2012 summer wga evans scholars magazine

From Evans scholar to EnErgy EntrEprEnEur

WGA Evans Scholars

BmW championship heads to Indianapolis

Wga launches caddie academy

The

summEr 2012

Magazine

george solich

THISissue24

1

8

4

10

12

17

28

ChairmanJim Bunch

President and CEOJohn Kaczkowski

Editorial staff

EditorAmy Fuller

Editorial Assistant

Betsy Drazner

Summer 2012

Newsletter No. 143

the Wga Evans scholars

magazine

A publication of the Western Golf Association, Evans Scholars Foundation

and Evans Scholars Alumni Association

TO CHAngE yOur [email protected] or

(847) 724-4600

TO SubmIT COnTEnTSend story ideas, letters,

pictures, event wrap-ups and more to [email protected],

or mail to: Western Golf Association,

1 Briar Road, Golf, IL, 60029

Vice President of Communications

Gary Holaway

COVErGeorge Solich (Colo. ’83)

Photo by © 2012 Allen Birnbach

c o v E r s t o r y

caddies to collegeThe 2012 New Scholar class

F E at u r E s

2012 BmW previewAll roads lead to Crooked Stick

caddie academyWGA’s inaugural Caddie Academy kicks off at NU

From Evans scholar to energy entrepreneur George Solich (Colo. ’83)

o t h E r

p r o F I l E s

FundraisingMatch Play Challenge, Illinois campaign, Green Coat Gala

7

11

14

22

18

29

scholarshipsEvans Scholars video, Winter Outing recap, Scholar philanthropy

caddiesCaddie Championship, Caddie Manager spotlight, Hall of Fame

championshipsWestern Junior, WWGA champions

carving a new pathShamir Villeda (Ill. ’16)

mac reportAlumni News and Notes, Around the Loop

n E W s a n d n o t E s

Wga tributeDon Johnson, past president/CEO

Exmoor country clubStrong supporter of WGA/ESF

HAVE yOu HEArd?New log-in features on the WGA website allow Scholars, Alumni and Directors the ability to update a profile, view giving history and connect with fellow supporters. Visit www.wgaesf.org or see p. 16 for details.

camera, actionPhil Foster (Mich. ’90)

thank you!Dan Marquart (Minn. ’12)

thE nExt chaptEr

This fall, 230 caddies will begin the newest

chapter in their lives — attending college on an

Evans Scholarship. This year’s incoming class

consists of 173 men and 57 women from 134 golf or country clubs across the united States

and Canada.

On the golf course, this year’s class caddied an

average of four years. In the classroom, they

achieved an average 3.7 gpa. These young men

and women strive to become future leaders in

the business, teaching and medical fields, among

others. Through caddying, they are finding a way to

leave their footprint on the world.

new scholar class of 2012

W E l c o m E

WGA hosted over 18 selection meetings around the country to interview Evans Scholar applicants. Below: The Jan. 21 meeting at La Grange Country Club in La Grange, Ill.

scEnEs From a sElEctIon mEEtIng

Bruce Stotesbury, The Times Colonist

Mark Adams, a New Scholar from Victoria Golf Club, who will attend the University of Colorado this fall.

1 Summer 2012

‘Being on the golf course is my serenity’

savannah Walker is a seasoned traveler. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, stays with her

grandparents each summer in Indiana and caddies in Michigan. This fall, Walker will add Colorado to her destination list, when she attends the University of Colorado on an Evans Scholarship.

In February, she traveled to Chicago for her Evans Scholars selection interview.

After what Walker calls the longest week ever, she opened the much-awaited letter over the phone with her parents.

“I read the first line and started crying. I’ve never been so excited,” says Walker, who is the first Evans Scholar from North Carolina. “I was thrilled out of my mind. I felt so honored and blessed to be chosen as a recipient.”

Walker is a summer citizen of Indiana, where she lives with her grandparents. She was introduced to golf and the Evans Scholarship by her grandfather, who, at age 77, still caddies himself. At age 13, she followed him to caddie at The Dunes Club in New Buffalo, Mich.

“It was especially meaningful to him because he was the one who found out about this amazing opportunity five years ago and began talking about it — and talking about it and talking about it,” Walker says.

In high school, Walker’s golf skills helped her earn a spot in the state championship the past three years.

Whether she’s golfing or caddying at The Dunes Club, the golf course has become

her second home. “I couldn’t have asked to be in a better place or surrounded myself with better people for the last five summers,” says Walker, who plans to major in biological sciences. “Being on the golf course, whether I’m playing or caddying, is my serenity.”

Joel Fickes, from Beaufort, S.C., is the first Evans Scholar from S.C. He caddied at Secession Golf Club and will attend Miami University.

“My life is forever changed

for the better thanks to this

wonderful opportunity. I am

so grateful for this gift; all I

can do is smile.”

-Savannah Walker

With a record $16.4 million in contributions in 2011,

the Evans Scholars Foundation was able to award 20

additional Evans Scholarships to deserving caddies this

year, at a time when need is greater than ever.

new Evans Scholars from around the country — and Canada!

Applications for the 2012-

13 school year are now

available online. Visit

www.wgaesf.org for details.

south carolinanew york arkansasTim Evans, from Sherwood, Ark., caddied at The Alotian Club and will attend Marquette University.

Connor Donovan, from Glen Cove, N.Y., caddied at North Shore Country Club and will attend Northwestern University.

Mark Adams, from Victoria, British Columbia, caddied at Victoria Golf Club and will attend the University of Colorado.

canada

nOrTH CArOlInA EVAnS SCHOlAr

2 The WgA Evans Scholars magazine

Bobby Mueller is from Cheswick, Pa., and caddied at Pittsburgh Field Club. He will study accounting at Miami University this fall.

“I started caddying as a 13-year-old who knew very little about golf and who struggled to carry golf bags that were nearly as large as I was.

Throughout the years, I have grown in both stature and as a caddie, now carrying doubles and performing exactly what is expected of me.

The experience I received from caddying has given me a strong work ethic and the ability to carefully consider all decisions both on and off the course. Challenging myself in school and at work to do my very best has contributed to me setting high goals.”

On March 6, St. Clair Country Club in St. Clair, Pa., hosted a WGA selection meeting to meet New Scholar applicants. Guest Matt Sullivan, the caddie master and golf service manager at Pittsburgh Field Club, shared his thoughts on the day:

“I couldn’t help but think how glad I was that I was among the interviewers and not one of the interviewees. If any of them felt any anxiety about the moment, though, they certainly didn’t show it, which probably helps to explain how they arrived at this point in the first place.

Every single one of us asking the questions came away from the day shaking our collective heads. Eyes teared up. These kids were jaw-droppingly, awe-inspiringly, mind-blowingly, freakishly impressive, and I might be understating it.

It is a privilege and an honor to meet such exemplary representations of the deserving young people this scholarship helps out so enormously. Every year I’ve been a part of this, I’ve come away with a renewed faith in our youth and our future.”

them felt any anxiety about the moment, though, they

From left: Pittsburgh Field Club’s head pro Dave Martin, caddie chair Gary Claus, New Scholar Bobby Mueller and caddie master Matt Sullivan.

Core criteria to qualify for an Evans Scholarship: Caddie record, academics, financial need and character and leadership

More than 700 caddies applied for the Evans Scholarship in 2011. In the past three years,

the Evans Scholars Foundation has seen record highs in the number of applicants.

Evans Scholars At-a-glance

4

Evans Scholar Alumni, who donated $4.8 million in 2011 and $56 million cumulatively.

9,600

Evans Scholars in school at 19 universities across the country835

Total tuition bill for all Evans Scholars in 2012$10 million

For a full list of new Scholars, visit www.wgaesf.org

‘A renewed faith in our youth’WESTErn PEnnSylVAnIA EVAnS SCHOlAr

3 Summer 2012

C a r v i n gC a r v i n gOne New Scholar’s journey to the American Dream

At age 10, Shamir Villeda was working in his parents’ butcher shop in Guatemala. By the time he turned 12, he had learned from his father how to run the place — plucking chickens, cutting up sides of

beef, supervising three employees and making bank deposits.

Sometimes he’d work 12-hour days. His dad, while demanding, taught Shamir the most important lesson he’d ever learn in his life: “If you work hard, you can be successful.”

He has never forgotten that, and it’s a lesson that has taken him from the marketplace in Villa Canales to the lush fairways of Evanston Golf Club in Skokie, Ill. This fall, he will attend the University of Illinois on an Evans Scholarship. He is a student with a story so unique, it sounds like a movie plot. Money extortion and murder. A long journey to another country. A new world of golf and caddying.

And finally, an opportunity his parents could only dream of — a free college education at a top-rated state university. “It sounds like I made it up,” Shamir acknowledges. “In this country, the opportunity is there. College will open a lot of doors for me. This will give me a chance to be successful.”

Shamir’s story begins in Villa Canales, a town about 15 minutes outside Guatemala City. Having never liked school, he decided to quit when he was in third grade. His dad supported the idea but told him he’d have to learn a trade. So Shamir began working at his family’s butcher shop. After a few years, he was managing the

shop and, thanks to a deal he made with his dad, making as much money as his father. “I didn’t have an education, but I knew how to survive,” Shamir says. “I had a lot of fun.” He recalls his interaction with customers, who were always amazed at his skills, like carrying a 125-pound side of beef over his shoulder.

The fun soon ended. When he was 14, his parents got a letter from a gang asking for money. His father, fearing for the family’s safety, turned over the equivalent of about $5,000. A few months later, the gang demanded more money and threatened to kidnap Shamir and his brother.

This time, Shamir’s father refused to pay. He decided to send Shamir and his brother to the United States. “I said, ‘I’m fine here,’” Shamir recalls telling him. “But my father said we had to go to stay safe and have a better life.”

The brothers left Guatemala in 2006, when Shamir was 14 and his brother was 16. He recalls his father waving goodbye as the bus took off, before dropping his head and crying. It was the last time they ever saw him.

In the United States, the brothers moved in with a Guatemalan friend who lived in a northwest suburb of Chicago. Soon Shamir was working two jobs: washing dishes for five hours a day and then working in a factory for another eight hours.

But Shamir was homesick. Then four months after they arrived, leaving behind their parents and a young sister,

a n e w p a t ha n e w p a t ha n e w p a t hS T O R y B y A M y F U L L E R * P H O T O S B y C H A R L E S C H E R N E y

“College will open a lot of doors for me. This will give me a chance to be successful.”


the brothers learned his mother and father had been murdered in the butcher shop.

Shamir remembers picking up the phone after a long day of work to hear the sounds of an ambulance and people crying. His face turned white. “I couldn’t function,” he recalls. “I blocked it out. It was like I was unconscious.”

Shamir remained in shock for two weeks. But he soon returned to work, now knowing he had an extra responsibility — as the provider for his young sister back home in Guatemala. Each week, he’d send money to his aunt for her care and schooling. It wasn’t

easy but he did what had come naturally to him since his butcher shop days: he worked as hard as he could, as often as he could, hoping that someday, his efforts would pay off.

Shamir was placed into foster care by the Illinois DCFS. Through the help of attorney Alan Lindquist, Shamir gained permanent residency — and new foster parents.

Lindquist and his wife, Stephanie Russell, had always considered adopting kids, and when Lindquist came across Shamir’s case, it seemed a natural fit for them to become his foster parents. They first met him over dinner and talked about what his life back home had been like. Both were struck by his maturity, resourcefulness and determination.

“We just saw something in Shamir,” Russell says. “There’s just a dedication and sense of purpose in his life.” He is a young adult, who despite being dealt a heavy hand, is determined to move forward in life, she says. “It just is in every ounce of his

“We saw something in Shamir. There’s just a dedication and sense of purpose in his life.”

-Stephanie Russell

continued

Shamir Villeda caddying at Evanston Golf Club in July.

5 Summer 2012

everyone needs help to make it.”

And then, with lots of people’s help, he applied for and earned the Evans Scholarship. Shamir found out he was a recipient in April. “We were over the moon,” Russell recalls.

Shamir knows exactly what this means for his future. He has many friends and relatives embarking on a different path, and he knows he’s one of the lucky ones. “I feel so blessed,” he says. “It’s a big honor. It’s not just money to go to college. It’s giving me a chance to shoot for the stars.”

Shamir will major in business administration, and he’ll bring a perspective that no one else in the incoming freshman class likely has — as a businessman, running his parents’ butcher shop when he was a child.

But he’s not one to dwell on the past, no matter how tragic his story. “I’m not the only one who has gone through such a difficult life at such a young age,” Shamir says. “I just have to work harder to make it better.”

From his mother, Shamir inherited her sense of compassion. He knows others have stepped forward to help him and he’s intent on helping, too. In his future, he says he’d like to adopt children. And his father’s legacy is his work ethic, which has been the ultimate key to success in his life. “It’s how I learned to work hard,” he says of his father’s early lessons. “Now I want to honor my parents’ memory. I plan to study hard in college and accomplish things that would have made them proud of me.”

“I feel so blessed. It’s a big honor. It’s not just money to go to college. It’s giving me a chance to shoot for the stars.”

Car ving a new path cont.

being; he’s willing to go the extra mile,” she says. “you could see that drive in him from the beginning.”

Shamir enrolled as a freshman at Evanston Township High School in 2008. He learned to speak English, thanks to help from his teachers and Russell, who also spoke Spanish. By the end of his freshman year, he was earning ‘A’s and ‘B’s — a notable achievement for someone who had virtually no previous education.

Then one day, his foster family made a connection that would forever change his life. Through business, Russell met Bob Caldwell, a Northwestern Evans Scholar Alum and WGA Director. Caldwell suggested Shamir begin caddying and helped point him in the right direction. “I told him, he’s got to be very patient; he might not get out a lot at first, but to stick to it,” Caldwell recalls.

That spring, Shamir began caddie training — worlds away from the butcher shop and the hands-on skills he had acquired. “I didn’t know anything about golf,” he says. “At first, I didn’t like it. It wasn’t about the game when I started. It was about being able to rake a bunker, watch a ball and clean a ball. But then I began paying attention.”

Golfer Pat Mulhern says he became choked up after he learned about Shamir’s story. “He wants to be great at everything he does,” he says. “He has a quiet drive.”

Now, Shamir loves the game and even plays himself. He became an honor caddie and formed close relationships with some members, like Mulhern. “It’s so wonderful when you caddie for the members and you win their trust,” he says. “Golfers don’t always see their own mistakes, but often caddies can see them. I’ve learned in golf and in life that you can’t succeed by yourself;

Shamir Villeda caddies in a member Invitational at Evanston Golf Club.


CAddIE mAnAgEr SPOTlIgHT

From caddie to caddie master, Marko Tatic has come full circle at Ruth Lake Country Club in Hinsdale, Ill. He began as a caddie and he’s now 10 years in as caddie manager, helping to grow the program in numbers and diversity. The club has produced 30 Evans Scholars.

What’s it like to be the caddie manager at the club where you caddied?

Since I grew up here, I knew all the members. It was nice to watch the program grow. It’s an outstanding environment; I come to work with a smile on my face each day.

how has the program grown?

Word of mouth and membership support have been overwhelming. There are kids caddying here from all over. Also, the number of girls who are caddies has escalated over the years. There were 18 girls here the other morning; when I first started caddying in 1991, we had one. Ruth Lake does not have a lottery system. The caddies are first come, first serve. By the time I get here at 6 a.m. on the weekend, there are 60 kids here, 80 by 8 a.m.

What’s the best part about being a caddie master?

When I see a kid riding up the path on a bike at 5:45 a.m., I think, ‘Man, that kid’s got drive.’ Watching them grow up is the best part of being a caddie master, especially the ones who become Evans Scholars. Three years ago, I had a kid get a scholarship. He called me the day he got his letter. He said he didn’t know the results yet because he had a single mom and she was at her second job. He said, “I’m going to open the letter with you because you were the next person I wanted to tell.” They’re good kids. That’s why I’m here for the season.

cad

dIE N

EWS &

NO

TES

“Watching the kids grow up is the best part of being a caddie master, especially the ones who become Evans Scholars.” -Marko Tatic

The 2012 WGA Caddie Championship was held July 23 at Cantigny Golf Course in Wheaton, Ill. The event debuted a new format, with 15 Chicago-area caddie programs submitting teams to play in a scramble format. Teams were comprised of two caddies, a caddie manager, and a club representative.

