Nebraska Quarterly Fall 2021 Issue by Nebraska Alumni Association

Our alumni are truly remarkable and none more so than the alumni of color highlighted in this issue. From Nebraska’s first Black football player George Flippin, who became a doctor in the early 1900s, to Meredith Ezinma Ramsay going viral with her electric violin in 2017. The list goes on. All are proud Huskers who got their start at

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als o : ZEMUA BAPTISTA This young graduate always dreamed of being a farmer. Now he is. page 5 7 LIFELONG BESTIES A rainstorm brings two new students together. page 72

BUILDING INCLUSIVE BUSINESS LEADERS At the College of Business, we committed to fully embracing diversity in all forms seen and unseen, making inclusion a top priority, promoting equity across our policies and practices, and ultimately ensuring that excellence is inclusive. Recent initiatives include: • Inclusive Excellence Advisory Board of faculty, staff, students and alumni launched • First cohort of Inclusive Business Leaders Scholarship Program begins Fall 2021 • The Diversity and Inclusion Gathering Space (DIGS) officially opens in Hawks Hall for in-person events and conversations to build a stronger college community

How You Can Get Involved:  Attend the Diversity and

Inclusion Gathering Space (DIGS) grand opening and open house on October 1  Inquire about hosting our Diversity and Inclusion Leadership certificate program at your employer as professional development  Give us feedback/ideas using the link below Learn More & RSVP for Grand Opening

go.unl.edu/CoBInclusion

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on any protected status. Please see go.unl.edu/nondiscrimination.

Some things are just better together (like you and $200*)

You can get up to $200* when you open new checking and savings accounts with UBT and meet requirements — but only if you act fast! This offer ends on September 30, 2021. Visit ubt.com/extra200 to learn more and apply.

ubt.com/extra200 *Checking offer not valid for primary accountholder on existing UBT personal checking account(s). Savings offer not valid for primary accountholder on existing Simply Savings or Simply Savings Student account(s). Offer not valid if existing checking or savings accounts closed 120 days prior to 06/01/2021. Receive $50 when you open a Simply Free Checking account and have $500 in electronic direct deposits posted within 90 calendar days of account opening. Receive $150 when you open an interest-earning checking account (Simply Free Plus, Simply Free Platinum, or Premium Interest Advantage) and have $2,500 in electronic direct deposits posted within 90 calendar days of account opening. Receive $50 when you open a Simply Savings account and maintain a $2,500 balance for 90 calendar days from account opening. Bonus is credited to your active account within 100 days of account opening if you meet requirements. $50 opening deposit required on checking accounts (Simply Free Plus requires a $1,000 opening deposit). Simply Savings requires a $2,500 opening deposit in new money. Various Annual Percentage Yields (APYs) offered for interest-earning checking accounts based on the account and balance maintained. For example, Simply Free Platinum requires a $100 minimum daily balance to earn .05% APY. Simply Savings earns .05% APY. APYs accurate as of 07/12/2021. Fees may reduce earnings; rates subject to change. Promotion offers limited to one new checking account and one new savings account per person and cannot be combined with other offers. Simply Free Platinum accounts are designed for people age 50 and over. Premium Interest Advantage is limited to residents of Douglas, Sarpy, and Washington counties in Nebraska. Promotions available 06/01/2021 to 09/30/2021. Member FDIC

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FALL

Elevating Black Voices 2021

This issue of Nebraska Quarterly aims to shine a light on our too-often overlooked Black alumni. To that end we aimed to solely hire our alumni of color to write, photograph and illustrate this edition as we highlight the work the university is tackling on the diversity, equity and inclusion front. P44 Meredith Ezinma Ramsay (’12) literally grew up on campus where her parents taught and where she embraced her violin talents. Today she has more than 360,000 followers on her @ezinma Instagram and has performed with Beyoncé. P38 Basketball standout Stu Lantz (’68) has been the TV color commentator for the Los Angeles Lakers since 1987. Read about his take on the Black Lives Matter movement. P50

NOTH ING BUT N ET Microplastics study Seth Caines, a junior biological systems engineering major from Hanover Park, Ill., stretches out to use a floating sieve to gather a water sample in the Elkhorn River in July. WHAT’S HE DOING? Along with Shannon Bartelt-Hunt, professor of civil and environmental engineering, he is testing a new net to collect microplastics (particles less than 5 mm). The net allows them to filter thousands of gallons of river water in an hour.

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craig chandler file photo

FOR WHAT PURPOSE? To discern the amount of microplastic fibers found in Nebraska waterways, primarily in agricultural areas.

4 Contributors 8 Community 10 Campus News 19 Devour 29 Voices 70 Obituaries 72 Love Story

Fellowship

Farmer Dreams

Class Quotes

When Nigerian-born Margaret NongoOkojokwu found out she was headed to Nebraska, she wasn’t sure what to expect.

Zemua Baptista (’20) has imagined becoming a farmer since he was a kid driving toy tractors on the living room carpet.

Alumni tell us about the professors who had the biggest impact on them during their college careers.

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CONTRIBUTORS

ANGEL JENNINGS

Angel Jennings is the assistant managing editor for culture and talent at the Los Angeles Times. For almost a decade, she was a metro reporter covering LA’s Black communities. She graduated from Nebraska in 2008 with a Bachelor of Journalism degree and business minor. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Ralph, daughter Monroe and yorkie Ziggy. Angel still bleeds Husker red.

TONY MOTON

Tony Moton (’98) is a writer based in Los Angeles. He earned his second master’s degree, in screenwriting, from UCLA in 2003 and won a prestigious Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award for his script All Bets are On prior to graduation. He previously worked as a columnist at the Omaha World-Herald and also was an award-winning sportswriter and investigative reporter in Las Vegas and Kansas City.

JENNIFER YUMA

Jennifer Yuma graduated in August with a Bachelor of Journalism degree. Originally from Lincoln, Jennifer is now living in Los Angeles during a sixmonth reporting internship with Variety magazine. She hopes to stay in LA. and pursue a career in entertainment journalism.

VICTORIA BAKER

Victoria Baker is a junior journalism major. Victoria welcomed new students to campus this summer as an orientation leader with New Student Enrollment and is a peer mentor at her college. Previously, Victoria’s work has been featured in the Lincoln Journal Star and The Daily Nebraskan.

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PEACHES JAMES KEATON

Peaches James Keaton (’05) received a bachelor’s in sociology and earned an MBA from St. Francis University in Illinois. Her No. 42 softball jersey was retired by Nebraska in 2010 and she was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018. She was a dominant pitcher during one of the most successful eras in Nebraska softball history. She lives in Omaha where she is a scrum master for WoodmenLife.

MARGARET NONGOOKOJOKWU

Margaret Nongo-Okojokwu is a graduate student in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications where she is studying for a master’s in integrated media communications. She’s the editor of Majorwaves Energy Report and speaks at international energy, oil and gas events.

JOSHUA REDWINE

Lincoln native Joshua Redwine graduated in 2011 with a degree in civil engineering. Pivoting from an engineering career, Joshua set out on a new path to capture Nebraska’s landscape at its most remarkable. He is inspired by photography greats such as Ansel Adams, Gordon Parks and Edward Weston.

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DRAKE KEELER

Drake Keeler is a senior journalism major and a sports intern for Hail Varsity. During his first three years of college, he worked at The Daily Nebraskan starting as a sports reporter then assistant sports editor and eventually senior sports editor. He also founded the publication’s diversity and inclusion board and was the D+I Board internal chair. Last summer, he interned in the Omaha World-Herald’s sports department.

KWAKIUTL DREHER

NEBRASKA QUARTERLY

Fall 2021 VOLUME 117 NO. 3

Kwakiutl Dreher is associate professor of English. She earned her doctorate in English from the University of California-Riverside and her master’s from Clark Atlanta University. She is the film reviewer for the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center and a playwright, screenwriter, film director and actress. Her first film Anna, produced with William Thomas and Michael Burton, won best animation at the New Media Film Festival in Los Angeles in 2018.

Shelley Moses Zaborowski, ’96, ’00 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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

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

DIVINE MBABAZI

Cheryl Ras Thuesday

Divine Mbabazi, originally from Kigali, Rwanda, is an undergraduate student in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. She majors in integrated sciences with a concentration in leadership and communications. Previously, she has worked as a content writer intern for the Borgen Project Magazine, an experience that honed her skills as a writer and media manager.

Jazari Kual is a social media personality, and the founder/ owner of Kualdom — a conglomerate that encompasses several different business lines. Growing up in Lincoln, Jazari was involved in the arts and developed a passion for film and photography. When he’s not busy running his businesses, Jazari enjoys traveling, spending time with his family and volunteering/giving back to his community — all while vlogging his experiences.

CHERYL THUESDAY

Cheryl (Ras) Thuesday is an illustrator originally from South London, England. However, at an early age, her family moved to New Jersey. Later, she attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She has created illustrations for various companies and publications such as The New York Times, Adobe and Hewlett-Packard. Cheryl lives in the tri-state area and continues to create images that bring joy.

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SE ND MAI L T O:

Nebraska Quarterly Wick Alumni Center / 1520 R Street Lincoln, NE 68508-1651 Phone: 402-472-2841 Toll-free: 888-353-1874 E-mail: nebmag@huskeralum.org Website: huskeralum.org Views expressed in Nebraska Quarterly do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Nebraska Alumni Association. The alumni association

NEBRASKA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION STAFF Kim Brownell EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

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

JAZARI KUAL

Nebraska Quarterly 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 $65 annually. Requests for permission to reprint materials and reader comments are welcome.

COVER ILLUSTRATION

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)

Conrad Casillas

Hanna Hoffman Peterson, ’16 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

Amber Pietenpol, ’18 VENUES AND EVENTS COORDINATOR

ASSOSCIATE DIRECTOR, VENUES

Heather Rempe, ’03

Megan Copsey, ’20

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS

VENUES AND EVENTS COORDINATOR

Laura Springer Cuong, ’18 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, ALUMNI AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Jordan Gonzales ’17 DIRECTOR, ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

Wendy Kempcke OFFICE COORDINATOR

Tyler Kruger ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, VENUES

Michael Mahnken, ’13

Ethan Rowley, ’03, ’13 DIRECTOR, MEMBERSHIP

Viann Schroeder ALUMNI CAMPUS TOURS

Hannah Segura ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR

Jeff Sheldon, ’04, ’07 SENIOR DIRECTOR, MARKETING AND BUSINESS RELATIONS

Cheyenne Townsley, ’19

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, VENUES

ALUMNI RELATIONS AND PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Maria Manning Muhlbach, ’09

Andy Washburn, ’00, ’07

DIRECTOR, ALUMNI OUTREACH

ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS

ADVERTISING QUERIES:

Jeff Sheldon (jsheldon@huskeralum.org)

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LISTENING TO CATHERINE

What is Mulitcultural

Homecoming?

Law professor Catherine Wilson has played the violin since she was 9 years old. Catherine’s first visit to campus was during summer music camps, where she remembers Dr. Robert Emile, telling her that even if she became a lawyer, she should keep playing the violin.

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the idea of engaging our network of students, staff, alumni and faculty of color. On Sept. 30, our distinguished alumni will engage with the nine colleges during the day. That afternoon, the Chancellor’s Commission on the Status of People of Color, along with the Nebraska Alumni Association, will host a multicultural networking experience that is sure to be energetic. On Oct. 1, OASIS (Office of Academic Success

and Intercultural Services) is hosting a Hall of Fame program. This is the fourth consecutive year for this event, which gets better annually as we continue to connect with stakeholders to develop an engaging campus event. Please join us. —Catherine Wilson, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF LAW, CHAIR OF THE CHANCELLOR’S COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF PEOPLE OF COLOR

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jazari kual

A : At its heart, the Multicultural Homecoming seeks to foster the sense of belonging that is fundamental to creating an environment wherein our students can reach their potential. Our alumni of color are in positions of influence in so many places. We are delighted that they will return to Lincoln to share their experiences and talents. The personal interactions with our alumni provide new career paths and perhaps, renew a student’s aspirations to achieve a dream. The Multicultural Homecoming provides a forum for those connections. Moreover, our distinguished alumni have impacted life in their colleges by offering valuable insights to deans and faculty members on a variety of issues. I recently met a retired Lincoln P ublic Schools teacher, an African American alumna who obtained her teaching degree from Nebraska. She recounted her days on our campus long ago. It’s mindboggling when you think about the number of lives she impacted during her tenure as a public school teacher in Lincoln. Each of our current students will impact countless lives during their own careers in our state or elsewhere. My opportunity to engage with this one graduate illustrates why it’s critical for all our students to engage broadly while on campus. Our alumni offer industry knowledge that can only be gained from interacting with those outside academia. We’ve created a series of events from Sept. 30-Oct. 2 with

Online education programs to fit your schedule. LENEÉ LASSITER Special Education, Specialization in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education, MA University of Nebraska–Lincoln The online program I found from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln was exactly what I had been looking for. Even though I was at a distance, I received personal attention from my own advisor who gave me insight that would benefit me in the classes now as well as in the long run. I was also able to login and complete the work on my own time. The program was interactive, and I felt like I really knew the other students as the courses were completed. If you want a degree from a university that will support you, challenge you, give you current knowledge and continue to maintain contact and support after graduation, UNL is the school for you.

150+ online programs. online.nebraska.edu

COMMUNITY

Find Archie!

Rebranded Digs

AKRS Champions Club AKRS President Kevin Clark, left, a 1993 graduate and former student-athlete on the cross country and track and field teams, cut the ribbon at a ceremony this spring announcing a new partnership with AKRS Equipment Solutions and the Champions Club. Clark committed to creating new opportunities for agriculture education by supporting scholarships for students across the system in addition to the naming rights partnership. Chancellor Ronnie Green, right, praised Clark for his commitment to his alma mater.

Morrill Hall’s Archie is hiding somewhere in the magazine, like only a 20,000-year-old mammoth can. Find him, email us with his location at alumni@huskeralum.org and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a Husker prize. Congratulations to Sarah Meng (’99), of Cheney, Kan., who found Archie on page 57 of our summer edition. Meng, who earned a veterinary science degree, was a founding member of the UNL equestrian team.

Alumni of Color Network

In the wake of re-launching the Alumni of Color Network, the Nebraska Alumni Association is listening. “We know that alumni volunteers play a critical role in helping us reconnect our university to our alumni of color across the country,” Director of Alumni Engagement Jordan Gonzales (’17) said. “Our hope is that alumni will join this network and help provide guidance not only to the alumni association but the university in determining the size and scope of outreach and engagement efforts.” For that reason, 100 passionate Huskers convened earlier this year for an Alumni of Color Town Hall to share their vision on a future for the university that serves everyone.

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Many Shades of Lil’ Red Future Huskers University

The fourth Future Huskers University took place in July with 52 children plus their adult companions spending a day on campus experiencing activities in various colleges. In the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, Assistant Professor of Theatre Michelle Harvey turned different colored lights on Husker mascot Lil’ Red so students could see how he changed in different environments.

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12 16 19 26 POLICE CHIEF

BASKETBALL

DEVOUR

GAME ON

Hassan Ramzah values relationships.

Dominique Kelley instills hope in players.

Sip on new lager: Dear Old Nebraska Brew.

Oregon Trail video game updated.

FALL NOTING Throughout this issue, you’ll notice that Nebraska Quarterly capitalizes the word “Black” in a racial, ethnic or cultural sense, but we do not capitalize “white.” We follow the lead of numerous journalism outlets, including AP Style, which is the standard arbiter for most publications.

—CHANCELLOR RONNIE GREEN

CAMPUS COMMITMENT

What’s Next?

t ’ s b e e n a y e a r s i n c e C h a n c e l lo r Ro n n i e G r e e n outlined the above mandate to our campus community. His message was loud and clear. The colleges took note and have taken a deep look at the areas where each one can do better — where we can all do better — as we grapple with systemic racism in our country. Within this section, you will read uplifting stories of campus communities coming together to heal; infuriating stories of racist behavior directed at our Black alumni; and stories filled with grief and hope. There is more to these stories, and you can find longer versions on our website: huskeralum.org/nebraskaquarterly. As Nebraska alumni and human beings, I encourage you to continue educating yourself on the race issues we grapple with and face daily. To that end, here are some suggestions on steps to take. ACTION ITEMS: • Visit diversity.unl.edu and subscribe to the monthly newsletter from Vice Chancellor Marco Barker’s Diversity and Inclusion Office. • Survey your social media feeds and take note of your film/music/ TV habits. Then, make a point to follow or watch or listen to someone different from you. • Take time to read this collection of Black Lives Matters stories published by The Daily Nebraskan: dailynebraskan.com/diversity_inclusion/ As Chancellor Green wrote to the campus community a year ago: “I believe higher education can play a positive role. I know we can. We are uniquely positioned to learn from the past, give voice and action to the present and help shape future generations.” Amen. —Kirstin Swanson Wilder, editor-in-chief

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erick m. ramos

WORTH

“Now must be different. This cannot be another moment where we collectively rage at injustice, acknowledge pain and then take no meaningful action. We must take real steps to address racial inequities and a history of exclusion.”

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FALL

SAFETY FIRST

Relationship Builder HASSAN RAMZAH ON POLICING CAMPUS BY JENNIFER YUMA (’21) After dealing with a global pandemic and civil unrest involving policing in America, Hassan Ramzah is set to run the University Police Department with students fully on campus this fall for in-person classes. Between being named the interim chief in the normalcy of 2019, to being named the first Black police

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chief in the department’s long history a year later, Ramzah began putting into action some important changes and reforms to policing as a result of the difficult circumstances the country experienced in 2020. To say that Ramzah was eager to see the majority of students return to campus in person might be something of an understatement. He is a law enforcement official who takes pride in serving his community the right way. “It has been a busy year for us,” Ramzah said two weeks shy of his first anniversary of being named chief on July 14, 2020. “I don’t think we’ve quite cleared the hurdle of COVID yet, but we are slowly returning to some sense of normalcy. We never really left campus and providing public safety has been pretty consistent over the past year.” Ramzah, a law enforcement veteran with 30 years of experience, joined the university as an assistant police chief in August 2016. After a national search,

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OVERHEARD

“Study abroad/global immersion, is so important in helping students to develop what we call a global mindset. A global mindset is essentially being able to think globally, but act locally.”

