fall winter 2014
Morningside starts marching band program PAGE 3 College completes $13 million “academic village” project PAGE 10 Recent grads stand out in their professions PAGE 16
P R E S I D E N T T H E F R O M
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As I talked with alumni at Homecoming and celebrated the opening of the new academic village, I was reminded how quickly Morningside is changing and, in many ways, transforming itself into one of the best colleges in the Midwest. We were excited to open Buhler Rohlfs Hall, the first new classroom building on campus in 40 years, but also excited about the programs in that facility. Education and nursing have long been strengths of the college. We have educated a lot of the teachers and nurses working in this region, and many of them have become leaders in their professions. What a vital role they have played in the past and certainly will play in the future. Those programs have needed better facilities for some time. Finally, we were able to do that. With the opening of the new classroom building, we also celebrated the new Regina Roth Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Program. It is anchored in the solid philosophy of the previous ag program at Morningside, which launched a number of successful careers in agriculture. It was wonderful to have Dick Weikert 1953 back on campus for the dedication of the new facilities. He was such a key faculty member in that program. Several of the people who came back for the dedication were in his classes. We think the new applied agricultural and food studies program will impact the Midwest on a similar level as our education and nursing departments. Agriculture plays such a central role in our economy. It seems only appropriate that we offer a program in a field so Morningside College celebrated completion of a $13 million “academic village” on the south important to the region. end of campus during this year’s Homecoming celebration. Photo by Amber Burg. Along with the new classroom building, we were thrilled to open the Krone Advising Center, a new building on campus where full-time, professional advisers focus on meeting the needs of first-year students. We created a new advising program for that critical first year in college because we believe there will be lifelong benefits for students, and they will be more likely to complete a degree. Homecoming brought all of this excitement to the forefront. We had 3,000 people at Taste of Morningside and 7,000 people at the football game. People were talking about how proud they were to be Morningsiders, to see the transformation that has taken place on campus and to know that Morningside is one of the seven fastest-growing private colleges in the nation. The energy on campus is palpable. If you were not able to make it back for Homecoming, please plan to return to Morningside sometime soon so you are able to experience the excitement for yourself. As a community, we have never been more proud. This transformation was only possible because of the generosity of so many of you. The college’s greatest strength has always been – and will continue to be – its people. What I love more than anything is when alumni talk about the faculty and staff members who touched their lives while they were here. It is gratifying to now have facilities that are of the same caliber.
JOHN REYNDERS
contents fall winter 2014
Editor: Jenny Welp Art Director: Kevin Kjeldseth
volume 70 number 1
Vice President for Communications & Marketing: Rick Wollman Alumni Association Executive Committee: Adam Lloyd 2004, president Matt Campbell 1998, vice president Dick Stone 1968, treasurer & secretary Julie Negus Eickhoff 1989, alumni chapter liaison Jackson O’Brien, student government president Drew Nolan, student alumni association president Gene Ambroson, director of alumni relations
in this issue 4 Morningside Avenues
Community news on and off campus
4 Morningside is one of the fastest-growing private
colleges in the nation.
Morningside sports highlights
8 M-Club Hall of Fame
Meet the new inductees
9 M-Club Messenger
Morningside College Operator: 712-274-5000 or 800-831-0806 The Morningsider is published twice a year under the auspices of the public relations office. It is distributed free of charge to alumni and friends of the college. © 2014 by Morningside College, Sioux City, Iowa. All rights reserved.
7 Mustang Minutes
Remembering Al Buckingham
20 Faculty and Staff Notes
New faculty and staff, faculty news
24 Class Notes
Alumni news and feature stories
10 College completes $13 million “academic village” project.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Morningsider Morningside College 1501 Morningside Ave. Sioux City, IA 51106 Morningside College does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, religion, creed, race, color, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information or national origin in its programs and activities.
16 Recent graduates stand out in their professions.
The Morningside College experience cultivates a passion for life-long learning and a dedication to ethical leadership and civic responsibility.
ON THE COVER: Sam Anderson performs with the Morningside College Marching Band during the Homecoming football game. Morningside started a marching band program this year – complete with color guard and pit percussion. Almost 60 students are participating. The band also continues to perform in the stands during games.
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MORNINGSIDE AVENUES
Notable Military Friendly School Morningside College has been designated one the nation’s top “Military Friendly Schools” for 2015. The designation is awarded to the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace military students, and to dedicate resources to ensure their success in the classroom and after graduation. The “Military Friendly Schools” list is compiled by Victory Media, a veteran-owned business that provides education and career resources for veterans and their families.
HLC Accreditation
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Morningside College was awarded continuing accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). Institutions undergo a comprehensive evaluation every 10 years. In March, an evaluation team was on campus to visit with college constituencies and to review supporting documents and evidence for the self-study report that college staff had prepared the previous year. Morningside has held continuous accreditation from the NCA since 1913.
Morningside College is one of the fastest growing private colleges in the nation Morningside College is one of the nation’s fastest growing private baccalaureate institutions, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education's “Almanac of Higher Education.” Morningside is ranked seventh on a list of the nation’s 20 fastest growing private colleges, based on a comparison of student enrollment growth from 2002 to 2012. During that period, Morningside’s total enrollment grew from 1,032 students in the fall of 2002 to 2,221 students in the fall of 2012, an increase of more than 115 percent. “This recognition is a testimony to how far Morningside College has come in the last 10 years,” said Morningside President John Reynders. “The quality of our undergraduate and graduate programs has never been stronger, and the generosity of our donors has enabled us to make significant improvements to the campus. This growth is good for the college and Sioux City.” To prepare its “Fastest-Growing Colleges, 2002-12” list, The Chronicle of Higher Education used U.S. Department of Education data on the fall head count of full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. Based in Washington, D.C., The Chronicle of Higher Education is a leading source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators.
Fine Arts Series Donation The Gilchrist Foundation awarded a $50,000 grant to Morningside College to help fund the 2014-2015 season of the college’s Betty Ling Tsang Fine Arts Series. The grant will help Morningside continue to provide high quality music and theatre performances at no cost to Sioux City area residents. The Gilchrist Foundation furthers the philanthropy of the late Jocelyn Gilchrist and her family. It awards grants to pre-selected non-profit organizations.
Morningside adds new sport Morningside College recently added men’s volleyball as its 26th sport. The team will begin varsity competition on Saturday, Jan. 10, when it hosts Culver-Stockton College at 3 p.m. in the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center. Come show your support!
Alum with musical on Broadway returns to Morningside
MORNINGSIDE AVENUES
Paul Zak discusses the science of good and evil
Bill Russell 1971 watches as Morningside College students Nate Hettinger (left), Kathryn Jones, April McCormick and Blair Remmers perform a song from his musical “Side Show.” Photo by Dr. Gene Knudsen 1971.
Tony-nominated lyricist and playwright Bill Russell 1971 returned to Morningside College in October, less than a week before the revival of his musical “Side Show” started performances on Broadway in New York City. He talked with the Morningside College community about the process of writing, collaborating and adapting for Broadway, and his theatre career, from the Black Hills of South Dakota to Morningside and finally to Broadway. Russell made his Broadway debut as a writer for “Side Show.” The original musical opened in 1997 and is inspired by the true story of conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, who became stars during the Depression. The musical received four Tony nominations. Russell has written other musicals that have been performed across the United States and in London. He co-authored the book and lyrics for the off-Broadway hit “Pageant.” A revival of that show recently played on 45th Street in New York City.
Morningside hosts lecture on agriculture, high school soil judging contest Morningside College hosted two major events on campus this fall for those interested in agricultural issues. One featured a senior adviser with the U.S. Department of State. The other was for high school students. Jack A. Bobo, senior adviser for biotechnology with the U.S. Department of State, gave a lecture at Morningside College titled “Can Agriculture Save the Planet Before It Destroys It?” It focused on the challenges of creating a sustainable agricultural system as the world population grows from 7 billion to 9 billion over the next 40 years. In addition, high school students from approximately 40 school districts came to Morningside College to participate in the Northwest Iowa District Future Farmers of America (FFA) soil judging contest. The event was hosted by the college’s Regina Roth Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Program.
Dr. Paul Zak, a scientist and the country’s leading pioneer in the field of neuroeconomics, gave the 2014 Waitt Lecture on “The Moral Molecule: Vampire Economics, the New Science of Good and Evil.” The lecture focused on his discovery that the hormone oxytocin influences trust, empathy and generosity in both men and women, working as the brain's "moral molecule." Zak’s book “The Moral Molecule: The Source of Love and Prosperity" appeared in 2012. Zak is credited with the first published use of the term "neuroeconomics" and has been a vanguard in the new discipline that integrates neuroscience and economics. This knowledge is being used to understand the basis for civilization and modern economies, improve negotiations, and treat patients with neurologic and psychiatric disorders. The Waitt Lecture Series at Morningside College was established in 1997 by Norman Waitt Jr. 1986, a member of the Morningside College Board of Directors.
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MORNINGSIDE AVENUES
Adam Baumgartner
Zeddie Bowen
Julie Eickhoff
Jack O’Brien
Curt White
Martha Wikert
Morningside College board elects new members and officers
Curtis N. White 1976 was elected chair of the Morningside College Board of Directors during its annual meeting in October. White is chief procurement officer and senior vice president for Mattel Inc. in El Segundo, Calif. Sandra K. (McMahon) Bainbridge 1970 of Jefferson, S.D, was elected board secretary. Board members elected to new terms include Adam Baumgartner 1997, general manager and vice president of marketing for Wells in Le Mars, Iowa; Dr. Zeddie Bowen of Savannah, Ga., consultant with the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges; Julie R. (Negus) Eickhoff 1989 of McCook Lake, S.D., voice artist/freelance talent for Julie Eickhoff Audio Productions; Jack O’Brien of Sioux City, Morningside College student
Ron Yockey
body president; Martha E. (Macfarlane) Wikert 1962 of Fremont, Neb.; and Ronald C. Yockey 1970, project engineer for Beef Products Inc. in Dakota Dunes, S.D. Members named to chair board committees include Dr. Esther M. Mackintosh 1969, president of the Federation of State Humanities Councils in Arlington, Va., Student Life and Learning Committee; Craig Struve 1970, agribusiness owner from Calumet, Iowa, Finance/Facilities and Investment Committee; Richard Waller, chairman and CEO of Security National Bank in Sioux City, External Relations Committee; and Dr. Thomas C. Narak 1970 of West Des Moines, Iowa, Graduate Programs Committee.
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Morningside conducts alumni survey Morningside College is conducting an alumni survey to learn how we can better serve you. If you have already completed the survey, thank you! If not, please help us better understand what you expect of your college by completing the 15-minute survey. The survey closes on Dec. 15. Undergraduate degree http://sgiz.mobi/s3/Morningside-College Master of Arts in Teaching http://sgiz.mobi/s3/Morningside-College-Graduate-Alumni-Attitude-Study The survey is being conducted by a third party and all respondents will be anonymous to Morningside College. Although the survey is completely voluntary, your input is important. We are listening and are committed to taking action based on the feedback you provide us.