Flossmoor Country Club, above, posted a 13-under score of 59 to capture the victory. The team, from left: Club representative Mark Swinford, caddies Benny GiaQuinta and Michelle Mayer and caddie manager David Collins.

WGA seeks nominations for Caddie Hall of Fame The WGA is accepting nominations for the Caddie Hall of Fame, which it now administers. Created by the Professional Caddies Association, the Caddie Hall of Fame highlights the tradition and importance of caddying and will be displayed at WGA headquarters in Golf, Ill.

Nominees are being accepted for caddie administrators, career caddies and adults who caddied when they were young and have used it as a steppingstone to success. Individuals are selected based on their credentials. A customized display will highlight names of inducted members.

Send nominations to: The Caddie Hall of Fame Committee, WGA/ESF, 1 Briar Road, Golf, IL, 60029 or visit: www.wgaesf.org.

Send nominees to: Caddie Hall of Fame Committee, WGA, 1 Briar Road, Golf, IL, 60029

C o m i n g f u l l c i r c l e a t R u t h L a k e C o u n t r y C l u b

Annual Caddie Championship

7 Summer 2012

The Caddie AcademyWGA launches The Caddie Academy,

providing 12 young women an

opportunity to caddie at clubs on

Chicago’s North Shore — and hopefully

someday earn an Evans Scholarship.

Caddie Academy participants and their counselors.

Photos by Charles Cherney8 The WgA Evans Scholars magazine

on the course

Katelyn Mireles, left and

above with golfers at North

Shore Country Club, hopes to

earn an Evans Scholarship.

She is one of 12 girls living

at Northwestern University

for seven weeks this summer.

Other clubs participating in

WGA’s inaugural initiative

include Glen View Club, Indian

Hill Club and Westmoreland

Country Club.

From an early age, Katelyn Mireles, 16, knew education was the key to success in life. It was a message her mom passed along, though she never had the opportunity to complete her own education. A single mom raising four kids, she sacrificed her dream to become a teacher.

“She’s my inspiration,” Mireles says. “She has given up a lot.”

That’s why attending college is so important to Mireles. Her goal is to earn an Evans Scholarship, with the help of the WGA’s Caddie Academy.

This summer, the inaugural initiative provided caddie opportunities for 12 high school girls who come from economically disadvantaged families and live far from a country club. For seven weeks, they lived at the Northwestern Evans Scholars House and caddied at four clubs on Chicago’s North Shore. By establishing a strong caddie record and experiencing the Evans Scholars chapter living concept firsthand, they are striving to become Evans Scholars themselves in a few years.

Four Evans Alumni help oversee the Academy, including two female counselors who live in the House and drive the girls to their clubs. In future years, as many as 40 young women could be accepted into the Academy. On Mondays, the girls have outings and field trips or go home.

“These girls already have shown strong academic and leadership records and now they have an opportunity to caddie and learn life lessons on the golf course,” says WGA/ESF President and CEO John Kaczkowski. “Hopefully, they will one day become strong applicants for an Evans Scholarship.”

Last summer Mireles caddied at Park Ridge, a two-hour ride from her home on Chicago’s south side that involved taking the bus, train and Metra. Now, it’s a much shorter trip to North Shore Country Club. “I thought this would be a good experience,” says Mireles, a student at Mother McAuley High School.

Tiara Davis, a junior at St. Francis de Sales, wants to become a pediatric nurse. “you may be tired after a round, but caddying wakes you up,” she says. “It’s a success if you get to the 18th hole. you feel like you accomplished something.”

Photos by Charles Cherney 9 Summer 2012

Donald D. JohnsonApril 25, 1935-May 24, 2012

President and CEO of the Western Golf Association/Evans Scholars Foundation 1988-2009

For Don Johnson, the road to Golf, Illinois, began in Racine, Wisconsin, where he first was introduced to the game of golf. At age 14, he got a job at the refreshment stand of a public course. Two years later, he

began caddying at Meadowbrook Country Club. For the rest of his life, he remained passionate about golf, still boasting an 11.7 handicap at age 74.

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin in 1959, Johnson earned a law degree and practiced for the next 26 years while devoting much of his free time to playing and serving the game of golf. In 1979, he became a Wisconsin State Golf Association Director, and in 1984, he became a WGA Director.

After serving as the WSGA president, he was selected to lead the WGA staff in 1988. As president, his visionary guidance and management skills

led the WGA to new heights of excellence in championships and scholarships.

He helped bring the WGA from a position of near financial insolvency to one of solid financial standing, with a $45 million endowment and ownership of 14 Scholarship Houses, all debt-free. During his tenure, thousands of professional, amateur and junior golfers participated in WGA championships, and more than 4,000 young men and women caddies received their college educations as Evans Scholars.

Fbegan caddying at Meadowbrook Country Club. For the rest of his life, he remained passionate about golf, still boasting an 11.7 handicap at age 74.

Top: Don Johnson being inducted into the

Wisconsin Hall of Fame in 2008. Above: Johnson

and Sam Snead at the WGA’s Centennial Gala

in 1999.

10 The WGA Evans Scholars Magazine

Adam Wood, 16, of Zionsville, Ind., turned in four straight rounds under par to win the 95th Western Junior championship by four strokes on June 22 at Country Club of Florida. Wood has already committed to play for Duke. “This is a fantastic tournament filled with some of the best players in the world, and I’m glad I’m joining a group of such prestigious champions,” he said.

National Amateur: On June 23, Bangkok native Ariya Jutanugarn clinched the WWGA’s 112th National Amateur Championship at Monroe Golf & Country Club in Monroe, Mich.

The 16-year-old defeated her sister, Moriya, in the 36-hole final, 2 & 1. It was the first time the sisters have played against each other in match play and the first time the Women’s Western Amateur has had sisters paired in the finals.

National Junior: On July 13, Chakansim “Fai” Khamborn of Khonkaen, Thailand, defeated Morgan Nadaline of Anderson, Ind., 6 and 4 to win the WWGA’s 86th National Junior

Championship at Cincinnati Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Fai’s father taught her to play golf using golf instruction books as a guide. The Junior Championship was her first Match Play experience. For more details on both tournaments, please visit www.wwga.org.

Women’s Western Golf Association champions

chA

mpio

Nsh

ips NEW

S & N

OTES

95th Western JuniorJune 18-22

Country Club of Florida

pArtNership

This is the first year of a partnership between the Western Golf Association and the Women’s Western Golf Association, with the WGA providing administrative support to WWGA championships.

Ariya Jutanugarn

Chakansim “Fai” Khamborn

11 Summer 2012

historic Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park, Ill., has always been a leader in supporting WGA’s

championships and scholarships, from the early days of American golf until the present.

The club was established as Illinois’ third golf club on Oct. 14, 1896, and opened its clubhouse and original nine-hole golf course on June 26, 1897. From its first days, Exmoor

promoted golf by hosting inter-club and regional tournaments. The club first hosted the Western Amateur in 1904, which was won by H. Chandler Egan, and has since hosted in 1952 and this year, from July 30-Aug. 4.

Just as strong as its passion for championships has been its civic spirit and support of the Evans Scholars Foundation. Fifty-seven caddies from Exmoor have earned an Evans Scholarship, and seven Exmoor members have served as president of the WGA, with eight members currently serving leadership roles as WGA Directors.

Member Theodore Butz created the WGA Bag Tag program, which expanded Scholar support to individuals in 1946, and member Jerome Bowes initiated the Par Club in 1950, now a main source of funding for Evans Scholars. Another member, Chip Beck, used winnings from shooting a 59 on the PGA Tour to establish the Chip Beck Evans Scholarship.

WEST

E R N A M A TEU

R

WEST

E R N A M A TEU

R

at a glance

54 Evans Scholar Alumni

3 current Evans Scholars

7 members who have served as WGA president

12 Evans Alumni members

8 members now serving as WGA Directors

4 WGA tournaments held at the club: Three Western Amateurs and one Junior

exmoor country clubIn support of championships, scholarships

did you know?Chick Evans, founder of the Chick Evans Scholarships and one of the finest amateur golfers in American history, was an Exmoor member beginning in 1908.

chA

mpi

oN

ship

s N

EWS

& N

OTE

S

Member Theodore Butz created the WGA Bag Tag program, which expanded Scholar support to

Jerome Bowes initiated the Par Club in 1950, now a main source of funding for Evans Scholars. Another member, Chip Beck, used winnings from shooting a 59 on the PGA Tour to establish the Chip Beck Evans Scholarship.

Premier Aerials LLC


During a special ceremony on May 6, Ed Bernardi was honored by Exmoor club members as one of the club’s first Evans Scholars. After graduating from Northwestern University in 1952, he went on to build the successful Bernardi Securities, Inc. Below is his story.

“In 1924, Exmoor Country Club, which had just celebrated its 25th anniversary, offered

my father, my Pa, a full-time job as a laborer on its hallowed fairways. Pa, an Italian immigrant, spent the next 47 years working at this great club.

We lived about a mile north of the second tee, and in 1939, at the age of 10, I made my first ‘loop’ and became an Exmoor caddie! Over the next decade, I caddied and worked on the grounds and in the clubhouse. Exmoor was my first experience outside the small immigrant community living in Highwood, Ill.

In 1948, very few of my friends went to college; thoughts of becoming anything other than a laborer or a servant were exceptions. The idea of going to college was incomprehensible to most boys. No one in my immediate family had more than a few years of schooling. My father had only four years of school, and my mother had no schooling whatsoever. Can you imagine

the impact the scholarship had on the family? To have won the scholarship for them was one of the proudest moments of my life.

The scholarship was a key that opened doors into places undreamed of by my parents and me. The Northwestern experience was the foundation upon which I built much of my personal and professional life.

At Northwestern, I met two Evans Scholars, Milt Newton, a business partner for 25 years and Ted Pasquesi, a confidant and business partner for nearly 50 years. These

associations would not have occurred except for the Evans Scholars connection.

My wife, Mary, and I became members of Exmoor Country Club in 1978. We met, socialized and became good friends with many,

many members, including a number of Evans Scholar Alumni. I served on the Exmoor Board, and now this old caddie is a veteran member of this great club. All of this is thanks to the game of golf, Exmoor Country Club and the Western Golf Association. Thank you, Exmoor. Thank you, Western Golf. Thank you, Pa.”

“There’s not even words to describe it,” said Chris Williams of his victory. “I came here with high expectations, and I was able to do it.”

From caddie to member: My time at Exmoor

“The award was the fulfillment of my parents’ American Dream.”

-Ed Bernardi (NU ’52)

chris Williams wins 2012 Western AmateurChris Williams, 21, from Moscow, Idaho, won the 2012 Western Amateur on Aug. 4 at Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park, Ill. Williams, a University of Washington senior who has won many tournaments and played on the 2011 Walker Cup team, called his Western Amateur victory “my biggest one.”

He also claimed medalist honors earlier in the week as 72-hole stroke play champion. In 2011, he also won medalist honors but was eliminated in the first round of match play by Patrick Cantlay, who now plays professionally. “There’s not even words to describe it,” Williams said of what his triumphs meant. “I work hard. I practice a lot. I came here with high expectations, and I was able to do it.”

A depiction of Ed Bernardi as caddie and former Amateur winner H. Chandler Egan is featured on the 2012 Amateur program.

13 Summer 2012

Thirteen generous donors – including nine Evans Scholar Alumni – are leading the way in the Evans Scholars Foundation’s 2012 Match Play Challenge campaign. The 13 Match

Play Partners have pledged $100,000 each to a pool of funds to match WGA Par Club major operating gifts of $2,500 or greater, doubling donors’ contributions to give young men and women the gift of education.

In 2011, the inaugural Match Play Challenge proved to be the organization’s most successful fundraising campaign ever. The initiative raised $4.4 million in new operating funds, an increase that allowed the Foundation to award 230 new scholarships in 2012, 20 more than were awarded a year ago. This year, the focus is on building upon that success.

“We’re fortunate to have the loyal support of our 2012 Match Play Partners as we work to build a strong foundation that will allow us to increase the number of Evans Scholarships we offer to deserving caddies,” said John Kaczkowski, WGA President & CEO.

With tuition increasing dramatically in the past five years, from $7 million to $11 million, the Foundation has seen a steady increase in the number of scholarship applicants. In May, the WGA announced plans for the 2012 Match Play

Challenge, based on the theme, “I Am A Caddie,” featuring Scholars, Alumni and prominent individuals whose lives were transformed through the lessons they learned as caddies.

Match Play Partners through Aug. 3 include: Sam & Marsha Allen, Steve & Karis Colnitis, Fritz & Glenda Corrigan, James Frank, Mike & Lindy Keiser, Tom Mallman & Sandra Mallman (in memoriam), John & Judy Mendesh, John Merriman & Barbara Beatty, Frank & Janet Nessinger, Mary & Scott Petrovich, James & Suzette Roppel, George & Carol Solich, and Mark & Amy Wilson.

Call Bill Kingore, Vice President, at (847) 724-4600 to participate in the Match Play Challenge or discuss other major gift opportunities, or visit online at www.wgaesf.org/matchplay

CAddIES To CollEGE

i Am A cADDie

“As a freshman in high school, I was very shy. Caddying helped me open up and connect with people. On the course, I met many professionals who helped me develop confidence. If it weren’t for these lessons, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I am so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to caddie and become an Evans Scholar.”

-Wendy Perez, sophomore, Northwestern University

In 2012, 20 more Evans Scholarships were awarded due to the success of the 2011 Match Play Challenge.

WGA launches annual fund campaign for major gifts

with theme of “I Am a Caddie,” 13 major gift partners

fuN

DrA

isiN

g N

EWS

& N

OTE

S

Evans Scholar Luke Mehmeti spoke at WGA’s 2012 Match Play Challenge kickoff event, held May 17 at Galleria Marchetti in Chicago.


The third annual Evans Scholars Charity Golf Retreat at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon took place May 8-10. The event raised $200,000 for Evans Scholarships. The 2013 trip will be May 7-9.

Second annual Green Coat Gala to feature legend Tom Watson

WGA’s second annual Green Coat Gala will be held Friday, Nov.

9, at The Peninsula Chicago. The black-tie event will feature

special guest speaker and golf legend Tom Watson, who has

won eight major championships and three Western Opens. He

now plays mostly on the Champions Tour.

Last year, the inaugural Gala, featuring Curtis Strange, raised

more than $300,000 to send caddies to college through the

Evans Scholars Program. Mike and Sharyl Mackey are this

year’s event volunteer chair persons.

WGA to host first Planned Giving seminar

The WGA is partnering with Northern Trust to host a planned giving seminar and

luncheon on Friday, Oct. 12, at Northern Trust in Chicago. A speaker will offer

suggestions on how to take advantage of planned giving options that help support

favorite charities. For more information on planned giving and the Evans Scholars,

visit http://wgaesf.givingplan.net.

Rob and Georganne Foss, of Naples, Fla., made a gift to the Evans Scholars Foundation in January to fully fund two Endowed Named Scholarships in memory of Sonny Brinkerhoff and Dick Campbell, co-founders of the Evans Scholars chapter in Colorado.

Brinkerhoff, who passed away in 2011 at age 91, and Campbell, who died in 1994, are credited with founding and helping build the Evans Scholars Program in Colorado. The two scholarships will fund tuition and housing for two Colorado Evans Scholars majoring in business.

“I am forever indebted to Sonny and Dick for their dedication to the Evans Scholars program and for their foresight and leadership in establishing the foundation for the Evans Scholarship House at the University of Colorado,” said Rob Foss, an Evans Scholar Alum who graduated from CU in 1971. “Through this gift, we are providing a lasting memorial in their honor.”

Named Scholarships honor Colorado chapter founders

15 Summer 2012

With tuition at the University of Illinois tripling in the past decade, and numbers only expected to continue climbing, WGA leaders are launching a campaign this year to ensure the Evans Scholars legacy at the University of Illinois.

