he also coached the men’s tennis team in 1974–75 and taught business law at Monmouth from 1980–91.

Becky Hart , 77, of Monmouth, a former student teacher supervisor for the college, died March 23, 2025. Survivors include her husband of 48 years, Board of Trustees member Gus Hart ’68

John Klockentager, 78, of Omaha, Neb., a former administrator at the college, died May 17, 2025. Monmouth was one of the five private colleges where he worked before becoming an enrollment consultant.

Mike Lewis, 81, of Galesburg, Ill., a former tennis team coach, died Feb. 27, 2025. Lewis, who led the Scots for nine seasons —most recently in 1992—culminated his 42-year service to Monmouth’s Warren Achievement Center as its president and CEO.

Doris Streight , 103, of Galesburg, Ill., a secretary at Monmouth for 16 years, died Jan. 5, 2024. She was preceded in death by her husband of 65 years. Survivors include a son, Michael Streight ’77

THE LAST WORD

Brian Franklin ’95

SIBLING RIVALRY RUNS JUST AS DEEP AS STORIED TURKEY BOWL CONTEST

My brother beat me up a lot. His four-and-a-half year dominance endowed him with an intolerance and the ability to shut me down with a solid punch to the gut. Or the mouth. He shot me with BBs, wrestled me to the ground, gave me “open heart surgery” with knuckles to my breastbone, and just generally dominated me throughout my childhood.

My mom finally let me play football when I got into high school, and my dad showed me some rudimentary weightlifting exercises in our basement. Over the course of time, training on and off the field annealed me inside and out, and by the time I was a varsity letterman I made sure my brother understood the changing dynamics between us.

My brother enrolled in our regional religious college, but failed to attend classes, stating that he “majored in foosball,” and came home after he allegedly shot a bottle rocket out the window of his dorm room and hit a professor. By the time I graduated high school, that institution knew the Franklin boys were no good and I never so much as received an invitation to visit campus.

But I found a home at Monmouth and a spot on the roster of the Fighting Scots football team. We weren’t a great team by any standard, but I tackled my way into a starting position and a couple of all-conference nominations. I took my studies almost as seriously as my sport, and graduated cum laude with degrees in accounting and sports management, a topical major. The liberal arts portion of my higher education felt like an unnecessary annoyance at the time. Hand-built clay, “Classical Gods and Heroes,” archery class?

Interestingly, my brother eventually enrolled at Knox College. We grew up under the same roof in Galesburg, officially making us both townies. Everyone knows the affluent elitists at Knox don’t associate with townies. But somehow he pierced the veil and crossed over that divide, perfidiously joining the diversity of internationals and interstaters from God knows where; while I remained firmly in the Monmouth camp with my farm folks of northwest Illinois. He studied

Japanese and eked out a degree in creative writing. He wanted to be a writer. Comic books, maybe. I’m not sure. Because after graduation, he resumed his career in floor covering with our dad, filling secret notebooks in illegibly small pencil-scratched script in his spare time.

The Monmouth-Knox rivalry runs deep, and no more fiercely than on the field. We hadn’t won a single game that year, but we were up two wins to one loss in the three Turkey Bowl games of my tenure. And that final contest would be the culmination of every sprint, squat, snap, drill and play of my eight-year career on the gridiron. It was seasonably cold, but I was a defensive linemen, one of the toughest men in the game. And I came ready to fight hard and leave it all on the field.

We entered the arena that November Saturday and suffered another humiliating loss to end our season 0–9. I did my job to the best of my ability, but the Prairie Fire offense (they had switched from “Siwash” in the middle of my Scots career) capitalized on fumbles and shanked punts, missed field goals and questionable penalty calls. They thrashed us like a little brother: 28–14.

There were well over 2,000 fans in the stands that day, but my brother wasn’t one of them. In fact, he wasn’t even enrolled at Knox yet. I leap-frogged his head start when he faltered out of the gates, making me the first in our lineage to earn a college degree.

And today, 30 years later, my brother, armed with his Knox education, hasn’t published a single word. To my knowledge, he stopped writing years ago, stopped working floors even, and I doubt if he remembers a syllable of Japanese. Alternatively, my liberal arts degree from Monmouth provided me the diversity I needed to learn and accomplish all manner of things I wasn’t necessarily trained to do. My small business recently celebrated its 21st anniversary. And I’m on the brink of publishing my first book, a 160,000-word tome about a notorious career in coffee. I’m not keeping score, but I think we can mark one in the win column of the Turkey Bowl of life.

The rivalry runs deep.

Brian Franklin ’95 is the founder and owner of DoubleShot Coffee Company in Tulsa, Okla., where he also serves as the roastmaster.

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