knox magazine - spring 2016

SPRING 2016

Margo Shively, Lecturer in Theatre, Designer & Supervisor of the

Margo Shively shares her “office” with as many as a dozen students at a time. Perhaps that's not suprising: Theatre is one of the most collaborative of academic disciplines, and her workspace—the costume shop in the basement ofFord Center for the Fine Arts—is no exception. Each term, Margo works withstudents to design and create the costumes for mainstage productions. And she’sdone this since 1984, when she joined the department after spending nearly adecade designing clothes for the fashion industry. In addition to offering her expertise, advice, and friendship to Knox students, she is also an active member ofthe United States Institute for Technology and consults with designers at the GuthrieTheatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and American Players Theatre, among other companies.

Welcome to her “office.”

PETER BAILLEY ’74

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Open Door Costume Shop

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1. Spider legs designed with Franzesca Mayer ’13; worn by Lena Brandis ’13 as Tartagliona in the 2013 production of The GreenBird.

2. Wings designed with Allison Smith ’10; worn by Devan Cameron’10 as the Angel in the 2010 production of Angels in America.

3. Tape with names on bulletin board: Work enough in the cos-tume shop and you get a box for your stuff, with your name on apiece of tape. Lately, as students graduate, they’ve posted thosetapes on the costume shop bulletin board. As of spring 2016: Mag-dalena “Lani” Tortoriello ’08, Megan Hall ’08, Kelsey Ingle ’11,Kate Donoghue ’12, Allison Smith ’10, Carla Hamilton ’10, AishaMergaert ’12, Alice Fredrickson ’11, Katie O’Connor ’12, PeterGlinsmann ’10, Paul Lurenz ’12, Alyssa Kennamer ’14, HannahCompton ’14, Evelyn Langley ’14, Miranda Loeber ’14, ChloeLuetkemeyer ’14, Carly Berinstein ’15, Autumn Rohweder ’15, MollyOlson ’14, Franzesca Mayer ’13, Lena Brandis ’13, Mikah Berky’09, Nick Perry ’08, Analise Rahn ’10, Pat Topping ’12, Matt “Hundles” Hundley ’09, Katerina Chernykhivska ’10.

4. Infintely generous with attention, advice and patience, Margooften refers to her work with students simply as “problem solving.”Here, she works with sophomore Willa Coufal during this year’sRepertory Theatre Term.

5. Masks designed with Franzesca Mayer ’13 for the 2012 produc-tion of Twelfth Night.

6. Horse head mask designed by Margo for the 2005 production ofSkriker.

M A G A Z I N EVOLUME 100, ISSUE 1 SPRING 2016

DepartmentsOpen Door Inside front cover

2 East South Street

The South Lawn Page 26

Knox Writes Page 38

Class Knox Page 41

Parting Shot Inside back cover

Max Utsler Goes ProLearn how a former Knox hardballer found a place in Major

League Baseball, plus a few tips on how to keep score the old-fashioned way this baseball season.

Page 10

The Age of Anxiety Read about the ways that Knox is addressing and enhancing the

wellness needs of today’s students.

Page 14

Life as a Transgender ManSean Gormley ’96 candidly shares his story of coming out

as a transgender man with friend and classmate Philippa Cumming Stasiuk ’96.

Page 7

Unpacking an Honors ProjectEver wonder what it takes to complete an Honors project in chemistry?

Follow the step-by-step process involved as senior Brad Musselman explores liquid crystals.

Page 18

editor

Megan Scott ’96

assistant editor

Pam Chozen

assoCiate editor

Peter G. Bailley ’74,

News & Photography

layout designers

Becky Hale

Ami Jontz

Contributors, Writing &photography

Adriana Colindres

Evan Temchin ’10

Cheri Siebken

Niki Acton ’16

Special thanks to Melissa Arney and Lori Reed.

Knox Magazine is published twice yearly by the Office of Communications,Box K-233, Knox College, Galesburg, IL 61401-4999; Phone: 309-341-7760;Fax: 309-341-7718; E-mail: [email protected].

It is distributed free of charge to Knox alumni, students, parents, and friends.The magazine welcomes information and story ideas. Please query beforesubmitting manuscripts.

ISSN: 0047-3499

Visit us online at www.knox.edu/knoxmag.

PETE

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On the cover: The results of senior Brad Musselman’s Honors project in chemistry. To read more about his research, see page 18.Photo by Evan Temchin ’10.

Rep Term XVIIStudents perform in The Secret in the Wings,one of the two productions in this year’sRepertory Theatre Term, a.k.a. Rep Term. The only undergraduate theatre immersionprogram in the United States, Rep Term combines academic study with all of the experiences that one would gain in operatinga professional repertory theatre company.

4 KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2016

Editor’s Note

A New Fire is Burningne of the things I love most about my job at Knox (aside from editing Knox Magazine, of course) is encountering new projects each year. During my time here, I’ve overseen the launch of a new website, helped to produce theCollege’s first livestream broadcast, welcomed a sitting U.S. president to campus, learned more about hashtags

and social media analytics than I ever thought possible, and, most recently, helped to roll out a new logo for Prairie Fire athletics. Of all of these projects, I think I learned the most—and had the mostfun—on the Prairie Fire logo.

Now I’m not known to be a huge sports enthusiast. I appreciate a good base-ball game, particularly if I’m at the ballpark with a beer and some peanuts,and I will partake in the annual ritual known as March Madness, especially ifMichigan State makes the tournament (my love of the MSU Spartans makes little sense, but runs deep). And between my oldest daughter’s participation inyouth soccer and the Prairie Fire soccer teams’ amazing seasons, my love ofthe sport is growing. But participating in the logo redesign process helped metruly appreciate the importance of athletics for a school like Knox.

It made me think about what an athletics logo—and the athletics program itself—represents for the College and our community: history, tradition, excellence, community, and pride. I workedmore closely with our athleticsdepartment than ever beforeand came to better understandthe process behind ordering uniforms and outfitting our courtsand fields. I experienced firsthandthe excitement of our student-athletes when they first saw a version of the new logo. And Iwatched as an energized crowd decked out in flame hatscheered on the men’s and women’s basketball teams on the day of the logo

reveal. (My family even joined me for the event, flame hats proudly displayed.)

I’m proud of the new Prairie Fire logo. It’s bold; it’s exciting; it looks like a prairie fire! I’m proud of the work that went into itscreation and promotion. And I’m especially proud of those flame hats—seeing a crowd of purple, yellow, and orange flameswas pretty impressive. Go Fire!

—Megan Scott ’96

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“It’s bold; it’s exciting; it looks like aprairie fire!”

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2016 5

2 East South Street

Missing BackgroundColorGreat photo essay on the Monument Valley/Four Corners area in your fall2015 publication. But missing was somebackground color—Knox Collegeowned the famous landmark Goulding’sTrading Post for about a year (1988-89)or so. Not mentioned in the article andforgotten by many, just a side note tothe essay.

—David Riske ’73

Editor’s Note: Mr. Riske reminds us of afascinating connection in Knox’s history.Harry Goulding and his wife, Leone (alsoknown as Mike), were good friends ofbeloved Knox professor Samuel Moon andtransferred ownership of the famous Goulding Lodge, where John Ford filmedmany Westerns, to Knox in 1962. You canread more about the history of Goulding’sLodge in Samuel Moon’s Tall Sheep:Harry Goulding, Monument ValleyTrader. The lodge was sold to new ownersin 1981 and, upon their passing in 1993,the Gouldings established the Goulding Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarship assistance to Navajo students or students living in the Four Corners regional of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico,and Arizona. The fund also supports theteaching on the Navajo Reservation immersive program, in which Knox students spend two weeks with Navajoteachers and students in reservation elementary schools.

Class Notes, Fountain ofYouth?Well done! I read and enjoyed everypage of the latest Knox Magazine thatarrived in today's mail. Of course, theClass Notes was indeed a highlight!The content, layout, photography, andinserts were exceptional. I liked the“Transformative Moment” insert.

Best news yet, the Class of ’76 is back beyond the staple! I had told fellowalumni that I knew that I was gettingolder when our Class Notes section fellbefore the center staple! Your latestissue made me feel young(er)!

—Ann Feldman Perille ’76

Kudos & Fond MemoriesJust wanted to commend you for agreat recent edition of your mag.Chock full of fascinating substance.Very well done.

I am not an alum but have taught inpoli sci on and off over the decades,have many dear friends at Ol’ Siwash,many of whom, like Seibert, R. Ander-son, Steckley, and others are fadingfrom the scene.

—Jim Nowlan

From One Editor to AnotherDear Editor,A very smart editorial. Like you, I lovedclass notes until I was responsible forthem, then I hated them. Now, ofcourse, I love them again!

—Susan “Laurie” Hall Muelder ’63 (and former editor of Knox Magazine)

Send us your letters!Knox Magazine welcomes the opinionsand comments of its readers. Write tothe Editor, Knox Magazine, Box K-233, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401-4999, or e-mail [email protected]. Letters should refer to material publishedin the magazine and may be edited forlength or clarity.

CorrectionOn the announcement of the death ofMarion Murphy in the fall 2015 issue,we inadvertently omitted the name ofher son, Jim Murphy ’82. We regretthis error.

Letters to the Editor

From the President

New Thinking for the 21st Centurywo blocks from Old Main, the steel skeleton of the Whitcomb Art Building has been taking shape over the winter months. I well remember the very beginning of this project, when I first walked the site with Professor Mark Holmes from the art department, and we imagined a beautiful, technologically innovative space for studio art and art history at Knox. In the

intervening years of planning and fundraising, I have taken as inspiration the late Steve Jobs’ wonderful observation: “It’s technologymarried with the liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our hearts sing.”

And our hearts have sung as we watched a tall crane carefully maneuvering into place the giant steel beamsthat form the bones of the building. The Whitcomb Art Building features a bold and contemporary design,and my favorite feature is the sawtooth roof, pitched to capture desirable north light for studio art. Datingback to the 19th century, sawtooth roofs were originally designed to bring sun into large-scaled spaces, andthey are making a comeback in today’s environmentally conscious times. Nothing like this building exists anywhere in Galesburg today, and we are very excited to see the building take shape as it moves from thetwo dimensions of flat construction documents into a three-dimensional entity that soars over its site on theeast side of campus.

The building will, of course, house all the elements of the College’s art program: painting, printmaking, design, sculpture, ceramics, drawing, metalworking and woodworking, and art history. A two-story critiquehall will provide a gallery-like setting in which to view and analyze student artwork. This will not only transform the teaching and making of art on campus, but it holds the promise of introducing Knox students

to new ways of thinking that are especially suited to the 21st century.

We hear much today about the need for creative problem-solving for the many challenges we face in the 21st century, and the potential that “design thinking” holds of addressing those challenges. What is design thinking? Richard Buchanan, professor of design, management and information systems at Case Western Reserve University, has called it “the new liberal arts of technologicalculture,” arguing that “there is no area of contemporary life wheredesign—the plan, project, or working hypothesis which constitutes the‘intention’ in intentional operations—is not a significant factor ofshaping human experience.” He describes four broad areas in whichdesign is manifest in contemporary life: design of symbolic and visualcommunications (think graphic design), design of material objects(think industrial design), design of activities and organized services(think organizational management), and design of complex systems or environments for living, working, playing, and learning (thinkurban planning). Design thinking in all of these realms integrates multiple and interdisciplinary perspectives to bring into being aninvention that is the answer to a question, the response to a need, or the solution to a problem. Recognizing this new liberal art, theCollege has just approved a design minor, an integrated suite of courses that will develop our students’ capacity for design thinking.

Design thinking is especially well suited to identifying solutions to what are called “wicked” problems. The great problems of the 21st century fall into this category, including climate change, income inequality, and massive refugee movements. These problemsare ill-defined, involve many stakeholders with conflicting perspectives, and are often symptoms of other problems.

As the Whitcomb Art Building takes shape, I grow ever more eager to experience the many ways in which our new space will sparkand feed the creativity that Knox students will bring to the wicked problems of the 21st century!

—Teresa Amott

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“The Whitcomb Art Building holdsthe promise of introducing Knoxstudents to new ways of thinkingthat are especially suited to the21st century.”



A Candid Look at Life as aTransgender Man

ean Gormley ’96 and I met as

neighbors in Post 9, an experi-

mental dorm housing an assortment

of misfits united by a penchant for

excess and the liberal application of

hair henna. We forged our friendship

through hacky sack, playing on the

patio behind the Gizmo before, after,

(and sometimes during) class. It was

a different time. My surname was

Cumming. Sean was still going by

the name of Sue.

We graduated from Knox in 1996

and, between living on different

coasts and then continents, lost

touch sometime in our 30s. He

couldn’t come to my wedding, but

he did send me a fantastic fondue

set. Like most of us from our Knox

days, I read about Sean’s new name

when he announced it as a birthday

present to himself on Facebook last

year.

Although Sean came out as

transgender with close friends and

family as early as 2004, two years

ago, something happened to trigger

his decision to physically transition

publicly. He and his son were

finishing lunch at a Chicago diner

near the school where Sean teaches

middle school science. Before leav-

ing, he took Gavin into the ladies’

room, but the five-year-old caught the

mistake immediately. He demanded

to know why he and his dad had

gone into the wrong bathroom.

S

PHOTOS AND TEXT BY PHILIPPA CUMMING STASIUK ’96

Sean Gormley ’96 says nobody at Knox reallyknew him. Now he’s ready to reintroduce himself.


P: I knew you best at Knox. Whatwere you thinking about genderidentity then?S: At Knox, I started to learn the wordsfor it. But I didn’t want to face it. I wasscared. Then I took a gender identityclass and that scared me even more. Iworried that I’d be perceived as a freak.I remember around that same time ask-ing my parents if I was intersex when Iwas born. They said no, and I burst intotears. I said, “Something is wrong withme, and I’m trying to figure it out.”

P: How did you begin the processto publicly transition?S: I had a conversation with my principal. She’s very practical. She said, “Alright. Let’s figure out how we’regoing to do this.” She helped me writea letter to my students’ parents explain-ing that I was transgender and that my preferred name is Mr. Sean Gormley.

P: Your colleagues, your students,and their parents…What weretheir reactions?S: I asked my principal not to tell me if there were complaints from any par-ents. I didn’t want to be biased againsttheir kids. But almost everybody just

took it in stride. And it wasn’t really anysecret. When I got hired in 2008, Iwore a man’s suit.

In the beginning, it took my studentsa while to use the right pronoun. I toldthem my pronoun is “he,” and pleaserefer to me that way. That first day wasa little hard and uncomfortable. ButI’ve been really lucky. People say thewrong thing out of ignorance and thathurts my feelings. But that’s not thesame as discrimination.

P: Tell me about the bureaucraticchallenges of transitioning.S: That’s been intense. On the day Iwent to the courthouse, I wished I hadsomeone with me. But nothing badhappened. I was just scared. The paper-work had to be notarized and then filedat the courthouse. Then I had to waitalmost two months. During that time, Ihad to publish my name change in anewspaper. There’s a legal paper thatdoes that.

On the day of my court date, I didn’tlike the way the judge looked at me.But he didn’t say anything and he approved it. I did that alone, too. Then I had to go to the social security officeand the DMV to change my license.

It was a watershed moment. Though openly transgender with friends in his

private life, at school he was still Ms. Gormley, and at the diner he’d worried

about running into a student in the men’s room. Now his son had just

witnessed him living a double life. Sean had been compartmentalizing his

gender identity depending on where he was or who he was with—and he felt

ashamed. He knew then that he had to be out in all parts of his life.

This fall, I visited Sean in Mayfair, a neighborhood in Chicago’s North Side.

Now openly living as a transgender man, he’s currently undergoing the two-

year physical transformation needed to match his body to the gender he’s

been associating with since birth. He’s an FTM—female to male transsexual.

Six months into a two-year course of testosterone, a steroid used to essen-

tially induce a second puberty, Sean’s voice cracks when he talks, his face is

rounder than the one I remember, and he has obvious muscle definition in his

arms. He now shaves the blond whiskers that poke out above his lips.

Following are excerpts from our conversation:

“People say thewrong thing out

of ignoranceand that hurtsmy feelings.

But that’s notthe same as

discrimination.”


The best part was changing my genderbox on my license because all I neededwas a letter from my doctor.

P: What about medical care? S: The Howard Brown Center here inChicago is amazing. They focus ontransgender and LGBT health. Ithought getting hormones would beone big rigmarole. The day I got hor-mones, they didn’t ask me questions totry and determine if this was right forme. They use a process called informedconsent, which allows members of thetrans community to make their own decisions about their bodies. We fast-forwarded over all that. I think becauseI was a late bloomer. A lot of peoplewho are transitioning are in their 20s.

P: Do you have a transgender support network?S: Around 2006, I went to an FTMsupport group. Everybody was transi-tioning, and I didn’t want to do that atthe time, so it made me feel worse. Istopped going. The people I enjoyhanging out with are from another support group. That’s the only commu-nity I feel I belong in. And school.They’ve been one of my biggest supports. I wouldn’t have wanted themto be overly supportive. They’re in themiddle. It’s a non-issue. Period.

P: You said your dad is your rolemodel and that your mom hasbeen slower to accept the transi-tion. Why do you think that is?S: My ex has some of the same feelingsas my mom. She once told me, “I knowthat to you, this Sue person never ex-isted. But to your mom she was a real

“I’m not saying I didn’t exist. But it was like wearing a costume that I never took off.”

person—her daughter. And she doesn’twant to lose that person in her life.” I’m not saying I didn’t exist. But it waslike wearing a costume that I never took off. Everyone thinks you’re thecostume. But you know you’re the person underneath. You knew me in my20s. The most important thing to mewas fitting in, being liked, and havingfriends. I did what I thought I had to doto get that. But I was drunk and highevery day. And nobody really knew me.

P: Have you found peace? S: Not yet. I’m hoping that when my transition is over, that will be theanswer. I didn’t want that to be the answer for a long time. I didn’t want to have to physically transform. I justwanted people to believe me. I wantedpeople to see me without having to dothat.

P: Are you lonely?S: Yeah. I never got to have malefriends. I’ve always had girlfriends, but

I missed out on having buddies. Itseems like such a big part of everyoneelse’s life. But my pals from my onesupport group are starting to treat meas one of the guys. And when I becameMr. Gormley, some of my colleaguesinvited me to Man Club. We go out todinner or play golf. But everyone’s really busy.

P: We’re past 40 now. Do you wishyou’d transitioned in your 20s? S: I don’t know. The world was so different. When I thought about doingit, I thought I’d have to take two yearsoff from my life, move, and start as atotally new person. It’d be like killingmyself and faking my death. That wasthe only way I could imagine it—killingSue and becoming someone new. I didn’t know I could keep my job, keepmy friends, keep my city.

I’m a pretty impulsive person. This isthe one thing in life I didn’t rush. I gavemyself a break. I did my best.

Sean at home in Chicago with his son’s dog, Munchkin.


This is how Max Utsler ’70 remembers his child-

hood in Knoxville, Illinois: “I wanted to be great at

something, and I chose baseball.”

He recalls batting practice against corncobs

pitched by his six-year-old sister and honing his

fastball by throwing at a target he painted on the

side of the family barn. He read every baseball

book he could get his hands on. “I studied the

great ones, Willie Mays and Ted Williams, and

some not-so great ones, such as Bobby Del Greco

and Don Blasingame.” And, of course, he played.

“Little League, Connie Mack League, American

Legion, college, summer collegiate league,” he

says. “I was never the best player on any team.

But I don’t think I was ever the worst.”

While it may have taken longer than he hoped,

Utsler finally made it to the big leagues in 2013—

as one of the official scorers for the 2015 World

Series champion Kansas City Royals.

How a formerKnox hardballerfound his placein Major League

BaseballBY PAM CHOZEN

9


The role of an official scorerUmpires may make the calls on the

field, but scorers determine the statis-tics—and, in baseball, statistics are oneof the most important parts of thegame. Fans turn to them to argue whothe best players of all time were; teamsincreasingly rely on them to draft play-ers, negotiate contracts, and even dic-tate game strategy. Until a few yearsago, scorers were mostly recruited fromthe ranks of current and former sportsreporters. “Then baseball decided itwanted to start getting away fromnewspaper writers,” Utsler says. Sincehe’d been keeping a detailed scorebookever since his days under legendaryKnox athletic director Harley Knosher,he asked the Royals to keep him inmind. After two years of waiting and anexam to confirm that he thoroughlyunderstood the rules of the game, hewas hired.

He now works about a quarter ofKansas City’s home games each season,producing the official account of whathappens on the field. When a hitterreaches base, for instance, it is Utsler’sresponsibility to determine whether hegot there because of a hit or a fielding

error. “The basic rule of anerror is that it’s a play thatcould have been made with‘ordinary effort.’ But there’snothing ordinary about theseguys at all—Lorenzo Cain incenter field, Alcides Escobarat shortstop, they kind ofdefy explanation. Theymake it look so easy thatwhen they do miss a ball,you wonder, ‘Can I reallygive that guy an error?’ Ifhe can’t make that play, no one can.”

It can be a high-pressure position.“Baseball is a big-money business, anda lot of player contracts have incentivesthat are built around numbers like batting average, earned run average(ERA), and runs batted in (RBIs). I’mvery mindful that my decisions canhave a significant impact on someone’sfinances.” In the old days, playerssometimes personally visited the pressbox to protest decisions. Now, theirteam has to request a review from theleague, which determines whether itmerits further investigation.

While Major League Baseball—Utsler’s official employer, not the

Max Utsler9Royals—hosts annual training, andscorers can communicate with eachother in a private online forum, duringthe heat of competition, Utsler has onlyhis own instincts. “There’s a DVR atmy workstation where I can take another look at a play, see it in slow-motion. Early on, I was going to theDVR a lot, and it was slowing down mydecisions. Mike Swanson [an old familyfriend from Galesburg and currentlythe vice president of communicationsand broadcasting for the Royals] toldme, ‘Trust your eyes; trust your baseballjudgment.’”


From coach to professorAnd there’s no doubt that Utsler has

developed plenty of baseball judgmentover the years. The sport has been acritically important part of his life, anda factor in many of his major life decisions, since he was a kid. At Knox,where he played on both the baseballand football teams all four years, ithelped him pick a major. He choseAmerican studies because the degreequalified him to teach either English or

social studies, and he thought thatwould make it easier to find a coaching position. After he moved toMinneapolis and discovered that heneeded certification in physical education to coach at the junior high orhigh school level, he took a volunteerposition with the University of Minnesota baseball team instead.

For a time, it looked like coachingcollege baseball would be his career.Though he soon decided to pursue a

master’s degree in journalism at University of Missouri, it was mostlybecause he’d been told he needed agraduate degree to become a headcoach. In fact, he says that one of themain benefits of his graduate assistant-ship supervising a local morning newsprogram was that it left him plenty oftime to work with the baseball team inthe afternoons. He only fell back intoteaching by accident, after a faculty

member in his program quit mid-semester and Utsler took over one ofhis classes. Missouri hired him to teachfull-time after he graduated.

Even then, he kept coaching for another two years, until he says, “Ireached a crossroads in my career. I decided I’d be happier as a full-timejournalism professor than as a full-timecoach. I didn’t enjoy recruiting, as itturns out—too cutthroat. In journalism,so long as you keep your doors open,

great students show up everyyear.” He completed a Ph.D.and was eventually appointedchair of the broadcast department.

And then he quit. In search of fresh challenges,

he moved to St. Louis to be-come assistant news director atthe local NBC affiliate, whichwas in the midst of a majortransition. The position offeredeverything that attracted Utslerto broadcast journalism in thefirst place. “When the clockstrikes 10, the news is on, andyou either have it done orthere’s going to be a blankscreen. It’s fast-paced; it’s com-petitive. You’re going head tohead against other stations forratings. It’s a lot like sports.”

But, within a year, that excitement had already begun to ebb.“It started to feel like Groundhog Day.We finally got all the pieces in place,and then my job became steering theship rather than getting out there anddoing stuff.” When University ofKansas asked him to interview for anopening at its journalism school, he wasintrigued. Like the news station he hadjoined, the school was in the process ofremaking itself. “I thought, I’ll stay

“I decided i’d be happier as a journalism professor than as a coach.”SU

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Utsler bats for theKansas City Cubs atthe Roy Hobbs WorldSeries in Ft. Myers,Florida.


The ScorecardMost teams include a blank scorecard in their game program,but you can also find them at yourlocal sporting goods store. Thebasic design includes a grid of 10diamonds for each inning, inwhich each at-bat is recorded.Scorers track balls and strikes,where the ball was hit, and the result of the at-bat.

Scorekeeper Shorthandpositions

The players on the field are referred to by numbers that indicate their defensive position:1 - Pitcher2 - Catcher3 - First Base4 - Second Base5 - Third Base6 - Shortstop7 - Left Field8 - Center Field9 - Right FieldDH - Designated Hitter

At-Bats

The results of the at-bat are noted:S (or -) - SingleD (or =) - DoubleT (or ) - TripleH (or ) - HomerunSH or SAC - SacrificeBB - Walk IBB - Intentional walkK - StrikeoutBackwards K - Called out on strikesBK - BalkFC - Fielder’s choiceWP - Wild pitchHP - Hit by pitchPB - Passed ballSB - Stolen baseDP - Double playE - ErrorSF - Sacrifice flyF - Foul flyFO - Force outLD - Line driveB - BuntU - Unassisted

plays

Triple

Ground out fieldedby the pitcher for the first out of the inning

Fly out to left fieldfor the third out ofthe inning

SCOREKEEPING 101Scoring a baseball game by hand is something of a dying art, yet there’s no better way for casual fans to refine their understanding of the game.

here five years, and then I’ll move on.”He has been there for 32 years now.

Winning the long game“The reason I didn’t stick with

broadcast news was that I loved thepeaks, when the story is changingminute by minute, but not the valleys.Most days, you start at nine in themorning and are scrambling to getsomething ready for the five o’clocknews.” As a professor, he still gets to experience those peaks vicariously—inDecember, he watched as one of hisformer students, a news photographerin Los Angeles, posted live updatesfrom the scene of the San Bernardinoterrorist attack. He also has time topursue his other interests. In additionto his work with the Royals, he occa-sionally serves as statistician for theKansas City Chiefs and plays icehockey with the Opossums.

Baseball, obviously, also remains apriority. “I love it. I play two nights aweek in the Kansas City Men’s SeniorBaseball League; I also keep score for the Kansas City T-Bones [an independent league team] when I can.One of the perks of being a scorer isthat I get the MLB.TV package, so thenights I’m not working, I watch everyCardinals game.”

So while he may never have becometruly great at baseball, it does seem asthough baseball led him to greatness allthe same: a long, rich, and varied careerthat keeps him engaged semester aftersemester, season after season. “A lot ofmy Knox classmates have retired, andpeople have started to wonder when Iwill. But, look—as a professor, I read, Iwrite, and I talk. If I retired, I’d havemore time to...read, write, and talk? SoI guess I’ll just keep doing this for awhile longer.”

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“I decided i’d be happier as a journalism professor than as a coach.”


BY JANE CARLSON

Anxiety in recentyears has surpassed

mild to severe depression as the

most prevalent presenting mentalhealth concern oncollege campuses.

elsie Pos didn’t experience serious anxiety before she went to college.

But when the sophomore biology major first arrived at Knox from Salt Lake City, symptoms almost immediately began to brew.

Pos struggled with new standards of academicrigor and deciding on a major, being away from herfamily, and the pressure to take advantage of allKnox has to offer, academically and socially.

“When you come here, you’re trying to blaze yourown trail,” Pos said. “You know the importance ofbeing in college and you want to make the most ofit, but it is difficult.”

The Age of AnxietyADDRESSING AND ENHANCING THEWELLNESS NEEDS OF STUDENTS

K


Pos isn’t alone. Nationally and atKnox, anxiety in recent years has surpassed mild to severe depression asthe most prevalent presenting mentalhealth concern on college campuses.While all students experience somelevel of stress, Pos felt overwhelmedand was experiencing physical manifes-tations of her anxiety. So she soughthelp through the counseling center, and now serves on the Health andCounseling Center Advisory Board,one of several initiatives at Knox to address an uptick in anxiety and mentalhealth concerns.

“The resources are growing, andthere’s so much more that people canget from the counseling center thanpeople are aware of,” Pos said. “I thinkthis is the first year the counseling center is distinctive from the healthcenter.”

Understanding a nationwide issue

According to a 2014 study from theCenter for Collegiate Mental Health,mental health and counseling centershave seen an 8 percent increase in use on U.S. campuses. At Knox, the percentage of students who seek mentalhealth counseling had been hoveringbetween 20 and 23 percent but reached25 percent in the 2014-2015 academicyear, according to Dan Larson, directorof counseling services.

Data from the 2014 National CollegeHealth Assessment II research surveyfrom the American College Health Association reveals 19 percent of Knoxstudents surveyed said they weretreated or diagnosed for anxiety withinthe previous 12 months, including 10percent of the men and 20 percent ofthe women surveyed. This is in linewith 21 percent of students nationally

who were diagnosed or treated for anxiety within the time period, accord-ing to Charles Clark, chief institutionalresearch officer.

Where Knox more significantly surpasses the national figures is students experiencing feelings of helplessness and overwhelming anxietybut not necessarily seeking treatmentor being diagnosed within the last 12months. Nationally the total is 62 percent—including 66 percent of females and 49 percent of males surveyed. At Knox, 70 percent of thestudents surveyed reported experienc-ing those feelings, including 77 percentof females and 48 percent of males surveyed, according to Clark.

That discrepancy isn’t necessarilyreason for alarm at Knox in terms ofanxiety levels. Larson said Knox iswithin the range for residential liberalarts colleges. Slightly higher numbersdo not necessarily reflect a muchgreater need for services but, rather,that there may be less of a stigma atKnox for seeking treatment, he explained.

What’s important, Larson stressed, isgiving the students the tools andknowledge to identify problems and tocontinue reducing stigma in seekingtreatment.

“We want the students to make thecall, and to put them in control,” Larson said. “Our role is to make surethey know what services we have, thatit’s confidential, that there shouldn’t be

any stigma, and there is no extra cost.” Clark said Knox is reflecting national

trends with its increase in anxiety casesover the past few years.

“We are a little higher but I think themajority of institutions are grapplingwith this situation,” Clark said.

Expanding campus resourcesTo meet the demand, Knox has

added a second full-time counselor andsexual assault advocate. Two part-timecounselors are also on hand, as thecounseling center works to addressconcerns of long wait times to see acounselor during peak times of stresseach term. The new Health and Counseling Center Advisory Board,comprised of staff and students, servesas the eyes and ears of what studentsare talking about on campus, works toreduce the stigma of seeking counsel-ing, educates students about stress andanxiety, and focuses on sexual assaultprevention. As part of those efforts, numerous group therapy opportunitiesare now available to students, on topicsincluding stress, anxiety, and eating

disorders, and are offered at times that are easy to fit into students’ schedules.

“Because of confidentiality issues,group sessions have been difficult inthe past, but culturally, we are startingto be more open to them,” Larson said.

Increasing awareness of the servicesavailable in the counseling center hasbeen a charge of Janell McGruder, staff

“We have an obligation to helpour students learn to negotiatethe world.”


counselor and sexual assault advocate atKnox since fall 2015. In addition tocounseling students and serving as aconfidential advocate for students dealing with sexual assault and the TitleIX process, McGruder works to makeavailable services known to students viaonline newsletters and campus pro-grams such as Wellness Wednesdaysand Mindful Mondays.

In response to awareness of the negative impacts of stress and anxietyon students’ success, Knox is also offering research-based online trainingsimulations that can help students, faculty, and staff better understandmental health concerns on campus andtake the necessary steps for treatment.Larson and McGruder said the increased staffing and extensive studentinvolvement has improved service andoutcomes at the counseling center, although with more resources, outreachand prevention efforts could be evenfurther enhanced, and students still doexperience wait times for non-emer-gency counseling services. Likewise, alack of psychiatric care available locallyis a concern, Larson said.

“Our role here is to make sure students know what counseling serviceswe have, and there is no stigma and noextra cost,” Larson said. “There’s noproblem too small or too large; we area good first step in addressing a prob-lem. If additional outside resources areneeded, we can help in the referralprocess.”

Prioritizing what studentsneed to thrive

Better addressing and enhancing thewellness needs of students is one of the

main tenets of Knox’s Becoming OneCommunity initiative, which seeks to eliminate barriers of equity and inclusion that prohibit students fromfull participation in every educationalopportunity. It is an acknowledgmentthat students who have suffered assaultor trauma or who have mental healthconditions may need different kinds ofsupport to succeed.

Dean of Students Deb Southern saidthe College’s role in assessing and addressing mental health concerns is to help students take advantage of alleducational opportunities available, andto give students the resources neededto deal with the issues that stand in theway of their success.

“As a residential liberal arts college,we have an obligation to help our students learn to negotiate the world,and that includes how to access helpand services in the community whenthey are needed,” Southern said.

This also means the College needstocontinually assess needs and carefullyallocate resources, not simply identify aneed and add services, Southern said.Using data, the College will target andprioritize mental health services to bestserve students.

“A student is a whole person, so youneed to deal with the whole person—intellectual, physical, spiritual, andemotional,” Southern said. “Develop-mentally, you cannot just address theintellectual part of person. You have todo it holistically, and that’s what a residential liberal arts college does.We’re not protecting people from bad things. We’re helping them to negotiate those things in a supportiveenvironment.”

Editor’s Note: After the magazine went into production, we learned that Dan Larson was stepping down as director of counseling services to pursue his private practice. JanellMcGruder will serve as interim director until the position is filled permanently.


During senior Brad Musselman’s time at

Knox, he has created numerous metallomesogens

(metallic substances thatpossess both solid and liquid characteristics).

This small set was createdspecifically for his Honors

project.

UNPACKING AN HONORS PROJECT


TEXT BY PAM CHOZENPHOTOS BY EVAN TEMCHIN ’10

enior Brad Musselman usually carries his Honorsproject, the culmination of four years of chemistry

courses and seven months of intensive experimentation,in a cardboard box. It holds an array of sample dishes,each with a thin crust of blue, blue-green, purple, gold,or amber on the bottom. Those brilliantly colored substances are liquid crystals, similar in some respects to the liquid crystals you’ll find inside smartphonetouchscreens, LEDs, photovoltaic batteries, and ultra-thin high-definition televisions. The objective of Musselman’s research was to develop a method ofsynthesizing a novel form of copper-based liquid crystalwith subtle structural and functional changes, such as alower melting point, that could potentially have practi-cal applications in the future. What his box holds, infact, are chemical compounds that didn’t exist beforeMusselman created them in the lab.

The official title of his project is “Axial Site Reactivityof Multinuclear Copper (II) Carboxylate Metallomeso-gens;” if all goes according to plan, you’ll find it listedamong the other College Honors in this year’s Commencement program. Under the guidance ofchemistry professor Tom Clayton, he’s been explor-ing the behavior of liquid crystals since arrivingat Knox. The summer after Musselman’s firstyear, he volunteered to work in Clayton’s labfor free so he could continue to experiment.Fortunately, in subsequent years, Musselmanwas able to secure institutional supportfor his summer work. In additionto receiving the Glenn M. Nagel Undergraduate Research FundAward in Chemistry, he obtainedfunding from Knox’s Vovis Centerfor Research and Advanced Study,

Photographer Evan Temchin ’10 takes an up-close look at a scientific breakthrough

UNPACKING AN HONORS PROJECT

including a Paul K. Richter and Evalyn Elizabeth CookRichter Memorial Fund Scholarship for summer research and was selected for the Artists, Scholars, Scientists, & Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow (ASSET) program for high-achieving students pursuing intensiveindividual projects.

Others have been able to synthesize liquid crystalsfrom copper since the 1960s. “But they were always kindof crummy,” says Musselman. “They decomposedquickly. I thought, wouldn’t it be great to make thembetter—decrease the melting point, improve the viscosity?” He went through months of trial and error,carefully weighing out different amounts of copper,caprolactam (a precursor of nylon), and solvent, mixingthem together, heating them, and then carefully watching for the exact moment when the compound developed a crystalline structure—a transformationmarked by a vivid shift in color.

Once he hit upon the right formula, he then had toprove the substance he’d created was exactly what heclaimed it was, replicating the experiment again andagain, carefully monitoring temperatures and using X-ray diffraction and infrared (IR) spectroscopy to

verify the molecular makeup of the new compound.Based on what he observed, he was able to drawconclusions about exactly what it was about thenew substance’s structure (the “axial sites” referenced in the project title) that enabled it to

transform from solid to liquid at a lower temperature.

This is, of course, a wildly simplifiedexplanation of what’s happening insideMusselman’s flasks. In the followingphotos, we’ll walk you through hisprocess step by step.

S


Once combined with other compounds, the copper chloride mixture turns from blue to brown. Brad adds

toluene to continue the reaction. He likens it to “tryingto dissolve table salt in gasoline.”

As in most chemistry experiments, weighing is thekey to success. Brad measures out precise amountsof copper chloride to begin the experiment.


Brad “roto-vaps” (a combinationof simultaneously rotating andevaporating) the liquid solvents,leaving only the solid compound.


Brad Musselman is only the latest ofTom Clayton’s students to investigatethe behavior of copper dimers. Thechemistry professor has been studyingtransition metals since he first arrivedat Knox in 1991, and Musselman’s project is just the latest addition to 25years of research conducted by him andhis students. As in the labs of many ofClayton’s Knox colleagues, Clayton’s

Adding caprolactam is one of the keysteps in this process; the vivid colorchange from yellowish-brown toturquoise-blue begins the final stages of the experiment.

students don’t merely assist him in hisown experiments; under his supervi-sion, they learn how to design and conduct their own research. This approach has both advantages—promising students get a head start on the sort of work they’ll perform as graduate students and professionalresearch scientists—as well as somelimitations. “Undergraduate research

moves at a slow pace,” observes Clayton, “but publishable results haveemerged from the careful notebooks ofseveral gifted students.”

