Monmouth College 2017 Spring Magazine by Monmouth College

VOL 32 | NO 1 | SPRING 2017

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH THROUGH THE LENS OF THE LIBERATING ARTS

EDITOR’S NOTE

Rites of Spring

s this issue goes to press, Monmouth College students are coming back from spring break. They return from many

distant points—the Chorale, baseball and softball teams from performances and competitions in Florida; academic groups from exploring Roman Britain, Washington, D.C., and the Mexican border. Trips like these are an annual Monmouth tradition! But all has not been quiet on the home front. When our students are away, other students move in. Kids from Monmouth’s Immaculate Conception School compete in 3-on-3 basketball tournaments at Huff Athletic Center. ICS students also present a highly popular musical—this year, Beauty and the Beast—in Dahl Chapel. Each of the performances is packed with community members, from parents and grandparents to residents of local senior facilities, bused in to enjoy the exuberant music and choreography. On the final weekend of spring break, the Center for Science and Business transforms into a virtual Boy Scout Jamboree. Since 2012, the College has hosted Merit Badge University, annually welcoming more than 400 Boy Scouts and 100 Scout leaders for a day of learning, sharing, and most important, earning merit badges. These are not ordinary merit badges. Part of the day’s popularity—Scouts come from as far away as the Chicago area—derives from Merit Badge University providing the opportunity to earn hard-to-achieve badges. Badges

The editor, spending spring break with the Scouts.

can be secured in such esoteric areas as auto and ag mechanics, truck transportation and even plumbing, all in the course of a single day. This is only possible because Monmouth College and local professionals generously volunteer their time and facilities to provide hands-on lessons. For the past six years, I have had the privilege of participating, along with other Monmouth College faculty and staff, as a Merit Badge University instructor. With the assistance of Tom Best of the history department, I co-teach a section on “Citizenship in the Community.” Each year, we chaperone more than two dozen Scouts to Monmouth City Hall and the Warren County Courthouse, where they receive a lesson on civic government from the city manager, and get to sit in the circuit court jury box, where the state’s attorney describes intricacies of a criminal trial. Spring is traditionally a time of renewal. Seeing so many eager young people and dedicated community volunteers on the Monmouth College campus each spring never fails to renew my spirits.

—jeff rankin

ON THE COVER:

CORRECTION:

Biopsychology major Stephanie Saey ’18 was a member of a student-faculty team that traveled to Singapore last year to conduct psychology research. Such international scientific activities helped inspire and set the stage for Monmouth College’s Global Public Health Triad. Saey, who aspires to be a psychiatrist, plans to spend the year after her graduation abroad—perhaps working on clean water issues in South America—before entering medical school. The photo was shot at Monmouth’s OSF Holy Family Hospital, where Saey volunteers.

The name of Maddisen Brakel ’16 was misspelled in an article in the Winter issue about a national workshop on statistics held at Monmouth College. We regret the error.

VOL. 32 | NO. 1

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

SPRING 2017

12 INTRODUCING THE NEWEST TRIAD Monmouth’s liberal arts approach to the global public health challenge

20 PUBLIC HEALTH PIONEER Jennie Nicol was a trailblazer beyond helping found the women’s fraternity movement.

23 DEAN OF DECADES Jacquelyn Condon’s distinguished career mirrored the progress of the College.

31 FOOTBALL ORAL HISTORY Reliving a memorable season through the words of those who made history

EDITOR AND DESIGNER Jeffrey D. Rankin ASSOCIATE EDITOR Barry J. McNamara PHOTOGRAPHY George Hartmann Kent Kriegshauser CONTACT US Magazine Editor 309-457-2314 jrankin@monmouthcollege.edu

campus news 3 newsmakers 6 academics 8 monmouthiana 20 sports 26 alumni news 39 last word 48 Monmouth College Magazine is published three times per year for alumni, parents and friends of Monmouth College. All opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial staff or the College. We welcome letters about the College or the magazine. Letters will be printed on a space-available basis and may be edited for length, style and clarity. Send letters, queries or submissions to: Monmouth College Magazine, 700 East Broadway, Monmouth IL 61462-1998, or email jrankin@monmouthcollege.edu.

Monmouth College Magazine is printed on Cascades Rolland Enviro 100 paper, made with 100 percent post-consumer fiber.

Change of Address? Write: College Relations, Monmouth College, 700 East Broadway, Monmouth, IL 61462-1998. Or call 888-8278268. Web: monmouthcollege.edu/update

PRESIDENT Clarence R. Wyatt BOARD OF TRUSTEES William Goldsborough ’65, Chairman Mark Kopinski ’79, Vice Chair Douglas R. Carlson ’66 Daniel Cotter ’88 Robert Dahl Rod Davies ’74 Nancy Speer Engquist ’74 Christine Beiermann Farr ’90 Larry Gerdes Augustin Hart III ’68 Mahendran Jawaharlal ’86 F. Austin Jones The Rev. Robert C. McConnell ’72 Michael B. McCulley, Esq. ’70 Gary Melvin Brad Nahrstadt ’89 Gail Simpson Owen ’74 J. Hunter Peacock J. Stanley Pepper ’76 Anthony J. Perzigian ’66 Dennis M. Plummer ’73 Anita Ridge ’88 Susan Romaine John M. Schultz The Hon. John J. Scotillo ’72 Dr. Carlos F. Smith ’90 Sherman Smith Nancy L. Snowden Mark Taylor ’78 George Trotter III Beth Bowdoin Tyre ’96 Dr. Ralph Velazquez Jr. ’79 Jean Peters Witty ’88 Richard E. Yahnke ’66 Jackie Bell Zachmeyer ’89 ALUMNI BOARD REPRESENTATIVES TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Mary Alexander Corrigan ’82 Craig Dahlquist ’78 Jerri Picha ’75 ALUMNI BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Mary Corrigan ’82, President Danette Bagley-Thierry ’86, Vice President Jerri Picha ’75, Secretary Matt Clair ’05, Member at Large EDITORIAL BOARD Duane Bonifer Executive Director of Communications and Marketing Stephen M. Bloomer ’83 Vice President for Development and College Relations Trent Gilbert Vice President for Enrollment and Communications Jeffrey D. Rankin College Editor and Historian Barry J. McNamara Associate Director of College Communications Hannah Maher Director of Alumni Engagement NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION

Monmouth College does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, military service, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy or other factors as prohibited by law. Monmouth College admits students of any race, religion, color, sex, national or ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to Monmouth students. Monmouth College, an Equal Opportunity Employer, is committed to diversity and encourages applications from women and minority candidates. Any inquiries regarding Title IX or the College’s Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation (www.monmouthcollege.edu/nondiscrimination-policy) should be directed to the Title IX Coordinator identified below. The Coordinator will be available to meet with or talk to students, staff and faculty regarding issues relating to Title IX and this policy. Stephanie Kinkaid Title IX Coordinator Room 21, Poling Hall (lower level) (309) 457-2274 skinkaid@monmouthcollege.edu

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

IN PRAISE OF TRIADS TRIED AND TRUE TO OUR LIBERAL ARTS MISSION

his issue of the magazine highlights one of the most exciting recent developments at the College— Triads for Excellence. The Triads concept had just come forward as Lobie and I were joining the Monmouth family. I will admit that when I first heard of the idea, I was not sure how it would actually come to life. However, I quickly came to see the great potential of this innovative approach to teaching and learning, and I am now one of its biggest cheerleaders. Each Triad organizes three academic disciplines around the exploration of an issue of broad importance. Our first Triad, launched in the fall of 2014, focuses on global food security. This was a logical and compelling choice, given the College’s location in one of the great breadbaskets of the world. The second Triad, on global public health, began this academic year. It opens up a whole new range of inquiry, while also meshing well with the first Triad. I have become a strong supporter of Triads for Excellence because it makes concrete and demonstrable many of the most powerful aspects of the residential liberal arts experience: Multidisciplinary teaching and learning. No life can be lived fully from the perspective of any one academic discipline. The Triads enable students to use the canons and the methods of multiple disciplines, better preparing them for a broad range of opportunities. Experiential teaching and learning. “Doing the discipline”—actually using the tools of various disciplines—is more engaging and lasting than just learning about the results of their use. Global fluency. The issues identified in the first two Triads exist at all levels—local, national and global. The ability to think and act in this continuum will set our students apart. The power of the liberal arts experience. One of the knocks on the liberal arts is, “What are you going to do with that?” The Triads, organized around real-world issues, demonstrate the power of the liberal arts to effect

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

positive change in the world. That is especially true of the Monmouth College experience, which enables young people to free the possibilities inherent in their own lives. Another strength of the Triads is the way that they embody values that are particularly appealing to the rising generation of college students. We are now recruiting and welcoming Generation Z, also known as the Homeland Generation. These young people, born in 2000 and forward, value hands-on experiences, are conscious of value, and want to make a difference in their communities. While the whole of their experience at Monmouth embodies these values, the Triads demonstrate them clearly and powerfully. Also, the Triads represent the spirit of continuing innovation by our faculty. The two Triads are led by a combination of veterans and recent additions to the faculty. These dynamic teacher-scholars are creating experiences that sustain and enhance timeless values of the College— intellectual rigor and curiosity, continuing growth in mind and character, and a sense of responsibility for self and others that informs lives of service and leadership—in ways that engage the students that we recruit and serve today. The Triads are assuming central places in our educational experience, having been adopted as minors. As these two become even more firmly established, we look forward to the creation of other Triads, and to extending the concept to self-designed majors, enabling students to create their own Triad. And the Triads approach is already drawing positive attention from a number of foundations. We are grateful to everyone who has contributed to this new concept—the trustees who originally challenged us to seek a bold concept, the faculty and staff who are guiding it, and, especially, our students, whose energy, enthusiasm and sense of possibility make being a part of Monmouth College not a job, but a calling and a joy.

Dr. Clarence R. Wyatt President

CAMPUS NEWS

BREADBASKET OF THE WORLD Agriculture experts examine Midwest’s long-term role in global food production BY BARRY McNAMARA

orking together will be key toward ensuring that the future of farming in western Illinois is the equivalent of a bumper crop. That was one of the opinions shared by five authorities on agriculture at a panel discussion hosted in February by Monmouth College’s Global Food Security Triad. During his introductory remarks, Assistant Professor of Biology Eric Engstrom said the Triad’s purpose is to “address problems we expect to become increasingly urgent as we move into the 21st century. … The solution to food security is very urgent, and it will take the collective citizenry to solve.” While Engstrom advocated an interdisciplinary approach to solving food security problems, panelist Andrew Larson, an extension educator, said the farming community itself also needs to come together. “We have a lot of flat, fertile ground, and we do industrial commodity farming really well,” he said, also noting the growth of small-acreage food-production operations. “Those two different communities get at each other, and it blows my mind. Both groups need to recognize that they’ll continue to exist. It’s not you or me, it’s both of us.” Also on the panel were Troy Coziahr of the Monsanto Learning Center, Western Illinois University professor Joel Gruver and dairy farmer/soil scientist Francis Thicke. The discussion was moderated by local farmer Ron Moore, president of the American Soybean Association. Thicke is a proponent of “farming in ways that will enhance our materials.” At his dairy farm, the land is divided into 60 small pastures, so his cows always graze on fresh grass. “We try to structure our farm to match the ecology of na-

From left, panelists Ron Moore, Troy Coziahr, Francis Thicke, Andrew Larson and Joel Gruver discuss the future of farming and food production in western Illinois.

ture,” he said. “My definition of sustainability is to improve, or at least maintain, our resource space.” Coziahr said he is optimistic about the future of farming, pointing to past improvements as one reason. As a college student in the early 1990s, one of his professors shared discouraging soil erosion research involving the Illinois River watershed. But the research was from 1970, and when the updated information was obtained, Coziahr learned that the erosion had been cut in half. In the years since, it’s been cut 85 percent from the 1970 figure. “I think of all the progress we’ve made, and the fact that we’re on the cusp of the data-science revolution,” Coziahr said. “It’s an incredibly exciting time in agriculture.” Coziahr said two familiar commodities will likely remain king crops in western Illinois. “Historically, the most profitable use of the land was to produce corn and soybeans,” he said. “At the end of the day, farmers have to pay the bills. Ultimately, the markets are going to drive this. What it’s all about is the ability to adapt—to produce as efficiently as possible a product that the consumer wants and needs.” Panelists also shared that in the last 30 years, 2 billion people in the world have risen out of the poverty level. When that happens, diets change. Larson noted that most of today’s agricultural production is not in the form of food for human consumption. “We need to change the rhetoric from ‘feed the world’ to ‘food the world,’” he said. Thicke was cautious about the Midwest’s role in such an endeavor, citing economic factors such as transportation costs and the ability of the people who need food to pay for it. Rather, he said, improvements to the “peasant food network,” which currently feeds a high percentage of the world, should be a focus. “With improved approaches to farming, they could double their yields,” he said. “That’s really exciting, and it would make a big difference.”

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CAMPUS NEWS

Moot Court experience may be career changer Jaron Park ’18 might have discovered a career because he was willing to take a chance. Park, who entered the sixth annual Moot Court Competition for the first time last fall, was named the competition’s Top Advocate. Contestants argued for and against the question: “Can the federal government ‘fix’ an Establishment Clause violation for maintaining a Latin Cross on public lands by transferring a very small piece of a national preserve into a private party’s hands?” Park was a respondent with classmate Abrafi Osei-Kofi ‘17. They faced petitioners Nick Callaway ’18 and Mackenzi Lafferty ’19. An English major with a political science minor, Park had been thinking about pursuing a master’s degree in English, but after the Moot Court experience he said he is now considering a career as a constitutional lawyer. “I’ve kind of had a passing interesting in constitutional law

and constitutional issues for awhile,” he said. “I’ve thought about going into politics, and I really started considering law school as a potential option. This was a way for me to test the waters in law, particularly the kind of law I would want to practice.” The final round was judged by Stephanie Hilton ’07, Knox (Ill.) County assistant state’s attorney; Jonathan Coley, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology; and David Timmerman, dean of the faculty. The preliminary round was judged by attorneys Brad ’89 and Debra Nahrstadt, Dan Cotter ’88 and Kate Cross ’08. Park said that participating in Moot Court also taught him that arguing a legal case before judges is an unpredictable experience. “You can have a judge that just lets you talk your head off for 10 minutes, or you could get a couple of sentences into your argument and then you are just bombarded with questions for the rest of the time,” he said.

College and high school artists collaborate on unique exhibit A collaborative Black Lives Matter exhibit featuring stu- mouth College.” dent art from Monmouth College and Oswego (Ill.) East Monmouth art professor Stacy Lotz, who helped coordiHigh School was on display in Gallery 203 during February. nate the exhibit, observed, “From an artist’s perspective, it’s Prior to an opening reception, students from Oswe- wonderful to see young artists making art with a social jusgo traveled to campus to hang their work, which was tice slant.” displayed alongside several Monmouth students repreMonmouth College pieces, sented in the exhibit included many of which were created Hayden Fulfer ’17, Lily Guillen ’18, last fall in response to the Black Shoshana McClarence ’17, ChelLives Matter movement. see Nava ’20, Rubi Nogueron ’18 The join exhibit was the and Kendall Thompson ’17. idea of Oswego art teacher Also in the exhibit were piecLaura Cavanaugh ’86. She and es from the College’s James C. other English and studio art Shields ’49 Collection of Art and Advanced Placement teachers Antiquities, and historic civil at OEHS had their students Isolation, a photo collage created by Oswego High School rights images from the library’s work on pieces that, collec- student Reese Rousseau for an advanced placement 2D-de- archives. sign class, was displayed in the joint art exhibit. tively, were “a contemplation “The BLM exhibit was created on social movements, social constructs and systemic rac- to be an impartial project that allowed students to express ism.” themselves in an intellectual and positive way,” said Heath“After viewing the BLM art show, I felt the art was so er Stanich, one of Cavanaugh’s OEHS colleagues. “[It was] powerful, I knew it had to be seen by many,” said Cavana- meant to prompt thoughtful discussions among the stuugh. “Black Lives Matter is an important social issue that dents, parents and community members to talk about a impacts and reflects on all of us, and our students are very sensitive topic in a safe environment where everyone has a excited to share their ideas and create a dialogue with Mon- voice.”

