Carthaginian spring 2015 by Carthage College

IN THIS ISSUE Feature Articles

2014-2015 season

carthage theatre presents

the world premiere of

Images from South Africa

carthage.edu

Isaac Rothenbaum ’11 sees app soar after Forbes, WSJ press

Mad Man in the Laboratory

Feb. 27-28, March 5-7 at 7:30 p.m. • March 1 at 3 p.m.

Photos from J-Term study tour depict a land mingling unspoiled beauty with the slow-healing wounds of a troubled past

Tech Takeoff

By Mad Men and House of Cards writer Keith Huff Directed by Martin McClendon

After developing Don Draper and Frank Underwood, writer Keith Huff tests new theatrical formula at Carthage

Tea Totaler

Professor immerses in Asian tea culture

With This Ring …

Married team-teachers add unique flavor to interdisciplinary courses

IN THIS ISSUE Departments

THE CARTHAGINIAN Volume 94, Number 2

Faculty Notes

On Campus

Carthage College combines an environment of reflection and self-discovery with a culture of high expectation so our students uncover and ignite their true potential. A four-year, private liberal arts college with roots in the Lutheran tradition, the campus has a prime location in Kenosha. The campus, an 80-acre arboretum on the shore of Lake Michigan, is home to 150 scholars, 2,600 full-time students, and 400 part-time students.

After 45 years of motherly advice to Tarble Hall residents, Jean Martin got a warm send-off to retirement.

A generous gift from the Tarble Family Foundation supports the new science center.

Carthaginian Editorial Team Vice President

Production

Molly O’Shea Polk

Dana Moore

Athletics

Former players, advisees, colleagues, and friends pay tribute to the late Coach Tim Rucks.

Managing Editor

Contributing Writers

Mike Moore

38 48

Class Notes

Design & Art Direction

Tom Applegarth Jason Bennett Lauren Hansen ’10 Mike Moore Danelle Orange Molly O’Shea Polk Matt Thome ’17 Holly Weber ’14

Steve Janiak Kim King ’06

Alumni share milestones in their careers and families.

Photographers

Page From the Past

Johanna Heidorn ’13 Steve Janiak

More than 100 years before ‘Up the Hill’ premiered, Carthage Theatre began its climb.

Chairman of the Board of Trustees David A. Straz, Jr.

3 Letter from the President 7 Pastor’s Message by Kara Baylor 39 Notes from Lauren Hansen

President Gregory S. Woodward

Vice President for Institutional Advancement Evelyn Buchanan

CMYK

Spring Carthaginian 2015

Transparent PMS

For More Information The Carthaginian Office of Communications 2001 Alford Park Drive, Kenosha, WI 53140 262-551-5702 • editor@carthage.edu

The power of J-Term

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Experiential learning at its best

everal years ago — well, decades! — I was a member of a jazz ensemble that was fortunate to tour much of Europe. I played my saxophone in the Colston Hall in London; the U.S. Army base in Heidelberg, Germany; a beautiful casino on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland; a quaint inn in Salzburg, Austria; a concert hall in Copenhagen; the town square in Oberammergau, Germany; and a football (soccer) stadium in Bristol, England. I performed in the Paris Opera House while preparing the stage for Errol Garner and warmed up the audience for the Duke Ellington Orchestra in the Tivoli Gardens in Amsterdam. As is common for musicians on tour, my colleagues and I had the days to ourselves to explore the cities and countrysides of so many amazing places, including every museum, church, and architectural masterpiece I could get close to. It was, up to that point, the most incredible experience of my life. On that tour, I learned a great deal about being a professional: being prepared, no matter the inconveniences of getting to the gig; fighting through illness to perform; learning to read different audiences and their reactions; not being distracted by the hugeness of life that I was experiencing; and trying as hard as possible to play as well as possible at every single concert. It was an eye-opening experience that was, and still is, impossible to replicate in any other way than actually living through it. I also know that I came back to America a completely different person than when I first climbed aboard the jet to London. Everything about home felt different: food, daily life patterns, cities, travel, art, conversations,

carthage.edu

and even relationships. Suddenly, it seemed to me that I was 20 years older than before, unavoidably reconsidering my opinions, goals, actions, and life. It was disconcerting and liberating; somehow warmly reassuring and filled with excitement at the same time. The person I am now owes a good deal to that tour. I always will be grateful for the powerfully transformative opportunity presented to me fairly early in my life. Carthage has been ranked in the top 10 in the country for student participation in shortterm study abroad for the past few years. To me, this is not only a source of pride, but a deliberate College construct that every single January and June presents our students with the wonderful opportunity to experience what I did so long ago. Of course, it is hard to teach all of them how to play the saxophone, but our intent is admirable and pure! Our students travel the world, experiencing life in ways that only these trips can provide. Whether they are bringing medical supplies to a remote village in Nicaragua, absorbing the unbelievable art of Paris, learning about ancient artifacts in Israel, or reporting on “fútbol” in Spain, Carthage undergraduates return home from all over the globe as new and wiser people, transformed into something they couldn’t have been before. A few weeks ago I received a note from our choir director, Maestro Eduardo GarcíaNovelli; along with Spanish-born modern languages professor Isabel Rivero-Vilá, he led the Carthage Choir on a J-Term performance and study tour to Spain. You can feel the joy and energy in his words. You can feel the power of the voyage upon his students. You can almost see and feel his students blossoming right before your eyes.

Here, describing a marvelous adventure for Carthaginians, is an excerpt from Prof. García-Novelli’s email: We learned at least one work in each of the 4 official languages of Spain: Castilian, Galician, Basque, and Catalan. Of course, we visited incredible places and sang as beautifully as we could, sharing concerts with great people from all areas of Spain. It was a goal of the class/trip to expose students to the reality of a country that is multi-lingual, multi-cultural, and that has been going through difficult times from many points of view. I am totally and completely sure that we have offered our students a first class educational experience, from the first to the last minute. They, in return, worked hard … were very respectful, opened their eyes and ears to the world, sang their best, and made us all look very proud of who we are and what we do. J-Term, as we call it, is a blessing, and one that we are very proud to offer. It is also an experience that eludes many of our students, which is why I am creating a special endowment fund to help defray the costs of these study excursions for students who otherwise might not be included. Call me if you would like to help!

Greg Woodward

FACULTY NOTES

Updates on faculty and staff achievements

Models of teaching, advising excellence Turns out that 2007 was a great hiring year for Carthage. That’s the year both John Isham and Ryan Ringhand arrived. During the annual Spring Gathering on Feb. 2, the College announced them as the respective winners of the 2015 Distinguished Teaching and Distinguished Staff awards.

Distinguished Teaching Award Last year’s faculty award recipient, Wayne Thompson, introduced Prof. Isham as a learned scholar who also possesses “a quick and easy style that makes him seem like the guy next door.” Besides directing the Western Heritage Program, he teaches a variety of courses as an associate professor of communication and digital media, Great Ideas, and modern languages. In accepting the award, Prof. Isham said Carthage exceeded his expectations by allowing him to teach classes well outside of his narrow doctoral expertise: 18th century Russian literature. He prefers “learning alongside our students” to imparting a particular set of lessons. “It’s eternally fresh for me,” he said. “It really is a mutual and dynamic process.” Since the Board of Trustees created the award in 1967, one faculty member has been honored each year. A confidential committee reviews nominations from students to select the winner. Before coming to Carthage, Prof. Isham taught for 10 years at Columbia and Drew universities. Fluent in Russian, he earned a Ph.D. in Russian literature from Columbia, the Ivy League school in New York. A native of Akron, Ohio, he earned bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and the history of mathematics. Prof. Isham’s other advanced degrees came in international affairs, Russian language, and philosophy.

Ryan Ringhand, left, and Professor John Isham won the 2015 Distinguished Staff and Teaching awards, respectively.

Distinguished Staff Award Speakers praised Mr. Ringhand, the College’s director of advising, as a humble and positive person who shows “a constant willingness to improve the lives of students.” “I’m overwhelmed and truly surprised,” he said in unscripted remarks to accept the Distinguished Staff Award. “… I don’t feel like I do anything more than what I’m required to do, than what I need to do, than what I should do.” This is the second year the award has been given out. A committee representing many campus offices evaluates the nominees based on their performance in four categories: service, teamwork, attitude, and reliability. Mr. Ringhand previously spent nine years in residence life, advising, Greek Life, and career services at Carroll University in Waukesha,

Wisconsin. In 2008, he served as Carthage’s acting registrar. Originally from Monroe, Wisconsin, he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Carroll. He earned a master’s in student personnel administration from Concordia University Wisconsin in 2002. He credited his parents for modeling the work ethic that he carries on. Mr. Ringhand sees the Carthage campus as “a really close-knit community that helps everyone to elevate their game.”

Spring Carthaginian 2015

‘Mom away from home’ retires For 45 years, Jean Martin did much more than keep Pat Tarble Residence Hall spic and span. To the women who lived there, she was much more than an environmental services technician. When word spread that Mrs. Martin planned to retire in January, alumni from several decades sent congratulatory notes detailing the different hats she wore to help them. Wasp killer. Hug giver. Immaturity cop. Decoration maker. Spirit lifter. “While at Carthage, we learned academic concepts from our professors, but we also learned about great work ethics, compassion and common sense when we spent time with Jean,” wrote Amy (Ashmore) Ziegert ’94. The College held two events in December for the campus community to thank Mrs. Martin. The alumni office presented the box of notes to her, along with a framed picture of Tarble Hall and a chair. She came to Carthage in 1969, lured by the prospect of a job so close to her home on 17th Street in Kenosha. After a brief stint in the kitchen, Mrs. Martin shifted to the custodial role in the all-female dorm. Chatting with the residents about their hopes, or just about how the day was going, was the highlight for her.

Multiple generations of Carthaginians got to know her. “She always, always made you feel like she ‘saw’ you and remembered you. It was never a brief nod or superficial hello … it was always a warm greeting like old friends!” wrote Sue (Olson) Anderson ’84, whose daughter Rebecca ’17 now lives in the dorm. Sure, odd happenings made her shake her head over the years, like the noxious smell of melted plastic after a resident tried to bake cookies on a plastic cafeteria tray. Or finding lab specimens preserved in jars that students tried to store in the janitorial closet. Still, every Homecoming, Mrs. Martin looked forward to seeing some of those alumni return. “There’s some you never forget,” she said. “You wonder what they’re up to.” She developed her own family connection to the school. Two of her son-in-laws graduated from Carthage — including Ken Kohler ’82, a former track star who’s in the Athletic Hall of Fame. Mrs. Martin said she’s ready to take care of her husband, John, and to spend time with her 10 grandchildren and first great-granddaughter. Officially, she has five daughters, but hundreds of former Tarble residents remember when she was their “mom away from home.”

