Nebraska Quarterly Fall 2026 Edition

Before dawn and long after sunset, women are shaping agriculture as ranchers, veterinarians, educators, trusted advisers and entrepreneurs. They strengthen communities, drive innovation, cultivate opportunity and influence the future. Today, women even comprise one-third of all farmers and ranchers in Q U A R T E R LY

ins ide:

“Opportunities in rural areas is where I want to start my career.” sto ry, page 37

d l r o w e h t e Explor ! y a w r e k s u H the Osaka Castle in Osaka, Japan

With the Traveling Huskers program, get away to dream destinations both in the U.S. and abroad with other Nebraska alumni and friends. You'll make lifelong memories and leave the details to our experienced, professional travel partners.

More than 40 trips in 2027! huskeralum.org/TravelingHuskers Contact, Hanna Peterson hanna.peterson@huskeralum.org // 888-353-1874 inery in San

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Gimignano,

Italy

FALL 2026

CONTENTS

BANANA BALL Peeling back the years

5 Contributors 9 Campus News 20 Devour 27 Voices 60 Mystery Photo 61 Obituaries 64 Corn-undrum

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Former Husker pitcher Joba Chamberlain returned to the mound in Haymarket Park in June to guest pitch the fourth inning for the Savannah Bananas, who brought their unique style of baseball to Nebraska for the first time. They played in Memorial Stadium, too.

WHAT’S JOBA’S RESUME? The Lincoln native helped the Cornhuskers reach the 2005 College World Series and their first College World Series win. He then pitched for the New York Yankees, aiding them in their 2009 World Series win.

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Campus News

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With some help from an Extension education, a goat farm north of Omaha has tapped into a new market.

Voices

At Daybreak, She Begins On a Wednesday in April, we followed five women working in agriculture to learn how they spend the day from sun up to sun down.

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30

Friendships forged on campus fuel a thriving homebuilding venture in Omaha.

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Bulletin

Griffin Mims (’19) explains the surreal experience of summiting Mount Everest.

Find Archie!

Cornhusker Converts Across the country, more than 50 Nebraska Alumni Association chapters bring Huskers together. But who are the superheros leading some of these groups who don’t even claim alumni status?

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Morrill Hall’s Archie is hiding somewhere in the magazine, like only a 20,000-year-old mammoth can. Find him, email mia.everding@huskeralum.org with his location and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a fabulous Husker prize. Congratulations to Dean Bender (’70) and Peggy Bender, who spotted Archie overseeing a video project on page 17 of the summer magazine. The Benders are retired in Florida and enjoy globetrotting — a trip to Jamaica this winter will mark their 100th country visited. A favorite traveling memory is seeing baby penguins in Antarctica.

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25,000 MEMBERS. 25,000 REASONS. The Nebraska Alumni Association has more than 25,000 members with 25,000 reasons they joined.

One important Husker is still missing. You! CONNECTIONS // BENEFITS // EVENTS // HUSKER PRIDE

What’s your reason? Find it today and join the official NAA family at HuskerAlum.org/join

NEBRASKA

CONTRIBUTORS

QUARTERLY

Fall 2026 VOLUME 122 NO. 3

JOHN SHULTERS

Shelley Moses Zaborowski, ’96, ’00

John Shulters (’00) graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with a focus on sculpture and video art. After spending his formative years in Lincoln, he moved to California to find music, art, architecture, a wife, treehouses, boardgames, LEGO and disc golf, in that order. He now spends most of his time designing things, including the board games found in this year’s issues of Nebraska Quarterly, as the owner of Ascension Studios.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Kirstin Swanson Wilder, ’89 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF SENIOR DIRECTOR, PUBLICATIONS

Mia Everding, ’20, ’22 EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE

Quentin Lueninghoener, ’06 Ben VanKat, ’06 MAGAZINE DESIGN, HANSCOM PARK STUDIO

Quentin Lueninghoener, ’06

KATIE NIELAND

COVER ILLUSTRATION

NEBRASKA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION STAFF Kim Whittemore Brownell EXECUTIVE SPECIALIST

Hilary Winter Butler, ’11, ’18 SENIOR DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

Conrad Casillas DIRECTOR OF VENUES & FACILITY OPERATIONS

Zac Franzen ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT AND VENUES

Bailee Gunnerson, ’22 ASSOCIATE DESIGN DIRECTOR, MULTIMEDIA

Maria Manning Muhlbach, ’09 SENIOR DIRECTOR, ALUMNI OUTREACH

Hanna Hoffman Peterson, ’16 DIRECTOR, ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

Jennifer Hoffman, ’18 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF VENUES

Tyler Kruger, ’25 DIRECTOR OF VENUES & MEMBER OPERATIONS

Jessica Kruse, ’25 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF VENUES

Abbi Leu, ’23 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Katie Nieland (’08, ’20) is a Lincoln-based artist specializing in the awe-inspiring wonder of the Great Plains through illustration, paper collage and painting. Her illustrations and writing have appeared in The Rumpus, The Offing and the Chicago Tribune. She is a sunny optimist fueled by curiosity, iced coffee and a passion to share what is good.

Katie Mahar-Flock, ’18 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

Mimi Manivong, ’24 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF VENUES OPERATIONS

Derek McConnell, ’06, ’13

KEVIN WARNEKE

ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS

Kevin Warneke (’85, ’12) grew up in rural Nebraska but didn’t spend much time on farms. Writing about five women working in agriculture was a learning and eye-opening experience. He’s a fundraiser, author and part-time college instructor living in Omaha.

Shelley McHugh SENIOR DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

Grace Mosier Puccio, ’19 ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, ALUMNI & STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

JULIA DEESE

Lexi Quarles, ’20

Julia Deese is an Omaha-based illustrator, muralist and graphic designer. She balances a career in hospitality with freelance illustration and design. Outside of work, Julia enjoys creating set designs for local theaters, documenting her travels through sketchbooks and scrapbooking with her sister. She loves telling stories through art and believes creativity lives in everyone.

OFFICE COORDINATOR

Heather Rempe, ’03 DIRECTOR, DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS

Ethan Rowley, ’03, ’13 SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP

Viann Schroeder ALUMNI CAMPUS TOURS

Jeff Sheldon, ’04, ’07 ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MARKETING & BUSINESS RELATIONS

Nicole Josephson Sweigard ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

Sharon Walling

AND PROGRAMS

DIRECTOR OF DESIGN

N E B R A S K A Q U A R T E R LY

Nebraska Quarterly (USPS 10970) is published quarterly by the Nebraska Alumni Association, the known office of publication is 1520 R St., Lincoln NE 68508-1651. Alumni association dues are $75 annually of which $10 is for a subscription to Nebraska Quarterly. Periodicals postage is paid at Lincoln, Nebraska 68501 and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. Requests for permission to reprint

materials and reader comments are welcome.

SEND M A IL T O :

Nebraska Quarterly Wick Alumni Center / 1520 R Street Lincoln, NE 68508-1651 Phone: 402-472-2841 Toll-free: 888-353-1874 Website: huskeralum.org Views expressed in Nebraska Quarterly do not necessarily reflect the official

position of the Nebraska Alumni Association. The alumni association does not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, disability, race, color, religion, marital status, veteran’s status, national or ethnic origin or sexual orientation.

EDITORIAL QUERIES:

Kirstin Wilder (kwilder@huskeralum.org) ADVERTISING QUERIES:

Jeff Sheldon (jsheldon@huskeralum.org)

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You could save hundreds on insurance Farmers Insurance® has teamed up with Nebraska Alumni Association to bring you potential savings on your auto and home insurance.

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GARDENING WITH TIFFANY

Tiffany Heng-Moss says working in her home garden is a stress reliever after a long day. She is the first woman to lead the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

bailee gunnerson

Q:

Why is it crucial to have women working in agriculture?

A: In Nebraska, agriculture and natural resources are woven into the fabric of our economy and our communities.

One in four jobs in our state is connected to this sector, from farming and ranching to agribusiness, banking, education, research, natural resources management and Extension.

The strength of Nebraska agriculture depends on a wide range of talents and expertise wo rk i n g to ge t h e r to s o lve c h a l l e n ge s a n d s e i z e n ew opportunities. Women play an essential role in that success; they are helping write its future.

Across the industry, women

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are leading family operations, advancing scientific discoveries, educating future generations, managing natural resources and shaping agricultural policy and business. Many of those leaders first discovered their passion for agriculture as UNL students, gaining experiences that opened doors to careers they may never have imagined.

I grew up on a farm, but when I enrolled at UNL as a freshman, I wasn’t planning on a career in agriculture. I explored a few different majors, searching for a path that felt right. Everything changed when I accepted a student worker position in a

research lab. The experience sparked an interest in plants and insects. What began as a student job ultimately became a lifelong passion.

My journey is a reminder of the transformative power of experiential learning and mentorship. Sometimes a single opportunity can reveal interests and talents we didn’t know we had and set us on a path that shapes the rest of our lives. Everyone should have that opportunity.

—Dr. Tiffany Heng-Moss (’95, ’97, ’00), Harlan vice chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UNL & VP for agriculture and natural resources for the U of Nebraska system

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12 16 20 25 NAILED IT

GOATS

DEVOUR

BUSINESS

Engineering students hammer out skills.

Extension educator helps goat farmers.

Reminisce about campus in the 1990s.

Students get a boost in financial planning.

STATE MUSEUM

FALL

Mammoth Makeover ELEPHANT HALL TRANSFORMATION BRINGS NEW RESEARCH, ACCESSIBILITY AND INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES

BY CHRIS DUNKER/LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR

A liz mccue

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rchie looks good for his age, but even 20,000-year-old mammoths need a makeover now and then.

The University of Nebraska State Museum is planning to give him one as part of a $15.9 million renovation of Elephant Hall, where Archie and other mammoth fossils unearthed in Nebraska are on display.

The privately funded renovation project will be the first major work done on the second floor of Morrill Hall in its 98-year history.

Susan Weller, the museum’s director, said the collection of Columbian mammoths, ancient rhinoceroses and giant camels that once wandered the Great Plains will undergo restoration and preservation.

Along with giving the fossils some TLC themselves, an endeavor Weller said “isn’t cheap,” the museum will also change the method it uses to display the fossils. Instead of pinning the fossils together, Weller said the State Museum will construct a new metal scaffolding called an armature that cradles them in place, which is better for long-term preservation.

Isaac Regier (’23), design coordinator for the Frontier Tech Lab, places one of the 3D printed “bones” in a new fossil dig at Morrill Hall.

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A pre-design rendering of what the Elephant Hall renovation may look like.

BIG BRAG City Campus’s Selleck Quad and its environs have been approved for an ambitious $368 million redevelopment that will demolish all five existing buildings in two phases, with completion targeted for fall 2030 and 2032.

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For Archie in particular, which is about an 80% complete fossil, the museum will recast some of the artificial pieces in a more lightweight material.

When the 15½-foot mammoth, the largest of its kind in the world, is put back on display, Weller said the museum will place him in a more active pose — think a tilt of the head or a lift of the foot — in the middle of the gallery.

Once completed in early 2029, Archie will have much more of a “wow” factor than he does today, Weller said. “When you come in now, you kind of have to figure out which one Archie is, which isn’t too hard,” she said. “But when this is done, you’ll be able to see him peaking out from the visitor’s desk.”

The renovation project will also focus on restoring the murals completed by Elizabeth Dolan, a Nebraska-born artist who trained in Chicago and France before completing work both in Morrill Hall and the State Capitol.

Weller said a team of mural conservationists found Dolan’s murals are in “excellent shape,” but exist underneath a coating of coal dust from an original heating system in the building.

“The conservationists felt they could restore the Dolans to their full glory with a very light touch,” Weller explained, but they could also have the expertise to handle any parts of the plaster in dan-

ger of flaking off.

As part of the cleaning process, the team will also digitize the murals — Weller said it’s “a little bit of a puzzle how Elizabeth Dolan created these works” — so they can be studied by artists and researchers elsewhere around the world.

The second-floor project will also add 4,760 square feet to the museum’s footprint, which would be used to support collection stewardship, safe specimen handling and improved visitor circulation, according to a program statement included in the regents’ agenda.

One-third of the project’s budget would be used to expand UNL’s capabilities to evaluate, conserve and digitize fossil specimens.

Elephant Hall would also see improvements to its main public entrance and the addition of a freight elevator on its south side to address long-standing logistical, operational, and safety challenges when it comes to moving specimens.

“Together, these investments represent a critical and long-overdue update to Elephant Hall and are essential to sustaining Morrill Hall’s role as a campus, state and regional asset as it enters its second century of service,” the university said.

Current plans call for construction work to begin next summer and conclude by January 2029.

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LAW

Rooted in Justice

LAND STEWARDSHIP UPBRINGING GUIDES STUDENT TOWARD ENVIRONMENTAL LEGAL CAREER

kate bingaman-burt

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rooklyn Buell grew up on a Sandhills ranch, caring for the environment and wanting to continue protecting it in a career outside of ranching. Now a senior at the university, she has identified environmental law as that career and the 3-3 Law Program as an affordable way to reach her goals.

The College of Law 3-3 program allows students to earn their bachelor’s degree and their juris doctor degree in six years rather than the traditional seven years. Buell is finishing required courses for her environmental and sustainability studies major in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources this year. This fall she will use remaining credits, like electives, to take her first year of law classes.

The 3-3 program and the law school offer generous scholarships to students meeting set criteria. Buell said she received a full tuition scholarship from the program based on her application, LSAT scores and academics.

The scholarships made the program especially attractive to her and her parents, Buell said. Her parents have supported her taking part in the 3-3 program and encouraged her on her law path. She credited her family with building her interest in the environment and land conservation.

“A big mantra for my family was always, ‘If you take care of the land, it takes care of you,’” Buell said. “That was my first exposure to these kinds of ideas, and so, that sparked my interest.”

On her family’s 14,000-acre ranch near Bassett, she and her three siblings helped hay, work cattle and move them in the cow-calf operation.

In a high school social studies class, she learned about the Willow oil-drilling project in Alaska, and that further informed her passion about the environment. The school was too small to offer a debate team or mock trials, but she spoke at speech competitions on topics like farm succession planning, cattle methane emission and what producers can do about it, plant-based milk and the teaching shortage, especially in agriculture. Her talks were well received, Buell said, and she proceeded to state every year.

At the university, she learned in her environmental

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studies classes about environmental justice, which she described as the idea that not everybody experiences the benefits and burdens of environmental issues equally. Buell said she thinks she would find it fulfilling to work with environmental justice cases or policy in the future.

Her environmental studies classes have also included talk about a sense of place and connection to the land. She said growing up on a ranch informed her environmental identity, which likely would have been different had she grown up in cities.

“There can be a disconnect between people and nature when you live in an urban area,” Buell said.

“And so, when I lived on my ranch, obviously, you walk outside, and you are surrounded by nature and the environment. I think that breeds a connection from the person to the land — and that care for it — because you see it and interact with it every single day.”

