Our favorite “eponymous nodule”

orn as Julia Dempsey to Irish immigrants in New York in 1856, Sister Mary Joseph Dempsey joined the order of St. Francis in Rochester (Minn.) in 1878 at the age of 22, and was assigned to St. Marys Hospital in 1889. She took over as nursing superintendent in 1892 and served in that top position for 47 years. She served as first surgical assistant to Dr. Will Mayo for 25 years, and is credited with an important medical find: She noticed a nodule near the belly button common to patients with an advanced form of abdominal cancer. In 1928, Dr. Will published a paper documenting her findings, and, today, “a palpable nodule bulging into the umbilicus as a result of metastasis of a malignant cancer in the pelvis or abdomen” is referred to as the Sister Joseph’s Nodule.

Best hieroglyphics

They aren’t just fancy pictures on the walls of the Plummer Building, there are stories etched on the walls. In one scene, the building’s namesake, Dr. Henry Plummer, is seen on the corner of the building at Second Street and Second Avenue Southwest. He’s poring over plans for the building with a wise owl at his knee. On the south side of the building are two limestone reliefs showing the 1928 presidential election outcome. The Republican, Herbert Hoover—the winner—is depicted by a triumphant elephant, while the Democratic candidate, Al Smith—the loser—is depicted by a droopy-eared donkey with its tail between its legs.

Favorite starting point

At the front steps of Residences of Old City Hall, on the south side, is a bronze monument marker for surveyors—the original surveyor starting point for the city of Rochester.

Local inventor who almost invented the Slinky

tto Haling was a born tinkerer. As a class project in machine shop at Rochester High School in 1918, he built a full-sized tractor, which his father used for the next ten years on the family farm just north of the city (where the Valhalla and Elton Hills East subdivisions are today). Later, he opened a small machine shop in the Rochester Chick Hatchery on First Avenue Southeast, across the street from his home.

Around 1933 Haling designed a steel ventilated piston ring, which made the pistons in engines move more smoothly and cut the use of oil by more than half. Bending the thin Swedish steel bars for each ring was time consuming, so Haling invented a machine that made the bars into steel coils. Now he could produce upwards of 20,000 identically-shaped rings in a day. Because the coils were simply a way of making it easier to form the piston rings, he didn’t bother to patent them.

In 1943, a naval engineer named Richard James, while experimenting with one of Haling’s steel coils, dropped one on the floor, where it began to “walk.” Fascinated, James took the spring home to show his wife, Betty. “I think I can make a toy out of this,” he told her. Two years later, he patented the “walking” spring, which his wife had christened the Slinky. Exhibited at Gimbel’s Department Store in Philadelphia during the 1945 Christmas season, the Slinky was an instant success (and sold 100 million units in the first 10 years). Two hundred and fifty million Slinkys later, James Industries is still making and selling Slinkys, but since Haling’s steel coils were not protected by patent, he could only sigh and wish he’d seen their whimsical potential himself.

But Haling was more interested in the inventive process than in patenting his ideas. By the time he died in December 1991, he had developed over 100 inventions, including a boring machine to make compression piston rings and valve seats that made gasoline motors work more efficiently. He sold his piston rings—and other machine parts—all over the world. Every so often, he would come across one of his inventions being marketed in the trade catalogs under someone else’s trademark. Including the Slinky.

Best monument to “individuals who have donated their bodies”

Oakwood Cemetery is the cemetery that holds many of the city’s famous names on its markers, including the Mayo family. The cemetery also notes the many people who’ve donated their bodies to science.

Mayo Foundation has placed three sizable memorials at Oakwood Cemetery that acknowledges the people who’ve donated their bodies to benefit science.

The newest two are just to the west of the ornate gate at Oakwood, marking the years 1985 and 2000 and noting “Dedicated to the individuals who have donated their bodies to Mayo Foundation for anatomical study so that others might live.” Another memorial marker for 1917 to 1985 is in the northeast section of the cemetery.