FACULTY NOTES

Ready to advance College’s cause Bringing more than 20 years of experience in institutional fundraising, Evelyn Buchanan began work in February as Carthage’s newly hired vice president of institutional advancement. Her resume featured eight years in senior management at both public and private universities. Ms. Buchanan had worked as director of the Parents’ and Grandparents’ Fund at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York since 2011. “Evelyn Buchanan brings a lifetime of higher education experience in development and college relations to Carthage,” Carthage President Gregory Woodward said. “Virtually everyone she met during her visits to campus seemed to develop an immediate bond and rapport with her, demonstrating what a perfect fit she is for our college.” Ms. Buchanan will advise the president and trustees and will lead a staff of 15 in alumni and parent relations, fundraising, board relations, and other advancement services. In that role, she follows Bradley J Andrews, who became senior vice president for student success and strategic enrollment last fall. “I was drawn to the opportunity at Carthage because of the College’s visionary leadership, strong financial position, and student-centered education. The opportunity to play a role in defining the next era of Carthage was very exciting,” she said. “Most importantly, I was impressed with the people and their commitment to serve students, as well as the passion of the alumni to stay involved with their alma mater.” As a regional advancement director at Colgate from 2011 to 2013, Ms. Buchanan helped complete a $480 million campaign. Before that, she held senior positions at the State University of New York Empire State College and the Culinary Institute of America. She earned a Master of Science in nonprofit leadership from New England College.

Jean Martin at her retirement celebration.

carthage.edu

FACULTY NOTES

Emily Leskinen, assistant professor of psychological science, made a list of the best research performed in women’s leadership during 2014, as determined by the Coles College of Business Women’s Leadership Center at Kennesaw State University. Prof. Leskinen co-authored the article “Dimensions of disrespect: Mapping and measuring gender harassment in organizations,” which was published in Psychology of Women Quarterly, Volume 38.

Jan Owens, associate professor of management and marketing, and two colleagues wrote the case study that was used in the 2015 Case Cup Competition from Feb. 6-8 in Cincinnati. Created by the National Sports Forum, the annual competition brings together master’s students pursuing professional sports careers. Working with sponsoring client NASCAR, Prof. Owens’ group produced a case titled, “Kentucky Speedway: Getting a Checkered Flag with Customers.”

Christine Renaud, professor of classics, religion, and women’s and gender studies, reports that one of Rome’s premier museums is exhibiting a unique statue that was excavated under her supervision in 2009. According to the Capitoline Museums’ website, the marble statue “depicts the violent end to a Greek myth, when the satyr and would-be musician Marsyas is tied to a tree and flayed after losing a music battle to Apollo.” Largely intact, the “Vignacce Marsyas” is now on permanent display at the museums’ Centrale Montemartini site. Carthage students accompanied Prof. Renaud on the Villa delle Vignacce excavations in suburban Rome in 2006 and 2008.

Jean Quashnock, professor of physics and astronomy, taught the firsttime J-Term course Personal Finance for College Students. In it, students gained access to a free online resource called CashCourse that helps them build money management skills. The tool is designed by the nonprofit National Endowment for Financial Education.

mark your place in Carthage history Granite walkways paved with commemorative bricks lead to sidewalks that connect the entire Carthage campus. Names of alumni and friends of the College are etched in sections of these attractive walkways. By purchasing a brick, you, too, can celebrate the Carthage spirit and mark your place within this eminent learning community. Have your name etched in granite and show your Carthage pride to future generations. For more information, contact the alumni office at 800-551-1518 or alumnioffice@carthage.edu.

carthage.edu/give/bricks

Spring Carthaginian 2015

KARA BAYLOR

The beauty of shared success, failure, and service As I write this article, I’m in Carefree, Arizona, at Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center with 20 other campus pastors from our sister ELCA colleges and universities. It is good to be out of the cold weather of Wisconsin and to feel temperatures above 30 degrees. Soon I will be able to experience the same warmth in the beauty of Wisconsin. But it is even better to be with those who do the same work that I’m doing at Carthage. It is a small group of ELCA clergy who serve in a college setting, and it is good to share our joys and our struggles. It is good to share times in worship and praise of God. It is good to share what is working on our campuses and hope that we can learn from one another. Our goal is to see vibrant campus ministries at all of our ELCA colleges, for

the sake of students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Campus ministry from the Center for Faith and Spirituality is growing and becoming stronger. This January, working alongside Professor Sandie Bisciglia, director of the Diversity Center, we sponsored our first Carthage Service Day. We had 40 students, faculty and staff members, and alumni come together on a Saturday morning to do service in the Racine and Kenosha areas. Volunteers broke up into small groups and donated time at five locations. We sorted donations at the ELCA Outreach Center in Kenosha and at Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore in Racine, cooked the community meal to be served at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Racine, painted the dining area at the Homeless Assistance Leadership Organization (HALO) and helped to shred confidential documents at Racine “Sometimes in our busy lives, we forget Vocational Ministry. At each site, volunteers served how the simple, little things in life, such as but also learned about the working with others and giving back to the nonprofit and how it is trying to community, can brighten someone's day. make a difference in the world. Everyone in the group had a great This service event truly reminded me to experience and asked for more appreciate the little things and to perform opportunities like this to get into simple acts of kindness every day!” our surrounding community to serve. The spirit of service is strong — Cami Christopulos ’15 on campus. In February, we held two Ash Wednesday services on campus. Around 200 members of the community came out to be reminded that they are dust and to dust they shall return. At the evening service, I encouraged the students not to give anything up for Lent; instead, I encouraged them to find ways to engage more deeply in their faith journey. I was thrilled that they came to worship, and my hope and prayer is that, when they come back next Lent, they will know more about why they are coming, what their faith means to them, and how it impacts each day of their lives. I don’t believe they will have it all figured out — that is a lifelong journey — but at least they are on the path and

carthage.edu

gathering with others to share their joys and struggles, and to worship and praise God. It is good to have completed my first year as campus pastor, and to see all the ways that the Center for Faith and Spirituality can grow and partner with others on campus to become more and more vibrant. It is good to gather to share our lives. It is good to gather to serve the community. It is good to gather in praise and worship of God.

Peace,

Rev. Kara Baylor Campus Pastor

ON CAMPUS

A glimpse of what’s happening in the Carthage community

Tarble gift supports new science center Carthage recently received the second-largest gift in its history. A $10 million contribution from the Tarble Family Foundation of Los Angeles supports the creation of the new East Wing in the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Natural and Social Sciences. Jan Tarble, daughter of the late Newton E. and Louise A. (Pat) Tarble, presented the gift to Carthage President Gregory Woodward on Oct. 4. The 35,000-square-foot wing is part of a $43 million science center project that’s scheduled to be completed by the beginning of the fall semester. This latest gift brought the Tarble family’s total contribution to Carthage to almost $40 million. “Carthage College would not be what it is today without the generosity of many dedicated supporters, and chief among these wonderful friends are Jan Tarble and her parents, Newton and Pat,” said President Woodward. “The contributions of the Tarble family have truly transformed our campus and institution.” The new science center is designed to offer even greater opportunity for innovative science education and will advance Carthage’s commitment to

exceptional research experiences for undergraduates. In addition to the East Wing, the project includes a major renovation of the 70,000-square-foot Straz Center. It will increase classroom and laboratory space by 40 percent, provide stateof-the-art facilities for study in the natural sciences, and provide new ways for students and faculty to collaborate on forefront research. The family became involved with Carthage when Newton Tarble and other Snap-on executives supported the College’s move to Kenosha from Illinois in the early 1960s. One of the principal founders of the Kenosha company, he remained a director until his death in 1976. Pat Tarble was a Chicago native who moved to California with her family in the 1940s. Her gift helped fund construction of the $23 million N. E. Tarble Athletic and Recreation Center. It remains the largest gift in Carthage history and one of the largest to any private college or university in Wisconsin. President Woodward called the family’s dedication to higher education an inspiration. He added that their specific support of Carthage “has laid the foundation for one of the most powerful personal relationships between a donor and a higher education institution in America.”

Spring Carthaginian 2015

Find out more about Carthageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new science center, scheduled to open completely in fall 2015, at

carthage.edu/sciencecenter

carthage.edu

ON CAMPUS

Streaming from Carthage to the world

Distance, time, and financial constraints prevent many Carthaginians from attending campus events. The College’s webcasting service allows those families and alumni to see sporting events, fine arts performances, and other special events on campus. The crew streams more than 100 events live each year, and they can be seen around the world. In the last four months of 2014, a total of 20,746 viewers watched events on the Carthage website. “Live webcasting is an exciting opportunity to work with Carthage students to showcase the work of other students, as well as other activities and events on campus, potentially to the entire world,” said Mike Love, director of media and learning services at the College. The program, led by Mr. Love and fellow Library and Information Services staff members Michael Murphy and John Voynovich, employs about 20 students with many different majors. Students direct, run graphics, operate cameras, and run instant-replay software. Live video streaming at Carthage launched in 2009 with a women’s volleyball match. Audio streaming began a couple of years earlier for football and basketball games. Since then, the service has expanded well beyond athletics; among the most viewed events last fall were a Wind Orchestra concert, the annual Christmas Festival, and For archived video and a schedule of upcoming a congressional debate the College live events, visit live.carthage.edu hosted. Every day’s work is different, because the logistics change with each event. Preparation takes many hours and includes moving equipment, running cables, setting up cameras and computers, and running tests on the system before the event. “I am especially proud of the quality of the productions created by our student crews,” Mr. Love said. “We hear regularly from viewers about how much they enjoy the ability to see our students compete or perform, especially when they cannot get to campus for events.”

by the numbers These statistics cover live webcasts on the Carthage website from Aug. 31, 2014 through Dec. 31, 2014. Viewership figures from YouTube are not included.

viewers came from 85 – Foreign countries 52 – American states and territories

most unique viewers in single day 1,994 – Nov. 15 (four events: men’s basketball home opener, fall Wind Orchestra concert, football, NCAA Division III women’s volleyball regional final)

top 10 foreign countries, by viewership 1. Mexico 2. Canada 3. Japan 4. Spain 5. France

6. Saudi Arabia 7. Thailand 8. Great Britain* 9. Italy 10. Turkey

*Classified as single unit in Ustream data

Spring Carthaginian 2015

Honors changes allow like minds to gather To Logen Bartz ’18, living on a floor dedicated to honors students was a natural choice. “I liked the idea of living in a community of people who would have similar goals and drives to my own,” she said. This year, 16 freshman and sophomore honors students are sharing a floor in “Oaks 3,” one of six buildings in the Oaks Residential Village. The floor is one of several ways the College’s newly revamped Honors Program is encouraging students to collaborate. The others? More honors courses: Participants now can pick from multiple honors-only classes each semester of their first three years. Previously, honors students were grouped in Western Heritage classes as freshmen and went their separate ways until reconvening for a senior colloquium. Student learning communities: Approved groups meet regularly to discuss books or articles on a particular topic. “This new program has been a long time in the making,” said Professor Paul Ulrich, director of the Honors Program. “We are now able to offer our

honors students the kinds of things administrators, faculty, students, and even parents have told us they want.” Another addition is an honors portfolio that showcases a paper or project from each honors course and a series of essays. “Each addition to the portfolio serves several purposes,” Prof. Ulrich said. “Students reflect on their education, look forward to life after college, and practice explaining what they have gotten from Carthage.” While they’re still feeling out the demands of the Honors Program, Logen said the group’s bond has eased the transition to college. “We have formed a supportive, tight-knit community, and I really feel at home here,” she said. A psychology and criminal justice major from Cottage Grove, Minnesota, Logen took one of the freshman honors seminars offered last fall: The Conductor Musician, with Professor Peter Dennee. This semester’s offerings are Nuclear and Particle Physics and Thinking Like a Homer Scholar. “They’re asking you to think differently, rather than just take in information,” said Prof. Ulrich,

who teaches Great Ideas, political science, and philosophy. “These are courses where you’re getting into the professor’s head, asking ‘How does this person approach this work?’” Each sophomore year class will address a particular problem that is addressed by the professor’s field. Topics could include The Problem of Biotechnology and Feeding the Planet or The Problem of Self in a Mediated Society. Under the previous guidelines, honors students fulfilled most of the requirements individually through “contracts” with chosen faculty members. Prof. Dennee oversaw several of those but has high hopes for the new format. “That should be part of everything here at Carthage: building community and giving multiple opportunities for students to feel like they’re part of something bigger,” he said. A student who completes six of the courses, plus other program requirements, will be designated a Carthage Honors Scholar. Four classes qualify a student as a Carthage Scholar. About 40 freshmen were accepted into the program this year.