In Lincoln, the quick pace of her launch into law school and a career has been scary at times, she said.

“One thing with the 3-3 program is that you have to really be on top of making sure that you’re hitting all of your requirements because you need to be able to get a certain amount of classes taken ahead of time,” Buell said.

—Ronica Stromberg

BIG BRAG The Daily Nebraskan is marking its 125th anniversary this year, celebrating more than a century of student journalism, storytelling and campus impact.

OVERHEARD

“Something I’ve always prided myself on is being more than an athlete.”

—NDAMUKONG SUH (’09), speaking at the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce annual meeting in March. The retired NFL player has an engineering degree from Nebraska. His coaches wouldn’t let him miss Husker football practice to go to lab, but the university created a 7 p.m. lab for Suh after practice.

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FALL Students in the Vertical Construction class partner on building one of 11 structures during the Sheds for Hope project in April.

ENGINEERING

Nailed It STUDENTS HAMMER OUT SKILLS, RAISE THOUSANDS FOR COMMUNITY PARTNERS

BIG BRAG Husker gymnast Asher Cohen won the NCAA Championship in rings this spring.

He is the first Nebraska gymnast since the late Jim Hartung won it in 1982. Hartung passed away a few weeks before the 2026 season, so the team dedicated the season to him.

I

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courtesy

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t began as a class project, teaching students the basics of building, but over two years it has evolved into a celebration of teamwork as Emmeline Watson’s Vertical Construction course builds Sheds for Hope. Outside of Kiewit Hall, the project raises money for charities like Habitat for Humanity and students gain invaluable construction experience.

“What continues to amaze me about this project, and also is very humbling, are the number of people who come together to support our students and our community,” said Watson (’09), assistant professor of practice in the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction. “Watching professionals donate their time to teach and encourage students is one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.”

Sheds for Hope is a community-engaged construction project where students gain real-world experience framing walls and floors, installing roofing systems, siding, windows and doors. On paper, the project raises funds for external organizations, but it also helps develop the next generation of construction professionals while creating meaningful connections between students and industry partners while leaving a big impact in the community.

“Students learn about construction, building everything from the foundation to the roof,” said Watson, who teaches students what a 2-by-4 is and what treated lumber is used for since most students might be using a nail gun or power saw for the first time. For other students with prior construction experience,

like Vince Grenier, it’s an opportunity to take their skills to the next level.

“I enjoy a project like this as much for myself as I do for class,” said Grenier, a construction management student from Omaha. “Everyone’s trained regardless of experience on safety and knowing how to use power tools. You shouldn’t be managing a construction project without knowing the basics of using power tools.”

Sheds for Hope has also evolved into an educational research initiative. Through a partnership with the Engineering and Computing Education Core, the college is studying how experiential learning impacts students’ sense of belonging within the construction industry, the Durham School and the College of Engineering.

“This work is helping us better understand how hands-on, community-engaged learning experiences contribute to student success,” Watson said. “We are examining how these experiences influence student engagement, persistence and retention.”

After building nine sheds and a doghouse in 2025 while raising $5,000 for Hope Village, the 2026 Sheds for Hope was even better as 115 students built 11 sheds that were auctioned to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Lincoln. Through the auction and donations, the project raised more than $10,000.

“Habitat for Humanity of Lincoln worked closely with us throughout the process, and faculty, staff and students from the college and the Design Hub in Kiewit Hall played an important role in the project,” said Watson, who praised local industry partners for donating materials, equipment and countless volunteer hours. She even noted support of the project extended well beyond Nebraska as professionals traveled from as far away as West Virginia to help.

“The success of Sheds for Hope demonstrates what can happen when industry, academia and community organizations work together toward a common goal,” she said.

—Phil Carter

JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATIONS

Ink-Credible Wins TWO GRADS CRACK NATIONAL STAGE WITH SHARP REPORTING, STANDOUT STORYTELLING

kate bingaman-burt

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wo May graduates earned top honors at the 66th Hearst National Journalism Championships in San Francisco.

Livia Ziskey (’26) won first place in the National Writing Championship, earning a $10,000 cash prize. Grace Lewis (’26) placed third and received a $5,000 cash prize. Both graduates are from Omaha.

The two journalists competed against seven other university finalists in the contest, which challenged participants to answer the question “Did San Francisco really recover from the pandemic?”

The annual Hearst Championships featured 29 student journalists from colleges and universities across the United States. Finalists earned places in the championship after producing work judged among the best of 1,353 entries submitted to the 14 monthly Hearst Journalism Awards competitions conducted throughout the academic year.

Earlier this year, Ziskey placed first and Lewis seventh nationally in the investigative reporting category for work produced as part of the 2025 depth report Nebraska Behind Bars. Lewis also earned a top 25 finish in the 2025 Hearst Profile Writing Competition.

The finalists gathered in San Francisco from May 30 through June 5 and completed a series of spot assignments under deadline. The work was evaluated by leading media professionals serving as judges, who selected national champions and top finishers in six competition categories.

The Hearst Journalism Awards Program, often referred to as the “Pulitzers of college journalism,” recognizes excellence in student journalism and provides aspiring journalists opportunities to showcase their talents before industry leaders.

Ziskey said she focused her championship story on San Francisco’s historically Black neighborhoods and found that many residents felt excluded from the city’s pandemic recovery.

“The most challenging part was knowing when to stop reporting and start storytelling,” she said. “It was an exercise in trusting my gut and finding enough to tell a slice of San Francisco’s story.”

Lewis approached the assignment through the lens of public transit, reporting that ridership has reached

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post-pandemic highs while transit agencies face a looming fiscal crisis. Without voter approval of new tax measures in November, she found, the city’s recovery could stall.

Both students described the championship experience as transformative and said they were inspired by the talent and passion of fellow student journalists from across the country. “I wouldn’t be here without every single professor who challenged me, supported me and believed in me along the way,” Ziskey said. “I’ve always been optimistic about the future of journalism, but this week reminded me that there are other young people who care deeply about the importance of truthful and enlightening stories.”

Adam Wagler (’09, ’15), interim dean of the college, said the recognition reflects the students’ commitment to excellence. “Livia and Grace were outstanding in the Hearst competition,” he said. “It is a testament to their hard work, dedication and talent as journalists. We are incredibly proud of their success.”

Chris Graves (’87), associate professor of practice and a Deepe Family Chair in Depth Reporting, applauded the students and echoed Ziskey’s confidence in the future of journalism. Graves and co-instructor Linda White, assistant professor and a Deepe Family Chair in Depth Reporting, supervised the students’ work on Nebraska Behind Bars, an investigation into Nebraska’s troubled prison system.

BIG BRAG The Big Ten Conference will usher in a new era of collegiate volleyball this fall with the launch of its inaugural tournament, being held in November in Indiana.

Ziskey

Lewis

OVERHEARD “I am humbled to have had the privilege to be a member of this great athletic department and university for the past 41 years.”

—LORI SIPPEL (’88), upon retiring as Nebraska softball associate head coach after more than 40 combined years in the dugout for the Huskers, initially as a two-time All-American pitcher.

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EXPLORE THE LIVES THAT SHAPED SPACEFLIGHT

OUTWARD ODYSSEY: A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF SPACEFLIGHT

a University of Nebraska Press series

Visit nebraskapress.unl.edu and use code 6UNL22 to receive 40% off on these titles and more.

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ARTS AND SCIENCES

Knot Your Average Microbe SPECIES NAMED AFTER NEBRASKA FORMS RESILIENT, TWISTING COILS

kate bingaman-burt

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o the untrained eye, the cells of a newly discovered microorganism look larger than they are.

That size is an illusion created by a unique growth trajectory: When cultured on rich medium, the individual cells twist around each other, and then those structures twist again, forming thick, rope-like structures that microbiologists call aggregates — a formation that enhances survival and buffers against environmental stress.

It is a microscopic strategy that reflects a way of life in Nebraska: strength through connection.

It is fitting, then, that a UNL research team has named the novel microbe — a methanogen collected from a salty, higher-pH wetland in Lincoln — after the Cornhusker State. Methanobacterium nebraskense is the first organism in the domain Archaea to be named after Nebraska.

An article in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology announced the new name, culminating a more than five-year endeavor of Karrie Weber and Nicole Fiore (’24) to isolate, culture and demonstrate the methanogen’s novelty.

“Microorganisms often are named after locations in which they were isolated from, but there were a lot of Nebraska ties here, so it seemed like an especially fitting and appropriate name,” said Weber, professor of biological sciences and Earth and atmospheric sciences. “The cells themselves had a cool phenotype.

We also had a lot of support from the Nebraska Center for Biotechnology, the Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences, the Holland Computing Center and other resources on campus.”

M. nebraskense is also the first published archaeal microbe isolated from the Eastern Saline Wetlands, a nationally unique and endangered ecosystem located in and around Lincoln that was created by the upwelling of saline groundwater.

“Naming the species after Nebraska was important not only to represent the state, but also its natural resources,” said Fiore, a former Husker graduate student in Weber’s lab who is now a postdoctoral researcher at Dartmouth College. “The saline wetlands are a really unique but vulnerable environment, and many people aren’t aware of them.”

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Isolating new and novel microorganisms is no easy feat, underscored by the fact that scientists have cultured only 1-2% of microbial life on the planet. There are myriad reasons the remaining “microbial dark matter” remains a mystery: reliance on symbiotic relationships, metabolic codependence, unknown or highly specific nutritional requirements and challenges replicating organisms’ native habitats are just a few of the obstacles.

In the case of M. nebraskense, Weber and Fiore’s strategy focused on analyzing genomic data to pinpoint the microbes’ unique metabolic pathways, then used that information to design culture conditions to promote growth. They also had to eliminate cohabiting microorganisms.

“We came up with an antibiotic cocktail that would kill the bacteria they were living in close association with,” Weber said.

The duo successfully cultured the methanogen, with the original intent of studying whether, when alone, it was able to dissolve calcium carbonate as part of or as a consequence of its metabolism — a question that was part of a landmark study published in 2025.

But once they realized it was a novel organism, they proceeded with naming it, following a process governed by the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes.

—Tiffany Lee

BIG BRAG Husker scientists have developed a new swine influenza vaccination technique. Its low cost and adaptability can strengthen disease protection.

OVERHEARD “I think one of the things our system is lacking is a stronger emphasis on the humanities side of medicine, the part that teaches you how to be empathetic and truly patient-centered.”

—HAMDIYA MUMADE is a senior majoring in biological sciences and microbiology

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Gayle Duda, left, and her daughter Ruth Wood raise about 250 goats on their family farm north of Omaha.

EXTENSION

Bleating the Odds RESEARCH REVEALS UNTAPPED OPPORTUNITIES FOR OMAHA-AREA GOAT PRODUCERS

BIG BRAG

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Rural Prosperity Nebraska extension educator and team lead for the Nebraska Regional Food Systems Initiative. Together they talked about goals and aspirations, as well as challenges — the main one being marketing. Jewell began making calls and doing research.

Suddenly, the roadblocks cleared, and Duda and Wood saw the thriving market that was available close to home.

“Ben had done the research for us that we were not able to do for ourselves,” Wood said. “It sounds pretty simple, but it’s easy to get overwhelmed. The daily chores never stop, and so when it’s time to call every butcher in Omaha and see which is familiar with goats, Ben had already done that.”

For Jewell, creating a marketing plan was a thorough process, but the duo already had a lot going for them, he said.

“The challenges they were facing, branching into a new area of farming, is a common experience for new entrepreneurs,” Jewell said. “But in the area they were selling in, they’ve got pretty good name recognition.

They’re a family-run business, so they’ve got a great

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russell shaffer | rural prosperity nebraska

The university has been recognized among the top 25 large institutions producing Gilman Scholars across its 25-year history. The Gilman Program provides merit-based scholarships to talented American undergraduates to study or intern abroad on credit-bearing experiences.

n Omaha area farm struggling to find its target market received a major boost this year with assistance from a Nebraska Extension educator.

When Gayle Duda and Ruth Wood’s honey operation flooded in 2010, the mother-daughter duo started looking for new ways to use their farm north of Omaha. They decided on goats as both an environmentally friendly solution to the invading honeysuckle and as a source of income.

While the goats tackled the honeysuckle, Duda and Wood encountered another challenge — marketing the meat.

The Duda’s 960-acre farm has been in the family since the 1930s. While they currently grow corn and soybeans, they had been a cow-calf operation, so raising livestock was not new. However, goat meat is much more niche than beef. They sold some to regional markets, but those contracts fell through. They wanted to bring their business closer to home.

That was when they connected with Ben Jewell, a

story. People love to connect with their local producers and know their story.”

The marketing plan included not only contacts for potential wholesalers in Omaha, but halal butchers whose clientele use goat meat for religious and holiday meals — a target demographic Duda and Wood said they would have struggled to identify.

Jewell also provided them with schedules for the rotating holidays in those demographics. Duda and Wood appreciated that information because they could then adjust their breeding windows so the goats were of weight when demand was highest.

“Working with Ben simplified where I thought we were going,” Duda said. “I thought we were going toward more of a mail order business. But in working with Ben, we realized there are so many marketing opportunities in our very own city. The opportunity to be profitable was greater with the marketing plan that Ben laid out.”

Duda and Wood said two factors set Jewell apart.

First, through his roles at the university, he understands the ins and outs of a food-based business and enterprise.

“I think that makes a tremendous difference,” Wood said. “I don’t think you can approach any agricultural product the same way you can a normal product. When it comes to making a marketing plan, you need somebody who is familiar with the agricultural world, who understands what it takes to get it to the table.”

Second, his connections through Nebraska Extension come in handy. If he didn’t know the answer to a question, he knew someone who did. If he didn’t know what resources could benefit their marketing, he knew where to find them. Wood specifically mentioned that she asked him about refrigeration, and while he didn’t know the answer, the next time they met, he had the contact information for a colleague at Nebraska Extension who could help her.

While there is still work to be done and business relationships to solidify, the Duda goat farm is poised to meet its goals — selling all its goats, and to Nebraskans.

“One of the things I find with a lot of small producers is they just don’t have time to research potential buyers for their products,” Jewell said.

“Or they’re thinking about a new market, but they don’t have the finances to vet these people and figure out what it would take to sell to them. So if I can do some of that for them, I think that really gives them a boost.”

—Russell Shaffer

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ARCHITECTURE

Revive and Thrive LONG-TERM PLAN FUELS GROWTH

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ive years after the Community and Regional Planning students began developing a downtown revitalization plan with local partners, the resulting vision continues to shape redevelopment efforts in David City, Nebraska.

The David City Downtown Revitalization Plan, developed during a 2021 UNL planning studio in collaboration with Nebraska Extension, Southeast Nebraska Development District and David City, involved community members through surveys, field assessment, stakeholder interviews, public meetings and local asset evaluations. The plan identified strategies to enhance downtown vitality, promote tourism, support small business development, protect historical identity and improve public spaces.