Nonetheless, his lab’s track record isimpressive. Musselman’s is the 20thHonors project he has supervised.Thirteen of his students have gone onto earn doctorates in chemistry; threeothers have graduated from medical

FINDING THE RIGHT CHEMISTRY


school. (These results are consistentwith Knox’s entire chemistry department, which has ranked among the top 25 undergraduate U.S. chemistry programs in terms ofPh.D. production since the mid-1970s.)For his part, Musselman has alreadybeen accepted into doctoral programsat University of Chicago, University of Michigan, and University of

Pennsylvania. He thinks he may wantto teach eventually.

Clayton and future Knox chemistrystudents will continue to build uponMusselman’s research. Clayton thinks itcould conceivably be possible for liquidcrystals like these to be used in theirfluid phase as the reaction medium forsome commercial processes, whichcould potentially reduce chemical waste

by eliminating the need for solvents.He also expects many more students tomake the transition from his lab toPh.D. programs around the country.“I’m not a stern authority,” he laughs.“Mostly I ask that they keep things operating safely. It makes for a productive student culture. And it prepares them for the independence ofgrad school.”

FINDING THE RIGHT CHEMISTRY

No paper filters here. Vacuum filtration through a filter made fromthe shells of tiny sea animals helpsensure the metallomesogen is pureand free from solvents.


To get a better understanding ofthe structure of themetallomesogen, Brad places thesample on a copper microscopestage that will heatthe sample to aprecise tempera-ture. He then heatsthe sample, letsthe sample cool,and then heats itagain, continuallymonitoring andphotographingevery stage andform the metal-lomesogen takes.(Samples of thesephotographs arebelow andthroughout thestory.)

also running a balancing act, accordingto SPARK faculty member, history professor Konrad Hamilton.

“Knox students are famous for want-ing to work in the community, and theyalso want to balance their activities—academic, extracurricular, and in thecommunity,” Hamilton says.

Several upperclass Knox students alsoserved as peer mentors, working withthe SPARK students in their academicand campus activities.

“It gave me a head start on what col-lege is about, especially here at Knox,”says Van Johnson III of Milwaukee,Wisconsin. “I knew Knox was a lot dif-ferent from colleges across the country,and I thought, this might be the placefor me, for the things I’m interested in.I’m definitely glad I did it.”


The South Lawn

College is a four-year-long marathon—whew! Each year also includes morethan a dozen “sprints”—finals, papers,etc.—whew again!

Does it help to show up two weeksearly, spend several hours a day work-ing on academics, especially writingand math? Does it help if you can alsoget to know the campus, the offices, thepeople?

Yes, according to students who tookpart in Knox College’s new SPARKProgram. After completing the pro-gram prior to the start of the regularacademic term this past fall, partici-pants say that SPARK does exactlywhat it says—Student Preparation andReadiness for Knox—and more.

The students worked with faculty onacademics, receiving a half-credit-course on their transcripts. They tookpart in workshops with library staff onresearch skills. The students alsocrafted collages in the art department

and went on field trips toKnox’s urban farm and 700-acre biological field station.For two afternoons, theyfanned out across campus to meetKnox faculty and key personnel in campus offices.

Giving students an in-depth previewof how a liberal arts college “works” isone of the goals of the faculty and staffwho organized SPARK. Daily classesfocused on academic challenges—math,writing, critical reading, analysis, anddiscussion.

“For me, the challenging part wasalso the fun part,” says Aziza Bentsi-Enchill of Matthews, North Carolina.“There was a lot of work that had to bedone at the same time, and you had tofigure out how to get it all done ontime. The sense of accomplishmentthat I feel is really great.”

At the same time that students arerunning a four-year marathon, they’re

SPARK Previews Academics & Campus Life

Left: SPARK students talk with Associate Professor Fernando Gomez in his office during a campus-wide “treasure hunt” thatfamiliarized them with Knox people, places,offices and services.

Below: another team of treasure-huntingSPARK students walk between buildings.

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On March 1, 2016, Knox welcomed Dr. Anne Ehrlich tocampus as the new vice president for student development.Before joining the Knox community, Dr. Ehrlich previouslyserved as dean of students at Woodbury University, a small,private university just north of Los Angeles, California. Shereceived her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Universityof California, San Diego, a master’s degree in social workfrom the University of Michigan, and a doctorate in educa-tional leadership from University of California, Los Angeles.Prior to her work at Woodbury University, Dr. Ehrlich heldpositions in residential life and student life at Whittier College and the University of Michigan.

Knox Magazine had the opportunity to ask her a few questions before she officially joined the Knox community in March. Here’s what she had to say:

What drew you to this position?

The majority of my career has been spent at small, private institutions; I value the community feel and the deep relationships I have been able to develop with students, especially, and colleagues. Knox particularly stood out to mebecause of the diversity and energy of the student body, andthe institution’s commitment to allowing each individual student to find themselves—whether it be within the curriculum or in co-curricular activities.

Based upon your interactions to date, howwould you describe the Knox community?

Warm, welcoming, and passionate—a great blend of Mid-western hospitality balanced with high standards of academicrigor and a focus on strengthening individuals and society asa whole.

What do you think are Knox’s greateststrengths?

Knox is an institution that transforms lives and is very clearabout that mission. Everyone I’ve met so far has been unifiedin their assessment of Knox’s values—respect for others andfor community, service, and a desire to help students findtheir passion. Faculty and staff are invested in getting toknow students on a one-on-one basis, challenging them, andsupporting them in their quest for meaning and purpose. Inother words, they really care, and they care on both the campus-wide and the individual student levels.

What do you think are Knox’s greatest challenges?

Like many small, private, tuition-dependent institutions,Knox is struggling with how to do more with less. This is notnew to me. So we look for ways to save money and be respon-sible stewards of families’ tuition dollars while still providingthe high level of programs and services our students deserve.It’s certainly challenging, but by no means impossible.

Describe the importance of residential life andstudent development at a liberal arts collegelike Knox?

While academics are by far a student’s first priority in college,students spend approximately 80 percent of their time outsideof the classroom. At an institution like Knox, a lot of thattime is spent in the residence halls. So it’s critical that stu-dents’ co-curricular experiences—from residential life to participating in a fraternity or sorority—are intentionally designed to help them become responsible, well-rounded,productive citizens. And have some fun, of course!

Knox Welcomes New Vice President of Stud ent Development

Anne Ehrlich in heroffice in Old Main.

Fired Up/ Burned Out

Knox has always been dedicated to access for students of allbackgrounds, and folks outside of Knox are taking notice. Forthe last three years, Knox has been ranked by WashingtonMonthly as one of the top 15 schools in the nation for its contribution to the public good. This fall, the New York Timesalso gave a shout-out to Knox for its commitment to eco-nomic diversity. The Times named Knox, along with schoolslike Harvard, UCLA, and Vassar, as one of the top 15 U.S.colleges and universities doing the most for low-income students. These are terrific reminders that you don’t have tobe the largest or even the richest school to make sure thatstudents have access to a transformational education.

SmolderingAfter the retirement of dining services manager HelmutMayer last spring, Knox opted to bring in an outside man-agement firm to run dining services. After consultation andopen forums with the campus community, Bon Appétit waschosen for the job. It’s been a bit of a shaky transition. Manyfolks are very happy with the quality of the food and themanagement; others not as much. As Keith Archer, vice president for finance and administrative services, stated inan e-mail to campus, “As in any transition, there have beenmany improvements and some missteps along the way . . .we are committed to providing the best possible dining experience for our students and community.”

As of press time, Knox—and all other colleges and universitiesin Illinois—are awaiting payment for MAP (Monetary AwardProgram) grants. These grants are promised to qualified Illi-nois students each year to help pay for college tuition, andthey’ve essentially been held hostage in a budget showdownbetween Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and the legislature.More than 300 Knox students and 130,000 total students inIllinois are caught in the middle. Hey, Illinois lawmakers andgovernor, #MapMatters for our students.

Fired Up


The South Lawn

How has student develop-ment/residential life changedin the last decade or more?

It’s changed, and it hasn’t. The demographic of the student body hascertainly changed—we are providing access to an increasingly diverse pool of students, but significant achievementgaps remain. Students from underrepre-sented populations are persisting andgraduating at rates lower than their majority peers. On the academic side,support programs at Knox, such asTRIO and the McNair Program, havebeen successfully addressing this issue.Student development also has a particularly important role in helpingour campus understand, respond to, andbenefit from the diversity of our studentbody. There is also an increased call foraccountability—higher education is expensive, and we must be able todemonstrate that students are getting

what their families are paying for. In other words, are students learning what we think they’re learning, and how do we know that? While this is not a new concept for the academic side of the house, it is a relatively new concept forstudent development. So we must make sure that our work isdata driven. For example, while we want students to have funas members of student organizations, we also want them todevelop leadership skills, which means we need to measurethe net change in their leadership abilities from pre-org involvement to post-org involvement. Finally, students are requiring that we keep up with technology. But at the end of the day, students are still students—they want to learn,they want to grow, they want to be respected for who theyare, and they want us to care about them. That will neverchange.

What is one of the first things you are going todo when you get to campus?

Listen. And go back to the Gizmo for more french fries—they were delicious!

Knox Welcomes New Vice President of Stud ent DevelopmentPE

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Three Faculty N amed to Endowed ChairsThree Knox faculty members havebeen named to endowed chairs in psychology, history, and American history.

Heather Hoffmann, professor of psychology, has been named to theRobert M. and Katherine A. SeeleyDistinguished Professorship, succeed-ing Professor Emeritus George Steckley. The professorship was established in 1998 through a bequestfrom the son of the Seeleys, Robert A.Seeley ’51, who, along with his mother,was a direct descendant of SylvanusFerris, one of the founders and initialtrustees of Knox College, and of Benjamin Franklin Arnold, a trustee ofthe College from 1899 until his deathin 1920.

Konrad Hamilton, associate professor and chair of history, has beennamed as the Burkhardt DistinguishedChair in History, succeeding AssociateProfessor Catherine Denial, who hasbeen named to the inaugural BrightProfessorship in American History.

The Burkhardt Distinguished Chairin History was established in 2010through the generosity of Dr. RichardW. Burkhardt ’39 and Dorothy Johnson Burkhardt ’39. BothBurkhardts had long and distinguishedacademic careers and Dorothy was amember of the Board of Trustees atKnox from 1976 to 1990, when she waselected a life trustee.

The new Mary Elizabeth HandBright and Edwin Winslow Bright Professorship of American History issupported through a trust establishedby Edwin W. Bright and his wife, MaryElizabeth Hand Bright ’44. They

Peace Corps Prep Program Revamped, RelaunchedFor the third year in a row, Knox College has placed on the Peace Corps’ annual list of the top volunteer-producing colleges and universities across the country. With nine alumni currently serving overseas as Peace Corps volunteers, Knox ranks No. 14 among colleges and universities with fewer than5,000 students. In order to continue being a top volunteer producing college,Knox has revamped and relaunched the Peace Corps Preparatory Program toaddress changes to the Peace Corps application process.

New Peace Corps applicants now apply to work in a specific part of theworld and in one of six sectors. Before, prospective volunteers would not knowwhere they would be placed if their application was accepted.

Knox’s program has been revamped in response to feedback from returningalumni and to offer coursework and hands-on experience fulfilling the requirements in all six sectors: education, health, environment, agriculture,youth in development, and community economic development. Training students in all six sectors is rare among institutions of Knox’s size. Additionally,in an effort to give students a full four years to prepare, first-year students cannow join the preparatory program.

“Students in the prep program make more competitive applicants becausethey take their selected coursework with future service in mind, so lessonslearned can seem immediately applicable,” said Robin Ragan, director of thePeace Corps Preparatory Program. “Through the program, they also have access to more knowledge about the Peace Corps, the application process, andhow to present their skillsets.”

To date, more than 180 Knox College alumni have served in the Peace Corps including the nine alumni currently in the field.


The South LawnSparks

GREATEST CATCH

@THEVIRDAS,

RACE WON’T MATTER

intended their bequest tosupport the study of pre-Civil War American historyat Knox.

An endowed chair is thehighest honor that KnoxCollege can bestow upon afaculty member. It addsfunds to the faculty salarypool annually, ensuring thatKnox can recruit excellentfaculty and continue tooffer a broad and academi-cally rigorous curriculumto future generations of students.

Knox now has 22 endowed chairs.During Knox’s Above & Beyond

Three Faculty N amed to Endowed Chairs“Probably the

in Division III football history.”The Big Lead sports news site’s description ofthe catch, affectionately known as the tip, kick,then catch, made by Prairie Fire wide receiverIlir Emini ’16 against Lake Forest on Saturday,September 26, 2015

“I’m a chemistry major who’s doingIT work. I didn’t take a computer science class, but that doesn’t meanthat I couldn’t

Geoff Ziegler ’03, from his Career Impact Summit keynote address, “Life is Liberal Arts:Using Your Knox Education in the Real World,”November 19, 2015

“Pretty cool to see the work of

an alum of @KnoxCollege1837’sSigma Nu. Now to get him to cometo DC…”Dylan Gibson ’15, on Twitter, December 5,2015, responding to the news that comedianVir Das ’02 was performing in New York

“I envision a time when my blackness won’t matter and

. . . but we can’t get there by pretending, as if color doesn’t exist.”Kwame Zulu Shabazz, visiting instructor inAfricana studies, in his speech “The ColorblindProblem,” at the Martin Luther King, Jr. DayConvocation, January 18, 2016

initiative, the College’s goal is to endow10 additional chairs in established disciplines and in new fields of studythat will expand the Knox curriculum.

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DO THE JOB.”


Was study abroad always a part of your educational plans?

I have always seen science as my career path and French as an added bonus. Cominginto Knox, I was planning on majoring in biochemistry and taking some French classes,maybe doing a minor. But after planning out all four years at Knox, I realized I wouldhave time to study abroad.

How did you decide to study in Senegal?

I thought the opportunity to study French in a francophone country other than Francewould be very interesting and offer more diverse cultural experiences.

What were some of the most surprising aspects of your time in Africa?

Most people in Dakar speak French fluently, but the majority of people in Dakar actually speak Wolof most of the time. So it was really good to have Wolof classes and be learning a bit—it’s very interesting to see how much French gets mixed in. I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn a little bit of Wolof (and it reminded me howhard learning a language is in the beginning).

I really missed science, though! I think this was the first time since before middle schoolthat I haven't been taking at least one science class.

I am Knox — Sarah Kobernat ’16

Vitals

Hometown: Rockford, Illinois

Majors: Biochemistry and French

Campus Involvements: Chemistry Club, Pre-Health Club, Mortar Board

Class Year: 2016

Three Facts about Sarah

She initially planned only to minor in Frenchbut decided to pursue a second major after she realized she could complete the necessary credit hours while studying abroad.

She has studied French both in Europe, atKnox’s Besançon program, and in Africa, atLawrence University’s Francophone seminarin Dakar, Senegal.

She plans to earn a Ph.D. in the biomedicalsciences after graduating from Knox. She hasa special interest in autoimmune diseases.

PETER BAILLEY ’74


The South LawnU.S. Senator Dick Durbin will be thespeaker at the 2016 Commencementexercises. Senator Durbin, a Democratfrom Springfield, is the 47th U.S. Senator from the State of Illinois, thestate’s senior senator, and the convenerof Illinois’ bipartisan congressional delegation. He serves as the AssistantDemocratic Leader, the second highestranking position among the Senate Democrats. Senator Durbin has beenelected to this leadership post, alsoknown as the Minority Whip, by hisDemocratic colleagues every two yearssince 2005.

“It is an honor to welcome SenatorDurbin as this year’s Commencementspeaker,” says President Teresa Amott.“His commitment to public service andissues like college access and humanrights speaks to the College’s own long-standing commitments and

Senator Dick Durbin to Give Commencement Address

Knox has been awarded a grant of $800,000 from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support initiatives that expand opportunities for underrepresented students.

The grant, which covers a four-year period, will help theCollege implement a multifaceted program of academic support for students who represent the first generation intheir families to attend college, who come from low-incomehouseholds, or who report having a disability.

The program’s goal is to retain these deserving students atKnox so they may successfully complete their degrees by offering new opportunities at crucial points in their Knox educational experience.

The program will be directed by Laura Behling, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College. The

Mellon Foundation funding “expands the College’s thinkingabout how best to educate our students,” Dean Behling said.

The funding, she added, “aims to enhance the opportuni-ties for our students’ success by focusing on specific programs at crucial points in their college career and to address ourrapidly changing student demographics across all of our disciplinary offerings. It allows us to continue to be true toour mission of access and position Knox to embrace the 21st-century higher education landscape as a place of opportunityand possibility.”

Since 1970, Knox has been awarded 11 grants from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation totaling more than $2.6 million. The Mellon Foundation has a long history of supporting higher education and liberal arts colleges.

Knox Awarded $800,000 Grant to Enhance UnderrepresentedStudents’ Academic Success

priorities. The senior class officers arevery excited that we were able to securea Commencement speaker with a distinguished career in public serviceand dedication to many pivotal issuesfacing the nation today.”

During his nearly 20 years in theU.S. Senate, Durbin has sponsored or co-sponsored legislation on many key state and national issues, including education, healthcare, immigration and the DREAM Act, veterans benefits, consumer protection, and gun safety. Most recently, he urgedSenate leadership to take up and pass legislation to reauthorize thePerkins Loan Program, a critical lifeline for many low-income students.

Commencement will be held on Sunday, June 5, at 10:00 a.m. on theSouth Lawn of Old Main. SU

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Peace Corps Preparatory Program participants whohave been accepted into thePeace Corps

Go Figure

13Prairie Fire Volleyballwins this season, themost since 1995

Legacy students, orstudents who followa relative to Knox, inthe Class of 2019

26 Alumni who conducted mockinterviews during the AlumniNetworking Session, sponsoredby the Alumni Council duringHomecoming 2015

10 100%

Prairie Fire Soccer History Made: Men’s, Women’s Teams Both Qualify for Midwest Conference Tournament Finals

For the first time, both the men’s andwomen’s soccer teams made it to theconference tournament finals in November, capping off incredible seasons for both squads.

The men came within two minutes ofovertime in the Midwest ConferenceTournament finals, losing a 2-1 heart-breaker to Lake Forest. This was theteam’s third trip in a row to the tourna-

ment and secondconsecutive year inthe finals. In con-ference play, thePrairie Fire placedsecond with arecord of 12 wins,two losses, andthree ties.

Three men’s players were chosen forthe All-Midwest Conference first teamand one for the second team. This wasalso the second year that senior CharlesEdemba was chosen the conferenceDefensive Player of the Year. “To leadthe Midwest Conference with fourplayers on the All-Conference teamsspeaks to the season we had,” said men’shead coach Tyler Sheikh. “It was a joyto coach the team and each of the play-ers who earned these accolades.”

The Prairie Fire women defied all ex-pectations by making the school’s firstappearance in the Midwest Conferencechampionship game, where they lost inovertime to Carroll University. Thewomen finished the season with 12 wins,

four losses and two ties, setting a recordfor wins in a season. “I’m immenselyproud of their achievements,” saidwomen’s head coach Paul Lawrence,whose team included 29 first-years, sixsophomores, and two juniors.

After the team’s win against Grinnellearly in the season, he knew that—evenwith a young team—this didn’t need tobe a rebuilding year. “We started to realize that we had a real chance thisyear and that has been our mentalityfrom the first game. Why do we waittwo or three years for it to be ouryear—why can’t it be this year?”

The Prairie Fire earned four spots on the women’s soccer All-MidwestConference team.

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4,037Non-perishable food items collected by Blessings in a Backpack and the Student Athletic Advisory Committee to win the 2015Midwest Conference Canned Food Challenge

Flame foam hats distributed at themen’s and women’s home basketballgame on February 6, 2016

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A Cuban government store wherestaples like rice, eggs, and tooth-paste, are available to those withration books.

Above: The group frequentlyate in Paladars, newly authorized private restau-rants licensed by the Cubangovernment. This one wasnamed Le Neueva Era (TheNew Era).

Right: Professor Robin Metz lectures on ErnestHemingway's life at his

home, Finca Vigia, in thevillage of San Francisco

de Paula.

On the Road AgainOn March, 23 alumni andfriends traveled to Cuba aspart of Knox’s rejuvenatedalumni travel series. Theeight-day trip was led byalumnus Scott Schwar ’70,who has led 25 trips toCuba, with educational programming provided byPhilip Sydney Post Distin-guished Professor of EnglishRobin Metz.


Knox students will now be able tominor in three scientific fields that arein high demand in the marketplace andof high interest to students. Healthstudies, statistics, and astronomy jointhe 39 majors and 47 minors currentlyavailable at Knox.

The minors were developed by Knoxfaculty to meet the increasing studentinterest in these fields of study, whichalso complement a number of currentmajors. Through research of peer institutions, faculty found that theseminors aren’t widely offered, but aregrowing in demand.

“All three new minors are terrific additions to our liberal arts educationat Knox,” said Laura Behling, vice pres-ident for academic affairs and dean ofthe College. “They're interdisciplinary,blend theory with practice, provide newways of critically looking at the worldaround us, and engage and challengeKnox students in new, innovativefields.”

The new majors were developedthrough the support of a $400,000 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grantto explore new methods and technolo-gies for classroom teaching. “All threemajors will provide students with

important hands-on learning,” saidBehling. “Students who minor in healthstudies, for example, will complete aninternship in the community that

allows them to consider social, political, and economic influences onhealth. Astronomy minors will spendtime gazing through our telescope atopthe Science-Mathematics Center, andmaybe even travel with faculty to usemore powerful telescopes. Statistics minors will work with real-world data.”

Behling added that these minors“demonstrate the continual commit-ment our faculty have to educating our students in and for today’s world.”

Health StudiesThe minor in health studies at Knoxdoesn’t approach human health solelyfrom a scientific perspective. Rather, itanalyzes the biological, psychological,cultural, economic, spiritual, and ethical factors that impact the health of individuals and society as a whole.“It’s unique in that it’s not a medical approach, which is the traditional approach to thinking about health,”said Andy Hertel, assistant professor ofpsychology. “It’s a liberal approach inthat it approaches health from multipleperspectives.”

Because the minor will examinehealth in a variety of ways, the contentwill appeal to students from a broad

range of disciplines, including the sciences, humanities, and social sciences. The minor willhelp prepare students forthe growing fields of pub-lic health, community

health, health advocacy, medicine, andrelated fields. The minor will also havebroad appeal for students interested in politics, education, and business.

Three New Science Minors: Health Studies, Statistics, Astronomy“Health is bigger than just medicine,”

said Hertel. “This program helps facili-tate effectiveness and team interactionin a new model of health.”

StatisticsWith the advent of widely availabledata, it’s increasingly invaluable to beable to turn that data into information,and that information into action. AtKnox, the minor in statistics is a fittingcompanion to a number of majorswhere statistical analysis plays an essential role, including political science, economics, psychology, educational studies, biology, and manyother fields of inquiry.

“If you want to really understand the world, you need to understand itquantitatively and sensibly,” said KevinHastings ’76, Rothwell Stephens Distinguished Chair in Mathematics.“A student in one of these areas whoalso has extra statistical expertise is, I think, a real powerhouse, with increased employment opportunitiesand the ability to analyze the world.”

AstronomyThis is a golden age for astronomy. Advances in telescope design, burgeon-ing databases of astronomical data to beanalyzed, and the recent discovery ofproblems of fundamental importance—like the nature of dark matter and theaccelerating expansion of the universe—have contributed to makingthis field one the the hottest in science.

A minor in astronomy, together witha major in the physical sciences ormathematics, is a strong preparation for students interested in a career in

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Inspiring a NewGeneration ofStar GazersAs the moon landings inspired earlier generations,vastly improved images ofplanets and deep space objects are capturing the interests of today’s students,noted Nathalie Haurberg’06, assistant professor ofphysics.

“Knox will offer a newcourse in observational astronomy this spring,”Haurberg said, as she bravedchilly weather to calibratenew equipment in a newly

installed observation dome atop the Umbeck Science-Mathematics Center. “The students will do projects that involve imaging of objects with low

surface brightness, galaxies that are hard to image well,” Haurberg said. “Ittakes finesse, thought, and skill with the equipment.”

Knox’s instrumentation in astronomy includes a new spectrograph, used toanalyze light from celestial objects. The spectrograph is funded by a grant fromthe Frederick E. and Ida H. Hummel Foundation of Chicago. Knox providedmatching funds to purchase a new telescope mount and observation dome,which were installed in fall 2015.

The new instrumentation, coordinated by Haurberg along with three colleagues in the newly renamed Department of Physics and Astronomy, willbe used for classes and student research, as well as Haurberg’s own researchprogram in spectrography and educational outreach events for the generalpublic and other schools in the region.

Three New Science Minors: Health Studies, Statistics, Astronomy

astronomy or astrophysics, in pursuinggraduate studies, or for students withan interest in secondary education inthe sciences.

“A physics major and astronomyminor at Knox would look very similarto an astronomy major at a largerschool. The coursework would benearly identical,” said Nathalie Haurberg ’06, assistant professor ofphysics. “You can become a good researcher at both. But at Knox, you’llalso learn to write well and think critically.”

Assistant Professor of Physics NathalieHaurberg ’06 with the telescope in thenew observation dome on top of the Umbeck Science-Mathematics Center.

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New Home for Jazz NightKnox College’s Cherry Street Jazz Combo is as close to

a “house band” as you’ll find at Galesburg’s Fat Fish

Pub. As of last August, Fat Fish became host of the

8:00-to-midnight, every-Thursday jazz show and jam

session featuring the student-led group. Located at

158 North Broad Street in a building that once housed

Midwest Photo, Fat Fish also has become the venue for

the Thursday and Friday night shows in the annual

Knox-Rootabaga Jazz Festival. In addition, the pub has

welcomed a number of visiting jazz groups to its stage,

along with a strong line-up of rock and blues acts.


Knox welcomed three new faculty members to the Knoxcommunity this fall—two teaching in the education depart-ment, and one in environmental studies. Each brings to theCollege their own unique research interests, teaching styles,and backgrounds. Meet this year’s new faculty.

Benjamin FarrerAssistant Professor of Environmental StudiesBenjamin received his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Leeds in 2007, followed by a Ph.D. in political sciencefrom Binghamton University in 2014.

Why did you choose to teach at a liberal arts college?

Knox is a great place for joining research and teaching together and really encourages self-expression and

experiential learning, whichare principles central to myown teaching philosophy.

Describe one of your fa-vorite teaching moments?

There have been many, butone moment that I thinkcould only happen at Knoxwas when two students wroteEnvironmental Impact Statements for my class. Theyhad decided to write theirs forhypothetical projects set inTolkien’s fictional Middle

Earth. Not only was their work extremely imaginative, it wasalso of the highest quality—and I told them so in their written feedback, which I carefully translated into Elvish.

Tell us one unexpected thing about yourself.

I now know a couple of words in Elvish.

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Eric DickensAssistant Professor of Educational StudiesEric received his bachelor’s degree in English from Texas A&M University in 2001, followed by a master’s degree in telecommunications in 2007 and a Ph.D. in educational psychology and educational technology studies in 2015, both from Michigan State University.

Why did you choose to teach at a liberal arts college?

I attended two very large state schools for my own education,but, going back to my experi-ences as a public schoolteacher, I am very passionateabout teaching, supportingstudents’ growth, and mentor-ing/advising young adults. Inmy experiences as a studentand as a graduate teaching assistant, these passions arenot priorities at larger stateschools. So, though I didn’thave any previous personal experience with liberal artscolleges, I was very drawn to

that image of student-centered professorship that a collegelike Knox supports as both a passion and a priority.


It is a little bit odd that, though I work in a teacher preparation program, I went through alternative certificationafter graduation, so I actually never took the kinds of classes I now teach. That experience really motivates me to prepareour students well to be effective teachers. I often tell my students I want them to be better prepared than I ever was,and the memory of my first year drives me to want to keepimproving our program and our students’ preparation.

Nate WilliamsAssistant Professor of Educational StudiesNate received his bachelor’s degree in education from Indiana University in 2009, followed by a master’s degree in educationalpsychology and Ph.D. in urban education studies in 2012 and2015, respectively.

How did you first get interested in your academicfield?

During my senior year [in high school] I began working at adepartment store and was quickly promoted to women’sshoes. Some months prior to graduation, a customer began toask me about my future plans as I was opening a box of shoesfor her. Although this was not uncommon, I told her Iplanned on attending IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue

University Indianapolis), but Ididn’t know how I was goingto afford it. Not sure why Idisclosed that much at thatmoment, but it was surely divinely orchestrated, becausethe woman smiled at me asshe stood up and handed me abrochure. She informed methat she was the director ofthe Diversity Scholars Research Program at IUPUIand that she wanted me in herprogram. After briefly looking

at the brochure, I knew I did not qualify (minimum 3.0 GPA,SAT score of 1200 or better), but she said that it didn’t matteras long as you maintain a 3.0 in college, attend regular meetings with your faculty mentor, and work on research.She added that I had assisted her previously and that I waskind and respectful to her each time and that she saw something in me that I did not see in myself. Through hergenerosity, I was exposed to education research, the path tomy Ph.D., and the principles of scholarly work.


I am a graffiti artist and have taught a graffiti course for threeyears.

Two Departments, Thr ee New Faculty

“I was very drawn to that image of student-centered professorship that a college like Knox supports as both a passion and a priority.”

—Eric Dickens

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How did you distribute thecomic? What has been the reaction?

We started by handing out copies ofthe series to every student between theages of 10 and 18 in 40 test schools.Now we’re putting copies of Paasban inthe libraries of 400 public schools, andwill measure the results over a six-month period.

The children we speak to have beenso socialized into ideas of hate and havetrouble coming up with reasons to re-ject violence or extremism, even if theyknow it’s what makes terroristsstronger. However, once they readPaasban and discuss it amongst them-selves, they gain an understanding ofbasic humanistic values, common to allreligions, which create natural barriers

to hatred and the coercive use of reli-gious concepts for such dark purposes.

Our goal is to make them experienceand understand how the radicalizationtrap works, make them familiar enoughwith the rhetoric to be able to recog-nize and reject it when they see it in itsubiquitous forms. Our greatest hope isto convert some students into thosewho can spread what they've learned toothers, and protect those around themfrom falling prey to this evil. Those arethe ones we like to call ‘Paasban,’ ortrue ‘Guardians’ of the world’s future.

How did the group behind Paasban form?

My friends Mustafa Hasnain, creator ofPaasban: the Guardian, and Yahya Ehsan,artist and creative director, were both

“The dog is dead, and weare left to deal with thebody.”The first line in the prologue of Fromthe Mouths of Dogs: What Our PetsTeach us about Life, Death, and BeingHuman (University of Nebraska Press,2015) by B. J. Hollars ’07

In his eighth book, Hollars recountsthe arduous existence of a shelter offi-cer, a woman’s relentless attempt tofound a senior-dog adoption facility, afamily’s struggle to create a one-of-a-kind orthotic for its bulldog, and theparticular bond between a blindwoman and her Seeing Eye dog. Thebook culminates with Hollars’ owncross-country journey to the country’slargest and oldest pet cemetery to layhis own childhood dog to rest, provid-ing a reminder that the world wouldbe a better place if we took a fewcues from man’s best friends.

First Impressions Creating Comics to Counter TerrorismPakistani alumnus Gauher Aftab ’05 has found a unique way to resist terrorism:through comic books. Together with his friends, he wrote an educational comic,Paasban: The Guardian, which is now available in the libraries of 400 public schoolsin Pakistan.

Aftab’s work on the comic is inspired by his own encounter with terrorist rhetoricas a child. When he was young, he was searching for his identity as a Muslim and a Pakistani. He wanted to protect people, and that made him an easy target for radicalization.

At the age of 12, Aftab was coerced by an extremist teacher and planned to leavehome.

“Children like me were told tales of conflicts where Muslims were the target ofwar crimes and ethnic cleansing. The world view being peddled to children, themajority poor and illiterate, was that it was either us or them, kill or be killed.”

His family discovered his plan to leave home, and Aftab was put under lockdownfor months. With time and study, he drifted away from his inclinations toward militancy. By the time he arrived at Knox College in 2002, he realized that the extremists had warped the concept of Jihad, taking a concept meant to be a code of life and turning it into a glorification of death.

When Aftab returned to Pakistan, it became clear to him that the problem of violent extremism would not be solved by bullets and bombs. He teamed up with a couple of friends to create Paasban: The Guardian, a point-by-point rebuttal to violent extremist rhetoric.


Knox Writes

running Creative Frontiers as a contentdevelopment studio for animation, TV,illustration, and graphic design work.When we did the Paasban comic series,there was such a huge response that I decided to do this full time, and wemade a new company called CFxComics to promote our self-financedinitiatives. With our free CFx Comicsapp, we hope to sell commercial comicsmade by us and other content houses inPakistan for the local audience, and usethe proceeds to develop more issues of Paasban and keep it available for free in Pakistan. So it’s kind of a socialentrepreneurship model; no one hasever tried to de-radicalize a populationwhile getting them to pay for it.

Why did you choose the mediumof a graphic novel, rather than atraditional novel or social media,to spread your message?

We had been pitching the Paasban series as an animated TV show for acouple of years now, mainly to interna-

tional development agencies, but noone was willing to give their support.Eventually, we decided we only hadmoney for a short comic book seriesand, at the most, a guided-view app thatcould host the comics. About threemonths into the process, we got a littlefunding to print and distribute 15,000copies and conduct content testing. Sothings kind of fell into place, and herewe are.

Of course, now we’re building support amongst the Pakistani govern-ment, military and more internationaldonors to really take this to the nextlevel. That includes more free printedcomics, but also the jump from here toanimated or live-action TV shows,films, and other mainstream media. Wedon’t think novels or non-visual medi-ums work very well, as literacy is verylow, and those who can read have noreal income to afford books. If we wantto make the jump to the majority, it’lltake a lot more doing, but we’re up forthe challenge.

Creating Comics to Counter Terrorism Books by Members ofthe Knox Community

The ViolenceQueen’s Ferry Press, 2015rob McClure smith,John and Elaine Fellowes Distinguished Chair in English

A little horror, a little humor, a littlehistory. From the brutalities of the

Falklands conflictand the sport of foxtossing to the indignities of ratextermination,from the musingsof doomed Irishnationalists todystopian Celtic

futures and nightmare family vacations,the intensity of this debut collection ismatched only by its humanity. With witand levity, Smith leads the reader to anuncanny wisdom regarding the assaultsthat can be withstood and the dignitythat endures.

Pedestrian TrafficFinish Line Press, 2015Carla Criscuolo ’03

The poems in Criscuolo’s debut chap-book explore the ways in which being

raised in New YorkCity colors one’s experience of theworld. “The poemsare big-hearted,”writes Betsy Sholl,author of OtherwiseUnseeable, “embrac-ing the city with all

of its welter and noise, soot and steam.Carla Criscuolo is deliciously edgy andshrewd in her observation of power andclass.”


Knox WritesThe Persona of IngmarBergman: Conquering Demonsthrough FilmRowman & Littlefield, 2015barbara young ’42

Merging biography, cinema studies,and psychoanalysis, Young traces the

life and career ofstoried Swedish director IngmarBergman and examines how hisrocky personal lifeshaped his films. A practicing psychiatrist andpsychoanalyst,

Young probes Bergman’s relationshipswith his parents, his wives, his children,and his colleagues to explore the mean-ings of his many films.

Stealing Games: How John McGraw Transformed Baseballwith the 1911 New York GiantsBloomsbury Press, 2016Maury Klein ’60

The 1911 New York Giants stole an astonishing 347 bases, a record that still

stands more than acentury later. Thatalone makes themspecial in baseballhistory, but as Kleinrelates in StealingGames, they also embodied a rapidly

changing America on the cusp of afaster, more frenetic pace of life dominated by machines, technology,and urban culture.

Master Lists for Writers: Thesauruses, Plots, CharacterTraits, Names, and MoreMunds Park Publishing, 2015bryn donovan ’90

This guide makes “show, don’t tell”much easier and helps you figure out

your story morequickly. Includedare lists of phrasesfor describing bodylanguage and phys-ical appearance,master plot ideas,inspiration forcharacter traits andquirks, and much

much more! Master Lists for Writers isrich inspiration for novelists, screen-writers, or any other kind of storyteller.

Peripheral VisionMeekling Press, 2015Miranda steffens ’07

From the starting point of a dream, thenarrator follows mental pathways that

lead throughmemories ofchildhood, meditations on intimacy, minighost stories and

to the very meaning of language andart. Reminiscent of “choose your ownadventure” stories, the paths the readercan take through the hand-bound bookare seemingly endless.

Herndon on Lincoln: LettersUniversity of Illinois Press, 2016Edited by doug Wilson and roddavis, co-directors of the LincolnStudies Center at Knox College

The letters of Abraham Lincoln’s longtime law partner have become anindispensable resource for Lincoln

biography. Unfilteredand rendered inHerndon’s own distinctive voice,these letters consti-tute a matchless troveof primary source material that offer

an illuminating look at Lincoln’s life, from his parents and pastimes to hisparenting style and predictions.

Vico’s New Science: A Philosophical CommentaryCornell University Press, 2015donald phillip Verene ’59

Giambattista Vico (1668-1744) is bestremembered for his major work, The

New Science, where hesets forth the princi-ples of humanity andgives an account ofthe stages common tothe development ofall societies in theirhistorical life. Verene,

a noted Vico scholar, offers a clear anddirect discussion of the contents ofeach division of The New Science withclose attention to the sources of Vico'sthought in Greek philosophy and inRoman jurisprudence.


Class Knox

Flashback

First Rep Term

The first Repertory Theatre Term was in1970. Do you recognize the students and

which play this scene is from? Do you remember Knox College’s first Rep Term?

Share the story behind the photo—[email protected].

To read responses to last issue’s Flashback photo, Sidewalk Calculations,

visit knox.edu/knoxmag.

We Are Knox Homecoming 2015www.knox.edu/homecoming

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Come Hometo Knox for

Homecoming2016!

October 14–16


Knox FYC Once AgainBy Megan Clayton, Associate Director of Alumni & Constituent Programs

During the annual Fifty Year Club(FYC) lunch at Homecoming2015, usual Club business tookplace: minutes and reports were ac-cepted, Scroll of Honor awardswere presented, and an updatedFYC Constitution was voted uponand approved. One of the suggestedamendments was to return to the original name of the organization, following the passing of the last Lombard alumnus in 2014. After carefulconsideration by the current FYC officers and the committee responsiblefor the revisions, the organization decidedto return to its original name: The KnoxFifty Year Club, or Knox FYC.