—KALU OSIRI, associate professor of practice in management and the director of the International Business Program in the College of Business

michele thomas

he accepted the full-time position as the chief after his one-year, interim stint. Throughout his entire time at Lincoln, Ramzah has worked to unify the university community by focusing on community policing and embracing his identity as a Black police officer. His tasks were made more difficult in light of the pandemic along with the May 2020 murder of George Floyd at the hands of police officers. “Right now, it’s been a difficult year for policing, but it’s not just the tragic death of George Floyd, but it’s about the historical relationship between police and communities of color that contributes to that,” Ramzah said. “So, we have to figure out how and look for ways that we can contribute to building that relationship and trust and show that we’re here to contribute to equity and fairness and acknowledge that we need to be better.” During his tenure, Ramzah has overseen officers taking bias training courses, developed improved procedures related to the use of force and seen the appointment of a liaison from his staff who serves on the board of UNL’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. (That office was created in 2018 to help foster and coordinate an effort to help the school attain levels of inclusivity on campus that might otherwise go ignored.) Ramzah said all of these efforts point to a new direction that his department is heading toward as he begins his second year in the top law enforcement role. “There are a number of different changes since I began this position in terms of reform,” Ramzah said. “Some of the reforms have been centered on the aftermath of the death of George Floyd and around our use of force. Also building positive relationships and working toward recruiting and having a department that’s

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reflective of our community. There have been a number of different areas I have implemented and made changes to some of our processes and our culture, the way we do things and how we view our relationship with the campus community and how not only to be a better partner, but be supportive of the campus mission and maintain a safe campus environment.” Ramzah’s community-based approach was developed during his 26 years with the Wichita Police Department in Kansas. His experiences in law enforcement include holding the rank of officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, captain and deputy chief. Before becoming a police officer, he served six years in the U.S. Army. Ramzah said he knew he wanted to go into policing or become a firefighter to “keep serving people” the way he did in the military, which led him to his career in Wichita. At UNL, his appointment as chief drew praise from Bill Nunez, vice chancellor for business and finance. “Hassan is a proven leader who has helped our police department grow and thrive, expanding officer training and building positive engagement across the university community,” Nunez said in announcing Ramzah’s appointment. Ramzah is looking forward to seeing students return to school in an environment where he can help them trust people in uniform. For some, seeing a Black person in uniform carries its own set of challenges. Unyoh Mbilain (’21), who is Cameroonian American, said she believes that Black police officers are “selling out” their own communities. “They end up assimilating into being an officer of the law,” Mbilain said. “The same law that would strike them down if that badge disappeared.” Ramzah said he is aware of criticism Black police officers might endure from people of color, specifically other Black people. He is no stranger to judgment when he is in uniform or in street clothes. The important thing, he insisted, is that all officers perform their jobs without allowing prejudices to guide their actions. “I think African American police officers, in general, can be faced with a different environment depending on the circumstances, where they work and who they work with,” Ramzah said. “What I explain to people is that I wear a uniform at work as a police officer, but after my shift is over, I put on a different uniform as a citizen and as a person. “I have experienced racial incidents on duty and off duty, so it’s more about understanding from that context how I process those particular instances, how I learn from them and how I can help educate others,” he said.

BIG BRAG Jack Jeffries, assistant professor of mathematics, has received the department’s first-ever Faculty Early Career Development Program award from the National Science Foundation. He will use the $400,000, five-year grant to advance his research in commutative algebra, a field of abstract algebra.

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FALL FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS

All the World’s a Stage ST. LOUIS BLACK REP PARTNERSHIP EXPANDS MINDSETS BIG BRAG The University of Nebraska system has taken a key step forward in addressing its growing deferred maintenance needs following a successful bond sale that generated $400 million for building renewal and repair projects across the campuses.

Working in theater, by nature, is collaboration. Artists learn from each other to build a better show. The Nebraska Repertory Theatre has looked at itself and decided it needed help diversifying its programming and working artists — it needed a team. Thus began a multiyear partnership with the St. Louis Black Repertory Company. Ron Himes, founding and producing director of the Black Rep, previously guest directed the Nebraska Rep show Dutchman. He said the new partnership benefits both Nebraskans and Missourians. “It broadens both of our perspectives and changes the lens through which we look at our communities,” Himes said. “Through the virtual world it has

brought our audiences together to experience the same productions. For both companies it has the capacity to broaden our audiences, and specifically for the Nebraska audience is an opportunity to introduce them to different work than the Nebraska Rep has historically done and to bring more artists of color to the Nebraska Rep stage.” Nebraska Rep Executive Director Christina Kirk said talks of this collaboration sparked during the summer of 2020 in response to two questions: What does meaningful programming look like in a pandemic, and in the wake of George Floyd’s death, how can the Nebraska Rep be part of a larger conversation? The Nebraska Rep has recognized working at a

sabrina sommer

Karen Richards performs in the Nebraska Rep production of Hair in April 2019.

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local level and engaging the Lincoln community will in turn make a global statement. “These kinds of partnerships allow issues of diversity, equity and inclusion to arise organically out of the work,” Kirk said. “That’s the best way for these kinds of conversations to happen — you do work that inspires thought, you tell a story that evokes thoughts and feelings, and you have a dialogue about it. Our vision for Nebraska Rep is to engage, enlighten and unite. We see that as a way in which we can be a theater of all Nebraska.” Himes has been the leading force for all-virtual programming this past year, creating shared online spaces for conversation. Notably, a Black Rep production of Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak On It!, the panel “A Conversation with Sonia Sanchez,” and a celebration of James Baldwin’s work, featuring guest Dick Cavett discussing his interview with the writer and activist. This season, the Nebraska Rep will feature a “journey” theme, and the impact of Himes and the Black Rep has been felt through its lineup and casting, according to Nebraska Rep Artistic Director Andy Park. With the university’s institutional commitment titled “Journey for Anti-Racism and Racial Equity,” this theme felt right. “The chancellor talked about the journey that UNL was going on,” Park said. “That was something that I heard very loudly. I wanted to see what I could do. How could I craft a season that would move us forward not only as a theater, but would also be able to leverage the momentum that I’m feeling from the university itself?” One of the shows that is a product of the partnership — Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea, by Nathan Alan Davis — is a contemporary coming-of-age story about a young African American man ready to head off to college who, by way of magical realism, traces his roots back to the Middle Passage. It’s about moving forward through being informed by your past, and Park said everyone will see themselves in Dontrell. “Our audience is going to be moved by this beautiful human struggle to understand who you are,” Park said. Dontrell will be performed in Lincoln in November and then packing up to stage in St. Louis. Much of the production elements and crew will be the same, as well as the equity actors cast, but UNL students will pass on their roles to young actors from the Black Rep’s professional fellowship program for the Missouri performances. Himes will be directing both versions. He said it’s significant for the Nebraska Rep to feature an African American-written show

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about an African American experience, hiring artists of color to piece it together. “It is an important cultural exchange at a time when a number of theater companies and cultural institutions have talked about making changes,” Himes said. “This is an instance of the Nebraska Rep actually putting some change into action. As a matter of the Nebraska Rep, taking the steps to change how it has operated in the past in terms of programming, in terms of hiring artists of color, in terms of presenting work to and for its audience that gives them a different perspective and a different kind of story or storytelling.” The Nebraska Rep prides itself on providing opportunities for its students to produce art with visiting artists and equity actors. This includes Aja Jackson (’13), Boston-based lighting designer who has worked freelance for other schools and earned a master’s degree before now returning to Lincoln to work on Dontrell. Jackson is ready to help bring this story to life with her lighting tricks. She especially likes that the performance acknowledges more than Black suffering. “In the arts, we have the opportunity for nuance, we have the opportunity for a different perspective,” Jackson said. “Frequently it’s so easy to put a show up that is dramatic, and that is about suffering. It’s a little bit more difficult to do something that gives you space to imagine more. The way that Dontrell is written, you need to be creative.” Park said the Nebraska Rep is fortunate that Himes is returning. “Whenever you get an artist of his caliber and they have the opportunity to work with students, those students — they leave and they’re better for it,” Park said. “We spend so much time in the classroom trying to teach the craft, and you bring in a director like that, and it can help galvanize all that work that we’re doing in the classroom. It brings it to life on the stage.” Himes sees this partnership as just the beginning of a pipeline for graduating theater students from academia to career. Three Nebraska alumni have already joined the Black Rep’s professional mentoring program. As for now, he’s looking forward to returning to Lincoln and the Nebraska Rep to mount this revelatory production of Dontrell. “I hope that audiences will be ready to come back out and will come out in droves to see what I anticipate being a wonderful, wonderful production, and a wonderful way to come back to the theater.” —Grace Fitzgibbon

SAVE THE DATE Alumni of the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film are invited to the Saturday, Nov. 13 production of Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea and participate in a conversation about what you want from the alumni experience. Christina Kirk, executive director of the Nebraska Rep, said this is perfect timing. “This is a play that is saying ‘What is the trajectory forward?’ But it’s also saying, ‘How do we address where we came from?’ It just feels so right to say to alumni ‘Come back and be part of a talkback.’ ”

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FALL JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATIONS

Player and Coach DOMINIQUE KELLEY INSTILLS PRIDE IN PLAYERS ON THE BASKETBALL COURT AND BEYOND BY VICTORIA BAKER BIG BRAG UNL and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis received a gift of 2,147 acres of ranchland in northeast Hayes County. David Scholz and his late wife, Sandra, made the gift valued at nearly $1.5 million for education and research purposes.

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During the spring semester, professors Joe Starita (’78) and Jennifer Sheppard launched a senior-level class: Being Black in Lincoln. More than 30 students applied and 14 were selected. The goal of the class was to provide Lincoln’s largely white community with an intimate look at the challenges of being Black in Lincoln. The in-depth class challenged students to dramatically sharpen their research, interview, story structure and writing skills. In the end, 12 stories were written about Lincoln residents — former basketball players, Black Lives Matter leaders, preachers, teachers, businessmen and former convicts — representing a diverse cross-section of the local Black community. Here is an excerpt from one of those stories. “These students worked furiously for 15 weeks and have provided a rich and educational portrait of the everyday challenges of being Black in Lincoln — a portrait that has never existed before,” Starita said.

As the sun leisurely sinks on a chilly February night, the Lincoln High School gymnasium slowly fills with a gaggle of nervous spectators. In a few hours, one of the teams — either the Lincoln High Links or the Papillion-La Vista South Titans — will advance to the girls state basketball tournament. At precisely 6 p.m., the announcer asks all spectators to rise. As the familiar notes of The Star-Spangled Banner reverberate throughout the crowded gym, the fans all stand — hands over hearts, hats off in homage to those who served. On the court, the Lincoln High girls all drop to their right knee. They all wear Black Lives Matter T-shirts over their jerseys, heads held high, unwavering eyes staring straight ahead. As the national anthem continues, some in the stands look down, casting dismissive glances at the players. Soon, their coach extends her right hand and lays it to rest on the shoulder of one of her players. Throughout the entire season, at the start of every game, her girls have kneeled during the anthem to protest racial injustice. And for the entire season, Coach Dominique Kelley has watched and listened, her hand always on the shoulder of one of her players. The coach will tell you that she’s proud of their resilience, proud that these young Black girls are taking a stand by kneeling down, proud that they’re speaking out for what they believe in. For what she believes in. She credits her girls — their belief in the Black Lives Matter movement — for helping her become a better role model, for inspiring her to see things through their eyes. “I wanted to make sure that they were being saved. They were

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erick m. ramos

Junior journalism major

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going about things the right way and not putting themselves in a compromising situation,” Kelley said. “And that’s where that passion came from, me wanting to be a part of that all the way over here.” The previous season, on Feb. 7, 2020, many of these same Black teenage girls went to Fremont for a game. Before it ended, at least one Fremont student hurled the n-word at the Lincoln High girls. Afterward, Lincoln High players confronted the Fremont student section. Some Fremont students started throwing things at the Lincoln High girls. Then a Lincoln High student hit a Fremont student. Fremont High staffers had to jump in to break up all the pushing and shoving. Not long afterward, Kelley took to Facebook to recount the incident, praising her team for their demeanor and maturity after the game. “I have never been more proud to be a part of something bigger than myself,” Kelley wrote in the Facebook post. “I learn more about perseverance, being resilient, and fighting for what you want in life more from them than they do from me.” *** At the university, Kelley started in 109 consecutive games, and as a freshman, helped the Huskers win their third NCAA tournament game. She graduated No. 23 on NU’s career scoring list with 1,107 points in 2012. Although Kelley’s fame and status afforded her a protective shield, that shield was conditional — reserved only for Dominique the athlete. That protective shield was pierced when Kelley moved to Des Moines in 2014 to help with the Drake University girls basketball team. On many occasions, Kelley said she was called racial slurs while shopping at her local Hy-Vee — the worst coming when a young boy called her the n-word. But she soon realized racial slurs weren’t the only threatening aspects of her new life. One night when their dog ran away, she and her husband jumped in the car and went looking for him when they encountered a police car. They approached the car, handicap sticker meticulously placed on their new Beamer, to ask for directions to the local dog pound. But what was meant to be a helpful interaction turned into an interrogation of the sticker validity and the vehicle ownership. A few days later, Kelley got a fine in the mail for an incorrect sticker placement. When she went to the police station to question it, she was sent to the courthouse. But when she mentioned who her boss was — Drake girls head coach Jennie Baranczyk — the fines “magically went away.”

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“I honestly didn’t know what to do,” Kelley said. “So, I kind of started to internalize a lot of those experiences and it was really strange.” *** It’s an early April evening when Kelley pulls into Lincoln’s Home Depot. She drives carefully down the aisle, pulls into a parking spot and turns off the engine. That’s when she heard it from a nearby motorist: “Black bitch can’t drive!” She sees the man inside the store. He passes her by with a disapproving shake of his head. She confronts him and a verbal altercation ensues. “A few years ago, something like that probably would have happened, and I would have been crying and like, ‘I’m not going inside.’ ” Kelley said. “And I was like: no — f... that.” For the 32-year-old mother, these situations scare her, make her worry for her 4-year-old son, Kyrie. But those worries aren’t new. “I remember them telling me ‘It’s a boy’ — and I was terrified because of the climate of the country.” Worries that translate into real-life situations. In late January, the little boy told his mother that somebody at school didn’t like him. “Why?” she asked. Because, he said, my skin was “gross and black.” Around the same time, the boy asked Kelley why her girls all kneeled during the national anthem. While these can be tough, complex matters — often beyond a 4-year-old’s comprehension — Kelley and her husband view them as appropriate, as a part of the world they have to live in. “Although Kyrie is four, preparation doesn’t start too early,” said her husband, Clyde Johnson. And Kelley? She never thought she’d have to have these conversations with a 4-year-old. “The conversation I have to have with my son — the conversation that (white people) all have to have with their children — is fundamentally different, right?”

Name: Dominique Kelley, pictured above with husband, Clyde Johnson and son Kyrie. Age: 32 Profession: English Teacher, Basketball Coach Favorite Movie: Love & Basketball Someone you admire: Her student, Ne-Quan Leonard Nero Philosophy of Life: “To whom much is given, much will be required.” —Luke 12:48

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FALL

OVERHEARD

Change Agent COLLEGE PARTNERSHIPS LOOK TO DIVERSIFY THE STATE’S LAW PROFESSION

BIG BRAG The University of Nebraska has received a five-year, $20 million award from the National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research to create a research and education cluster aimed at enhancing the state’s competitiveness in the field of emergent quantum materials and technologies, and boosting the participating institutions’ research and education capacity.

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According to the 2018 Bureau of Labor Statistics, women and racial/ethnic minorities are severely underrepresented in the legal profession. In Nebraska, roughly 95% of lawyers are white, while 78% of Nebraska’s population is white. To Richard Moberly, dean of the College of Law, this disparity is problematic. “I think there are probably communities that aren’t being served because of that disparity,” Moberly said. “Nebraska should have lawyers that reflect the population of the state, which will help ensure that communities have legal representation from people who understand their particular issues and perspectives.” A few years ago, Moberly invited Robert Grey, executive director of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, and numerous stakeholders to the College of Law to convene about diversity in the legal profession. At the time, Moberly knew of individual efforts to increase diversity in the Nebraska legal system. He also knew that an organized effort would create concrete steps. “I thought if we could work more cohesively, we would be able to make more of an impact,” Moberly said. So, in partnership with the Creighton School of Law, the Nebraska State Bar Association and local organizations, the law college is helping form the Nebraska Legal Diversity Council. Inspired by the diversity efforts in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, they ultimately decided to focus on “moving the needle” here in Nebraska — starting with the Council. “We (looked) for people who are committed to diversity and inclusion work. Maybe they’re from a different profession, or a different industry to help us kind of build and implement this plan,” said Liz Neely, executive director of the Nebraska State Bar Association. “We know that we need more diverse

—LAVONTE DAVID, former Husker linebacker (2010-11) and Super Bowl winner with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, posting on Instagram one day after earning his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

voices at the table to make this work.” After years of deliberate planning, in March 2020, the group set out to fundraise. But COVID-19 paused those plans until October 2020. For most, those months were spent in isolation, a return to normalcy nowhere in sight. However, this project saw a new light, a rejection of “normalcy” in efforts of racial justice. In those seven months, not only were organizations’ finances more secure, Moberly noted, but the entire country was paying attention to racial strife “in a way they had not for a generation or more.” With a newfound momentum, 13 law firms, three companies, the Nebraska State Bar Association, Creighton School of Law, and University of Nebraska College of Law all agreed to contribute for the next three years. In three months, the Nebraska Legal Diversity Council raised $570,000. “The reaction was better than I’d even hoped,” Moberly said. “And I had high expectations.” The idea is to increase the number of diverse applicants to both Nebraska Law and the Creighton School of Law, then attract, hire, retain and promote those individuals at local firms. These programs are currently in progress as the Nebraska Legal Diversity Council, still in the early stages, looks for an executive director. —Victoria Baker

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michele thomas

LAW

“What a bittersweet weekend, I earned my college degree on Mother’s Day weekend. It was perfect timing. This is all you cared about, mom. Football was in the back of your mind. I wish you were here so I could actually present it to you for your Mother’s Day gift. … Love and miss you Lynette. Your baby boy did it.”

DEVOUR IN HUSKER COUNTRY

GRILL

Loeffel Meat Shoppe Drop football brats on the barbecue in support of the animal science program when you buy from Loeffel Meat Shoppe, located in the Animal Science Complex on East Campus. The variety of meat products — from shanks, to chops, to steaks — are primarily prepared and processed by university students, with all proceeds going back into animal sciencerelated instruction and programming.

SIP

SCREAM

Dear Old Nebraska Brew Raise a glass to your alma mater. The Nebraska Alumni Association and Zipline Brewing Company have collaborated to bring you the easy-drinking American lager themed after our beloved fight song Dear Old Nebraska U. It’s on draft and in stores this fall. Proceeds from every case sold will help support alumni engagement programs.

ShakesFEAR at the Haunted Temple Guests venture into a library to uncover a long-lost Shakespeare manuscript, but a cast of infamous characters stand in their way. From the Nebraska Repertory Theatre comes a scary, immersive performance experience on campus in late October.

EAT

Mary Ellen’s Food for the Soul The popular food truck often found serving the campus now has a brick-and-mortar restaurant in south Lincoln. Owners Charles and Lasunya Phillips have followed their passion project honoring Charles’ mother, the namesake, to its natural expansion. Patrons enjoy catfish, brisket and lots of Southern comfort food.

BUZZ

courtesy, shutterstock

Shel-Bee’s Honey Shelby Kittle’s bees are hard at work cooking up sticky sweetness for your slice of toast. The senior agricultural education major has kept bees and sold products for years, but is now making her honey dreams flourish with help from Nebraska’s Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program. Order her honey products at shelbeeshoney.com.

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READ

The Fishermen Associate Professor of English Chigozie Obioma’s debut novel explores the almost mythic childhoods of four brothers in 1990s small-town Nigeria. When the boys go fishing on the forbidden river and meet the local prophetic madman, their Cain and Abel-like story begins.

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FALL ARCHITECTURE

Building Diversity COLLEGE AIMS TO ALTER RECRUITING TO REACH UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS

BIG BRAG UNL and three partner institutions have received nearly $1 million to expand the Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative. The $960,000 award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture supports phase two of the three-year effort. The program won initial NIFA funding of $960,000 last September.

