Vol. LXXI, No. 2
Environmental Champions 18 Tony Taffs’ Music Lives on in Cyberspace 22 Homecoming Reunions Set Records 60
IoTriumphe! fall
2006
T he M agazine
for
A lumni
and
F riends
of
A lbion C ollege
Opening New Vistas Albion’s redesigned science facilities encourage innovation
Make a difference now in the life of an Albion student! Your gift of $1,835 to the Peter T. Mitchell Scholarship Fund will provide assistance to a worthy student and honor President Mitchell’s legacy at the same time.
The scholarship fund has been established in conjunction with the Baird Challenge and the College’s 1835 Society. Richard L. Baird, ’78, chairman of the Albion College Board of Trustees, has generously provided a $1,000,000 challenge gift to stimulate membership in the 1835 Society, a giv‑ ing club that recognizes Albion College’s founding year and encourages contributions of $1,835 for annual scholarship support. Your gift will help us meet the terms of the Baird Challenge. Mitchell Scholarships in the amount of $1,835 annually will first be awarded for the 2007‑08 school year. To learn more about giving to the Mitchell Scholarship Fund, please call the Office of Institutional Advancement at 517/629-0446.
IoTriumphe!
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The Peter T. Mitchell Scholarship is named in honor of Albion College’s 14th president. This annual scholarship fund, created after President Mitchell’s announce‑ ment of his plan to retire June 30, 2007, pays tribute to his deep and abiding com‑ mitment to students.
fall 2006
Wildflowers and tall grasses add to the science complex’s new “green building” features.
Features
8
Brilliant! The sciences sparkle in our new facilities.
18
Departments
Tony Taffs’ rich musical legacy is now preserved . . . in cyberspace.
Environmental Champions Meet four students who ‘walk the walk’ on protecting the environment and teach others to do the same.
3
Briton Bits
24
Albionotes
60
Alumni Association News
65
Li’l Brits
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Susan Sadler is a partner in the law firm of Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy, The Lux Fiat Society ($50,000 and above) Albion College Io Triumphe! Society ($25,000-$49,999) and Sadler,The PLC, in Bloomfield Giving Societies The Trustees’ Circle ($10,000-$24,999) Hills, Mich. She is currently a The President’s member of Albion College’sAssociates Alumni ($5,000-$9,999) Purple & Gold Society ($2,500-$4,999) Association The Board of Directors. The 1835 Society ($1,835) The Briton Round Table ($1,000-$2,499) The Crest Club ($500-$999) The Shield Club ($100-$499) The Stockwell Society (Deferred gifts)
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‘Piping down the Valleys Wild’
Make your gift online at: www.albion.edu/alumni/makinggift.asp
office of institutional advancement 611 e. porter st. albion, mi 49224 517/629-0242 advancement@albion.edu www.albion.edu/alumnigiving.asp
The Magazine for Alumni and Friends of Albion College
8 Cover photo: Justin Maconochie
22
Perspect!ves
IoTriumphe! T h e late st n e ws aro u n d camp u s
Magazine Staff
Br !ton B!ts
Editor: Sarah Briggs Contributing Writers: Morris Arvoy, ’90, Jake Weber, Bobby Lee Class Notes Writers: Nikole Lee, Luann Shepherd
| Io Triumphe!
The opportunities for learning at Albion extend far beyond the campus. Consider these observations from Katherine Dixon, ’06, as she was about to graduate last spring: My time at Albion College has been filled with amazing experiences that I never imagined possible when I entered as a freshman. Since I have been at Albion, I have done research at Yale University, studied in France, competed on the equestrian team, and led my peers as the president of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity. I have met and learned from a broad array of people, including professors and leaders in the Albion community. The knowledge I have gained inside and out of the classroom has been priceless, and has helped shape me into the person I am. It has been a privilege to attend Albion College. . . . Though they attended Albion more than 40 years apart, Katherine Dixon and Rick Smith have much in common. They made the most of their Albion experience, and they treasure the opportunities they had here. Smith closed his remarks with this thought: “I learned at Albion . . . that life should be lived at the highest level of joy possible.” And he wished the same for today’s students. So take a few moments today and think about the discoveries and the passions that have grown from your own Albion experi‑ ence. As with Katherine and Rick, we hope those reflections leave you with a sense of joy and amazement too.
The campus community has paid tribute to philosophy professor Ned Garvin in many ways since he passed away last June. The Rock even received this special paint job celebrating Garvin’s love of Harley Davidson motorcycles and fly-fishing. Also inscribed was a quote from Garvin’s departmental colleague Gene Cline at a ceremony held on campus earlier this fall. Garvin reminded us, Cline said, that “we don’t stop playing because we get old; we get old because we stop playing.” For more remembrances of Ned Garvin, please go to page 59.
Io Triumphe! is published three times annually by the Office of Communications, Albion College, 611 E. Porter St., Albion, MI 49224. It is distrib‑ uted free to alumni and friends of the College. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Office of Communications, Albion College, 611 E. Porter St., Albion, MI 49224. World Wide Web: www.albion.edu Albion College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity and non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability, as protected by law, in all educational programs and activities, admission of students, and conditions of employment. About Our Name The unusual name for this publication comes from a yell written by members of the Class of 1900. The beginning words of the yell, “Io Triumphe!,” were probably borrowed from the poems of the Roman writer, Horace. Some phrases were taken from other college yells and others from a Greek play presented on campus during the period. In 1936, the alumni of Albion College voted to name their magazine after the yell which by then had become a College tradition. For years, Albion’s incoming students have learned these lines by heart: Io Triumphe! Io Triumphe! Haben swaben rebecca le animor Whoop te whoop te sheller de-vere De-boom de ral de-i de-pa— Hooneka henaka whack a whack A-hob dob balde bora bolde bara Con slomade hob dob rah! Al-bi-on Rah!
New Directors Settle in at Ford, Gerstacker Institutes Albion College has named a health policy expert and a strategic manage‑ ment specialist as the respective direc‑ tors of the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Public Policy and Service and the Carl A. Gerstacker Liberal Arts Institute for Professional Management. Alfred Pheley comes to the Ford Institute after serving as a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow at the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine in Washington, D.C. He has spent most of his career working to improve health care quality, serving previously as a professor and chair of the Community and Rural Medicine Department at the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine at Virginia Tech and as head of the preven‑
staff news
In accepting his Distinguished Alumni Award at this year’s Homecoming, Rick Smith, ’60, remarked, “My four years at Albion College ignited in me a lifelong intellectual curiosity.” That curiosity, he said, prompted him to look beneath the sur‑ face of things and to seek new and different avenues for learning. And it would propel him from his first job as a middle-school language arts teacher to top leadership roles within the National Park Service and as an environmental advocate throughout Latin America. Providing an environment in which students can explore and imagine is what Albion College does best. While some may think that the small college setting is limit‑ ing, we at Albion contend that it is liberat‑ ing. Because of the exceptional mentoring offered by our faculty, and because of the remarkable opportunities available here, our students truly do learn to think creatively, to make discoveries, to identify ways they can improve the human condition. These are the lessons that stay with them throughout their lives. Our newly renovated and expanded sci‑ ence complex, the subject of our cover story in this edition, is emblematic of the spirit of inquiry that pervades an Albion educa‑ tion. In its design, it encourages exchanges across disciplines, supports the pursuit of new knowledge, and expands our under‑ standing of the interaction of humans and their environment. We are excited by the potential it offers for our entire community to talk about scientific ideas and how those relate to our daily lives.