At the time of its founding in 1943, theClub was known as the Knox Fifty YearClub. Sometime during the late 1960s, Clubofficers added the Lombard College nameand logo to the Club’s name. (LombardCollege was Galesburg’s other college. It closed in 1930 due to financial diffi-culties, and Knox adopted the recordsand provided a home for her alumni.)Adding the name to the FYC helpedensure Lombard alumni felt welcome.

Even though the Knox FYC will no longer carrythe Lombard College name or logo, Lombard will continue to behonored at Knox in a variety of ways. Its name is part of the Knox-LombardAthletic Hall of Fame award, given each year at Homecoming, and there areartifacts scattered across campus that carry on the history of Lombard College.

Knox FYC continues to engage alumni who share common memories of acertain period of Knox history with interesting lectures, tours, and eventsacross the country. The Club also collects the life stories of its members forposterity, many published in the FYC Bulletin, while supporting the goals ofKnox College.

Knox Recognizes Notable Alumni at Homecoming 2015As part of Knox’s traditional Homecoming celebrations, the College recognized several individualsfor their accomplishments, teamwork,and service.

2015 Knox service award Winners• Topper Steinman ’70

• Carol Daugherty Egan ’72

• Dudley McCarter ’72

• Eric Wilson ’84

2015 Knox-lombard athletichall of Fame inductees• Al Partin

• Chuck Porter ’52

• 1973 Men’s Soccer Team

• Liz Grana ’06

• Jaran Rutledge ’08

2015 scroll of honor recipients• Elizabeth C. Brook ’41

• Barbara Lee Fay ’61

• Karen Dittmer Bowyer ’63

Knox thanks everyone who submitted nominations for theseawards.

Nominate a deserving friend or classmate for Knox’s 2016 alumniawards at www.knox.edu/nominate orcontact Carol Brown ’99, director ofalumni programs, at 888-KNOXCOL, extension 7980, or [email protected].


Story on page 8

FYC Travels

To Events across the Country

L-r: Jerry Gill ’53; Don Hines ’53; Doris Chadwick, Hon.;

Larry Chadwick ’53; and Dick Aft ’60

NO. 157 SUMMER 2015

FIFTY YEAR CLUBBULLETIN

Homecoming 2015

Knox College

No. 158 • Winter 2015-16

Alumni News


Class Knox

You are, too.We are Knox.

Whether you attended Knox for oneyear, two years, or graduated with honors, you are a Knox alumnus/a. Youare the best reflection of Knox Collegeand the education it provides. So, keepus informed. Tell us what you’ve been upto, if you’ve been promoted or honored,or simply say hello. Here’s how:

• Contact your Class Correspondent;

• If you don’t have a correspondent, e-mail, call, or “snail mail” us directly(see below);

• Or have other media sources send uspress releases, articles, and publicity.

Please send information about births,marriages, and deaths directly to:Alumni RecordsKnox College, Box K-230Galesburg, IL 61401-4999E-mail: [email protected]

Send all other updates, correspondence, or questions to:Pam ChozenClass Notes Editor, Knox MagazineKnox College, Box K-233Galesburg, IL 61401-4999E-mail: [email protected]

Please note that Class Notes may be edited for space.

until I am 94; however, I will be 93 in February,and my eye doctor is not happy that the Depart-ment of Motor Vehicles gave me a license for twoyears. I plan to get a caregiver in 2016, as I needsomeone to help with driving and who can readsmall print for me. I have macular degeneration,and it is really bad in one eye. I can only readvery large print and need a magnifying glasswhen I read. I want to wish everyone who is leftin the Class of 1944 a very happy and healthyNew Year!”Class Correspondent: Megan ClaytonKnox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg,IL 61401, 309-341-7476, [email protected]

1945–1947Class Correspondent: Megan ClaytonKnox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg,IL 61401, 309-341-7476, [email protected]

1948Jim Moser wrote: “Like you, I have tried to col-lect my thoughts, and not just of lost classmates.Recall is slower than it used to be. But when I seea friend has gone, the memories of that personand the times we had together help overcome theloss. I still live alone in my house by the woods,overlooking a creek which leads to Lake Ontario.Even with help, it takes longer to get thingsdone. OSHER Lifelong Learning classes at theRochester Institute of Technology are still amajor activity. The subjects—current events, reviews of New Yorker articles, art history, study ofpast national and world events—are all fascinat-ing, but the discussions about them with my well-informed classmates is most stimulating. I alsowork with fellow Kodak retirees and the NationalReconnaissance Office (NRO) to documentKodak’s contribution to the classified photo-graphic intelligence programs of the Cold War. Itbrings back many vivid memories, including theU-2 and satellites.” ❯ Harry Babbitt ’49 wrote:“I am still in Florida. My friend, Luis, fromBuenos Aires, got a visa for the U.S. He came thelast of July. I have an immigration lawyer workingon getting him permanent residence. I needsomeone to look after me, and he has no one either. While his immigration status is up forchange, he can’t leave the country. Thus, we’ll behere until we hear something. We hope that,maybe by February or March, we might be ableto return to Medellín for a couple of months.” ❯Mildred Weinberg Smith wrote: “I’m stillaround enjoying both Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and Fort Myers, Florida. I have sloweddown some but still enjoy golf and buying andselling antiques with my 12-year partner, Dick.We see a lot of my family during the summer inD.C. Connected again with cousin Bob Pennington ’49 recently, which was fun both asfamily and Knox. His parents were very impor-tant to me in my Knox days. I would like to seeKnox and Galesburg again.” ❯ Elizabeth HarlerVan Steenwyk sent an update. “Say this: Despite

Tom Howes ’43 says he is still alive and kicking, just not very high.

1939I had the pleasure of a call from MauriceStamps just after the New Year. He said that hehad suffered a broken hip earlier in 2015, whichnecessitated surgery, followed by some rehab;however, he was able to return to his home inSeymour, Iowa, in July. Maurice celebrated his100th birthday in October and received morethan 200 birthday greetings! The celebration included interviews and visits from friends andfamily. Maurice continues to write and has justcompleted a story for his local newspaper. Healso keeps in contact with Ed Jurkens ’40.Class Correspondent: Megan ClaytonKnox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg,IL 61401, 309-341-7476, [email protected]

1940–1942Class Correspondent: Megan ClaytonKnox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg,IL 61401, 309-341-7476, [email protected]

1943Art Holst and wife Elizabeth celebrated Christ-mas in Ann Arbor with a houseful of children,grandchildren, and even four great-grandchil-dren. Art has also just published a book. Hewrites, “After repeated encouragement from family, friends, and speaker colleagues, I have puttogether a book of poetry that includes a groupof poems I have written over the years, as well assome by other poets who have meant a lot to mein my personal life and my career as a speaker. Itwas published on November 30, 2015. The title isLife is Wonderful—It Could Be Verse! It was a lot ofwork but very enjoyable. We look forward towinter in Fort Myers, Florida, for four monthsaway from the winter blasts of Michigan.” ❯ Artcontinues to hear from lifetime friends BurlGeorge, Mort Monson, and Tom Howes, andsends other 1943 “survivors” his best wishes. ❯Tom Howes left a message saying that he was stillalive and kicking, just not very high. He enjoyslife and looks forward to a reunion with his chil-dren in the spring. He sends best wishes to all hisold classmates and friends. ❯ After reading thelast Knox Magazine, Burl George sent a messageremarking on Professor Michael Godsil ’76’s tripwith students to Monument Valley. Burl and hiswife took the same trip in the late 1980s and tookvery similar photos to those taken by Evan Temchin ’10. Class Correspondent: Megan ClaytonKnox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg,IL 61401, 309-341-7476, [email protected]

1944It’s always good to hear from Barbara Lemke.She writes, “All the changes to my house aredone. I am glad, as it has been a two-year process.I passed my driving test this year and can drive

1949Class Correspondent: Megan ClaytonKnox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg,IL 61401, 309-341-7476, [email protected]

1950Bob Willett writes, “Since son Tom and I camehome in September from our trip to China, wehave tried to decide whether we should continueto push our government to bring home mycousin, Jimmie Browne, who was killed in ChinaNovember 17, 1942, flying ‘the Hump’ duringWWII, or let him rest in peace where he crashed.After visiting the mountain where he crashed andseeing the beauty of Cangshan Mountain lookingover the sparkling Eiha Lake and the shorelinecity of Dali, China, it is hard to think of the ef-fects of an excavation on that beautiful scene. Addto that unpleasant thought the emotional mem-ory of the brief service we held for the three-mancrew of Jim’s C-47 on the slope of that sameCangshan Mountain in September. That memorygave a sense of completion that we had lacked. Ifwe consider the fact that China and the U.S. donot like each other, that the U.S. mission to investigate the crash scene was scrubbed just days before the team was to leave, and that localofficials seem to be reluctant to have such an ex-cavation take place in the beautiful and peacefulsetting, it is hard to put faith in an eventual successful excavation. So we feel there is the option to leave the crew where they are. But Istill have a nagging feeling of leaving before thejob is really done, and that’s a feeling that’s hardto evaluate. And they said retirement was peace-ful and serene!” ❯ Ken Radnitzer and wife Ruthcelebrated their 60th wedding anniversary inSeptember 2015. Congratulations!Class Correspondent: Megan ClaytonKnox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg,IL 61401, 309-341-7476, [email protected]

1951Jay Burgess writes that he and wife Shay wentto Orlando, Florida, for Thanksgiving and sawthe Milwaukee Bucks. “Our son is general man-ager of the team. Earlier this year, I went on theHonor Flight and saw all the memorials with anairplane full of mostly Korean veterans. It was exciting, but it was a long day.” ❯ Dick Flemingwas honored for 60 years of membership at theannual luncheon of the Delaware Section of theAmerican Chemical Society. Class Correspondent: Megan ClaytonKnox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg,IL 61401, 309-341-7476, [email protected]

1952Class Correspondent: Anne Reutlinger Porter407 Russell Avenue, Apartment 316, Gaithersburg, MD20877-2853, 301-987-6894, [email protected]

the drought in California, both of our harvestsgave us terrific fruit, just less than we otherwiseget. The grapes we picked were juicy and color-ful, the walnuts were large and crisp. And, despitethe work involved in bringing them in, the crewsmanage to have a great time. We have begun toget rain now, not too much, but it’s a start, andLiam (our llama), the two alpacas, and the sheepand their babies enjoy it as much as we do. Sun-sets aren’t bad either. Take joy.” ❯ Betty AliceMoon Sharp wrote: “Illinois had some strangeweather this year. It was way too wet in June forthe corn. And it was too dry this fall. I tried tohave the pasture torn up and made into tillableground last year (2014). It was bitter cold, and theground froze early, but this year we have had noreal freezing temperatures and many lovely days.The weather experts have promised several more.And frost was late this year. We here in the Mid-west are used to changeable weather and plentyof wind. When the wind speed gets to 25 to 40miles per hour, with gusts higher, I stay in thehouse and say ‘ENOUGH.’ Mr. Scharfenbergwas worried about the crops. I checked in withone of the big farmers in this area, and he saidthe yields were spotty, and the better land washurt more. I think the better ground is more leveland doesn’t get tiled, so the water sets there andhas to soak in, while the poorer ground is morelikely to be tiled, hillier, and will drain better onyears like this one. I heard two men talking abouthow dry it was when I was in the post office, andI had to put window covers on the basement windows and found out they were right. Fires didstart in some of the fields, and the fire trucks hadto be called. We did have one snow of threeinches or so, but it soon melted. Of course, I’m inNorthern Illinois, so we see snow sooner andkeep it longer usually, but it was too warm forthis one to stick. I have been back here for 20years now. I had to get everything new when Icame back, and now I’ve replaced about all themachines one has for the house. This year, I wasable to get someone to promise to do my drive-way. I count the years and think it is time forsomeone else. This lot is almost an acre, and thisyoung man does the mowing, so I plan on havingmore time to watch the birds.” ❯ Arlyth RogersAtkinson wrote: “Since I donated my car toGoodwill a year ago, I am indeed in Riverside forgood, as long as that may be at 89. I thank Godfor every day and enjoy this amazing miracle thatlife is. My health is still good; I still crochet everyday with no aches or pains.” ❯ Sid Norris added:“Winter has arrived in Oregon, with a constantstream of wet rain...even a lot of snow in themountain areas, which makes our skiers happy.My wife and I attended the Shakespeare Festivalin Ashland for a final time. It is worth seeing. Too many of my classmates have passed on…inevitable, I guess.”Class Correspondent: Sidney E. Norris3135 Agate Street, Eugene, OR 97405, 541-683-6160,[email protected]

“He’s got one, Bobby!” —John Wirt ’85 alerting his son as Jim Wirt ’54 landed a four-foot muskie.


1953Class Correspondent: Nevin C. Lescher295 Reed Avenue, Windsor Locks, CT 06096, 860-623-0550, [email protected]

1954I asked for current news or old memories at OldSiwash. ❯ John Wirt ’85 provides news of his father, Jim Wirt, whose triple bypass surgerycaused him to miss our 60th Reunion. To cele-brate Jim’s full recovery, John invited him to hiscabin in northern Wisconsin to fish for that elu-sive fish of 10,000 casts, the muskie. “To increasethe odds of my dad actually catching one,” Johnwrites, “I planned our outing for the second fullmoon in July (a blue moon on July 31) and reviewed the records from the prior year’s WorldChampionship Muskie Tournament to see whichlocal lake had produced the most fish. That wasSouth Turtle Lake, which included the first placemuskie, with a length of 45 inches. So, we headedthere. After working a long weed line withoutluck for a couple of hours, we maneuvered theboat off a needle peninsula where a guidebooksaid there is an occasional stray summer muskie.After a few casts, I heard my father exclaim rathercalmly, ‘I think I’ve got one.’ Grandson Bobby andI turned to look, not really thinking he had a fishdue to his tone of voice. But, we saw thrashingabout a huge greenish brown monster that wasabout a third the length of my boat. ‘He’s got one,Bobby,’ I yelled, and Bobby jumped into action.He grabbed the retractable net and started to deploy it, but the net became stuck. ‘We’re notgonna lose this one,’ Bobby said, throwing downthe net and grabbing the pole from the hands ofmy dad, who was struggling with the leviathan. In doing so, Bobby inadvertently knocked off myfather’s prized Siwash hat. Bobby manhandled themuskie aboard to land it, and we then were ableto trawl over and retrieve the hat before it sank.‘Blue Moon Lucky’ turned out to be the catch ofa lifetime, measuring out to a full four feet.” ❯From fish news, we turn to Bob Windish’s mem-ories. “The first that comes to mind,” he writes,“are the rush activities when we were freshmen65 years ago. Many of us had picked the frater-nity or sorority that we wanted to be a part of.Those of us who were totally average wonderedhow we would compete with all the others wholooked so good. We hoped we would be asked tojoin the group of our choosing. What a thrillwhen our favorite offered their invitation. It wasnot until a year later that we learned the activeswere just as worried about our acceptance as wewere about their offer. Those worries, happilyended, were what made the whole thing work.For many of us, it was the happiest four years ofour lives. I know I had a happier time than I deserved, but I wouldn’t give up my four years atKnox.” ❯ A wonderful endorsement, Bob. As aGalesburg boy with not much money and alwaysat least one part-time job, my fraternity was an

Class Knox“He’s got one, Bobby!” —John Wirt ’85 alerting his son as Jim Wirt ’54 landed a four-foot muskie.


important campus base for me. But there havebeen many changes in the Greek system in 65years, beginning with the class that followed ours,when a fine young man named Bill Hall ’55 became the first African American, on what wasthen a very white campus, to sign up for rushweek. Four of the six fraternities had “whitesonly” provisions in their national constitutions.The two that did not, Phi Sigma Kappa and myTau Kappa Epsilon, proceeded to rush Hall,without consulting alumni or national officers. Byunusual coincidence, Teke officials became awareof the situation and applied considerable negativepressure leading up to bid day. As a result, Hallpledged Phi Sig, and then, even greater pressurewas applied. The end result was the Phi Sig national refusing to allow Hall’s initiation as anactive member and the college ending the Phi Sigchapter on campus. Some Phi Sigs and Hall thenformed a local, Alpha Delta Epsilon. Many morechanges were to come over the years. As collegeenrollment almost doubled, the six fraternitiesand five sororities of our time declined for various reasons, though the early years of thiscentury have brought establishment of two newsororities and two fraternities. ❯ The Alumni Office received a nice note from Cheryl Almgren’78 remembering her mother, Carol Le CuyerAlmgren, who passed away in January. Cherylwrites that her mother provided her her intenseand ongoing lifelong care for more than 30 yearsand that she was a one-of-a-kind mother and parent. ❯ For those such as me who have not visited the campus for 10 or more years, sometime spent on the campus website can be very interesting. Try knox.edu/campus-life and clickaround. And remember how astute were our professors, such as Charley Lerche when he said,“There never will be peace in the Middle East.”Class Correspondent: Jim Dunlevey27419 Embassy Street, Menifee, CA 92586-2005, [email protected]

1955I write this at the beginning of the new year. Bythe time you read it, we will be well into 2016; Ihope it is going well for you. ❯ I know you willbe as sorry as I am to learn that JoAnn NystromReiners’ music involvement is now limited to listening enjoyment; she was an accomplished pianist and teacher. She and Jack Reiners ’56live at Prairie Point in Madison, Wisconsin, remain very active in community activities, andwalk every morning. Jack reports he reads the ’55Class Notes to her, and she enjoys hearing abouther classmates. ❯ Paul Johnson had been look-ing to the future when I heard from him—since afull moon on Christmas won’t be back until 2034,he stayed up to see it, and hoped to see Santa,too. Then he remembered Santa is him. Bud andI missed the full moon, and since we’ll only be101 by the next spectacle, there may be hope.Paul still sells real estate; he and Pat are well, andhe feels as his father did when he was in his 90s

and said, “I feel like a man who has fallen off a30-story building, and halfway down, I’m think-ing, well, everything is okay so far.” ❯ Along withus, Don ’53 and Gail Holmes Curtis plan to livepast 99 so they can shoot their age on the golfcourse. They still take their boat on an annualspring cruise to the Bahamas, and, at Christmas,hosted the entire family of 20 for the holiday.They also send words of wisdom: “Do not regretgetting old. It is a privilege denied to many.” Sad, but true. ❯ Mitzi Haynes Eisenscher hasrelocated from Sandy, Utah, to Santa Monica,California, and reports loving living on the ocean.She is one of several in our class who is an invet-erate traveler. ❯ Walter Larkin and Dr. Sue livein Chicago but visited Romagny-sous-Rouge-mont in northeastern France last summer, whereSusan’s ancestors lived before they came to West-ern New York in 1831. The Larkins also visitedPienza and Montepulciano, Italy, and had anothertrip to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. ❯John Clark’s widow, Jean Martin Clark ’57, enclosed a photo of her 80th birthday party inher Christmas card. She looks great, and I imag-ine she will be viewing the 2034 Christmas fullmoon, too. ❯ Russ Fuiks and Jan were in SanAntonio in November, where Russ had a terriblefall, requiring many stitches and a stay in the hospital. They hoped he would be recoveredenough to take the trip to Hawaii they hadplanned for January; I hope that happened. ❯ Ithink Russ’s accident was a lot worse than mine inOctober, when I broke my hip. I no longer haveto use a walker, but have a long way to go adjust-ing to having one leg shorter than the other. A liftin my left shoe helps. ❯ Mary Ann Ruzecki and Ihad a long and heartwarming phone conversationto start the new year. She sends warm wishes for

a healthy 2016 to us all. She still guides FlaglerBeach through some challenging times in spite ofher own challenging health problems. We remember our years as waitresses at WhitingHall with great fondness. ❯ Jim Lockett hascompleted a long-term project that took most oflast year to complete. He sent his book on recre-ational mechanics to his older son, who works atESPN, to circulate among his co-workers for review. Since it is a nonfiction work, it required atable of contents and other painstaking jobs. Jim’snext project is to complete the Lockett genealogythat he started years ago. ❯ I have researched ourfamilies on ancestry.com from time to time andhave traced one line back to 1300. I question theaccuracy of my research, so believe it if you will.❯ George Elliott and Margie have faced somehealth issues, but George’s business continues tothrive in spite of competition from Home Depot,Lowe’s, and Menard’s. You can see it on the webat www.woodmartbuildingcenter.com. This isGeorge’s second career; he was in the Army for22 years, including a tour in Germany guardingthe border during the Cold War. They enjoytheir grandchildren, who keep them on theirtoes. ❯ Bud and I weren’t at Homecoming (we’llaim for our 65th), but, thank goodness, some ofus were. Carolyn Swartz Park, Roland Peaslee,and Nubs and Letitia Luther Schactner ’58were kind enough to send me reports. Theweather was perfect. There was a reception at theT. Fleming Fieldhouse Friday night and a convo-cation on Saturday morning, followed by theFifty Year Club luncheon. I’ve heard the Class of1965, new inductees, were a rowdy bunch.They’ll mellow out in 10 years! The dinner thatnight was at Soangetaha. President Teresa Amottstopped for a visit, and many memories were

Jim Wirt ’54 (center), flanked by son John Wirt ’85 (right) and grandsonBobby, show off “Blue Moon Lucky,” a muskie that Jim landed in NorthernWisconsin last summer.

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“As Jim MacDonald ’59 told a friend, we are upright and taking nourishment.” —Janet Eiszner MacDonald ’59

taking an entry-level class in music theory andasked a freshman girl from that class out on adate. I did not realize at the time that a sublimi-nal motive in this might have been to induce jealousy in Judy. The freshman was awed bybeing asked out by a senior and accepted imme-diately. When she asked where we might go, withno thoughts as to its impression, I explained toher that I was a model railroader and would liketo take her to the Galesburg freight yards forsome experimental, long-exposure-by-existing-light, nighttime photography. Taken aback bysuch an unusual suggestion, she asked if she couldgive a definite response the next day. Having nonefarious motives whatsoever, I readily agreed.The next day, my date confirmed the plan subjectto the proviso that her roommate and her datecould come along on a double date. We four hada wonderful time photographing this refrigeratorcar icing platform and went out for coffee at theconclusion of a unique evening. An interestingtag to the story that was not revealed to me untilyears later was that my college roommate, EdBeck, had called Judy beforehand to inform herof my plans for the evening. Judy and Ed surrep-titiously followed us to the rail yards that night,spying on us the whole time! I had dated Ed’swife, Marianne Adler Beck ’55, a number oftimes before this incident. We are still goodfriends.” ❯ Bob writes further that after a nearfatal stroke and heart attack in summer 2014, heis almost 100 percent recovered. He and Judycontinue to host young adults from the Up withPeople organization and toured Brazil last summer. There, they met up with three formerstudents who had lived with them in past years.The couple plans to move to a retirement homein Boulder, Colorado. ❯ Bob Sparks says that heand Kathy have decided to return to Galesburgto be closer to their family, mainly their sonand grandchildren. They plan to put their homein El Paso, Texas, up for sale after the holidayseason. ❯ Jack Reiners shared that the Class of1956 Scholarship has been awarded to first-yearstudent Yvette Rodriguez from Ontario, California. Thanks to all who contributed foryour generosity. ❯ I am still looking for a member of the Class of 1956 to replace me asClass Correspondent. Please contact me!Class Correspondent: Megan ClaytonKnox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg,IL 61401, 309-341-7476, [email protected]

1957Happiness is recalling the college years of ourlife. That seems to be the general comments thatwere made to your correspondent. ❯ HomerJohnson reaffirmed this comment about ourfour years at Knox. Homer and Nick Panos,along with other Knox alumni, have their weeklyluncheon at Chicago’s Greek Island Restaurant.Other off-and-on attendees include Art Carlsonand Frank Stanicek. Stories are often repeatedbut never fail to bring about laughs and smiles of

shared. Roland read his poem “The Loom ofLife,” and said some nice things about my effortsto keep you up to date on our class—I heard healso suggested a pay raise for me. Bless you,Roland! So sorry we weren’t there to join in thefun. Nubs and Wally Larkin did a great job aschairmen, even though Mr. Larkin is very shyabout answering his e-mails. ❯ Tony Liberta andSue sat at a table at the FYC luncheon with theLarkins; Beverly Holmes, vice president for advancement; and Megan Clayton, associate director for alumni affairs. The next event onTony’s schedule that day was a video interviewrecording his impressions of Knox and the im-portant campus issues while we were on campus.The interview was conducted by a student as partof a history project, helping develop skills in conducting an oral interview. The interviewsshould be ready for viewing sometime in thespring. ❯ I hesitate listing the attendees for fear Iwill omit someone, but here’s the best I can do:Wally Larkin and Susan Clare; Carolyn SwartzPark; Nubs and Letitia Luther Schactner ’58;Ed ’56 and Marianne Adler Beck; Bonnie andRoland Peaslee; Russ Fuiks; Bill Ives; Ceceliaand Mort Weir; Don Weston; Jack and MarilynFoster Weidman ’56; and Tony Liberta. ❯ Iknow some of you aren’t computer users. I wishyou were, because the e-mails from Knox andtheir Facebook page are so enjoyable, and youcould keep up with so many of us. MarianneAdler Beck, Sara Dolder Stewart, Gail HolmesCurtis, Frank Scherer, Mary Ann Ruzecki, AlPaulus, Bill Ives, and Paul Johnson are somethat I enjoy hearing from and seeing online…especially the photos on Facebook. ❯ That’s allthe news that’s fit to print for now. My thanks toall of you who provided input for this column!Stay well, and seize the day.Class Correspondent: Dorothy Thomas Wharton3511 S.E. Fairway West, Stuart, FL 34997-6033, 772-220-9433, [email protected]

1956 From James M. “Mack” Trapp: “Because of myyears as a Phi Delt at Knox, I have been givingtime and effort to the Phi Delta Theta Founda-tion, an international organization dedicated todeveloping leadership in young men in collegesand universities. My fun project for 2015 is afamily trip (all 25 of us or so) to Costa Rica to seethe great array of birds and animals. Carol and Iare still vertical and live on the 11th floor at 1500North Lake Shore Drive when not on the skislopes of Colorado.” ❯ Dan Kimble continues topaint, and his watercolor paintings are displayedat venues in and around the Eugene, Oregon,area where he lives. ❯ Bob Rothe shared a greatstory from his days at Knox. “In May 1955, mygirlfriend, Judy Bowers Rothe ’58 (now my wifeof almost six decades), and I had had a huge spatand broke up for the summer. That fall, I was asenior while Judy was a sophomore. I had been

our college life. ❯ Heard from Jamie Bjorkman.He has had a challenging 2015. One enjoyableevent was his attendance at the Phi Delts’ Home-coming gathering this past October. He told methat it was a bunch of fun and enjoyed being withhis “brothers” for the second straight year. ❯Donna Sandquist Hull, a Californian Knoxite,enjoys being close to her children and grandchil-dren. El Niño weather really was a challenge forher and family earlier this year. ❯ Marv Hughesstill has an active work life, going to the officedaily. Yes, he still ice skates. Wife Kathy is amember of the NLOCL Library Board. Never adull moment due to activities with the commu-nity and church. ❯ My Bill Shaffer moment:After Knox, Bill went to the University of Illinoisto continue his education and to work. Whiledriving his car around the campus, he was frustrated by how hard it was to find a parkingspace. Because he was a university employee, Billmade a written request for some help, saying,“When you hired me, you hired my car.” Justthink if Bill carried out this thought; he wouldhave been the person who founded Uber.Class Correspondent: Jack O’Dowd4837 88th Street E., Bradenton, FL 34211-3606, 941-753-1483, [email protected]

1958The NYC Knox group met on December 12 atthe members’ room at the Metropolitan Museumfor dinner, followed by dessert at Mary MullinsHinz’s New York apartment. This tradition,started many years ago, was enjoyed by AnitaTosetti Johnson, Fred Kauffman, Sally Arteseros, and Jane Ehrenberg Rosen ’61 andhusband Sholom. ❯ Jim Spence and AnitaTosetti Johnson traveled to San Luis Obispo,California, last fall to visit Jim’s children andgrandchildren. They enjoyed visiting, hiking, andenjoying the scenery. ❯ Larry Wilcoxen suffereda stroke last July and is a patient at a Walnut, Illinois, nursing facility. Wife Judy said there is aKnox decal on his bulletin board, as his room-mate is Gene Johnson ’50. You can drop Larry anote at Heritage Health, 308 S. Second, Walnut,IL 61376. ❯ George and Lynn RichardsonMatthes ’59 moved into their third and “final”home recently. Downsizing wasn’t easy after 30years in sunny North Carolina, but the lure offamily enticed them back to snowy winters inLakewood, Colorado. They celebrated their 58thanniversary in September and have been retiredfor 20 years. Summers will still find them at theirlake cottage in Hazelhurst, Wisconsin. They still keep in touch with Walt ’60 and RennieGreenhalgh Smith, Dick ’56 and NeetsieKester Gappen ’59, and Glenda Taylor Lipsey’59, getting together in Florida and Wisconsinover the past few years. ❯ Caroline AndrewsPorter Evans writes: “Having been widowed twoyears ago for the second time in 5 1/2 years, Imoved to Springfield, Illinois, in September,where I share a home with one of my daughters.

2016 Alumni Achievement Award Thomas Brown, Ph.D. ’64

After earning his undergraduate degree at Knox, Thomas Brown earned aPh.D. in clinical psychology at Yale, then went on to join the psychiatry faculty at the Yale University School of Medicine, where he is an assistantclinical professor of psychiatry and associate director of the Yale Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders. A teacher, researcher, and writer with a special interest in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), his mostrecent book is Smart but Stuck: Emotions in Teens and Adults with ADHD. Healso sees patients through a privatepractice, specializing in assessment and treatment of high-IQ children,adolescents, and adults with attentiondisorders.

What factors helped you choose KnoxCollege for your undergraduate studies?An alumnus told me of his excellent experience at Knox and helped me setup a visit and interview. I was impressedby the students and faculty I met duringthe visit and delighted to be accepted.

Describe your Knox experience—memorable classes, professors,friends, and/or experiences.I met Roberta (Bobbie) Hallquist, who was in a philosophy class with me. Shedated my roommate for a time, but we later got together and eventually wenton to grad school, settled in Connecticut, married, and together raised ourdaughter, Liza, and our son, Dave. Her illness and death two years ago was agreat loss, but I remain continually grateful for my amazing good fortune insharing our family life and our mutual love for 48 great years, as well as enjoying trips together to 42 countries.

My other valued memories from Knox include intriguing talks in theGizmo with Phil Haring, mind-expanding classes in religion and philosophywith Bill Matthews, digging deep into history with John Stipp and GabrielJackson, and countless late-night conversations with a wide variety of class-mates who helped me expand my curiosity and re-examine my assumptions.

What do you believe is your most notable achievement?What I consider my most notable achievement is continuing still to be an actively curious and questioning student who remains open to learning newideas and perspectives each day from my colleagues, my students, my patients,and my reading. Knox helped me get started on this journey, which has takenme to opportunities and experiences I had never even dreamed of.

What will you do to celebrate your Alumni Achievement Award?Enjoy a visit to the Knox campus, my first in 35 years, with my son who is taking time from his work in Hollywood to help me cultivate my memoriesand celebrate this special event.

What advice do you have for current Knox students?Knox is a great launching pad for lifelong learning. Take advantage of itsmany opportunities for you to learn about skills, facts, ideas, and yourself—both in classes and in conversations with faculty and fellow students.

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Class Knox“As Jim MacDonald ’59 told a friend, we are upright and taking nourishment.” —Janet Eiszner MacDonald ’59

I have six family members here, including threegrown grandchildren, who are very attentive. It’s been a good move. You can contact me [email protected].” ❯ Carla KuehnWastalu e-mailed that, with her husband gone,she needs to be around interesting, dynamic people and stays extremely busy with many activ-ities and groups. In her “dotage,” she’s become alandlady and rents out her Salida, Colorado,house when her 26 family members aren’t there.She has 16 grandchildren to keep her busy, too. ❯If you enjoy this column, remember that it canonly happen if you share some news.Class Correspondent: Letitia Luther Schactner246 E. Dayton St., Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-342-0748,[email protected]

1959I have a number of Christmas messages, and,thanks to a few of you who replied to e-mail pleafor news, we will have a column. For those whodid not get an e-mail from me, Jenice JaekelTremelling’s Christmas card contained the message that her lifelong friend, Dottie SchuleinBorchardt, passed away on Thanksgiving morn-ing after being in poor health for some time. Sheand Jenice, roommates at Knox and travel bud-dies, attended our 50th Reunion. ❯ Dave Ehlertwrote, “My wife, Susan Jo, died in November2014. We had been married just over 50 years,with three children, seven grandchildren, and twogreat-grandchildren. She was not associated withKnox, but we went there often when I taught atMonmouth from 1967-74. She attended EarlhamCollege in Indiana, where we met in 1963. I stillteach part-time in the math department of Indiana University at South Bend. I live northand west of Buchanan, Michigan, in the country.Still have two llamas to keep me company. Mydaughter and two grandchildren live nearby.” ❯Janet Eiszner MacDonald wrote, “There isnothing in our past year that is newsworthy! AsJim wrote to a 50-year-old German friend whothinks we are too old to drive to Arizona, ‘We areupright and taking nourishment.’ I was sorry tohear about Dottie. She was a special person.” ❯Georgia Raft Souris wrote, “I managed to frac-ture my wrist the day after Thanksgiving, but,otherwise, we have remained well. Youngest sonSteven has taken a new position in Little Rockand will leave the Chicago area. Our oldest is stillhappy in Connecticut after two years, despite thesnow. We are still fairly active in our fraternal or-ganizations, AHEPA and Daughters of Penelope,as well as in the church. We decided to blow ourwad and celebrate our 50th with a trip to Prague,Vienna, and Budapest in June—God willing, andwe are still breathing.” ❯ Barbara Fowler Nagelreports, “Good old Knox is where we met eachother and made forever friends. Gordon ’60 andAnne Wetzel Faubel ’60 spent a wonderful after-noon with us. Also enjoyed a visit from DennyGeraghty and Jeanne and a dinner with Bob


Paul Mellican ’62 and wife Nancy recently spent a week on the Natchez Trace.