Since the study’s completion, several key recommendations have moved from concept to implementation. One of the most visible developments is the relocation and renovation of Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art, which has become a cornerstone cultural and heritage tourism destination for downtown David City. Project leaders say the museum’s continued development has drawn directly from the ideas and framework presented in the student-led downtown study.

The plan also helped position the community to secure $400,000 in grants to support downtown improvements including façade upgrades, signage and building enhancements. While implementation has progressed gradually due to the complexity of the grant process, city leaders have assigned a dedicated staff member to continue advancing the program.

Additional initiatives inspired by the study are underway, including plans for year-round decorative lighting throughout downtown and the development of a new downtown open space and veterans memorial park. The park project is currently in the planning phase and is being supported by students under the guidance of Agronomy and Horticulture Professor Kim Todd, with construction scheduled for next spring.

—Kerry Vondrak

BIG BRAG For the first time in 58 years, UNL and the University of Nebraska Medical Center will be measured together in national rankings, following federal approval.

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FALL Easton Petsche mows the turfgrass at the Barbara Hibner Soccer Stadium field.

ATHLETICS

Grass Class STUDENTS SHARPEN SKILLS MAINTAINING ELITE FIELDS ACROSS CAMPUS VENUES

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he athletic fields at Nebraska have become living laboratories where science, management and hands-on experience prepare the next generation of turfgrass professionals one field at a time.

Many students who major in the plant and landscape systems partner with Nebraska Athletics, applying classroom concepts to the daily demands of collegiate sports turf management. “Working at Nebraska Athletics has provided our students with valuable opportunities to expand their knowledge of the turf industry,” Anne (Rist) Streich (’93, ’96, ’09) a professor of practice in agronomy and horticulture, said. “Prior to this experience, many had only worked in the golf industry.”

Streich teaches the Introductory Turfgrass Management course, coaches the turfgrass competition team, supervises internship experiences and serves as academic adviser to all turfgrass science and management students.

Students working for Nebraska Athletics are

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involved in nearly every aspect of field maintenance, and they are overseen by Alex Harter and David Berger. Responsibilities include mowing, painting, aeration, seeding, irrigation management, topdressing and fertilizer and pesticide applications across facilities such as the soccer field, football practice fields and the track and field venue.

“Working with a successful sports program provides valuable experience in collegiate athletics,” Aaron Barnhouse, a senior, said. “It also opens the door to hands-on internships, whether on golf courses or managing sports fields, where we can apply what we learn in the classroom.”

Jaden Krenzer, who graduated in May, said working at a sports turf facility, rather than a golf course, allowed him to develop a different set of turf management skills focused on a smaller area.

May graduate Carson Vachal broadened his experience beyond baseball fields. “I just wanted to see the other side of sports turf,” Vachal said. “I’ve done a lot of baseball, so I wanted to see if maybe I’d like soccer and football a lot more. I wanted to gain more knowledge about sports turf.”

The work also exposed students to large-scale athletic field projects, including Nebraska Athletics’ transition from cool-season grasses to warm-season Bermuda grass on one of the practice football fields.

“One of the biggest differences is the maintenance and protocols that we do with warm-season grass,” Harter said. “You’re a little more aggressive with Bermuda grass. We top dress and verticut more often and mow it at a different height.”

Because Bermuda grass thrives in warmer weather and spreads through rhizomes and runners, it recovers more quickly from athletic traffic and requires different moisture management strategies than Kentucky bluegrass surfaces. Harter said learning to manage multiple turf systems gives students a competitive advantage entering the workforce.

Ryan Knipping, a junior in the program, said the experience revealed the level of precision required to maintain elite athletic facilities. “My biggest takeaway from working with the athletics department is just how much work it takes to maintain a high-level practice field,” Knipping said.

Students say classroom instruction provides the scientific foundation behind mowing, irrigation, fertilization and pest management, but the real understanding comes from applying those concepts in the field. From repairing irrigation heads and lines to operating spray equipment and troubleshooting turf issues, the work connects theory to real-world results.

—Fran tenBensel Benne

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Josie Sullivan, a special education major, quickly settled into the Crete community after relocating there.

EDUCATION AND HUMAN SCIENCES

Earn While You Learn APPRENTICESHIP LETS PARAEDUCATOR OBTAIN LICENSURE TEACHING IN REAL CLASSROOMS

kristen labadie

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o s i e S u l l i va n i s w o r k i n g toward becoming a special education teacher while staying in the classroom through the Nebraska Teacher Apprenticeship Program.

The program, a partnership between the college and the Nebraska Department of Education, allows aspiring teachers to earn licensure on an accelerated timeline while continuing hands-on classroom experience.

Sullivan was a recent transplant to Crete when she began working as a paraeducator at Crete Middle School. She said she had always wanted to become a teacher but was still figuring out her next steps after graduating high school in 2020. The apprenticeship gave her a way to continue working in the classroom while moving toward that goal.

One day, her supervisor at Crete Middle School recommended the new special education program.

“I’ve always known that I wanted to go into teaching, but I graduated high school in 2020 and at that point didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do next,” Sullivan said. “With this program, I actually got to stay and teach in the same classroom I’ve been with in

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Crete. It really helped me get the best of both worlds.”

The joint effort is designed to help aspiring teachers earn endorsements on a faster timeline while addressing the need for special education teachers across the state.

For Sullivan, the program allowed her to build on the experience she was already gaining as a paraeducator while learning from the university’s faculty.

“Everything you were doing in the classroom lined up with your hands-on experience, which was really awesome,” Sullivan said. “Professor John Maag’s behavior management class was just amazing. He gave me a lot of pointers that I could use in my own classroom with the students whom I work with. Getting advice from him and hearing his experience truly helped me get so much more confident in my job.”

After wrapping up the program in the summer, Sullivan is getting exactly what she sought from it. “I accepted a role with Crete Middle School as a special education life skills teacher, so I’m really looking forward to that,” Sullivan said. “I’ve created so many good relationships with people in the community and am feeling so much more settled with my life — I’m just really excited about the future.”

—MJ Strasburger

BIG BRAG Professor Bedross Der Matossian, a historian of the modern Middle East, has been awarded a 2026 fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

The award is one of the nation’s most prestigious honors for scholars and artists.

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1990s NIBBLE

RETRO DEVOUR IN HUSKER COUNTRY

SnackWells Throw a fat-free Devil’s Food cookie cake in your plaid Jansport backpack on your way to class.

EAT

Amigos on Q Street Chow down a crisp meat burrito after a night at the bars — nothing quite like greasy carbs after midnight.

CHEER

Husker football Get on over to Memorial Stadium where the football team was basically guaranteed a win in the 1990s. See the Huskers dominate their way to back-to-back championship trophies.

WEAR

SPORT

Pixie cut Bring a photo of Demi Moore in Ghost or Winona Ryder in Girl, Interrupted to your hairstylist as inspiration for a new haircut.

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Oversized clothing Shirts, sweaters, pants — the baggier the better.

GO OUT

Guitars and Cadillacs on O Street Show up early to learn the line dance moves to Achy Breaky Heart

by Billy Ray Cyrus.

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LISTEN

Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Green Day Slip into a flannel and a pair of Doc Martens and rock out, grunge-style. Remember to write your initials on the CD so it doesn’t get lost.

READ

Classified ads Pick up The Daily Nebraskan on your walk across campus and pore over the personal ads before class starts.

SEE

Clueless Throw on a plaid blazer and dream about catching Paul Rudd’s eye … as if!

WATCH

kate bingaman-burt

Beverly Hills, 90210 Catch up on the latest episode while fulfilling your door/phone duty obligation at your sorority house.

DRINK

TRAVEL

South Padre Island Don’t forget to bring your sunscreen, or you’ll be as pink as the cocktail shrimp at this popular spring break destination.

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Everclear punch Nothing quite like a little morning punch at the fraternities before a Husker game … what were we thinking?

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FALL Music major Michael Reyes with Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology Kristen Graves at a farm in Mexico City.

FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS

Passport to Possibilities STUDENTS TRADE TRADITIONAL CLASSROOMS FOR LONDON, SEOUL AND MEXICO CITY

BIG BRAG More than 260 students spread across Lincoln last spring for the Big Event, the university’s largest single-day service project. Now in its 20th year, the student-led effort connects volunteers with dozens of sites across the city, offering help with physically demanding work and reinforcing ties between campus and community.

T

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to explore design, media, technology, culture and everyday urban life,” Kim said. “The class was not only about studying Seoul, but also building relationships, sharing perspectives and learning how design and media can connect people across places and cultures.”

A centerpiece of the course was Ping Pong: In Between Conversations, a two-day collaboration in which mixed teams of UNL and Kookmin University students created multimedia projects inspired by both Nebraska and Seoul.

For senior emerging media arts major Devon Williams, collaborating with Korean students was the reason she returned to Seoul after participating in a different study-abroad program in 2024. “To find students halfway across the globe who were studying the same subjects as me was genuinely exciting,” Williams said. “It felt more like exploring the city with friends.”

In Mexico City, students explored the city through the concept of deep listening— understanding not only what they heard, but the cultural context behind every sound. They documented street musicians, listened to vendors’ calls and explored neighborhoods with a focus on sound.

“One of the purposes of the class was to get students listening all the way around in every direction and thinking about what those sounds might mean,” Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology Kristen Graves said. “Watching students navigate brand new experiences was an honor.”

In London, students explored how place shapes storytelling while creating their own short audiovi-

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his summer, more than 60 students from the college studied abroad in London, South Korea and Mexico City. It’s part of a shifting global strategy for the college. Rather than focusing on recruiting international students through the Global Arts Academy, the college is expanding international experiences for current students.

“As visa policies changed, we had to put recruiting international students to come study in Nebraska on hold,” said Dean Andy Belser. “We have flipped our model to now offer our current students more international experiences. These will come in the form of a typical 10-20 day trip abroad. Starting next year, it will also include intensive teaching or artistic engagement for students. Meanwhile, we seek to maintain our current international connections so that we can recruit internationally again when it becomes feasible to do so.”

This summer, four study-abroad courses were offered: Seoul Immersion: Design, Media & Innovation in South Korea; Music and Sound in Mexico City; Story Abroad: City as Story Space in London; and Study at Shakespeare’s Globe in London.

Assistant Professor of Emerging Media Arts Jinku Kim said Seoul was the perfect place for students to explore design and media together. Kim led the course with graphic design faculty members Jen Landis (’94, ’06) and Rachel Stuckey.

“Seoul Immersion was a two-week study abroad course that used Seoul as a living classroom for students

ANSWER TO CORNUNDRUM ON PAGE 64

sual projects inspired by the city. “Story Abroad London deepens students’ understanding of storytelling and expands their sense of what is possible,” said Assistant Professor of Emerging Media Arts Bryan Jackson. “It’s a course where learning unfolds in the streets, theaters, galleries, museums, libraries and community centers of London.”

Senior emerging media arts major Marley Svoboda said the class encouraged students to interpret London in personal ways. “We were exposed to lots of new things and encouraged to run with them in whatever direction we wanted,” she said.

Next summer, the college will offer Experiencing Culture Through the Arts in Vietnam, where approximately 30 students from multiple disciplines will build a cabaret show in one week. The program will be led by Acting Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Dance Susan Ourada and Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film Director Hank Stratton, along with additional faculty representing musical theatre, entertainment design and production, graphic design and emerging media arts.

Ourada said these international experiences are important for students to have. “I always love that kind of one-world experience for people where students can meet someone from a very different culture and just see how we’re all sort of the same,” she said. “We’re interested in the same things and just how exciting it can be to interface with a different culture.”

—Kathe C. Andersen

courtesy, bailee gunnerson, kate bingaman-burt

OVERHEARD “You take a bite and think, ‘What is this?’ And then it kind of clicks, it tastes like a Runza sandwich.”

—APRIL JOHNSON (’21, ’24), a product development project manager in the Food Processing Center, who led development of the Runza-flavored ice cream.

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FIRST LOOK “Building the Future” is exactly what the Lied Center for Performing Arts is doing. In early February, the Center began work on a $35 million, privately funded project. Renovations will update the lobbies to improve circulation and accessibility. An addition will be constructed to the north side of the building, with spaces for performances, workshops, arts education classes and rehearsals for K-12 and university student performances. Several other additions to the space include a dressing room, a new donor lounge, shared foyer for the new studio theater and an enhanced Lied Commons. To the south of the building, a new entry lobby with a ticket office will be constructed, along with a new entrance. Performances and programs will continue during construction, and the project is set to be completed by fall 2027.

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BUSINESS

Making Cents FINANCE MAJORS REAP EARLY RETURNS ON CAREER PREPARATION

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tudents pursuing the new financial planning option as a finance major can now gain a significant head start toward one of the profession’s most sought-after credentials while earning their undergraduate business degree.

The Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Board of Standards recently approved Nebraska’s new financial planning option. Unlike programs that offer financial planning through a minor, certificate or post-degree coursework, Nebraska integrates the required CFP curriculum directly into an option within its undergraduate finance major to prepare students for careers in financial planning, wealth management and other areas of financial services.

“The CFP Board sets the gold standard for financial planning education and professional practice, and this approval affirms that our program meets those rigorous standards while preparing students for careers in one of the fastest-growing areas of financial services,” said Dean Kathy Farrell. “Students no longer have to wait until after graduation to complete the CFP Board education requirement. By completing it as part of their finance degree, they graduate ready to take the next step toward CFP certification.”

Nam Le, director of Nebraska’s CFP Board Registered Program in Financial Planning and assistant professor of practice in finance, said the integrated approach saves Huskers both time and money.

“Students who do not graduate from a CFP Board Registered Program typically spend an additional $4,000 to $8,000 and six months to a year completing a post-degree certificate program before they are eligible to sit for the CFP exam,” Le said. “Our students will complete those requirements while earning their bachelor’s degree, allowing them to begin the certification process sooner and enter the profession with a competitive advantage.”

The program comes at a pivotal time for the profession. An estimated $124 trillion in U.S. wealth is expected to transfer between generations and within families over the next two decades, increasing demand for professionals who can help individuals and families navigate complex financial decisions.

At the same time, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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projects employment of personal financial advisors will grow 10% through 2034. Global consulting firm McKinsey projects a shortage of up to 100,000 advisors as an estimated 110,000 experienced professionals retire.

“As the need for qualified financial planners continues to grow, employers are looking for professionals who can guide clients through real-life financial decisions with knowledge and integrity.

The finance major’s new option helps students begin building those skills while they are still in college,” said Stanislava Nikolova, chair of the Department of Finance. “They gain the knowledge and practical skills needed to serve clients throughout every stage of their financial lives.”

Students take courses in retirement planning, investments, taxation, estate planning, wealth management and risk management while developing the communication and analytical skills employers value in client-focused financial careers.

“Many financial planning courses are taught by faculty and industry professionals who hold the CFP certification, ensuring students learn from those who understand the standards and expectations of the profession firsthand,” Nikolova said.