Web Manager: Nicole Rhoads
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The Albion Experience: ‘Priceless’
the Rock
Design: Susan Carol Rowe
tive medicine and public health program at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He earned a Ph.D. in epidemiol‑ ogy at the University of Minnesota. Pheley said he plans to further develop the Ford Institute’s international, federal, and state relationships, and to focus on President Ford’s leadership legacy. He suc‑ ceeds Thomas Padgett, ’65, who retired after four years as director. Michael Frandsen, the Gerstacker Institute’s new director, joined Albion’s Department of Economics and Management faculty in 2004 and will continue to teach one to two courses each year. He previously taught at Juniata College for five years and worked in corporate finance for more than 10 years. He holds a Ph.D. in management
Pheley
Frandsen
from the University of Texas, Austin and an M.B.A. from Pennsylvania State University. Frandsen said he intends to strengthen the connection between the Gerstacker Institute’s internship program and its aca‑ demic offerings. He follows W.C. “Butch” Dyer who left the College to return to private industry. Fall 2006 |
Br!ton B!ts
| Io Triumphe!
With the announcement of President Mitchell’s retirement, a search has begun for Albion’s next president. Nominations are welcome. For more information on the search, including a candidate profile and details on the process, go to: www.albion. edu/presidentialsearch/ .
fare finds
Border Flair
If they’ve cooked churrascos (steak marinated with whole scallions) that day, and you are early enough to get some, there’s no need to read the menu at Jackson’s El Ranchito Restaurant and Grocery. Otherwise, it can be tough to choose one of the traditional Guatemalan and Mexican dishes cooked steps from your table, usually by owner Mariano Caal (the surname’s Mayan). For $2.50 you get chips and three of five homemade dipping sauces ranging from nuclear to cool-andcreamy. Student-friendly prices and their catering for Albion’s Organization for Latino/a Awareness also make El Ranchito a campus cult favorite. 1103 E. Ganson St., Jackson, 517/841-4377.
Albion first lady Becky Mitchell, shown with President Peter Mitchell, ’67, was awarded an honorary doctorate at the 2006 Opening Convocation. Over the past decade, she has been a strong advocate for expanded educational opportunities for Albion’s children.
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South-of-the-
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Kids ’N’ Stuff museum, and continues to chair its board. The interactive children’s museum in downtown Albion has attracted over 90,000 visitors since it opened in September 2002. Together with her board and staff, Mitchell has raised $1.3-million for the museum, which doubled in size in 2005. In addition, she served for four years as a member of the Albion Public Schools Board of Education, and created the Albion Community Foundation’s Art in the Public Places project. Also honored at the Opening Convocation were the recipients of endowed professorships, including: Geoffrey Cocks, Julian S. Rammelkamp Professor of History; Andrew Grossman, Royal G. Hall Professor of Social Sciences; Dale Kennedy, A. Merton Chickering Professor of Biology; and Selva Raj, Stanley S. Kresge Professor of Religious Studies.
‘Maymester’ Planned innovations
Working with teachers from the Albion Public Schools, Albion College’s Education Department has developed an innovative new field experience course for juniors who will engage in student teaching during the next academic year. Dubbed “Maymester,” the course will begin with a weekly seminar during the spring semester and then continue in an intensive three-week session in May. It will involve the students in observing and teaching in area classrooms. The program also fulfills a need for the students to work with children from diverse backgrounds. Last June, Albion faculty and students, along with 19 local teachers and two commu‑ nity representatives, met to map out the pro‑ gram which begins in 2007. “Collaborating with school teachers, administrators, commu‑ nity members, and college faculty from across disciplines, as we have in developing the Maymester, represents the cutting edge of best practices in teacher education,” notes Suellyn Henke, Education Department chair.
Stellar Views
understand the distances between the stars and their relative positions in space. Zellner plans to use the stellarium in her astronomy courses, as well as with visiting school groups.
By Jake Weber It’s not quite C.S. Lewis’ magic ward‑ robe, but a little room in Albion’s sci‑ ence complex does open into a whole new world. This summer, the Physics Department installed a stellarium, a three-dimensional model of the 253 stars in our nearby space “neighbor‑ hood,” which is an intimate 28.7 light years across. “Our galaxy is 100 light years across, and contains around 200 billion stars,” says Nicolle Zellner, a lunar researcher and physics professor at Albion. “This stellarium represents just a tiny part of it.” The stellarium, a glass cube approxi‑ mately three feet on a side, depicts familiar stars such as Alpha Centauri, Vega, Sirius, and the sun, and helps students better
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Presidential Search Launched D. TRUMPIE PHOTO
President Peter Mitchell delivered the Stoffer Lecture at Albion’s 2006 Opening Convocation. In addressing the crowd of more than 1,200 students, faculty, alumni, and community residents gathered in Goodrich Chapel, Mitchell drew from his personal experiences and a life spent in higher education. For the complete text of the speech, go to: www.albion.edu/ac_news/ releases2006-07/stoffer2006mitchellspeech.asp .
At this fall’s Opening Convocation, Albion first lady Becky Mitchell received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree, in recognition of her efforts to advance education and the arts in south-central Michigan. A former early childhood educator and administrator, Mitchell has had significant involvement in educational issues in Albion over the past decade. She founded Albion’s
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transitions
This summer, I announced my decision to retire as Albion College’s presi‑ dent, effective June 30, 2007. When I accepted the presidency, I promised the Board of Trustees that I would serve for 10 years, and I will honor that promise with joy and thanksgiving. I will con‑ tinue as chancellor for Albion through June 2009 in order to ensure a smooth transition for my successor. A search for Albion’s next president has begun and should be completed by early 2007. What a wonderful ride this has been! I thank our faculty for what they have accomplished, and even more for what they mean in the lives of our students and in my life. With creativity and commitment, they crafted and implemented a remarkable vision for Albion’s future, which has enriched and energized our academic programs. Albion’s staff has been incredibly supportive as well, consistently showing a deep and abiding affection for students and a dedication to the highest professional standards. I will cherish the friendships we have developed. This fac‑ ulty and staff have made it a joy to come to work every day. We’ve shared many times of laughter, and we’ve shared some sorrow and difficult decisions, but always there has been an ethos of compassion and genuine caring. I also wish to thank you, our alumni, parents, and friends, for all the ways you have helped make my presidency a success. You believed in our vision and have gener‑ ously supported our $140-million LIBERAL ARTS AT WORK capital campaign through
Becky Mitchell Honored for Community Role
explorations
your gifts; the campaign will end successfully later this year. The impact of your giving is evident all around us, as the campus community lives, works, and plays in such marvelous new facilities as the William C. Ferguson Student, Technology, and Administrative Services Building; President Peter Mitchell, ’67, (center) visits with Richard and Marilyn Young the Mae Harrison Vitek, both ’56, at Homecoming 2006. Karro Residential Village; the Paul W. Ungrodt Tennis Center; to do with the time remaining to us (and we and the Nancy G. Held Equestrian Center. hope that is a good many years yet!). And, thanks to you, our science facilities In the coming year, I will be keeping the have been vastly improved with the addition same energetic pace, including traveling one of Bruce A. Kresge Hall and the renovation last time to meet with alumni in locations of Palenske and Putnam halls and Norris across the country. The Office of Alumni and Center. I am grateful for all we have accom‑ Parent Relations has prepared a schedule for plished together. these events, which appears on page 61. As confident as I am about the future of I look forward to visiting with as many of Albion College and as much as I enjoy work‑ you as I can and sharing with you my pride ing with all of you, I love my family and I in Albion’s past and present and my optimism adore my wife even more. For 23 years and for its future. And I will ask you to give my three presidencies, Becky and I have lived a successor your wholehearted support, just as 24/7/365 immersion in campus life. Now you have given it to me. it’s time to do the things Becky and I have Thank you for all you have come to mean talked about and dreamed about. With the to Becky and me, and especially for all you do more relaxed pace of the chancellorship, I for our fabulous students. God bless you. will also spend time renewing and revitalizing Sincerely, the spiritual dimension of my life as I try to Peter T. Mitchell, ’67 discern with Becky what God is calling us E-mail: ptmitchell@albion.edu
salute
A Message from President Mitchell
A young visitor admires Albion’s new stellarium, a 3-D map of our local universe.