Games: How John McGraw Used the 1911 New YorkGiants to Transform Baseball, will be out in Aprilfrom Bloomsbury USA. Unfortunately, all hasnot been well for Maury and his wife. He has undergone precautionary chemotherapy after anapparently successful operation for cancer. WifeKim has been working through concussion symptoms following a car accident. ❯ Mary KentKnight writes, “I now spend summers in Illinoisand winters in Florida. This is to assure that I canplay golf (poorly) year-round. Other summerpleasures include spending time with my Illinoisson and grandsons (ages 6 and 8) and visiting myson in Michigan. Winter is a good time for travel,so I have tried to make the most of it by cruisingto various parts of the world...trying to get in asmuch as possible while I am still fairly fleet offoot and sound of mind. I enjoy working on various committees, both in Illinois and Florida,creating and maintaining computer databases fora few organizations. I keep up with my Knoxfriends via a great book club that meets monthly(more or less) in the Chicagoland area, via e-mail,and in Galesburg once or twice a year.” ❯ FrankGustine very much enjoyed the 55th Class Reunion. He had dinner with Gordy Faubel andhis family. Hearing of Gordy’s many travels andduty assignments reminded Frank of another example of dedication he experienced some yearsago in Roatan, Honduras. While on a FirstUnited Methodist Church medical and schoolbuilding mission trip, Frank met a very brave and dedicated Peace Corps nurse named Donna.Although she had come from a wealthy family,she lived in a shack without any convenienceswhile heading the establishment of a clinic toprovide health care for the very poor population.Through the clinic, medical and dental treatmentwere afforded the long lines of people waiting inthe very hot sun. To Frank, Donna epitomizedthe value of the Peace Corps in underdevelopedareas. Both Gordy and Donna were Americanswith a strong desire to help others. Both gradu-ated from small liberal arts colleges and usedtheir education to achieve that goal. ❯ Alice Jacoby passed away peacefully at her home inDecatur, Georgia, on December 12, after battlingcancer. She received a Ph.D. from Emory Uni-versity in 1966 and taught at Emory Universityand Spelman College, in addition to being a stay-at-home mom. She was an avid historian andanimal lover. At the time of her death, she wasworking on a book about Scottish enlightenmentin the eighteenth century. She is survived bybrother John Jacoby, children Robert and Lisa,and five grandchildren. ❯ Dick Riggs and wifeEmma took a holiday cruise on the CaribbeanPrincess to Roatan, Honduras; Belize; andCozumel, Mexico. Dick climbed a Mayan templeand went down 100 feet in a submarine to see thecoral reef and lots of fish. He also enjoyedsinging in a volunteer choir that performed thesongs from The Sound of Music in a concert forthe entire ship. Class Correspondent: Richard “Dick” [email protected]

Schmidt ’56 and Bill ’61 and Barb Lee Fay ’61.Bill Beanblossom ’60 often comes to have lunchwith Karl. Hope to see Louise Bost Wolf whenshe comes to visit her daughter, son-in-law, andgrandson. We have a private apartment forovernight guests and a welcome mat always out.Our three children are close by. They miss thebarn and horses, but like having us close in town.Karl Nagel ’60 sold the storage business to ourboys, and Metro has grown. There is even one inBrazil. We’re pretty much laid back, enjoying themoment and counting our blessings.” ❯ JanShroyer is busy learning the correct fundamentaltechniques for playing her new cello. ❯ BarbHanawalt Reece is very busy with her family,church, and bridge. ❯ Larry and Barb WoodsBlasch ’61 are busy following all the activities oftheir grandchildren and are happy to have sur-vived the “1,000-year flood’” with only road closures on Seabrook Island. ❯ Cathy WitscheyTompson has adjusted very well to her newhometown of Waco, Texas. She is very activethere and frequently visits her children andgrandchildren around the country. She says,“How thankful I am for my family and all of you.And, I pray that each of you will experience theLord’s rich blessing in the coming years.” ❯ Art’57 and Judy Storck Carlson are very busy withall their family members who live near them inthe Crystal Lake/Cary, Illinois, area. They helpdaughter Kelly, who with another parent, hasstarted a school for autistic children, the Alexan-der Leigh Center for Autism, in Crystal Lake. ❯Ralph Harju and wife Elaine continue their art-filled lifestyle in Michigan. They traveled toBarcelona and Trieste this year. Like all of us,they hope for world peace. ❯ From Paul Hoheand wife Elva’s Christmas message: “Our pastyear has been a blessed and happy one with family, friends, good health, travel, Cubs seasontickets, winemaking, cultural events, special celebrations, life, love, and laughter. We hopeyour year has been a blessed one with much tolook forward to.” ❯ Jim Wollrab reports that hehas published his 11th novel, Leaving Reality,“about a kid growing up in Alaska who wants tobe a hockey player. I’m working on the next one,to be called Murder at the Tamarac Diner, which isabout all the snowbirds I’ve met in Florida.” ❯Bob and I enjoyed a family trip to Spain andGermany in June. The remainder of the year hasbeen pretty quiet. Bob finally completely retiredNovember 1. He has adjusted to a life of leisure,especially on cold, snowy mornings when he canstay in the warm house with only the bird feedersto fill. The yard work and the dogs keep himbusy. ❯ Thanks all of you for contributing to thecolumn. We would welcome some newcomers.Keep in touch.Class Correspondent: Louise Bost Wolf3 Gilbert Park, Knoxville, IL 61448, 309-337-6435 (cell),[email protected]

1960Dick Aft is now United Way’s most publishedhistorian. His fourth book, Uniting a Caring Community, was published late last year. Only 10books have ever been published about UnitedWay and its predecessor, Community Chest, dur-ing its 140-year history. Dick tells us that 2.6 mil-lion volunteers in local United Way organizationscurrently raise more than $5 billion from 9.6 million donors in more than 2,500 communitiesin North America and more than 40 countriesaround the world. ❯ Robert Baker published abook, Liberal Arts Education and College Architec-ture in Steamboat Springs: A Personal History. It isavailable from www.steamboatbooks.com. The bookcontains a couple of paragraphs about his Knoxexperiences. Robert’s book adds to the growingliterature on the slow decline of liberal arts education in America. ❯ Hal Lander retired in2003 from Haywood Community College, westof Asheville, North Carolina, where he served as director of distance learning and instructionaltechnology and as a member of the English faculty. Prior to that, he taught at University ofNorth Carolina–Wilmington, and, before that, heoperated his own businesses in Galva and BishopHill, Illinois. He and wife Marie-Claire live inWilmington, North Carolina, where they enjoywalking on the beaches and biking the backroads. They do lots of travelling. Last summer,they spent a month in the West, much of the timevisiting son Rob Lander ’86 and his wife in Durango, Colorado. This fall, they journeyed toAngers, France, for a month to help Marie-Claire’s parents celebrate their anniversary and toattend her cousin’s wedding. Next year, they planto visit Hal’s daughters—Beth in Modesto, Cali-fornia, and April Lander ’87 in Rangiora, NewZealand—as well as Marie-Claire’s daughter, Jasmine, in Taupo, New Zealand. ❯ Joe Pankushas been appointed to chair/facilitator of a CEOgroup covering five counties of Wisconsin forThe Executive Committee (TEC). Today, morethan 700 Wisconsin and 20,000 internationalCEOs embrace the TEC system. The group ofCEOs serves a de facto board of directors for eachother while sharing their experience and advice.Joe is a colorful character with a background in avariety of business ventures, in addition to havingbeen CEO of Wurlitzer for 15 years. He createdall the “Winnie the Pooh” paper products—things such as gift wrap and baby books—underthe Disney license for Sears and other major retailers, and he successfully negotiated productlicenses with Coca-Cola, Harley-Davidson, ElvisPresley, Budweiser and others, including everymajor music recording company. He even designed, built, and managed two 18-hole Wisconsin golf courses. During the holidays, Joeand his bride of 55 years met with Gordy andAnne Wetzel Faubel, plus Anne’s sister BarbWetzel Marsh ’60, in the Chicago area. All arewell. ❯ Maury Klein writes that stepdaughterShannon Perry ’15 has moved to Denver andnow works there. Maury’s latest book, Stealing


Class KnoxPaul Mellican ’62 and wife Nancy recently spent a week on the Natchez Trace.

1961Hello, you reticent classmates. Despite our pleasfor your news, the deadline is upon us with verylittle to report. ❯ Many thanks to Jim Marks,who shared a good story. “My recollection ofPhysics 101 class on Monday morning after theweekend art fair in the women’s gymnasium during the fall of 1960: During my senior year atKnox, I was enrolled in introductory physics witha group of underclassmen to fulfill my last sci-ence requisite for medical school. The course wastaught by Burton E. Squires Jr., an energeticman with straight black hair and a mustache who resembled none other than Adolf Hitler. Inretrospect, it is interesting that I never onceheard anyone comment on Professor Squires’ re-semblance to the German dictator. That Mondaymorning, we were to receive back the results ofour first examination, given the preceding week.The five-problem exam was prefaced by thestatement that each of us was employed by a largecorporation who depended on us to get an exactanswer to every problem we chose to answer. We could do one, two, three, or more of theproblems but had to get the exact answer; a student’s final score was also tied to the time ittook to arrive at a solution. I did two of the problems in a period of 20 to 30 minutes, got the correct answer for each, and received a highscore. Many of the freshmen, disconcerted by thepressure of getting the right answer in the short-est time possible, froze and didn’t do that well.When I walked into the classroom on the firstfloor of George Davis Science Hall the followingMonday morning, everyone was talking about thetwo exhibits, one in the physics laboratory at theend of the corridor and the other in ProfessorSquire’s office. The laboratory exhibit consistedof a huge pile of boxes and paper with a big redribbon labeled ‘second prize’ on the top and theexhibit in the office was a group of ring standslinked together with a blinking red light on thetop; the ring stand exhibit supported a blue rib-bon labeled, you guessed it, ‘first prize.’ But thatwas not the end of it. Professor Squires enteredpromptly at 9:00 and was clearly in a huff. Hehanded out the corrected exams, which producedsome audible groans, and proceeded to start hislecture. He grabbed the pole with the hook onthe end and pulled down the upper blackboard toexpose a life-size Playmate of the Month. Theclass exploded, Professor Squires walked out, andI went to the Gizmo with friends. This story isjust one of many fond memories that I have ofKnox College.” ❯ A very welcome note arrivedfrom Denis Bohm. “Here’s a brief update: I amretired and living with wife Roberta in Mettawa,Illinois. Spending my retirement birding, volun-teering as the steward at Middlefork SavannaForest Preserve, and chairing our village’s OpenLands Planning Panel. Expecting our first great-grandson in July! Our travels are around thecountry to visit children and grandchildren—Austin, Seattle, Atlanta, New York City, Western

stop signs, billboards, or commercial vehicles allowed—traverses a variety of environments,with places of interest all along its length. High-lights included the ancient Emerald Mound Site(the second-largest Native American mound inNorth America), unique plantation homes, trails,swamps, woods, and historic sites. Something foreveryone! You can walk sections of it in the foot-steps of Abe Lincoln, who floated down the Mississippi on a flatboat, unloaded its wares inNatchez, and then, along with others, walkedback home. A great place to feel a part of the history of this area with no crowds. (Soundsinviting doesn’t it?) ❯ Karen Kuhfuss Koch has“absolutely nothing of importance” to report, but bemoans all the “negative news” about St.Louis—the recent flooding, problems in Fergu-son, the loss of the Cardinals to the Cubs in playoffs and in player trades, and the indignity ofbeing abandoned for a second time by an NFLteam. She opines that all this has brought embar-rassment, anger, and determination. ❯ CynthiaMorse Latta reports that while visiting Chicagowith friends from its sister city in France, theywere seated on a boat waiting for an architecturalriver cruise to start when who should walk up thesteps to the upper deck but Wayne Hohman anda friend? They were on their way back to Califor-nia after a visit to Michigan for the wedding ofWayne’s nephew. They had a nice visit. She notesWayne still works at J&J. ❯ Janet PalmeriMalmberg travelled extensively to Italy after re-tiring and lived in an apartment in a small villagenear Florence for eight years. She notes that onedoes not want a medical emergency in Italy, so—playing the odds as she ages—she gave up theapartment. Needless to say, she misses it. Janetrecently took up the autoharp. Trying to play inthe manner of Mother Maybelle Carter, she saysshe is “failing heroically.” She is “happy to be vertical at 75.” (Several of us can second thatthought!!) ❯ Dennis East relinquishes the dutyas co-correspondent after this edition. “My pan-creatic cancer has been under control for a cou-ple of years, and I have been active over the lastsix months—hunting in South Dakota and Ohiothis fall/winter; directing my favorite play, TheBlack Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon, for theBlack Swamp Players in September; enjoyingsports events at Bowling Green State University;and serving on the Wood County Law LibraryBoard. Kathy and I hope to join Lynn MelcherBarrett ’64 and husband David, Gordie ’61 andAnne Fribolin Stagg ’64, and our son BrianEast ’92 and his friend and their children for amonth in Tempe, Arizona, in March-April thisyear. But new, uncertain developments at thispoint, new rounds of chemo with a different ‘poison,’ etc., etc. have prompted me to decide toreduce some activities. Hence, this request:Could a classmate volunteer to replace meand help Katie continue to produce notes forthe class? Please. I extend the biggest thankyou possible to all of you who have sent us newsand to Pam Chozen at Knox for all of her coop-

Springs, and Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Thanks fortrying to keep our class up-to-date.” ❯ GordonStagg also wrote…that he had nothing to write.At least he answered. Thanks, Gordie. ❯REMEMBER…Earnest Elmo Calkins, whograduated from Knox exactly 70 years before wedid, said, “Alumni are the end products of theCollege, its reason for existence. What they are,what they have done, is the measure of this college, its contribution to the culture and civilization of the country.” E.E. would have writ-ten to us. Now, it’s your turn.Class Correspondents: Susan Shea Worthington1611 South Street, Lexington, MO 64067-1431, 660-259-4559, [email protected] Major Morin11234 54th Avenue N., St. Petersburg, FL 33708-2949,727-290-6984, [email protected]

1962Brent ’63 and Barbara Nelson Bensoncontinue spending summers in Coopersburg,Pennsylvania, and winters near Anderson, SouthCarolina, close to the shores of Lake Hartwell.Their daughter—an archeologist for the TexasParks & Wildlife Department— along with herhusband (a Schwab financial analyst) and their11- and 14-year-old kids live in Austin, Texas.Their son is an enterprise architect for HarvardBusiness School, and his wife is a Massachusettsstate representative and studying for an M.S. atthe JFK School of Government at Harvard; theylive with their three children (two in college, one a high school sophomore) in Lunenburg,Massachusetts. The children and grandchildrenare a “great joy to us.” When the Bensons aren’ttraveling to see family, they work on their twohomes—currently a bathroom remodel at theirsouthern place. ❯ Katie Calvert Bloomberg re-ports on another season of Knoxites and spousesat Chautauqua, our favorite institution of higherlearning (next to Knox)—and great gabbing.Plans are in place to gather again this year duringthe ninth week (August 20-28), which stars Wynton Marsalis and his band and focuses on the influence of gospel and jazz on the Americanmusical scene. She invites “more Knoxites to joinus” and to enjoy all the amenities—a variety ofaccommodations and prices from homes to hotelrooms, with facilities operated by every conceiv-able denomination, as well as golf courses, tenniscourts, classes, sailing, and more. Chautauqua islocated just south of Buffalo. The website for ad-ditional information is www.ciweb.org. You can callher at 262-783-5448 or contact her at [email protected] if you want more information andinsights. She concludes, “Would love to see youand share the experience.” ❯ Paul Mellican andwife Nancy recently spent a week on the NatchezTrace, a little-known linear national park extend-ing 444 miles from Natchez, Mississippi, toNashville, Tennessee. The Trace—a secludedtwo-lane road with a 50-mph speed limit and no


“There just wasn’t enough time to visit with the 105 classmates who show ed up.” —Diane Trout-Oertel ’65 on the 50th Reunion of the Class of 1965

eration and assistance over my tenure as co-cor-respondent. But mostly, thanks to all the class-mates for all the good wishes and prayers youhave sent my way.” Class Correspondents: Katie CalvertBloomberg [email protected] [email protected]

1963Class Correspondent: Ramona Reed Landberg21500 Baltic Drive, Cornelius, NC 28031, 704-892-4637, [email protected]

1964Prompt: “U.S. vacations.” Response: Overwhelm-ing. 1,000-word limit. Condensed heavily. Apologies to submitters. [13 words so far] ❯ AvisSorenson Erickson, Jean Howell Card, JeanScott Welch, Jo Ann Dworzynski Pierce,Karen Dittmer Bowyer ’63, Kathy Molda East,Nancy Anderson Levin, and Babs Kothe Fialagot together in Springfield, Illinois, for their 25thconsecutive annual mini-reunion. Included: thecemetery made famous in Spoon River Anthology;lunch at the Gizmo with Watson Bartlett Profes-sor of Biology Linda Dybas ’64; a personal tourof Alumni Hall, courtesy of Megan Clayton;supper at the farm of Roger ’63 and Bunny Taylor ’63; and an afternoon in Springfield at theLincoln Museum and Library with MikeLawrence and wife Marianne and George Shea’66 and wife Janet. ❯ Great travelogue fromSteve Gamble: “The Moab Music Festival. In-cludes a rare 40-minute trip down the Coloradoto a hidden, gigantic grotto. Each event involvesfabulous musicians and a Steinway grandpiano. The acoustics are wonderful. Food andwine. Trip back passes petroglyphs and Anasazicaves. Other events include hikes into canyonswhere violin quartets are waiting. Have enjoyedthis event five times. It never gets old; the site isso special.” ❯ Pam Norton Nelson: “A delightfulweek in Santa Fe with friends. We got to blowsome glass; had a semi-private tour with wine ofthe Georgia O’Keefe Museum, followed by dinner at Georgia, The Restaurant; and hiked atBandelier and Tent Rocks National Monuments.Visited Carol Olles Kellerman ’63 and her hus-band in Santa Fe and made it to the craft fair,museums, galleries, and studios. Fascinatingplace.” ❯ Martha Peterson Riley and husbandJim drove from sea to shining sea and from ElPaso, Texas, to the Upper Peninsula ofMichigan. Most memorable time: “Seeing ourhigh school grandson sing on stage at CarnegieHall. Amazing!” ❯ Millicent Handrich Chrusciel received an e-mail from Tom E.Brown after 50 years. Ah, the joy of renewedKnox acquaintances. ❯ Leighton Scott hasbegun “easy as you go” training for the oldtimers’

Ralph Walter ’69The KnOxford Connection

More than 45 years after graduating from Knox, Ralph Walter ’69 is still using theskills he learned to further his education. Last summer, the Knox trustee completeda master’s degree at the University of Oxford.

“I guess you could say that I learned the curse of living the examined life atKnox,” laughs Walter, who studied mathematics at Knox before earning a master’sdegree in economics from Indiana University and a doctorate in theology from theSaint Alcuin House Seminary.

Walter went on to a successful career at Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors in LosAngeles, California. “I found the skills I learned at Knox incredibly important in

my business career because I was able tosolve problems that hadn’t been there before. In my field of finance, for example,more than half the tools today hadn’t beeninvented when I was in school. So I learnedto learn. And I learned to enjoy learning.”

This joy of learning became particularlyevident about 15 years ago when Walterlearned that Oxford had a summer continuing education program. “It was funhaving a holiday thinking about differentthings than I had to think about on my job,” said Walter. “It was so much fun that I continued to go back to Oxford everysummer.” The programs were three weeksin length and immersed him in topics like cathedrals and churches, theology,Shakespeare, and British naval history.

As he approached semi-retirement, Walter learned about a masters of studies in literature and art program at Oxford that had a limited residency. The degree included four fortnight (two-week) residencies. In addition to intensive seminars and papers, Walter wrote a dissertation on special elections in the UK parliament.

Of 26 students in the class—the majorityin their 30s and British—Walter was one ofonly three to graduate with distinction.

Walter is now fully retired, but his questfor knowledge is far from over. He’s been

asked to join the Research Centre for Victorian Political Culture at Oxford’s KebleCollege, where he will continue his election analysis. He plans to split his time between California and Oxford.

“Knox gave me the skills to earn a living wage so that I can now do this,” saidWalter. “And even though it’s been 45 years, Knox gave me the love of learning thathas stayed with me my entire life.”

SUBMITTED


Class Knox“There just wasn’t enough time to visit with the 105 classmates who show ed up.” —Diane Trout-Oertel ’65 on the 50th Reunion of the Class of 1965

baseball game to be held during Greencastle,Pennsylvania’s “Old Home Week.” Biggest chal-lenge? Running. [Lee pitched for the Siwash.] ❯Al and Karen Hummel Crumbliss had a greatyear of travel. Spring: a visit with Jean ScottWelch and Stacy Stallos in Denver and abike/barge trip in Italy. Summer: followingKaren’s parents’ trails from Minneapolis to Gla-cier National Park and the Blackfeet reservationwith sister Wendy Hummel Hill ’67 and family.Then into Northern Wisconsin to spend severaldays at the summer home of Don and CatherineHardinger Shriver ’66 with Mike Pope and wifeMarsha and Ray Santini and wife Diane. Al’s fallsabbatical was two months in Tokyo, Japan, “acountry we never anticipated we’d see!” ❯ FromLeslie Martens Nauta: “I still work as a real estate broker; retiring for me would be boring! Ipaint in acrylics and volunteer at the art gallerywhere my work hangs. Also involved with ourlocal Pi Phi alum club as well as bridge, golfleagues, and mah jongg.” ❯ From Kristy Welch:“Began at Knox in 1960, so my class is definitely’64. After sophomore year, I went to NYC, at-tended acting school, did a LOT of waitressing,then came back to graduate in 1968. Roamed theplanet (a year in Munich, a year in Tehran, a yearin Rome). Came to Berkeley in 1972 and neverleft. Worked as a radio talk show host/producerfor more than 40 years now (OMG!) for KPFA, alefty nonprofit, the very first listener-sponsored,non-commercial station in the U.S. The pay ispainful! But the camaraderie and other rewards(she’s been honored with a number of awards) areconsiderable. LOVE the Bay Area for its diver-sity—racial, cultural, geographical—but alsodeeply love my dear Midwest [home town: St.Charles, Illinois] and Knox. When classmateArnie Egel (now in Paris) subscribes to everyfund drive, “I sing a chorus of ‘Hail Knox All-Glorious!’ to the audience.” ❯ Dennis Kalmaand John Hesemann, roommates at Knox, gettogether for outdoor adventures. In October,they were part of a two-week guided raft tripdown the Colorado River through the GrandCanyon, enjoying its majesty, serenity, and legendary rapids. ❯ Bill Bomash had a Fulbrightto study in Denmark in 1972-73, followed by aMarshall grant in 1973. Returning to Minnesota,he completed a Ph.D. in modern European his-tory, specializing in the Danish Reformation. He worked for the Minnesota Historical Societybefore becoming head of IT at the MinnesotaExtension Service. He received numerous grantsto expand internet access to rural Minnesota,then spread knowledge to other states. Since re-tirement, he serves as a docent at the MinneapolisInstitute of Arts. He and wife Patricia GarrettBomash ’65 recently went to China and highlyrecommend Viking Riverboat Cruises. ❯ SteveMarsh: “Sharon and I have moved to Hamp-stead, North Carolina. I will again teach evidenceof the afterlife classes at a nearby college, thisyear on after-death communications. We enjoyhiking (Sedona is our favorite), thankful every

volved in “book art.” She studied with Dan Essig,a well-known book artist in Asheville, North Carolina, and, together with a group of nine peo-ple, makes and shares books. She creates her ownboards and paper and teaches basic-book makingtechniques. Additionally, she is a watercoloristand has received some firsts-in-show, includingone national show. She shared some photos ofher works, and they are magnificent. ❯ Richardand Janell Stevens Mesic enjoy travelingabroad. ❯ Sandra Banks and her two WestHighland terriers recently moved to a workingfarm and are very happy fulfilling a lifelongdream. ❯ Warren Johnson and Paula Hoffstadt Johnson have been celebrating their50th anniversary throughout the year at differentplaces and times, allowing them to get togetherwith people that have been important to themand thank them for being part of their lives. “Wehope to include Paula’s cousins in England andIsrael and my cousin in Sweden next summer,” hesays. Warren greatly enjoyed Professor JorgePrats’ appearance at the Reunion banquet at theMinneapolis Swedish Institute. Warren still helpsout at the Chippewa Middle School, where heworked the last 20 years of his career in educa-tion. He videotapes the choir, Glee Club, and orchestra concerts at school musicals and createsDVDs for all interested. He began his interest inaudiovisual “stuff” while working under BuckySwise ’42 at Knox. Paula and Warren are regu-lars at the nearby Life-Time Fitness Club, wherewater aerobics helps with his arthritis. They havetwo grandchildren, ages 3 1/2 and 6 months, bothliving in Oregon. Warren is very conscious of theguidance, love, and friendship he has receivedthroughout life and for the opportunities to showthat by serving others. ❯ Jeff Simon continuesto travel to the Middle East and Eastern Europe,though a bit less frequently than in past years. ❯Joe Thompson wants to get interested class-mates to meet up in Chicago in June 2016. Thesite has been selected for both good weather andbecause it’s a halfway point between the East andWest Coasts. Diane Trout-Oertel agrees, and sheand others plan to make the journey. Any inter-ested classmates can contact either Diane or Joe.❯ Wife Beverly Anderson and I continue to workon our farm and recently completed a new stallfor Arabella, one of our Arabian horses. Class Correspondent: Terry Rothstein, M.D.220 N. 32nd Street, Parsons, KS 67357,[email protected]

1966We asked classmates to send us news of their livesor to share a favorite Christmas holiday memoryfrom their Knox years. ❯ First, the news. TedCorwin of Westlake, California, reports, “Two ofmy four children came for Christmas. My daugh-ter, who lives in Chico, drove down with her hus-band and my granddaughter. My son, who livesin Los Angeles, also came home. My eldest son,who lives in Aspen, Colorado, with his wife and

day for all the good that has come our way.” ❯Linda Bodensiek Schoneberger: “I just com-pleted a 25-year research project tracking the genealogy of my family, fully suspecting to find afew scoundrels, but, evidently, if they exist,their offenses were not sufficient to be noted in court or other documents. I did find fourfourth-great-grandfathers who participated in theRevolutionary War. If only my history classescould have been this captivating....” ❯ BrianLeekley: “I help promote the Kalamazoo Rallyand March for Climate Action. The church I at-tend focuses on climate justice, anti-racism, andpreventing violence against women. I hope andexpect that Knox is a leader regarding these andother social justice problems.” ❯ In addition tothe aforementioned trip to Wisconsin, MikePope and wife Marsha’s travels took them toVancouver, British Columbia, and Jamestown,Rhode Island, as well as a two-week tour of Germany (southern Bavaria and Berlin). Finally,in October, they had a timeshare in the westernmountains of Virginia, including a special dayspent visiting the nearby homes of Madison,Jefferson, and Monroe. ❯ [999 words. Whew!]

Class Correspondent: Terry [email protected]

1965Diane Trout-Oertel sent a wonderful account ofour 50th Reunion. “For me, the Reunion startedon Wednesday, when Pat White Strasberg ’64arrived at my house in St. Paul. (I had been Pat’sguest at her 50th Reunion the year before, andnow she was my guest.) The next morning, sheand I joined Barbara Schilke Zimmerman andMary Ellen Alt Johnson, and the four of usdrove down to Galesburg together. The conver-sation was nonstop, and we covered a lot ofground in more ways than one. By the followingday, we were reunited with the rest of the ‘Tri-Pis’, an ad hoc group made up of Tri-Delts,Pi-Phis, and Independents who shared a suite inPost Hall our sophomore and junior years. Thatevening, all had a good time at the Class of ’65reception in Seymour Library, the first of threeevents expertly planned by Reunion co-chairs,Gary Moses and Wendel Swan. Another high-light had to be the convocation, beach balls andall! All in all, our Reunion was perfect except forone thing…there just wasn’t enough time to visitwith the 105 classmates who showed up. Therecord-breaking turnout meant that it was a challenge to even say hi to everyone, despitePumphandle on Friday evening. It helps to knowthat we will have another chance at this in fiveyears. Hopefully, the Class of ’65 will continue tobreak records in Reunions to come!” ❯ DukeBotthof sent a picture of seven players fromHarley Knosher’s first football team. Of theseven, I recognized Stan Flood, Ken Grimm, andArt Katzmann. ❯ Linda Lee Johnson Rossi is aretired librarian living in Media, Pennsylvania.She has a most interesting hobby—she is in-


delightful.” ❯ Jerry Sebesta’s poignant memorywas a post-Knox moment. “In the mid-70s, I attended a charity event called Santa ClausAnonymous held on Chicago’s Near North Side.As I walked around the event, I passed a womanwho said, ‘Didn’t you go to Knox College?’ Shewas Marsha Waters Hinrichs ’68. We had nevermet on campus. That evening we talked for several hours, and, 11 months later, we were married. We had 30 years together until herdeath in 2009.” ❯ From Greta Kallio Nagel, welearned even more about going home from Knoxfor the holidays by train. “Memory reveals thatwe were quite a crowd, getting on special cars fullof students headed to Union Station in Chicago,with a few other stops along the way. We all feltfestive and were undoubtedly a pretty noisybunch. Then there were those males who ac-cepted the ‘Mendota Run’ challenge. One ofthose guy-things, they had to see who could runfrom the train to the tavern across from the sta-tion and get back on the train with beer(s) beforeit pulled away. Well, some of the fellows didn’tmake it. Exact details will have to come fromsomeone else. The trip back to Knox was morecivilized. In the mid-60s, we dressed for the expe-rience—me in my red-plaid wool suit, stockings,and high heels, accompanied by my suitcase thatrequired carrying (no wheels!). I remember wishing my journey on the California Zephyrcould have been to a destination farther awaythan the ‘Burg,’ allowing me to dine in the diningcar set up with its elegant place settings.” ❯ MikeDenniston sent two holiday memories of hisyears at Knox. “In the ’60s, Knox’s semester wasnot finished at Christmas, and there was often apaper or project due early in January, just beforefinal exams. I worked part-time at the HawthorneDrug Store on Main Street cleaning up the store,etc. During the week before Christmas, I helpeddeliver gifts to physicians’ offices. These includedchocolates, liquor, cigars—healthy things likethat. The more prescriptions you sent our way,the bigger your gift box.” ❯ Ron Lehmannshared these holiday memories. “Big fire in theGizmo fireplace as a backdrop to Howie Wilson’sreading of A Child’s Christmas in Wales—greatambiance and memorable poetic tale. Also, every-one piling onto the Burlington student special toreturn home for the holidays. Wonder if that stillexists?” ❯ Dale Litney summed up. “My specialChristmas memory was recognition of the factthat friends can accept us as we are and keep usgrounded and hopeful. So, in the belief that oldfriends stay together simply because of sharedmemories and experiences from the past, I’vebeen in contact with fellow Old Siwashers aboutcoming to our 50th Reunion.”Class Correspondents: Steve & Jo StrehleSommers209 North Lombard, Oak Park, IL 60302-2503, [email protected]

two children, wasn’t able to come this year. Myyoungest son is in school in Shanghai and didn’tmake it home, either. Right now, he struggleswith air pollution and cold.” ❯ Virginia BlissBailey sends word that “Husband Rick and I livein downtown Denver. Our daughter and familylive in Colorado Springs. Our eldest son is onOrcas Island, Washington, and son number two isin Minneapolis. We have seven grandchildren.Rick and I enjoyed our teaching careers in Illinois, and we’re loving our retirement in Colorado. Can’t believe it’s been almost 50 yearssince graduation. I look forward to our 50th Reunion in Galesburg.” ❯ Nancy HubbardStanley and husband Stan have planned a trip toWashington, D.C., in the spring. They will ex-tend that to visit with Mary Anderson Audetand husband Hobie in Maryland, and then thefour will travel on to Williamsburg. ❯ Steve andSusan Wood Bailey held their annual holidayopen house before Christmas. Susan writes: “Ineight days, I addressed and sent out holiday cardsand cooked for Christmas Eve and Christmasnight. And now…on to 2016 and Homecoming!”❯ David Lund sent word that “2015 was a year ofadjustment to a new marriage to Susan DeitrickCarradice Houghton; that has meant picking upthree more children to add to my own two, plusthree more grandchildren, for a total of five. Fall2015 marked my last season as a high schoolfootball referee after 44 years.” After more than30 years working for Uncle Sam, Dave decided toretire. “The magic date will be the end of January2016.” ❯ Richard Mogensen and wife TrishaBarrett were at Lake Tahoe with daughterKirsten over Christmas and New Year’s, “skiingand taking a break from work and teaching. Weplan to see everyone next October in Galesburg.”❯ Next, KNOX HOLIDAY MEMORIES. Sue BeckHoff led off with the first of the Knox Christmasmemories. “Of course, Howard Wilson readingA Child’s Christmas in Wales to a packed and festive crowd in the Gizmo has to top the list!But among others is riding the Knox Special onthe CB&Q from Galesburg to Chicago andknowing I was nearing home and family as thenumber of lights grew from the darkened land-scape of farmland to streetscapes of suburb to thebrilliance of the city I loved.” ❯ Ned Wetmorewrote, “We could be assigned a project in at leastone class that required Christmas vacation timeto complete. Before my senior year, I usually hadtime to start work before leaving on vacation. In1965, however, there were applications for gradschool and several class assignments to complete.One important project had not even gottenstarted. So I threw my only college all-nighter be-fore vacation. This was exhausting, but the effortgot me to the last day. Everything was completedby late afternoon. I had a great trip to Chicago inthe evening on the Burlington’s student special.Eventually, I fell sound asleep on the train. Iwould have ended up in the CB&Q coach yardall night had a conductor not spent time gettingme off at Union Station. Christmas that year was

“Since I painted ‘Fly Navy’ on our barn roof, we get more jet fighter traffic.” —Mike McNaull ’67

1967Nancy Rabenstein Pielemeier: “Heads up,classmates! Carol Romsa Parke and I had a callwith the Knox alumni office to start getting or-ganized for our 50th Reunion in October 2017.We need volunteers for the organizing commit-tee, so please let us know if you would like to volunteer before we call you! We understand thatthe Class of ’65 had two-thirds of the class partic-ipate; let’s match that!” ❯ Julie Badel: “I finishedmy first year as president of the Finnish Ameri-can Chamber of Commerce-Midwest.” ❯ JeffBraun: “I’m still professor of physics and depart-ment chair at the University of Evansville (Indi-ana), where I’ve been since 1984. We welcomedour first grandchild on November 15, so it was awonderful fall.” ❯ “Sammy” McKee Kenny:“Sending greetings to all my old friends. Hope tosee you at the Reunion next year.” ❯ Mike McNaull: “This was the first winter we stayed onour farm in the mountains of West Virginia sinceI retired in 2000. We spent four winters on oursailboat in the Bahamas and then roamed fromFlorida to Texas in our various RVs until 2014,when we decided to winter in Nerja, Spain. Spainwas a fantastic time, and I will miss being there.(If you want a neat experience, look up Nerja.)Last year, we built an addition for Trish’s 89-year-old mother, who now lives with us; our travelingdays will have to take a break for a little while.We enjoy her company and are glad to have herin a safe environment. We will stay busy takingcare of our four horses, seeing a little more of ourgrandkids, and maybe do some skiing at Snow-shoe. Oh yeah, since I painted ‘Fly Navy’ on ourbarn roof, we get more jet fighter traffic in ourlow-level navigation route to entertain this oldretired Navy pilot.” ❯ Elsa Swenson Teel: “Peteand I, along with dog Whidbey, have pulled upstakes and moved clear across the country fromBlue Hill, Maine, to Langley, Washington, onWhidbey Island! (The draw was four grandchil-dren in Seattle.) We love it here!” ❯ Tom andDorie Campbell Tichenor: “We are 10 yearsinto retirement and continue in good health. We visit our daughter and twin grandchildren inTucson and our son in Seattle as often as possi-ble. Life is good. We look forward to connectingwith Knox friends at our 50th Reunion nextyear.” ❯ Rick Uebner: “Jetty and I just celebratedour 43rd wedding anniversary. We still enjoyliving close to Yosemite (come visit with us and

stay here), enjoying our grandkids and working inour ceramic art studio.” ❯ Sam Griswold: “WifeMireille Henninger Griswold and I enjoy retire-ment in South Carolina, with homes in Columbiaand on Edisto Island near Charleston. I continuelobbying on behalf of state retirees, and we bothenjoy gardening, boating, and fishing.” ❯ JudyCrawford De Leon: “This year, Jorge and I wentto Denmark, the Netherlands, England, Ireland,Northern Ireland, and Scotland. It was great tovisit in London with two of my fellow Universityof Madrid classmates from 1965–66. Travel is so

2016 Alumni Achievement Award Marcea Bland Lloyd ’68

The first in her South Side Chicago family to go to college and only 16 yearsold, Marcea Bland Lloyd was rejected by the only college she wanted to applyto, Radcliffe. Eager to find a Plan B closer to home, her parents asked herhigh school what the best private school in Illinois was. Its recommendationwas Knox College.

Though she loved political science, Marcea decided to major in sociologyinstead. “It seemed like the only career options available to young blackwomen were nursing, teaching, and social work,” she says. After graduatingin just three years, at age 19, she considered the graduate program in social work at the University ofChicago but couldn’t make herselfwrite a 2,500-word essay on how shewas going to change the world, required for admission. “I thought,maybe I’ll take this law school aptitudetest instead,” she laughs. Her highscores won her a place at Northwest-ern. “I would have never gotten intothe social work program; I didn’t have aclue why I was going. Law school waswhere I belonged.”

It certainly was. She began her career working for the city of Chicago,representing the African American Patrolmen’s League, and volunteering forthe ACLU Ghetto Project, addressing police misconduct. “It was depressingwork,” she says. “There was no justice to it. Maybe you got some chargesdropped, but no one ever apologized for what had happened.” On a whim, sheinterviewed with Pillsbury in Minneapolis and discovered that she found thecorporate environment energizing. From there, she worked at MontgomeryWard, did a brief stint at University of Minnesota (“everyone wanted to talkabout what the law should be, rather than how to implement the law thatwas”), then spent 21 years at medical device manufacturer Medtronic. Shemoved to Dallas in 1999 to join healthcare purchasing company VHA as senior group vice president, general counsel, and chief administrative officer.In 2007, she joined Amylin, a California company that had developed the firstonce-a-week treatment for type 2 diabetes—a medication she takes herself.She finally retired after it was acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2013.“Otherwise, I’d probably still be working there; it was both personally andprofessionally important.”

How was your college experience different from your children’s?It’s interesting to see the changes in a single generation. My daughter is a successful Wall Street lawyer, but her career path has been much more intentional and also, I think, more risk-averse. By the time I was 19, I had far exceeded family expectations. So I wasn’t afraid of failure, and when newopportunities came up, I took them. I think I would have retired a lot earlier if I had been relegated to just practicing law.

