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Re-thinkinghealth care

Experts in government, business and education have all taken a turn in recent years at recommend-ing improvements in both the quality and accessibility of health care in the United States. “There islittle argument that the American health care system is in need of reform,” say Martha Loustaunauand Elisa Sobo in their book, The Cultural Context of Health, Illness, and Medicine. “The chal-lenge is not only to make the system cost effective and to provide for the health care needs of allthe people to the greatest extent possible, but to make the system more tolerant of and responsive toother cultural values and approaches, which . . . is vital in the production of health and preventionand treatment of illness.” How to fulfill these worthy (and sometimes competing) aims will remainat the center of our health care debates for years to come.

These concerns have become all too real for the GreaterAlbion area in recent months. With the closing of the localhospital in February, community residents instantlyfound themselves re-examining what access tohealth care means and searching for creativesolutions that would first ensure the avail-ability of critical care, but, beyond that,would result in a healthier community over-all. President Peter Mitchell and other localleaders (several Albion alumni among them)stepped forward to develop a comprehensivehealth care plan. The efforts of this HealthCare Task Force are detailed in our cover story.The task force has an important ally in the Healthand Wellness Action Team, a determined groupof Albion volunteers promoting good health at thegrassroots level. Building healthier communities isalso a priority for William Wadland, M.D., ’69, as you willsee in a related story on the innovative programs he leads atMichigan State University’s College of Human Medicine.

Health care delivery, of course, depends on much more thanbuildings and services, and the human side of health care alsoreceives attention in this cover story. “Healing is psychological, social, spiritual, andcultural, as well as biological,” note Loustaunau and Sobo. You will find out how educationat both the undergraduate and professional school levels can encourage future physicians andother health care practitioners to be more accommodating of their patients as “whole persons.”Albion College is a leader in this regard with its new Liberal Arts Institute in Pre-Medical andHealth Care Studies, directed by biomedical anthropologist Amy Terstriep.

The social dimensions of medicine—reflecting the needs of both individuals and the communi-ties in which they live—will continue to shape our thinking as we go about improving our nation’shealth care system.

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A grassroots approachto promoting wellnessThe Albion area’s Health and Wellness Action Team(HWAT) is putting the “community” in local communityhealth programs. Led by retired Albion College staffmembers Sharon Hostetler and Kitty Padgett, the action teamis a coalition of community volunteers, health care providersand representatives from local health agencies. Often suchgroups are formed in response to a mandate from the federalgovernment or an initiative conceived and funded by anational task force or charitable organization. What sets theAlbion group apart is its focus on identifying local needs andhow to meet them using local resources.

“The Health and Wellness Action Team,” SharonHostetler says, “is an enthusiastic group of individuals whocare about improving health in the community as a whole.”

The HWAT is remarkably inclusive, Kitty Padgett adds,with a membership that is diverse in terms of age, race,income, education and gender. This diversity helps ensurethat even those who often have no voice in communitydecision-making get heard.

“We know of no other recognized group that has an earfor what the community wants [in health care],” Padgettsays. “This is not a top-down organization.”

Health Care and Wellness for ‘The Smart Commu-nity’” was crafted by a specially appointed Health CareTask Force of the Greater Albion Alliance. TheAlliance, a coalition of Albion-area civic, business,government, religious and community representatives,was formed over 10 years ago to address local chal-lenges, including the need for high-quality health care.Assisting Mitchell as Alliance tri-chairs are PeggySindt, ’73, president of the Albion Economic Develop-ment Corporation, and Sue Marcos, president of theGreater Albion Chamber of Commerce, and they alsoserved with him on the Health Care Task Force.

The newly formulated plan combines physician,diagnostic, emergency and specialty services withcommunity-based health and wellness programs.Presented at an open forum at Albion High School onMay 7, it identifies the major components that com-prise a healthy community, with high-quality primarycare as the most important element of the health caresystem. Medical professionals agree that strengtheninglocal primary care reduces the costly trend of patientsusing hospital emergency rooms for basic health careneeds—a trend that contributed to the demise ofAlbion’s hospital.

“The purpose of the plan is to solidify health care inAlbion,” explains Bill Dobbins, ’74, an Albion primarycare physician and member of the Health Care TaskForce. “The crux of the plan is addressing the primarycare needs of the community, and most pressing is theneed for primary care for the underinsured anduninsured. That is where the task force has made themost progress at this point.”

The first component of Albion’s primary caresystem—local physicians’ practices—remains intactdespite the closing of the hospital, as all local Albiondoctors have pledged to stay in the community. The

second—a full-service clinic that serves all patientsregardless of their ability to pay—will soon be areality, thanks to the efforts of the task force.

The task force has secured $1-million to build,equip and staff a Federally Qualified Health Center(FQHC) offering primary care, dental and behavioralhealth services for all Albion area residents, includingthose who are underinsured and uninsured. The center,which will be run as a satellite of the successful FamilyHealth Center of Battle Creek, is slated to open this fallin downtown Albion with funding from the W.K.Kellogg Foundation, the Battle Creek CommunityFoundation, Oaklawn Hospital of Marshall and BattleCreek Health System (BCHS). The Family HealthCenter also has applied to the federal Bureau ofPrimary Health Care for $550,000 to support theannual operating costs of the new Albion health center.

Another major component of the plan fell into placein April when Foote Health System of Jackson openedFoote Express Care Albion, an urgent care clinic withextended hours during the week and on weekends. Inaddition, area residents have ready access to thelaboratory and in-patient services at the hospitals innearby Marshall and Battle Creek, and Albion Com-munity Ambulance continues to provide emergencytransportation. Over the coming months, plans will beformulated by the task force and other groups tofurther develop diagnostic, wellness and other servicesto meet the needs of specific populations.

In leading the Health Care Task Force, PresidentMitchell frequently called on the resources of theCollege, played a key role in raising the funds for theFamily Health Center, and rallied Albion citizensbehind the plan.

“I am just tremendously impressed with theleadership that President Mitchell has provided for this

The HWAT is proud of its record as a grassrootsorganization, empowering residents to make a difference intheir home community. Hostetler recounts that all Albionpublic school campuses, as well as all public spaces atAlbion College, are now tobacco-free, largely due to theefforts of HWAT member Liz Fraser (known to manyCollege alumni as the spouse of former Briton football coachMorley Fraser). After attending HWAT meetings and hearingabout smoking-prevention programs in Battle Creek, Fraserbecame a champion for this cause in the entire Albion area,according to Hostetler. Backed by the HWAT, she continuesto promote her message with Albion area restaurants andbusinesses and helps support other successful smoking-cessation efforts such as the Albion Middle School’sTobacco Reduction Coalition. Fraser, in turn, has become aresource person for groups across the state that want to adoptsimilar programs.

In response to a request from another team member, theHWAT sponsored a program, open to the entire community,on “how to talk with kids about sex” with Meg Hickling, aninternationally respected authority in this field. Likewise,retired nurses, spurred on by the HWAT, conduct a continu-ing program of blood-pressure screenings in local churchesand at the annual Festival of the Forks and other communityevents. Through such screenings, they particularly hope toaddress cardiovascular problems common among African-Americans.

As its name implies, the action team emphasizespreventive medicine and wellness programs, and so has

sponsored or advocated for numerous educational projects,including health fairs, immunization clinics and healthresource directories.

“We as a community need to take responsibility for ourhealth,” Padgett says, and that involves educating peopleabout diet and good health habits, as well as providing themwith first-aid and life-saving skills.

The HWAT has joined with the Albion Public Schools inoffering the Kids Cardiac Life Support (KCLS) program,which teaches children in grades K-5 how to respondappropriately to a cardiac emergency they might encounter.Hostetler began KCLS more than 10 years ago in Albionwith a pilot program for kindergartners. This training is nowprovided annually to all 1,300 children in the Albionelementary schools, with help from almost 400 volunteersincluding Albion College students, faculty and retiredfaculty. “The schools and the community have embraced it,”Hostetler notes.

The action team has also had a key role in a new RegionalHealth Alliance program to create school-based healthcenters. Three schools in Calhoun County were selected astest sites, and because of the HWAT’s backing, one of thosewas Crowell Elementary School in Albion. A full-time nurseassigned to the school attends to student illnesses, dental andemotional needs and administers medication. She also spendstime in the classroom teaching about healthy lifestyles.Albion College students, under the guidance of physicaleducation professor Tom Johnson, helped with a recentexercise program at the school, and students in the College’s

Building a healthiercommunityBy Morris Arvoy, ’90

Albion—known as “The Smart Community”—is on itsway to becoming Albion, “The Healthy Community,”with creation of a plan to fill the health care void leftby the closing of the local hospital in early February.The comprehensive plan is already being called amodel for cities facing similar health care crises. Whileit has established a new vision for small-town healthcare, it is a standard-setter in other ways as well: it wasdeveloped at a record pace for community planningefforts—just three months—and resulted from anunusually close collaboration among area hospitals,physicians and non-profit health care agencies.

“In the wake of the hospital closing, it would havebeen easy to be pessimistic about the future of healthcare in Albion,” says President Peter Mitchell, ’67,who led the planning process. “Instead, our communitycame together and immediately got to work on newprograms and alliances that will actually make formuch improved health care delivery in our communityover the long term. In this planning, we have hadunprecedented cooperation from Calhoun Countyhospitals, health care professionals and groups such asthe Regional Health Alliance, all of whom weregenuinely concerned about Albion’s situation andprovided expert advice and support.”

Following dozens of meetings and consultationswith community members and area health careprofessionals, “The Albion Plan: Health Promotion,

New models in

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health care

Local volunteer Sharon Hostetler (right) demonstrates forschool nurse Lynn Lovelace some of the techniques she usesin teaching children how to address a cardiac emergency.Hostetler’s Kids Cardiac Life Support program, one of manyinitiatives supported by the Albion area’s Health andWellness Action Team, is offered to all 1,300 children ingrades K-5 in the Albion Public Schools. Lovelace, assignedto Crowell Elementary School in Albion under a programsponsored by the Regional Health Alliance, has introduced anumber of health and wellness programs at the school, oftenwith the help of Albion College students and faculty.

S. BRIGGS PHOTO

Liberal Arts Institute for Pre-Medical and Health CareStudies, under the direction of staff members Amy Terstriepand Patricia Visser, will assist in the future.

National studies show that such school-based programshelp reduce absenteeism and improve students’ grades.

“If kids develop healthy behaviors,” Padgett says, “theyare going to do better in school.”

The HWAT’s latest project stems from the launch this fallof a new Federally Qualified Health Center offering family-oriented primary care in Albion. When the Albion HealthCare Task Force (see preceding story) was formed inFebruary in response to the closing of the local hospital,Padgett was asked to serve as the HWAT representative onthe task force. Based on studies the HWAT had conductedover the past two years on various community health models,the action team strongly promoted the idea of the new familyhealth center, which will serve all area residents includingunderinsured and uninsured patients. The team sees the newcenter as essential for high-quality, affordable health care inAlbion.

“Albion has a lot of people who are not getting goodprimary health care,” says Hostetler. The HWAT has nowbeen charged with researching the specific health care needsin Albion and how those needs will be addressed in the newhealth center, but it won’t be research in the traditional sense.In keeping with the HWAT’s grassroots orientation,volunteers will meet face-to-face with residents in theirneighborhoods, churches, schools and businesses all acrossthe city. And the questions may be out of the ordinary too:

What does a healthy community look like? What are thebarriers at home, at work and elsewhere to maintaining goodhealth? What must happen in order for the community to“own” the new health center?

“High-quality care will attract people to the center andkeep them coming back,” Padgett says. “This facility willbecome a point of pride for our community.”

The HWAT was founded a decade ago as part of theGreater Albion Alliance, a College-community program todevise solutions for local challenges. While the HWATessentially began as a behind-the-scenes effort, it now carriesconsiderable clout not only in Albion but across southcentralMichigan. As the action team’s co-chairs, Hostetler andPadgett both sit on the Leadership Council for the RegionalHealth Alliance, which includes all of Calhoun County’shospitals, other large-scale health care providers, andgovernment, civic and foundation leaders. Formation of theAlliance, Hostetler notes, “was a first for getting cooperationfor health care in the county.”

While much progress has been made in planning newhealth care strategies for Albion in the wake of the hospital’sclosing, maintaining effective health care over the long termwill depend on the community’s willingness to use localservices. And the surest way for that to happen, says SharonHostetler, is first “to ask the community.”

—Sarah Briggs

initiative,” says Chris Christ, ’51, a Battle Creekattorney who was instrumental in the creation of BattleCreek Health System in the late 1980s and was chair ofits board from 1989 to 1995. “He has a full-time job aspresident, and now with the Health Care Task Force hehas another full-time job—because there is a criticalneed. He put together a collaboration and cooperationthat was unique. . . . These are the kinds of things thatrequire a lot of people and resources coming together.The dynamics are one thing, but to develop a plan, getit on the table, and have it ready to go in such a shorttime . . . is really remarkable.”

An untiring proponent of good relations betweenthe College and town, Mitchell notes that his is anatural leadership role for a crisis such as this. Sincethe closing of the hospital, Mitchell has contended thatit serves both the College and the Greater Albioncommunity to have a strong health care system. Atvarious points in the task force’s work, he has drawnon the help of Albion trustees, alumni, staff andstudents.

Calling the College the “anchor” of the community,Mitchell cites the necessity of College involvement inlocal planning efforts of all kinds. With the HealthCare Task Force, the “net result was really a verysignificant strengthening of the bonds between theCollege and the community that we hope and believewill go well beyond the health care issue.”

“But the key to success was not the College alone,by any means, but everyone—Peggy Sindt, SueMarcos, government leaders, health care practitioners,the Greater Albion Alliance,” Mitchell continues. “Imean everybody truly worked together and with nodesire for personal gain. It was altruism at its best.”

It all began with the closing of Trillium Hospital atthe beginning of February. Despite the efforts of the

City of Albion, which ran the hospital from 1924 until1994, and an affiliation with Foote Health System ofJackson that began five years ago, Trillium lost morethan $1-million a year for several years and was finallyforced to file for bankruptcy.

In the wake of the closing, the Health Care TaskForce was tapped to address the immediate and long-term health care needs of the community. Task forcemembers include Harry Bonner, director of MinorityProgram Services; Jane Deane Clark, an Albion-basedhealth care consultant; Arthur Davis, Albion CityCouncil member; Dobbins; Mike Herman, Albion citymanager; L.J. McKeown, chief of the Albion Depart-ment of Public Safety; Kitty Padgett, member of theGreater Albion Alliance’s Health and Wellness ActionTeam and the Regional Health Alliance; and BillStoffer, ’74, Albion Machine and Tool Co. CEO andformer Trillium Hospital board chair.

In the three months between Feb. 8 and the healthcare plan’s unveiling May 7, the task force met asfrequently as three times a week. Members discussedAlbion’s medical situation with almost all of the area’shealth care professionals and volunteers, includingphysicians, dentists and nurses; officials from the threemajor hospitals in the region; Albion CommunityAmbulance; local hospice, home care and visitingnurse groups; the Greater Albion Alliance’s Health andWellness Action Team; the Regional Health Alliance;and other health care delivery experts.

Two public forums were held prior to the May 7announcement, attended by hundreds of area residentsand others concerned about the future of Albion’shealth care system.

Once the task force had formulated the idea ofestablishing a Federally Qualified Health Center inAlbion, the search began for a suitable site. The task

force eventually settledon a downtownlocation adjacent to theStoffer Plaza and theKalamazoo River.

“The new centeris an economicdevelopment toolas well as a healthcare tool,” saysPeggy Sindt.“First of all itaddresseshealth care.But by locatingit in this area there is economic benefit to the down-town—it fits in with other projects that the DowntownDevelopment Authority has been working on, andshould help to enhance them.”

Sacrifices will have to be made by local physiciansand pharmacists for the FQHC to be successful, BillDobbins notes, but he believes his colleagues willsupport the new health center. “I think everyone seesthe value of the plan and that the community willprosper. So I think the physicians are behind it 100percent.”

Mitchell says this project is a solid example of“Liberal Arts at Work”—the theme of the College’sVision adopted in 1998—because the “true purpose ofa liberal arts education is to prepare one for civicengagement and community service.”

“The essence of the liberal arts tradition,” heobserves, “is to improve the human condition, and theCollege and its students, faculty and staff are reallyliving out that legacy in our community.”

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Health care in amulticultural society“We live in a time when an estimated one in four Americanswill have a disability at some point in their lives, whenmillions of people worldwide are HIV-positive, and whenlarge segments of our population are lacking even basichealth care. How do we make sense of these times? Howshould we train doctors and other healers to be responsive tothe needs of a multicultural society? How are illness anddisease defined by society and how does this affect ourindividualized experience of illness? What is ‘health’ andwhy do many in our population face barriers in reaching it?”With these probing questions, Albion College professor AmyTerstriep begins her First-Year Seminar, “In Sickness and inHealth.”

These are themes that inform much of her teaching andresearch, which centers on biomedical anthropology. Andthese same ideas have guided her as the first director ofAlbion’s new Liberal Arts Institute for Pre-Medical andHealth Care Studies.

As Terstriep explores the social dimensions of medicinewith the students in her courses, she often has them start bywriting about their own experiences—how they or someone

close to them has been affected by disease or disability. “Inthat way, it becomes much more personal to them,” sheexplains.

She then introduces them to the various ways humanshave responded to illness throughout history, especially inliterature and the arts. They read works by authors such asOliver Wendell Holmes, Anton Chekhov and William CarlosWilliams and contemporary accounts of living with AIDSand coping with the anti-depressant Prozac. They look atdepictions of illness, such as paintings by Thomas Eakins andEdward Munch, and watch films including And the BandPlayed On.

They also debate the social justice issues surroundingmedicine today. They explore the inequalities that exist bothhere in the U.S. and internationally in getting treatment forthe complications related to AIDS. They study emergingdiseases and the political processes that often influence theallocation of research funding to study such diseases. Andthey consider how race, gender and socioeconomic class allmay affect access to high-quality health care and individuals’experiences within the health care system.

In the area of medical ethics, they look at issues such asorgan transplantation and how the acceptance of thisprocedure varies by ethnic group and class. They also discussthe marketing of medications both in the U.S. and abroad,and how marketing language influences whether peoplechoose to use these products.

Poetry and pathology:While rooted in science and employing advancedtechnology, medicine, in many respects, remains an artthat is shaped by the cultural values and world view ofthose who practice it. And modern medical practicecontinually intersects with the ethical, political andeconomic concerns of the larger society of which it is apart. Medical education, however, often ignores this“social side of healing,” focusing primarily onmedicine’s clinical side. What follows are stories ofprograms that have taken a decidedly differentapproach.

Teaching the healersBy Sarah Briggs

Bill Wadland, ’69, often wonders how it is that theUnited States—with its great wealth and sophisticatedtechnology—lags so far behind most of the world’sdeveloped nations in the quality of its health caresystem. In 2000, the World Health Organization rankedthe U.S. 37th in “overall health system performance,”behind every member of the G8 except Russia.As a physician and professor at Michigan StateUniversity’s College of Human Medicine (CHM) andchair of its Department of Family Practice, Wadland isdetermined to do what he can to change that statistic.

“It’s embarrassing that a country that has so muchcannot serve its population well,” he says.

The solution, he believes, lies in better, moreaccessible primary care. The U.S. sets the standard forthe world in providing specialized care and developingthe most advanced diagnostic technology. What’sneeded, according to Wadland, is a better first line ofdefense—care that educates people about how to stay

healthy, that is available to all regardless of socioeco-nomic status, and that addresses the needs of the wholeperson when illness strikes.

“What [research] has shown is that countries thathave emphasized primary care have better healthoutcomes,” he says. And a healthier population willmake for a more productive society in the long run. “Ifwe don’t strongly commit to primary care and tokeeping the population healthy,” he continues, “it’sgoing to affect [our] economic growth.”

At Michigan State, Wadland presides over aprogram that is among the nation’s leaders in preparingprimary care physicians. Founded in 1974, CHM’sDepartment of Family Practice was the first suchdepartment at any medical school in the state. For thepast six years it has been rated among the top 10 familypractice programs in the nation by U.S. News andWorld Report. It is also ranked among the top 10recipients of research grants from the National Insti-tutes of Health.

Even more telling, however, is the fact that over thepast five years more than 30 percent of the medicalschool’s graduates have entered family practiceresidencies. For the past three years, CHM has earned aGold Achievement Award from the Academy ofFamily Physicians for its efforts in developing studentinterest in family practice and producing graduates whoenter this field. Many of those who complete the CHMfamily practice residency, Wadland notes, remain inMichigan and work in rural or underserved communi-ties.

Underlying these achievements is CHM’s strongcommitment to weaving the social context of medicineinto all of its programs. “We think we are distinctive inintegrating the social side of medical practice with theclinical,” Wadland says.

In addition to the clinical training that is standard inthe first two years of medical school, CHM teachesbasic interviewing and listening skills and involvesstudents in discussions of controversial health policyissues. The formal lectures of the first year give way toa case-based approach in the second year, with studentsworking in small groups to refine their analytical andproblem-solving skills.

Along with the clinical rotations that begin in thethird year, the students all take a course on the medicalhumanities that exposes them to the history of medi-cine, literature about health and disease, and values andspirituality. In teaching one of the sessions on spiritual-ity, Wadland explores with his students the closeconnections that exist for many patients between theirpersonal beliefs and healing. In the course, they alsodebate difficult ethical issues including withdrawal oftreatments and other end-of-life questions. He is joinedin this teaching by other colleagues in the Departmentof Family Practice including one who is both anEpiscopal priest and a lawyer and another who is afamily physician and a medical ethicist.

For their clinical rotations, CHM students head outto six locations across Michigan—from Saginaw andGrand Rapids to Marquette—where they are exposedto the various medical specialties. They live in thecommunities where they are assigned, and “thecommunity becomes a campus of CHM,” Wadlandsays.

The CHM holds to a philosophy that health care ismore effective if patients take an active role in theirown treatment. To this end, the students must show, incarefully structured simulations, not only that they havemastered the clinical information but that they canrelate that to the patient and involve the patient in thedecision-making about his or her health care. AsWadland characterizes it, “Can the student put forth the

Albion students Morgan Haugen and Janan Saba, bothmembers of the College’s Liberal Arts Institute for Pre-Medical and Health Care Studies Institute, taughtcommunity girls about women in health careers at aneducational fair sponsored by the Anna Howard ShawWomen’s Center. Along with preparing students forgraduate and professional school, the Instituteencourages student involvement in community-basedhealth programs.

WOMEN’S CENTER PHOTO

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Terstriep also brings in non-Western approaches tohealing.

“Besides being fascinating in its own right, non-Westernmedicine has contributed to what has evolved as Westernbiomedicine,” she says. “There are some things that otherhealing systems do better. . . . There’s more of a connectionbetween mind and spirit and body.”

Terstriep knows that once students enter medical schooltheir clinical studies are likely to become all-consuming, soit’s even more important for them to tackle the socialquestions surrounding medical practice while they are stillundergraduates. They simply may not have the opportunityagain to delve into these issues in such depth.

The Liberal Arts Institute for Pre-Medical and HealthCare Studies was launched at Albion two years ago. Terstrieptook over as director last fall and has intentionally developedprogramming that shows medicine in its broader context.

“I want our students in the Institute,” she says, “to have anawareness of the social aspects of health care—cultural,economic, linguistic—so that they will more readily see theirpatients as people and not just as diseases to be treated. Theyalso need a realistic view of the political and economicinfluences on the delivery of health care. In the long run,that’s what will make them superior clinicians.”