Fall 2006 |
Br!ton B!ts
Go Br!ts!
Along with your talents as a scholar of medieval British literature, you imported some hockey skills as well. I took over as the faculty adviser to the College’s hockey club a few years ago, and I played with the team. We’re an affiliate team in the Michigan Collegiate Hockey Conference now, and I’m general manager and faculty adviser, but I can no longer play. That’s good, because full-contact hockey with guys half my age was getting a little bit dicey. But I’m still on the ice at most of the practices. When did you first play? I started playing hockey in leagues when I was 5. I was never really good at it, but I was always enthusiastic. I think I realized by the time I was 6 that I wasn’t going to be in the NHL. You’ve taught in the U.S. and Canada— compare the students. Albion students are socially much more conservative. And I would say at times Albion students seem to have a better sense of where they are headed, with a more narrowly prescribed
By Bobby Lee Sports Information Director
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Io Triumphe!: Which “home” do you identify with most these days—the city where you grew up in Canada or the city of Albion? Bethune: Hmm. I would have to say both. Quite a few years ago in class I was saying something about the United States, and this student put his hand up and said, “When are you going to deal with this? You may not be a citizen, but you live in America, you teach American students, you’re paid in American dollars, so you’ve got to deal with it: You’re one of us.” Now I realize I have become quite assimilated over the years.
When he’s not in the classroom teaching Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, you will likely find Andy Bethune out on the ice taking a few slap shots with Albion’s hockey club. Bethune revels in poring over medieval manuscripts (for his dissertation he worked with original documents dating back to 1250) . . . and in watching his beloved Montreal Canadiens.
range of goals for themselves, which means you are often put in a situation in which you have to explain to them why you are teaching them something. When you were growing up, were you interested in the medieval period? I was obsessed with Vikings. In grade five I read a series of Viking novels for children by British author Henry Treece: Viking’s Dawn, The Road to Miklagard, and Viking’s Sunset, and I went out dressed as a Viking for Halloween for several years. I thought castles were really cool, with knights and dragons and all that. There was an early interest in medieval studies that I returned to eventually.
Kenyan Connections
Pitting Beowulf’s bad boy against arguably hockey’s greatest, who wins—Grendel or Gretzky? I’m thinking Gretzky’s going to win out. One of the things Gretzky had was this ability to put the puck where he knew his teammates were going to go. At times it seemed like he wasn’t even looking where he knew his teammates were going to go. I think that would be an advantage in the monster fight. Finally, will we ever call Andy Bethune an “American citizen”? Presumably at some point down the road, because I can keep my Canadian citizenship. So I would be gaining much and not losing anything.
On a drive through Kenya last summer, senior Alyson Howe witnessed a sight she pre‑ viously had seen only in pictures—a pride of lions at rest in the grass. She and her traveling companions were awestruck and simply sat and watched the animals for the next hour. A biology major, Howe traveled to Kenya to conduct research on land use changes in an area between Amboseli and Tsavo West National Parks. She was part of a Boston University program led by Kenyan biolo‑ gists. Howe’s own work focused on changes throughout the Kimana Swamp and involved interviewing residents to determine the resources they take from the swamp and their attitudes toward the swamp and its shrink‑ ing size. She also observed wildlife using the swamp and took GPS coordinates so the swamp could be mapped. The researchers spent considerable time among the Maasai, who are struggling with a dwindling water supply after diverting the swamp to support their agricultural efforts. With the assistance of a translator, Howe talked to tribe members about the impor‑ tance of sharing the swamp with wildlife. “Some days we went on game drives and observed and learned about wildlife, and other days we went into the town and talked to the people and played with the children,” Howe said. “During my research period
Zoos are vital in teaching people about endangered species, Howe said. “If the infor‑ mation [about conservation] does not get out, it will be tough for some species [to survive].”
I would go into the swamp and interview women at their bomas [homes] and men out in the field cultivating, then come back to the camp for data analysis. “The research is still going on so there are no major conclusions at this point,” Howe added. “However, I learned so much from the experience. I have always been concerned about conservation, but now more than ever I realize how important it is.” Interviewing tribe members was not the only human connection Howe made on her trip to Kenya. She describes her visits to the Loitokitok Children’s Orphanage, mainly serving children who have lost parents to AIDS, as “a very humbling experience.” Howe must soon decide how to attain her career goal of working at a zoo, specifically as a large animal or primate specialist. She is weighing the options of pursuing graduate work in wildlife management or making the jump to the workforce in hopes of spreading the word about conservation.
Alyson Howe is a three-time All-MIAA performer on the cross country trail and the school record holder in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She has also been listed on the MIAA’s Academic Honor Roll for the past three years.
Briton Sports on the Web Did you know that you can find all of the following on the Albion College sports Web site?
The “A-Club Newsletter” also
• Sports news and results
• SportsNet broadcast schedules
provides season updates for
• Schedules and rosters
• Sports archives
Briton sports fans. To get
Follow the Britons at: www.albion.edu/sports/. It’s the next best thing to being here!
| Io Triumphe!
While in Kenya last summer, senior Alyson Howe often played with the children in the village near her research site. She participated in a study on land use changes.
your copy, send an e-mail to: aclub@albion.edu or call 517/629-0900.
M. ARVOY PHOTO
By Morris Arvoy
PHOTO COURTESY OF A. HOWE
Two Minutes with . . . Medievalist Andy Bethune
short takes
At the 2006 MIAA track and field meet, Howe finished second in the 10,000-meter run. She was also the leading runner for the Briton women’s cross country team this fall. Fall 2006 |
| Io Triumphe!
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Brilliant! Sciences sparkle in new facilities
Albion’s facilities for science teaching and research have been utterly transformed with the completion this fall of a $41.6-million renovation and expansion project. Now home to all five of the College’s science departments, the complex at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Hannah Street has been redesigned with the needs of the 21st century in mind. Its seamless floor plan encourages collaboration and innovation across departmental lines, and, in its construction and operation, it serves as a model for environmental sustainability. Pictured here is the atrium, the complex’s stunning new centerpiece that doubles as a lounge and as a venue the entire campus can use for special events. On the following pages, you will learn much more about these new facilities that are not only functional but beautiful. Fall 2006 |
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Bruce A. Kresge Hall, made possible with funding from The Kresge Foundation and Bruce and Peggy Sale Kresge, both ’53, has become the new center for the life sciences on campus.
The original buildings in Albion’s science complex—Palenske and Putnam Halls, and Norris Center—were constructed in 1969. All were totally renovated over the past two years, and Kresge Hall, a four-story laboratory building, was added to the complex, making it possible for the Biology Department to join the Departments of Chemistry, Geological Sciences, Physics, and Mathematics/Computer Science that were already housed there. The buildings include dedicated space for student and faculty research, as well as newly designed classrooms and teaching labs. With all five science departments in one location, it will be easier than ever before to pursue interdisciplinary teaching and research.
10 | Io Triumphe!
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Marine biologist Jeffrey Carrier’s lab is outfitted with five tanks that currently house sharks ranging up to 4-ft. long. Carrier and his students are currently involved in a joint research program with the University of Michigan’s Department of Biomedical Engineering examining shark sensory systems, and most of the program’s lab work is conducted at Albion.
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S. ALLEN PHOTO
Biochemist Chris Rohlman designed this space to integrate classroom and laboratory areas. Rohlman and the students in the advanced biochemistry lab course (pictured) can immediately discuss results from experiments as a research team. In addition, the students can give presentations of their work as a regular part of the course.