Jeremiah Brown (’21) has been the creative type for as long as he can remember. “I’ve always loved to draw,” Brown said. “But it wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I got interested in buildings.” A Kansas City native, Brown grew up in apartments his entire life, which fueled his fascination with houses in particular. When he heard that his high school, Park Hill, was offering an architectural design class, he jumped at the opportunity to learn more about the field. “I said, ‘I’m gonna actually try and expand my knowledge in it,’ ” he said. “I took that class and loved it — just the spectrum and knowledge encompassed in that class was really fun. So, I said, ‘I think this is something I really want my life’s journey and goal to be — to be an architect.’ ” The next step was choosing a college. While attending a college convention during his senior year, he noticed Nebraska’s recruiting booth. A wrestler in high school, Brown decided to follow in the footsteps of someone he admired who had gone to Nebraska. “I thought, ‘Oh man, that’s where my favorite wrestler went, so I’m going to go talk to them,’ ” he recalls. “I was talking to two guys (who) were actual wrestlers too on the team. It was just a coincidence.” One of them mentioned Nebraska’s College of Architecture. It seemed like fate to Brown. “He said, ‘Yeah, man, the university actually has a really good architecture program, so we strongly encourage you to apply,’ ” Brown said. “I did, and I got in. I visited the campus and I just fell in love with it. I’ve been in love with that campus ever since.” What Brown most appreciates about the College of Architecture is what he describes as “the exponential growth and personal ascension” that students are able to reach. Although the college is among the smallest and most intimate at the university, its rigorous program packs a punch. Students are known for spending most — if not all — of their time at Architecture Hall, tirelessly working on studio projects and collaborating with their peers. In fall 2020, Brown was working in the studio of Salvador Lindquist, assistant professor of landscape

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architecture. For his Architecture 410 Collaboration Class, he was tasked with reimagining a selected site in South Omaha, which is home to a large Black and Latinx population and has been rapidly changing in recent years. Brown and his groupmates created a social condenser — a technical term that’s essentially a community gathering space. Often, these social condensers are intentionally built in and around vacant terrain. For Brown, the project underscored the real-world implications of architecture and design. It’s not just about creating functional and aesthetically pleasing buildings — it’s also about factoring in how people will engage with them in their day-to-day lives. “It was probably my most challenging studio,” Brown said. “Because you have the two sides of architecture: your physical and your metaphysical, which is more conceptual.” South Omaha is just one example of an area gentrification has affected. The landscape of historically Black and minority-majority neighborhoods is shifting nationwide. One recent study from Stanford researchers finds that these populations are often left with fewer options of places they can move to compared to their white counterparts. This phenomenon makes it more critical than ever for the next generation of architects to reflect

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the communities for which they’re designing and creating. The industry, however, remains relatively monolithic. According to a 2019 Membership Demographics Report from the American Institute of Architects, the makeup of AIA members is 67% white, 2% Black, 5% Hispanic or Latinx, 6% Asian, and less than 1% Native American, with 18% not reporting. “It is no secret that our professions have historically underrepresented minority populations and we as a culture, as a society and as a profession, need to do better,” says Dean Katherine Ankerson. “It starts in elementary school with outreach and exposure to introduce the exciting and impactful professions affecting the built environment, talking to young people from all backgrounds to ignite interest.” Over the last two years, the college has reassessed the role it plays in changing the industry at large. As part of its strategic plan, the college aims to increase diversity by 5% in student demographics by making changes to recruitment and enrollment strategies that allow for greater flexibility, accessibility and recruitment of underserved populations to College of Architecture programs. “Especially in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, our faculty, staff and especially our students were motivated to make a real difference for substantive change,” Ankerson said. “We have several bloggers and student mentors representing diverse backgrounds, and those individuals have said they are excited to serve as role models in their communities. It’s important that the next generation of students can see themselves, here, making a difference.” Brown is one of those student bloggers. It’s an opportunity he welcomes not just because he can be an example for prospective students, but also because it provides him with a platform to share his work. “There are so many studios, and to be able to showcase what

project you’re working on is a good feeling,” he said. The college is also home to a local student chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). Like all student organizations at the college, NOMA has a representative on the Student Advisory Board, which provides a conduit for students to voice their concerns and a place where students work collaboratively on solutions. The college frequently sponsors student trips to attend NOMA’s national conventions. Pre-pandemic, NOMA student members attended the National Career Fair in Chicago, where they answered questions from potential students at Nebraska’s recruitment table. “Our recruitment and retention efforts are expanded with financial support aimed at supporting a diverse array of students in our college as they pursue degrees in architecture, planning and design,” Ankerson said. While architecture — like countless other professions — isn’t a level playing field for all just yet, Ankerson said the architecture community at Nebraska is doing its part to make sustainable change. “It is our hope that the next generation of architects, designers and planners will work in a world where equality, equity and social justice are commonplace,” Ankerson said. “Where everyone in every community has access to affordable housing, clean air, dependable transportation and a quality of living better than what came before them, and where job opportunities are inclusive and equitable for all.” —Mekita Rivas

Jeremiah Brown (’21) worked as a student blogger who reached out to future students of color.

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FALL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Group Reignites DORMANT ORGANIZATION SUPPORTING MINORITY AG STUDENTS RISES UP

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those career fields but also to spread the awareness that it’s OK to be different and it’s OK to want to thrive in a predominantly white industry being a person of color,” Lewis said. Marianna Burks, an instructor in the School of Biological Science, who also works with student services, can speak to the power of the MANRRS network and community for students pursuing degrees in agriculture. Burks served as president of an earlier MANRRS chapter at Nebraska in the late 1990s and early 2000s while earning her bachelor and masters’ degrees in animal science. Burks credits attending the national conferences and networking with industry leaders at the organization’s events for helping her land two federal internships — one with the Bureau of Land Management and the other with the United States

OVERHEARD “Go outside your comfort zone, make a friend of someone different from you, attend different events on campus. And I promise you’ll get the full college experience.”

—SHEMSA NDAHIRO IRIBAGIZA, an integrated science major from Kigali, Rwanda. Iribagiza’s parents instilled in her that she is a strong woman, so now she’s dreaming big, advocating for and helping others find their voice.

michele thomas

According to 2020 enrollment numbers, just 9.7% of undergraduate students and 9.1% of graduate students in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) are minority status — relatively low percentages compared to other colleges on campus. While the university has made progress in promoting diversity and inclusion, minorities are still underrepresented in colleges of agriculture, demonstrating the need for the college to relaunch its chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS). This national society will officially re-launch its chapter at Nebraska this fall. “Our hope is for MANRRS to provide a sense of belonging, community, personal and professional development for students with underrepresented identities, allowing them to focus on their career aspirations and academics throughout their college experience,” said CASNR Dean Tiffany HengMoss. MANRRS is a national society that welcomes undergraduate and graduate student members of all racial and ethnic groups with the goal of fostering minority involvement and excellence in agricultural sciences and related fields. The re-establishment of the UNL chapter is one of several student- and college-led efforts to improve diversity, access, and inclusion among students in characteristically underrepresented fields. Along with its affiliation with the national MANRRS network, the chapter will offer professional development and networking, mentorship, social connection and opportunities to attend regional and national conferences, according to Heng-Moss. The president of the UNL chapter is animal science major Terra Lewis, and the chapter’s faculty adviser is Roberto Cortiñas, assistant professor of practice in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “Essentially, we were put in place not only to be able to put minority students in connections with

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Geological Survey — during her college days. “That is what provided our few members with internships, with being connected with corporations, industry and opportunities to get connected with federal agencies. That was what kept us engaged and gave us purpose,” said Burks. Ultimately, Burks was offered a federal agency position but opted to stay at the university to do research, teach and support minority and first-generation students pursuing science degrees. This spring, Burks was awarded one of UNL’s inaugural Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Impact awards. The MANRRS re-establishment initiative was led by the late Dr. Nicole Frerichs, assistant dean for student success in CASNR, in partnership with students, faculty and the CASNR student success team. The chapter was approved by the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources as a Registered Student Organization in fall 2020. On the national level, MANRRS partners with agriculture colleges across the United States to develop synergistic relationships between minority students and professionals within academic institutions, the government and other agricultural industries. The initial idea of MANRRS was brought about

in the early 1980s by Dave Weatherspoon, a student at Michigan State University. As a minority student himself, he identified the need for a support system for minority students in agricultural disciplines. In collaboration with a few like-minded individuals, Weatherspoon created the organization with the mission of “changing the face of agriculture, natural resources and related sciences.” Lewis, UNL’s chapter president, is enthusiastic about the fact that the group will connect minority students interested in agricultural and natural resources with a network of like-minded counterparts with experience in the field. As a newly recognized student organization, the group has several projects on its agenda, with its first task making sure students are aware of the organization and attracting students to become involved. “Basically,” Lewis said, “our long-term goal is to start youth groups as well, which would go along with putting chapters in high schools and middle schools, continuing to spread the awareness that it’s OK to be a person of color and want to do something that is geared toward non-minority individuals.” —Divine Mbabazi

FIRST LOOK College of Engineering students will soon have the space to think bigger: 181,500 square feet in the $97 million privately-funded Kiewit Hall slated to open fall of 2023. Omaha’s Kiewit Corp. gifted $25 million toward the project rising near 17th and Vine streets. The new building will be an academic hub for undergraduate students and will host Lincoln-based construction management programs, classrooms, instructional labs, Engineering Student Services, maker spaces and an outdoor plaza. It’s part of a $172 million expansion and facilities transformation — look out for Scott Engineering Center’s renovation as well as a rebuilt Link.

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BIG BRAG The University of Nebraska will freeze tuition across the system and invest in strategic priorities including student aid, faculty competitiveness and building maintenance under the 2021-22 operating budget.

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FALL ENGINEERING

Engineering Their Futures SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM LINKS FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS TO A COMMUNITY OF SUPPORT

BIG BRAG UNL is part of a team of surface transportation research organizations led by ENSCO that was rewarded a $571 million contract by the Federal Railroad Administration to provide research, testing, engineering and training services at the Transportation Technology Center in Colorado.

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many in Omaha on our Scott Campus — live at home and not on campus,” said Alma Ramirez-Rodgers, senior assistant director of student development in the college. “Some have to deal with other expectations from family because they’re living at home, and they feel responsible to help with their family if they can. Some have had to take a little hiatus from their studies. “Knowing they have the MEP support network and connections, that can make all the difference.” —Karl Vogel

OVERHEARD

“As an LGBT African American male, I feel I have a personal responsibility to represent myself. I take it upon myself to spread the message of inclusion and diversity for all, we are all the same no matter who we love or what we look like.”

—JAYVEN BRANDT, from Kearney, is a secondary social science education major with minors in history, music, and human rights and humanitarian affairs.

michele thomas

Wil Koumaka

In high school, Wil Koumaka knew he wanted to apply for scholarships that would help him pursue a college education in engineering. When he learned about the Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP) at Nebraska, Koumaka knew that was the place for him. “I decided to apply because I was searching through a lot of scholarships and it was great to find a scholarship program like MEP that supports minorities and students of color,” said Koumaka, a junior from Omaha with a double major in computer engineering and electrical engineering. “I learned MEP would provide a coach who could help me transition into my college experience and my freshman year. I was glad there was a program like this because most scholarships don’t have someone there to support you along the way.” The program is a cohort-based scholarship curriculum for incoming first-year engineering undergraduates on both the City (Lincoln) and Scott (Omaha) campuses. The program creates a community of support and promotes academic and career success for its students. Any incoming first-year student admitted to the College of Engineering is eligible to apply. The students take classes and workshops together in their first year, keeping them connected throughout their four years in the program. Through the program’s events and activities, the students also have numerous opportunities to interact with faculty, staff, other current students and the industry. “Rather than being based on a student’s academic performance, we aim to attract students who want to be leaders in the engineering community and want to uplift each other during their undergraduate programs,” said Jen Skidmore, director of student development in the College of Engineering. This type of support system can be extra-valuable for many first-year engineering students, especially for those with responsibilities and other challenges outside of their academic careers. “More than a few of our students — including

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BUSINESS

Freshman Isolation STUDENT SEARCHES FOR ANSWERS IN A YEAR SHAPED BY PANDEMIC BY CORRETA GAGNON KOUDJI

erick m. ramos

I did not have high expectations for my freshman year of college; there was a global pandemic taking place after all. Having heard such good things about the business program, I knew that the university was my best option. I had no real idea what I wanted to do or how I was going to get there. I had no idea what being a college student during COVID would be like. I had a glimpse of that in my last quarter of high school at Duchesne Academy in Omaha where my final classes were taken online, but I was hoping for more. Even without a pandemic, I was not expecting to have much of a social life. I was more interested in joining clubs and going out with a friend every once in a while. I ended up joining the African Student Union and the National Association of Black Accountants. I was committed to avoiding fraternity and sorority parties and live out the academia aesthetic with a cup of coffee in my hand. I was ready for all-nighters and, if not becoming besties with my roommate, at the very least learning to tolerate her. I was also prepared to be sent home a couple of months into the semester due the frequency of parties and subsequent quarantines that were being enforced. My first semester, I had only two in-person classes. Those classes were the highlight of my week as I got to showcase great outfits and see classmates. This experience was soon taken from me as I had to undergo quarantine for a month. I was upset, because my lifestyle was already as close to quarantine as it could be. This first quarantine came because one of my roommates got COVID. Then the floor that I lived on was placed under quarantine for two more weeks. Floor three of Eastside Suites became something of a prison for me, and my mental health began to deteriorate, making motivation difficult to muster. Suffice to say, I did not

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Correta Gagnon Koudji

attend any parties and the few connections that I did make felt disingenuous. I did, however, really like my advisers and therapist. My academic adviser in the College of Business, Mark Davis, was always honest with me about my options. My academic success coach, Robert Russell, would give me note-taking advice and then help me realize that I did not have to do it all. My therapist Dr. Falesa Ivory-Horton helped me make sense of the disarray in my mind. As a consequence of having my first semester mostly online, I decided to do the same second semester. During my second semester I became a building and event coordinator at the College of Business. I cannot praise the people at the college enough. Since there were no events at this time, my main role was to sit at the front desk. I got to know most of the staff and faculty and eventually began to make friends. I finally got the interaction that I was missing, and the university began to feel like a second home. As my freshman year drew to a close I realized that I needed to prioritize my mental health if I was going to succeed academically. I formulated a plan and talked to my advisers and therapist and other people whom I trusted to guide me in the right direction. I wish I would have had more time to understand myself and figure out what I wanted before entering college, rather than hoping that it would just come to me one day. Drawing from the knowledge I gained in my Entrepreneurship and Clifton Strengths classes I have decided to give entrepreneurship a try. It is my desire that this current school year is filled with exploration, discovery and joy.

BIG BRAG For the fourth consecutive year, the University of Nebraska system is ranked among the top 100 academic institutions worldwide in earning United States patents.

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FALL ARTS AND SCIENCES

Game On BIG BRAG Support for human rights teaching and research programs at the university is behind gifts of more than $1.2 million from Robert Hitchcock and Melinda Kelly.

Nebraska’s Margaret Huettl is helping erase stereotypes and expand historical accuracy through an update to the classic Oregon Trail video game. Enjoyed by millions since its release in 1971, the text-based strategy game allows players to lead a wagon train across the 2,170-mile Oregon Trail route from Independence, Mo., to Oregon City, Ore. Much like a real wagon captain in the 1850s, players encounter a litany of perilous challenges — river crossing and critter encounters to supply shortages and disease outbreaks. Make the wrong decision and a hardship leads to a delay, damage or death (including the infamous dread of dysentery). “I grew up playing the original green and black version on school computers,” said Huettl, an assistant professor of history and ethnic studies. “It’s nostalgic for me. It’s also problematic in the way it depicts Native people as threatening, encountered in the distance or saying things like, ‘You are not welcome here,’ in broken English. “Natives were this scary force that lurked at the edges of the game — counted alongside dangers like rattlesnakes and dysentery.” For many Indigenous people like Huettl (who is from Wisconsin and is a Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe descendant), encountering negative depictions of Natives is nothing unusual. “Particularly in popular culture there are very few positive or accurate representations of Natives,” Huettl said. “You don’t really think about it as a kid, but growing up Natives are constantly hit with negative connotations of our families. Too often, these depictions leave a lasting impact on self-worth and the value of our heritage.” “There’s not a lot of data out there because — and this is not a surprise — Native people don’t just want to give out their information to anyone,” Huettl said. “But, if you are patient and ask the right questions to the right people, the source material exists. You just have to learn how to read colonial archives through Indigenous perspectives.” Gameloft, a France-based video game publisher, has partnered with Apple Arcade to update and

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deliver Oregon Trail to the past, present and future generations of players. A large part of that work included a push to eliminate historical inaccuracies and stereotypes regarding Native American people. “The design team was well aware that the game, as it existed in the past, had problematic representations of Indigenous peoples,” Huettl said. “They wanted to do better with this update, and they asked us to help eliminate the clichés and expand the historical accuracies.” The team’s work included gathering historical data to create more appropriate names for game characters, expand roles for Native Americans and people of color, and more accurate depictions of Indigenous clothing, culture and adoption of modern technology (including their use of rifles rather than bows and arrows). Each of the revisions is reflected in the game as it was released in the Apple Arcade earlier this year. It also includes a mini-game that includes a Pawnee family impacted by disease and moving to a winter camp and an acknowledgement of the many impacts westward expansion had on Indigenous peoples. The acknowledgement, which appears at the start of the game, was written by Huettl. —Troy Fedderson

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erick m. ramos

PROFESSOR HELPS CURTAIL NATIVE STEREOTYPES IN OREGON TRAIL UPDATE

A Mandela Washington Fellow from Nigeria discovers Nebraska and is drawn to its people. When a prostate cancer diagnosis hits an L.A. screenwriter, he finds solace in Leon Spinks’ story. Read an excerpt from a new, award-winning history book detailing the freedom lawsuits brought by the enslaved.

photo ©sheldon museum of art

SHARING THE VIEWPOINTS OF OUR ALUMNI, FACULTY AND STUDENTS

AARON DOUGLAS WINDOW CLEANING 1935, oil on canvas, 29½ × 23¾ inches (detail) Born in Kansas, Aaron Douglas received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in art in 1922. He taught in Kansas City schools for a few years and then began to study with Winold Reiss, an illustrator from Germany who encouraged him to look to African art for inspiration in his work. Douglas’ use of African design and subject matter in his work brought him to the attention of W.E.B. DuBois and Alain Locke, who were pressing for young African American artists to express their African heritage and African American folk culture in their art. This was during the Harlem Renaissance, and Douglas became a leading visual artist during this time. His artistic insight is a lasting influence and a testament to the themes of African heritage and racial pride.

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Mandela Scholar

Finding Fellowship Margaret calls Nigera home, but found lots of heart in Nebraska

“Dear Margaret Nongo-Okojokwu, Congratulations! You have been chosen to participate in the 2017 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. As you know, the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative. As a Mandela Washington Fellow, you will arrive in the United States on June 16, 2017, where you will spend six weeks taking part in academic and leadership skills sessions and network with other young leaders in the fields of business, government, and the non-profit sector…” This formed the opening paragraph of the congratulatory letter that changed my life’s trajectory in 2017. Boldly stamped on it was the seal of the Embassy of the United States of America, Abuja Nigeria. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I read it more than 10 times, it was unbelievable. However, impostor syndrome soon set in as I presumed the letter was sent to the wrong address. Then came the second email on March 15, from the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, validating the first.