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

CAMPUS NEWS

Kappas to dedicate chapter house

Protected with pride Surgery at any age can be difficult, so when Thomas Doyle, the five-month-old son of Andrew and Carissa Scott Doyle ’08, was required to wear a series of protective helmets following head surgery, his grandfather had an idea to help lessen the trauma. Howard Scott, who works as a Monmouth College carpenter, asked art professor Stacy Lotz if students could decorate the helmets in Monmouth colors and imagery. Two students—Tessa Barry ’18 (left) and Ashley Carnes ’18—accepted the challenge to design five progressively larger helmets to fit the baby’s growing head.

Last spring, the nation’s first fraternity for women— Pi Beta Phi—dedicated a new chapter house on the campus of its founding, Monmouth College. This spring, the other half of the “Monmouth Duo” will follow suit. Kappa Kappa Gamma, founded at Monmouth just three years after Pi Beta Phi, will formally dedicate its new chapter house on April 22. The purchase of the house last summer was underwritten by gifts, largely from Kappa alumnae. Located on East Broadway, overlooking the site of a wooden bridge where tradition holds that Kappa was originally planned, the spacious Colonial Revival mansion was one of Monmouth’s finest homes when built in 1896, and remains so, thanks to numerous renovations and improvements by recent owners. The dedication ceremony, which will be followed by an open house, is scheduled for 1 p.m.

PBS executive to deliver Commencement address Public Broadcasting System senior executive Juan Sepúlveda will deliver the address at Monmouth College’s 160th Commencement Exercises on May 14. Sepúlveda, who has been PBS senior vice president, station services since 2014, earned degrees from Harvard University, Oxford University and Sepúlveda Stanford University Law School. He was only the third Latino to be awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. “Juan Sepúlveda is a living example that higher education is a pathway to success in this country,” said President Clarence R. Wyatt. “Like many of us, he came from a modest background, and through education he’s become someone who makes a difference in our communities. Juan is a very

energetic speaker, and he will offer our students a powerful message.” Before joining PBS, Sepúlveda was senior advisor for Hispanic affairs with the Democratic National Committee, and he was executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. While working in the White House, Sepúlveda designed and led the first Hispanic Policy Conference along with a series of Hispanic Community Action Summits across the country that brought together representatives of offices and federal agencies with Latino community leaders to build partnerships to tackle key community issues. Sepúlveda’s national strategy consulting organization, The Common Enterprise, grew out of a Rockefeller Foundation initiative and took him to more than 35 states to work with communities in urban and rural settings.

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NEWSMAKERS

TIBBETTS TO DIRECT NEW ACM PROGRAM

TIBBETTS

Tim Tibbetts , professor of biology, has been appointed to lead the first installment of a new Associated Colleges of the Midwest study-abroad program in Amsterdam. The partnership with host institution Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam will begin this fall. “This program opens up exciting new opportunities for students in the sciences, and particularly global health, because the courses are taught in English and the students will be studying at a well-respected university,” said ACM Vice President and Director of Off-Campus Study Joan Gillespie. Tibbetts said the English component was among the draws of the program for him, although he will do his best to learn some Dutch during the appointment, which will last through the fall 2017 semester. Sustainability is a core value woven into the fabric of the university’s research, academics and campus culture, which also attracted Tibbetts. He’ll explore that topic, among others, in “American Environmental Thought,” a course he is developing for the ACM program. Tibbetts joined Monmouth’s faculty in 2001, one year after receiving his Ph.D. from Michigan State University.

HAQ TALKS U.S. POLITICS IN PAKISTAN

HAQ

Pakistanis have “lots and lots and lots” of questions about America’s 2016 presidential election, and Monmouth College political science professor Farhat Haq answered many of them recently while visiting her native country. Haq was asked by the director of the American Institute of Pakistan Studies, which she serves as treasurer, to speak at universities about the election. She spoke in December and January at four institutions—Government College Lahore; Punjab University Lahore; Qaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad; and BZU in Multan. The theme of Haq’s talks was how to make sense of Brexit and the election of President Donald Trump. “These were both unpredictable events,” she said. “Political scientists were caught by surprise by both, because polling showed other outcomes. What is it that we were missing?” Haq said the short answer is that political scientists needed to “pay more attention to passions and emotions, as opposed to ideology and political interests.” Part of Haq’s talks focused on “explaining the machinations” of American elections, as Pakistanis said “they MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

heard Hillary Clinton was winning,” and that she received 2.8 million more votes than Trump. “I explained the Electoral College and how that happened,” Haq said. “Overall, it was very interesting to me to understand what some of their concerns were. Pakistanis were fascinated by the election and many watched live coverage, which was in the middle of the night.” Haq holds a Ph.D. in government from Cornell University.

MATH MAJOR WINS THEATRE DESIGN AWARD Natalie Curtis ’18, a mathematics major, received the prestigious Don Childs Memorial Scholarship at the Kennedy Center Region 3 American College Theatre Festival in January. Curtis was chosen for the award from among 70 student designers in the five-state region. Curtis also received a CURTIS certificate of merit for her scenic design of last fall’s production of Oedipus Rex and an honorable mention for her scenic design of last spring’s production of The Tempest, which she executed for a theatre class. That led to an invitation by the theatre department for her to also design the fall production. “The (Childs Memorial Scholarship) is presented in the area of technical theatre to a student designer who displays exceptional talent in their field, and who exemplifies the qualities of dedication, talent and collaboration that contribute to theatre excellence,” said Monmouth theatre professor Doug Rankin. “This scholarship will pay for Natalie to study at this summer’s Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas, where she will work with industry leaders in her field.”

HUBACEK RECRUITING IN CHICAGO AREA Stacy Hubacek has been named associate regional director of admission. She comes to Monmouth with eight years of admission experience, most recently on the admission staff of Aurora (Ill.) University, where she also graduated with a communications degree. She previously worked in the admission HUBACEK office at Lewis (Ill.) University. A native of Aurora, she is living and focusing her recruitment efforts in the collar counties of Chicago.

PERDOMO ATTENDS INTERN PREP PROGRAM Airaseem Perdomo ’18 is having an eventful junior year. A business and accounting double major, Perdomo attended the award-winning Mary T. Washington Wylie Internship Preparation Program—a three-day, all-expenses-paid program held every January in Chicago. The program is made available up PERDOMO to 25 African American and other underrepresented minority college sophomores, juniors or seniors interested in accounting careers. Perdomo is spending the spring semester studying in Scotland at Perth College, part of the University of the Highlands & Islands, with which Monmouth College has a study-abroad partnership. The Wylie program’s goal is to prepare students for the accounting profession through practical training, resources and mentors. At the end of the program, participating firms interview the students for a variety of paid internships.

SHIPP EARNS ALUMNI RELATIONS PROMOTION Katie Shipp ’13 has been promoted from assistant director to associate director of alumni relations. Since joining the Office of Development and College Relations in 2014, she has assisted in increasing alumni outreach through growth in regional events and alumni chapters. She has also taken SHIPP charge of the Alumni Office’s social media accounts and has increased its following and outreach among both general alumni and international alumni. Shipp oversees the Alumni Distinguished Visitors program and the Wendell Whiteman Memorial Lecture Series. In addition, she is the primary event planner for gatherings across the country and her orchestration of the past three Homecomings has yielded record attendance.

YOUNG FACULTY AWARD GOES TO CAMPAGNA

Vanessa Campagna, assistant professor of theatre, has received Monmouth College’s Gundersen Award for Junior Faculty. Established in 2014, the Gundersen Award is presented to a Monmouth faculty member with fewer than three years of service who has engaged in exemplary scholarship, research or creative work. The $1,500 stipend may be used as the CAMPAGNA recipient sees fit. “Vanessa has an extremely impressive track record of accomplishment as a theatre professional directing, acting, lecturing and consulting for high school theatre programs

and, of course, directing and teaching Monmouth students,” said Dean of the Faculty David Timmerman. “In addition, she also has an extremely impressive record of accomplishment in her scholarly work, with multiple conference presentations, book chapters, an encyclopedia entry and a journal article.”

JOHNSTON NAMED COLLEGE CONTROLLER

Jessica DeVore Johnston ’04 was named Monmouth College controller in February. After graduating from Monmouth with a degree in accounting and business/management, she joined Caterpillar Inc., where she served as accounting supervisor for nearly 12 years. She holds an M.B.A. from Bradley University’s Foster College of Business. An alumna of Kappa Kappa Gamma, Johnston serves as an adviser to Alpha Chapter. She and her husband, Justin Johnston ’04, have four children.

JOHNSTON

PITTS MARKS 40TH YEAR IN HIGHER ED Peter Pitts, senior regional director of admission, in January celebrated 40 years of work in higher education. A 1974 graduate of Wartburg (Iowa) College, Pitts served as assistant director of admission for Wartburg from 1977-1980, followed by three years as director of admissions for Saint Francis (Ind.) College. Returning to Wartburg as regional director of admissions for two years, he joined the Monmouth College staff as Chicago regional director of admission in 1985. In the years since, he has recruited more than 1,900 Monmouth students. Pitts, who holds a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Iowa, has also served on the admission staffs of Lindenwood (Ill.) College and Park (Mo.) College.

PITTS

KINKAID NAMED TITLE IX COORDINATOR Stephanie Kinkaid has been named Monmouth College’s first full-time Title IX coordinator. Kinkaid, who previously worked in the College’s Wackerle Career and Leadership Center, said she has enjoyed her new position because it’s another way to help students. When she served in the Wackerle Center, Kinkaid helped students forge their career paths. In her new position, Kinkaid helps ensure that students have a good college experience before beginning their careers. As part of the transition to her new role, Kinkaid completed 100 hours of training. Some of that time was spent with Dean of Students Jacquelyn Condon, who had seen the need for creating the full-time position. Kinkaid also did “career shadowing” of an actual multi-week investigation and attended a workshop in Denver that featured a panel of attorneys. Kinkaid stays current in her field by taking part in at least 10 hours of annual Title IX training.

KINKAID

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ACADEMICS

Chelsea Schupp (back row, fourth from left) and her traveling companions in January visited the Laguna Caliente crater at the Poás Volcano in Costa Rica.

By BARRY McNAMARA

INSPIRING INQUIRY THROUGH IMMERSION BETWEEN-SEMESTER TRIPS SHOWING POPULARITY, PROMISE Chelsea Schupp ’18 plans to change

the world because of a College trip she took over winter break. Thanks to a gift from a friend of the College, Schupp was one of 43 students who took part in four academic trips over the break to Ecuador, Costa Rica, Mexico and the Navajo nation in Arizona. COSTA RICA Schupp and 14 other students spent 10 days in Costa Rica where they examined several topics, including eco-tourism, environmental issues and qualities that cause the Central

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

American nation to lean toward Europe culturally and socially. “Visiting a different country had the most unexpected effect on me,” Schupp said. “Being immersed in a new culture and learning how other groups of people in the world survive and interact with their environment really expanded my global perspective. I brought back with me an intense motivation to change the world, and I cannot wait to apply the knowledge I gained in Costa Rica to my Monmouth College experience.” The trip to Costa Rica was led by Tim

Gaster, assistant professor of modern

languages, literatures and cultures who proposed the course, and Ken Cramer, professor of biology. “It would be easier to say what we didn’t do,” Cramer said. “We took a night hike in a tropical forest; we took a couple boat tours; we visited a coffee plantation; we were at a little shop/ factory that makes wheels for wooden ox carts, which is a big thing there; we were in the mountains; we were on the beach; and we even went zip-lining.” As a biologist, Cramer appreciated the different types of wildlife, including crocodiles, sloths, white-faced capuchin monkeys, coatimundi (a rac-

ACADEMICS

coon-like species), and all sorts of birds, including toucans. The students prepared for the four academic trips by reading materials that were assigned to them in November and December, and they also met with their faculty members for discussions. Final papers about the trips are due later this semester. One of the advantages of taking the academic trips between the fall and spring semesters was that students were allowed to focus on a single special topic. ECUADOR “Doing our study between semesters when we had time to reflect was advantageous intellectually and academically,” said edu cational studies professor Michelle Holschuh Simmons, who led a 10-student trip to Ecuador with anthropology professor Megan Hinrichsen. “We weren’t pulled away by anything,” Simmons said. “We were able to focus and really discuss the issues we were seeing and connect it all back to our courses here at Monmouth.” The Ecuador group examined education in the South American nation, focusing on how children of street and market vendors are educated. “The theme of the trip was barriers to education,” said Simmons, whose students worked with the group United to Benefit Ecuadorian Children, International, a non-profit, non-governmental organization in Ecuador. “This was an amazing opportunity for our students to see the barriers in Ecuador firsthand and reflect on how those barriers play out both in Ecuador and in our own country.” Hinrichsen, who has researched informal labor in Ecuador since 2011, said she was happy to return to a country where she lived for 15 months and “put my own research into action.” MEXICO In Mexico, 10 students explored Mayan attitudes toward nature, led by biology professor James Godde and psychology pro-

Monmouth students interact with children of street vendors during their trip to Ecuador.

Students traveling with biology professor James Godde and pyschology professor Joan Wertz explore the Mayan ruins of Mayapan near Mérida, Mexico.

Students traveling with educational studies professor Tammy La Prad visit a primarily Navajo elementary charter school in Arizona that was unlike most schools they had seen.

(Continued on page 10)

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ACADEMICS

Elementary education major Jordan Cortez ’18 visits with Navajo students from the STAR charter school, near Flagstaff, Ariz.

(Continued from page 9) fessor Joan Wertz. Godde and four of the students remained in Mexico to participate in the inaugural semester-long Monmouth in Mérida program, joined by one of the Costa Rica participants. Wertz said that animals were of interest to both academic disciplines on the trip. Psychology students learned about the influence of animals on Mayan culture through archaeological carvings found in Villahermosa depicting jaguars, owls, snakes and birds (“feathered dragons”). They also learned that Mayans believe animals appearing in dreams are how each person’s “animal spirit” communicates with them. Wertz said that students’ ability to communicate in Spanish—and thus assist their professors—was “a fun flip on how things normally happen,” and she also appreciated finding a possible source of internships for the Global Public Health Triad that she directs at Monmouth. ARIZONA Eight students traveled to the Navajo nation region of Arizona with educational studies professor Tammy La Prad to learn about teaching pedagogy in a unique setting. Based in Flagstaff, the group traveled 25 miles east of the city to the STAR

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(Service to All Relations) School, a charter elementary school. “I wanted our students to have a different educational experience from what they had growing up,” LaPrad said. “I wanted them to explore how they can affect kids (as teachers) —that they can make a difference.” STAR certainly has an impact on its students, 80 percent of which are Navajo. The normal graduation rate for such students is 50 percent, but STAR reports a graduation rate of more than 80 percent. “The students thought, ‘Something’s working here, even if it doesn’t feel like what I’m used V I E W A V I D EO to,’” LaPrad said. “We learned bit.ly/mc-trips that relationships are important to them—relationships to the land, relationships with other students, relationships with adults and the community.” And for Monmouth students such as Niaira Marshall ’17, the trips helped solidify career ambitions. “Due to the amazing experience I had, my passion for justice, dismantling structural inequalities and working for marginalized groups has become even stronger,” she said. “I am so eager about my future and starting up my own non-profit organization.”