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Class Knox“Since I painted ‘Fly Navy’ on our barn roof, we get more jet fighter traffic.” —Mike McNaull ’67

great now that we can take more time and nothave to hurry back to the office. I hope to seemany of you back at Knox for our 50th.” ❯ TheTurners: After many wonderful years living “out”on a small riverside acreage a dozen miles fromthe city of Eugene, we have moved back intotown. Closer proximity to our two sons and theirfamilies seems like a good idea, now that we areworking our way toward Old Age. Not there yet,but we can see it coming.Class Correspondents: Jack and Anne TalleyTurner50 East 39th Place, Eugene, OR 97405,[email protected] or

[email protected]

1968It’s great to hear from David York since he hasn’twritten in a long time. He shared, “I find myselfin 2016 winding up a 43-year career in commer-cial banking and management. Following gradua-tion, I attended Navy Officer Candidate Schooland spent 3 1/2 years at sea, with two deploy-ments to the waters off Vietnam. After the Navy,I completed an MBA at Washington Universityin St. Louis, returned to Tulsa to start my bank-ing career, and have spent the last 40 years therewith wife Becky. I have had visits from Ace Hoytover the years, most recently two years ago whenhe visited his grandkids. In 2014, I spent timewith Donna Roberts Godkins, now living inHouston, at our 50th high school reunion. Wehave enjoyed seeing Sue Bennetsen Postel inChicago and, more recently, in St. Louis whenour son worked there. Last spring, my son movedto Oklahoma City, following my footsteps incommercial banking. Sue’s husband, Roy, was inthe MBA program with me. Daughter Jenny is aphysical therapist. After working in Chicago forsix years, she is now with a private clinic inTulsa. We plan on making the 50th, and it will beupon us before we know it.” ❯ Pamela HarrisonStoffel reports, “This past year was a busy one as I continue to teach and direct theatre. I’m inrehearsal for a March production of Fiddler on theRoof. But the everyday routine was broken up by atrip at Thanksgiving to Los Angeles to attend thefinals of Dancing with the Stars, a birthday giftfrom my husband. My brother and his wife joinedus, and we spent Thanksgiving Day with themand my niece and nephew at their home in Laguna Niguel. Bindi definitely deserved to win!Next July, all of our kids and grandchildren willjoin us on Sea Island in Georgia for our five-yearcelebration of significant five- and 10-year birth-days. We will fly them all down in a private jet,which the grandchildren, all five and under, arealready gearing up for. This party has now be-come a tradition. If you will be in Rochester orthe Sea Island area, please let me know. It’s greatreading news from those in the Knox Class of ’68Facebook group!” ❯ Dr. Ira Weiner reports thathe and Janet Vanek Weiner are still in PanamaCity Beach, Florida, and he still works part-time

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“We are back from sailing the South Pacific … and ready to work on climate change solutions.” —Virginia Malmquist ’70

1969A group of Knox alums, spearheaded by John ’67and Kim Adams Post, has reported the develop-ment of a memorial at Green Oaks for our re-cently departed and beloved friends Jerry ’68 andDiane Scott Stubbs. They request that dona-tions or gifts for the “Stubbs Memorial Garden”be forwarded to Knox at knoxalumni.org/Stubbs orby check, payable to Knox College and noting“Stubbs Memorial Garden” in the memo line,mailed to: Knox College Office of Advancement,Campus Box K-230, 2 East South Street, Gales-burg, IL 61401-9970. The group has set a goal of$15,000 for the creation of a wildflower garden.❯ The Class of 1969 lost another of its most interesting and accomplished members this fall.Ed Andreas earned a master’s degree in physicsand a Ph.D. in physical oceanography after graduating from Knox. Hired by the U.S. Army’sCold Regions Research and Engineering Labora-tory, he spent four months as the lead Americanmeteorologist on the American and Russian Ice Station Weddell, the first research station deployed on floating Antarctic ice. His journeyfollowed the trek of Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance mission and was the first human visitto that area in 75 years. Ed also participated inseveral Arctic expeditions, published more than125 academic articles, and was named a Fellow ofboth the American Meteorological Society andthe Royal Meteorological Society. He marriedDiane Forsyth in 1977, with whom he had adaughter, Emily. Our condolences to his family.❯ Doug Andersen shortened his bucket list bywinning the cartoon caption contest in The NewYorker magazine this past December. ❯ I foundmyself in Denver last August, where my daughter,Kellie, lives with husband Mike and childrenMorgan and Connor Scott. While there, I met upwith KT Johnson and his charming wife, Sandy,as well as Mike Webster and wife Luana, amongothers. Included in the others was one BillWeaver, friend of Knox and 1965 graduate ofGalesburg High School. Glad to report that allseemed healthy and happy, and it was a delight tospend some quality time with those dear friends.Class Correspondent: Bill [email protected]

1970Mark Goodwillie reports, “In fall 2011, businesspartner Scott Long and I visited an old WorldWar II Flying Tiger air base in China that hadbeen preserved as a museum. We soon learned ofa young North Carolina man who risked his lifefighting the Japanese as a fighter pilot for theFlying Tigers. He was declared MIA but returnedhome a hero 61 years later. This summer, ourjoint collaboration effort with the Chinese, amovie called The Unknown Tiger, premiered inChina to an audience of 85 million viewers. Nowwe are raising money to remake it for Americanand worldwide audiences.” ❯ Doug Youngren

and wife Sandy split their time between Darien,Illinois, and Sarasota, Florida. They very muchenjoyed the Reunion and look forward to the 50Year Club extravaganza in 2020. Doug thanks fellow townie Suzanne Clark Klohn for the alertabout the impending GHS 50th reunion. ❯Walt and Mary Kay Gaunt Stinson ’69 stillwork full-time in the business they founded withSteve Weiner ’71 in 1972. Walt reports, “We’verecently expanded into Oregon and New Mexico,and ListenUp.com has expanded, too. Our team installed the technology infrastructure for thenew Alumni Hall, and Steve and I traveled toGalesburg for the unveiling and met up withJohn Sauter ’63. Finally, Mkay and I are excitedabout our first grandchild, a girl.” ❯ From A.J.Van Auken Smith: “I traveled by car with mydog, Harley, to visit my sister and her family inSummerville, South Carolina, for the holidays.”❯ From Topper Steinman: “I enjoyed seeingthose who could make it back for our 45th. Let’s‘rock the boat’ (on Lake Storey?) for our 50th infive—are all of YOU that old? You’d be proud ofOld Siwash in the land of Prairie Fire! Personally,wife Carol and I have lived in Champaign, Illinois, for more 40 years. We are mostly retired,doing some volunteering, some exercising, somenapping, and some trying to remember yesterdayand tomorrow with a focus on today. We havetwo children and three grands (14, 9, and 2)—alldoing well. Finally, this commercial: I work withK Club, Knox’s athletics booster organization,which hopes to increase both membership andfunding. Join online at www.knoxalumni.org/kclub.It’s one more way to give back to a place thatmade a difference in our lives.” ❯ GeorgeannShipley Chaffee: “Since Knox, I’ve earned amaster’s in public administration and worked inupper management in public and nonprofit or-ganizations. Charlie Woodruff (my best husband)and I live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I’m now retired and active in our local master gardenersprogram. I also take inspiration and produce perspiration working in our home garden and inthe rose garden at Burden Museum and Gardens:www.lsuagcenter.com/burden. We have two grand-children, 24 and 30.” ❯ Bob and Jan EckardtButler still dig most of their veggies from theirgarden in Tulsa. They both teach at Holland HallPreparatory School, well past normal retirementage. Bob teaches English, American studies, creative writing, and a film class. Jan teaches artand brings back monarch butterflies to campuswith an active milkweed-planting and caterpillar-raising program. They have no grandchildren,just two dogs and two cats they can leave with housesitters as they flit off to Buffalo and NewYork City, where their daughter and son work onhighfalutin Ph.D.s. ❯ Jim Hogue is making amovie called Made in Vermont, a screwball comedy about oddballs who think they can makea movie. www.facebook.com/Vermontmadefilm ❯Three years ago, at the request of their daughterand her wife, Jack and Patty Curtis Pfitsch lefttheir farm in Wisconsin, where they lived for 35

as a clinic psychiatrist. They are in the process ofpreparing for their annual Jamaica vacation. ❯Lee Balgemann is proud to become one of thefirst baby boomers to turn 70 (SEVENTY!).“Seventy is the new 50, ya know..... Happy NewYear, all!” ❯ Paul and Diane Koepppel Madsen’67 wrote, “We really enjoy our three-year-oldgranddaughter. At our 45th Reunion, members ofthe class who came back decided to use Facebookto keep in touch and share news of what is hap-pening in our lives. Classmates, please share thisso we can get more on the Facebook connection.”❯ Mary Mangieri Burgland reports that hus-band George sold his drug store business to Hy-Vee food stores. They are trying to ease intoretirement. ❯ Al Bryant says he missed the classon retirement and has opened an office in Naples for his investment firm, Segall, Bryant &Hamill...come on down! ❯ Jo Anne RawlingsVieweg has been busy as president of the boardof directors of the Red River Valley Asperger-Autism Network, a nonprofit that supports individuals with autism and their families. Theyrecently received a grant to continue develop-ment of a training manual to teach caregivershow to set up and run support groups. She feelsthis is a rewarding way of using her experiencesas an educator and counselor. She also spendstime with her four grandchildren and really enjoys retirement. ❯ Chip Evans said it was great to have lunch and reconnect recently withSiwashers who he had not seen in years ordecades, like Rich Isberner ’69, Allan Penwell’66, Jim Johnson ’66, Jerry Vovis ’65, FredWicks ’65, and Art Katzmann ’65. Retirementgives him more time to enjoy their grandchildrenand to learn what classmates have been doingsince leaving Knox via the Knox 68 Facebookgroup, which has more than 100 membersnow. He took two grandchildren on a summerdriving trip west to national parks in SouthDakota, Montana, and Wyoming. He saw JimMiller at a U.S. Masters Swimming meet yearsago in the Chicago area but lost contact. If any-one is in contact with him, please let Chip know.❯ Wendy Saul, a professor at the University ofMissouri-St. Louis since 2003, will take a groupto Fuxin, China, in March to student-teach. Lastmonth, she and husband Alan met with David Axelrod ’67 and wife Linda for a trip to the Museum of Jurassic Technology (www.mjt.org).Definitely worth the detour. ❯ I still play pickleball, take an art class, enjoy a book studyand discussion, and volunteer at the Misericordiathrift shop. I want to get back to stamping cards.I enjoy retirement, the Blackhawks, Star Wars,and our two wonderful grandkids. I will travel toPhoenix in February with a great group ofwomen. Thanks so much for all the quick re-sponses.Class Correspondent: Susan Meyer Mika1519 North Kennicott Avenue, Arlington Heights, IL60004, 847-253-7719, [email protected]


Class Knox“We are back from sailing the South Pacific … and ready to work on climate change solutions.” —Virginia Malmquist ’70

Arbor, Michigan. Through her skillful leadership,the department sought and won the 2007 IntelSchools of Distinction award for high school science. Martha and her husband Tom enjoy their40-acre property outside of Ann Arbor, lettingthe wildlife have priority on most of it!Class Correspondent: Nancy Hoover Debelius865 Gayer Drive, Medina, OH 44256-2901, 330-723-5658, [email protected]

1971Here is some info on the glorious Class of ’71.For more info, live and unedited, come join us forour 45th Reunion at Homecoming, October 14-16. We are planning several events and wouldlove to have everyone there. ❯ John Hayes([email protected]) and Carolee have traveled tovarious places, including the Jersey Shore to seeBill Larkin and wife Sally, San Francisco withtheir youngest grandson, Seattle, and Hawaii forThanksgiving. Now that Carolee has recuperatedfrom spinal fusion surgery, they plan to travel toCuba on the Knox trip in March. ❯ Charley Stivale ([email protected]) married NancyKozak. He now has two stepdaughters, both ofwhom are University of Michigan grads, whileCharley and Nancy remain Michigan State fans!❯ John Castle ([email protected]) is a double re-tiree (from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant colonel,as well as the Army Civil Service). He and chil-dren Jack (college junior) and Holly (high schoolsenior) spent Christmas in Norway. John andHolly also visited Australia, where John showedher the city where he lived for a few years. ❯ JanNovak Dressel ([email protected]) is also ahappy retiree enjoying being “Mimi” to fourgrandkids ages 1-4. All of Jan’s children live inthe Chicago area, which means Jan gets to seeSandy Husar Ligon often when Sandy visits hergrandchildren. Jan puts her American Studiesmajor to good use as president of the HistoricalSociety of Oak Park and River Forest, which isrenovating an 1898 firehouse for its own space.Between raising money, stripping wood, flippingfloors, putting in geothermal heating/cooling systems, new electrical, fire protection, etc., thebuilding has become Jan’s fifth grandchild. ❯Steve and Gail Sims Smith ([email protected]) are retired and spend winters in theircondo in Leesburg, Florida, near their son andhis wife. They have two grandchildren, one ofwhom has followed in Gail’s footsteps as a stateofficer in Rainbow Girls and the other of whomcreates stop-action videos. Gail and John spendmuch of their summer with family in DoorCounty. ❯ Tom Cohrs ([email protected]) andwife Ann are also among the retired and just celebrated the birth of their first grandchild. ❯I finally heard from Peggy Prichard Stein([email protected]), who resigned from a 32-year banking career in 2003 and left Streator,Illinois, where she had lived all her life. Shemoved to a wonderful retirement community inBella Vista, Arkansas, to accept a position at a

bank in Bentonville. After being a widow for almost 20 years, Peggy remarried in 2013 and reports that she and her husband live the retire-ment dream: traveling, playing golf, and volun-teering. In 2015, they cruised to Alaska, drove toFlorida and the East Coast, and visited Arizonaand California. In 2016, they will go to Hawaii,Italy, and Greece. They also visit their five grandchildren (ranging from seven years to ninemonths) in Kansas City, Missouri, and Columbus,Ohio. ❯ Steve Phillips ([email protected]) issemi-retired from Baylor Research Institute. He teaches anatomy and physiology for nursingstudents and an evening course in psychology.The anatomy course brings back memories forSteve of Biology 243: Vertebrate Anatomy, whichhe took freshman year under Dr. Bill Neff withtwo other freshmen: Judy Bowker ’72 and LindaMarriner Ourach. Like many of us, Steve maymake an appearance at our 45th Reunion andwould like to see the beautiful renovated AlumniHall. ❯ Ralph ([email protected]) and SueKamp Norman ’70 checked three of their bucketlist items off with visits to the Football Hall ofFame, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Rock &Roll Hall of Fame. They also followed their (andmy) beloved White Sox to Arizona and Pitts-burgh. Other than that, they enjoy life inFreeport, Illinois, site of a Lincoln-Douglas debate and hometown of Topper Steinman ’70.❯ Dave ’70 and Judy Waggoner Lambert([email protected]) greeted the arrival of their second granddaughter, Matilda Ann Weaver(Mattie), in late September. Her parents areKatie Lambert Weaver ’05 and husband Joe.Judy and Dave look forward to seeing everyoneat Homecoming. ❯ Colleen Conway([email protected]) and husband Johnare grandparents of a beautiful girl, TeaganElaine Jaeger. ❯ Carol Hartman Bordet([email protected]) says she enjoys retirementwith lots of reading, plays, and traveling. In 2015,she spent time on Martha’s Vineyard, in Boston,renovating her house in Sauganash (Chicago),and attending the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Shewill be in Switzerland, England, France, and Italyfrom March through October. Once she settlesback in Chicago, she hopes to tutor needy stu-dents. ❯ Mildred Culp ([email protected])wrote an article, “Aronia Berries for New FruitWine Flavors,” in the Midwest Wine Press. Sheand husband John Pilcher operate ColdbrookFarm Inc. and grow aronia berries to marketworldwide. ❯ Dave Brillhart ([email protected]) still works at International Paper butthinks of retiring one of these days to spend moretime with the grandchildren. He and his wife sawdaughter Anna get married last year. This has in-creased Dave’s travel as they visit their grandsonin Lincoln, Nebraska, and granddaughter inTexas. ❯ Life is good here, too. Judy and I visitgranddaughter Olivia (and her mom and dad) asmuch as is possible out in Santa Clarita, Califor-nia. Judy is “retired,” doing some substituteteaching and supervising student teachers for

years, for Brooklyn, New York, to help with childcare for their first grandchild. To their surprise,they actually love the city. Patty works as a free-lance writer and editor, while Jack does most ofthe child care and also writes. They run a smallbusiness transcribing film footage and even havesome time for gardening. With another daughterin New York and a son in D.C., they spend lots oftime with their family but return to Wisconsinthree or four times a year. Check out BrooklynBound at patriciacurtispfitsch.wordpress.com. ❯Janet Watson Hoyne: “I retired in 2009 frommy job as an elementary school counselor. Ispend time birding; Andy and I just got backfrom Trinidad and Tobago. I have never been sohot in my life, and I live in St. Louis. The best example of how hot it was is that my cough dropsmelted. I also spend a lot of time volunteering forOpera Theatre of St. Louis and trying to becomefluent in French. We have six grandchildren: twoin Edinburgh, two in Portland, Oregon, and twoin St. Louis.” ❯ Charles Kartman writes, “I havebeen dragged out of retirement to teach a gradcourse at Columbia’s School of International andPublic Affairs.” ❯ From Roger Andersen: “Weenjoy family and travel, with our just-married sonin Portland and our granddaughter living withher parents near Seattle. Having a grandchild haspersonalized our global warming concerns, andwe now have solar panels on the roof and an electric car in the garage. Maybe those partiallymake up for the harm we cause on cruise ships.”❯ Marc Wollman: I’m sorry to have missedHomecoming. I’m not the only one; my mother,Shyla Slobodkin Wollman ’46, thinks she willskip her 70th next year. I’ve been busy installingshows, helping other artists with framing, work-ing on printing some of my backlog of negatives,and preparing for exhibitions. (Last December, Iwas in five exhibitions at once!) I’m also a boardmember and membership chair for the ArtistsGallery. ❯ Dave Lambert writes: “Judy Waggoner Lambert ’71 and I welcomed oursecond grandchild in September: Matilda (Mattie) Ann, who is the daughter of daughterKatie Lambert Weaver ’05.” ❯ Sandy KleinFrum writes: “Husband Carlos and I live inNorthbrook, where we are very active in thecommunity. I am serving my second term asmayor, and Carlos is a past district governor forRotary District 6440. We have three children andsix grandchildren, with one more on the way. ❯Virginia Malmquist writes: “We are back fromsailing the South Pacific, 14,580 miles under thekeel in eight months, and now home to work onclimate change solutions. Trying to motivatebaby Boomers to ‘invest’ their savings by spend-ing it on energy solutions, anywhere from electriccars to solar panels to insulation and caulking.” ❯Martha Hohn Friedlander has been retired fornearly three years, cutting out early from her lastyear of teaching because of a serious stroke. Fortunately, she has fully recovered. Previously,she served as the science department chair atGreenhills School, a private 6-12 school in Ann

2016 Alumni Achievement Award Ernest Buck, M.D. ’74

After graduating from Knox, Ernest Buck studied medicine at Rush MedicalCollege in Chicago before moving to Texas to practice pediatric medicine. Asmedical director of the Driscoll Children’s Health Plan, he helped expandhealthcare options for low-income families across South Texas. He was also recipient of the 2014 Texas Pediatric Society Charles W. Daeschner, Jr., MDLifetime Achievement Award for his work, the organization’s highest honor, inrecognition for his work as a physician and as an educator.

He credits Knox as a formative influence in his career and has even funded ascholarship, the Buck Family Scholarship, “in the hopes that others may have

the life-changing experience of a fine liberal arts education.”

How did you decide to study medicine?Knox was, and is, a small school thatshowers students with personal attention. I arrived hoping to become an attorney and was persuaded by myprofessors that I would do well in medicine. Aggressive recruitment intothe first Rush at Knox program year resulted in my admission to medicalschool and my later adherence to a medical career.

What do you believe is your mostnotable achievement?

I have been lucky to find positions where I, with the cooperation of many others, could pursue what we call “big hairy goals” over extended periods. Themost notable of these is the decrease in the number of premature births inSouth Texas. In five years, we went from a 15 percent premature birth rate to a10 percent rate. This was accomplished with the cooperation of the DriscollFoundation, the State of Texas, multiple obstetric providers, and numerous pediatric colleagues. Some other goals we’ve pursued include decreasing thenumber of children needing dental surgery by promoting the use of fluoridevarnish in pediatric offices and improving vaccination rates among Texas children—moving the state from 49th in the nation to 12th in a single decade. None of these ideas were unique, but it took promotion of the goal, engagement of the stakeholders, and removal of barriers to be successful.

What advice do you have for current Knox students? Value your sheltered time on this campus. Learn your chosen material deeply…not just well enough to pass a “multiple guess” test. Develop great writing skillsand confidence in your abilities. A

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Northeastern Illinois University. I had the thrillof playing a baseball game on the Field ofDreams in Iowa last summer. Standing where“Shoeless Joe” did in the movie, it was a trulymemorable experience. My 1917 White Soxhardball team will return for a tournament onOctober 7-9, and Max Utsler ’70 (Read moreabout him on pp. 8-11.) may come up to play witha Kansas City team. We hope to see everyone in Galesburg the following weekend for Homecoming!Class Correspondent: Jerome A. Tatar333 Wilshire Drive West, Wilmette, IL 60091-3151, 847-251-4889, [email protected]

1972Bruce Arfken writes, “Just to bring you up todate from last year, we have achieved the $50Kfunding target, so the David Hartmann/SigmaNu Scholarship is now an endowed scholarship. Atotal of 33 people contributed, allowing us toachieve the funding target in less than two years.Amazing. Needless to say, Bill Durall, SteveSuskin, and I were surprised how quickly peoplepulled together to make this funding possible.But then again, DW was a very remarkable indi-vidual. He touched a lot of lives at Knox, and thenumber of people contributing is just one indica-tion of this.” ❯ Steve Suskin adds, “Thirty-threepeople changing lives in perpetuity...somethingfor everyone to think about. Kudos to all whostepped up.” ❯ Bob Fairbank writes, “My news?It’s Wednesday night, and I am WAY too sober.Happy Thanksgiving! Party On.” ❯ LindonLewis writes, “I retired from Ball Aerospace lastDecember and moved to Valencia, Spain, withwife Carrie Klauber and our two children, Andyand Eva Klauber. We will live here for one ormore years, where we are all working on ourSpanish. Andy and Eva are in high school. Wewelcome visitors. What more can I say? Oh, Valencia is a wonderful city with beautifulbeaches and delightful people. Look up Fallas onthe internet. Crazy.” ❯ Bob Shullaw spent mostof 2015 recovering from surgery after tearing hisACL playing beach volleyball on vacation inMexico. All’s healed now, and Bob and wife Laralook forward to getting back into competitiveballroom dancing together in 2016. ❯ Bill Sowlewrites, “After cruising Alaskan waters with Nor-wegian Star, hiking, biking, and kayaking in June,I traveled in my Roadtrek RV into Colorado,Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Washington,and California, making a 5,000-mile loop mostlyon back roads. Telluride, Flaming Gorge, Cratersof the Moon, Mount St. Helens, and the Red-woods of Northern California to name a few ofthe great places. In September, my daughter and Iwent from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland, viaViking Line on the Rhine River. We spent extradays in Amsterdam and Lucerne. The AnneFrank House, paintings of Rembrandt and VanGogh...castles on the Rhine…Lake Lucerne andcog railway to the top of Mount Rigi...magical

PETER BAILLEY ’74

Standup comic Kathy Pilcher Brennan ’74 says her comedy influences include George Carlin, Spiro Agnew, and Erma Bombeck.


Class Knoxplaces.” ❯ Vincent Throop writes, “What am Idoing after Knox? Living in a tiny 10-by-10room, walking to work, pulling my sleeping bagover my shoulders to try to stay warm, hangingout in the taverns, and wondering just exactlywhere it was that things turned south. Well,spring will come, there will be a new dog to train,and perhaps this year it will be six chickens in-stead of three. And, with luck, the rented gardenspace will be fruitful. Anyway, as I walk to work,Sirius is high in the southern sky, ever faithful.” ❯Sallee Wade writes, “I was already a registerednurse when I began to pursue an undergraduatedegree in psychology at Knox. That major madeall the difference in how I view human health!Both Drs. Gary Isaacson and Gary Francoisforever influenced my work and my private prac-tice. During 10 years of hospital nursing, mostlyin the ER, I completed a master’s in nursing andtaught a while. But my real professional interestwas in wellness and what helped people heal. Ideveloped a fun private practice as a wellness educator, which I still conduct. Over the years, itincluded 20 years of massage therapy (because Ilove to do hands-on care), some private counsel-ing, lots of stress management programs andclasses for professionals and laypeople , and 30years of teaching yoga—which I still teach locallytwo afternoons per week. I wrote a fun little bookin 2010, The Twelve Disciples of a Wild Woman,which is available on Amazon, and—are youready?—I fill in as guest Sunday speaker wher-ever I’m invited. I currently do that monthly atUnity Church in Quincy, Illinois. I also write amonthly column for our local paper, The Register-Mail, entitled “Life in the Soul Lane.” I’m work-ing on a second book, Weeds & Wildflowers, whichis a collection of tales from my own mystical mid-life change—and which I hope will help abunch of women know they’re not going crazy!So, there you have it! I’ve never made a lot ofmoney or achieved academic awards, but I haveloved what I do, and don’t plan to retire any timesoon.” ❯ Wendy Scherwat Ducourneau writes,“Last October, I joined Triton Swimming andTriathlon Team. Mondays through Fridays at 6a.m. and 6 p.m., you’ll find us in coached swimworkouts in a great 50 meter, outdoor pool.(While I’m in awe of my triathlete teammates,some of whom have completed IRONMAN®events, there are no plans to join them in theirspecial brand of craziness.) After successfullycompeting in U.S. Masters Swimming meets inNovember and December, it’s clear the healthbenefits and fun cannot be beat, so will continuefor the foreseeable future. Anyone interested iswelcome to join in the fun!”Class Correspondent: Wendy [email protected], Facebook Group: Knox College Class of ’72

1973Class Correspondent: Nancy Bakos Hunter5280 Easley Way, Golden, CO 80403-1161, 303-278-3163, [email protected]

1974Our class has been tracking down friends whograduated with us or who did not. Our search hasshown results, and we couldn’t be happier to beback in touch with dear friends. If you are read-ing this and did not get the call for Class Notes,you are among the missing. Please contact theAlumni Office at [email protected] to let it knowthat you want to be included among the Class of1974. ❯ Barbara Atwell Westerdale—a first-timer for these notes!—moved to Denver rightafter graduation from Knox and never left. Shewrites: “I’ve worked as a geologist in the oil andgas industry off and on over the years. I currentlywork for the Colorado Oil and Gas ConservationCommission. I spent part of December inNicaragua with my daughter. I keep in touchwith other Knox geology alums and DeweyMoore.” ❯ Pam Brockman ’75 teaches veterans,youth, the Hispanic community, cancer patients,and others how to manage stress, negative emo-tions, and the mind with the SKY Breath & SahajSamadhi meditation. Travels have taken her toJapan (for Rotary), Brazil (to teach), and manycities in the U.S. Pam will soon travel to India forthe World Cultural Festival of the Art of LivingFoundation and International Association forHuman Values. ❯ Richard Heitman will spendthis year in Roses, Spain, on sabbatical leave fromCarthage College, where he teaches philosophyand classics. He is working on a book about mor-tality. ❯ Leslie Brooks received a wonderfulbook review from Midwest Book Review for hernew book, Soul Writer: “Impressively well-writ-ten, exceptionally well-presented and organized,Soul Writer is an extraordinary read from begin-ning to end that is as insightful as it is informa-tive, as thoughtful as it is thought-provoking.Very highly recommended for community andacademic library collections.” ❯ Glenda MaloneBailey-Mershon is also an author: “In 2015, Iwent on a book tour with my novel, Eve’s Garden,including a delightful stop at the Knox Faculty-Alumni Book Fair, where I saw old friends. Thisyear, I acquired five grandchildren, so I am ahappy woman.” ❯ Darryl Coburn went on aCaribbean cruise in September and to Vermontat Thanksgiving to be with his son, Alex Keefe’06, who is the local host of All Things Consideredfor Vermont Public Radio. ❯ Kit Evans Parkerwrites that her youngest has just started college,and her eldest has his own apartment and job.She also says, “My husband’s job has taken us toLas Vegas; we sold our multigenerational familyhome; and we are adjusting to being emptynesters. I still teach and enjoy the outdoor recreational bounty in this part of the world.” ❯Katherine Yamasaki—better known as Yama—retired from Parsons Corporation after 40 yearsand spends time reconnecting with friends, redis-covering her art, and taking in all that Chicagohas to offer its senior citizens. “After years ofworking on corporate iconographics on

Standup comic Kathy Pilcher Brennan ’74 says her comedy influences include George Carlin, Spiro Agnew, and Erma Bombeck.

computers, I am trying to get back to freehandpen/pencil sketches on paper and acrylics on can-vas. I’m pretty rusty—sad to say!” ❯ Bob Sahmlives in Albany, New York, where he works for thestate comptroller. Recently, he went for a stresstest as part of a physical but ended up getting acardiologist and a quadruple bypass. “Oh my. Allis well.” ❯ Jan Thompson—a.k.a. Thumper—retired from the Illinois Department of HumanServices at the end of 2014 and enjoys retire-ment. ❯ Kathy Pilcher Brennan does stand-up!She does humorous writing and says that her“comedy influences include George Carlin andSpiro Agnew, with Erma Bombeck hangingaround to keep the cardigan buttoned at leasthalfway: @brennan_kathy.” ❯ Ernie Buck was re-cently honored with a Knox Alumni Achievementaward presented on Founder’s Day, February 19.“As a 38-year Texan, it was hard to think aboutvisiting campus in mid-February, but I wouldlove to see any classmates who are in the area.”He has also helped us find our friends: “I thinkJohn Fiedler is a pastor in the United MethodistChurch in Dallas.” ❯ Bruce Rohwer went backto the 2015 Homecoming for the induction ofthe 1973 soccer team into the Knox-LombardAthletic Hall of Fame. He was recently elected tothe National Corn Growers Association Board ofDirectors and, this fall, joined the Hillary ForAmerica Rural Policy Working Group as a seniorpartner to help with developing ag and rural policy. ❯ Jim Mott also attended the ’73 soccerteam’s induction ceremony. He was one of theteam managers. He reports, “Most of the teammade it back for the induction, and I enjoyedhanging around with them and reliving old timesat Knox. I also was able to see Doug Wilson andJorge Prats.” ❯ Dave Coons will retire in Apriland looks forward to being with his four grand-children. ❯ Jane Altier Morrison is the corpo-rate relations manager for the Oregon Humane Society in Portland, Oregon. She moved there in1973. ❯ Roger M. Rosen writes to let us knowthat he received his bachelor’s degree at North-western University in 1976 and then went toUCLA School of Law and received a law degreein 1985. He is now a partner in a law firm inSanta Monica, California, where he practices real property litigation, business litigation, trustlitigation, and inverse condemnation. ❯ MarkVanRaden says, “So long, D.C. area (home for30 years). With spouse Lise Levie ’75, I now livein Ann Arbor, along with my daughter and son,Gwynneth VanLaven ’04 & Joel VanLaven ’96,and granddaughter. I just retired from the National Institutes of Health, and Lise retiredlast year. We’re still trying to plan for what’s nextbut are pleased at how much easier it is to get toChicago and Galesburg!” ❯ We have learned of the death of two of our buddies: Bruce Raymond Patzer, 62, of Campton Hills, Illinois,on January 31, 2015. He was a band director inNewark, Illinois, and worked in the graphic arts field as well for R.R. Donnelly. His wife,


Doug “D.F.” Hill ’77 and daughter Alycia took second place in their respective age groups at the World Triathlon Championships in Chicago.

for those seeking an unusual adventure in a verylow-income, rural country with not manycars...yet. Sound nice?” Nancy celebrated our Reunion remotely in Portland with Debbie Dees Cadigan and Nancy Whorton Hurd. Sheoften contributes to our Facebook page:https://goo.gl/p51EfD. ❯ Richard J. Burke keepsin touch with Mike “Coo” Wright, GeorgeSzostkowski, Jim Millhorn, and Mitch Baker’76. “Mitch was co-counsel with me on a case infederal court in Denver that I argued to the 10thCircuit Court of Appeals in October. I have doneclass actions in the federal courts for almost 20years and am not retired yet, but thinking aboutit a lot. Linda and I recently celebrated our 33rdwedding anniversary. I have two children, LaurenBurke ’07 and James (Missouri University of Sci-ence and Technology ’11).” ❯ Daniel Interlandisays, “Barbara Carava ’76 and I celebrated our39th anniversary in August. We have two greatboys; the elder just announced his upcomingnuptials next October. We reside near Annapolis,brought here by work 25 years ago. I retiredseven years ago and have kept busy by beingphysically active, doing a five-year stint buildingsets and stage managing for a local professionaltheatre company, and volunteering for a regionalchapter of SCORE. Barbara has taken a well-earned sabbatical from teaching yoga. She nowtakes art classes and produces some amazingcharcoal portraits.” ❯ After 36 years as a researchgeologist for the National Park Service and U.S.Geological Survey, Mary Ann Madej officiallyretired two years ago but is still on emeritus sta-tus. She says she works when she wants and playswhen the weather is fine, including sea-kayakingin north coastal California, hiking, camping, and

traveling. Mary Ann also volunteers and teachesgeology, hydrology, and redwood ecology coursesthrough an adult education program. She andhusband Al have been married 31 years and havetwo daughters. ❯ When she’s not busy with hersecond-graders, Jenny Lisenby Lockingtontraps, neuters, and releases feral cats. As of lastfall, she had taken 21 in to be fixed and re-re-leased! She says watching these kitties out herkitchen window is kind of therapeutic, likewatching fish in a tank. She and husband Steveare also the proud parents of a black lab pupdaughter, who is determined to get a cat to playwith her some time. (No luck yet.) ❯ SarahBoydstun Ross’s 2016 plans include a move backto Galesburg! Sarah has lived in the deserts ofArizona and the mountains of Montana and longsto return to the place where she began. So,for our next Reunion, she may even have roomfor some out-of-towners to stay for a day or two!❯ Catherine Cox sends along her well-wishesfrom Tinseltown. ❯ Paula Ochs missed the Reunion because she and her husband were inQuebec City celebrating anniversary #25. Paula is involved with family therapy training and psychodrama training. ❯ Kathy CummingsPearman couldn’t make it because, regrettably,“School doesn’t start here until mid-September,and it’s pretty much impossible for me to taketime off around Homecoming time in theU.S. Guess I’ll have to wait till I retire!” ❯ Verysad news: Cindy Valek Mottl reports that JohnNorth had a massive stroke and passed away inmid-December. John was an attorney with Borla& North. Cindy, also an attorney, asks us all tokeep the North family in our thoughts andprayers. ❯ Classmates Don Bowers and Ellen

daughter, and son survive him. Jo McAnulty ’75,of Chicago, died on August 11, 1997, at age 45.She worked as a writer and ran her own cateringbusiness. After graduating from Knox, she attended the School of The Art Institute ofChicago.Class Correspondent: Monta Lee DakinLittleton, CO, 303-979-9307, [email protected]

1975More than 35 of us attended our 40th Reunionand enjoyed getting reacquainted. Here are someupdates from a few who couldn’t make it. ❯Maggi Johnsen retired in November 2014 afterworking for Southern Company/Georgia Powerfor 32 years. “Now that every evening is Fridayand every day is Saturday,” she volunteers withthe Robert C. Williams Papermaking Museumand is learning to make handmade books, partic-ularly those with vellum/parchment or woodenboards for covers. Maggi moved to Decatur,Georgia, last fall. ❯ Ken and Stacy Brown Drostsaid that although they couldn’t attend our Re-union, Ken still makes music in the northwesternsuburbs of Chicago. Check out his latest band,Slim Pickens. ❯ In 2010, after 23 years, NancyKnapp left her work in public health withAlaskan native tribes to begin work for the government of Lao PDR, where she served as atechnical advisor for five years, monitoring andevaluating the use of funding from the GlobalFund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis, andmalaria. Last April, Nancy returned to Sitka,Alaska, and is now semi-retired. She likes to fishand bike and says she wants to lead three-weekwomen’s bike tours to Lao PDR in 2016 “...only

Sue Runyon-Davis ’77 and PamOrd Newton ’77 at the 60thbirthday celebration of SarahKaull ’77 in July 2015.

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Sarah Kaull ’77, Ed Jepson ’77, and Rick Swanborg ’76 at Sarah’s 60th birthday celebration in July 2015.

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Class KnoxDoug “D.F.” Hill ’77 and daughter Alycia took second place in their respective age groups at the World Triathlon Championships in Chicago.