Last year, tuition for the Illinois Evans Scholars cost $1.3 million, a 52 percent jump from 2005. Proceeds from the WGA Par Club have helped cover the Foundation’s tuition costs for more than 50 years, but now costs are increasing more quickly than revenue is coming in, leaving WGA leaders to seek new ways to cover the tuition bill.

Creating a university-specific endowment fund will help secure the stability of the Illinois chapter for the future, they say. This is the WGA’s first university-specific endowment campaign. Campaign leaders have set a goal of $6 million in total gifts. An anonymous donor has generously pledged to contribute $1 million to launch the effort.

Endowments have been used by most universities as an effective funding mechanism for many years.

The Illinois chapter, founded in 1951, is the largest of the Program’s 14 chapters and is known as the “flagship chapter.” It is a unique and critical one to the Foundation, as WGA is headquartered in the Chicago area,

allowing students to attend a world-class university for an in-state rate.

For more information, or to learn about giving opportunities, please contact Jerry Dudek, Vice President of Development, at (847) 724-4600.

Evans Scholars to launch first-ever university-specific endowment campaign at University of Illinois

New online featuresAlumni, Directors, Scholars get WGA site login access

The Western Golf Association is excited to announce the new login area of the WGA/ESF website. Now WGA Directors, Evans Scholar Alumni and current Scholars can create a user name and password to log into a section on the website that has personalized content and tools including:

•A personal profile with giving history •A directory lookup tool to find friends•Career network and ability to find and post job opportunities•Upcoming events calendar and ability to post new events

To begin, use your validation code to find your record. If you have not already received your code via e-mail, you can find it on the back of this magazine.

Visit www.wgaesf.org/createprofile to create a user name and password. Call Mike Danaher at (847) 724-4600 with questions.

“We hope you enjoy this new area of our website, and we look forward to expanding our features and building new ones for Par Club members in the future,” says Danaher, technology services manager.

Alumni: Use your validation code to create a user name and password at www.wgaesf.org/createprofile

fuN

DrA

isiN

g N

EWS

& N

OTE

S


phil Foster (Mich. ’90) always believed in giving back. When he applied for the Evans Scholarship, the golf director from Lochmoor

Club in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., wrote in a recommendation letter that Foster was the type “who would appreciate this opportunity and in the future help others as (the Foundation) would help him.”

Through his storytelling, Foster is doing exactly that. The advertising art director has created a video highlighting a home and school in Kenya that helps abandoned, orphaned and abused girls. By telling their story, his video has helped raise thousands of dollars to support Light of Hope.

Foster has always had a strong sense of service, from his high school days to his Scholar philanthropic activities. “I’ve always had those types of friends in my life, who encourage service activities and live that philosophy themselves,” he says.

He got a chance to put that philosophy into action after a cousin returned from a service trip to Kenya. There, she had visited the Light of Hope school, which provides refuge and redirection for lost and homeless girls by

offering shelter, education and counseling.

Foster was asked to edit her footage and piece together the story of the girls. “I played around with the footage, and in the process realized these girls deserved

more,” he says. “I was editing one night and I just started sobbing. I knew I needed to build a team and help bring their story to a wider audience.”

Foster and his volunteer crew traveled to Kenya after a year of planning, with a goal of creating a series of videos that depicted the girls’ stories. The experience changed his life. “It’s really eye-opening seeing how people in the third-world live, how little they have and at the same time how happy they are,” he says. “That is what has stuck with me the most.”

His subjects were more open than he thought, given the sensitive nature of their stories. “This little 15-year-old said, ‘I want to tell my whole story.’ She had the wisdom to know her story could change things for others,” he says. Her bravery became the focus of the production.

The video has helped Light of Hope raise more than $250,000 this year, which will enable them to continue building a permanent school building and eventually bring in more girls. When the school opened in 2006, there were only 12 girls; now there are more than 70, a number they hope grows to 200 by 2014.

The group has committed to return to Kenya in 2013 to shoot follow-up footage and serve the school. “This is an example of what happens when you say yes to something,” says Foster, who lives in Berkley, Mich., with his wife and two children. “Say yes to something and have an impact.”

A Michigan Evans Scholar Alum helps to produce a video that sheds light on abandoned, orphaned and abused girls in Kenya.

camera, Action

alumni profile

Learn about the cause at lightofhopekenya.org. See a preview at http://vimeo.com/30235589

Phil Foster (Mich. ’90) on location in Naivasha, Kenya with a Light

of Hope student. Credit: Jim Talbot

Foster on a home visit in Kibera with a Light of Hope student and her brother. Credit: Joe Vaughn

17 Summer 2012

All RoAds leAd stRAight toCrooked StiCk!

BMW Championship

September 3-9, 2012. Crooked Stick Golf Club, Carmel, IN.


get your tickets today and be part of this historic event!

The BMW Championship is the third of four PGA TOUR playoff events for the FedExCup—one of the great events in golf. Whose name will be engraved on the championship’s famed J. K. Wadley trophy?

And who exactly is J.K. Wadley? (See page 20)

this is an unforgettable sporting experience.

Come see the top 70 PGA TOUR players battle it out for their share of an $8 million purse. Only 30 of those teeing off will still be in the running for the FedExCup by the end of the tournament. This is tension for the ages!

this is world-class golf in the great midwest.

Come see why Crooked Stick Golf Club perennially ranks in the Top 100 courses in the nation. And experience Hoosier hospitality with a capital “H.”

Located 12 miles from downtown Indianapolis, the club has hosted its share of great tournaments over the years including the PGA Championship in 1991, the U.S. Women’s Open in 1993, and the U.S. Senior Open in 2009.

this is a tournament where everybody wins. All proceeds from the BMW Championship benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation, which provides college tuition and housing to caddies from modest means. Your ticket to the BMW Championship is their ticket to the future!

19 Summer 2012

Daily and weekly passes are still available—don’t miss out! You can order online at

BmWchampionshipusA.com. Juniors 16 and under are free when accompanied by an adult. Active or

retired military members are admitted free with a valid military ID.

BMW Championship

impress others in the gallery with your knowledge!

tickets

The last time the Western Open/BMW Championship was played in Indiana was in 1935.

BMW will provide a full four-year Evans Scholarship in the name of the first player who hits a hole-in-one during the championship. (The last time this happened was in 2010 when Sean O’Hair had a hole-in-one on the par 3, second hole at Cog Hill.)

The BMW Championship expects to welcome over 125,000 spectators for the week—including you!

Two Hoosiers will be local favorites when they take to the course at Crooked Stick—PGA TOUR players Jeff Overton, of Bloomington, and Bo Van Pelt, a native of Richmond.

Of the 825 Evans Scholars in colleges and universities across the country, 52 attend Indiana University and 42 are enrolled at Purdue.

The vast majority of the pros playing in the 2012 BMW Championship have never played Crooked Stick before. This makes for great golf.

Anyone driving a BMW into Crooked Stick for the tournament will receive VIP parking privileges, complimentary admission to the BMW Owners Pavilion and a free car wash.

The winner of the 2012 BMW Championship will take home $1.44 million.

Evans Alumni will dust off their caddying skills at the Gardner Heidrick Pro Am on Wednesday, Sept. 5, when 156 amateurs take to the course with 52 pros.

J.K. Wadley, for whom the championship’s trophy is named, served as a WGA Director from 1921 to 1924. A highly successful entrepreneur in the oil and lumber industries, Wadley never let business interfere with his greatest passion—golf!

More than 2,600 volunteers, from 31 states and three countries, are helping out at the BMW Championship this year.

FACTS


World’s No. 1 golfer headlines2013 BmW championship kickoff

PGA TOUR star and WGA Director Luke Donald raised the BMW Championship flag at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Ill., on June 5 in a ceremonial kickoff to preparations for the 2013 BMW Championship. Conway Farms, Donald’s home course, will host the BMW Championship Sept. 9-15, 2013, when the championship returns to Chicago’s North Shore for the first time since 1972.

Officials from BMW, WGA, PGA TOUR and Conway Farms joined Donald for the flag-raising and an evening celebrating the club’s hosting of one of the PGA TOUR’s premier championships. Golf Channel anchor Steve Sands also conducted a fireside chat with Donald and course architect Tom Fazio (above left).

Donald regained the world’s No. 1 ranking in May by winning the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in England, the European PGA TOUR’s flagship event. He said he’s looking forward to the opportunity to play the BMW Championship on familiar grounds in 2013.

“As a long-time member at Conway Farms, I feel like it offers one of the best all-around tests of golf in the Chicago area,” he said. “Because it provides such a different test every time you play it, the course is sure to make the BMW Championship a thrilling event for players and fans alike.”

Luke Donald is being featured in a short Evans Scholars public service announcement airing during coverage of five tournaments this year, including the BMW Championship. Produced by PGA TOUR Entertainment along with the PGA TOUR, BMW and the WGA, the video features Donald voicing his support of sending caddies to college.

eVANs scholArs psA

WgA Director luke DoNAlD

21 Summer 2012

The 60th annual Evans Scholars Winter Outing was held Saturday, Feb. 4, with Scholar leaders gathering in Chicago from across the Program’s 14 chapters

for a morning meeting, the inter-chapter basketball tournament and the annual Golf Ball dance.

The Winter Meeting, held for the first time at Mesirow Financial, featured chapter updates from the 14 outgoing Evans Scholars chapter presidents. The Roland F. “Mac” McGuigan Academic Trophy, awarded to the New Scholar class with the highest GPA for the fall 2011 semester, went to the Missouri

New Scholars. The class achieved a record-shattering 3.71 GPA and took the title from Northwestern, which held the honor the past three years.

At the annual Evans Scholars Basketball Tournament, held for the first time at the University of Illinois Chicago, Wisconsin won the women’s tournament, taking the title from recent three-time winner Illinois. Miami clinched the men’s title. Evans Scholars Golf Ball was held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

The 2012 BMW Evans Scholars Internship Experience was granted to senior Anthony Woldeit, who currently serves as president of the Northwestern Evans Scholars House.

He is working in sales and marketing for BMW in Schaumburg, Ill., assisting with events and working with the Product Advocate Tour among other responsibilities.

“I was not expecting it at all, so I was extremely happy to have been chosen,” says Woldeit, who is majoring in math and music. “Being a caddie and an Evans Scholar has impacted me in so many ways. I have developed the skills of hard work, dedication and responsibility and am now applying them in real life!”

sch

ola

r N

EWS

& N

OTE

S

Evans Scholars videoThe Evans Scholars Foundation is partnering with Northwestern University to create a video showcasing the Foundation and Evans Scholar Justin Cruz. The four-minute video will be used for both university and foundation promotional purposes.

Cruz, who caddied at Park Ridge Country Club in Park Ridge, Ill., is a sophomore at Northwestern, studying psychology. He hopes to someday become a doctor. The video will be shown at various events throughout the year, including the WGA’s Green Coat Gala. “I am honored to represent the Evans Scholars Foundation and Northwestern University,” Cruz said. “It has been a wonderful experience to have a chance to express my gratitude for the amazing opportunities I have been given.”

NU Scholar earns BMW Internship

Winter Outing celebrates Scholars

The Missouri New Scholars won the Roland F. “Mac” McGuigan Academic Trophy for earning the highest GPA.

DiD you know?

Three New Scholars from Missouri earned perfect 4.0 GPAs for the fall 2011 semester.

The Missouri New Scholars achieved a 3.71 GPA for the 2011 fall semester, setting a new Program record


From left: Paul Stadem (Minn. ‘13), Shane Kouri (MSU ‘13) and Tom Simon (Mo. ‘13) compose this year’s National Committee board. All are presidents of their chapters.

Check out the WGA’s new merchandise site at www.wgamerchandise.com for custom clothes and 10 percent off on all items until Oct. 15!

‘The Evans Scholarship was life-changing’

200 Evans Scholar seniors graduated this summer from 19 universities.

The Evans Scholars National Committee was created in 1960 for Scholars to share ideas across chapters. It includes the president and an executive board representative from each of the Program’s 14 chapters, who meet throughout the year, and a national board, above, who help to plan top annual Scholar events.

Evans Scholars National Committee

For Jessica DeWitt (Ill. ’12), the Evans Scholarship has inspired her to be “the best person I could possibly be.” During her time as a Scholar, the architecture major

took advantage of every opportunity she could, from philanthropy to travel. As a junior, she studied abroad in Versailles, France, getting a chance to visit 13 different countries and 27 cities in Europe.

At the Illinois House, she served as the chapter’s sustainability chair, using what she learned about sustainable design to assess the House’s utility costs and working with the environmental chair to deploy a fully functioning recycling system. She also helped baseline energy costs and worked toward earning an Energy Star certification

for the House.

She also made valuable friends, and it was the support of her fellow Scholars that helped her through a major tragedy: her brother’s death

in a car accident in October 2010. She left school for a month, and when she returned, the support of friends helped her deal with the loss.

In May, DeWitt graduated with an architecture degree. She now plans to earn an MBA and master’s in architecture at

Illinois. “This scholarship is not just a tuition grant,” she says. “It comes with lifelong friendships, life-changing experiences and an inspiration to be the best one can possibly be.”

New chapter websites

New websites for each of

the Foundation’s 14 Evans

Scholars chapters went live this

spring. Though some chapters

previously had sites, the new

ones are now centralized at

www.wgaesf.org and have a

more user-friendly design

and better navigation and

accessibility.

Each site contains Scholar info,

photo galleries, a calendar and

news. The E-board secretary

from each chapter helps

maintain the site.

In March, Marquette Scholars shaved their heads to benefit St. Baldrick’s, a childhood cancer charity. Scholars at all 14 chapters serve year-round, taking part in walks, bike rides, blood drives and more.

See the sites at www.wgaesf.org

under the Scholarships tab.

23 Summer 2012

FROM EVANS SCHOlAR TO ENERGy ENTREPRENEUREvans Alum George Solich says caddying teed up his success in life

It was George Solich’s older brother, Geoff, who got him to the caddie yard

when George was 13 years old. The Broadmoor was a bike ride away from

the boys’ home in Colorado Springs. It was 1974. Geoff had his eye on earning

an Evans Scholarship and was counting every loop toward achieving his goal.

Coming from a lower middle-income family with five boys, college was going

to be a stretch.A world-class resort, The Broadmoor has welcomed presidents, politicians, celebrities, athletes and some of the greatest names in golf over the years. In other words, it was a great place to be a caddie. “I learned the traditions of the game, met successful people, and acquired valuable life skills,” George recalls. “There’s a work ethic you acquire through caddying that stays with you forever.”

Both George and Geoff went on to earn Evans Scholarships. “That was the moment in life that changed everything,” George says.

He entered the University of Colorado at Boulder in the fall of 1979, with aspirations to become an investment banker. But the big energy boom of the early 1980’s changed all that. George switched his major from finance to mineral land management. He had more than a hunch that there was an opportunity to seize.

During his time at Boulder, George lived in the Evans Scholarship House and worked across the alley at Chi Omega. He was a “hasher” who served meals at the sorority. It was where he met his future wife, Carol. Actually, George was one of seven Evans Scholars who worked at the sorority and they all met and married Chi Omegas. “Not a bad gig,” George laughs.

George Solich (left) with his brother Geoff

© 2012 Allen Birnbach25 Summer 2012

After graduation in 1983, George launched his career in the oil and gas industry with the Houston-based Apache Corporation. “Everything I learned about the business, I learned there,” he says.

At first George didn’t care much for the industry. Perhaps this had something to do with the bust that soon followed the boom. But he ultimately realized that the energy industry was “not a bad place to hang my hat” and he went on to earn a M.S. degree from the University of Colorado at Denver in 1991.

After a heralded rise at Apache, George formed Cordillera Energy Partners in 2000, ultimately coordinating the successful sale of the company for $245 million three years later. His next venture, Cordillera Energy II, sold in 2008 for $1.025 billion.

And Cordillera Energy III? It was acquired for $3.1 billion by Apache Corporation in 2012—a merger that made George Solich particularly proud. “I built a successful business and delivered it to the company where I started,” he says.