ACADEMICS

A Super case study in advertising

tudents in Tom Prince’s Business 367 “Advertising” course were mostly “NSYNC” with the national rankings for this year’s Super Bowl commercials, naming the ads that ranked in the top four spots in a USA Today poll among their choices for the best ad of the day. That included Melissa McCarthy’s commercial for Kia, which earned the top ranking among the 66 Super Bowl ads, and a Bai ad featuring Christopher Walken and former NSYNC frontman Justin Timberlake. Prince, who each year uses the Super Bowl as a case study for the class, says the much-hyped ads still matter because the NFL’s championship game is one of those rare TV events that attracts a broad, diverse audience of viewers. “We as a nation have a shared viewing experience,” said Prince, an assistant professor in the political economy and commerce department. “If you think about it, on every other night, [one of] you might be watching Netflix, one might be on Hulu and another might be streaming a different show. We don’t have the shared viewing experiences like we did 20 or 30 years ago, when most of us on a given night were watching the same show, like M*A*S*H.” Companies know they can reach more than 100 million viewers simultaneously through the Super Bowl, and they pay for the privilege. The Fox network made $400 million on advertising off the Super Bowl, plus another $20 million because the game went into overtime. Prince told his students that successful Super Bowl TV commercials are a mix of at least one appeal and one framework. An example: a Bai beverage ad, framed in dramatization, with a humorous appeal, as the company’s name was incorporated into NSYNC’s popular song “Bye Bye Bye.” Michelin used a combination of animation (its “Michelin Man”) and rationality (its tires keep you safe). Prince said the company is also a prime example of one of three things you can do to a brand—create, rejuvenate or change. Although the Michelin Man was in the ad, his role was downplayed, which Prince said is a “rejuvenation” of the

brand. The company plans to use more “real people” in future ads. Students also reported on commercials they felt didn’t work. Many pegged ads that placed at the bottom of the USA Today poll: Tom Brady for Intel, Yellowtail and its kangaroo, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mobile Strike ad and KFC’s “Golden Colonel.” The latter two ads both placed in the bottom six. Prince noted that some companies got an early sense of how their ads were received, as there were 101 million online views of ads leading up to the Super Bowl. Among those views, wix.com led the way with 22 million, followed by TurboTax (“Humpty Dumpty”) with 15 million, Mercedes-Benz with 12 million and Avocados from Mexico with 11 million. Placing fifth was the Budweiser “immigration” ad. Prince was slightly surprised it didn’t place higher, as it received much of the buzz from media outlets and the public in the week leading up to the game. Prince asked the students if any of the ads had made them more interested in a company. “I hope I can make enough money where I can look into buying an Audi,” said one female student, who was impressed by the company’s ad promoting equal pay for women. Another car company, however, made less of an impression. Alfa Romeo spent “about $50 million” on ads and for the rights to sponsor the halftime show, said Prince, who asked if his 30 students took note of the company. Receiving no feedback, he said, “That’s kind of scary for them.”

Commercials for Kia, Avocados from Mexico and Bai beverages were among the popular ads analyzed by Monmouth College business students.

Barry McNamara

SPRING 2017

ERING W S TH AN E

CHALLENGE TH AL

U P BLIC L A B H O E L G

An illustration of the Zika virus, one of many threats to global public health challenging the scientific, medical and humanitarian aid communities.

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COVER STORY

new minor in global public health was approved in December as a part of the College’s growing Triads for Excellence initiative. Studying issues and

solutions associated with global public health is the objective of the College’s second Triad, which will launch this fall. The Triads tie together three academic disciplines to focus on an issue of social importance, bringing more depth and breadth to its study. In addition to focusing on that core issue, the three Triad faculty members remain attached to their respective academic departments, where they also teach traditional courses. Global Food Security was the first Triad, aiming to prepare students to better understand and help provide attainable and sustainable solutions that help feed billions of people. The Global Public Health curriculum will allow students from a variety of academic backgrounds to prepare for a wide range of health-related careers. Interdisciplinary, elective courses include, but are not limited to anthropology, biology, exercise science and Spanish. Two new courses are required to fulfill the minor: “Introduction to Public Health” and “Introduction to Epidemiology.” To complete the five credits needed for the Triad, students can get an approved intern-

ship, create an independent research project or study abroad. The Associated Colleges of the Midwest offers Global Public Health learning opportunities for Monmouth students in Costa Rica and Monmouth has a new program in Mérida, Mexico, where students can enhance their Spanish language skills. In accordance, Professor Tim Gaster now offers Latin American Studies to assist in their learning. Next fall, Amsterdam will also be an option for students who are interested in learning about global health in another country. Professor Joan Wertz, one of the authors of the new Triad, has worked with other faculty to devise the minor, which she believes “will be capture the attention of a lot of students.” “Whether they are interested in medical school, becoming a nurse or even business administration, communication and more, Global Public Health provides a great background relevant to many health careers,” Wertz said. Tessa Jones ’18

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A LIBERAL ARTS APPROACH TO GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH By Barry McNamara

hether it involves assessing the effects of posttraumatic stress disorder on people from conflict-ravaged nations, expanding health-care options, or

helping ensure that individuals have access to nutritional food and clean water, the study of global public health cuts a broad professional swath. That’s one reason Monmouth College’s Global Public Health Triad is so appealing to students—it helps them view global issues through the lens of a liberal arts education and look for creative ways to address a myriad of public policy challenges. And rath-

From left, Stephanie Saey ’18, Kelci Foss ’18 and Liz Hippen ’18 comprised a research team at the Institute of Mental Health in Singapore. Joining them in the research was Tifanis Eu (right), a student at Singapore Management University.

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er than focusing on one aspect of a single public health problem, Monmouth’s Global Public Health Triad encourages students to examine an issue from an interdisciplinary perspective. “It’s about looking at the general

population and the way it’s changing,” said Kelci Foss ’18, who is a biopsychology major. “The average lifespan is much longer now. Global public health is a way of looking at that and asking how we are going to support longer lifespans with access to health care and doctors. It’s a way of looking at them and asking, ‘OK, these are the common problems that are happening related to health. How can we fix them?’” Fellow biopsychology major Liz Hippen ’18 was introduced to global public health through a course in medical anthropology. “Medical anthropology really got me started thinking about public health,” she said. “I learned about what other countries are doing, like the little iron fish they cook with in Cambodia since their diets are otherwise deficient in iron. It’s little steps like that that are being taken that can really make a difference.” Although global public health pays

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Although the departments of psychology, kinesiology and modern languages, literatures and cultures are the primary anchors of the Global Public Health Triad, students from any major, such as biology, can take advantage of its academic programming, or elect to pursue a global public health minor.

attention to challenges on the local level, it also promotes a worldview that Hippen said raises students’ awareness of how some public policy problems are interconnected. “We have the resources to help people,” said Hippen. “The health disparity is so large between us and some Third World countries. We need to help each other out, because we’re all in this together. The United States has such an impact around the world.” The Triad’s study-abroad option also makes it attractive to students. Foss and Hippen spent three weeks

last year in Singapore, where they conducted psychology research with Professor Kristin Larson. They said that studying another culture will benefit students in the Global Public Health Triad because it provides them with another perspective of a public policy challenge. “I like the study-abroad aspect, because different cultures have different health issues,” Foss said. “My time in Singapore was a great experience and provided an opportunity for me to look at the differences in their

The average life span is much longer now. Global public health is a way of looking at that and asking how we are going to support longer life spans with access to health care and doctors.

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COVER STORY

health community, compared to ours.” Closer to home, Andrew Hardy ’19 says the Global Public Health Triad will help him become a better nurse. After he graduates with a degree in biopsychology from Monmouth, Hardy will study nursing. He hopes to become a nurse practitioner and work in the Midwest.

JOAN WERTZ Professor of Psychology

“My mom works as a lab tech supervisor at Great River Medical Center (in West Burlington, Iowa),” said Hardy, who plans to obtain his Certified Nursing Assistant license this summer. “She kind of pushed that type of work. I job-shadowed her in high school and enjoyed it thoroughly. I have a tendency to in-

teract with people more, so nursing is a good direction for me.” Hardy heard about the Global Public Health Triad at the beginning of his sophomore year from Jen Braun, who is one of his kinesiology professors. “I liked the exercise science class and learning about physiology and how everything in the body works

WHY PURSUE GLOBAL Since it was selected as our second Triad for Excellence, my colleagues and I have been working hard to spread the word about the Global Public Health program to our current and prospective students, and to the broader community.

hen I talk with others about the new program, I am frequently asked to explain the Triad concept, and what I think a Triad based on Global Public Health has to offer our students. A Triad brings together faculty members from three distinct disciplines who share an interest in a complex problem or issue facing the world. In our case, the issue is V I E W A V I D EO how to imbit.ly/mc-gph prove physical and mental health in our local communities, as well as in communities around the globe. With my background in health psychology, I will anchor one leg of the Triad. To complete the Triad, we will hire one faculty member in the Kinesiology Department and another in the Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Department. Together, we will lead the charge to inspire our students to

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become global leaders and problem solvers as the world faces a variety of health challenges. Monmouth College is in a strong position to provide an educational experience that will encourage students to prepare to tackle these complex problems. As a liberal arts institution, we have a long history of providing a challenging and well-rounded education to our students— one which emphasizes the integration of knowledge from a variety of perspectives and the development of strong communication skills. The Global Public Health Triad will build upon these core values by providing an interdisciplinary approach to health, as well as experiential learning opportunities. The newly approved minor in Global Public Health Studies includes two new interdisciplinary courses, “Introduction to Public Health” and (Conti “Introduction to Epidemiology,” and

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together,” he said. “I also enjoyed ‘Medical Anthropology,’ and came out of the class with new thoughts on vaccinations. I used to think it was better to just let your body work through the problems, but changing my mind on that was a huge thing I got from that class.” As a nurse, Hardy said he will

deal with public health issues on the grassroots level. “It’s about making sure everyone has access to health care,” he said. “There are a lot of problems with people not getting the resources they need. That’s something that a focus on public health can help accomplish.”

PUBLIC HEALTH ?

electives from more than 10 academic programs on campus. Each student in the program will gain hands-on experience in real-world health issues by completing an internship or independent study related to health, or participating in an off-campus study program that explores global health issues. My hope is that the Global Public Health minor will attract students from many different disciplines when they see how it can complement their major field of study. Of course, students who are already considering careers in medicine, nursing, and physical and occupational therapy will likely have a natural affinity for the courses, if not the minor. But so, too, should students in business, political science, sociology, communications and education (to name just a few). The world needs scientists and health care workers, but it also needs administrators, policy makers, social workers, communication specialists and educators to help us improve health and health care. inued onNow pagethat 16) the new minor and courses are in place, we are focusing our

efforts on hiring the two new faculty members to complete the Triad. Once those key individuals are on board, we will fully launch the program, which will include lectures, guest visits and programming on campus; taking students to regional and national conferences; and establishing new global immersion experiences and off-campus study opportunities for students. Additionally, I have been working with the staff at the Wackerle Career and Leadership Center to make sure we not only have internships available for our students, but that we will also work to continually expand those options. I would love to hear from alumni and friends of the College with experience in the health field as we move forward with the program. We will reach out to identify speakers to bring to campus, internship opportunities and global travel experiences, and alumni and friends can be of enormous help as we work to provide an outstanding experience for our students. I look forward to working with many of you in the future.

Hind Allouch ’16, who came to Monmouth from Syria via the Chicago suburbs, arrived on campus too early to participate in the Global Public Health Triad. But work that the December 2016 graduate plans to do is another example of how global public health attempts to solve problems by integrating several academic disciplines. Last semester, Allouch presented her senior project, “Depression and Purpose in Life Among Syrians.” She reported that since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, “around 500,000 have died from a population of 22 million.” Another 4 million relocated or fled, and 6.5 million have been displaced. “Very little research related to depression has been conducted in Syria since the war began,” she said. (Continued on page 18)

Below: Andrew Hardy ’19 (right), a biopsychology major who is pursuing a career as a nurse practitioner, discusses his plans with kinesiology professor Sean Schumm.

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To help prepare students for public health careers abroad, as well as writing, reading and translating foreign languages, the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures is playing a central role in the Global Public Health triad.

…if a person suffers from Ebola in Nigeria…they will receive equal quality treatment and the same prevention plan as a person suffering from the same disease in a country like France. 18

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(Continued from page 17)

Allouch was thorough in a survey she conducted for her research, reaching out to 840 Syrians. Among her findings: •80 percent expressed guilt or regret; •50 percent reported depression; •70 percent said they were worried or anxious; •40 percent had been tortured or threatened; •63 percent lost a family member.

Allouch said the guilt comes from respondents who are in safer places while loved ones aren’t, or from respondents who regret leaving their town and/or job. “More studies can be done on depression and post-traumatic stress disorder,” Allouch told her classmates, noting that refugee camps would be a good place to conduct more research. Allouch is preparing for the next

step of her journey, applying to graduate schools for a master’s degree in clinical psychology. In the meantime, she is a behavioral therapist at Behavioral Perspective Inc. in Aurora, Ill. “My career goal is to become a clinical psychologist, working directly with depression and the PTSD-affected population,” she said. Allouch said she likes the Global Public Health Triad because its work cuts across borders and cultures. “I would say that it is an area of study and research that focuses on people’s health issues globally, regardless of nationality or geographic origin,” she said. “This area focuses on improving health globally, and achieving equality of treatment for all. In simpler words, it means that if a person suffers from Ebola in Nigeria, for example, they will receive equal quality treatment and the same prevention plan as a person suffering from the same disease in a country like France.” In addition to its appeal to current students, Foss said that Global Public Health Triad should also generate a lot of interest among prospective students. “I’m a Scot Ambassador, so I talk to a lot of prospective students,” she said. “So many of them want to get into occupational therapy or physical therapy or fields related to health. Having a Global Public Health minor will be a big attraction for them, especially with the study-abroad aspect.” The growing demand for exercise science study, both at Monmouth and in graduate schools, was one of the factors considered in selecting the Kinesiology Department as one of the Triad anchors.