The Institute takes a holistic approach to preparingstudents for graduate and professional school, offering

academic advising throughout the student’s four years oncampus as well as help with the application process formedical or dental school and other advanced degree pro-grams. It’s understood that students will obtain the back-ground in the basic sciences, and in research and problem-solving, that is essential for professional school. Whatdistinguishes the Institute from preprofessional programs onother campuses, Terstriep says, is its emphasis on developing“caring professionals” who clearly see themselves as part of alarger community and who will treat their patients in waysthat respect their humanity.

Regardless of where they practice today, physicians andother health care providers will deal with patients fromdiverse ethnic backgrounds. For care to be effective,Terstriep says, treatments must be explained so they makesense within the patient’s framework of beliefs.

To ensure that students are sensitive to the multiculturalsociety in which they will practice, Terstriep has designedmany activities that draw the Institute students out into thecommunity. The students have assisted with health fairs andnext year will work with the Greater Albion Alliance’sHealth and Wellness Action Team on health educationprograms in the local schools. In the future, she hopes todevelop partnerships with the College’s Institute for theStudy of the Environment and with the downtown Kids ‘N’Stuff children’s museum on programs that assess health risksand promote healthy lifestyles.

Medicine as art and science

William Wadland, ’69, (second from left) chair of theDepartment of Family Practice at Michigan StateUniversity’s College of Human Medicine, believes theU.S. must improve and expand its system of primary(first contact) care. “What [research] has shown isthat countries that have emphasized primary care havebetter health outcomes,” he says. MSU is one of thenation’s leaders in producing graduates who enter thefamily practice field and offer such care.

D. TRUMPIE PHOTO

“I really want to see the students involved in doing thingsfor the community and for the campus in which they aredefining the problem and determining where to go fromthere,” Terstriep says.

Patient-centered care, she observes, actually begins withencouraging people to take responsibility for their own healthand to envision the health services that should be offeredwithin their own communities. Our students can becomeinvolved in that process right in Albion, she says, especiallyas the community shifts its health care priorities towardprimary care and expanded programs for special populationsincluding minorities, the elderly and children. (See relatedarticle on p. 4.) Not only will the students learn somevaluable lessons for the future but they will provide a genuineservice.

In the U.S., Terstriep notes, we tend to think of health careas a right for every citizen, yet we are far from reaching thatideal. Who defines “health” and who controls the access tohealth services quickly become issues that are shaped asmuch by politics and economics as by a concern for justiceand the public good. Terstriep hopes that our graduates, bytheir involvement in programs like the Pre-Medical andHealth Care Studies Institute, will be among those who willlead us to health care reforms that are both sensible andcompassionate.

—Sarah Briggs

information so it’sunderstandable tothe lay person? Canthat person then usethe information tomake a decision,understanding therisks and benefits?”

If all this soundslike a “liberal arts”approach to medicaleducation, it is.Wadland saysCHM’s emphasis onproblem-solving andcultural awareness isintended to developwell-prepared“generalists” whowill be effective inany branch ofmedicine.

Many of thedepartment’s

research programs are also community-based, and theyare often directed toward patients who are underinsuredor uninsured, or those who are on Medicaid or Medi-care. Wadland, who has a master’s in public healthresearch along with his M.D. degree, is especiallypassionate about the smoking-cessation programs hehas developed in recent years. In a pilot study withMedicaid patients who quit smoking under variousnicotine-replacement therapies, he found that thoseindividuals who had strong follow-up support, includ-ing a telephone-based counseling service, were 3-4times more likely to stop smoking permanently thanwere those who did not have the follow-up support.

The state of Michigan now offers this smoking-cessation service to all Medicaid recipients. Wadland’sprogram is also available to the six million individualscovered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Thisyear, he received a half-million-dollar grant from theRobert Wood Johnson Foundation to evaluate theeffectiveness of the Blue Cross initiative.

The long-term public health impact could besignificant, Wadland notes. “If you can get people toquit smoking, that’s the greatest contribution todecreasing mortality and morbidity that there is [here inthe U.S.]. All the data show it.”

For Wadland, the campaign against smoking is ameans of putting his beliefs into action: through suchbroad initiatives, real gains can be made in achieving ahealthier population.

In an essay entitled “The Boundaries of Medicine,”Gerald Perkoff writes: “Medicine deals with mind/body, disease/illness and person/society as a con-tinuum. It is strong because its boundaries are blurred,fluid and opportunistic, not because they are sharplydefined. It deals with biomedical, social and culturalfunction. It is in the strength of its inclusive characterthat medicine can prevent disability, relieve pain, curedisease, care for illness and promote life, even for thosein the process of dying. In all these ways it is humanservice of the highest order.”

Bill Wadland couldn’t agree more.

A 1975 graduate of the University of Michigan MedicalSchool, Bill Wadland served as a family physician inrural northern Michigan from 1978 until 1985 when hejoined the Department of Family Practice at theUniversity of Vermont College of Medicine. In 1992, hewas appointed professor and chair of family practice atMSU’s College of Human Medicine. In 2001, hereceived both CHM’s Outstanding Faculty Award andAlbion College’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

I O T R I U M P H E8

Editor’s note: ContemporaryAmerican novelist KurtVonnegut gave the keynoteaddress for this year’s Elkin R.Isaac Research Symposium atAlbion April 18. In his owninimitable way, he paidhomage to his Midwesternroots (“we are freshwaterpeople”) offered his views onthe creative process (“prac-ticing an art—no matter howwell or badly—is a way tomake your soul grow”) and,in hand-drawn “graphs” ona chalkboard, illustrated theplot lines of works rangingfrom Kafka’s The Metamor-phosis to Cinderella. (Thechalkboard with drawingsintact is now ensconced in theCollege archives.) If it is therole of great writers “toinstruct and to delight,”Vonnegut did both.

With Vonnegut’s speech(and his 17 books) asinspiration, English professorJim Diedrick suggested that he’d like to try his hand atwriting a piece for Io Triumphe “about Vonnegut’simportance to an entire generation of Americanreaders, and to American literature more generally.”Three of his faculty colleagues joined him in thisendeavor. If you are of a generation that instantlyrecognizes such catchphrases as “so it goes” andcosmic creations like Tralfamadore, these essays arefor you. Enjoy.

My main impression from my ’50s-somethingreading of Breakfast of Champions was the wonderfulscene in which Kilgore Trout, Vonnegut’s fictive alter-ego and the author of much dreadful science fiction,meets his creator, Kurt Vonnegut, face-to-face. Troutreluctantly comes to believe himself to be Vonnegut’screation when the author explains that he could setTrout unscathed on the surface of the sun. At lastconvinced, Trout has one request of his creator: “Makeme young,” he implores. Sirens of Titan struck me asmemorable mainly because its hero considers eagles aspecies thoroughly superior to human kind.

Not until 1964, when the Albion College BasicIdeas program committee selected Cat’s Cradle forinclusion in the syllabus for the “Self and Society”semester, did I ride the flagship of Vonnegut’s fleet ofseventeen. That work explores the situation of anEveryman adrift in an apparently random but reallythoroughly determined universe. It cleverly coinsuseful concepts like the karass and the gonfaloon. Theformer—a secret group organized by God for amysterious purpose—comprises the meaningful peoplewho cycle repeatedly but unpredictably through one’slife. The latter includes those whom one repeatedlymeets without significant consequence.

Centrally, however, Cat’s Cradle, traces an improb-able series of chaos-theory events initiated by theoverwhelming ego of a petty dictator. This seriesculminates in all the planet’s oceans and watercoursesbeing instantaneously frozen into ice-nine, a form ofice (actually achievable, thankfully, only in thelaboratory) that requires a blow-torch to melt. Surviv-ing the ensuing climatic cataclysm, the hero climbs amountain, directs an obscene gesture toward anuncaring God, and, touching a fragment of ice-nine tohis tongue, permanently freezes himself in that attitude.Instantly he becomes the icon of the existential,romantic hero, asserting his freedom and passing afinal judgment on the meaninglessness of the universe.

In an epoch defined by Vietnam, this novel reso-nated in the ’60s and ’70s with the ideas of counter-cultural movements and their mistrust of traditionalvalues. In contrast, today’s Albion students respondmost strongly to the fantasy elements of Vonnegut’sfiction and to its humor. As one young woman ob-served, before September 11, 2001, the only war of herlifetime had been the Gulf War, when she was three.

In the last three decades of the 20th century, theissues that came to command academic attentionshifted from the morality of warfare and protest againstor support for the draft to the concerns of women in theworkplace and elsewhere, to equal opportunity andsocial justice for members of minority groups, and tore-theorizing virtually all academic disciplines. IfVonnegut has a failing as a writer, it appears in hisrepresentation of women. In so far as he draws womenat all, they strike one as archaically stereotypical. Thusin a period of comparative peace, his stock fell.

Today’s literary academics, especially, regard himas to some degree passé. If I were to hazard a predic-tion, however, I’d guess that as the war on terrorismdrags on, as popular enthusiasm for the effort wearsthin, and, especially, if conscription once againbecomes necessary, interest in Vonnegut’s works willenjoy a resurgence, and his perceived stature as anastute observer, allegorist and critic of Americansociety will grow.

‘Unstuck in time’‘Unstuck in time’

Kurt Vonnegut then and now:One reader’s viewBy James Wyatt Cook, Langbo Trustees’ Professor ofEnglish, Emeritus

Student and faculty responses to Kurt Vonnegut’s workhave varied markedly over the five-plus decades he hasbeen publishing. In the early years, with Slaughter-house-Five, his implied social criticism, his flashingwit, his ability to coin new phrases or set ordinary onesin memorable contexts, his amusing irreverence, hisimpatience with popular and political cant, and,overwhelmingly, his quiet, steady critique of war andvengeance appealed to those of us who experienced inrapid succession World War II, the Korean conflict andVietnam.

Recently, when I told Kurt Vonnegut that myfavorite among his works was Cat’s Cradle, he replied:“Yes, that’s the flagship of the fleet.”

Simply for pleasure, I had read Slaughterhouse-Five, The Sirens of Titan and Breakfast of Championsas a graduate student. On that first reading of Slaugh-terhouse-Five, the fertility of Vonnegut’s imaginationbecame apparent as did his power as a social critic. Thebook’s subtitle, The Children’s Crusade, helped shedentirely new light on World War II, which had been theprincipal defining experience of my generation’schildhood. Discovering that our side had fire-bombedDresden for perhaps political rather than militarymotives suggested that we had, in that act, abandonedthe moral high ground for a cynicism that we who hadteethed on war movies associated exclusively with theenemy.

I O T R I U M P H E 9

Life in a chrono-synclasticinfundibulum: Some notes onThe Sirens of TitanBy Martha O’Kennon, Professor of Mathematics

Out in space, according to Kurt Vonnegut, there exist“time warps,” which he calls chrono-synclasticinfundibula. One of the insights that Vonnegut’s timetraveler, Winston Niles Rumfoord (The Sirens ofTitan), has when he falls into one of these phenomenais that “everything that ever has been always will be,and everything that ever will be always has been.”Rumfoord, like Billy Pilgrim of Slaughterhouse-Five,is thus able to live in the past, present and future,probably in multiple versions. Since this collisionRumfoord’s (and his mastiff Kazak’s) bodies andminds have been spread across the universe in a spiralthat intercepts Earth every 59 days, Mars every 111days, and Mercury every 14 days. Wonder of wonders,that spiral exactly corresponds with the spiral path ofJupiter’s moon, Titan, about the sun, and so one sliceof Rumfoord exists permanently on Titan.

Titan is the paradisiacal destination where our majorcharacters—Malachi Constant, Rumfoord’s wife,Beatrice, and her son by Constant—meet Salo, who hasbeen sent by the Tralfamadorians to deliver a messagefrom “One Rim of the Universe to the Other.” Salo’sspaceship has malfunctioned, and he has settled onTitan to await a replacement part. His distress signal toTralfamadore has taken 150 millennia to get there, buthe is able to receive every few centuries fromTralfamadore comforting updates by watching eventson Earth through a special viewer. For instance,Stonehenge spells out: “Replacement part being rushedwith all possible speed”; the Great Wall says: “Bepatient. We haven’t forgotten about you.” And so forth.How is the replacement part being delivered? It turnsout to be a scrap of metal that Constant’s son, Chrono,has been carrying around as a good-luck token fromMars. In order for the part to be delivered, Constantand Beatrice have to be delivered to Mars to produceChrono. What is the ultimate message for the sake ofwhose transmission the whole history of the planet Earthhas been manipulated throughout time? “Greetings.”

This denouement creates the impression that humanhistory has hopelessly little to do with humans. But bythe end of the story, the characters have developed realaffection for each other, and a surprise ending bringsback Constant’s martyred friend, Stony, who hasexisted all along on some level in the chrono-synclasticinfundibulum.

I believe that most of us exist in a modified chrono-synclastic infundibulum. We can jump mentally frompresent to many slices of the past and back, but mostlynot to the future. Some of us are spread pretty evenlyacross the spiral of our own lives (so far). Vonnegutgives us the words to describe, and his holographicstyle reflects, this phenomenon. (Typically, slices ofstories and characters are presented in flashbacks andflashforwards. Some characters and devices (like theTralfamadorians) are even scattered between books.)This invention gives us one of our more powerful toolsfor understanding events: a mental framework to seeour lives, and our history, as a broad spectrum stretch-ing from one rim of the universe to the other.

Although it is not clear that Rumfoord particularlyenjoyed the experience, perhaps we can learn to savor

it and echo the epitaph of Stony Stevenson in BetweenTime and Timbuktu: “Everything was beautiful andnothing hurt.”

The importance of Cat’s Cradlein the education of a scientist(or non-scientist)By Daniel Steffenson, Chair and Professor ofChemistry

It must have been in the 1960s in graduate school whenI first read Cat’s Cradle. It was probably the third orfourth Kurt Vonnegut novel that I had read, and, ofcourse, I had no way of knowing then that I wouldreread this tragicomic parable of the dangers of scienceanother 15 or 16 times (and still counting). I do knowthat my tattered copy of the Dell paperback has a pricetag of 60 cents. The first time I used Cat’s Cradle aspart of a course was in the “Science and Values”semester of Albion’s Basic Ideas program in the early’70s. When I was asked to teach “Great Issues inScience” in the College’s young Honors Program in theearly ’80s, Cat’s Cradle was the first book I knew hadto be on my syllabus, and it has been there every timein the dozen or so semesters I have taught this seminarover the past 20 years. Almost all of my colleagues,when they teach “Great Issues in Science,” includeCat’s Cradle, and I know that I would never teach thisseminar without it.

As you know, if you’ve read it, Cat’s Cradleprovides a clear example and warning of the dangersthat science can have for the survival of life on ourplanet. The beauty and the power of Vonnegut’swarning is that the threat that ice-nine represents hashad different meanings for different generations ofstudents. In the ’60s and ’70s, of course, it was nuclearannihilation. These students did not remember “duckand cover” from the ’50s, but the threat of the ColdWar had been a part of their daily lives. In the ’80s thethreat shifted from physics to biology. Now the fearfocused on the potential for recombinant DNA researchto produce a deadly mutant bacteria that would escape,producing the same kind of cataclysm produced by thebody of Papa Monzano (“the first man in history to dieof ice-nine”) as it dropped into the ocean during thefateful “ceremonies in honor of the Hundred Martyrs toDemocracy.” In the ’90s the chemists provided theirshare of threats with environmental hazards fromchemicals. In particular, the worry focused on com-pounds whose release was clearly threatening theozone layer in the stratosphere that shields us fromdangerous UV radiation. With the new millennium hascome the threat of scientists working purposefully toproduce “weapons of mass destruction,” and we arefaced with the dilemma of having to turn to one groupof scientists to save us from the possible destructioncreated by a different group. Truly a situation only a“Bokononist” could enjoy.

Besides the threat of annihilation, Vonnegutpresents many other issues related to the role of sciencein our society. For example, in Asa Breed’s wonderfullecture in Chapter 18 he insists that what a scientistdoes “isn’t looking for a better cigarette filter or asofter face tissue or a longer-lasting house paint, Godhelp us.” Instead, at the Research Laboratory of theGeneral Forge and Foundry Company: “Here, andshockingly few other places in this country, men arepaid to increase knowledge, to work toward no otherend but that.” To my generation, the General Forge andFoundry Company represented Bell Labs. However, ithas been many years since I have had a student who

knows about Bell Labs or even the labs at Ford orGeneral Electric that were devoted to pure research.Their place has been taken by labs devoted only toapplied research, and Vonnegut provides an opportu-nity for a lively discussion of the importance ofscientific research in our society, who should pay for itand who should control it.

In Felix Hoenikker, Vonnegut has provided us witha fascinating example of the “great scientist” whosepersonality is much closer to that of some real scien-tists I have known than my students would like toadmit. Who are these men and women who have thepotential to determine life or death for us all? Howabout the Hoenikker children and their spouses, whosee ice-nine as the means to marriage, wealth andpower? Is Vonnegut’s pessimism justified? I am happyto report that, at least among Albion undergraduatesover the past 30 years, the answer is a definite “no.”With well over 300 students during this period, I haveasked each of them to tell the rest of us in the seminarwhat they would do if they had discovered ice-nine.Not a single one would give it to any government,including our own, and only a handful would look forways to obtain personal wealth or power. Some wouldhide it away, reluctant to destroy new knowledge, butafraid to share its destructive potential. By far the vastmajority are sure that they would melt all samples anddestroy the formula. To me, that seems like the bestchoice, and I see hope for our future. However, deepdown, the part of me that is a scientist wonders if Icould really destroy new knowledge, no matter what itspossible dangers.

Each time I teach “Great Issues in Science,” Cat’sCradle falls in the section of the seminar called“Science and Literature.” Of course this is fiction, butthe issues it raises are very real, and they are ones thatmust be faced by both the students planning to bescientists and the students whose lives will be touchedby science whether they want it to or not. Vonnegutprovides a wonderful transition into the “Science andValues” part of the course where real people have tomake hard decisions about biotechnology, stem cellresearch, cloning, global warming, nuclear waste, andon and on. After reading Cat’s Cradle, my studentsunderstand that decisions about these issues cannot beleft to scientists or the people who fund science. Eachof us must get involved with the solutions to theseproblems. If we rely solely on the scientists, somedayout of nowhere, will come our own version of “TheGrand Ah-Whoom.” And that is why I will never teach“Great Issues in Science” without Cat’s Cradle.

D. TRUMPIE PHOTO

Kurt Vonnegut during his Albion visit.

(continued on next page)

I O T R I U M P H E10

Of comedy and the cosmos:Kurt Vonnegut re-consideredBy James Diedrick, Howard L. McGregor Professorof the Humanities

After Spiderman and before Shakespeare, I discoveredKurt Vonnegut.

In my youth, I was a voracious but undiscriminatingreader. Cereal boxes, Burma Shave billboards, evenhighway markers loomed large in my imaginativelandscape (the warning sign “Watch for Rolling Rock”inspired a frequently re-embroidered tale of an elusiveNorthwest Indian warrior). Near the end of my firstdecade I discovered Marvel Comics, home to the angst-ridden hero Spiderman, and became a fierce partisan ofthe entire Stan Lee and Jack Kirby oeuvre. At somepoint I graduated to magazines; my parents subscribedto Life, Saturday Evening Post, and Reader’s Digest,and I eagerly consumed them all (“It Pays to IncreaseYour Word Power” was a formative influence). When Idid begin reading novels, I gravitated toward fantasyand science fiction, devouring everything by RobertHeinlein and Isaac Asimov. In tenth grade, a friendpassed me a copy of Kurt Vonnegut’s The Sirens ofTitan, and I was hooked.

Many years later I read Albert Camus’ “The Mythof Sisyphus,” which describes a world in which man,“suddenly deprived of illusions and of light, . . . feels astranger,” a dilemma which “truly constitutes thefeeling of Absurdity.” But at the time I didn’t needCamus to begin questioning the idea of a purposefullyordered universe. In The Sirens of Titan, Winston NilesRumfoord travels to Tralfamadore, a planet 150-thousand light years from Earth, where he discoversthat every significant historical event on Earth has beendetermined by Tralfamadorians. These events are partof a continuous communiqué from Tralfamadore toSalo, a Tralfamadorian messenger, who was forced toland on Titan when his space ship broke down. SinceTitan occupies the same solar system as Earth, theTralfamadorians used Earth to communicate with Salo.Stonehenge, for instance, means in Tralfamadorian,“Replacement part being rushed with all possiblespeed.” The Great Wall of China means: “Be patient.We haven’t forgotten about you.” And so on. Or, to useVonnegut’s favorite expression of arch fatalism, “so itgoes.”

In years to come I would read H.G. Wells, GeorgeOrwell, Carl Capek, Ursula K. LeGuin and RussellHoban, and realize that Vonnegut was one of manywriters who have used science fiction as a vehicle forcunning social commentary and protest. But as ateenager living through the Cuban Missile Crisis andother intimations of nuclear apocalypse, I was con-vinced that Vonnegut was unique, a kind of holy comicfool speaking directly to me about the absurdities oflife on the nuclear brink. Especially after reading Cat’sCradle. Like Stanley Kubrick’s satirical masterpieceDr. Strangelove, Cat’s Cradle is about the deadlyconsequences that arise when science and technologybecome unmoored from morality and, in W.B. Yeats’words, “mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.” FelixHoenikker, the epitome of scientific “objectivity” in thenovel, is a Nobel Prize winner and so-called “father ofthe atomic bomb.” More a naïve child than a morallyresponsible adult, Hoenikker is oblivious to the effectshis discoveries may have on humanity. When a fellowscientist remarks after Hiroshima that science hasnow known sin, Hoenikker replies, “What is sin?”Hoenikker has also discovered a substance called ice-nine, which ultimately destroys all life on earth.

These two novels appealed tomy teenaged angst, alienationand love of moral polarities.But in the absence of otherinfluences on my nascentliterary sensibility, they alsohelped me become a seriousreader. During my senior yearin high school, when myEnglish teacher assigned thelikes of Kafka, Camus, Borgesand Flannery O’Connor, shedidn’t need to convince methat the outrageous incidentsand surreal situations in theirfictions could convey impor-tant truths. Vonnegut hadalready done that, with his heady mixture of over-the-top inventiveness and existential bewilderment.

Despite Vonnegut’s importance to my early literaryeducation, I spurned him for many years. Under thesway of a college professor who loved literary hierar-chies almost more than literature itself, I shelvedVonnegut with the literary lightweights. After all,writers ranging from Dostoevsky to Faulkner engagedthe weighty philosophical questions that incitedVonnegut, but they did so within densely texturedfictions that didn’t resort to alien visitations, anomalieswithin the time-space continuum, or such finallyannoying catchphrases as “so it goes,” “Poo-tee-weet”and “hi-ho.” It also didn’t help that many of the novelsVonnegut wrote after Slaughterhouse-Five have tendedtoward the random, the diffuse and the anecdotal (casein point: Slapstick). Besides, Vonnegut is a comicwriter, and comedy has never enjoyed pride of place onthe hierarchy of literary genres.

But to quote Bob Dylan, “I was so much older then,I’m younger than that now.” During my junior andsenior years in college, I read Shakespeare’s “problem”comedies, Jonathan Swift, Charles Dickens, SamuelBeckett—and the scales fell from my eyes. In thewords of British novelist Martin Amis, another writerwho recognizes that comedy is a capacious form, theidea that laughter banishes seriousness “is a miscon-ception often formed by the humorless.” ReviewingVonnegut’s novel Mother Night, Amis calls it “the onlyfunny book about the Holocaust ever written, or indeedever attempted.” He continues: “It is perhaps appropri-ate that such a novel should have been produced, notby a Jew, but by a German, a German-American whofought the Nazis in World War II.”