Student presenters DREAM big at diversity conference The first DREAM Undergraduate Diversity Conference was held at Carthage on Feb. 20-21. Standing for Diversity at Carthage Respects, Educates, Advocates Multiculturalism, this major undertaking celebrated Black History Month. It grew out of the work by the Diversity Leadership Council, which includes faculty, staff, and students. The DREAM conference highlighted students’ research, senior theses, art projects, and study abroad experiences related to diversity. Manar Mohammad ’16 took first prize for her presentation, “‘Two-

carthage.edu

ness’ and the Muslim American Identity.” A biology and English major from Kenosha, she was thrilled to hear friends carry her themes into their class discussions. “I definitely think the conference demonstrated how much our campus is evolving,” Manar wrote afterward. “… I love that it gave students a chance to listen to each other’s ideas that we wouldn’t ordinarily have the opportunity to hear about so extensively.” In all, 15 students presented their work, with winners receiving cash prizes of up to $750. But Nicole Gaa ’15, an English major from Gurnee,

Illinois, found much more value in the conversations that the event sparked. “We are a group of students who are seeking change and are willing to incorporate our values into our academics,” wrote Nicole, who took second prize for “The Past-Tense, Future-Perfect: Fluid Hybrid Identities and Responses to Multiculturalism in Zadie Smith’s ‘White Teeth.’” The weekend conference began with a dinner and keynote address. Loretta J. Ross, an expert on women’s issues, hate groups, racism and intolerance, human rights, and violence against women, spoke on

“Reproductive Justice and Issues Relating to Human Rights.” The conference raised Nicole’s hope that change will ripple beyond the campus by laying out “steps to change what the demographics of a liberal (arts) college look like.” “Though one research project and presentation won’t change the world, the discussions that were created, I hope, changed perspectives as to what diversity entails,” she continued, while also demonstrating “that students are very willing to be a part of what Carthage has been wanting to achieve.”

ATHLETICS

Highlights from the court, field, track, pool, and course

Season sponsored by the letter ‘W’ Not once in 2014 did the Carthage women’s volleyball team taste defeat in a conference match. The Lady Reds bulldozed through the regular season, going 7-0 in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin, then defeated Millikin University in five sets to win the CCIW tournament. Carthage qualified for the NCAA Division III championship and advanced to the regional final for the second time in four years. “The 2014 Lady Reds were truly the sum of their parts,” head coach Leanne Ulmer said. “We had a talented setter (Karen Chin), a very strong group of passers and defenders (Hanna Cahoon, Sara Shumaker, and Luci Krenzke), and a very consistent and strong group of hitters (Emily Heuermann, Rachel Fields and Bria Hailey). This group had very good team chemistry and a desire to play for each other.”

Tarble Arena was selected to host an NCAA regional in November. Backed by the home crowd, the Lady Reds started the tournament by defeating DePauw and Dominican universities. However, the Lady Reds’ journey ended with a four-set loss to Calvin College, the No. 1 team in the nation at the time. Carthage ended the season 36-4. “Hosting the regional and playing in the regional finals with 1,200 loud and excited fans was great,” Coach Ulmer said. “We were disappointed we did not win the regional, but it makes us hungry to work hard to get another chance.” Karen made the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America second team, while Emily earned honorable mention. Also named CCIW CoPlayer of the Year, Karen set Carthage records for assists in a match (61) and season (1,564). “Karen Chin is our team’s quarterback, and she was instrumental in our success,” Coach Ulmer said. “She was able to spread the ball around to different hitters, which made our team more

difficult to defend. She is one of our top servers and defensive players as well. She has grown every year as a setter, and she has the ability to make those around her better.” Coach Ulmer surpassed 400 career wins and received the AVCA’s Midwest Region Coach of the Year award for a third time.

Spring Carthaginian 2015

ATHLETICS McPeek completes rise to top

Call him Mr. 500 Reaching 500 wins this past season, Carthage men’s basketball head coach Bosko Djurickovic has an impressive coaching record. But judging his career by the numbers misses the point. “Coaches, I think, sometimes get caught up in the wins and losses — and they are very important, because that is how you get measured,” he said. “But the fact is, when you think back on the 500 wins and all of the years that I’ve coached, it has more to do with the kids who went through our program who still come out to the games. That’s the bigger fun part … It sounds corny and trite, but that’s what it is.” Coach Djurickovic actually passed two major milestones in 2014-15. His 300th win with the Red Men came during a Thanksgiving tournament Nov. 29 in California, and career victory No. 500 overall occurred Jan. 17 at Tarble Arena. After starting his career at North Park University in Chicago, he has spent the past 19 years coaching Carthage. Coach Djurickovic’s resume includes two NCAA Division III championships, eight career NCAA tournament appearances, and several coach of the year awards. His 28-year record stands at 503-263. Alumni of his programs benefit from Coach Djurickovic’s guidance long after they’ve stopped adding to that win total. Former players who graduated as far back as the 1980s remain in contact with him.

“But the fact is, when you think back on the 500 wins and all of the years that I’ve coached, it has more to do with the kids who went through our program who still come out to the games.” “It’s hard to put into words the incredible impact Bosko has had on my life,” said Jim Oboikowitch ’02, now manager of game and event production with the Chicago Cubs. “As my coach, he inspired me to be a better player, teammate and leader during my four years playing for him. But it has been his friendship and mentorship that he has provided me since I graduated college that I cherish the most. I am proud to have played for Bosko and been a part of his journey to 500 wins.” To Coach Djurickovic, the number just proves that longevity breeds success. “When you’ve coached as long as I have, and have had great players and supportive administration, it’s a by-product of that,” he said. Of course, it’s equally true that success breeds longevity.

carthage.edu

Beginning spring play, the women’s tennis team looks to carry over momentum from an undefeated fall season (10-0 overall and 7-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin). Haleigh McPeek ’15 won the No. 1 singles flight at the conference tournament. With a 13-2 season record, she was named CCIW Women’s Tennis Player of the Year. “She went from middle of the pack in conference her freshman year to being the best in the conference, and that is truly a testament to her and her work ethic and competitiveness,” said Coach Brady Lindsley.

Two Lady Reds make top 10 at NCAA indoor track and field Three Carthage athletes competed in the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championship on March 13-14 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. With the top 15 athletes in each event qualifying for the national championship, Carthage’s Morgan Young ’17 finished seventh in the shot put (45 feet, 9 ¾ inches) and Becca McMullin ’15 eighth in the weight throw (56-8 ¾). Both earned United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-America honors. The Carthage men’s team had one qualifier. Branden Miller ’15 finished 12th in the shot put (52-6).

Domin makes alma mater’s Hall of Fame Women’s cross country and track and field coach Steph Domin was inducted into the University of Rhode Island Athletic Hall of Fame. “It will be very exciting for me and my whole family to go back, and it will be nice to be on campus and see the changes, because I have not been there since 1993,” she said before the March 7 ceremony. In 1993, she became the first Rhode Island runner to qualify for the NCAA Division I cross country championship. Coach Domin received All-New England and All-Atlantic 10 Conference honors in both cross country and track during all four of her years there.

Alumna hired to coach women’s lacrosse Lauren (Chatham) Hein ’14 was hired as women’s lacrosse coach after a three-year playing career with the Lady Reds from 2012 to 2014. Originally from Hartland, Wisconsin, Coach Hein graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication. As a player, she was named the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association first-team All-Great Lakes Region and Midwest Women’s Lacrosse Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2013, as well as first-team all-conference in 2014. She also earned conference all-academic honors three times.

ATHLETICS

Serving an A.C.E. He constantly reinforced the importance of A.C.E., which stands for Attitude, Character, and Enthusiasm. Even in his final coaching role, for a youth flag football league, he handed out ace cards to the boys who best demonstrated those attributes. Memories shared by former players, student advisees, co-workers, and friends show that Coach Rucks those qualities as well. He passed away March 10 at age 54, and a memorial service was held March 14 in A. F. Siebert Chapel.

Coach Tim Rucksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mentorship and leadership impacted thousands of students, and his presence on our campus will be greatly missed. help us preserve the legacy of coach tim rucks. Donate to a scholarship in his memory at carthage.edu/givenow

Spring Carthaginian 2015

REMEMBERING COACH RUCKS I was a freshman from another country, and Coach Rucks treated me like we’ve been friends forever. … In the back of my mind, I was always thinking that this man has over 100 kids on his roster and is the most high profile coach on campus — how can he possibly remember what we talked about three months ago? Yet he always did. – Kim Ferizi ’04 Whenever I tried to start a conversation with business, Tim would always say something like, “Hold on … we’ll get to that. Let’s talk about you. How are you holding up?” – Nick Mulvey ’02

“Win or lose, Tim did things the right way: with dignity and class.” — Darren “Gil” Gilbert

