VOLUME 28 ISSUE 1
REGIS RISES TO SERVE AMID THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS p14
HUMANITY IN COLOR
FACULTY MEMBER CONFRONTS RACISM ON A VIVID CANVAS p30
A HERO COMES HOME LOST SINCE WWII, FALLEN REGIS SOLDIER IS HONORED p24
PERFECT PITCH
STEVEN BRAULT HITS THE RIGHT NOTES ON THE FIELD AND BEHIND THE MIC p18 CRACKING CANCER’S CODE UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF A DEADLY DISEASE p12
REGIS.EDU
ANSWERING THE CALL
SPRING/SUMMER 2020
Regis Volleyball defeated Colorado School of Mines on Dec. 7, 2019, to claim the NCAA Division II South Central Region Championship for the second time in three seasons. 3
Spring/Summer 2020 | REGIS UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
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IN THIS ISSUE
F E AT U R E S CARING IN A TIME OF CORONA 14 Coronavirus may have closed the Regis campus, but it opened Rangers’ hearts. VOLUME 28 ISSUE 1
SPRING/SUMMER 2020
Regis University Magazine is published biannually by Marketing and Communications for the University community of alumni, benefactors, faculty, staff, students and families. ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS Todd Cohen DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS Jennifer Forker EDITOR Karen Augé ART DIRECTOR Marcus Knodle EDITORIAL STAFF Matt K. Johnson McKenna Solomon DESIGN STAFF Nichole Atwood PHOTOGRAPHER Brett Stakelin, RC ’10 Skip Stewart CONTRIBUTORS Fearghal O’Reilly Professor Ronald Brockway ON THE COVER: At Regis, Steven Brault trained in vocal performance and played baseball. Now, at 28, he is a pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates and a performing vocalist — who released his first solo album in April. (Courtesy Andrew Stein/Pittsburgh Pirates). SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS Email: editor@regis.edu Mail: Regis University Magazine, L-27 3333 Regis Blvd., Denver CO 80221-1099 MAKE A GIFT TO REGIS Call: 303.964.3608 Visit: give.regis.edu LEARN ABOUT UPCOMING EVENTS Visit: regis.edu/events Follow us: facebook.com/regisuniversity ADVANCE YOUR EDUCATION Visit: regis.edu/apply Call: 800.944.7667 Email: ruadmissions@regis.edu
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HEY BATTER BATTER SING! 18 Steven Brault is a hit on the big-league diamond and in the recording studio. A HERO LOST, AND FOUND 24 Months after Harry Wilder graduated from Regis, he was lost on a WWII battlefield. It took 76 years — and a family’s persistence — to bring him home to rest. A NOVEL STATEMENT 30 Graphic novelist R. Alan Brooks tackles issues of race and identity while mentoring Regis writers. GENEROUS SPIRIT SCHOLARSHIP 34 Suzy Lockard gave her Regis professor a selfless gift of health. Now, Affiliate Professor Pam Heaberlin wants to honor Lockard’s legacy with gifts of opportunity. A LAST LOOK AT LORETTO 35 The Loretto Heights College campus will soon start a new chapter. But first, alumni came to pay loving tribute to the past.
THIS IS REGIS LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT 3 IN BRIEF 4 ATHLETICS 6 WHY JESUIT MATTERS 8 RISING STAR 10 RESEARCH 12 FACULTY FOCUS 13
A L W AY S R A N G E R S SCHOLARSHIP STORIES 36 ASK REGI 38 RANGERS IN THE WORLD 39 CLASS NOTES 40 IN MEMORIAM 44 BRAIN TEASER 48
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
DEAR FRIENDS, These are challenging times – for all of us as individuals, for our nation and for the world. Regis University is no exception. We have never relied more on our faith or on one another. Just as the 2019-2020 traditional academic year was underway, the University endured a devastating – but not defeating – cyberattack. The attack temporarily shut down our electronic communications systems, but reminded us of the blessings of physical interaction. Then in the spring, Regis – along with the rest of the world – was wracked by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the safety of our students, faculty and staff our overarching priority, we made the right decision and a nearly seamless transition to online learning. This time, with our information technology systems restored and enhanced, we remained electronically connected, albeit physically distant. While learning was virtual, we sheltered more than 160 students. Through both crises, we persevered. We found inner strength and resourcefulness. We discovered new work-arounds, and kept Regis University running. As we look toward Regis’ 150th anniversary in 2027, we take pride in the faith, strength and determination that enabled us to weather the adversity. Past and current crises included, we can be proud of the growth we have achieved and the strength we have demonstrated since the first students crossed the threshold of our modest building and beginnings in Las Vegas, New Mexico. While we can never predict some events, we can define and deliver on a strategy that promises that Regis will continue to build on the solid foundation laid by our founders. We will continue to inspire learners and leaders – remote and oncampus, traditional and adult – with the knowledge and the values they need to thrive and to set the world on fire. To assure our continued strength, we are prayerfully reconsidering and realigning our strategic plans so we can best serve the numbers of students we realistically expect in the coming years. Changes to the economy wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, combined with nationally declining birth rates, will impact Regis, and all colleges, in the coming years. With that in mind, we have streamlined to make our day-to-day operations more efficient. To complement our actions, we have to increase endowment. We have to increase donations. This will allow us to continue to serve the students drawn to Regis and our core mission and values. At the same time, we are taking steps to broaden our mission and to explore new sources of revenue. Our investment in technology infrastructure, including our newly updated and modernized website, afford us an opportunity to build on our formidable legacy of successful virtual learning. This investment, along with our unparalleled faculty, allows us to continue to deliver distinctive learning to all of our students – oncampus, virtual, traditional and adult. Constants for Regis are our heritage and our core values. We will never sacrifice our academic rigor or our Jesuit Catholic values. We have accomplished much and will continue to do so. Be assured of our continued prayers for you and those you love. We ask for your continued support and prayers in return. To complement our actions, we also depend on the philanthropic support we receive from our alumni and friends, parents and even students. We thank you for your continued support. It has never been so important to Regis. Gratefully,
Rev. John P. Fitzgibbons, S.J. President
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IN BRIEF
GORMAN JOINS STATE BOARD
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis appointed School of Physical Therapy Assistant Dean Ira Gorman, PT, Ph.D., to a four-year term on the state Physical Therapy Board. The seven-member board oversees licensing, regulation and all aspects of the profession, even physical therapy provided to animals.
EXAMINING CRIME, JUSTICE AND RACE
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock joined the Regis Black Student Alliance in February for a discussion of “When They See Us.” The critically acclaimed mini-series examined the arrests, trial and exoneration of the African-American teens labeled the Central Park Five when they were accused of a vicious rape.
HONORING A LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT
Mark F. Reinking, PT, Ph.D., dean of Regis’ School of Physical Therapy and a sports physical therapy specialist, won the 2020 Turner A. Blackburn Hall of Fame/Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy. The academy bestows the honor on someone who has demonstrated, over at least 25 years, “contributions to . . . sports physical therapy through leadership, influence, and achievements.”
A WORLD OF LEARNING
Naomi Olson, from Regis’ Office of Global Education, was an invited presenter at the EURIE International Education Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, in late February. Regis is a recognized leader in the quality of its semester-abroad program, which includes interculturalism training before the semester begins as well as online coursework and support while students are out of the country.
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THIS IS REGIS
WELCOME, CLASS OF 2034
Harrison Lewandowski is barely bigger than a beaker himself, but the budding scientist already has a spot at Regis. The second grader who lives near Regis’ Northwest Denver Campus made such an impression when he visited to conduct research on age and memory for his Edison Elementary School science fair project that the University responded with a “promise of admittance.” There was some one-on-one time with Regi, too.
BATTLING ONLINE INSECURITY
Industry leaders, state officials and Department of Homeland Security investigators – with several Regis alumni among them – packed Claver Hall in February to share strategies, best practices and lessons learned in preventing and recovering from cyberattacks. The “Better Together” summit emphasized that collaboration and information-sharing can be the best defense.
TAKING “GRADUATING WITH HONORS” TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL
Theodora Zastrocky, who graduated in May, was accepted as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. This prestigious honor, which supports the work of promising graduate students, will fund much of Zastrocky’s doctoral program in physics and astronomy at the University of Wyoming. At Regis, Zastrocky double-majored in English and physics with a minor in mathematics, and still found time to be on the cross-country team.
A HIGHER CLASS
The latest of the prestigious Carnegie Classifications bumped Regis’ ranking to a “doctoral/professional” university. Regis shares the ranking with such institutions as Santa Clara University and the University of San Francisco. Months later, Regis made the College Gazette’s list of top 10 “Hidden Gem” Catholic colleges. The website cited Regis’ top-rated medical programs and commitment to service.
SPEAKING OF BUMPS . . .
Head Volleyball Coach Joel List has been named to the NCAA’s eight-member national volleyball committee. List will represent the South Central region, evaluating and ranking teams within the region. The national committee determines which Division II teams will compete for the national championship. List, who has coached at Regis for 14 years, including three as head coach, is a twotime winner of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honor.
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ATHLETICS
MAKING THE MOST OF OPPORTUNITY GRATITUDE, PASSION PROPEL TORI RINSEM TO ACHIEVEMENTS ON THE FIELD AND IN THE CLASSROOM
I
had the love of the game, and the academics and the school as well, it just all came together,” she said.
All that hard work resulted in the kind of
Then again, Tori Rinsem has never followed a common path.
By her sophomore spring, Rinsem had verbally committed to be a Ranger. “I just felt at home here,” she said.
fer from Columbia University or the Mayo
T’S NOT COMMON FOR A TEENAGER TO HAVE A COLLEGE PICKED OUT before their
junior year of high school.
This spring, Rinsem graduated and finished her Regis women’s soccer career as both a First Team honoree and Academic Player of the Year in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. But 23 career goals and a near-perfect GPA only tell part of her story.
FALLING IN LOVE
Rinsem was captivated by Regis from the beginning. During her first year of high school club soccer in Gilbert, Ariz., Rinsem’s coach told her about a friend, J.B. Belzer, who coached at a school in Denver called Regis. Rinsem was intrigued. She had initially considered Division I opportunities, but many of them didn’t have the academic standards she was looking for and wouldn’t give her a chance to flourish on the soccer field. Regis, on the other hand, offered both. So Rinsem attended soccer camp at the Northwest Denver Campus during her first high school summer. After interacting with Belzer and the players, she sensed something different about the Rangers and the soccer program. “That camp was my first exposure here, and I just fell in love with it those four days ... The way [Regis] 6
dilemma many students only dream of: whether to accept a graduate program ofClinic. She chose Columbia, and plans to start her master’s program in nutrition and exercise physiology this fall.
STANDING OUT
Once her Ranger career started, Rinsem set herself apart in every way. By the end of her first year, she had collected RMAC Freshman of the Year honors while leading the team in assists (four) and goals (eight) — including three game winners.
UNITY OF MIND AND HEART
Off the field, the Board of Trustees Scholarship recipient completed a research paper that pointed her toward a budding passion for health and exercise science. “Once I got here and I found what I was passionate about in health and exercise science, it was just like, I want to soak all of this up while I can — because it’s another opportunity,” Rinsem said. “I’ve had incredible professors here as well, so I wanted to learn everything I could from them.”
est,” she said. “My way has been trying to
She continued to find success on the field, including a regular season RMAC Championship and two more First Team selections. Off the field, she posted a 3.99 GPA. She also served as co-president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, was inducted into the Jesuit Honor Society of Alpha Sigma Nu and conducted research with Health and Exercise Science Associate Professor Brian Baum.
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Rinsem attributes her intense work ethic to gratitude for the opportunities given to her by her parents, coaches, teammates, friends and Catholic faith. “Everyone has a different way to live their life to the fullsoak up every opportunity, and giving my all to every opportunity that I had.” Once she finishes her graduate studies, Rinsem hopes to apply her skills and her favorite Regis value — unity of heart and mind — toward becoming a registered dietician. “If you have the unity between your heart and mind ... you can be motivated to make a true difference in any human life or in the world, because you have passion,” she said. She graduated thankful to Regis for introducing her to the experiences and relationships that fueled her. “It’s a pretty cool thing when you find a place and people you can be completely yourself around,” she said. “I think that’s a very rare thing, and I’ve found that here for sure.” — MKJ
CONGRATULATIONS
CLASS OF
2020 SHARE YOUR SUCCESS WITH THE WORLD! VISIT OUR TOOLKIT AT REGIS.EDU/CELEBRATE
WE’LL BE BACK! BLUE AND GOLD WEEKEND HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO 2021 TO ENSURE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE ENTIRE REGIS FAMILY. WATCH FOR DETAILS ON THE 2020 FAMILY AND LEGACY WEEKEND THIS FALL.
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WHY JESUIT MATTERS
Left to right: Wega, M.D. and Tim Kinoti.
FROM KENYA TO REGIS
KINOTI FAMILY BRINGS HERITAGE, SERVICE MINDSET TO DENVER AND BEYOND
I
T’S QUITE POSSIBLE THAT NO FAMILY IS MORE OF A “REGIS FAMILY” than the Kinotis.