SPRING 2017

MONMOUTHIANA

JENNIE NICOL Global Public Health Pioneer

hen the first collegiate fraternity for women was founded at Monmouth College in 1867, women were not even admitted to many American colleges, so the 12 female founders By JEFF RANKIN of the orgaEditor and Historian nization can truly be considered trailblazers. It’s interesting to note that this year’s launch of the Monmouth College Global Public Health Triad coincides with the 150th anniversary of Pi Beta Phi’s founding. One of those founders would go on to further defy gender stereotypes of the 19th century, becoming not only a medical doctor, but also one who practiced her craft globally. Jennie Nicol, Class of 1868, would certainly have embraced Monmouth College’s new Global Public Health Triad, had it been offered a century and a half ago. The second of four children, Jennie was born Rachel Jane Nicol in 1845 in Edgington, Ill., to Presbyterian parents who had emigrated from Ohio. She was brought up on a farm near Little York. Her older brother, Drennan, drowned in the Mississippi, while her youngest brother, David, died in the Civil War. Of her three brothers, only William would survive, becoming a successful farmer in Warren County. In 1861, when she was only 16, Jennie’s father died. On

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Aug. 20, 1864, her brother David was among eight members of Company C, Illinois 83rd infantry who were killed by Confederate guerillas while they were patrolling near Fort Donelson in Tennessee. That fall, Jennie enrolled at Monmouth College with her childhood friend, Emma Brownlee, who grew up on a farm two miles down the road. Jennie enrolled in the Scientific Program and excelled in her studies. Perhaps growing up with three brothers made her yearn for a sister, and that she found in Emma Brownlee, who would become a lifelong friend and confidant. Perhaps it was the desire for sisterhood that led both Jennie and Emma to become founding members of I.C. Sorosis during their junior year. After graduating from Monmouth, Jennie returned to the family farm, while Emma married Dr. J.C. Kilgore, a Civil War veteran who had been confined for three months in Confederate prisons at Vicksburg and Jackson, Miss. Although Jennie remained at home, it is clear that her ambitions were to enter the field of medicine. When Emma’s father died of cholera in August 1873, the Brownlee home was considered a pesthouse and no one would come to comfort the family—no one except Jennie Nicol. Then Emma was stricken with the disease and when no one but her husband thought she could live, Jennie helped Dr. Kilgore nurse her back to health. It may have been during this time that Dr. Kilgore encouraged Jennie to enter medical school, lending her some of his textbooks. The first women were admitted to medical schools in 1850, but even by the 1870s it was extremely rare for women to study medicine. Dr. Kilgore convinced Jennie to enroll at the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia. In fact, he and Jennie both

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encouraged Emma to enroll with her, but she eventually decided against it. Emma would later recall how dedicated Jennie was to her profession. “She loved it,” Emma said. “She loved work. She was very thorough in district school and in college. She wanted to know—no guess work. She despised a sham—had little use for a poor student. No woman ever entered the profession with a nobler purpose. In that day you know it was not popular for a woman to enter professional life. She was determined to be the equal of her brothers in the profession. She used to say, ‘I think we should have women physicians and I have an ambition to show the men what a woman can do.’” According to Emma, when Jennie left for Philadelphia, she wore her I.C. arrow pin. “She was very proud of her arrow and was a faithful member,” Emma recalled. “I think it meant much to her—she had no real sister…Laughingly she said, ‘I wonder if they will know in the East what I.C. means.’” In its early days, the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania faced serious opposition from the male medical establishment. Women were said to be too feeble-minded to succeed in the demanding arena of academic medicine and too delicate to endure the physical requirements of clinical practice. One of the most serious barriers to the success of the college was the lack of clinical experience available to its students and interns because area hospitals would not allow women to attend lectures or to treat patients. These prejudices surface in the following letter, written to Emma three weeks after her arrival in Philadelphia: Dear Emma: I am highly pleased with the Medical College so far as matters have come within the range of my comprehension. Some of the professors make themselves quite intelligible and others have given five or six lectures, without using a single word by means of which we could gain the slightest clue to enable us to guess what they were talking about and all this after being told the subject of the lectures. The professor in Physiology, after the quiz on yesterday, complimented the class on the amount of information acquired, saying we might consider ourselves fortunate, if in all this time we had been able to grasp a

The Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania was one of the few institutions in America that admitted female medical students in the 1870s.

single idea, also adding that ideas were very scarce—a statement which I was not slow to believe. But after manifesting to their seeming satisfaction their ability to handle the isms and ologies of the day they (the professors) are gliding down to a plane in which such befogged beings as myself can now and then catch a familiar word. The most absurd of all things is the coming away here to attend a Woman’s Medical College and then attend clinics with five or six tallow-brained, dough-faced specimens of the genus homo, from Jefferson Medical College. I fail to see in what way fifty or a hundred would be worse than five. I have taken such a fancy to surgery that you need not be surprised to hear of my making that branch of the profession a speciality. Two weeks later, Jennie wrote: Dear Emma: My boarding place is just three doors from the college. I have at present two roommates, one a lady from Chicago, the other from Indiana. The present arrangement is not a permanent one. I expect to have a room alone after the close of the Centennial. The house accommodates 21 boarders. This is my third place and I am talking of changing again, but have not fully decided that I will. Where I am we must go 2½ miles to the Pennsylvania Hospital one day in the week, also 1½ miles to church. I have not been very busy yet. I have concluded to spend the winter on Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology; I have not begun dissecting, as the material on hand did (Continued on page 22) SPRING 2017

JENNIE NICOL Continued from page 21

not present a very attractive appearance; I am waiting for cool weather, and until some unfortunate victim sees his way clear to devote his mortal remains to the advancement of science. R.J. Nicol After graduating from the medical college, Jennie spent a year interning in Boston at the New England Hospital for Women and Children, the first hospital in the nation to offer obstetrics, gynecology and pediatrics within a single facility. The hospital was established in 1863 with a three-fold purpose: “To provide for women medical aid of competent physicians of their own sex; to assist educated women in the practice and study of medicine; and to train nurses for the care of the sick.” In May 1879 Jennie wrote to Emma: The New England Hospital is delightfully located in Boston Highlands, on an eminence from which the city and its numerous suburbs can be viewed. I have seen very little of the city yet. Have been out twice since I came, which I do not consider a great cross as I did not come on a visit. The hospital is not connected with any medical school nor is it a charity hospital (except a few endowed beds which may be occupied by free patients) hence the class of people with which we work is quite different from that ordinarily met in hospital work. I am to spend my first four months in the surgical wards and have already become deeply interested in my patients. Each Dr. is expected to visit the patients under her care before breakfast, dinner, and supper, also again in the forenoon with the chief of the hospital. After supper each one reports to the chief physician the condition of her patients. Each puts up her own medicines also. Tuesdays and Fridays are set apart for surgical operations. In December, Jennie wrote to Emma: You ask how I like my profession. My reply is, the more I know of the principles upon which its practice is founded, the deeper becomes my interest in, and the greater my admiration for it. My great lamentation is that I did not begin the study ten years sooner than I did. I am and have been since Nov. 1st in the Dispensary connected with the New England Hospital. We have clinics every forenoon, and while away our afternoons and alas too many of our nights visiting patients at their homes. It is especially interesting to be called up at 1 or 2 in the night, when the horse cars are not running, and find a walk of from one to three miles before you, with the in-

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spiration of a pouring rain or a terrific snowstorm to spur you on, but then every rose has its thorn, we are told, but know ’tis false. With love to yourself and kind regards to inquiring friends, I am, your friend, R.J. Nicol. Jennie’s lifelong yearning for adventure continued following her internship, as she boarded a ship and traveled to Germany and Holland before ending up at the University of Zurich, where she would continue her medical studies. She wrote to Emma in December of 1880: Am I attending the university? Yes, I am attending two lectures daily and the remainder of the time I am devoting to clinics and the hospital; I am also having practical work in the pathological laboratory, three hours every Friday. With earnest desire for your welfare, I am, sincerely yours, R.J. Nicol. Three months after writing that letter, Jennie lay stricken with pneumonia in the Zurich hospital. Although she was able to shake off this disease, she eventually contracted meningitis. When a nurse bent over her and asked if she knew that she could not get well, for the first time her face showed emotion, her chin trembled and the tears came. With Jennie in her last illness in the Zurich hospital was a fellow student, also an American, Dr. Ellen F. Powers. Dr. Powers made her body ready for burial and return to Little York, where late in April 1881, Jennie was laid to rest. As her cousin Matthew Jamison would later write, “In due course her remains went by rail to the seaboard, then across the solemn main homeward bound, and by rail once more, a long journey, to the lonely churchyard on the hill, on Cedar Creek.” What was it about Jennie that made her so ambitious and successful in an era when women were expected to be wives and mothers? According to Jamison, “Rachel’s was a reserved, kindly, well-poised personality, manifesting a certain mental solidity and strength of character.” But she also had strong feminine traits, according to Emma Brownlee, who wrote, “To strangers she was cold, dignified, almost exacting, but that was not her real character. She was kind and loving and very helpful to others and went about doing good.” Although her body lay in a lonely grave in a remote churchyard, Jennie’s spirit continued healing patients into the 20th century. In 1922, Pi Beta Phi established a public health clinic on the campus of its settlement school in Gatlinburg, Tenn. The clinic was dubbed the Jennie Nicol Memorial Health Center and served the health care needs of Gatlinburg residents, as well as neighboring communities, for the next 43 years.

JACQUELYN

CONDON A LIFE IN STUDENT LIFE

When she retires in June, Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Jackie Condon will have been the longest-serving senior administrator in the history of Monmouth College. Her distinguished career has both mirrored and contributed to the remarkable growth of the College and its reputation as an exceptional national liberal arts institution. Over nearly four decades, she has served five presidents, mentored future trustees, counseled countless students and provided a steady hand at the tiller during challenging times. By Jeff Rankin, Editor

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s it possible to distill the accomplishments of the longest senior administrative career in Monmouth College history into a single moment? According to Vice President for Student Life Jackie Condon, who is retiring after 37 years, the answer is “yes.” That moment came on a crisp and sunny Homecoming morning in October 2001. “it was the dedication of bowers hall,” Condon said. “I remember it as the moment that I believed we had turned the corner. I remember speaking at the ceremony and thinking ‘We’re really going to do this thing—we’re going to turn this ship.’ There was something about the momentum and the feeling that everyone was on the same page.” If anyone could recognize and appreciate momentum that day it was Condon, who in 1980 joined what was then called the Dean of Students Office under the new presidency of Bruce Haywood. The entire staff at the time consisted of just three individuals—the late Elwood “Woody” Ball (dean of students), Condon (assistant dean) and Paul Bubb ’79 (director of the Student Center). Today, the student life staff comprises more than two dozen positions. Its responsibilities have expanded to include such areas as career services, campus events, counseling, student success, athletics, residence life, religious and spiritual life, intercultural life, wellness, campus safety and Title IX. But why was the dedication of Bowers Hall such a seminal moment for Condon? “When I started at Monmouth in 1980, no residence halls were full,” she explained. “Now they were, and we were actually building more.” Indeed, enrollment in 1980 had stood at just 666—less than half the number of students enrolled when the last new residence hall (Liedman) was built in 1968. Over the years, Graham Hall had ceased to be used for housing, Fulton Hall had been put into mothballs, and two floors of Grier Hall were closed. Although beloved by alumni, Gibson Hall had become structurally unsound and would be razed just prior to the construction of Bowers Hall. At the time of Bowers Hall’s construction, enrollment had reached 1,080 and was on its way to a new record high. Bowers Hall would be the first in a series of new buildings in a $120 million campus makeover and westward expansion that essentially doubled the size of campus. Among the major new facilities would be Huff Athletic Center (2002), Pattee Hall (2005), Gracie Peterson Hall (2007), April Zorn Memorial Stadium (2009) and the Center for Science and Business (2013). FUTURE BIOLOGIST OR FUTURE DEAN? Condon’s path to Monmouth College was a circuitous one. Raised in suburban Chicago with an interest in science, she considered several Illinois liberal arts colleges—including Monmouth—before selecting Millikin University, where she majored in biology, but was also extremely involved in campus leadership

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activities. Involvement with her sorority, Delta Delta Delta, led to her first job out of college, as a national field consultant for Tri Delta. After a year, she returned to her native Chicago Heights, where she taught high school science, but her love for college student activities and leadership eventually won out. She enrolled in graduate school at Eastern Illinois University, where she earned a degree in counseling, while also taking significant coursework in college student personnel. Upon receiving her master’s degree in 1980, she immediately began a job search. “I found in the Chronicle of Higher Education an ad from Monmouth College looking for an assistant dean of students with a particular focus on women,” she recalled. “I applied for that one and only job and I got that job. I interviewed in early August and was here 10 days later.” Condon’s initial duties included overseeing residence life and advising sororities—both offering ample challenges for a 26-year-old woman, who may have experienced a bit of déjà vu going into the job. “I had a foreshadowing of my career at Monmouth in 1969,” she said, “when I visited our neighbor, who was a freshman living in Graham Hall. I was with his parents and his sister and we had agreed to meet him at the football game on Saturday. We were at the stadium waiting when we saw him coming and he was visibly upset. “We soon learned that the night before he had nearly frightened his roommate to death, after staging his own ‘murder’! That was my first time on this campus, and little did I know that in the coming years I would be having lots of conversations with Monmouth students who were upset because they had done things that were perhaps not particularly well thought-out.” MEETING THE CHALLENGES Condon’s counseling and administrative skills earned her high marks, bringing her a promotion to associate dean in 1986 and to dean of students in 1990. She was named vice president in 1994. Condon, who said she enjoyed working for each of the five presidents she has served both professionally and personally, credits the board of trustees for its foresight in hiring the right president for the right time. She has a particular fondness for Haywood, who hired her shortly after assuming office. “Bruce certainly taught us great discipline in terms of finances, and his intellectual gifts were so impressive,” she said. “His guidance was important in developing our curriculum. Walter Huff [’56] recognized his leadership, and the friendship that developed between them provided a major step forward for the institution, when Walter presented the College with the largest gift in its history.” Condon cited three projects that “got the ball rolling” both for student life and the College as a whole—the 1996 and 1997 renovations of McMichael Residence Hall and Poling Hall, and the construction of Bowers Hall, which was the first major new construction project on campus. “I really want to give credit to

Dave Bowers [’60] for his vision and leadership in creating that

building,” she said. Regarding current President Clarence R. Wyatt, Condon observed, “He has been an excellent choice in terms of his ability to look ahead and build an endowment for the future. He has a strong background in planning and is dedicated to putting us in a sustainable financial position that will provide for growth and stability.” Much has changed in the world of student life over the course of Condon’s career, prompting expansion of the department and its services. “Students and their families expect more from colleges and universities in terms of support services now,” Condon said. “In response to these needs we have enhanced the quality of the residence halls, improved social programming, expanded recreational and intramural sports, added athletic teams, created a health and wellness focus and strengthened our career development services. I am particularly grateful to Karen Barrett Chism ’65 and Fred Wackerle ’61, longtime trustees, for their support and many contributions with these endeavors.” A LASTING INFLUENCE One of her greatest joys, Condon said, has been following the career successes of former students—some of whom have become College trustees. Their admiration for her is mutual. Trustee Anita Ridge ’88, associate vice chancellor for advancement at the University of Chicago, praised Condon for teaching her about leadership and acceptance when she was a resident assistant and a Greek chapter president. “Jackie brought wisdom, strength, patience, an open mind, pragmatism and good humor to her position,” she said. “Those qualities that made me receptive to learning from her as a college student render me still receptive to what she has to teach decades later.” Ridge’s classmate, trustee Jean Peters Witty ’88, is today a teacher in Northbrook, Ill. A former Panhellenic Council representative, Witty recalls that “Jackie was the adult in the room keeping us on task, correcting our misconceptions, and pointing us in the right direction. We all loved her guidance and listened to her words, for we knew she had our best (if at first misguided) interests at heart.” Trustee Jackie Bell Zachmeyer ’89, a finance director for Deere & Co. in Moline, Ill., observed, “As a student I did not fully appreciate her experience, knowledge and deep caring for the students. As a trustee, it is obvious. We are very fortunate to have had Dean Condon help us build Monmouth College into what it is today.” Another trustee, attorney Brad Nahrstadt ’89 of Buffalo Grove, Ill., perhaps summed up Condon’s career most eloquently: “Jackie had an incredibly hard job—and she did it, for three decades plus—with grace, humor and, above all, dedication. She dedicated her life to Monmouth College and her students. And the College—and her students—are much better for it. I will miss her beauty, her charm, her wit and her love for our alma mater more than I can say.” SPRING 2017

SCOTSPORTS 26

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

Attackman Croy Seagran ’20 scored two goals in the Scots’ opener against Carroll University.

The lacrosse women raise their sticks prior to the opening draw of their historic home opener.

LACROSSE HEATING IT UP

onmouth’s April Zorn Memorial Stadium was an unusually lively place during February.

By Hannah Maloney ’17 and Dan Nolan

Normally quiet during the winter, the stadium attracted hundreds of Fighting Scots fans who have cheered on lacrosse, the College’s newest varsity sport. Men’s and women’s lacrosse represent the College’s 23rd and 24th entries into its robust varsity sports program.

CONTINUED

Led by a bagpiper, the men’s lacrosse team marches toward its first official game in February at April Zorn Memorial Stadium. SPRING 2017

SCOTSPORTS

Kara-Jade Gordon ’20 had 12 goals to her credit in her first four games as a Scot, including two goals in the home opener against Illinois Tech.