Best cave rediscovery

In late April of 2004, landowner (and retired Mayo Clinic neurologist) Don Layton discovered—or at least rediscovered—a 150-foot-long, 30-foot-wide, 50-foot-deep cavern in rural northeast Rochester. When Layton crawled into the cave’s three-foot opening for a quick exploration, he found, among the soda straw stalactites (the ones from the top down) and flowstone formations, sandstone walls scratched with initials and other semi-modern graffiti. Near the cave’s furthest and deepest point, though, Layton discovered a few simple and apparently much older carvings—one in the shape of a leaf and the other like a turkey’s footprint. Some of the archaeologists who have since toured the cave believe these carvings are Native American symbols associated with fertility and spirituality (one of the leaf etchings has been described as “vulva like”), leading the scientists to believe the cave might have been used for ceremonial purposes. The now-named Hadley Valley Cave has been temporarily sealed and is, for safety’s sake, currently inaccessible to the public.

In 1933, Dr. Will Mayo created a medical display for the Chicago World’s Fair. The display was centerpieced by the 6-foot-tall “Transparent Man” (see below).

In 1935, the items were put on permanent display as the “Museum of Hygiene and Medicine” in downtown’s old Central Junior High School building. The name was later changed to the Mayo Medical Museum.

In its 55 years, the museum drew over 5 million visitors to the free exhibit, which included an old iron lung (the size of a small submarine), the World War Two pressurized fighter pilot suits developed at Mayo, amputated limbs preserved in large glass jars, a collection of swallowed objects (coins, needles, etc.), and full-sized dioramas depicting things like farm accidents (including “Man with Pitchfork in Foot”).

In 1988, the museum, which had been relocated to the first floor of the soon-to-bedemolished Damon Parkade, was closed for good. Most of the displays were put in storage. The Transparent Man, eventually, found his way into the Patient Education Center, in the subway level of the Siebens Building, where he still stands today.

Best place to see six-foot man with see-through skin

Created in Dresden, Germany, in 1933, the 6-foot Transparent Man centerpieced Mayo Clinic’s medical display for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.

It was one of the earliest examples of life-sized, see-through people (in which various organs lit up to accompany a recorded scientific message) and, even today, one of the few transparent men still in existence. (Women, with their non-protruding reproductive organs and pregnancy subplot, were far more popular. Though there are only a few dozen transparent women displayed in the United States.)

Two years later, the Transparent Man, arms raised like he just won Wimbledon, stood in the Mayo Medical Museum—originally dubbed the “Museum of Hygiene and Medicine”— which opened in downtown’s old Central Junior High School building (see above).

After the museum closed in 1988, The Transparent Man, eventually, found his way into the Patient Education Center, in the subway level of the Siebens Building, where he greets visitors making their way into the center to reference medical books or magazines or self-test their blood pressure.

The nearest Transparent Woman, actually women—female twins—are on display in the Fort Crawford Medical Museum in Prairie du Chien, Wis.

Two of our favorite golf stories HOLE TRUTHS

for “a few days of rest and shoulder massage treatments,” legendary golfer Byron Nelson stopped in for 18 holes at the Rochester Golf and Country Club.

The game’s “greatest gentleman,” Nelson had won Masters (1937, ‘42), PGA (1940,45) and U.S. Open championships (1939) and was carrying a nine-tournament PGA winning streak (which would eventually reach 11).

In front of 1,000 fans, the 33-year-old Nelson, who had been offered a $100 War Bond if he could break the RG&CC course record, teed off with touring professional Harold “Jug”

Best field of dreams

McSpaden and two locals—RG&CC Pro Wilson Crain and Soldiers Field Pro Herb Thienell.

Eighteen holes later, the scorecard read: McSpaden, 74, Crain, 75, and Thienell, 87. Nelson walked off the course with a then-record 66.

Fields—later of the Turkey River All Stars fame—shot a 1-under-par round of 70 at RG&CC. Which is pretty good, especially for a 54-year-old. Fields, though, carried just three clubs: a 4-wood, a 6-iron and his putter.