M.D. Kinoti — simply Kinoti to those who know him — directs Regis’ Master of Nonprofit Management program and has taught at the University for more than 10 years. Tim, his eldest son, graduated from Regis in 2018 and has stuck around as a web content specialist for Marketing and Communications. Wega, Tim’s younger brother, is a computer science major who just finished his sophomore year. Their collective story is an unlikely one for a family with roots in an impoverished rural area of Kenya. “I come from a very, very poor family,” Kinoti said. “There’s no way I would have imagined being able to get [my children] through school.” Kinoti grew up in Kenya and met his wife, Victoria, at Moi University there. After they married, he worked in Nairobi for the global nonprofit World Vision International. By 1999, Tim had been born and the family immigrated to the United States, where Kinoti sought a graduate degree and more opportunities for nonprofit work. Initially living in Pasadena, Calif., Kinoti remembers the extreme difficulties of trying to provide for his family and advance his career during his first few years in this country. 8
After working for years at World Vision and advancing to the management level, Kinoti says starting over again proved challenging. “I knew what to do. I lived in Kenya for those many years. Uprooting all that and coming to a very new and different culture, community and everything else — completely losing my status as a manager in a big organization and being a student — that was tough.” Still, the family persevered. After a stop in San Luis Obispo, Calif., for more nonprofit work, Kinoti landed a faculty position at Regis in 2010. The family has since found Regis an ideal place to center themselves. “It’s [my] prayer for Tim and Wega to stay grounded in faith in Christ and then to use that faith as a motivation for service,” Kinoti said. “Just being in this community gives us those two things and helps us to do both of them very well.” To Tim and Wega, service has become a family mindset. The family has volunteered for organizations including the Food Bank of the Rockies, Metro Caring and the city of Westminster. Victoria is a middle school special education teacher, and Kinoti volunteers for Rotary International and provides opportunities for his Regis students to serve nonprofits. “I think our family would definitely be characterized by service and living lives for others while also working hard on our education,” Tim said.
Spring/Summer 2020 | REGIS UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
Tim and Wega have been heavily involved on campus, both serving as student senators, playing intramural sports and joining the University’s Black Student Alliance. Tim is taking MBA classes at Regis while he works and is considering law school. Wega dreams of applying his computer science skills in the private sector, but is focusing first on making the most of his time as a Ranger. “I didn’t really want to go anywhere other than Regis, due to the fact that a lot of people here are nicer and it’s a really welcoming place,” Wega said. Kinoti returns to Africa often, taking Regis students on experiential learning trips to Uganda and Rwanda through the Master of Nonprofit Management program. Research and service trips bring him back to his home country as well, sometimes with his family. Until the next time they return to Kenya together — within a few years, Kinoti says — they’re content at Regis while they carry on the heritage that links them. “I feel blessed to be in this environment, especially when I teach classes like Global Poverty, classes that I can bring my own experience into,” Kinoti said. “There is a perspective that is slightly different from what everybody else has. I think that makes learning and engagement in general richer for all of us.” — MKJ
THIS IS REGIS
STRONGER TOGETHER
REGIS COLLEGES UNITE TO ENHANCE STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
T
WO OF REGIS’ MOST INNOVATIVE COLLEGES HAVE JOINED
FORCES, and the result is stronger programs streamlined to better meet the changing needs of today’s traditional and non-traditional students.
The Anderson College of Business and the College of Computer and Information Sciences have combined to form the Anderson College of Business and Computing. The new college, led by Dean Shari Plantz-Masters, will integrate leading-edge technology with business education, and equip students to be “bilingual” – fluent in both business and technology. Meanwhile, the College of Contemporary Liberal Sciences has become the School for Professional Advancement (SPA) and resides within Regis College. SPA, which will be led by Dean Bryan Hall, will integrate online and traditional learning, and create an enhanced liberal arts program designed to serve adult students. Regis College will continue to be led by Dean Tom Bowie and will continue to provide a challenging liberal arts education that allows students to explore the question, “How ought we to live?” At the same time, the School for Professional Advancement will offer students the opportunity to build transferrable skills on that liberal arts foundation. The decision to integrate Anderson College of Business and the College of Computer and Information Sciences resulted from the University’s recovery from an August 2019 cyberattack. The recovery effort clearly demonstrated the advantages students will gain from blending a strong foundation in managing technology and cybersecurity with a thorough understanding of how businesses operate. The college will continue to offer degrees in accounting, economics, finance, marketing and other fields. The changes in both colleges will be in effect for the Fall 2020 semester.
A WHOLE NEW CLASS Regis University is moving up the Carnegie charts. We’re already more than a mile high. Now we have risen to even greater heights. Regis is now classified as a “Doctoral/ Professional University.” Our new elevated Carnegie classification* puts us in the company of such universities as Santa Clara, Creighton and University of San Francisco. This reflects the strength, depth and quality of our academic programs, offered online and at three Denver-area campuses. *The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education is a framework for classifying colleges and universities to identify comparable institutions.
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RISING STAR
CREATIVITY, AMPED COMPUTER SCIENCE STUDENT AND PILOT FINDS CREATIVE, SPIRITUAL OUTLET IN ALT-POP MUSIC Courtesy Kenta Young.
a show for national punk staple State Champs. After Ng left the band in 2018, Young, Tobey and Knight started their own project, Pacific Nerve. The trio transferred their sound to alternative pop and now draw thousands of listeners across local, live shows and streaming services — such as Apple Music and Spotify — in 50-plus countries. “It’s just kind of nuts to think that people listen to us. We kind of agreed at the beginning of the project that we’re not going to release music for us to get famous,” Young says. “We’re going to release music that we can look back on and say we’re proud of.” A computer science major and pilot who hopes to fly commercial planes, Young finds value in breaking out of a linear mindset. “As a computer science major, everything is math, science,” he says. “Music lets me have a creative outlet a little bit.”
O
NE DAY LAST YEAR, while humming a tune and walking up the stairs at home, Yuta Young stopped cold.
He pulled out his phone and recorded what he was humming. Months later, that short, recorded riff would become a song blasting in Colorado concert venues and pumping through Spotify streams across the world. As a songwriter, guitarist and vocalist for the alternative pop band Pacific Nerve, Young has turned his creativity into a collaborative journey that has changed the course of his life. “God gives you these ... great talents that you are blessed to have,” Young says. “And He wants you to use them to push forward His kingdom. … I think my pastor said this at church once — you don’t have to play Christian music to push [that] forth.” The Regis University sophomore’s musical career started with a reply to a social media post. During Young’s freshman year of high school in Louisville, Colo., Reilly Ng, an acquaintance, posted on Facebook looking for people to play music with him. Young, who had written a few songs and taken piano and guitar lessons, replied with an offer to play rhythm guitar. Ng, a bassist, and Young eventually added a drummer, Ethan Knight, and lead singer Griffin Tobey. “It was actually a metal project; it wasn’t my thing at all,” Young remembers. “But I thought, if this is a way to make friends, then I’m down.” By 2015, the group had become a pop-punk act called Rain in July, performing at small venues throughout Colorado’s Front Range and opening 10
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Young says he finds meaning in what his music accomplishes spiritually. The Jesuit value he connects with most is cura personalis: “care for the whole person.” “For us, part of caring for the whole person is creating this music, creating it together ... Making yourself more well-rounded, in a spiritual sense too, you can help others better,” Young says. Refusing to work in isolation has helped Young refine his ideas into songs that transport listeners to a new emotional or spiritual space. “67 Pontiac,” the song whose chorus riff first came to him on his home stairs, went through rounds of development with Knight and Tobey to become one of Pacific Nerve’s most popular songs. “I like that filter that [songs] go through with the band — the creativeness Ethan adds in drumming that I could never have thought of, and Griffin’s lyrics and his melody abilities,” Young says. Young’s Pacific Nerve band mates have exchanged emails with record labels, and although they don’t know the likelihood of a record deal, Young says they’re content: “The worst-case scenario is we can show this music to our kids, as something we’re proud of and something we can listen to the rest of our lives.” As a Christian, Young considers applying his musical talents toward playing in a worship band someday. For now, he doesn’t put limits on how he can serve God through his music with Pacific Nerve. “If this band were to ever get big, the music would provide me a platform to share what’s important to me,” he explained. “Who knows, God could have anything planned for that.” — MKJ
THIS IS REGIS
REGIS WILL WELCOME STUDENTS BACK THIS FALL
SAFELY As colleges and universities across the country considered how to safely let students return, Regis became one of the first to announce it would adjust its fall semester to start classes early, forego fall break and get students home by Thanksgiving. The schedule, which now is being adopted by a growing number of colleges, is designed to protect students, faculty and staff should an anticipated “second wave” of coronavirus pandemic emerge during the regular winter flu season. “We are committed to keeping our community as safe as possible while providing an optimal campus experience,” said Regis President Rev. John P. Fitzgibbons, S.J. “We will continue to adhere to expert public health guidance.” Online degree and certificate programs will remain on their regular schedules. However, for students in traditional, on-campus programs, classes will start a week early – on Aug. 17 – and end Nov. 20. After the Thanksgiving break, finals will be administered online. If necessary, the University also will implement steps recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including: • Decrease the size of in-person classes; • Allow students to attend classes in person or online; • Implement social-distancing protocols, including mask-wearing; and • Restrict building entrances and exits. If it becomes necessary to close the campus again, Regis’ 30 years of distance learning experience means the University will once again be prepared for a smooth transition to online classes.
BE A CHANGE MAKER. Regis’ online B.A. in Public Relations cultivates communicators who think critically and promote their organizations with skill and integrity. • Work with PR pros and mentors to gain real-world experience in this high-demand field. • Access internship opportunities and develop hands-on skills to hit the ground running when you graduate. • Prepare for a career that aligns with your interests.
regis.edu/publicrelations
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RESEARCH
Regis Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences Chris Malarkey (right) often works with students like Chemistry Major Patrick Hewitt in his cancer research lab.
CONQUERING CANCER
REGIS RESEARCHER UNLOCKS SECRETS THAT COULD STOP THE TUMOR-STARTING PROCESS
F
OR DECADES, RESEARCHERS ACROSS THE WORLD have searched for ways
to stop or slow the growth of tumors.
But Chris Malarkey, a Regis associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences, may have found a way to stop one type of malignancy – stomach cancer – before it ever starts. And he’s hoping the National Institutes of Health will be sufficiently impressed with his finding to award a coveted grant that would help further his research. Worldwide, stomach – or gastric – cancer is the fifth most-common malignancy and was responsible for an estimated 783,000 deaths across the globe in 2018, according to the Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN). In the United States alone, 27,000 people will be diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2020, the American Cancer Society predicts. Studies have shown that smoking, a diet high in smoked and processed meats and a sedentary lifestyle may increase the likelihood of developing stomach cancer. But the strongest known risk factor is infection with the bacteria H. pylori. If untreated, H. pylori sets off a series of interactions that can eventually lead to cancer. Thanks to previous studies, researchers have an understanding of how that happens. “H. pylori stimulates [the protein] TLR4, and that causes an unwanted immune response, which leads to inflammation,” Malarkey said. TLR4 is part of a family of proteins that, when stimulated, can trigger inflammation. In proper amounts, inflammation is a key part of the body’s immune response. It’s what heals cuts and fights invaders like bacteria that cause infection. But when inflammation gets out of control or continues so long that it becomes chronic, it can do serious damage. Among other things, chronic inflammation may trigger unusual and harmful interactions among proteins in the body. Those interactions can fuel cancer growth. In a study published last September in “BBA – Biomembranes,” Malarkey and several Regis colleagues focused on the role of molecules called lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which stimulate the immune system. “I looked at LPS 12
Spring/Summer 2020 | REGIS UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
molecules and saw a portion that looks like DNA. So, we had the idea that maybe this protein called SOX2, which binds DNA and is turned off in gastric cancer, can bind LPS and potentially prevent stimulation of TLR4,” and therefore halt the cancer-igniting inflammation. “We were able to show that SOX2 indeed does bind to that LPS molecule,” Malarkey said. “The results of this study have the potential to shed light on a previously unrecognized mechanism for the progression of gastric cancer,” the research team wrote in the study. Now, they are looking into other proteins that might be induced to performing anti-cancer activities. And that’s where the NIH grant of $367,000 would come in. Malarkey, who has a Ph.D. in chemistry from another Jesuit institution, Loyola University Chicago, began studying DNA binding proteins during a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s department of pharmacology. “They asked me to teach a class on inflammatory bowel disease. I knew nothing about IBD before teaching that class,” Malarkey said. He learned quickly, and by necessity, that IBD is a chronic inflammatory condition that can lead to gastric cancer. Malarkey said he expects to hear sometime in June whether the NIH will award him the grant. He knows the odds are against him — only about 10 percent of applicants actually receive the grants — but he’s hopeful. Winning the grant would allow him to delve deeper into the mechanisms of cancer growth and to pay students assisting in his research. Many of those students, like Patrick Hewitt, a chemistry major who graduated in May, are undergraduates whose contributions now and in the future are valuable, he said. Hewitt, for example, recently was accepted into a biochemistry doctoral program in the fall at Boston University. Regardless of whether NIH awards him a grant, Malarkey said he is prepared to continue his potentially game-changing research and to keep applying for grants if necessary. “Nobody likes being told their baby is ugly, but you just have to keep your head down and keep fishing,” until you catch something. — KA
FACULTY FOCUS
to Jordan, Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine. During that time, Ferg fell in love with the region — so interconnected yet so diverse. “The way that oftentimes the Middle East or the Muslim-majority world is talked about is as though it’s just a monolithic space,” she said. “But every place is so different culturally, and linguistically, even.”
Courtesy Erica Ferg.