The John S. Ludington, ’51, Greenhouse, adjacent to Kresge Hall, features tropical, temperate, and arid sections, as well as an in-ground planting area. Botanist Dan Skean uses the greenhouse in all of his courses, including a lab-based firstyear seminar on “Plants and Human Affairs.” Run-off from the roof is captured for the greenhouse’s watering system.
Fall 2006 | 11
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Palenske Hall (pictured with the adjoining atrium) includes the Baird Astronomy Observation Deck, with its dome housing the College’s 14-foot Celestron telescope and many other instruments for viewing celestial objects.
Science facilities that were once dark and austere have been brightened with larger exterior windows, interior glass walls, and a vivid color scheme. And the physical barriers that once existed between the buildings have been eliminated with the addition of connectors that link them on all floors. The result is a complex that is much more welcoming to students and visitors alike.
12 | Io Triumphe!
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This introductory physics lab is fully equipped for real-time data capture during experiments, enabling students to take high-quality data using computerized measurement and instrumentation systems. In this way, says physics professor Aaron Miller, ’95, the students mirror what professional researchers do.
The varied exhibits in the Peter T. and Rebecca P. Mitchell Museum greet visitors as they enter the complex. Interactive displays are also featured in the atrium.
J. MACONOCHIE PHOTO
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Lounges like this one are located throughout the complex.
Science teaching today emphasizes discovery-based lab work. Using this stream table, geology students can experiment with flowing water and sediment, and thus learn how riverbeds develop under varying conditions.
Fall 2006 | 13
S. ALLEN PHOTO
The open floor plan and state-of-the-art equipment in the research spaces in Kresge Hall support student-faculty collaboration. This chemistry lab includes areas both for side-by-side projects “at the bench” and for discussion, study, and computer analysis of data. The Chemistry Department offices and classrooms have been named in honor of the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation in recognition of the foundation’s leadership gift to the science complex renovation and expansion project.
New infrastructure throughout the science buildings supports today’s sophisticated instruments, while demonstrating environmental sustainability. An emphasis on “green building” design led to the use of recycled construction materials wherever possible; low-emission paint, sealants, and carpet to improve indoor air quality; and extensive water- and energy-conservation systems. Solar electrical panels, a wind turbine, and solar water heating have also been installed to illustrate the potential of alternative energy sources. The College has applied for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council; if granted, the science complex would be one of only three LEED-certified science facilities at a college or university in Michigan.
14 | Io Triumphe!
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S. ALLEN PHOTO
A grant from the Towsley Foundation led to the renaming of the auditorium in Norris Center in honor of Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley. The auditorium received a complete facelift, including new seating, during the renovation.
Two computer classrooms are now available in the complex for mathematics and computer science courses, in addition to a dedicated research lab for majors. The Clark Geographic Information Systems (GIS) lab with 13 work stations is included in the Geological Sciences Department facilities. All teaching spaces have an array of instructional technology available, and the entire complex has wireless networking.
Fall 2006 | 15
Dedication Ceremony Celebrates Science’s Promise for 21st Century
D. TRUMPIE PHOTOs
“Vision, passion, enlightenment, community—all are represented in these new science facilities,” noted Rich Baird, ’78, chairman of Albion’s $140-million LIBERAL ARTS AT WORK campaign, during the Oct. 26 dedication ceremony for the redesigned science complex. Baird paid tribute to the many donors, faculty and staff, and others who had a hand in the renovation of Palenske Hall, Putnam Hall, and Norris Center, as well as the construction of Kresge Hall, the Ludington Greenhouse, and a central atrium-lounge. The $41.6-million project, which began in April 2004 and was completed in June 2006, has provided the classroom and laboratory space that supports new, interdisciplinary approaches to science teaching and research. The new facilities will enable Albion to prepare researchers with “the tools and the courage” to tackle the most difficult problems confronting us in science and medicine today, observed John Vournakis, ’61, chair of the science facilities fund drive. “Solutions to problems that human beings have not heretofore faced on such a global scale,”
Margaret “Ranny” Riecker, pictured with President Peter Mitchell, represented the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation during the dedication ceremony. The Dow Foundation provided a $5-million grant for the science complex improvements.
he said, “will require people capable of understanding those problems and having the creativity to find ways to solve them.” Physics professor Nicolle Zellner, speaking on behalf of her faculty colleagues, noted the need for increased scientific literacy for all of our citizens. “Right now, at Albion,” she said, “we have the opportunity to make our students the innovators and the explorers—the policy-makers and the leaders—of the future.” Biotechnologist John Vournakis, ’61, chaired the $41.6-million fund drive that made possible the recently completed science complex renovation and expansion.
To mark the dedication festivities, Jackie Bird Allen, ’71, (right) an education specialist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, coordinated the public display of a moon rock and Mars meteorite on campus. She discussed her work at NASA with Albion students and met with over 200 area schoolchildren, as well as dedication ceremony guests including Emily Crichton, ’06.
Science Complex Quick Facts Funding:
Facilities:
Over 1,430 donors contributed to the $41.6-million science complex renovation and expansion project, including many trustees, alumni, parents, and friends.
• Teaching laboratories and classrooms for the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Geological Sciences, Mathematics/Computer Science, and Physics • Dedicated student and faculty research laboratories • New research instrumentation including: CEQ8000 genetic analyzer, epifluorescence microscopes with digital cameras, atomic force microscope, ultralow freezer, solvent purification system, microwave reactor, hydrogenator, biochromatography system, ultracentrifuge, ASD visible and near-infrared spectroradiometer. These are in addition to the previouslyinstalled equipment in the Dow Analytical Science Laboratory including nuclear magnetic resonance and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry instruments.
Leadership Gifts from Foundations • $5-million grant, The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation • $1.5-million grant, The Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation • $500,000 grant in honor of John S. Ludington, ’51, The Charles J. Strosacker Foundation • $500,000 grant, The Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation • $1.5-million challenge grant; $3-million special grant in honor of Bruce Kresge, ’53; $150,000 bonus grant (to be awarded upon achieving LEED certification), The Kresge Foundation In addition, equipment grants were received from the National Science Foundation, Beckman Coulter, Inc., and The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.
16 | Io Triumphe!
LEED Certification: Albion College has applied for silver certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) from the U.S. Green Building Council.
J. MACONOCHIE PHOTO
The electronic carillon in the William K. Stoffer Clock Tower is played daily during the noon hour. As part of the complex’s “green building” design, wildflowers and other native species in the landscaping encourage wildlife habitats and require less water.
Fall 2006 | 17
M. ARVOY PHOTO
S. ALLEN PHOTO
Catherine Game, ’08
Environmental Champions Meet four students who ‘walk the walk’ on protecting the environment and teach others to do the same.
M. ARVOY PHOTO
By Sarah Briggs
18 | Io Triumphe!