During our team warm-up prior to each game, Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” would come on over the speakers and every player (and coach) would look over at Tim — he would go nuts. He would go from the quiet, anxious head coach to an animated Johnny Cash fan, with a huge smile, waving his finger in the air! – Garrett Campbell, former assistant coach Coach Rucks didn’t care if you were his No. 1 prospect or his last; he would treat you like you mattered to him and Carthage. – Scott W. Carlson ’04 You are the closest person to Jesus that I have ever known. Humble and gentle, you carried people’s pain. – Lauren Hansen ’10, director of alumni and parent programs My most memorable memory of Coach was all the grief he gave me as a 117-pound freshman kicker who wore green cleats. – Jay Dobson ’12 Devoted to football, he was also devoted to making sure his players got an education in the broadest sense of the word, and to helping them understand that it was education first and football second that was their purpose for being at Carthage. – Professor Emerita Marian Rothstein His “Coach” name may have originated from football, but he was a Coach in much, much more than that. – Jill (Knautz) Fox ’05

carthage.edu

He lost so many of my lures in the trees and rocks that, shortly after, he sent me a gift card to Cabelas with a note that said, “Thanks for the great time fishing. Now go replace all the tackle I lost.” – Beau Hodgen ’00 I knew that my day wasn’t fulfilled until I talked to Coach. – Tyler Wollberg, former women’s golf head coach I could not have had a better man to help me adjust to Carthage. – EB Hawkins ’18 I would not be the coach — but more importantly the man — I am today and continuing to strive to be if it weren’t for Coach Rucks’ continued influence in my life. Coach Rucks was more than a football coach. He taught us all how to be men of integrity and character. I saw the impact in every one of us that were blessed to call him Coach. Thank you, Coach Rucks, for every selfless day you gave to your players. — Paul Michalak ’06 If you spent any time with Tim, you could tell how dedicated he was to helping young people. I am convinced there are numerous individuals who are making good choices, who are being solid husbands and great fathers, because of the influence Coach Rucks had on them. Thanks, Tim, for helping so many find meaning and purpose in their life. — John Neese Coach Rucks was a Hall-of-Famer in every sense of the word. He truly led by example, and his love for his players, coaching staff, and Carthage College never wavered. — Andy McDonald ’07 Tim Rucks was not only a great coach, but he taught me how to carry myself as an adult by having the right attitude, character, and enthusiasm in everything that I do. Thanks for everything, Coach Rucks. You will be missed.” — Kelly Jauch ’13

Spring Carthaginian 2015

“I was lucky to be able to call you Coach, and even luckier to later call you a friend.” — Jason Atanasoff ’05

carthage.edu

FE AT U RE STORY

J-Term in South Africa

Splendor with Scars Take a journey in photos to a land where humility, beauty mix with remnants of apartheid

In January 2015, about 40 Carthage students spent two weeks examining economics and business in South Africa on a J-Term study tour. Led by economics professor Yuri Maltsev, the study tour featured talks with famous economists and businessmen, visits to historical sites, sightseeing, and a safari. Carthage photographer Johanna Heidorn ’13 traveled with the group to capture images of South Africa’s natural beauty, people, culture, and troubled past. Excerpts from journals by Amerin Idell ’17 and Atli Einarsson ’15 also appear in these pages. To see many more photos and read about the day-by-day experiences, visit carthage.edu/south-africa.

Spring Carthaginian 2015

carthage.edu

SOUTH AFRICA

The People

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Upon seeing the 10 of us from the trip, [the store owner] repeatedly told us how blessed she felt that we traveled all this way and ended up in her store. She asked her daughter to turn up the African gospel she had been playing and then asked all of us to gather around in a circle for a prayer. Our group, this woman, and her daughter all stood holding hands as this woman thanked God for our presence and then proceeded to dance to the music. The store owner explained afterward that she used the profits from her store to start a church, which she now leads. Her gratitude for her life and to see us as visitors to her store felt so warm. This trip is the first time I have ever traveled to a place where people are so kind, welcoming, and grateful.â&#x20AC;?

Spring Carthaginian 2015

Nature

SOUTH AFRICA

“ To our left, we could see the entire town, barely making out each individual house — and, to our right, more mountains. At last, we sat down and watched from the top of this cliff as the sun set.

T he exact moment when the sun finally hid itself behind the mountains in the distance made me feel so grateful for this experience, and so lucky that I am experiencing it with some of my closest friends.”

“ T he end of the safari was by far the most amazing. About 50 feet from the entrance, we stopped our Jeep. To our right, about 20 feet away, were six rhinos traveling as a pack. To our benefit, the rhinos took their time traveling, so we watched them closely and took pictures for about five minutes. We were so close to the rhinos that we observed each individual wrinkle on their bodies as well as the hair on their tails.”

carthage.edu

History and Economy

SOUTH AFRICA

In Graaf Reinet

“ Waking up to expected temperatures of 110 degrees Fahrenheit, our group prepared for a two-hour walking tour of the city. Our tour unexpectedly began at the hotel where we were staying. Our tour guide, Chantelle, told us our hotel was fairly new and had gone under a massive remodel before it became Hotel Drostdy.

The history of the hotel dates to South Africa’s abolition of slavery. When blacks gained freedom, they had no way of accumulating property. A wealthy man in Graaf Reinet granted the black residents a deal. He bought a large section of property and told the black residents that, once they earned enough, he would reserve a section of land for them to build their houses. As a result, small houses were built one by one in a row, and black residents in Graaf Reinet owned property for the first time. Once apartheid was implemented in South Africa, the area was deemed a white-only territory. The black homeowners were forced

to move to another area and abandon their homes. In the 1980s, the area was bought and turned into a hotel. The recent renovations and remodeling of the hotel are to pay respect and acknowledge the influence of the black South Africans’ homes that once stood there. The hotels rooms are built to look like small houses and are painted with varying colors of yellow, pink, blue, and green on the outside windows and panels. The colors are symbols of the bright colors the black residents used to paint their own houses, in contrast to the white South Africans’ typical home colors of white with forest green detail.”

Spring Carthaginian 2015

learn more For details on tuition, Fall 2015 application deadlines, and other Carthage in Chicago topics, visit the program website: carthage.edu/chicago

“ T he contrast of the separate past but ambitious future is apparent and something I didn’t expect. The symbolic architecture was amazing, from the theme ‘democracy under a tree’ to the glass panes that shine on top of the prison towers representing South Africa’s bright future.”

carthage.edu

SOUTH AFRICA

Culture

â&#x20AC;&#x153; We came to a small hut in the middle of the park. When we walked in, a barbecue greeted us and we experienced our first braai.

This magical gathering of people and marinated animal flesh was the best experience of the whole entire trip for me. Barbecued kudu and lamb was to die for.â&#x20AC;? 24

Spring Carthaginian 2015

“ At Constitution Hill, we learned that Africans imprisoned would sometimes lie and say that they were “coloured” (biracial, Asian, or Indian) to receive better treatment.

Prison wardens tested the prisoners to see if they were lying by sticking a pen in their hair and asking them to jump. If the pen stayed in a prisoner’s hair, the warden reasoned that prisoner was African. If it fell, the prisoner was deemed coloured.”

carthage.edu

FE AT U R E S TO RY

Sanctuary for (and from) drama Red-hot writer Keith Huff debuts D.C. play at Carthage

2014-2015 season

carthage theatre presents

the world premiere of

or a screen and stage writer who suddenly acquired the Midas touch after years of struggling, Keith Huff still relishes the chance to fail. No one involved expected “Up the Hill,” the original script he wrote for Carthage’s New Play Initiative, to be a dud when it premiered in late February. After all, Mr. Huff keeps churning out winners, from the Broadway hit “A Steady Rain” to seasons of “Mad Men” and “House of Cards” on television. Yet, rather than pumping the golden well dry with spinoffs and sequels like a cocky Hollywood hotshot, he turns his attention to the next untapped idea. Mr. Huff dives into a new project with the objectivity of a scientist. Carthage Theatre became his laboratory and “Up the Hill” the experiment. “The New Play Initiative gave me a safe, creatively liberating place to work and play – an environment that is, in a sense, away from the commercial demands of the marketplace and away from the critics,” he said. “I think a play’s first outing deserves such an environment because it gives a chance for the play to be whatever it is, warts and all.” Five years ago, hiding from those demands would’ve been easy. At that point, he’d been moonlighting as a writer for 25 years while paying the bills with a 9-to-5 desk job. Expectations are different since his rapid rise.

By Mad Men and House of Cards writer Keith Huff Directed by Martin McClendon

Feb. 27-28, March 5-7 at 7:30 p.m. • March 1 at 3 p.m.

Spring Carthaginian 2015

Rose Grizzell ’15 and Mack Folkert ’15 played congressional interns Jill and Jack in “Up the Hill.”

“At this point in my career, I’ve observed that success paints something of a target on one’s back,” Mr. Huff said. “Audiences and critics alike expect you to surpass your previous successes – and if you don’t, or if they perceive that you don’t, they take aim and fire.” Word got around to Mr. Huff about this creative sanctuary, not far from the western Kenosha County village of Twin Lakes where he grew up. Previous writers he knows gave the Carthage Theatre initiative a big thumbs-up. “We don’t dictate any artistic terms to our authors,” said Professor Martin McClendon, who directed “Up the Hill.” Mr. Huff submitted a script so polished that, while preparing to go on stage, cast members still read from copies marked “First Draft.” In turn, the playwright took a back seat and let Prof. McClendon and his students shape the finished product. “Up the Hill” tells the darkly comic story of two young congressional interns, Jack and Jill, who are confronted with choices between idealism and power. (Spoiler alert: If you remember the nursery rhyme about fetching a pail of water, you can guess how it ends for them.) Although Mr. Huff left “House of Cards” after its first season, interviews he had conducted for the show lingered in his mind. The writing team did its research in summer, when Congress was in recess and tens of thousands of interns flooded Washington. “Doing the math, that means the country is essentially being run by 20- to 30-yearolds all summer,” he said. “I found that intriguing and inherently dramatic.” Just as the upside-down flag in the TV show’s logo symbolizes a nation in distress, a teetering Capitol building with a cracked dome was the backdrop for “Up the Hill.” Scenic designer Emily Moritz ’15 wanted to depict the conflict between corruption and idealism in American government. After receiving the script, five members of the cast and crew drove to D.C. on a research

carthage.edu

tour that Emily organized. For three hours, she walked the National Mall while reading the play and watching locals rush through their days with barely a glance at the monuments. “We see it as a tourist attraction. They see it as their lunch break,” Emily said. Coincidentally, Netflix released the full third season of “House of Cards” on the same day the play made its debut in the Wartburg Auditorium. It took Dylan Baxter ’17 less than a week to binge-watch all of the new episodes. Cast in “Up the Hill” as an eager but flustered intern, the theatre performance major from Waukesha, Wisconsin, spotted the similarities to the TV show right away. “This could be one of the rejected episodes,” Dylan joked. Of course, there’s one major difference: Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright aren’t college students. By letting the actors play characters their own ages, Mr. Huff hoped they could draw from their own experiences and give the story “an authentic depth and realistic texture.” It worked. “We could relate not only with our characters’ ages, but also many of the issues that stem from being our age,” said Mack Folkert ’15, who played Jack. “We were blown away by how fully realized the characters were and how much the play spoke to us.” The New Play Initiative was a major factor in Mack’s choice to attend Carthage. He calls it one example of “a small school trying to do big things.”