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It read “Dear Margaret Nongo-Okojokwu, you recently received an email from the U.S. Embassy regarding your selection as a Mandela Washington Fellow. Congratulations! Based on your interests and previous experience, you have been placed in the Civic Leadership Track at the University of NebraskaLincoln, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Your placement is final and cannot be changed...’’ Beyond the fact that this second email validated the first and confirmed to me that this was not a hoax, it gave me a little bit of a concern. “Where is Nebraska?” I asked myself. “Why haven’t I heard about Nebraska during any of the times I’ve been to the United States?’ In the past, I had traveled to Texas and Pennsylvania for different programs, but never had I heard about the state of Nebraska. I decided to research for myself. I went online to begin #OperationFindNebraska. Findings revealed Nebraska as a Midwestern state known for its farming, agricultural production and natural attractions, amongst others. What stood out for me was the population of Nebraska, which stood at 2 million, a far cry from where I lived in Lagos, Nigeria, which has a pop-

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BY M ARGARET NONGO- OKOJ OK W U Graduate student

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ulation of 21 million. The state’s nickname: The Cornhusker State, was also a standout. Therein, it dawned on me that I was being sent to a “rural village” with its lack of people. I assumed that Nebraska had very little to offer a “Lagos city girl” like me. Admittedly, I was a bit disappointed.

amazing tutors like Professor Frauke Hachtmann who remained in touch long afterward, giving me the nudge to return, and Professor Michelle Carr Hassler, who taught us about solutions journalism. Professor Matt Waite made us drone experts in just four hours. Professor Rick Alloway helped to amplify

JOURNEY TO NEBRASKA International Passport, check. Visas, check. Boarding passes, check. My to-do list was getting checked, and I was excited to embark on my journey to discover Nebraska, where “The Good Life” was promised. While in the plane, I asked the flight attendant of our Atlanta-bound Delta flight if she could provide me with some answers to my questions about Nebraska. ‘’Hello ma’am, my destination is Lincoln, Nebraska, and I’m just curious to know what the place is like?’’ (Scoffs) ‘’Nebraska? What are you going to do in Nebraska? I mean do people go there? I can’t really remember the last time someone mentioned the name Nebraska to me.’’ Shocked and in disbelief, whilst I opened my mouth to respond, telling her about the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship Program for young African Leaders, I realized I was talking to myself as she had quickly moved on to other tasks. Fourteen hours later, we arrived in Atlanta and were left to figure out the final steps to our destination. My colleagues, Enoobong Udoh and Tochukwwu Uwakeme, were as confused as me, none of us knew anything about Nebraska. Arriving in Omaha, we were greeted with the warmest of smiles soothing our nerves after such a long journey. The Global Nebraska team of the Mandela Washington Fellowship was at the airport to welcome us. This felt so good. Professor Ted Hamann and Rachel Ayalon not only served us cool refreshments but added a warm dose of hospitality. For the first time in my life, I felt like a VIP. In the days following, we were guests at a grand opening reception with Chancellor Ronnie Green and a host of other dignitaries. We were connected to our peer collaborators, and my networking instincts led me to Jan and Randy Bretz who later asked to be my peer collaborators as well. They gave me my first “Nebraska Nice” experience. I ate my first traditional American dinner at their home and tasted apple pie. The Mandela Washington Fellowship program in Nebraska trained us as civic leaders in academia and helped connect us to the non-profit community and development organizations in Nebraska and Kansas. We visited historic sites and interesting organizations too numerous to mention. It was a fun, learning adventure. We met with angel investors, cooked delicious African dishes, witnessed an electrifying Jazz In June concert, met

our voices. Dr. Sonia Feigenbaum and Dr. Maegan Stevens-Liska, our mama bear, knitted everything together perfectly. After six weeks in Nebraska, #OperationFind Nebraska got a beautiful answer filled with love and new friends. It was no longer a map with some weird imaginations. It was home to some of the best humans on earth. The warmth from the people, the communal life, their care for the less privileged, their unflinching support for their sports team (this is where I add a spirited Go Big Red!), makes Nebraska home. And thus, when we boarded our return flight to Washington, D.C., at the end of July I told myself quietly, “Once is not enough, I want to see more of Nebraska!”

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Margaret NongoOkojokwu visits the Capitol building in Lincoln.

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Facing Fear

Sadly, for men in the African American community, the culturallydriven aversion to trusting doctors and health care, as well as socioeconomic factors, put us at a greater risk for the disease.

Fighting Back

Prostate cancer diagnosis connects LA screenwriter to former heavyweight champ

BY TONY M OTON ( ’ 98) Screenwriter

he date Jan. 6, 2021, will always have a special place in my personal timeline. At roughly the same moments the Capitol Insurrection started in Washington, D.C., I was incapacitated in Los Angeles. Instead of watching the events unfold in real time, I was lying in a surgical bed at the Kaiser Permanente West LA Medical Center. The historic event that day marks my journey of undergoing robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy to remove a cancerous prostate gland. Though it was an outpatient procedure and I returned home in the early evening, I spent the next few days in discomforting post-surgical condition and was, quite frankly, oblivious to anything happening outside of my own body. When I finally was able to check out the news and my media feeds over the following weekend, I couldn’t believe what I had slept through on the operating table. I would learn in a phone call from my doctor exactly six weeks later that my Capitol Insurrection Day procedure was successful. Results from the follow-up blood screening showed I was cancer-free. The doctor had implored that I do not try to “dodge” surgery when I initially balked at the idea out of fear in late 2020, so he confided the after-surgery pathology showed my cancer was a more aggressive form than initially diagnosed. I made the right decision at the right time. Finally, after numerous months of fear, doubt and anxiety, I could have the peace of mind

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I wanted. But during the month-and-a-half period when I nervously anticipated the blood test result, another bit of news served as a chilling reminder prostate cancer can claim the lives of the strongest of men if not properly diagnosed and treated. One month after my surgery, on Feb. 5, Leon Spinks, the man who famously beat and, later, lost to Muhammad Ali in world heavyweight boxing title bouts, died in Nevada. His cause of death was related to a combination of prostate cancer, other cancers and various ailments. He was 67. As a former sportswriter who had covered a Spinks fight late in his career and profiled him for the Minneapolis Star Tribune in 1986, I was no less than devastated by word of his passing. When I wrote about Spinks that year, he had traveled to the Gopher State to fight — and eventually lose to — a fairly unknown rival named Rocky Sekorski. The headline on my story was: “Tightfisted Times: Leon Spinks is older and wiser, traveling light with an eye on his money.” I vividly remember accompanying him on his threehour layover in the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport and being somewhat wide-eyed in his presence. I was 26; Leon was 33. Out of curiosity to learn more about how prostate cancer had contributed to his death, I reached out to his widow, Brenda Glur Spinks. In a fitting twist, I learned that Brenda was a Nebraska native, and

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Spinks had lived with and dated his future wife in her hometown of Columbus from 2004 to 2011. I, too, have Nebraska ties, having spent nearly nine years as an entertainment and pop culture columnist at the Omaha World-Herald simultaneously earning my master’s degree in journalism/news-editorial from UNL in 1998. When reached by phone only a few weeks after her husband’s death, Brenda told me the two had met by chance in Branson, Mo., around 1 9 9 9, wh e n s h e wa s working in wardrobe for Branson’s Radio City Rockettes show at the Grand Palace Theater. “There was a country and western band playing and it was packed,” Brenda recalled. “They announced, ‘Leon Spinks has entered the building!’ and my friend who was a lot younger than me didn’t know who he was. I said, ‘I gotta go meet him.’ ” And meet him she did, leading to a long-term relationship during which Leon (26-17-3 with 14 knockouts as a pro boxer and an Olympic gold medal to his credit) became quite the celebrity when they moved to the Husker state. “For one thing, there are not many African American people in Columbus, Nebraska,” Brenda said. “But I know he got tore down about this because he had nothing to do.” During his time there, Leon held a number of odd jobs, including serving as a school bus monitor while Brenda worked as the driver, and taking jobs as a janitor at the YMCA and McDonald’s. “We ate a lot of McDonald’s back then,” Brenda confided. “People would come in just to see him.” But Leon, a man with a playful side and a grin to match, began suffering from numerous health problems later in life. He already had been suffering from dementia when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in June 2019. The disease spread to his bladder and bones, and his condition rapidly deteriorated, Brenda said. Like the fighter he was, Leon battled back until his cancer became terminal. The ultimate haymakers to Leon’s health might well have been inadequate treatment options, insufficient insurance and a much-too-late diagnosis of his cancer in the

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first place. “When he turned 65 and got reg ular insurance and met with the urologist and finally did the biopsy, he had the worst kind of prostate cancer you can get,” Brenda said, then fighting back tears. “A specialist told me prostate cancer in African American men is b a s i c a l ly d i ffe re n t from other cultures because it kills African American men faster than other people. I feel so bad for him.” I, too, feel bad in light of how prostate cancer felled Leon Spinks. As an African American man who was 60 on the day of my cancer surgery in January, I feel supremely fortunate that my illness was discovered during a routine checkup the year before. Sadly, for men in the African American community, the culturally-driven aversion to trusting doctors and health care, as well as socio-economic factors, put us at a greater risk for the disease. We definitely need to get “woke” on this life-threatening issue. According to the American Cancer Society’s report “Cancer Facts and Figures 2021,” prostate cancer mortality of Black men is more than double that of men in every other racial-ethnic group. Dr. Andrew Christiansen, an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said he would encourage Black men to get screened at the age of 45 and people without a family history of prostate cancer — and who are non-African American — to obtain a screening at age 55. “It’s the most common cancer overall in men, and we have excellent treatment options like radiation and surgery,” Christiansen said. “The field has been able to move forward and find treatment options for patients that are better than in the ’80s and ’90s. It’s a screenable disease and a treatable disease.” Now, every time the “Storming of the United States Capitol” gets mentioned, I get a gentle reminder about my own experience with prostate cancer, as well as that of Leon Spinks. I may have gotten punched, but I dodged a knockout. Spinks wasn’t so lucky. You can bet I’ll never sleep on that.

Leon Spinks and his wife, Brenda Glur Spinks, a Nebraska native.

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A Question of Freedom

Professor earns kudos for history of freedom suits

March, history professor William G. Thomas III earned the Mark Lynton History Prize for his new book, A Question of Freedom: The Families Who Challenged Slavery from the Nation’s Founding to the Civil War, published by Yale University Press last November. It is also a 2021 Washington Prize Finalist. The Lynton Prize honors the year’s best book-length work of narrative history on any subject that combines intellectual distinction with felicity of expression. It is one of four J. Anthony Lukas Prize Project awards that honor excellence in nonfiction writing and are given by the Columbia Journalism School and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. A Question of Freedom traces the efforts of families in Prince George’s County, Maryland, who filed hundreds of lawsuits for their freedom, some of which reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Between 1787 and 1861, these lawsuits challenged the legitimacy of slavery, put slavery on trial in the nation’s capital and took on powerful slaveholders, including Jesuit priests who owned some of the nation’s largest plantations and founded what would become Georgetown University. “In elegant, engrossing prose, A Question of Freedom combines relentless and impeccable historical scholarship with a heartfelt personal narrative,” the prize’s judges wrote in their citation. “Throughout this extraordinary work, Thomas details the court cases brought by slaves to demand their freedom. And he insists that we learn the names of the families — among them, the Queens and the Butlers — whose brave members used the law to require a fledgling nation to live up to its stated ideal of equality.” For the book, Thomas relied much on the freedom suits he has unearthed from archives, researched and digitized for his digital humanities project, “O Say Can You See: Early Washington, D.C., Law and Family,” which has also garnered awards, including financial support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Thomas is developing a feature-length film, The Bell Affair, based on the book with Kwakiutl Dreher and Michael Burton, both faculty at Nebraska. This film follows the team’s short film, Anna, which was shown at multiple film festivals and earned the best animation award at the New Media Film Festival in 2018.

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Excerpt from: A Question of Freedom: The Families Who Challenged Slavery from the Nation’s Founding to the Civil War, by William G. Thomas III (Yale University Press, 2020) It is difficult to say when Daniel Bell set his plan to free his wife and six children in motion, but in the aftermath of the August rioting he may have felt a higher degree of urgency. If Arthur Bowen could be railroaded into jail without evidence on charges of attempted murder, and if Michael Shiner’s wife and children could be taken off the streets without a trace, then no black person was safe in private or in public. The man who enslaved Bell’s wife and children was a carpenter and caulker at the Navy Yard named Robert Armstead. In point of fact, Armstead was one of the men who had signed the memorial to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia. Although the memorial was submitted to Congress in 1828, the names of its signatories were not published until February 1835, when a New Hampshire congressman ordered the memorial printed with the names of signatories affixed, presumably so that Southern slaveholders might see just how many of its prominent residents were in favor of gradual abolition in the District. In February 1835 Daniel Bell would have known, if he did not already, that Robert Armstead harbored abolitionist views. Armstead enslaved Mary and their six children. Mary and the three youngest children lived with Daniel somewhere near the Navy Yard, while the three older children lived and worked at the Armsteads’ home or had been rented out to work elsewhere. Six, eight, and eleven, the older children may have seen their parents once a week or even less. At some point in the summer of 1835, Robert Armstead’s health took a dramatic turn for the worse. Unable to work, he had left his job at the Navy Yard. Leaving his wife at home, Armstead moved into the city almshouse, where he grew weaker and frailer. His attending physician at the almshouse, Dr. Edward W. Clarke, had also signed the memorial to abolish slavery, affixing his name just a few lines above Armstead’s. Later witnesses would say that in his final days Armstead could barely speak, that what he said was unintelligible, that his “manners” decayed beyond recognition, and that he was subject to “flights of fancy.” By late August 1835 his illness was well advanced. For their part, Daniel and Mary Bell must have worried that Armstead’s death would jeopardize their precarious situation. The poverty of his wife, Susan, was obvious, and the only assets she might inherit were Mary and the six children. So, Daniel Bell went to the almshouse and visited with Robert Armstead

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Director Kwakiutl Dreher and lead VFX artist/supervising producer Michael Burton flank William Thomas. The trio are co-executive producers of The Bell Affair.

numerous times in August and September. Finally, at death’s door, Armstead signed a deed of manumission emancipating Mary Bell immediately upon his death and freeing their children gradually when each reached a specific age. Daniel Bell and Robert Armstead must have discussed the matter extensively. They made sure that a justice of the peace appeared at the Washington Asylum to serve as an official witness and to notarize the deed. The intendant of the asylum was also present and signed as a witness. Armstead swore on September 14, 1835, “I do hereby release and from slavery liberate, manumit, and set free my negro woman named Mary Bell, at my death, and her six children.” Two days later, Robert Armstead was dead. Within a week, Mary Bell went to the clerk at City Hall with the notarized deed and received an official certificate of freedom from the court. But when Daniel arrived at the Navy Yard one day soon thereafter, word of his private deal with Armstead had spread. As punishment, or perhaps as reprisal, the Greenfields summarily and secretly sold Daniel Bell to slave traders. Susan Armstead’s family connections to the Greenfields were deep, and she obviously planned to contest the deed of manumission for Mary and the children. If Daniel Bell were sold and quickly sent south to the cotton fields, Susan Armstead would be able to take legal action without him to contend with. Enlisting Bell’s slaveholders to sell him was her opening stroke. That she would so swiftly undertake this deception indicates the extraordinary measures slaveholders took to try to prevent lawsuits and legal proceedings that threatened their wealth and position. It also indicates the legal acumen enslaved people such as Daniel Bell accumulated and wielded. Obviously Susan Armstead would not have attempted to arrange Bell’s sale if she did not believe that he posed a threat. Within days, the traders infiltrated the Navy Yard, assaulted an unsuspecting Bell, knocked

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him to the floor, and dragged him in chains to the slave pen at the infamous Yellow House. Desperate to avoid the breakup of his family, Daniel Bell sued for his freedom. Imprisoned days after his wife’s certificate of freedom, Daniel Bell had little basis on which to bring his own freedom suit. His petition said only that he was “unjustly held in bondage.” There seemed to be no violation of the importation law. He made no apparent claim to a free ancestor, nor did he claim that a will or contract to free him after a term of years was breached. Crucially, though, Daniel Bell’s lawsuit bought him time. Like Phillis Shiner’s freedom suit two years earlier, Bell’s would at least prevent him from being summarily sold and sent to New Orleans or Natchez. Edward Clarke, the abolitionist-leaning physician who treated Robert Armstead, provided the funds to cover the court costs for his lawsuit. Bell moved quickly to alert his friends and associates at the Navy Yard. Within a few weeks, he managed to arrange for a marine colonel to buy him from the Greenfields with the understanding that Bell would pay the colonel back and buy his own freedom over time. The sale was executed, the Greenfields were paid off, and for the moment, Daniel Bell had managed to escape the slave trade and keep his family together. Mary had her certificate of freedom, and the deed freeing the children had been recorded. Susan Armstead, however, had no intention of honoring their emancipation. She retained a lawyer and prepared to contest her husband’s dying act of manumission for the Bells. She was going to argue that Robert was not of “sound mind” in his last days and that Daniel Bell had taken advantage of his illness, but none of her intentions were immediately apparent in the fall of 1835. We cannot know for certain when Daniel and Mary caught wind of what Susan was plotting. The ordeal of the Bell family was far from over.

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The Bell Affair

>> The Bell Affair tells the story of Daniel and Mary Bell who sue for their freedom, then lead one of the largest escape attempts in American history.

DIRECTOR’S NOTE BY KWAKI UTL L. DREHER

I am a filmmaker, writer and director who was born and grew up in South Carolina. I saw the legacies of slavery and segregation everywhere, firsthand. I was there when the Confederate flag was removed from the capitol July 10, 2015. Prior to that event, I witnessed State Senator and Senior Pastor of Emmanuel AME Church, Clementa C. Pinkney, one of the Charleston 9, lie in repose in the state capitol rotunda. More personal, my family and community have an intimate association with sharecropping, Jim Crow, lynching, civil rights and integration. Legend has it that when a white realtor tried to force my grandmother to sell her land in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., she stood on her porch with a rifle on him until he left. My family’s experience inspires my creative expressions. These personal memories activated a host of crucial questions as I began to co-write the script for our feature film, The Bell Affair with historian William G. Thomas III. How may I extend the historical imagination out/inside of our commonsense notions of enslavement: the slave ship, the slaver’s whip, the chain and the auction block? Most compelling, how may I articulate the inner or private life/ self of the enslaved, white residents, and politicians outside of the public sphere of auction, labor and

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politics? What strategies would an enslaved deploy to steal joy and to make love a fugitive so it cannot be found to be disrupted by those juridical forces in place to maintain slavery’s status quo? That all filmic elements are pulled together by our team and from the actors across the country is a remarkable accomplishment for a feature length film produced during the pandemic. Our talent filmed themselves in their homes on iphones. Myeisha Essex (Mary Bell), Anthony Wilcox (Daniel Bell), Darla Davenport (Lucy Bell) and Arista Jackson (Ann Bell) recorded their performances respectively in Nebraska, New Jersey and California; Deborah Maddick (Susan Armstead) and Don White (Robert Armstead) recorded performances respectively in Missouri and Kansas. I directed actors during table reads via Zoom, followed up requests by an actor to read actor lines as they recorded. All carried out on Zoom. The delicate artistry of lead VFX artist and supervising producer Michael Burton (’07) brings to life the artistic expression rotoscoped in broad swaths of remarkable beauty. Burton’s skilled live animation adds a visceral quality to The Bell Affair that makes the emotions of our characters dynamic as we witness them navigate through the uncertainty of their day-to-day lives. In addition, raw footage of each performance was assembled by Meadowlark Productions (comprised completely of Husker alumni) under Burton’s direction which articulates the gravity of this moment in 19th century American history.