Anne Eddy got married in November! A wid-ower since 2013, Don has worked as an elemen-tary teacher, Navy Supply Corps officer, and, for30 years, with adults with intellectual challenges.Ellen Anne is a leading fibre artist, teacher, andauthor. She and a few friends literally re-wrotethe book on art quilting, and her work is dis-played around the country. Her website iswww.ellenanneeddy.com. They combined both oftheir households, two greyhounds, one shih tzu,and a curmudgeonly cat into one “quirky” housein Galesburg. Don is also a writer, “now workingon my seventh book of Christian historical fiction, set in Galesburg in the twenties.” If you’d like to read his work, e-mail [email protected]. ❯ Some news from classmates whoDID attend the Reunion! Dave and Linda Nelson Langston just celebrated their 40th anniversary. Eldest son Eric Langston ’07 is onthe Knox Alumni Council, following in Linda’sfootsteps. Last year, Linda wrapped up her termon the executive committee of the National Association of Counties but still remains a localelected official. Dave is retired from RockwellCollins but stays busy with his consulting busi-ness. In December, they became first-time grandparents. Linda writes, “I had a great visitwith Amanda Roberts La Rosa in California.” ❯Drew Debrey teaches management at Carl Sand-burg College and is working on a doctorate. Histwo daughters are ages 14 and 21, and he lives inRock Island. ❯ Jeanne Pankanin Leininger,who used to be your Knox Union Board organ-izer, retired in 2006 and now organizes monthlyevents for Harper College retirees. She also or-ganized our 40th Reunion and a Utah ski trip inJanuary for 45 people and is generally addicted toorganizing. She is trying to learn blues harmon-ica, but her two Chinese Crested dogs aren’t bigfans so far. Jeanne took a 12-day motorcycle triparound the Great Lakes last summer with threeother biker chicks from her church gang and is“living large” in retirement. ❯ Vickie SilldorffWelsch also loves her retirement after 30 yearswith AT&T. She lives outside Kansas City, Mis-souri, and enjoys her three granddaughters. Shesubstitute-teaches part-time but has cut WAYback. ❯ Gary Pokorn, currently a professionalsales trainer in Colorado, wrote an insightfulessay on our Facebook group page reviewing his Homecoming experiences. I enjoyed CeliaBurris Godsil’s comment that it “is certainly amixture of throwback and present, space andtime, when visiting and interacting on campus.”❯ Dr. Gwendolyn Webb-Hasan wrote that she“truly enjoyed the time we spent together” at theReunion. Gwen is an associate professor/directorat Texas A&M University. ❯ A welcome surpriseattendee was George Szostkowski, recently returned to Chicago after a trip to China with his wife. ❯ Last but not least: Sheri SprungMorrison and husband Jerry have been together37 years, married 31 years, and live in MountainView, California. Sheri is very active in her synagogue, enjoys singing and rooting for their

high school robotics team, and travel. Son Evan is an aerospace engineer in Seattle. Sherihas shared her Reunion photos at https://goo.gl/photos/CyQibBHigH4wV8G86. Class Correspondent: Jeanne Pankanin,[email protected]

1976Well, our 40-year Reunion approaches. Pleasemark your calendars for this event on October14-16, 2016. Tom Perille has already e-mailed meindicating he will lead dance lessons for all ’76ersin attendance… ❯ I have received several notesfrom classmates. Harriet Luden Menachemspent a month in Israel last year meeting her newgrandson and is very excited for the upcoming ar-rival of her second grandchild. Harriet remainsquite busy with her flower business in theChicago area. ❯ I also heard from Carey Adamson, who recently left his position withColonial Life and is now exploring other oppor-tunities. He and wife Marilyn enjoy traveling, andCarey remains in contact with several membersfrom the FIJI house. Carey’s son and daughterare well, and he looks forward to seeing fellowclassmates at the upcoming Reunion. ❯ BillWickart reached out to let me know he lives inHillsborough, Oregon, and frequently corre-sponds with Barb Epstien. Bill worked at theUniversity of Wisconsin Oshkosh, where he metwife Deb. He also taught at Indiana Universitybefore moving to the Hillsboro area. One of hischildren is a Knox grad. Bill currently works withIntel and also enjoys doing cooking, laundry, anddishes. His travels have been extensive, includingtrips behind the Iron Curtain. ❯ Frannie OttColby dropped me a note and is thrilled that allof her children are out of college. She recentlyretired after 32 years of teaching but is still involved as a substitute. Husband Brad Colbycontinues to work as a benefits consultant, andthey are both quite involved in travel and lookingforward to our upcoming Reunion. ❯ Ann Murray Smith also reached out to say hi andfeels we need more e-mails/notes from Knox’76ers who are baristas, librarians, cabinetmakers,and participants in civil disobedience. ❯ Speakingof Rob Thornburg and Graham Woodward, Isure hope they attend our 40-year Reunion. ❯Mike “Fritz” Fricilone now has five grandchil-dren. He’s a Will County commissioner and veryactive in Will County issues, which he feels arequite similar to running the finances at the TKEHouse. ❯ I also heard from Ron Woodruff, whothanked me for my efforts with the column overthe years (thanks, Ron). ❯ Yours truly, over theholidays, saw Peter Monahan and John Santos’77. John has been an economics professor formany years, and we had a very fun time gettingreacquainted. So mark your calendars, book yourhotel, and plan on attending the festivities in G-burg in October! ❯ Breaking news. Our 40thReunion committee has formed and is workinghard. Classmates serving include Randy

Oberembt, Ellen Jones McNair, Ann FeldmanPerille, Steve Varick, Horace Flournoy, KeithMaskus, Sally Everett Etheridge, Kevin Hastings, Tom Farrell, Mike Godsil, MaryMarselus Rosic, Tammy Walker Myers, RickSwanborg, Bob Erffmeyer, Barb Epstien,Denise Buntin and me. Details will soon followon a great weekend being planned. Make yourplans now to join us!Class Correspondent: George M. Pearce1114 Forest Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091-1655, 847-256-5968, [email protected]

1977Greetings, all. I am excited to say that I have retired from ICEX, Inc., founded by Rick Swanborg ’76. It was a great 16-year run, and Iwill miss my clients and co-workers but not theday-to-day grind. My husband and I have takenoff on a six-week tour of Australia in January toget this new phase started! ❯ Roger Strukhoffchaired the Cloud Expo in Santa Clara, Califor-nia, which was focused on the “internet ofthings.” Roger is executive director of the Tau Institute, performing information and communi-cations technology research. ❯ Doug “D. F.” Hilland daughter Alycia took second place in theirrespective age groups at the World TriathlonChampionships in Chicago. Doug seeks “worlddomination” in 2016. From Homecoming 2015,he reported: “The ’73 soccer team was inductedinto the Hall of Fame, and I got to spend timewith Fernando and Nancy Zajicek Lulli ’78,Jorge Castanos, Charlie Hiatt, and CraigSteele ’76. He planned to return in January forthe alumni basketball game with father Dean Hill’52, who started in the first ever game played inthe Alumni Hall gym 65 years ago! ❯ Ken Lomasney ’76 writes: “In December 1973, Ijoined the first Knox trip to the Soviet Union, organized by Professor Fiedorow. I had neverbeen out of the country before, and it was such adramatic experience that, 15 years later, I foundmyself with a part-time apartment in Moscowand working with the Ministry of Foreign andEconomic Relations. Overall, my career has allowed me to travel all over the world and to experience every continent but Antarctica—butI’ve been been invited to join an upcoming expedition there in January aboard a Russian research ship. I wish I could share the impact thatthe 1973 trip had on my life with ProfessorFiedorow, who passed away in 2013.” ❯ Sadnews: Paul Brauer ’78 passed away of a heart attack while hunting on October 26, 2015. Heand wife Debby lived in Tulsa and have threesons, Daniel, Phillip, and Matthew. Paul was aFIJI at Knox, as well as a Friend of the Ghetto.His Knox classmates remember him for his quickand fun-loving sense of humor, his JV basketballprowess, and his attendance at the annual PhiDelt/FIJI golf tournament in Illinois. ❯ Sue Runyon-Davis and Pam Ord Newton connectedin Chicago at Thanksgiving, where Sue and her


“I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of Japanese language ability I retained.” —Mike Godsil ’76 on his recent trip to Tokyo

history building, slated to open in 2017, for atleast a few years before I decide it’s time to retire.”Class Correspondent: Sarah Kaull52 Ober Street, Beverly, MA 01915-4733, 978-810-0181,[email protected]

1978I start with very sad news. Our dear classmate,Paul Brauer, died suddenly after a heart attack inOctober. There are not enough words here to ex-press our sorrow or to capture what a great guyhe was and all that he did in his all-too-short life.He is survived by his lovely wife, Debby, andthree great sons. After Knox, he earned a master’sdegree in chemical engineering, built a successfulcompany in Tulsa, sold it for a tidy sum, and thenbecame its general manager for the acquiringcompany, Core Lab Instruments, until he retiredlast year. He was active in his church and in Rotary International and several charitable organizations. There was such an outpouring offond memories when the shocking news circu-lated in October, and each of us learned of thingshe had done to help others when we were all atKnox that we had not realized at the time. Wewill keep him in our memories. ❯ Meanwhile, ona lighter note, I can report that my only daughterwas married in November, and I am still alive totell about it. Enough said. Once we got throughthat, the economy went straight into a nose-dive,so you can get a sense of the economic impact onmy finances. ❯ In other news, Tad Daley recentlyreminisced about the old Knox days while at anEarth Wind & Fire concert at the old HowardTheatre in the historic Shaw neighborhood ofthe District of Columbia. ❯ Mary Kay LubyDonnelly still teaches at St. Hilary School inChicago (sixth grade reading, math and languagearts; fifth grade math and reading; and seventhgrade reading). Her daughter is working on aPh.D. at University of North Carolina and wonan award at an international conference in Ams-terdam in June. Mother and daughter haveplanned a great trip together to attend and takein Amsterdam, Bruges, and London! ❯ Bob Castle, also reminiscing, reports that, 40 yearsago this fall, a motley crew of Knox students, including Kevin White, Rick Kalvin ’77, DebRaphael Castle ’77, David Stone ’77, himself,and others visited the then-Soviet Union. Professor Momcilo Rosic led the trip, and allKnox students returned to the U. S., despite theirextracurricular activities. Bob reports that his former law firm, Oppenheimer, has merged withFox Rothschild, where Bob continues to practicemanagement labor and employment law in Minneapolis.Julia Jones Morrison reports that she and Joe Morrison ’79 welcomed twogranddaughters in December, Delaney and Alex,born nine days apart, to sons Mark and Mike, respectively. Faith Miller has done a better jobthan most of us in keeping in touch. She andKate Littrell went to Asheville, North Carolina,

husband visited their daughter. ❯ Bill Silverretired at the end of 2015, allowing the fourthgeneration to take the helm of the family busi-ness, Akrochem Chemical Marketing. He re-mains active in the business community aspresident of the Summit County Safety Counciland guiding member companies in loss controlunder Ohio Bureau Workers Comp outreachprograms. He serves on the Boy Scouts of America executive board, chairing the springfundraiser dinner auction, sings tenor (for the26th year!) at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, andwill begin work on his seventh Habitat for Hu-manity house in January. He also looks forwardto more hiking, biking, golf, and maybe tennis! ❯Tad Daley ’78 writes: “Many of us know that thechair of the Hillary Clinton presidential cam-paign is John Podesta ’71. What many don’tknow is that the press secretary for U.S. senatorBernie Sanders is Mike Briggs ’73. Pretty cool!”Tad, who used to write speeches for Congress-man Dennis Kucinich and U.S. senator AlanCranston, also noted that he and I attended JohnHersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, named after the first anti-nuclearwriter—and Tad himself wrote a book aboutabolishing nuclear weapons called ApocalypseNever. Things have a way of coming around! ❯Rick ’76 and Lisa Lockhart Hada enjoy retire-ment in sunny Albuquerque, New Mexico, wherethey moved in 2004. They keep busy with manyvolunteer activities, including serving as crew forhot air balloons during the past 12 seasons of theInternational Balloon Fiesta! Lisa is a docent atthe Albuquerque Zoo and also attends classes in amaster naturalist program. Rick works on a

Cindy Bonifield Babington ’81 (center), husband Pat ’81 (left), and JunAdachi ’81 enjoy a soccer game together at Depauw University, where theBabingtons work.

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service project at a stormwater management sitenear the mountains, learning permaculture tech-niques and sometimes engaging in heavy manuallabor. ❯ Kim Shkapich ’78, my freshman roommate, owns Lola’s Local Food Store inWellfleet on Cape Cod. Kim was director of theArchitecture Archive at Cooper Union for theAdvancement of Science and Art for 20 yearsprior to moving to Wellfleet in 2004. ❯ Steve ’76and Amy Eichengreen Andrews are close to retirement and spend a lot of time in MyrtleBeach, South Carolina, especially when the snowstarts flying. Eldest daughter Melissa is engagedto be married in June, and daughter Rachel gavebirth to their first grandchild recently. ❯ MikeGodsil got in touch: “I’m in my 30th year teaching photography and photojournalism inthe studio art and journalism programs at Knox.During spring break in March 2015, I took eightadvanced photography students on a nine-day,half-credit photography trip to the AmericanDesert Southwest to photograph Anasazi Indianruins and desert landscapes (including in Monu-ment Valley). This summer I will lead a similartrip for alumni and friends of the College. During summer 2015, I traveled to Tokyo to visitmy now-elderly host parents, with whom I livedfor 10 months while I was there on the ACMWaseda University program in 1973-74. I waspleasantly surprised by the amount of Japaneselanguage ability I retained; I was still able to getaround Tokyo alone, ask directions, order inrestaurants, etc. From Tokyo, I traveled to Singa-pore for a week of sightseeing and photographybefore returning home. I’m pleased I will havethe opportunity to teach in the new art and art


Class Knox“I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of Japanese language ability I retained.” —Mike Godsil ’76 on his recent trip to Tokyo

and had a great time. Also in November, she gottogether with former classmates Kathy BlazeBrown, Deborah Malk Hawkins, and ValerieUlrich Roesti in Chicago. More recently, Faithdrove to Pittsburgh to see the opening night ofthe Bruce Springsteen River tour. She discoveredhim during freshman year and has been followinghim ever since (having been to well over 150 concerts and hoping for many more). ❯ Last, butnot least, Darrell Merschak came to the rescuewhen I begged for more class gossip by leakingnews that he was going to make a considerabledonation to Knox College to fund a new state-of-the-art law library facility of some sort, subjectonly to some final arrangements. It turned out,however, that the final arrangement involvedpicking the correct numbers for the Powerballlottery ($1.4 billion at the time). Alas, it does notappear that Darrell or Knox will be the benefici-aries. But that doesn’t mean we stop dreaming,dear classmates—so go out there and create somenews and don’t forget to report it to me. And, ifyou are lucky, don’t forget all us little people youknew before you made it big. Class Correspondent: David Bates174 Haversham, Houston, TX 77024-6248, 713-722-0815, [email protected]

1979Well, classmates…not much to report in thisissue. I haven’t heard from anyone lately exceptfor the usual suspects. Norm Hillner made sureto contact me on a few occasions. First was thethumping the Cardinals took from the Cubs inthe postseason. Then there was the weekend inNovember when downtown St. Louis wasmobbed by Chicago goons as the hated Black-hawks beat the Blues on Saturday night and theloathsome Bears embarrassed the Rams on Sun-day. This was NOT a good fall for the Gatewayto the Midwest. ❯ I do have some very sad newsto report about a good friend and fraternitybrother. Paul Brauer ’78, a FIJI brother, passedaway suddenly while hiking with his family inOklahoma. Many of us spent some great qualitytime with Paul at the last FIJI/Phi Delt golf outing last June in Chicago. He will be greatlymissed. ❯ Well, that’s about it…if you thinkabout it drop me a line. We are all getting to theage where we can give updates on joint replace-ments and regularity. I’d love to hear from you.In this day and age, it’s easy to contact me. Lookme up on Facebook, text me (not while you aredriving), e-mail me, write me a letter, or call me.All are acceptable.Class Correspondent: Brian Cox21 Briarcliffe, Collinsville, IL 62234; 618-406-7014;[email protected] Knox College Class of ’79 on Facebook

1980Class Correspondents: Roy Brandys1818 Feather Nest Drive, Cedar Park, TX 78613-1414,[email protected] Moore1431 West Fargo, Chicago, IL 60626-1810, 773-848-5796, [email protected]

1981Ed. note: Due to the overwhelming number of updateswe received, we have had to save a few for the fall tocome close to our maximum allotment of words.Thanks, everyone. ❯ Dave Hoffman writes, “Itwas fun to catch up with folks at our 25th, and Iplan on attending our 35th. I have lived inNorthern Colorado since we graduated and havebeen glad to see classmates Tammy Wilson andGay Heckenkamp Kelly join me in this part ofthe world. I work at Colorado State University asan IT project manager and get to be involved insome interesting projects. Universities are an interesting place to work after 30 years in the private and nonprofit sectors. Leanne and I lookforward to not only celebrating our 35th anniver-sary next year but seeing many of you at our 35thReunion.” ❯ Dean Conterato reports that henow works with Radiation Oncology Consult-ants, covering much of the Chicago area as wellas the Northwestern Medicine Chicago ProtonCenter. He and Ellen Glick, whom he met atRush Medical School, have been married 27years. Son Ari is in a Ph.D. program in anthro-pology at University of California, Davis, whileson Jesse is applying to medical school and sonJake has just applied to college. ❯ Nolan Hetzreports that all is well in the Wisconsin North-woods, but “battling Obamacare woes and havingas a surgeon to forcibly accept the nonsensical rationing of healthcare is pretty sickening for myaffected patients and my staff.” ❯ Chris Danielsreports that he entered grandfatherhood. “Withfour kids, I have set the over/under at 10 grand-children total in the future.” ❯ Cindy BonifieldBabington works as the vice president for admis-sion and financial aid at DePauw, and husbandPat is a professor of kinesiology. “I have had theopportunity to run into several Knox alumni inmy work. Mary Kaull’s two children attendedDePauw, and we have had some good times inGreencastle over the past several years. AnnaWilson Flynn ’82 has one daughter enrolled atDePauw and another, a senior, who paid a visit asa prospective student this fall. Dave Workman’80 walked into a session that Pat did with somefirst-year students while Dave was dropping offhis son. I also visited with Bob Szyman ’79 oneday when he brought his son for a visit. Pat and Iboth spent some time with Jun Adachi thisfall. We were lucky enough to get reacquaintedwith Knox when daughter Kate Babington ’14attended. Son Kyle lives with his girlfriend inGreencastle and works at DePauw as a land-

scaper. I hope to see many of you next fall forour, dare I say it, 35th Reunion.” ❯ TraceyThayer Mohr married her best friend, WilsonMohr, back in 1989. Daughter Lauren was bornin 1990, and son Spencer was born in 1998. Shegraduated from Loyola with a master’s degree inhuman resources in between kids. They moved to St. Charles, Illinois, shortly after they weremarried and have lived there ever since. Unfortunately, Wilson passed away from cancerin August, shortly after their 26th anniversary.“We had a terrific marriage, and I miss him somuch, but I have the kids and plenty of activitiesto keep me going. I’m a human resources direc-tor for Tyco, a global fire and security company. Iam lucky enough to work out of my home exceptwhen I’m on the road. When I’m not working(and sometimes when I am, love that remote status), we head to our lakefront cabin in Minnesota. Upcoming are trips to Bryce Canyon,the Grand Canyon and Zion, and to Banff andLake Louise. I’m also remodeling the house toget it ready to sell when my son graduates. Whoknows where life will take me then? I hope tomake it a grand adventure, whatever that mightlook like.” ❯ Warren Krup writes, “We’ve finallyentered the Grandpa era. My son and his wifehad a boy in August; my third daughter delivereda boy in December; and my first daughter is duein February 2016. So we’ve gone from no grand-children to three in six months. Many heard ofmy battle with kidney cancer in August 2014.Surgeons removed a tennis ball-sized tumor,along with my entire right kidney. No chemo orradiation followed, and I was so happy about that.I approached it with a positive attitude andworked to regain strength and ran a four-milerace just three months after the surgery and ahalf-marathon the following spring. I’m not asfast as I used to be, nor as strong. I sleep moreand am okay with that. My in-laws live withus; my father-in-law’s health has declined (congestive heart failure), and we have been ableto comfort him during what will be his finaldays/weeks/ months.” ❯ Tom Woolwine reportsthat 2015 was a great year for his family inKansas City. “Son Larson is a senior at KansasUniversity, majoring in finance. He served as captain of the Marching Jayhawks drum line andis the drummer for men’s basketball band. WifeJoLetta continues to volunteer in the communityand keep us healthy. I look forward to 2016 be-cause we reach three big milestones: Larson willgraduate. JoLetta and I will celebrate our 30thanniversary. And I will complete 30th year at DeMarche Associates as a consultant. Crazy.” ❯David Schwartz writes, “Truth be told, we’vebeen pretty lucky in life (so far). Ruth Ellis ’83and I live in Tel Aviv. Ruth is a remote consultantfor a bio-products firm. I’ve been in the StateDepartment for most of my career and currentlyhead up the consular section at our embassy here.We have two magnificent kids (whose kidsaren’t?). Our 26-year-old is in Boulder living thegood life. Our 23-year-old is in Moscow learning


That smile, the laugh—and, of course, a Maryhug—and you were set for the day. For many ofus, that first meeting with Mary was the begin-ning of a lifelong friendship. ❯ We all have different memories of Mary. I am asking that youfocus on those memories and dig deep into yourpockets to help us fund the Mary Filosa BrownMemorial Fund for Community Service. In theupcoming months you will receive additional information about this memorial fund. Remem-ber—no gift is too small. ❯ Now for the notes: Diane Williard Jaskolka: “Mark and I both retired this year, sold the house, cars, and all ofour possessions, and will move to Boquete,Panama. All visitors welcome!” ❯ Mary Wylie:“Son John is a sophomore at Northwestern University and president of his fraternity, BetaTheta Pi! He spent his Christmas break in London! Too much fun! Hope you are well andenjoyed the holiday season!” ❯ Kelly NortonWarner: “I work at the U.S. Geological Survey aschief of water quality investigations. Just finisheda chapter for a book on integrated groundwatermanagement. Gave a talk in Rome, Italy, for theInternational Association of Hydrogeologists andwas able to enjoy a few days in Florence withLizzy Warner ’13. She is working on an M.S. insustainable engineering at Rochester Institute ofTechnology; son Drew is a senior at DePauwUniversity. One more semester, and I get that no-tuition pay raise!” ❯ Mike Kraynak: “Thankyou to my Knox family for all the thoughts andprayers, gifts, and flowers! They have helped myfamily get through a terrible time in ourlives! God bless you all!” ❯ Lastly, I have thepleasure of announcing my new Knox correspon-dent partner: Chris Bohm Gavlin. Please makeher feel welcome! ❯ Hugs and Kisses, Sharon. Class Correspondents: Sharon L. Schillereff7780 W 38th Ave., #404, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033,303-885-7185, [email protected] Bohm Gavlin 4246 Howard Ave., Western Springs, IL 60558, 708-246-1419, [email protected]

1983Many may already know that Rick Brown “lostmy best friend, confidant, lover, and wife,” MaryFilosa Brown ’82, in August. “We had a story-book life together that began at Knox and manymemories to cherish. By the time this goes toprint, I hope many will have heard of the estab-lishment of the Mary Filosa Brown MemorialFund for Community Service. It is an endowedfund to support the work of the Kleine Centerfor Community Service. The Fund will memori-alize the endearing relationship between Knoxand Mary, and it illuminates her generous, givingspirit.” Our deepest sympathies to Rick, his family,friends, and all who were touched by Mary’s kindness,spirit, sense of humor, warm smile, and…her tremen-dous laugh. ❯ Werner Holz reported that he “willbreak bread with Dan Hrozencik, Ed Kemper’85, and Tony and Dee Dee Kinzie Tedeschi ’85.

Russian. We went to Moscow in late Novemberto see her, experience winter, and check out oneof the world’s great cities.” ❯ A quick updatefrom the Nicolaus: My wife and I celebrated our32nd anniversary in September. Two days later,our oldest son (29) got married to a wonderfulyoung lady I introduced him to 10 years earlierwhen they were both freshmen at Mizzou (I knewher family). My daughter (27) is now the officecoordinator/event planner for a mid-market adagency in Chicago, her dream job. My 22-year-old son is in his final year (I hope) at ColumbiaCollege, studying audio acoustics. My 19-year-old son graduated from my alma mater (LoyolaAcademy) and is a freshman at Miami Universityin Ohio, studying finance. My wife celebrated her34th year as a nurse, mostly in the ICU at Glen-brook Hospital. This summer, I celebrated 13years as a partner in an IT consulting firm thathas grown to more than 20 team members. Withno need to take 400+ photos each weekend at myyoungest son’s football games, I enjoy more freetime and hope to see many of you at our 35th Reunion in October.Class Correspondent: John Nicolau930 Huckleberry Lane, Glenview, IL 60025-2302, 847-657-6311, [email protected]

1982To all: The death of Mary Filosa Brown hasbeen a shock to all of us. Everybody knew Mary.Most importantly, everybody loved Mary! She wasa collector of people. People flocked to Mary forthe infamous 15 minutes of chat. During thattime, the problems of the world were solved.

Melissa Harju Vos ’91 is a study project manager at Abbott/AbbVie, overseeing clinical trials for Parkinson’s disease.

This is one year later than planned but gives usmore to talk about.” ❯ Patrick Fleming’s daugh-ter, Sonya Fleming, “is a freshman at Knox thisyear. She wants to major in creative writing. Sheenjoyed her first term very much.” ❯ Steve andLinda Mugnaini McMillan ’81 “celebrated our32nd wedding anniversary last month! (I’m notreally sure why I was so lucky to snare her for mywife.) Eldest son Daniel turned 30 in Novemberand is a doctor of physical therapy in Eugene,Oregon. He graduated from Washington Univer-sity’s School of Medicine in 2014. Middle sonNicholas is 26 and a singer/songwriter/musiciancurrently in New Orleans. To make ends meet, heis a cook in a great little diner. And, last but notleast, is little Ella, who is 19 and a waitress at anice restaurant in Evanston (where we live)…trying to figure life out. Linda has been countingdown the days, sort of, until she can retire fromBaxter International, where she’s been employedfor the last 27 or 28 years. She is the director offinancial systems at their corporate headquartersin Deerfield, Illinois. We both still love seeinglive music. We will travel to Park City, Utah, inFebruary to ski with other Knox grads—DeanSmith ’81, Rusty and Natalia Brennan Strong,and David Rosenbacher ’84. Other Knox gradswe see with some regularity include Joe Flana-gan ’85, Cliff Piper ’87, Jason Rahal ’88, BarryPetersen ’85, Tom MacMillan ’81, Joan“Bunny” Bruner Weber ’81, Chris Shillestad’81, and Sharon Spellman ’80. I left WholeFoods in July to help my mother care for my father, who had a slowly worsening case ofAlzheimer’s. He died October 9 after an amazingrun of 89 years…32 of which were retired!!! (He retired when he was 57 years old!)” ❯ MargaretDavis and husband Kristoph Klover releasedtheir 13th CD last year, Make We Merry!, whichthey recorded with their band, Broceliande. Thisyear, their primary focus was work on SnowWhite—The Mirror’s Revenge, an original play forwhich they are writing, producing, performing,and recording the music. Margaret continues towork playing therapeutic harp in San Francisco-area hospitals with Healing Muses and has hadseveral commissions this year for her originalworks of illuminated calligraphy. ❯ Gail GolbergEisner’s store, Pumpkin Moon, recently cele-brated its 20th anniversary. “Hard for me to be-lieve. It’s like having a grown child. I’m feelingthat too, as Jennifer, my eldest, is applying to colleges now, and Julia is a freshman in highschool. Still in Oak Park and busy running twostores and managing life.” ❯ In December, Karen Burich Levin, Peggy Fletcher ’86, AleneLesniak Ackerman ’85, Florence Giannola Botbol, Kathy Schurr, Karen LongawaDugard, Ann Elfline Davie (all the way fromAustralia), Mary Bohaty Osborne ’84, ChrisBohm Gavlin ’82, Aleida Villasuso Vekony ’86,Lenore McCarthy, and I met for a mini-TriDelta reunion. We had a wonderful time catchingup—some of us hadn’t seen each other sincegraduation. We toasted the memory and spirit of

OLD PHIS — REVISITTHE BOWERY PARTYHomecoming 2016Saturday, October 15, 4:00 p.m.Wilson House (formerly Panhellenic House)corner of South West and West South Streets

Contacts:Mike Boyd ’[email protected]

Mike Lenz ’[email protected]


Class KnoxMelissa Harju Vos ’91 is a study project manager at Abbott/AbbVie, overseeing clinical trials for Parkinson’s disease.

Mary Filosa Brown ’82 with champagne orderedby Sharon Schillereff ’82 from Colorado. Wevowed not to let time go by before our nextevent. ❯ If you did not receive an e-mail requestinginformation, please contact me so we can update our1983 class list. Class Correspondent: Laura Thompson Sears132 Heath Place, Westmont, Illinois 60559, 312-899-1660, [email protected]

1984Abdellatif Lahlali just published War StoriesFrom My Father, the culmination of many years of research in North Africa, Europe, NorthAmerica, and Asia. It is based on a lifetime ofconversations with his late father, Master Sergeant Mohamed Ben Salem Lahlali, who wasa soldier in the French Army from 1940–1955,fighting with the Allies in World War II and inthe French conflict in Vietnam. It is availablethrough Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com.Class Correspondent: Valerie Jencks300 E. 5th Avenue, Suite 235, Naperville, IL 60563,630-579-8070, [email protected]

1985Debbie Dehm is now manager of Bird of Paradise Spa at the Queen Kahumanu Mall onMaui. ❯ Maryann O’Brien writes, “Not much toreport on my end. I still work in Shenzhen,China, at Buena Vista Concordia InternationalSchool. We are in the midst of U.S. accreditationand international baccalaureate certification thisyear. Busy implementing a new STEM programand creative arts program. On a leadership note, Ihave launched a quality initiative to fuse theWestern faculty with Chinese staff to create abetter working climate. Fun, fun, fun.” ❯ And fellow New Yorker Laura Young says,“Hellofrom the Big Apple. I am sorry I missed our Reunion. I was actually back in Galesburg, as mydad (a WWII vet) passed away in May, and hegrew up in Knoxville. The family had a nice mealafter the funeral at the Packinghouse, where Iworked when I was at Knox. After Besançon,France, I came to NYC and worked on an actingcareer with some fun speaking parts as a nurseand prison guards on many daytime soap operas.And I did a lot of background work on films.When acting didn’t work for me, I returned toschool and got a master’s in social work at Co-lumbia. Now, I am so happy to report that I workfor myself in my private practice setting. I workwith a lot of couples; I run groups; and I workwith individuals. Recently, I added a wonderfulmarriage and family therapy intern to my practice, as well as a canine co-therapist named Copine! Check out my website atwww.LLYoung.com and let me know yourthoughts. By the way, does anyone have any infoon Maura Shea ’84, who was also a Knox theatremajor? If you are in NYC, please let me know.Big Hugs!”

Class Correspondents: Margaret VerKoulenLynn [email protected] Davis [email protected]

1986Class Correspondent: Susan Bantz315 East Walnut Drive, Waterville, KS, 66458-9069, 563-554-9213, [email protected]

1987Class Correspondent: Lisabeth Simms Belman12701 York Mill Lane, Clarksburg, MD 20871-4034,301-972-3751, [email protected]

1988Class Correspondent: Gayle Pikrone Richardson1220 Crestview Drive, Batavia, IL 60510-1180,[email protected]

1989Class Correspondent: Mia Jiganti1850 W. Cortland, Chicago, IL 60622-1035, 773-278-0814, [email protected]

1990While I didn’t end up attending Homecoming,I’ve heard lots of positive comments and folksseemed to have a good time! Go Siwash, Class of1990! ❯ Ben Shakman sent a photo of DavidMurphy and himself at the 2015 NLCS. “Thisphoto was taken at the tailgate party that he andBill Rieckhoff ’89 threw for local clients with theVarsity Motor Coach. Here’s the backstory:About a week earlier I had posted a picture onFacebook showing the tickets I was handed atwork. Dave was one of many to comment on thepicture and invited me to the tailgate party. Whata neat concept! If anyone ever finds themselves ina position to attend one of their parties I highlyrecommend going.” Thanks, Ben, and what a funpicture! You both still look like you did while atKnox! ❯ Paul Werth also wrote, “Having received the most recent Knox Magazine, I realizethat I have not kept in very good contact with myclass correspondent over the years. So please ac-cept this as a long-overdue update. I am currentlyprofessor and chair of the department of historyat the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, which I joined in 1997, and I am the author, most re-cently, of The Tsar’s Foreign Faiths (Oxford, 2014).For six years (2009-15), I served as editor of thejournal Kritika: Explorations in Russian andEurasian History. Since 1994, I have been marriedto St. Petersburg native Elizaveta Zoueva. SonDaniel, now a senior in high school and a budding composer, is in the depths of the college

Ben Shakman ’90 and DavidMurphy ’90 tailgate at the 2015National League Championship.

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application process. Details on my career can befound at faculty.unlv.edu/pwerth/.” Thanks forwriting, Paul, and filling us in! ❯ Feel free tosend notes and/or e-mails my way. It’s always funto receive them and then be able to share! Class Correspondent: Darcy Turner520 Colony Woods Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, [email protected]

1991Christine Purtell Deblock writes, “We finallyhave a middle schooler. We feel lucky that ourdaughter got a spot at the Jane Goodall Environmental Middle School, a charter schoolin Salem, Oregon. It’s very small, just 99 students.The focus is heavy on science, so she studies conservation biology, along with regular science.The kids take several overnight field trips outinto nature every year and do service projects,such as removing non-native invasive plants. Sheloves it. Perhaps a prairie burn is in her future.The other two kids have done well in elementaryschool. Husband Johnny and I continue to dovolunteer work, though I do sometimes ponderhow to get back into paying work after 12 yearsout of my field of teaching ESL. I already havereservations for Homecoming—can’t wait!” ❯From Melissa Harju Vos: “I have started my19th year working for Abbott/AbbVie. I am astudy project manager, overseeing clinical trialsfor Parkinson’s disease. Son Taylor is a senior andplans to attend Columbia College Chicago thisfall, and daughter Zoe is in sixth grade and enjoysart, sewing, and science. I live in Jefferson Park,Chicago, with husband Adam and the kiddos.” ❯After 46 years living in downtown Chicago, ourfamily moved to the northern suburb of High-land Park. I can’t believe it, but I really love the

Rachel Abarbanell ’02

Here’s one clear measure of Rachel Abarbanell’s success in Hollywood: she wasunable to attend last year’s Alumni Achievement Awards ceremony because of ascheduling conflict with the Hollywood Awards season; as president of produc-tion at Lynda Obst Productions, she played an instrumental role in the makingof the critically acclaimed Interstellar. Abarbanell credits her Knox educationwith her film and TV career; an internship studying industrial film helped heridentify a passion for filmmaking, and a connection from Bob Misiorowski ’66

helped her find her first industry job—an internship with Millennium Pictures.

How did you decide to pursue filmmaking as a career?I discovered film and TV work as part ofthe ACM Chicago arts program, when Itook an internship in industrial film. Mysponsor, Professor Stephen Bailey (whowas then associate dean of the College),suggested there was a passion there thathe hadn’t seen before and asked if thiswas something I had thought aboutmaking a career out of. That led me toapply for a post-baccalaureate fellowshipin film studies and a Richter grant. Thatyear of study turned into an internship,and then a job in L.A. in film. I believe if

it hadn’t been for those experiences, I wouldn’t be working in film and televi-sion today.

What are a few of your proudest accomplishments?The most recent pilot I worked on, Good Girls Revolt [about the struggle forgender equality at a newsmagazine in the late 1960s], is one of the few projectsI have ever worked on that was rewarding from beginning to end. It not onlytells a great story and is fun to watch, but has relevant things to say about equalpay and sexual politics in the workplace. I’m also proud of the show because ofall the women who worked on it. It’s very rare to have a largely female crew,and almost every major player on this show was female.

Another experience that has been very rewarding is helping others achievesuccess. I found a director we hired for an episode of the first season of Helix[a SyFy series about a potential lethal pandemic disease] that the studio fell inlove with; he was subsequently hired as the showrunner for the second season.I also believe that, as a woman in entertainment who had to have help fromothers to get where I am, it’s my responsibility to help others. When I canplace a friend or intern in a job and they blossom in that role, I am so proud. A

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“I have come down with a twang in my voice and a sudden urge to buy and wear chaps.” —Sreedhar Yedavalli ’93

change and the new experiences. More outdooractivity, nature, and a whole lot less traffic. Somethings even bring back a nostalgic memory of aquieter life in Galesburg. I continue to work onErgo Impact, my office product line, which I’mlaunching to provide support for people who desire a healthier workplace via standing andmoving while working. Hopefully, by the nextupdate, I’ll have more to report. Keep in touchwith your own new updates, please.Class Correspondent: Jonathan Sheinkop260 Cary Ave, Highland Park, IL 60035,[email protected]

1992Kristen Waicosky Niedner has moved with herfamily to Phoenix, Arizona, where she continuesto work as an emergency physician. ❯ GlennWaddell Jr. writes: “I had the chance to meetDavid Loewy in 2015 while passing throughSacramento on the way to a Giants home game.It was great to catch up and share some goodtimes with him. On the personal front, I am inthe second year of a Ph.D. in STEM education atthe University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), and justleft my position as a math teacher at the highschool level to join the UNR faculty as a masterteacher in the brand-new NevadaTeach program.I recruit and teach new math and science educa-tors. What a crazy, busy year 2015 has been. Ilook forward to 2016!” ❯ Jen GoldsberryQuandt writes: “It’s winter, and I am off, oh theglory of the off-season!!!!! Got together overChristmas break with Gen Fitzgerald Schulzand her girls, and then Gen and I rang in theNew Year together with my hubby and my buddy,Tim, who lives with us. (Jen is a softy; my buddywent through a bad divorce and needed a place tostay...I love, what can I do?) I do believe we haveplanned a Chicago-area Siwash get-together atthe end of January.”Class Correspondents: Celine GuraMatthiessen6417 Marlar, The Colony, TX 75056-7119, 469-384-1805, [email protected] Thorsen Ragnini912 S. Summit, Barrington, IL 60010-5057, 847-382-4022, [email protected]

1993Ben Hirby: “We are still in Madison. Still havetwo kids: Reed (10) and Oliver (7). We spent several weeks in Le Puy en Velay, France, lastsummer. This March, Sage will lead an educa-tional travel tour to Morocco, and I’ll come alongfor the journey.” ❯ Mitra Ghaboussi: “I’m amassage therapist, artist, writer, and singer, andI’m on my higher path...how do I know? Synchronicities!” ❯ Sreedhar Yedavalli, classrodeo clown: “I moved to Plano, Texas, in July2015 to work for Samsung in Richardson, justsouth of Plano. Rebecca Gillan Ballard and hus-band Joshua were instrumental in my transition

2016 Young Alumni Achievement Award

PETER BAILLEY ’74


Class Knox“I have come down with a twang in my voice and a sudden urge to buy and wear chaps.” —Sreedhar Yedavalli ’93

and selling out dance performances featuring mywife as the star. If you are on Facebook, connectwith the Knox College Class of 1998 group! ❯Old friend Angela Schultz tells me that she con-tinues to work against intimate partner violence,first with Anjie Rosga at Knox (with whom Angela still stays in touch), then at a nonprofit inPortland for 10 years, through law school, andnow in her position leading the pro bono legalwork at Marquette Law School, where she is thedean for public service. Angela and Gus Reed(Brita Reed Mutti’s ’01 brother) had a son, Fergus, in 2007, and now share their lives to-gether in a little house in Milwaukee. ❯ Kelli McDonough writes, “I work as a clinical re-searcher at the University of Michigan C.S. MottChildren’s Hospital, studying pediatric sepsis. Ialso have a position in the athletic departmentworking football, basketball, and softball games.(It’s really just an excuse to go to the games with-out having to buy tickets.) I still enjoy playingsoftball in the summer and have two dogs, Linusand Riley.” ❯ Katie Sommers says, “I have twokids, a six-year-old daughter in first grade, whodoes great in school and plays basketball, soccer,and baseball; and a 3.5-year-old son who is excited to start 4K in the fall and plays soccer andt-ball. I also have two dogs: Lola, a 16-year oldyellow lab, and Lucy, a four-year-old coonhound;one cat, Comet, a 15-year-old snuggler; oneaquatic frog, Tundra (don’t ask); and two beehives. I enjoy gardening in the summer andcross-country skiing in the winter, but mostly justtry to keep up with the kids! I’m the state hazardmitigation officer for the State of Wisconsin. Ialso worked part-time at a plant nursery fromspring to fall 2015. My kids and I continue tospend time with my parents, Larry ’66 and JoelleNelson Sommers ’67.” ❯ Karen RosenkoetterNussbaum writes, “I am married to Erik Nussbaum ’93, and we have a 16-year-old cat,Charlie. We live in Chicago. I work for a law firmby day and sing as much as possible the rest ofthe time. I am a member of the Aestas Consort,Grant Park Chorus, and William Ferris Chorale,and am a soprano section leader for the ChancelChoir of the First United Methodist Church atthe Chicago Temple (where Erik is the directorof music and the arts). I also do periodic demorecordings for World Library Publications andGIA (music publishers) and am a frequent recital-ist. Last year, I worked with composer GwynethWalker to premiere a cycle of songs called AThousand Prayers.” ❯ Tiffany Felde Rahn says, “Alot of life has happened since ’98, but here yougo...I worked for STA Travel (the company fo-cused on study abroad and adventures for youngpeople) for six years, enjoying many internationaltrips and living in a variety of places around theU.S. In 2004, I settled in Chicago, switchedmodes, and started working for Artsonia.com, anonline kids art museum and comprehensive resource for art educators worldwide, founded bya friend of mine. My responsibilities as educationdirector keep me busy, but I’m thankful for a

regularly in her church’s contemporary praiseband. ❯ Christopher Tong has relocated toSparks, Nevada, for family reasons. He continuesto work (remotely now) for the U.S. Departmentof Agriculture in Ames, Iowa. He is grateful tofellow Knox alums Glenn ’92 and C.J. MooreWaddell ’87 for welcoming him to the Reno-Tahoe area.Class Correspondent: Nicole [email protected]

1996Class Correspondent: Kathryn Dix Biallas1418 East Colter Street, Phoenix, AZ 85014, 602-944-7466, [email protected]

1997Brenda Mueller Butler looks forward to an educational tour of Puerto Rico in May with eld-est son Jonas (11) and his fifth grade immersionschool classmates. Anyone have Knox conexionesen PR? ❯ Andrew Johnson writes, “Last spring I completed a master of arts in literature atNorthwestern University. I still teach high schoolEnglish in Chicago Public Schools—and do mybest to steer promising young minds in Knox’sdirection!” ❯ Becky Richardson Shadlichwrites, “I had a baby girl, Emilia, back in April—not sure if you knew about that one!!! Otherwise,a move to a new city, my son starting kinder-garten this year, and a year off work, only run-ning my own small business, pretty much sumsup my 2015!” ❯ The Mika family has enjoyed aneventful end to 2015, and we look forward to asolid 2016. My 17 years in the public schools enjoying major holidays and seasonal breaks hasspoiled me as I near my one-year anniversarywith Apple. There have been myriad changes tohelp our family adjust to traveling for work. Wepurchased a house in Plainfield, Illinois, over thesummer and moved in just as the new school yearstarted for our son and daughter. NOTE: I say“we” loosely, seeing as Rachel not only workedwith the realtor to put an offer down on thehouse, but also orchestrated the move while I wasteaching across the country. Not only is sheamazing, but Rae also celebrated her 10th yearco-owning a therapy clinic in Oswego, Illinois. Class Correspondent: Josh Mika6619 Mountain Ridge Pass, Plainfield, IL 60586-2844, [email protected]

1998Greetings from Kip Conwell, your new class cor-respondent. I’ve been busy, and I’ve got the greyhair to prove it. With two little kids, a job as a labmanager, another job with Aerial Dance Chicago,and sneaking in a little physical activity, I’ve discovered exactly how little sleep a middle-agedhuman requires...but we are happy, and these arethe years to be busy, so we push onward! Recentspecial moments include the issuance of a patent

here from the suburbs of Chicago. Along the way,I reconnected with Sarah Reynolds ’95 and husband Brian, as well as Kristin Warlick Hoffman ’95 and husband Steve (both in theTulsa, Oklahoma, area). During my initial inter-view back-and-forth (I drove), I stopped to seeBrian Gunter ’92 in St. Louis and Julie Scannell’91 and daughter Lucy in Washington, Missouri.Since being in Texas, my sons have had a numberof opportunities to play with Rebecca’s boys. Ihave grown fond of their youngest boy, Miles,and have met a few more of the Gillan clan sinceI’ve been in North Texas. I have come down witha twang in my voice and a sudden urge to buyand wear chaps. I am still looking for the perfectArchie Bunker chair, and a 10-gallon cowboy hatto add to my collection. Hope all is well witheveryone! 2018!” ❯ Me: I have been enjoyinghanging out with Sree and his family here inTexas. Spotting him on his commute to work,sporting a bowler cap, while I am on my way todrop my older boys at school, is lovely. Class Correspondent: Rebecca Gillan [email protected]

1994Knox Magazine currently seeks a new Class Correspondent for Class of 1994. Please contactPam Chozen, the class notes editor, [email protected].