Sunday, October 11, 2009 – 2:00 pm

Zumbro Lutheran Church

Saturday, November 7, 2009 – 8:00 pm

Founder’s Dinner – 6:00 pm

Friday, December 11 and Saturday, December 12, 2009 – 8:00 pm

Lourdes Chapel at Assisi Heights

Sunday, December 13, 2009 – 4:00 pm

The Church of St. John the Evangelist

CAE and VocalEssence

(Philip Brunelle, conductor)

Saturday, January 9, 2010 – 8:00 pm

Lourdes Chapel at Assisi Heights

Saturday,March 6, 2010 – 8:00 pm

Zumbro Lutheran Church

Sunday, March 7, 2010 – 2:00 pm

Mt. Olive Lutheran Church

Saturday,May 8, 2010 – 8:00 pm

Lourdes Chapel at Assisi Heights

Formerly Rochester Junior College—started in 1915 on a motion by Dr. Charles Mayo—RCTC is the oldest community college in Minnesota. Classes were originally held in Rochester High School, with 17 students in RCTC’s first year. In 1923 the college’s enrollment topped 100, and from there the rest is history. Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC)—which became the name of the college in 1996—now serves almost 6,000 students yearly. Best known for its health-related programs, the largest programs offered are Liberal Arts, Nursing, Business, Digital Arts, and Law Enforcement. Enrollment for the fall semester is up, as RCTC offers a cost-effective, high-quality education that is valued especially during hard economic times.

“Most RCTC students reside in the 10-county area [around Rochester] with the largest concentration in Olmsted County,” says Michelle Messenger, director of marketing. “Approximately 10 percent of RCTC students reside outside of Minnesota. International students attending RCTC originate from more than 30 different countries around the world.”

Students from more than 40 different high schools in the area enroll in RCTC’s Post Secondary Enrollment Options program. PSEO gives high school students the opportunity to take full- or part-time courses at RCTC for high school credit as well as college credit. Most of the students enrolled start classes at RCTC after 10th grade and participate in the program until they graduate from high school. Tuition, fees and required textbooks are provided at no cost to the students.

RCTC has a multitude of student clubs and organizations. Students can join college athletic teams, intramural sports, student government, music, theater, and the student newspaper, to name a few of the more than 20 student groups. In addition, RCTC has partnered with Winona State University’s Rochester campus in a program called “Path to Purple,” allowing students enrolled at RCTC to start on a path that will lead to an easy transfer to Winona’s Rochester programs and add a bachelor’s degree.

Cardinal Stritch University was started in Milwaukee by the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi. It was originally called St. Clare College, but the college was renamed nine years later in 1946 for Samuel Cardinal Stritch, a former archbishop of Milwaukee and a friend of the sisters. Although the university has grown to multiple locations throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota to become Wisconsin’s second-largest independent university, the founding Franciscan values remain a part of the programs today.

“Regardless of your focus, ours is to help you transform your life, through value-centered education,” according to Stritch’s online Admissions Statement. “It's our purpose. It's our mission. Admission to Stritch opens the door to knowledge. And to lifelong connections.”

The Minnesota locations of Cardinal Stritch, including Rochester, offer adult higher education programs such as graduate degrees in Business Administration or Science in Management, undergraduate degrees in the science field, or certificate programs in management. Rochester’s Cardinal Stritch now also offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing completion program, as well.

Tim Elliott of the Minnesota Stritch enrollment team says, “The convenience of taking classes close to home, one night per week, allows students to fit school in with their busy lives.”

Celebrating 10 years in Rochester, Augsburg offers undergraduate degrees, education licensure options, a nursing bachelor’s completion program, and graduate degrees in education, business, and nursing in a setting meant for busy, working adults. The Augsburg College website declares that “Auggies (Augsburg students) are lifelong learners,” so it should come as no surprise that the college strives to make learning possible at any age.

An offshoot of the downtown Minneapolis main campus, the Rochester Augsburg branch strives to meet the needs of the city. Director Karl Wolfe says, “We have just added the communication major and continue to look at other degree programs that can best serve the Rochester and greater southeastern Minnesota area.”

The College of St. Scholastica’s Rochester Campus–Bachelor degree programs for working adults.

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It's hard to believe that above the noisy shops, restaurants, and skyways in downtown Rochester, there’s a student lounge where dedicated learners are deep in concentration. With one escalator ride to the third or fourth floor of University Square (formerly the Galleria), suddenly one arrives on a college campus.

300 University Square (the street address is 111 South Broadway) is the current home of UMR, and “the location of the campus is ideal,” says Sarah Kelling, director of communications and public relations. “It allows us to connect with our partners, including the Mayo Clinic, retail shops, and the Y” (which offers recreation opportunities for students), Kelling says. UMR is developing other partnerships as well, and the downtown location is key. “It allows our students to interact on a daily basis with professionals at one of the world's most well-renowned medical facilities.”