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Sponsored Feature

Women and Minorities Need A Chance to be Heard Eartha Johnson (‘94) of Houston has a passion for helping others, whether as a business professional, volunteer or donor. She is founder and CEO of Risk Mitigation Worldwide (formerly LegalWatch, Inc.), an award-winning company that trains corporate executives on how to prevent lawsuits, regulatory sanctions and criminal indictments. Eartha graduated from the Nebraska College of Law and then worked for Exxon and other companies before starting her own business. What experiences at UNL best prepared you for your career? The education and experiences I gained from the University of Nebraska College of Law are priceless and have enabled me to compete and succeed in the workplace, business and in life. I cannot overstate how the quality of the education I obtained at the college prepared me to be an astute business owner and leader. Under College of Law Dean Harvey Perlman, students were provided a customized skills program designed to ensure we succeeded. I credit the program to my academic success at University of Nebraska College of Law and at the University of Iowa College of Law as a visiting student. I did not fully appreciate the quality of education we received at Nebraska until I attended the University of Iowa, where I was not only able to compete but soared, earning the highest marks on exams and for classes. What influenced your decision to pursue law and start your own company? My enrollment in law school was a dream delayed. At the age of 27, with young children, I began to pursue a career in law. Although, my dream was to practice public service law, I accepted a position with Exxon, where I was able to do numerous things to help people who could not afford to hire attorneys. Later, after I decided to be a stay-at-home mom, I started my own company. Almost immediately and unexpectedly, the business thrived. Why is elevating the careers and voices of women and minorities so important? As a woman and minority, I have witnessed firsthand the benefits of promoting women and minorities and giving them a voice. I cannot count the times I showed up somewhere and my opinion and presence seemed to have been discounted before I uttered a word. Time and again, I have been able to win

over colleagues, clients and foes with my insight, perspectives and exercise of diplomacy. It is only by giving women and minorities a seat at the table that we can truly level the playing field. How are companies stronger when their workforces are more diverse? Companies are stronger when they have input that captures all cultures, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. You can only provide the best service or develop the best widget when you truly understand how your service or product will impact every potential stakeholder. Without having representation of all perspectives, it’s impossible for a company to rise to its fullest potential. What has it meant to you to give back to your alma mater through time and money? Giving to me means when I die my life will not have been in vain. It means I did something to help someone other than my family, friends and myself. It means I tried to be the change I wanted to see. And, most significantly, it means that every year one University of Nebraska College of Law student will not have to worry about tuition. Visit nufoundation.org/johnson to read the entire conversation with Eartha Johnson.

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, G N I N I A T T R N E A ENT , EXUBER C I T C ECLE 8)

NINGS (’0

L JEN BY ANGE

i From Cornhusker to Classical Bae, she’s merging the sounds of violin and hip-hop N E B R A S K A Q U A R T E R LY

n a tiny Manhattan apartment, Meredith Ezinma Ramsay propped her iPhone on an Ikea shelf and pressed record. She stepped back, cradled her custom Italian violin under her chin and allowed the melody of Future’s 2017 trap hit Mask Off to wash over her. Her bow jumped across the strings to the rhythm of the song as she jammed out, putting her own classical flair to the hip-hop beat. A mountain of golden curls stacked atop her head bounced along. Satisfied, she uploaded the one-minute video to her 5,000 followers. The next day, her Instagram following grew to 22,000. Then 100,000. Now more than 360,000. “What do I share? What do I post to all of these fans?” she recounted during a video interview from her hotel room in Mexico in early June, where she FA L L

2021

“BUT NOW SHE’S DOING IT. THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU REALLY FOLLOW YOUR HEART AND PUT THE WORK IN.”

is working on new music. “Now I have fans. Before I just had friends.” That viral video commanded an audience that could have filled a concert hall or arena many times over — and catapulted her from an unknown violinist to the Internetcrowned “Classical Bae.” Her sound reached the ears of megastar Beyoncé who invited Ezinma to join her all-girl band at the Southern California music festival Coachella in 2018. She has toured Europe, played with Stevie Wonder, Kendrick Lamar, SZA and the late Mac Miller. This spring, she released her debut EP Classical Bae. At first glance, it appears Ezinma’s success happened overnight, but it has been decades in the making. And it all started at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where her parents met and fell in love, where a community embraced, nurtured and challenged her and she gained the skills and confidence to upend the classical music world. “UNL genuinely prepared me for life,” Ezinma said, reflecting on her time on the sprawling campus. “I feel like I was given a really safe incubator to be myself. After that, I felt like I could do anything.”

–Dr. Lisa Knopp

Throwback to when I was 5. It looks like I was on my way to ballet class and my parents made me squeeze in a practice session. I never wanted to “practice” I just wanted to “play” and create my own songs on the violin. Funny how little has changed.... #babyE #SuzukiKid #classicalbae #tbt

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courtesy

@ezinma

Ezinma has been a fixture on Ne b r a s k a ’s c a m pus since she was a baby. Her mother, Dr. Lisa Knopp, would rock an infant Ezinma in her arms d u r i n g h e r o ffi c e h o u r s i n A n d rews Hall when she was a Nebraska doctoral student earning her Ph.D. in creative nonfiction and American literature. Her father, Colin Ramsay, would strap a toddler Ezinma on his back as he taught actuarial science courses in the College of Business Administration. She would peer out into the class of students and wave, her father recalled. They would wave back. “I remember drawing on the marker board in

my dad’s class,” she said. “In many ways, I feel like I grew up at UNL.” Back then, everybody knew her simply as Meredith. She fell in love with the violin when her teachers at Prairie Hill Montessori School brought in violin instructors who taught the Suzuki method. “These little kids were playing these tiny violins and she bugged us,” Knopp, now an English professor at University of Nebraska Omaha, recounted over the phone. “She wanted one.” She was 3. Her parents assumed it would be one in a long line of interests their young daughter would take up as she explored and found herself. They conceded and rented a miniature version of the string instrument that could fit her tiny fingers. Practice, for preschoolers, consisted of learning how to hold the instrument, playing the musical scales and learning to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. It would take a young Ezinma five minutes to complete. Her mother got an idea. Knopp, who studied the piano and flute as an undergraduate in Iowa, would pull out her flute and join Ezinma in her practices. The time would fly by as they played folk music, soulful church hymns and freestyled. “She and I would just screw around and have fun,” Knopp said. “I think she had the association that music could be really enjoyable. Then to go from five minutes to 30 m i n ute s (o f p ra c t i ce) when you’re six, that’s a huge deal. At a very early age, she was practicing way more than the other kids.” By the sixth grade, Ezinma’s skill had outpa ce d h e r m o m a n d Knopp could no longer keep up with her on the flute. Others began paying attention to Ezinma’s musicality. She had a big sound and knew how to make mundane pieces musical and expressive. “There was something kind of extraord i n a r y. S h e co u l d really make her violin sing,” Knopp recalled. When Ezinma was in the eighth g rade, she was yearning for a new challenge. Her parents signed her up

frank micelotta

After her violin clip went viral, Ezinma was hired to play with Beyoncé at the Coachella music festival in 2018.

to study under David Neely, a Nebraska professor of violin. She took lessons from him for five years. “She was skilled like any athlete would be and very focused on her routines,” Neely said. “She practiced very hard and I always loved that about her. She was very diligent about her music making.” Additionally, Ezinma attended national and international music camps to sharpen her skills and challenge herself. She was often the only Black musician in the room. It was at Interlochen Center for the Arts, a prestigious music program in Michigan, where Ezinma encountered another Black string player for the first time. She was 14 or 15. “Seeing that I realized, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a deficiency,’” Ezinma said, reflecting on that moment. “I didn’t realize how underrepresented I was until I finally saw somebody. It’s kind of interesting. You don’t realize you’re lacking until you’re finally given water. And you’re like ‘Oh my God, I’m thirsty.’ That was a big moment for me.” She called her mother. “It was like naming some obvious thing that you’ve never paid attention to,” Knopp recalled. “For the first time she saw another Black violinist.

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Doesn’t that make you want to weep with joy and sadness?” Ezinma would return from these prestigious training camps, eager to show others her growth. “She would go away to these international camps and come back and not be seated very high in the orchestra,” Knopp said. “So, I’m like ‘what the hell is going on here.’ ” Ramsay, her father, who was raised in Guyana, a country on the Caribbean coast of South America, knew what it was. Before he had Ezinma, he had considered America the land of opportunity and said he did not fully understand the role racism played in the lives of Black people in America. Ramsay would have spirited debates with the late Michael Combs, a political science professor who taught at Nebraska for decades, about race and identity. But raising Ezinma showed Ramsay another side of his adopted home country. He saw, in ways large and small, how some minimized Ezinma’s talent, questioned her abilities and tried to chip away at her confidence. “It was like somebody breaking your legs, crippling you so when you’re an adult you can’t even walk,” Ramsay said, who is still an actuarial science

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professor at Nebraska. “Working hard is not enough. It’s necessary but not sufficient.” He would speak up for her, questioning the motives of her teachers. But at home, he would pull Ezinma aside and issue hard truths, “You’re Black. You just have to be better.”

“I CAME FROM THE CARIBBEAN AND IN OUR CULTURE, YOU ONLY HAVE THREE CHOICES IF YOU’RE SMART: DOCTOR, LAWYER OR ENGINEER. MUSIC FELT LIKE ENTERTAINMENT. THAT WAS NEVER PART OF THE EQUATION.” –Colin Ramsay

When it was time to apply to college, Ezinma only submitted one application: To the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. S h e h ad g rad u ate d f ro m L i n co l n Southwest High School a year early and at 17, she didn’t want to go too far from home. At this point, she was 14 years into a love affair with the violin. She could see herself pursuing a career in music but her dad pushed for her to study medicine. “I came from the Caribbean and in our culture, you only have three choices if you’re smart: doctor, lawyer or engineer,” Ramsay said. “Music felt like entertainment. That was never part of the equation.” Father and daughter reached a compromise. To make sure Ezinma was not attempting to shy away from the harder STEM courses, Ramsay said she could major in music if she took math and science courses. “After you get an A in all of these subjects then you can make a decision based on love and not fear,” he told her. Ezinma arrived as a freshman in 2008. She declared a double major in biochemistry and violin performance and a minor in mathematics with a pre-medicine emphasis. She aced her courses. When she wasn’t studying, she was practicing at Westbrook Music Building into the wee hours with her musician friends. “We were really intense,” Ezinma said. “We would be there until the janitors came in and closed the building.” At the end of her sophomore year, she confessed to her dad: “I’m a musician.” He conceded. “You don’t choose to do music. Music chooses you,” said Neely, Ezinma’s former violin professor. “There’s something inside your soul that you just can’t put it away. It just draws you back no matter what you do.” “Music called her and she couldn’t not do it.”

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–Ezinma, on her days in Westbrook Music Building

She honed her craft studying with Hyeyung Yoon of the Chiara String Quartet, a Grammynominated, world-renowned music group. She was a member of Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra and performed at Meadowlark Music Festival. She learned to captivate a crowd while touring rural, western Nebraska with the Ezinma Piano Trio, a group she formed with pianist Michael GlurZoucha and cellist Timothy Paek. It was time for her to spread her wings. She accepted a scholarship to the New School’s Mannes School of Music in New York, where she completed her master’s degree in violin performance. A teacher saw something different in her and encouraged her to be the “Beyoncé of the violin.” Ezinma absorbed the words. She bought an electric violin and began experimenting with her sound. Her mother knew Ezinma was talented, but her daughter told her that getting seated in an orchestra was like landing an appointment on the Supreme Court. You have to wait for somebody to die to move in and move up.

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courtesy

Ezinma graduated in 2012 and by then she had soaked up every opportunity a young violinist could in Nebraska.

“We were really intense. We would be there until the janitors came in and closed the building.”

wyn wiley

In the early 2010s, the Ezinma Piano Trio was a student chamber group in the School of Music. Meredith Ramsay, center, was joined by Michael GlurZoucha, left, on piano and Timothy Paek on cello.

Ezinma had other plans. “I’m going to go my own way and create the music I love,” her mother recounted. Knopp gasped. “We are going to be paying your rent forever,” she thought. “But now she’s doing it. That’s what happens when you really follow your heart and put the work in.” Ezinma has crisscrossed Europe with the British pop band Clean Bandit, rocked out on stage with her violin, in heels, dancing along to a roaring crowd. It was during this time that she began seeing herself as more than a violinist but as an artist. “As an instrumentalist in the classical world, you see yourself as your instrument but know that you’re much more than that,” Ezinma said. “Your instrument is merely a vehicle for expression.” She started uploading more music on Soundcloud and social media. Then her video of the Mask Off challenge caught on fire. Next came the calls from the big-named artists. Her strings can be heard on the Grammy- and Oscar-nominated All the Stars, the lead song by Kendrick Lamar and SZA off of the Black Panther movie soundtrack. The sound of it makes her mother teary-eyed every time she hears it on the radio. Ezinma also played on Beyoncé’s 2019 Homecoming album and performed on stage with Queen Bey during the filming of Netflix’s Homecoming documentary. With the release of her EP, Ezinma is now devoting her attention to earning another master’s

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degree at the Berklee College of Music. This one in film scoring in hopes of one day winning an Oscar in that category. She’s also doing her part to train up the next generation of Black classical musicians, a cohort that only makes up 1.8% of the nation’s orchestra players. Two years ago, she created the nonprofit HeartStrings, a music-based youth development program for elementary school age children from diverse backgrounds that provides quality instruments, lessons, access to concerts and performance. She offers an affordable educational program for children and adults to learn how to play the violin, a monthly masterclass and online curriculum. “I’m a violinist, a musician and an artist but my purpose is to share music and inspire people to go after their dreams,” she said. As Ezinma reflects on how far she has come from a Cornhusker to Classical Bae she credits Nebraska with instilling in her the culture of hard work and niceness that has allowed her to stand out in a field of talented violinists. And her mother, Knopp notes, “we are shaped by geography as much as we are by our genes and, in some way, that has affected her. There’s a real wide openness here.” “When we think of openness that can be scary because you don’t have any place to hide,” she added. “But it can also represent the openness of possibilities.” Or a long runaway to launch into superstardom.

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OVERDUE AWAKENING 44

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BY DRAKE KEELER, SENIOR JOURNALISM MAJOR

Students lead the way in hopes of creating a more diverse and accepting campus

t’s undeniable that a change happened at the University of NebraskaLincoln during the 2020-21 academic year. The line has been said for more than a year now: After George Floyd

was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis in May 2020, many groups

in the United States, from colleges to sports leagues to companies, examined how they could do better in the fight against racism.

Statements of support were made, and conversations were had at the time, and the university was an active participant. But over time, the commitments of some have waned. As of May 2021, less than half of U.S. adults had favorable views of the Black Lives Matter movement, a significant drop-off from May 2020, according to polling by Forbes. Criticisms have been made of pledges that have not nearly been fulfilled. That raises the question: What truly has changed at our university? For ASUN president and senior political science and global studies major Batool Ibrahim, she’s seen a shift take place in Lincoln in the link between administration and underrepresented students. “I think that this past year has made UNL recognize how important diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work is,” she said. “I think they finally started listening to students, especially Black students, that raised concerns. “Students have really taken the opportunity to demand for space and for DEI efforts on campus. And I think that the university has been forced to listen to them.”

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••• In many ways, students led the charge in Nebraska’s diversity efforts. Ibrahim, who also is president of the Black Student Union (BSU), was part of this charge. BSU launched a donation-funded care bags initiative during the summer of 2020 to provide essential supplies to community members in need. The group raised more than $14,000. Along with that, BSU organized protests, sit-ins, conversations on racial equity, called for a special Nebraska Legislature session and made a statement calling on the university to do better in responding to racism on campus. The statement came after members of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity were caught stealing and throwing away Black Lives Matter signs from multiple homes. They went under investigation for a potential “bias incident,” but BSU argued that university leaders should have condemned the action. Two demands were made in the letter, the first being that UNL publish an annual bias report and the second being for mandatory bias training in the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council for recruitment and members. Last November, the university made changes to its bias reporting processes. “As students, our goal should be to graduate, not do your jobs,” the statement addressing university

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<< “STUDENTS HAVE REALLY TAKEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEMAND FOR SPACE AND FOR DIVERSITY EFFORTS ON CAMPUS. AND I THINK THAT THE UNIVERSITY HAS BEEN FORCED TO LISTEN TO THEM.” – ASUN PRESIDENT Batool Ibrahim

leaders said. “... POC (people of color) students have been no less than expected to provide overwhelming amounts of uncompensated emotional labor to administration.” The Black Student Union isn’t the only group that made waves over the past school year. The Asian Student Union played a role in events like the Stop Asian Hate protest. Charlie Foster, assistant vice chancellor for inclusive student excellence and director of the Office of Academic Success and Intercultural Services (OASIS), said that students speaking up is necessary. “Student voices are vital. They bring to us every four years what our focus should be, they let us know how we should be thinking about the world that you want to create, and so that’s exciting in itself,” Foster said. “Students who are seeking to make change means that we are doing our jobs correctly, that we are pushing you to be able to use your voice in a way that is impactful.” This year, the university has highlighted students for Black History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Pride Month. Foster said she’s happy to see the university recognize marginalized students in that way, and that Ibrahim brings representation to the student government. “I’m encouraged that we have a president of ASUN who is female, is a woman of color and speaks to religious diversity (as a Muslim),” Foster said. “She is evidence of how we see ourselves on this campus.”

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craig chandler/file

••• Nebraska athletes and coaches also spoke out this year, perhaps in larger numbers than ever before. In spring 2020, several Husker coaches made statements addressing the death of George Floyd. Men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg called the events “heartbreaking.” In August of that year, the Huskers men’s basketball team stood up again four days after of Jacob Blake was shot by police in Kenosha, Wis. They stood in front of the Hendricks Training Complex, all wearing black shirts. Most came up to the podium to

give the name of a victim of police brutality. Guards Teddy Allen and Kobe Webster delivered prepared statements. “We cannot allow this great country to be filled with so much hatred and anger toward one another,” Webster said at the time. “It is not a place we want to live in knowing that when we leave the house, we may not return because someone views us as a threat.” When sports seasons came along last fall, Nebraska teams did a variety of things to promote racial equality. Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams wore patches on their jerseys. Nebraska women’s gymnastics wore red, black and green ribbons in honor of Black History Month. One of the more notable occurrences of athletes speaking up came from the newly-formed Minority Student-Athlete Collective. In September 2020, multiple athletes and coaches spoke at a rally against police brutality and racial injustice in front of Memorial Stadium. Then-Nebraska athletics diversity and inclusion director DaWon Baker helped the group come together and organize the event and was one of the main speakers. “Our student-athletes continually saw the national narrative around social injustice,” Baker said then. “They could no longer sit by and wait for change.” Along with the rally, the group released a letter a month earlier along with demands to the university. “The motto ingrained on Memorial Stadium states, ‘Not the victory but the action: Not the goal but the game: In the deed the glory.’ This is our deed as Nebraska student-athletes,” the letter read. “We hope that Nebraska’s administration will partner with us in order to make Nebraska what Nebraska must become.” Demands included more representation in Nebraska Athletics’ administration, modules and workshops for incoming freshmen and all coaches, 0.5% of athletic department proceeds to be donated to Black-owned businesses and a memorial dedicated to George Flippin, Nebraska’s first Black football player. The presence of Flippin, who attended the

ENROLLMENT DIVERSITY SINCE 1995 While the diversity of the university’s annual fall enrollment has climbed over the past quarter century, similar gains among the Black student body have been more gradual. In 1995, 9.8% of students were a race other than white, of which 2.2% were Black. In 2020, 18.1% were non-white and 2.9% were Black. Non-white students include Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian, Alaska Native, Black or African American, and 2+ races. OVERALL UNIVERSITY ENROLLMENT % OF BLACK STUDENTS

% OF NON-WHITE STUDENTS

25 20 20

10 10

11 0

5 1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

1995

2000

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND NATURAL RESOURCES

COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

% OF BLACK STUDENTS

2005

44 33 22 11

2005

2010

2015

2020

1995

% OF NON-WHITE STUDENTS

33 22 11

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

1995

20 20

10 10

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

1995

2005

2010

2015

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SCIENCES

% OF BLACK STUDENTS

2020

1995

4 33 22 11

2005

2010

2015

2020

1995

% OF NON-WHITE STUDENTS

2005

2010

2015

2020

1995

25 20 20

10 10

2005

2010

2015

2020

1995

2005

2010

2015

2020

1995

2000

2005

2010

COLLEGE OF LAW

% OF BLACK STUDENTS

6 54

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

1995

% OF NON-WHITE STUDENTS

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

1995

% OF NON-WHITE STUDENTS 25

20 20

10 10

2020

Source: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Fact Book N E B R A S K A Q U A R T E R LY

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

10 10

2015

2020

% OF NON-WHITE STUDENTS

2010

2015

3 2 2 11

2005

2020

2000

2015

1995

2010

COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATIONS 44 33 22 11

2005

COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS 5

1995

2000

44 33 22 11 0

2020

2000

2015

% OF NON-WHITE STUDENTS

20 20

1995

2010

2000

2005

20 20

2000

% OF NON-WHITE STUDENTS

2020

% OF BLACK STUDENTS 5

2000

2015

In 2010, the university started tallying all international students, regardless of origin, in their own group. Those international students (which made up 8.4% of undergraduate enrollment in fall 2020) are not included in this data.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

1995

2010

2000

2005

10 10

1995

2000

% OF NON-WHITE STUDENTS

2020

% OF BLACK STUDENTS

2000

2015

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

1995

2010

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

The dynamic, interactive graphic which was the source of these charts can be found at iea.unl.edu/ publication/ fact-book

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GEORGE FLIPPIN

“I’m the first, but how do I make sure I’m not the last? How can I make sure that Black students know that there is a student government that they should be involved in that is a space for them,” she said. “The first thing is making sure our own student government is inclusive. And through that, making sure other entities on campus are inclusive to students of color.” Ibrahim also has goals to make campus feel safer for students of color by putting a focus on making sure incidents of bias are handled properly. Most of all, she wants to empower students to get involved and use their voices. Over the past year, many conversations around these topics and more took place. Foster played a large part in organizing some of those conversations, and she aims to not let them fade away and instead make them part of the everyday life of students and staff alike. “Five years ago, it was something new and fresh. Now, it’s a part of what we do at the University of Nebraska,” she said. “So, creating regular things that we do on campus to change the way that we live is, as I often say, changing the world one interaction at a time.” Foster and Ibrahim both know that the UNL isn’t done on its diversity and inclusion journey. However, they also agree that 2020-21 was a good start for individuals and the university to build on. “That anti-racist journey that we’re going to go through as a university, I think we’re at the start of it,” Ibrahim said. “And I think, sadly, it’s going to be really slow. But I think that was a good start, like kind of talking about it and starting to have conversations about it.” As the years go on, it’ll be a collaborative effort between students and faculty, according to Foster. University staff is meant to equip students with the knowledge they need, and the students can use that knowledge to push for a better world. “The purpose of the University of Nebraska is to educate our students. This is a remarkable time, where we can educate students about the world that they live in, and how they can make things better,” Foster said. “This is an opportunity to help them again, create the world that they’re looking to create.”