LACROSSE Continued from page 27

Both teams played their inaugural games on Feb. 18, and men’s coach Andy Routt could not have scripted a better starting formula: one game = one win. “It was an absolutely perfect day,” claimed Routt after his team posted a 9-5 win against third-year program Carroll University at Zorn Stadium. “The weather was great, the crowd was large, and we led for about 95 percent of the game.” The women’s lacrosse team played its first three games on the road before hosting its home opener on March 4 against Illinois Institute of Technology. They have been led so far in the scoring column by Kara-Jade Gordon ’20, who was also the soccer team’s leading goalscorer in the fall. “We played really well,” said coach Liz Demara of the team’s opening weekend in Minnesota. “For a brand new program and all our players getting college experience for the first time, I was pleased. We learned a lot, especially about the speed of the college game, and that’s fueling our practices now.” Throughout the team’s preseason practices, they had steeled themselves for winter weather for their openers, but the men were instead treated to sunny, 70-degree weather. The warmth brought out a raucous crowd that made sure the neighbors knew when the Scots scored each of their nine goals. The initial roar was raised less than four minutes into the game when Taitum Priewe ’20 drilled home the first goal in program history, an experience he says was “indescribable.”

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

“At first, I wasn’t sure if my shot made it in because I got knocked to the ground, but as I was standing up and fixing my helmet, I heard the crowd going wild and my teammates were jumping all over me,” said Priewe, who scored three goals in the game. Five different players scored—Croy Seagren ’20 and Chase Cranford ’20 netted two goals each—and that’s something of which Routt is equally proud. “That’s important, especially for a first-year team to spread the scoring around,” said Routt. “That shows that our guys have that confidence and don’t really see themselves as a first-year team.” Monmouth’s goalkeepers—Jason Kunath ’20 and Ryan Mountain ’20—combined for a nine-save effort. Kunath spent the majority of time in goal and will go down in history with the program’s first win. Entering the season wondering exactly when the first win would come—in February, in March, next year—the Scots lifted that burden in less than two hours. “It was pure elation,” reported Routt of the team-wide feeling after the game. “We had fans rush the field to offer congratulations. Any win feels good, but there’s nothing like winning the first game in program history and doing it at home. That was something special and one of the best feelings in the world.” Routt said he is excited to be working with the new program. “Before (Feb. 18), no one on the roster had played college lacrosse yet,” he said. “I want the team to get better every game. Winning is a plus, but my main focus right now is on improvement, making sure everyone is comfortable in the game of lacrosse at a collegiate level, and fostering a positive experience.” Seagren said lacrosse played a role in his decision to come to Monmouth. “It was a huge driving force for me to come to this school to be a part of the first-ever Monmouth College lacrosse team,” he said. “It’ll be a great thing to look back at.” A confident group mentality helps keep the team optimistic about this season as it looks to contend for the Midwest Lacrosse Conference title in the coming years. Seagren says he believes the Scots can win that trophy while he is a Monmouth student. “For this season, I would like for us to surprise a lot of people with a successful season,” he said. “By my senior year, I would like to see our team strong and developed better than we started. From my eyes, the lacrosse program can only grow from here on out, and I take pride in being a part of it.”

SCOTSPORTS

As this issue was going to press, Dan Evers ’18 placed second in the pole vault at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships, becoming a threetime All-American.

TRACK TEAMS CONTINUE TO FLY HIGH

or the 18th straight time, the men’s midwest

conference indoor track and field champi -

Other individual champions for the men included Ethan Reschke ’17 in the 400-meter dash (49.46), John Hintz ’19 in the weight throw (57-8∑) and Tate Heiple ’19 in the mile

The Fighting Scots men used a strong performance across the board to continue their streak, while the women claimed two champions on the final day to place second. The men topped runner-up St. Norbert 156-122, while the women fell 73.5 points shy of the Green Knights. “I thought we could score 125 or so points and put us close,” said Roger Haynes ’82, who was named the Men’s Coach of the Year in a vote of the MWC coaches. “We exceeded those expectations. They improved on their performances up to that point of the season and that’s tremendously important in a championship meet.” En route to the Men’s Field Performer of the Meet honor, Dan Evers ’18 captured two titles, clearing 16-5∑ in the pole vault and soaring 21-6∑ in the long jump. “Dan went from the 11th seed (in the long jump) to the conference champion,” explained Haynes. “He was willing to take that challenge for the team’s sake and it gave us a big boost. We knew he had a chance to be a scorer in the long jump, but it was all about doing it when the time came. He certainly has that kind of ability.” Payton Holmes ’17 set a school record while winning the 60-meter hurdles in 8.28 seconds. Runner-up Vaughn Gentzler ’18 also eclipsed the school mark at 8.31. “The hurdle guys were really focused,” said Haynes. “Anytime you have multiple people break the same record, that’s a pretty good weekend.”

(4:31.65). For the women, Briana Gardner ’17 won the 200-meter dash (26.02) and Lily Mendez ’18 took the top spot in the weight throw (50-10∑). “She’s been really focused the entire indoor season,” said Haynes of Gardner. “Bri understands it’s her last go ’round and she’s done extremely well with her training. She’s been helpful with the younger kids in the program and has had a very even demeanor when she’s explaining things to them. She’s become a veteran leader in the sprint group. I’ve been happy with her development on and off the track.” Of Mendez, Haynes said, “Lilly is very talented and has a lot of ability. We expected her to do well in the throws and she came through. To win a conference championship is a great accomplishment.” The team of Beka Wollenburg ’17, TaShea’ Tinglin ’17, Isabella Kosier ’18 and Joanna Podosek ’18 set a school record while winning the sprint medley relay in 4:12.59. Wollenburg and Tinglin added another title in the 4x200, joined by Vanessa Caldwell ’20 and Gardner. Their winning time was 1:47.65. “We had some unsung heroes, especially in our medley relays,” reported Haynes. “People like Stone Darrow ’20, Lucas Sondgeroth ’20 and Jay Gray ’19 came through. … It wasn’t one or two people who carried the load. It was about every single member contributing to the final product. This was a total team effort.”

onship be l ong s to mon mou t h col l ege .

SPRING 2017

SCOTSPORTS

nly an NCAA Championship bid eluded Monmouth’s Allie Vallance during her four-year diving career at Monmouth. Aiming for her first NCAA berth at the NCAA Regionals in Grand Rapids, Mich., Vallance just missed the cut for the NCAA Championships. The four-time regional qualifier and two-time Midwest Conference champion placed eighth at the Region 1 competition, narrowly missing the qualifying cut after just five divers advanced following the 3-meter competition. The Fighting Scot senior, who competes off the 1-meter board, also came close to the national meet in 2015 when she placed seventh at the regional competition, her best regional finish. Vallance, who holds both the six- and 11-dive records on the 1-meter springboard, ends her career as Monmouth’s only two-time conference diving champion (men or women) and one of just 12 swimmers or divers to win multiple conference crowns.

Allie Vallance ’17

WINTER SPORTS SUMMARY SWIMMING

BASKETBALL

sweeping a strong Grinnell

Both Fighting Scots

squad. Ten of their losses

’20 won two events at

squads missed the play-

were by six points or less,

the Midwest Conference

offs, but will return the

including two in OT.

Championships, leading the

majority of their rosters

men to a third-place team

next year.

Newcomer Noah Barnard

Will Jones ’18 had

finish. Barnard captured the 50- and 100-meter

another solid year for the

freestyle titles in school-re-

men, leading the team in

cord times of 20.88 and

assists and rebounds as

46.21. The younger brother

the Scots finished 6-17

of former Scots standout Lynsey Barnard ’10, he add-

The preseason loss of leading returning scorer

Noah Barnard ’20 For the fourth straight

Tia Robertson ’18 to a knee injury dealt the Scots women a tough blow, and they found wins hard to come by during a 4-19

and placed seventh in the

campaign.

Midwest Conference. In

But when Robertson

ed a third-place finish in the

season, diver Allie Valance

200 free and swam on two

’17 qualified for the NCAA

the 1,000-point plateau

third-place relay teams, as

regional, and she also

and will enter the 2017-18

did Riley Hess ’18. All three

won her second straight

season with 1,070 points,

of those third-place times

MWC 1-meter diving

16th on Monmouth’s all-

where they needed to be,

including double-digit

were school records, as

title, as the women placed

time list.

defeating MWC play-

scorers Rebecca Gallis ’20

well.

seventh in the league.

off qualifier Ripon and

and Keri Dodson ’18.

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

the process, he reached

The Scots were close to

returns next season, she’ll Will Jones ’18

be joined by every member of the current team,

SCOTSPORTS

THROUGH THEIR OWN EYES PERSONAL ACCOUNTS OF A MEMORABLE GRID SEASON BY SCOT PLAYERS AND COACHES

he 2016 football season will go down as one of the best in Fighting Scots history, with Monmouth outscoring its opponents by an average of 45.7 points to 9.6 during its 10-1 season.

Seniors Matt Barnes (a school-record 133 tackles) and Tanner Matlick (2,691 passing yards, 29 TDs) made the AFCA All-American team and were the Midwest Conference’s Defensive and Offensive Skill Player of the Year winners. Barnes was also the MWC’s Elite 20 recipient, an honor given to the top scholar-athlete in each varsity sport. Chad Braun earned league Coach of the Year honors. Senior Kolton Koch and sophomore Thomas Lesniewski were named the MWC’s Offensive and Defensive Lineman of the Year winners, respectively, and the rest of the Scots’ first-team All-MWC players included: seniors Logan Gigl (DL), Ben Ketchum (DL) and Brock Thoms (WR); juniors Devon Brooks (OL) and Micam Smith (DB); and sophomore DeAndre Wright (RB). Associate editor Barry McNamara created an oral history of key moments that contributed to the special season. Two of those moments are excerpted here. The full story can be read online at monmouthscots.com/through-their-eyes

MOMENT #1: THE COMEBACK VS. WARTBURG Monmouth had never defeated non-conference Wartburg, losing all five times since 2006. When the teams met in the second week, the Knights jumped out to a 15–0 lead, but the Scots prevailed 29–22. A game-tying 83-yard pass to freshman wide receiver Ben Moore got the Scots back into the game. Chad Braun (head coach): Ben Moore is a speedster. We designed that play for him. We got him matched up on a linebacker on a wheel route. Tanner threw a heck of a ball, Ben made a move, and no one was going to catch him. That was a huge momentum play for our season. Joe Freitag (offensive coordinator): Ben Moore is extremely fast and pretty elusive. We knew we wanted to get him the ball in the game and see if he could hit a home run, and he did. Brock Thoms did a great job running a pin route and Tanner threw the ball out there perfectly with enough space to make a guy miss. What’s more exciting than an 83-yard touchdown? Kolton Koch (senior right tackle): We practiced that play a

couple times during the week, and the coaches thought we could get a mismatch on a linebacker and free up one of the most explosive guys on our team. We needed a spark like that. We all felt it would be a huge play, and it sent a message. Yansay Williams (sophomore receiver): We knew (in the huddle) it was going to go to Ben. When we called that play, everybody was excited, because Ben is probably the fastest guy on the team, and he was matched up on a linebacker. Everybody knew it was going to be a touchdown. Alec Dutko (senior receiver): I chased him down the field.

Freshman wide receiver Ben Moore is congratulated after catching an 83-yard touchdown pass that energized a comeback victory against Wartburg.

(Continued on page 32)

SPRING 2017

SCOTSPORTS

FOOTBALL ORAL HISTORY

Receiver Yansay

Continued from page 31

Williams catches

The play was part of our vertical concept. We had four receivers lined up, three on one side, and Brock on the other. Ben was the tailback. The three of us ran vertical routes down our side, and Brock slanted over to our side. Ben ran his route to the left, caught the ball, made one move and he was off to the races. I remember when he got the end zone, he pointed to the sky, and I just bearhugged him.

from right tackle

a 33-yard pass Kolton Koch for one of the most memorable trick plays in Fighting Scots history.

Braun: Then, what gets lost is the fake extra point we ran after the touchdown (with holder Dutko running for two points). It was a huge play. That was something we had scouted out and planned to run going into the game. Freitag: (The touchdown) made it 15-13, and we already had a plan to go for two. Alec Dutko knew it was an automatic call. He was down in the end zone celebrating, but then he got in the huddle and got it called. Now all of the sudden it’s 15-15. Our guys knew we could win. We still had some plays out there to use. Dutko: Coach Freitag had said to me, “The next time we score, we’ll go for two.” We call it “Black.” It’s a power play to the righthand side. I remember John Hintz pulled to block, and there was no one even there for him to block. I also remember how amazed my dad was at the outstanding coaching, having that play ready and called 10 minutes ahead of time.

MOMENT #2: THE TRICK PLAY VS. KNOX The Scots wanted to defeat Knox to clinch an outright MWC title. Of course, they also wanted to win their 18th straight Bronze Turkey game. A 37–0 first quarter ensured those goals would be reached. As the quarter wound down, Koch’s completed pass on a trick play received national media coverage and made him a finalist for the Piesman Trophy, an award given by Sports Blog Nation to college linemen “who do awesome, un-lineman things.” Braun: We talked about it being a rivalry game, and to just go out and prepare and do what we do each and every week. From Coach (Roger) V I E W A V I D EO Haynes, I got the concept bit.ly/mc-trickplay of getting 1 percent better every week. If we kept doing that, it would get us to where we wanted to be at the end of the year. ... (The first quarter score) was pretty amazing. For sure, we came out ready to play. (37-0) is unbelievable. Wow. Matt Barnes (senior linebacker): Before the game, we were kind of flat, probably from having beaten St. Norbert the

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

week before. Coach Braun came around and said he wanted to make sure we didn’t have a letdown, and (with a 37-0 first quarter) we definitely didn’t have a letdown at all. We also wanted to make sure we played well, because that was right before playoff seeds were determined. Freitag: [Kolton]’s a great athlete, and he throws a great ball. We were going to try [the trick play] earlier in the season in a game against Illinois College for a two-point conversion try, but we had a pre-snap penalty. Every great play, you steal. I hadn’t seen a lineman throw a pass other than that play. The first thing you have to think about is how do you protect it. After talking with Coach Peterson, we figured out the best way to run it. Braun: Joe came to me, and he just said, “Hey, what do you think about this?” I said, “I love it. Let’s go for it.” In practice, it was kind of a flop. It worked better when our backup guard tried it. Freitag: We practiced it, but it was awful in practice. Kolton threw two ducks. Then the backup came in and threw a dime. I was giving Kolton a hard time about it. Koch: It was pretty funny. We ran it twice in practice, and I threw two absolute ducks. It didn’t look good. After what the coaches saw in practice, I thought maybe they wouldn’t call it in the game. Freitag: I wanted to run it the series before, so I asked Chad about it. He persuaded me to wait one more series. As soon as I got the chance, we ran it right away. Yansay actually made a really good catch on that ball. We came up a little bit short (the 33-yard play went to the Knox 10). I think if that plays goes for a TD, Kolton would’ve won the Piesman, and we’d have won all sorts of awards. I don’t know how we’ll one-up that one. Koch: We call it “Kolton’s play,” because we didn’t know what

SCOTSPORTS

else to call it. Right after I took the handoff, I saw Yansay was wide open. I focused on getting rid of it quickly. I wish now I would’ve set my feet instead of throwing on the run. I remember I was disappointed in myself for underthrowing him, but then I had to focus on the next play. Williams: We were originally going to run it to Jacolby [Maxwell], but he didn’t want it, and he gave it to me. I was thinking, “Just catch the ball.” I think that I could’ve stayed on my feet, and if I had, I would’ve scored. It still turned out pretty good. Williams would finish the day with four touchdowns. Williams: [I hadn’t done that] since I was in the JFL when I was 10. The last one, I kind of bobbled, so that took some concentration. The other one I really remember, I had to reach

the ball out for the end zone and fight for the touchdown. That’s the kind of play you always think about making. Dutko: I remember Yansay’s four touchdowns. Again, that’s a testament to the level of talent we had. (Leading receiver) Brock didn’t even play in that game, so someone else stepped up and had an amazing game. I also remember a two-point conversion we ran in that game. We call it “Gold.” I took the snap and did a fake pitch, and then I pitched it the other way to Konnor O’Keefe. As soon as I pitched it, I put my hands in the air (signaling a score). And I remember taking a whole bunch of pictures with the conference trophy. To complete a 10-0 regular season is really special. I’d never done anything like that before. Barnes: We had a banquet after the game with players and parents, and that’s one of my best memories—just getting to know the other guys better and meeting their parents.