After the opening night curtain, Mr. Huff joined the students on stage to take audience questions. He said he was “floored” by their ability to bring his characters to life. “To see that texture of believability just soar … that’s the gold standard in theatre,” he said. Since the premiere, two more of Mr. Huff’s TV projects have hit the screen. He’s supervising producer/writer for the new “American Crime” on ABC and executive producer/writer for the second season of “Full Circle” on DirecTV. When he gives students the “never give up” pep talk, it rings true. “Perseverance” could be the title of his life story. “Every project I involved myself in, whether it was a flop or a marginal success or somewhere in between, was a learning experience,” he said. “When the opportunities finally presented themselves, I was ready.”

the next installment Carthage announced that Caridad Svich would be the eighth guest playwright in the New Play Initiative. She will write “The Breath of Stars” for a spring 2016 premiere. Ms. Svich received a 2012 OBIE Award for Lifetime Achievement in theatre, a 2012 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award for “Guapa,” and the 2011 American Theatre Critics Association Primus Prize for “The House of the Spirits.” She has won the National Latino Playwriting Award twice.

FE AT U R E S TO RY

App puts grad on tech map Forbes, Wall Street Journal plug covert job hunting tool

ne day last August, as Isaac Rothenbaum ’11 traveled from his home in New York to Baltimore to visit a friend, his phone wouldn’t stop lighting up with notifications. What prompted the barrage of texts, calls, and emails? His mobile application, Poacht, had just been featured on Product Hunt, a website that’s described as the place “where Silicon Valley finds out what’s cool.” Other sites began to pick up the news. The Wall Street Journal highlighted Poacht just after Christmas. Then, in January, Forbes magazine featured Mr. Rothenbaum as one of “30 Under 30” to Isaac Rothenbaum ’11 watch in enterprise technology. Poacht, which Mr. Rothenbaum and partner Maisie Devine created, converts information from a user’s LinkedIn page to a digital resume and displays it to potential employers. The one thing the app doesn’t take? Your name. It lets users search for jobs without worrying that their current employers will find out. They enter salary requirements, indicate whether they’re willing to relocate, and express their level of interest in changing jobs. The app sends a notification when an employer is interested in setting up an interview. At that point, the user can choose to reveal his or her name and contact information. Workers in human resources may like it even more than covert job-seekers. “Instead of posting on a job board and getting hundreds of applications from unqualified candidates, the pool is much more trimmed down,” Mr. Rothenbaum said. “Now employers can target 12 or so highly qualified candidates and make the process much more efficient.” The attention made Poacht an overnight success. Gone were the times when it averaged four to six downloads per day.

“That day we were at 130 by noon, and by night our servers had crashed due to the load,” Mr. Rothenbaum said. The app now has a user base of about 20,000. It’s hard to believe that Mr. Rothenbaum walked across the stage at the N. E. Tarble Athletic and Recreation Center Field House less than three years ago. After graduating from Carthage, he went on to earn a master’s degree in software engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and moved to New York City to start his career. He was hired as a software engineer at Next Jump, an e-commerce company that works with clients like Dell, AARP, and Hilton Hotels on their customer loyalty programs. “Joining Next Jump in the first place was a highlight in itself,” he said. “They surrounded themselves with incredibly intelligent people, and their interview process is rigorous, so it was exciting to even be accepted.” When Poacht became more than a side project, he left Next Jump in July 2013 — one month after it wrapped up closed beta testing. Having an app ready is one thing, but having people use it is another. That’s where the Entrepreneur’s Roundtable Accelerator came in. The selective, four-month program helps first-time startups with seed money, exposure to investors, and mentorship, along with legal and bookkeeping advice. “The Accelerator really helped us,” Mr. Rothenbaum said. “It got us in front of employers who would eventually be some of the first people to use the service, and spawned great word of mouth. We were two months from going broke, so it came along at just the right time.” Not bad for a company that is just now hiring two more people to complement the two founders. Now that Poacht has reached a stable point and is growing, what’s next? “I’m not the kind of person who’ll get to a point and then start over again,” Mr. Rothenbaum said. “I didn’t take a salary my first year, and it’s nice actually being able to not worry about where rent money is going to come from. I’d like to make this my career or potentially sell to a company looking to buy us. I don’t think I’d ever want to do the start-up thing again. It’s a headache.”

Spring Carthaginian 2015

#carthageviews A “carthageview” isn’t just a stellar sunrise. It’s what and how we see every day. Tag your photos #carthageviews on Instagram, and find them and more at carthage.edu/carthageviews.

carthage.edu

@alex_karch

@cbarclay93

@marisamatheson

@michaelsully13

@noteloc7

@jonahsolheim

@kayxshea

@evaaaaa94

@lizwardski

FE AT U R E S TO RY

Turning over an ancient leaf Professor steeps himself in research with Chinese tea company

an Choffnes, associate professor of biology and Asian studies, takes tea time very seriously. “I had always been a tea drinker, and interested in the importance of tea in Asian culture, but I didn’t have a chance to study it academically until I began teaching at Carthage,” he said. Most recently, he spent three months of a yearlong sabbatical working for a tea company in Xiamen, China, in spring 2014. By then he already had visited several tea-growing regions in China and India over the previous five years, and working in Xiamen gave him a closer look at one. In his fieldwork, Prof. Choffnes visits farms (called tea gardens in China and tea estates in India), shops, and homes to discover how tea affects the lives of the people involved. He also tours factories and workshops where fresh leaves are manufactured into the finished product and spends time at markets to find out how tea is marketed and distributed.

Whether they’re planting, growing, harvesting, marketing, or drinking it, Prof. Choffnes found that tea permeates these societies. It gives people jobs, it is used as medicine, and it plays a role in social customs. “It’s impressive to me that tea, this modest evergreen tree that doesn’t appear to be something spectacular, has convinced us to spread it all over the world, to make it the basis of a huge amount of economic activity, and to bring it to the center of our cultures,” he said. “Imagine places like China, Japan, Britain, and India without tea.” Prof. Choffnes joined the Carthage faculty in 2006 after completing his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley. For several years he has taught Medical Ethnobotany, exploring the science and traditional uses of medicinal plants — a subject that has interested him since college. Two experiences here kindled a deeper interest in tea: teaching about Asian culture in the Heritage program and leading four J-Term study tours to China with geography and earth science professor Wenjie Sun. “I was fascinated by the cultural significance of tea,” Prof. Choffnes said. “It is almost always offered to guests

Professor Dan Choffnes observed many aspects of the tea-making process in China.

Spring Carthaginian 2015

tea tidbits A ccording to Chinese mythology, tea was discovered almost

5,000 YEARS AGO by Shen Nong, the “Divine Farmer,” who used it as an antidote to poisonous herbs. T he approximately 46 TONS OF TEA destroyed during the Boston Tea Party would be worth an estimated $1.7 million today. Turkey consumes the most tea per capita, a yearly average of

6.9 POUNDS per person. Americans drink about 0.5 pounds. T ea cultivation in the British colonies of India began in the mid-1800s, after Scottish botanist Robert Fortune managed to

SMUGGLE TEA SEEDS out of China. The various styles of tea (including white, green, and black)

as a sign of hospitality and respect.” It’s more than a beverage in China, where tea is a $90 billion industry. Even in the coffee-centric United States, sales of tea jumped 5 percent from 2013 to 2014. Prof. Choffnes sees evidence of those changing tastes in his own students. A campus Tea Club formed in 2013 and has grown to 67 members. This winter, he shared his passion for tea with students in a J-Term course titled Tea: Science and Society. It looked at many aspects, from the science of breeding, selecting, and propagating it to create its diverse varieties, to the variety of tea ceremonies practiced in Asian cultures. “Tea is both really simple and incredibly complex,” he said. “Simple because it’s just made up of leaves of this one type of plant, steeped in boiled water, and complex because human ingenuity and the natural diversity of the plant has created all these various colors, aromas and flavors.” While continuing to teach a variety of courses, Prof. Choffnes furthers his research by closely following trends in the tea industry. “People are so inventive,” he said. “Tea is a very old commodity, more than 2,000 years old, but it’s always being changed, improved … and innovations are happening all the time.”

are produced from the SAME sinensis).

SPECIES of plant (Camellia

Students in the J-Term course Tea: Science and Society tasted a wide variety of tea. They even made their own blends, giving them names like Lazy Cloud, Bee Sting, and Funky Fresh.

carthage.edu

SHOW YOUR PRIDE!

Visit us online at

carthage.bncollege.com or in the Campbell Student Union!

Barnes & Noble at Carthage is the official campus bookstore.

Find Carthage apparel and souvenirs, reading or textbooks, and an assortment of gifts and gift cards, in addition to all of your supply needs!

262-551-5778 • 800-551-6202 • 2001 Alford Park Drive • Kenosha, WI 53140

FE AT U R E S TO RY

Two ways to tie a knot Can God make square circles? While Annette and David Duncan dated, intellectual tinder like that regularly ignited into spirited discussions. Now, 32 years into their marriage, the two Carthage professors carry those good-natured debates into class. The Duncans are among a handful of faculty couples that have co-taught symposium courses this year. Although they back their cars out of the same garage, husband and wife come from different points on the academic spectrum.

Annette Duncan + Assistant Professor of English

That’s the heart of the Carthage Symposium: two professors approaching a topic from completely different angles. The product exceeds the sum of those parts. “Team teaching more than doubles the value,” said Professor Jerald Mast, who has taught multiple courses with his wife, Joy. “There’s a synergy that gives extra value to these symposium classes.” But these faculty pairs admittedly bring an extra comfort level to the classroom. Might as well be their living room. “In some ways, it’s less stressful,” said Professor Tom Noer, who has joined forces with his wife, Linda, to teach many times

David Duncan Adjunct Faculty, Religion and Western Heritage

The Apocalyptic Imaginings course examines visions of the end times found in biblical texts like the Book of Revelation and modern novels like “The Road.” Annette Duncan focuses on the language and distinct literary genres, hunting for clues to each story’s cultural context. David delves into the history and theology. Their tendency to tease and challenge each other plays well in the classroom. “They banter about how to approach subjects for these small fleeting moments but quickly make decisions,” said Nick Chandler ’16, who has taken courses with the Duncans separately and together. “The classes seem to thrive on it.” He calls Annette the “softer” one and David the “more excitable” one. “It’s easy for anyone who knows each professor individually to

carthage.edu

over the past two decades. “We’re free to step on each other’s toes.” Teaching couples collaborate far beyond Campus Drive. Off this past J-Term, Professor Penny Seymoure and husband Jeffrey Roberg returned to Cuba to continue their research after taking students there in 2014. Professors Seemee Ali and Michael McShane are both on sabbatical in Washington this spring to work on individual projects. A mealtime conversation can yield an unconventional lesson plan. A family trip can lay the groundwork for an eye-opening study tour.

= Apocalyptic Imaginings see that these ‘styles’ are merely reflections of genuine personality traits,” said Nick, an English major from Lake Villa, Illinois. The couple met in a college art appreciation course, when David snuck a peek at Annette’s answers to the instructor’s question and used that intel to break the ice. Two of their seven kids now attend Carthage: Josh ’15 and Kalia ’17. Much of their time off campus is spent at Church of the City in Milwaukee, where he’s the senior pastor and she’s part of the leadership team. Sometimes curious students approach them with non-academic questions. “We’re sort of modeling the possibility of living a life that’s focused academically and spiritually together,” Annette said. “The students seem really struck by the fact a marriage can reflect all of these things.”