—Sheri Irwin-Gish

Nam Le is the director of Nebraska’s CFP Board Registered Program in Financial Planning and teaches in the program.

BIG BRAG The university ranked No. 1 in North America and No. 12 in the world for business school actuarial science research productivity in the latest Global Research Rankings of Actuarial Science and Risk Management and Insurance.

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Through funding the Opportunity Grant Program, the Nebraska Lottery has helped provide need-based scholarships to more than 40,000 UNL students and more than 192,000 other students statewide since 1993.

nelottery.com

Must be 19.

Free problem gambling help for Nebraskans at problemgambling.nebraska.gov.

SHARING THE VIEWPOINTS OF OUR ALUMNI, FACULTY AND STUDENTS

Fall is the season when campus comes alive. Students arrive full of anticipation to study, play and build community. For one alumna, watching her son begin his journey was a deeply poignant moment.

In the spirit of lasting partnership, two fraternity brothers built a company together, leveraging their campus connections.

HARRY SENGER AUTUMN STROLL (DETAIL), 1979 watercolor on paper, 40 x 25 inches Sheldon Museum of Art, Nebraska Art Association, Gift of Mrs. Thomas C. Woods, Jr., N-579.1981

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Family Legacy

Shardea Gallion at various graduations with her son, Isaiah, in 2008, 2018 and 2024.

Back Where She Began Community lifts student mom to graduation and beyond

BY SHARDEA GALLI ON ( ’ 08)

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ra d uat i n g f r o m t h e University of Nebraska in 2008 signified an extraordinary milestone in my life. I earned a bachelor’s in broadcasting as a first-generation college student while raising a happy, healthy, gregarious child.

Suffice it to say, my undergraduate experience

didn’t mirror that of a traditional student. I had the exceptionally complex responsibility of balancing a full-time course schedule, an internship and a small child. After 20 years of reflection, when people ask me how I did it, I can say with confidence that it was the strength of my community.

My son, Isaiah, was known as the “campus baby.”

As one faculty member later reflected, it seemed as if Isaiah had crossed every square inch of campus and sat on nearly everyone’s hip. Until I found affordable childcare, I had no choice but to bring Isaiah to campus with me daily. My professors graciously allowed me to bring him to class in the early days when he was a quiet sleeping baby. Several professors even extended their office hours as emergency babysitting slots if needed.

Associate Professor Trina Creighton (’08), a former news anchor I had idolized since my own childhood, became more than just a babysitter.

Offering her time as a mentor, friend and caregiver, she eventually became a surrogate grandma calling him her “grandbaby” and displaying his

VOICES photos in her office. During late nights when I was on a deadline for class, Isaiah would run through the hallways and play with toys until he’d tired himself out. Memorably, Andersen Hall’s custodian would offer to keep an eye on him while she cleaned the newsroom, allowing me time to focus.

She’d seen me, week after week, lugging toys, board books, snacks and blankets for a makeshift cot on the nights I was editing news stories. She’d tell me how proud she was of me, and to this day, those affirming words resonate in my memory — they kept me going on nights when I felt incredibly tired or overwhelmed.

As Isaiah got older, I needed additional childcare solutions. I would have never had the courage to ask my peers for help, and yet, everywhere I looked, they showed up. Prior to having Isaiah, I was deeply involved in multiple committees and organizations designed to support students of color in navigating college life, for many of us as first-generation college students. My commitment to these organizations not only equipped me with skills and confidence to excel in classes and pursue my career goals, but it also provided me a sense of belonging on a campus where we didn’t always see daily reflections of ourselves in class. We created spaces in which we could show up authentically, experience a sense of genuine belonging, be seen and understood and support one another. These connections became my saving grace.

From within these communities, I formed a tight-knit group of girlfriends who quickly became Isaiah’s aunties. Each semester they’d coordinate their class schedules so they could each take on babysitting shifts while I went to class or worked.

They would usher him across campus, attending various student organization meetings, participating in study groups, running through the Student Union, napping in dorms and eating in the cafeterias. My network of volunteer student and staff babysitters expanded as Isaiah became a staple on campus. Members of Alpha Phi Alpha, a Black fraternity that exemplifies leadership, scholarship and provides mentorship to youth, extended their support to Isaiah and me. We embodied a shared understanding of what I was committed to accomplishing and the innumerable challenges I’d likely encounter as a boy mom. They graciously took Isaiah under their wing, providing him access to their brotherhood and serving as strong role models who looked like him. The enormous amount of encouragement, kindness and support we received from students, staff and faculty was proof of the power of community.

Prior to college, I’d been the beneficiary of the North Omaha community in which I grew up,

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one of love and support so strong that it altered the trajectory of my life and ultimately led me to the University of Nebraska. At five years old, I had to be removed from my family of origin. My 61-year-old neighbor, Callie Gallion, who dedicated her retirement years to providing childcare for the working parents in our neighborhood, graciously opened her home to me and later became my adopted mother. In her home, I was welcomed into two communities: my church and the Omaha affiliate of Girls Inc. Through church activities, I was empowered to use my voice and began developing my public speaking skills. I attended Girls Inc. of Omaha, whose motto is “inspiring all girls to be strong, smart and bold” from the ages of 5-18.

The organization nurtured my oratory strengths and exposed me to incredible opportunities that would’ve been out of reach otherwise. I began to envision a future for myself that extended past anything I’d seen in my neighborhood. I set my sights on becoming a first-generation college graduate. Angela Green Garland (’94), a Girls Inc. director, who I deeply admired, became a surrogate mother. She helped me apply for and receive admission to Marian High School, a private allgirls National Blue Ribbon college preparatory school in Omaha. And when my home was no longer safe, she offered me refuge, allowing me to live with her so I could attend my final three years of high school and graduate. Under her roof, my dreams began to take shape.

Twenty years later, my dreams are still unfolding; I never imagined that my son would choose to attend my alma mater. Now it’s Isaiah’s turn, as he started as a freshman in 2024. As an alumna, it was surreal to be back on campus as a parent accompanying the once gregarious campus kid who has grown into a well-adjusted, creative and intelligent young man. Like many parents moving their child into college, I worried about his transition and being away from his homes in Omaha and St. Louis. On move-in day, I was flooded with memories and immense gratitude for the community that had supported this child at the start of his life and was now continuing to support him as a young man. I was completely unprepared for how comforting it would be knowing that my son would have access to many of the same staff, faculty and organizations that collectively worked to support me as I navigated college life with a curly-haired baby in tow. In many ways, this was a homecoming. I could finally release the breath I had been holding all these years, knowing he was safe back in the community where we started. Our full circle journey is one of extraordinary fortitude and tremendous gratitude.

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Connections

Built on Brotherhood Friendships forged on campus fuel a thriving homebuilding venture

BY ZACH NELSON ( ’ 09)

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Our friendship and trust formed as members of Sigma Nu fraternity. We connected over our love of the Huskers, our shared construction management major and commitment to hard work.

I drew inspiration for my declared major from my grandfather’s career as a homebuilder in Norfolk and my other grandfather’s work as an engineer.

Matt spent his younger years working on his fam-

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katie nieland

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t was midnight inside Nebraska Hall, Matt Ramm (’10) and I were surrounded by half-finished plans. We were just trying to meet another construction management class deadline. What we didn’t know at the time was that those late nights would become the foundation for something much bigger for both of us.

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VOICES ily’s ranch in Holt County, Nebraska, and his high school summers as a carpenter for a local homebuilder.

To ge t h e r we s p e n t l o n g h o u r s a n d l a t e nights inside of Nebraska Hall, the College of Engineering’s primary home in the 2000s. We were go-getters, and during three consecutive years we led the Associated General Contractors of America UNL Student Chapter. Through that club, we networked and gave back to the community. We rebuilt a playground for the Friendship Home, a shelter for domestic violence victims and their children, among other service projects. We also raised money to travel to the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, the world’s largest annual light construction tradeshow that gave us a taste of travel and what was possible in the industry.

Those experiences led to Kiewit internships which in turn led to full-time jobs. I was on the Kiewit Building Group team that built Omaha’s TD Ameritrade Park (now Charles Schwab Field) and Shell Olympus Offshore Oil Platform in Texas. Matt helped manage the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church and Newman Center on City Campus, as well as an expansion of Metro Community College’s historic Fort Omaha Campus. We crossed paths at Kiewit events, where we’d catch up and lean on each other for professional advice.

While those large projects were fulfilling, I always wanted to start something of my own. So just five years after graduation I founded Echelon Homes when I built my first home, sparking a passion for creating something from the ground up.

After a few years of taking on projects on the side, I approached my college friend Matt about growing the company. It was a scary yet exciting thought: trade the comforts of corporate America to navigate the uncertainty of early-stages entrepreneurship. I asked Matt to meet me at a spec house where I was wrapping up some final details. Before we knew it, as we were working away in the basement, we were putting together our first business plan. I had faith it would work because of our years of shared history and I trusted his judgment and can-do attitude.

These days I share Echelon Homes with Matt. We build dozens of homes and a handful of commercial projects across the Omaha metro area each year, helping shape the city’s future.

Together, we take what can be a stressful experience and turn it into a positive one. We love the transformation that takes place during the course of a build, and the satisfaction that comes with bringing someone’s ideas to life. Echelon has built over a dozen homes in Sanctuary Ridge, a still-developing west Omaha neighborhood overlooking the Elkhorn River. We’re also part of teams redevelop-

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ing a historical building into luxury condos in the Old Market and expanding a technology company’s headquarters in downtown Omaha. Both projects are inside of buildings built around the turn of the 20th century.

We have UNL to thank for the success of these projects, because it’s where some of our most important connections formed. I met my wife, Chelsea (Huntington, ’11), at a party hosted by Sigma Nu and Alpha Chi Omega. She has a nursing degree and we’ve found the qualities of a good nurse have translated well as Chelsea shifted her focus to that of Echelon’s real estate agent. Matt and his wife, Emily (Nohr, ’12), met at an off-campus house party. Emily studied journalism and covered various government beats for the Omaha WorldHerald. She traded her reporter’s notebook for a camera, photographing the homes and managing our website and social media.

Echelon’s Vice President of Finance Mike Armstrong (’06) and Project Manager Darren Thomas (’10) are Husker alumni, too. And several other alumni collaborate with us as talented subcontractors. They include Alex (Waker) Trout (’12), an interior designer with D3 Interiors; Ryan McKean (’09), third-generation owner of McKean’s Floor to Ceiling; and Scott and Brittney (Kuehl) Long (both ’04), owners of HVAC company EcoAir. Today, Matt and I still work long hours that can include pretty late nights. The projects have gotten larger and more complex, but our partnership and friendship is the same. We owe a lot to the university, and we’re grateful for the experiences we had and the people we met along the way.

The Echelon Homes team headed to Texas in March to watch Husker basketball in the NCAA Tournament.

Team members, from left, Mike Armstrong, Darren Thomas, Matt Ramm and Zach Nelson, also caught a Houston Astros game.

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STORY BY KEVIN WARNEKE (’85, ’12) PORTRAITS BY CORBEY DORSEY

AT DAYBREAK

I

Women claim space in ag, driving herds, yields and innovation

t’s already 6:43 a.m., but Barb (Bush) Cooksley decides her morning check for calving heifers can wait. The reason for her pause on this Wednesday in April: She notices the steps of the family ranch house are wet. “I stopped and gave thanks for the moisture we received during the night.”

Gratitude given, she heads to a nearby pasture where she discovers no heifer had calved overnight and none appear close. Next, she checks the new mothers and their calves. The calves are beginning to rise and looking to suckle. “It’s always fun to see the morning wake up.” For Cooksley (’80, ’84), checking calves is just part of her day as a Nebraska rancher.

The days when women in agriculture were known simply as a farmer’s wife or rancher’s wife are mostly gone. These days, women in agriculture are everywhere. They’re farmers, ranchers, veterinarians, seed sales agronomists and ag instructors.

They also direct educational programs that help Nebraskans develop agriculture management skills.

Jessica Groskopf (’22) director of Nebraska Women in Agriculture, knows the statistics that show agriculture no longer is a man’s world. But encouraging women how to classify their roles in agriculture isn’t her purpose. “Where I stand, we want women to identify however they want — but we are seeing a larger percentage of women who are specifically identifying as farmers or ranchers as their primary role.”

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BARB

Cooksley N E B R A S K A Q U A R T E R LY

Barb Cooksley on the family’s ranch near Anselmo, Nebraska.

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AMANDA

Hafer

Women now comprise one-third of all farmers and ranchers in Nebraska — an increase of 6.5% from 2017 to 2022, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Nationally, women own 40% of agricultural land and, in 2023, 42% of Future Farmers of America members were young women.

Cooksley, Amanda (Willers) Hafer, MeKenzie (Beattie) Call, Fina Choat and Courtney (Anthony) Litzenberger have at least three things in common: They work in agriculture, they call Nebraska home and they earned degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They shared how and why they chose to work in agriculture, starting with how they spent that Wednesday in mid-April.

On any given day, the Cooksley Ranch, situated west of Anselmo in Custer County, is home to 800 cows, not counting the bulls and horses. The ranch also produces cover crops such as oats, peas, rye and turnips to feed their cattle.

Cooksley grew up on a ranch near Hamlet, where her father worked as ranch manager and eventually inherited the operation. She always knew she would end up on a ranch someday. First, however, she worked for the USDA, then served on Congressmen Tom Osborne and Adrian Smith’s ag staff.

In 2009, she returned to work full-time on the Cooksley Ranch alongside her husband, George

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(’79), and his extended family. “That was always my dream,” she said. “I wanted to be on a cattle ranch since I grew up on one.”

Tending the cattle demands much of her attention but also provides her favorite moments: breaking ice that has formed on water tanks after cold winter nights and watching sandhill cranes fly overhead during their spring migration north. “If I worked inside, I wouldn’t get to see that.”

Life on a ranch also comes with uncertainty. The

Amanda Hafer teaches welding classes at Norfolk’s Lutheran High Northeast.

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Fina Choat outside of the O’Neill Veterinary Clinic.

family is always on the alert for “black swan events,” such as a packing plant shuttering or burning down.

“It takes a chink out of our supply chain.” Then there’s the weather. Hot, dry springs may require the family to reduce their herd to avoid overgrazing their pastureland. “We know we can’t control the weather. No one can.”

Cooksley said she and her husband have already told their extended family that they have no plans to leave the ranch. “We’ve told our next generation and the generation after that they will have to carry us out. That’s our retirement plan.”

It’s 10:58 on that same April morning, and Amanda Hafer (’03) is reflecting on how proud she is of the students in her animal science class. Her students at Lutheran High Northeast in Norfolk just finished dissecting — with no casualties — the stomach, digestive tract and reproductive tract of a 1,200-pound heifer. “I didn’t lose anyone. No one made a run for the door. They didn’t like the (overwhelming) smell.”