FALL SPORTS SUMMARY CROSS COUNTRY

playoffs, but both set the stage for

Coach Jon Welty’s men’s cross country team has come a long way in a short amount of time. Just two years removed from not fielding a full squad for the Midwest Conference meet, Welty’s men produced a second-place finish—a rise in the league that not even the second-year coach saw coming. “It was definitely a big surprise,” said Welty. “I had done some premeet scoring and thought fourth was the absolute best we could do, but fifth was more likely. The guys did a great job of putting themselves in a good position early. They started picking off bodies in the last 1,000 meters.” Just 16 seconds separated the Fighting Scots’ top three men, who each earned their first All-MWC honor. Cooper Pauley ’18 led the award-winning pack with a time of 26:33 over the 8K

future success. In coach Nick Rizzo’s first year at the helm, the women finished 7-9-2, which included a 1-0 victory at St. Norbert against a Green Knights team that reached the

Cooper Pauley ’18 Welty said the strong finishes of another pair of sophomores— Tyler Bland and Jay Gray—were also key to the runner-up finish. The women’s squad placed fifth at the meet, which was run on the Beloit Golf Club Course. Joanna Podosek ’18 placed seventh, completing the 6K course in 24:31 to

course, good for fourth place.

earn her first All-MWC honor.

Sophomores Tate Heiple and

SOCCER

Bryent Van De Wostine placed 10th and 13th, respectively.

Neither Fighting Scots squad reached the Midwest Conference

postseason. Kara-Jade Gordon ’20 tallied the goal in that game, en route to earning second team All-MWC honors and the league’s Newcomer of the Year honor. Her running mate at forward, Darice Brooks ’18, matched Gordon’s team-high 25 points, as the Scots placed seventh in the MWC. The men’s 5-11-1 record included four league wins, good for fifth place. Brad Dulee ’17 earned AllMWC honors and scored a goal in a 3-1 non-conference win over Augustana, as did leading scorers Justin Seeley ’18 and Martin Zafirov ’20.

less. Raheem Brown ’17 poured in 70 goals and earned the program’s first Mid-Atlantic West Region All-Conference award.

VOLLEYBALL The team’s leaders in kills, assists, digs and blocks will all return for coach Kari Shimmin’s team in 2017—and most will be around for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, too. The young Scots posted a 7-18 mark, placing ninth in the league, but Shimmin will count on talented players like Becca Dabrowski (194 kills), Carley Bergerhouse (304 digs), Laura Dulee (660 assists) and Lauren Sperry (46 blocks) moving forward. Only Dabrowski, who edged sophomore classmate Ali Gustafson by five kills, was not in her first year with the Scots.

WOMEN’S TENNIS During a rebuilding year that re-

MEN’S WATER POLO

sulted in a 1-12 record, Kat Hinman

It was a season of close calls for coach Peter Ollis’s squad, which posted a 3-12 record. Half of those setbacks came by three goals or

’18 proved to be a solid No. 1 player, posting five singles wins and combining with Rachael Leifheit ’19 for four doubles victories.

SPRING 2017

SUMMER’S A GOLDEN TIME FOR ALUMNI REUNIONS By Barry McNamara

olding the Golden Scots Celebration in June is all about “time.” It would be tempting to hold the annual reunion event in conjunction with another of the College’s celebrations—Commencement, Family Weekend or Homecoming. But count Dick Yahnke ’66 among the converts from that thought. “ there’s always a discussion on when do you have this event,” said Yahnke, who served on the committee for his class’s 50th reunion at last year’s Golden Scots Celebration. “The heartstrings say have it Homecoming, when you can go to a football game and see the campus alive. We had a fair bit of discussion about that and some gnashing of teeth.” But June won out, and now Yahnke wouldn’t have it any other way. “What people ultimately realize is that holding the Golden Scots Celebration in June

allows for more quality programming, more attention from staff and, most importantly, the ability to mix and talk and just be together,” he said. “Folks would be disappointed, not being able to have the type of fraternizing we did—the meet and greet.” Yahnke and his wife, Lee, enjoyed that aspect of the weekend the most. “It’s the ability to catch up with people you were close to,” said Yahnke. “That, to me, is the highlight of the experience. Everything else is just frosting on the cake.” In 2016, that frosting included mem– orable programs, such as Anthony Perzigian ’66 speaking about his recent experiences in Egypt, and a panel of 1966 alumnae comparing and contrasting their experiences as women on campus with the opportunities for women today. It also included a Saturday night “sock hop, or whatever you want At an opening-night picnic, Dick Yahnke ’66 [wearing cap] reconnects with, from left, classmates John Serbin ’66 and Dennis Deegan ’66. Joining them are Serbin’s wife, Paula, along with Monmouth College First Lady Lobie Stone and President Clarence Wyatt.

V I E W A V I D EO

bit.ly/mc-golden-scots

A Saturday evening sock hop is an exhilirating way to cap off the final night of Golden Scots Celebration.

to call it,” said Yahnke. “They had a DJ playing songs from our era, and everybody really enjoyed that.” “There were so many opportunities to do things together that were enjoyable, like campus tours or the garden or stargazing through the telescope,” said Barb Baughman Killey ’66. “All the activities were not only interesting, but fun.” In addition to the more leisurely pace that is possible in June, Yahnke noted other advantages. “The College’s staff is so supportive of Golden Scots, and they simply wouldn’t

have the wherewithal to provide that type of support during Homecoming weekend,” he said. “They’d simply be spread too thin.” He also said that the College wouldn’t be able to host alumni on campus. During the Golden Scots Celebration, most alumni take advantage of the opportunity to stay in the new, air-conditioned residence halls on the west side of campus. “If you don’t stay in the dorms, you’re missing half of the fun of the reunion,” said Killey. “When it comes right down to it, you really want to spend time with the people you haven’t seen for years. The dorm is by far and away the best opportunity to do that.” “Everybody came away from the weekend—even those of us who had thought about other dates—feeling this was the right way to do it,” said Yahnke. Golf carts and shuttles are made

available for mobility around campus. And alumni have access to places and spaces that wouldn’t be feasible during the school year, such as Greek houses, classrooms and common spaces across campus. Besides Monmouth staff support, Yahnke said a year’s worth of planning by a committee of more than a dozen members of the Class of 1966 proved very useful and “was a major factor in bringing it all together.” A few committee members attended the 2015 celebration to gain valuable insights, and Yahnke said members of the Class of 1967—who will celebrate their 50th reunion at this year’s event, June 8-11— scouted last year’s event. “I was visiting with Bill (’67) and Frankie White Wollma (’66),” said Killey, “Bill’s advice for his ’67 classmates was, ‘Do it exactly like (the Class of 1966) did it, and it will be great. It was like a well-oiled machine, but it didn’t feel like a machine. It felt very personal.” “I encourage everyone to come back,” said Yahnke. “It’s an opportunity to see how great Monmouth is and how great it will become. And I think it also inspires some people to say, ‘You know what? It’s time to give back’ and contribute in ways that will help the College rise even higher.” Killey agreed. “It made you very proud to be a Monmouth College graduate,” she said. “It made everybody excited for and appreciative of the College.”

A traditional chapel service provides a nostalgic wrapup to the weekend, prior to departures on Sunday morning.

SPRING 2017

LEGE

TH COL U O M N O

Y A D S SCOT M

4.18.201

Young alumni couple endows student prize BY BARRY McNAMARA

athan ’04 and laura haumiller gaskill ’06 are big believers in Monmouth College’s accounting program. So they created a prize to recognize outstanding accounting students at the College. Nathan said the Nathan & Laura Gaskill Accounting Prize is “a natural extension” of his relationship with his alma mater and the larger Warren County community. “A few years after I graduated, I started an internship program for Monmouth students with (accounting professors) Judy (Peterson) and Frank (Gersich),” said Nathan, who is a partner at Lauterbach & Amen LLP in Warrenville, Ill. “Through the years, our firm has hired Monmouth people and given Monmouth students a lot of internships.” While considering options to expand upon that, the Gaskills got in touch with Gena Corbin Alcorn ’88, Monmouth’s development and major gifts operations officer. “She walked us through how to do it,” said Nathan of the couple’s gift, which is already in effect. “We talked about scholarships and prizes and what we could do that would have a long-term effect.” Alcorn said: “Nathan and Laura’s gift is a good example of how younger alumni can get involved in supporting Monmouth. Endowing a prize or a scholarship really makes a difference in our students’ lives, and we can work with the donor to make sure they’re comfortable with how the gift is funded.” The Gaskills, who live in Naperville, Ill., have spread their gift commitment over five years. When the end date arrives, the accounting prize will be fully endowed. It is intended for junior accounting majors, with a preference given to those with an involvement in extracurricular activities. Nathan is a strong advocate for the College’s accounting program because of how well it prepares students for the profession. “I think the best part of it was that it’s so specific,” he said. “I know some of the students I started the program with switched to a business administration major. I’ve found that it’s better to have your degree in accounting, as opposed to a more general major.” While Nathan was studying accounting, Laura majored in communication studies. She runs her own marketing and public relations consulting company, Gaskill Creative. The Gaskills were both athletes at Monmouth—Nathan participated in football and track, and Laura played soccer.

Nathan ’04 and Laura Haumiller Gaskill ’06 with their sons, Levi (left) and Ryne.

‘We talked about scholarships and prizes and what we could do that would have a long-term effect.’ Nathan said the lessons he learned outside the classroom complemented his accounting degree. “All the extracurricular activities really helped me with time management and also taught me how to invest in myself,” he said, recalling with a laugh the hard track practices scheduled on Tuesdays and Thursdays. “I learned it was best to drink my lunch on those days.” Nathan’s preparation paid off, as he was part of two Midwest Conference-winning relay teams. On the gridiron, he was even more accomplished. The receiver and return man earned a slew of accolades, including third team All-West Region as a senior. Nathan sees the accounting prize as not only a way to give back to the College but also to his native community. “Even though I lived in the suburbs for part of the time I was growing up, I have a real attachment to Monmouth,” he said. “I graduated from Monmouth High School, and I have family in Monmouth, Roseville and Kirkwood.” Ironically, a scholarship gift had a direct influence on Nathan and Laura meeting in college. Thanks to alphabetical order, the two sat next to each other during an Honors Convocation, where they were each awarded a $1,000 prize. “Hopefully, students can have a little better future with the help our gift provides,” Nathan said.

SPRING 2017

IN THE SCOTLIGHT BY BARRY MCNAMARA

PAYSON WILD ’67 Estate planning should be smooth sailing, says veteran adviser

JEFF FORGASH

When not advising clients, Wild can often be found on Lake Michigan, where he will begin his 37th year of sailing this spring.

ike the sailboats he steers on lake michigan, Payson Wild ’67 knows how to navigate in the arena of planned giving. Founded in 2000 as Wild Associates, his firm, now North Shoreline Inc., has continued a career spent largely in the areas of development, planned giving and estate planning. “Planned giving is easy for anyone to fulfill, and it’s painless,” said Wild, who serves as president of the Evanston (Ill.) Sail & Kayak Association during his leisure time. “It’s very important to establish an estate plan, preferably with a qualified attorney. It can be very expensive if you don’t, with probate courts distributing as much as a quarter to a third of an estate to people you would have never even thought of, especially to the lawyers hired to find them.” If there is a charitable intent or a desire to leave a legacy, Wild said estate gifts are “a perfect way to do it. Charitable estate gifts require no imposition on personal cash flows and, in fact, some tax-considered charitable life-income plans can actually enhance individual flows during retirement years while providing for legacy support to charity.” He continued: “Taxes to beneficiaries can be very high on income from assets like IRAs and 401(k)s, but if they are placed in a charitable arrangement to places like Monmouth College, other less taxable assets can be designated for loved ones. Also, for people over age 70½, they can, during their lifetimes, roll over IRA assets each year to Monmouth and other charities without incurring any income tax at all. That’s better than deductions. It’s a great opportunity.” Wild called it “selfish altruism”—being selfless enough to give charitably but concerned enough with the remainder of one’s estate to assure loved ones are provided for in a tax-efficient manner. Not surprisingly, Wild and his wife, Linda, have made documented bequests to Monmouth College—in addition to gifts toward scholarship, the Monmouth Fund and an established charitable gift annuity—but his support wasn’t automatic. Wild needed to first feel a connection to the College and an appreciation for it.

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

“While our gifts to Monmouth provided tax benefits, they reflect appreciation for the opportunities Monmouth provided in the liberal arts process of learning how to learn in an increasingly changing world,” said Wild, who studied government and history. “My experience with developing relationships at Monmouth was important to me.” He said late faculty members Cecil Brett and Mary Crow were mentors when he was a Monmouth student. He credited Brett for providing an assist with his graduate school application, even though the professor was in Japan at the time. While working at Northwest Airlines, Wild asked his employer how he had managed to single out him out from a large group of applicants. “The human resource person told me he had attended a liberal arts college in Oregon, and he liked the idea of hiring a well-rounded liberal arts graduate for my position, even though I was new to airline operations at the time,” said Wild. Wild’s development career has been based in the Chicago area. It included time at Northwestern University, where he completed a master’s degree, the Illinois Institute of Technology, Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He also worked for The Alford Group, a national consulting firm, and he kept ties to it when he started his firm. His advice for success in the profession? “Networking,” he said. “It’s a relationship-building business. In planned giving—sometimes better called ‘gift planning’—you deal very intimately with donor prospects as well as colleagues in the field, so it’s important to have good relationships.” Wild credits networking with the launch of Wild Associates, as work he did for DePaul University had a ripple effect. “The people I worked with during my time on our DePaul project later scattered throughout other organizations, and as they did work elsewhere, they brought me in,” he said. “It was all due to networking.” In June, Wild hopes to renew acquaintances with some of his 50-year class during the Golden Scots Celebration, including the other four members of his Sigma Phi Epsilon pledge class from his sophomore year. “We were very close at the time, but we lost track,” he said. “The time goes fast. I’m sure everybody at every age will tell you that.”

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ALUMNI NEWS

WE WELCOME NEWS AND PHOTOS related to your career, awards, reunions or travel with your Monmouth College friends, and any other information of interest to your classmates or alumni. We also welcome announcements and photos of alumni weddings and births, as well as alumni obituaries. Please see page 37 for submission guidelines.

1957 1962 1967

60th

REUNION

JUNE 8-11, 2017

55th

REUNION

JUNE 8-11, 2017

50th

REUNION

JUNE 8-11, 2017

John Smith of Fort Collins, Colo., is the retired president of North Colorado Medical Center Foundation.

1968

Charles L. Potter Jr. of Pittsburgh has joined Tucker Arensberg PC, Pittsburgh’s ninth-largest law firm. He focuses his practice on federal, state and local taxation and advises clients on matters involving energy, natural resources, sports, and estates and trusts. Richard Wieland was appointed to the board of directors at Voxello, a developer of communication solutions for impaired hospitalized patients. He will also serve as the company’s interim chief financial officer. Wieland has more than 35 years of experience with public and private companies, most recently serving as executive vice president and CFO of Unilife Corp., a medical device company.

1969

Lee McGaan, Monmouth College professor of communication studies, was recognized in October by Warren Achievement Center for his work in pairing students with internships in the Monmouth area. McGaan, who will retire at the end of the current academic year after 30 years of service, also received the Hatch Award for Distinguished Teaching last fall.

1972 1974 1975

45th

REUNION

JUNE 8-11, 2017

Dennis Tavares of Boulder, Colo., is CIO and senior consultant-analyst at Tavares Consulting.