FE AT U R E S TO RY

Tom Noer

Valor Distinguished Professor in the Humanities, Professor of History

Linda Noer Professor of Social Work and Sociology

Tom and Linda Noer figure they’ve taught the Frank Lloyd Wright class at least 15 times — mostly during J-Term. It features field trips to buildings that Wright designed in Oak Park, Illinois, and Racine, Wisconsin. Not a natural fit for either spouse’s academic expertise, the topic instead lets them explore a mutual interest. From Scotland to Japan, apart or together, their travel itinerary usually leaves room to visit Wright landmarks. “We’re both excited about the topic, which helps,” said Linda, who plans to retire at the end of the school year. Ashlynn Rickord ’15 of Oak Forest, Illinois, knows the material better than anyone else. She took the course as a sophomore and then twice worked as a supplemental instructor for it, completing

Joy Mast Professor of Geography and Earth Science

Jerald Mast Associate Professor of Political Science

Although modern politics isn’t exactly clean, figuratively speaking, Jerald Mast’s political science classes rarely get to dig in the soil. Meanwhile, his wife, Joy, can’t set aside time in her geography and earth science classes to “sit and ponder the big questions.” Wisconsin Land and People, a Carthage Symposium offered for the second time last fall, fills in both gaps. The course probes the influence that nature and humans have had on the state’s landscape. “Mr. Mast is heavily into the policy side of environmental science and Mrs. Mast is passionate about forest ecology, but both are equally passionate about their studies — and you saw that through the teamtaught class,” said Kylee Dycus ’15, an environmental science major from Lafayette, Indiana. Kylee appreciates their distinct teaching styles: the hands-on professor (Joy) who constantly feels the tug to bring students outside

= Frank Lloyd Wright and Modern America her studies after January’s class. “(Because) Frank Lloyd Wright is such a complex character, there’s more to it than just the buildings he created,” said Ms. Rickord, who will pursue a Master of Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School beginning this fall. “Tom teaches mostly from the side of the buildings and the history, but Linda brings in the aspect about his own personal life and his family history.” He’s not one to deviate from a well-structured lesson plan. She’s more apt to go with the flow of the class. Ms. Rickord was impressed by the volume of research the couple has done — more than enough facts to supply a few rounds of Frank Lloyd Wright trivia on the final day of class, when students head to the Noers’ home for breakfast.

= Wisconsin Land and People the classroom and the engaging lecturer (Jerald) who’s flexible enough to spin homework reflections into a larger class discussion. Even on field trips, both find room to weigh in. At Chiwaukee Prairie in southern Kenosha County — familiar turf for Joy — Jerald told students the backstory of the community groups that pushed leaders to preserve the land. To all of these professorial partners, handing off the whiteboard marker doesn’t mean it’s time to disappear. The other half sticks around to observe, and to chime in when necessary. As Jerald said, one benefit of that is “to show students what a really good question is.” But it isn’t just for show. The tandems find that the format hones their teaching skills, making for an experience that Joy calls “invigorating and stimulating.”

Spring Carthaginian 2015

CATCH YOUR RED MEN AND LADY REDS at your desk, at home, or on the go!

No matter where you are in the world, stay connected with Carthage Athletics. Watch dozens of free live video streaming events all year on your television, computer, smartphone, or tablet.

Check team schedules at athletics.carthage.edu

J -TERM 2015

From “learn a new language” to “volunteer more,” students fulfilled resolutions on J-Term study tours to: China Costa Rica France Guatemala

Honduras India Nicaragua Puerto Rico

Spain South Africa Sweden

Spring Carthaginian 2015

carthage.edu

CLASS NOTES

Alumni share milestones in their careers and families

2015 Beacon Award winners Second annual ceremony to honor alumni spanning 56 years Adam Dubis ’06

Mikaley Osley ’14 Centennial, Colo. Majors: Theatre, English Mikaley Osley’s stage adaptation of “Day After Night,” a novel by bestselling author Anita Diamant, had its world premiere in October. Her play, which grew out of a Summer Undergraduate Research Experience project at Carthage, helped the College choose the book as its inaugural First Year Read for incoming freshmen.

This year’s Beacon Award recipients are:

London Major: Biology Adam Dubis has played a major role in the use of non-invasive imaging techniques to better understand the structure, function, and development of the human visual system. The findings are making more accurate ophthalmic assessments possible as new therapies are developed to address genetic eye diseases. His work continues at the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS.

Guy Meiss ’58

Katie (Hinterlong) McDonough ’07

Mount Pleasant, Mich. Major: English In November, Central Michigan University inducted Professor Guy Meiss into its Journalism Hall of Fame “for distinguished service and outstanding contributions to the journalism profession.” He taught there from 1978 to 2001 and retired as department chair. Nationally, Prof. Meiss held a variety of leadership roles in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Chicago Majors: Political Science, English In November, Ms. McDonough received a Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award for her work as a supervising producer at WGN-TV. She and two colleagues won Emmys in the category of Outstanding Achievement for Non-News Specialty Report/Series for the feature “Angel Over Lower Wacker Drive,” which aired Dec. 27, 2013. See full story on page 40.

President Gregory Woodward and the Carthage Alumni Council will honor six alumni spanning nearly 60 years at the second annual Carthage Beacon Awards reception Saturday, April 25. Classmates, friends, and other alumni are welcome to attend. The event begins at 6 p.m. in the Todd Wehr Center and includes reception, dinner, and awards presentation. Cost is $25 per person, with proceeds benefiting the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund. To register, call 800-551-1518 or 262-551-2137 by April 16.

Michael Warneke ’02 Evansville, Ind. Major: Religion Fields of Dreams Uganda, a nonprofit organization Michael Warneke founded, received a Beyond Sport Global Award in October for its Girls Empowerment Project. Formerly in church ministry, he took a leap of faith in 2012 to provide hope to the orphaned and vulnerable children of Uganda through soccer and education.

Isaac Rothenbaum ’11 New York Majors: Computer Science, Graphic Design Isaac Rothenbaum was recognized in Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30” section in the category of enterprise technology in August. Poacht, a mobile application he and a partner created, also was featured in The Wall Street Journal in December. The app converts a user’s LinkedIn page to a digital resume and displays it to potential employers without divulging the user’s name. See full story on page 28.

C AR THAGE

Beacon See the recipients’ full biographies at carthage.edu/alumni/beacon-award

ABOUT THE BEACON Beacon AWARD C AR THAGE

For centuries, beacons have lit the way for humanity. Countless generations have used them to guide ship captains and pilots in their travels and to warn residents of impending danger. Their power exists in their brilliant light — a beam that can pierce the murkiest fog and reach the outermost regions of the land. In that spirit, the Alumni Council created the Carthage Beacon Award to recognize alumni who provide light to their communities. The Carthage Beacon Award honors each recipient for one specific accomplishment, act of service, professional or personal achievement, event, or program. The College is proud to recognize these alumni, whose actions illuminate those around them.

Spring Carthaginian 2015

1948

LAUREN HANSEN

Wallace Rossmiller – Berwyn Heights, Maryland, received a certificate for 50 years of participation in the Boy Scout program. Previously he received two District Award of Merit awards, as well as the Silver Beaver, Lamb, and Distinguished District Commissioner honors.

1954

Rev. Wayne Wachholz and Alzada Wachholz ’55 – Prophetstown, Illinois, celebrated their 60th anniversary June 13, 2014.

1955

Jean (Twietmeyer) Dirksen – Augusta, Georgia, received a 10-year service pin from Habitat For Humanity at its Christmas party in December. Her service also was acknowledged with a certificate of appreciation for her contribution to the “Geezer Crew.” It cited her talent in painting house trim, a job the male Geezers apparently do not enjoy. Jean and her husband, Tom, celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary in December. They have six children and 13 grandchildren.

1959

Virginia “Ginny” Wheeler – Grandville, Michigan, has been lucky to attend many film premieres and to watch moviemaking in action. Her son, John “DJ” DesJardin, is an experienced visual effects supervisor who’s working on “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Ms. Wheeler is a retired associate in ministry.

1961

Carthage’s true colors shine through in grief In the past few months, our Carthage community has pulled together in the most beautiful ways. With the passing of Coach Tim Rucks, we were reminded how short and precious life truly is. As we learned about his unexpected death, alumni and friends from across the nation shared their stories. Each of them was different, but all shared a common theme. Coach Rucks took time for people, even if it was seen as an “interruption.” He saw gifts in people, sometimes gifts they didn’t even see in themselves. He encouraged us to be “ACEs” — to have attitude, character, and enthusiasm. He took time to tell people what they meant to him. He gave selflessly, generously, and humbly. As we adjust to life without him, we are reminded that we, ourselves, have the power to make a difference in the lives of loved ones, colleagues, strangers, and friends. Last month, one of our colleagues lost her young adult son. At his funeral, with tears streaming down her face, she said to me, “Our Carthage family is incredible.” She was overwhelmed with the calls, support, and love she received during one of the most painful times in her life. As I stood in the visitation line and watched members of our Carthage family hug and console her, I sat back in awe of the beauty of our community. When I write about Carthage, I generally write about the joys — life-changing professors, alumni stories, uplifting memories, or students who make a difference. The past few months, however, I have been so touched by the way our community has

come together during sorrow. Former football players have reached out to the Rucks family. A professor who lost his son a few years ago came to the visitation of our colleague who lost hers. Being in the presence of one another throughout all of this has brought great comfort. There is great beauty in community when we celebrate together — and we at Carthage have so much to celebrate. However, I would argue that there is even greater beauty when we come together during pain and grief. Leo Tolstoy said, “Only people who are capable of loving strongly can also suffer great sorrow, but this same necessity of loving serves to counteract their grief and heals them.” Carthage family, I am humbled and so very inspired by the way we love one another. Coach Rucks sent me an email a few weeks before his passing. In it, he wrote: “Laugh, love, and cry every day and it’s a good day.” At the time, I did not understand why he wrote “cry,” but I understand now. The past couple months have brought lots of tears to our community, but those tears have knit us together more than ever before. Joyfully yours,

Lauren Hansen ’10 Director of Alumni and Parent Programs lhansen@carthage.edu 262-551-5816

Donald Piehl – New London, North Carolina, and his wife, Ann, again visited China, where their daughter Jennifer and family live and teach. In addition to Beijing, they went to a panda research center and the Li River, and took a cruise on the Yangtze River through Three Gorges Dam. Next year they plan to go to Norway.

carthage.edu

Learn more about staying connected, upcoming events, and ways to give back at carthage.edu/alumni.