Her students learned about the cow’s four stomach compartments and that each has its own look and serves a purpose: fermentation, food containment, water absorption or digestion. They also dissected the cow’s spleen, uterus and bladder. “That was a bonus.” Hafer acquired the cow’s 300-pound stomach from the meat locker in nearby Pierce — “the stuff that’s left is what I want” — and hauled it to school in her minivan.

Hafer initially pursued veterinary medicine, earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and worked in a mixed animal practice in Rapid City, South Dakota. A desire to return to Nebraska to be closer to home brought her family to Norfolk, where she initially worked at a small animal clinic.

But the late-night calls to the clinic made raising a family difficult.

Something had to give, Hafer said, and she pivoted to education — first as a veterinary tech instructor at the local community college, then as the vocational agriculture teacher at Lutheran High Northeast. “I took the first job out of necessity for my family, but within a month of teaching, it was so enjoyable.”

At first, the high school lacked dedicated space for ag classes, so Hafer taught in the band room, chemistry lab and home economics classroom.

Animal science courses were easier for her to teach, she said, but the plant science, welding, construction and woodworking classes took preparation, practice and a few online and in-person courses while she earned her teaching certificate.

Now she has her own classroom, complete with stainless steel cages for smaller animals. She often incorporates her training as a veterinarian into coursework. “We neutered a cat in class last year.

You couldn’t do that unless there’s a vet there.”

It’s 1:33 p.m., and Fina Choat (’20, ’24) is partway through breeding soundness exams on three dozen bulls. She and a vet tech drove nearly an hour from

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FINA

Choat the O’Neill Veterinary Clinic to a ranch east of Lynch.

Choat performs rectal exams to evaluate prostates and accessory sex glands before collecting semen samples from her patients to make sure “their sperm cells can swim.” She first checks the herd bulls, followed by the yearling bulls, those under 18 months and yet to go through their first breeding season. “They take a little longer. They’re just big babies.”

Choat remembers declaring she wanted to be a veterinarian while still in grade school — and she never changed course. She grew up on a farm with horses, chickens and ducks, and her mother had worked as a vet tech for a local veterinarian.

When the family covered their neighbors’ chores, she recalled, payment came in goats. “That was our 4-H show goat for the year.”

Fast forward to her final year of veterinary school. Choat received a cold call from the owner of the O’Neill Veterinary Clinic. Would she want to come for a daylong working interview? “We ultra sounded cows for pregnancies. I watched a

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COURTNEY

Litzenberger dog get neutered. I thought this was a lot of fun.”

The owner offered her a job, and Choat, after some momentary hesitation, accepted. “Opportunities in rural areas, I realized, is where I want to start my career.”

Choat is on-call overnight every third week, from 5 p.m. Monday to 8 a.m. the following Monday.

During the day, she said, she treats whatever is on her schedule, from pocket pets to horses, goats to sheep.

She recently performed a Caesarean section on a ewe. The owner brought the animal in, explaining she didn’t understand why the lamb wasn’t coming out.

Choat examined the animal. “There was no room for the head to come through. I talked to the owner about the procedure, and she told me to give it a try. I had never done a sheep C-section before. I thought ‘I’ll do it kind of like I would on a cow.’”

The ewe and lamb were fine, Choat said. “It was a big ram lamb.” And the new mother? “She jumped up and almost ran back to the pickup.”

It’s 2:35 p.m. at the Ogallala Livestock Market, and Courtney Litzenberger (’13) and her husband, Matthew, are looking to replenish their cattle herd.

They are bidding — primarily against one other rancher — on 15 breeding cows, eventually buying them for nearly $60,000. “We were pleased at the

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price. There were guys who spent a lot more than us.”

The Litzenbergers, with their 4-year-old son Benjamin, bought the cows at market to replace those that failed to get pregnant. They passed on the first lot of 18, then went after the second.

Success. Now comes the hard part: loading their new purchases in their trailer. Twenty-five minutes later, they began the 90-mile drive back to their ranch just northwest of Lexington.

Litzenberger is a fifth-generation farmer and rancher. Her husband is four generations behind.

The two met online, discovered they lived just 30 miles apart and later married. Matthew worked for a drilling company when they met, and then at a feedlot before he joined Courtney’s family operation (Anthony Farms) — which includes her parents. “He knew I wanted to keep the family farm going, and he wanted to support me in that.”

Anthony Farms includes 1,100 acres of farm ground and 640 acres of pasture. The family grows hay, corn and soybeans. “We use the corn to fatten up the steers we have.” Their herd now includes 140 breeding cows, including the purchase at auction.

Litzenberger handles the finances and works the fields and cattle as needed. She has yet to run the

Courtney Litzenberger on the Anthony family farm near Lexington, Nebraska.

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MeKENZIE

Call

planter. “I don’t have a burning desire. If the situation called for it, I would get in there and figure it out.”

The Litzenbergers and the Anthonys put in long days — but never on Sunday. “We all take off Sunday.

We get the animals fed, attend worship, then we rest.

That’s what we believe God intended. We found it does help psychologically to take a break.”

It’s 3:43 p.m. and MeKenzie Call (’22) is talking with a customer about field plots and a new hybrid seed product her company has unveiled. Her customer, who farms near Merna, also is a colleague at Channel Seeds.

Call is confident the product — which comes from a strong genetic pool and germination plasm — will produce well for her clients who test it this season. She will measure its yield, the first and most important measurement, and the plant’s health and how it battles disease and drought. “Whatever the weather comes at us.”

She’s talking strategy with her customer today and then plans to deliver product the remainder of the week. It’s all part of a busy time as clients in her six-county coverage area prepare to plant their crops, using her product. She plans to be with them throughout the growing season and expects to put 40,000 miles on her Ford F-150 truck doing so.

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Call sees her clients warming up to her, especially each time she visits. “A lot of it is just showing up.”

She’s also a fifth-generation rancher. Until July of last year, she worked part time on her family’s operation west of Sumner, where they grow soybeans and corn, raise some cattle — but mostly raised hogs.

That changed in early 2025 when the extended family (which includes Call’s husband, parents and her grandfather) made the difficult decision to lease their hog buildings to larger pork producers rather than producing their own. A trend that started in the 1970s saw smaller-scale pork operations give way to larger ones. The family held on — until they decided to step away, at least temporarily, from raising their own hogs. “It was a hard decision for my family because raising hogs was part of our legacy for over 100 years. My dad doesn’t cry, but he did that day.”

Call and her husband, Peyton, are considering some next steps: buy or lease additional land or return to raising hogs. The latter may never happen for the family, she said. “There might be an opportunity. It depends on where my husband and I land. We’ll always have our buildings — that’s a nice equity we’ve built.”

MeKenzie Call is a fifth-generation farmer and agribusiness entrepreneur.

She consults with her father, Bart Beattie (’94), on the Beattie Farm near Sumner, Nebraska.

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FAMILY Four Generations of Women on East Campus

Emma Saathoff is flanked by her grandmother Connie FrancisWiens, left, and her mother Gail Saathoff. They are holding a photo of Emma’s great-grandmother Velma Rickertsen.

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E

ast Campus has been a cornerstone of agricultural education for more than a century. For Emma Saathoff’s family, it has become a cherished tradition. Spanning four generations, Emma’s great-grandmother Velma (Reigle) Rickertsen, grandmother Connie (Rickertsen) FrancisWiens, mother Gail (Francis) Saathoff, and Emma have all walked the paths of East Campus, each contributing to its legacy in unique ways.

Velma (Reigle) Rickertsen grew up on a farm near Red Cloud, Nebraska, where her family farmed using horses rather than tractors. She graduated from Red Cloud High School in 1935 and began her career as a country schoolteacher using a high school normal training permit. However, the permit allowed only three years of teaching without further education, prompting Velma to attend the University of Nebraska in 1938.

To finance her education, she and her twin sister, Zelma, made an agreement: Zelma would work and help pay for Velma’s college expenses, and then Velma would do the same for Zelma. This compromise exemplified their dedication to education and each other. During her time at the university, Velma majored in home economics. She lived in private homes, performing light housekeeping in exchange for room and board, which further highlighted her determination and resourcefulness.

When World War II struck in 1939, men began leaving farms to join the armed forces, and women across the country were called to step into roles traditionally held by men, including operating farm machinery. At the University of Nebraska, the Department of Agricultural Engineering launched a tractor training course specifically for women, teaching them the skills necessary to manage mechanized farming, a course Velma participated in.

Instructors equipped these “Tractorettes” with the knowledge and confidence to contribute to the war effort through farm work. This initiative was part of a nationwide movement that mobilized women to replace men in agricultural roles, ensuring the country’s food production could continue.

For a young woman who had grown up on a farm that relied on horses, this was a groundbreaking moment.

After graduating in 1942, Velma became the county home extension agent in Lexington, Nebraska (Dawson County). While her time as an extension agent lasted only a year and a half, her impact extended far beyond that role. She spent her life teaching skills she learned in college to her children and the next generation of young people as a 4-H leader, leaving a lasting legacy of education and service.

Velma’s legacy of education and service inspired her daughter, Connie (Rickertsen) Francis-Wiens, to follow in her footsteps. Connie attended UNL from 1965 to 1969, majoring in home economics edu-

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cation and extension. She lived in Love Memorial Hall and has fond memories of friendships and experiences she gained there. After graduating in 1969, she dedicated 35 years to Nebraska Extension, working in five different locations across the state.

Though her path mirrored her mother’s in many ways, Connie’s career expanded the family’s contributions to Nebraska agriculture and community education.

A generation later, Gail (Francis) Saathoff also found her way to Lincoln, following the education path from 1994 to 1998. Like her mother, she lived in Love Memorial Hall. During days on campus, Gail worked at the front desk of Burr Hall, where she met her husband, Doug (’96). After graduation in 1998, she and Doug returned to his family’s farm near Hastings, Nebraska. Gail is now in her 27th year of teaching at Doniphan-Trumbull Public Schools. Her time at UNL has left a lasting impact on her, providing her with lifelong friendships and cherished memories of East Campus.

Emma Saathoff proudly represents the newest chapter in a four-generation Husker legacy.

After graduating in May with a degree in agricultural and environmental sciences communication, Emma spent the summer working on a guest ranch in Idaho. Emma found a true sense of belonging on East Campus with the familiar faces, close-knit community and deep-rooted history which made campus feel like home.

Throughout her college experience, Emma embraced the opportunity to carry forward her family’s tradition while building her own path.

One of her favorite experiences was a class where she strengthened the professional writing skills she plans to use throughout her career. Even more meaningful were the relationships she built with classmates and professors — connections that defined her time at UNL and will stay with her long after graduation.

Walking the same paths that Velma once did, Emma was constantly reminded that her family’s legacy is one of resilience, connection and inspiration. This fall she plans to return to Nebraska to pursue a career in agricultural communications, where she aims to make a positive impact just like those who came before her. Emma also looks ahead with hope, believing future generations will continue to find their place on East Campus and add their own chapters to this enduring family story.

Connie (Rickertsen) Francis-Wiens in the 1969 Cornhusker yearbook.

Velma (Reigle) Rickertsen in 1942 yearbook.

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Across the country, die-hard Huskers rally sans alumni status

BY MIA EVERDING (’20, ’22)

max riffner

I

t’s not just tassel-turning graduates who love the University of Nebraska.

Husker fans span the country from Raleigh Hills, Oregon, to Raleigh, North Carolina. That kind of reach isn’t a surprise. What may be surprising is the time and dedication some of those non-alumni superfans invest in leading Nebraska Alumni Association chapters. With more than 50 chapters nationwide, the association brings Huskers together to celebrate and support the university. These groups host watch sites for athletic events, raise scholarship funds for future Huskers and create a sense of community wherever they are. Meet a few of the chapter leaders putting in the hours and the devoted fans who prove you don’t need a UNL diploma to belong.

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OREGON

courtesy

Celeste Haas, president, Oregonians for Nebraska For many, the seeds of Husker love were sown from a young age. Celeste Haas’s family was originally from Nebraska and her dad, Steven Koch, earned alumni status in 1975. Growing up in Iowa, her family traveled to Nebraska to spend the holidays with extended family. Despite not attending the university herself, the love for all things Husker ran deep, even when she moved to the Pacific Northwest. She immediately got plugged into a group of Nebraska fans, watching football together on game days. What started as casual involvement with other like-minded people grew into a deeper commitment. Haas has been involved with the Oregonians for Nebraska for 16 years.

Living in Beaverton (near Raleigh Hills), Haas said the most rewarding part of the chapter lead position is getting to meet new people and traveling to other cities and states. Finding connections to other Huskers is also a perk.

That shared interest and connection played its part in her wedding to Chad Haas — a Wisconsin Badgers fan whose second favorite team is the Huskers — in 2024. The destination tailgate “engagement party” in Palm Springs was actually their wedding ceremony, a surprise to their loved ones who celebrated with them, sporting their favorite team jerseys.

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Celeste Haas, center in red pants, with family at her wedding to Chad Haas, far right.

CALIFORNIA

Kent Wiedel, past president, Californians for Nebraska Growing up on a farm on the Nebraska/Kansas border, Kent Wiedel said community involvement was part of his upbringing. Wiedel, who attended the university for three years but didn’t finish his degree, moved to California almost 30 years ago and soon discovered he wanted to meet more Nebraskans. After hearing a radio advertisement for the Californians for Nebraska chapter, he started going to the group’s watch sites and picnics. He was the president for 22 years, and said he’s seen the group raise nearly $300,000 in scholarships distributed to future Huskers who are the children and grandchildren of chapter members.

What makes the chapter lead position so rewarding to Wiedel is the way scholarships help the next generation of Huskers find their home in Nebraska.

“We’re encouraging a huge (part) of their life that’s just starting, and most of us are on the other side, saying ‘Oh man, I wish I was that young again!’” he said. “Those are the proudest (moments).”

Wiedel said he’s seen some of the scholarship recipients graduate and then move back to California and join the chapter, helping to bolster the love for the university and state.

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ARIZONA

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Fran Titze, former president, Huskers N Arizona Fran (Wilson) Titze attended the university for one year and although she didn’t finish her degree, she said she’s been a fan since childhood when she remembers her grandmother holding season tickets to football games. The passion is hereditary.

She moved to Phoenix in the early 2000s and married Kent Titze, another big-time Husker fan.

(Fun fact: Kent has been known to transform into a real-life Herbie Husker, donning denim overalls and a red cowboy hat.)

Titze joined the board more than 20 years ago.

The president role is now on Kent’s shoulders, but she’s content as chapter treasurer after leading as the president for just under a decade.

In her years of involvement, she has seen membership grow from 50 to over 250 people. During football season, Titze and her crew are busy, jumping between watch sites in the Phoenix area; in total, seven venues host Husker fans, playing the game on the big screen. Titze said the chapter creates a welcoming place for newcomers.

“You can be a single person, a man or a woman, and come to one of our events, and all of the sudden you’re making friends,” she said.

NEVADA

Gary Mouden, president, Las Vegas Nebraskans

Bo Green, left, and Joe Bouley (’77), chapter treasurer, raffle items at a watch party in Utah.