SEARCHING FOR CONNECTION PROFESSOR’S WINDING PATH, RESEARCH IN MIDDLE EAST LEAD TO INTERDISCIPLINARY BOOK
B
EFORE SHE WAS A REGIS PROFESSOR,
Erica Ferg was researching her religious studies dissertation when she stumbled upon a few historical figures who made her wonder. The more research she did, the more similarities she found between St. George in Christianity, al-Khidr in Islam and Elijah in Judaism. She saw that these figures were not only venerated between religious communities, they held similar roles: Each was associated with rain, greenness, fertility and storms. To Ferg, this reinforced a larger theme she was exploring: that connections among the three colossal world religions run deeper than meets the eye. “Religions, like most things, never exist in a vacuum, untouched by other ideas ... These religious traditions, in particular in that area of the world, are all sort of informing one another as they grow and evolve together,” she said. Her research led not only to a successful dissertation, but also to her first book, “Ge-
ography, Religion, Gods, and Saints in the Eastern Mediterranean.” The 288-page book, published earlier this year, expands on her dissertation topic, emphasizing the intertwining factors and shared practices that shape world religions. Ferg’s intimate knowledge of such interconnectedness doesn’t only stem from her extensive academic research. She also has lived in five Eastern Mediterranean nations and learned nine languages — including Persian, which she mastered while serving as a linguist in the United States Air Force. By her fourth and final year in the Air Force, although she was proud of the important work she was doing for national security, she sensed her linguistic work was not being used to its full potential. She felt a pull toward academia. “Ultimately, I thought, I want to be able to do this in a wider way,” she said. With her interest in the Middle East piqued, she packed her bags in 2004 for months of research on behalf of an institute at the University of Denver, traveling
As she continued to research the region, she encountered the figures that captured her imagination — St. George, Al-Khidr and Elijah. When she returned stateside and started a master’s program in religious studies at DU, she wrote her dissertation about the trio, exploring the influence of geography on religious connection in the region. Her advisors warned it was a big topic to unpack. “They were basically like, ‘We don’t really think this can be done,’” she said. “But then they gave me a huge compliment and said, ‘We think if anybody has a shot at it, it’s you.’” Ferg did complete her dissertation, which became the foundation for her book. She says she would consider using excerpts in her own classes at Regis, where she returned as an assistant professor in 2018 after an earlier stint teaching at the University. But more important to her is the hope that the book will be helpful for other courses in religious studies, history or geography — and for individuals like her who are captivated by religion. Having experienced both the diversity and interconnectedness of the Eastern Mediterranean, Ferg strives to imbue her students with a nuanced view of the area. But to ask that of them, she must exercise that same curiosity to understand her students. “I really like to know my students as well as I can — know what’s going on in their lives,” she said. “I ask about that, and I recognize that each individual person is on their own individual path.” Although Ferg doesn’t personally identify with one religious tradition, she has found Regis a supportive place to teach the concepts and subjects that have captured her interest. “I’ve been so pleased to learn how much I enjoy teaching at a Jesuit institution,” she said. “Probably because I really find that introspection and the spiritual exercises — and a lot of the foundation of Ignatian thought and practice — really aligns with what I think, too.” — MKJ REGIS.EDU
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REGIS RISES
WHEN COVID-19 STRUCK, REGIS FOUND CREATIVE WAYS NOT JUST TO SURVIVE, BUT TO SERVE
It took only days for everything to change. On our campuses, the emerging threat of COVID-19 forced classrooms to empty, doors to be locked, and gathering places to become off-limits. While 160 students found shelter on the Northwest Denver Campus, most students, staff and faculty went home, and we had to find ways to be together, separately. So, just as we had in the fall when a cyberattack pulled the plug on our electronic communication, the Regis community dug into its resourcefulness reserves. Distant physically but not in spirit, we Zoomed in on virtual ways to conduct classes and hold meetings. We showed off everything from graduation gowns to senior projects on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and any other platforms we could find. Cura personalis took on a new urgency. We shared our survival strategies, our creativity and, sometimes, our frustrations. And though far apart, we came together — bringing our talents with us — to help each other and the people around us. In an academic year that brought two potentially devastating blows, the Regis community persevered. We survived, we thrived and we served. Here are just a few of the ways we did that:
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Celebrating 2020 Grads
Masking the Problem
Regis President Rev. John P. Fitzgibbons, S.J., in full graduation regalia, stood on an empty Northwest Denver Campus to offer social media video congratulations to the (temporarily at least) ceremony-deprived class of 2020. Professors, deans and staff — from their homes, backyards, couches, and in one case, a trampoline — joined in to celebrate graduates’ hard work.
Lyn Tran, of the Regis Dayton Memorial Library’s Access Services, was just one of many community members who took up a new hobby during the pandemic quarantine: sewing masks. As a colleague posted on Instagram: “Lyn has spent the last 6 weeks sewing masks. This is what she had to say about the process: ‘It’s not that hard. I watched how people made them on YouTube,… I’ve made more than 600 masks for nurses, homeless people, vulnerable workers, families, friends, churches… and for us too. ‘I love sewing, so I enjoy doing it and I also feel good to help protecting people from this dangerous virus.’”
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REGIS RISES
Noteworthy Production
Postcards from China
When they couldn’t perform together in person, members of the Regis String Orchestra played their violins and cellos in bedrooms, living rooms and apartments throughout Denver and beyond. The resulting two minutes and 42 seconds of Camille Saint Saens’ “The Swan” — and the other pieces the orchestra performed and posted — brought interludes of beauty to our community at a time when it was urgently needed.
Last November, Regis grad Beau Vrbas went to Dalian, China, and experienced the cultural immersion he’d sought — and a lot more. In one of several YouTube videos, Vrbas describes uncertainty as the virus hit, gratitude for the McDonald’s where he ate every day for a month, then guides viewers through deserted streets in the port city of 7 million.
A 3D Solution
Hands-On Homework
Making art may normally be her forte, but in these not-normal times, fine arts instructor Judith Gardner dedicated herself — and her 3D printer — to Make4Covid. By late May, Gardner estimated she’d printed about 100 elastic headbands, or “ear-savers” for masks and face shields. But she pointed out, “The true power of this grassroots effort is the number of people volunteering and the exponential numbers of pieces of PPE they have all been able to create.”
Giving students the full experience of a lab class through a computer screen can be tough to pull off. But Associate Professor of Pharmacy Erika Lourenco de Freitas made sure her students got as close to the actual hands-on experience as possible. Before her first online lab, she assembled kits — and set up a safe drive-through distribution system — containing materials that allowed students to try at home the skills she had to teach online.
Care for the Whole Person – At Home
Three Cheers!
Exercise. Keep to a schedule. Limit the scary news you ingest daily. Connect, however you can. Good advice anytime; essential wisdom in the time of COVID. Betsy Hall, associate dean in the Division of Counseling and Family Therapy shared those insights in an online presentation, “Soulcare in Troubled Times.”
They couldn’t walk across the graduation stage in their caps and gowns, but they could walk over to their computers, and that’s exactly what members of the Regis neonatal nurse practitioners class of 2020 did. And gave themselves a round of applause — or bloody Marys — in the process.
REGIS.EDU
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With a little help from her grandfather Mark Skinner, Regis sophomore Guenevere Diaz wasn’t afraid of a little heavy lifting to help local teens.
A GENEROUS HELPING REGIS SOPHOMORE SERVES UP MEALS FOR TEENS IN NEED
G
UENEVERE DIAZ CREDITS A READING ASSIGNMENT IN HER SPRING SEMESTER RELIGION CLASS with inspiring her act of
uncommon generosity. Her grandparents’ example of giving and working for the greater good probably helped, too. Whatever Diaz’s inspiration, the sophomore accounting major turned the account balance from her campus meal ticket into meals for teens experiencing homelessness. Diaz is a native of Guam, where, she said, “I did a lot of community service.” But since coming to Denver, finding a mission here proved challenging. “It’s a new environment. I didn’t really know what I could do here.” But reading “Take This Bread” in religion class as the coronavirus spread and the world was shutting down proved the right inspiration at the right time. “The book was kind of like a sign or the push I needed,” Diaz said of author Sarah Miles’ account of finding faith and, with it, the motivation to feed thousands of hungry people. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Regis campus to close, Diaz lived in Lakewood with her grandmother, Carol Ibanez, a city planner for Arvada and her grandfather, Mark Skinner, a former Peace Corps volunteer who works for the state Office of Economic Development. Skinner manages disaster recovery grants given to fire, flood and other disaster victims; he knows a thing or two about connecting those in need to assistance. So, when Diaz realized she had an account balance of more than $1,500 for on-campus meals she’d paid for but could no longer get, she knew what she wanted to do. After buying some hand sanitizer and EmergenC for herself, she and Skinner contacted
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The Action Center in Lakewood. Ordinarily, The Action Center, which has served people experiencing homelessness for 50 years, provides food, clothing and household goods, along with counseling to help individuals and families move toward self-sufficiency. This spring was anything but ordinary, so the center was forced to limit its services to providing only food. “Mark called and said he had these funds and just asked, ‘What do you need?’” said Development Director John Covert. Skinner and Diaz next got in touch with Bon Appetit, the food service provider for the Regis campus, and arranged to purchase $1,500 worth of food. And so, on a sunny morning in late April, Diaz and her grandparents drove to the campus, picked up crates full of food and hauled it to The Action Center. “They just brought a ton of stuff over,” Covert said, probably enough to provide takehome meals for up to 40 of the 3,000 students the center’s Grub Club program helps in a typical month. About 10 years ago, the center added Grub Club to its menu of services. The program provides non-perishable food to high school kids in order to assure they have something to eat on weekends when they can’t get meals at school. The program was suspended when schools closed this spring, but Covert expects it to resume in the fall. He said he is particularly grateful that Diaz’s donation came at a time when the need already is great, and is likely to grow. As a Regis graduate himself, Covert said he was impressed with Diaz’s generosity. “She really embodies the spirit of Regis University.” But Diaz said she benefited as well. “I always like the feeling I get when I help people. I hadn’t felt that in a while,” she said. — KA
Alex Herrmann spent eight weeks in the Bronx treating covid patients. Courtesy Lauren Ligon.
HEALING IN THE PANDEMIC EPICENTER
ALUMNUS CROSSED THE COUNTRY TO SERVE, BUT DON’T CALL HIM A HERO
A
LEXANDER
HERRMANN
HAS
ALWAYS BEEN THE KIND OF GUY
who rushes into situations that a lot of people would flee. That was true in his first career, as a firefighter and emergency medical technician (EMT). And it’s just as true in his second chapter as a registered nurse. Which helps explain why Herrmann refused to consider himself a hero, even in the midst of an eightweek commitment to treat patients in an emergency room at the epicenter of the nation’s COVID-19 pandemic. Rushing off to New York City — despite the risk — to serve where he was most needed is the kind of thing the 2015 Regis graduate does. “I couldn’t not go knowing that fellow nurses were suffering and worn out and exposed to the virus,” Herrmann said. “I just had to go.” The father of three arrived in New York City on April 26 and went to work at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx. In a city widely ravaged by the novel coronavirus, the borough north of Manhattan has been especially hard hit. Although Manhattan has more people, the Bronx has recorded nearly twice as many cases, according to the New York City Department of Health. As of May 10, reported coronavirus deaths in the Bronx had topped 3,000. So, it’s no surprise that Herrmann
found a lot of exhausted workers — from doctors and nurses to cleaning staff — when he arrived. “These nurses and doctors here are amazing,” he said. The rate of new coronavirus infections, and of hospitalizations, has leveled off in New York. But that doesn’t mean Herrmann’s 12-hour shifts aren’t taxing. “Days are hard. I’m exhausted at the end of the day.” Although by May the number of new COVID-19 cases in the city was slowing, “We still get somewhere between one and four patients a day testing positive, and some are really sick.” Herrmann said medical staff are constantly learning about how the virus affects patients, and the growing knowledge helps inform better treatment. But there is still much to learn. “It’s so bizarre, this virus. Every day it confuses me.” Herrmann said he isn’t overly worried about catching it himself — he’s convinced he had the virus, and recovered, before he left Denver. The St. Barnabas emergency room is increasingly filled with patients suffering other conditions, especially those with diabetes, who were afraid to come in for treatment when the outbreak was at its peak, Herrmann said. Herrmann is accustomed to quickly adapting to systems and staff in a new hospital. In Denver, he works
for an agency that provides hospitals with temporary nursing staff so he has worked in emergency rooms across the area. As the need in New York soared, things were slowing down in Denver-area emergency departments, Herrmann said. “People weren’t coming to the ER in Denver,” and hospitals were cutting staff hours. That made a decision he was already leaning toward even easier. He talked to a recruiter with Medical Solutions, a company that connects healthcare workers with positions. The recruiter made arrangements for Herrmann’s travel, placed him at St. Barnabas, and found him a place to stay – at a Courtyard by Marriott hotel. “The hotel had been closed down and now it’s just for medical people. It’s filled with doctors and nurses,” he said, although some had started going home by mid-May. His eight weeks in the Bronx was the Texas native’s first trip to New York, and he hopes to go back someday when the city — with so much to see and do — is open. For now, he spends his days off walking around Central Park, fashioning workouts in his room, and missing his kids, who are 7, 10 and 12. He said he knows exactly what he’ll do first when he returns home to Denver: “Play Fortnite with my kids.” Herrmann said he became interested in nursing because as a firefighter and EMT he discovered he preferred the medical aspects of the job to the firefighting parts. When an ambulance partner told him that since he already had a bachelor’s degree, he could earn his registered nursing degree in one year, he decided to go for it. “I did my homework and found Regis. I used to be a Christian youth pastor, so the spiritual side to the school appealed to me too.” He’s found satisfaction in his second career, particularly in this time of unprecedented need. Just don’t call him a hero. “I don’t want to wear that ‘hero’ shirt. I don’t want the fame. I’m helping people,” he said. “That’s all I ever wanted to do.” — KA REGIS.EDU
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Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steven Brault, who played for Regis from 2010 to 2013, sings the national anthem June 19, 2018, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh before the Pirates faced the Milwaukee Brewers. Courtesy Joseph Guzy/Pittsburgh Pirates.