Despite the pace of his work—or perhaps because of it—George has always made time for golf, a true passion. Today he is a member at several clubs, including Cherry Hills Country Club, Castle Pines Golf

Club—and The Broadmoor. All three clubs actively support caddies on the course. “A great golf club has to have a great caddie program —period,” says George, who served as caddie co-chair at Cherry Hills for three years.

In fact, George believes so strongly in caddying as a youth development tool that he and his brother established the Solich Caddie & leadership Academy in 2012. launched in partnership with the Colorado Golf Association, the Academy recruits lower-income, inner-city youth to learn and benefit from golf through caddying.

“George inspires the belief that anything is possible if you put your mind and heart in it,” says Ed Mate, executive director of the Colorado Golf Association and an Evans Alum whom George credits with getting the Academy up and running.

The Academy is housed at CommonGround Golf Course, an affordable public facility located in the heart of Denver that is owned and operated by the Colorado Golf Association and Colorado Women’s Golf Association. The Academy provides a 10-week summer program to approximately 30 teens a year, offering caddie training as well as leadership and community service opportunities. A top priority for the Academy is to provide a path for teens to an Evans Scholarship.

“ a great golF club has to have a great caDDie program— perioD,” GEORGE SOlICH SAyS.

George Solich with caddie Asni Solomon, a senior at Bishop Machebeuf High School and a future Evans Scholarship applicant.


Because the Western Golf Association recently launched its own pilot caddie academy (see page 8), there will be ongoing opportunities for collaboration. “We are watching the Solich Academy closely and expect to gain valuable knowledge as we work together to expand caddie resources for underserved youth,” says John Kaczkowski, president & CEO of the Western Golf Association.

George Solich has been a WGA Director since 1997. “It was a privilege to receive the Evans Scholarship and I want to help others have the same experience,” he says. George continues to be one of the WGA’s greatest ambassadors and financial supporters, always ready to take an extra loop for the cause. In both 2011 and 2012, George took a leadership role in the Match Play Challenge, the WGA’s new major gifts initiative that has already raised millions of new dollars for the Evans Scholars Foundation.

Most recently, George played an instrumental role in securing the 2014 BMW Championship for Cherry Hills Country Club—a win-win for the Evans Scholarship program in Colorado and the game of golf.

The theme of giving back extends well beyond the golf community for George Solich, who considers his many charitable and civic involvements a responsibility he welcomes. Among his commitments, George helped establish a Center for Commodities at the University of Colorado’s Business School in Denver and is now part of a task force with the University of Colorado at Boulder to transform the athletic program to achieve sustainable excellence year in and year out. He and Carol continue to be very involved with the Children’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado Uplift and ACE Scholarships.

When George was asked to put his name on the golf academy he helped establish, he was reluctant at first. He’s not one for “slapping my name on things.” But then he and Geoff thought about it. “We figured we’re a pretty good example of what can happen when people invest in life-changing programs like the Evans Scholarship,” he says.

“ SERVING AS THE GENERAl CHAIRMAN OF THE 2014 BMW CHAMPIONSHIP IS AN HONOR,” SAyS GEORGE, who aDDs that the Former caDDie in him coulDn’t be more pleaseD.

George and Geoff Solich with the organizers and the inaugural Class of 2012 caddies in the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course.

George and Geoff Solich meet with caddies (front left to right): Josh Wynn, Duncan Mangel, Asni Solomon and Melyzjah Smith.

27 Summer 2012

Dear par club members:Members of Hazeltine National, thank you for your unending support over the past nine years. you took me under your wing as a naïve 13-year-old and gave me the tools to succeed.

I still remember my first loop, legs shaking under the weight of Mr. Brakke’s bag. Part of me wanted to quit or do anything to save me from the pain I was experiencing. But Mr. Brakke encouraged me along, providing an inner strength to finish the loop. little did he know, his efforts inspired me to continue a few more days, then months and eventually years, to become a top honor caddie.

One morning, I began to worry I would go hungry because I forgot my lunch. As a shy ‘B’ caddie, I was embarrassed to say anything to Mr. Pletz, who was my golfer. Being the caring member he was, he asked if I brought a lunch and then invited me into the clubhouse for my first Hazeltine burger.

His thoughtfulness brought a level of warmth I had not felt for quite some time and inspired me to think more about others. Today, I’m proud to say thoughtfulness is one of my strongest qualities, and I owe this to you.

There were two experiences in

the past nine years that have moved me to tears. The first occurred after receiving my acceptance letter for the Evans Scholarship, as it validated six years of hard work and brought my lifelong dreams into grasp.

Mrs. Schneider supported my candidacy from the beginning. She taught me about the program, connected me with Directors and wrote a thoughtful letter of recommendation on my behalf. I would like to give a special thanks to her, as well as Tim Andersen, Mr. Rainey and Mr. Mahaffy for helping me become an Evans Scholar.

lastly, I will always remember how the Evans Scholarship transformed my life. Not only did it allow me to achieve near-perfect marks and serve on the Evans Scholars Executive Board at the University of Minnesota, but it afforded opportunities to develop strategic solutions for Fortune 500 companies, excel in two competitive internships,

study finance in Hong Kong and finally, to secure an investment banking analyst position in Chicago.

Hazeltine, your support and generosity have made me into a better person and left me truly heartened. I owe everything I have to you. Inspired by your efforts, I’m looking forward to supporting the Evans Scholarship alongside you now that I have graduated.

As you have shown, it has the power to change lives and has given kids like me an opportunity to pursue their dreams — something every caddie deserves.

Hazeltine, thank you for helping

me build this determination

and resilience, as it’s been

instrumental in achieving my

goals over the past nine years.

Dan Marquart graduated from the University of Minnesota

in May and now works as an analyst at William Blair & Co.

in Chicago. In a letter to members of Hazeltine National, he

shares how his caddie experiences changed his life.

alumni profile

‘i owe everything to you’

felt for quite some time and inspired me to think more about others. Today, I’m proud to say thoughtfulness is one of my strongest qualities, and I owe this to you.

There were two experiences in

Marquart in China.


29

theMAC

report

Summer 2012

Welcome, grads!Fellow Alumni,

We welcome the 2012 graduates into the Alumni Association. The Evans Scholars Program is truly

a lifelong program, and we urge these impressive young men and women to carry on the excellence established by the Alums who have come before them and also to continue to help build a solid foundation for the Scholars who will come after them.

Alumni are increasingly important in the leadership, administration and funding of the Western Golf Association and Evans Scholars Foundation. There are more and more ways for Alums to get involved, take leadership roles and generously donate to the Evans Scholars Program. We hope that you will take full advantage of the numerous opportunities.

Please join me in welcoming Brian Shell (Ind. ’98) in his return to the WGA/ESF staff. His new role is Director, Education. Also, congratulations go to Mike Maher (Marq. ’07) on his promotion to Associate Director, Education.

As always, thank you for your generous support of the Evans Scholars Program. As Alumni, our lives have been changed by this wonderful scholarship, and now we have an opportunity to change the lives of so many deserving caddies.

Please stay in touch, and I look forward to seeing many of you during my travels in the coming months.

Enjoy your Mac Report and WGA Evans Scholars Magazine.

Jeff Harrison is the Vice President of Education at the Western Golf Association.

macmacmacthe reportAluMni neWS And ClASS noteS

deere & Co. Ceo Sam Allen to be featured speaker at Alum lunch

Sam Allen (Pur. ’75) will headline the upcoming Evans Scholars Speakers Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 7, at The University Club in Chicago. He

is chairman and CEO of Deere & Co., the world’s leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery, based in Moline, Ill. This year, it is listed as 97th in the Fortune 500 ranking.

Allen caddied at Kokomo Country Club in Kokomo, Ind., and received an Evans Scholarship to Purdue University, where he earned a degree in industrial management. He joined Deere & Co. in 1975, serving as an industrial engineer and rising through the ranks before becoming CEO in July 2009.

Allen will discuss his caddying days, how the Evans Scholarship impacted his life and his current position as chairman and CEO. He also will take questions from the audience. Sign up to attend at www.wgaesf.org.

Visit the new Evans Scholars merchandise site at wgamerchandise.com to buy custom clothing, headwear and accessories. Recent product additions include an Evans Scholars iPhone case, infant onesies, car window decals and more. Get holiday gifts early by entering code EVANSMAG to receive 10 percent off your order.

new merchandise site offers 10 percent discount

Enter code EVANSMAG for a 10 percent off discount through Oct. 15.

What: The Evans Scholars Speakers Forum

When: Noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7

Where: The University Club, Chicago

Info: www.wgaesf.org under upcoming events in “Support Us” or call Erin Indovina at (847) 724-4600.

30 the WGA evans Scholars Magazine

Leaders have been working for the past year to secure the new organization of the Evans

Scholars Alumni Association, which recently changed from a state-based to a university-led structure. The Association is now composed of hundreds of volunteers, providing countless new ways for Alumni to serve the Foundation. Most often, they help to fundraise, run events and communicate and network with fellow Alums.

The class liaison position serves as the personal connection to Alumni. The Association still is searching for volunteers from each class to step up and help reconnect with the Scholars they once lived with. “The class liaison is really the heart of the Alumni Association,” says Erin Indovina, Alumni Services Manager. “It’s that one dedicated person committed to keeping their fellow classmates in the loop.” If you’re interested in serving, contact Indovina at (847) 724-4600.

Monthly giving is a quick and easy way to make your Par Club donation, allowing you to automatically spread your contribution throughout the year.

Giving made easy

Follow us!

twitter.com/WGAESF

facebook.com/evansscholars

linkedin.comES Alumni Association

Company match

Does your company match gifts? Double your donation at no extra cost. Use our online tool to see if your company participates!

aLu

mn

I N

EWS

& N

OTE

S

Dan Cousino (Mich. ’04) volunteered last fall to become a class liaison, helping to reconnect Alums from his class with the Evans Scholars Foundation. Besides catching up with old friends, he has embraced the opportunity to help give back to the program that changed his own life.

“I really enjoyed getting back in contact with people I once lived with, reconnecting, seeing what they’re up to and talking with them for the first time in years.”

ASSoCiAtion reCAp

•The Association’s new structure offers countless ways for Alumni to serve.

•To learn who your president is, visit www.wgaesf.org; click on the “Alumni” tab.

Association seeking class liaisons

new structure results in countless ways to serve

a chance to reconnect with old friends

How did you feel when you were asked to be a class liaison?

I didn’t have to hesitate about taking it. I think it’s such an important job in such an incredible program.

How have you reconnected with people?

The people I lived with are all over the place these days; one is even in Japan! I emailed and made phone calls, trying to reach out and got great responses back.

What is the best part about being class liaison?

It was great to reconnect with people I once lived with and remind them of the great thing we had in the Evans Scholarship and to do their part so others can continue to have those same experiences.

university level

20 presidents to manage board and Phone-a-thon efforts 80 Alumni board members to help with events, communications and Scholar and Alumni relations 135 decade captains to activate class liaisons1,300+ class liaisons to personally connect with Alums and help with social and fundraising efforts

Regional level

10 presidents to create and develop communities in main Alum regions

10+ regional leaders to create and develop communities in smaller areas 45+ regional volunteers to help with Alumni events, Scholar recognition and caddie recruitment

Want to help? Call Alumni Services Manager Erin Indovina at (847) 724-4600.

Visit www.wgaesf.org to learn about monthly giving and company match.

Dan Cousino (Mich. ’04), left, with

Matt Hammer (Pur. ’03).

31 Summer 2012

theMAC

report

Sept. 5: Gardner Heidrick pro-am, Crooked Stick Golf Club, Carmel, Indiana

Sept. 7: Hamilton Invitational, The Country Club of Muirfield Village, Dublin, Ohio

Sept. 8: peter Hill memorial tournament, Ridges at Sand Creek, Jordan, Minnesota

Sept. 10: Hickory Stick Invitational, Forest Lake Country Club, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Sept. 17: evans Cup of Oregon, Waverley Country Club, Portland, Oregon

EVANS ALUMNI calendar

DID yOu knOW?

•There are 9,600 evans alumni

•88% of alumni are under age 65

•Alumni reside in every state and

in 21 countries

•More than 900 female alumni

•Alumni have donated $56 million

over the years and $4.8 million in 2011

evans Scholars Big Bike Ride

Up for a scenic ride through Chicago’s North Shore? This first-time Alumni event is perfect for you. The Evans Scholars Big Bike Ride will be held on Sept. 23 in conjunction with the Evanston Bike Club’s North Shore Century. Choose from one of three route options, ranging from 25-70 miles, to support Evans Scholars. The family-friendly event will be followed by lunch at the NU Evans Scholars House. Visit www.wgaesf.org to register.

“i Am a Caddie” highlights par Club campaign

With college tuition costs continuing to escalate, WGA leaders this year are focusing on asking Par Club members to upgrade by one level. The 2012 Par Club campaign features a theme of “I Am a Caddie,” with stories on the values

learned from caddying, such as hard work, determination and confidence, and how they translate into the real world. The Par Club campaign also features a major gifts component, called the Match Play Challenge, which matches gifts of $2,500 or more.

Alumni can now log into the private side of the WGA website to access features such as a personal profile, directory lookup and career network. See p. 16 for the full story and how to find a validation code to sign in!

Alumni from Michigan at the first Young Alumni Trivia Night, held by the ES Young Alumni committee, at Finley Dunne’s in Chicago on May 23.

Sept. 23: evans Scholars Big Bike Ride, Chicago North Shore suburbs, Illinois

Sept. 24: evans Cup of Washington, Sand Point Country Club, Seattle, Washington

OCt. 7: university of Illinois evans Scholars Open, Glenwoodie Golf Club, Glenwood, Illinois

nOV. 7: Speakers Forum, University Club, Chicago, Illinois

*For a complete list of Evans Scholar events, visit www.wgaesf.org

Create a profile!


Around tHe loop

Colorado

Stay connected — let your fellow Alumni know what’s new in your life! Send in your letters, updates and photos online at www.wgaesf.org or send a note, including your full name, school and year graduated, to: [email protected].

John Roth, ’72, is a water structures engineer at KS Division of Water Resources in Stafford, Kan.

erroll miller, ’79, is head golf professional at Breckenridge Golf Club in Breckenridge, Colo.

Wyck Brown, ’86, is chief marketing officer at BlackBox Logic in Denver.

mike Volling, ’87, is market segment director, signal control, at Sensys Networks in Georgetown, Calif. He wrote in January: “After spending the last 14 years in Austin, Texas, we made the move back to San Clemente, Calif. I am now entering my seventh year at Sensys Networks (I joined as employee 7 in an early start-up company). It seems like only yesterday I was applying for and receiving the Evans Scholarship and now my oldest son, Michael

Illinois

Bill pfordresher, ’72, is owner of Alchemy Entertainment in Los Angeles.

tom nensel, ’74, is corporate controller at Missouri Metals in St. Louis. He and his wife, Dawn, live in Moscow Mills, Mo.

John Clark, ’83, is worldwide client executive, telecommunications industry, at IBM in Schaumburg, Ill.

Chris (moran) mcCarthy, ’84, is a regional manager at Horizons Rehabilitation Services in Bloomingdale, Ill.

mike mcmahon, ’87, is director of sales and

Jr., is applying to colleges! I can only hope he is surrounded with the same support system I had at school!”

Don placek, ’91, is a senior design associate at Renaissance Golf Design in Traverse City, Mich.

Greg perkin, ‘97, is a financial planner at Schwab Private Client Investment Advisory in Englewood, Colo.

tim Barr, ’98, and his wife, Julie, welcomed son Micah Lee on March 2.

todd Schroeder, ‘00, is a ninth-grade government and economics and tenth-grade world history teacher at

1972 Illinois Alums Stephen

Peary, Tom Jackson,

Bill Pfordresher, Tony Melone, Bob Bernsee,

Rusty Alsip, with WGA’s Jim Moore

at an Illinois Alumni reunion in

Scottsdale, Ariz.