Don Welch, president and CEO of the Peoria (Ill.) Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, was one of the key speakers at a recent Peoria press event following Caterpillar Inc.’s announcement that it is moving its headquarters to Chicago. Presented by local economic development organizations, the conference focused on long-term diversification efforts that will help blunt the effects of the move.

World travelers Larry ’63 and Livvy Lunn Gibb ’63 of Broomfield, Colo., visited the ruins of the ancient Persian capital city of Persepolis during a vacation trip to Iran in October.

1977 1979

40th

REUNION

NOV. 3-5, 2017

Cathy Jean Cook Barnes of Roselle, Ill., retired last year from the Grant School District.

Celena Kopinski the daughter of Mark Kopinski and his wife, Debbie, of New York City, was profiled on a recent segment of CBS Sunday Morning. Celena, whom the Kopinskis adopted from China in 1992, discovered that she has a twin sister, Sarah, adopted from the same orphanage by a couple from Nashville, Tenn. The story examined twits separated at birth but later reunited.

1981

ReDonna Rodgers of Milwaukee, Wis., was the recipient of a Community Economic Development Award at the 2016 Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Minority Business Development in December. The co-founder and executive director of the Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Rodgers has developed an organization that for the past 25 years has taught success skills to more than 20,000 young people in the community.

1982

40th

REUNION

RODGERS

NOV. 3-5, 2017

John Kemp is president of Oldcastle Building Solutions, a $14 billion building materials company.

1986

Ed Brown is a vice president at PNC Bank in Libertyville, Ill. He and his wife, Deanna Walters Brown ’86, live in Grayslake, Ill.

1987

30th

REUNION

NOV. 3-5, 2017

Tim Wells of Canton, Ill., won the Fan Favorite Host award for the Sportsman Channel at the 17th annual Outdoor Sportsman Awards held in January in Las Vegas. He is host of the channel’s popular bowhunting program Relentless Pursuit.

1989

Kendra Turner Cordes of St. Louis is a legal assistant for the firm of Frankel Ribin Klein Dubin Siegel & Payne, PC in Clayton, Mo.

SPRING 2017

ALUMNI NEWS | CLASS NOTES

1990

Kevin Sefton of Lakeville, Minn., is principal attorney editor for Thomson Reuters. Kevin, who is married to Rebecca Stotler Sefton ’93, earned his J.D. degree from Northern Illinois University College of Law in 1998.

1992

25th

REUNION

NOV. 3-5, 2017

Eric Ostermeier of Minneapolis, Minn., founder and author of the non-partisan political news site Smart Politics, reports that last year his research received more than 1,000 citations from major news outlets. He was also interviewed 67 times about his research and political analysis. For the first time, his research was cited in expert testimony in U.S. District Court.

1994

2005

Amanda Harwood is assistant professor of biology and environmental studies at Alma (Mich.) College. An expert on aquatic toxicology, she holds an M.S. and a Ph.D. in zoology.

2006

Amber Marie Bowman of Davenport, Iowa, works for Modern Woodmen of America in its audit and regulatory principal department. In December, she earned the Certified Securities Compliance Professional designation from the National Society of Compliance Professionals. Kristin Johnson has been named director of curriculum and assessment for the Troy (Ill.) School District. Previously Troy’s assessment coordinator, she is responsible for developing, implementing and evaluating the district’s pre-kindergarten through eighth grade curricula. Johnson, who holds master’s degrees in educational leadership and instruction/ESL, is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of St. Francis (Ill.).

Mark Tupper of Oswego, Ill., is the chief financial officer at Rytec Corporation.

Carey Gill of Carterville, Ill., has been appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to be an at-large circuit judge in the First Judicial Circuit. After graduating summa cum laude from Monmouth, she earned her juris doctor, also summa cum laude, from the Southern Illinois University School of Law. Gill has practiced with the Carbondale firm of Barrett, Twomey, Broom, Hughes, & Hoke, LLP since 2001.

Phil Kleckler has been named football defensive coordinator for Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Ky. Kleckler, who has spent the last six seasons on the staff at Benedictine (Ill.) University, also had coaching stints at Occidental (Calif.) College and Averett (Va.) University. As defensive coordinator at Benedictine, his teams led the conference in scoring defense and rushing defense the last two seasons. As a student-athlete at Monmouth, he was a two-time all-conference selection.

1996

Bob Grimm, of Washington, D.C., has been named director of the Do Good Institute, part of a $75 million initiative to support student philanthropy work at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, where he is also holds the Levenson Family Chair for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership. The institute will conduct research on how nonprofits and philanthropy organizations can succeed.

1997

Tom Green, of Miami Beach, Fla., works in human resources for William Grant and Sons, a producer of premium Scotches and other spirits.

1998

Neil Dahlstrom, manager of corporate history and archives for Deere & Co., was interviewed in a recent PBS documentary on the Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, who designed Deere’s World Headquarters in Moline, Ill., and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Subtitled The Architect Who Saw the Future, the film aired on American Masters in December. John Sharp of Daphne, Ariz., a reporter for the Alabama Media Group, was interviewed in January on the PBS NewsHour about the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions for U.S. attorney general and why civil rights groups were concerned about his record.

2000

Katie Erickson Bennett has been appointed principal of Robert Clow Elementary School in Naperville, Ill. She had served as student services coordinator at Welch Elementary School in Naperville for the past three years. She holds a master’s degree from Concordia (Ill.) University.

2002 40

15th

REUNION

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

NOV. 3-5, 2017

Kat Neilson Schlegel of Snyder, Texas, is director of college advancement at Western Texas College.

Ryne Sherman, associate professor of psychology at Florida Atlantic University, co-authored a study in Archives of Sexual Behavior showing that there is an increased rate of sexual abstinence among millennials and iGeners (born between 1980 and 2012) compared to previous generations. Based on the University of Chicago’s General Social Survey, the study found that while the Internet has made it easy to hook up, about 15 percent of young adults ages 20 to 24 reported having no sexual partners since age 18. That compares to just 5 to 6 percent of baby boomers at the same age.

2007

10th

REUNION

NOV. 3-5, 2017

Jeff Rebholz has been named assistant coach for the Towson (Md.) University track and field program. Previously the associate head coach for track and field at Carthage (Wis.) College, he was named the 2016 Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year after coaching 55 NCAA Division III national qualifiers, 15 first-team All-Americans, 37 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin champions for throws and nine CCIW outstanding field performers.

ALUMNI NEWS | CLASS NOTES

2011

Hope Grebner Bibens of Windsor Heights, Iowa, is a political papers archivist at Drake University.

Alicia Yeakey Siefken of Burlington, Iowa, is a realtor with Century 21. Dr. Michael Blodgett has opened a chiropractic clinic in Waunakee, Wis. Blodgett, who earned his doctor of chiropractic from Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis, was one of three students there selected to help treat athletes at the University of Missouri. He also holds a master’s degree in sports science and rehab from Logan.

2012

5th

REUNION

NOV. 3-5, 2017

Gavin Halpin of St. Louis is an assistant director of admission and coordinator of the St. Louis region for Millikin (Ill.) University. His territory includes 12 southern states. Dr. Michael Blodgett ’11 has opened a chiropractic clinic in Waunakee, Wis.

Melissa Mekus is a project analyst for Ascension Health in Arlington Heights, Ill. She earned her master’s degree in economics from Western Illinois University in 2013.

2009

2013

Sean Gillen, in his first season as head football coach for Peoria (Ill.) Notre Dame High School, led the team to a 6-4 record. He previously served four years as defensive coordinator for the Irish. A former fullback and linebacker for the team, he is a 2005 Notre Dame graduate. Amy Kerulis of Westbury, N.Y., is an instructor in the School of Health Sciences at Touro College. A psychology and business major at Monmouth, she completed her master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology at Elmhurst (Ill.) College in 2015 and is working toward her doctorate in applied organizational psychology from Hofstra (N.Y.) University. Kathleen Quigley completed her Ph.D. in biology and will begin work as a postdoctoral research associate at Michigan State University.

Submission Guidelines Submit your news online at monmouthcollege. edu/alumni/updates, by email to alumni@ monmouthcollege.edu, or by mail to Monmouth College Magazine, Attn: Alumni Programs, 700 East Broadway, Monmouth IL 61462-1998. Digital photos should have a minimum resolution of 300 pixels per inch. Please include a photo caption with full names that clearly match faces, class years, date and location. We reserve the right to reject images for any reason, especially those with low resolution and those that require purchase from a photo gallery website. Submissions will be published at the discretion of the editors on a space-available basis.

Alex Brooks of Champaign, Ill., is pursuing his Ph.D. in computer science at the University of Illinois. He has previously served as a research aide at Argonne National Laboratory. Kevin Lindsay has been named marketing coordinator of Incredible Technologies in Vernon Hills, Ill., where he will help market and grow the Golden Tee Golf amusement game. He has served as Monmouth College’s web and digital marketing manager since his graduation.

2014

Jonathan Steben has been named middle/high school band and choir teacher for the AlWood (Ill.) school district. A music major at Monmouth, he has served as district instrumental band director at West Central (Ill.) High School.

LINDSAY

Christina Durante Smith is director of development for KCCDD, a Galesburg, Ill., non-profit organization serving individuals with developmental disabilites.

2015

Mariela Shaker continues to pursue her master’s degree at DePaul (Ill.) University School of Music. The world-class violinist is also much in demand as a performer. In 2016, she was the featured soloist at 12 international venues, including the International Rescue Committee’s annual dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, the Asafari and Saied Foundations in London, and a United Nations event in Geneva. Mackenzie Mahler is a teaching assistant at Illinois State University. She plans to graduate this spring with a master’s degree in communication and media studies. Coleman Reed has returned to the floor after a year away from the game as assistant coach for the Monmouth College women’s basketball team. As an undergraduate, Reed spent four years on the bench as a student assistant coach for men’s basketball. He also serves as Monmouth’s assistant director of athletics. Adam Ruble has accepted a one-year fellowship through Case Asia-Pacific to work in the development office at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia.

REED

SPRING 2017

WEDDINGS

2005 Kat Neilson and Daniel Schlegel Jr. 2009 Shannon Turczyn and Luke Reschke 2011 Hope Grebner and Robert Bibens

September 4, 2016 July 2, 2016 October 15, 2016

Sarah Wintersteen and Scott Ubbenga ’10 October 1, 2016

Kristen Wyse and Craig Wagner

July 24, 2015

2012 Megan Downey and Zack Myers

September 3, 2016

Kathleen Murtagh and Matt Jones

2013 Tori Beaty and Matt Gatlin

Lindsay Franey and David Johnson ’14

Colleen Sinclair and Roy Sye

2014 Sara Frakes and Joe Reinhardt

July 9, 2016 June 25, 2016 July 23, 2016 August 20, 2016 August 7, 2016

2015 Erin Schuch and Justin Frye ’14

May 21, 2016

Sarah Pratt and William Wilson

September 17, 2016

2016 Amber Berge and Eric Hamer

COLLEEN SINCLAIR ’13 AND ROY SYE ’13

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

Shannon Turczyn ’09 and Luke Reschke ’09 were married July 2, 2016, on the Monmouth College outdoor track. The former standout runners earned a combined 14 All-American Awards as Fighting Scots. The couple decided to hold the ceremony on the same track where they had earlier become engaged.

October 15, 2016

HOPE GREBNER ’11 AND ROBERT BIBENS

TORI BEATY ’13 AND MATT GATLIN ’13

KAT NIELSON ’05 AND DANIEL SCHLEGEL JR. (with Best Dog Buddy)

BIRTHS

2006 Nicole Kaczmarek Loy and Shane a son, Ayden Patrick September 7, 2016 2007 Amy Gustaf Freitag and Joe a daughter, Etta Grace October 18, 2016 2008 Carissa Scott Doyle and Andrew a son, Thomas Valentine October 19, 2016

LINCOLN BRADFORD STAMMEN

2004 Kari Vatch and Phil Sullivan a son, Patrick Joseph November 4, 2016 2005 Christine Del Re Kane and Erick a son, Alexander Nicholas October 5, 2016

Megan Pyle Ransbottom and Johnathan a daughter, Adelyn Lee August 4, 2016

Nicole Fisher Rhode and Chris a son, Cameron Nicholas November 17, 2016

2006 Laura and Kyle Gibbs a son, Nolan James November 8, 2016

Cassidy Eklund Murray and Dustin ’11 a daughter, Brystol Anne July 23, 2016

Heather Prater Stammen and Nick a son, Lincoln Bradford September 9, 2016

CAMERON NICHOLAS RHODE

2009 Noelle Shafer Bourne and Matt a daughter, Ingrid Rose November 8, 2016

Ashley Widdop Schurr and Brent a son, Rylan James October 5, 2016

THOMAS VALENTINE DOYLE

2010 Tayja Foutz Braun and Jared a son, Greyson Kenneth August 15, 2016 2011 Amanda and Patrick Messenger a daughter, Lillian Ruth December 13, 2016 2012 Abby Davis Cline and Kevin a daughter, Kayleigh JoLynne August 9, 2016

TOBIAS ANTHONY LEE KEIST

Leanna Waldron Keist and Derek ’11 a son, Tobias Anthony Lee December 1, 2016

2013 Ellissa Sexton a daughter, Nora Lux August 30, 2014

LILLIAN RUTH MESSENGER

NORA LUX SEXTON

PATRICK JOSEPH SULLIVAN

SPRING 2017

OBITUARIES

1940

Hannah Hinshaw Willard, 97, of Brandon, Ore., died Aug. 25, 2016. She graduated with a degree in English and was a member of Pi Beta Phi. Willard was a teacher, first for two years in Monmouth, and later in McCall, Idaho, where she also worked in the library and wrote a newspaper column. She was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years.

Lois Vriend Louie, of Sacramento, Calif., died Sept. 14, 2016. She studied French during her time at Monmouth. Elizabeth Wallace Spellman of Albuquerque, N.M., died Nov. 15, 2016. She a l s o s t ud ie d a t Northwestern (Ill.) University and the University of New Mexico, receiving a degree in education. She taught at Albuquerque Job Corps Center and Southwestern Indian Institute.

Gwendolyn Moore Krause, 88, of Kewanee, Ill., died Jan. 15, 2017. She worked a variety of jobs in Kewanee, where she was a 76-year member of First Presbyterian Church.

1951

1943

Dorothy Toomb Scott, 89, of Culdesac, Idaho, died Nov. 2, 2016. She attended Monmouth for a year and earned a provisional teaching certificate at Lewis-Clark State College. Scott worked 31 years as clerk of the school district in Culdesac, twice being named Employee of the Year by the Central Idaho Educational Office. She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years.

Norman Barker, 87, of Midland, Texas, died Dec. 2, 2016. He graduated with a degree in geology and was a member of Theta Chi, then received a master’s degree in petroleum geology from the University of Iowa. Following graduate school, Barker spent two years in the Army, conducting engineering intelligence in South Korea and Japan. In 1955, he began his lifelong career in petroleum geology and related fields, which included working for Marathon Oil and Harper Oil, among others, and also serving as a consulting and independent geologist. Survivors include his wife of nearly 64 years, Dorothy Froelich Barker ’53.

1944

William Vance of Solana Beach, Calif., died Sept. 29, 2016. He graduated with a degree in physics and was a member of the track team and Theta Chi.

Una Hulsebus Brown of Saginaw, Mich., died May 5, 2016. She graduated with a degree in physical education and was a member of Kappa Delta.

1941

Marilouise Stice Forbriger, 97, of Dayton, Ohio, died Oct. 7, 2016. She studied English and was a member of Kappa Delta. Forbriger was named Dayton’s Lady of the Year in 1957. Survivors include her husband, Carl Forbriger ’41. Martha Nesbit McFadden, 95, of Charleston, S.C., died Jan. 1, 2017. She studied elementary education and was a member of Kappa Delta before teaching in Indiana. She and her late husband retired to Clearwater, Fla., in 1985, and she moved to Charleston in 2006. Eleanor Turnbull Sassano of Yorktown Heights, N.Y., died in the summer of 2016. She was a member of the synchronized swim team and Pi Beta Phi. Sassano was preceded in death by sisters Katherine Turnbull Campbell ’34 and Marjorie Turnbull Fritz ’35.