REGIS BIG LEAGUER IS TURNING HEADS — AND NOT JUST AT HIS DAY JOB
main reason he considered playing ball at a Division II school in Denver: He wanted to sing, too.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Brault’s passion for singing developed after a fifth-grade production of “Rip Van Winkle” piqued his interest in musicals and led him to community theater in middle school.
Ever heard the one about the teenager, the baseball coach and the music teacher?
It would take early mornings and late nights — often, 13 to 14 hours a day of a regimented schedule. But at Regis, it was possible. “That’s what we’re all about, the philosophy at Regis of educating the whole person. ... That means we will find a way to make it work,” Davenport said. “For him, that really meant a lot because he was able to keep both of his passions going.”
BY Matt K. Johnson
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steven Brault’s first moments at Regis University read like the start of a bad joke. Since then, his story has unfolded more like a fairy tale. It was a snowy spring day in 2010 when Brault, a highly touted high school baseball player from the San Diego area, came to Regis and met with then-baseball coach Dan McDermott and music program director Mark Davenport. The realms of baseball and music rarely mix, so McDermott and Davenport weren’t accustomed to collaborating. But the two had struck a deal. McDermott had recruited Brault after watching him play at a tournament in Arizona. But multiple high-profile NCAA Division I schools with storied baseball programs also were keen on the talented southpaw. “[Regis] wasn’t my first choice coming out of high school, I mean, mostly because I’d never heard of it,” Brault said. “I didn’t go to a Jesuit high school or anything.” Ultimately, there was one
“I made a lot of friends doing that, and I just fell in love with it — I really did,” Brault said. “That’s why I continued doing theater when I got into high school, and I would say it was the catalyst for me eventually wanting to do music in college.” The D-I schools were hung up on Brault’s desire to take on both time-intensive commitments. “Every school was kind of an either-or thing,” Brault said. But Brault was insistent — it had to be both — so Davenport and McDermott developed a vision for how he could accomplish at Regis what the other schools wouldn’t allow. Brault was intrigued. “This actually [seemed] like a school that I should start really considering.”
Fast forward 10 years, and the wisdom of Brault’s decision to come to Regis — and to follow both paths — is clear. At 28, he now is both a Major League Baseball player and a performing vocalist. In 2019 alone, he pitched over 100 major-league innings, struck out 100 batters, released his first studio album and sang in front of thousands with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Brault can trace his success in both baseball and music to the only school willing to let him pursue both passions wholeheartedly: “It means pretty much everything to me, because another school wouldn’t have even let me do both — and Regis did.”
SHOWING HIS RANGE Brault’s Regis career started with a bang. As quickly as he made an impact on the baseball field — notching his team’s second-highest strikeout total (54) on the mound as a freshman — he also earned notoriety in the music department. Among the impressed was Barbara Wollan, who was a vocal professor at Regis for 24 years. “I’ve taught hundreds of students,” Wollan said. “I would say only three of them had a special quality that I would just say they could make magic when they sang. ... And he has it.” Davenport, who became Brault’s academic advisor, was equally impressed. But, as he warned, balancing music with baseball would take all Brault’s energy. Most days, Brault says, started with a baseball workout from 5:30 to 7 a.m., followed immediately by classes until noon. Baseball practice would go from 1 to 4 p.m., and choir and vocal practice would start in the early evening and continue as late as 9 p.m. “There were times that I felt like this is just ridiculous and I don’t know if I can do this,” Brault said. “And then I’d have some moment where I’d be in music class and just realize, man, this absolutely is what I want to do. I can’t stop doing this now.” Even when he sang opera in foreign languages, McDermott and the baseball team showed up at performances to cheer on their 20
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teammate. “He was just a great performer,” McDermott said. “I think that each of those two skills, athletics and singing, actually made him better at the other, because he’s used to performing.” The team’s support meant a lot. “Stuff like that I’ll never forget,” Brault said. “It’s given me this kind of humility, I think. I try to remember where I came from and try to remember all the guys that helped me get here.” On the field, Brault struggled to recover from a cartilage tear in his shoulder during his sophomore year, as the Rangers won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season championship but bowed out quickly in regionals. While his injury healed, Brault played more as an outfielder than a pitcher — and showed his versatility by knocking in the second-most runs on the team. “He was not just a pitcher then,” McDermott said. “He could swing it and play the outfield. I think if he had not gotten drafted as a pitcher, he would have gotten drafted as a center fielder.” Healthy again for his junior year, Brault struck out more than 100 hitters in 78 innings while still swinging the bat to the tune of a .397 average. Still, it wasn’t until the final stretch of his junior year when scouts began to take notice — if only because they came to watch someone else. Brault remembers a weekend when scouts came to a Regis game
FASTBALLS
with Steven Brault
_______________________________ FAVORITE MUSICAL ARTIST: Chris Cornell FAVORITE BROADWAY MUSICAL: “The Phantom of the Opera” VENUE WHERE YOU’D MOST LIKE TO SING: Wembley Stadium in London. I watch a lot of concerts on YouTube, and that seems to be the place where all the best bands get to play. It just seems freaking awesome.
During his junior year at Regis, Brault struck out more than 100 batters in 78 innings, while still hitting for a .397 average at the plate.
to watch an opposing player in action. Brault pitched well, and scouts came back soon afterward to see Brault strike out 12 batters in seven innings, leading Regis to a dominating victory. From there, scouts started attending Brault’s games, and the possibility of being drafted began to morph from a longshot to a likelihood. “It was a surprise,” Brault said, “but it was a welcome surprise.”
FAVORITE SPOT AT REGIS: First, the rooms in Main Hall where I did my music lessons. Second, the area by the statue of Jesus near Regis Chapel. I would hang out back there and do some homework, or just relax and listen to music. STRANGEST COMMENT FROM A FAN: When people say I should quit my day job and go into singing full time, like it’s going to be an insult to me. It’s a huge compliment. I’m in the major leagues, and you’re telling me I’m better at singing than I am at baseball. MOST IMPORTANT VALUE: The Golden Rule. I think it’s important to never feel entitled, no matter where you get in life. RELATIONSHIP WITH FORMER REGIS TEAMMATES: I’m still pretty close to a lot of those guys. I actually went to one of their fantasy football drafts last year and just hung out with them. FAVORITE THING ABOUT DENVER: The breweries.
Soon he was having the difficult but necessary conversations with the music department about forgoing his senior year to play professional baseball. “We were losing one of our star singers, but I realized what an opportunity that was for him,” Davenport said. “He had my full support and blessing.”
FAVORITE THING ABOUT PITTSBURGH: PNC Park, home of the Pirates. Totally unbiased, I think it has the best view in all of baseball. FAVORITE OPPOSING BALLPARK: Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres. I’m a little biased on that one, because I’m from San Diego.
Brault sang with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on Feb. 7, 2020. Courtesy Ed DeArmitt/Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Brault was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2013, and worked his way through the minor leagues before being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in February 2015. He made his major league debut in July 2016, relishing the charter flights and five-star hotels after three years roughing it in the minors. “It’s a grind, that [minor league] experience, because you’re staying in crappy hotels, [taking] long bus rides and everything,” he said. “But then you get to the majors and, I mean, everything is the reverse.” By the end of 2018, Brault had solidified himself in the majors, and in 2019, found his rhythm. Starting 19 games on the mound during the season, he held opponents to four or fewer runs in all but one game through August. “Then I gave up 10 runs to the Cubs,” Brault remembers. “It was like, ‘Oof, man, it’s not that easy, Steven.’ … Baseball is such a fickle mistress, because it is so loving and all of a sudden so mean, like five minutes later.” Being in the major leagues opened doors for Brault’s other talent, including the chance to sing the national anthem before two games in Pittsburgh. In 2019, he was approached by a music producer, Loren Harriet, who has found a niche in the music industry working with professional athletes such as MLB stars Bernie 22
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Williams and Nick Swisher. Harriet had heard about Brault and wondered whether he would be interested in recording an album. Brault was skeptical, but he kept the conversations going. Thanks in part to his theater background, Brault had a soft spot for show tunes and spent part of the 2019 offseason working with Harriet to whittle down a list of Broadway selections. The final 12 included songs from shows ranging from “Hamilton” and “The Phantom of the Opera” to “Rent” and “Dear Evan Hansen.” After the season ended, Harriet asked Brault to record in southern California. In November, Brault met a team of industry-leading musicians at Tritone Studios in Glendale, Calif., to record his first solo album, “A Pitch at Broadway.” The album, released in April, mixes the soaring melodies of “Defying Gravity” from “Wicked” with the cheeky rhymes of “I Believe” from “The Book of Mormon” — along with a version of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from “Carousel,” featuring more than 15 cancer survivors. “The session musicians are all the best in the business, and the guests we had are all just amazing singers,” Brault said. “The whole experience was unbelievable.”
Brault recorded his first album in 2019. Courtesy Loren Harriet.
WATCH FOR SQUIDS Those who know Steven Brault tend to describe the 28-year-old in similar terms: fun, big-hearted, humble. One word never used is “ordinary.” “He was incredibly goofy,” Dan McDermott, then head baseball coach, remembers of Brault’s playing career at Regis. “It’s what made him good. So many kids, they get so tight. ‘People are watching me, I just struck out, it’s life and death.’ He was always loose.”
That wasn’t the only chance Brault had to show off his talents in the offseason. He also sang Broadway songs live with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in February. The budding star is open to more singing gigs, as long as they don’t interfere with his number-one priority for now. “I’m going to jump on any opportunity I can right now,” Brault says, “as long as it doesn’t take away from my ability to play baseball. … Baseball only lasts so long no matter how good you are. Music you can do pretty much forever.”
A RANGER’S RETURN Brault maintains his ties to Regis through his Ranger friends and teammates — and stealthy campus visits. When the Pirates came to Denver in September 2019 for a series against the Colorado Rockies, Brault stopped by the Northwest Denver Campus. He didn’t find Davenport, but left a note inviting him to call if he wanted free tickets to a game that weekend.
When the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic lifts from over the sports world, Brault will continue what he hopes is a long, successful baseball career. When his playing days do end, he plans to finish the vocal performance degree that was interrupted when he was drafted by the Orioles. He even considers coming back to Regis — and if that happens, Davenport hopes to be there to help his student-turned-star become a Regis graduate. “With his voice, [performance] is something he could do for another 20 or 30 years after he’s done playing,” Davenport said. “... If he ever wants to come back and finish his degree, I will delay my retirement.”
Rather than fight it, Brault embraced the term so fully it became the basis for his Twitter handle, @SquidBrault: “I’ve just adopted that as my own, because I’m a little strange, a little different, but I like it.” In high school, out-of-the-ordinary meant starting a garage band called the Street Gypsies with his buddies. The band’s folk-rock tunes once filled the San Diego House of Blues and are still available on SoundCloud. Brault is also a big fan of tattoos, including the black-and-white, hexagon patterns on his right arm and colored scales on his left (pitching) arm. The deep meaning behind the patterns? “Nothing,” Brault says. “I just really liked the design.” His vocal professor, Barbara Wollan, will always remember Brault’s wacky antics during her voice classes, when her students would dress up in costumes to rehearse opera and musical theater scenes. “Steven was just as goofy as everybody else,” Wollan said. “He was willing to do whatever.” Brault in Regis vocal performance class. Courtesy Barbara Wollan.
Davenport gladly accepted. At Coors Field he and his son sat with Brault’s parents and watched his former student hit his first major-league home run and earn a win as the Pirates’ starting pitcher. “That was really fun — watching him warm up, he tossed us a ball,” Davenport said. “That’s just the kind of guy he is. He doesn’t forget, he remembers and he’s very humble.”
McDermott wasn’t the only coach to notice Brault’s quirky side. In the minor leagues, a pitching coach began calling him “Squid,” a term Brault hadn’t heard before. “He explained it,” Brault said, “[by saying] that’s what they called the annoying kids when he was growing up.”
On March 4, 2020 – nearly 76 years after he was declared missing – Pvt. Harry W. Wilder was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. Photo: Tom Horan.
FALLEN BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN
AFTER 76 YEARS, A MISSING REGIS SOLDIER COMES HOME
H
ARRY WILDER WAS 21 YEARS OLD WHEN HE GRADUATED FROM REGIS COLLEGE IN THE SUMMER OF 1943. IMMEDI-
ATELY AFTER GRADUATION, LIKE MANY OF HIS GENERATION, HE WENT TO WAR.