1995We had a great showing at our 20th Reunion thisfall, Class of ’95! Remember that you can alsostay connected in our Facebook group, simplycalled Knox College Class of ’95. ❯ ChristopherMurrie is in the final months of shooting andpost production for his third film, Kubo and theTwo Strings. It is the biggest and most complexfilm he’s cut. He couldn’t be more proud of it. Itopens worldwide on August 19! ❯ Andrea Miklasz still lives in Park Ridge, Illinois, and isvery slowly but surely progressing toward anM.A. in community psychology at Argosy University. Her goal is to work with children andadolescents who either need to build socializationskills, resolve anger issues, or just enjoy the timeand release, using music therapy in groups withhand drums. Otherwise, dual-diagnosis mentalillness/substance abuse adults. Slow and steadywins the race, so she’s taking classes slowly tomaintain her sanity. It’s very cool that son LukeBechtel, who is a sophomore in high school, ispresident of the school radio station, WMTH,the entertainment writer for Southwords, and hasbecome a popular, sought-after advancedTV/film writer and director, as well as a photog-rapher. Luke was recently honored at a KiwanisClub luncheon for Achievements in the Arts. Wecan’t imagine where all this comes from, giventhat his father is Craig Bechtel ’94. They arestoked that he turned 16 on January 16, 2016.What a combination! Andrea also plays drums


Shalini Krishan ’03 currently works as a senior editor with Speaking Tiger Books in New Delhi.

position that allows me to work from home,coach my son’s basketball team, and have time forfamily and friends. This year, my husband and Iwill celebrate our 10-year anniversary. Pete’s aphysical therapist who visited Knox as a prospec-tive basketball player (when I was a junior—andno, I didn’t meet him on that visit!) but ended upat Marquette University. We live in Fort Atkin-son, Wisconsin, and have two kiddos (Wesley 7,Haylee 5) and two dogs. We love to spend timeoutdoors, travel, watch Marquette basketball, andjust try to keep our busy life as simple and un-complicated as possible. For the many teammatesand friends who remember my parents… ‘Toni Kand Super Dave’ are great! I treasure all the timessince ’98 (though few and far between) that I’vebeen able to spend with friends on the golfcourse, vacations, mud runs, and everything inbetween! Sarah Lewis Gish, April Owen-Faoro,Maddie Stapleton Fay, Wendy Salger Spizzirri’99, Rhonda Moravek Meeker, Kris Nelson,and Ben Van Vlerah...I expect you to give yourown updates in the next issue!” ❯ KathrynMoakley says, “I moved to the Pacific Northwestafter Knox and haven’t found a reason to leave. Idid find time to go to law school, of all things,and then practiced law and ate really great foodfrom carts in Portland. I now live in Eugene andwork for the University of Oregon School ofLaw. My husband and I have two amazing sons,about whom I cannot say enough good things. I continue to eat great food.” ❯ Michael Vanlandingham sends these updates. “I cur-rently live on Lake Eufaula in Oklahoma. Lakelife is great. Mistie, my wife of 13 years, and Ihave three daughters, Brianna (14), Makenna(11), and Corinna (4). Like me, my daughtersenjoy music and singing. I work for Oktaha Public Schools. I have had the distinct pleasure ofhaving two works of poetry published in the lastfew years and am now writing my first full-lengthplay. I still own the family farm in Arkansas andplan to retire there. I am an avid reader and amoften told that I need to do something with mybooks, as I keep filling up every available space inour home. Mistie is disabled and can no longerwork, so she spends her days quilting and researching genealogy.”Class Correspondent: Kip Conwell [email protected]

1999Thank you to all who sent updates to share. Iwish it was all joyous, but I have received sometruly sad news. ❯ Dipa Sarkar reports, “Withgreat sadness, I would like to inform the Knoxcommunity that, on November 8, 2015, we lostDesmond Fortes ’00. Desmond succumbed to atragic accident at sea, while vacationing in Portugal. He was a real family man, a goodfriend, a thorough gentleman, a citizen of theworld. A biology major at Knox, he went on tocomplete a master’s in urban and regional plan-ning at University of Wisconsin–Madison. He

later worked as an environmental and social offi-cer at FMO, the Dutch development bank in theNetherlands, where he lived with wife FemkeBrouwer, son Luca (2), and infant daughter Nina.Desmond loved nature, adventure, and, above all,was passionate about making the world a betterplace for the rest of us!” Thank you, Dipa, forsending this! Those of us who knew Desmondwill miss him terribly! ❯ In other news: new babyarrivals. Lucas McIntosh reports that AndrewWiemers recently had twin girls with wife Paola.Their names are Mia and Nina, born October 14,2015. Allison Wenk Maki and husband Johnwelcomed their second child, Ryan Christian, onNovember 15. He joins big brother Adam.Courtney Crandall and Bridget Gotz expecttheir first child, a boy, any day now! ❯ Newsfrom Mike Bailey: “I have taken a new positionwith the same company I have worked for the last12 years, Schulman IRB, which allows me towork remotely from home. As a result, my familyhas been able to relocate to Central Illinois thisyear. We now reside and work out of the Peoriaarea, which allows us to be close to our familyand friends in all parts of Illinois, and, of course,Knox!” ❯ Jason Kesselring has worked as acommunity pediatrician in an underserved population for the past 9 1/2 years. At differentpoints during this time, he served as the chair ofpediatrics for Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation and chair of pediatrics at GatewayRegional Medical Center. He continues teachingmany healthcare professionals in his clinic, resus-citating babies at the hospital, and devoting hisspare time to his family: wife Sonia HibberdKesselring ’00, Andrew (10), and Allison (7). ❯Erin Severs shares: “It has been an exciting pastcouple years for husband Kenney and me. Justthis past summer, we bought a 6.75kw solar panelsystem that is generating all our electricity—nomore dirty energy or electric bills for us! We are still getting our little organic farm up andrunning and have all kinds of wonderful projectsplanned for what will be our 20 acres (we cur-rently own 10 and closed on the other 10 in January). We also added two new family mem-bers, German Shepherd sisters Anika and Greta,who are our pride and joy! Professionally, I waspromoted to assistant professor two years agoand was granted tenure last year. In addition, witha colleague, I just finished the final edits on abook chapter, “Empowering Faculty: A SharedGovernance Model,” which will be part of a bookSUNY Press will publish next fall. I also justfound out that I have been awarded a teachingfellowship that will start next year. This three-year position is a great honor that will involve leading some of our internal professionaldevelopment at the college and a course load reduction. Lastly, I have been working on numer-ous writing assignments (content and review) forMcGraw-Hill and have enjoyed contributing toproducts used by students across the country. Ona different note, I am working on designing andimplementing a gender studies A.S. degree

program at the college—hopefully, I will havesome exciting updates on that project here in thenext few years!” ❯ Sharwari “Sherry” Badolashares that she gave birth to a baby girl, their second, on New Year’s Eve 2014. She lives withher family in Santa Clara, California and works as a UX designer. ❯ Jessica Jurgens Salsburyreports: “Donald and I will celebrate 15 years ofmarriage in January, and son Joshua turns eightin April. I am in my second year of creating playsfor the 365 Women a Year: A Playwriting Project. Igot to see Bree Elrod Novak ’00 at a playwritingevent in Kansas City and wrote a small skit withher in it. That was a blast. My day job is recruit-ing interpreters for Propio Language Services inOverland Park, Kansas.” Class Correspondent: Valerie Saks KihslingerS3042 W. Salem Ridge Rd., La Farge, WI 54639, 608-268-6903, [email protected]

2000Class Correspondent: Kristie Wagher Scarffe,D.C.6985 Merriman Road, Garden City, MI 48135, 734-402-2225, [email protected]

2001Class Correspondent: Allison [email protected]

2002Class Correspondent: Jennifer Wreyford 1850 Bassett Street, #626, Denver, CO 80202, 813-482-4112, [email protected]

2003Katie Nelson Cation and husband Michael had ason, Graeme Archer, on May 26, 2015. Shewrites, “It was a big year for us! We relocated toAustin, Texas, from Gainesville, Florida, in May2014. Michael works in marketing and communi-cations for a healthcare company, and I still teachelementary art. I was named Teacher of the Yearlast year! We bought our first house in April andwelcomed Graeme at the end of May.” ❯ BruceSteinke writes, “After serving on the CookCounty Sheriff’s Police for six years, and nineyears total with the Sheriff’s Department, work-ing as the Sheriff’s Police Training Academy’s report writing instructor, a DUI enforcementspecialist, and gang crimes investigator, I amhappy to announce that I was promoted to ser-geant of police in September 2015. I am eager tobegin the next phase in my service to the citizensof Cook County as a sergeant in the Markhamdistrict. Wife Sarah Van Niewaal Steinke ’04has kept busy, splitting her time working as ahigh school chemistry teacher, D.A.R./C.A.R.member, and volunteering for Schools CountCorp. We can’t believe our daughter Mckenziewill start kindergarten in fall 2016!” ❯ Brynna


Class KnoxShalini Krishan ’03 currently works as a senior editor with Speaking Tiger Books in New Delhi.

Jobe, with husband Doug Clark, son Jack, anddog Scout, bought her first house! This summer,Jazz will graduate with an MFA in creative writing from the University of Central Arkansas.❯ Maggie Claudy writes, “My daughter, Samantha Joy, was born on June 23, 3015.” ❯Adam Barnes reports, “Over the past year or so, my wife and I both accepted new jobs in theMilwaukee area, built a home, and moved toFranklin, Wisconsin. Amy and I have been mar-ried for five years this May, have a two-year-oldson (Parker), and expect a baby girl in March. Weare very active; I still try to play basketball andsoft(base)ball, but I find it hurts a little morenowadays. We are excited about our growingfamily and can’t wait to see the Knox basketballand baseball teams come to town.” ❯ From Emily Bell, “I married Sean Patton on May 2,2015, in Tucson, Arizona, and I now have threestepchildren. I also started a position as assistantprofessor in the department of psychiatry at theUniversity of Arizona.” ❯ Marcy Wiget writes, “I got married! October 6, 2015, on a beautifulday in Chicago. I’ve also changed jobs and nowwork at the University of Kansas in the SpencerResearch Library.” ❯ “I had a baby girl over thesummer. Her name is Atlas.” – Lisa CasarrubiasClass Correspondent: Susan C. Vitous Johnson1312 Iles Avenue, Belvidere, IL 61008-1407, [email protected]

moved in together and are getting married thisSeptember.” ❯ From Tim and Renae SkogenMcIntosh: “2015 brought the McIntosh familysome completed home improvements, a brandnew puppy (golden retriever named Butters), anda new job for Tim at University of Missouri Sys-tem leading executive recruitment and launchinga higher education recruitment consortium.Renae does an amazing job to keep all her kids(Timmy included) happy and healthy while working as pediatric clinical instructor at Univer-sity of Missouri, as well as a PICU nurse at theUniversity of Missouri Children’s Hospital.Henry Wade, 7, is a gifted student in secondgrade; Missy Lou, 5, is well into her year inkindergarten; and Charlie Knox, 3, tries valiantlyto keep up with them both each day.” ❯ JennaBoonstrom Crane says, “I still work PRN as aspeech therapist, but my husband and I spendmost of our time caring for our two littleones. Isaac, who has spinal muscular atrophy(SMA) Type 1, had a couple of scary medicalevents and helicopter rides this fall. But he isalive and well, and we look forward to anotherChristmas with him!” ❯ Stef Turner moved inwith delightful boyfriend Jason, gaining two cats,Zeus and Harvey. Stef, Jason, and Zeus are veryhappy with the arrangement, but Harvey remainsskeptical. Stef has also accepted a new job inquality improvement with Health Choice Integrated Care in Flagstaff, Arizona. ❯ Jasmine

Zack Stephenson ’06 and Mike Boettcher ’05 hiked the Inca Trail to MachuPicchu in October 2015.

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Barnhart Blodgett married Case Blodgett (“nota Knox grad but I love him anyway”) on Septem-ber 19, 2015. She writes, “It truly was a perfectday made even better by all who were there, including several Knox alumni. Sue Blafka Forcash, Amanda Perkins Walden, andMonique Roberts served as bridesmaids. OtherKnox grads in attendance included my father,Gary Barnhart ’69; brother Brett Barnhart ’96;cousin Amanda McCoy Luthy ’88; and friendsSteve Bachta, Tim Biagini, Dustin Milliken,Kevin Walden ’01, Geoff Ziegler, and Joy ThielZiegler ’01. We didn’t get a Knox picture (wewere too busy celebrating!), but I can assure youthey were there and a good time was had by all.”❯ Kimberly Van Winkle was also married Sep-tember 19, 2015, to Brian Spires. In attendancewas Mindi Pampel Ritchie ’99. Kimberly contin-ues to work as the assistant supervisor laboratorytechnician at Select Sites in Ohio. ❯ ErinSchwarz and husband Robert welcomed theirsecond son, Theodore Schwarz, on October 10,2015. ❯ Jacque Corry graduated December 20,2015, with a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences with anemphasis in virology from The Ohio State Uni-versity. She writes, “My defense work has justbeen accepted in the Journal of Virology and willbe published in the February edition.” The articleis titled, “Prevention of Respiratory SyncytialVirus Attachment Protein Cleavage in Vero CellsRescues Infectivity of Progeny Virions for Primary Human Airway Cultures.” ❯ LucyAinsworth was married December 5, 2015. Shewrites: “My husband is named Alexis Bellet, andhe is originally from Grenoble, France, but healso lived in England and Germany for severalyears. It’s actually kind of a crazy story—Alexisand I met last August in Hamburg, Germany,where my sister lives and where Alexis was finish-ing his master’s program. I had coincidentally justquit my job in July to take a year off from theworking world, and so when we talked about howto be together, the natural answer was for me tocome live in France for my ‘sabbatical’ year! So Imoved to Lyon in January 2015, and I’ve justbeen learning French, drinking wine, and eatingcheese ever since.” ❯ Shalini Krishan writes,“Just a quick note to say that I currently work as asenior editor with Speaking Tiger Books in NewDelhi, India, and have been part of the adminteam at Qashti, an organisation for and by queerwomen and trans people who were assigned female at birth for the past three years. RachanaRao Umashankar ’04 visited me this summer,and we spent a couple of weeks reliving our daysat Knox.”Class Correspondent: Allison O’Mahen Malcom8134 Gridley Avenue, Wauwatosa, WI 53213-3049, [email protected]

2004Kelly Anicich writes: “I’m still a teacher in a self-contained autism classroom at a therapeuticschool in Chicago. Partner Raquel and I recently


2005Jon Betts writes, “It may not be Around the Worldin 80 Days, but a cross-town move with three kidsunder five and a neurotic schnoodle is plenty ofadventure! In addition to finding the perfecthouse for our crazy family, we’ve gotten to spendtime with many of our Knox friends, includingmeeting up with Jacob ’04 and Sienna WatsonBeard ’06 in Bloomington; enjoying beers withAimee Neilan ’13, Dave Rahofy ’03, and KyleAlvarez; participating in a marathon with KimKreiling ’07, a Thanksgiving 5K with Seth Kopf’04 and current Knox student Miranda Corbett,and a soccer tournament with Sam Thomas ’13,Cyril Ramathal ’04, and Dave ’07 and SarahWallen Connelly.” ❯ In September 2014, aftereight wonderful years in Boston, Ben Gildehausand wife Janice moved back to Ben’s hometownof St. Louis. Ben is now a supervisor at BJC Behavioral Health, managing a team of case managers who serve the needs of youth and theirfamilies. He tells us that Janice likes her new gigcounseling college students at St. Louis Univer-sity. They also bought a house in February 2015and feel more settled in everyday! ❯ AshleySteinsdoerfer Gottlieb reports she continues to plan events for the University of Chicago, butaccepted a new position within the university lastJuly. She now works within the Harris School ofPublic Policy and thoroughly enjoys the chal-lenges of building this new role and the Harrisevents office. ❯ Dan Lieberman writes, “I’m stillhappily married with two very large 18-month-old sons, and work with Ben Maddox at TiVo inAlviso, California. In addition, I have avoided allcriminal charges relating to my last place of employment.” ❯ Sahil ’07 and Emilie McManusKalghatgi welcomed their first son, Simon, onAugust 4. ❯ Emmie Barford Strassberg ishalfway through her maternal fetal medicine fellowship at Geisinger Medical Center inDanville, Pennsylvania. She also plays cello withthe Bloomsburg University Symphony when she

Katie Bell ’08

Though she grew up in Rockford, Illinois, today Katie Bell feels at home inBrooklyn. She moved there in 2011 after completing an MFA at the prestigiousRhode Island School of Design (RISD) and was recently honored with a fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts in recognition of hercompelling artistic vision. Still, her Knox roots run deep. “Knox’s art facultyand students opened up new doors to me. My fellow classmates were criticaland supportive; I still hear their voices in my studio now.” This year, she’ll

undertake two solo exhibitions, one atLocust Projects in Miami, Florida, and asecond at Chicago’s Harper College. Seemore of her work at katiebellstudio.com.

How did you choose Knox College foryour undergraduate education?I was interested in going to a school thatwas diverse, yet intimate. I wanted tomeet people from all over the countryand the world. I did not have a specificprogram or area of study in mind; in-stead I wanted to try everything. Knoxseemed like the perfect place to learnmore about myself and my interests.

Did it live up to your expectations?Yes. Knox provided a community of

people who encouraged and challenged me. I was pushed to new thoughts andideas through Kelly Shaw’s Gender and Women’s Studies courses. I made last-ing friendships on the Knox volleyball team. I traveled abroad to London andFlorence through the ACM program, really solidifying my interests in art andarchitecture. And the sense of community within the art department amongthe faculty, my fellow majors, and me was inspiring. My dialogue and friend-ship with many of them continues.

Without the support and encouragement of my professors, I would havenever applied to graduate school. Their presence in my studio gave me thecourage to believe in my own work. Going to RISD drastically altered my future; the declaration to myself that I am an artist allowed me to go all in.

What advice do you have for current Knox students?Try everything. Take many risks, meet as many people as you can, travelabroad, take a class you know nothing about, go out to Green Oaks, visit therare books collection, participate in a protest, fall asleep in a tree, play a prankon your roommate, and create a commotion on campus. This is your place ofexploration, and it is only in retrospect that you will understand its importanceand impact.

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2016 Young Alumni Achievement Award

“Mark Zuckerberg visited my class in October.” —Jon Gripshover ’06

Kimberly Van Winkle-Spires ’03 and Brian Spires—September 9, 2015

LEFT TO RIGHT: Kimberly Van Winkle-Spires ’03, MindiPampel-Ritchie ’99.

PETER BAILLEY ’74


Class Knox

‘paid’ academia in veterinary behavior medicine.”❯ Rachel Navarre is finishing up her disserta-tion in government at the University of Texas atAustin. She and husband Jeremy welcomed a newaddition to their family; Caleb Navarre Hammettwas born October 6, 2015. ❯ Ashley Palarrecently began working at the Washington StateDepartment of Early Learning, where she coor-dinates connections and partnerships with the variety of early learning regional coalitions, advisors and programs. ❯ Sarah Kilch Gaffneywrites, “2015 was a big year for me. I left nursingschool, started an amazing position doing braininjury advocacy, and had 12 essays published. InOctober, I finally made it out to Seattle to visitChristin Datz and got to see Brian Marienfeldas well. Daughter Zoe recently turned five andheads to kindergarten in the fall.” ❯ From AnnHernandez: “A little over a year ago, I moved toWashington, D.C., to work for the Association ofScience-Technology Centers, a global nonprofitthat supports science museums. I enjoy travelingacross the country for my job and occasionallyrunning into Knox alumni in the city when I amhome. It is fun to see how many Knoxies work inmuseums and related informal education organi-zations. Outside of work, I have been blessed tokeep up with several Knox friends, including thenow-married Sylvie Davidson and new puppy-parent Katelyn Mazman.” ❯ Justin Loepkergot married on April 11, 2015, to Angela Voorhisin Fairview Heights, Illinois. The ceremony tookplace in the engine house where he serves as alieutenant in the fire department. Other Knoxalum in attendance were Ryan Meier ’07, MattArmitage, and Becca Drummond. ❯ MeganGamble says: “Hi, mom!” ❯ Aleza Berube andpartner Justin Sitarz expect a baby boy this May.❯ Rachael Dean writes, “I have an internship ininternational education at the University of Con-necticut, and I will graduate with an M.A. fromSchool for International Training (SIT) GraduateInstitute in May 2016! I’ve enjoyed my time inNew England, especially taking time to visit with

“Mark Zuckerberg visited my class in October.” —Jon Gripshover ’06

Megan is an English as a Second Languageteacher in the Meridian School District in Still-man Valley/Monroe Center, Illinois. ❯ Kyle ’05and Kristina Anderson Alvarez welcomed a son,Henry Knox, in June 2014. ❯ From Kate Langridge: “I was accepted, along with five otherartists, to an international art residency in Francehosted by the Maryland College Institute ofArt. The residency took place in the small villageof Lehon in Brittany, France, and lasted for twomonths. The participating artists were featured inthe local newspaper and had the opportunity toexhibit their work together in a group show. I wasfortunate enough to have one of my paintingspurchased by the Abbaye Saint Magloire deLehon for its permanent collection. The art residency is called the Alfred and Trafford Klots International Program for Artists; learnmore at and more can be read about it here:https://goo.gl/PFrJEI. I also had a wonderful timeexploring France for the first time.” ❯ Jason andAllison Beale Cascio ’04 are still in Chicago.They just had a baby, Jack Albin Cascio. Jason isin his third year of medical school, and Alli hastaken some time off to be a mom. Life is good. ❯Kaye Goldthwaite Longo and husband Mattwelcomed their son, Benjamin Gabriel, on October 26, 2015. Kaye continues to work as a financial project assistant for an environmentalconsulting company. They live in Lowell, Massachusetts, and love the historic downtown.❯ Leanne Lilly writes, “I took a sidestep in mycareer and left primary and urgent care veteri-nary practice for a behavior specialty internshipat the University of Pennsylvania. There, I havebeen part of a partnership between FrancisvaleHome for Smaller Animals and Penn Vet,whereby I provide educational seminars, trainingof cats and dogs (and people!) and behavior management for the residents. When I’m not onthe beautiful grounds there, I see behavior casesat Penn Vet in Philadelphia, round with students,and read entirely too many papers. I hope to starta residency in July for another three years of

Brynn Seibert ’01 and Jim Baker—September 26, 2014

FRONT ROW: Rory Parilac ’01.

MIDDLE ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): Meghan Rutledge ’01, Katie Holz-Russell ’01, Kerry Mindeman ’01, Jim Baker, Brynn Seibert ’01, Jen Maceyko ’02, Jessica Brumley Crockett ’02, Ward Crockett ’99, Sarah Wetmore ’01, Gabriel Patti ’00.

BACK ROW: Steve Holz-Russell ’01, Karl Kooistra ’01, Matt Mayes ’93, Will Boast ’01.

Marcy Wiget ’04 and Charles Huggard—October 6,2015

LEFT TO RIGHT: KC Flaker ’04, Allie Beale Cascio ’04,Marcy Wiget Huggard ’04, Charlie Huggard, Sera Stack’03, and Tiffany Satterfield ’03.

can find the time. ❯ Roberto Vargas became theresearch librarian for humanities and interdisci-plinary studies at Swarthmore College in October. His daughter is almost two, and he andhis wife expect another baby girl this March. ❯As of last December, Susie Walton works as aclerk in the probate and family court, having leftprivate practice when she moved to Worcester,Massachusetts. She married Evan Bradley, a resident at UMass, on November 7. They wel-comed a new addition to their family in May—adachshund named Otto.Class Correspondents: Marissa [email protected] Steinsdoerfer Gottlieb815-245-3648, [email protected]

2006Sarah Brookings Connor writes, “I marriedPatrick Connor on June 18, 2015, with bothLuella Williams and Tim Peterson in atten-dance! I transitioned away from my private counseling practice in Atlanta and moved toBirmingham, Alabama, after our wedding. Patrickand I have settled into married life, and I’m set-tling into a lifetime of having the name ‘SarahConnor,’ with a lifetime of Terminator referencesto follow—wouldn’t have it any other way!” ❯Jon Gripshover writes, “I got a mention in VICEmagazine for my work at San Quentin in an arti-cle about the program I run there. We also gotmentions in USA Today (a video of our graduationin December) and the Daily Dot (in-depth cover-age of our program in the scope of a troubledcriminal justice system). Also, Mark Zuckerbergvisited my class in October.” ❯ In 2015, DanaJohnson graduated from Concordia Universityin Chicago with a master’s degree in curriculumand instruction. ❯ Donnie Forti and wife Meganmoved to Sycamore, Illinois. He works at Northern Illinois University as a web expert withthe university’s creative services team and theNational Association for Black Culture Centers.


Matt Andersson ’08 completed a Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Iowa and is now a second-year postdoctoral fellow at Yale.

2007The work of Donielle Augustson has been selected for the Fourth Biennial of Fine Art Pho-tography, opening in Berlin in October 2016. Shehopes she can make it there for the gala opening.❯ Johanna Blume is still the assistant curator ofwestern art, history, and culture at the EiteljorgMuseum in Indianapolis. She celebrated her five-year anniversary with them last summer, and justpublished her first book with them. Blake Little:Photographs from the Gay Rodeo looks at the workof Los Angeles-based photographer Blake Littleand his work documenting the gay rodeo circuitin the American West. ❯ Sarah Ellis and Andrew Meador ’10 got married this year at the Barn at Harvest Moon Pond in Poynette,Wisconsin. They had a blast with their Knoxcrew: Megan Larsen, Meagan Kay ’08, AnnieLawrence, Sarah Koenig, and Brian Starr ’10.“We even had cans of PBR to take them back tothe good old days,” Sarah reports. They havelived in Madison, Wisconsin, for a couple of yearswith dog Jeff Bridges and think the beer andcheese is worth the terrible winter for sure. ❯Josh Franklin married Cheyenne Cortez ’10 inMilford, Ohio, on June 1, 2014. Josh andCheyenne moved to NYC so she could begin herfour-year OB/GYN residency. He published hisMFA thesis through Amazon, a short story col-lection called Bridge Jumping. Last fall, he startedlaw school at New York Law. ❯ Bill Mayeroffobserves, “The musical Avenue Q (a favorite ofmany Knox alums) asked the question ‘What doyou do with a B.A. in English?’ Well, if you’reme, you ignore it entirely, apparently. I’ve givenup journalism and started classes to become aprofessional dog trainer. But don’t you dare sug-gest I will be a ‘dog whisperer’ like Cesar Milan.Cesar Milan is a waste of oxygen whose trainingtechniques are borderline abusive at best (andVERY abusive at worst). I’m all about VictoriaStillwell, but I digress. Anyway, I’m still inChicago with my dog, Chester. I’m not married,and I have no kids, which seems to put me in the

be an assistant county attorney in the CriminalDivision of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Of-fice.” ❯ Heather Simpson Lynch and husbandMike welcomed their first child, Eliana Audrey,on October 15. ❯ I married Sean McDaniel onNew Year’s Eve in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Kyleand Penny Stein Buchman ’09 and Sarun ’01and Maggie Claudy Teeravechyan ’04 made thetrip and braved the cold to celebrate with us!Class Correspondent: Megan Rehberg220 Shroyer Road, Dayton, OH 45419, 262-909-8784,[email protected]

Sarah Kilch Gaffney and her adorable daughter.Sarah has been published in several magazinesand websites this past year, so I encourage you toread her beautiful writing!” ❯ From ZackStephenson: “2015 was a busy year. Our seconddaughter, Elsa (named after her great-grand-mother and great-great-grandmother), was bornin January. Her elder sister started preschool inSeptember. In October, I hiked the Inca Trail toMachu Picchu with Mike Boettcher ’05. Theyear 2016 doesn’t look like it will be muchslower. After five years in private practice, I willhead to the public sector. Starting February 1, I’ll

The wedding of Kevin Foerster ’10 reunited old friends. Left to right: PercyLee Bromby II ’10, Kevin Foerster ’10, Sam Magnuson ’10, and ClaytonBesong ’10.

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Molly Snook ’10 and Joseph Kozlowicz ’11—July 11, 2015

LEFT TO RIGHT: Jeff Wickman ’12, Kevin Box ’12, Nate Beck ’13, Zak Kahn ’11, Kaylin Maanum ’10, Kevin Cole, Megan Funk ’12, Eric Ballard ’11, Patrick Dooley ’11, Ben Fitzpatrick ’08,Oliver Horton ’12, Grace Fourman ’11, Erica Stringfellow Tully ’08, Mike Prentice ’08, Rosemary Ibis ’08, Matt Schmalz ’08, Alex Nimmer ’09, Jimmy Thornton ’11, Joe Kozlowicz ’11, MollySnook ’10, Sean Kraus ’09, Hannah McMahon ’11, Spencer McNeil ’10, Julie Bychowski Horning ’10, Kristin Miller ’10, Mike Callahan ’09, Dave Brankin ’12, Kate Barrett ’12, Andy Glass ’12,Stephanie O’Brien ’08, Jack Marchese ’12, Lola Copeland ’11, Kevin Wickman ’09, Cassidy Bires ’10, Patrick Herlihey ’09, Nish Dittakavi ’08.


Class Knox

minority of Knox alums of my age. I work at asmall, no-kill animal shelter and enjoy life morethan I ever did when I was working as a journal-ist. So I got that going for me, which is nice.”Adam Nader works as a doctor in the field ofcardiology in Miami, Florida, and will get mar-ried this September. ❯ Rachel Megibow Pittworks as a school psychologist at Oak Park andRiver Forest High School. She helped author apaper about anti-bullying interventions, programevaluation, and participatory action research inSchool Psychology Review. ❯ Miranda Steffensgraduated with an MFA in writing from TheSchool of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2013.She now works as an English instructor at St. Augustine College in Chicago. She published herfirst book, Peripheral Vision, a lyric essay art-bookand e-book, with Meekling Press last July. Learnmore at meeklingpress.com. Class Correspondents: Laura J. Wentink Marcasciano5650 Abbey Drive, Apartment 3P, Lisle, IL 60532-2558,[email protected] C. Sales32 Elm Street, Apt. 2, Newport, ME 04953, [email protected]

2008Tim and Maureen Cole Beishir expect their firstchild, a baby boy, in April. This will make first-time grandparents of Doug ’74 and Janet Howell Cole ’74. Tim was recently named a nationally board certified teacher. They lookedforward to a couple of Beta weddings inLouisiana: Logan Schroeder ’07 in January andJake Kuhnline ’07 in March. ❯ Jasmina Ruanosays, “Engaged! Getting married October 1,2016. Other than that, still a bilingual teacher inMilwaukee and loving it. :)” ❯ Kevin Henry says,“Hi guys, I finally have some exciting news to report. I got married on May 15, 2015, to Alice

signed a contract with a private practice group inNashville! Fiancé Kevin took a job at Vanderbilt!All this means we will move to Nashville! We arevery excited to be married May 28, 2016, fol-lowed by my graduation on June 4. Then on tolife in the real world. :)” ❯ Adrianna GreisingCrawford still lives in Madison, works at Epic,and keeps busy with running, knitting, curling,and cake decorating. ❯ Pam Bell Lozano had asecond baby, Xoaquin Rafael, on October 28,2015! ❯ Kathryn Sweet is back in school studying network security. Last fall, she wasawarded a scholarship to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing,where she ran into fellow Knoxie MollyNicholas! ❯ Maurice Harris moved to Minneapolis for a new job and got married inNovember. Other than that, nothing too exciting!❯ Ariel Lauryn says, “I kick off the year as anactor and puppeteer in my first Off-Broadwayshow, which runs through March. In May, I’lldebut my original two-woman farce, Whether WeLike It Or Not, here in NYC. Nathan Thompson’05 and I also have a project in the works that,fingers crossed, will be unveiled this year. ChristyDechaine promised to visit me this year—youguys should keep her to her word. In the meantime, I’m immeasurably proud, inspired, andimpressed with everything my Knox friends areup to.” ❯ Ike and Bethany Vittetoe Glinsmannsettled back in lovely Madison. Ike does health-care IT consulting, and Bethany is the programcoordinator for a brand new master’s program atUW-Madison. Although they enjoy having in-comes again, they have already begun planningfor their next overland adventure. ❯ GregLeibach and Andie Allison were married onJune 27, 2015, in Peoria. They had the perfectday celebrating with family, friends, and a biggroup of Knox alumni. Classmates Brad Middleton, Tim Beishir, Jenna Finley Young,and Leah Heister stood with them on the big

Matt Andersson ’08 completed a Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Iowa and is now a second-year postdoctoral fellow at Yale.

Sarah Ellis ’07 and Andrew Meador ’10—September4, 2015

LEFT TO RIGHT: Meagan Kay ’08, Brian Starr ’10, AnnieLawrence ’07, Sarah Koenig ’07, Drew Meador ’10, SarahEllis ’07, Megan Larsen ’07

Andie Allison ’08 and Greg Leibach ’08—June 27, 2015

FRONT ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): Jenny Golz Reidl ’08, Pam Wagner ’08, Jessica Strache Brandis ’08, Greg Leibach ’08,Andie Allison Leibach ’08, Jessica Howard ’15, Chris Pogue Allison ’78.

MIDDLE ROW: Maureen Cole Beishir ’08, Leah Heister ’08, Kate Moon-Raess ’10, Bill Allison ’72, Joyce Tucker Allison ’72,Nancy Kenney Schwartz ’72, Claire Knowlton ’11, Michelle Sims Wynne ’92.

BACK ROW: Tim Beishir ’08, Cory Bonstead ’04, Jordan Raess ’10, Meg Kennedy Templeton ’07, Dudley McCarter ’72,Jenna Finley Young ’08, Kelly Ricketts ’13, Dave Wood ’72, Katie Drummond Bonstead ’04, Evan Massey ’74, Brad Middle-ton ’08, Reed Allison ’00.

Marie Wolter. Benjamin Russ ’09 was a grooms-man. We expect our first child in February. Hopeall is well with everyone!” ❯ Neha Bhatnagarheads Sarvam Foundation in Delhi. Her work inthe arts has been recognized around India, but aproject close to her heart has been bringing theperforming arts to slums in Delhi. Six of her girlsfrom the slums visited Poland for three weeks foran international festival of arts. Their lives havechanged and how! She also travels to villages andsmall towns in India to speak on classical arts tomarginalized government school children. Herwebsite is www.sarvamfoundation.in. She is sograteful to her time at Knox for helping her become more open-minded and free. ❯ MichaelMarshall left Deloitte in October to join themergers and acquisitions practice of a mid-sizedlaw firm. ❯ Kevin ’07 and Kimberly SorensenMegli love life in Fishers, Indiana. Kimberly continues to teach first grade and Kevin began anew job at Salin Bank as vice president/commer-cial lender after receiving an MBA from ButlerUniversity. Daughter Addison Jane is now 2 1/2and is anxiously awaiting the arrival of her babybrother in April 2016. ❯ Mike Prentice earnedhis Ph.D. in social and personality psychologyfrom Mizzou in the spring and took a post-docposition at the University of Salzburg in Austriafor 2015-2016. Over the summer, he saw lots ofKnox friends at the weddings of Matt Allis andAudra Boekenhauer ’09 and Molly Snook ’10and Joseph Kozlowicz ’11. ❯ Matt Anderssoncompleted a Ph.D. in sociology at the Universityof Iowa in 2014 and is now a second-year post-doctoral fellow at Yale University. At Yale, he collaborates with faculty in sociology, publichealth, and network science. This summer, he’llmove to Waco, Texas, to join the health and soci-ety faculty at Baylor University as an assistantprofessor of sociology. ❯ Catherine Ray says,“The year 2016 will be quite a whirlwind! I havestarted my final six months of residency and


Marnie Shure ’11 recently became deputy managing editor of The Onion.