Vonnegut’s best-known novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, is based partially on his own experiences inWorld War II. Like Vonnegut was, Billy Pilgrim iscaptured by the Germans and taken to Dresden, wherehe witnesses the destruction of the city by Americanfirebombers. While in Germany, Billy first becomes“unstuck in time.” For Billy, “all moments, past,present, and future, always have existed, and alwayswill exist.” As a result, Billy has “seen his birth anddeath many times, . . . and pays random visits to all theevents in between.” After the war has ended, and Billyis back home in America, he watches a film aboutAmerican bombers during the war, but because he is“slightly unstuck in time,” he sees the movie in reverse:

The formation flew backwards over a Germancity that was in flames. The bombers openedtheir bomb bay doors, exerted a miraculousmagnetism which shrunk the fires, gathered theminto cylindrical steel containers, and lifted thecontainers into the bellies of the planes. . . .When the bombers got back to their base, thesteel cylinders were taken from the racks andshipped back to the United States of America,

where factories were operating night and day,dismantling the cylinders, separating the danger-ous contents into minerals. Touchingly, it wasmainly women who did this work. The mineralswere then shipped to specialists in remote areas.It was their business to put them into the ground,to hide them cleverly, so they would never hurtanybody ever again.In this description of undoing death and destruction

Vonnegut effects a poetic erasure of the Dresden fire-bombing all the more poignant for the reader’s knowl-edge that it never can be undone. Inspired by thissequence in the novel, Martin Amis wrote an entirenovel in reverse chronology. Time’s Arrow employs anaudacious variation on the folk wisdom that just beforedeath individuals see their entire lives flash beforethem. At the moment of his death in an Americanhospital, one-time Nazi doctor Odilo Unverdorben“gives birth” to a doppleganger (literally, “double-goer”), a child-like innocent who re-lives and narratesUnverdorben’s life—in reverse. He inhabitsUnverdorben, who is unaware of his presence, like a“passenger or parasite,” ultimately arriving atAuschwitz-Birkenau, where Unverdorben conductedhorrific experiments on Jewish inmates.

In the ignorant, reverse-time view of the narrator,however, “the world . . . has a new habit. It makessense.” Here he and Odilo create life, heal wounds,send inmates to freedom. “Our preternatural purpose?To dream a race. To make a people from the weather.From thunder and from lightning. . . .” Describing hisnarrative strategy in Time’s Arrow, Amis said “youpresent it as a miracle, but the reader is supplying allthe tragedy.” Amis has been called the most influentialprose stylist of his generation, but his influence wouldnot have reached so far had he not absorbed theexample of Kurt Vonnegut.

Both Vonnegut and Amis have been called nihilists,but nihilists don’t write novels. Writing imaginativeliterature is an act of affirmation, no matter how grimthe subject matter. Vonnegut himself testified to this inhis remarks to the graduating class of BenningtonCollege many years ago:

My longer-range schemes have to do withproviding all Americans with artificial extendedfamilies of a thousand members or more. Onlywhen we have overcome loneliness can we beginto share wealth and work more fairly. I honestlybelieve that we will have those families by andby, and I hope they will become international.This characteristically quirky and provocative vision

of global education and multiculturalism is worthtalking about long after its author’s visit to AlbionCollege is just a memory. Hi-ho.

D. TRUMPIE PHOTO

I O T R I U M P H E 11

A R O U N D C A M P U S

Commencement 2002At Albion’s May 4 commencement ceremony, 348seniors joined the ranks of Briton alumni. Amongthem was graduate Robert Simpson (left), who wascongratulated by his grandfather, Robert Simpson,M.D., ’26, one of the College’s oldest living alumni.Edmund Jenkins, ’57, (middle left) chairman of theFinancial Accounting Standards Board, gave thecommencement address and was awarded anhonorary doctor of humane letters degree. Alsoreceiving an honorary doctor of humane letters

News in brief■■ Two Albion students won awards in thesolo vocal auditions of the Michigan chapterof the National Association of Teachers ofSinging (NATS) in April. Elizabeth Snyder,voice student of Maureen Balke, chair andassociate professor of music, earned thesecond place award in the Third-Year CollegeWomen category. She performed “Ah, je veuxvivre” from Gounod’s opera Romeo etJuliette, “Sure on this shining night” bySamuel Barber and “De donde venis, amore?”by Rodrigo. Snyder also was featured as asoloist with the Albion College SymphonyOrchestra as a winner of Albion’s annualconcerto competition, singing “Ah, je veuxvivre” in concert on April 21. Kyle Koehsearned third place in First- and Second-YearCollege Musical Theatre. He is a voicestudent of Robert Doyle, adjunct instructor ofvoice.

Mettler winsGovernor’s ServiceAwardAt special ceremonies April 29 in Lansing,Gov. John Engler awarded Albion studentElizabeth Mettler the Governor’s ServiceAward for individuals aged 18-35.

“In my 35 years in higher education,Elizabeth Mettler is the most impressivestudent leader in community service I haveever had the privilege to observe and to workwith,” said President Peter Mitchell, whonominated Mettler for the award. “Hercontributions will be truly enduring and amarvelous testimony to the spirit ofvolunteerism. I was so pleased to learn thatshe was selected.”

The Governor’s Service Award wasestablished nine years ago to “honor andcelebrate the outstanding efforts of Michigancitizens and organizations dedicated toserving their community through volun-teerism.” The award is sponsored by theMichigan Community Service Commission,which oversees Michigan’s AmeriCorps andother volunteer programs.

For Mettler, a biology major who plans toattend medical school, the Governor’s Service

Award recognizes volunteer work that takesmany forms.

“I guess what it comes down to is helpingother people,” Mettler said. “That has alwaysbeen an important part of my life, and givingback is most important because so manypeople have given to me in my life. It’s doingthe same for others. I consider becoming adoctor one of the best ways I can serve otherpeople. While I won’t be able to volunteer asmuch, I still plan to serve people as much as Ican.”

A member of Albion College’s HonorsInstitute, Mettler helps lead the AlbionCollege chapter of Habitat for Humanity,building houses for families who otherwisecould not afford them. Also active in theAlpha Phi Omega service fraternity oncampus, she led a group of 40 students on thethird annual alternative winter break trip lastJanuary. Organized through the College’sStudent Volunteer Bureau and intended tohonor the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr.,the trip took the students to Philadelphia toparticipate in cleanup and rehabilitation oflocal housing including the Betsy Ross house.

Prior to announcing the Governor’sService Award winner, Engler congratulatedMettler and fellow Albion student LewisCardenas for having won the MichiganCampus Compact Outstanding CommunityImpact Award earlier in the year.

■■ Seventy-six Albion students are conduct-ing original research on campus this summerunder the auspices of the College’s Founda-tion for Undergraduate Research, Scholarship,and Creative Activity (FURSCA). Thestudents, all of whom have received FURSCAfellowships or support through externallyfunded research grants, work closely with afaculty mentor and also participate in weeklyseminars to discuss their research. Theyrepresent 19 different academic departments,institutes or programs. The diverse topics theyare studying include: the role of music in thecultural renaissance of French-speakingLouisiana; the lateral distribution andmorphology of Eocene turtles in the GreenRiver Basin, Wyoming; a study of the lives,literature and language of the ScottishChaucerians; an exploration of women’s livesthrough poetry; characterization of microbialcommunities in local aquatic habitats; a studyof acne treatment in relation to stress, self-esteem, body image and development; andcomputer representation and generation ofthree-dimensional virtual worlds.

D. TRUMPIE PHOTOS

degree was Margaret Riecker (upper right),president of the Herbert H. and Grace A. DowFoundation of Midland. Emily Thompsonspoke on behalf of the graduating class.Casmir Ketlhalefile (lower left), a native ofBotswana, was one of three internationalstudents among the graduates. Claiming thetop academic honors this year were EmilyArend, Kurt Medland and Katie McCabe.Class members have landed jobs with suchorganizations as Comerica, Ernst and Young,Auto-Owners Insurance, General Motors andTeach for America; others will soon be off tograduate and professional schools at universi-ties including Chicago, Columbia, MichiganState, Notre Dame and Tulane.

I O T R I U M P H E12

A R O U N D C A M P U S

Ferguson Buildingconstruction completeThe crowning piece of the William C. Ferguson Student, Technology, and AdministrativeServices Building was added May 6, as the cupola base and 20-ton copper dome werewelded into place. The building opened in mid-June as the home for five of the College’sadministrative divisions. It offers “one-stop shopping” for all student services and a 24-hourcomputer laboratory for student use. Located on the south edge of the campus quadrangle,the $8-million building is named for trustee Bill Ferguson, ’52, who, with his wife, Joyce,provided the leadership gift for its construction. The dedication ceremony for the building isplanned for Sept. 28 during Homecoming Weekend.

B. ENGELTER PHOTO

Alumni tapped astrusteesThree Albion graduates were recently electedto the Albion College Board of Trustees. Theybegan their terms July 1.■■ Frederick Adams, ’66, is chairman ofNorthern Trust Bank, FSB-Michigan,headquartered in Bloomfield Hills. Beforejoining Northern Trust Bank-Michigan aspresident and CEO in 1998, he was anexecutive vice president and head of retailbanking services at First Chicago NBD. Innearly 30 years at First Chicago and itspredecessor, NBD Bancorp, he had responsi-bilities in commercial and consumer lending,marketing and systems development. Adamsholds an M.B.A. from the University ofMichigan. He serves on the boards ofLawrence Technological University, OaklandFamily Services, Meadowbrook Theater ofOakland University and YMCA-SoutheasternMichigan. A member of the steering commit-tee for Albion’s $120-million LIBERALARTS AT WORK campaign, he hasestablished an endowment in support of inter-disciplinary study and a named scholarship.■■ John Vournakis, ’61, is vice president forresearch and development at Marine PolymerTechnologies in Danvers, Mass. Beforedevoting himself full-time to this biotechnol-ogy venture earlier this year, he had servedsince 1995 as a professor of medicine andassociate director for the Hollings CancerCenter, Medical University of South Carolina.He previously held faculty appointments atSyracuse University and Dartmouth College.The recipient of numerous research fellow-ships and awards, he has published more than150 research articles in the fields of biophys-ics, molecular biology and biotechnology, and

Adams Vournakis

Feeney

is an inventor on over15 U.S. and foreignpatents. He earned hisPh.D. in biophysicalchemistry at CornellUniversity in 1968.Vournakis receivedAlbion’s Distin-guished AlumniAward in 1996. He iscurrently co-chair of adrive to raise funds forscience facility con-struction and renovation that is part of theLIBERAL ARTS AT WORK campaign.■■ Benjamin Feeney, ’02, has been ap-pointed to a two-year term as a young alumnirepresentative on the board. An economicsand management major, Feeney was amember of the Carl A. Gerstacker LiberalArts Institute for Professional Management,served as a student representative on theLIBERAL ARTS AT WORK campaignsteering committee, and was a tri-captain ofthe varsity basketball squad and president ofATO fraternity. In addition, Feeney volun-teered at Albion Open School for three yearsmentoring students in various subjects. Hecurrently is an assistant account executivewith the international marketing agencyDraftWorldwide, based in Chicago.

M. ARVOY PHOTO

Frick pilots onlinecourse on IslamBy Jake Weber

What do a Washington, D.C., lawyer, a “stay-at-home mom” in New Jersey and emeritusprofessor of religious studies Frank Frickhave in common? All three, along with 27other Albion alumni from around the U.S.,came together this spring to create and test theCollege’s first online course.

Combining the College’s nationally-respected technological resources with Frick’senthusiasm for teaching, “Islam: Contempo-rary Issues and Historical Roots” providedparticipants with a distinctive learningopportunity. “For me, this was a chance tooffer a course I could never teach [while I wasworking full-time],” says Frick. “I do miss theintellectual give-and-take of the classroom,[and] this online class was an ideal way tohave that intellectual contact.”

The eight-week, not-for-credit classquickly filled with 29 alumni, from the Classof 1947 to the Class of 2001. “Class discus-sion” took place via e-mail, and studentswrote short papers reflecting on and analyzingthe reading assignments and e-mail discus-sions. About half the class, mostly fromMichigan, participated in an on-campusgathering after the class ended in June.

In covering such topics as the search for amodern Muslim state, Islamic fundamental-ism, the status of women in Islam and co-existence with other religions, the courseoften forced the students to set aside precon-ceived notions about Islam, ideas oftenshaped by less-than-accurate media portray-als. In addition to the required text, BernardLewis’ Islam and the West (Oxford UniversityPress, 1993), the class read from a widevariety of books and periodicals, all availableonline.

“I wanted to learn more about Islam . . .than what little I remembered from Religion101 more than 30 years ago,” says JanetKinzinger, ’75, a fourth-generation Albionalumna who practices law in Milford. “Theclass [made] me wrestle with my legallytrained Western thought process.”

“The College, I think, sees [onlinecourses] as a chance to give something to ouralumni that will be inviting,” says Frick, whosees in online education potential that’s notavailable in a traditional setting. “The widespectrum of age and occupation/experiencehas added tremendously to the course—something that one can’t get in the typical on-campus classroom.”

The flexibility of the online course wasparticularly attractive to the participants.

“I would do an on-line course again. Itsuits my schedule as I can read when I havethe time and participate when I have time,”says Kinzinger, who also has high praise forFrick’s guidance. “His encouraging, positive,non-critical stance is great—especially forthose of us with ‘seniority.’”

Frick says he has benefited from doing thecourse right along with his students.

Rosa ParksInstitute comes tocampusAlbion College recently was selected as thesite for the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institutefor Self Development’s “Pathways toFreedom” program. The national leadershipconference will bring up to 400 students, aged11-17, to Albion from mid-July to mid-August.

In addition to activities that assist withpersonal goal-setting and skill development insuch areas as budget management, computertechnology and communications, the ParksInstitute will engage the students, via satellitedownlink, in a youth summit conference to beheld in Geneva, Switzerland. The ParksInstitute staff has also met with Albioncommunity leaders to explore ways localresidents might serve as role models andresource persons for the students in theprogram.

The Parks Institute is just one of nearly 20conferences and sports camps Albion will hostthis summer. Other premier leadershipprograms held on campus this summer include:Operation Bentley, Michigan Association ofHonor Societies, Michigan Association ofStudent Councils, and a Fellowship ofChristian Athletes regional sports camp.

Neilson namedto MIAA postDavid Neilson, ’66,was appointedinterim commissionerof the MichiganIntercollegiateAthletic Association(MIAA) in late June.

Among hisresponsibilities in thisrole, he will help theconference assess itsneeds and engage instrategic planning.

A member of Albion’s Athletic Hall ofFame, Neilson was an All-American quarter-back for the Britons and later played brieflyfor the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has 32 years ofexperience in the automotive supply industryand currently is vice president and executiveconsultant for the Compass Group, amanagement consulting company. He residesin Royal Oak.

“The MIAA is comprised of highlyrespected academic institutions with richathletic histories. I look forward to ‘cominghome’ to the MIAA and working with each ofour member schools in support of theirmission,” said Neilson. “I’m a strong advocateof the Division III experience because it trulydemonstrates what athletics should be at thecollegiate level. I am eager to work with theconference membership in strengthening theMIAA’s highly regarded reputation.”

Neilson

“It has been more labor-intensive than Ioriginally thought (due largely to my lack oftechnical expertise) but doing an onlineenrichment course has been quite enrichingfor me,” Frick admits. “It is always useful tohear what others think about a complexsubject, and this has been no exception.”

I O T R I U M P H E 13

A R O U N D C A M P U S

Wenzel

Hatlem Sacks

Staff transitionsThe following staff changes have beenannounced in recent months.■■ Cherie Hatlem became the College’s newregistrar in January 2002. She has servedpreviously as registrar at Davenport Univer-sity-Western Region, Thunderbird AmericanGraduate School of International Manage-ment, Lewis-Clark State College, ConcordiaCollege (Moorhead, Minn.), Franklin Collegeand Westmar College. Hatlem holds abachelor’s degree in music education fromDrake University, and a master’s degree incollege student personnel services from theUniversity of Northern Iowa.■■ Marcy Sacks, who for the past three yearshas served as associate director of the Gerald R.Ford Institute for Public Policy and Service,was named acting director, following thedeath of Institute director Joe Stroud in May.(For more information, see pp. 24-25.) Asearch is now under way for a new director.Sacks will oversee continued implementationof the Ford Institute’s current three-year plan,which she and Stroud developed together. Shewill also assist in identifying the inauguralJoe H. Stroud Visiting Scholar in PublicPolicy and Service, to join the Institute in thefall of 2003. A specialist in American history,Sacks joined the Albion College faculty in1999. As part of her continuing studies onvarious aspects of African-American history,

Sacks and a team of students researched thelife of Albion’s first-known African-Americanalumnus (James Welton, 1904), an educatorand civic leader who will be honored as adistinguished alumnus during the 2002Homecoming festivities.■■ Vera Wenzel retired in June as director ofAlbion’s Center for International Education(CIE). Under her leadership, the CIE hasexpanded its reach, sending students to allcontinents except Antarctica. Wenzel alsoworked to strengthen the academic viability ofoff-campus study for all students, regardlessof major. Among the latest additions to theCIE offerings, Wenzel says, are new programsin studio art and environmental studies.

Wenzel notes she inherited a solidprogram, and has continued to strengthen it,ensuring that “Albion has a lot to be proud of,to stand among the best in terms of bestpractices in international education.” Alongwith becoming more proactive in recruitingstudents for CIE’s programs, Wenzel hasregularly upgraded safety training andinsurance requirements for students off-campus. This careful development resulted ina record 39 percent of the Class of 2002spending at least a semester off-campus, atrend that is likely to continue, she believes.

As a French instructor at Albion in 1970-71 and again from 1980 to 1995, Wenzel wasa strong proponent of technology in service oflanguage instruction. Wenzel led her studentsto produce electronic class newsletters (in

French, of course) and to usethe Internet as a valuableforeign language resource.Wenzel herself created anelectronic newsletter for theCIE. She developed work-shops for area high schoolteachers as well, to bothimprove their skills and forma relationship with Albion.“[My work has] always been[a process of] learning andgrowth,” she concludes.

Wireless networking expandsBy Ben Hancock III and JordanLonghurst

Remember those warm, sunny days when youheaded out for an afternoon on the Quad witha blanket and book in hand? Well, you’ll findtoday’s students still doing that, but in alllikelihood they’ll be bringing a laptopcomputer along. And with the advent ofwireless technology on campus, they can evenbrowse the library’s electronic resources orthe Internet—right from the middle of theQuad—to gather information for the paperthey’re writing.

The availability of wireless networking isjust one of many reasons why Yahoo! InternetLife ranked Albion among the top 10 mosttechnologically advanced colleges inAmerica. The latest digital addition to thecampus offers more flexibility to students,faculty and staff who wish to have access tocomputer services anywhere they choose towork.

Since the beginning of the 2001-02academic year, 20 wireless laptop computershave been available to check out for usethroughout the library, with five that can betaken outdoors and used anywhere within theCollege’s wireless network.

“This is an important resource forstudents,” says John Kondelik, director oflibraries. “Students are responding with moretraffic than ever before in the library.”

D. TRUMPIE PHOTO

Student Kim Tuller (right) has become a fan of the College’s new wireless networking capabilitythat allows her complete access to computer services including the Internet, even in the middleof the Quad.

Other areas covered by the wirelessnetwork—representing about 60 percent ofthe campus—include almost all of the openspace and academic buildings on the Quad, aswell as the Mae Harrison Karro ResidentialVillage, Goodrich Chapel and Norris Center.

In the first four months of their availabil-ity, the wireless laptops were checked outapproximately 1,500 times, according to TroyVanAken, vice president for informationtechnology. With the tremendous interest inwireless technology at Albion, he notes that ahigh priority is being placed on expandingwireless capabilities on campus.

This summer, students have been checkingout the laptops for a variety of uses, bothinside and outside.

“They are faster and more convenient,”says Anne Polmanter. While Polmanter ownsher own desktop computer, she says sheprefers the advantages of the wireless laptopand enjoys the freedom of using the computeron the Quad.

“I want to be out in the sun when I study,”says Kim Tuller. “I’ve also used them in thelibrary tiers to get away from people andstudy by myself.”

The wireless computers also are beingused for teaching, Kondelik says. He notesthat they are becoming more popular in small-group settings such as seminars or academicstudy sessions.

“They’re terrific,” Kondelik adds. “Theybecome an instant laboratory for accessinginformation.”

VanAken says the wireless laptops are “anoverwhelming success.” While the librarycurrently houses most of these specially

equipped computers, there already arewireless laptops in the Ferguson Student,Technology, and Administrative ServicesBuilding—which opened in June—and futureexpansion is planned for the residence halls.

Anyone can connect to the wirelessinfrastructure, VanAken explains—all that isneeded is a wireless Ethernet card, which canbe purchased commercially.

“It’s a technological thing—it’s no hassleto use a laptop computer,” remarks studentEvan Hawker. “I can move it from one roomto another. I am much more comfortable whenI use the laptop instead of the desktopcomputer.”

B. ENGELTER PHOTO

M. ARVOY PHOTO D. TRUMPIE PHOTO

I O T R I U M P H E14

A R O U N D C A M P U S

Ronald Fryxell,mathematics

By Dana Fey, ’02

In the early 1960s, Ron Fryxell recalls one ofhis fellow mathematics graduate studentssigned up for a computer science class and“got a lot of flak from our math professors,because it was taking his attention away fromthe ‘pure’ stuff.” With somewhat moreforesight, Fryxell soon realized computing’spotential to enhance mathematics. After hejoined Albion’s Mathematics Department in1964, Fryxell’s intellectual curiosity,combined with his desire to share his ownresearch with students, led to the creation ofthe College’s first digital computing classesand, eventually, to establishing the computerscience major.

Fryxell cut his computing “teeth” on theCollege’s first programmable machine, a$5,000 desktop-sized calculator. Recognizingthe possibility of using it to enhance theCollege’s statistics classes, he sat down withthe calculator’s manual and taught himself toprogram it. Punch cards and toggle switcheswere later replaced with microcomputers andnetworks, but Fryxell continued to writecustomized programs for his classes. “I’m stilltweaking some lab programs I wrote for thecomputer and for graphing calculators thissemester,” Fryxell notes. “I’ll make sure toleave all my notes on those to the person whotakes it over.”

Over the past decade, Fryxell concentratedheavily on improving the department’sintroductory statistics courses. He alsointroduced one of the earliest first-yearseminars, “Chance,” which dealt withintriguing questions in probability andstatistics. As with most of mathematics,Fryxell notes that the field of statistics hasbeen profoundly changed by digital comput-ing. “Before we had computer power,statistical inference was based primarily ontheoretical models,” explains Fryxell.“Computers have allowed statisticians toobtain highly accurate results in situationswhere traditional methods fail.” Here again,Fryxell spent countless hours, as well as entiresabbaticals, writing programs and developingclass labs, with the result that his studentscontinually benefited from the most currentstandards.

And while his prowess with machines andcode is much admired by alumni, even morememorable is Fryxell’s competence as ateacher. Deborah Trytten, ’82, associateprofessor of computer science at the Univer-sity of Oklahoma, recalls, “I was working on aproject, and I couldn’t figure out what hadgone wrong. I stopped by his office (not

Max Noordhoorn, foreignlanguages

By Jake Weber

Max Noordhoorn has always thought ofhimself as a world citizen. His interest inother languages and cultures, which beganwith a childhood spent in Indonesia and theNetherlands, was further cultivated here in theU.S. during his studies at the University ofMichigan where he earned all of his academicdegrees. He later shared this broad world viewwith many generations of students during the34 years he taught German language,literature and cultural studies at Albion.