John Brandt (Ill. ’58) wrote in December:

The highlight of this year was my 50th wedding anniversary with Elly. We started our celebration with a South Caribbean cruise in January. February was spent in Florida with visits from the boys’ families. In April, we went to the mainland of Greece and the Greek islands. We saw the Acropolis, Parthenon, Meteora Monasteries and the ancient Olympic Stadium, among other sights. In June, we volunteered for the LPGA and spent two weeks at Kentucky Lake with family. In September, we spent some time in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry Hotel. We drove to the Lake of the Ozarks in October where we played golf and saw a country western show. Just before Thanksgiving, we flew to the Mayan Riviera for a week.

Besides traveling, my activities keep me busy. I volunteer as a redcoat escort at Memorial Medical Center and usher at Sangamon Auditorium. I am a board member of Sangamon Auditorium Volunteer Association and the Lutheran Retirement Center Association at Concordia Village in Springfield, Ill.

Celebrating 50 years

Sean Smith (Colo. ‘12) and his family at graduation.

Mountain Range High School in Westminster, Colo.

John Verdieck, ’02, is a foreign affairs officer with the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.

mary (Horvath) Campbell, ’03, is a Federal Publications Live Seminars specialist at Thomas Reuters and a yoga sculpt instructor at CorePowerYoga. She and her husband, Glenn, live in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota.

alex Hemingway, ’04, is in editing in Hollywood, Calif. He and his wife, Veselina, live in Santa Monica.

Jared Sullivan, ‘11, is an applications engineer at Quadna in Golden, Colo.

33 Summer 2012

theMAC

report

marketing operations at SanFan Energy in Chicago.

Frank mostek, ’87, is a vice president at Wells Fargo in St. Louis.

Rich Berner, ’93, is vice president, agile business units and emerging businesses, at Cerner Corporation in Kansas City, Mo. He and his wife, Jennifer, and their children, Emma, Lily and Ava, live in Leawood, Kan.

mike magluilo, ’93, is principal at Delta-v Capital in Denver.

Jim pagliero, ‘95, is principal and co-founder of Delta 180 Consulting in Orland Park, Ill.

auggy Chung, ’96, is a sales manager at The Spancrete Group in Arlington Heights, Ill.

Chris Dorgan, ’96, is an emergency medicine physician affiliated with Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago.

Sylvia (Warnik) Hendron, ’96, is director of engineering at Terratech in Long Beach, Calif.

tara Ooms, ’98, is an assistant professor and director in the Department of Comparative Medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans. She and her husband, Todd, welcomed son Lawton Michael on Feb. 14, 2011.

Tara Ooms’ (Ill. ‘98) and Todd Konecny’s son Lawton.

Mark and Katie (Sargent) Adams’ (Ill. ’02) son Sean.

Jerry Olsen (Ill. ’06) married Lynn Renner on July 15, 2011. They are pictured with Illinois Alumni who attended their wedding.

‘Thankful every day’

Dick Stahler (Ill. ’64) wrote in December:

I turned 70 last July. Mary Kay and l will celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary on Nov. 19. I have two children, Tom and Betsy, and three grandchildren. We split our time between Door County, Wis., and Deerfield, lll. We try to take one international trip annually. We are looking forward to visiting the Orient and South Africa.

I am busy with myriad interests, ranging from fooling with old cars and gardening to biking, landscaping, garden railroad construction and boating on Green Bay. The center of all my activities is Bushwood Acres in rural Egg Harbor, Wis., a place where I can putz around in peace.

I am a designer/greenskeeper of the uber-private Links at Bushwood Acres, a two-hole Par 3 course that is set to expand to three holes in preparation for the first annual Smales Invitational competition, an event where violation of the Royal and Ancient rules will not only be tolerated, but encouraged. I am thankful every day of my life for the opportunity the Evans Scholars program provided.

mike Cushing, ‘00, and his wife, Nicole, welcomed daughter Molly Marie on May 10.

Lloyd Holzman, ’00, is principal at The Boston Consulting Group in Chicago.

katie (Sargent) adams, ’02, and her husband, Mark, welcomed son Sean Randall on May 1.

amy (Boerema) Fuller, ’02, and her husband, Jim, welcomed daughter Eva Catherine on May 17.

Scott Walker, ’02, is vice president, finance, at Cancer Treatment Centers of America near Atlanta.

Sean Collins, ’03, is manager, account management for retirement plan services, at Lincoln Financial Group in Arlington Heights, Ill.

tom kubala, ‘03, is business initiative and capacity manager at Lincoln Financial Group in Rolling Meadows, Ill.

John magill, ’03, married Nikki Pattison on Oct. 1. They live in Chicago.

Dan elder, ’04, is co-founder and producer of Elder Pictures in Los Angeles.

Conor kennedy ’06, is a global network analyst at

Jump Trading in Chicago.

Jerry Olsen, ’06, married Lynn Renner on July 15, 2011.

Leah Okner, ’08, is a research associate at Indiana University. She wrote in January: “I am currently employed by IU and live on the Joint Base Pear Harbor- Hickam.

I am the fitness specialist for active duty 40-60-year-old service members. After living on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for two years, I will return to the mainland in July 2012.”

Joe Drozd, ’09, is director of research at Matrix Capital Advisors in Chicago.

Josh Fisher, ’10, is a mechanical design engineer at Graymills in Chicago.

CONTINUED


Sam (Werner) peters, ’10, is a crop insurance specialist for Diversified Services in Tipton, Ind.

Suzie Doggett, ’11, is a reading interventionist at Bloom Township High School in Chicago Heights, Ill. She is pursuing a master’s in education administration at Governors State University in University Park, Ill.

paul evans, ’11, is a clinical research assistant at Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

adam Granback, ’11, is an audit associate at BDO in Chicago. He recently earned a master’s in accounting from the University of Illinois.

Christina michelon, ’11, is pursuing a master’s in art history from the University of Minnesota. She is a teaching assistant in the department of art history.

erich picchietti, ’11, is a senior accountant at Cancer Treatments Centers of America in Schaumburg, Ill.

George Witchek, ’11, is a management development trainee at OSI Group in Aurora, Ill.

John Goss, ’73, is Asian carp director, council on environmental quality, at the Executive Office of the President in Washington, D.C.

John matovina, ’76, is chief executive officer and president at American Equity Investment Life Holding Company in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Steve Cass, ’77, retired from PepsiCo after nearly 30 years. He lives in Hinsdale, Ill.

mark St. Leger, ’82, is owner of Saints Golf Shop in Tinley Park, Ill.

John Hefner, ’85, is national sales manager at KESQ-TV in Palm Desert, Calif.

tim Feeney, ’89, and his wife, Emma, welcomed son Thomas Joseph on July 6, 2011. Thomas joins Eleanor and James. They live in Evanston, Ill.

kevin Brunory, ’91, is vice president, sales, at Blistex in Oak Brook, Ill.

David DeRam, ’91, is chief software architect at Progeny Software in Indianapolis.

Rich Ilvarsonn, ’93, is a political geography analyst at National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in St. Louis. He and his wife, Anne, and son Wren live in St. Jacob, Ill.

Joe kimpel, ’95, is a task force commander with the U.S. Marshals Service in Pineville, La. He married Katie Dollar on Oct. 15. He wrote in March: “Currently serving my second tour in Afghanistan with the USMS-Special Operations Group. Returning home April 2012.”

Indiana

Drew and Chris Conrad’s (Ind. ‘01) son Hugh Christopher.

Sean Gaughan (Ind. ‘79 ) and his family at Disneyland.

Bernie Wysocki

(Ill. ’71) and his family

cheered on the Cubs at spring

training in Arizona.

Illinois cont.

angie (Curneal) palsak, ’96, is dean of students at Southwestern Michigan College in Dowagiac, Mich.

Brian Shell, ’98, is director, education, at the Western Golf Association and Evans Scholars Foundation in Golf, Ill.

J.t. Fries, ’99, and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed daughter Sadie on Nov. 23. She joins Jackson. They live in Bloomington, Ind.

Jim kisner, ’99, and his wife, Michelle, welcomed son Justin Michael on May 7. He joins James IV. Jim is vice president and senior analyst at Jefferies and Company in the San Francisco area.

tom Fitzgerald (Ind. ‘73) wrote in January:

Are you an Evans Scholar Alum in the entertainment industry residing somewhere other than in Los Angeles? Or a soon-to-be graduate looking to start your entertainment career with a big move to Los Angeles?

We currently have 42 Showbiz Scholars in southern California. We are in cable TV and film. We are actors, comedians and actresses. We are in front of the camera and behind it. We are makeup artists, directors, producers and talent agents. We are musicians, curators, museum directors and chief entertainment officers. We specialize in commercials, advertising and computer graphics.

If you are considering moving to California and need networking help or advice, contact us before the big move. We can save you time, money and aggravation, while giving you advice and contacts. Call (702) 458-0800 or email [email protected].

‘Showbiz Scholars’ in L.A.

35 Summer 2012

theMAC

report

tom paige, ‘61, is a dermatologist at Contra Costa Health Services in Martinez, Calif.

paul Biebel, ’64, received the 2012 Freedom Award from John Marshall Law School in Chicago in May for working to halt the patterns of repeated offenses in the justice system. Biebel, a judge at the George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building, the largest criminal courthouse in America, also received an honorary degree from the John Marshall Law School after giving the commencement address to the 2012 graduating class.

Dick Cook, ‘66, is retired. He lives in Overland Park, Kan.

Dan Coyne, ’68, is a partner at Perkins Coie in Chicago.

marquette

Dino and Stephanie (Sylve) Antonopoulos’ (Marq. ‘04) children Ellie and Mikey.

tom Filippini, ’74, is vice president, sales and marketing, at Texsport in Houston.

Joe ahern, ’80, is president at Ahern Fleury in Birmingham, Mich.

Bill martin, ‘80, is an attorney with the Law Offices of William F. Martin in Chicago.

pat mckenna, ’81, is a partner at The Mosaic Financial Group in Chicago.

Kawthar Rkein

(Marq. ‘13) and Tara

McQuillan (Marq. ‘14) in Ireland on study abroad

trips.

Scholar mom Jeanne Duffy wrote in May:

When our oldest son Shane was a freshman in high school, the time had come to think about college. Life was busy, raising three boys and working; the years flew by quicker than expected. One evening while surfing the Internet, I came across the Chick Evans Scholarship. Shane had already caddied at Crystal Tree Golf and Country Club for a year.

Shane spent his time studying diligently, getting involved in school activities and performing community service. He put in long hours caddying. In his junior year he started the application process. In March 2008, Shane received the wonderful news we had prayed for: he had been awarded a Chick Evans Scholarship to Marquette University.

Afterward, our other sons followed the same course. In March 2011, Connor received the scholarship to Indiana University, and this past April, Brennan received the scholarship to Northern Illinois University.

As we prepare to attend Shane’s graduation from Marquette, we realize just how blessed we are to be members of the Evans Family thanks to the generosity of the WGA and Crystal Tree. We are especially grateful to Chick for his vision in founding this life-changing opportunity for caddies.

Vince pellegrino, ’99, and his wife, Stephanie, welcomed twin daughters Gabriella and Madelyn on March 26.

Jim Saul, ’99, is a sales associate at BIOMET. He lives in Chicago.

Chris Conrad, ’01, and his wife, Drew, welcomed son Hugh Christopher on July 27, 2011.

Shannon Hoffman, ’02, is a senior associate at PwC in Houston.

Sean O’Leary, ‘02, wrote in January: “This past year, Becca and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary and welcomed our son, Ryan, into our lives on July 7, 2011. Our daughter, Hannah, is a very helpful and entertaining big sister!”

Jeremy Stroiman, ’03, is a managing partner at Evans Senior Investments in Boulder, Colo.

phil Funk, ’06, is principal at Centerbridge Partners in Indianapolis.

matt Ostrega, ’07, is manager of strategic operations at WireCo WorldGroup in Kansas City, Mo. He and his wife, elyse (Biller) ’08, live in Overland Park, Kan.

Gavin Grosh, ’10, is a minor league athletic trainer with the New York Mets.

michael Houlihan, ’10, is a financial analyst at SXC Health Solutions in Lisle, Ill.

‘Especially grateful to Chick’

Brennan Duffy (NIU ‘16), Shane Duffy (Marq. ‘12) and Connor Duffy (Ind. ‘15) at Shane’s graduation.

Larry Brady, ’82, is partner and co-founder of Scarpelli & Brady in Park Ridge, Ill.

Jim Shaughnessy, ’82, is business controller on the supply chain management finance team at Beckman Coulter in Brea, Calif.

Dave Ferry, ‘83, is a vice president at Wells Fargo Bank in Tampa, Fla.

Brennan Duffy (NIU ‘16), Shane Duffy (Marq. ‘12)Connor Duffy (Ind. ‘15)at Shane’s graduation.

CONTINUED

Dan mcCarthy, ’12, is at Zurich NA in Chicago.


mike mckenna, ’87, is a videographer and in operations at WYCC PBS in Chicago.

Bill Duffy, ‘92, is a partner at Evolve Partners in the Chicago area. He and his wife, Nancy, and their children Isabel and Imogen live in Plainfield, Ill.

matt Duffy, ‘93, is director of marketing at Nonni’s Foods in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. He and his wife, Meggan, and their children Kathleen, Thomas and Nora live in La Grange Park, Ill.

Joe Gerger, ’94, is director at MedAssets. He and his wife, Kara, live in Oak Lawn, Ill.

Sean Gallagher, ’96, is senior vice president and team leader in the commercial lending division of Inland Bank and Trust in Oak Brook, Ill. He was elected chairman of the board of trustees for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Greater Illinois Chapter, in October.

Chris Gaunt, ’96, and his wife, Becky, welcomed son Connor Arthur on March 21.

peter Holsen, ’96, is a partner and registered patent attorney at Andrus, Sceales, Starke and Sawall in Milwaukee. He is a contributing author for the International Association for

Miami Alums from 1977-79 at an Evans Scholars gathering in Cincinnati in February. The group tries to see each other twice a year.

the Protection of Intellectual Property.

matthew Carpenter, ‘97, is a manager at Venice Olive Oil Co. in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Colleen monahan, ’98, is a teacher at Kearney Middle School in Commerce City, Colo.

Odalo Ohiku, ’99, is an attorney with the Law Office of Odalo J. Ohiku in Milwaukee.

Jeff Block, ‘00, and his wife, Kimberly, welcomed son Joseph on Oct. 24. He joins Samuel.

Brian ellenbecker, ‘00, is financial planner/vice president at Robert W. Baird and Co. in Milwaukee.

tim Jacobs, ’00, is a TPC online integration consultant at TPC Training Systems in Buffalo Grove, Ill.

mike Brady, ‘02, is controller at Geneva Investment Management in Chicago.

Jim Cunat, ’02, and his wife, Amy, welcomed daughter Ella Grace on Dec. 16.

kristina DeSmet, ’02, is principal scientist, safety assessment, at Stiefel. She and her husband, Doug, live in Morrisville, N.C.

Courtney (Dean) Craig, ‘03, and her husband, Jeff, welcomed daughter Campbell. She joins Charley and Ella.

erin (malloy) Baltrusaitis, ’04, earned an MBA from Northeastern Illinois University.

Steve Hall, ’04, is a business development manager at Siemens Industry in Chicago. He and his wife, Melissa, live in Chicago Ridge, Ill.

Laura Celentani, ’06, is an English teacher at Burlington Catholic Central High School

in Burlington, Wis.

Sylvester Cutler, ’07, is director of the merit scholarship and financial aid program at the University School of Milwaukee.

Dan Daitchman, ’07, is a financial analyst at Great American Group IP Advisors in Chicago.

ken kraft, ‘07, is a senior financial analyst at Motorola Mobility in Libertyville, Ill.

erin (Bresnahan) passamentt, ’07, and her husband, Ivan, welcomed son Gavin James on Sept. 23.

kit Zirngibl, ’07, is director of living justice at Diocese of Green Bay in Wisconsin.

Susan Celentani, ’08, is a theology teacher and campus minister at Dominican High School in Whitefish Bay, Wis.

Christina (Dwyer) Guthrie, ’08, earned a master’s at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and is a licensed acupuncturist in Chicago.

kim (muth) kraft, ‘08, is e-commerce and digital marketing manager at LTD Commodities in Bannockburn, Ill.