MUSTANG MINUTES By Dave Rebstock
Morningside sports highlights
Football team crushes the competition
Morningside has been blessed with one of the most successful National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) football programs in the nation over the past 13 seasons during the Steve Ryan era. The 2014 season has been no exception. In fact, in many ways the Mustangs have taken their game to an even higher level. Morningside took an undefeated 9-0 record and the nation’s No. 1 ranking into its Nov. 15 regular season finale at Doane College and had already secured a fourth consecutive Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) championship and an 11th consecutive post-season appearance in the NAIA Championship Series for the longest active streak in the nation. The Mustangs clinched at least a share of this year’s GPAC title with a 42-24 victory against seventh-ranked Northwestern College in a Nov. 8 showdown at Elwood Olsen Stadium. It was a milestone victory for Ryan. The win put Ryan’s Morningside career record at 118-33 and tied him with Jason Saunderson, who compiled a 118-93-11 mark as Morningside’s head football coach from 1912 to 1941, for the most career coaching triumphs in school history. Morningside demolished its regular season competition behind the exploits of an explosive offensive attack that arguably ranked among the best in NAIA history. The Mustangs opened the campaign with a 56-14 triumph against Valley City State, followed by victory margins of 83-19 against Nebraska Wesleyan, 72-2 against Dordt, 68-28 against Midland, 76-14 against Hastings, 50-7 against Dakota Wesleyan, 63-0 against Briar Cliff and 44-21 against Concordia. Morningside’s averages of 61.6 points per game and 672.9 yards total offense per game at press time were higher than the existing NAIA national records of 54.7 points per game by Florida A&M in 1961 and 642.0 yards per game by Southern Oregon in 2012. The Mustangs set a new NAIA national record with 916 yards total offense in their win against Hastings, breaking the former mark of 914 yards by Lenoir-Rhyne against Davidson in 1975. Morningside broke a school record with 520 yards passing in the Hastings game and broke another school record the following week when it rushed for 475 yards against Dakota Wesleyan. Morningside’s 83 points in the second game of the season against Nebraska Wesleyan was its highest scoring total since 1916. While Morningside’s offense has garnered most of the attention, the Mustang defense has been dominant as well and tied a school record with six quarterback sacks in a 68-28 Homecoming win against Midland. Morningside ranked among the nation’s best in scoring defense with an average of 14.3 points per game and in rushing defense and total defense with averages of 84.7 and 238.2 yards per game, respectivley. Morningside’s offensive headliner has been Brandon Wegher, who has been busy re-writing the Mustangs’ record book this fall. He rushed for a school-record 1,710 yards through the Mustangs’ first nine games to lead the nation with an average of 190.0 yards per game. Wegher’s best performance came against Dakota Wesleyan when he rushed for a school-record 327 yards and was named the NAIA National Offensive Player of the Week. With one regular season game and the playoffs ahead, Wegher had already set new Morningside single-season records with 31 touchdowns, 28 rushing touchdowns, and 188 points scored and led the nation in scoring with an average of 20.9 points per game. The NAIA national records of 210
Brandon Wegher has been re-writing the Morningside record book during the 2014 football season. Photo by Mike Byrnes.
points and 34 touchdowns by Jo Jo Jones of Lambuth in 1994 and 32 rushing touchdowns by Jones in 1994 and Roger Butler of Tabor in 2005 were within his reach. Aside from having the nation’s most productive running back, the Mustangs also have one of the NAIA’s most productive passing combinations in quarterback Ryan Kasdorf and wide receiver Devin Thomas. Kasdorf passed for 2,496 yards and 24 touchdowns through the first nine games and was leading the nation in pass efficiency for the second year in a row. He was named the NAIA’s National Offensive Player of the Week after he completed 24 of 27 pass attempts for a career-high 468 yards and six touchdowns in the Mustangs’ record breaking win against Hastings. Thomas, the son of former Morningside football standout Darrell Thomas 1988, had 56 receptions for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns to rank among the NAIA national leaders with an average of 12.8 reception yards per game. The defensive leader has been linebacker Zac Schleuger, who had 77 tackles to top the Mustangs’ tackle chart for the second year in a row. Schleuger has a penchant for the big play with a school-record 22.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage this season.
Men’s cross country returns to nationals
The football team isn’t the only Morningside athletic team that has ranked among the nation’s elite this fall. The men’s cross country team, coming off a 12th place finish at last year’s NAIA National Championship, has been nationally ranked all season. The Mustangs will make a third consecutive appearance at the NAIA national meet after they successfully defended their team title at this year’s GPAC Cross Country Championship in Mitchell, S.D. Jay Welp was the GPAC individual champion, while Mark Abrams and Alec DeVries also earned All-GPAC laurels by finishing among the top 15 individuals at the conference meet.
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Alumni inducted into M-CLUB HALL OF FAME By Dave Rebstock
Dick Keith 1971 (left), Brooke (Niles) Happe 2007 and T.J. Sitzmann 1991
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Brooke (Niles) Happe 2007, Dick Keith 1971, T.J. Sitzmann 1991 and the 1982-1983 men’s basketball team were inducted into the M-Club Hall of Fame during Homecoming weekend. Happe was a standout forward and defender for the women’s soccer team. She was a four-time All-Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) selection, including two years on the first team, a three-time National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) all-region performer, and a two-time NAIA honorable mention All-American. Aside from her exploits on the field, Happe was a two-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete and a 2006 first-team Academic All-American. Happe scored 61 goals and 25 assists for 147 points during her career. As a senior, she set school records with 28 goals and 62 points and was named the GPAC and NAIA Region III Player of the Year after she helped lead the Mustangs to a 15-5-1 record and their first-ever NAIA National Tournament appearance. Keith was a standout sprinter in track and field, as well as a running back, defensive back and kick return specialist for Morningside’s football team. He was a three-time North Central Conference (NCC) champion in track and field. Keith was the 1969 NCC indoor champion in the 60-yard dash with a time of 6.4 seconds, was the 1971 outdoor champion in the 220-yard dash with a time of 21.8 seconds, and was part of a Morningside 440-yard relay team that won the 1971 NCC
1982-1983 men’s basketball team. Photos by Dr. Gene Knudsen 1971.
outdoor championship with a time of 41.5 seconds to set a new conference record. As a football player, Keith led the NCC in punt returns as a sophomore with an average of 15.0 yards per return. Sitzmann was a four-year starter and two-time All-NCC outfielder for Morningside’s baseball team. He batted over .300 in each of his four seasons and graduated with a career batting average of .342 to go along with career totals of 30 doubles, 27 home runs and 114 RBIs. His 27 career home runs is the second highest total in the Morningside record book. He
Seeking nominations All alumni, especially former athletes, are encouraged to nominate deserving individuals for the M-Club Hall of Fame. We ask that all nominations be submitted through our online nomination form. To learn more about the nomination and selection process, go to www.morningside.edu. In the drop-down menu under “Athletics,” click on the link for the “M-Club Hall of Fame.”
earned first-team All-NCC honors as a sophomore when he hit .348 and tied a school record with 10 home runs. Sitzmann’s greatest season came as a senior when he was named the 1991 NCC Most Valuable Player after he hit .439 with 19 RBIs and a league-high six home runs in Morningside’s 14 conference contests. He won Morningside’s hitting Triple Crown that season with a .363 batting average, seven home runs, and 31 RBIs. The 1982-1983 men’s basketball team was one of the most successful athletic teams in Morningside history. It posted a record of 26-6 to set a school record for wins, won the NCC championship with a 15-3 record for the college’s first NCC title since 1951, and made the best men’s basketball post-season showing in Morningside history when it advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four in Springfield, Mass. The team’s success that season came as a surprise following a 1981-1982 campaign where it had a 10-17 record and a seventh-place finish in the NCC. Head coach Dan Callahan was named the NCC Coach of the Year and players Bob Beneke 1984 and Steve Brandsma 1984 were each selected first-team All-NCC. David Krantz 1984, Vernon Simmons 1983 and Paul DeBey 1984 completed the starting lineup, while Brent Aden 1984, Rick Egli 1984, Daryl Schnoes 1986, Bob Conaway 1985, Baron Hannah 1983, John Kelzenberg 1986, Scott Schroeder 1983, Vince Tillo 1986, and Kevin Klatt 1986 constituted a deep bench.
M-Club Messenger
The “Buck” stops here Remembering Al Buckingham
By Dr. Sharon Ocker Few had a greater influence on Morningside College than Albert Buckingham 1939, affectionately known as "Buck." In his 42 years with the college, he wore many hats, and he excelled in all of them. Al grew up in Westfield, Iowa. An active student at Morningside in the 1930s, he played football and basketball, led the effort to establish a student union and petitioned to allow dancing in the old gym. He also was elected president of the student body. After graduating from Morningside, he taught and coached basketball at two Northwest Iowa high schools before entering the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, Buck returned to Morningside, where he taught physical education and health and was the basketball coach. Here are some of his many contributions to the college. Innovator: In an era when most teams used set plays, Buck liked to press on defense and fast break whenever possible. He wasn't the first coach to use a full-court press, but he was one of the first and he felt that the "best offense was a good defense." One of his ideas that was out of the box was to schedule games against big schools – teams Morningside probably had no business playing. At one time or another, Morningside lined up against Pepperdine, Tulsa, DePaul, Montana State, Eastern Illinois, Indiana State, Florida State, Iowa State and Florida Southern, usually at their home arenas. Buck made Morningside the first team in the North Central ConferAlbert Buckingham 1939 ence (NCC) to fly commercially to a game when they traveled in a DC-3 to the University of North Dakota at Grand Forks. He also engineered the first NCC games televised on an open channel when games against South Dakota and Iowa Teachers were televised in Allee gym by a brand new station, Channel 9. Buck had sold the sponsorships for $3,000. There was only one camera, and it didn't have a lens that would work. Buck bought one so that they could proceed. Buck was Morningside's first public relations director, and with his gifts of telling interesting stories, he was a real natural. He also did a lot to help President Earl Roadman build a brand new, state-of-theart gymnasium (Allee) in 1949, including helping raise the money and offering input for the design of the building Buck ran a small cafe off campus called Buck’s Prime Burgers, and college students were among the satisfied customers. The cafe lasted about five years and was located in Peters Park. Coach: Al led Morningside to a record of 158-124 in his 12 years as
head basketball coach. He was the only coach to win two NCC championships - in 1946-1947 and 1950-1951. In fact, his team also won in 1945-1946, but the league decided not to crown a champion that season because the armistice hadn't been signed for World War II. The 1946-1947 team had a conference record of 7-2. Leading the way for that team was Bob Held 1948, who overcame a fall that knocked the wind out of him when they defeated Augustana 59-50 in the final game. The 1950-1951 champs overcame three-time defending champion Iowa State Teachers, then went to Kansas City and won an opening round game in the National Association for Intercollegiate Basketball tournament. Stars for that team included Dick Wiedenfeld 1951, Ray Berry 1951, Dr. Loren Moll 1951, Red Norris 1951, Ken File 1952 and Doug Gresham 1952. Fundraiser: Every so often, a donor would give Buck a check. After he collected a few, he would attend a fundraising meeting where they would ask him how things were going. He would say, "They're going pretty well," and produce those checks. One of his favorite times for doing that was when the Morningside board had gathered for a meeting. Organizer: Buck always loved the NAIA and was very active in that organization for many years, including being the president for one term. He was also on the International Olympic Committee for 16 years. His organizational skills were recognized early, and he was director of housing for American athletes at a number of summer Olympics including Mexico City in 1968, Munich in 1972 and Montreal in 1976. He also did that job for several winter Olympics. The housing director was responsible for seeing that the athletes had a safe place to get their rest so they could compete at their highest levels. Storyteller: Nothing that Buck did was better than his storytelling. I wrote a history of men's basketball in 1999, and he was my biggest contributor. When he returned from his Olympic duties, the media and other organizations would hound him to speak. He was always in demand, and he never let them down. Stories by him – and about him – were as good as it gets. Morningsiders are very glad that Buck stopped here. Other stories about Buck can be found online at www.morningside.edu/buck.