As a member of Albion’s ForeignLanguages Department, Noordhoorn wasinstrumental in the evolution of languageinstruction from a “classical” model, focusedon a limited canon of literature, to a moreholistic program that includes cultural andhistorical studies. He also helped expand thecurriculum to include more contemporaryliterature, drama and poetry.

“We really changed everything from theway [German was taught] when I first came toAlbion,” says Noordhoorn. “It used to bestudents studied the language and focused onauthors, [rather than genres or time periods].Now, cultural studies have become moreimportant, and those are also the courses ourstudents take when studying abroad. We’regoing more and more in a direction of Germanstudies, rather than just language andliterature.”

during office hours, I might add), and askedfor help. He puzzled over it for more than ahalf hour, and finally discovered that the cardreader had misread a card. It had nevercrossed my mind that I might have been rightand the computer wrong. . . . The fact that heeven considered . . . that my program mighthave been right was unique.”

Fryxell’s belief in his students’ abilitiesshone through on many occasions.

“Whether I was dealing with Dr. Fryxellas a professor of one of my classes or as thechair of the Math Department, he alwaystreated me with kindness and respect, andinstilled in me the self-confidence that Ineeded to succeed in an area where not manywomen had been before,” says PennyEveningred Weymouth, ’94, adjunct facultymember for Park University at MalmstromAir Force Base.

His approach set the standard for many ofthose who have followed him into theteaching profession.

“I believe we take from our own learningexperiences the strongest lessons about how toteach,” says Annette Stanek Leopard, ’72,assistant professor of mathematics at MonroeCommunity College. “From Ron I learnedabout challenging the brightest students withmaterial that makes them reach. He is the onewho challenged me the most, who pushed atthe limits of my understanding.”

Ron Fryxell

Richard Mortensen,biology

By Jake Weber

“First and foremost, I’m a teacher,” saysretiring biology professor Dick Mortensen.“That’s what I do.”

Even at a college populated with outstand-ing teachers, Mortensen’s “doing what hedoes” is seen by many as exceptional. Duringhis 35-year teaching career, he was chosentwice as the College’s Teacher of the Yearand twice as Adviser of the Year. In a settingwhere the largest percentage of incomingstudents indicate they plan to major in biologyor pre-medical studies, Mortensen helpedhundreds of physicians, dentists and otherhealth care professionals get a start on theircareers through his courses in vertebratezoology and his senior role on both the Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Advisory Committee andthe Allied Health Sciences Committee.

Mortensen’s research over the past 20years has focused on Great Lakes aquatic life.

Campus bidsfarewell to fiveEditor’s note: These profiles of the fivefaculty members who retired this yearcelebrate their dedication to the art ofteaching. We salute their many contribu-tions to enriching the Albion experiencefor all of us—whether students orcolleagues. (Alumni who wish to contactthese or any other retired faculty will findtheir addresses on p. 19.)

In the early 1980s,Mortensen took asabbatical to workwith the MichiganDepartment of Fishand Wildlife,where he was oneof the first GreatLakes biologists torealize the threatzebra mussels wereposing to theecosystem. Whileexploring the then-unknown reproductive cycle of the mussels,Mortensen became fascinated with the trouthatcheries research going on down the hall,and discovered one of his current researchsubjects.

Despite aggressive restocking of trout inthe lakes over the past 40 years, Mortensenexplains, no wild population has ever beensuccessfully reestablished. One reason for thisfailure appears to be the high rate of abnormalembryos produced by the trout—a problemwhich Mortensen and two 2002 graduatesbelieve they have made significant progress inunderstanding. “Nicole Lake’s researchdocuments the specific abnormalities, whileJen Wolf’s pesticide analysis gives strongsupport for specific pesticides causing theabnormalities,” says Mortensen, who willsubmit their research for future publication.“They’ve done some terrific work.”

“His enthusiasm and passion for biologyand his research stimulated my interest. WhenI had the opportunity to work with him, Ijumped at the chance,” says Wolf, whosework with Mortensen earned her a JenkinsAward for outstanding student research.“Dr. Mortensen has been pushing me,encouraging me and supporting me for thepast three years. He has taught me to thinkcritically, to synthesize information and, mostimportantly, to ask why.”

Mortensen’s second research agenda is setin an entirely different environment. It focuseson a tiny aquatic beetle, known only to live inone room-sized pool created by a hot spring inBozeman, Mont. For researchers using thespring for water-temperature studies withother species, Mortensen mapped out thebeetle’s life cycle, and plans to continuestudying its effect on the hot spring’secosystem. He also wants to do furtheranatomical studies of the insect.

In retirement Mortensen says he hasnumerous maintenance projects scheduled forhis farm and plans to do a lot of recreationalfishing. He’ll also maintain a laboratory in

Dick Mortensen

Max Noordhoorn

Olin Hall, where he’ll finally have “all thetime in the world” for his research. Still, headmits he’ll miss working daily with studentsand especially watching their eyes light upwhen they finally grasp a difficult concept.Those are the moments, he says, that are ateacher’s best reward of all.

A. FINELLI PHOTOS

I O T R I U M P H E16

Men’s track, women’s softball andtennis are season’s top storiesFive athletes earn Academic All-District honors

1 inch), and freshman Kaitlin Van Patten inthe 400-meter hurdles (1:09.86), and the 400-and 1,600-meter relay teams.

Softball: In a successful 26-10 season(which included an 11-3 record against MIAAopponents during the regular season), it wasthe freshmen on the women’s softball squadwho led the way. The Britons, under coachKaren Baird, tied with Hope for second placein the league during the regular season andthird after league championship play. Almawas MIAA champion.

Freshman shortstop Sarah Caskeyachieved first-team All-MIAA and All-Central Region status. She earned second-team all-league honors in basketball earlier inthe year and was the league’s battingchampion with a .467 average against MIAAcompetition. Also in league play, Caskeysmacked eight doubles and drove in 11 runs.

Two of Caskey’s classmates—pitcherMichaela Adams and center fielder AbbyWilhelmi—were first-team All-MIAA andsecond-team all-region selections. Adamsranked second in the league in victories(seven) and strikeouts (45). Wilhelmi was tiedfor second in the league in doubles (six), wasfourth in slugging percentage (.571), andfinished seventh in batting with a .400average.

Junior Justinn Steffe and senior MichelleWallace were listed on the All-MIAA secondteam. Senior Laura Jagusch was awardedhonorable mention status by the leaguecoaches.

The team’s statistics on the field werematched with success in the classroom. FiveBritons—all with grade point averages of 3.5or better—were nominated for VerizonAcademic All-America consideration throughthe College Sports Information Directors ofAmerica. The nominees were senior KaryCouchman, Jagusch, Wallace and sophomoresMegan Russell and Beth Striffler. Wallaceand Russell were first-team Academic All-District selections.

Baseball: Albion finished its springcampaign with 16 victories, but the win totalcould have easily been much higher. TheBritons were frustrated in close games, losingby just a run five times and by two runs inthree other contests. The Britons were 16-21overall, 5-13 in the MIAA. Jim Conway iscoach.

Sophomore second baseman MarkFlancbaum was tabbed for the All-MIAA firstteam and Verizon Academic All-Districtsecond-team awards. In 34 games, he hit ateam-high .350 with three doubles, a tripleand five runs batted in. Flancbaum was alsosteady with the glove, finishing league playwith a .978 fielding percentage. Majoring incomputer science and economics andmanagement, Flancbaum boasts a 3.82 gradepoint average.

Flancbaum was not the only Britonhonored by the MIAA, as sophomore pitcherSteve Gordon and junior outfielder JoelGurley were made honorable mentionselections by the league coaches.

Gordon led Albion’s pitching staff ininnings pitched (65-2/3) and earned runaverage (3.02). He made 11 starts with threecomplete games.

Gurley, a participant in 35 games, finishedthe season with a .267 batting average and 10runs batted in. He had six doubles and twotriples.

Women’s tennis: Boosted byrunner-up finishes at third, fourth and fifthsingles and second doubles, Albion finishedthird at the MIAA tennis championships andtied with Kalamazoo for second in the finalseasonal standings behind St. Mary’s College.The Britons posted a 13-6 record in dualmatches, including a 6-1 record against MIAAopponents.

Finishing second in singles were seniorEmily Arend, freshman Emily Dumas andsophomore Emily Radner. Arend and Dumasjoined talents for the second-place finish indoubles.

Junior Amiee Greene finished third in firstflight singles and achieved first-team all-league status for the second time in her career.Arend and sophomore Karen Dumas, whofinished fourth at second flight singles,received second-team All-MIAA recognition.

Senior Jared Owens earned All-Americastatus in the long jump at the NCAA DivisionIII national championships in May. Owensfinished fifth with a jump of 22 feet, nineinches.

J. CALLAHAN PHOTO

By Bobby Lee

Albion College is a member of the MichiganIntercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA)and NCAA Division III.

Men’s track and field: Underveteran coach Dave Egnatuk, Albion’stradition of excellence on the track continuedthis past spring. At the NCAA Division IIInational championships May 23-25, twoBritons claimed All-America honors. SeniorJared Owens placed fifth in the long jumpwith a mark of 22 feet, nine inches, andsophomore Nick Morgan finished eighth inthe 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.05seconds.

At the close of regular-season competitionin early May, the Britons wrapped up asecond-place finish in the league behindCalvin, boosted by five individual titles and awinning relay at the MIAA championshipmeet run at the Elkin Isaac Track. Senior JohnBennink, sophomore Dominic Reid andMorgan earned league titles in running events.In field events, junior Chris Stefanes andOwens emerged as champions. Owenselectrified the crowd with a league and schoolrecord leap of 23 feet, 8-3/4 inches in the longjump.

Bennink won his second MIAA title in the400-meter hurdles. He crossed the finish linein 54 seconds flat, leading three other Britonsto top five finishes in the race. Bennink alsoran the second leg of Albion’s winning 1,600-meter relay team. Junior Brad Stish was thelead-off runner, and junior Eric D’Andrea andsophomore Taurean Wilson ran the final twolegs.

Reid and Owens were the top two finishersin the 100-meter dash, and the pair tied forthird in the 200-meter dash.

For his accomplishments, Bennink wasalso named to the Verizon Academic All-District team through the College SportsInformation Directors of America. He hadpreviously earned recognition on the VerizonAcademic All-America second team infootball.

Women’s track and field:First-year head coach Hayden Smith fielded ayoung squad with 11 freshmen and sixsophomores on the 25-woman roster. TheBritons finished fourth in the MIAA dual andchampionship standings.

Albion did not claim an individual title atthe league championship meet held at theElkin Isaac Track in early May, but the teamsecured a second, a third and a number offourth-place performances.

Sophomore Amy Corrigan was Albion’sbest all-around athlete. She crossed the finishline in 2:20.53 to earn second place in the800-meter run. Corrigan added to the Britons’team score with a fifth-place performance inthe discus and by running on two fourth-placerelay teams.

Not to be outdone, Maria Proestopoulos, ajunior from Thessaloniki, Greece, improvedon her school record in the pole vault.Proestopoulos cleared the bar at eight feet, sixinches to claim third place.

Recording fourth-place finishes weresenior Jenn Grinage in the javelin (113 feet,

Arend, a mathematics major who boasted a4.0 grade point average, received VerizonAcademic All-America (College Division)honors through the College Sports Informa-tion Directors of America. She competedagainst women in 12 sports to make thenational at-large team.

Scott Frew completed his first season ascoach.

Men’s tennis: Senior Matt Bradyand freshman Jason Ryan finished third intheir respective singles flights to help Albionfinish fourth at the MIAA championships inearly May under coach Scott Frew.

Brady, playing at third flight singles,gained a measure of revenge when hedefeated Jon Meyer of Calvin by scores of 6-4and 6-3 in the third-place match. Meyerdefeated Brady in a first-round match.

In fourth flight singles, Ryan lost onlythree games in defeating Denis Busque ofAlma in the third-place match. Ryan ledAlbion with 13 singles victories.

At the conclusion of the tournament, Ryanand sophomore David Swan of Okemos werenamed to the All-MIAA second team.

S C O R E B O A R D

Are you ready for some (Briton) football?Tune in to announcer Robin Hartman as the Albion College football team seeks its 33rd MIAAtitle this fall. Games can be heard on:

WCAR Radio, 1090 AM—serving Oakland County and parts of Wayne County (5 p.m.broadcast each week)WMKT Radio , 1270 AM—serving Bay View, Charlevoix, Harbor Springs, Petoskey andTraverse City (live!)Teamline—call 800/846-4700, ext. 1001Internet—log on to http://mediaone.albion.edu/sports for live streaming broadcastsSprankle-Sprandel Stadium—bring your radio into the stadium to hear the play-by-play on93.3 FM

2002 Albion Football ScheduleSeptember 7 Wittenberg (Ohio) University, 1 p.m.

September 14 Tri-State (Ind.) University, 1:30 p.m.September 21 BUFFALO STATE COLLEGE, 1 p.m.September 28 OHIO WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY, 1 p.m.

October 5 OLIVET COLLEGE, 1 p.m.October 12 Wisconsin Lutheran College, 2 p.m.October 19 ALMA COLLEGE, 1 p.m.October 26 Kalamazoo College, 1 p.m.

November 2 ADRIAN COLLEGE, 1 p.m.November 16 Hope College, 1 p.m.

CAPS denote home games at Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium. All times listed are Eastern times.

D. TRUMPIE PHOTO

Emily Arend earned Verizon Academic All-America (College Division) honors thisspring. The mathematics major graduatedsumma cum laude in May and finishedrunner-up at third flight singles and secondflight doubles at the MIAA championships.

I O T R I U M P H E 17

A L B I O N O T E S

In “Bravo to Britons,” our intent is to highlight thenoteworthy, the unusual and the entertaining. Wewelcome submissions from all quarters. The onlyrequirement is that an Albion alumnus/alumna mustbe involved in the story.

B R A V O T O B R I T O N S

A track and cross country standoutwhile at Albion, Ron Lessard, ’82,has continued to run competitivelysince graduation. He proudlycompleted his 55,000th career mileMay 5, 2002 on the track at RoyalOak Dondero High School where heis also an alumnus. Family andfriends who gathered for the eventincluded Albion faculty membersDennis Gaswick (chemistry) andDave Egnatuk, ’71, (physicaleducation; men’s track coach), andalumni Dan Gordon, ’84, ScottHarrison, ’83, Cameron Owens, ’81,Dave VanderKooy, ’82, JimWhitehouse, ’69, and Marsha GreenWhitehouse, ’70.

A 1998 Albion Athletic Hall ofFame inductee, Ron was a three-time All-MIAA cross country athlete and two-timeAll-MIAA track athlete. He was named cross countryMVP in 1979, 1980 and 1981. After leaving Albion,Ron earned a doctoral degree in inorganic chemistryfrom Wayne State University. Now a resident of

John McLaughlin, ’73, is the vicepresident of corporate planning for CMSEnergy Corp. in Jackson. A recipient ofa law degree from Wayne StateUniversity and an M.B.A. from theUniversity of Pittsburgh, he previouslyhad executive positions with CMSEnergy’s Latin American operations. Inhis spare time, he is the advisor for hischurch youth group, and raises ScottishHighland cattle. He and his wife,Catherine Vereeke McLaughlin, ’74,have two children.

75-79Marta Greiner Amundson, ’76, has anew book, Quilted Animals: ContinuousLine Patterns, due out in late August.The 128-page volume is in full color andincludes, among other designs, full-pagephotos of 36 quilts that relate toendangered animals. In addition toproviding plenty of practical advice forboth novice and expert quilters, it has a“quilt gallery of dream quilts that no onein their right mind would ever attempt tomake.” For more information on how toobtain an advance copy, contact: MartaAmundson, 85 Goose Knob, RivertonWY 82501. After August, the book willbe available through Amazon.com andother major booksellers.

Dave Murphy, ’76, is the assistant fieldmanager, minerals and lands for the U.S.Bureau of Land Management,Kemmerer Field Office in Kemmerer,WY. He oversees the minerals, lands,and archaeology programs including a

Send your nominations, clearly marked for “Bravoto Britons” to: Editor, Io Triumphe, Albion College,611 E. Porter St., Albion, MI 49224. If an item is notreceived by the deadline for one issue, it will be heldfor possible inclusion in the next. The editor reservesthe right to determine which submissions are selectedfor publication.

Ron Lessard (center) recently ran his 55,000th career mile. His Albionfaculty mentors, Dennis Gaswick (left) and Dave Egnatuk, were therecheering him on.

J. WHITEHOUSE PHOTO

Like father, like daughterThirty years after her father served as a native speaker in Albion’sGerstacker International House, Eva Schiedel arrived on campusfrom Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany to fill the same role. In 1972,Erich Schiedel was brought to Albion by then-director of interna-tional studies Henry Rottenbiller to study and work for a year oncampus. Erich helped his American counterparts grow moreproficient in German, and on weekends helped the Rottenbillersbuild their home in the country.

“My dad wanted me to [come to Albion],” Eva told the Pleiadearlier this year, “and I thought it was a good opportunity to studyabroad. [My father] had a really great experience.”

Since Eva too enjoyed her stay in Albion, it’s just possible thatthis will be another Albion tradition that will be passed on to the nextgeneration.

Sugar Land, Texas, he is a group leader of refinery newproduct development at Nalco/Exxon Energy Chemicals,L.P. Outside of his professional pursuits Ron currentlycompetes in adventure racing. This September, he will joina five-man team that will run, cycle and paddle across wildterrain near the Italian-Austrian border.

Class notesdeadlineThe deadline for class notes appearing inthis issue of Io Triumphe was May 6,2002. Notes received after that date willappear in the next issue.

Class news

32Shirley Walls, ’32, was featured in theClarkston News for his lifelongcontributions to Springfield Township.Very involved in his community, Shirleyis a member of the Davisburg UnitedMethodist Church.

41Lloyd Smith, ’41, a retired musicteacher and debate coach for theFarmington schools, received the EliceHoward Debate Director RecognitionAward during the state debate finals inMuskegon in February 2002. Approxi-mately 38 years ago, Lloyd founded theMackinac Debate Tournament, now runby the State Speech Coaches Associa-tion. It attracts close to 500 debate andforensics students from all overMichigan. Lloyd and his wife, DorothyTelfer Smith, ’42, live in Farmington.

50-54Wendell Will, ’50, completed a secondbook, Mercy on Trial, earlier this year.The book, which centers on difficultend-of-life issues and how those aredealt with in the judicial system, openswith a dramatic scene at Albion College.Wendell has drawn on his pastexperience as a trial lawyer to create thebook. To obtain a copy, e-mail Wendellat: wbwill@earthlink.net

David Sharer, ’52, has been elected tothe executive committee of theEpiscopal Church, Diocese of Arkansas.He and his wife, Eleanor, live inMonticello, AR.

Joy Olcott Gough, ’53, is a watercolor-ist living in Chillicothe, OH. Formerlyan interior designer, she has beeninvolved in a number of local historicpreservation projects and has producedtwo musical recordings as well as amultimedia presentation, “Roads toFreedoms in the Ohio Country.” She andher husband, Alan, are the parents of twogrown children.

55-59James Garber, ’55, has been named the2002 Lutheran Layman of the Year bythe Lutheran Luncheon Club of Metro-Detroit. A retired District Court judge,Jim has been active in the Jaycees,YMCA, Chamber of Commerce, UnitedWay and the Civil Service Commission.In addition to serving the church inleadership positions on the parish anddistrict levels, he was twice elected as adelegate to the Synodical Convention.He and his wife, Marianne JohanssonGarber, ’57, live in Northville.

Richard Vitek , ’56, has been electedchairman of the Board of Trustees at theUniversity of Missouri, Rolla. He andhis wife, Marilyn Young Vitek , ’56,live in Dana Point, CA.

Katherine MacDougall Shearer, ’58, issemi-retired from “Out of the BarnAntiques.” In her spare time, she enjoysantiques, soccer, hockey and basketball.She and her husband, Peter, have fivechildren and 12 grandchildren. TheShearers live in Laingsburg.

60-64Sharon Rinn Cathey, ’62, received theDistinguished Faculty Award for SierraNevada College, and an award forexceptional contributions to the collegeas statewide executive director ofeducation. She lives in Reno, NV.

65-69Dan, ’68, and Myrna Boone Eaton,’69, have begun their 29th year inAustralia working for the Department ofSchool Education and Training. Myrnareceived her master’s degree in libraryadministration and recently completedfive years with the reading recoveryprogram for early readers. Dan iscontinuing his work as a schoolpsychologist with the Department ofSchool Education and Training. He alsooperates a small consultancy andcounseling service. He is currentlyserving as the president of the localRotary Club. They live in Temora, NewSouth Wales.

70-74Mark Branch , ’73, has been recognizedby Kalamazoo County’s RegionalEducation Service Agency fordemonstrating excellence in education.Mark teaches advanced placementchemistry at Kalamazoo Central HighSchool. He is planning a trip to theGrand Canyon with five Albion friendsthis summer. Mark and his wife, Phyllis,live in Portage.

Jennifer Lee Huffman, ’73, is doingfinancial work for a number of smallbusinesses in the Petoskey area. Her son,Jeremy Huffman, ’99, graduated fromMarine boot camp in San Diego, CA, inApril.

large oil and gas exploration anddevelopment program. He and his wifealso had the opportunity to attend the2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Daniel Busto, ’78, has joined Doner asvice president, creative director. Doneris the largest independently ownedadvertising agency in North America.Dan is responsible for assisting with thecreative supervision of the agency’sMazda account, focusing on the regionaland Canadian portions of the account.He has previously been a senior vicepresident with Penta Mark and J. WalterThompson. He lives in Grosse PointePark.

Michelle Armstrong Guralnick , ’78,and her family have moved to London,England where her husband, Michael,has returned to Citibank. He works inglobal corporate and investmentbanking. Their three children attend theAmerican School in London.

80-84John Dziuba, ’80, was named chief ofpsychiatry for the Detroit MedicalCenter’s Sinai Grace Hospital. He is alsoactively involved in teaching at WayneState University School of Medicine andholds the rank of assistant professor.John and his wife, Kathleen, live inDetroit.

Beth Falkner-Brown, ’80, was hired asthe director of public relations andvolunteer services for the Lake County

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A L B I O N O T E S

Board of Mental Retardation andDevelopmental Disabilities. She serveson many boards including the ClevelandArea chapter of the Alzheimer’sAssociation. She and her husband,James, live in Willoughby, OH.

Rodney Howard, ’83, is co-founder andelder of a new interdenominationalchurch in Berkeley, CA, called TheBerkeley Mosaic. He is employed withSynectic Technologies, a telecommuni-cations firm, and serves on its Board ofDirectors. Rod and his wife, Laura, livein Berkeley, CA, and have eightchildren.

M. Elizabeth Swenor, ’84, completed amaster’s degree in K-12 schooladministration at Michigan StateUniversity, and taught fifth and sixthgrade for several years. Searching fornew challenges, she left teaching topursue a career in medicine. Shegraduated from the Lake Erie College ofOsteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA, in May2000. She is completing her residency infamily practice in central Pennsylvania.Elizabeth and her husband, ToddNadeau, ’86, live in Davison.

James Cracraft, ’88, was selected toreceive the National Science TeachersAssociation’s 2002 Ciba ExemplaryMiddle Level Principal Award. Jameswas nominated by teachers for thisnational award in recognition of hisleadership and support for qualityscience programming at the middleschool level. He was one of 25 educa-tors who were honored by NSTA thisyear. He is the principal at HillsideMiddle School in Northville where helives with his wife, Holly SellenCracraft , ’87, and their three children.