CLASS NOTES

From White House worker to Emmy winner In November, WGN-TV supervising producer Katie (Hinterlong) McDonough ’07 won a Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement for Non-News Specialty Report/Series. Aired Dec. 27, 2013, the feature “Angel Over Lower Wacker Drive” centered on Dr. Patrick Angelo, who for years has taken food and blankets to the homeless in Chicago. Ms. McDonough is close to the family, having been a sorority sister to Dr. Angelo’s daughter Alex ’07 and “mother” to Amelia ’09 in Pi Theta. “After the piece aired, Dr. Angelo told me his office was flooded with calls and donations, so it’s wonderful that the story is also able to help those in need,” she said. Initially, Ms. McDonough preferred to work on campaigns rather than cover them. She joined the 2008 presidential campaign of then-senator Barack Obama, then helped plan the inauguration and took a job as associate director of the White House Travel Office. In 2009 and 2010, she coordinated travel and access for roughly 100 journalists who followed President Obama on domestic and foreign trips. While that introduced Ms. McDonough to plenty of “amazing” locales and experiences, she soon figured out her true passion lay elsewhere. “When I worked at the White House, specifically with the TV producers, I realized that I loved storytelling,” she said. “I wanted to write the narrative.”

1970

1969

Pam (Werkheiser) Karnatz – Dieter Jedan ’69, of Cape

Girardeau, Missouri, received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany on Nov. 11, 2014. Created in 1951, it is the highest honor Germany presents for political, economic, social, and spiritual service. Consul General Herbert Quelle presented the award at the Chicago consulate on behalf of German president Joachim Gauck. Several members of Mr. Jedan’s family attended the ceremony. He lost his father in World War II and became a political refugee in West Germany during the Cold War. During a lengthy career in higher education, he was a strong supporter of international education. More recently, Mr. Jedan has worked to revive ties between Altenburg, Missouri, and Altenburg, Germany, and supported the local Lutheran Heritage Center and Museum.

Park Ridge, Illinois, wrote that she still loves teaching English as a second language at Oakton Community College in Skokie, Illinois. She and her husband, John, recently welcomed their first grandchild, Lydia Karnatz.

1971

Victoria Blough – North Liberty, Indiana, has served as pastor of St. John Lutheran Church for the past nine years. She also serves as dean of the North Central Conference, Indiana-Kentucky Synod. Victoria received her Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 2005.

1972

Richard Lange – Deerfield, Illinois, is the co-author of a new book titled, “A Life Saver for New Teachers:

Mentoring Case Studies to Navigate the Initial Years.” The collection of 65 scenarios, vignettes, and case studies is an interactive guide for novices in the profession and is intended to stimulate discussion between new teachers and mentors.

John Seal – Arlington, Virginia, insists he has retired for the last time as the finance and human resources director of the Rosslyn Business Improvement Coalition. He has plans to travel to Europe and his second home in Costa Rica.

1973

Mary Beth (Schmidt) Ryan – Wheeling, Illinois, and her husband, Rick, announced the marriage of their son, Quinn Ryan ‘07, to Linsey Crowninshield on Sept. 20, 2014. The wedding took place in Wilmette, followed by a reception in Chicago.

Spring Carthaginian 2015

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Willing to relocate — to Afghanistan 900,000 to more than 8 million children in 2013. Despite these gains, approximately 5 million school-aged children are still out of school, nearly 70 percent of whom are girls. … Coming from a family of educators, I cannot think of a more rewarding opportunity than to help Afghans in this endeavor. 2. There is a need for assistance. No matter whose stats you use and what metrics, Afghanistan consistently ranks as one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. Emily Drummer ’05 shares her experiences in the developing world on her blog, Juxtaposed Living. We are sharing excerpts from a “frequently asked questions” post she published in August 2014, shortly after Ms. Drummer and her fiancé, Rafael Merchan, moved to Afghanistan. Both work for Catholic Relief Services. Ms. Drummer is the education program manager for the nonprofit organization, which partners with the nation’s Ministry of Education to provide classroom space, library materials, and teacher training. The goal is to increase access to education among children and rural adult women.

So … you’re really moving to Afghanistan? Why? In the past month I’ve weathered the above question and its endless variants more times than I can count. Frankly, I can understand why friends, family members, and former colleagues are concerned and possibly even think I’m crazy. … There are a lot of reasons why we decided to come and work in Afghanistan. Trust me — it was not an easy decision to make. I have come at this question from a number of different angles, but here are just a few of the reasons: 1. The work is incredibly interesting and rewarding. Believe it or not, education is highly valued in Afghanistan, and, since 2001 (end of the Taliban regime), school enrollment has increased from a mere

carthage.edu

3. Our colleagues are passionate and driven by dreams of seeing their country progress. My first week provides the best example of this. A male colleague of mine, former Taliban (yes, you read that correctly) and respected mullah, came into my office to talk to me about a recent training he did with teachers, community members, and government officials on gender. This bearded man, as big as a grizzly bear, was noticeably bursting with excitement, recounting how successful the training had been.

Do you have to wear a burqa? Good question, but, no … sorry to disappoint. I do, however, try to respect the culture, which means that in the office I wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved dresses that cover me up to my neck. I also have to wear pants under the dress. Luckily, at “home” (our guesthouses) I can wear most normal clothes (within reason) and show off my sexy forearms. In our offices, I can leave my head uncovered. Driving through the streets, walking outside, attending meetings outside our office means I have to wear a head scarf at a minimum. For those who know me, my colossal scarf collection is finally coming in very handy! It’s definitely an adjustment, however. I’ve found that wearing a headscarf cuts off my peripheral vision and I become exponentially more clumsy.

But isn’t it dangerous? … I won’t sugarcoat it. Some parts of the country are not safe. However, these are places I would never, EVER, be allowed to travel to. Usually, these places and incidents are what make headlines. In my (limited) personal experience, things seem really quiet. You see the vestiges of war in the Kabul streets — copious police checkpoints, bullet holes or missing concrete chunks of walls. However, you also see enormous, colorful wedding halls, street vendors selling mangos and watermelon, and lots of construction. Life is happening, and people are rebuilding. In smaller towns around the country, you often don’t hear more than roosters, donkeys, and even the occasional motorcycle. … Security can be frustrating. It can stop teams from visiting schools in remote communities for weeks on end until situations settle down. It can put a real damper on having a social life. But ultimately, I’m glad we have such a stellar team working on security. Because of this team, so far there has not been a single moment where I have not felt safe.

Isn’t it a change in lifestyle? Yes. Absolutely. We will be spending most of our time working and living in a field office in rural Afghanistan. Originally this meant sleeping on toshaks (large, person-sized pillows) on the floor, taking bucket baths, and using a pit latrine … Water is pumped from a well, just like back in the “olden days.” Some of these lifestyle factors will (hopefully) change over the coming months as we better equip our field offices. We’ll have to adjust a few other things in our lives as well. I’m sad to say goodbye to wine for a few months, and Rafa will certainly miss pork tamales. … Maybe I am, in fact, crazy. I am optimistic, however, that in 20 years I’ll look back and think about what an amazing opportunity this was to work with such a resilient, dedicated, and passionate group of individuals to give the gift of education to thousands of young Afghans.

Sharyn (Sisk) Sheen –

IN MEMORIAM 1935 Frances Briggs

1957 John Hickey

Wheaton, Ill., Nov. 30, 2014

Lakeland, Fla., Oct. 12, 2014

1950 Robert O. Beitzel

1958 George L. Pedersen

Ellisville, Mo., Dec. 2, 2014

Dolores Stykel Freeport, Ill., Jan. 5, 2015

1951 Donald C. Clavey Des Plaines, Ill., Dec. 12, 2014

Paul O. Doering Overland Park, Kan., Jan. 1, 2015

1953 Philip S. Olson

1963 John Naylor 1964 Bill Julian 1967 David Lister

1986 Geoffrey A. Sparks Marinette, Wis., Dec. 20, 2014

1991 Nancy Kaye Kenosha, Oct. 17, 2014

1997 Roland D. Denman Kenosha, Oct. 19, 2014

Coon Rapids, Minn., Nov. 6, 2014

Whitewater, Wis., Dec. 23, 2014

Wichita, Kan., Jan. 7, 2015

Jackson, Wis., Dec. 7, 2014

Rhinelander, Wis., Oct. 13, 2014

1955 Mary Constance “Connie” Tucker

Marlene (Petersen) Miene

1981 Bradley W. Hahn

Crawfordsville, Ind., Aug. 6, 2014

1975 Robert A. Hertel Sr.

West Point, Ill., Dec. 2, 2014

Racine, Wis., Aug. 26, 2014

Arlington Heights, Ill., Nov. 23, 2014

Tenafly, N.J., Jan. 7, 2015

1956 Grace “Eileen” Parker

Meredith Villup

1976 Timothy Morse Wheeling, Ill., Aug. 9, 2014

Kim L. Strand Green Lake, Wis., June 25, 2014

1979 Susan Marie Fillo Stuber Raleigh, N.C., June 15, 2014

1999 Vicki J. Kuzia Racine, Wis., Nov. 24, 2014

Friends

of the

College

Sharlene Bauer Roscoe, Ill., Aug. 29, 2014

Vera Clara Emilie Kuhn Kenosha, Oct. 2, 2014

Richard E. Werstler North Canton, Ohio, Jan. 2, 2015

Natalie “Nellie” Williams Kenosha, Oct. 15, 2014

Richard A. Snyder Richard A. Snyder, professor emeritus of business administration, died at 85 on Dec. 8, 2014. Born in Oklahoma, he attended Oklahoma State University on the GI Bill and went on to work for public accounting firms in Dallas and Chicago. Prof. Snyder and his wife, Jean, moved to Kenosha in 1961 when he joined MacWhyte Co. After teaching evening accounting courses for several years, Prof. Snyder joined the Carthage business faculty full time in the late 1970s. He kept teaching after his retirement in 1989, always preaching the importance of balanced books and organized ledgers. Prof. Snyder spent summer weekends on Lake Michigan, earning the 1978 Yachtsman of the Year award from the Kenosha Yacht Club. In addition to his wife of 56 years, he is survived by four daughters and a brother.

Rev. Ross H. Trower A pastor and Navy chaplain for nearly 70 years, the Rev. Ross H. Trower ’43 of Springfield, Virginia, died Oct. 31, 2014. He was 92. He served as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy for 38 years, and as a parish pastor until last summer. Rev. Trower was selected for the rank of rear admiral in 1979 and was the 15th chief of chaplains until he was placed on the retired list of the Navy in 1983. He served on numerous Navy ships and bases and with Marine units in Korea and Vietnam. His highest decoration was the Distinguished Service Medal. Rev. Trower was married to the late Margaret (Doering) Trower for 57 years. He is survived by four children.

See full obituaries at carthage.edu/alumni/inmemoriam/

Janesville, Wisconsin, retired in 2010 after 34 years in education. She was a teacher and guidance counselor in the school districts of Delavan-Darien and Janesville. She lives with her husband, David, a retired city of Janesville firefighter. More recently, she substituted in the guidance departments of Edgerton and Delavan-Darien districts. She works as a historical researcher and genealogist for the Rock County Historical Society.

1974

Stephanie Buehler – Big Horn, Wyoming, continues to work as a medical technologist at a local hospital.