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It takes a village
Morningside completes $13 million
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This fall Morningside College celebrated completion of a new $13 million “academic village” on the south end of campus. It features a new classroom building, a new advising center and a remodeled learning center. Meet some Morningside graduates who work in the new facilities, and learn from them how Buhler Rohlfs Hall will enhance the agricultural and food studies, education and nursing programs, and how the Krone Advising Center will help transform advising at Morningside.
Photos by Doug Burg, Burg Studios.
“academic village” project By Jenny Welp
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Fortune 500 executive leaves job to direct new ag program Earlier this year, Chris Benson 1994 left his job as a vice president at Tyson Foods after 20 years with the company. He resigned so he could serve as director of the new Regina Roth Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Program at Morningside College. “Here is an opportunity to have an impact on a lot of young people and the future of agriculture,” he said. “Hopefully I can use the experiences I’ve had in my life to mentor young people as they come through this program.” The new applied agricultural and food studies program prepares students for a wide range of careers involved directly or
indirectly in food and fiber production. It combines a broad liberal arts background with direct, hands-on training in a specific field. “We are doing weekly labs in the industry so our students are getting in front of industry leaders, whether that’s a local farmer all the way to some of the largest agribusiness companies in the world,” Benson said. “That’s an experience you can’t teach in a classroom, and with our size and our proximity to agribusiness, we are able to do that much better than some of the other schools.” Minors such as agribusiness, agronomy, food safety, and environmental policy and
law help students specialize. Then when they are juniors or seniors, they spend a semester working full time in industry. Ideally, these externships lead to job offers. Benson said the new facility sends a message to both prospective students and industry leaders. “Everybody loves to be part of something new,” he said. “Not only putting up a new building but committing space to an ag department that’s new on campus, it just shows the overall commitment the college is making to our students and the future of agriculture.”
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Teacher with decades of experience prepares next generation In course evaluations, education majors have said they like real-life examples from the classroom. That’s not a problem for Cathy Wilt 1998, an associate professor in the Sharon Walker School of Education. She taught in the public schools for more than 30 years before coming to Morningside. “One of the things we try to do is model,” she said. “So if we’re showing students how to teach any sort of lesson, we’re going to teach it the way we would hope they will teach it.” The new classroom building will help with that effort. The classrooms are equipped with the technology being used in
today’s schools. Also, the tables and chairs can easily be moved into the classroom arrangement that best fits the lesson. “When we went to school, the desks were all in nice little rows. They don’t recommend that anymore,” Wilt said. “There are certain classroom arrangements that are more conducive to interaction with the students, whether it’s here at Morningside or in an elementary classroom.” Education students practice by teaching lessons to their peers. The new classrooms are large and there are interactive white boards around the room so multiple students can teach lessons at once.
Wilt said this will save a lot of class time. The classrooms also are large enough that professors could model co-teaching, something that is very common in today’s elementary classrooms. This is Wilt’s 10th year teaching at Morningside College. She said she loves her job. “I’m impacting a class that’s going to impact a whole generation of children,” Wilt said. “It’s intimidating in some respects, but it’s what drives me to do the best I can because I want to be a good role model for them and I want them to leave here being the best teachers they can be.”
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Former employee’s daughter returns as assistant professor Kari (Skalisky) Varner 2007 feels like she grew up at Morningside College. “My dad – Jim Skalisky – worked in maintenance in Eppley Auditorium during the ‘80s and most of the ‘90s, so since I was a little kid, I’ve always been around the Morningside campus,” she said. Now Varner is back on campus as an assistant professor in the Nylen School of Nursing. She is excited to teach in the new classroom building, where the nursing area feels more like a hospital than a traditional classroom setting. There are patient rooms and even a nurses station. “In a patient room, you have several different alarms going off all of the time,”
Varner said. “By having the students practice in a realistic setting, we can get them comfortable with that now so when they go into a hospital room, they don’t seem nervous in front of the patient.” The college also purchased five new computer-simulated patients that are much more sophisticated than the ones the nursing department had before. “Students go to the hospitals to do clinicals, but it’s a gamble what you get to see,” Varner said. “You may not see a patient go unresponsive. You may not see a heart attack. You may not see a patient going into respiratory distress. With a simulator, you’re able to simulate those
situations so students have some experience with those critical situations.” From behind a two-way mirror, nursing professors can control the computersimulated patients to direct life-like nursing situations. Later they can use video recordings to reflect with students on how they did. “It’s going to be a great thing for Morningside,” Varner said. “This program has really grown since I was here, and adding this new building is just going to make it grow and flourish even more. I’m proud to be a part of it.”
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Recent grad turns down White House job to be a first-year adviser After earning a master’s degree, Alex Watters 2009 completed an internship in Washington, D.C., that led to a job offer in the White House. He turned it down. Watters felt he had a better offer – working as a first-year adviser at Morningside. “I believe in your work and then your life’s work,” he said. “I’m trying to focus on what I can do to better these students’ lives and how I can make the most impact while here.” Watters is one of four new full-time, first-year advisers working in the new Krone Advising Center. From summer registration all the way through to
declaring a major, the advisers help students lay the groundwork for a successful college experience. Later in their college careers, once students have identified their goals and declared a major, they transfer to a faculty adviser. “One thing that surprised all of us was how many drop-in appointments you have,” Watters said. “It’s really great. It shows a sense of trust that they feel that they can come and talk to us about anything that’s on their mind, from ‘I was thinking about this major. What are your thoughts?’ to ‘I’m really struggling with this. What would you recommend?’” Watters said the new facility provides
first-year advisers with their own private offices, which will lead to more meaningful conversations. There also is a state-of-theart classroom where advisers can offer educational programs to large groups of students. The idea is to give students a great start at Morningside, making them more likely to graduate in four years. “I really believe in what we’re doing at Morningside College,” he said. “I’m one of those die-hards that’s just so passionate about what we’re trying to offer our students.”
Taking thelead
Recent graduates stand out in their professions By Jenny Welp
Morningside is one of the fastest-growing private colleges in the country. What is so special about a Morningside degree? Recent graduates share their success stories.
16 Jed McCoy earns full-ride scholarship to study engineering When Jed McCoy 2013 arrived at Morningside as a freshman, he told himself he was going to take advantage of every opportunity offered by the college. Now Jed has a full-ride scholarship at Washington State University, where he is earning a Ph.D. in material science and engineering. He was selected to receive a GAANN fellowship, which covers all of his tuition and fees plus a living stipend. “A really good thing about Morningside is that faculty members know what you need to do to be a success,” he said. “They told me that I would need to get internships or research experience if I wanted to go into engineering, so that’s what I did and it worked out really well.” As both an engineering physics and math major at Morningside, Jed worked with his professors on research projects. He also applied and was selected for two competitive summer research programs offered by the National Science Foundation. “The research experiences
helped, but what really pushed my resume over the top was all of the leadership positions I had on campus,” he said. “The faculty member at Washington State who selected me was really impressed.” Jed’s current research focus is growing cadmium zinc telluride single crystals for room temperature radiation detectors. After he finishes his Ph.D., he plans to get a job as a research scientist in industry. Others with his degree are working for Raytheon, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and NASA. Jed’s advice to other students is to make the most of your time at Morningside. “You get out of it what you put into it,” he said. “If you put in the hard work and research what you need to do for the career you want, it’s going to pay off. Really, it’s up to you.” Jed McCoy 2013 works as a research assistant in the Center for Materials Research at Washington State University. He was the first person in his family to attend Morningside.
Nancy Waterstraat studies peace and conflict management in Israel recently completed that one-year program, and she is planning to go to law Nancy Waterstraat 2013 was a long way from her hometown of Stralsund, school after she gets married. Eventually she would like to work for the Germany, when she first came to Morningside College. But it was easy to get United Nations or the European Court of Human Rights. involved in campus life, and before long Morningside felt like home. Nancy said the Morningside community makes her feel that she can do “It’s a very welcoming family atmosphere,” she said. about anything. Nancy got involved in lots of activities. Among other things, she joined “It makes you feel good about yourself when people say, ‘You can do the mock trial team and became a resident assistant. She also met regularly this,’” she said. “That was actually really incredible, and I’m very grateful to with the college president and her professors, discussing topics ranging everybody who said it.” from the Israel-Palestine conflict to what it is like to go to law school. When it came time to apply to graduate school, Nancy had no trouble getting letters of recommendation. She applied to five different graduate programs and was accepted to every single one. Then the Morningside College community was there to help her make a decision. “When your biggest problem is you don’t know where to go because everybody accepted you – that is a luxury problem but it is still a problem – they helped me,” she said. In the end, Nancy decided to get a master’s degree in peace and conflict management from the Nancy Waterstraat 2013 visits Wadi Rum in Jordan during a trip with friends at the beginning of her studies at the University of Haifa in Israel. Nancy came to Morningside as an international student from Stralsund, Germany. University of Haifa in Israel. She
Reid Rosen manages a third of the inventory for agricultural company When Reid Rosen 2013 first came to college, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do for a career. So he took advantage of the opportunity to try several different things while a student at Morningside. “My family has always been in agriculture, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to do ag until I got to Morningside and I had the opportunity to do an internship with Tyson,” he said. “I worked in the Dakota Dunes office, and I had a great boss and a great opportunity there. “From there, it really took off,” he said. “I worked for Tyson for two
years, American Foods Group for a year, and then Security National Bank, just to change it up a little bit. Now I actually am back in the ag industry, but I’m in the row crops business.” Reid currently manages a third of the inventory for Rosen’s Inc., a company specializing in crop production products. He said he learned a lot in college that he uses as a business director for Rosen’s. “The nice thing about Morningside, it’s a small school,” he said. “You constantly have to communicate because you have presentations. You work with small groups. You have one-on-one interactions with your professors. You just learn a lot about communication and people.” Reid’s first major task at Rosen’s was to work with a team to price 2,200 different products. He was proud that his team got prices out to customers in record time. “It’s kind of the barometer for what your year is going to be like,” he said. “It was really exciting to see that even before the year had started, we were on track to have a better year than the year previous.” Rosen’s went on to have a Reid Rosen 2013 (center) and Chris Benson 1994 (right), director of the Regina Roth Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Program, share a light-hearted moment with Tom Rosen 1970, Reid’s father, during the Homecoming football game at Morningside College. record year for earnings.