Caroline Gray, ’09, is an editorial assistant at Easy Food in Dublin, Ireland.

terry Grom, ‘09, recently earned a master’s in forensic science at the University of

Jeff and Courtney (Dean) Craig’s (Marq. ‘03) daughter Campbell.

marq. cont.Illinois in Chicago. He is a forensic scientist at Illinois State Police Forensic Science Command in Carbondale, Ill.

Cheryl Rekowski, ’09, is a financial institution specialist at Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in Chicago.

kelly Ryan, ‘09, is a commercial loan officer at Standard Bank and Trust in Hickory Hills, Ill.

margaret mary Zirngibl, ’10, is an English teacher at Big Foot Union High School in Walworth, Wis.

alan Devey, ’11, is an account executive at Cook and Kocher Insurance in Park Ridge, Ill.

Sean mcnulty, ’11, is pursuing a law degree at the University of Wisconsin.

miamiBob Lohr, ’83, is a senior certified golf instructor at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy. He and his wife, Renee, and children Matthew, Brandon and Briana live in Orlando.

Rob Ries, ’84, is a senior vice president at Fifth Third Bank in Cincinnati. He and his wife, Patti, and their children Brigitte and Ryan live in Cincinnati.

CONTINUED

37 Summer 2012

theMAC

report

On April 11, Joe moeddel (mia. ’00) was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia, leaving him in a dangerous condition two months before his wedding. But his twin brother, mike moeddel (OSu ’99), came to the rescue, helping to save his brother’s life by becoming his stem cell donor.

The brothers caddied at Western Hills Country Club in Cincinnati for five years before receiving Evans Scholarships. After college, Joe would eventually move to Chicago, while Mike remained in Cincinnati.

In the hospital, Joe blogged to family and friends, explaining that his body stopped producing platelets, white blood cells and red blood cells. Without them, he had no protection from infection and was at risk of internal bleeding. He was on bed rest with occasional walks around the hospital floor, a far cry for someone used to daily running and an annual marathon.

Joe learned the five-year survival rate for aplastic anemia was 60 percent. “I was pretty scared the odds were that low because that meant there was a 40 percent chance I could die in the next five years,” he says.

His doctors began planning for a months-long treatment regimen. That was when Joe informed them he had an identical twin brother. “Why didn’t you tell me before? That changes everything!”Joe’s doctor said. An identical twin drastically improves chances of survival because the risk of rejecting the transplant disappears.

“I was on the phone with Mike within a few minutes and he drove over the next morning,” Joe says. When Mike

first visited the hospital, a nurse just about tackled him because she thought a high-risk patient was trying to sneak out.

For four days, Mike took shots forcing his body to push stem cells out of his bone marrow and into the bloodstream.

“The pain wasn’t the worst part; it was the fear I wouldn’t be able to perform the job,” Mike

says. “I didn’t just have my own life in my hands anymore; I had my brother’s.”

After 19 days in the hospital, with a successful transplant on day 10, Joe went home. His life slowly returned to normal as his immune system strengthened, and on June 2, he married his fiancee, Ana Sarbu, in Mexico.

A few months into recovery, Joe’s counts are low, but stabilized. And he has no plans to slow down. “I should be able to live a normal life; I’m planning on running a marathon in the spring,” he says.

-Betsy Drazner

Being a donor

“Joe really benefited from those people who took a half hour of their day to give blood and really recognizes the difference it makes in people’s lives. Being a bone marrow donor is a simple step we can all take that may one day change the life of somebody facing a life-threatening disease like aplastic anemia. Anybody can painlessly sign up to be a donor at www.marrow.org.” -Mike Moeddel

aLumnI SpOtLIGHt: Twin transplant

Joe receiving a transfusion of Mike’s stem cells.

Blog excerpt by Joe moeddel

April 24, 2012 11:43 a.m.

I now realize that I am probably more comfortable here than at home. People deliver me three meals a day, sanitize my room daily and I am allowed to make loops around a hallway that is the size of a house to get exercise. There are many other benefits of this condition. They have strict rules against fresh vegetables (and fruit) since they may carry some bacteria, but they are fully supportive of processed foods. They also consider sitting up in a chair to be exercise, so by their definition I exercise for hours every day. After walking 20 laps (less than 1 mile) on the floor I got more congrats than I have gotten for finishing some marathons.

Joe and Mike Moeddel at Joe’s wedding on June 2.


Chris Boehm (Mia. ‘94) with his wife, Amy, and children Conner, Ethan and Allison.

matt Casey, ’91, is a certified financial planner at a private wealth advisory practice at Ameriprise Financial in Toledo.

Joe Weisenburger, ‘92, is vice president, senior housing, at Health Care REIT in Toledo. He and his wife, Stephanie, and children Jack and Josh live in Perrysburg, Ohio.

navid mcIlhargey, ’94, is president of FilmEngine Entertainment in Hollywood.

Scott kolasinski, ’97, is a personal trainer at FIT in Los Altos, Calif.

Doug Feichtner, ’99, is a partner at Dinsmore & Shohl in Cincinnati.

eric Hassen, ’00, is in sales/account management at Quality Assured Cleaning in Columbus.

Joe moeddel, ‘00, married Ana Sarbu on June 2.

Jon Byers, ’02, is an account manager at Principle Solutions Group in Atlanta.

amy Lillibridge, ’02, and Lauren Busey welcomed son Noah Christopher on Nov. 1.

todd morris, ’03, recently earned an MBA from UCLA. He is an associate in the financial restructuring group at Houlihan Lokey in Century City, Calif.

michiganBill Viands, ’58, is retired. He lives in Leesburg, Fla.

Steve molitoris, ’65, is a senior account executive and team leader at TransFirst Corporate Sales in Cypress, Calif.

tom Carney, ’69, is senior vice president, general counsel and secretary, at The Pantry in Cary, N.C.

kurt von koss, ’78, is a sales manager at Beaver Tile and

Craig Chester (mich. ‘64) wrote in December:

It’s been a good year; we have taken a few road trips and made some improvements to the house. Our grandson Max has become very interested in cars and trucks, so in July we took him to visit the Ford Factory, the Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. The best part of the trip was seeing the Ford F-150 assembly line.

Our grandson Garrett has become a real Michigan Wolverine sports fan, so in September we took him to see Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan at the Big House.

I recently returned from our Thanksgiving trip to the Tucson area, with Thanksgiving dinner with Ralph Butz (mich. ’61).

I go to the gym, volunteer at church and at the sheriff’s office and play golf. I set my personal record of 237 rounds in a year, 215 of them at my course, Ptarmigan. All three grandchildren got exposed to the game this summer. I bought clubs for all three and signed them up for junior golf programs.

‘It’s been a good year’

Cheri and Brian Beitz’s (Mich. ‘89) daughter Maren Rose.

Joe Moeddel (Mia. ‘00) and his wife, Ana.

Amy Lillibridge (Mia. ‘02) and Lauren Busey’s son Noah Christopher.

Amy Lillibridge (Mia. ‘02)

Brett mueller, ’05, and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed son Ryan Allen on Nov. 20.

mike O’Leary, ’05, is lead application systems programmer at KeyBank in Cleveland.

Jonathan abrams, ‘06, recently earned a law degree from Harvard.

kevin Chaney, ’07, is a program manager at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in Rockville, Md.

aaron pike, ’08, is an assurance associate at Crowe Horwath in Cleveland.

Justin Landers, ’10, is pursuing a master’s in homeland security at American Military University in Charles Town, W. Va.

Robert Raab, ’10, is an ISS consultant at Nationwide Financial in Dublin, Ohio.

matthew Reidy, ’11, recently earned a degree in clinical laboratory sciences at the Cleveland Clinic School of Medical Technology, where he is a medical lab scientist in hematology.

andrea Wade, ’11, is a high school math teacher at St. Mary’s Jr./Sr. High School in Lynn, Mass. She is pursuing a degree in education at Providence College.

Stone in Farmington Hills, Mich.

Brion Johnson, ‘83, is president of Hartford Investment Management.

Dave Goltz, ’85, is vice president and corporate counsel at KemperSports in Northbrook, Ill.

Brian Beitz, ’89, and his wife, Cheri, welcomed daughter Maren Rose on Oct. 17. She joins Sophie. He wrote in January: “We’re three months in and doing well. Big sis Sophie is a big help and, having learned the Michigan fight song this year, was a big fan of Michigan’s run to the Sugar Bowl.”

miami cont.

39

theMAC

report

Summer 2012

Julie and Peter Brown (Mich. ‘05) with son Ryan Peter.

John Gregg’s (Mich. ’78) caddie buttons.

Chris Schmitz, ’92, is vice president, finance, at InfiLaw Holding in Naples, Fla.

Jim Skidmore, ’92, is a partner at Booth Creek Management Corp. in Vail, Colo.

Jim Butski, ’93, is head volleyball coach at Florida Christian College in Kissimmee, Fla. He was named the NCCAA South Region Coach of the Year for the 2011 season.

Dave Girolamo, ‘94, is manager, data analytics, at Enprecis in Seattle.

John Deledda, ’95, is vice president, medical affairs and chief medical officer, at UC Health University Hospital in Cincinnati.

David Curtis, ’96, is a logistics manager at Grupo Logico in Novi, Mich.

Steve miller, ’97, is a golf professional at Carolina Colours Golf Club in New Bern, N.C.

todd alderman, ’98, is chief engineer, controls, at Jervis B. Webb Company in Farmington Hills, Mich.

Scott Weston, ’98, is an associate at Cooley and a member of Cooley’s patent counseling and prosecution practice group in Boston.

aaron marbury, 01, is a director at PwC in Chicago.

Brad matthews, ’02, is a financial advisor associate and vice president, investments, at Chase in Indianapolis.

pat Somerville, ‘02, is a state representative in the Michigan House of Representatives.

Chris Szarek, ’02, and his wife, Nicole, welcomed son Robert on May 20.

Corwyn nikkila, ’03, and his wife, Stacey, welcomed

Rand Scarbrough (mSu ’68) wrote in January:

In a few months, I will hit the three-year mark from retiring from Silver Valley School District and Barstow College in Southern California. I did a little of everything for my high school, including coaching varsity sports and the Mock Trial and Academic Decathlon teams, served as social science department chair for 25 years, and sat on more curriculum, hiring and planning committees than I can count. I also worked as a mentor/coach for new teachers for eight years and taught at our local community college for 18 years.

I spend my time in Michigan, New Jersey and Florida now, hitting golf courses whenever possible. Best wishes to all the Evans Scholars. No words can capture my appreciation for the opportunities afforded me by the Evans Scholars program!

Three years retired

CONTINUED

daughter Elizabeth Jane on Feb. 23. He is a senior product analyst at Qualis Automotive in Troy, Mich.

peter Brown ’05, and his wife, Julie, welcomed son Ryan Peter on Feb. 20.

Geoff George, ’06, is in equity financial products at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York City.

nick Shaheen, ’06, is a musician and recording artist at BSPROUT Records and an experience coordinator for LivingSocial in Chicago. He released his debut record “Don’t Give Up On Me” and is performing around the Midwest.

Jon Bauer, ’10, is pursuing a Ph.D. in chemical engineering at University of Delaware.

andrew Juiris, ’10, is a real estate consultant at Gensler in New York City. He is pursuing a master’s in real estate development at New York University.

John konen, ’10, is in medical school at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine in Grand Rapids, Mich.

nick Sejnost, ’11, is a markets risk analyst at Bank of America in New York City.

James Dawson, ’68, is executive director of Truman Medical Center Charitable Foundation in Kansas City, Mo.

Ray nemecek, ‘71, is retired. He lives in Lansing.

Bill Gallagher, ‘72, is retired. He lives in Edwardsville, Ill.

Dennis machuga, ‘72, is retired. He lives in Oak Ridge, N.C.

mark Ilitch, ‘73, is retired. He lives in Sterling, Va.

Jim mcIntyre, ’73, is development director at Arbor Research Collaborative for Health in Ann Arbor.

Brad parsons, ’76, is chief entertainment officer at Arena Network in Los Angeles.

tony palombo, ‘81, is vice president and CFO of Greer Laboratories in Lenoir, N.C.

Brian koehler, ’83, is a project manager at Burroughs Payment Systems in the Detroit area.

pete napolitan, ‘84, is a procurement specialist at Ethicon Endo-Surgery in Cincinnati. He and his wife, Michelle, and their children Brendan, Marco, Anthony and Jayden live in West Chester, Ohio.

konrad molter, ’88, is a secondary principal at Glen Lake Community Schools in Maple City, Mich.

Brian myrick, ‘97, is a treasury accounting supervisor at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Mich.

James Brooks, ’98, is in packaging at CKNA in the Nashville area.

michigan State


Shawn Gonyeau, ’98, opened Gonyeau Family Chiropractic in Holly Springs, N.C. He and his wife, Stacey, and their daughters Mary Grace and Madeleine live in Holly Springs, N.C.

Dalon Williams, ’98, is an E&C engineer at ITT Water and Wastewater in Charlotte, N.C.

Dustin may, ’99, recently graduated from Nova Southeastern University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. He is in an internal medicine residency program at Larkin Community Hospital in South Miami. He and his wife,

Jill, and their son Max live in Coral Gables, Fla.

patrick mallon, ’01, and his wife, Becky, welcomed daughter Kendall Grace on July 19, 2011.

Jeff Caligiuri, ’02, is a construction project manager at Meijer in Grand Rapids, Mich.

alex mera, ’02, and his wife, Amanda, welcomed son Hunter Wade on Feb. 6.

kevin Selenich, ‘02, recently earned a master’s in public administration/public policy from North Carolina State University.

Ryan Shapin, ’02, is a physician and emergency medicine specialist in Minnetonka, Minn.

Scott Wilson (mSu ’78) wrote in December:

After a year and a half of planning, coordinating, decision-making and all else that goes into getting ready for the big day, June 11 finally arrived. My daughter Chelsea was married

to Kyle Dennis. The new Mr. and Mrs. Dennis live in Atlanta with their dogs Bella and Elliot, a.k.a. Belliott. A week before the wedding, my daughter Kimber received a job offer from Anderson

Daughter’s wedding and travelsMerchandising in Minneapolis as a liaison for their movie studios.

September saw us flying to Sacramento to attend the wedding of our friends’ daughter. After the wedding, we drove to Napa and visited the wineries of Hess, Schramsberg, Sterling, Frank Family, Mondavi, Rubicon (Inglenook) and Darioush.

Our next stop was San Francisco, complete with Fisherman’s Wharf and the seals, Chinatown, the Golden Gate Bridge and the guided tour of Alcatraz. We returned to Sacramento where we enjoyed a rafting trip down the American River.

My stint in St. Louis came to an end in October. Since then I’ve enjoyed tailgating at every MSU home game, cheering the Spartans on as they won the title for the Big 10 Legends Division.

Scott Wilson (MSU ‘78) and family at his daughter’s wedding.Scott Wilson (MSU ‘78) and family at Scott Wilson (MSU ‘78) and family at Scott Wilson (MSU ‘78)

katie VanGoethem, ’02, is a corporate audit manager at PulteGroup in the Detroit area.

andy Ball, ’04, married Barb Richardson at the MSU Horticulture Gardens on Sept. 17.

Jason Bruveris, ’05, and natalie (Victor) Bruveris, ’06, welcomed son Drew Daniel on April 3. He joins Luke. They live in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.

Brian allen, ’06, is an emergency medicine resident physician at University of Michigan Health System. He lives in Trenton, Mich.

evan Blackwood, ’06, is assistant golf course superintendent at The Garden City Golf Club in Garden City, N.Y.

Scott Cendrowski, ’07, is engaged to Alyssa Abkowitz. He is a writer and reporter at Fortune in New York City.

Zach Olsen, ’08, oversees national accounts, foodservice, at Paramount Coffee Co. in Lansing. He and his wife,

Jessica, live in Williamston, Mich.

Sarah adams, ’10, is a transportation planner at Logistic Management Solutions in St. Louis, Mo.

Stephanie Despres, ’10, is an early head start home visitor with the Monroe County Intermediate School District in Monroe, Mich.