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university athletic department

university from 1891-94, was the reason that Missouri refused to play the teams’ scheduled game in 1892, forfeiting 1-0. Flippin was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 1974. The Flippin request also asked that the university acknowledge the racism he faced during his time on the football team when he was denied captainship. The Nebraska football team wore helmet stickers honoring him for its game against Ohio State. Nebraska football head coach Scott Frost (’97) spoke at a press conference about how important it was to make that gesture. “I didn’t know much about George Flippin before this year,” he said. “If you haven’t read about him, it’s an unbelievable story. It’s fascinating, and I encourage our fans to go research that. You can’t honor everybody; you can’t do as much as you ever want to do to honor someone but honoring him I think is a good start.” While the status of each specific demand is unclear, the group met with then-athletic director Bill Moos and the athletic department on multiple occasions to talk about how they can make progress. Foster, who is on the Husker Athletics Diversity and Inclusion Committee, was inspired by seeing student-athletes speak out, and acknowledged that it can be an overwhelming task for them to balance so much. “It shows the values and beliefs of the university, when you hear our student athletes using their voice and using it in a way that is a positive use of their platform,” Foster said. “We recognize that’s hard for these young people. They have a particular focus in their sport, they have the whole charge of being a student at the same time.” ••• As Nebraska heads into another school year looking to make progress, students may continue to be some of the first to speak up. Something Ibrahim sees as a next step is better equipping those students with the tools to speak up when it is time. “We can’t just have first-year students go to Husker Dialogues (a diversity and inclusion event designed to introduce first-year students to tools they can use to engage in meaningful conversations) and then we’re like, ‘OK, you’re anti-racist now,’ ” she said. “We need to have more classes surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion in the classroom. In each specific college they should be required to have some type of course addressing inequities and life experiences of marginalized people in their courses.” She’s making a bit of history herself, being the first Black ASUN president. That accomplishment is somewhat bittersweet and helped to bring about another one of her goals. Ibrahim said that she had trouble confirming whether or not UNL has had a Black student president before. According to her, that shows that the university can improve upon celebrating marginalized students and their histories. Doing so will help others realize that there is a place for them in Lincoln.

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STU’S VIEWS On racial inequality and social injustice, STU LANTZ believes ‘we have a long way to go’

BY TONY MOTON (’98)

tchanavia lastie

tu Lantz (’68), the former Cornhusker and National Basketball Association standout who has worked the past three-and-a-half decades as TV color commentator for the Los Angeles Lakers, feared the worst and hoped for the best as the country awaited a verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin in April. Chauvin, the disgraced former Minneapolis police officer, had been tried for causing the death of George Floyd a year earlier, and Lantz knew that whatever the outcome, it could serve as a defining progress report of where the nation stood in its markedly uneven history of race relations and social justice. His uneasiness was palpable, because as a 74-year-old man of color, Lantz is wise enough to understand that slam dunks in the court of law don’t exist in the way they do on the basketball court.

“I thought he would be found guilty on something,” Lantz said. “I didn’t think he would be found guilty on all three charges. And I thought if he was found (innocent) on all three charges, there would be problems ... just based on our history of (not) making people responsible for their actions. When it came down as guilty on all three, it was a relief in the sense that maybe we’re taking steps in the right direction. But let’s see what happens going forward. We still have so much more of the same scenario to go through, and I still think we have a long way to go.” Chauvin was convicted of second- and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter, in the death of Floyd, an unarmed 46-year-old Black man whose last moments alive were captured on cell phone video during his arrest on May 25, 2020. The incident sparked protests — peaceful and otherwise — across the nation. That Floyd paid with his life for a seemingly minor infraction of passing a fake $20 bill at a grocery store disturbs Lantz, known for his

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smooth and informed delivery as a basketball analyst. “The protests are going to be ongoing ... if we don’t get the results that should be given,” said an impassioned Lantz, his voice a bit throatier and more forceful than Lakers fans are accustomed to. “(Look at) the differences between Black and white, as far as sentencing goes. If you’re a person of color, you get one sentence. If you’re white, you get another sentence. That’s not right. That’s not equality. And why is that?” Within three months of Floyd’s death, another wave of protests erupted — one of them initiated by a group Lantz knows well. Players from the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks were at the forefront of a sports boycott after Jacob S. Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, suffered serious injuries when police officer Rusten Sheskey shot him in the back several times in Kenosha, Wis. The Bucks, competing in the NBA’s coronavirus-triggered “Playoff Bubble” in Orlando, refused to take the floor for their game against the Orlando Magic on Aug. 26, 2020.

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university athletic department, courtesy

“IT WAS A CASE OF MEETING SOMEBODY NEW AND NOT LETTING ANY DIFFERENCES OF ANY KIND STAND IN THE WAY.” —Stu Lantz, who married Linda Theobald on Sept. 6, 1966, while balancing college classes and basketball

Lantz scored 1,269 points for the Huskers during

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michael sullivan

Lantz was prepared to call the Lakers’ TV broadcast of their game against the Portland Trailblazers from the Spectrum SportsNet studios in El Segundo, Calif., but the contest was one of three eventually postponed by the NBA that day as result of the Bucks deciding to speak up and not dribble. The Milwaukee team’s vocal initiative was a firm rebuke of Fox News host’s Laura Ingraham’s prior criticism of Lakers star LeBron James, whom she said needed to “shut up and dribble” when it comes to voicing his opinion on police brutality and social justice issues. Lantz takes the players’ side in this particular debate. “The response of the NBA, which is predominately Black, was really great,” Lantz said. “When all of this came to fruition and everything was out there about ‘whether we should play’ or ‘whether we should not play,’ I was under the thought of ‘don’t play.’ You’ve got to make a statement and say something to make it right. Show them we are willing to sacrifice dollars or whatever for right and wrong. That’s all this is.” The Bucks’ decision to support Black Lives Matter caused an unprecedented ripple effect on the American sports world, which saw the WNBA, MLB, NHL, MLS and pro tennis refusing to play scheduled events. “What they (law enforcement officers) have been doing to our brothers, I don’t care how you look it, is wrong,” Lantz said. “We, as a people, deserve the right treatment. And they (the NBA players) handled it really well. I don’t look at it as making political statements. We are making right and wrong statements.” A keen sense of what separates right from wrong in our society was instilled in the Nebraska Basketball Hall of Famer as a child. He was born Stuart Burrell Lantz on July 13, 1946, in Uniontown, Pa., the son of Burrell and Cordelia Lantz. His mother was a stay-at-home mom, and his father worked for the town’s sanitation department and with his brother at the family-owned Lantz Funeral Home. Young Stu suffered from asthma until the age of 13 and was guided by his parents to avoid cigarettes and drinking. “I had parents who were really, really looking out for their children,” said Lantz, who grew up with two sisters. “They did not tolerate alcohol, and ’til this day, I don’t drink. No beer, no alcohol.” His parents’ sensibilities followed Lantz throughout his life as an athlete and would prove valuable once he left home for college and, later, turned professional. Having honed his basketball skills on the playgrounds of Uniontown, he led the high school to a state championship as a senior in 1964. His best friend, Ben “Pope” Gregory (’68), was a star running back being recruited by Nebraska’s football team. When Husker coaches happened upon a Uniontown High basketball game and saw Lantz, they convinced him to accompany Gregory to Lincoln in something of a package deal. But culture shock greeted Lantz, who graduated from high school at 17 and also com-

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peted in track and field. “I had been to Philly, but never out of state,” he said. Gregory, who passed away in 1997, and Lantz were the best of friends. They even wore the same uniform number — 22. But Lantz, whose retired jersey ultimately would hang in the rafters at the Devaney Center, and now at Pinnacle Bank Arena, saw some of his free time go elsewhere after he met freshman Linda Theobald at the school’s student center. Theobald had graduated from Lincoln Southeast High and her relationship with Lantz quickly bloomed. The fact she was white never was an issue during their college days, Lantz recalled. “It was a case of meeting somebody new and not letting any differences of any kind stand in the way,” Lantz said. “But it was never a scenario where we ever felt threatened. ... We’re still together, but at the time when we met, I don’t think either of us had any idea we’d be getting married and spending the rest of our life together.” Stu and Linda were wed by the Justice of the Peace in Lincoln as they were entering their junior years. Gregory — who later would become O.J. Simpson’s first roommate with the Buffalo Bills — served as the best man at the ceremony. After they married, the couple moved into a small apartment off campus and Linda, an English major, left school to go to work. By that time, Lantz’s stock on the basketball court was well on the rise, even if coaches might have worried whether Lantz could handle a young marriage and play college hoops at the same time.

Lantz began his career as a TV color commentator for L.A. Lakers games during the 1987-88 season.

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The 6-foot-3 shooting guard assuaged any possible doubts when he averaged more than 19 points per game in the 1966-67 season. He and fellow Husker Hall-of-Famer Tom Baack (’68) helped the school record its first 20-win season (20-5), its first National Invitation Tournament invite and a second-place finish in the old Big Eight Conference. Lantz had similar productivity his senior season, once again averaging 19 points per game and becoming the school’s first two-time, first-team, All-Big Eight player. He was a bona fide NBA prospect who became a third-round draft pick by the San Diego Rockets in May of 1968. A month earlier, the killing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had helped open the world’s eyes to the significance of the country’s civil rights movement. Lantz’s eyes included. He learned about King’s slaying while on campus. “You hear about it on campus and then you go home and let it settle in,” Lantz said. “You try to understand the why. It was a very, very sad time in all of our lives.” Stu and Linda Lantz moved to San Diego from Lincoln when his NBA career started. Much like their marriage, now a “double nickel” in terms of years (55 in basketball parlance), the couple enjoys stability with the city they call home. They have never left San Diego, nor each other, and the college sweethearts have raised three adult children. Linda retired as supervisor of attendance at San Diego’s Madison High in 2002. Even when the Rockets franchise relocated to Houston in 1971, the couple kept their home in San Diego and would return to southern California the day the NBA season ended. “We fell in love with San Diego and we knew it was the place we wanted to spend the rest of our lives right then,” Lantz said. During his eight-year pro career, Lantz suited up with four franchises (Rockets, Pistons, Jazz and Lakers) and averaged 12.4 points in 547 games. He tallied a career-high 20.6 points per game — with 5.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game — for the Rockets during the 1970-71 season, the team’s last in San Diego. He followed that effort with an 18.5-point scoring mark after the team moved to Houston the following year. Lantz’s time in the league was concurrent with a difficult time for the NBA’s image, one characterized by reports of rampant cocaine use by its largest demographic of players: young Black men. Lantz relied on the lessons he learned in his youth to navigate the league’s dangerous waters. He simply avoided diving in. “That was the first time I was exposed to drug use. I wasn’t exposed to it at Nebraska,” Lantz said. “But I was never one who couldn’t say no. So, if you offered me a joint or whatever the case may be, ‘no’ came out immediately. Peer pressure is the most powerful pressure in the world, but I’ve always been able to avoid pressure.” Lantz said he is aware of the stereotypes linked to the NBA that persisted after his playing days. When the Lakers’ Earvin “Magic” Johnson and the Boston

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Celtics’ Larry Bird invigorated the league with their special brand of team-oriented play and the attention of Madison Avenue in the 1980s, the NBA shed some of its reputation for being a glorified “playground” (read: Black) game. “It was a stereotypical time and a stereotypical league,” Lantz said. “If you were Black, it was assumed you were a druggie or whatever. But there is very little you can do about stereotypical mindsets. You try to educate people when they are wrong. So, again, you just try to stay away from it. “I was always proud of being an NBA player, absolutely,” Lantz added. “I was never going to allow somebody’s negative thoughts to affect how I thought about myself. I always thought highly of myself. That’s what we need more of, for our people to think highly of themselves. Don’t be pressured into doing something because somebody is downgrading you.” Lantz finished his career with the Lakers in 1977 when he was forced to retire at the age of 30 because of a ruptured disc in his back. His Lakers jersey, incidentally, was No. 23, the same currently worn by LeBron James. After putting away his white Chuck Taylors for good, he immediately considered educating young minds by using his degree in elementary education to become a third-grade teacher. His plans changed when he reluctantly accepted a broadcasting gig the season after his retirement. The first game Lantz called was with Bob Costas for a CBS regional game featuring the New Orleans Jazz. Ten years later, on July 12, 1987, Lantz was named the Lakers’ color commentator and joined the legendary Chick Hearn. Before Hearn’s passing in 2002, Lantz solidified his position as one of the game’s best TV sidemen. To his credit, the multiaward-winning Lantz is a member of the Southern California Broadcasters Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2018. “I was the first person of color to work with Chick,” said Lantz, who’s called games in the careers of Laker greats Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal and the late Kobe Bryant during his tenure. “There are a lot of people who didn’t think the marriage would last because we were so different and the whole reputation of that job back then was being a ‘yes man’ for Chick. I was so outspoken nobody thought he would put up with that.” Lantz certainly has proven the doubters wrong. He may no longer be able to take opposing guards off the dribble, but his voice speaks loud and clear about how the nation can better deal with — and, hopefully, heal from — racial inequality and social injustices. “We have to educate the youngsters,” suggested Lantz, always a teacher at heart. “There are so many closet racists out there, and in the past year, they have been empowered to kind of come out a little bit. We’ve got to be able to educate those (people) until we can get the future generations thinking along the equality lines. If we don’t educate them about what’s right and what’s wrong and race relations, we’re gonna still have problems.”

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Above: Harvey Dunn (1884–1952), Sons of the Frontier, circa 1940, oil on canvas, courtesy of the Mark and Carol Moseman Collection of Agrarian Art

A LEGACY AND COLLECTION THAT WILL IMPACT LIVES FOR DECADES TO COME. Sculptures. Drawings. Oil paintings. Pastels. UNL alumni Carol and Mark Moseman collected them all when it came to the subject of Agrarian Art. In fact, Mark coined that description years ago — a description recognized and adopted by the Smithsonian Institution itself. Thanks to their generosity, more than 60 pieces of their collection reside at UNL’s Great Plains Art Museum. More are on the way, along with an estate gift that will build an endowment to support the collection. They hope the gift will help future generations understand the relationship those in the past had with the land. “This art has more than a simply feel-good purpose. Its purpose is to have an impact on people who see it. It brings us comfort to know that the collection will be organized in a thoughtful fashion and be taken care of for years to come through this gift.” – Carol and Mark Moseman You can have an impact, too. Gifts that leave a legacy come in many forms, including estate plans that continue to support your interest areas beyond your lifetime. Contact our gift planning team today for more information: 800-432-3216 | gift.planning@nufoundation.org www.nufoundation.org/giftplanning

“Agrarian Spirit in the Homestead Era: Artwork from the Moseman Collection of Agrarian Art” will be exhibited at the Great Plains Art Museum on the UNL campus through Oct. 23, 2021.

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CLASS QUOTES

JON KELLEY

Paska Juma embraces entrepreneurship with her beauty products.

Alumni from all eras highlight their favorite professor during their college days.

Whatever happened to this 1980s running back? Turn on your TV and find out.

OBITS

LOVE STORY

Professor Bud Pagel’s humor, tough love launched star journalists.

Softball standout Peaches James meets her lifelong bestie.

BULLETIN

EVENTS SEPT. 27OCT. 2 LINCOLN Multicultural Homecoming The Chancellor’s Commission on the Status of People of Color is looking forward to welcoming alumni of color to campus for a celebration during Homecoming week. OCT. 1 LINCOLN Cornstock Enjoy food trucks, a Ferris wheel, games for adults and children, face painting and more. You also can get in the Husker spirit and enjoy performances from Nebraska students during the Jester Competition. OCT. 18 MINNEAPOLIS Tailgate Join your fellow Huskers before the Minnesota football game for the Husker Huddle tailgate party at McNamara Alumni Center on the University of Minnesota campus.

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OCT. 29

Field of Dreams N E B R A S K A Q U A R T E R LY

In high school, Zemua Baptista made his mark as a star wrestler, winning state championships in three different weight classes. He then wrestled at Nebraska, with the team ranking as high as No. 2 nationally during the spring before COVID-19 cut the season short. But his passion is owning a farm, “I just always knew I wanted to be a farmer. It’s always been what I grew up around and spent all my time doing,” he said.

LINCOLN Fall Conference Join the Nebraska Women’s Leadership Network as this professional group learns how to take their passions and cultivate them to become their purpose in life. Featuring alumna Whitney Hinshaw Sullivan (’11, ’14).

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BULLETIN << Zemua Baptista wrestled from 2017-19, earning the Sam Foltz Hero 27 Leadership Award in 2019.

Alumni Profile

Cultivating Success First-generation American driven to a career as a farm owner

ike a lot of children growing up in a small Nebraska town, Zemua Baptista remembers playing with tractors in the living room as a boy — “carpet farming,” as he describes it. “My mom would always get mad at me over it,” he said. “I just always knew I wanted to be a farmer. It’s always been what I grew up around and spent all my time doing.” Baptista’s dream of becoming an owner of a farm came true in 2019 when he got his first delivery of broiler chicks from Lincoln Premium Poultry for the eight barns Baptista was able to get built near Seward. Lincoln Premium started contracting with roughly 80 farmers, mainly in eastern Nebraska, to raise broilers for a processing plant that opened in Fremont. Baptista was among the first prospective farmers to approach Lincoln Premium Poultry with a business plan and purpose to make his farming dreams come true. He was finishing up his freshman year at the university on a wrestling scholarship when he approached company officials with his plan to raise chickens. “It was a couple of years before we got to break ground on it, but I was one of the first people to sign a contract and start growing birds for them,” he said. “It’s not something many 18-year-olds begin to think about doing.”