While the location is not slated to change, it is set to expand and grow. Marilyn D. Stewart, chair of the Rochester Higher Education Development Committee, says, “A permanent UMR campus will nurture, emphasize, and contribute to the assets of the community without harming its great resources .... and will continue to enhance the economic development of Southeast Minnesota.”

Plans for future growth were approved by the University of Minnesota Board of Regents in February and will unfold in coming years. All additional campus space will remain within six blocks of Rochester’s downtown area and create a contiguous campus core to house academics and activities.

Providing higher education opportunities in Rochester since 1966, UMR offers more than 30 graduate and undergraduate degree programs through partnerships with the U of M’s Twin Cities and Duluth campuses. This fall the university will begin offering its own baccalaureate degree program, the bachelor of science in Health Sciences. According to the website, unique features of the program include an integrated curriculum that focuses on health sciences and flexibility to explore career options.

In addition, UMR offers baccalaureate programs from the School of Nursing, the Academic Health Center, and the College of Continuing Education. These programs offer traditional and nontraditional students the opportunity to learn from University of Minnesota faculty and earn their University of Minnesota degree without having to travel to the Twin Cities.

The student lounge and classrooms in University Square are not the only places for UMR students to get together. Gopher Holes are held throughout the year, an opportunity for Gophers (UMR students) to get together and unwind, eat, and have fun with fellow students. Past events have included karaoke, poker night, job interviewing skills, and money tips for college students. Connecting socially and academically can also happen in UMRaffiliated housing, which is within walking distance of campus. This housing offers students the typical college experience with the amenities that are important to college students.

The Minnesota School of Business of Rochester opened in 2005, adding Rochester to six sites in the Twin Cities and St. Cloud that offer their programing. Students at MSB-Rochester Campus, which is partnered with Globe University, bring a wide range of experiences to the classroom.

First-time college students and working professionals share a common goal of career preparation, which instructors help them achieve in their respective fields. MSB-Rochester offers bachelor’s, associate, and diploma programs in health sciences, business, legal sciences, information technology, and interactive media and graphic design.

Faculty and students at MSB-Rochester/Globe College work closely with the professional community of Rochester. “As a career college we continue to work with employers and the community to meet their needs, allowing our students the greatest opportunities upon graduation,” says Shan Pollitt, campus director. “By staying in contact with the employers we can adapt programs and curriculum to meet their needs.”

Saint Mary’s University-Rochester Center is part of Saint Mary’s University's schools of graduate and professional programs and is one of the largest graduate schools in Minnesota. Founded in 1912 in Winona by Bishop Patrick R. Heffron, Saint Mary’s is a private, Catholic, comprehensive institution. St. Mary’s of Rochester shares in a partnership with RCTC that allows students to transfer credits between the two institutions easily.

Faculty from St. Mary’s in Winona travel to make the Rochester program a success. “Our faculty in all programs except the doctoral program are adjunct,” says Laurie Roy, Rochester Center Coordinator. “Our instructors are highly qualified professionals in their field, and they bring practical and valuable insight into the classroom.”

Southeast Technical has a wide variety of studies available, in fields ranging from Accounting to Auto Body Collision Repair to Cosmetology to Criminal Justice. Some of the more unique offerings fall into the music industry: programs in band instrument repair, violin repair, and guitar repair and construction are unique and draw students from around the country.

The violin repair program—in which students learn about tools, wood, trees, and basic maintenance and repair techniques for the whole string family—is the only stand-alone program of its kind in the country. Fine motor skills, patience and the ability to focus on the work at hand are essential. The aim of the program is for students to be prepared to work in the best violin shops in the world and to continue the lifelong process of learning the art. In recent years, the program has achieved 100 percent job placement for those earning violin repair diplomas.

Although Rochester has been home to Crossroads College for the last 38 of the school’s 59 years (it settled in to a new 38-acre campus in Rochester in 1971), the school has roots in Minneapolis as well as a history of other names (such as Minnesota Bible College).

Unlike most of the other higher education options in Rochester, Crossroads offers a residential campus with housing for single students and families. Unique “townhouse” style housing—with five to six bedrooms, two to three baths and communal living and kitchen areas—are furnished by the college and offer students a community setting.