Jason Hawkins, ’10, is director of front office operations at The Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, Mich. He wrote in January: “It’s an amazing opportunity with a fabulous team I’m excited to be a part of.”

nathan Schultz, ’10, is a laboratory manager at Culture Systems in Mishawaka, Ind.

Justin Desilets, ’11, is a supply chain professional at BHP Billiton in Houston.

Brandon Gray, ‘11 is an account manager at RWP Kinsale in Novi, Mich.

nick Janicke, ’11, is a project engineer at Walsh Construction in Granite City, Ill.

Andy Ball (MSU ‘04)

sang the Sweetheart Song at his

wedding.

mSu cont.

41

theMAC

report

Jessica and Zach

Olsen’s (MSU ’08)

wedding, with MSU

Alumni.

Summer 2012

Jonathan Decker (mSu ’09) golfed 155 holes in one day this summer at the Hundred Hole Hike. A golf pro from Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest, Ill., Decker had his first experience in this marathon-style

golfing fundraiser in which participants aim to play 100 or more holes of golf in one day to raise money for charity. Throughout the summer, five golfers at various locations throughout the U.S. raised over $10,000 total for the Evans Scholars Foundation.

“Being an Alum, working in the golf industry and always liking crazy adventures, the Hundred Hole Hike sparked my interest,” Decker says.

Golfers teed off before 5 a.m. and finished around sunset. Sven Nilsen, a hiker for the Evans Scholars Foundation, said the highlight of his day was meeting the Evans Scholars who volunteered as caddies. “The appreciation they demonstrated by carrying a golf bag in 90-degree heat was a testimony to what the program means to them.”

Participants have high hopes the day’s success will continue. “Next year this could grow into an even bigger event for the Evans Scholars Foundation,” Decker says.

-Betsy Drazner

Hundred Hole HikeJonathan Decker (holes in one day this summer at the Hundred Hole Hike. A golf pro from Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest, Ill., Decker had his first experience in this marathon-style

matt neitzel, ’11, is a web developer at England Logistics in Livonia, Mich.

Giuseppe palazzolo, ’11, founded Common Threads, a Detroit clothing company.

Jim Davies, ’68, is a software engineer at Carpenter’s Benefit Funds in St. Louis.

kent nerburn, ‘68, published a short story “The Last Cab

Lucky ereyi, ’10, is an associate examiner at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

Luis Larrea, ’10, is pursuing a law degree at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul.

matt Zwack, ’10, married Kelsey Pizzato on Nov. 19 in West Bend, Wis.

Greg Hoepfner, ’11, is a structural design engineer at Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Mukilteo, Wash.

Luke kretchmer, ’11, is a university English teacher in the Peace Corps in Washington, D.C.

Lucas O’Brien, ’11, is pursuing a master’s in human resources and industrial relations at University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. He works at DeYoung Personality Laboratory in Minneapolis.

J.p. Wynne, ‘11, is an associate in the financial services practice within the finance, technology and operations group, at PwC in Chicago.

Dan marquart, ‘12, is an investment banking analyst at William Blair and Co. in Chicago.

missourimike Rhoades, ‘70, is a golf coach at Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park, Kan.

Jack Holland, ’72, is managing director, investment banking, at Oppenheimer in Kansas City, Mo.

CONTINUED

minnesota

Ride,” an excerpt from his book “The Wolf at Twilight.”

Scott Fryklund, ’80, is a national account executive at Diversified Brokerage Services in St. Louis Park, Minn.

tim Walker, ’84, is in global accounts sales operations at Honeywell International in Eden Prairie, Minn.

tim korby, ’87, is a project principal at LHB Engineering and Architects in Minneapolis.

George Stangl, ’87, is an area business manager at Biogen Idec in Minneapolis.

Bob Gitzen, ‘90, is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Science in Columbia, Mo.

mark Steward, ’93, is administrator/clerk/treasurer for the city of Elroy in Wisconsin.

mike artmann, ’95, is a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Lakewood, Colo.

Chad kastner, ’97, is a regional vice president at Sun Life Financial in Minneapolis.

Garrett tews, ‘97, is a registered landscape architect at Colberg Tews in Minneapolis.

Dave Wetenkamp, ’99, married Aimee Miller on April 9, 2011. The couple lives in Manitowoc, Wis.

paul Larson, ’02, and his wife, Kristine, and children Jack and Anna live in Maple Grove, Minn.

Jessica Congdon, ’10 is an office manager at MSP Communications in Minneapolis.


Bill Schulte, ‘75, retired as secretary and treasurer from Battle River Regional School Division No. 31 in Camrose, Alberta, Canada.

kevin Langford, ’76, is general counsel at FCS Financial in Jefferson City, and a member of the FCS Financial Board’s legislative and governance committees.

John Fagan, ’77, is senior vice president, investments, at Raymond James in St. Louis.

mark Lauberth, ’81, is president of the De Smet Jesuit High School Alumni Association in St. Louis.

John Stewart, ’81, is athletic director at De Smet Jesuit High School in St. Louis.

Russ Luedloff, ’84, is eastern regional sales manager at Precision Rebuilders in St. Clair, Mo.

Bryan Doerr, ’85, is chief technology officer and senior vice president at Savvis in Town and Country, Mo.

Missouri Alumni visited and cleaned their adopted interstate area in St. Louis County.

Jim Murphy (Marq. ’75) and Jack Holland (MO ‘72) in Paris this past fall.

Gerard Bava, ’86, is chief financial officer at Dierbergs Markets in Chesterfield, Mo.

tim Geraghty, ‘88, is senior director of news at Central Florida News 13 in Orlando.

terry Richardson, ’90, is principal, human resource services, at PwC in Chicago.

Jeff Sullivan, ’97, is vice president, commercial banking, at Bank Midwest in Blue Springs, Mo.

Brad Crawford, ’98, is pursuing a master’s in public policy at the University of Chicago. He is associate editor, energy and environment, at Chicago Policy Review and was named the Review’s best writer for 2011-2012.

Jennifer (meyer) maune, ‘01, and her husband, Travis, welcomed daughter Bailey on March 20. Bailey joins Andrew, Luke and Morgan.

ken Bouma, ’04, is an operations system analyst and dialer administrator at Apex

Without the Evans Scholarship, Brandon Gray’s (mSu ’11) life would have been a lot different. “The scholarship was probably the best thing that happened to me,” he says. Then the next best thing happened.

He connected with an Evans Scholar Alum, which led to a new job better suited to his personality. It reinforced his belief that the Evans Scholarship is more than just a college degree. “I can’t find the words for how the scholarship sets you up professionally and helps you for the rest of your life,” he says.

Gray started caddying at age 12 in Grosse Ile, Mich. He learned about the Evans Scholarship immediately and dedicated himself to earning it. After a demanding college career as a mechanical engineering major, Gray began searching for jobs, eventually securing a position in Atlanta. However, after getting acquainted with his new company, he realized it wasn’t the right fit.

Then an Evans Scholar connection came through. He had previously emailed Jeff Barber (mSu ’88) about an ES event and then connected with him through LinkedIn. When Barber’s company, RWP Kinsale, needed to hire a new employee in Novi, Mich., Barber asked Gray if he could recommend someone.

“I was trying to find somebody from MSU in engineering, preferably an Evans Scholar,” Barber said. “I asked him if he knew somebody who would be interested in the job.”

“What about me?” was Gray’s response.

Gray was offered the job, in which he designs, develops and sells automotive parts and assemblies. “It’s great working here,” Gray says. “You see everybody and interact with everybody.” The close-knit connections within the company are similar to those of the Evans Scholars network.

Creating a network of Scholar contacts is a priority for both Gray and Barber. “As an employer, I know an Evans Scholar has a certain skill set that involves all the facets of what you learn in the program: integrity, hard work, understanding what it takes to be successful. It’s a valuable thing,” Barber says.

Once a young caddie on the golf course, Gray is now a member at his country club. “I am always trying to give back and be involved with Evans Scholars,” he says.

-Betsy Drazner

aLumnI SpOtLIGHt: Networking

43 Summer 2012

theMAC

report

northern Ill.

Jim Geimer, ’58, is chief executive officer at Management Advisory Council in Buffalo Grove, Ill.

northwestern

Tim Jones (NIU ‘08),

Derek Venhuizen

(NIU ‘06) and Craig

Nicklaus (NIU ‘07) at an NIU

golf outing.

Northwestern seniors celebrated their annual Senior Night with Alums at Finley Dunne’s Tavern in Chicago in June.

Janet Chiotti, ‘88, is an HR consultant at ADP in Elk Grove Village, Ill.

John Steck, ‘89, is an R&D project engineer, consultant, at Angiotech in Reading, Pa. He lives in Lancaster, Pa.

Rob Cummings, ’93, is a senior trader at Milliman’s

Rob Luby, ’69, is retired. He lives in Mesa, Ariz. He wrote in December: “Volunteering my time in the Mesa Public Schools, tutoring and coaching.”

Scott Foster, ’72, is a broker with RE/MAX Edge in Chicago.

Chas mikrut, ’76, is vice president of sales, central region, at Spinnaker Support in Chicago.

ken Jones, ’82, is a senior software engineer at TASC in St. Louis.

Brendan Shea, ’92, is a physical therapist at and owner of Shea Physical Therapy in Buffalo Grove, Ill. He and his wife, Jori, and their children Colin and Reilly live in Lindenhurst, Ill.

pat Burke, ’95, and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed sons Declan and Dillon on March 8. They join Noa. He is vice president, business development, at Market Track in Chicago.

Bill Siffermann, ’97, is vice president, fund board relations, at Nuveen Investments in Chicago.

Derek Snaidauf, ’99, is service area manager, senior managing consultant, BAO Advanced Analytics, at IBM Global Business Services in Chicago.

Rob musiala, Jr., ’00, is a senior associate at PwC in Chicago. He earned a

Financial Management in Buffalo Grove, Ill.

Robert tighe, ’04, is a security engineer at Agile Defense at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. He and his wife, Amie, welcomed daughter Ashleigh on June 6, 2011. She joins Jordan and Faith.

Sam Brown, ’05, is vice president of engineering and construction at Server Farm Realty in St. Louis.

David mcmullin, ’05, married Jennifer Johnston on Sept. 24.

Chase Johnson, ’07, is an account executive, construction services, at Lockton in Kansas City, Mo.

Brandon meyer, ’08 married Jessica Buenemann on Oct. 1.

Joe Lammert, ‘11, is a medical student at the University of Missouri.

CONTINUED

Capital Markets Group in Chicago.

Dan Rodgers, ‘96, is a principal staff mechanical engineer at Motorola in Libertyville, Ill.

moses amidei, ‘00, and his wife, Melanie, and their children Giancarlo and Paolo live in Mundelein, Ill.

Brian Folan, ‘01, is product manager at CCC Information Services. He and his wife, Rebecca, and their children Quinn and Colin live in Elk Grove Village, Ill.

mark kogut, ‘02, is quality and security systems manager at Seko Worldwide in Itasca, Ill.

Devon Hopkins, ’11, is a sales associate at Aetna in Chicago.

John kissane, ’11, is a technician at National Seating and Mobility in Lombard, Ill.

Joe majchrowski, ’11, is a business development analyst at Hub Group in Downers Grove, Ill.

Stefan von aulock, 11, is an industrial engineer at 3M in DeKalb, Ill.

master’s in accounting from the University of Illinois in Chicago.

pratik patel, ’01, is an analyst at Artisan Partners in Milwaukee.

Lamar anderson, ’04, is a plant manager at Owens Corning in Rockford, Ill. He earned an MBA from Northwestern.

John Celentani, ’04, is second vice president, wealth advisory services at Northern Trust in Chicago. He and his wife, Lisa, welcomed son Luca Joseph on Sept. 22.

manny Diaz, ’05, received a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Chicago. He is an internal medicine resident at University of California in San Francisco.

paul majchrowski, ’07, married Jessica Vandrick on Feb. 18. They live in West Chicago, Ill.

kim Brightmore, ’09, earned a master’s in elementary education at Loyola University. She is a teacher at St. Agnes of Bohemia in Chicago.

Joe Foran, ’10, is a consultant at IBM in Chicago.

Slava kremerman, ’10, is pursuing an MBA at INSEAD Business School in France and Singapore.

kolin pound, ’10, is an analyst at Walton Street Capital in Chicago.


It was the typical senior year job search for Northwestern Evans Scholar Max Willer (NU ’11). He went to job fairs, combed the newspaper’s classified section and spent countless hours perfecting his resume. “It was a lot of work, and at times I thought about just taking the next year off,” said Willer. “But I’m glad I put so much effort into it.”

Willer crossed the stage at graduation not only with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, but a job that made his efforts pay off in a big way – with a position working on weapons systems for nuclear submarines.

Nine hundred miles away from his hometown in Homewood, Ill., Willer works as an Engineer I in the Department of Weapons and Mechanical Systems for General Dynamics: Electric Boat, a construction company for government submarines in Groton, Conn.

As for his specific duties at Electric Boat, all he can say is that he works on systems like the torpedo tubes, hatches and valves – anything more specific, he jokes, might be an issue of national security. “The best part of my job right now is that I’m constantly

A new start on the East Coast

Ohio State

meeting new people,” he said. “That, and knowing that I’m working on one of the most complex engineering projects in the world is pretty amazing.”

At times, becoming accustomed to East Coast life has proved difficult for Willer. “The hardest part about it is being so far from my family and friends,” he said. “There’s also no Big Ten Network

out here, so I have to resort to radio to follow Northwestern games. And there’s a complete lack of quality pizza.”

Besides that, he enjoys exploring Boston and New York City. “The Evans Scholarship is a big reason I’ve adjusted relatively well,” he said. “Having met so many successful people caddying has given me the skills to present myself professionally wherever I go.”

Willer speaks with confidence about his experience as a Scholar, something he is sure will help him at Electric Boat and wherever life takes him.

“Becoming a Northwestern Evans Scholar was something out of a dream,” he said. “It helped shape me over four years. I don’t know where I’ll be in 10 years, but I’m excited. There’s so much to do out there.”

-Jessica Dillard

“Knowing that I’m working on one of the most complex engineering projects in the world is pretty amazing.” -Max Willer

tom Weisenbach, ‘69, is retired. He lives in Bluffton, S.C.

Rick Clark, ’71, is chief of party at World Council of Credit Unions in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Gary Osborne, ’72, was included in The Best Lawyers in America and Ohio Super Lawyers. He is a fellow in the American College Trial Lawyers and received an AV rating by Martindale Hubbell.

Gary Scanlon, ‘72, is at Sunbelt Business Advisors in Dayton.

John Celentani (NU ‘04) with his wife, Lisa, and their son Luca.John Celentani (NU ‘04) with

patrick mcauliffe, ’11, earned a master’s in electrical engineering at Northwestern. He is an engineer at Sargent & Lundy in Chicago.

max Willer, ‘11, is an engineer at Electric Boat in Groton, Conn.

nu cont.Bill toft, ’72, is an MD-11 captain at FedEx Express Corp. based in Anchorage, Alaska.

Scott Gearig, ‘76, is regional managing director at The Mergis Group in Maumee, Ohio.

Garry Domis, ’77, is a district silviculturist with the U.S. Forest Service in Fredonia, Ariz.

terry Smith, ‘79, is a chain account executive at MillerCoors in Mason, Ohio.

John Huneck, ’82, is managing director, accounting policy and research, at American Electric Power in Columbus.

Lou martina, ’82, is a CRM project manager at

ConsultUSA in Pittsburgh. He recently earned a master’s in education from Ashford University.

Dave Deprisco, ’85, and his wife, Maura, welcomed daughter Mary Elizabeth on March 27. They live in Wheaton, Ill.

Rick Ceddia, ‘86, is a teacher at Elder High School in Cincinnati.

terry penrod, ‘86, has been appointed to the executive committee as representative of the Ohio Democratic Party GLBT Caucus.

todd Fournier, ’88, and his wife, Beth, welcomed daughter Lily Ana on Jan. 7.

45 Summer 2012

theMAC

report

Ben patterson, ’88, is an equity partner at Hall Prangle and Schoonveld in Chicago.