Susan Greiner Gutierrez, ’91, wasnamed 2002-03 Michigan Teacher of theYear in April. Susan is a teacher atCentral Middle School in the ForestHills Public Schools near Grand Rapids.Recipient of two master’s degrees fromMichigan State University, she teacheseighth-grade U.S. history and seventh-grade Eastern Hemisphere studies forgifted and talented students. As Teacherof the Year, Susan will spend the 2002-03 academic year working throughoutthe state for the Michigan Department ofEducation. “I think a focus needs to beplaced on pulling together schools,families and their communities in an effort to plan a vision for the future,”Susan said on receiving the award. “Once these groups develop coopera-tive relationships, even the most disadvantaged school can improveteaching and learning.” Susan and her husband, David, live in Belmont.

Editor’s note: Susan Gutierrez is the second Albion College graduate toreceive the Michigan Teacher of the Year honor since the program beganin 1980. Judyth Dobbert, ’69, was named Teacher of the Year in 1984-85.

At Albion, some things never seem to change.

Small classes.Top-flight faculty.

Lifetime friendships.A beautiful campus.

Office of Gift and Estate Planning • Albion College • 611 E. Porter St. • Albion, MI 49224Call: 517/629-0237 • E-mail: advancement@albion.edu

But, Albion keeps pace withthe world. Keeping pace costsmoney.

Your gifts are appreciated.

Call us if you would like to create a bequest, or

make a gift with favorable tax consequences. Or,

you can make a gift that will return an income to

you for life.

85Eduardo Ortiz , ’85, is practicinganesthesiology at Spectrum Health inGrand Rapids. He would like to hearfrom old friends, especially those in westMichigan, and can be reached at 6598Old Darby Trail NE, Ada 49301 or by e-mail at: jortiz123@attbi.com.

Melinda Bissig Pokorznski, ’85, haslaunched a career in Kindermusik inwest Michigan, teaching as far south asHolland and as far north as Old Missionand Suttons Bay, as well as teachingclasses in Manistee, Frankfort, Beulah,and Cadillac. She lives in Bear Lake.

86Kevin Berlin , ’86, has been a partner atDownriver Cardiology Consultants forthree years and was awarded fellowshipsin the American College of Cardiologyand the American College of Osteo-pathic Internists. He is also active inmedical education and is an associateclinical professor at Michigan StateUniversity-College of Osteopathic

Medicine. In his spare time, he enjoyswatching his son play hockey. Kevin andhis wife, Kimberly, live in Canton.

Jean Edminster Brown, ’86, received amaster’s degree in advertising and publicrelations from Michigan State Universityin 1988. She earned her APR designa-tion in 1996 after becoming nationallyaccredited by the Public RelationsSociety of America. She is the directorof marketing and communications forthe law firm of Clark Hill PLC. She andher husband, Michael, make their homein Grosse Pointe Farms.

87Kyle Kurtz , ’87, moved to Petoskey andis an accountant at First CommunityBank in Harbor Springs. He and hiswife, Sue, have two children.

Phillip Seager, ’87, was named the headfootball coach at the Jackson area’sNorthwest High School, in hopes ofturning around a struggling program.Phillip teaches math and leadership andheads the school’s Career Pathwaysprogram. He was previously head coachat Three Oaks River Valley.

88Andrea Nesmith, ’88, graduated with aPh.D. in social welfare from theUniversity of Wisconsin. She lives inMinneapolis with her partner anddaughter and would like to hear fromfriends. She can be reached by e-mail at:anesmith@tc.umn.edu.

Ahmed Rubaie, ’88, was named vicepresident, taxes, of Avery DennisonCorp. of Pasadena, CA. He is respon-sible for all areas of the company’sworldwide corporate tax activities. Agraduate of the University of DetroitLaw School, he previously wasassociated with BHP, a global naturalresource company. He and his wife,Zainab, live in San Marino, CA.

89Becky Bixby, ’89, defended her Ph.D. innatural resources at the University ofMichigan in ecological and evolutionaryrelationships of algae. She has started apost-doctoral fellowship at theUniversity of Georgia where she isstudying algae and food webs in CostaRican streams. She lives in Athens, GA.

Thomas Bres, ’89, is a business unitexecutive with IBM in the software salesgroup. He has been with IBM for 13years. He and his wife, Lisa, have threechildren and live in East Lansing.

Michelle Owens Bryant, ’89, earnedcertification as a senior professional inhuman resources and is employed as theoffice manager at Huron TechnologiesInc. in Leslie.

90Daniel Obey, ’90, graduated fromNorthwestern University as a certifiedorthotist. After completing a residency atDetroit Medical Center, he is employedwith Wright and Filippis in their newestfacility in Kalamazoo. He and his wife,Tracy Moses Obey, ’92, have a son.

Terence Thomas, ’90, has been electedprincipal of the law firm of Miller,Canfield, Paddock, and Stone, P.L.C.His practice area is business litigation,and he also advises clients on e-commerce issues. He received his lawdegree from the University of WisconsinLaw School. Prior to joining Miller,Canfield, he clerked for Supreme CourtJustice Conrad Mallett. He resides inDetroit.

91Karen Jenkins Pifer, ’91, has beenelected partner at the Detroit-based lawfirm of Honigman, Miller, Schwartz andCohn L.L.P., where she concentrates herpractice in real estate development. Priorto joining the firm, she was an attorneywith Dykema Gossett. She earned herJ.D. degree from the University ofMichigan. She is a member of theCommercial Real Estate WomenOrganization. Karen and her husband,Richard, ’89, reside in Birmingham.

92Jonathan Pasko, ’92, a graduate ofWayne State University Medical School,is in private practice in Monroe with aspecialty in internal medicine andpediatrics. He and his wife, Laura, havetwo daughters and live in Monroe.

Elizabeth Ford Wolber, ’92, hasmoved back to Ann Arbor with herfamily after a decade in Dallas, TX. Lizis looking forward to a part-time musicjob. She can be reached at 3465 WexfordCt., Ann Arbor, 48108 or by e-mail at:liz@wolberworks.com.

I O T R I U M P H E 19

A L B I O N O T E S

Stay in touch!Io Triumphe is providing the following information on retired faculty andspouses to permit alumni to renew contact with these former professors andfriends.

Dr. Robert Armstrong, 1318 E. Michigan Ave., Albion, MI 49224Dr. Kenneth Ballou, 803 S. Superior St., Suite 101, Albion, MI 49224Dr. Ingeborg Baumgartner, 411 Darrow St., Albion, MI 49224Miss Betty Beese, 1121 Rivers Bend Dr., Albion, MI 49224Dr. Albert Bolitho, 658 E. Minges Rd., Battle Creek, MI 49015Dr. Bruce Borthwick, 515 E. Michigan Ave., Albion, MI 49224Dr. Maurice Branch, 29300 Albion Rd., Albion, MI 49224Mrs. John Cheek (Williemay), 1220 Jackson St., Albion, MI 49224Dr. James Cook, 703 Irwin Ave., Albion, MI 49224Dr. Paul Cook, 118 Bushong Dr., Albion, MI 49224Mr. E. Scott Cracraft, 499 N. Clark St., Albion, MI 49224Dr. John Crump, 14685 E. Michigan Ave., Albion, MI 49224Dr. Dean Dillery, 1205 E. Broadwell, Albion, MI 49224Dr. Robert Dininny, 412 E. Erie St., Albion, MI 49224Dr. Clara Dixon, Route FD1, Box 1296, Stonington, ME 04681Dr. Thomas Doran, 1225 E. Porter St., Albion, MI 49224Miss Charlotte Duff, 1133 Rivers Bend Dr., Albion, MI 49224Dr. Sol Elkin, 2104 Georgetown Blvd., Ann Arbor, MI 48105Mr. H. Morley Fraser, 124-1/2 S. Clark St., Albion, MI 49224Dr. Frank Frick, 405 E. Erie St., Albion, MI 49224Dr. Ronald Fryxell, 926 Maple St., Albion, MI 49224Dr. William Gillham, 289 Martin Rd., Albion, MI 49224Dr. John Hart, 412 Fitch St., Albion, MI 49224Dr. William Hayes, 504 Linden St., Albion, MI 49224Mrs. Nancy Held, 1155 Rivers Bend Dr., Albion, MI 49224Dr. David Hogberg, 15451 28 Mile Rd., Albion, MI 49224Dr. John Hostetler, 312 Irwin Ave., Albion, MI 49224Prof. Frank Joranko, 2215 Wellington, Lansing, MI 48910Dr. David Kammer, 1500 E. Michigan Ave., Albion, MI 49224Mrs. Jean Keller (Betty), 803 S. Superior St., Suite 106, Albion, MI 49224Dr. Sheila Kragness, Box 276, Excelsior, MN 55331Mr. Melvin Larimer, 139 West Silver Lake Rd. South, Traverse City,

MI 49864Mr. Paul Loukides, 604 Irwin Ave., Albion, MI 49224Dr. Frances Lucas, 1020 S. Superior St., Albion, MI 49224Jacqueline Maag, 420 S. Hannah St., Albion, MI 49224Dr. Philip Mason, 815 Hall St., Albion, MI 49224Dr. Eugene Miller, 11820 Edgewater Dr., #807, Lakewood, OH 44107Dr. Keith Moore, 1201 Jackson St., Albion, MI 49224Dr. Richard Mortensen, 3366 Ludlow Rd., Albion, MI 49224Dr. Max Noordhoorn, 407 Allen Place, Albion, MI 49224Mrs. Charles Swan (Doris Notestein), 105 High Point, Fairfield Bay,

AR 72088Dr. Jack Padgett, 1206 Crescent Dr., Albion, MI 49224Dr. John Parker, 9611 Condit Rd., Albion, MI 49224Dr. Howard Pettersen, 413 Lombard St., Albion, MI 49224Dr. G. Robina Quale Leach, 611 E. Porter St., KC Box 4905, Albion, MI

49224Mrs. Julian Rammelkamp (Mabel), 416 Linden Ave., Albion, MI 49224Dr. George Reed, 2608 Edgewater Court, Palmetto, FL 34221Mrs. Henry Rottenbiller (Eva), 20776 29 1/2 Mile Road, Springport,

MI 49284Dr. Charles Schutz, 909 Irwin Ave., P.O. Box 501, Albion, MI 49224Dr. Johan Stohl, 420 Allen Place, Albion, MI 49224Dr. Ewell Stowell, 1541 E. Michigan Ave., Albion, MI 49224Mrs. David Strickler (Kay), Burcham Hills, Apt. 326, 2700 Burcham Dr.,

East Lansing, MI 48823Dr. Anthony Taffs, 908 Cram Lane, Albion, MI 49224Dr. Lawrence Taylor, 1111 Rivers Bend Dr., Albion, MI 49224Dr. John Williams, 411 N. Eaton St., Albion, MI 49224Dr. Timothy Williams, 904 Luther Dr., Albion, MI 49224

Three generations of Britons

Building the Albion legacy in your family

If you are already part of a historic family involvement with Albion College, or ifyou’d like to start such a tradition in your family, here are two benefits that will beof interest:

■ Albion College will waive the $20 application fee for any legacy studentwho applies for admission.

■ A $1,500 Alumni Grant will be awarded to all incoming students whosefamily includes at least one Albion alumna/alumnus (sister, brother,father, mother, grandparents). This grant, offered without regard tofinancial need, is renewable for all four years.

To qualify, the student simply needs to indicate his or her family’s alumni statuswhen submitting the application.

The Grostic-Huff legacy at Albion is some 52 yearsold and counting. And with the addition of Mike Huff,’05—the third generation to attend the College—thefamily has stronger ties to Albion than ever before.

“I chose Albion because it is a friendly campus,”says Mike, who will be a sophomore this fall. “Myfamily ties made it comfortable.” The most recentHuff to attend Albion, Mike—an economics andmanagement major who graduated from East GrandRapids High School—is the fourth in his family toenroll at the College. His parents, John, ’75, andJanyce Grostic Huff, ’77, graduated from Albion, asdid his grandfather, Marvin Grostic, ’50.

“The great thing about Albion is you can applywhat you learn to a variety of areas,” Jan says. Shesays the family never pressured Mike to become aBriton, but, she admits, when Mike decided to attendAlbion, she was thrilled. Jan says she wanted her sonto find a school where he could experiment withdifferent fields, discover new strengths, and workclosely with his professors.

“You can do just about anything you want to do atAlbion,” she adds.

John describes Albion as a place that offers strongrelationships with professors as well as with class-mates. “My experience at Albion was very positive—inside and out, it was wonderful,” John says. He hopeshis son will have a similar experience. After they

visited many schools during the college searchprocess, Mike made the final decision about whichone he would attend.

“I’m pleased,” John says, “because he made hisown choice.”

Marv Grostic, who sponsors an endowed scholar-ship for chemistry students and once served aspresident of the Albion College Alumni Association,thinks his grandson is having a great time. “Good forhim,” says Marv, a retired chemical researcher.“Albion offers good preparation.”

Butch Dyer, director of the Carl A. GerstackerLiberal Arts Institute for Professional Management,calls Mike an “awesome” student. Last year, Mikestarted a new Sports Management Club on campus,sang in the choir, and lettered in cross country andtrack, while qualifying for the Dean’s List.

While there is no news on whether or not Mike’s16-year-old brother, Robert, has plans to attendAlbion, the line of Huffs remains strong.

“I just want to walk away with good friendships,and life skills,” says Mike.

—Ben E. Hancock, III

Editor’s note: The Grostic name also will be carriedon at Albion when Peter Grostic, son of John, ’74, andEileen Grostic and grandson of Marv, enrolls nextfall.

Summer/Fall Admissions Visitation ProgramsThe following Admissions Visitation Programs offer an excellent opportunity to introduce a promisinghigh school student to Albion College. We also welcome individual campus visits at any time, and willdesign interviews and a campus tour based on the student’s interests. You can call 800/858-6770 orvisit our Web site at www.albion.edu/admissions/campusvisit/ to make all arrangements.

July 19 General Visitation ProgramJuly 29 General Visitation ProgramSeptember 28 General Visitation ProgramOctober 4-5 Multicultural Visitation ProgramOctober 18 Pre-Medicine/Health Professions ProgramNovember 2 General Visitation ProgramNovember 22 Fine Arts ProgramDecember 6 General Visitation Program

I O T R I U M P H E20

A L B I O N O T E S

Office of Annual Giving • Albion College • 611 E. Porter St. • Albion, MI 49224Call: 517/629-0565 • Give online: www.albion.edu/alumni/

ALBION COLLEGE IS SEEKING YOUR SUPPORT IN THESTOFFER ALUMNI CHALLENGE.

YOUR PARTICIPATION MATTERS!

Bill Stoffer, ’74, will donate $1.5-million for an endowed lecture series if AlbionCollege reaches 50% participation in alumni giving by June 2003. Your gift ofany size will directly impact this important initiative!

STEP UPTO THE

CHALLENGE!

50%Your early contribution will give Albion a head start inreaching this goal and will lower printing costs forfuture mailings.

Make a gift today and helpAlbion maintain its fine tradition!

48%

44%46%

2001

2000

2002

2003

93Ginanne Brownell, ’93, has movedback to London, England, after livingone year in Warsaw, Poland. She is afreelance writer and reporter for Peopleand Newsweek magazines and is doingher second master’s degree in interna-tional journalism at City University inIslington, London. Since moving toEurope four years ago, Ginanne hastraveled to South Africa, Zimbabwe,Zambia, Russia, and throughout centraland western Europe.

David Canine, ’93, has joined theDetroit office of Miller, Canfield,Paddock, and Stone as an associate inthe health care practice group. He earnedhis law degree from Wayne StateUniversity Law School. He resides inBerkley.

Eric Harris , ’93, has earned his wingsas a naval aviator and is training on theCH-53E helicopter at Marine Corps AirStation New River in Jacksonville, NC.He and his wife, Bobbie Stumpf

Harris , ’93, and their new daughter willbe transferring to Marine Corps AirStation Miramar in San Diego thissummer.

94Michael Shultz, ’94, received his Ph.D.in chemistry from Purdue University anddid postdoctoral studies at the Universityof Wisconsin, Madison. He now runs alab at Novartis Pharmaceuticals,researching arthritis drug discovery andrecently moved to New Jersey with hiswife, Millie.

Lyssa Whiren Towl, ’94, is a newmedical office administrator at theWheat Ridge (CO) Medical Office.Wheat Ridge serves 25,000 KaiserPermanente members. She reports thatit’s a small world at Kaiser Permanenteof Colorado: Chris Binkley, ’74, servesas CEO, and Peter Martinuzzi, ’88, is anaffiliated physician. Lyssa and herhusband, Dean, live in Centennial, CO.

95Colleen Karamon Gammill, ’95, isliving in New York with her husbandand teaches French at Greenwich HighSchool in Greenwich, CT.

David Zorin , ’95, has been named anassociate attorney at Butzel Long, andhis primary areas of law are businesslaw, corporate matters, and transactionand finance issues. A 2000 graduate ofthe University of Michigan Law School,he is a member of the American Instituteof Certified Public Accountants. He livesin Sterling Heights.

96Susan Barrett, ’96, completed hermaster’s in tumor biology at the MayoClinic and is working on her Ph.D. incellular, molecular and developmentalbiology at Tufts University. She lives inBoston, MA.

97Bonciel Griffin , ’97, received herD.D.S. from the University of MichiganSchool of Dentistry in May 2001. She isdoing her general practice residency inChicago, IL, where she lives.

Tim Todd, ’97, was featured in theHillsdale Daily News for his work as thefinancial advisor at the new AmericanExpress Financial Advisers franchise inHillsdale. He lives in Coldwater.

John Pierce, ’97, has been investigatingmagnetism in ultrathin films, nanowires,and quantum dots at Oak Ridge NationalLaboratory and the University ofTennessee and is working on his Ph.D.in physics. His thesis work has led toeight publications, and he has beenawarded one of two TennesseeAdvanced Material LaboratoryFellowships. He lives in Knoxville, TN.

98Marcus LaPratt , ’98, has begunworking at Starr Commonwealth as amusic therapist. He is excited to be backin Albion after a three-year jaunt toFlorida and other travel experiences. Hewould like to hear from friends and canbe reached at 301 E. Michigan Ave.,#203, Albion or by e-mail at:mlapratt@hotmail.com.

Sarah Walbridge, ’98, graduated fromMichigan State University with an M.S.degree in forensic science. She is anapplications scientist, heading theforensic division, for QuantumDynamics International. She lives inBoston, MA, and can be reached by e-mail at: walbridges@yahoo.com.

99Lisa Leitz, ’99, graduated with amaster’s in sociology from Ohio StateUniversity in 2001. She is continuing towork on her Ph.D. in sociology.

Rebecca Schack, ’99, received herM.S.W. degree from the University ofMichigan’s School of Social Work inApril 2001. She is employed as a schoolsocial worker for the Beaverton RuralSchool District, where she lives. Beckywelcomes e-mail at:becky100820@msn.com.

00Sean McCuddy, ’00, recently conductedfield research in several of the world’sdeepest gold mines—some of themsituated more than two miles below theSouth African plains. McCuddy, who ispursuing a master of science degree ingeology at New Mexico Institute ofMining and Technology in Socorro, wassearching, not for gold, but for a variety

of unusual microorganisms found atsuch extreme depths that many hadnever before been named or identified.Sean is part of a research teamattempting to cultivate these microorgan-isms and further understand how theycan survive and grow within rocks thathave temperatures that sometimesexceed 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

01Thomas Weinmann, ’01, is an assistantproject manager with Rand ConstructionCo., in Arlington, VA, where he lives.

WeddingsEdward Henderson, ’71, to VitaMorkunaite on May 19, 2001 in Nambe,NM. David Bailey, ’71, was inattendance. Vita works for Los AlamosNational Bank. Ed continues to work forthe University of California at LosAlamos National Laboratory as a designengineering team leader for theLaboratory Electric Safety UpgradesProject. The couple can be reached at POBox 218, Los Alamos, NM 87544; or bye-mail at: phosgene@la-tierra.com.

Angela Brightwell, ’92, to StevenConrad on Sept. 15, 2001. Angela is abiochemist, and Steve is a biologist.They both work in research at thePharmacia Corp. in Kalamazoo. Steve isalso a commander in the MichiganNational Guard. Angela continues toenjoy art and travel. Angela can bereached by e-mail at:angela.s.brightwell@pharmacia.com.

Scott Gietzen, ’92, to Tonya Smith onAug. 4, 2001 in Ann Arbor. Scott is afinancial analyst at Comerica Bank, andTonya is a commercial loan officer forthe same company. The couple lives inYpsilanti.

Jennifer Price, ’92, to John Hegener onOct. 6, 2001 in Traverse City. Membersof the wedding party included matron ofhonor Megan Bryan-Loutfi , ’92, JulieKindt Kirner , ’92, and AutumnNancarrow Lamb, ’92. John is anassistant creative director for Zurich LifeUS in Schaumburg, IL. Jenn is anemployment manager for The RevereGroup in Deerfield, IL. The couple livesin Evanston, IL, and can be reached bye-mail at TheHegeners@yahoo.com.(See accompanying photo on p. 22.)

Anna Urick , ’94, to Greg Duggins onOct. 20, 2001 in Muskegon. Anna is anattorney with the law firm of Parmenter-O’Toole in Muskegon, and Greg is aservice manager for Cintas Corp. inWalker. Albion attendees included thefather of the bride, Walter Urick , ’61,Lisa Whitener, ’94, Keith Clark , ’94,Sarah Burstein Shirley, ’94, andEsther Urick, ’01. The couple lives inNorton Shores. (See accompanyingphoto on p. 22.)

I O T R I U M P H E20

A L B I O N O T E S

Office of Annual Giving • Albion College • 611 E. Porter St. • Albion, MI 49224Call: 517/629-0565 • Give online: www.albion.edu/alumni/

ALBION COLLEGE IS SEEKING YOUR SUPPORT IN THESTOFFER ALUMNI CHALLENGE.

YOUR PARTICIPATION MATTERS!

Bill Stoffer, ’74, will donate $1.5-million for an endowed lecture series if AlbionCollege reaches 50% participation in alumni giving by June 2003. Your gift ofany size will directly impact this important initiative!

STEP UPTO THE

CHALLENGE!

50%Your early contribution will give Albion a head start inreaching this goal and will lower printing costs forfuture mailings.

Make a gift today and helpAlbion maintain its fine tradition!

48%

44%46%

2001

2000

2002

2003

93Ginanne Brownell, ’93, has movedback to London, England, after livingone year in Warsaw, Poland. She is afreelance writer and reporter for Peopleand Newsweek magazines and is doingher second master’s degree in interna-tional journalism at City University inIslington, London. Since moving toEurope four years ago, Ginanne hastraveled to South Africa, Zimbabwe,Zambia, Russia, and throughout centraland western Europe.

David Canine, ’93, has joined theDetroit office of Miller, Canfield,Paddock, and Stone as an associate inthe health care practice group. He earnedhis law degree from Wayne StateUniversity Law School. He resides inBerkley.

Eric Harris , ’93, has earned his wingsas a naval aviator and is training on theCH-53E helicopter at Marine Corps AirStation New River in Jacksonville, NC.He and his wife, Bobbie Stumpf

Harris , ’93, and their new daughter willbe transferring to Marine Corps AirStation Miramar in San Diego thissummer.

94Michael Shultz, ’94, received his Ph.D.in chemistry from Purdue University anddid postdoctoral studies at the Universityof Wisconsin, Madison. He now runs alab at Novartis Pharmaceuticals,researching arthritis drug discovery andrecently moved to New Jersey with hiswife, Millie.