The Crossroads student council plans several activities throughout the year that are open for the entire student body. Past activities have included softball and volleyball games, campus-wide games of capture the flag, campfires, banquets, bowling, winter sports such as broomball and sledding, and many more. The school aims to be Christ-centered and prepare students for lives of leadership in their local and church communities.

“What makes life at Crossroads so fun is the love we share for Christ and for each other,” says senior Music Ministry major Polly Blanshan. ”Out of this joy of sharing life together comes a spontaneous time of worship in a townhouse living room, a moment sharing a donut and conversation in the admissions office, a joke with President Kilgallin, and a hacky-sack game in the parking lot with your favorite professor.”

Blanshan, who spent her first two years at Crossroads in their Post Secondary Education program (PSEO), describes Crossroads as a college of “love and unity.” The highlight of student life for her is the relationships she has formed with both students and faculty. “It is great to live life with fellow students who are learning and growing alongside of me, encouraging me, and doing it all for the glory of God. The relationships I have with the staff and faculty are also invaluable. They care about me both academically and personally, always willing to counsel, console, listen, and encourage.”

Mayo School of Health Sciences is a small school within a large organization, says Jodi Nelsen, a recruiter for the school. The school formally began in 1973 with fewer than 10 programs; since then more than 5,500 students have passed through its courses. “Students benefit from small class sizes, but at the same time benefit from the world-class, world-renowned facilities of the Mayo Clinic,” Nelsen says.

The school’s largest programs are Physical Therapy, Nurse Anesthesia, Radiography, and Clinical Laboratory Sciences. “At Mayo, students experience the worldfamous clinical care experience, world-renowned faculty and mentors, world-class clinical and research resources and interact with a worldwide patient population,” says Nelsen. “Our programs prepare students to enter specialty careers in healthcare.”

The relationship between the working Mayo professionals who teach courses and the students is a dynamic one, according to Nelsen. Students appreciate having preceptors (an expert or specialist, such as a physician or a nurse, who gives practical experience and training to a student) for guidance and support through the rigorous programs.

St. Scholastica was founded in 1912 by a group of Benedictine Sisters offering courses to six young women in Duluth. Besides maintaining its main campus in Duluth, the school now offers programs for higher education in Brainerd, St. Paul, St. Cloud, and Rochester.

“All of the extended campus locations, including Rochester, provide students an opportunity to really become part of the St. Scholastica community with its supportive learning environment,” says Susan Zarambo, assistant marketing coordinator at St. Scholastica.

Undergraduate studies available in Rochester include management, organizational behavior, and an RN to BSN degree completion program (bachelor of nursing). Online studies offer even more options including graduate degrees and online certificates and licensures.

The accelerated degree evening program offers classes six times per year instead of the traditional two-semester system. Courses are offered in eightweek terms with each class meeting one night per week from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.; for more flexibility some classes are also offered online. Full-time students take two classes per term.

Bethel’s MBA program offers busy, in-career adults a “hybrid model of learning” that combines face-to-face class settings with online sessions. Student Eliseo Garcia appreciates the one-weekend-per-month schedule that the program offers along with a structured timeline of online work: “This schedule works better for me than having to sit in a classroom one day per week.”

Rochester Bethel students become a support group for one another and progress through the entire program together, which typically takes 24 to 26 months to complete (with a short break during the summer).

“We want to continue to grow and accommodate the needs of adult learners,” says Michael Price, director of admissions. “Our newest initiatives will be moving to online programs.” Price says that Bethel’s distinguishing characteristic is faith integration. “We do value this and understand the importance of ethics and character in the workplace.”

“As a working adult with a family, the night business program is about as convenient as it gets,” says WSU-Rochester Center student and working professional Tyler Pronk. “The staff at WSU-Rochester is professional and personable. They have helped me tremendously so far in my student career.” Pronk is one of roughly 1,000 students who attend classes at Winona State University’s Rochester Center. With more than 20 undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs available, WSU-Rochester Center is sure to have something available for any working professional.

WSU-Rochester Center has a growing partnership with RCTC, says Pete Myszkowski, WSU-Rochester Center enrollment communication coordinator. Two initiatives will make that bond even stronger: A new UCR Welcome Center is in the works to better serve prospective students entering RCTC and WSU-R programs. Also, the “Path to Purple” initiative will help students from RCTC in a one-year program that will lead to admission at WSU-Rochester Center.

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