Wilder never returned to Regis, nor to Colorado. He never again saw the sunset over the Rockies, walked the corridors of Main Hall or celebrated with friends. After he proudly wore his graduation cap and gown, Wilder enlisted in the Army to serve in World War II. He was killed in action in November of 1944. It took more than 75 years to bring his body home. Initially, Wilder was declared missing in action in November 1944. A year later, the Army notified Chester and Edith Wilder that their only son had been declared dead. Wilder’s body was not found. His parents and younger sister, Leonor “Jane” Wilder, were not able to bury him, or to learn what had happened to their son and brother. In time, Jane Wilder grew up and had a family of her own. She often told her children the story of her older brother. 24
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Immediately upon arriving at Regis College, Wilder began to play an active role in student life. During his junior year, he was associate editor of the student newspaper, the “Brown & Gold.” Wilder was a Biology major with a minor in Chemistry and hoped to study medicine after graduation. He was dedicated to his extracurricular activities despite his demanding course schedule. In addition to being appointed editor of the “Brown & Gold” his senior year, Wilder was elected president of his senior class. He was a member of a sodality — a Catholic fraternal association — and they had taken on the project of purchasing a plaque honoring Regis students and alumni serving in WWII. Wilder sat on committees to organize dances and writing contests between the men of Regis and the women of Loretto Heights College. He was a member of the International Relations Club. In 1943 he represented Regis at the Annual Intercollegiate Legislative Assembly at the Colorado statehouse. And he tied for second place as the Best Dressed student at Regis College. Before his graduation, the student newspaper wrote, “In his two years at Regis, Harry has become one of the best-known and best-liked men on the campus. His participation in school activities is legion.”
THE WAR IN EUROPE
His family didn’t know that three years after his death, Harry Wilder’s remains were discovered near the Hürtgen Forest where he was killed. They could not have foreseen that nearly 76 years later, the son and brother they lost would receive a hero’s burial in the nation’s most sacred ground: Arlington National Cemetery.
HARRY WILDER AT REGIS: CLASS PRESIDENT AND EDITOR It was the summer of 1941 when Wilder transferred from one Jesuit institution, Loyola College in Baltimore, to another: Regis College, as Regis University was called then. Wilder’s father worked for the Montgomery Ward department store and moved the family to Denver in June 1941. Harry Wilder, who was in a Baltimore hospital recovering from a back injury after a toboggan accident, followed soon afterward. Wilder’s mother Edith wrote, “While in his last part of his Freshman year, he [Harry] fell from a toboggan and hurt his back … In June that year, we moved back to Denver. Harry stayed with the Jesuits and made up his loss while in hospital, following us to Denver in August … He started back to Regis College with all the honors and high marks.”
That summer, immediately following graduation, Wilder enlisted in the Army and signed up for the Advanced Service Training Program (ASTP). The program would have allowed him to study medicine after basic training and enter the war as a medic. Unfortunately, by the time he completed basic training, the military had cancelled the ASTP and Wilder was reassigned to the infantry. He was ordered to the European Theater of Operations. Wilder sailed to Scotland in September 1944. In his letters home, he told of dancing with English girls, practicing his French, attending Mass and exchanging ammunition until all his bullets said “made in Denver” – signifying that they were made at the Denver Ordinance Plant, which was actually located in Lakewood. On Friday, October 13, 1944, Wilder landed in Normandy, France. Three days later he wrote to his father, “Hello Chief! The muddy beaches of Normandy extended a cold greeting to us on the unlucky Friday. Unlucky it was too in view of the fact that all our packs with our personal belongings were lost en route and apparently they never will catch up with us. Outside of my equipment, the only thing I lost was my writing kit, with my pictures and address book. I felt rather bad about it, but I saw several white crosses where some of the boys had lost considerably more ...” Wilder made his way through France to Germany where he was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division, while it was recuperating from fighting at the front. The Fighting Tenth, as it was known, had been in the thick of the battle for the Hürtgen Forest near Germany’s border with Belgium. Shortly after Wilder joined his new unit, it was ordered back to the front line. The Colorado and Baltimore winters Wilder was used to did not prepare him for the November winter and the dense forest landscape in REGIS.EDU
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fa m ili es . er/P ri nd iv ill e Co ur te sy W ild
which he found himself. The unfamiliar terrain and the ground solid with frost proved formidable foes. The German army was too familiar with the terrain and unfortunately, due to the overwhelming number of German forces, many dead Americans were left where they had fallen in the undergrowth and on minefields. After stopping a fierce German counterattack, the Fighting Tenth was withdrawn from the front on November 15, 1944. Wilder was not with them.
BAD NEWS COMES TO IVY STREET In the late fall of 1944, Chester Wilder had mailed his son a letter in which he reminisced about his own service in the trenches during World War I. Chester Wilder wished his son a pleasant Thanksgiving and said he looked forward to future Thanksgivings when the family would celebrate together. Chester Wilder’s letter was returned, marked undeliverable. On December 1, 1944, there was a knock on the door of the Wilders’ home on Ivy Street in Denver. A Western Union telegram reported that Harry Wilder was missing in action. The language was brief and offered little detail. In March 1945, another telegram was delivered. It stated that Harry Wilder’s last known whereabouts were “Near Vossenack, Germany. A check of PVT Wilder’s organization was made after a strong enemy attack, and he was missing.” On November 14, 1945, exactly one year to the day that Wilder was reported missing, as was public law at that time, the Army told his parents that Pvt. Harry W. Wilder was now classified as dead. After the war, Wilder’s name was memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the American Cemetery in Margraten, Netherlands. His body may have been lost, but his memory lived in the hearts and minds of his family and friends.
REGIS MEMORIAL In 1948 Wilder’s parents visited Regis College to present a plaque honoring Harry and the 28 other Regis students who lost their lives during World War II. The plaque now is on display on the west side of the third floor in Main Hall. 26
After the war, Wilder’s sister Jane grew up, married William “Bill” Prindiville and had three children, all girls: Sharon, Sheila and Eileen. “Growing up, Harry was always with us,” said Sheila Prindiville, who lives in Washington, D.C. Prindiville is a physician — as her Uncle Harry hoped to be — and works with the National Cancer Institute. “My mother celebrated his birthday, and being a Catholic family, we would always make sure there were memorial masses for Harry.” “His story was often told at family gatherings and growing up, he was present in our lives. My parents would often take out the letters he sent from Europe and read them to my sisters and me,” Prindiville said. “Although my mother was young when Harry left for Europe, she made sure our family remembered her older brother.” Not knowing for certain what happened to Wilder added to his family’s pain. Prindiville recalled that, as a child, she would wonder whether he had hit his head and was lying in a hospital in Europe, not knowing who he was.
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HARRY REMEMBERED: STORIES FROM WARTIME
IDENTIFICATION AND, FINALLY, BURIAL
When Professor Ronald Brockway and Professor Dan Clayton, along with the Rev. Jim Guyer, S.J., started the Stories from Wartime lecture series at Regis in 1995, they began interviewing veterans and collecting memorabilia that connected World War II to Regis University.
No one in the family knew that in 1947, two years after the war ended, a German woodcutter from the village of Simonskall near Hürtgen Forest found several human remains scattered across an area of woodland. The remains were skeletonized but not buried and there were no means of individual identification.
Bill Prindiville visited the Northwest Denver campus in 1997. Despite never having met Harry Wilder, Prindiville wanted to preserve his brother-in-law’s memory, so he and the family donated Wilder’s correspondence, his Purple Heart and his Regis diploma to the University’s Stories from Wartime archive. “Harry’s story is special for the students because here was someone who was like them — an active member of the Regis community struggling to balance extracurricular activities with the challenges of academic learning,” Brockway said. “They responded to the fact that Harry attended classes in Main Hall, stayed in Carroll Hall when it was the college dorm, socialized in the Quad, and walked in the same Berkeley neighborhood that they do.” Dr. Brockway noted that Wilder’s story became a fixture in the Stories from Wartime series. “Harry’s story was unique. It was about a person who would forever be a young adult like they were at the time they heard his story. Harry Wilder emerged from a handful of artifacts – his letters, photos and medals plus several cold, impersonal, official documents. It was a story of human tragedy – of a life lost and the lasting impact on his parents and his sister,” Brockway said.
The U.S. Army collected the remains and concluded that the individuals had likely been killed by artillery fire. A crucifix was found with one set of the remains, and on April 13, 1950, the remains were interred at the U.S. Military Cemetery in Belgium. They remained there, untouched and unidentified until 2018. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) was established in 2015 to identify the remains of the fallen across all conflicts involving U.S. servicemen and women. Its mission is to provide the “fullest possible accounting for our
His family donated Harry Wilder’s Purple Heart to Regis University’s Stories from Wartime collection. Photo: Brett Stakelin.
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missing personnel to their families and the nation.” The DPAA provides background on battles and tries to reunite loved ones with the remains of the fallen. In 2017, the DPAA contacted Harry Wilder’s family to discuss its mission and invited them to donate DNA. Wilder’s eldest niece, Sharon Hillman, provided a DNA sample, which enabled the DPAA to search for a match among the unidentified remains in their archive. In November 2018, the DPAA contacted the family to say they were certain they had found a match. They met with the family in Chicago in May 2019 to discuss their findings. DNA extracted from the remains the woodcutter had found in Simonskall in 1947 had a strong match with the sample provided by Sharon Hillman. The DNA, combined with the height, partial dental records and the crucifix, led the DPAA to confidently say that one set of the remains were those of Pvt. Harry W. Wilder. Wilder was no longer lost. “There was a sense of relief when we were contacted. My father [Bill Prindiville] couldn’t believe it. He nearly asked the military to double check and make sure it was him,” Sheila Prindiville said. On February 28, 2020, Harry Wilder’s remains arrived in Washington, D.C. On March 4, he was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Wilder has now returned to the United States of America, the country he loved and the country he served.
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Pvt. Harry Wilder with his father, Chester Wilder. Courtesy Wilder family.
Harry Wilder now lies among fellow fallen soldiers on the nation’s most hallowed ground. Photo: Tom Horan
THE BATTLE FOR THE HÜRTGEN FOREST It has been all but forgotten now – overshadowed by the decisive Battle of the Bulge, which partially coincided with it. But the battle of the Hürtgen Forest, in which Harry Wilder was killed, was the longest single battle on German ground during World War II. It also was among the most costly: Between September 19 and December 16, 1944, as many as 33,000 American soldiers lost their lives. Harry Wilder’s nieces Sharon Hillman, Sheila Prindiville and Eileen Hafner attended his March 4, 2020 funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. Photo: Tom Horan
His remaining family – his nieces, Sharon Hillman, Sheila Prindiville and Eileen Hafner – attended the ceremony with their own children to remember and honor the relative they never met but who remained present in their lives. Bill Prindiville, who had worked for years to keep his brother-in-law’s memory alive, did not get to see Harry return home to a permanent rest; he died in January 2019. His wife, Wilder’s sister Jane, had passed away in 1985. “It was an emotional day that brought us a sense of closure to Harry’s story. The military did a fantastic job honoring their fallen brother. From the initial contact they made with us back in 2017 right through to the end, they have been by our side. They have been by Harry’s side for 74 years,” Sheila Prindiville said. When asked about Wilder’s legacy, Brockway said: “I’ve been telling Harry’s story for over two decades and keeping his memory alive for our Stories from Wartime students. But it wasn’t until 2020, 75 years after the end of World War II and 23 years after I started talking about Harry, that I am able to say: Harry has been found and he is home at last.”
Hürtgen Forest is 10 miles from Germany’s border with Belgium. It’s a rich, dense wood where sunlight struggles to reach the forest floor. During the war, the thick woods limited visibility, and travel through the forest was difficult because there were few decent roads. Stephen Ambrose in his book “Citizen Soldiers” said those who were there described the forest as “a green cave, always dripping water, low roofed and forbidding.” It was not a place for combat. The German infantry defended the forest because it offered access to the Roer River dams and the ability to reinforce other battalions. The Allies wanted to take the forest because they wanted to prevent the German army from releasing the water in the reservoirs. If released, the water would swamp any forces operating downstream and slow the Allies’ advancement through Europe. The dense forest made air support impractical, and mortars were high-risk because when fired, they would explode in the treetops, raining shrapnel on the troops below. In December, after three months of fighting, U.S. troops were still pushing their way through the difficult terrain when the German army launched an offensive in the Ardennes forest. The German move — which ultimately led to the Battle of the Bulge — caught the Americans off guard, and brought the fighting in Hürtgen Forest to an end.
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HUMANITY IN COLOR BY Matt K. Johnson
Faculty member R. Alan Brooks uses the pen to combat bigotry and challenge views on race R. Alan Brooks wasn’t surprised by the death threats themselves — just the timing of them. Last December 24, the online news outlet “The Colorado Sun” published an article previewing “Anguish Garden,” Brooks’ soon-to-be-released graphic novel and his first since becoming a faculty mentor to students in Regis University’s Mile-High Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program. Because “Anguish Garden” offers an allegorical take on a hot-button issue — white supremacy — Brooks was prepared for some strong reactions to the article. The next day, Christmas Day, he awoke to multiple direct messages from an Instagram user stating that comic book writers and artists should be “drug out in the streets and shot.” “Frankly, I expected [threats] earlier,” said Brooks, who has remained safe in the wake of the threats and responded by making them public. “But this one was jarring because it was Christmas Day. … It’s not a great feeling, but it does feel like it’s a part of doing something that matters.” What matters to Brooks — and perhaps to those who might like to silence him — is inviting his readers to question how they view the humanity of others. A former rapper and insurance agent who has now turned his full attention to writing, Brooks mixes genres, characters and themes to investigate tough topics such as race, identity and xenophobia. He admits these topics may stir up strong emotions for those on the extremes, but those aren’t the people he’s trying to reach.