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Lydia Bienlien earns all-expense-paid fellowship to study marine science When Lydia Bienlien 2013 came to Morningside College, she knew she wanted to major in biology, so she figured she would end up working in a medical field. It was at Morningside that she realized what she really wanted to do for a career. Lydia had regular chats with John Reynders, the president at Morningside College. He encouraged her to apply for internships, as did her biology professors. Lydia applied and was chosen for two paid summer internships. The first one was a medical research internship the summer before her junior year. “It was over that summer that I realized I did not want to do anything medical at all,” she said. Lydia had enjoyed the marine microbiology research project she had done at Morningside, so next she applied and was selected for an internship at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. “It was over that summer that I was like, ‘Wow, this is exactly what I want to do,’” she said. “I’d always loved the water, and I just kind of re-connected with that over the summer. So it was at the beginning of my senior year that I really started looking into graduate programs in marine science or oceanography.” Lydia was accepted into every graduate program where she applied. She decided to return to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The highly selective program offered Lydia a graduate assistantship that paid all tuition costs plus a living stipend. “A lot of people can have really good grades, and a lot of people can have a lot of athletic and academic achievements,” she said. “But when you add on that third level of doing different internships, I think those three together really helped me get where I wanted to go.”
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Lydia Bienlien 2013 zip ties oyster bags as part of a research project at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. She was the first person in her family to attend Morningside.
Monte Larsen is chosen from nearly 75 applicants for teaching job Monte Larsen 2012 always knew he wanted to be a teacher, and he knew he loved sports. At Morningside, he was able to pursue these two passions and turn them into a career. From nearly 75 applicants, he was chosen to be a fifth-grade teacher and the head cross country coach for the Sergeant Bluff-Luton Community School District. “Honestly, I don’t know what stood out for me from other people,” he said. “Maybe just the way that I teach, but I learned all of that from my professors.” The job is perfect for Monte in about every way – location, school size, grade level, even the opportunity to coach cross country. “It was pretty awesome how everything just kind of worked out,” he said. It helped that Monte had some amazing achievements at Morningside. He was the Elementary Student Teacher of the Year. He also earned national recognition on Morningside’s track team. He was an individual national champion, he was part of a national championship team three different times, and he was a 12-time All American. “I was decent at track in high school, but definitely not what I turned out to be,” he said. “A lot of it had to do with my team, everyone always there and always pushing you to do better. Pretty much everything that I use now as a coach and a teacher came from Morningside, just always putting my athletes and my students first before anything else and then helping them to get better in everything that they do has been my philosophy.” Monte earned a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Morningside this year.
Monte Larsen 2012 coaches Sergeant Bluff-Luton during a cross country meet at West High School in Sioux City. His older brother, Paul Larsen 2006, is also a Morningside graduate.
Grant Wittstruck starts company that has offices in three states When Grant Wittstruck 2008 transferred to Morningside College, he didn’t know what he wanted to do for a career. But just a few years after graduating, he helped start a company that now has offices in Iowa, Florida and Louisiana. Grant started college at a state school. He said he had fun there, but he had a better experience during his last three years at Morningside. “Every teacher knew me by my first name and actually cared about me as a student, which is a pretty rare deal, you know?” he said. At Morningside, Grant majored in photography and minored in advertising and mass communication. Since he hadn’t yet chosen a profession, he just took classes that interested him. One of those classes was web design. That class came in handy when Grant got an internship as a webmaster for Powell Broadcasting. He did so well that the company hired him when he graduated. At first, he managed several websites and did ad sales. Then he began to offer creative services to other companies, helping with everything from websites and social media to print projects and videos. The creative services piece really took off. “Probably two years into it, we started to brand my department as iCast Interactive, kind of as its own entity,” Grant said. “Once we got to that level, we started adding people. We added several full-time
sales personnel, graphic designers, web developers and videographers.” Now iCast Interactive joins Powell Broadcasting as one of 14 companies in The Powell Group Corporation. Grant oversees daily operations in Sioux City; Panama City Beach, Fla.; and Baton Rouge, La. “I’ve grown as the company’s grown,” he said. “It’s a pretty cool deal.”
Grant Wittstruck 2008 (right) and his boss, Denny Bullock, speak to a class at Morningside. His father, Dr. John Wittstruck 1965, was a Morningside graduate, and his grandmother, Grace Wittstruck, worked at Morningside from 1963 to 1980. He is married to Brandi (Shipler) Wittstruck 2007.
Jamie Vander Kooi is named a clinical nurse expert at her hospital Jamie Vander Kooi 2011 has known she wanted to be a nurse ever since she visited relatives in the hospital as a young child. Many years later, Morningside helped her get the job she wanted at that very same hospital. Jamie works at UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s in Sioux City on a medicalsurgical floor. This floor sees a wide variety of patients, including those who have just been moved out of the intensive care unit. “I’ve always loved seeing something different every day,” she said. “I also have always been interested in cardiology and cardiac patients, and
we do tend to see more of those on my unit compared to other units of the hospital.” Just three years after graduating, Jamie was named the clinical nurse expert on her floor. “I’m the go-to person for help,” she said. “I do a lot of research and implementation of best practices for nursing for our unit as a way to improve our unit and our patient outcomes.” Jamie isn’t sure exactly why she was chosen for this leadership position. “I was always one to put forth a lot of effort on the unit,” she said. “The professors at Morningside pushed you to take advantage of every opportunity you’re given. That’s how you’re going to learn the best, and people are going to notice that about you.” Jamie is currently taking graduate nursing courses from Morningside, and she plans to eventually get her master’s degree. “Our professors pushed us to be leaders in our profession, to get involved in activities to make a change for the better,” she said. “That’s something I always liked Jamie Vander Kooi 2011 works as a clinical nurse expert at UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s in Sioux City. Her brother-in-law, Jake Stevenson 2008, is the wrestling coach at Morningside. about Morningside.”
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Faculty Notes Geoff Harkness, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology, had his first book published, and he presented research at a conference. The book, “Chicago Hustle and Flow: Gangs, Gangsta Rap, and Social Class,” was published by the University of Minnesota Press. It explores the relationship between gang membership, gangsta rap and social class in Chicago’s underground rap music scene. Based on six years of ethnographic research, the book takes readers into this world and offers an up-close account of the connections between street gang and gangsta rap culture. His presentation at the American Sociological Association’s annual conference in San Francisco focused on a paper he co-authored. It examines the social processes that lead to inner-family matrimony, which remains an enduring marital arrangement in the Middle East.
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John Helms, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, was an author of five papers that were published. Helms had articles published in Aquatic Sciences, Organic Geochemistry and Marine Chemistry that discussed how natural environmental systems function and how human activities influence them, specifically relating to the carbon cycle and potential climate changerelated processes. He also co-authored an article in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry that explores the process by which sunlight breaks down the allergy medicine Zyrtec in natural waters, as normal wastewater treatment does not work, and he co-authored a paper in “Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry” that describes improved methods for finding the harmful algal toxins that cause significant economic losses to the shellfish and tourism industries along the Gulf Coast. Anthony Kern, Ph.D., associate professor of biology and academic chair of the Regina Roth Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Program, co-authored an article in the journal Agroforestry Systems with collaborators from the University of Wisconsin. The article reviews the genetics of wild populations of the American hazelnut plant, as well as its overall production of healthy, monounsaturated fats. The team of researchers is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its work in developing the hazelnut as a perennial crop for the northern Midwest. Pam Mickelson, Ed.D., professor and chair of business administration, presented and judged at the Marketing Management Association Fall Educators’ Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Mickelson was a judge for a teaching award for new marketing
education ideas. She also presented and chaired a session where she discussed how using the right clients has helped her students complete class marketing projects successfully. Clients are local and regional businesses, small to mid-size firms and non-profit or for-profit organizations. Jessica Pleuss, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, and two students presented research at the Association for Psychological Science’s annual convention in San Francisco. One poster, presented with student Chelsey Harvey 2014 of Goldfield, Iowa, showed their findings on whether better note-takers do better in class. Another poster, presented with student Elizabeth White of Altoona, Iowa, showed how the presence of visual aids, specifically what the teacher wrote on the white board, impacted the notes students took. Pleuss will be conducting a follow-up study this year examining visual aids and note-taking more thoroughly. Heather Reid, Ph.D. professor of philosophy, gave lectures in Olympia, Greece, and Seoul, South Korea, and she had a chapter published in a book in Italy. In all of these venues, she discussed issues related to sports philosophy. In Greece, Reid was an invited speaker at the International Olympic Academy, and she gave a talk at the International Conference of the Olympic Center for Philosophy and Education. In South Korea, Reid gave a series of lectures at Seoul National University. She had a chapter published in the book “Philosophy, Sport and Education: International Perspectives,” which was published in Viterbo, Italy. Jeremy Schnieder, Ph.D., assistant professor of writing and rhetoric, presented a paper at the International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. The paper discussed how the current desire for computerized scoring of writing is actually similar to the answers tried before by assessment scholars. Schnieder argues that the methods of the past need to be understood before essay scoring can move forward to a better future. Chris Spicer, Ph.D., assistant professor of mathematics, presented a talk at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Seoul, South Korea. The talk, “A Cohen-Kaplansky Domain Construction,” was based on a paper he wrote with Jim Coykendall, a professor of mathematics at Clemson University. The paper answers a question originally posed in an article by I. S. Cohen and I. Kaplansky in 1946.
Tim Watson, M.M., assistant professor of music and director of choral activities, was named chair of the Youth and Student Activities Area for the Iowa Choral Directors Association Repertoire and Standards Committee. As one of 13 committee area chairs, Watson will coordinate all college student activities for the choral directors association. Heather Wilburn, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor of philosophy, presented a paper at the Southwest Seminar in Continental Philosophy at Colorado College in Colorado Springs. The paper discussed the beliefs of philosopher and social critic Theodor W. Adorno, a German philosopher who was prominent in the 1960s and 1970s.