UTAH

Bo Green, president, Utahns for Nebraska

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Drumming up Husker enthusiasm in Draper, Utah, is Bo Green, chapter president with the Utahns for Nebraska. An Air Force brat whose family lived in France, Texas, Alabama and Nebraska, Green started at UNL in the 1970s but eventually finished his collegiate career at Iowa Western Community College. Throughout all his cross-country and international moves as a child and later into adulthood, he stayed connected to Nebraska, both the university and the state. “As I moved around the states, I always (told others I was) from Nebraska,” he said.

Green said he’s seen the ebb and flow of Utah chapter memberships since becoming involved with the group in 1997. Membership in the last ten years has been “lean,” he said, as people tend to stay home instead of joining the Utahns at the local bar where the chapter meets for watch parties. A donation-style membership fee has worked well for the group. At watch parties, Green said, they reward attendees by distributing gifts and hosting a raffle at the end of the year.

Gary Mouden’s love for the scarlet and cream began when he was young. A Lincoln native, he went to his first football game at age five in 1945. He took several classes at the university, and despite not graduating, said the experience built him into a “lifetime Cornhusker fan.” He stayed closely connected to the university by helping with the athletic programs and sponsorships. When he moved to Las Vegas in 1989, then-Athletic Director Bob Devaney asked him to take his enthusiasm for Husker athletics to Vegas and build fan support in the area.

With the Huskers’ football success in the 1990s, Mouden said the chapter’s membership and popularity grew. The Las Vegas Nebraskans outgrew their original watch sites at local bars, but they have found their current home at Bentley’s On Sunset, a restaurant and bar they’ve inhabited since 2011.

Las Vegas brings plenty of tourists into the city.

Mouden said those travelers even find their way to the watch site to catch the game, even the early ones.

“Those 11 o’clock games in Lincoln, that’s 9 o’clock in the morning out here,” he said. “That’s pretty early to start drinking beer, even by Nebraska standards.”

It’s not just celebrations and sports that make the chapter special. Mouden said during the holidays, the Las Vegas Nebraskans buy grocery store gift cards for senior citizens with limited income. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the group would construct care packages to hand out, but it’s easier to distribute gift cards now.

Husker enthusiasts gather at a watch site in Charlotte, N.C., in the fall of 2024.

NORTH CAROLINA Bernie Stein, president, North Carolina Huskers

OKLAHOMA

Walt Hansmann, president, Oklahoma Cornhusker Club

courtesy

Walt Hansmann’s connection to the university goes back to his childhood when, during summer and winter breaks in school, he’d visit his grandparents’ farm outside Edgar, Nebraska, from his home in California. His grandpa was a fervent football fan, so when Hansmann’s family moved to Hastings, he started going to football games as often as possible, even attending several summer football camps.

Now living in Tulsa, Hansmann, who joined the group in 1984, leads the Oklahoma Cornusker Club.

Since many games are televised, Hansmann said it’s been harder to find watch party locations.

Hansmann said he’s been volunteering for various organizations since he was young — he and wife Jan were Scout leaders — so although he never “had hopes and dreams of leading” the Oklahoma chapter, he wasn’t going to say no to the responsibility. He takes the job seriously. As he looks to the next decade, Hansmann hopes to pass the torch to the next generation of local Husker fans. Building the base of future leadership is among the wishes he has for the chapter. “I always tell volunteers, ‘We don’t want 100% of your time, we want 100% of the time you can give,’” he said.

Bellevue-born Bernie Stein has expansive hopes for his group. A “born and bred Nebraskan,” he didn’t attend the university, but moved east, where he found other Nebraska fans with whom to create a community. As president, he’d like to see membership and leadership involvement grow, especially after the pandemic era decreased watch party attendance. Another reason for the slump in membership has been the lackluster football performance in recent years.

He said the group remembers the “glory days” of the 1980s and 1990s, but there are other ways for group members to enjoy gathering. With the strong performance from the men’s basketball team last season and continually impressive seasons from the volleyball team, Stein hopes the chapter will grow in membership and attendance.

Stein never imagined leading a chapter, but he knew he wanted a link back to Nebraska when he moved to North Carolina. People appreciate the watch parties, and he said he’s met new people through them which brings him joy.

“I don’t get to talk Husker football with my wife because she’s not a big fan,” he said, “So it’s nice to meet fellow Husker fans.”

Challenges do exist for alumni chapters across the country as group presidents and leadership look to maintain and grow membership. But something that has stayed consistent throughout the years is a love for Nebraska, a dedication to the place people still call home.

In Las Vegas, Mouden said when people get together, they reminisce about life in Nebraska and what they miss from living in the state. Tomatoes don’t grow the same in Nevada, he said, and corn on the cob isn’t as good as what you’d find out of a pickup truck back home.

“The thing I’ve (consistently) heard, that people miss about Nebraska and the Midwest, is lightning and thunderstorms,” he laughed. “If you were born and raised in Nebraska, you know what I’m talking about.”

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To find a Husker alumni group in your area, visit huskeralum.org/chapters

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57 SUMMITING

CLASS QUOTES

CORN-UNDRUM

Tim Croshaw revisits campus, impressed with offerings for students today.

Young alumnus meets his goal of climbing to the top of Mount Everest.

Alumni from all eras tell us about their shining moment during college.

Try your hand at this Husker-themed crossword puzzle.

SET DESIGNER

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EVENTS OCT. 1 LINCOLN Homecoming Reunion Did you graduate in 2001 or 1976? Then join us during homecoming week for 25th and 50th class reunions.

OCT. 17 EUGENE, OREGON Blur Tailgate Attend the pre-game tailgate before the football team faces the Ducks at Autzen Stadium.

NOV. 7 CONNECTICUT Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off The Big Ten and the Big East will meet at this early-season basketball event when Nebraska battles the Providence Friars.

DEC. 13-21

nicole josephson sweigard

GERMANY AND FRANCE Holiday Market Cruise Toast the holiday season during this festive, seven-night cruise along the Rhine River, exploring markets and strolling through medieval towns.

Little Huskers, Big Dreams

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Piper Nebel, far left, reacts with surprise as she discovers how cool chemistry can be. She was among more than 100 children ages 7–13 who participated in the ninth annual Future Husker University in July. During the Marvelous Microbes class, Piper and her mother, Ann Nebel (’18), created natural plastic polymers — long molecular chains that are environmentally friendly, squishy and fun. Also taking part in the class were Eric Rogge (’02, far right) and his daughter, Norah. In the background are Vi Schroeder and her grandson, Josiah. Participants attended three classes during the day hosted by various colleges.

For information on the above events, email mia.everding@ huskeralum.org

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BULLETIN

Alumni MASTER Russette Lyons represented the College of Arts and Sciences during Masters Week in April.

Inset photo: Lyons in 2018 doing a science experiment with middle schoolers in Cambridge, Mass.

Spiraling Upward DNA fascination evolved into groundbreaking research, education programs

BY LAURYN HIGGINS (’18)

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an undergraduate at State University of New York at Binghamton. At a time when scientists were only beginning to unlock the mysteries of DNA, she found herself captivated by the subject. “It was the first biological sciences class that really clicked for me,” she said. “I could picture what they were talking about.”

Seeking a graduate program where she could deepen that interest, Lyons enrolled at Nebraska, where she studied under genetics professor Dwight Miller. There, she immersed herself in research using fruit flies, one of genetics’ earliest model organisms.

Her work ranged from breeding studies to behavioral experiments designed to understand how fruit flies navigate their environment. She trapped flies in the field using homemade banana mash bait and even conducted maze experiments to determine which senses they relied on to find food.

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courtesy; bailee gunnerson; mia everding

W

hen Russette Lyons (’78, ’85) arrived at the university to attend graduate school, she was searching for a place to explore her growing interest in genetics.

What she found was a community of mentors, collaborators and friends who helped shape the trajectory of her life and career.

In April, Lyons was recognized as an Alumni Master by the Nebraska Alumni Association, an honor she says she never expected. “I look at my career and say, ‘I’m proud of it,’” Lyons said. “I did good things, but I couldn’t imagine that it would ever be recognized as outstanding or anything.”

That humility stands in contrast to a career that has spanned groundbreaking biomedical research, biotech leadership and global scientific education.

Lyons first discovered her passion for genetics as

After earning her master’s degree, Lyons remained at Nebraska, working as a laboratory technician before pursuing a doctorate. The experience exposed her to every aspect of research, from conducting experiments to maintaining the lab itself. “I got very good at it,” Lyons said, “being able to take care of everything in the lab.”

Her doctoral research on proteins involved in cellular growth control helped prepare her for a postdoctoral fellowship studying cancer biology and protein biochemistry. From there, she faced a choice between academia and industry.

She chose industry.

In the early 1990s, Lyons joined Genetic Therapy, a small biotech company exploring the then-emerging field of gene therapy. The company would become one of the first to treat patients with a rare genetic disease using gene therapy technology. “It was just amazing that it happened so quickly,” Lyons said.

Over time, she advanced through a series of leadership roles, overseeing cell biology and molecular biology programs before eventually becoming head of research and development and chief operating officer. Yet despite her success in executive positions, Lyons found herself most energized by the science itself. “I really was much more happy being closely associated with the research,” she said.

That passion followed her to Novartis, where she worked in project management, vaccine development and scientific education. One of the highlights of her career came through work associated with a meningitis vaccine that ultimately received regulatory approval.

But it was education that became her lasting focus.

At Novartis, Lyons helped create programs for students at nearly every stage of the scientific pipeline, from middle and high school laboratory experiences to college internships, postbaccalaureate research fellowships, and postdoctoral training opportunities.

“It really feels like coming back full circle,” she said.

The programs reflected something Lyons wished had existed during her own graduate school years: a stronger sense of community and mentorship for young scientists navigating their careers.

That commitment to helping others comes as no surprise to those who knew her during her time in Lincoln.

Sue (Mittag) Alker (’83), a former housemate and longtime friend, remembers Lyons as someone who naturally connected people. “She was very down to earth and had a wonderful sense of humor,” Alker said.

The two lived together while attending school, and Alker recalls Lyons frequently hosting dinners for friends from the lab. “She enjoyed making homemade pasta and inviting her lab friends over for din-

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ners, and the house smelled wonderful,” Alker said.

The friendship left a lasting impression. When Alker got married, Lyons gave her the same pasta maker she used herself. “I still use it to this day,” Alker said.

Outside the lab, Lyons was equally competitive on the tennis court. Bruce Poe (’85), who met Lyons while both were graduate students, remembers her as a gifted athlete whose determination matched her academic drive. “Russ was, and probably still is, always smiling and upbeat about everything,” Poe said. “Behind that smile is a very bright and competitive person.”

The two frequently partnered in local mixed doubles tournaments, where Lyons quickly earned a repRussette Lyons, left, with her housemate Sue (Mittag) Alker in the 1980s.

utation for her intensity. “When the bottom line is winning or losing, don’t mess with Russ,” Poe said.

“She will grind you into the court and smile as she is doing it.”

Poe said the same qualities that made Lyons successful in sports would later define her professional life. “She was a bright, passionate and caring person who had goals and would excel at anything she participated in,” he said.

As Lyons reflects on her years at Nebraska, she remembers gradually learning that graduate school was about more than research. Initially focused almost entirely on academics, she eventually embraced campus traditions, friendships and activities that helped create a fuller experience.

Asked to describe her perfect day as a graduate student, her answer was simple: “Tennis, tennis, lab, lab, beer.” The formula captures much of what defined her time at Nebraska — intellectual curiosity, hard work, friendship and fun.

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Alumni MASTER Tim Croshaw represented the College of Fine and Performing Arts during Masters Week in April. Inset photo: Croshaw during college in 2000.

Reel Progress

Hollywood set designer revisits campus, finds innovation center stage

BY TONY MOTON (’98)

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hen Tim Croshaw (’00) visited campus in April, he felt as if he had been teleported into the future. The seasoned Hollywood set designer’s eyes widened as he stepped inside the Johnny Carson Center for the Emerging Arts and marveled at motion-capture technology, theaters and collaborative spaces available to today’s students at the intersection of 13th and O streets.

Having been named to the 2026 class of Alumni Masters by the Nebraska Alumni Association, Croshaw’s return to receive the recognition turned into something more than he imagined.

“They have two full-on movie theaters,” Croshaw said. “They’ve got a lot of wacky installations and crazy stuff that kids are doing there. It’s kind of mind-blowing all the things they are exposed to.”

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A striking combination of industrial rawness, floorto-ceiling windows, specialized studio and technology spaces, integrated meeting zones and ultra-modern labs, the Carson Center is home to emerging media arts students learning on the cutting edge of creativity and technology. If Croshaw was a student today, he’d get his hands on tools that barely existed when he was on campus in the late-1990s.

“They’ve got motion capture with Unreal Engine 3D environments,” Croshaw said in a phone interview from suburban Atlanta, where he was scheduled to set design an Amazon film project titled Lizard Music, starring Dwayne Johnson. “And they’re doing cross-discipline stuff. So, the theater performers are coming in to (work) with the emerging arts students, and they’re collaborating together. This really is great, like a sort of soup that is brewing there. And

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hopefully they continue to develop it.”

Back in the day, Croshaw the Learner, a North Omaha native, was sharpening his creative instincts as a theater major focusing on scene design. He enhanced his craft working on productions at the Lied Center for Performing Arts and in the Temple Building before launching a professional career that has earned him nearly 50 film and television credits as a set designer. His list of best-known film and TV credits is staggering and includes — alphabetically speaking — Ant-Man, The Avengers, Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Captain Marvel, Gone Girl, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, House, House of Cards, Medium, Monk, Superman (2025), Thor: Ragnarok and Twilight.

Not a bad resume for someone who started as an English major interested in storytelling. But when Croshaw switched majors as a sophomore, he found his calling and his mentors apparently noticed. One such mentor is Chuck O’Connor, a professor of design for Theatre, Film and Emerging Arts, who said he has vivid memories of Croshaw earning his degree.

“I remember seeing some of Tim’s early work at school and thinking, ‘Wow, this kid has a natural eye for design, especially in his use of color,’” O’Connor said. “This is the kind of talent that is hard to teach and he just had it. That said, talent will only get you so far in a world full of talented people. Tim always worked hard as a student and that is how he ultimately succeeded.”

O’Connor, a former set design instructor at UNL and the driving force behind the development of the Carson Center, said students such as Croshaw can excel after graduation because the school long has valued the marriage of art and technology. And a happy marriage it has been.

“Film design and filmmaking increasingly have become technological as well as artistic skills,” O’Connor said. “We realized that there were many of our students, like Tim, who were going on to successful careers in Hollywood because they had advanced skills in computer visualization for film production and visual effects. So, when we had the chance, and with the support of the Johnny Carson Foundation, we decided to expand in those areas so that more students would have those opportunities.”