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FIRST-GENERATION Baptista graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural economics (and an animal science minor) and has stepped into the world of farm owner not just a first-generation Black farmer, but is a first-generation American as well. Baptista was born in the United States, but his parents came to the U.S. in the late 1990s from Angola. Baptista’s father, a Methodist pastor, com-

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p l e te d h i s d o c torate degree in Texas. Pastor Pa i xa o B a p t i s t a th en m oved h is family to churches in small Nebraska towns before eventually sett l i n g i n Fr i e n d , where Zemua and his siblings were raised. Zemua said his father was attracted to Nebraska because it was similar to the rural areas of Angola where his grandfather had farmed crops such as corn, soybeans and coffee. In small-town Nebraska, Baptista said he was raised in a town with little diversity outside of his family, but he also said his family was embraced. “I feel like I was raised in the best of both worlds,” he said. I grew up in a community that was pretty open arms. My dad was really respected as a minister and my mom as a nurse. We would go to play other teams, and for other kids, I would be the first African American they had ever seen in their lives.” In high school, Baptista made his mark in Nebraska as a star wrestler, winning state championships in three different weight classes from 201416 and finishing with a high-school record of 184-4. He then spent his freshman year redshirting at Iowa State University before transferring back home to Nebraska. Baptista continued to wrestle at UNL, going 47-16 while there. The team ranked as high as No. 2 nationally during the spring before COVID-19 cut the season short. A COLD CALL Jessica Kolterman, director of administration for Lincoln Premium Poultry, recalls Baptista cold-calling her office as he was finishing up his freshman year at Iowa State. She also recognized his name because she follows wrestling and had seen him wrestle in high school. Baptista met with Kolterman and the company’s chief operating officer, Walt Schafer, who was impressed with Baptista and began working with him on a business plan. “I knew of him through people who were very

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i nvo lve d i n t h e wrestling community and so, in my estimation, if he put that kind of thought and diligence and focus into growing p ou lt r y, I k n ew he would be a g r e a t p a r t n e r,” Kolterman said. “And the story was really inspiring. Anytime people are interested in going into farming, as a first-generation farmer, it’s an exciting, great story.” Lincoln Premium Poultry has about 80 farmers in Nebraska and a few in Iowa who now grow birds processed in Fremont, mainly grown to become Costco rotisserie chickens. Kolterman said most of the operators are younger, under age 30. For many, raising birds was the one way they could return to the family farm operation, Kolterman said. It was nearly a three-year endeavor for Baptista, from the time he made that phone call to getting chicks delivered into the barns, while he remained in college. “He found a way to make it work, and I think that’s an inspiring story for other Nebraska kids looking for a pathway into farming, but I don’t think it’s for the faint of heart,” Kolterman said. FEW BLACK FARMERS IN NEBRASKA Zemua’s early success starting a poultry operation goes against some of the national and state trends for both youth and minority farmers. Out of 77,097 primary producers in Nebraska for the 2017 Ag Census, just 1,199 were listed under age 25. Regarding race, the Ag Census reported only 22 Nebraska farmers were listed as Black or African American. Nationally, Black farmers of any age made up 45,508 producers out of nearly 3.4 million total producers listed in the 2017 Ag Census. Black lawmakers, primarily in Southern states, have been pushing for more programs and aid for Black farmers, whose numbers were closer to 920,000 nationally a century ago. While Baptista is starting off his farm in rural

Zemua with his father Paixao Baptista, who helped fund his chicken business.

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BULLETIN We are BLACK MEN!... we build... we don’t tear down other BLACK MEN! I have felt the pain of being torn down and I have decided to be deliberate about building others! All too often we find it easier to criticize each other instead of build each other up. With everything going around let’s do something positive!! Let’s build ourselves up instead of tearing each other down. @zemmyboy

Nebraska, the emergence of new, young, Black farmers is taking shape in urban areas such as Detroit or Atlanta, said Veronica Womack, a political science and public administration professor at Georgia College in Milledgeville, Ga., and executive director of the newly-founded Rural Studies Institute there. “There is a movement of urban agriculture that has really taken shape in cities where there is a connection between consciousness, healthy living, healthy food and economic independence,” she said. “This is really growing for Black farmers in urban areas, but I’m not necessarily seeing that in rural areas.” Typically, one of the biggest challenges facing aspiring young farmers is the inability to “navigate the system” of USDA programs and lending institutions, Womack said. While needing mentors to help lend support, Womack credited Zemua’s age group, Generation Z, for showing they are socialized to be independent and not willing to accept the Old World Order. “With this young man being a first-generation farmer, not just because it was passed down to him, but this is something that he wanted to do and was determined to do it, and went out, got the information that he needed, that’s Gen Z,” Womack said. “They have a vision, and they are going to carry out that vision. So, I firmly believe this is the generation that is going to assist us with some of the transitions we’ve been struggling with.”

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LEARNING TO OWN Driving a Gator around Baptista Farms, Baptista showed some of the details of his eight barns that can collectively hold about 360,000 broiler chickens. He explained most of the manure is spread on neighboring cornfields. His barns have the potential to help fertilize as many as 2,500 acres. Some of the manure, though, is left in the barns as insulation, he added. He noted the giant propane tank and a lesson quickly learned last winter. “Propane is really our biggest cost as far as winter goes and starting out in the winter was quite a challenge for us as well,” he said. Baptista added, “We have gotten a lot of mechanical things with the barns that haven’t gone our way.” Baptista said the hardest part of working to build chicken barns was the financing, though he brought his dad on as a partner there. Baptista said he leaned heavily on USDA Farm Service Agency programs, including beginning farmer loans and guarantees. He praised the help he got in Nebraska with those loan programs.

“They were pretty impressed that I had my ducks in a row,” he said. “Being young, being a minority, I just want to make sure I didn’t give anyone any reason to reject my application. I think for anyone who is young in age, it’s one of the best ways to get started and get the cash flow you need to make it work. I couldn’t have done it without FSA.” Baptista credits advice from his father, who tells him to take things slow. But his father also said to ensure he’s always prepared and has done his homework. “He said, ‘Don’t give them a reason to judge you.’ I couldn’t have gotten any of these loans or financing without his help, so he’s a big part of this.” Besides getting funding for the eight barns, Baptista also had enough money left over to buy 25 bred cows and begin a cow-calf operation. He keeps thinking about further diversification, such as buying cropland. “There are a lot of things that just happened to work out in favor for me that I’m pretty grateful for,” he said. As a young Black man, Baptista isn’t immune to the struggles of minorities and racial tensions across the country right now. He acknowledged he has been afforded an early opportunity to become a farmer that is significantly harder for people both his age and race. “I still see it when I tell people I’m a farmer and they kind of look at me,” he said. “For me, to give a face to a minority farmer is a good thing.” Yet, at the ripe age of 23, Baptista also clearly enjoys the responsibilities that come from running a farm. “Farming is a way of life and I really love it,” he said. “The biggest difference for someone like myself is I’ve gone from working day-to-day to making the decisions on my own. I’m responsible for everything that happens.” —Chris Clayton, DTN/The Progressive Farmer

BULLETIN

Paska Juma’s Jamila Beauty is an online marketplace that specializes in hair, beauty and skincare for Black women.

Alumni Profile

Empowering Others

Entrepreneurship class sets Paska Juma up for success

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leaning into her strengths to empower others and strategize logistics. She credits her experience with Nebraska’s Center for Entrepreneurship for her growth into a leader. “The entire entrepreneurship department at Nebraska cares about you more than you care about yourself. Dr. Sam Nelson got me my first internship, which was with Invest Nebraska. That internship led me to an opportunity at Spreetail, which ultimately helped me get to Google,” Juma said. “I competed in the center’s competitions, and these experiences prepared me to pitch myself. It taught me how to rally a team together and how to influence without having power.” She enrolled in many classes taught by Nelson. She frequented the center and got involved in a

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s a first-generation college student, Paska Juma (’19) navigated a zigzag path at the university. By utilizing Nebraska’s resources and finding her way into entrepreneurship after a few academic program changes, she built a toolbox of skills she uses today as a program manager at Google, social entrepreneur and activist. “From my experiences in my entrepreneurship minor, what I use the most is my ability to network. It’s so valuable as a program manager, as you’re basically leading without influence. You have to make an impact on the team without being their direct manager,” she said. Juma gets the most out of her team at Google Fi, a telecommunications service by Google, by

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student organization focused on entrepreneurship and dove deep into the center’s competitions. “Paska won her room at our 3-2-1 Quick Pitch Competition,” said Nelson, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and associate professor of practice in management. “She had a big vision for an online marketplace that specializes in hair, beauty and skincare for Black women. All she needed was help with the nuts and bolts, and we conquered that together in our business plan class.” As Juma prepared to launch her “side hustle” company, Jamila Beauty, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Wreaking havoc on supply chains across the world, the pandemic shut down the factory she trusted to produce her products. After working diligently on the startup since she graduated from college, the Lincoln native needed to pivot. “Supply chain issues affected us all — in my business and at work with Google Fi. I decided to commit a year of fully being dedicated to the Black Leaders Movement,” Juma said. Established in June 2020, Lincoln’s Black Leaders Movement promotes the development of young

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Black leaders in order to achieve equality and justice for the Black community. Through education and activism, these high school and college students bring awareness to social justice issues, fight discrimination and hope to dismantle systemic racism. “After the death of George Floyd, I saw that the protests weren’t organized. I met this group of high schoolers at the first protest who had a lot of passion. We needed to come together and meet regularly to organize our efforts. It was social entrepreneurship, just bringing together everyone’s great strengths. Each person shared their power in fundraising, organizing, public policy and more,” she said. That summer, she worked on making this group of young adults into a 501(c)3 nonprofit called the Black Leaders Movement. She called on her network, including Bryan Seck, director of workforce development for the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development, to help guide her through the process of becoming a nonprofit. They gained momentum by calling for social justice and commitment from the city’s leaders to address specific concerns rooted in inequality. Their organizing led to what Juma called “a pivotal moment” — bringing the peaceful protests to south Lincoln. “We didn’t know if anyone would show up,” Juma said. “Then we had around 300 people, which was one of our best protests. I remember thinking, ‘Now we have the attention of the city.’ It led to the opportunity to meet with Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird to discuss upcoming budget allocations.” While the group did not achieve all they wanted last summer, their talks with Mayor Gaylor Baird led to including more voices in the search for the city’s new police chief. Additionally, the Lincoln Police Department announced a Hold Cops Accountable initiative with Black community leaders at the Clyde Malone Community Center. As her year dedicated to the Black Leaders Movement comes to an end, Juma sets her sights on using entrepreneurship once again to help people. This time, it is for her family. “Entrepreneurship is the way out of multigenerational poverty. I want that for my family, especially my seven brothers. So, either I’m starting a business where I get to the point where I can employ them or I’m teaching them how to start their own business,” she said. For now, she started yet another side hustle as a public speaker. She plans to speak on diversity enhancement, especially in human resources and recruitment, as well as resiliency by sharing her own story. —Kimberly Smith

Paska Juma graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Ethnic studies and African American studies was her major; she minored in entrepreneurship.

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BULLETIN

Class Quotes

QUESTION

rent copies of the Education Law Reporter. He told me he reviewed those cases from cover to cover. I got my own subscription when I started teaching and, for 25 years, I read those issues as soon as they arrived because of Professor Gradwohl’s influence.”

Who was an influential professor during college?

1961

“Sixty years ago, as a graduate student, I took a course from Dr. Philip Kelly, chair of the Dairy Department. He was an inspiring professor who did the most to prepare me for my future career and life. He had us complete many projects that were very helpful long term.” Jim Kuhlman (’61), who received his master’s in dairy science, is a retired Iowa State University extension education director living in Mason City, Iowa.

1960s

Nanette Binger Hessee (’66) is retired after

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teaching math and reading for a year in Hillsborough County, Fla. Previously she served 25 years as a legislative aide in the Nebraska Unicameral.

“John Gradwohl was one of my law professors. For 25 years thereafter I taught

education law to graduate students in education. I really concentrated on being “up” on all the most current education law cases because of Professor Gradwohl. On the front corner of his desk, he kept the most cur-

“I was an elementary education major. The one class I fondly remember was elementary math taught by Dorcas Cavett. She was always so happy and upbeat. She showed us what she called ‘nut cup math’ — very hands-on and creative for the time. I loved

Sandy (Griffin) Howland (’68) taught for 37 years in both Aurora, Colo., and Aurora, Neb., before retiring in 2005.

“Jake Geier who was a teacher in the Physical Education Department and the men’s gymnastics coach. First semester my freshman year he asked to see my routine on the pommel horse. I started making excuses why I could not do that. He called me aside and said, ‘Most of the people you meet will fall into one of two categories. There are excusers and producers. It is time for you to decide which one you will be.’ I stopped being an excuser and became a producer.” Dr. James Hesson, (’69) who has been published 91 times, taught exercise

science classes at Black Hills State University, Delta State University and Rice University among others.

1970s

“Professor Lester Lipsky from the Computer Science Department. He was always available to provide help and answer questions. In addition, I attended several of his classes and they were always informative and enjoyable.” Richard (Dick) Fritz (’71) has been a Nebraska Alumni Association life member since 2003 and lives in Garden Ridge, Texas.

“Journalism professor Jim Patten who would cover my assignments with red ink. I was a broadcast major. Why would I care if I spelled something correctly? I dreaded going to his news-editorial classes — until

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“Professor Dorcas Cavett taught math and reading methods for elementary education majors in the 1960s. She was a task master but rewarded you with encouraging smiles, feed-

back and her love of teaching. Of course, I received my best grades in her classes. In 1995, Lincoln Public Schools named an elementary school in honor of her and her husband.”

John L. Strope Jr. (’67) lives in Lincoln with his wife Gloria (’68). He remembers the precise moment they met on campus: 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4, 1964, in the Student Union where a booth still exists today.

her stories about her time as a Marine and her son, Dick Cavett.”

I realized I was becoming a better writer. I always regret never thanking him for spurring me on.” Tom Broad (’72), of Kingwood, Texas, retired from Memorial Hermann Health System. Today he has returned to his roots and is a part time correspondent for Tribune newspapers, practicing what Professor Patten tried to teach him back in 1967.

“In the early 1960s, Don Clifton insisted we learn names and ideas of our classmates. ‘You can’t know the rest of the world until you know yourselves,’ Clifton insisted. From kindergarten classes to Troy State students, from Texas to the United Kingdom and Florida, I have followed his lead. Pat Moran (’73) is a retired teacher, military wife and volunteer instructor for the Univer-

sity of West Florida’s Center for Lifelong Learning in Fort Walton Beach.

“As an undergraduate, I would cite Professor Les Whipp from the Department of English as one who encouraged critical thinking and the courage to speak one’s mind about issues that were important to me in the context of the current lesson. In law school, I would name Peter Hoffman for giving me a taste of what the real practice of law was like in his clinical program.” Van A. Schroeder (’74) lives in Bellevue, and is proud that his 8-year-old grandson can beat him at chess.

“Advertising Professor Albert Book. He was uncompromising in grading one’s writing. You learned to examine every word for meaning, economy and context.

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

You learned how to take criticism like a professional — a truly invaluable, timeless lesson. As an academic adviser, he made you defend every class you enrolled in, as to how it would enhance your future career.” Ed Mickells (’75) is retired and living in Overland Park, Kan.

“James K. Cole was the director of the clinical psychology Ph.D. program and a fighter for sexual orientation recognition and equality in the 1970s and beyond. His example inspired me to go on to become president of Oregon NOW and president of the Oregon Psychological Association as an out lesbian, in addition to having a private practice safe for all my LGBTQI clients.” Carol Carver (’78) is retired and living in

Eugene, Ore.

“One that stands out is Dr. Ron Hanson, whom I had for ag economics and ag finance. He was very popular on East Campus. Hanson consistently went above and beyond. One day I went to his class and President Gerald Ford was there as a guest speaker!” (Editor’s note: Ford, who was born in Omaha, gave the UNL commencement address in May 1976). Robin Gaebe (’79) retired after using Dr. Hanson’s lessons during his 35 years of teaching agriculture.

1980s

“I had a severe case of mono, could barely walk or think. I also had a major deadline for my In-Depth Reporting class due the next day. So, I shambled into Bud Pagel’s office in Avery

2009

“Dr. Michael Combs in the Political Science Department was brilliant, challenging and thought-provoking. His civil liberties course helped me learn to think critically, write well, consider multiple perspectives and be confident in my answers. He always addressed students as “scholars” when calling on us in class, and it made you feel respected and valued, even if your thoughts on the case law were incorrect.” Jeff Hall (’09), who earned his master’s in education in 2014, is a political consultant living in Lincoln.

Hall to beg for more time. I didn’t get it. He smiled kindly (picture Santa behind a desk). ‘I know you can do it, Colleen!’ I loved Bud so much. I couldn’t let him down. I dragged myself back to my sorority and wrote the story with my typewriter sitting on the carpet just in case I fainted. It ended up

winning a national award, all because Bud didn’t baby me that day. And his words stayed with me throughout the years, whenever I’ve faced my greatest odds, or fears: You can do it.” Colleen Kenney Fleischer (’88) and her husband, Todd Fleischer (’88, ’94), live in Walla Walla, Wash. She works as a wine educa-

tor and tasting room sales associate at Moonbase Cellars.

1990s

“My painting professor Patrick Rowan. He helped me find my career path to graduate school and remained a mentor and good friend to this day.” Michael Zaidman lives in Florida where

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BULLETIN he was a part of the group that started the South Florida Huskers alumni chapter.

“The late Ray Miller. Ray was the founding musical director of the Scarlet and Cream Singers (University of Nebraska’s show choir) in 1972. Ray always reminded us “damn kids” that we were the ambassadors of good will for the university. He loved Big Band music of the 1920s and ’30s, but he exposed us to all types of music. He taught us how to sing and breathe properly as well and listen and blend well together.

“I took administrative law from Professor Anna Shavers during my third year of law school. Her class was influential in introducing me to a new area of law in which I developed an interest. The concepts and material she presented influenced how I approached questions of both due process and statutory interpretation. Matthew F. Meyerle (’06), who earned his J.D. from the College of Law in 2011, is a Lancaster County Public Defender.

2010s

“I took a course on African Americans in politics taught by Dr. Michael Combs my first year. This was 2016 during the Clinton-Trump election, so as you can imagine it was difficult for me as a Black man from Chicago

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to feel at home in Nebraska. From the moment I met him, Dr. Combs provided me with love, support and mentorship. In an environment with such few Black people in leadership, Dr. Combs showed me what it means to be a Black man and what it is to love Black people. He shared his family with me, and he is the reason that I have grown into the person I am now.” Ibraheem Hamzat (’20) graduated with a bachelor of science in microbiology and was a member of Innocents Society. Today he is a second year medical student at the University of Chicago.

2020s

“I took my first class with Dr. Dawne Curry during my second semester at UNL. I was coming from a different school system and culture, but

is now a lecturer at the University of Ouagadougou where he teaches American Civilization at the Department of Anglophone Studies.

2010

“As a green journalism student unsure of what I was doing, Trina Creighton quickly saw something in me that no one else had. From that point on, she took the time to craft that raw talent into something that’s carried me to where I am today. Her attention and dedication to her students’ success is evident. Outside of the college, her network of news professionals allows graduates to pursue life-changing career opportunities. And for that, I’m forever grateful we crossed paths and am happy to now call her a friend.” Cole Miller (’10) lives in Seattle and is a reporter for KOMO News, the local ABC affiliate.