2010Kevin Foerster enjoyed a wonderful and busy2015. At the end of April, he closed on his firsthome. On his 27th birthday—May 2, 2015—heran a half-marathon and proposed to his now-wife, Emily, at his new home. They married during Homecoming weekend in Woodstock,Illinois. Several Knox alums stood up as grooms-men, including David Marquardt ’08, DerekKnobeloch ’09, and Cody Engle. His collegeroommates were also in attendance: Sam Magnuson, Clayton Besong, and Percy LeeBromby II. Kevin still works at Abbott Laborato-ries as a manager of executive compensation. ❯Carolyn Hill passed the June 2015 California barand moved to Palo Alto in January 2016 to beginwork. ❯ After seven years together, CassidyBires and Sean Kraus ’09 got married on September 18, 2015. They held the ceremonyand reception at a glass-blowing studio inChicago and partied all night long with a biggroup of fellow Knox alumni. They look forwardto moving to the Logan Square area and planseveral trips together during 2016. ❯ Sam Flanders, Melati Nungsari, and their son,Ehran, attended Homecoming with Nicole Henniger. Ehran turned one on December 7.Sam is finishing up a Ph.D. at University ofNorth Carolina-Chapel Hill, and Melati is a vis-iting assistant professor of economics at David-son College near Charlotte. They are both on theacademic job market for tenure positions—wishthem luck! ❯ In May 2016, Margaret Spiegelwill graduate from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a master’s in history. She can’twait to be done with grad school! ❯ CarynThompson and Jack Gallalee bought a house inBloomington, Indiana, while simultaneouslyadopting another basset hound. Caitlyn is pursu-ing a master’s in social work at Indiana Univer-sity-Purdue University Indianapolis, and Jack is aVIP at Cook Pharmica. ❯ Samantha Newportis training to become a butcher. She somedayhopes to unite her passions for theatre and wholeanimal butchery by playing Mrs. Lovett inSweeney Todd. ❯ In May 2016, Sandy Guttman

day as members of the wedding party. Andie andGreg traveled to Punta Cana after the weddingfor a week-long honeymoon in the Dominican.They are enjoying married life together and continue to teach and coach in the Galesburgarea. ❯ William Becque got engaged to JordanBarton. They met while he was a graduate assis-tant in sports information at Waynesburg Uni-versity. They will be married on May 29, 2016, inPennsylvania. William also recently accepted thejob of associate sports information director atSouthern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. His main responsibilities include cover-age of women’s basketball and track and field. ❯Bradley Becque accepted an offer to be the administrative assistant to the director of educa-tion at Brehm Preparatory School, a school forstudents with complex learning disabilities inCarbondale. He says, “This is my third yearworking at the school, and I can honestly say thatI love my job. With a newfound sense of purposein my professional life, not to mention help fromUncle Sam, I have been able to buy my firsthome. Correspondingly, I recently added a member to my family. His name is Champ, a pitbull puppy rescued from Memphis, Tennessee.” ❯Erica Stringfellow Tully graduates from LoyolaUniversity Chicago (again) on May 12, 2016, andthen will continue teaching and be done withgraduate school for forever. ❯ Miriam Gillanmoved to Chicago and works at a digital market-ing agency. She was recently promoted. Class Correspondents: Miriam M. [email protected] Stringfellow [email protected]

2009 Toshia Zessin Albright married Vurtice AlbrightIII in September 2014. She also gave birth to adaughter, Anna Renee Leona Albright, on September 11, 2015. She graduated with a doctorate in organic chemistry from Iowa StateUniversity last summer.Class Correspondent: Brittany N. [email protected]

will complete a master’s in museum and exhibi-tion studies, with a focus on disability and museum access for all. ❯ Aaron ’11 and AndreaJohnston Palmer bought a house! They con-tinue to live the dream in Lexington, Kentucky.❯ Richard Thiemann relocated to Singapore tocontinue pursuing his childhood dream of becoming an international internet plumber forfinancial corporations. His sweat glands haveslowly adjusted to the tropical climate. ❯ OliwiaZurek and I keep up our dancing skills at variousSan Francisco and Palo Alto venues—at least,when we can break away from the lab and lawschool library (respectively). In May 2016, I willgraduate from Berkeley Law and bury myselfaway in Orange County to study for the bar.Class Correspondent: Lauren [email protected]

2011Five years have passed since we all walked acrossthe stage to begin our lives as adults. Some of ushave walked across another stage since Knox,some of us have walked down an aisle, and someof us across a finish line. Looking at all the incredible things the Class of 2011 has accom-plished in our first five years after graduation istruly inspiring! I hope to hear from more of youin October as we celebrate our Reunion! ❯ LexieFrensley has been very busy since graduation.She adopted a kitten, ran a half-marathon, traveled to Iceland, Mexico, and Germany, andwill finish her fourth year of teaching at a charterschool in Nashville. More recently, she got en-gaged! ❯ Helen Hapner will finish the lawschool program at the University of Illinois atUrbana-Champaign in May. ❯ Tomi Olotucelebrated three years with Stanbic IBTC AssetManagement. ❯ Damilola Olotu graduates fromthe MBA program at Chicago Booth in June. ❯Lola Copeland volunteers for the Bernie Sanders2016 presidential campaign in Fort Collins, Colorado! #FeelTheBern. She married PatrickHerlihey ’09 in August 2015. ❯ Rachel Perezand Lyall Wallerstedt ’10 are engaged. ❯ Chrisand Elizabeth Woodyard Johnson ’13 moved to

Patrick Herlihey ’09 and Lola Copeland ’11—August 22, 2015

INCLUDED IN THE PHOTO: Tricia Richert ’11, Sean Kraus ’09, Cassidy Bires ’10, Sean Carmichael ’09, Cary Archer ’09,Nishanth Dittakavi ’09, Brian King ’08, Adam Soto ’10, Sam Gagnard ’08, and officiant Warren Wilke ’07.

Kevin Foerster ’10 and Emily Brasie—October 17,2015


Class KnoxMarnie Shure ’11 recently became deputy managing editor of The Onion.

torial debut with Side by Side, a new play byPatrick Berigan, which played to a sold-outcrowd and raised more than €300 for crisis shel-ters for Dublin’s homeless population. ❯ MaksCzuperski provided testimony before the SenateForeign Relations Committee. ❯ Steph Nunezworks as a certified athletic trainer/instructor forthe University of North Dakota women’s basket-ball team. She will pursue her doctorate this fall.❯ Lauren Smith lives in Rockford, Illinois, whereshe works as a Montessori teacher. ❯ ClaireTurner lives in Chicago and is now married! Sheteaches art and Spanish to first-eighth graders,but who knows what life will bring? As always,she continues to kick butt on and off the soccerpitch. ❯ Hayley Schueneman lives in Madison,Wisconsin. She bought a tiny pumpkin at thefarmers’ market last October that hasn’t rottedyet, and she fears it will become her Wilson. ❯Katelynn Schlaman moved to Seattle with fiancé John Gevlin. They will get married inJune. She’s about to go to her first water polopractice since Knox. Eek! ❯ Katy Sutcliffe livesin Ann Arbor, Michigan, and plans to finish up amaster of public health degree in hospital epi-demiology before she moves to Detroit. ❯ JuliaSievert started grad school in fall 2014, studyingsustainability and urban planning in Hamburg,Germany, after working as a foreign language assistant in Germany for two years. She enjoys anice group of international friends, occasionaltravel, and an alsterwasser or two. ❯ Adam Mizeis in his fourth year of teaching and coachingfootball in Knoxville, Illinois. He also finished asmaster’s degree in curriculum and instruction. Hewill get married September 24, 2016, to a girlwho enjoys the countryside just as much as hedoes! ❯ Kelsey Martinez is still a Ph.D. studentat Syracuse University. She did not buy a tinypumpkin in October, and no one gave her one, soshe has no fears it will become her Wilson. ❯Krista Anne Nordgren lives in Durham, NorthCarolina, where she owns a brick-and-mortar retail shop and builds websites in her spare time.❯ Brenna DeGan moved to Des Moines andworks at Drake University as a prospect researchanalyst. ❯ Kate Heitkamp is engaged to Sam

works from home as a freelance transcriber andwill move to Cincinnati. ❯ Zak Kahn is in D.C.,turning big pieces of wood into smaller pieces ofwood, and then turning the smaller pieces ofwood into houses. “Vote for Lynn S. Kahn forPresident 2016.” ❯ Claire Knowlton now lives inD.C., teaching third grade dual language inAlexandria, Virginia. In April, she will take on theBoston Marathon. ❯ Kristina Niehoff Weisenberger’s hands are full with teaching second grade at King School and keeping up withher two babies. ❯ Mary Reindl continues tomake progress toward a M.S.W. from St. Ambrose University. She and DeAndre Henderson ’10 will get married in June 2016. ❯Caroline Castro works for a nonprofit (Girls,Inc.) and lives in New York City. ❯ Alex Davis isin law school... until May at least. ❯ Diana Razostarted working as a patient access representativein the Advocate Illinois Masonic Creticos CancerCenter in June 2015. ❯ Chris Bugajski matchedwith a residency in ocular disease at the BattleCreek, Michigan Hospital, and is currently work-ing toward a fellowship in the American Academyof Optometry. ❯ Shea Strausman graduatedfrom development boot camp, and now works asa software engineer at a startup in the SouthLoop. ❯ Brigette Demke passed her time as astroke/telemetry nurse. She now lives with JonPlotnick ’13 in Ravenswood.Class Correspondent: Tim [email protected]

2012 Julia Shenkar lives in Washington, D.C. Herboss gave her a tiny pumpkin last October thathasn’t rotted yet, and she fears it will become herWilson. ❯ Lauren Greve attends graduate schoolat the University of Houston in pursuit of a mas-ter’s in art history. She also interns at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and works as anassistant editor for Gulf Coast. She will graduatein May 2016. ❯ Kate Donoghue lives in Dublin,Ireland, where she is pursuing a master’s in dramaand performance studies in University CollegeDublin. Kate recently made her European direc-

Lucy Ainsworth ’03 and Alexis Bellet—December 5,2015

Claire Turner ’12 and Matthew Brown—September 20, 2015

Santa Clara, California, in August 2015; Chrisnow works as a software engineer for Google inMountain View. He and Elizabeth have expandedtheir software company, Mewli Software, LLC. ❯Carly Kirven found her niche working with en-trepreneurs and small business owners in theGalesburg area. Recent projects include theGalesburg Antiques Mall Co. and Barnstormer-swood, a reclaimed wood and materials company.❯ Katie Johnston was promoted to mid-levelcopywriter at DDB San Francisco in September2015 after writing a couple of commercials forSlim Jim, including one where an Amish guymakes a “your mom” joke. ❯ Hannah McMahonworks about four feet from Joe Kozlowicz inDenver. Sometimes he forgets to shower...Joeand Molly Snook ’10 got married in July 2015,with 35+ Knox graduates in attendance. ❯ KellyWiggen works as a veterinarian at VCA AuroraAnimal Hospital. She recently applied for veteri-nary cardiology residencies. ❯ Sasha Murphy isnow an eye doctor at Kirschner Vision Sourceand planning a wedding with Sean Frohling ’10in November 2016! ❯ Priya Sharma is in hersecond year of med school at Nova SoutheasternUniversity. ❯ Shih Yi Goh is now officially an as-sociate vice president with Bank of America Mer-rill Lynch London. ❯ Chloe Bohm will run herfirst full marathon in spring! ❯ Anna Emmerlinggraduates from law school May 2016. ❯ LeslieKang is finishing a master’s in urban education atthe University of Chicago. ❯ Annie Zak movedto Anchorage, Alaska, to work at a newspaper.She is suddenly deeply afraid of bears. ❯ AndrewPolk is the anchor of Good Morning El Paso Week-end, the Saturday and Sunday morning show forABC-7/KVIA in El Paso, Texas, and does report-ing the rest of the week. ❯ Avi Brongersmaworks in the financial instruments department atPricewaterhouseCoopers in Rotterdam. He willtransfer to the Amsterdam office after the summer. ❯ Sarah Juist is now Reverend Juist. ❯Marnie Shure recently became deputy managingeditor of The Onion, a spouse to Kevin Morris’11, and the proud owner of a small mutt namedGriff. ❯ Jackie Stillmaker is a registered and licensed occupational therapist. ❯ Ndaya Farrell


Jarvis ’09 and is in her second year of medicalschool at the University of Illinois in Rockford. ❯Christina Warner has spent the past two yearsabroad, working in Taipei, Taiwan, and Shanghai,China, as a management associate with an inter-national trading firm. Next year, she will be partof the Duke Fuqua CC-MBA Class of 2017. ❯Anne Horrell and David Fundakowski ’11 weremarried on October 3, 2015, in Kansas City, Missouri. ❯ Brittany Prague is a steamfitter forthe Philadelphia Union 420 and is becoming acertified welder. She is newly engaged to PeterMichener. ❯ John Williams left his career injournalism early last year, exploring a future insustainable produce farming in central Illinois.After an exciting first year working for farms nearWatseka and Champaign, he looks forward to anew position at PrairiErth Farm, south ofBloomington, as the organic farm’s post-harvestcoordinator. ❯ Ellen Ramsey was promoted toassociate director of eligibility services at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics(NAIA). Her new position focuses on employeedevelopment and performance. ❯ Tory Kassabaum married Tony Meyer ’09 in August.They now live in Columbia, Missouri. ❯ GillianMcKiernan and Kira Schultz teach English inSuwon, South Korea. ❯ Ellen Jackson and BenBowers were married in September in Colorado.❯ Amanda Wollrab Archer will graduate withan MBA from the University of Iowa in May. Shespent some time in China in January as part ofthe university’s global learning program. ❯Rebekah Bally enjoys her new job helping totransform health and healthcare as facilitationand improvement specialist for Oregon HealthCare Quality Corporation. ❯ Karl Bair andAudra Adolph ’09 still rock and roll in MusicCity, saving lives every day. Their futures arebrighter than ever...y’all! ❯ Sara Koehnke spent2015 traveling the world for InternationalTriathlon Union Paratriathlon. She competed inYokohama, Japan; Iseo, Italy; Besançon, France;Detroit, Michigan; Austin, Texas; Edmonton,Canada; and Chicago, Illinois. She placed third inthe Italy and Canada ITU Paratriathlon events,

2015Forrest Marie Linsell works full time at anLGBTQIA community and resource center. ❯Olaloye Oyedotun is a law student at the Uni-versity of Leicester. He is the vice president ofstrategic alliances in the the Leicester Informa-tion Technology Law Society. He intends tograduate in June 2017. ❯ Micaela Rodriguezcurrently attends Northern Illinois University,working on a master’s degree in accounting science. She also works in the Office of the ViceProvost for Academic Planning and Developmentas a graduate research assistant. ❯ Kayla Anderson is still in Galesburg, bartending at aSoangetaha Country Club while she decides ongraduate schools. ❯ Rebecca Duffy works forCardinal Health, a Fortune 500 company thatdistributes medical supplies to hospitals aroundthe world, as a senior specialist field service representative. ❯ Matt Klich has run Clik Enter-tainment full-time as its president since gradua-tion. He has increased its customer base, hiredmore workers, and expanded its equipment in-ventory. ❯ Nesha Harper currently lives in St.Louis with boyfriend Ryan Hoffman ’13 and attends graduate school at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, pursuing a master’sdegree in clinical psychology. She also works as asenior research assistant at school and anovernight instructor at the Saint Louis Zoo. ❯Roman Magid attends medical school at Midwestern University in Chicago ❯ After grad-uation, Eve Martinez began a Ph.D. program inchemistry at Purdue University, working underDr. Suzanne Bart, and is researching in anorganometallic/inorganic group. ❯ BrianTanaka is an organist and accompanist for GracePresbyterian Church in Temple, Texas. He currently works with the choir director, ChelseaStern, who was on the hymnal committee thatdeveloped the recently released Presbyterianhymnal, Glory to God. ❯ Linda Kim works atGlass Lyre Press, a small, independent poetrypublishing house near her hometown of Glenview, Illinois, as an associate editor. She

Grant Lowe ’14 teaches freshman language arts in the town where they filmed the show Twin Peaks.

Cassidy Bires ’10 and Sean Kraus ’09—September18, 2015

Ellen Jackson Petrila ’12 and Ben Bowers Petrila ’12—September 26, 2015

LEFT TO RIGHT: Elizabeth Woodyard Johnson ’13, Christopher Johnson ’11, Jonathan Pierce-Ruhland ’11, Harley Jackson’04, Ellen Jackson Petrila ’12, Benjamin Bowers Petrila ’12, James Petrila ’75, Kate Haslem ’13. Photo by Carrie Swails.

and second place in the ITU para-open event.She is excited to continue to travel, work hard,and see how low she can get her personal besttime to be. She still has her silly little fuzzbutt ofa bird, Kio. ❯ Ed Davis finished his master’s de-gree at Roosevelt University and is officially aMaster of Music. Earlier this year, he received acommission to write a new work for the TorontoSymphony Orchestra and Children’s Chorus,which was performed in May and was featured onthe same program as Yo-Yo Ma! He recently finished applying to DMA programs. Next fall,he hopes to be on his way to becoming Dr. Davis.Class Correspondent: Aparna [email protected]

2013Class Correspondents: Tina Shuey and Brittany [email protected]

2014Olivia Louko moved to Seattle to accept a position with Americorps, which will begin in thefall. ❯ Esther Farler-Westphal works for FifthThird Bank and has moved to New York City forfour-month project. ❯ John Bergholz lives inChicago (with Mara Bowdy ’13) and works as acopywriter at Magnani Continuum Marketing. ❯Grant and Paige Anderson Lowe moved to theSeattle area in July. Paige works at a small soft-ware consulting company, and Grant teachesfreshman language arts in the town where theyfilmed the show Twin Peaks. They both like it better than Pennsylvania (sorry, Pennsylvania). ❯Jess Ranard lives in Washington, D.C., withpartner Nat Baldino ’15. She works during theday as a dog walker/pet sitter and the evenings ata very popular and fun D.C. bookstore calledKramerbooks. Jess continues to explore D.C.,volunteer for All Souls Unitarian Church, andmeet lots of fun and cool folks in her free time.Class Correspondents: Esther Farler-Westphal and Natalia [email protected]


Class Knox

works primarily with submissions and manuscripts, evaluating, copy-editing, and proof-reading, and works with authors throughout thesubmission process. ❯ Bruce Kovanen is currently enrolled in graduate school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,working toward an M.A. and Ph.D. in writingstudies. ❯ Samantha Perez currently works inBerlin. ❯ Camille Brown is working on an M.A.at Mills College and has been selected as a pan-elist at the American Literature Association Symposium in San Antonio in February. ❯ OscarHallas works on music and writing, and earnscash by doing some freelance writing and catering. ❯ Since graduating, Griffin Belzer hasacquired a job as a designer with a graphic designagency based in San Francisco called Sketchdeck.❯ Aidan Juhl lives in Chicago and works at asoftware company called Z2 System. ❯ BridgetDoherty currently teaches K-6 art at a publicschool in Des Plaines, Illinois. ❯ MartinaBergstrom lives in Galesburg and teaches musicto second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders atGale and Steele Elementary Schools. ❯ AbbyKravis currently works in the beautiful Ap-palachian Mountains with the Maryland Conservation Corps through Americorps. ❯Shelby Holdener is pursuing a master’s degree inaccounting at the University of Utah. Upongraduation in May 2016, Shelby will become anauditor at KPMG in St. Louis. ❯ SamanthaLizak teaches fifth grade in the Milwaukee publicschool system with Teach for America. ❯ SophiaGimenez is in the history of art and architecturePh.D. program at the University of California,Santa Barbara. She leads undergraduate coursesections as a teaching assistant and also works inthe department’s image resource center. ❯Finally, Forrest Marie Linsell shared her memo-ries of Stephen Ford, who died earlier thisspring, “Every night of orientation week, I cameback to my dorm room in the quads and swappedstories of exploration with my roommate,Stephen Ford. Sometimes, Stephen had been outwith me; other times we had been venturingthrough different parts of Knox. I had only

known him for a few days at that point, but Icould already tell that he was a very special youngman. Stephen was always bright and shining, usually with a big sunflower smile. But even ontough days, Stephen glowed with love and seren-ity. If you ever came to Stephen with a problem,pain, or confusion, he would give you the gift ofhis entire presence. When Stephen was talkingand listening to you, it felt like you were the onlyperson in the whole world. His energy was overflowing. If you needed a good cry and compassion, Stephen was always there. It was alsoSO easy to laugh with Stephen. Stephen was acreator of good times, eager to share the joy withall that seemed so natural to him. Stephen and Iwere roommates all four years, and it was duringour sophomore year that I realized that I hadbeen blessed by divinity to have this young manso close in my life. Stephen was a true adventurer,trying his hand at everything, always eager fornew experiences, never afraid of challenges orfailure; those were rare for him, and when theydid come he took them in stride with a serenityand a Taoist perspective that everything had itsplace and time. Stephen had an immensely deepwell of love, and an unparalleled comfort withhimself, sure in his values and desires while remaining open to change.”Class Correspondent: Erik [email protected]

Marriages and UnionsEllen Anne Eddy ’75 and Don Bowers ’75 on11/21/15.Brynn Seibert ’01 and Jim Baker on 9/26/14.Brynna Barnhart ’03 and Case Blodgett on9/19/15.Kimberly Van Winkle ’03 and Brian Spires on9/19/15.Lucy Ainsworth ’03 and Alexis Bellet on12/5/2015.Emily Bell ’04 and Sean Patton on 5/2/15.

Grant Lowe ’14 teaches freshman language arts in the town where they filmed the show Twin Peaks.

Marcy Wiget ’04 and Charles Huggard on10/6/15.Susie Walton ’05 and Evan Bradley on 11/7/15.Justin Loepker ’06 and Angela Voorhis on4/11/15.Sarah Brookings ’06 and Patrick Connor on6/18/15.Megan Rehberg ’06 and Sean McDaniel on12/31/15.Sarah Ellis ’07 and Andrew Meador ’10 on9/4/15.Kevin Henry ’08 and Alice Marie Walter on5/15/15.Andie Allison ’08 and Greg Leibach ’08 on6/27/15.Maurice Harris ’08 and Molly Greider on11/27/15. Audra Boekenhauer ’09 and Matt Allis ’08 on6/27/15. Cheyenne Cortez ’10 and Joshua Franklin ’07on 6/1/14.Carolyn Hill ’10 and Daniel Leigh on 3/28/15.Molly Snook ’10 and Joseph Kozlowicz ’11 on7/11/15.Kevin Foerster ’10 and Emily Brasie on10/17/15.Cassidy Bires ’10 and Sean Kraus ’09 on9/18/15.Marnie Shure ’11 and Kevin Morris ’11 on5/23/15.Lola Copeland ’11 and Patrick Herlihey ’09 on8/22/15.Tory Kassabaum ’12 and Tony Meyer ’09 on8/22/15.Claire Turner ’12 and Matthew Brown on9/20/15.Ellen Jackson ’12 and Ben Bowers ’12 on9/26/15.Anne Horrell ’12 and David Fundakowski ’11on 10/3/15.

Carolyn Hill ’10 and Daniel Leigh—March 28, 2015

LEFT TO RIGHT: Molly Stein ’11, Carly Kauffman ’10, Stephanie Peter ’13, Kristal Romero ’13 (standing), Aimee Neilan ’13(squatting), Carolyn Hill ’10, Daniel Leigh, Jessi Chan ’10, Cody Dailey ’12, Ginny Graves ’10, Hannah Basil ’13, and EmilyPutnam ’10.

Sarah Brookings ’06 and Patrick Connor—June 18,2015


DeathsAlice Johnson Carpenter ’33 on 8/4/09.Dorothy Peterson Ray ’39 on 9/29/15.Jean Todd Gessner ’41 on 7/4/15.Ruth Petersen ’41 on 8/14/15.Frances Shultz Blackburn ’41 on 12/23/15.Martha Eads Ward ’42 on 7/2/15.Martha Welsh Davis ’42 on 8/24/15.Donald Rennie ’42 on 8/31/15.Richard Cheney ’43 on 9/2/15. Janice Zimmerman Strawbridge ’43 on11/12/15.Winifred Marlink Shedd ’44 on 12/25/15.Emma Eastman Little ’45 on 7/10/15.Jean Hunter Stem ’45 on 11/26/15.Howard Watt ’46 on 11/12/14.Ruth Drinkall Costello ’47 on 4/22/15.Edgar Luttrell ’47 on 8/4/15.Betty Abney Russell ’48 on 10/2/15.Mary “Molly” Lampe Sturtevant ’48 on 1/8/16.Richard Galloway ’49 on 3/29/15.Lois Lennstrum King ’49 on 10/13/15.Shir Lee Johnson Price ’49 on 5/17/15.Lorraine Soucek Richards ’49 on 10/1/15.Carol Turner Compton ’51 on 1/8/16.Mary Nalbach Smith ’51 on 3/14/13.Carl Cue ’51 on 5/13/15.Dickson Young ’51 on 10/2/15.Marshall Weir ’52 on 5/29/15.Lorraine Blondeel Hurst ’52 on 6/27/15.C. Richard Wagner ’52 on 9/12/15.Jean Pope Matthews ’53 on 8/10/14.Delmar Anderson ’53 on 8/1/15.James Johnson ’53 on 8/21/15.E. Richard Johnson ’53 on 10/10/15.Thomas Heuerman ’54 on 10/8/15.Carol Le Cuyer Almgren ’54 on 1/26/16.Daniel Clymore Jr. ’55 on 7/19/15.Cherrill Emmons McReynolds ’55 on 9/26/15.Lila Weinberg Lorton ’55 on 1/1/16.Sara Wells Pennington ’55 on 11/14/15.Robert Bollinger ’56 on 5/29/15.Jeretta Popham Garner ’56 on 12/23/15.Beverly Lenz Foote ’56 on 3/22/15.Delmar Foote ’57 on 3/26/14.Robert Scott ’57 on 7/13/15.Ralph Lundgren ’57 on 10/3/15.Richard Croson ’59 on 10/26/15.Dorothy Schulein Borchardt ’59 on 11/26/15.Penny Bjorkman ’60 on 9/10/15.Alice Jacoby ’60 on 12/12/15.Cynthia Edelmann Billings ’62 on 8/11/15.James Michels ’64 on 5/25/14.Garry Fleming ’64 on 4/21/15.Leverne Mark ’65 on 12/7/15.John Force ’66 on 2/10/15.Susan McKinlay Harried ’66 on 4/5/15.Malcolm Wilson ’67 on 8/20/15.Robert Swigart Jr. ’68 on 8/17/15.Diane Burwig Beardsley ’68 on 10/8/15.Michael Burns ’69 on 7/16/15.Edgar Andreas ’69 on 9/30/15.Thomas Fitzpatrick ’70 on 6/12/13.

In MemoriamWayne Green, Professor Emeritus of Physics

Wayne Green, professor emeritus of physics and a former trustee at Carl Sandburg College, diedTuesday, October 27, 2015, in Galesburg Cottage Hospital. He was 91.

Green was born June 19, 1924, in Coldwater, Michigan, the son of Russell M. and Blanche(Beckwith) Green. He married Darlene M. Mills on June 16, 1956, in Galesburg. He earned hisbachelor’s degree in 1949 from Kalamazoo College and his Ph.D. in 1954 from Ohio State University.

He moved to Galesburg in 1954 and began his 35-year career at Knox College, where he was aprofessor, chairman of the Department of Physics, registrar, and president of the Knox CollegeCredit Union. In 1987, Green began hosting the Science Building Coffee Hour in the basementof the Umbeck Science-Mathematics Center, a tradition that lasted more than 20 years.

“Professor Green combined a high dedication toteaching physics and graceful spirit of camaraderiewith countless students and all his colleagues,” then-Knox College Dean John Strassburger said uponProfessor Green’s retirement. “He also has been unstinting in working with high school teachers topromote physics.”

Green served on the advisory committee for theState Board of Education in the area of science assessment, was a member and past president of theIllinois Community College Trustee Association andthe Illinois Science Teachers Association, and was amember of the Illinois Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers.

He was a recipient of the Illinois Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers Distinguished Service Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Physics Teaching; the Illinois ScienceTeachers Association Distinguished Service Award; and the Illinois Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers Distinguished Service Award. Hewas the director of the Prairieland Credit Union andwas an Illinois Credit Union Hall of Fame inductee.Green was also instrumental in the Adult EducationReform Act HB1287 in 1996.

An active member of the Galesburg community,Green served as a member of and chairman of theboard of trustees for Carl Sandburg College and heldmany offices with the Knox County United Way. In2008, he received the Thomas B. Herring CommunityService Award, which the Galesburg Area Chamber ofCommerce gives each year to “an outstanding area citizen who has distinguished himself or herself

through service to the community.” He also served in the United States Army Air Corps from1943 to 1945.

Green is survived by his wife of 59 years, Darlene; two sons, David ’81 (and Kassie) Green ofScottsdale, Arizona, and Michael ’85 (and Megan) Green of Chicago; a daughter, Nancy Green ofChicago; six grandchildren, Kimberly (and Tanner), David (and Robin), Tyler, Samuel, Alexander,and Sonia; six great-grandchildren, Kiana, Caleb, Riley, Katie, Jaxson, and Logan; a brother, Gerald Green of Woodstock, Connecticut; and a nephew, Steve Green of Underhill, Vermont. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Knox College Schulz Green Fund by [email protected].

FILE PHOTO


Class KnoxJohn “Bill” Kasik ’70 on 5/5/2015. Melissa Lind ’71 on 7/10/15.Sylvia Lindbeck ’71 on 8/13/15.Phillip Watkins ’71 on 8/24/15.Christopher Martin ’71 on 12/17/15.Marta Anderson Butts ’72 on 4/23/15.Linda Stuckel ’74 on 11/5/15.John North ’75 on 12/10/15.Patricia Berg ’76 on 8/21/15.Mary Kinderski ’78 on 8/16/14.Paul Brauer ’78 on 10/26/15.Victoria Spinazzola ’78 on 10/30/15.Geoffrey Nash ’79 on 10/8/15.Mary Filosa Brown ’82 on 8/18/15.Michael Sieg ’83 on 7/11/15.Mary Carney Dawson ’92 on 2/23/16.Mark Lehmann ’96 on 8/31/15.Desmond Fortes ’00 on 11/8/15. Cecilee Farris ’05 on 9/9/15.Stephen Ford ’15 on 2/11/16.

Deaths of FriendsRichard Lawton, husband of Doris Janes Lawton ’60, on 3/10/14.John Patton, husband of Pamela Messer Patton ’83, on 6/24/14.Leland Wilson, friend of the College, on7/30/14.Susan Jo Ehlert, wife of Dave Ehlert ’59, on11/8/14.Samuel Feldman, father of Ann Feldman Perille ’76 and father-in-law of Thomas Perille’76, on 11/24/14.William Dunhouse, friend of the College, on12/27/14.Jason Yost, husband of Jennifer Nye Yost ’99,on 12/31/14.Kathy Massey, wife of Mark Massey ’71 andmother of Evan Massey ’10, on 1/17/15.James Costello, husband of Ruth DrinkallCostello ’47, on 2/10/15.Willard Klewin, widower of Anne GustafsonKlewin ’49 and father of Kenneth Klewin ’79, on2/12/15.John Blocker, husband of Joyce LawtonBlocker ’58, on 2/24/15.Marion Murphy, widow of Robert Murphy ’31,mother of Jim Murphy ’82, and grandmother ofTony Etz ’83, on 3/16/15.Jayne Fentem, wife of Thomas Fentem ’73, on3/30/15.Mary Kingsley, friend of the College, on4/15/15.Gordon Allen Carrigan Jr., friend of the College, on 4/21/15.Atta Asimeng, father of Nikki Asimeng ’15, on4/22/15.Harry Axelrod, father of David Axelrod ’67, on4/24/15.

Willa Howard, friend of the College, on 5/7/15.Jill Gibbs, grandmother of Clifton “Zach” Kirven ’09 and Carly Kirven ’11, on 5/10/15.Virginia Swank, friend of the College, on5/15/15.Fred Bieber, grandfather of Andrew “AJ” Shule’11, on 5/19/15.Marjorie Tolley, mother-in-law of MargaretShragal Tolley ’73, on 6/1/15.Margaret “Maggie” Green, friend of the College, on 6/18/15.Luana Himelick, friend of the College, on6/23/15.Inez Powell, friend of the College, on 6/28/15.Edward Gross, widower of Kedrin Harr Gross’47, on 7/16/15.Aroxie Feldman, mother of Ann Feldman Perille ’76 and mother-in-law of Thomas Perille’76, on 7/18/15.Terry Like, retired from facilities, on 7/26/15.Carol Krueger, widow of Robert Krueger ’57,on 7/26/15.Robert Wilson, brother of Vicki Trant, businessoffice, on 7/27/15.Judy Sunderland, mother of Scott Sunderland,athletics, on 7/30/15.Jo Ann Kelley, grandmother of Jared Kelly ’05,on 8/9/15.William Cecil, father of Randi Cecil ’15, on8/9/15.Robert “Bud” Maust Jr., father of Scott Maust,facilities, on 8/15/15.Julian Bond, civil rights activist and uncle of Julian Bond ’91, on 8/15/15.Theresa Clay, sister of John Clay ’72, on8/15/15.Wilson Mohr, husband of Tracey Thayer Mohr’81, on 8/21/15.Marjorie Griffith, mother of Tom Griffith, facilities and grandmother of Donovan Griffith’07, on 8/23/15.Margaret Dewitt, friend of the College, on8/25/15.Daniel Pelton, husband of Dawn Lindsey Pelton ’88, on 9/7/15.Ruby Anderson, mother of Jeffrey Anderson’80, Laurie Anderson ’77, and Carolyn Anderson ’73, on 9/9/15.Mary Beth Colburn, friend of the College, on9/11/15.Elizabeth “Lee” Winter, mother of Denise Bailey, advancement, and Rich Winter ’77; andgrandmother of Michelle Bailey Vella ’95 andMichael (Mike) Bailey ’99, on 9/12/15.Melba Jones Deckard, friend of the College, on9/13/15.Linda Jordan, mother of Jacqueline Morrical’88, on 9/26/15.Indrika De Silva, mother of Thamindri De Silva’99, on 9/28/15.Dorothy Miller, friend of the College, on9/29/15.John Clark, father of James Clark ’09, athletics,on 9/30/15.

Mary K. Matson Neagle, friend of the College,on 9/30/15.William Barnds, friend of the College, on10/4/15.Charlotte Nichols, mother of Joseph Nichols’79 and John Nichols ’79, on 10/7/15.Robert McMillan, father of Steve McMillan ’83,on 10/9/15.Carlos Franco, father of Gina Franco, associateprofessor of English, on 10/10/15.Donald Schaefer, former education professor,on 10/10/15.Carroll Watts, father of Christine Watts ’72, on10/16/15.Margaret “Peg” Risen, friend of the College, on10/19/15.Edward “Ron” Sprague, husband of RitaSprague, retired director of personnel, and father of Lori Sprague Link ’87, on 10/21/15.Calvin Cokel, husband of Carissa Cole Cokel’12, on 10/22/15.D. Wayne Green, emeritus professor of physics,on 10/27/15.Beth Jonsberg, admission, on 10/28/15.Robyn Broadfield, mother of Chante Johnson’14, on 10/31/15.Joan Frisbee Neff, friend of the College, on11/2/15.Lillian Pogue, widow of Bernard Pogue ’49, on11/9/15.Fern Saline, mother-in-law of Terrie Saline, assistant dean and director of the Bastian FamilyCareer Center, on 11/12/15.Don Lawton, retired from dining services, on12/6/15.Andy Pitman, facilities, on 12/11/15.Jan Cohen, husband of Sheila Guter Cohen ’72,on 12/12/15.Gilbert Douglas, stepfather of Darren Olson’94, on 12/16/15.Neil Giffey, father of Anne Giffey, assistant librarian, on 12/16/15.Danny Campbell, brother of Terrie Saline, Bastian Family Career Center, on 1/6/16.Larry Champion, husband of Karen SandersRaleigh ’72, on 2/7/16.David Youngren, father of Marcy Simkins,human resources, on 2/12/16.Ivan Craig Steward, brother of Justin Roberson, campus safety, on 2/21/16.Billie Jean Bailey, wife of Mike Bailey, retiredfrom facilities, and sister-in-law of Denise Bailey, advancement, on 3/2/16.


A Work in ProgressThe spring sun shines on the construction of the new Whitcomb Art Building. Work on the building began last fall and is progressing at a steady pace, with an expected completion date of fall 2016. To follow the construction progress, visitwhitcombartbuilding.tumblr.com.

Photo by Peter Bailley ’74

Parting Shot

Non-Profit OrgU.S. Postage

PAIDKnox College

Knox CollegeGalesburg, Illinois61401-4999

M A G A Z I N E

A New Fire is Burning!Knox unveiled a new Prairie Fire logo infront of hundreds of basketball fans onSaturday, February 6. “We want ourlogo to represent the passion, pride,

strength, and excellence exemplified by ourcoaches and athletes,” said Chad Eisele ’93,

director of athletics, at the reveal. “We want it tobuild pride and excitement in our athletics program and to help us recruit a new generationof Knox student-athletes.” Athletics partneredwith Communications, Admission, and Advancement on the project and worked withSME Branding on logo development and design.Merchandise featuring the new logo is availablein the Knox College bookstore or online atknoxshop.knox.edu.

knox magazine - spring 2016

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