New Faculty Richard Crow, M.S., assistant professor of applied agricultural and food studies, previously was an agronomy instructor at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Crow has a master’s degree in agronomy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jerry R. Ditter, M.A., assistant professor of theatre, previously was an instructor, director and stage manager at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colo. Ditter has a master’s degree in dramatic arts from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Lindsey R. Dutler, D.N.P., assistant professor of nursing education, previously taught graduate-level nursing courses at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City. She continues to work part time as a family nurse practitioner. Dutler has a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Creighton University in Omaha, Neb.
Geoff Harkness, Ph.D. assistant professor of sociology, previously was a visiting assistant professor of sociology at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. Harkness has a doctorate in sociology from Northwestern University in Evanston.
Anni Moore, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor of biology, previously was a natural science instructor at Midstate College in Peoria, Ill. Moore has a doctorate in biological sciences from Northern Illinois University.
Heather Wilburn, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor of philosophy, most recently was a lecturer at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Wilburn has a doctorate in philosophy from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.
John R. Helms, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, previously held a postdoctoral research fellowship in the Marine and Atmospheric Chemistry Research Laboratory at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He has a doctorate in chemistry from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.
Layana C. NavarreJackson, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology, previously was an assistant professor online for Ashland University. Navarre-Jackson has a doctorate in sociology from the University of Iowa.
New Staff
Valerie Hennings 2001, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science, previously taught at Iowa State University in Ames. Hennings has a doctorate in political science from the University of WisconsinMadison. Jean (Peters) Hickman 1981, M.M., assistant professor of music, most recently directed choirs at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Hickman is completing a doctorate in music education and choral conducting from the University of Florida. Earle Knowlton, Ed.D., professor of graduate education, previously was a faculty member at the University of Kansas in Lawrence for 36 years. Knowlton has a doctorate in special education from the University of Kentucky in Lexington.
Anne Garreans Power, Ph.D., associate professor of business administration, was previously employed for 12 years as an associate professor of business and management information systems at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City. She has a doctorate in higher education administration and leadership from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Timothy Sesterhenn, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, previously was a postdoctoral research associate at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. Sesterhenn has a doctorate in biology from the University of Kentucky. Tessa Weinstein, Ph.D., assistant professor of mathematical sciences, previously was an assistant professor of mathematics at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C. Weinstein has a doctorate in applied mathematics from the University of Colorado at Denver.
Joanie Beaver, campus visit coordinator, coordinates individual campus visits through relationships with current students, faculty, financial aid staff, admissions counselors, fine arts faculty and coaches. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of West Florida in Pensacola. Nick Brewer, custodian, is responsible for the cleanliness of assigned areas and performance of other duties established by the director of physical plant and the custodial supervisor. Sara Bunker, experiential learning and volunteer coordinator, assists with the set-up, execution and follow-up of experiential learning, community service and volunteer opportunities for the campus community. Bunker has a master’s degree from the University of Missouri in Columbia. Samuel Clary, area coordinator and student development coordinator, coordinates the day-to-day functions of residence halls in his assigned area, and he coordinates the campus Leadership Academy and wellness program. He also provides coordination for residence life staff selection and training. Clary has a bachelor’s degree from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis.
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Claire DeRoin 2013, administrative assistant for the Walker Science Center, assists the chemistry, biology, physics, psychology, math and computer science departments in general office responsibilities, and she assists the department chairs with various tasks. DeRoin has a bachelor’s degree from Morningside College. Dr. Beth Hinga, associate dean for academic affairs, supports the provost in the management and administration of academic programs and is responsible for management of all adjunct faculty, library services and the scheduling of courses each term. She has a doctorate from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
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Scott Kruger 2011, equipment manager, is responsible for maintenance and distribution of athletic equipment for all intercollegiate sports teams, as well as custodial duties in the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center. Kruger has a bachelor’s degree from Morningside College.
Kim Sangwin, web applications programmer, works on the information services team to ensure that web-based solutions are provided for electronic communication needs. She organizes and supervises all web-based programming and integration with other systems. Sangwin has an associate’s degree from Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City.
Joey Awtry 2014, Cassie Burnside 2014 and Betsy Chilton, admissions counselors, provide information and guidance to prospective students and their families about Morningside College policies, procedures, programs and student life. Awtry and Burnside both have a bachelor’s degree from Morningside College, and Chilton has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Bob Roslansky, programmer/analyst, works on the information services team to develop and support applications on the college’s information management system. Roslansky has a bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Ryan Russell, chaplain and director of church relations, provides pastoral care, programmatic leadership, spiritual direction and moral guidance to the Morningside College community. He also works closely with the United Methodist church and assists in the recruiting of United Methodist students. Russell has a Master of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill.
New Appointments Carla Gregg, director of administrative computing, uses a broad background in systems analysis, programming and database management to provide support to a diverse group of users of administrative computer applications. Gregg has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Mike Husmann 2003, executive director of information services, oversees the information services department. He ensures that it provides technological infrastructure, software platforms, data networks, workstations and information technology support for the campus community. Husmann has a bachelor’s degree from Morningside College. Dr. Lillian Lopez, vice president for advising, is responsible for the college’s holistic, academic and career advising programs. She coordinates retention efforts on campus, and she oversees the Krone Advising Center, a new building on campus that houses a team of full-time, professional, first-year advisers. Lopez has a law degree from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez. Dr. John Pinto, associate vice president for graduate programs and institutional assessment, is responsible for the graduate programs in education and nursing. The deans of those two graduate programs report to him. He also continues to direct the undergraduate and graduate assessment efforts of the college. Pinto has a doctorate from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Dr. Karmen Ten Napel, dean of students, supervises programs and personnel in the following areas: academic support center, campus ministry, counseling services, health services, intramurals, residence life, student activities, student conduct and student success program. Ten Napel has a doctorate from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.
Beth Boettcher, Katie Hodgden, Dr. Heather McFarland and Alex Watters 2009, first-year advisers, work with first-year students to lay the groundwork for a successful and gratifying college experience. Boettcher has a master’s degree from South Dakota State University in Brookings. Hodgden has a master’s degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato. McFarland has a doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. Watters has a master’s degree from Creighton University in Omaha, Neb.
faculty and staff
notes
Class Notes Please send your news to: Jeanie Dolphin Morningside College 1501 Morningside Ave. Sioux City, IA 51106 alumni@morningside.edu 712-274-5363
1937
Phyllis (Jacobson) Flato has been active in the United Methodist Church for 40 years.
1949
Charles Berkstresser Jr. had a long career as a geologist and chemist with the U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Division. He did groundwater studies and water analysis in the chemistry lab. He retired in 1973 from the U.S. Geological Survey. He continued working part time, and he taught at a number of community colleges and at California State University-Sacramento. He quit working in 1993. He lives in Carmichael, Calif., a suburb of Sacramento. Clarice (Moone) Speck and her husband, Francis, are celebrating 20 years of volunteering at U.S. National Parks in Arizona and Florida.
1959
The Rev. Robert Leverenz has published “That’s What They Are In For: A Pastoral Memoir of a Privileged Profession,” a memoir of his career as a United Methodist pastor.
1960
Lance Lehmberg is an adjunct professor of music at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
1971
A group of alumni went to see “Side Show” at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in July. Dr. Bill Russell 1971 wrote the book and lyrics for the production, which is now playing on Broadway in New York City. The alumni who attended the production are Dr. Esther Mackintosh 1969, Dr. Marty (Steele) Knepper 1972, Drs. Gene 1971 and Deb (Anderson) Knudsen 1973, Mike 1972 and Jane Schmidt, and John and Marilyn (Kehoe) Van Ausdall 1972.
1973
Pat (Sanders) Harm is business office director at Northpark Place Senior Living in Sioux City.
Larry Mason, head men’s and women’s tennis coach at Morningside, was named the 2014 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year after he guided the Mustangs to their first-ever GPAC regular season and post-season tournament championships and their first-ever appearance in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Women’s Tennis National Championship tournament. The Mustangs had a 12-5 record during the 2013-2014 season, including a perfect 7-0 record in the GPAC.
1975
Delbert Christensen umpired the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Softball Championships in Fort Dodge for the fourth time in the last six years.
1976
Jeff Moran recently celebrated 25 years with the Woodbridge Fire Department in New Jersey and 19 years as shift commander.
1979
1985
Randy Gaulke wrote two chapters for “A Companion to the Meuse-Argonne Campaign” (Wiley Blackwell, 2014), a book examining this battle that took place at the end of World War I. Gaulke also launched his website, www.meuse-argonne.com. The website is dedicated to presenting stories and details on both sides of that battle. David Speer is a store manager at Pet Supplies Plus in Orland Park, Ill., and a district leader for Primerica Financial Services.
1989
Chris Mansfield is lead instructor of audio engineering at Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City.
1991
Patrick O’Connell is director of marketing and communications for the Americas region of KONE, a global manufacturer of elevators and escalators.
Pamela Miller-Smith is a sales executive, global account management, for BlackLine Systems. She lives in Dakota Dunes, S.D.
Kim (Christophersen) Steffen is the business manager for Western Iowa Telephone in Lawton, Iowa.
1980
1993
Dr. Daniel Frazier was recognized by eSchool News and its sponsors as the National Tech-Savvy Superintendent of the Year for 2012. He was also nominated in 2014 for a Bammy! Award as National Superintendent of the Year as considered by the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences International.
Steve Doohen was recognized by Whitfield & Eddy P.L.C. for 15 years of service to the firm.
1995
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Mark Franken is director of corporate communications at Spansion.
1996
1982
Deborah Craft-Marks and her husband, John, of Greenfield, Wis., recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. They were married in Elk Point, S.D., on May 28, 1988. Additionally, Deborah has retired from the Department of Veterans Affairs in Milwaukee, Wis.
1983
Jayson Santi is an interface analyst at Zuercher Technologies in Sioux Falls, S.D.
1997
Staci Page is a business teacher at East and West high schools in Sioux City.
1998
Dr. Keith Vollstedt celebrated 15 years working at Midlands Clinic in Dakota Dunes, S.D.
Karla (Engbard) Santi is chief executive officer at Blend Interactive, a web design, development and strategy firm located in Sioux Falls, S.D.
1984
1999
Kelly (Phillips) Kamowski was promoted to accounting manager for the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Chicago.
Andrew McGinn is editor of The Jefferson Herald in Jefferson, Iowa. A Jefferson native, McGinn spent nearly 14 years as a reporter and columnist for the Springfield News-Sun in Ohio. Heidi (Struve) Rozmiarek is assistant director of information technology development at UnityPoint Health in Madison, Wis.
class notes
Penny Skauge does community outreach for KSMQ Public Television. KSMQ reaches communities in southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa and is located in her hometown of Austin, Minn.