I found in Dr. Curry a mentor that valued my contributions to her course. I remember how she congratulated me after my oral presentation on the symbolism of African cloth patterns. Dr. Curry is patient and cares a lot about guiding her students to self-discovery, and that empowered

me for the rest of my studies. Additionally, she has a powerful network of scholars and friends who are always available to help with grant

applications and studyabroad trips.” Harrouna Malgoubri (’20) lives in Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso in West Africa. With his Ph.D., he

“Jemalyn Griffin in Journalism and Mass Communications is a truly invaluable professor. Everything about her is contagious and inspires greatness. Her endless knowledge of the PR industry, selfless commitment to her students and empathetic approach to leadership forever impacted me as a Husker.” Lauren Tritch (’21) lives in New York City and is an associate account executive for The Lacek Group, a specialty brand of Ogilvy based out of Minneapolis.

SHARE YOUR MEMORIES

What was your favorite extracurricular activity during college? Do you want to be featured in the winter issue? Email your answer to this question to erowley@huskeralum.org.

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

drue wagner

Karen Freimund Wills (’90) sang with the Scarlet & Cream Singers from 1989 to 1991 and served as one of the audition choreographers from 1998-2008. Today she is the UPC Nebraska Program Coordinator for the university.

2000s

Class Quotes

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BULLETIN

Lincoln native Jon Kelley played running back for the Huskers during the mid-1980s.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO?

RUNNING BACK JON KELLEY

N 68

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nu athletics; courtesy

o one wanted the early 6 a.m. shift on student radio station 90.3 KRNU. No one but Jon Kelley (’88) — broadcasting student by morning, Husker running back by afternoon. Kelley signed up to disc jockey every day — evidence of his college obsession with the industry — leading to an extensive career as a sports journalist, television host and producer. “I love human nature,” Kelley said. “I love storytelling; I love communicating; I like making people laugh; I like making people think. This is a job where you can do all that. We get to be the pilots; we get to be the master of that domain.”

It all started with his professors in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications — in particular, Kelley said broadcasting associate professor Rick Alloway was a cheerleader. “If you wanted to put the work in — they’d give it back to you,” Kelley said. Kelley was finishing up his degree when he was offered a sportscaster position in Sioux City. The college waived his last few credits so he could nab that first job. He would later sign as a free agent with the Denver Broncos; the station covered him as their very own sportscaster headed to trial camp. But he was ultimately meant to stay with the mic — bouncing around the Midwest with news jobs in Omaha and Kansas City until April of 1991 when he landed a spot as weekend backup sportscaster in the Windy City. “I was there covering the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan — biggest superstar on the planet — at 25 years old, thinking ‘you’re paying me to do this,’ ” Kelley said. He hit the national scene at Fox Sports, anchoring a Sunday night show alongside NBA star Dennis Rodman, and then transitioned from covering the greatest athletes of our time to reporting on the greatest artists with his next job at celebrity news program Extra. “I was able to learn and ask questions and watch what they do to make great narratives, storytelling, arcs, how they did this, what tricks they would use to pull you in and then lead you into something and there’s a surprise,” Kelley said. “Ways to get people’s attention.” Other notable gigs include hosting the revival of reality show The Mole, anchoring morning shows in San Francisco and Chicago, and his current position with Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios. He hosts the revival of comedy game show Funny You Should Ask, which features a panel of six comics — from Tiffany Haddish to Jon Lovitz. It’s a long tale of career success, but Kelley says the best chapter of his life has been off camera with his wife and five kids. After growing up as an only child with a single mom, this “madhouse full of love” was all new. Early on “I was just job focused,” Kelley said. “I was just personal. It was just me and ‘I’m going to conquer the broadcast world.’ Now I see it from a different perspective.” To watch Kelley on the air, visit go.unl.edu/jonkelley. —Grace Fitzgibbon

AT Nebraska’s College of Engineering, All are welcome. engineering.unl.edu

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Nebraska Golf: Out of the Shadows

The Nebraska Adventure, 2nd Edition

The Future of Clean Energy: Who Wins and Who Loses as the World Goes Green

Jean Lukesh, Ed. D. (’08)

Dr. Gary Schwendiman, Ph.D.

Thirty years ago, the perception was that Nebraska’s golf history couldn’t fill a pamphlet. Then along came Sand Hills Golf Club. The Omaha World-Herald’s golf writer brings out the stories past and present. owhstore.com

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The former dean of UNL’s College of Business, Schwendiman writes about clean energy and its use in a way that’s accessible to all readers, explaining how the most difficult environmental, transportation, and electricity production problems can be solved. Amazon.com

Stu Pospisil (’84)

To purchase space for your book in Nebraska Quarterly, email jsheldon@huskeralum.org or call 402-472-8918.

BULLETIN Obituaries

1930s 1950s Charles Long (’39) Sycamore, Ill., Feb. 25; Howard Wiegers (’39) Lincoln, April 24

1940s

Alyce Cunningham Clark (’42) Maryville, Mo., April 25; Norris Volk Swan (’42) Hastings, April 12; Nadine Despotovich Brubaker (’43) Mountain View, Calif., Feb. 22; Francis Haskins (’43) Lincoln, April 20; LaVera Conn Schlichtemeier (’44) Murray, April 2; Phyllis Verzani Beck (’45) Creighton, May 27; Virginia DeForest Zaiss (’46) Whitefish, Mont., May 26; Helen Plasters Nemzek (’47) Moorhead, Minn., May 5; Marion Campen Mahone (’48) Redding, Conn., May 1; Robert Stratton Hall (’49) Lincoln, May 24; Earl Heironymus (’49) Waverly, March 8; Dean Whitla (’49) Cambridge, Mass., March 24

Mervin Keedy (’50) Natick, Mass., March 14; Nels Kleveland (’50) Warren, Mich., March 29; Michael Kuchmak (’50) Feb. 1, Clarkston, Wash.; Anton Lawry (’50) Gretna, March 10; Gene McKenna (’50) Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 5; Donald Nelson (’50) Lincoln, March 21; Robert Newcomb (’50) Bartley, May 30; Robert Orshek (’50) Lincoln, June 7; Priscilla Knudsen Wheeler (’50) Omaha, May 13; Talma Bell Collins (’51) Torrance, Calif., March 22; Eda Hass Eckblade (’51) Juniata, May 13; James Hill (’51) Largo, Fla., Jan. 20; Halcyon Coble Kasmarek (’51) Minocqua, Wis., July 25, 2020; James Knisely (’51) Beatrice, May 19; Dennis Rohrs (’51) Whitewater, Wis., April 28; Joseph Siegmund (’51) Spring,

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Texas, March 8; Eugene Sundeen (’51) Lincoln, May 14; Sidney Wright (’51) Evergreen, Colo., Jan. 19; Rex Andrews (’52) Orinda, Calif., March 24; Irene Roberts Hall (’52) Oregon City, Ore., April 9; Janet Zlomke McKenzie (’52) Gainesville, Fla., May 8; David Snyder (’52) Wichita, Kan., March 28; Shirley Borcherding Watson (’52) Alliance, March 9; Damaris Riddell Bradley (’53) Paradise Valley, Ariz., June 15; John Dier (’53) Holdrege, May 18; Robert Lee Gangel (’53) Columbus, April 25; Paul Grimm (’53) Scottsdale, Ariz., Jan. 14; James Hurley, (’53) Boise Idaho, April 27; Richard Hutchins (’53) Hastings, May 17; Caroline Rogers Mills (’53) Orlando, May 31; John Boomer (’54) Lincoln, March 21; Wayne Johnson (’54) Norfolk,

Va., Feb. 26; Glenadine Bell Kessel (’54) Fort Collins, Colo., Feb. 21; John Kudlacek (’54) Topeka, Kan., May 4; Peggy Albert Mangano (’54) Newell, W.Va., March 18; Kenneth Paschall (’54) Pittsboro, Ind., March 25; Robert Russell (’54) Carefree, Ariz., Feb. 1; Roland Swanson (’54) Phoenix, April 3; Lois Johnson Weborg (’54) Princeton, Ill., Feb. 16; Mark Buchholz (’55) Lincoln, April 17; Barbara Beck Munday (’55) Fremont, June 2; JoAnn Berry Schleiger (’55) Castleton, Vt., May 20; Kay Kirk Eckwert (’56) Kearney, May 7; Kenneth Patterson (’56) Green Valley, Ariz., April 30; William Schmidt (’56) Ellensburg, Wash., May 15; Leslie Zimmerman (’56) Tahlequah, Okla., March 26; Charles Anderson (’57) Marysville, Ohio, March 2; Wendell Bishop

(’57) Sioux City, Iowa, April 3; Guy Bush (’57) Kimball, May 5; Polly Downs Madsen (’57) Durham, N.C., March 4; James Donald Murphy, (’57) Lexington May 20; Leslie Roberts (’57) Lincoln, June 7; Conrad Schneider (’57) Lincoln, April 23; Norma Kohmetscher Cochran (’58) Lincoln, June 1; Richard Eyler (’58) Magnolia, Texas, March 12; Marvin Frahm (’58) Palm City, Fla., April 16; Richard Hartford (’58) Omaha, April 22; Richard Kittridge (’58) Grand Island, May 19; Robert Maag (’58) Lincoln, May 11; Nancy Murphy (’58) March 18, Castle Rock, Wash.; Russell Pargett (’58) Omaha, June 9; James Jirousek (’59) Omaha, June 9; Gerald Korinek (’59) Hanahan, S.C., May 14; Carolyn Orr (’59) Omaha, Feb. 10; Earl Schmieding (’59) Cupertino, Calif., March 20

1960s

Gary Aten (’60) Atkinson, Kan. Jan. 7; Patricia Erickson Butt (’60) Crete, Jan. 9; Guy Richard Dunn (’60) Fort Collins, Colo., May 20; Lawrence Horstman (’60) Lincoln, June 8; Harry Tolly (’60) Lincoln, April 22; Kenneth Freed (’61) Omaha, June 7; Robert Hauver (’61) Kearney, May 7; Nancy Still Hircock (’61) Ansley, April 30; Jerrold Hood (’61) State College, Pa., May 8; Janet Anderson Lightner (’61) Federal Way, Wash., April 26; Franks Lonza (’61) Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., March 27; Charles Piper (’61) Lincoln, May 10; Ronald Bentz (’62) Altamonte Springs, Fla., Jan. 15; Michael Milroy (’62) Sandia Park, N.M., March 26; Betheen Smith Myers (’62) Arvada, Colo., March 27; Darlene Firley Rischling (’62) La Vista,

May 16; Don Fritson (’63) Normal, Ill., May 6; Sandra Eisenhauer Gonzales (’63) Helendale, Calif., Jan. 3; John Power (’63) Geneva, May 1; Olaf Martin Stokke (’63) Ponca City, Okla., March 26; Richard Babst (’64) Lincoln, May 12; Ronald Meinke (’64) Houston, March 12; Mary Anderson Rassekh (’64) Westerville, Ohio, May 30; Tom Simmons (’64) Scottsdale, Ariz., March 20; Gerald Taylor (’64) Ashland, Ore., April 3; William Wright (’64) Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., March 2; Donovan Endorf (’65) Daykin, May 12; Roger Huss (’65) Milford, April 21; Edward Stich (’65) Dorchester, March 12; Roger Stork (’65) Littleton, Colo., April 21; David Battistoni (’66) Red Hook, N.Y., June 23; Dennis Bejot (’66) Seward, May 8; Charles

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Johnson (’66) Littleton, Colo., April 28; Helen Shearer Noble (’66) Frisco, Texas, May 12; Anne Tudor Allarie (’67) Kennebunk, Maine, April 1; Joseph Lake (’67) Hockessin, Del., March 15; Susan Powers Roux (’67) Lincoln, March 24; Elizabeth Hoppe Stratton (’67) St. Paul, Minn., March 16; James Zeman (’67) Decatur, Ala., Jan. 28; Gerald Gibson (’68) Lincoln, March 14; Bernice Cerny Jeffries (’68) Crete, March 23; James Jobman (’68) Gothenburg, June 29; Douglas McArthur (’68) Austin, Texas, June 30; Susan Diffenderfer McClanahan (’68) Bonita Springs, Fla., May 17; Jerry Warner (’68) Omaha, March 5; Norland Ferguson (’69) Lincoln, April 5; Gordon Johnson (’69) Stillwater, Okla., June 22; Gary Kathol (’69) Omaha, May 8; Don Murphy (’69) Ogden, Utah, Jan. 5; George

Nelson (’69) Summerfield, Fla., March 11; Mary Hazuka Tvrdy (’69) Ceresco, April 4; Rodney Williams (’69) Ithaca, May 11

1970s

Timothy Ash (’70) Phoenix, June 3; Brian Beckner (’70) Columbus, March 20; Jon Farrar (’70) Lincoln, March 30; Gerald Frick (’70) Scottsdale, Ariz., Feb. 10; Larry Gish (’70) Omaha, June 6; Betty Shaw Grassmeyer (’70) Oro Valley, Ariz., May 17; Donna Heinz Kroese (’70) Athens, Texas, April 17; William Marsh (’70) Grand Island, March 12; Cathryn Pfund Nolte (’70) Arlington, Texas, April 24; George Shadbolt (’70) Gordon, May 29; Donald Warner (’70) Hastings, June 4; Walter Harris (’71) Crete, April 23; David Lewis (’71), Fayetteville, Ark., April 21; Virginia Shea Thiesfeld (’71), Sterling, March

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

25; Gene White, (’71) Lincoln, May 28; Susan Schurr Whitford (’71), Lincoln, May 3; James Hohenstein (’72) Omaha, June 1; Mary Katherine Korslund (’72) Radford, Va., April 29; Steven Messersmith (’72) Alliance, May 28; LaVonne Kopecky Plambeck (’72) Omaha, April 28; Terry Schraeder (’72) Houston, May 21; George Woolstrum (’72) Lincoln, May 14; Lloyd Dowhower (’73) Sibley, Mo., March 23; Raymond Fiala (’73) Lincoln, April 9; Royal Johnson (’73) Kansas City, April 16; Vicky Wilkinson Little (’73) Crab Orchard, April 17; Barbara Markey (’73) Omaha, April 3; Michael Aron (’74) Lincoln, March 20; Douglas Haggart (’74) Lincoln, May 5; Donald Hull (’74) Omaha, Jan. 6; Jean Ruther Bohle (’75) Omaha, May 9; Craig Lilja (’75) Newman Grove, April 19; Donald

1928-2021

Alfred “Bud” Pagel Alfred “Bud” Pagel, 93, emeritus professor of journalism and 1987 alumnus, died June 30. Pagel grew up in Neligh, where his parents ran the weekly newspaper. He never lost his pride in or passion for the field. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict and, after short stints at the Norfolk Daily News, the Lincoln Journal and the Omaha World-Herald, he was hired by the Miami Herald as its medical writer. A career change came in 1982, when Bud joined the faculty of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. Beginning reporting and depth reporting were his favorite classes, but his real love was the students who brought worlds of talent, intelligence, character and what Bud called “fire in the gut” — just the materials needed to become consummate journalists. He served for 15 years in the college, retiring in 1997. Bedea (’76) Lincoln, March 14; Thomas Jacobsen (’76) Omaha, April 23; Fred Shickell (’76) Lincoln, April 5; Craig Bonham (’77) Franklin, April 22; Matthew Metcalf (’77) Lincoln, May 16; Robert Miserez (’77) Jefferson City, Mo., May 12; Terry Butzirus (’78) Lincoln, April 22; Marian Purrier Nelson (’78) Omaha,

April 10; Nancy Jacobs Maack (’79) Ashland, May 22

1980s

Janet Blagg French (’80) Omaha, March 16; Steven Kile (’80) Omaha, Jan. 25; Steven Menke (’80) Lincoln, April 20; James Hauder (’81) Lincoln, May 25; Lori Kapels Hess (’81) Columbus, May 26; Richard

Kennedy (’81) Elkhorn, March 20; Robert Cartwright (’83) Omaha, June 9; Kirk Kilgore (’83) Lincoln, April 5; Randy Flanagan (’84) Nehawka, March 24; Leanne Brown Manning (’84) Crete, April 9; Donal Ziegenbein (’85) Lincoln, June 7; Joyce Penman Crutchfield (’86) Lincoln, May 24; Sheryla Hongsermeier

Thielbar (’86) Schaumburg, Ill., April 26; Bradley Dwight Johnson (’87) Lincoln, May 20; Mary Trouba (’87) Austin, Texas, June 6; Bradley Darren Johnson (’88) Lincoln, April 23; Jayne Ebers Ritterbush (’88) Weston Lakes, Texas, March 22; Bryan Stowe(’89) Lincoln, April 12

1990s

David Greunke (’92) Bennington, June 2; Robert Bruckner (’94) Omaha, May 13; Charlotte Marie Herman (’94) Sioux Falls, S.D., March 13; Shane Redwine (’95) Grand Island, May 18; Marie Ellis Kreman (’97) Crawford, April 26

2000s

Michael Dolezal (’01), Omaha, May 23; Mitchell Sunblade (’01) Lincoln, May 26; Jeffrey Wernimont (’03) Omaha, May 8; Thomas Scdoris (’06) Lincoln, April 5; Heather Stambaugh Jensen (’09) Omaha, May 28

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Love Story

Friendship Reigns Anxious softball star meets her lifelong bestie

B Y PEACHES JAMES KEATON ( ’ 05)

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

mario zucca

fell in love with the University of Nebraska when I was 12 years old after attending a softball camp hosted by coaches Rhonda Revelle and Lori Sippel. From then on, I knew in my heart that was the place I wanted to play. My dream came true in the fall of 1999 when I gave my commitment to attend the following year. As the date approached to start my first semester, the more my excitement grew into anxiety. I was always a very quiet, shy, introverted gal so the thought of having to make new friends or wondering if I will have the opportunity to experience all that college has to offer was something that made me apprehensive. It was the all-too-familiar feelings I had just four years prior when I was a freshman going to a new high school. Little did I know that one rainy Monday would help ease all those worries. I was attending New Student Orientation, and after picking out a full load of classes and learning more about the campus, the day had come to an end. I packed up my things and was ready to head back home. It had started to rain outside, so I picked up my walking pace a bit to hurry and get to the car. There was another African

American female doing the same thing. We glanced at each other and chuckled a bit because we both knew neither one of us had an umbrella and it was going to pour soon. She walked toward me and said “Hey, my name is Samantha. Are you going to be a freshman this fall as well?” “Yes, I am. My name is Peaches.” “Cool, well maybe we will see each other around campus.” We both said “nice meeting you” and ran to our cars as the rain increased. I had no idea when I would run into her again, but nonetheless I was ecstatic that I had met someone. It gave me the peace of mind that this was just the beginning, and I was going to meet many more great people in the upcoming weeks. On the first day of school, I walked into Sociology 101, and I heard someone call my name. I turn around and lo and behold it was Samantha. We giggled because we had no idea we would be in the same class. We immediately started chit-chatting as if we had been friends forever. Samantha was much more extroverted that I was, so we complemented each other very well. I introduced her into the world of Husker Softball and Husker Athletics, and she helped me come out of my shell and introduced me to all the great things the University of Nebraska had to offer outside of athletics. She embraced me and the rest of my teammates in our craft and hardly ever missed a game my whole career. In the off-season, Samantha, my mother and I had a Husker Football Saturday routine. We went to almost every home game together and shared some of the greatest memories during those years. Although my love for Nebraska began when I was 12 years old, it came to life that one rainy afternoon. Nebraska Softball will always be a huge part of my love story at UNL, but there is almost no memory that I have at the university that d o e s n’ t i n c l u d e on e of my b est friends of 20-plus years … Samantha Branch.

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Nebraska Quarterly Fall 2021 Issue

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