John Cawood, ’08
Name an environmental activity at Albion these days, Summers spent fishing on Glen Lake in northern and chances are Catherine Game has had a hand in Michigan inspired his desire to become an environ‑ it. A year ago, the biology and art major founded mental activist, John Cawood says. That activist bent in Child-Ready Educational Activities Transforming the turn prompted him to become one of six students who Environment (CREATE), and she now has enlisted lived in Albion’s Environmental House during its first nearly 40 of her fellow students to join her in this year of operation in 2005-06. “It was exciting,” he says. “Being the first ones, we could set the environmental education program for area school‑ Why I choose to do this: “Our generatone for the classes that came after us.” children at the College’s Whitehouse Nature Center. tion is at the turning point right now—how In addition to contributing to com‑ Each week, the students plan a hands-on activity that much are we going to do to improve the posting efforts at the house and doing also conveys a message about respecting the earth. environment around us? We have had campus-wide presentations on recycling, some irreversible effects on the earth, but “The college students learn a lot from doing this too,” Cawood led an “eat organic” campaign. she notes. A spin-off from CREATE was a children’s there are so many things that can still be fixed. It’s really up to us. We all have to Eco-Discovery Camp that Game led last summer at He may be best known for the organic realize that.” the nature center. While providing lessons on renew‑ hummus he made and sold on campus able resources and recycling, the summer camp also last year as a way to raise money for The legacy I hope to leave at Albion: “Every student who comes to Albion needs allowed Game to test the effectiveness of various artistic environmental activities and show the to understand the challenges that face and scientific methods in teaching about the environ‑ benefits of organically grown foods. us in the future. Through the projects ment. “Just to know that I made an impact was really This past summer, as an intern at the I’m involved in, I hope to teach students rewarding. . . . I could see Michigan Department to conserve, to leave a small ecological of Environmental the immediate results. The footprint.” Why I choose to do this: “The more I learn about environmental issues, the Quality (DEQ), bottom line is that these My favorite environmental book: more intrigued I become; these issues Cawood worked on pro‑ A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson kids who went through the cross over so many important aspects of moting a new middle program learned some‑ The environmentalist I most admire: life—politics, religion, foreign relations, school environmental thing about environmen‑ “Chigger” Stokes, a retired park ranger at communities. Having a strong base in enviOlympic National Park education curriculum tal issues.” Game’s most ronmental issues is valuable for anyone.” DEQ has developed. the notable accomplishment to The legacy I hope to leave at Albion: “I really got to see the date has been her leadership “Overall, I want to encourage the building public policy side of environmental role in obtaining a $10,000 of environmental awareness in Albion College students and in the Albion education,” he notes. This semester, grant from the U.S. community. To be able to internalize the Environmental Protection the biology major has been busy knowledge that will help improve our Agency to run an on-cam‑ installing the equipment that will be environment and apply it to one’s own field pus program on energy used in an educational program on of study and lifestyle is key to progressing consumption and conser‑ energy consumption and conservation as a sustainable society. I hope my work helps provide a base from which future stuvation. Albion was one of funded by a recent grant from the U.S. dents may successfully advance Albion’s Environmental Protection Agency. (See just two liberal arts colleges environmental goals. related story on page 21.) The idea is to among 42 institutions My favorite environmental book: show students the resources it takes to selected for the national The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Waking create the energy they use for daily liv‑ program. (See related story Up to Personal and Global Transformation ing. Cawood says he eventually would on page 21.) In looking to by Thom Hartmann like to mesh his love for the outdoors the future, Game says, “My The environmentalist I most admire: with a career in sustainable develop‑ dream job would be to form Jane Goodall ment or environmental consulting. my own non-profit doing environmental education.” Fall 2006 | 19
Austin Gee, ’07
Environmental Short Stories
Why I choose to do this: “I want to change the mind-set. Taking care of the environment has nothing to do with political lines. This is an ethical issue.” The legacy I hope to leave at Albion: “I hope I will have changed Albion for the better. I want to leave behind a larger awareness of what Albion could be and how it could lead in the region on this issue.” My favorite environmental book: Silent Spring by Rachel Carson The environmentalist I most admire: Al Gore
Sustainable Living As Albion students, Lacey Doucet, ’05, and Eric Mackres, ’05, were looking for an environmental research project that wasn’t going to wind up filed away on a shelf. They hit upon the idea of an environmental living-learning community, sold the concept to the faculty and the administration, and now students are actually living their vision in the Environmental House (E-House). Opened in fall 2005, the E-House is working to become a model for sustainable practices on campus. In addition to pursuing the recycling and energy conservation measures you might expect in such a venture, the residents conduct educational programs in the residence halls and generally serve as environmental advocates around campus. This summer, they
20 | Io Triumphe!
The legacy I hope to leave at Albion: “I’d like to open people’s eyes to the interconnectivity of everything in our world. Our actions do influence the environment, and they influence other people. It’s a philosophy of ‘Be good to each other. Be good to the environment.’”
M. ARVOY PHOTO Photo courtesy of a. Gee
At the end of a four-week field studies program in Costa Rica this past July, the professor left Austin Gee and the other students with this question: “What are you going to do with what you have learned here?” Gee says he spent the entire plane ride home thinking about how he could best answer that challenge. The result is a series of Sustainability Talks he planned this semester on everything from composting to organic gardening to the possibility of substituting ethanol for petroleum fuels. His experience in Costa Rica taught him about sustainable communities in many ways, he says, not the least of which was living sustainably on a personal level. He learned to accept cold showers, hang clothes on a line to dry, collect rain water for gardening, and use organic pest controls. “It was really easy to live sustain‑ ably if that was part of the culture and expectation,” he observes. The idea behind the Sustainability Talks is to bring the right people together—including stu‑ dents, faculty, staff, and administrators—and start the conversation about what can be done now to introduce more sustainable practices. “The education piece is the first step,” Gee says. Teams assigned to each topic will then come up with an action plan for changing waste‑ ful or harmful behaviors. He sees these small steps at Albion as part of a much larger long-term effort. “Why aren’t we doing more here in the U.S.?,” he wonders. “I feel that we should be leading the world [in living sustainably].” A biology major, Gee plans to continue his environmental advocacy as a middle school or high school science teacher.
Why I choose to do this: “The scope of an environmentalist’s mission in today’s society encompasses more than just species conservation or land preservation. Environmentalism has evolved into a fight for the health of our families and the futures of our unborn children.”
Catherine Fontana, ’08
My favorite environmental book: Walden by Henry David Thoreau
If you’ve watched the film, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, you’ve seen Catherine Fontana—she’s holding a banner protesting a Wal-Mart plan to build on a wetlands site in Pinellas County, Fla. Fontana created the banner during a summer 2005 internship with the Sierra Club, which also engaged her in the organization’s Green Cities Campaign, spreading the word about environmental success stories and sustain‑ ability practices in central Florida. This past summer, the English and biology major worked in the Pacific Northwest as one of 17 students selected nationwide for an environmental management fellowship through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Assigned to the Office of Environmental Cleanup, Fontana assisted in inspections of public and private sites that maintained large volumes of hazardous chemicals, and she conducted research on recent accidental releases of
The environmentalist I most admire: Rachel Carson
toxic material in the region. “It really made me look at businesses differently,” she says. “I now realize how important it is to be an outstanding corporate citizen, safeguarding not only the environment but also public health.” With support from Albion’s Student Senate, the Institute for the Study of the Environment, and many other groups, Fontana was the prime mover behind last year’s Green Day in the Kellogg Center, a program to encourage students to conserve energy, use renewable materials, and reduce waste. (See “Sustainable Living” story below.) After completing graduate study, she is planning a career in environmental consulting and city planning.
created a rain garden seeded with native perennial
where students could pick up energy-conserving
Agency to design and install specially modified
several Big Ten universities—that received grants
plants and watered by runoff, in this case from the
compact fluorescent light bulbs, sample organic
bicycles and rowing machines that will convert
this year. Also involved in writing the grant proposal
E-House roof.
snacks, and learn about the benefits of all-natural
the exercisers’ expended calories into electrical
were: Mike Eggleston, Adam Hashimoto, Will Lewis,
paints and cleaning supplies. Some 250 students
energy. The electrical power that’s generated will
Kapil Mandrekar, Becky Meyerholt, Dylan Simons,
seminar in which they read and reflect on ques-
Students in the E-house enroll in a half-unit
packed the Gerstacker Commons in the Kellogg
be stored in batteries and used to operate small
and faculty Doug White (biology), Tim Lincoln
tions such as: Just what is sustainability? How do
Center for the event. “The environment is some-
appliances. The student participants will receive
(geological sciences), and adviser Cliff Harris
we measure it? How do we encourage others to
thing we all share,” Fontana says, “and something
“energy credits” they can use later to power a
(chemistry).
aspire to it? Each cohort of students also adds to a
we all have to be concerned about in one way or
cell-phone charger, lamp, or other electrical device.