Jeff minton, ’92, is chief counsel for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C.

Brad young, ’93, is director/senior counsel at SANYO North America Corp. in San Diego.

Dave Zawisza, ‘93, is in business development at TW Metals in Toledo.

Drew Harbach, ’95, is engineering group lead, driver information systems, at Peterbilt Motors Company in Denton, Texas.

tom knuth, ’95, and his wife, Alida, welcomed daughter Claire on Feb. 12, 2011. Claire joins Kyle, Brian and Kevin. He is a senior programmer analyst at Cultura Technologies in Alpharetta, Ga.

nick Wittman, ’95, is an engineering process leader at AGC Automotive Americas in Hebron, Ky. He and his wife, Leighann, and their children Stephanie, Nathan, Sara and Noah live in Marysville, Ohio.

mike Zawisza, ‘95, is a sales representative at Elevator Services and Storage in Beaverdam, Ohio.

Dave moeggenberg, ’97, is in IT project management in Inglewood, Calif.

patrick Ritchie, ’98, is author of “The Credit Road Map.” He is an approved instructor with the Arizona Department of Real Estate, a senior GRI instructor for the Arizona Association of REALTORS and owner of the Ritchie School of Real Estate Finance. He lives in Tempe, Ariz.

Justin kullgren, ’02, is an acting professor of pharmacology at University of Southern Nevada College of Pharmacy in Las Vegas.

Jeff Rigg, ’02, and his wife, Nicole, welcomed son Leo on March 7. He joins Tessa and Jack.

Ryan Batenchuk, ‘04, is manager, private capital group, at Sterling Stamos Capital Management in Menlo Park, Colo.

mike mcCann, ’07, married Lindsey Ashworth on Sept. 10. He earned an MBA from Ohio State University and is manager, professional services, at MindLeaders in Dublin, Ohio.

eric Becker, ’09, is a global supply chain senior analyst at Whirlpool Corp. He lives in McDonough, Ga.

Steve Leffingwell, (OSU ‘00) his wife, Cristina, and children Andrew and Isabella.

Steve Leffingwell, (OSU ‘00) his wife, Cristina, and children Andrew and Isabella.

Joe engel, ’09, is a quality engineer II at Nifco America in Canal Winchester, Ohio.

keri Quinn, ’10, is pursuing a doctorate of physical therapy at Florida Gulf Coast University in Ft. Myers.

mike ernst, ’11, is a toxicology technician at Battelle in Columbus.

Connor muldoon, ’11, is a program analyst at McKean Defense Group in Washington, D.C.

Stephanie Voudris, ’11, is pursuing a master’s in public health at Louisiana State University. She is engaged to Garrett Ringler. They will marry June 15, 2013.

purdue

Wayne Giampietro, ‘63, is a partner at Poltrock and Giampietro in Chicago.

tom Dodd, ’79, is assistant general counsel, patents, at Johnson and Johnson in New Brunswick, N.J.

Jon Bill, ’87, is vice president, technology, at Dynamic Engineering in Houston. He and his wife, Sunny, and their children Corina, Jacob, Jon and Mary, live in Humble, Texas.

Ohio State and Miami

Alumni at a mini-reunion at a Clemson

football game in November

2011.

CONTINUED

Steve Glogoza, ’88, is group manager, contracts and pricing, at The Boeing Company in St. Louis. He and his wife, Kim, and children Alex, Meghan and Nick, live in St. Peters, Mo.

Becky meskis, ’95, is a membership sales executive at Old Head of Kinsale, in County Cork, Ireland.

Brian Brown, ’00, is a golf course superintendent for the U.S. Air Force in Charleston, S.C.

Jala Schortgen, ’00, married Chris Stout on Sept. 17 in Indianapolis. They both work at Eli Lilly and Company.

Jennifer (Sylve) Jordan, ‘02, and Joe Jordan, ‘03, and their son Joseph Ryan live in Willow Springs, Ill.

mark uline, ’03, is an assistant professor with the College of Engineering and Computing, chemical engineering, at University of South Carolina.

kurt Wampach, ’03, is an electrical engineer at Harris Corp. in Melbourne, Fla. He wrote in January: “I recently began a LegalShield business! We market legal service plans to individuals, families, businesses and companies and protect people from identity theft.”


Steve Lovejoy, ‘71, received the Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics for his work at The Journal Times in Racine, Wis.

David murphy, ’72, is a partner at Dorsey and Whitney in Palo Alto, Calif.

Dan Dever, ’74, is manager of a thrift store for Bethesda Lutheran Communities.

tim Barbeau, ’82, is an associate/senior project manager at R.A. Smith National in Brookfield, Wis.

karl kleppek, ‘91, is director, marketing and business development, at FANUC FA America in Hoffman Estates, Ill.

todd Chambers, ’93, is an account executive at Nexeo Solutions. He and his wife,

Wisconsin

Jennifer (Sylve) Jordan (Pur. ‘02) and Joe Jordan ‘s (Pur. ‘03) son Joseph Ryan.

Tim Newman (Pur. ‘76) with caddie Mitch Posh (Ill. ‘00) at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore.

Jala Schortgen (Pur. ‘00) married Chris Stout Sept. 17.Jala Schortgen (Pur. ‘00)

mark Scott, ’07, is a reliability engineer at Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. in Sweeny, Texas. He and his wife, Tina, welcomed son Joseph on Dec. 7. They live in Sugar Land, Texas.

andrew pasquali, ’09, is a plant engineer at Kokomo Casting Plant with Chrysler Group in Kokomo, Ind.

Levie Basok, ’11, is a manufacturing engineer at Cummins in Seymour, Ind.

Jessa White, ’11, is pursuing a pharmacy degree at Purdue. She was recently published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education for a paper she co-authored on how medication affects empathy.

Jordan Buuck, ‘12, is pursuing a pharmacy degree at

Purdue’s College of Pharmacy.

kyle Lindenman, ‘12, is a product validation engineer, emissions solutions, at Cummins in Columbus, Ind.

Darrin Overby, ‘12, is a process engineer at SABIC Innovative Plastics.

Mara, and their daughter Aleda live in Brookfield, Wis.

kate kerrigan, ’93, is a mosaicist and photographer in the San Francisco area. Her work has been recognized nationally and internationally.

tom neuner, ’96, is a senior real estate manager at Nike in Beaverton, Ore.

Betsy Haase, ‘98, is a planning manager at Kimberly-Clark in Neenah, Wis.

nate Bett, ’02, is a furniture buyer at American TV Retail Stores in Madison. He and his wife, Kellie, and children Langdon and Danica live in Madison.

paul pucci, ’02, is a sales executive at Shoutlet in Madison. He is president and co-founder of Flatt Cola in Madison.

Steve Houlihan, ’03, is assistant superintendent at Blue Mound Golf and Country Club in Wauwatosa, Wis. He and his wife, Kate, welcomed daughter Aubrey Grace on Nov. 26.

purdue cont.Shaun kring, ’05, and his wife, Erica, welcomed daughter Ella Jordan on Jan. 25.

troy Jadro, ‘06, is a senior engineering technician at Virent in Madison.

Ryan Lovell, ’07, is a senior associate at PwC in Milwaukee.

Cole Stockheimer, ’07, is a dentist at Midwest Dental in Madison.

tyler Van Schyndel, ’07, is a pharmacy resident at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee.

andy martin, ’08, married Tessa Lampe on Aug. 6, 2011. He is a production specialist at Cellular Dynamics International in Madison.

tony Wangelin, ’09, is a design engineer at Penda Corp. in Portage, Wis. He wrote in January: “Just purchased my first house. My closing date was Oct. 6.”

meredith Faulk, ’10, married Jake Martin on May 12.

Wisconsin Scholars in front of their Scholarship House in December.

47

theMAC

report

Summer 2012

John kunce, kan. ‘68, is senior executive vice president at IPW Web.

tim Quigley, kan. ’83, is a development partner at Cohen-Esrey in Overland Park, Kan.

Jennifer Bohan, Okla. St. ’07, is an associate designer at TWO Architecture in Tulsa. todd mckee, Ore. ’95, is regional vice president at The Legend Group in Milwaukie,

additional updates

Ore. He and his wife, Leah, and children Savannah and Maxwell live in Gladstone, Ore.

He wrote in November: “In April 2011, I left SunAmerica Mutual Funds after eight years, accepting a position with The Legend Group. My responsibilities include recruiting and managing the current advisor network west of Texas. My wife and I will celebrate our five-year anniversary at the end of 2011. What an awesome year.”

Joel mayer, Ore. ’06, is co-founder of Brewery Branding Co. in Oregon City.

Jill Bartling, Ore. ’10, is an educational assistant at Parkrose High School and a cashier at Zupan’s Markets in Portland.

morgan Heckman, Ore. ’10, is a community engagement and volunteer coordinator at AmeriCorps at Lent K-8 School in Portland.

Sterling Lentz, Ore. ’10, is a web designer with Sterling Lentz Design in Portland.

Jonathan Wood, Ore. ’10, is assistant golf professional at Waverley Country Club in Portland.

Justin Oliver, Ore. St. ’00, is a general attorney with the U.S. Department of Energy in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Craig Iseli, Ore. St. ’05, is at Corvallis Sport and Spine Physical Therapy in Corvallis. Brian Stroup, Ore. St. ’05, is assistant director, operations and facilities, for University Housing and Dining Services at Oregon State University.

Vone Indra, Ore. St. ’07, married Michael Yee on May 8 in Makena, Maui, Hawaii, at Sugarman Estate.

Brianna Wang, Ore. St. ’11, is pursuing a pharmacy degree at the Oregon State University College of Pharmacy.

Ralph Stafford, texas So. univ. ’73, is a pharmacist at Norwest Pharmacy and Compounding Center in Houston.

pete Galie, Villanova ’63, is director of Raichle Pre-Law Center at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. He is also a professor and chair of the political science department at Canisius.

Jim Davidson, Wash. ’92, and his wife, Suzie, welcomed

Vone Indra (Ore. St. ’07) married Michael Yee May 8.Vone Indra (Ore. St. ’07) Ted Lagreid (Wash. ‘73), Stephen Peary (Ill. ‘71), John Jung

(NU ‘80), Ron Aames (Marq. ‘62) and Toby Asbury (‘Mia. 95) volunteer as recycle ambassadors at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, a PGA TOUR event, in Phoenix, Ariz. in February.

mark mleziva, ’10, is pursuing a master’s of divinity at St. Francis de Sales Seminary in St. Francis, Wis. He wrote in March: “I started seminary study in 2011, in hopes of being ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 2017 for the Diocese of Green Bay.”

Sam Irwin, ’11, is teaching English in Mahanoro, Madagascar, with the Peace Corps until fall 2013.

Evans Alumni at a Mariners game in Seattle in June.

daughter Peyton Rose on Feb. 16.

Joon Huh, Wash. ’93, is vice president, corporate finance/M&A and BD at Yahoo! in Sunnyvale, Calif.

nick Garrett, Wash. ’10, is a lecturer at the University of Washington.

andrew Lawrence, Wash. ’10, is an electrical engineer at Andrews Space in Tukwila, Wash. He recently earned his master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Washington.

Skylar marcum, Wash. ’10, is manager, strategic initiatives, at PitchBook in Seattle.

48 the WGA evans Scholars Magazine Summer 2012

I n m e m o r i a m

Harry G. Doyle Jr. (nu ’54)

Harry G. Doyle, Jr. of Gurnee, Ill., passed away on Jan. 14 at the age of 79. He was a certified public accountant and owner/operator of Harry Doyle and Co. for over 30 years. He is survived by his wife Patricia, children Michael, Gary, Susan and Kathleen, stepdaughters Bridget and Erin, and grandchildren.

-From findagrave.com

George G. Bankeroff (mSu ’61)

George G. Bankeroff, 72, died Nov. 8. For more than 40 years, he worked as a software engineer and software engineer manager. He was an avid chess player, also enjoying poker and duplicate bridge as a member of the American Contract Bridge League. Bankeroff is survived by his wife Barbara, children David, Linda and Laura, stepchildren Robert and Ann and grandchildren.

-From the Union Leader

James R. kuersten (Wis. ’63)

James R. Kuersten, 70, of Flat Rock, Ill., died Nov. 1. For 26 years, Kuersten worked for Merck and Co. In retirement, Kuersten played classical music, golf and duplicate bridge. He is survived by his wife Nancy, sons Erich and Fred, and mother Dorothy.

-From the Times-News

Richard theodore Waibel (penn State ’65)

Dr. Richard Theodore Waibel, 67, passed away Dec. 8. He was director of technology at John Zink Company. Waibel held a leadership role in the American Flame Research Committee and International Flame Research Foundation. He traveled to nearly every continent. He is survived by his wife Frances, sons Ethan, Matthew and Brian and grandchildren.

-From the Tulsa World

Bruce C. augustyniak (mSu ‘72)

Bruce C. Augustyniak, 61, passed away on May 20. He was an 18th-generation American from a military family pre-dating the Revolutionary War. Augustyniak was an active member of the Christian Life Fellowship. For more than 28 years, he worked as a driver and trainer for H and M Limo and was an insurance agent for Met Life Insurance Co. He is survived by his wife Diane, daughters Annmarie and Kelly and grandchildren.

-From the Northwest Herald

Gerry m. Carter (kan. ’74)

Gerry M. Carter, 59, of Overland Park, Kan., died Nov. 30 at his home. Carter was a retired U.S. Marine and served as a masonry contractor for 13 years in the Marine Corps Reserves. He is survived by his wife Terri, daughters Christina and Stephanie, stepchildren Cassandra and Jon and grandchildren.

-From the Kansas City Star

Steven Ford Ollila (minn. ’74)

Steven Ford Ollila passed away peacefully on March 18, at the age of 59, after complications from a lung transplant. He is survived by his wife Becky Ross. Ollila worked for the U.S. Forest Service and United Parcel Service. He completed a first ascent in the North Cascades. Thirteen years ago he returned to Minnesota to work for Marketron.

-From the Idaho Mountain Express

matthew J. miller (Iu ’81)

Matthew J. Miller passed away on Sept. 26 at the age of 51. He is survived by his children Katherine and John and mother Patricia.

-From the Chicago Tribune

paul J. newman Jr. (mo. ’91)

Paul J. Newman Jr., 42, of Tinley Park, Ill. died after his SUV rolled over on the Dan Ryan Expressway on Dec. 4. He is survived by his wife Lori, mother Marie, father Paul Sr., stepmother Judie, and his children.

-From the Chicago Tribune

milford Hall “Sonny” Brinkerhoff, WGa Director from Colorado

Sonny Brinkerhoff died Dec. 28 at the age of 91. In WWII, Brinkerhoff joined the Army Air Corps and later joined his family at the Brinkerhoff Drilling Company. In 1952, he married Jo and they raised four boys. He was an active member of Denver’s Trinity United Methodist Church.

Brinkerhoff was an enthusiastic golfer and in 2006, he was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. At the University of Colorado, he was known as the father of the Evans Scholars House. He is survived by his wife, sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

theMAC

report

Bing Sings The world’s top crooner of his era, Bing Crosby, sings “Tomorrow’s My Lucky Day” for the

WGA’s 1949 promotional motion picture, “Honor Caddie,” as Chick Evans (right) looks on

with a young caddie. The movie featured Crosby, Bob Hope and all of the golf stars of the day,

including Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Patty Berg and Byron Nelson. Widespread distribution

of the 22-minute film helped catapult the Evans Scholarships into the national spotlight,

and rapid expansion of the program followed. A limited number of copies of the video are

available by contacting WGA at (847) 724-4600.

from the archives

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDEvans Scholars

FoundationUSPS 1000 Approved Poly

1 Briar RoadGolf, IL 60029

Return Service Requested

the WGa evans Scholars magazine: A publication of the Western Golf Association, Evans Scholars Foundation and Evans Scholars Alumni Association

We embrace the core values that

underscore a caddie’s presence on

the course: hard work, cooperation,

persistence and respect.

Caddying is more than a summer job

— it’s an investment in the future.

2012 summer wga evans scholars magazine

Documents