Lyssa Whiren Towl, ’94, is a newmedical office administrator at theWheat Ridge (CO) Medical Office.Wheat Ridge serves 25,000 KaiserPermanente members. She reports thatit’s a small world at Kaiser Permanenteof Colorado: Chris Binkley, ’74, servesas CEO, and Peter Martinuzzi, ’88, is anaffiliated physician. Lyssa and herhusband, Dean, live in Centennial, CO.

95Colleen Karamon Gammill, ’95, isliving in New York with her husbandand teaches French at Greenwich HighSchool in Greenwich, CT.

David Zorin , ’95, has been named anassociate attorney at Butzel Long, andhis primary areas of law are businesslaw, corporate matters, and transactionand finance issues. A 2000 graduate ofthe University of Michigan Law School,he is a member of the American Instituteof Certified Public Accountants. He livesin Sterling Heights.

96Susan Barrett, ’96, completed hermaster’s in tumor biology at the MayoClinic and is working on her Ph.D. incellular, molecular and developmentalbiology at Tufts University. She lives inBoston, MA.

97Bonciel Griffin , ’97, received herD.D.S. from the University of MichiganSchool of Dentistry in May 2001. She isdoing her general practice residency inChicago, IL, where she lives.

Tim Todd, ’97, was featured in theHillsdale Daily News for his work as thefinancial advisor at the new AmericanExpress Financial Advisers franchise inHillsdale. He lives in Coldwater.

John Pierce, ’97, has been investigatingmagnetism in ultrathin films, nanowires,and quantum dots at Oak Ridge NationalLaboratory and the University ofTennessee and is working on his Ph.D.in physics. His thesis work has led toeight publications, and he has beenawarded one of two TennesseeAdvanced Material LaboratoryFellowships. He lives in Knoxville, TN.

98Marcus LaPratt , ’98, has begunworking at Starr Commonwealth as amusic therapist. He is excited to be backin Albion after a three-year jaunt toFlorida and other travel experiences. Hewould like to hear from friends and canbe reached at 301 E. Michigan Ave.,#203, Albion or by e-mail at:mlapratt@hotmail.com.

Sarah Walbridge, ’98, graduated fromMichigan State University with an M.S.degree in forensic science. She is anapplications scientist, heading theforensic division, for QuantumDynamics International. She lives inBoston, MA, and can be reached by e-mail at: walbridges@yahoo.com.

99Lisa Leitz, ’99, graduated with amaster’s in sociology from Ohio StateUniversity in 2001. She is continuing towork on her Ph.D. in sociology.

Rebecca Schack, ’99, received herM.S.W. degree from the University ofMichigan’s School of Social Work inApril 2001. She is employed as a schoolsocial worker for the Beaverton RuralSchool District, where she lives. Beckywelcomes e-mail at:becky100820@msn.com.

00Sean McCuddy, ’00, recently conductedfield research in several of the world’sdeepest gold mines—some of themsituated more than two miles below theSouth African plains. McCuddy, who ispursuing a master of science degree ingeology at New Mexico Institute ofMining and Technology in Socorro, wassearching, not for gold, but for a variety

of unusual microorganisms found atsuch extreme depths that many hadnever before been named or identified.Sean is part of a research teamattempting to cultivate these microorgan-isms and further understand how theycan survive and grow within rocks thathave temperatures that sometimesexceed 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

01Thomas Weinmann, ’01, is an assistantproject manager with Rand ConstructionCo., in Arlington, VA, where he lives.

WeddingsEdward Henderson, ’71, to VitaMorkunaite on May 19, 2001 in Nambe,NM. David Bailey, ’71, was inattendance. Vita works for Los AlamosNational Bank. Ed continues to work forthe University of California at LosAlamos National Laboratory as a designengineering team leader for theLaboratory Electric Safety UpgradesProject. The couple can be reached at POBox 218, Los Alamos, NM 87544; or bye-mail at: phosgene@la-tierra.com.

Angela Brightwell, ’92, to StevenConrad on Sept. 15, 2001. Angela is abiochemist, and Steve is a biologist.They both work in research at thePharmacia Corp. in Kalamazoo. Steve isalso a commander in the MichiganNational Guard. Angela continues toenjoy art and travel. Angela can bereached by e-mail at:angela.s.brightwell@pharmacia.com.

Scott Gietzen, ’92, to Tonya Smith onAug. 4, 2001 in Ann Arbor. Scott is afinancial analyst at Comerica Bank, andTonya is a commercial loan officer forthe same company. The couple lives inYpsilanti.

Jennifer Price, ’92, to John Hegener onOct. 6, 2001 in Traverse City. Membersof the wedding party included matron ofhonor Megan Bryan-Loutfi , ’92, JulieKindt Kirner , ’92, and AutumnNancarrow Lamb, ’92. John is anassistant creative director for Zurich LifeUS in Schaumburg, IL. Jenn is anemployment manager for The RevereGroup in Deerfield, IL. The couple livesin Evanston, IL, and can be reached bye-mail at TheHegeners@yahoo.com.(See accompanying photo on p. 22.)

Anna Urick , ’94, to Greg Duggins onOct. 20, 2001 in Muskegon. Anna is anattorney with the law firm of Parmenter-O’Toole in Muskegon, and Greg is aservice manager for Cintas Corp. inWalker. Albion attendees included thefather of the bride, Walter Urick , ’61,Lisa Whitener, ’94, Keith Clark , ’94,Sarah Burstein Shirley, ’94, andEsther Urick, ’01. The couple lives inNorton Shores. (See accompanyingphoto on p. 22.)

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Tracy Keppel, ’95, to Matt Leonard onAug. 11, 2001 in Portsmouth, NH. Tracyis a project specialist for Child andFamily Services of New Hampshire, andMatt is a graduate student and instructorat the University of New Hampshire.The couple lives in Chester, NH. Tracycan be reached by e-mail at:tlkleonard@yahoo.com. (See accompa-nying photo on p. 23.)

Kristyn Meech, ’95, to Brian Stanton onJune 30, 2001 in Edgartown, MA. OtherAlbion alumni in attendance includedbrother Wayne Meech, ’86, sisterLaura Meech, ’99, bridesmaids AlisonBoyer, ’95, Rachael Hill, ’95 andSuzanne Slocum, ’95. The couple livesin Boston, MA. (See accompanyingphoto on p. 23.)

Suzanne Avery, ’96, to James Bolandon Oct. 6, 2001 in Lansing. Suzanne isan account executive at Budco Corp.James is an insurance agent at ExpertUnderwriters. The couple lives in RoyalOak.

Jennifer DeRousie, ’96, to AaronMonnig, ’96, on June 10, 2000 inColumbus, OH. Albion alumni in thewedding included Amy ComerWilliams , ’96, Dave Zorin, ’95, andBrian Epstein, ’96. Alumni inattendance included Darrel , ’97, andNichole Rissman Stine, ’95, MikeWilliams , ’99, and John Farrar , 78.Jennifer completed her M.B.A. at theUniversity of Notre Dame in May 2000,and works in the eBusiness group forIntel Corp. Aaron completed hisparamedic training in 1998, and isemployed as a paramedic at Metro WestAmbulance. They live in Beaverton, OR,and can be reached by e-mail at:aaron.monnig@verizon.net orjenderousie.monnig@verizon.net.

Lisa Moore, ’97, to Troy Helmick , ’97,on July 7, 2001 in Farmington Hills.Alumni who attended included RobertMoore, ’66, Jean Moore Warner, ’70,and Marilyn Adrianson Simmons, ’47.(See also accompanying photo.) Lisa is amedical student at Michigan StateUniversity College of OsteopathicMedicine. Troy is a consultant for DeltaEnvironmental Consultants inFarmington Hills. The couple lives inRedford Township. (See accompanyingphoto on p. 23.)

Alicia Kaszeta, ’97, to Kevin Schokoraon Aug. 17, 2001. Alumni in attendanceincluded Jonathan Miller , ’97, MichaelSwisher, ’98, Bill Gallagher , ’99, andSteve Reitz, ’00. Alicia is a professionalmakeup artist with Urban Decay/HardCandy cosmetics, working mainly in themetro Detroit area. Kevin is an ITcomputer consultant. Alicia and Kevinlive in Dearborn and can be reached bye-mail at: aschokora@yahoo.com.

Jennifer Presson, ’97, to Chris Wells onJuly 27, 2001. (See accompanying photoon p. 22.)

Kristen Raphael, ’98, to Paul Farrar onJuly 21, 2001 in Birmingham. Alumni inthe wedding party included JenniferJacobs Farrugia, ’98, Maureen FarrarHuldin , ’86, Donald Huldin, ’86,Alissa Lobbezoo Lowman, ’97, SusanCunningham O’Connell, ’98, AaronPerrault , ’98, and Ann Farrar Ross,’82. Alumni in attendance included the

father of the bride, Charles Raphael,’68, Karen Lohela Woodworth, ’66,John Woodworth, ’72, Suzanne AveryBoland, ’96, Kate Roessler Boyton,’98, James Boyton, ’97, MattFarrugia , ’97, Matt Lowman , ’97,Cathleen Farrar Steif, ’90, and BillStief, ’89. Kristen received her master’sin social work in May 2000 and isemployed as a program coordinator foran early childhood program withOakland Family Services. Paul is aninformation technology coordinator forSuper Steel Treating Co. The couplelives in Birmingham.

Aryn Crim, ’99, to Thomas Lucas onOct. 20, 2001 in Shoals, IN. Alumni inthe wedding party included JamieJustus, ’99, and Heather Hamilton,’00. Other alumni in attendance includedBen Look, ’98, Kate Sindall Look, ’99,Rachele Reidel, ’98, Amy ShiraBernicken, ’99, Jen Boelkins, ’99, LivDavila, ’00, and Colleen Chapoton,’01. Aryn and Thomas work at IndianaUniversity and live in Bloomington, IN.

Eloise Whitlock, ’99, to RobertSchumacher, ’99, on Sept. 15, 2001 inTraverse City. (See accompanying photoon p. 22.)

Amy Schreiber, ’99, to Tim Czarnecki,’00, on May 26, 2001. Alumni in thewedding party included: AmyLaChance, ’99, Colleen Anger, ’99,and Brian Smith, ’00. Tim is a first-yearphysical therapy student at theUniversity of Michigan, Flint. Amy is inher third year at Michigan StateUniversity, College of VeterinaryMedicine. The couple lives in Haslett.(See accompanying photo on p. 22.)

Melissa Peterson, ’00, to TomRoudabush on June 2, 2001 in Lowell.Melissa just finished her first year at theUCLA School of Law, where she will becompleting a concentration in criticalrace studies. Tom is an electricalengineer for Raytheon Corp., a defensecontractor. The couple can be reached at9737 Charnock Ave., #22, Los Angeles,CA 90034 or by e-mail at:roudabush@2004.law.ucla.edu. (Seeaccompanying photo on p. 23.)

Baby BritonsNathan Matthew on Sept. 7, 2001 toMike and Anne Sullivan Causey, ’81.Nathan joins big sister Hannah, 4. Thefamily lives in The Woodlands, TX.Anne would love to hear from friendsand can be reached by e-mail at:causeys@juno.com.

Lydia MacKenzie on Dec. 10, 2001 toLaura and Rod Howard, ’83. She joinssisters and brothers Sarah, 14, Zachary,13, Katie, 10, Caroline, 8, Rachel, 6,Simone, 5, and Hudson, 3. The familylives in Berkeley, CA.

Anna Marie on Dec. 19, 2001 to Boband Amy Ewing DeVries, both ’84.Also at home are big sisters Julia, 11,Stephanie, 9, and Elizabeth, 4, andbrother Robby, 1. The family lives inBoca Raton, FL.

Amy Marie on Feb. 14, 2002 to Steveand Barbara Panzl Maxwell, ’84. Amyjoins big sister Emma, 4. Barbara is theassociate dean of students at WhitmanCollege and directs the Reid CampusCenter which opened in January 2002.The family lives in Walla Walla, WA.

Rachel Marie on March 10, 2002 toMargaret and Dean Scheske, ’84. Herolder brothers are Christian, 4, andNicholas, 1. Dean is president of DeanScheske PC, a business consulting firm.The family lives in Canton and can bereached at deanscheske@yahoo.com.

Reis Franklin on May 27, 2001 toDouglas and Rhona Spitz Dempsey,’85. Reis joins big sisters Maiya, 9, andDarian, 6, and brother Jared, 3. Thefamily lives in Grosse Pointe.

Claire Mallory on March 13, 2002 toLee and Sara Schaper Matthews, ’85.She joins brother Donald, 10, and sisterLauren, 5. Sarah would love to hearfrom friends while she is spending timeat home with Claire. The family lives inTroy.

Katherine Cornell on June 5, 2001 to Edand Patricia Webb Pentecost, both ’85.Welcoming Katie home were sister

Emily, 9, and brother Hayden, 6. Thefamily lives in Cleveland Heights, OH.

Timothy on April 26, 2002 to Deborahand Timothy Prister , ’85. He joinssisters Madeline and Emily. His alumniaunts, Linda Prister , ’80, Sue SweeleyPrister, ’81, and uncle Jim Prister, ’83,are already encouraging him to attendAlbion. The family lives in Weston, CT.

Paige Noelle on Dec. 31, 2001 to DavidLagerquist and Kimberly Kersten , ’87.She joins big brother Hunter, 2. Kim is avice president at Comerica Bank, andDave is a biotech pharmaceutical salesrepresentative for Schering Corp. Thefamily lives in Rochester Hills and canbe reached by e-mail at:kdlager@comcast.net.

Jennifer Lee on March 23, 2002 toRandy and Lisa Carion Zimmerman,’87. She joins big sister Heather, 2. Lisais dean of students and historydepartment chairperson at DetroitCountry Day Middle School. The familylives in Auburn Hills and can be reachedby e-mail at: lzimmerman@dcds.edu.

Owen Samuel on March 2, 2002 toJames and Carol Douma Balousek, ’88.

Owen’s older brothers are Joey, 6, andNoah, 3. The family lives in Petoskey.

James Carl on Dec. 17, 2001 to Tom andKay Huebl Doyle, ’88. Tom is ametallurgical engineer. Kay has left herjob as a children’s librarian to be a stay-at-home mom. The family lives inShelby Township.

Cristina Isabel on Jan. 8, 2002 to Jessicaand Frank Hennessey, ’88. She joinsbig brother Patrick, 5, and Sofia, 3.Frank owns his own family real estateand investment company. The familylives in Westwood, MA, and can bereached by e-mail at:frankhennessey@msn.com.

Stefan Hans on March 20, 2002 to Kurt ,’88, and Kristen Carnes Kobiljak , ’95.He joins big sister Katherine Renate.Kurt is a partner of Pentiuk, Couvreurand Kobiljak, a municipal law firm, andtreasurer of Grosse Ile Township.Kristen is a 5th and 6th grade teacher atMcKinley School in Wyandotte. Thefamily lives in Grosse Ile.

William Joseph Boyden on Feb. 7, 2002to William , ’88, and Mary Jo YaklinLeFevre, ’89. The family lives in GrossePointe Park.

News for AlbionotesPlease use the space below to send your news about promotions, honors, appointments, marriages, births, travels andhobbies. When reporting information on deaths, please provide date, location, and Albion-connected survivors andtheir class years. Use of this form will help guarantee inclusion of your news in an upcoming issue of Io Triumphe.

We try to process all class note information promptly, but please note that the Albionotes deadline falls severalweeks prior to publication. If your information arrives after the deadline for a given issue, it will be held andincluded in the succeeding issue.

Name __________________________________________________________ Class year _____________________ (Please print name)

Home address _________________________________________________________________________________

City _______________________________________________________ State ___________ ZIP ______________

Home telephone _______________________________ Home e-mail address _______________________________

Business address _______________________________________________________________________________

City ________________________________________________________ State ___________ ZIP _____________

Business telephone ____________________________ Business e-mail address _____________________________(Or simply attach a copy of your business card.)

Check here if this is a new address. Also, if you have a winter address that is different from your permanentaddress, indicate it in the space below along with the months when you reside at that address.

News notes

Send to: Editor, Io Triumphe, Office of Communications, Albion College, 611 E. Porter St., Albion, MI 49224; orvia e-mail to: classnotes@albion.edu. Be sure to include your full name, class year, address (geographic and e-mail)and telephone number in your e-mail message.

I O T R I U M P H E22

Jennifer Presson, ’97, to Chris Wells on July 27, 2001. (Left to right) JulieBizon, ’97, Jennifer Marks, ’97, Jessica Jacobsen Bible, ’97, JenniferPresson Wells, ’97, Christine Laubsch, ’97, Kristen Malechuk, ’96, BarbUtterback, ’97.

Wedding AlbumSee accompanying notes on pages 20-21 for details.

Anna Urick, ’94, to Greg Duggins on Oct. 20, 2001. (Left to right) WalterUrick, ’61, Anna Urick Duggins, ’94, Lisa Whitener, ’94, Keith Clark, ’94,Sarah Burstein Shirley, ’94, and Esther Urick, ’01.

Jennifer Price, ’92, to John Hegener on Oct. 6, 2001. (Front row, left toright) Lori Schall Neff, ’92, Kevin Neff, ’90, Julie Kindt Kirner, ’92,Theresa Vitale, ’91, Amanda Dozeman Ahearn, ’91, Matt Ahearn, ’90.(Back row) Chris Lamb, ’93, Autumn Nancarrow Lamb, ’92, John Hegener,Jennifer Price Hegener, ’92, Megan Bryan-Loutfi, ’92, Alicia CourtneyLeedy, ’92, Christa Stein Leone, ’92, Fred Nelson, ’69.

Amy Schreiber, ’99, to Tim Czarnecki, ’00, on May 26, 2001. (Front row, left to right) Megan Murphy, ’02, ColleenAnger, ’99, Amy LaChance, ’99, Melissa Sharpe, ’00, Kelly Janowski, ’01, James Gignac, ’01. (Second row) NeilJohnson, ’98, Theron Eichenberger, ’00, Tim Johnson, ’02, Jovan Giaimo, ’00, Tim Czarnecki, ’00, Amy SchreiberCzarnecki, ’99, Allyn Luce, ’00, Zac Eskau, ’02, and Brian Smith, ’00.

Eloise Whitlock, ’99, to Robert Schumacher, ’99, on Sept. 15, 2001. (Front row, left to right) Matt McDonald,’99, Kristina Fekete, ’96, Darcey Durr, ’96, Jessica Savanna, ’98, George Lemmon, ’98, Jaime Corte, ’98, NickChristopher, ’98, Eloise Whitlock Schumacher, ’99, Robert Schumacher, ’99, Karen Paradise, ’99, Jason Thomas,’00, Corry Bala, ’97. (Second row) Christie Cleland Hursey, ’96, Courtney Hutto, ’99, Katina Hamann, ’99,Sarah Belzer, ’99, Meredith Neubeck, ’01, Dan Schleicher, ’98, Cullen Casey, ’01, Hilary White, ’99, CoryEssenburg, ’01. (Third row) Ben Feeney, ’02, Piper Metz, ’99, Stacey Portenga, ’99, Dave Roche, ’99, MattCorona, ’99, Sarah Robb, ’00, Meghan Jackson, ’99, Laurel Weinman, ’01. (Fourth row) Joe Gardner, ’99, JamesWhitehouse, ’69, Marsha Green Whitehouse, ’70, T.J. Whitehouse, ’99, Kevin Goodwin, ’97, Lindsay WeeksKratz, ’00, Steve Kratz, ’98, Debbie Haan, ’99, Kim Krzyzaniak, ’97. (Fifth row) Kelly Garbacz, ’00, Scott Stoy,’97, John Lessway, ’00, Aaron Perrault, ’98, Chris Friggens, ’98. (Sixth row) Chris Baker, ’97, Michelle BeaupreBaker, ’98, Alex Costas, ’01, Kirk Rosin, ’98. (Seventh row) Dave Stark, ’98, Sean Connell, ’96, Jay Witthuhn,’97, Mike Thiel, ’00, Nicole Carr, ’01, Scott Johnston, ’00. (Eighth row) David Roche, ’69, Andy Lewis, ’01,Devon Wilkop, ’02. (Ninth row) Tom O’Connor, ’00, Ben Upward, ’00.

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Lisa Moore, ’97, to Troy Helmick, ’97, on July 7, 2001. (Front row, left to right) Elizabeth Minock, ’96, ChristineMarshall, ’96, Heather White, ’96, Rachelle Fichtner, ’96, Lisa Moore Helmick, ’97, Danielle Sudol, ’96, Jamie Maciag,’98, Jennifer Iles Wagner, ’97. (Second row) Lori Klose, ’97, Sarah Cholger Blust, ’97, Tim Fabrizio, ’97, Mark Wagner,’97, Shelly Bilbie Fabrizio, ’97, Michelle LaFleur Taylor, ’96, Troy Helmick, ’97, Jeff Mason, ’97, Kara Orange Mason,’00, Jennifer Gietzen, ’97, Maria Dietiker Talbert, ’97, Cliff Mickelson, ’97, Erica Sprague Hakala, ’00, Drew Hakala, ’97.(Third row) Grant Gardner, ’98, Greg Adkins, ’98, Chuck Pinter, ’96, Marc McDonald, ’95, Ben Geerling, ’98.

Melissa Peterson, ’00, to Tom Roudabush on June 2, 2001. (Front row, seated, left to right) Vicky Grant(Albion staff), Mike Nicholson, ’99, Brian Riordan, ’00, Deana Henry (Albion staff), Ramona Berkey. (Secondrow) Greta Elenbaas, ’03, Rosie Hunt, ’03, Carrie Buege Nicholson, ’99, Kelly Sear, ’00, Jenn Barr, ’00,Melissa Peterson Roudabush, ’00, Rosa Trombley, ’00, Betsy Graham, ’00, Roberta Carothers, ’01, StacyDavidson, ’01. (Third row) Gordon Barry, ’72, Susan Svendson Barry, ’74, John Roudabush, ’97, Len Berkey(Albion faculty), Kim Tunnicliff (former Albion staff), Tom Roudabush, Nancy Begg (Albion staff), BrianLongheier, ’00, Marc Drummond, ’00, Scott Smith, ’00.

Kristyn Meech, ’95, to Brian Stanton on June 30, 2001. (Front row, left toright) Rachael Hill, ’95, Laura Meech, ’99, Kristyn Meech Stanton, ’95, BrianStanton, Suzanne Slocum, ’95, Alison Boyer, ’95. (Back row, left to right) DevinDay, ’95, Andrew Paterson, ’95, Wayne Meech, ’86, Larry Cappel, ’95, KaraRoberts Davis, ’95, Matt Davis, ’93, Sheryl Fischer Jacobs, ’95, Tom Jacobs,’95, Jessica Sterns Salamin, ’95, Brett Salamin, ’96, John Nori, ’95.

Tracy Keppel, ’95, to Matt Leonard on Aug. 11, 2001. (Clockwisefrom bride) Tracy Keppel Leonard, ’95, Jennifer Larimer, ’95,Danielle Cadaret, ’96, Jennifer Klinger Roby, ’95, Seth Roby, BenHancock (Albion staff), Josh Monson, Addie Killackey Monson,’94, Matt Leonard.

John A., IV on Dec. 17, 2001 to John,’88, and Katherine Lyman Mundell ,’91. Also at home are sisters Carolineand Lily. John is a vice president withCB Richard Ellis, a commercial realestate firm in Grand Rapids. The familylives in East Grand Rapids.

Eric Parker on Oct. 21, 2001 to Markand Sue Parker Burnell, ’89. Thefamily lives in Woodbridge, VA, andcan be reached by e-mail at:mburnell1@msn.com.

Jake Robert on Oct. 11, 2001 to Gregand Allison Rossoni Feldman, ’89. Hejoins big sister Emily, 4. The familylives in St. Joseph.