“When it comes to these attitudes of hate and murderous intent, there are definitely people who have that, but those people are on the extremes,” he said. “And there are people way on the other side … who can [also] go to an extreme. But I think most people fall somewhere in between.” It’s for those in-betweeners that Brooks writes, hoping to inspire honest reflection of how his readers view and treat others. In “Anguish Garden,” set for release this fall, Brooks comments on racism, an issue he encountered personally while living most of his life in Atlanta. “Racism certainly exists [in Denver], but it’s not like it is in the South,” said Brooks, who moved to Denver in 2003. “All that energy that I was using to protect myself in the South mentally, I can now use to create things here.” Even when prejudice reared its head in more subtle forms, Brooks remembers it creating a backdrop for his formative years. “The thing about racism is that when it’s ubiquitous, like it is in the South, people are not actually telling you that they’re treating you bad because you’re black, because they’ll get in trouble,” he said. “You just go to the grocery store or something and a person has an attitude with you and you’re like, ‘Why is this happening?’”
Courtesy R. Alan Brooks; photo by Kate Russell/Meow Wolf.
To shed some creative light on the issue, Brooks decided to write “Anguish Garden” alongside artistic collaborators Kevin Caron, Dailen Ogden and Sarah Menzel Trapl. In the story, Brooks uses allegory to highlight a young woman who is hired to capture people she believes are infected with an alien virus. The protagonist believes she is doing the world a favor by saving humanity from these threats, but she eventually comes to doubt whether the infected minority group is dangerous at all. “‘Anguish Garden’ [is] about the extreme you can be in if you don’t recognize the humanity of another group,” Brooks said. Brooks isn’t only engaging his community through his graphic novels. As a graphic narrative mentor in Regis’ creative writing program, he is pouring his insights and experiences into the next generation of graphic novelists as they grapple with a storytelling method long seen as more juvenile than prose or film. “There’s always been this battle fought in the industry to give comics the legitimacy that they deserve,” Brooks said. “Educators are embracing graphic novels and comics a lot now. They’re in libraries, which wasn’t true before. It’s been a process, but we’re getting there.”
Writing a New Story Immediately before writing graphic novels, Brooks was selling property, casualty and later, health, insurance. By his fourth year on the job, he struggled to deal with angry people — not because of their anger, but because of his own apathy. “If you’re mad at me about something I’ve written, OK,” he said. “If you’re mad at me about insurance, I don’t care about insurance. It just accumulated.” He traveled to Europe for a month before realizing where his heart was leading: “I came back and was like, ‘I’m writing comics.’” Back stateside, he reached out to friends and contacts, started a Kickstarter project for funding, and in 2017 published his first graphic novel, “The Burning Metronome.” The book, a supernatural murder mystery, hits on some themes similar to those covered in “Anguish Garden,” including how characters affirm or deny the humanity of others. “One of the things that I feel like is an accomplishment is that nobody ever asked me about the lead character being an old black man…” Brooks said. “That tells me that I have constructed his humanity in such a way that people read it and just feel, ‘This is a person and I want to see where he’s going,’ and then don’t even think about it.” The comic book — or graphic novel; Brooks cares little about name distinction — helped him secure a literary agent and established him within Denver’s creative community. It also helped him gain a foothold with artists who could complete the sketches and colors for future works. As is common in the industry, Brooks specializes in one area — in his case, writing the stories — while partnering with fellow artists for illustration, colors, lettering and more. “The Burning Metronome” also paved the way for another important benefit: a job at Regis. One prominent figure who learned about the book was Mile-High MFA Director David Hicks, who was searching for someone to mentor MFA students interested in graphic novel writing. Seeing Brooks’ potential, Hicks offered him a chance to speak at one of the program’s biannual nine-day residencies. “He’s a very easygoing, relatable, intelligent, respectful speaker,” Hicks said. “He doesn’t condescend to the students and he doesn’t inflate his importance. ... He just tells them the straight scoop in everyday language and the students adore him immediately. Two of them came up to me afterward and were like, ‘Can we hire him?’”
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The Next Chapter Not long after that presentation, Hicks did offer Brooks a job. Last fall Brooks joined the MFA program as a faculty mentor in graphic narrative. “He’s just a great professor,” Hicks said. “He just didn’t know it because he hadn’t had the chance to do it.” Brooks meets one-on-one with students at the MFA residencies held each January and July, helping them form a plan for their writing goals. Throughout the semester, he provides guidance and feedback as those students complete readings, work on graphic novel drafts and create pitches to publishers and agents. While the transition to becoming a mentor has been a natural one — Brooks credits his experience providing guidance to young rappers — he sometimes marvels at where he has arrived: “If you would have told 10-year-old me that I could write a comic book and it would make me a professor, I never would have believed you.” These days, Brooks’ weeks are busy. Along with writing a weekly comic for “The Colorado Sun” and co-hosting a podcast that explores geek culture, he still raps, speaks at conferences, writes educational comics and has even tried his hand at a movie script. Staying busy helps him keep his ears open — to memorable stories like the one he recently heard at a convention: A woman who had suffered multiple strokes bought “The Burning Metronome” and liked it so much that she decided to use it for speech therapy. “These characters that I thought of on my living room couch, that they could occupy that important a space in somebody’s life, [it’s] so incredible,” Brooks said. Brooks admits becoming a faculty member at a Jesuit, Catholic university was a new kind of challenge. Having experienced holier-than-thou attitudes in both the religious and academic spheres separately, he worried what might happen at the intersection of the two. But at Regis, he says, something feels different. “I typically avoid arenas that are pretentious, [but] it feels very natural for me to be here right now,” he said. “It feels good and comfortable, and appropriate. The students that I’ve dealt with have a sincere interest in creating at their highest level, and that’s great to me. I love to be a part of that.”
Excerpts from “Anguish Garden” by R. Alan Brooks and collaborators Kevin Caron, Dailen Ogden and Sarah Menzel Trapl. Courtesy R. Alan Brooks. Book 2 of “The Burning Metronome” series. Courtesy R. Alan Brooks. REGIS.EDU
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It wasn’t long before Lockard heard about Heaberlin’s situation. “She texted me and said, ‘Do you really need a kidney? Would you take mine?’” Heaberlin recalled. Lockard turned out to be a match, and despite protocol dictating that Heaberlin should be kept in the dark — “they don’t want us to get our hopes up and then be disappointed,” she said — her former student couldn’t resist sharing the good news. After months of tests, images and even a psychological evaluation, all designed to make sure Lockard truly was a donor candidate, the two women went into surgery. When the operation was over, Lockard was one kidney short of a set, and Heaberlin was on her way to becoming healthy again.
Suzy Lockard, left, and Pam Heaberlin
GIFTS OF LIFE AND LEARNING
ALUMNA’S LIFESAVING DONATION INSPIRES LEGACY
easy decision. “Why would I not do it?” she asked. “If I could save someone’s life, why wouldn’t I do it?” After the transplant, the women became closer and usually marked the transplant anniversary with dinner or a spa day for two. They got together one last time on March 17, 2019, days before the third anniversary of the transplant. Heaber-
S
sure the scholarship reaches the $50,000 endowed level.
SUV. “It was the car of her dreams. She’d
But in December 2019, three years after the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) donated a kidney to save the life of Regis affiliate faculty professor Pam Heaberlin, Lockard’s own life ended too abruptly for even the most powerful hero to save her. “It’s a great loss,” Heaberlin said. “She was a person who helped everybody.”
The women met in Heaberlin’s Regis classroom, where Lockard was studying to become a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. After Lockard graduated, the two stayed in touch, and Heaberlin became a sort of unofficial mentor, a sounding board, and a friend. “She would text me with questions,” about caring for those fragile infants, “and she reached out to me asking me to be a reference for jobs,” Heaberlin said. Then, in 2014, Heaberlin learned she had the genetic kidney disease that ran in her family. Without a transplant, the disease likely would result in being hooked up to a machine four days a week for dialysis as the only means of staying alive.
Heaberlin has her way, Suzi Lockard will
After learning they could not be donors themselves, Heaberlin’s family got busy hunting for someone who could. Her husband, Jeff, took to Facebook and even drove around town in a bright red pickup truck displaying the words “My Wife Needs a Kidney” in bright white type, above the transplant center’s phone number.
fession she really cared about.”
UZI LOCKARD WAS THE HERO, arriving
in the nick of time, saving the day and saving a life. And that’s how the story was supposed to end.
Now, Heaberlin, her co-workers at Regis and her family are establishing a scholarship that will keep Lockard’s name and memory alive. The Suzi Lockard Memorial Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Scholarship will assist students in pursuing a Master of Science degree in nursing to become a neonatal nurse practitioner “who exhibit(s) exceptional compassion and commitment to the service of others.” Heaberlin’s father, Ralph Dillon — who also is the recipient of a donated kidney — will match all gifts up to a total of $20,000. His goal is to make 34
In 2016, Lockard told Regis magazine that becoming Heaberlin’s donor was an
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lin brought her husband while Lockard brought her fiancée and her new Toyota never been able to have a brand new one before.” On that car was a donor license plate bearing the words, “I Did It.” Days later, Heaberlin learned her friend had died of a brain aneurysm. She left behind three children, Tyler, Summer and Kiya. Thanks to her selflessness, a part of her still lives on through Heaberlin. And, if be remembered for generations to come. Lockard might have tried to argue that she didn’t deserve a scholarship, Heaberlin said. “But I think she’d be thrilled at the idea of helping someone get into this proTo learn more about the Suzi Lockard Memorial Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Scholarship and opportunities to donate, contact Laurel Petralia, University Advancement, by email at lpetralia@regis.edu; or at 303.964.6044. — KA
During the Loretto Heights College era, the cafeteria in Machebeuf Hall, which was built in 1960, doubled as a gathering spot and student union.
Alumni like Martha Kirkpatrick say they are grateful the redevelopment plans call for preserving some of the campus’ historic buildings, including the chapel.
A LAST LOOK AT LORETTO HEIGHTS COLLEGE Over 120-plus years, the hilltop campus on south Federal Boulevard has been an academy for girls, a World War I military training ground, Teikyo Loretto Heights University, and perhaps most famously, Loretto Heights College. To Martha Kirkpatrick, who graduated in 1982, Loretto Heights College was “a magical place” — a tight-knit community of dedicated students and talented faculty.
The college’s historic bell will remain on campus.
Loretto Heights dorm rooms didn’t seem so tiny at the time she lived there, said alumna Martha Kirkpatrick.
The May 22 tour gave many alumni their first chance to climb the bell tower, which was off limits to students.
The main administration building, opened in 1891, was designed by Frank Edbrooke, who also designed Denver’s Brown Palace Hotel.
The college became part of Regis University in 1988, and the campus was sold. Now, it is on the brink of yet another incarnation: a mixeduse residential and commercial development. On a late-May afternoon, dozens of Loretto Heights alumni got a last look at the college and its buildings. Kirkpatrick, who led some of the tours of tiny dorm rooms and even a climb up the bell tower, said she is grateful the developers are honoring the campus’ history, and that the iconic administration building, the chapel and perhaps other buildings will be preserved. “I’m very hopeful for what the future holds.”
The 121-year-old administration building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will remain on the Loretto Heights campus.
SCHOLARSHIP STORIES
CHORAL DIRECTION STEADY HAND HELPS VOICE STUDENT FIND HER PATH
choir director, Kyle Fleming, a highly regarded musician and educator who has taught along Colorado’s Front Range for more than 20 years. In high school, Greco participated in a community choir led by Fleming, and she recalled how much he inspired her. Interested in how he might influence her experience at Regis, she decided to stick around. “I thought, OK, I think [his arrival] is a sign I should stay and see if he can transform this choir and renew our program,” she said. Still, during her sophomore year, another challenging decision loomed: whether to commit fully to music or stick with the psychology and neuroscience track she had started. One day, while Greco was wrestling with that choice, she walked straight from a psychology class to a voice lesson. During that walk, she realized she needed to focus on music. “I remember wishing I had worked a lot harder for my voice lesson, and I knew that I wanted that way more than anything . . . I started crying.”
T
ESS GRECO IS AWARE OF HER TENDENCY TO WANDER. Thanks to a steady hand
at Regis, she found a straighter path — and now is singing her way into her young adult life. Greco, a music scholarship recipient and vocal performance major, graduated this spring as the assistant director of the Regis concert choir. Just three years ago, though, she was disillusioned with the lack of community she felt in the choir program — to the point that she considered transferring away from Regis. Then Regis appointed a new concert
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Along with prayer, conversations with Fleming helped guide her. “To me, [this] has been a major theme, at least in our conversations: Know who you are, who God has created you to be,” Fleming said. “Once it has become clear what you’re passionate about, what gets you up in the morning, then answer the question of what [you should] do.” Greco followed through with the decision, which brought new opportunities, including studying and performing chamber music in Rome for three weeks last year. “It was a dream come true,” she said. Greco performed music from the classical to the contemporary with Regis’ concert
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choir and also has sung in the a capella club and the University Ministry chapel choir. She said she often can’t pull herself away from singing, sometimes forgoing outings with friends to spend hours in a practice room by herself. “It’s that imaginative, almost meditative part of singing that takes me away from the world for a while,” she said. “It’s kind of a refuge, in a way.” Greco plans to spend the next two years as a campus missionary for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). Afterward, she plans to pursue further vocal training and launch a career in music. “I will still be able to strengthen my music skills during missionary work,” Greco said. “FOCUS even encouraged me to keep taking voice lessons to expand my operatic repertoire, and so that I can apply to grad school afterwards.” Greco’s dream is to perform opera someday. “I’m the only one in my class right now who wants to do that,” she said. “So, it’s kind of crazy to think that — it’s a really lofty dream.” Perhaps none of that dreaming could have happened without Fleming’s guidance. In April, Greco created an 18-minute tribute video, featuring clips of herself and her classmates thanking Fleming for his influence, that she shared on YouTube. As the end of her Regis experience approached, Fleming said Greco had earned the right to think big. “Tess is someone who typifies what I think Regis wants [for students],” he said. “She can step out in bold ways and she’s not at risk of going too far because she’s planted and grounded. She has true humility.” — MKJ
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MORE ADVICE FROM A TOTAL FOX
Thank you to all those who donated to Regis University during this time of need. Your generosity is appreciated and has made a difference.