2000
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Krista Lee was teaching kindergarten in a small, rural town in west Texas when she noticed that many of her students were coming to school hungry, particularly on Monday mornings. With permission from her principal, she began investigating how they could start a program similar to the Feeding America BackPack Program, where nutritious, kid-friendly food is inserted into a child’s backpack on Friday to provide food for the weekend. The local food bank was unable to help, but a staff member there directed her to another agency, Panhandle Community Services, to umbrella the program. The program started at Lee’s school, Bluebonnet Elementary, and then was added to all of the district’s elementary schools the following year. The program now feeds 450 students over the weekend. Lee and her husband, Dr. Dwight Vick, wrote a case study about her experiences, and it was published by the Rutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administration as a real-life example of what it is like to start a nonprofit organization in a rural area. Lee now teaches second grade at Irvin C. Mollison Elementary School in Chicago. She is pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Morningside. Amy (Divis) McGinn teaches second grade at Greene County Elementary School in Jefferson, Iowa. McGinn was previously the Pre-K mentor teacher at the Early Childhood Education Center in Springfield, Ohio. Lori Olson is now commissioned as a national bank examiner. Nathan West served as a liaison officer at Sioux City West High School from 2006 to 2010. Last year the senior class at West High School – the students who were freshmen his last year there – invited him back to give the Homecoming coronation speech. The point of his speech was for them to respect themselves. No matter what they look like, no matter what they do as far as being involved in sports, band, student leadership or just being a plain old student, they matter. He also told them to be strong for themselves and understand there is a reason why they are here, and they can and will make a difference in life for themselves or others around them. West currently works with the Special Investigations Unit of the Sioux City Police Department.
2001
Jason Bennett is a claims adjuster at Claims Associates in Sioux Falls, S.D.
LOST & FOUND
This fall Gene Ambroson, director of alumni relations, received an email from a woman in Brooklyn, N.Y., who had found a Morningside College class ring and made it her mission to return it to its rightful owner. Anna Gasperoni was helping to organize the home of one of her relatives when she stumbled upon the ring. With its size and markings, she surmised that the ring belonged to a man with the initials “J.C.F.” who graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Morningside College in 1949. “That’s Jack C. Fessendon with his wife, Jean funny,” she mused to herself, as she turned the ring over and examined it. “We’ve never had anyone in our family with those initials, much less graduate from Morningside.” Class rings are special mementos, so Gasperoni felt compelled to locate the owner. After asking her family about the ring, she came up with little information. Apparently, one of her cousins found the ring when he was a child, but no one could explain how he came upon it or why the ring ended up on the northeast coast. That evening, with the ring propped on the keyboard of her laptop, Gasperoni googled Morningside College. Seeing Ambroson’s career profile and contact information, she crafted an email to him. “Gene, I thank you for any help you might be able to provide. Would you just drop me an email to let me know if you can help with this mission? Anna Gasperoni.” Upon receipt of the email, Ambroson set to work. Poring over class pictures from the 1949 yearbook, he located only one photo with initials that matched “J.C.F.” It was Jack Fessendon of Huntsville, Ala. Sadly, Ambroson discovered that Fessendon passed away in 2009 at the age of 84. Ambroson sent the information to Gasperoni, along with a link to Fessendon’s obituary, which included the names of Fessendon’s children. After several emails back and forth between Gasperoni and Ambroson, they managed to find contact information for Fessendon’s two daughters, Linda Butts and Gail Higgins. Linda Butts was out of town, but Higgins responded almost immediately. Her father did indeed attend Morningside College, but she was uncertain as to whether
Chad Hutchinson started a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in orchestral conducting at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 2014.
Sheenah (Beavers) Tonga is a client relationship assistant at Robert W. Baird & Co.-Stuck Layman Rose Group in Sioux City.
Brooke (Golliher) Williams has several romantic comedy novels coming out – “Wrong Place, Right Time” in December; “Accept this Dandelion” in February; and “Mamarazzi” in August. In addition, her children’s book “Baby Sheep Gets a Haircut” will be published in February 2016.
2007
2002
Kelli (McGill) Britton is a sales representative for Thermo Fisher Scientific.
2005
Ryan Hutchinson is operations manager at Polaris Industries in Vermillion, SD.
2006
Taylor Templeton is an executive team leader at Target in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Bryan Dowd is senior vice president/senior lender at First American Bank in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Eloy Garza is a marketing professor with South Texas College and PSJA Southwest Early College High School in Pharr, Texas. He is also owner of Business Capital Advance LLC, www.bcadvance.com, a financial services company specializing in providing working capital to small and mid-sized businesses. John Palmer, of Fairfax, Iowa, is partner and chief software architect for Edcipher, an educational technology company.
Long-lost class ring is returned
By Laura L. Florio
he had ever owned or lost a college ring. Higgins promised to speak with her mother, Jean, who had married Fessendon in 1947 and now, at 89 years old, was in good health and resided in Tennessee. “That would be so awesome if it is his. What a great story – if only jewelry could talk,” Higgins wrote in her correspondence to Gasperoni. When Higgins mentioned the ring to her mother that afternoon in conversation, she could sense the joy in her voice. “You found the ring? My goodness! I can’t tell you the times he wondered what happened to it. He figured he lost it during one of his Army tours back in the 1950s. And you say it’s in Brooklyn? I don’t believe Jack ever visited there. What a miracle! If only he could be here to wear it again!” Elated, Higgins called Gasperoni to convey the news. After their conversation, Gasperoni placed the ring in a secure box and sent it express mail to Jean in Tennessee. Gasperoni even placed an angel sticker on the box in honor of Jack Fessendon. When Jean received it, she wrote Gasperoni a note to express her sincerest thanks. “We are so grateful to you,” Jean carefully scripted. “God surely had a hand in this story, and when I go to Mass on Sunday, I will certainly remember you in my prayers. Not many would take the time that you did in locating us. You have made us so happy in sending Jack’s ‘long-lost ring.’ I feel Jack would give you a big hug. Thank you and God bless you.” Gasperoni sighed in satisfaction after reading the letter. The mystery of the ring had been solved, and a dear family was now in possession of a treasured token to remind them of their late and beloved father. It was a happy ending indeed. About the ring’s owner: Jack C. Fessendon, a graduate of Morningside College, lived a full life. He worked for the military for 33 years and served in three wars: World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He attended graduate school and received a master’s degree in personnel management from George Washington University in 1963, and then a certificate in accounting from the University of Alabama in 1984. He and Jean were married for 61 years, had two daughters and lived throughout the United States. He enjoyed acting in theatre productions.
Cara Anderson is the advertising manager for 7 Day Furniture in Omaha, Neb. Alena Arendt is campus and organizational leader at Southwestern Advantage in Lincoln, Neb. Justin Shideler is a market representative for Federated Insurance in Sioux City. Laci Swanson is a registered nurse at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa.
2012
Jeff Bauer Jr. is attending Drake University Law School and is a law clerk at the Secretary of State’s Office in Des Moines, Iowa. Jessica Boschen is a resident assistant for Good Samaritan Society in Syracuse, Neb. Tahaun Fountain is a freelance designer and a football coach at Hoover High School in Des Moines, Iowa. Whitney (Postma) Hancock is a registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. Samantha McCarville is a corps member for Teach for America, a national teacher corps of recent college graduates who commit two years to teach and to effect change in under-resourced urban and rural public schools. She is teaching at a low-income school district in rural Arkansas.
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2013
Emily Beckfield is an occupancy specialist at Loring Towers with Aimco Apartment Homes in Minneapolis. Kara (Mickelson) Reis is a health coach manager for Mercy ACO (Accountable Care Organization) in Waukee, Iowa. Mercy ACO health coaches are licensed, registered nurses stationed within Mercy ACO primary care clinics who work with primary care doctors to provide one-on-one care to help patients set and achieve health care improvement goals.
Daniel Herrstrom is an infrastructure management analyst at FIREHOUSE Software in Urbandale, Iowa.
Laura (Moman) Roost is a lecturer of political theory in the political science department at Pennsylvania State University.
Philip Lieder was hired to teach students in the School of Paralegal Studies at IBMC College in Longmont, CO. He also is in the process of earning an MBA from the University of Colorado in Denver. He expects to graduate in the fall of 2015.
Brianna (Blake) Schechinger is a senior graphic designer for the Business Record at Business Publications Corp. in Des Moines, Iowa. Mallory Trudell is a user interface designer at West Interactive in Omaha, Neb.
2008
Mellisa Flanigan is a business instructor at Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City.
2009
Sam Kruse is an electrician at Mid States Electric in Sioux City, Iowa.
Tarah (Sagedahl) Nolan is a broker associate at Keller Williams Realty in Sioux Falls, S.D. Ashley (Krause) Wheat celebrated five years as a third-grade teacher at Bryant Elementary School in Sioux City.
2011
Krystal Carlson is a technician in the Environmental Services Lab at Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities in Saint Paul. Melissa Cruise is a community support social worker in Independence, Iowa. Kelci Teut was awarded the top graduate fellowship from the National Council of Alpha Lambda Delta to help cover the cost of graduate school at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. Teut is pursuing a master’s degree in women's, gender and sexuality studies. Chelsie Trask is a production coordinator at Kroenke Sports & Entertainment in Denver, Colo. Ismael Valadez is the founder of Unity in Action. Its mission is to empower Latinos by promoting workers’ rights, civic engagement and justice through education, training and advocacy.
class notes
Jennifer Allen is the operations coordinator for Food Bank of Siouxland in Sioux City.
2014
Megan Blackley is a graduate teaching assistant at Fort Hays State University in Kansas. She is pursuing a master’s degree in clinical psychology. Nick Brincks is a radio announcer for Community First Broadcasting in Spirit Lake, Iowa. Josh Calhoon is a customer service representative at Treynor State Bank in Treynor, Iowa. Jesus Cendejas is a staff pastor at Calvary Chapel in South Sioux City, Neb. Sarah Davy is the engagement lead for Blue Zones Projects® in Sioux City. Tasha Drey is a communications associate for the Sioux City Community School District. Demirae Dunn is faculty-led program coordinator for EF in Cambridge, Mass. The company offers a range of educational programs from language training, educational travel and academic degrees to cultural exchanges. Maggie Dykstra is a chemical dependency counselor at Human Services Center in Yankton, S.D.
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David Riveros García is president and founder of Reacción Juvenil de Cambio. Reacción Juvenil de Cambio (RJC) is an anti-corruption, non-profit non-governmental organization from Paraguay. Its mission is to promote civic education to empower and engage youth in the fight against corruption, particularly in the education sector. Riveros García founded the organization in 2010 when he was 19. Ever since, as president of RJC, he has led projects at the national and international level working in cooperation with organizations like the World Bank, the British Council Global Changemakers Program, and Transparency International. RJC is also a co-founder of the Global Youth Anti-Corruption Network (GYAC), which was incubated by the World Bank. This Paraguayan organization’s innovations in grassroots anti-corruption work have won recognitions internationally, a fact proven by invitations to present at events like the International Anti-Corruption Forum and the World Bank – International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings. Ellie Garrelts was hired for her mom's teaching position as a 4-year old preschool teacher at Emmetsburg West Elementary, the school district she attended growing up, following her mom's retirement. Claire Gibbons is a graduate teaching assistant at Oregon State University in Corvallis. She is pursuing a doctoral degree in mathematics.