Another mentor, Brad Buffum, echoed O’Connor’s sentiments about Croshaw with one caveat. He described Croshaw as if his former student was some kind of nagging housefly that wouldn’t go away.

“I remember that he was bright, energetic and enthusiastic to the point of annoyance,” said Buffum, a longtime production stage manager who retired in

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August. “But it’s OK. He would look you in the eye, ask questions and go to work. He had a spark.”

After Croshaw visited campus for the Alumni Masters event, Buffum said he took a closer look at the list of the set designer’s credits. That was when the instructor realized the former student worked on 2021’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, a Shakespearean ode starring Denzel Washington. “It was one of the most amazing designs of a movie that I’ve seen in my life,” Buffum proudly critiqued.

Along his career path, Croshaw built a life in the industry. He lives in the Eagle Rock area of Los Angeles and is married to Shanna Starzyk, who previously worked as an assistant art director on the TV’s Mad Men. “We’ve been together since 2001 ... and obviously we’re great partners,” said Croshaw, a father of three.

“When Mad Men was over, she didn’t look for anything else. She did a few other small things after that, but she wasn’t interested in being away anymore. She retired, more or less, after our last kid was born.”

While in Peachtree City, Georgia, for the Dwayne Johnson project, he said Starzyk helped him by reading the book Lizard Music, a pulp novella on which the film is based.

By the time he’s ready to design a film’s set, Croshaw said he has broken down the story and thought of ways he can enhance the narrative and the actors’ performances.

“I don’t want to hinder the performance of an actor or director,” Croshaw said. “I don’t want to make something where someone can’t move around or they don’t feel comfortable and I don’t want to make a space that’s too small where a cinematographer or director can’t get inside and get the camera angles they want. You know, design a set that matches the blocking that’s required and being able to shoot it.”

For Croshaw, the lessons from his college days are those that clearly influence his present and his future.

“UNL’s theater program has been on the cutting edge of film and set design for more than 50 years, and we have an excellent reputation nationally,” O’Connor said. “Still, Tim’s success is a result of his efforts, more than ours. He has worked hard and earned everything he has achieved.”

Croshaw credits O’Connor for helping him hone his skills using Autodesk 3ds Max, a professional 3D computer graphics software used for modeling, animation and rendering. “The technology has always given me the edge to be more current and on top of what technologies are more prevalent,” Croshaw said. “I’ve always been ahead of everyone else. And it’s because of what I was exposed to.”

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BULLETIN

Alumni Profile

Full Throttle Focus

Competitive fire fueled success from pool deck to track

BY RONALD AHRENS (’78)

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courtesy

he tremendous buzz throughout the Husker athletic department in 1990 was due to football, but the men’s swimming team had a relentless hold of Big Eight conference titles back then on the way to 15 in a row, and the swim program drew premium talent.

Marci Bodner (’94), a high school AllAmerican with a crunchy Pittsburgh accent, was following the footsteps of her older sister, Darci, who swam at Auburn and made collegiate All American. The Bob Devaney Sports Center hosted the 1983 NCAA Division I women’s swimming and diving championships with Darci competing for the Tigers, and Marci and their parents went to watch.

“Part of my determination in life was to be as good as my sister,” Marci said from her home in Oakmont, Penn. Recruited by Pitt, Iowa, Tennessee and Florida State, she chose Nebraska, not because of familiarity, but rather the family feeling and good fit for herself. “As I analyzed the people who were already on the team, and just looking for my place, Nebraska was the best.”

At the freshman induction in the training room under Memorial Stadium, Marci met Jonathan Kerr (’96), a Scottish hotshot with international experience. They shared the same specialty, the 400-yard individual medley — the sport’s

most imposing race.

“You’re the king or the queen of the pool if you can do the medley,” Kerr said from his home in Brisbane, Australia. He explained that pain tolerance used to top technique, but by 1990, the IM specialist had to be “legitimately good” at the butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle.

“Marci was the very rare combination of grit and grace,” Kerr said. “She’s got that Pittsburgh part of her, as tough as nails, but is this incredible, wonderful package. Everybody loves Marci.”

Excellence was her trademark, no matter the event. She won the 400 IM at the 1992 Gopher Invitational in Minneapolis, but in 1994 a little detour led to the Big Eight title in the 200 Butterfly.

During a video call, she reached for her framed AllAmerican certificate. “All four years I was trying to achieve the All-American status, and then to also maintain my grades and my GPA on top of that.”

Only six of her 13-member freshman class made it four years. She led them through, and matched her sister Darci.

Marci says she led by example, but to go with her

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Pittsburgh brogue, the elementary education major was a crusader and wielded a wicked pen. Early in her junior season a rare thing happened: The Daily Nebraskan sent a reporter to cover the Cornhuskers’ dual meet with South Dakota. When Marci read the error-filled news story the next morning, she was moved on behalf of her teammates to dispatch 200 unhappy words to the editor.

“I am just asking that more accurate information is published in our future articles,” she wrote. She says she had forgotten this letter but easily summons her disappointment in the article. “You’re just giving your heart and soul to the sport, and then we get one glimpse of recognition, and it’s not accurate.

It was so hard.”

Marci dedicated her youth to swimming, but growing up on a 33-acre horse and goat farm in suburban North Huntingdon left her with other useful skills like tractor driving. The familiarity with various vehicles and early exposure to auto racing on television paid off in the late 1990s when she enrolled in the Skip Barber Racing School at Laguna Seca Raceway in California. The experience opened a new path of competition, and from 1997 to 2002, Marci drove open-wheel cars in Sports Car Club of America races. Starting in Formula Ford, a category in which the lightweight cars have 120-horsepower Ford engines, she tested her track skills. Eventually, she moved up to Formula Mazda. These single-seaters used more potent 180-horsepower Mazda engines. Front and rear wings supplied extra aerodynamic downforce and higher cornering speeds.

“I wanted people to see me as a female out there, and I wore a bright pink racing suit. It was like, ‘I’m a girl. I deserve to be out here, just like all of you.’”

She qualified for the SCCA’s equivalent to the playoffs one year.

To Kerr the news was no surprise. “One of the things athletes miss is that thrill and joy of competing,” he says. “You don’t always win, but you’re living your best life.”

After completing a master’s degree in education at Duquesne University, Marci spent 23 years teaching in elite private schools. Becoming single again in

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2024 after many years of marriage, she decided the time was right for a career change and took a step that integrates her competitive spirit with the interest in motorsports. Today, at 53, she’s U.S. brand specialist for the Amalgam Collection. The company based in Bristol, England, utilizes laser measurements, extensive research and advanced manufacturing techniques to produce museum-quality scale models of real cars. Details on the bespoke orders are accurate down to the color of the stitching in the leather upholstery. Prices start at $27,000 and reach six figures. A fertile sales route finds Marci following the Ferrari Challenge, where competitors spend around $400,000 for a factory-produced Ferrari racing car. They task their local dealership with keeping it track-ready and then pay even more for specialized on-track technical support. The Ferrari Challenge runs six races at tracks in Florida, Texas, Wisconsin and California. For drivers who have funds remaining, a nice memento at season’s end is an exact 1:8-scale replica of the race car.

“This is really a niche market for people who have it all,” she said with a laugh.

Marci has often returned to Lincoln for homecoming reunions with those from “the four best years” of her life. She has been to Brisbane to visit Kerr and to England to see another teammate. Since college graduation in 1994, she has deviated from Darci’s path, but by following her own individual course with a new buzz in the background, it can be said she still leads by example — a captain for life.

Marci Bodner, left, during her college days with teammates Wendy (Lawson) Maclaughlin (’96) and Kris Haws (’96).

According to the Preservation Association of Lincoln, Greek Row was built in the 1910s and 1920s because, at the time, the university was hesitant to provide student dormitories.

In the summer of 1997, Greek Row was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

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BULLETIN ITEMIZED: A look at a treasured college relic

RED BLAZER

BY MIKE MEYER (’79)

Corncob President Mike Meyer and Tassels President Kathy (Vogt) Reedy (’79), were photographed in the Big Red Machine in 1978.

The photo was published in a football game day program that year.

There’s an old red blazer in my closet that I’ve had since 1976. It was worn by members of Corncobs, a male spirit organization that supported Husker athletics, primarily football. There was a similar group, Tassels, for women.

As Corncob rookies, our main task was to roam Memorial Stadium, campus, hotel lobbies and downtown Lincoln each football Saturday, selling white carnations (topped with a red pipe-cleaner N). At the same time, the Tassels sold red balloons for fans to release after the Huskers’ first score.

At football games, Corncobs ran the card section in the stands (which spelled out messages throughout the game). We also organized pep rallies and were involved in homecoming activities. Members wore the large Harry Husker mascot head on the sidelines during football games, until he was replaced by Herbie Husker.

One of the neatest opportunities for the club members was to drive the Big Red Machine, a minature fire engine, around the stadium and onto the field.

The Big Red Machine even made trips to away games, but we weren’t allowed to drive it in the Colorado stadium because it would scare Ralphie, the buffalo mascot. It was also banned from the Oklahoma football field in 1977 because the Corncobs hadn’t received permission to have it there.

I was a shy, unassuming underclassman, and wasn’t paying attention at one of our meetings until I heard then-president John Arterburn (’78) mention my name as a nominee for president of the organization. I jolted upright and thought “absolutely, no way, will I do that!” It turned out to be one of the best things that happened to me in college. It made me step out of my comfort zone, helped me grow and develop as a person, and taught me about leadership,

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organization and responsibility.

Being the president of Corncobs enabled me to meet and work with many wonderful people and allowed me to have some unique experiences. I had keys to Memorial Stadium, where the Big Red Machine was stored. As president, I was also co-chair of the All University Homecoming Committee, which handled every detail of homecoming activities and events, including organizing a big pep rally, producing posters of the homecoming royalty candidates, and arranging a homecoming court photo for the front cover of the game day program.

My time at UNL was a great experience that positively influenced my life. I graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, no longer a shy, quiet, unassuming student, and I’m reminded of that every time I see the old red blazer.

SHARE YOUR TREASURE Do you still have a cherished object from your college days? Tell us about it and we may feature you on this page.

Email: mia.everding@huskeralum.org

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LOFTY DREAMS, SPECTACULAR SUMMITS

G

rowing up in Kearney, Griffin Mims fell in love with the outdoors. As a child to two professors at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, he developed an appreciation for travel from a young age. Studying at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln let him dream big and when he graduated with a degree in communications and global studies, he didn’t wait long to start chasing those goals.

Four days after graduation in August 2019, he moved to the Lake Tahoe, Calif., area, having never visited the region before. He wo rke d pa r ttime jobs with a camera in hand, honing his craft and working toward a career in adventure travel and storytelling. Last year he summited Mount Everest with Alpenglow Expeditions, a mountain guiding service company where he works as an international client manager.

ASK

AN ALUM

What made Nebraska special?

My first week as a freshman, I went to the Outdoor Adventure Center and fell in love with climbing. That really sparked a journey for me in becoming more engaged with the climbing and outdoor community. I spent my senior year in Patagonia, Chile, and in the Czech Republic. That really set me up to chase this dream of going elsewhere and going outside.

How likely did a career storytelling and traveling feel?

It felt really far away. The hardest thing to do when you’re chasing a dream is to start — it feels impossible. I met Chris Burkard, a photographer who inspired me to buy my first camera and to meet him made this dream feel real. There are people out here who are doing things that I want to do, and all I have to do is do it. It’s been a lot of hard work to make this happen.

You had dreamed of summiting Everest for 10 years.

How was the experience?

It was surreal. There’s a spot on Everest where you can see the summit and all the hard climbing is done

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s m i M n i f f i r G

WITH

and you know you’re going to summit … that was the point I was trying to get to. The culmination of effort and sacrifice and passion in being able to stand on the top felt really gratifying in that moment, at that corner, looking to the summit. After summiting, I was crying as I walked back down to advanced base camp, just in belief that I’d done it.

What encouragement do you have for others?

Be open to where the university can take you. If you find something even remotely interesting, go try it. You have no idea what love and passion will stem from if you try new things. The university is incredible at being able to give those opportunities to people.

How did being a Husker help you in accomplishing your dreams so far?

I met my best friends and my biggest passions in life, and I lived my biggest life goals because of the lessons I learned and the people I met there. Anyone who’s at the university should know they have every opportunity to build the life they want to live.

What would you say to someone who’s chasing a dream that seems out of reach?

I think you have to give yourself the grace to fail.

It just takes action and grace and failing and shifting dreams. You’re never going to do what you want to do unless you actually try, so go do, do, do, go. Open the door and walk through it. It’s hard, but it’s way worth it when you do.

—Mia Everding

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BULLETIN

Class Quotes

PROMPT

What was your shining moment at UNL?

Bill Schwartzkopf (’73, ’76), after graduating from law school and being admitted into the Nebraska State Bar Association, entered the construction industry — and never left. He and his wife, Michelle (Scholes) Schwartzkopf (’76), live in Denver.

When I played the accordion with the Cornhusker Marching Band on Sept. 8, 1973, in my first and only appearance with the band. The game against UCLA was televised nationally as it was Tom Osborne’s debut as head football coach.”

Burk Renner (’78) retired in 2022 after serving as a city planner for the Texas communities of McAllen, Orange and Killeen, and Memphis/ Shelby County in Tennessee. He started his professional career as a parks and recreation planner in McAllen before being promoted to city planner.

1980s My five-month extension internship in Dawson County in 1958. It was a requirement for my major: home economics extension education. I gained teaching and organizational skills, and experienced direct application of my coursework to the ‘real world.’ I continue to use the lessons I learned.”

Juanita (Boeckenhauer) Reed-Boniface (’59) recently was named a “Saint Star Award” recipient by the St. Francis (Minnesota) Area Schools for her dedicated service to the district through advocacy, committee membership and professional expertise. After a long career in extension services in Nebraska and Minnesota, she retired in 1992 from the University of Minnesota as an extension educator in 4-H youth development.

1970s Leading the spirit group Corncobs during our national championship seasons in 1971 and 1972. I had the honor, as part of my duties with Corncobs, of presenting Bob Hope with a red telephone during his performance to raise money for the new outdoor track.”

Gary Kuklin (’72) worked as a commer-

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cial real estate broker the past 23 years in Nebraska and Iowa.

Obtaining an engineering internship with Amoco Production in Wyoming.

It was made possible through the suggestion of Mrs. Woods, who ran the Placement Office and facilitated my obtaining an unscheduled interview with the recruiter after the office had closed.”

Performing in a symphonic band concert held in March 1978 at Kimball Recital Hall. I was the principal cornet chair and was flattered to be a featured soloist in a performance of Hungarian Melodies by Vincent Bach.”

Kevin Kaisershot (’80) retired from public school teaching in 2015 and continues to compose and arrange educational music with several publishers. His composition, The Music Teachers’ March, won a national competition sponsored by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; and the National Association for Music Education for creating a march to honor music teachers.