“house history,” in which their contributions to the
another. That’s what Green Day was about.”
“Our idea was to use this as an educational pro-
To learn more about environmental programs
gram on campus to increase student awareness of
at Albion, visit the Institute for the Study of the
how much energy it takes to actually run everyday
Environment Web site at: http://www.albion.
appliances,” Game says. The exercise equipment
edu/environment/ .
house are recorded.
Last December, the E-House residents, under
the leadership of Catherine Fontana, organized Green Day for the campus community with financial support from the Student Senate. Other student organizations pitched in to staff display booths
Calories to Kilowatts Albion students have a new way to exercise and learn about the environment at the same time. An eight-student team, led by Catherine Game and John Cawood, was awarded a $10,000 grant this summer from the U.S. Environmental Protection
is located in Wesley Hall, but the program is open to the entire student body. In May 2007, the Albion team will go to Washington, D.C., to present the
Io Triumphe! wishes to acknowledge Jake Weber
results of their project with the 41 other institu-
and Tinsley Hunsdorfer for their contributions to
tions—including the likes of MIT, Cal Poly, and
these stories. Fall 2006 | 21
‘Piping down the Valleys Wild’ Tony Taffs’ rich musical legacy is now preserved . . . in cyberspace
Tony Taffs
By Jake Weber
D. Trumpie Photo
22 | Io Triumphe!
Ralph Houghton and Taffs were even‑ tually introduced by Ralph’s wife, Betty, who worked at Albion Manor, a senior care facility where Taffs played the piano each week. Neither Houghton nor Jean Taffs remem‑ bers who originally had the idea for the online catalog, or even when the work turned from possibility to project (the consensus is late 2002). They do, however, agree that Tony’s enthusiasm became the driving force. “He wanted his music available so people could play it,” says Houghton. The project began with the scanning of Taffs’ pub‑ lished works, a task which eventually fell to Jean. “I learned from this project that I was married to a workaholic and a perfectionist,” says Jean, with a smile. Tony carefully reviewed each scan, never hesitating to ask Jean to redo anything that didn’t meet his stan‑ dards. And despite having previously approved the works for publication, he used the opportunity to do some editing as well. D. TRUMPIE PHOTO
Jean and Tony Taffs donated a Steinway baby grand piano dating from the 1890s (pictured at right) to Albion College, as well as a rare G.F. Celoniatus violin (below) made in Italy c. 1730. Once owned by Tony Taffs’ mother, a concert violinist, the violin was featured in a Homecoming 2006 symphony orchestra concert, when it was played by professor emeritus of music Philip Mason.
“He was very aware that he lived in an entirely different world from that of the World Wide Web,” says Jean Taffs of her late husband, professor emeritus of music Anthony Taffs. “When I had computer glitches, he would say with a certain amount of satisfaction, ‘I’m glad I don’t have those kinds of problems.’” Given his undisguised pride in his lack of cyber‑ skills, it may come as a delightful surprise to many of Taffs’ friends that he spent the last part of his life engrossed in a project to make his entire musical catalog available on the Internet. Taffs’ Web site, http://people.albion.edu/ataffs/ , makes nearly all of his compositions (over 100) accessible to musicians world‑ wide with just a few mouse clicks, and arguably makes Taffs the Albion College faculty member whose profes‑ sional work is most widely available via the Internet. In typical Albion fashion, the unlikely pairing of the ink-and-vellum Taffs and cutting-edge technol‑ ogy included a web of connections. Taffs’ Web site developer, Albion College instructional technologist Ralph Houghton, moved to Albion in 1998 and had never met Taffs before becoming the second member of the Houghton family to serve as Taffs’ “technology expert.” Ralph’s uncle, George Houghton, ’53, was a student and then local radio DJ who worked with Taffs on audio recordings for many years. Taffs regularly hired George to record his practice sessions (so he could critique himself ) and performances. George even gave the downbeat, over a phone line, for the “dual world premiere” of Taffs’ “City of Gold” piano solo, during which Taffs played the piece for an Albion audience while his father simultaneously performed it for an audience in New York.
“Tony was fascinated by the computer images,” recalls Houghton. “He’d ask me to fix a note, and usually I could put the scan into PhotoShop and change it. He was just thrilled with that. [These are] handwritten scores, and he wouldn’t let us put anything on the Web site that wasn’t just the way he thought it should be.” During the time that Taffs worked on the project, he approved more than 1,000 pages for Internet release, comprising dozens of art songs and choral works, piano and organ pieces, string solos and chamber works, and three operas. He was hard at work on a major revision of his fourth opera, “Lilith,” at the time of his passing in February 2005. “Tony was never happy with how ‘Lilith’ had turned out, and, when one of his former students asked him whether it would ever be available on the Web site, he decided to revise it,” Jean says. “He worked on it every day, and he used to say, ‘I hope I can finish this before I die.’ His loyalty to his students was almost as significant as it was to the College, and it was his student’s com‑ ment that inspired him.”
The Taffs Web site is eventually expected to top 2,000 pages, but “Lilith” will not be among them. “I destroyed it,” says Jean of both the first version (which was performed at Albion College) and the unfinished revision. “Tony had a real aversion to compositions that were published posthumously,” she explains. “He said, ‘If the composer didn’t publish those things, he didn’t want them to be played.’” Taffs gave his final faculty lecture in April 2004, nearly 55 years after joining the faculty at Albion. For that lecture on “The Preservation of Music,” Taffs designed (and Ralph Houghton developed) a PowerPoint presentation, matching some of the music scans to audio clips. “It was one of the best faculty lectures I’ve ever seen. Tony timed his materials to the minute and ended at 11 o’clock on the dot,” Houghton remembers. “Apparently, he was notorious in class for dragging phonograph needles across records when he was trying to illustrate a point. I think this technology worked a lot better for him.” During the faculty lecture, Taffs formally presented the copyrights for all of his works and the Web site to President Peter Mitchell, who accepted them on behalf of the College. The gift was one of many Tony and Jean Taffs have made to Albion. “The copyrights went to the College because the College was really his other home,” Jean muses. “He more or less lived here, and his musi‑ cal possessions belong here. He had an intense loyalty to Albion College and the Music Department.”
Jean Taffs and Ralph Houghton continue to develop the Taffs Web site. Anyone who has recorded any of Tony Taffs’ music, has notes on performing the music, or wishes to submit photos or other materials to the Web site is encouraged to contact Houghton at: rhoughton@ albion.edu . Taffs’ music has also been preserved on a CD, Never Seek to Tell Thy Love, recorded by Albion music professor Maureen Balke with pianist Narciso Solero. The CD has 13 of Taffs’ songs and is available at the Albion College Bookstore or from Balke at mbalke@albion.edu.
Fall 2006 | 23
D. TRUMPIE PHOTOS
A l u m n ! A s s o c ! at ! o n N e w s Several inches of snow at Marshall’s Medalist Golf Club forced the Briton Classic golfers to find a different venue for their Friday outing, but it didn’t deter Albion parent Tom Meyer from taking a few practice swings first. Tailback Kyle Klyn finds room to run against the Olivet Comets during the Homecoming football game. The Britons fell to the Comets, 20-17.
D. TRUMPIE PHOTO
Peter Broerse, ’63, traveled from the Netherlands to join his teammates from the 1963 swimming team for their induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame. The 2006 Hall of Famers were applauded prior to Saturday’s football game. The Class of 1956 led the audience in singing “Albion, Dear Albion” at the Alumni Awards Ceremony Saturday morning.