Catching Up The Wainaina File Graduation Year: 1965 Major: History Current Residence: Nairobi, Kenya Current Occupation: Board Member, Kenya Electricity Generating Co. Sarah Wainaina embodies the Morningside College mission. Throughout her life, she has embraced adventure, leadership and known great success. She currently serves on the board for the Kenya Electricity Company and resides in Nairobi, Kenya. Wainaina came to Morningside College in 1962 as a J.F. Kennedy Flight Scholar. Although it was challenging to come to a foreign country not knowing anyone, she made the most of her time, got involved with the International Club, attended basketball games, excelled in her studies and made lifelong friends. As a student, Wainaina lived in Dimmitt Hall, so she was thrilled to hear of its upcoming renovation. Dimmitt was a special place for Wainaina because of the friendships she forged; she has kept in touch with Nancy (Peterson) Iden 1965, her Dimmitt Hall roommate and dear friend, along with hall mates Dr. Bonnie (Nagel) Messer 1964, Sharon (Carl) Seney 1966 and Donna (Cramblit) Deever 1966. These ladies made Wainaina feel at home, inviting her to share Thanksgiving and Christmas with their families. Iden, Messer and Deever have all visited Wainaina in Kenya, and she has visited them. Wainaina majored in history and minored in economics. She values the college’s rigorous academic standards and excellent faculty. “My experiences at Morningside helped me to think out of the box to find solutions to problems and helped me to perform my duties in public service when I returned to Kenya.” Her favorite instructor was history professor Dr. James Miller, and she recalls that the dean of foreign students helped her to get her books for school, as well as a work permit for working as a cashier at Woolworth’s in downtown Sioux City. One cold day, on her way to Woolworth’s, a woman befriended her and bought Wainaina her first winter coat. “Grandma Norris,” as Wainaina came to call her, also invited Wainaina to have dinner every Sunday with her and “Grandpa Norris,” who was a pastor at a Methodist church in South Dakota. After graduating, Wainaina moved to Nairobi, where she worked for the East African Community as a government administrator. In 1979, she was promoted to the Ministry of Finance as the first female price controller for Kenya, where she assisted in setting up the
Shaena Hanson is a veterinary assistant at Perry Creek Animal Hospital in Sioux City. Alexandra Hirt is a client service specialist for KCAS (Kansas City Analytical Services), a company that specializes in bioanalytical research. Jordan Johnson is a mentor coordinator for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Siouxland.
Kelly Kanaan just started law school at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. She said every political science class she took at Morningside prepared her for law school. She said Dr. Patrick McKinlay and Lillian Lopez did a wonderful job, and she can’t thank them enough for all of their hard work and dedication to her studies. Cora Kugler is a field organizer for NextGen Climate Action in Des Moines, Iowa. Jesse LaFramboise is a microbiologist for Tyson Foods in Dakota City, Neb. Allison (Brueggeman) Larson is an assistant/licensed practical nurse at UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s in Sioux City.
with Sarah Wainaina
By Laura L. Florio
department of Monopolies and Prices Commission under the recently established free market economy. She was then appointed as Kenya’s first monopolies and prices commissioner, remaining in her position until her retirement from public service in 1998. Wainaina’s career path has afforded her opportunities to travel and experience new places and cultures. She attended the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York City as a Kenyan delegate in 1978. This was her first trip to the U.S. since graduating from Morningside College. In 1984, the Kenyan government sent her to the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University to study anti-trust law, economic development and microeconomics. She also worked with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. Moreover, Wainaina has attended trainings and conferences in many different countries. When she retired, Wainaina was appointed to the Kenya Commercial Bank as the non-executive director, where she served for six years. She currently serves as nonexecutive director on the board for the Kenya Electricity Generating Co. Wainaina has one daughter, Angela, who lives in North Carolina, and one grandson, Muema, a freshman at University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. In 1993, after Wainaina attended Angela’s college graduation from Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C., the two flew to Elkader, Iowa, to visit Sharon Seney. Marnie, Seney’s daughter, drove Wainaina and Angela across the state to Sioux City to visit Morningside College. Together, they toured Dimmitt Hall, class buildings and the Methodist church in South Dakota. Wainaina’s intelligence, commitment to her country, ability to problem-solve and compassion for people continue to distinguish her. In 2011, the president of Kenya honored Wainaina with a Head of State Commendation Medal for her dedication to public service. She also helps the Mukui primary school in her hometown near Nairobi. To aid Wainaina in her work with the school, Nancy Iden, along with other Morningside friends, set up the Sarah Wainaina Scholarship Fund in 1999. The scholarship fund provides the Mukui primary school children with tuition fees, school supplies, uniforms, books and rain-harvested water. In 2014, the scholarship accrued enough funds to purchase shoes for every student at the school. Wainaina also contributes to the school the bananas she grows in her garden. Wainaina encourages Morningside students that they have the power to make themselves anything they want to become. “Focus on what you’re doing, and the sky is the limit. Get out and travel and go to other countries, because one will always learn something new. Then you will be able to see the needs of others and to offer different and effective solutions based on your gained knowledge. It is essential to understanding that God created us all in his image, and that we are all one people.”
Lindsay Martin is an admissions counselor for Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. Jordan Ogren is a news editor and photographer for KTIV-TV in Sioux City. Kelsie Pomerenke is a kindergarten teacher at Bryant Elementary School in Sioux City. Emma Remy is an acquisitions/dispositions analyst at Principal Financial Group in Des Moines, Iowa. Melissa Richter is box office manager and volunteer coordinator at The Rose Theater in Omaha, Neb.
In Loving Memory 1940 Irene (Johnson) Madison, West Lafayette, Ind., died June 1, 2014. Genevieve (Whittington) Sloan, Des Moines, Iowa, died Sept. 13, 2014. 1941 Joyce (Held) Jensen, Indianola, Iowa, died Feb. 28, 2014. Bruce Lindsay, Camarillo, Calif., died April 24, 2014. Glennys (Corderman) Pederson, Storm Lake, Iowa, died May 24, 2014. 1944 The Rev. Ivan Gossoo, Wolcott, Conn., died July 22, 2014. Helen (Ashby) Rogers, Golden, Colo., died Aug. 15, 2014. Betty Lou (Beckwith) Shedd, Englewood, Colo., died Aug. 7, 2014. 1945 Lois (White) Drake, Stuart, Iowa, died Sept. 9, 2014. 1946 Dr. Kenneth Keane, Sioux City, died Aug. 31, 2014.
Katie Schiltz is an executive team leader at Target in Bismarck, N.D.
1948 Dr. James “Jim” Fribourgh, Little Rock, Ark., died March 6, 2014. He received an honorary doctorate from Morningside in 1989.
Sarah Swan is a seventh-grade geography and eighth-grade American history teacher at Blessed Sacrament School in Sioux City.
1949 The Rev. George Harrison, Moorhead, Iowa, died June 13, 2014.
Maggie Vander Stelt is a high school Spanish teacher for Gehlen Catholic School in Le Mars, Iowa.
Robert Hisey, Naples, Fla., died Sept. 18, 2014.
Samantha Woerdehoff is an account coordinator at Wells Enterprises in Le Mars, Iowa.
27
Georgie (Anderson) Myrtue, Holstein, Iowa, died June 29, 2014. Duane Taylor, Milford, Iowa, died July 16, 2014. Helen (Ling) Wanberg, Holstein, Iowa, died March 4, 2014.
class notes William Winterlin Jr., Sioux City, died May 29, 2014.
Catching Up
Leonard Worden, Iowa Falls, Iowa, died Feb. 21, 2014. 1950 Jack Dam Jr., Sioux City, died May 29, 2014. Lola (Eyres) Haskins, Sioux City, died July 23, 2014. Leslie “Jim” Mathers, Ashland, Ore., died Sept. 11, 2014. He was uncle to “Leave it to Beaver” star Jerry Mathers. Dorothy (Bartlett) Sweet, Sidney, Neb., died June 24, 2014. The Rev. Charles Wallace, Mason City, Iowa, died June 25, 2014. He was a former member of the college board of directors. 1952 Harold Skidmore, Fair Oaks, Calif., died May 3, 2014. 1953 Bernard “Beanie” Cooper, Sioux City, died April 20, 2014. Cooper was a former athletic director at Morningside. Kathleen (Petersen) Hare, Logan, Iowa, died April 29, 2013. Larry Harpster, Fremont, Neb., died Aug. 27, 2014.
28
John Padys, Dearborn, Mich., died Jan. 19, 2014. Mary (Kalskett) Severson, Soldier, Iowa, died July 23, 2014.
The Guttau File Graduation Year: 2000 Major: Elementary and Special Education Current Residence: Denver, Colo. Current Occupation: Director of Public Relations, Four Seasons Hotels in Denver, Colo., and Santa Fe, N.M.
Jim Guttau could be the poster child for Morningside College. An elementary and special education major at Morningside, Guttau realized not long after graduating that he wanted to pursue a career in marketing and hospitality. He said the management and leadership skills he learned at Morningside were applicable to different careers and transferred easily from one field to the other. During his time at Morningside, Guttau took advantage of as many opportunities as possible. “Morningside College is a small and tight-knit campus in which you can become very involved and learn to effectively network and engage with people,” he said. “In fact, one of the best things that Morningside students can do for themselves is get involved. It will define your college experience.” Guttau became a resident adviser and found the job to be lots of fun accompanied by responsibility. He took part in student government, which he felt allowed him to play a role in steering the college toward its future. He also was a student ambassador, working with the admissions office to give campus tours to prospective students. He enjoyed giving tours, and by the time he graduated, Guttau knew obscure facts about the institution and could walk the entire campus backwards. Joining the Acacia Fraternity, Guttau became involved in community outreach and tutored Vietnamese students. For a bit of mischief, he once buried his fraternity brother’s car in a snow drift. He also volunteered with Project HOPE, mentoring junior high students, which has prompted him to pursue other mentoring opportunities. Faculty and staff played an important role in Guttau’s education. Marilyn Heilman, previously the chair of the education department, was instrumental in his career. Dr. Heather Reid, professor of philosophy, taught Guttau to enjoy philosophy, sharpened his critical thinking skills and challenged him to reflect on issues from various perspectives.
Dr. Robert Soiseth, Two Harbors, Minn., died May 23, 2014. 1954 Willard “Mick” Pickford, Sioux Falls, S.D., died April 9, 2014. Karl Warner, Iowa City, Iowa, died June 11, 2014. 1956 The Rev. John Hantla, Sioux City, died April 18, 2014. He received an honorary doctorate from Morningside in 1974. Roger Moore, Malabar, Fla, died March 4, 2014. 1958 Sharon (Hayes) Thompson, Los Angeles, Calif., died June 14, 2014. 1961 Dr. David Tweito, Hutchinson, Kan., died July 9, 2014. 1962 G. Charles “Chuck” Corbin, Coralville, Iowa, died June 25, 2014.