Dear Regi: “I’ve read a boatload of comments on social media expressing anger and frustration at people not wearing masks, not social distancing — basically not following the guidelines set up for everyone’s safety. It’s important to do those things to keep everyone safe but the finger-pointing, judging and insults are wearing me out. I only wish to help the situation, not pile on. How does one kindly and respectfully encourage safe behavior?” ~ Stacy
Tip #1 - Trust your instincts. I
Stacy, a leopard never changes its spots. I should probably end it right there, but I’ve got two columns of text to fill here.
And I love a good frolicking.
To me, people and foxes should be allowed to do whatever they want — unless it could hurt someone else. Not taking simple steps to protect yourself and maybe prevent someone else from getting sick, well I just don’t get that.
to show off their personal style
We are all still learning about COVID-19, but we do know that wearing masks and social distancing are important ways to help all of us stay safe. I care about others as much as the next fox, so I admire your desire — hey, that rhymes! — to respectfully bring that message of safety to social media. As my human friends at Regis would say, “we strive to be contemplatives in action.” Here are a few tips that came into my big ol’ brain (which, frankly, I don’t get to show off enough because I can’t talk) for respectfully encouraging others to behave more safely:
use my keen sensibilities as a fox all the time! Consider your audience and don’t let people trap you into no-win conversations, even if they try to entice you with a big creme-filled donut. Tip #2 - Should you choose to get involved in a discussion, make sure what you say comes from a place of love and logic. If you do that, you’ll be able to frolic away knowing you gave it your best. Tip #3 - Try to express even the minor benefits of safer choices. For example, encourage others through the masks they wear. There are all sorts of wacky designs out there. (Personally, I like the rainbow chocolate sprinkle pattern). I recently also had to get my mask special-ordered because my head is so ginormous it has its own solar system. This issue reminds me of a prayer a wise old Regis squirrel once told me when I was just a pup: “Grant me the strength to accept things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” I thought that squirrel was pretty cool for saying that. Until I realized he ripped off the quote from the 20th-century theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. I’ve looked at all of our campus squirrels differently after that.
RANGERS IN THE WORLD
BAT MAN
BASEBALL’S CLUBHOUSE MANAGER OF THE YEAR BRINGS LOVE OF THE GAME AND A REGIS DEGREE TO THE JOB
A
helped inspire me to see the big picture,” Pontarelli said. “She was a class act and one of my favorite teachers ever.”
LOT OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL’S CLUBHOUSE MANAGERS HAVE CATCHY
NICKNAMES. Not a lot of them got those
nicknames at age 9.
By his graduation day in 2004, Pontarelli was working part-time for the Rockies when the Atlanta Braves came to town.
But Mike “Tiny” Pontarelli, the Colorado Rockies clubhouse manager, has been in baseball so long that when he got the nickname, he actually was tiny — at least compared to the grown-ups on the field.
Bobby Cox, the Braves’ manager at the time, wasn’t going to let Pontarelli leave the ballpark for the ceremony at Regis empty handed. Pontarelli recalled that Cox asked him to run an errand, and when he got back, the man who holds Major League Baseball’s record for the most ejections from a game “had a card for me that he’d had all his players sign, and they made a contribution to my graduation fund.”
Since then, he’s grown both physically and in stature. In January, the Major League Baseball Clubhouse Managers Association named the one-time bat boy Clubhouse Manager of the Year. “It’s truly an honor,” Pontarelli said, because it was voted on by his peers. As clubhouse manager, his job involves overseeing everything in the locker room, the players’ dressing room, uniforms and equipment. He even arranges for players’ cars to be hauled to Arizona for Spring Training, then back to Colorado.
After graduation, Pontarelli and his business education went to work – briefly — as a financial analyst. “Financial markets were fascinating,” he said. “But I truly missed baseball.”
His career started early. Pontarelli’s father, a Denver Police detective, did off-duty work for the local baseball team. In those pre-big-league days, that team was the Denver Zephyrs, the Milwaukee Brewers’ Triple-A farm club.
So Pontarelli returned to the Rockies, as assistant clubhouse manager, in 2005, and served as manager of the visiting clubhouse in 2015 and 2016. He’s been the Rockies’ clubhouse manager for the last three years.
“When my father would go work with the Zephyrs, I’d tag along. Eventually they asked me to be a bat boy,” Pontarelli said. “I more or less grew up with baseball.” Because baseball’s penchant for nicknames extends to the smallest people on the field, no one called little Mike Pontarelli by his name. “Everyone had a different nickname for me, and I was getting frustrated.” One day, Pontarelli recalled, Brewers’ pitching coach Don Rowe (nickname: Skid) called him over and asked what was bothering him. “I said, ‘All these guys are calling me all these different names and it bothers me.’” Rowe asked his preference, and Pontarelli didn’t hesitate: Tiny.
Courtesy Mike Pontarelli.
“He said, ‘OK, that’s your name.’” Nearly 30 years later, it still is. Tiny’s love of baseball has grown along with him. But at one point, it seemed he might have moved beyond the sport. When it was time for college, Regis was a natural choice. Pontarelli was raised Catholic, and several family members, including his sister, were Regis graduates. “I loved the campus and the class sizes. I just felt very comfortable at Regis.” He majored in communications and minored in business, planning to go into baseball broadcasting. He has fond memories of his experience at Regis, and his instructors, particularly Catharyn Baird, a professor in Regis’ business school for 21 years. “She had a huge impact on my education. She gave me leadership roles and… I think she saw something in me, and that
As the 2020 baseball season remained on hold in May, Pontarelli was missing baseball again. But he has plenty of memories and mementos to get him through the dark diamond-less days. And a love of the sport that has never waned. He’s got a wall full of autographed jerseys, and he never stopped getting a thrill when the team traveled to San Francisco for games against the Giants and Willie Mays or the late Willie McCovey showed up. He recently watched “Field of Dreams” again. “I was just missing baseball,” he said. “I never got jaded. I’ve always been able to see the good in the industry,” Pontarelli said. “It’s more than a job. I do it for the love of the game.”— KA REGIS.EDU
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CLASS NOTES
1950s-1980s Emanuel Sylvester Lawbaugh IV, RC ’57, has been named an Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award winner by Marquis Who’s Who. The honor recognizes his legal and military leadership.
Darlene Rokosz, LHC ’69, and Rick Rokosz, RC ’68 and RU ’91, received the Northern Arizona Healthcare Foundation’s 2019 Philanthropists of the Year award. The couple created a program to donate new stuffed animals to young patients at the NAH hospital in Flagstaff, Ariz. The Rokoszes also have committed to funding the Rokosz Excellence in Nursing Scholarship.
Air Force Col. Matthew Donovan, ACB ’81, has been appointed by President Donald Trump to serve as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. He most recently was Under Secretary of the Air Force, and was acting Secretary of the Air Force from June to October 2019. Donovan previously served for 30 years as a combat pilot with the Air Force.
1990s
John Meeker, ACB ’92, is founder and curator of the Scouting Heritage Museum of the Boy Scouts of America Denver Area Council. The museum, which focuses on the history of scouting in the Denver area, is located inside the Denver Area Council’s Lakewood headquarters.
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CLASS NOTES
Guillermo “G” Diaz, Jr., ACB, ’93, was named chief executive officer of Kloudspot, a predictive artificial intelligence and analytics platform provider. Rev. Hung T. Pham, S.J., RC ’93, returned to Regis in March to speak to a group of first-generation college students about Ignatian discernment. Pham is an assistant professor of Ignatian spirituality at the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University in California.
Brig. Gen. David N. Miller Jr., ACB, ’97, was named senior military assistant to Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett. Miller previously commanded the 460th Space Wing at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado and has served as senior advisor at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.
2000s Brett McClain, ACB ’01, was named chief operating officer of San Diego-based Sharp HealthCare. Nancy Flores, RC ’02; CCIS ’04, has been named executive vice president, chief information officer and chief technology officer of McKesson Corp. Bertrand Liang, M.D., Ph.D., ACB ’02, was named chief medical officer of Kitov Pharma, an Israel-based developer of cancer treatments. Caesar Nieves, ACB ’02, was named senior vice president of cyber business for Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. Brittney Petersen, RHCHP ’04, was named administrator of the Richland County Health Department in eastern Montana. Abby Verdillo Hamilton, ACB ’06, was named president and CEO of United Way of Roanoke Valley in Virginia. Anthony Johnson, CCIS ’06, managing partner at technology consulting firm Delve Risk, was named to the advisory board of cybersecurity training firm RangeForce. Jackie Brookshire, ACB ’07; ACB ’19, has been named president of Englewood, Colo.-based American Furniture Warehouse. Brookshire rejoined the retailer in 2014 as director of human resources and has assisted her father, founder and acting CEO Jake Jabs, with succession planning.
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CLASS NOTES
Ryan Moroze, RC ’07, has joined AllHealth Network, based in Englewood, Colo., as chief medical officer. Bill Olsen, ACB ’07, joined Arnall Golden Gregory LLP’s Washington, D.C., office as managing director of forensic advisory services. Linda Reetz, ACB ’07, has been named the president of Sparrow Ionia Hospital in Ionia, Mich. Casey Cutter, RC ’07, has been named principal at Sam Houston Elementary School in Tennessee. Kurt Seguer, ACB ’08 has joined ServisFirst Bank as a senior vice president for commercial banking. He is based in the bank’s Charleston, S.C., office. Adam Thacker, ACB ’08, has been named chief operating officer of the 158-bed Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, Ind. J. Michael Pressimone, ACB ’09, has been named president of Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio.
2010s Sam Bailey, RC ’11, vice president of economic development at Metro Denver Economic Development Corp., has been named one of 40 Under 40 in 2020 by “The Denver Business Journal.” Diana McFail, ACB ’12, was named president and chief executive officer of Colorado’s NextFifty Initiative®, a private foundation working to improve the lives of older adults and their caregivers. Dosher Memorial Hospital in Wilmington, N.C., has named Mark Wagaman, RHCHP ’12, its surgical services clinical nurse manager. Kelsey Dehmer, RHCHP ’13, was named clinic director of Therapydia’s second Seattle-area physical therapy clinic, Therapydia Ballard. Joshua Gallegos, RC ’13, an environmental health specialist for the Pueblo City-County Health Department, has been named one of the 40 Under 40 Emerging Leaders by the Latino Chamber of Commerce Pueblo. Chanda Hinton, ACB ’13, has been named one of the top 25 Most Powerful Women in Colorado for 2020 by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Each year the chamber selects 25 women to honor for their professional achievement and contribution to the community. Andrew Farrell, RC, ACB ’14, has been promoted to senior vice president, retirement distribution at Symetra Life Insurance Co.
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CLASS NOTES
Matt Pees, CCLS ’16, was named head football coach of Findlay High School in Findlay, Ohio.
Emily John, RC ’17, and Christian Bitar, RC ’17, who met while students at Regis, were married May 18, 2019, at Park Church in Denver. Nurse practitioner Jenni Kuker, RHCHP ’19, has joined the healthcare team at Canyonlands Healthcare in Globe, Ariz. Previously, Kuker was a public health volunteer for the United States Peace Corps in Zambia.
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We’re offering you a chance to channel your inner historian and tell us who, when, where or what is going on in this photo, the one on pages 40-41, or both. Be the first to correctly identify the University history unfolding in the photo(s) and win a Regis T-shirt, coffee mug or face covering – your choice. (No current University faculty and staff, please!) Send entries to: editor@regis.edu.
THANK YOU!
SUBMIT YOUR INFORMATION AND JPG IMAGES TO EDITOR@REGIS.EDU AND THESE COULD BE PUBLISHED IN A FUTURE ISSUE OF REGIS UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE. REGIS.EDU
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IN MEMORIAM
“ The song is ended, but the melody lingers on.”
~ Irving Berlin
Longtime Regis Associate Professor of biology BARBARA ANN FINNEY, Ph.D., loved the outdoors, science and service. Her passions produced decades of accomplishments in the classroom and on the mission field. While an undergraduate at Eastern New Mexico University in her home state, she spent a summer in Oregon as a student missionary. Then, after earning her Ph.D. at the University of Colorado, she spent a summer with the Sisters of St. Francis at their remote mission near Mexico City. That trip launched a decades-long commitment that would produce memorable adventures for Finney, including disguising herself as a nun to escape violence after a village coup. Her Regis affiliation began in the late ’60s, when she was asked to create an ecology program. “I was thrilled . . . it was at the time when ecology conscience was high in the United States, and Regis saw an important opportunity,” she told Regis University Magazine in 1989. Regis students often accompanied Finney on mission trips and on expeditions to Rocky Mountain canyons and hillsides to study wildlife. After her retirement, she still managed to find time to serve with the Cherry Creek Volunteer Fire Department.