1946

Maralee Hendee Burgard, 92, of Peoria, Ill., died Nov. 8, 2016. She studied business administration and was a member of Kappa Delta. Burgard’s professions included dental assistant, federal employment examiner and realtor. She was preceded in death by her husband of 66 years. Loren Berg Burley of Littleton, Colo., died Oct. 6, 2012. She studied chemistry and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.

1947

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

1948

1950

Walter Kendall, 87, of Kenosha , Wis., died Oct. 26, 2016. He majored in political science and was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon. Kendall served in the Army during the Korean War and worked 35 years for various insurance agencies in the Kenosha area, retiring in 1992. He was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years.

John Suydam, 86, of Kennett Square, Pa., died Dec. 7, 2016. He majored in biology and was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon. Suydam earned a master’s degree in education from New York University, then served in the Army. He spent his career in education, including nearly two decades as a junior high school principal.

1952

William Carlson, 86, of Canton, Mich., died Jan. 5, 2013. He majored in business administration and was a member of Alpha Tau Omega. A Navy veteran, he enjoyed a successful career in the steel forgings industry in Chicago, Pittsburgh and Detroit.

ALUMNI NEWS | OBITUARIES

IN MEMORIA M

Bob McKee ’58 Bob McKee, 80, of Sun City West, Ariz., an M Club Hall of Fame inductee, died Dec. 24, 2016. A four-sport athlete, McKee won 10 letters and was one of Monmouth’s “Three Macs,” along with Jerry McBride ’57 and the late Bob McLoskey ’58, two other athletes who also starred at Monmouth High School before becoming Fighting Scots. “They thrilled Monmouth sports fans in basketball, football, track and baseball,” remembers one local fan. “Anyone living around here at that time would remember the ‘Three Macs’ and Bob McKee. Monmouth was very important to him.” An end in football, McKee was named first team All-Midwest Conference during his junior and senior seasons and was chosen co-captain of the all-state football team. He was later drafted by the world-champion Baltimore Colts and played wide receiver behind standout Raymond Berry, nearly making the team as its punter. In basketball, McKee was selected to the conference’s second team during the Scots’ championship basketball season in 1956-57. He also was the MWC 120-yard high hurdle champion in 1957 and 1958. In addition to his athletic laurels, McKee was an outstanding student leader. “He had a physique like a Greek god and was so aggressive in everything that he ever did,” recalled McBride. “He was a sportsmen and well-liked by everyone. I can’t say enough about him.” McKee attended graduate school at the University of Wyoming, serving two years as a graduate assistant football coach, and spent his career as a geologist. He was preceded in death by his wife, Nancy Nevius McKee ’59.

1953 2016.

Joan Pura McElwain, 84, of Burbank, Calif., died Nov. 15,

Joy Fletcher Nicklas, 85, of Gibsonia, Pa., died Jan. 17, 2017. She graduated with a degree in history and was a member of Alpha Xi Delta. A 63-year member of the First Presbyterian Church of Bakerstown, she was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years.

1954

Richard Huntoon, 84, of Tomahawk, Wis., died Jan. 2, 2017. He studied chemistry and was a member of Theta Chi before completing a degree in chemistry at the University of Illinois. After four years of service in Army, he began a career in aerospace research and design, doing much of that work at Rockwell International, retiring in 1995. For the past 21 years, he was adjunct faculty for two colleges, including Upper Iowa University’s Wausau, Wis., campus. Huntoon, who also studied music, had a private piano studio and directed bands and choirs. Survivors include his

wife of 63 years, Jean Robb Huntoon ’54. Myrna Anglemier Schaller of Morrison, Colo., died Dec. 12, 2015. She studied elementary education and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.

1955

Shirley Myers Bush, 83, of Monmouth, died Nov. 10, 2016. She graduated with a degree in physical education and was a member of the Dolphins and Pi Beta Phi. Marjorie Krug Phelps, 88, of Monmouth, died Nov. 4, 2016. After receiving a degree from the Galesburg Cottage Hospital School of Nursing, she graduated from Monmouth with a degree in biology. Once her children were grown, she returned to nursing, finding her true calling as a school nurse, including 20 years for Monmouth’s District 38.

She was preceded in death by her husband, David Phelps ’50, and survivors include a daughter, former faculty member Ann Phelps.

1956

Martha Anderson Albaugh of Placentia, Calif., died May 28, 2015. She studied chemistry and was a member of Kappa Delta. Survivors include her husband, David Albaugh ’58.

1957

Ronald Reed, 81, of Crystal Lake, Ill., died Jan. 5, 2017. He graduated with a degree in speech communication and theater arts and was a member of Crimson Masque. He taught in Crystal Lake’s District 47 for many years. After receiving his master’s degree from Northern Illinois University, he served as a speech/language pathologist in the same district.

1961

Dwight Smith, 76, of Cathedral City, Calif., died Aug. 17, 2016. He majored in physics and was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon and Crimson Masque. He was a middle school science teacher, and then became involved with real estate and property management.

1962

Carol Lavigna Ackerknecht, 75, of Sylmar, Calif., died Dec. 15, 2015. She studied history and was a member of Alpha Xi Delta before receiving degree from the University of Michigan and California State University-Northridge. She was a teacher, magazine editor, freelance writer and technical editor. Priscilla “Pat” Smith Barr, 76, of Belvidere, Ill., died Jan. 12, 2017. An alumna of Kappa Delta, she was the owner of Barr’s Flowers & Greenhouse in Belvidere.

1964

Alvin Hershberger of Buffalo, N.Y., died May 31, 2016. He taught at the University of Buffalo and for 10 years was head of the Cooks Guild for Barony Rhydderich Hael of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Lee Masser, 72, of Louisville, Ky., died July 19, 2015.

1966

The Rev. Floyd Case, 90, of O’Fallon, Mo., died May 22, 2016. A Navy veteran of World War II, he graduated Monmouth with a degree in religious studies.

SPRING 2017

Marcia Welzel, 72, of Naperville, Ill., died Dec. 22, 2016, following a courageous fight against cancer. She studied psychology for three years at Monmouth and was a member of Alpha Xi Delta. Welzel also attended North Central (Ill.) College and the Northwestern (Ill.) School of Nursing.

1967

Dean Guenther, 73, of Clarksville, Tenn., died April 22, 2015, of complications due to a stroke. He completed his degree at Eastern Illinois University. Guenther served in the Air Force and Army as a helicopter pilot from 1959 to 1972, and had a tour in Vietnam, where he earned the Bronze Star for Meritorious Achievement. After his military service, he continued to work flying helicopters until 2013. Eugene Osborne of Stacy, Minn., died Jan. 8, 2015.

1969

Robert Calhoun, 69, of St. Louis, Mo., died Oct. 12, 2016, of a heart attack while on a hunting trip in Montana. He graduated with a degree in history and was a member of the football team and Theta Chi.

1970

Paul Magner of Miramar Beach, Fla., died Nov. 27, 2016. He also studied at the University of Connecticut and served in the Air Force. Magner was chief financial officer of P&G Magner Real Estate Investments. John Murray of Osprey, Fla., died Oct. 15, 2014. He graduated with a degree in business administration.

1973

Karen Fencik, 64, of Oak Park, Ill., died in March 2016. She studied English.

1974

Judith Adelmann, 64, of Peosta, Iowa, died Dec. 18, 2016. She majored in special education and worked in that field, as well as other professions, including serving as administrative director of Tri-State Pregnancy Center.

Catherine ‘Kitty’ Freed Catherine “Kitty” Freed, the wife of former Monmouth College President DeBow Freed, died Nov. 25, 2016, at her home in Ada, Ohio. The first lady of Monmouth College from 1974 to 1979 would have turned 91 on Dec. 1. Mrs. Freed earned her bachelor of arts and bachelor of fine arts degrees at the University of Texas, with honors which included Phi Beta Kappa, and her master of arts from the University of Kansas, and Doctor of Fine Arts (honorary) from Ohio Northern University. Highly knowledgeable about the arts, she accumulated a superb collection of art and antiques which she used to furnish Quinby House and other residences in which she and her husband lived. She made the homes, yards and gardens into showplaces. After marrying DeBow Freed, a West Point graduate, she and her husband devoted several years to military service in the United States and abroad, before deciding to go into private church-related higher education, in keeping with their commitment to public service. That led to her husband’s deanship of Mount Union College for five years, and presidencies of Monmouth College for five years, Ohio Northern University for 20 years, and the University of Findlay for seven years, for a total of 32 years as president. She was a full partner with her husband in their higher education service, contributed greatly to the success of the institutions they served, and was very active in campus and community affairs wherever they lived. She taught at the Universities of Kansas and New Mexico, and at colleges near other locations where the Freeds lived. She was a lay pastor in the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches, and was an elder and elected head of the largest Presbytery in the country at the time. She regularly conducted worship services and taught Bible study classes. The Performing Arts Center at Ohio Northern University is named for her, as is the annual outstanding senior female student leadership and service award at Ohio Northern University, the Catherine Freed Mortar Board Chapter at the University of Findlay and the Freed Contemporary Christian Lecture Series of the University of Findlay and Winebrenner Theological Seminary. She is prominently included in the room which is dedicated to the Freeds at West Point and in the book, West Point Leadership, Profiles of Courage, which profiles 180 West Point graduates since its founding who are characterized as having helped to shape our world.

1977

Robert Bass of Maple, Wis., died May 15, 2016. Survivors include his wife, Malissa Oliver Bass ’76.

accounting at Illinois State University, which he utilized for his career in the field of property management. He was preceded in death by his father, Monmouth professor Robert Buchholz. Survivors include his mother, Mona Buchholz, and a brother, Mark Buchholz ’71.

Dan Buchholz, 63, of Peoria, Ariz., died Jan. 13, 2017. He studied business administration before completing a degree in

Daniel Welch, 62, of Chicago, died Nov. 11, 2014. He graduated with a degree in physical education.

1976

Michael Lindy, 62, of Largo, Fla., died Nov. 15, 2016, of multiple myeloma cancer. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

IN MEMORIA M

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

1980 28, 2015.

Theresa Stefanowski Woody, 58, of Rockford, Ill., died Nov.

1985

Thomas Cinquina Jr., 53, of St. Louis, Mo., died March 31, 2016. He graduated with a degree in philosophy and was a member of Alpha Tau Omega and Crimson Masque. He is survived by his wife, Cindy Gladkowski Cinquina ’85.

1987

Rickey Davis, 48, of Lake Ozark, Mo., died Sept. 16, 2013. He studied computer science and was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon.

2014

Kyle Warwick, 27, of Pontiac, Ill., died Nov. 17, 2016. He graduated with a degree in classics and was a member of several music groups. He was a cook for several restaurants in the Pontiac area.

FORMER FACULTY AND STAFF Mary Huntoon Fleming, a longtime instructor in physical education died Dec. 1, 2016, at the age of 92. Mary began teaching in the physical education department in 1946, following her graduation from MacMurray (Ill.) College.

She married the late David Fleming ’46 in 1947, a Monmouth College administrator and later a College trustee. She served as adviser to Alpha Lambda Delta, the Student Affairs Committee and the women’s basketball team. She also advised and directed the Dolphin Club, which annually presented synchronized swimming shows.

In 2006, Monmouth College dedicated Fleming Plaza, near Wallace Hall, in honor of Mary and her husband. She was a member of the 1853 Society, the McMichael Heritage Society and the Loyal Scots Society. She is survived by three sons, including Joel Fleming of Monmouth, a former member of the College’s maintenance staff; and seven grandchildren, including Michael Fleming ’07. Trudy Hickok of Menlo Park, Calif., who worked in the College’s business office from 1966-84, died Nov. 28, 2016.

SPRING 2017

THE LAST WORD

WHY WE ALL SHOULD CARE ABOUT HEALTH CARE

ealth care is in the news, no matter where you look. Whether it is a repeal of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), soaring drug prices or mergers of insurance companies or health systems, there is enough national news to make your head spin. So why bring up Global Public Health? Two short words that created global panic: Ebola and Zika, infectious diseases that normally had been limited to developing countries and safely far from our shores. Little did we imagine the impact the explosion in international travel would have on the spread of disease. It has created a great deal of panic and fear across the globe and unprecedented public expenditures for research and treatment. It will be incumbent on professionals far beyond the health care industry, such as legislators, to grapple with issues of funding. An underappreciated part of the story is the diligent cooperative work of the global infectious disease experts. The focus to identify the hot spots, methods of spread, effective treatments, screening techniques, identification of travelers and prevention recommendations was remarkable. Clinicians working together with the support of various governments helped to contain these highly contagious diseases and limit the spread. Infectious diseases grab the headlines, but global health strategies have been growing for years. The Institute of Healthcare Improvement, out of Boston, has brought global strategies together for sharing and spreading over the past couple of decades. Learning from other countries that have developed better practices for immunization, elder care and other health concerns is stimulating. The United States’ development of telehealth services to support remote or underserved areas, predictive analytics to identify at-risk populations, and a host of new delivery models are a few of our contributions. The IHI also created the Triple Aim of improved health, improved care and lower costs. These goals are aligned with public health principles. Student interest in public health is skyrocketing and their commitment is demonstrated by their eager support for non-governmental organizations,

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

DR. RALPH VELAZQUEZ JR. ’79

such as the Peace Corps. NGOs are among the primary deliverers of health support and education to the developing world. Many colleges and universities have added undergraduate majors to meet this demand for public health education and training. A recent survey by the Association of American Colleges and Universities found that about 16 percent of their member schools offer public health majors or minors. Nearly two-thirds of those schools require students to conduct fieldwork or research. I have recently had the pleasure of working with a group of young clinicians that focus on underserved, poor neighborhoods and the senior population in those areas. They offer affordable, high-quality care for these typically isolated elderly. Free transportation is provided to the clinic as well as a community room for socialization in a safe environment. And where do they find staff members? They attract young adults who have worked for NGOs and are experienced in working in environments of scarcity. They have learned to be resourceful while serving the public good. Young people with exploring minds who have grown up in non-linear networks of learning are eager to ask questions that have not been considered before and seek new solutions. The social networking, crowd sourcing and open architecture approaches offer great potential that we are just starting to appreciate. Monmouth College is uniquely positioned to grow a robust global health program. The interdisciplinary model introduced in 2013 with the opening of the Center for Science and Business directly mirrors the real-world interaction between scientists and business persons that will be required to address global public health issues. Global health opportunities will only grow and offering Monmouth College as a test plot for future scholars is a noble and fitting example of “thinking anew and acting anew.” Dr. Ralph Velazquez is senior vice president for care management at OSF HealthCare Systems in Peoria, Ill. A member of the Monmouth College Board of Trustees since 2001, he holds a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine.

“I want Monmouth students to be just as prepared when they graduate as I was.” Jeff Bakker ’90 grew into a leader as a member of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. In the classroom, the future lawyer learned critical thinking and how to persuasively express his thoughts.

AT MONMOUTH COLLEGE,

“I became a member of the 1853 Society because recent political events and their aftermath caused me to reflect on times at Monmouth College—when ideas were shared and debated, sometimes fiercely, without damaging relationships,” Baker said. “Being a member of the 1853 Society also gives me a way to support the Monmouth Fund, which provides scholarships to students.”

Named to honor the the College’s founding year, the 1853 Society recognizes donors who give a minimum of $1,000 annually. For more information on the society and how you can become a member, contact the Office of Development and College Relations at mharrod@monmouthcollege.edu or 888-827-8268.

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Special reunions for the classes of 1952 1957 1962 1967 1972

Silver Award for Excellence in Special Events: 2016 Golden Scots Celebration