Paul Nye, Eden Prairie, Minn., died Aug. 4, 2014.
Marvin Shawver, Le Claire, Iowa, died Sept. 5, 2013.
1963 Clifford “Cliff” Garvey, Spirit Lake, Iowa, died June 10, 2014.
David Wade, Sterling, Neb., died Aug. 22, 2014.
1964 Ronald Jensen, Omaha, Neb., died March 5, 2014. Ray Krigsten, Sioux City, died April 3, 2014. 1965 Kent Arney, Williams Bay, Wis., died Aug. 28, 2013. Nancy (Boden) Bylin, Knoxville, Tenn., died March 9, 2014. 1966 Malola (Owen) Atwood, Sioux City, died March 18, 2014. Peggy (Kemp) Rodriguez, Council Bluffs, Iowa, died Aug. 27, 2014.
1967 Janice O’Meara, Des Moines, Iowa, died April 22, 2014. Larry Richards, Charles City, Iowa, died July 8, 2014. John Verzani, Omaha, Neb., died March 4, 2014. 1969 Bonnie Bangert, Sheldon, Iowa, died March 17, 2014. Dennis Garland, Ankeny, Iowa, died July 26, 2014. 1971 Milton Belongea, South Sioux City, Neb., died Aug. 16, 2014.
with Jim Guttau
By Laura L. Florio
And he considers Director of Alumni Relations Gene Ambroson his greatest mentor and role model. They remain in touch, with Guttau even volunteering to host the first Denver Alumni Chapter gathering at the Four Seasons Hotel Denver this past August. When Guttau graduated, he moved to Des Moines, Iowa, where he taught school for one year. He then decided to transition into marketing and hospitality. Connie (Horton) Wimer 1954 interviewed him for a job with her company, Business Publications Corporation, and he ended up working there for two years during the time of dsm Magazine’s launch. In 2004, Guttau decided he wanted to see more of the United States, so he packed up his belongings and moved to Denver, Colo. With his skills in networking, he found contract public relations work within the first weeks of moving. After volunteering his time and talents and contracting with other public relations firms, Guttau founded his own company that specialized in marketing for restaurants and hotels in 2005. In 2012, Four Seasons Resort Vail offered him the directorship for public relations. A year later, Guttau moved to Aspen for a position in hotel public relations, and in February of 2014, he became the director of public relations for the Four Seasons in Denver, Colo., and Santa Fe, N.M. In his job, he hosts media trips and ensures that Four Seasons receives media coverage on television, online blogs, magazines and the radio. Guttau manages aspects of social media, helping to foster positive customer interactions over Twitter and Facebook. He also oversees all charitable donations on behalf of the two hotels. Since moving to Colorado, Guttau states that he is long overdue for a return visit to Morningside College. “I hope to get back when the Dimmitt Hall renovations are completed in 2015. I can’t wait to see all the spectacular changes on campus!” In the meantime, he keeps up to date on Morningside through Facebook. He co-chairs the Denver Alumni Chapter with his fraternity brother Phil Lieder 2009, who lives in Boulder, Colo. Guttau also stays in touch with good friend Nicole (Blessing) Scott 2000, who lives in Sioux City. When asked why he supports the college, Guttau emphasizes all the wonderful experiences he had at Morningside. “For me, it’s about paying it forward. I had so many amazing people who went out of their way to guide me on my collegiate journey, and I want to ensure that happens for future generations of students at Morningside.”
John Sharp, Colorado Springs, Colo., died Jan. 23, 2003. 1972 Beverly (Blackford) Hangman, Honolulu, Hawaii, died June 5, 2011. 1973 Stephen Smith, Iowa City, Iowa, died April 21, 2014. 1974 Lucinda Anderson, Gunnison, Colo., died May 2, 2012.
1979 Thomas Stahle Jr., Des Moines, Iowa, died March 7, 2014. 1987 Jack Rooney, Sioux City, died April 28, 2014.
We are sorry we made a mistake in the last issue of The Morningsider. We incorrectly reported that David Honeck 1975 had died when it was someone else who had passed away.
1976 The Rev. Alan Herbst, Champaign, Ill., died April 24, 2014. He was a former member of the college board of directors. Mary Van Waart, Sioux City, died Feb. 28, 2014. 1978 JoEtta “Jody” (Davidson) Heuberger, Hollister, Mo., died April 29, 2012.
Remembering Cherished Friends Odella Baak, Sioux City, died June 15, 2014. She was a former professor of library science and head of the library at Morningside. She received the Order of Morningside in 1982. The Rev. Roger Russell, Newton, Iowa, died Aug. 10, 2014. He was a former faculty member and a former member of the college board of directors. He also had received an honorary doctorate from Morningside.
Future Morningsiders 1996 Deanne (Muller) Ryan and her husband, Robert, Sioux City, a son, William Michael, April 17, 2014. 1999 Adam Wheelock and his wife, Gretchen, Sioux City, a daughter, Nola Elizabeth, May 6, 2014. 2004 Dustin and Gretchen (Wickey) Cooper 2001, Gilbert, Ariz., a son, Camden Gene, Nov. 18, 2013. 2008 Sarah (Chilton) Spartz and her husband, Aaron, Sioux City, a daughter, Lyla Elizabeth, July 28, 2014.
1989 Shawn Gosch, Onawa, Iowa, died June 20, 2014.
2009 Russell and Ashley (Danner) Heine, Earling, Iowa, a daughter, Eleanor Katherine, Aug. 13, 2014.
1995 Natalie (Forch) Krohn, Kingsley, Iowa, died Sept. 10, 2014.
Ashley (Krause) Wheat and her husband, Kyle, Sioux City, a daughter, Radley, Oct. 9, 2013.
1996 Ryan Touney, Jackson, Neb., died June 26, 2014. 2003 Stacy Heinse, Montgomery, Ala., died Aug. 30, 2014.
2011 Rebecca (Wheeler) O’Brien and her husband, Nick, Sioux City, a daughter, Paige Mishelle, Feb. 14, 2014.
class notes
Alumni Office Update By Gene Ambroson
30
As I sit and reflect on all of the blessings that have come my way over the years as your director of alumni relations, I must say meeting face-to-face with Morningside grads and listening to your stories about your time here is the most gratifying. This past summer, I had the honor of hosting a group of ladies on campus whose affection for one another dates back to the 1940s. They are known as the “Grammer Girls” in honor of Lois Grammer, a music faculty member back then. Miss Grammer housed these 14 young ladies. The Grammer Girls came into being during World War II when Dimmitt Hall had been taken over by the Army Air Corps cadets. Thus, the ladies were housed with a faculty member as part of the war effort. To be certain, these young ladies became fast friends. In fact, over the ensuing 70 years, they not only have remained close, but they and their families have bonded and taken vacations together. They truly are incredible! Also, Homecoming always provides an opportunity to see old friends, and this year was no exception. Friends from near and far stopped by to say hi and share stories, not only about their time here, but about what’s taking place in their lives. The new academic village and the remodeled learning center are but two examples of the eye-openers for alumni who visited. And next year – a new look
for Dimmitt! More than 7,000 people attended the Homecoming football game, and then 3,000 migrated down the field to the Taste of Morningside. Once again, we set a record serving food and beverages. It was so great to see my Morningside College friends at this event. For those of you who use email, Facebook and Twitter, you are probably well aware that we have expanded what we do by providing Young Alumni Events as well as starting a chapter program throughout the country. Communication is done primarily by electronic means. So watch for us! We’re coming to a neighborhood near you! Alumni are invited to tour Spain with the Morningside College Choir in May of 2015. We would love to have you along on the trip. Traveling with students is loads of fun! Should you want further information, please contact the Alumni Office at 712-274-5293 or ambroson@morningside.edu. I will send you a brochure that provides all of the details. Do it soon though; the travel agency has a tight deadline. I end as I began. Seeing you in person on campus is truly a delight. We have such a great story of progress to share with you, and we want you to see what we’re doing here for students. It’s truly amazing! And at this time of year, we are reminded to count our blessings that you are our partners in the huge transformation that has taken place. Thank you! Happy Holidays!
2002 Sara Hornby and Corey Lias, Feb. 8, 2014. At home in Sioux City. 2007 Brianna Blake and Nate Schechinger, April 11, 2014, Adel, Iowa. At home in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Newlyweds 1985 David Speer and Debra Rank, May 24, 2014, Grace United Methodist Church, Naperville, Ill. At home in Lisle, Ill. 1993 Rosanne Lienhard and Chad Plante, June 21, 2014, Immaculate Conception Church, Sioux City. At home in Hinton, Iowa. 2001 Danielle Arends and James Metzger, April 26, 2014, Calvary Lutheran Church, Sioux City. At home in Sioux City.
Benjamin Goins and Krista Bolin, June 28, 2014, St. Bernadette Catholic Church, Scottsdale, Ariz. At home in Omaha, Neb. Dr. Jennifer Nelson and Dr. Matthew Kennedy, June 7, 2014, Mill Mountain Wildflower Garden, Roanoke, Va. At home in Roanoke. 2008 Lisa Theisen and Dustin Livermore, June 7, 2014, Calvary Lutheran Church, Sioux City. At home in Sioux City. 2009 Kristi Tighe and Brad Claeys, March 29, 2014, St. Augustine Catholic Church, Winnebago, Neb. At home in Spring Valley, Minn.
2010 Cody Dennis and Kara Ruba, July 19, 2014, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Osmond, Neb. At home in Osmond. 2012 Jamie Hansmann and Jordan Mouw 2014, June 7, 2014, Boyden, Iowa. At home in Boyden. Danielle Hulst and Logan Kleinhesselink, July 26, 2014, Calico Skies Winery, Inwood, Iowa. At home in Hospers, Iowa. 2013 Amy Baer and Patrick Whitsell 2014, Aug. 9, 2014, Morningside College. At home in Brooklyn, N.Y. Shelby Beaudette and Curtis Boschult, Aug. 9, 2014, Norfolk, Neb. At home in Norfolk. Kirstin Wessling and Josh Schreiner 2014, July 12, 2014, Holstein, Iowa. 2014 Amy Glennon and Jeremy Spain, Nov. 23, 2013, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Dubuque, Iowa. At home in Maquoketa, Iowa.
Join us on a
Performance Tour of Spain
May 11-25, 2015 Barcelona, Toledo, Madrid For more information or to register, please contact Gene Ambroson, director of alumni relations, at 712-274-5293 or ambroson@morningside.edu
Are you moving? Do you have an e-mail address? Please let us know! Just send an e-mail to alumni@morningside.edu or write to the Alumni Office, Morningside College, 1501 Morningside Ave., Sioux City, IA 51106.
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Christmas at Morningside
The Song of Angels Friday, December 5 • 7:30 p.m. Eppley Auditorium • Free Admission