BERNADETTE I. (COSTELLO) BAUMAN, LHC, ’44 MARIAN ELIZABETH (MEYER) ACKERMAN, LHC ’46 JOHN MIRIAM JONES, LHC ’46 FRANCIS J. MAKOWSKI, RC ’47 JOANN (ZONTINE) MARRANZINO, LHC ’47 JOHN G. DILLAVOU, RC ’48 COLLEEN ROSE FIDEL, LHC ’48 MARGARITE ROSE (REVIELLE) HORVATH, LHC ’48 JAMES F. DWYER, RC ’49 BETTY L. (MAAS) TAMBURELLO, LHC ’49 MARY ALICE (BROWN) REGNER, LHC ’50 AGNES J. (HUDSON) UNDERWOOD, LHC ’50 ADELAIDE A. (KELLY) KIRSTEN, LHC ’50 JAMES WILLIAM VICKERS, RC ’51 ROBERT J. WALLACE, RC ’51 PRISCILLA J. (CARROLL) DUTY, LHC ’52 MARY F. SANDOVAL-ROME, LHC ’52 HELEN MARIE (KRMPOTICH) YENKO, LHC ’52 LENDORA (JORDANE) HEAD, LHC ’53 EILEEN MARIE (LAWLESS) HEIMERL, LHC ’53 ROSEMARIE (JORDANE) HOLMBERG, LHC ’53 FREIDA MARION (LEHMAN) WAMBOLT, LHC ’53
“She led an amazing life,” said her cousin, James Earls.
SHIRLEY MARIE (JOSEY) BAKER, LHC ’54
Finney passed away at 85 on Dec. 2. In addition to Earls, she is survived by her brother, Bartlett Finney.
JAMES A. MCNULTY, RC ’54
DR. WILLIAM LOUIS KERRIGAN, RC ’54
MARY ANN (MATT) MIKOS, LHC ’54 ROGER JOHN NITTLER, RC ’54 RICHARD THOMAS BONELLI, RC ’55
ACB ANDERSON COLLEGE OF BUSINESS | CCIS COLLEGE OF COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES | CCLS COLLEGE OF CONTEMPORARY LIBERAL STUDIES LHC LORETTO HEIGHTS COLLEGE | RC REGIS COLLEGE | RHCHP RUECKERT-HARTMAN COLLEGE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS
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IN MEMORIAM
ANDREW JOSEPH “ANDY” MARTELON, who died April 16 at age 90, was a dedicated community volunteer whose long career included four years as director of college relations for his alma mater.
MARGOT A. (SAXTORPH) CONWAY, LHC ’55
Martelon was born in Montana and became one of the first to earn the Knights of Columbus (counsel 539) Scholarship to Regis, and with that assistance he earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1951. A year later, he married Anna May Kirk.
CHARLOTTE M. (MCCABE) SAVIGNAC, LHC ’55
For the rest of his life, Martelon repaid the Knights’ investment with tireless service, achieving the rank of grand knight, state deputy and vice supreme master for the Catholic service organization. He enjoyed traveling across the country to Knights’ conventions, frequently taking his family. Martelon also was president of the Denver chapter of the Easter Seals Society, now a part of Easterseals Colorado, which provides assistance to children and adults with disabilities, and led fundraising efforts for his family’s home parish in Denver. Having worked at a publishing press while earning his degree, he founded A.M. Printing Co. in 1956 and managed it until 1968, when he left to work at Regis. His later work included directorial roles for “The Rocky Mountain News,” “Cervi’s Rocky Mountain Journal” and the Central City Opera Association. Martelon is survived by three brothers, three sisters, eight children, 13 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
JOSEPH S. GENOVA, RC ’55 GERALD NORMAN MCCARTHY, RC ’55 JOANNE E. (ELLIOTT) RICKARD, LHC ’55
MARY LENORE (FISCHER) ALLRED, LHC ’56 PATRICIA JEAN (FARRELL) BOYNTON, LHC ’56 PATRICIA THRESE FALK, LHC ’56 JAMES P. FASSLER, RC ’56 JOSEPH MARTIN IMHOFF, RC ’56 JAMES NELSON BROWN, RC ’57 THOMAS H. MAY, RC ’57 GABRIELLE MARIE (GUINAN) AUTRY, LHC ’58 MARTIN ROBERT KOPP, RC ’58 RAYMOND L. MORITZ, RC ’58 PHILIP C. RUOFF, RC ’58 MARIE ERNESTINE (ELLENDER) SPRINGER, LHC ’58 LOUIS A. VILA, RC ’58 PATRICIA H. (SCHMITZ) FLOOD, LHC ’59 DR. MATHEW LEONARD NICKELS, RC ’59 MONA KAY (DESMOND) SHEA, LHC ’59 BARBARA JEAN (AXTELL) STASKO, LHC ’59 JAMES E. ARVIDSON, RC ’60 DR. WILLIAM CHARLES DWYER, RC ’60 HAROLD D. MARCOTTE, RC ’60 DR. WILLIAM MARTIN ALLEN, RC ’61 DR. THEODORE J. BARTH, RC ’61 DR. MICHAEL EARLEY DUNN, RC ’61
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IN MEMORIAM
RABBI HOWARD HIRSCH was a man who found a home, and found friends, leading a synagogue, in an opera house – and in the classrooms of a Jesuit university. Hirsch taught in Regis’ Department of Religious Studies for 20 years. He brought to teaching decades of experience as a spiritual leader, first as assistant rabbi at the Park Synagogue in his hometown of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, then as rabbi at Temple Shalom in Colorado Springs. Hirsch, who died April 15 at 83, was perhaps most widely known for his ability to transcend denominational boundaries, find common ground and spark dialogue between faiths. In 1995 he founded in Colorado Springs the Center for ChristianJewish Dialogue, which “modeled a spirit of respectful dialogue” to bring multiple faiths together.
MARY S. (COMSTOCK) FEELEY, LHC ’61
He did likewise in his two decades at Regis. In his 2014 commencement address, Regis President Rev. John P. Fitzgibbons, S.J., thanked Hirsch and Bishop Richard Hanifen for their remarks at the same ceremony. The two “embody the Regis University Jesuit mission of leadership in service to others,” Fitzgibbons said. “In an age when passionate intensity and misguided religiosity too often trump reasoned discourse and true religion, we are all very grateful for what you have done bringing believers of different faiths together . . .” When he wasn’t building ecumenical bridges, Hirsch enjoyed opera, an appreciation heightened by his ability to understand the lyrics, whether they were in French, German or Italian. In fact, Hirsch was fluent in six languages. He was on the board of the Palm Beach Opera, and considered Maria Callas a friend. Hirsch is survived by his wife of 46 years, Eva (Nicholas) Hirsch, seven children, 11 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
THEODORE T. MATSUO, RC ’66
DR. OWEN PATRICK O’MEARA, RC ’61 ROBERT EMMET VESCOVO, RC ’61 BERNARD JOHN DINGMAN, RC ’62 BEVERLY ANN (TIPTON) DOKE, LHC ’62 MARY( DEDDENS) HAMILTON, LHC ’62 MARY ANN REILLY-HEWITT, LHC ’62 THOMAS J. BEATTY, RC ’63 KAROLYN (KOVOL) LIVINGSTON, LHC ’63 ROGER PAUL MILBERT, RC ’63 MARY CLAIRE (HARRINGTON) BRUCE, LHC ’65 GERALD R. GIARDINO, RC ’65 KENNETH S. LARUSSO, RC ’66
DAVID LAWRENCE PETERSON, RC ’66 JAMES W. FITZGERALD, RC ’69 PAMELA JOAN (STEINIGER) SAELZLER, LHC ’69 WILLIAM L. TOOMBS, RC ’69 H. CRAIG FRICKE, RC ’70 GERARD M. MAHANEY, RC ’73 ERIKA SAAK, LHC ’73 RACHEL F. (FRANCKE) POLLACK, LHC ’74 DR. PAT (STAEBELL) STAINBROOK, LHC ’74 DEACON RONALD JOHN ANSAY, LHC ’75 GORDON M. HUMMEL, RC ’76 LESLIE (KEYS) MARTIN, RC ’76 SUSAN DEE (KRUSE) CHRISTENSEN, LHC ’78 WILLIAM H. GABLE, RC ’78
ACB ANDERSON COLLEGE OF BUSINESS | CCIS COLLEGE OF COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES | CCLS COLLEGE OF CONTEMPORARY LIBERAL STUDIES LHC LORETTO HEIGHTS COLLEGE | RC REGIS COLLEGE | RHCHP RUECKERT-HARTMAN COLLEGE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS
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IN MEMORIAM
MIKE FARLEY made his living and made his mark as a successful Denver attorney. But his passion was providing homes for people who needed them. Working with the Archdiocese of Denver, Farley, a 1950 Regis graduate, devoted 30 years to advocating for, and housing, homeless people. “He loved to drive by the sites that they had built and see families out in the yard playing,” Nancy Farley, his wife of 59 years, told Colorado Public Radio.
GERALD MARTIN TRUJILLO, RC ’79
There would have been a lot to see. According to Catholic Charities, Farley was a founding member of Denver’s Archdiocesan Housing and a member of its board for 30 years. Not that his accomplishments as an attorney were insignificant. Farley attended Georgetown University Law School, then returned to Denver where he joined the prominent local firm Holland & Hart. His daughter Maggie Farley said her father was an advocate for diversity within the firm. At Holland & Hart, Farley was part of a team that successfully argued to desegregate Denver Public Schools in a landmark case, ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, that forever changed the racial makeup of the city’s schools.
ALLAN L. GREEN, ACB ’85
Farley loved people; his son John Farley told “The Denver Post” that his father could scarcely walk a block downtown without someone calling out “Hi Mike!” And he never lost his sense of humor. Even on his way to the hospital, sick with the COVID-19 that would ultimately take his life, Farley couldn’t resist calling his younger brother. Phil Farley told The Post his brother said, “Well, it looks like you’re gonna have to clean up after me.”
DOUGLAS THOMAS DRYBURGH, RC ’92
His genial nature made his isolation at Swedish Medical Center during his last days all the more painful for his family. But nurses helped him use FaceTime, connecting him with his family and allowing them to say goodbye virtually. He received Last Rites the same way.
LINDA YVONNE (SHEA) PFALMER, CCLS ’00
Mike Farley died March 23, one of Colorado’s earliest victims of COVID-19. He was 87. After Farley passed away, relatives across the country gathered for a virtual wake and remembered the lover of classical music, good books and good stories, whose sense of justice never waned.
KIMBERLEY ANN (WADDELL) ROACH, RC ’80 ALLEN W. BRYCE, ACB ’83 RODNEY KARL BROOME, ACB ’84 GEORGINE K. MEYER, LHC ’84 PAUL C. GILMORE, RHCHP ’85
MARY FRANCES (MAZZA) ALLEN, ACB ’86 DAVID MASAMI KUSUDA, ACB ’87 WILBURN LEO BOUDREAUX, ACB ’90 CELIA KATHLEEN BRENNAN, RC ’90 SHIRLEY JEAN (LARSEN) KUHLMAN, ACB ’91 LAURA ANN MURPHY, ACB ’91 SR. FRANCINE STALLBAUMER, CCLS ’91 ANDREW LOUIS STUMPF, ACB ’91
DAVID L. SHOUP, ACB ’92 LYNNE K. (KNUTSON) KNICKERBOCKER, RC ’93 JAMES DORIN VANANTWERP, ACB ’93 DIANE PATRICIA (COLEMAN) THEORINE, RC ’98 F. ANNETTE FRAZIER, CCIS ’00
ROBERT WILLIAM LOWERY, RHCHP ’02, ACB ’06 NICOLE LORRAINE FREEMAN, RHCHP ’03 KAREN LYNN WRIGHT, RHCHP ’05 PHILLIS A. HARRIS-BROOKS, CCLS ’10 HAROLD W. ERICKSON, ACB ’11 BETH MARIE UNREIN, ACB ’13
Farley’s family asks that everyone protect themselves and others from the coronavirus. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Farley, his son John Farley and daughter-in-law Karen Farley, daughter Maggie Farley, son-in-law Marcus Brauchli, granddaughters Zoe and Aria Brauchli; brother Phil Farley (RC ’63) and numerous nieces and nephews. REGIS.EDU
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JUST FOR FUN
REGIS UNIVERSITY CRYPTOGRAM
1. hint: F = D I D R R XG C A A W D G ZC B E YG F, C TC G XG H I C F D LQ C A H E B H X J C A , X B E G C E G V P LC J C J ZC L A H E H Y LG E G H I C V X K I H .
2. hint: C = W XPUTRO EDPEXD XTUD TR W XPUTRO CPMXN. GPBFTXD EDPEXD XTUD TR W G P B F T X D C P M X N . BWA D C P M X N .
3. hint: A = N V H I L U M M O H K A Y H D L UA J L L J M Q O N A UA K H D J M .
48
4. hint: V = F
5. hint: L = S
XG D O E Z X T E M D C VJ B M E C I Z P Y
Z R L E J V B L N P U B , P N N BV L B UA
XG D J Y P Q D C Z D KC D XG D M E C I Z
PVMTBSLBL EWB OBSREA ,
R E J Z K R X E R E J C Z D BV.
JC EWB RVPGBTLB .
Spring/Summer 2020 | REGIS UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
1. Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. (Albus Dubledore) 2. Loving people live in a loving world. Hostile people live in a hostile world. Same world. (Wayne Dyer) 3. Love is shown more in deeds than in words. (St. Ignatius of Loyola) 4. The most powerful words in the universe are the words you say to yourself. (Marie Forleo) 5. Just one smile, immensely increases the beauty, of the universe. (Sri Chinmoy)
KEEPING THE FAITH
Be safe. Be kind. Be well.
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