Reunions Make for Record-Setting Homecoming Led by the Class of 1956, this year’s reunion classes shattered the all-time records for attendance at Homecoming. Over 90 members of the Class of 1956 returned to campus for a daylong symposium, “50 Years of Liberal Arts at Work,” on Friday and the honoring of classmate Ann Lewicki with a Distinguished Alumni Award on Saturday. Lewicki was the latest in a long list of previous alumni award winners from the class. (For more on the alumni awards,
see page 62.) Many other receptions and reunion events filled the weekend schedule. A combined choir/orchestra concert on Sunday featured guest soloist and emeritus professor Philip Mason playing a 300-year-old violin donated to Albion College by the late Anthony Taffs, a music colleague of Mason’s. To see more Homecoming photos, go to: www.albion.edu/homecoming/ .
Over 2,500 Britons of all ages turned out for the weekend’s events.
President and First Lady Peter and Becky Mitchell enjoy the moment with this year’s Homecoming royalty, seniors Trisha Hughes and Courtney Brown.
D. TRUMPIE PHOTOS
President Mitchell to Visit Coast-to-Coast in 2007
Jack Hanford, ’56, and Tom Elliott, ’56, reconnect between reunion events.
60 | Io Triumphe!
Reunion Committee member Irene Faylor Brown, ’56, (standing) plays host during Friday’s luncheon in the science complex’s new atrium.
Ruth Holland Scott, ’56, joined seven other Distinguished Alumni Awardwinning classmates on a panel at the Class of 1956 Symposium.
Here’s your chance to say farewell to President Peter Mitchell, ’67, in advance of his retirement in June 2007. Events are being planned in the cities listed, beginning in early 2007. Invitations will be mailed to alumni, parents, and friends living in these areas. For specific dates and other event details, call the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at 517/629-0448 or go to: www.albion.edu/alumni/events.asp .
Bradenton, Fla. Naples/Ft. Myers, Fla. Phoenix, Ariz. Tucson, Ariz. Los Angeles, Calif. San Diego, Calif. Washington, D.C.
Chicago, Ill. Portland, Ore. Seattle, Wash. Indianapolis, Ind. Albion Detroit Grand Rapids Midland
Fall 2006 | 61
They Still Bleed Purple and Gold At the 2006 Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the 1990 football team reveled in the memories of a year that saw them post single-season records for rushing, receptions, and yardage, and become coach Pete Schmidt’s first back-to-back league champions. The 1990 football squad, with 25 team members in attendance, was recognized along with 10 individual honorees and the 1963 men’s swimming team.
D. TRUMPIE PHOTOS
A L u m n ! a s s o c ! at ! o n n e w s
(Above left) Mel Smith, ’64, and Dave Kitchen, ’64, were among the six members of the 1963 swimming team who returned for their induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame. (Above right) Membership in the Hall of Fame is a family affair for the Washburns. Mary Washburn Suphan, ’71, (back right) this year joined her sister, Melissa Washburn, ’81, and her mother, Ruth Tupper Washburn, ’37, who were inducted in 1993 and 1989, respectively.
2006 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductions Individuals Scott A. Ammons, ’91 Larry B. Colburn, ’66 Lance C. Coleman, ’91 Joe J. Felton, ’87 Michael J. Grant, ’87 James P. Knudson, ’76 James S. Russell, ’63 Suzanne K. Rustoni, ’92 Mary Washburn Suphan, ’71
Teams 1963 Men’s Swimming Team 1990 Football Team
For more information on this year’s inductees, go to: www.albion.edu/ sports/halloffame/2006.asp .
Special Recognition Joseph R. Cooper
To submit a Hall of Fame nomination, contact Marcia Hepler Starkey, ’74, associate vice president for alumni/parent relations, at 517/629-0284 or via e-mail at mstarkey@albion.edu, or go to: www.albion.edu/sports/ halloffame/nomination_form.asp .
Where Are They Now? This year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipients included: (from left) Rick Smith, ’60, Ted Fleming, ’64, Ann Lewicki, ’56, David Moore, ’68, and Bob Armitage, ’70. A sixth recipient, Paul Lawrence, ’43, was unable to attend the Homecoming awards ceremony.
2006 Alumni Award Winners Lead in Science and Service The Alumni Awards Ceremony was held Oct. 14, 2006, during Homecoming Weekend.
Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes College alumni for their genuine leadership and dedicated service to others.
62 | Io Triumphe!
Robert A. Armitage, ’70 Senior Vice President and General Counsel Eli Lilly and Co. Indianapolis, Ind.
Ann M. Lewicki, ’56 Clinical Professor of Radiology Georgetown University School of Medicine Washington, D.C.
Theodore H. Fleming, ’64 Professor of Biology University of Miami South Miami, Fla.
David G. Moore, ’68 Partner Tuck, Garrison & Moore, P.L.L.C. Albion, Mich.
Paul R. Lawrence, ’43 Wallace Brett Donham Professor, Emeritus Harvard Business School Bedford, Mass.
Richard B. Smith, ’60 National Park Service Superintendent, Retired Placitas, New Mexico
For more information on this year’s honorees, go to: www.albion.edu/iotriumphe/ . To submit a Distinguished Alumni Award nomination, contact Marcia Hepler Starkey, ’74, associate vice president for alumni/parent relations, at 517/629-0284 or via e-mail at mstarkey@albion.edu or go to: www.albion.edu/alumni/ nomination_form.asp .
Lance Coleman didn’t harbor dreams of a Hall of Fame athletic career when he chose Albion over Michigan State after graduating from Ottawa Hills High School in 1987. Becoming an AllAmerican with an eighth-place finish in the 100-meter dash during the 1989 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships was the springboard to success. He completed his career as a three-time All-American (moving up to third in the nation in the 100 as a senior), a five-time MIAA individual event champion, and a four-year all-league performer in track, as well as a two-time All-MIAA selection as a defensive back for Pete Schmidt’s league champion football squads in 1989 and 1990. He still holds the MIAA standard in the 100 at 10.5 seconds. “I just went and ran,” Coleman says of his first NCAA national meet. “I got fortunate and made it to the finals by a hundredth of a second. After that, I envisioned being an All-American the next two years. I didn’t start dreaming until that happened.” Coleman was one of 10 individuals and two teams to enter Albion’s Athletic Hall of Fame at Homecoming. The induction ceremony was made more special as the Class of 2006 included his high school classmate and best friend Scott Ammons, ’91, who was an All-American defensive lineman for the purple and gold. “If this were Top Gun he would be Goose,” Coleman said. “We’ve been together since kindergarten and going into the Hall of Fame together is exciting. We wouldn’t want it any other way.”
D. TRUMPIE PHOTO
D. TRUMPIE PHOTO
Reconnecting with Albion Hall of Famer Lance Coleman, ’91
Lance Coleman, ’91, says the rewards for coaching today’s Briton athletes to league titles are just as great as they were for his own wins as a student-athlete in track and football. Since returning to Albion in 1995, he has had a hand in the 2004 league co-championship in men’s track and field and the 2005 league championship in football, as well as six All-America performances in men’s track. Coleman currently holds the position of senior associate director of admissions at Albion, along with coaching the cornerbacks in football and serving as the associate head coach to Dave Egnatuk, ’71, in track and field. “Working with the student-athletes is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job here,” Coleman added. “From a coaching standpoint, the team championships are up there with the football championships we won when I was [a student]. Just to see how hard these students work, the sacrifices they make—it means a lot to me and the other coaches. When you’re a Briton, you’re proud.”