Rachel Elizabeth on March 31, 2002 toPaul and Blakely Burns Meyers, ’89.

Rachel joins big sister Emma, 1. Thefamily lives in Reston, VA, and can bereached by e-mail atblakelymeyers@comcast.net.

Margaret Yarmain on April 11, 2002 toTom and Ann Yarmain Murray , ’89.The Murrays also have a daughter, Kate,1. The family lives in Beverly Hills.

Nicholas Leal on Dec. 20, 2001 to MaryBuday and Steve Tupper, both ’89. Hejoins big brother Cole. Steve is acorporate finance and informationtechnology lawyer in Dykema Gossett’sBloomfield Hills office. Mary is thedirector of teacher leadership initiativesfor the National Board for ProfessionalTeaching Standards in Southfield. Wallyand Luella Short Tupper, ’56, areproud grandparents. The family lives in

Bloomfield Hills and can be reached bye-mail at: SLTupper@aol.com.

Garrett Raymond on Feb. 15, 2002 toDelbert and Karin Larson Dee, ’90.The family lives in Wixom.

Margaret Anna on Feb. 7, 2002 to Kentand Fran Whittaker Katnik , ’90. Bigbrother Morgan, 4, and sister Gracie, 2,welcomed Anna home. Fran is a stay-at-home mom and lives with her family inBoulder, CO. She would like to hearfrom classmates and can be reached bye-mail at: fkatnik@msn.com.

Samuel Hale on Aug. 1, 2001 to Steveand Stephanie Ferguson Master, ’90.Sam joins big sister Madeline, 5. Thefamily resides in West Bloomfield and

can be reached by e-mail at:stephanie@inmartgroup.com.

Abigail Elizabeth on Dec. 20, 2001 toHeramil “Ramie” and CherylHenderson Almeda, both ’91. Abbeyjoins big brother Jake, 4, and Luc, 2.They live in Parchment.

Nolan Keehn on Jan. 16, 2002 to MarkSherwood, ’91, and Saralyn Coupe,’91. Nolan has a big sister, Abigail, 2.The family lives in Ada.

Lauren Ruby on March 18, 2002 toDavid and Jill Bullock Master , ’91. Shejoins big sister Caleigh, 2. Jill is alogistics operations planner for theGeneral Mills Co. The family lives inBrooklyn Park, MN, and can be reachedby e-mail at: echo@mn.uswest.net.

Keegan Daniel on Nov. 28, 2001 to Jodiand Daniel Spitz, ’91. The family livesin Tampa, FL.

Margaret Baines on March 11, 2002 toJeff and Kristin Korth Gandy , both’92. Also at home are sister Olivia, 4,and brother Drew, 2. Proud relativesinclude uncle Michael Korth , ’94. Thefamily lives in Midland.

Tara Kepul on Dec. 18, 2001 to Sharonand Mahesh Nayak, ’92. Mahesh is atthe law firm Howard & HowardAttorneys, P.C. in Bloomfield Hills.Sharon is an English teacher atBirmingham Seaholm High School. Thefamily lives in Troy.

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A L B I O N O T E S

Hunter Austin on March 13, 2002 toMichael and Jill Douglas Olshefke, ’92.He joins sister, Allison, 6, and brotherTrevor, 3. The family lives in Gurnee,IL.

Benjamin Andrew on March 27, 2002 toChristena and Mark Sinila , ’92. Mark isa wholesale commodities merchandiser,and Christena is an elementary schoolteacher for Okemos Public Schools.Mark and Christena reside in Okemosand can be reached by e-mail at:msinila@yahoo.com.

Kathryn Kristine on Nov. 27, 2001 toEric and Bobby Stumpf Harris, both’93. Proud aunts include Bonnie HarrisBem, ’89, and Amy Harris Watson,’90. The family lives in Jacksonville,NC, and can be reached by e-mail at:harris_bobbie@hotmail.com.

Mason Connor on June 30, 2001 toDavid and Jennifer Holdread King,’93. Jennifer is a stay-at-home mom andloves it. The family lives in Columbus,IN.

Edward Muller on March 20, 2002 toMary Margaret and Phillip Koppers,’93. He joins older brother Anthony, 2.The family lives in Annandale, VA.

Lilly Elizabeth on March 20, 2002 toBill , ’94, and Stephanie Parker Prall,’93. She joins big sister Madeline Grace,2. The family lives in Traverse City.

Brett Matthew on Dec. 27, 2001 toMatthew, ’94, and Wendy MitchellJohnson, ’95. The family lives inSterling Heights.

Caleb Joseph on Jan. 14, 2002 toCassandra and Shannon Murray, ’94.He was welcomed by brother Ian, 2, andgrandfather, Robert Murray , ’62. Thefamily lives in Hamilton, OH.

Ethan John on July 17, 2001 to John andEmily VanDeGinste Volmering, both’94. He joins big sister Kady Elizabeth,3. John and Emily both teach in Midlandand would love to hear from friends bye-mail at: evolmering@aol.com.

Audrey Frances on Jan. 4, 2002 to Andyand Tammy Brennecke Deloney, both’95. The family can be reached at 1470Hillway Ave., White Lake, 48386; or bye-mail at: tadeloney@aol.com.

Fernando Sebastian on Dec. 19, 2001 toFernando and Samantha Rendon Pena,’95. The family lives in Monterrey,Mexico, and can be reached by e-mail at:samrendon@hotmail.com.

Matthew Robert on Dec. 28, 2001 toAdam, ’97, and Jessica Beyer Wood,’96. The family lives in South Lyon.

Zoe Kathryn on Dec. 28, 2001 to Wesand Jennifer Luce Maier, ’97. Zoe waswelcomed home by big sister Alyssa.The family lives in Edon, OH.

Tobias Everett on Jan. 17, 2002 toDaniel and Rachel Welch Haas, ’98.Daniel is a database administrator forCooper Tire and Rubber Co., and Rachelis an English teacher at Findlay HighSchool. The family can be reached at POBox 365, Mt. Blanchard, OH 45867 orby e-mail at: drhaas@bright.net.

ObituariesEdward Henderson, ’30, on Feb. 9,2000 in St. Joseph. He worked as a partsmanager at two Albion area cardealerships. During World War II, heworked at the B-24 bomber plant inWillow Run. He is survived by his wife,Ruth Penzotti Henderson, ’31, a son,Edward Henderson II, ’71, threedaughters, 10 grandchildren and eightgreat-grandchildren.

John Kalb, ’30, on Aug. 22, 2001 at theHilltop Retirement Community inJohnson City, NY. John graduated fromthe University of Michigan MedicalSchool and spent 46 years practicinganesthesia. He was a member of SigmaChi and was involved in manycommunity and professional organiza-tions. He served a term as president ofthe New York State Society ofAnesthesiologists. John is survived by ason and a daughter.

Walter Saxman, ’30, on Feb. 26, 2002in Chelsea. Walter received a master’sdegree in philosophy from theUniversity of Michigan and an M.A.from the University of Chicago. Hegraduated from Garrett Seminary inChicago and served churches all overMichigan before retiring in 1971. Hewas a Mason, Shriner and Rotarian.Walter is survived by two children, eightgrandchildren, and 18 great-grandchil-dren.

Richard Preston, ’32, on Jan. 23, 2002in Tecumseh. Richard received hismaster’s degree from the University ofMichigan, School of Engineering. Hewas a design engineer for the TecumsehProducts Co. until his retirement in1972. An avid sportsman, Dick enjoyedbuilding speed boats and spending hissummers at Wamplers Lake. He issurvived by his wife, Norma, a daughter,two stepchildren, four grandchildren,and four great-grandchildren.

Cary Peabody, ’35, on Jan. 12, 2002 inGrand Rapids. Cary completed medicalschool at the University of Michigan andpost-graduate work in ophthalmology atthe University of Wisconsin. Aphysician in the U.S. Army MedicalCorps during World War II, he laterpracticed ophthalmology in Young-stown, OH, for 25 years. He is survivedby his wife, Marion, two nieces, and anephew.

Jean “Betty” Kautz Cummings, ’36,on March 29, 2002 in Valparaiso, IN.Before retiring, she was the art directorwith Montgomery Wards’ western

division of sales. She painted in oils as ahobby, and was also a devoted memberof Delta Gamma sorority. She issurvived by her husband, Leonard, adaughter, two stepdaughters and 2stepsons.

Louise Knapman Piper, ’37, on April5, 2002 in Flint. She supportedcommunity service organizations inFlint, such as the YMCA, the CedarStreet Children’s Center and the FlintInstitute of Arts, by serving on theirboards and committees. She and herhusband established the Mark H. andLouise Piper Scholarship Fund atAlbion. She is survived by four sons andseven grandchildren.

Robert Schellig, ’39, on March 4, 2002in Valrico, FL. He graduated from theUniversity of Detroit Dental Schoolbefore joining the Navy for World WarII. He is survived by his wife, Margaret,sons Robert Jr., ’66, and Alan, and fivegrandchildren.

Helen Randall Haselton, ’41, on Jan. 2,2002 in Livingston, NJ. Helen received amaster’s degree in education fromBoston University and was a teacher atChrist Church Pre-School beforeretirement. She is survived by herhusband, Stephen, two sons, onedaughter, Carolyn Haselton Lawton,’67, two brothers, one sister, AliceRandall Kilgour , ’34, six grandchil-dren, and two great-grandchildren.

David Friedrick , ’44, on Dec. 2, 2001in Clancy, MT. David was in the U.S.Naval Reserve V-12 Program at theUniversity of Michigan Medical School.After completing his medical training, hereturned to Michigan where he practicedgeneral medicine for nine years with aninterim as a captain in the U.S. AirForce. He then practiced orthopedicsurgery in Illinois, Montana andWashington. He is survived by his wife,Shirley, two daughters, one son, fourgrandchildren, one great-granddaughter,a sister, Lillian Friedrick Sweezey, ’50,a brother, and a nephew, PhillipFriedrick , ’79.

William Brown , ’45, on Jan. 23, 2002in Kalamazoo. William received hismaster of divinity degree at Northwest-ern University’s Garrett Biblical Institutein Chicago and a Ph.D. degree at theInternational Free Protestant EpiscopalUniversity in London, England. Heserved as minister to Methodist churchesacross Michigan and as a professor ofsociology and anthropology at OlivetCollege for 18 years. He is survived byhis wife Jean, three daughters, one son,10 grandchildren, three great-grandchil-dren, and two brothers.

Thomas Peters, ’47, on March 12, 2002in Florida. After graduating fromAlbion, he attended Harvard Universitywhere he graduated before joining theNavy. Thomas was former president ofthe Russell R. Peters Co., a Michigan-based commercial industrial packagingcorporation. He was a member of SigmaNu fraternity. He is survived by his wife,Thelma, two sons, two daughters and 10grandchildren.

James Porritt, ’48, on July 29, 2001 inAtlanta. Jim was a computer systemsmanager at Oakland University beforemoving to Canada Creek Ranch asmanager in 1972, where he remaineduntil retiring in 1989. A member ofDelta Tau Delta, he was active in theMethodist churches in the communitieswhere he lived. He is survived by hiswife, Josephine Hallett Porritt, ’49,three sons and four daughters.

Barbara Hearst Riasanovsky, ’51, onJan. 20, 2002 in Swarthmore, PA. She issurvived by her husband, Alex, twodaughters, four grandchildren, and asister, Marjorie Hearst Orr , ’46.

Michael Kelly, ’64, on Feb. 12, 2002 inthe Days River area. Michael completedhis education in dentistry at theUniversity of Michigan and joined hisfather’s dental practice in Gladstone. Amember of All Saints Church, GladstoneLions Club and the Salvation Armyboard, he was an avid outdoorsman whoenjoyed hunting and fishing. Survivorsinclude two sons, his mother, twobrothers and a grandson.

Kirby Cooper , ’66, on March 27, 2002.A member of the Briton football teamand the College Orchestra, he was in theSeabees during the Vietnam war. He hadreceived a master’s degree from theUniversity of Michigan. A resident ofLansing, he worked in landscaping untilhis death. He is survived by his wife,Joan, and two sons.

Jimmy Burkwalt , ’96, on Feb. 24,2002. Prior to graduating from AlbionCollege, he worked in the facilitiesdepartment of the College. He lived inJackson.

Faculty andfriendsJoe H. Stroud passed away May 9,2002 in Albion. Joe had served as thedirector of Albion’s Gerald R. FordInstitute for Public Policy and Servicefor the past three years. He was a retirededitor and senior vice president of theDetroit Free Press, a post he held for 25years. He also wrote a three-times-a-week column for the Free Press. Beforejoining the Free Press in 1968 asassociate editor, he worked fornewspapers in Arkansas and NorthCarolina.

The Arkansas native earned abachelor’s degree from Hendrix Collegeand a master’s degree from TulaneUniversity. He had been named adistinguished alumnus of both Hendrixand Tulane and had received numeroushonorary degrees. A past president of theNational Conference of EditorialWriters, Joe was inducted into theMichigan Journalism Hall of Fame in1998.

He was an active member of AnnArbor’s First United Methodist Churchand was the recipient of the Laity Awardfrom the Detroit Annual Conference ofthe United Methodist Church. He hadserved as a member of the GeneralCommission on Communications of theUnited Methodist Church and was aboard member of the Michigan ChristianAdvocate.

Joe received his 30-year pin forservice to the Southeast Michiganchapter of the American Red Cross. Hehad served on the boards for CranbrookInstitute of Science, the CranbrookEducation Community, Starr Common-wealth and Adrian College.

He was honored by a variety ofgroups, particularly for his contributionsto education, mental health, environmen-tal issues, women’s rights and racerelations. He was a finalist for thePulitzer Prize and received the PaulTobenkin Award from ColumbiaUniversity, as well as many otherjournalism awards.

He is survived by his wife, KathleenFojtik; three daughters, Anna, ’05, Kimand Sandi; two sons, Jon and Scott; andtwo grandchildren.

The family has asked that memorialcontributions be made to the Joe StroudVisiting Scholar Fund for the FordInstitute at Albion College.

J.D. Wisner died March 8, 2002 inWooster, OH. Jay was a former GeneralMotors executive and a former trustee ofAlbion College. He is survived by hiswife, Leta, a brother, a son and twograndsons.

I O T R I U M P H E24

A L B I O N O T E S

Hunter Austin on March 13, 2002 toMichael and Jill Douglas Olshefke, ’92.He joins sister, Allison, 6, and brotherTrevor, 3. The family lives in Gurnee,IL.

Benjamin Andrew on March 27, 2002 toChristena and Mark Sinila , ’92. Mark isa wholesale commodities merchandiser,and Christena is an elementary schoolteacher for Okemos Public Schools.Mark and Christena reside in Okemosand can be reached by e-mail at:msinila@yahoo.com.

Kathryn Kristine on Nov. 27, 2001 toEric and Bobby Stumpf Harris, both’93. Proud aunts include Bonnie HarrisBem, ’89, and Amy Harris Watson,’90. The family lives in Jacksonville,NC, and can be reached by e-mail at:harris_bobbie@hotmail.com.

Mason Connor on June 30, 2001 toDavid and Jennifer Holdread King,’93. Jennifer is a stay-at-home mom andloves it. The family lives in Columbus,IN.

Edward Muller on March 20, 2002 toMary Margaret and Phillip Koppers,’93. He joins older brother Anthony, 2.The family lives in Annandale, VA.

Lilly Elizabeth on March 20, 2002 toBill , ’94, and Stephanie Parker Prall,’93. She joins big sister Madeline Grace,2. The family lives in Traverse City.

Brett Matthew on Dec. 27, 2001 toMatthew, ’94, and Wendy MitchellJohnson, ’95. The family lives inSterling Heights.

Caleb Joseph on Jan. 14, 2002 toCassandra and Shannon Murray, ’94.He was welcomed by brother Ian, 2, andgrandfather, Robert Murray , ’62. Thefamily lives in Hamilton, OH.

Ethan John on July 17, 2001 to John andEmily VanDeGinste Volmering, both’94. He joins big sister Kady Elizabeth,3. John and Emily both teach in Midlandand would love to hear from friends bye-mail at: evolmering@aol.com.

Audrey Frances on Jan. 4, 2002 to Andyand Tammy Brennecke Deloney, both’95. The family can be reached at 1470Hillway Ave., White Lake, 48386; or bye-mail at: tadeloney@aol.com.

Fernando Sebastian on Dec. 19, 2001 toFernando and Samantha Rendon Pena,’95. The family lives in Monterrey,Mexico, and can be reached by e-mail at:samrendon@hotmail.com.

Matthew Robert on Dec. 28, 2001 toAdam, ’97, and Jessica Beyer Wood,’96. The family lives in South Lyon.

Zoe Kathryn on Dec. 28, 2001 to Wesand Jennifer Luce Maier, ’97. Zoe waswelcomed home by big sister Alyssa.The family lives in Edon, OH.

Tobias Everett on Jan. 17, 2002 toDaniel and Rachel Welch Haas, ’98.Daniel is a database administrator forCooper Tire and Rubber Co., and Rachelis an English teacher at Findlay HighSchool. The family can be reached at POBox 365, Mt. Blanchard, OH 45867 orby e-mail at: drhaas@bright.net.

ObituariesEdward Henderson, ’30, on Feb. 9,2000 in St. Joseph. He worked as a partsmanager at two Albion area cardealerships. During World War II, heworked at the B-24 bomber plant inWillow Run. He is survived by his wife,Ruth Penzotti Henderson, ’31, a son,Edward Henderson II, ’71, threedaughters, 10 grandchildren and eightgreat-grandchildren.

John Kalb, ’30, on Aug. 22, 2001 at theHilltop Retirement Community inJohnson City, NY. John graduated fromthe University of Michigan MedicalSchool and spent 46 years practicinganesthesia. He was a member of SigmaChi and was involved in manycommunity and professional organiza-tions. He served a term as president ofthe New York State Society ofAnesthesiologists. John is survived by ason and a daughter.

Walter Saxman, ’30, on Feb. 26, 2002in Chelsea. Walter received a master’sdegree in philosophy from theUniversity of Michigan and an M.A.from the University of Chicago. Hegraduated from Garrett Seminary inChicago and served churches all overMichigan before retiring in 1971. Hewas a Mason, Shriner and Rotarian.Walter is survived by two children, eightgrandchildren, and 18 great-grandchil-dren.

Richard Preston, ’32, on Jan. 23, 2002in Tecumseh. Richard received hismaster’s degree from the University ofMichigan, School of Engineering. Hewas a design engineer for the TecumsehProducts Co. until his retirement in1972. An avid sportsman, Dick enjoyedbuilding speed boats and spending hissummers at Wamplers Lake. He issurvived by his wife, Norma, a daughter,two stepchildren, four grandchildren,and four great-grandchildren.

Cary Peabody, ’35, on Jan. 12, 2002 inGrand Rapids. Cary completed medicalschool at the University of Michigan andpost-graduate work in ophthalmology atthe University of Wisconsin. Aphysician in the U.S. Army MedicalCorps during World War II, he laterpracticed ophthalmology in Young-stown, OH, for 25 years. He is survivedby his wife, Marion, two nieces, and anephew.

Jean “Betty” Kautz Cummings, ’36,on March 29, 2002 in Valparaiso, IN.Before retiring, she was the art directorwith Montgomery Wards’ western

division of sales. She painted in oils as ahobby, and was also a devoted memberof Delta Gamma sorority. She issurvived by her husband, Leonard, adaughter, two stepdaughters and 2stepsons.

Louise Knapman Piper, ’37, on April5, 2002 in Flint. She supportedcommunity service organizations inFlint, such as the YMCA, the CedarStreet Children’s Center and the FlintInstitute of Arts, by serving on theirboards and committees. She and herhusband established the Mark H. andLouise Piper Scholarship Fund atAlbion. She is survived by four sons andseven grandchildren.

Robert Schellig, ’39, on March 4, 2002in Valrico, FL. He graduated from theUniversity of Detroit Dental Schoolbefore joining the Navy for World WarII. He is survived by his wife, Margaret,sons Robert Jr., ’66, and Alan, and fivegrandchildren.

Helen Randall Haselton, ’41, on Jan. 2,2002 in Livingston, NJ. Helen received amaster’s degree in education fromBoston University and was a teacher atChrist Church Pre-School beforeretirement. She is survived by herhusband, Stephen, two sons, onedaughter, Carolyn Haselton Lawton,’67, two brothers, one sister, AliceRandall Kilgour , ’34, six grandchil-dren, and two great-grandchildren.

David Friedrick , ’44, on Dec. 2, 2001in Clancy, MT. David was in the U.S.Naval Reserve V-12 Program at theUniversity of Michigan Medical School.After completing his medical training, hereturned to Michigan where he practicedgeneral medicine for nine years with aninterim as a captain in the U.S. AirForce. He then practiced orthopedicsurgery in Illinois, Montana andWashington. He is survived by his wife,Shirley, two daughters, one son, fourgrandchildren, one great-granddaughter,a sister, Lillian Friedrick Sweezey, ’50,a brother, and a nephew, PhillipFriedrick , ’79.

William Brown , ’45, on Jan. 23, 2002in Kalamazoo. William received hismaster of divinity degree at Northwest-ern University’s Garrett Biblical Institutein Chicago and a Ph.D. degree at theInternational Free Protestant EpiscopalUniversity in London, England. Heserved as minister to Methodist churchesacross Michigan and as a professor ofsociology and anthropology at OlivetCollege for 18 years. He is survived byhis wife Jean, three daughters, one son,10 grandchildren, three great-grandchil-dren, and two brothers.

Thomas Peters, ’47, on March 12, 2002in Florida. After graduating fromAlbion, he attended Harvard Universitywhere he graduated before joining theNavy. Thomas was former president ofthe Russell R. Peters Co., a Michigan-based commercial industrial packagingcorporation. He was a member of SigmaNu fraternity. He is survived by his wife,Thelma, two sons, two daughters and 10grandchildren.

James Porritt, ’48, on July 29, 2001 inAtlanta. Jim was a computer systemsmanager at Oakland University beforemoving to Canada Creek Ranch asmanager in 1972, where he remaineduntil retiring in 1989. A member ofDelta Tau Delta, he was active in theMethodist churches in the communitieswhere he lived. He is survived by hiswife, Josephine Hallett Porritt, ’49,three sons and four daughters.

Barbara Hearst Riasanovsky, ’51, onJan. 20, 2002 in Swarthmore, PA. She issurvived by her husband, Alex, twodaughters, four grandchildren, and asister, Marjorie Hearst Orr , ’46.

Michael Kelly, ’64, on Feb. 12, 2002 inthe Days River area. Michael completedhis education in dentistry at theUniversity of Michigan and joined hisfather’s dental practice in Gladstone. Amember of All Saints Church, GladstoneLions Club and the Salvation Armyboard, he was an avid outdoorsman whoenjoyed hunting and fishing. Survivorsinclude two sons, his mother, twobrothers and a grandson.

Kirby Cooper , ’66, on March 27, 2002.A member of the Briton football teamand the College Orchestra, he was in theSeabees during the Vietnam war. He hadreceived a master’s degree from theUniversity of Michigan. A resident ofLansing, he worked in landscaping untilhis death. He is survived by his wife,Joan, and two sons.

Jimmy Burkwalt , ’96, on Feb. 24,2002. Prior to graduating from AlbionCollege, he worked in the facilitiesdepartment of the College. He lived inJackson.

Faculty andfriendsJoe H. Stroud passed away May 9,2002 in Albion. Joe had served as thedirector of Albion’s Gerald R. FordInstitute for Public Policy and Servicefor the past three years. He was a retirededitor and senior vice president of theDetroit Free Press, a post he held for 25years. He also wrote a three-times-a-week column for the Free Press. Beforejoining the Free Press in 1968 asassociate editor, he worked fornewspapers in Arkansas and NorthCarolina.