Being the first in my family to graduate from a university. I was a twotime academic All-American in track — thanks to my great professors, which included Jerry Petr, Lloyd Ambrosius and Tim Carr. I met my future husband in Dr. Ambrosius’ class.”

Nicole (Ali) Simon (’85) came to Lincoln from Toronto. She recently retired after 37 years as a State Farm Insurance agent in Lincoln. She and her husband, Doug (’86, ’90) have three grown children — all Husker graduates.

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1990s Attending football games at Memorial Stadium — especially the 1991 victory over Oklahoma when we carried the goal posts to the State Capitol building.”

During the winter of 1982, a group of friends traveled to St. Libory, Nebraska, to play in a snowball softball tournament.

We had low expectations for softball, but high expectations for post-tournament beverages.

In the mud and snow, our team brought home the championship trophy.”

julia deese (3)

Rick Wilson (’83, ’90) serves as professor and department chair of management science and information systems in the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University. After earning his doctorate in business administration, Wilson joined the faculty at OSU as an assistant professor. His research in neural network applications and sports analytics is well-known and highly cited.

Steven Meints (’93, ’97) recently was named chief counsel of the U.S. Army’s Capability Program Executive, Simulation Training, Test and Threat in Orlando, Florida. He also was recently promoted to the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps and commands the 213th Legal Operations Detachment in Decatur, Georgia.

2010s Earning an internship at Bailey Lauerman. We worked with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to promote new exhibits, which I’ve since had the opportunity to visit while living in D.C. I still have the branded backpack I received on the first day of the internship, although the logo is, admittedly, a bit outdated.”

Anna English (’15) serves as an executive communications strategist for Lockheed Martin. In this role, she develops executive social media content and thought leadership strategies for senior leaders. English previously supported social media strategy at Fannie Mae and worked at Edelman, where she helped build the firm’s executive visibility social media practice.

Experiencing Nebraska football games in the seats my grandfather purchased when the north stadium was built. Another was being the third generation of my family that graduated from Nebraska.”

I assisted low-income families with their tax returns through a program called Lincoln Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. I found this experience rewarding and it was a way for me to give back to my community.”

Ann (Meissner) Sjulin (’85) has practiced medicine for the past 33 years at Mid-City OB-GYN, where she is a partner. Sjulin serves as board chair for the Nebraska Transition College, a nonprofit that provides life-skills curriculum for people with autism and other disabilities. She and her husband, Dave (’85), live in Omaha.

Joe Hill (’16) serves as a futures risk manager

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for Charles Schwab in Omaha. In this role, Hill manages firm risk and assists clients with futures trading.

Graduating with highest distinction and being named a Chancellor ’s Scholar, reflecting the hard work and dedication I put into my academics. Also serving as president of Chi O m e ga s o ro r i t y, being tapped into Mortar Board, participating in the Nebraska Agricultural Youth Council and being named a member of Homecoming Court.”

M a d i s o n S t ra c k e (’24) recently was named a 2026 recipient of the Dennis Washington Leadership Graduate Scholarship — one of five students nationwide to receive the competitive award, which provides up to $250,000 fo r g ra d u a te s t u dy.

Stracke, who hails from Stuart, Nebraska, served as a summer associate for the Koley Jessen law firm in Omaha. She is now a second-year law student at UNL.

—Compiled by Kevin Warneke

SHARE YOUR MEMORIES

How did you earn money as a student?

To be featured in the winter issue, email your answer to kwilder@huskeralum.org.

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59

BULLETIN

MYSTERY

PHOTO 1966

DO YOU KNOW THESE STUDENTS? Greek Row 1960s University Libraries Archives & Special Collections has many photos that could be enhanced with more information about who, what, when, where or why the photograph was taken. We’re hoping you will help us play detective. Do you recognize any of these students from the 1960s? If so, help us fill in the details of this mystery photograph. We’ll publish our findings in the winter edition of Nebraska Quarterly.

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LET US KNOW Email your educated guesses or concrete identifications to mia.everding@huskeralum.org.

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julia deese

Janice (Itkin) Kreuscher (’68) spotted several Sigma Delta Tau sisters celebrating Hanukkah in December 1966. Janet (Trachtenberg) Arffa (’70) distributes gifts to Suzanne (Goldhammer) Schreiber (’61, ’71), who stands behind her with the black-framed glasses. Peeking around Janet’s shoulder is Marcia (Kominsky) Wallen (’70) in the white slacks and saddle shoes.

BULLETIN

Obituaries 1950s

lincoln journal star

Marvel Phillips Heuke (’50), Kearney, March 2; Dwayne Krabe (’51), Juniata, June 12; Robert Raun (’51), Minden, April 22; Mary Hubka Mohrman (’52), Fargo, N.D., April 7; James Roubal (’53), Omaha, April 23; Ray Gard (’53), Beaver Crossing, March 23; Earl Mitchell (’53), Norfolk, March 11; Marshall Kushner (’54), Omaha, April 2; Conrad Stahly (’54), Albuquerque, N.M.; Manis Edwards (’55), Lincoln, April 21; Nancy Draper Tomsen (’56), Minden, May 13; Robert Krasne (’58), El Paso, Texas, May 9; Elaine Eaton Pugsley (’59) Jay Em, Wyo., April 23; Willard Fagler (’59), Fernandina Beach, Fla., March 27

1960s Arlie Thayer (’60), Orland Park, Ill.,

1933-2026

Lee Harlan Leone “Lee” Spencer Harlan, whose philanthropic activity provided wide-ranging support to UNL and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, died on June 21 at age 92. Major donations for university programs, faculty research innovation and agribusiness scholarships stood out among the decades of energetic support to the university from Harlan and her husband, Neal, president and CEO of The Scoular Company, who died in 2003. In 2000, the Harlans established the Neal and Leone Harlan Vice Chancellorship within IANR, the first named vice chancellorship in NU System, a position currently held by Tiffany HengMoss. Harlan, born on Dec. 17, 1933, grew up in Lincoln and earned two degrees from the university: a bachelor’s degree in education in 1955 and a master’s degree in 1970. She dedicated 24 years to teaching, spending much of her career providing instruction and mentorship to students in Omaha Public Schools.

March 13; Linda Forbis Oehlerking (’62), Lincoln, March 25; Cathryn Scott Linscott (’62), Lincoln, March 13; Karen Muehlich DeBrown (’63), Lincoln, May; Phyllis Mills Mitchell (’63), Lincoln, May 9; John Musil (’63), East Peoria, Ill., May 15;

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Mary Forell Tipton (’63), Chester, April 28; Patricia McOstrich Hughes (’63), Bethesda, Md., April 13; Harriet George Barron (’64), Aurora, May 21; Maurice Fleming (’64), Rockville, Md., March 15; Richard Harner (’64), Louisville,

April 1; Miles Humphrey (’64), Twin Falls, Idaho, June 2; William Reichenberg (’65), Louisville, Colo., March 16; Ruth Diedrichsen (’65), Lincoln, March 19; George Flock (’65), Papillion, March 7; Bruce Motycka (’65),

St. Augustine, Fla., May 2; Thomas Poggemeyer (’65), Lincoln, March 22; Annie Whitmer Schapmann (’65), Birmingham, Ala., May 5; Larry Dlugosh (’65), Roca, April 17; Thomas Findley (’66), Lincoln, March 18; Alixandra Rush-Osborn

(’66), Milan, Ill., May 24; John Keenan (’66), Denver, May 13; Jane Crabill (’66), West Des Moines, Iowa, April 8; Laurence Donahue (’68), La Vista, March 20; Fayrene Lockhorn Hamouz (’68), Hickman, April 8; Patricia Patterson BeckenhauerOlsen (’68), Lincoln, March 19; Paul Brodhagen (’69), Lincoln, May 18; Kenneth Kroeker (’69), Surprise, Ariz., June 4

1970s Seturnino Franco (’70), Papillion, May 21; Lyle Stewart (’70), Cave Creek, Ariz., March 3; Paul Hitz (’70), Houston, April; Robert Anderl (’71), Dayton, Ohio, April 17; Diane Maly Vigna (’71), Nemo, S.D., June 8; Leann Petz Fritzler (’72), Hebron, April 18; William Hodge (’72), Holdrege, May 10; Randall Spiehs (’72),

Grand Island, April 28; Dean Meyer (’73), La Vista, June 8; John Scamehorn (’73), Norman, Okla., April 23; James McClurg (’73), Lincoln, June 9; Karen Lee Killham (’74), Lincoln, April 20; Robert Reisdorff (’74), Seward, May 25; Donald Shield (’75), Lincoln, May 7; Jeffrey Gerhart (’75), Elkhorn, May 3; Kathryn Waldmann Sibbel (’75), Ankeny, Iowa, May 9; Vance Kramer, (’79), Hillsborough, N.C., May 27; Michael Miller (’79), Omaha, April 26

1980s Laura Burklund Mussman (’82), Omaha, March 21; Nancy Olson (’83), Omaha, June 1; Gloria Minor Colerick (’83), Scottsdale, Ariz., May 12; Marybeth Prusa Helmink (’86), Hickman, May 22

1990s Timothy Scholl (’98), Lincoln, April 14

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61

GAMES A NEW MILLENNIUM

CREATION AND DESIGN BY JOHN SHULTERS (‘00) # OF PLAYERS: 2-4 • AGE: 8+ • TIME: about 10 min

By the late 1990s, UNL was entering a period of rapid change. The internet was transforming how students communicated, studied and spent their free time, while concerns about the Y2K computer bug forced administrators and businesses to update their systems or face unknown, and potentially catostrophic, consequences. In the rise of a new digital age on campus, students balanced classes, work and social life like always, but with a renewed sense of urgency and opportunity.

At the heart of student life stood the Nebraska Union, with major expansions beginning in 1996. This newly renovated Union reopened to students in 1999 with 55,000 new square feet of space, including a new auditorium, offices and meeting rooms, and most crucially for the time, a 24-hour computer lab. Controversially, the original Broyhill fountain and plaza were removed and replaced with a new contemporary design. As construction, technology and campus life collided at the turn of the millennium, students showed they could work together to keep the university connected through a time of transition.

This is the third in a series of four games this year, each exploring a part of university history. If you missed Games 1 or 2, check the Spring and Summer issues to play through more of UNL’s past!

This is a two-to-four player cooperative game, where players will work together and take on the role of system administrators trying to patch all the vulnerable software on the university’s mainframe before the calendar flips to the year 2000. With only four months left, will you and your team be able to squash all the bugs and keep things running smoothly into the new millenium?

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO PLAY

FUN EXTRAS

Want to print your own game board?

Don’t have any coins handy?

Or maybe you have rules questions?

Check out the bonus content by scanning this QR code.

• A standard deck of playing cards (52 cards - Ace through King in four suits, no Jokers) • 8 pennies (or other coins)

SETTING UP THE GAME • Remove the Aces from the deck and set them aside within reach.

• Separate the red cards from the black cards to form two decks.

- Shuffle the black cards to a face-down deck on the Mainframe.

- Shuffle the red cards and deal them face-down equally to all players.

• Place 4 coins in the Buffer and the other 4 in the Pool.

• Players should sit facing a Terminal (empty Terminals are unused).

START OF A ROUND

PASSING

• Deal a card face-up to each player’s Terminal from the Mainframe deck.

If you cannot match a Terminal card on your turn, you must Pass. Draw an additional card from your player deck to use next round (this is the only way you may exceed your maximum hand size). NOTE: unmatched cards will be covered by new cards next round.

• Each player draws from their player deck into their hand, up to the maximum hand size (see chart ►) • Each players take a turn, either Playing a Card or Passing. NOTE: You can take turns in any order.

If at least one player passes in a round, flip over one of the set-aside Aces. This represents one of your • Once all players have taken a turn, start a new round. remaining months passing and drawing closer to Y2K.

PLAYING A CARD

ENDING THE GAME

If you have a card in your hand that exactly matches Players all win if they the value of the top card in any player’s Terminal clear every card from the (including your own), you can play it and remove both Mainframe and Terminals. cards from the game. As a reward, move a coin from Players all lose if anyone must the Buffer to the Pool (if one is available). pass with no remaining Aces.

MAXIMUM HAND SIZE 2 Players : 4 cards 3 Players : 3 cards 4 Players : 2 cards

If you don’t have an exact match, you can modify the 3-Player Example; John does not have any cards to match his own value of a card in your hand up or down by 1 or 2 by Terminal, so he plays his 8 to clear moving 1 or 2 coins from the Pool to the Buffer, but the 8 in Sarah’s Terminal and moves only to match cards in your own Terminal, and you a coin to the Pool. do not gain any reward. NOTE: late in the game, if This reveals a Jack from a previous you start a round and your player deck or Terminal is round. Sarah now has a valid play empty, you may modify your card value with coins to and decides to move 2 coins to the Buffer to modify her 9 up to a Jack match any Terminal, not just your own. and clears that card.

If a card is revealed under the Terminal card you just Carolyn does not have any valid cleared, you may play an additional card to clear it cards to play, so she passes, drawing a bonus card (a Jack) to her hand (including modifying with coins). Other players may for next round and flipping over one clear newly revealed cards on their turn. of their remaining Aces.

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TERMINAL D POOL

TERMINAL A

MAINFRAME

BUFFER

TERMINAL C

TERMINAL B N E B R A S K A Q U A R T E R LY

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63

GAMES CORNUNDRUM

BY BAILEE GUNNERSON (’22)

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

12

11

13

14

15

Across

Down

6.

Oldest, currently occupied campus building

1.

Archie’s prehistoric namesake

2.

9.

Student section in Memorial Stadium

Football coach with three national championships (two words)

3.

2008 movie filmed on City Campus

4.

Popular food item enjoyed at campus sporting events

5.

Nickname for the marching band’s 5-foot drum (two words)

7.

State nickname

8.

Go Big ____ (you know the rest)

10. The name of the Temple Building’s most transparent resident 12. Pershing, Rodgers, Carson, Neihardt 13. Mueller Tower rings on the ______ hour 14. Student radio station founded in 1970 15. Iowa has bad ____ Check your answer on page 23

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11. Love Library nook for hitting the books

N E B R A S K A Q U A R T E R LY

AN ICON FOR

FUTURE GENERATIONS For more than a century, Memorial Stadium has been the heart of Husker Nation.

Now, through Big Red Rebuild, Husker Athletics is preserving that legacy while creating an enhanced experiece for fans, students and future generations. The renovation will modernize the stadium, improve accessibility, expand year-round use and protect Nebraska’s economic impact, ensuring that Memorial Stadium remains one of college football’s most iconic venues — and a source of pride for all Nebraskans.

Learn how you can support this effort.

Visit OnlyinNebraska.org/UNL.

Nebraska Alumni Association WICK ALUMNI CENTER 1520 R STREET LINCOLN, NE 68508-1651

ONE FOR THE LOYAL. Bank your way, save more and show your alumni pride everywhere you go with the Husker Visa® Debit Card, free with any Checking account and only from FNBO, The Bank of Husker Nation.™

/huskers

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