Fall 2006 | 63
For the Fr!Dge
Y OU R A LUMN ! A SSOC ! AT ! ON
Elkin R. Isaac Student Research Symposium/Honors Convocation April 26, 2007
Little Sibs Weekend March 23-25, 2007
28 Theatre: Fiddler on the Roof (through March 3) 8 p.m. Herrick Theatre 27 Admissions Interview and Audition Day 800/858-6770
22 First day of classes 8 End of first semester
4-8 Final examinations
Art: Recent Works/Larry Cressman; Student Photographs (through Feb. 10) Bobbitt Visual Arts Center
18 Music: Faculty Recital with David Abbott and Lia Jensen, piano 8 p.m. Goodrich Chapel
Music: Jazz Ensemble 9 p.m. Cascarelli’s
17 Admissions Visit Day: Fine Arts and Humanities 800/858-6770
30 Music: Jazz Ensemble 8 p.m. Gerstacker Commons, Kellogg Center
3 Music: Festival of Lessons and Carols 7 p.m. Goodrich Chapel 15-18 Theatre: Red Herring 8 p.m. Herrick Theatre
23-24 College closed for Thanksgiving holiday
24 Admissions Interview and Audition Day 800/858-6770
Save the Date!
9 Spring vacation begins
17 Art: “On (un)Holy Ground”/ Jillian Longheier, ’02; Prints from the Albion College Collection (through March 24) Bobbitt Visual Arts Center 20 Residence halls open for second semester
19 Classes resume at 8 a.m.
March 20072007 March February 20072007 February January 20072007 January
December 2006 22 No classes
November 2006
www.albion.edu/calendar/ . For all Briton sports schedules, go to: www.albion.edu/sports .
at a nominal charge. For more information on these and other campus events, please call 517/629-0445 or go to:
Albion College Events Calendar
64 | Io Triumphe!
By Lyn Ward Healy, ’72 Alumni Association Board of Directors Just weeks after I graduated from Albion I was back on campus for my first job—as an admissions counselor. When I look back on those days, I reflect fondly on sharing stories about Albion with potential members of the Class of 1977 and their families. Back then, the admission process was without things like college rating guides, SAT test preparation courses, and Instant Messenger (IM) as a primary means of communication. Today, as a school administrator, I realize just how significantly rising college students have changed—and just how much the admission process has changed as a result! Each year, Beloit College develops “The Mindset List” in which they offer perspectives of the incoming class of first-year students. For these young people: • Voice mail has always been an option on their phone lines. • They have always been able to enjoy a Starbuck’s latte. • Bill Gates has always been worth at least a billion dollars. • Digital cameras have always existed. Just as the life experiences of this generation of students differ from those of generations past, so too does their approach to college admissions. The Internet is the primary tool used by most students when searching for, applying to, and selecting a college. More than 70 percent of students who apply to Albion now do so online. Rising high school seniors give their cell phone as their main contact number, and they prefer to communicate with admissions staff via Instant Messenger. How different it is now from when I worked in the Admissions Office! While the students, the process, and Albion College have definitely changed, there is one thing that never will—the significance of the “Albion Experience.” At its core, an Albion education is about relationships, connections, and opportunities. Students today still revel in the personal attention they receive from talented faculty, network with prominent business and community figures, and develop cherished, lifelong friendships just as we did (a few!) years ago. As alumni, one of the most important things we can do to help further the mission of Albion’s Admissions Office is to share this experience with others. We can talk about Albion College, at work, with our friends, or with a seatmate on a long flight across the country, thus sparking an interest that may not have existed before. And by communicating our positive experiences we can make a difference for students and families who may need a little reinforcement to finally choose Albion. My Albion . . . Your Albion . . . Our Albion is a college worth sharing. In many ways the reputation of our school is built by us and the lives we live when we leave the campus behind. Please think about how you might share Albion College with others. A student in the Class of 2011 will thank you!
Going Green Build environmental awareness in your youngster. Tamara Crupi, director of Albion College’s Whitehouse Nature Center, offers these family activities as a means of teaching children about our interdependence with our environment and the importance of recycling. This past summer, student Catherine Game offered an EcoDiscovery Camp for elementary students at the Nature Center, with projects that combined visual art and ecology. The twoweek camp focused on recycling, energy conservation, and renewable building materials. To learn more about the Whitehouse Nature Center’s year-round activities, watch for postings at: www.albion. edu/ac_news .
MILK
All alumni, parents, and friends are welcome at the events listed below. Note that most are free, but some are offered
Attracting Students in the “IM” Age
L ! ’ l B R ! TS
Milk-Carton Composting
Water-Cycle Simulation
Surface Tension Experiment
Learn how to make soil from garbage.
Construct a model of how water cycles from air to land.
Observe how humans impact the environment.
Materials: A waxed paper milk carton Scissors Soil from outdoors (unsterilized) Small bits of organic garbage
Materials: Large jar with lid (institutional size) One or two small plants Small lid or cap for water ¾ cup of pebbles 1 cup of sand 1 ½ - 2 cups of moist soil
Materials: A clean bowl (Rinse thoroughly.) Paper clip or fine needle Tweezers Dish detergent
Activity: Close off the pouring spout of the milk carton. Turn the carton on its side and make a flap that will open to allow stirring the compost. Sprinkle a 3/4-inch layer of small organic garbage bits (Note: do not include meat) on the bottom and cover with a thin layer of soil. The next day, stir the mixture and add a new layer of garbage and soil. Repeat each day, stirring and then adding new layers of garbage and soil. When the carton is almost full, stop adding garbage, but stir each day and lightly water the mixture if it dries. At the end of three weeks, the carton should contain brown soil which can be added to house plants.
Activity: Layer in the jar (in this order) pebbles, sand, soil. Plant the plants in the soil. Set a cap full of water in the jar next to the plants. Put the lid on the jar and place in a sunny location. You will see that the water evaporates from the cap, and then condenses onto the plants and soil, just as water evaporates from lakes and streams, and then condenses in the atmosphere and falls to the ground as rain or snow.
Activity: Put water in the bowl. With tweezers, carefully lower a paper clip or needle onto the water surface so that it floats. Add a drop or two of detergent to the water near the paper clip or needle and observe what happens. Water molecules fit together like puzzle pieces on the surface of water and form a sort of skin that can support small creatures. When soap gets in the water, the fragile habitat on top of the water where these creatures live is destroyed.
Learning the ‘Other Three R’s’: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Web Sites
Books
Everyone can get in on these conservation activities.
http://www.ecokids.ca Kid-oriented site loaded with ideas and recommendations.
Dan Chiras, EcoKids: Raising Children Who Care for the Earth
• Plant a tree. • Plant a butterfly garden. • Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents. • Turn a discarded cardboard box into a playhouse. • Use refillable water bottles instead of buying water in throwaway containers. • Walk or ride a bicycle to do errands. For more ideas, check out the resources at right.
http://recycling.stanford.edu/facstaff/kids.html Compilation of recycling Web sites for kids.
Marion Elliot, Fun with Recycling: 50 Great Things for Kids to Make from Junk
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/earth/treasure.htm Suggestions on applying the three R’s to holiday gift-giving.
Gail Gibbons, Recycle: A Handbook for Kids
http://www.kid-at-art.com/htdoc/matchtmp.html Exhaustive list of “trash to art” projects.
Rosie Harlow, Garbage and Recycling: Environmental Facts and Experiments Fall 2006 | 65
Sweet Tastes of Fall
IoTriumphe! T he M agazine
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D. TRUMPIE PHOTO
Members of Albion’s Hillel Jewish student group celebrate in the sukkah they built on the Quad during the joyous holiday of Sukkot, commemorating both the fall harvest and the 40 days which the ancient Israelites spent in the Sinai desert following their exodus from Egypt. The enthusiasm of Albion’s Jewish student population is emblematic of the growing cultural and religious diversity on campus.
Communications Office 611 E. Porter Street Albion, MI 49224-1831 Address service requested
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