The Arkansas native earned abachelor’s degree from Hendrix Collegeand a master’s degree from TulaneUniversity. He had been named adistinguished alumnus of both Hendrixand Tulane and had received numeroushonorary degrees. A past president of theNational Conference of EditorialWriters, Joe was inducted into theMichigan Journalism Hall of Fame in1998.

He was an active member of AnnArbor’s First United Methodist Churchand was the recipient of the Laity Awardfrom the Detroit Annual Conference ofthe United Methodist Church. He hadserved as a member of the GeneralCommission on Communications of theUnited Methodist Church and was aboard member of the Michigan ChristianAdvocate.

Joe received his 30-year pin forservice to the Southeast Michiganchapter of the American Red Cross. Hehad served on the boards for CranbrookInstitute of Science, the CranbrookEducation Community, Starr Common-wealth and Adrian College.

He was honored by a variety ofgroups, particularly for his contributionsto education, mental health, environmen-tal issues, women’s rights and racerelations. He was a finalist for thePulitzer Prize and received the PaulTobenkin Award from ColumbiaUniversity, as well as many otherjournalism awards.

He is survived by his wife, KathleenFojtik; three daughters, Anna, ’05, Kimand Sandi; two sons, Jon and Scott; andtwo grandchildren.

The family has asked that memorialcontributions be made to the Joe StroudVisiting Scholar Fund for the FordInstitute at Albion College.

J.D. Wisner died March 8, 2002 inWooster, OH. Jay was a former GeneralMotors executive and a former trustee ofAlbion College. He is survived by hiswife, Leta, a brother, a son and twograndsons.

I O T R I U M P H E 25

A L B I O N O T E S

Farewell to a wise mentor and generous friendJoe was a busy man—he was always doing something, but

he never turned anybody away who needed him. My juniorand senior year at Albion, we worked on a project together. Asmy internship adviser, Joe suggested that I study some aspectof my work in depth. I don’t think either of us knew what wewere getting into. Forty-two pages later, after painstakinghours of proofreading and multiple drafts, Joe and I came upwith a project that we were both proud of. What impressed methe most about our work together was Joe’s dedication to andinterest in what we were doing. He had nothing to gain fromhelping me, with the exception of more work; however, hecontinuously encouraged me and prompted me to take myproject to what he called “the next level.”

In the last e-mail Joe sent me, he stressed the importance ofstaying in touch. The title of his message was “Remem-brance,” which is something that I will always do. Joe was agreat man in so many different ways: he taught me how tosimplify my writing, how to see good in even the bleakest ofsituations, but, most importantly, how to live and view theworld passionately. Albion and I will miss him tremendously,but we are all the better for having known him. Joe is inheaven looking out for us all—serving as a guardian angel forhis own children, as well as all of us who knew and loved him.

Marnie Harte,’02, Member, Gerald R. Ford Institute for PublicPolicy and Service

It’s hard to capture my sense of loss in a paragraph or two. Joemeant many different things to me. When I first beganworking with him in the Ford Institute, I admit to beingsomewhat awe-struck. He had been to so many places in hislife, knew so many people, had so many connections. I feltpretty green next to him. But Joe had the remarkable quality ofhumility. He treated me as an equal, sharing both the decision-making work and his personal stories with me in the office. Bythe end of the first year, he had helped me realize that despitehis worldly experience, he was just a regular fellow.

My fondest memories of Joe are of sitting in the FordInstitute’s front office, Katie in her chair, me on the couch, andJoe in the wing chair. Joe would talk about everything fromthat seat —politics, his kids, the University of Michiganfootball season. He was kind and generous, viewing hisresponsibility as a supervisor as one of empowering others. Hementored me, shared with me, was patient with me, and, aboveall, befriended me. I am honored to have known him andprivileged to have worked with him. He left his mark on theFord Institute and on my heart.

Marcy Sacks, Acting Director, Gerald R. Ford Institute forPublic Policy and Service; Assistant Professor of History

We never completely leave behind the places where we growup. Joe Stroud had an uncanny way of bringing the best of theSouth, from whence he hailed, to Michigan. You always hadthe sense when you were in Joe’s presence that it was a warm,lazy southern afternoon, and that you were sitting on his frontporch, conversing and sipping iced tea. He always gave theimpression that he had all the time in the world, and that hehad nothing better to do all day than talk with you. It was clearthat he truly enjoyed people, ideas and conversation.

Since I only knew Joe in the context of Albion College, Ialways tried to imagine him in the midst of the pressure-packed, chaotic atmosphere of a big city daily newspaper. Andthe image that emerges is of Joe as the calm center in the eyeof the storm. It was evident that Joe was a person grounded inhis convictions about the world and our roles and responsibili-ties in it. He was a person of deep faith with an abiding sense

of the worth of all persons. He knew and lived from enduringvalues, not from the distractions of the urgent or of themoment. And that made all the difference.

Those were the qualities that Joe brought to this campus. Itwas clear that he cared personally about his students in theFord Institute. He used his vast knowledge of the world toengage them in the intricacies and complexities of publicpolicy, while using his personal caring and warmth to callthem to their own sense of conviction and responsibility in aworld of need. In a few short years here, he created a strongpresence and a legacy. It was an honor and privilege to knowhim, to sit a spell on the porch and while away a few after-noons. May his hospitality and passion for people and ideaslive on in all who knew him.

Greg Martin, Pastor, First United Methodist Church, Albion

The Detroit Free Press wrote of Joe Stroud, he “held court forthe proud and powerful.” But over the last three years Joe heldcourt for the young and lost—not that they were young andlost when they left his presence. In one small corner of RobHall this man examined the future of his country through thehearts and souls of his students. Pleased at the desire he saw inthem, he left this world, I know, full of profound hope for thefuture.

The legacy of Joe’s life falls hard on all of us who wereinspired by him. I pray we prove ourselves worthy of as greatan epitaph as he deserves. Albion will feel Joe’s death deeply.No community easily overcomes the death of a great man, andthere can be no doubt Joe has fulfilled the definition of a greatleader. In his presence you felt like you could reach anyheights, and now that he is gone you realize you only felt likethat because you were standing on his shoulders.

Larry Lloyd, ’02, Member, Gerald R. Ford Institute for PublicPolicy and Service

“Hey, Joe, do you have a minute?”In the three years that I spent with Joe in the Ford Institute,

I must have poked my head in his office and asked him thatquestion a hundred times. Seemed like every day or so I wasstopping by to talk about everything from Albion to politics tohis life and my future.

Joe was like my surrogate grandfather, a wise elder whoalways made time to talk with me, even when I knew therewere plenty of days when he really didn’t have that minute tospare.

Joe carefully listened to what I had to say, asked questions,and then, in his famous Southern drawl, told me how it reallywas (even if how it was wasn’t what I wanted to hear). Igreatly admired Joe’s honesty, approachability, perceptiveness,kindness and passion for doing good, and I truly hope that oneday I can come close to living my life the way he did.

In April, I met up with Joe in Washington, D.C., and hetold me that he was proud of what I had accomplished since Igraduated in 2001. (Specifically, I suspect he approved of mydecision to work at a progressive, liberal, public-interest PRfirm.)

I wish I had told him then how much I respected him andhow much he has influenced my life and character. But beingJoe, I bet he already knew.

Lynsey Kluever, ’01, Communications Associate, The HauserGroup, Washington, D.C.

The Albion College campuscommunity was deeply saddenedby the death of Joe Stroud May 9,2002. While he had been amember of the College staff onlysince 1999, many of us felt asthough we had known Joe foryears through his editorial writingfor the Detroit Free Press. As youcan see from the comments below,we, his students and colleagues,will genuinely miss his wisdomand warmth as he walked amongus. Please see the notice on the previous page for moreinformation about his life and work.

Joe Stroud personified the best of the liberal arts tradition.Broad-gauged in his intellectual interests, he employed hisfinely-honed writing skills to capture and even elevate thenobility of the human condition. He loved to learn and loved toteach whether via the editorial page, public forum or hiscollege classroom. He commanded the respect of young andold, the admiration of those who agreed and disagreed withhim, and the affection of anyone who cared about justice andfairness. He inspired students, faculty and staff to recognizethat liberal arts education was the best preparation for civicengagement and for crafting a life of meaning and purpose. Joegraced our campus with his keen mind and passion for ideas;he touched our hearts with his kindness and tenderness; and hetaught us that wisdom comes from merging faith, knowledgeand compassion.

Peter T. Mitchell, ’67, President

Joe Stroud was a complex man. He cared about many things,from such grand ideals as civil rights and freedom of the pressto the more mundane day-to-day lives of his students at AlbionCollege. At one moment I could be discussing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process with him, and in the next we wouldbe talking about my relationship troubles. The thing that struckeveryone, though, was how unassuming Joe really was. Assomeone with a broad and rich set of life experiences, he couldhave easily been very arrogant. However, he was the opposite.He chose to pass on his life lessons to his students throughanecdotes and pearls of wisdom. Joe sincerely cared about thewell-being of all of his students, and he took an interest inmaking our Albion experience as rich as possible, throughinternships, classes and extracurricular experiences.

Joe also wanted to ensure that our futures would besuccessful. As our teacher, adviser, mentor and friend, Joesought to instill a sense of civic responsibility in my class-mates and me every chance he got. In my final class with him,the Ford senior colloquium, Joe focused on the theme of therole of the individual in society. We examined the challengesthat faced past generations, and tried to sort out the difficultiesthat faced ours.

At graduation in May, his final words of advice to me as Iheaded off into the “real world” were: “Don’t ever forget togive back.” I think that sums up the life of Joe Stroud. He wasa dedicated public servant, and everyone who knew him willbe poorer for his loss.

Kurt Medland, ’02, Member, Gerald R. Ford Institute forPublic Policy and Service

As I settled into my life as an Albion student, certain profes-sors, in a sense, adopted me—they looked out for my well-being and encouraged me to excel in all that I attempted. Oneof those teachers was Joe Stroud. Whenever I had a problem,whether it was finding a dog sitter for my puppy or choosingbetween law schools, he was there for me with a bit of soundadvice and a cheerful anecdote. No matter how agitated orannoyed I was when I entered his office, I never left withoutfeeling better.

I O T R I U M P H E 17I O T R I U M P H E26

A L U M N I A S S O C I A T I O N N E W S

Election resultsannouncedThe 2002 Alumni Association elections haveadded three new members to the Board ofDirectors. Three current members werereappointed to the board.

Brian Fox, ’73, Robin Gearhart, ’96, andMichael Zamiara, ’87, were elected by thegeneral membership, and Katherine JewellDempster, ’57, Kirk Heinze, ’70, and LouiseKirk, ’90, are continuing for a second term.Coletta Nelson Thomas, ’76, will continue onthe board as immediate past president.Retiring from the board this spring were SarahVandenBout Klein, ’95, and AnnaVanBruggen Thompson, ’80.

Brian Fox, M.D., is a physician with RubyMountain Obstetrics and Gynecology in Elko,Nev. He previously was chief of obstetrics inGrayling, Mich., Racine, Wis. and Riverton,Wyo. He also was vice chief of staff, chief ofstaff and chief of surgery in Riverton. Hiscommunity involvement has includedparticipating in Methodist Church choirs inGrayling, Racine and Riverton. Fox has alsohad significant roles in college theatreproductions of A Funny Thing Happened onthe Way to the Forum and Joseph and theAmazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He ismarried to Cheryl Bennett Fox, ’73.

Upon graduating from Albion, RobinGearhart dedicated four years to working atthe State’s Attorney’s Office in Chicago,where she served as a victim/witness specialistand later as a victim sensitive interviewcoordinator. After becoming licensed with theSecurities and Exchange Commission, shejoined the financial industry and has beenworking at Merrill Lynch as a registered clientassociate for the past two years. She has alsostarted her own business, Pocketful of Daisies,making handmade stationery, cards andinvitations. In addition to acting as an alumni

Fox

Gearhart

Zamiara

Heinze

Kirk

admissions representative for collegerecruitment nights held in the Chicago area,Gearhart recently created a personal cam-paign, The Legacy of Dreams, to assist Albionwith the Stoffer Alumni Challenge (to achievea 50 percent alumni contribution rate by2003). The Class of 1996 contribution rate hasincreased nearly 100 percent so far, risingfrom 12 percent to over 23 percent (thehighest it has ever been).

Dempster

Alumni Association Board of Directors

Your Alumni Association Board of Directors welcomes your comments. Feel free to discussyour concerns with them at board meetings or at any other alumni gatherings. The board rosterbelow became effective July 1, 2002.

OfficersPresident; to be elected Sept. 28, 2002Vice president for off-campus activities; to be

elected Sept. 28, 2002Vice president for on-campus activities; to be

elected Sept. 28, 2002O. James Clark, ’51, secretary; 1800

Oakfield, Midland, MI 48640; e-mail:ojmeclark@aol.com

Coletta Nelson Thomas, ’76, immediate pastpresident; 27375 Bloomfield Dr., LathrupVillage, MI 48076; e-mail:cnelsonthomas@mediaone.net

Terms expiring in 2003James H. Cox, ’87; Mansfield, OhioMary Beth Hartmann Halushka, ’84; TroyPat Pearsall Hessler, ’57; FrankfortKenneth B. Hollidge, Jr., ’67; Grosse Pointe

ShoresTimothy R. Newsted, ’78; Hastings

Terms expiring in 2004Gregory L. Eastwood, ’62; Jamesville, N.Y.Kenneth A. George, ’90; East Grand RapidsArnold R. Pinkney, ’52; Cleveland, OhioTamara Transue Royle, ’63; SaginawSusan J. Sadler, ’77; Waterford

Terms expiring in 2005Katherine Jewell Dempster, ’57; South HavenBrian W. Fox, ’73; Riverton, Wyo.Robin L. Gearhart; ’96; Tinley Park, Ill.Kirk L. Heinze, ’70; MasonLouise A. Kirk, ’90; LivoniaMichael A. Zamiara, ’87; DeWitt

Ex-officio membersPeter T. Mitchell, ’67, president, Albion

CollegeWilliam K. Stoffer, ’74, alumni trusteeBen E. Hancock, Jr., vice president for

institutional advancementMarcia Hepler Starkey, ’74, director of

alumni and parent relationsEmily M. Giacona, ’05, president, Student

Association for Alumni

Michael Zamiara, a CPA, is currently thechief financial officer and vice president offinance and administration at BioPort Corp. inLansing. For over 10 years Zamiara has beeninvolved in his community as a Big Brotherand a member of the Treasurer ConstructionFinance Managers’ Association. He alsoserved on the Board of Directors of the

YMCA and, for the past five years, has been acoach for youth basketball, baseball, soccerand football. Since graduation Zamiara hasbeen on the Alumni Control Board for DeltaSigma Phi fraternity and has served as a classreunion chair. He and his wife, Nancy Rupp,’88, have four sons.

Young alumni meet in Chicago and Detroit

Among the young alumni inattendance at a June 6 event atRoyal Oak’s Fifth AvenueBilliards were: (four photosclockwise from top left)Amanda Cowger, ’98, andDeena Rank, ’95; LoriLeszczynski, ’01, Katy Clay,’01, and Melissa Pakkala, ’01;Ed Rohn, ’97 (with prize won inraffle drawing); Emily Rostash,’01, Amber Janssen, ’01, andAbbe Lindemood, ’01.

Young alumni from the Chicago area gathered at theGoose Island Brew Pub to root for the Detroit RedWings during their Stanley Cup playoff game againstColorado May 31. Among those in attendance were:(upper right photo) Brent Hazen, ’99, and T.J.Whitehouse, ’99; (lower right photo) GeorgeLemmon, ’98, Joslyn Brunelle, ’00, Peter Butler, ’01,Elyse Minnick, ’01, and Mike Smith, ’97.

I O T R I U M P H E18 I O T R I U M P H E 27

Albion College Presents

Post-game Dedication of the JamesWelton House, formerly BlackStudent Alliance House, 1109Jackson St.

5:30 p.m. Reception/ 6:30 p.m. Dinnersponsored by the Black StudentAlliance honoring James Welton,Upper Baldwin Dining RoomAdvance reservations are required.

6:30 p.m. Receptions/ 7:30 p.m. ClassReunion DinnersFor classes ending in a “2” or a “7,”1952-1997. Reunion information andlocations will be posted on the Web asdetails become available: http://www.albion.edu/alumni/homecoming.asp

8:30 p.m. Portfolio, Gerstacker Com-mons, Kellogg CenterEnjoy an evening of live jazz for allages.

Sunday’S Highlights

Worship Services will be held at theFirst United Methodist Church, 9 a.m.,Wesley Chapel, 11 a.m., GoodrichChapel.

4 p.m. Homecoming Music Concert,Goodrich Chapel

Albion College will honor thefollowing individuals during Home-coming Weekend for their contribu-tions to and passion for AlbionCollege, their communities and theirprofessions.

Distinguished Alumni Award

Ronald A. Knief, ’67Principal Scientist, XE Corp.Albuquerque, N.M.

William C. Lauderbach, ’64Divisional Officer, Chemical Finan-cial Corp.Midland, Mich.

Nancy Graham Roush, ’72Principal, Crowell SchoolAlbion, Mich.

James A. Welton, ’04 (deceased)Educator

Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees

Frank Bonta, ’49Peter Carlton, ’70Timothy Cash, ’68David Egnatuk, ’71Alan Kastl, ’71Patrick Kennell, ’82Lois Werner Kluver, ’57Gary Methner, ’62Suzanne Scrutton, ’86Jack Taylor, ’551950-51 Men’s Basketball Team1980 Men’s Track and Field Team

Award

Recipients

Your reunion chairswant to hear from you!

Make plans now to gather with friends at Homecoming 2002. You can begin by getting intouch with your reunion chair and finding out what’s in store for this great weekend oncampus.

1952George MartinCall the Alumni Office, 517/629-0247

1957Carolyn Carr ChristKatherine Jewell DempsterCall the Alumni Office, 517/629-0247

1962Dale Springer, springerd@michigan.gov

1967Kirk Leighton, KLeigh8522@aol.com

1972Ken DillCall the Alumni Office, 517/629-0247

1977Janyce Grostic Huff, jjmrhuff@attbi.com

1982Laurie Wills FitzgeraldLaurie_Fitzgerald@sba.com

1987Jim Cox, jim@midohioheart.com

1992Jeff Urbanski, jeff@iserllc.comHank Wineman, hw@frascap.comBrad Smiles, bsmiles64@aol.com

1997Steve WillisSteven_W_Willis@hotmail.com

Friday’s Highlights

10 a.m. Briton Classic Golf Tourna-ment, The Medalist Golf Club,Marshall

5:15 p.m. Morley Fraser BirthdayCelebration, Kellogg CenterAll former Briton athletes, colleaguesand friends are invited to join incelebrating Coach Morley Fraser’s80th birthday.

6:15 p.m. Athletic Hall of Fame Dinnerand Awards Ceremony, UpperBaldwin Dining RoomHelp us honor this year’s Athletic Hallof Fame inductees for their contribu-tions to athletics as students or alumni.Advance reservations are required.

9:30 p.m. Bonfire and Pep Rally, CanoeLivery

Saturday’s Highlights

Admissions Visitation DayHigh school juniors and seniors willhave a personalized tour of campusand the opportunity to explore areas ofacademic interest with faculty as wellas to attend the Homecoming footballgame. For registration information,contact Marsha Whitehouse atmwhitehouse@albion.edu, or 800/858-6770.

9:30 a.m. Distinguished AlumniAwards Ceremony, Kellogg CenterThe reception begins at 9:30 a.m. inthe Alumni Conference Room, and theceremony follows at 10:15 a.m. inGerstacker Commons.

11 a.m. Volleyball vs. Olivet, KresgeGym

11:15 a.m. Dedication Ceremony,Ferguson Student, Technology, andAdministrative Services BuildingThis stunning new facility, madepossible by a gift from WilliamFerguson, ’52, and his wife, Joyce,will be open for touring following thededication ceremony.

Noon Picnic Lunch for Alumni,Faculty and Students, LomasFieldhouse, Dow Recreation andWellness Center

Noon Men’s Soccer vs. Hope, “A” Field

1 p.m. Football vs. Ohio Wesleyan,Sprankle-Sprandel StadiumPre-game festivities include presenta-tion of the Hall of Fame inductees.The halftime program will feature theHomecoming Court, the British Eighthand the Alumni Band.

September 27, 28 and 29

Plan to join our Albion family by bringing yours to campus.

Attend a concert by the musical group, “Knee Deep Shag,” talk withyour student’s professors during a faculty fair, and meet otherAlbion parents and families while attending a gala dinner. Lots to doand fun for the whole family! A complete schedule of events anddetails will be mailed to you this fall. For updates in the meantime,take a look at our World Wide Web site: www.albion.edu/alumni/familyweekend.asp.

Questions? Contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations, 517/629-0435, or e-mail: pschuler@albion.edu.

Family WeekendNovember 1-2

I O T R I U M P H E 19

SAVE THE DATE!

wednesday

18Albion College:Celebrating Liberal Arts at Work

Washington, D.C. Regional Event6:30 p.m.National Press Club

Program highlights: Remarks by President Peter Mitchell, ’67; special guest CedricDempsey, ’54, President, NCAA; comments by faculty; and viewing of the new Albion video.Invitations will be mailed to Washington area alumni later this summer.

www.albion.edu/admissions/alumni

I O T R I U M P H E28

LIBERAL ARTS AT WORK➤ Gregory Eastwood, a great example of

university offers aninnovative programin rural medicine toencourage students topractice in underservedareas. “We mean what we sayin our mission statement, that we are ‘to improvethe health of the communities we serve througheducation, biomedical research, and health care,’”Eastwood says. “Academic medical centers mustbe partners in advancing community health in all ofthese ways. If we are to make strides in preventivemedicine and health maintenance, health careprofessionals must look beyond the hospital settingand must be committed to educating their patientsabout healthy lifestyles in the communities wherethey live.”

As president of Upstate Medical University of theState University of New York, GregoryEastwood, M.D., ’62, oversees the university’shospital and four professional colleges located inSyracuse, N.Y., as well as a clinical campus inBinghamton. With an annual operating budget ofover $500-million and a workforce of 5,200people, Upstate Medical University plays aninfluential role in the region both as a majorhealth care resource and as Central New York’slargest employer. Eastwood has strong convic-tions about his institution’s responsibility to thebroader community, convictions, he says, thatwere shaped in part by his Albion experience. Inaddition to its traditional clinical and educationalprograms and impressive research initiatives, the

In keeping with the theme

of Albion College’s Vision,

Liberal Arts at Work, we are

offering a series of profiles of

Albion students and alumni

who exemplify “liberal arts at

work” in their daily lives.

These profiles will appear in

each issue of Io Triumphe .

T H E B A C K P A G E

SEPTEMBER

alumni volunteers!alumni volunteers!

Visit our Web site

especially for

An Evening in Bay ViewSaturday, July 27, 20026 p.m. Potluck Supper8 p.m. Theatre Production: “South Pacific”

(Reserved tickets: $18 per person)

All events will take place on the Bay View campus.

Invitations will be mailed shortly. If you will be traveling in northern Michi-gan and would like to attend, please call the Office of Alumni and ParentRelations, 517/629-0448, to make a reservation.

Alumni volunteers have always been

important to the Admissions Office staff

and the recruiting process, and now it is

easier than ever for you to help. Go online

to find out how you can become a part of this

exciting program. While you’re there, sign up

to receive the admissions volunteer e-mail

newsletter every month so you can stay

current on happenings in admissions and

on campus.

www.albion.edu/admissions/alumni