Greg Clapper – Conway, Arizona, played a part in a recently published book, “Flight 232” by Laurence Gonzales. The book discusses the crash and recovery of United Flight 232 in Sioux City, Iowa. Mr. Clapper, the chaplain at the scene of the crash in 1989, has been actively involved in the recovery process and was asked to lead the 25th anniversary service in 2014. Based on his experiences there, he wrote “When the World Breaks Your Heart,” published in 1999.

1975

Deborah (Kusch) Morales – Sun City West, Arizona, and her husband, Ken, became grandparents for the first time May 14, 2014. Elizabeth Barbara Steck weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces, and was 21 inches long. She lives in Algonquin, Illinois, with her parents, Meghan and Fred Steck.

1977

Daniel Michalak – Fort Wayne, Indiana, is chief financial officer for Global Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products (EPP) and Quadrant EPP Americas.

Spring Carthaginian 2015

Sisters Reunited!

Call your sorority sisters and pull out those old photos. It’s time to make plans to attend the:

Kappa Chi Omega Kappa Phi Eta Pi Theta

50th Reunion join us for a weekend of sisterhood and celebration!

June 6-7, 2015 Cost: $25/person Register online at: carthage.edu/alumni/calendar

Activities for June 6 include: 2 p.m. – Individual sisterhood receptions 4 p.m. – Lecture by Dudley Riggle 5:30 p.m. – Combined sorority reception 6:30 p.m. – Individual sorority dinners Activities for June 7 include: 9:30 a.m. – Continental breakfast 10 a.m. – Worship 11:30 a.m. – Combined sorority luncheon Lodging is available in the Oaks Village on the Carthage campus for an additional $25/person.

ΚΦΗ

RSVP by May 16, 2015. If you prefer to register over the phone, call 262-551-2137 or 800-551-1518. Rooms will be reserved on a first come first serve basis.

CLASS NOTES

1980

1983

Forest, Illinois, was appointed president and CEO of the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. The hire became effective Oct. 27, 2014.

Wickenburg, Arizona, is retired and enjoying the “year-round delightful” Arizona weather. She volunteers with the local chamber of commerce and school district.

Susan Redman – Fairmont,

1984

Jeffrey J. Anderson – Lake

Minnesota, has been working as support staff for mental health, social services, and community health at Faribault-Martin County Human Services, a bi-county agency. She also is completing her first term on the board of Heaven’s Table Food Shelf, which began in May 2012 and serves more than 250 households each month.

1981

Betsy Hanisch – Wood Dale, Illinois, was inducted into the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry Hall of Fame on Jan. 30, 2015. The organization recognized Ms. Hanisch for her business, civic, and volunteer contributions to the community.

David Rieckmann – Pardeeville, Wisconsin, is an R&D manager in flexible packaging at CL&D Graphics in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. His wife, Dawn, teaches 4-year-old kindergarten. Their daughter Julia, a sixth-grader at Pardeeville Middle School, is enjoying her second season playing violin in Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra in Madison. She is also active in school music and theatrical events. Her sister, Katherine, is in third grade at Pardeeville Elementary and enjoys playing violin, singing, dance, Girl Scouts, and basketball.

Rosemary Maglio –

Ryan McNeely – Kenosha, became division chief of training for the Kenosha Fire Department on Feb. 1, 2015. He had been a firefighterparamedic for more than 10 years.

2000

Raymond Trusky – Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, and his wife, Sandi, were blessed with their first grandchild, Charles Raymond Trusky, on Sept. 16, 2014.

1985

Jim Reuter – Elgin, Illinois, recently was named executive director of the Carol Stream (Illinois) Park District. Previously, Jim was employed at the Village of South Elgin. He has been in the parks and recreation field for 30 years.

Tammylynne (Johnson) Jonas – Germantown, Wisconsin, was selected for the Milwaukee Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” feature highlighting the area’s rising young leaders. She is vice president of IT at Kohl’s Department Stores.

Matthew Weimer – Milwaukee,

1993

Phillip Lehmann – Harvard, Illinois, was appointed president and CEO of The Harvard State Bank. He joined the bank, which has offices in four northern Illinois communities, in 2001.

1998

Sheila (Conoboy) Nebelski – Mentor, Ohio, married Walter Nebelski Jr. on Nov. 29, 2014.

1999

2004

was promoted to director of strategic solutions at Diversified Insurance Services. He has been with the company since 2000 and also sits on the board of directors for the Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin.

2003

Rachel Sterrett – New Baden, Illinois, has been accepted into the Peace Corps and departed for Ecuador in January to begin training as a secondary English education volunteer. Her projects may include increasing local teachers’ English language competency and conversational skills and organizing teacher associations and training seminars. She taught English in China for six years and, in December 2014, completed a graduate degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages at Monterey (California) Institute of International Studies.

2005

Kasey (Costabile) Bradbury – Racine, Wisconsin, completed the five-month, three-phase audition process for membership in the world renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir after a recent move to Utah.

Brian Wojciechowski – Naperville, Illinois, and his wife, Kristyn, announced the birth of t heir second daughter, Alexa, on March 29, 2013.

Paul Marchese – DeKalb, Illinois, was inducted into the Sycamore High School Music Hall of Fame on Feb. 14, 2015.

Derrick Collins – San Antonio, married Bunmi Adeeko Collins on Oct. 19, 2014, on the campus of Texas Lutheran University.

Spring Carthaginian 2015

CLASS NOTES

Wedding participants included several Carthage alumni: best man Christopher Alms ’07; groomsmen Nyles Jackson ’03, David Silski ’05, Christopher Byrnes ’06, and Patrick Walsh ’08; and ushers Bryant Fazer ’06 and Michael Grindle ’07. Another 12 Carthage friends, alumni, and DU brothers traveled to celebrate the special day along with family and friends from across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Nigeria. Derrick is the director of annual giving at Texas Lutheran, and Bunmi works in marketing for Bartlett Cocke, a general contractor.

2007

Laura (Gregorski) Tyunaitis – Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, celebrated her fifth year at the Kenosha Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, and she’s excited that her office is now hosting a Carthage intern.

2010 Karin (Roberts) Gonzalez – Racine, Wisconsin, and her husband, Hugo, announce the birth of their daughter, Vivien Leigh, on Feb. 20, 2014. She weighed 8 pounds, 7.8 ounces, and was 20 inches long. Vivien joins big brother Liam.

Cody Hilton – Minneapolis, and

Ryan Koessl – Kenosha, married

Loreena Lair were married Oct. 11, 2014, in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Tricia (O’Keefe) Koessl ’11 on Aug. 16, 2014. Ryan majored in accounting and works for the Racine Unified School District. Tricia majored in elementary education and minored in mathematics. She works at All Saints Catholic School in Kenosha as a middle school math teacher. They traveled to Mexico for their honeymoon in November.

2008

Anna Kordek – Long Grove, Illinois, completed her Master of Arts in anthropology at Northern Illinois University in August 2014.

Jessica (Arney) Janssen and Zachry Janssen – Naperville, Amy McNulty – Kenosha, reports that her debut novel, “Nobody’s Goddess,” will be published April 21. The Young Adult romantic fantasy is the first installment in a trilogy.

Hilary (Zinn) Morreale and Brandon Morreale – Milwaukee, welcome daughter Matilda Mae, born Sept. 17, 2014.

2006

Lindsay (Rauschenberg) Taylor – Bartlett, Illinois, received her JD from Chicago-Kent College of Law in May 2014 and passed the Illinois bar exam in October. She works as an attorney and lives contentedly with her husband, Kevin, and their menagerie.

Illinois, were married Dec. 13, 2014 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and celebrated at the American Club. Both were student ambassadors in the Office of Admissions at Carthage. Their wedding party included Allison (Schwartz) Strickland ’10 and James Stevens ’10. Jessica works in admissions at Valparaiso University, and Zachry is a seventh- and eighthgrade mathematics teacher.

Katie (Jarger) Otto – Racine, Wisconsin, married Jonathan Otto on July 13, 2013, in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. They welcomed their baby boy, Brennan Howard Otto, on Aug. 6, 2014. Katie is a special education teacher in a Kenosha high school.

Marie (Balfanz) Sliwinski – New Berlin, Wisconsin, and husband Scott welcomed baby boy Miles Scott Sliwinski to the world May 7, 2014. Miles weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces, and was 21 inches long.

carthage.edu

CLASS NOTES

Zawadi Mageni – Tanzania, co-authored an article on “mapping hotspots of malaria transmission” that was published in January 2015 in Parasites & Vectors, an open-access, peer-reviewed online journal. She is a research assistant at Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania. Photo also includes Zach Janssen ’09, Hannah Olken ’11, and Anna Kordek ’11

2012

Allison (Schwartz) Strickland – Coralville, Iowa, married Joey Strickland on July 19, 2014, in Galesburg, Illinois. They met while earning their master’s degrees at The University of Texas at Tyler, and both work as athletic trainers in Coralville. The wedding party included maid of honor Tori Terleski-Van Riet ’10 and bridesmaids Marissa Beckman ’10 and Jessica Arney ’10. The usher was Rob Van Riet ’08.

2011

Allison (Marshall) Detert – Merrill, Wisconsin, and James Detert were united in marriage Oct. 11 in Waunakee, Wisconsin. A barn reception followed in nearby Arena. Kelsey Rhodes ‘11 was one of the bridesmaids.

Michelle (Tumberger) Reed and Klayton Reed – Arlington Heights, Illinois, were married Oct. 4, 2014. They met during their sophomore year at Carthage. The wedding party included Katie Crimmins (maid of honor), Kim Boccard, James Neylan, Garrett Boelkes, and Derek Hall — all from the Class of 2012.

2014

Monroe at an alumni event, Mr. Monroe offered to write her a law school letter of recommendation. Brooke added that she’s grateful for his generosity.

Chelsea Shields – Milwaukee, was named legislative/PAC director for Wisconsin Right to Life.

Alyssa (Miller) Vincze –

Merry (Gilly) Blakey and Nick Blakey – Indianapolis, were married on Aug. 30, 2014, in Mahomet, Illinois. Their wedding party included Jason Lobojko ’14, Andrew Olinger ’12, Carissa Pearlman ’13, and Akinyi Ooko-Ombaka ’14. Nick is a web developer at Gannett Digital, and Merry is an account manager at American Marketing and Publishing.

Illana Brooks – Kenosha, is employed at Women & Children’s Horizons as the restraining order advocate and Living Free facilitator.

Brooke Hamer – Mahtomedi, Minnesota, was accepted into the University of St. Thomas School of Law and will begin in fall 2015. After she met Carthage Trustee Dennis

Maplewood, Minnesota, and Demetri Vincze ’13 were married Aug. 9, 2014. Through a contact of Professor Mark Snavely, Alyssa landed a job as an actuarial analyst with Milliman IntelliScript in Milwaukee. She continues to pursue the Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA) designation and has passed two of the exams since graduation. Demetri spent a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA member in Racine, Wisconsin, where he worked on various projects related to homelessness. He is attending the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of WisconsinMadison, where he was awarded the La Follette Fellowship and Stone Scholarship.

2014 Vivian Onano ’14, of Kisumu,

Melissa (Patrenets) Dal Vecchio – Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, and her husband, Alessandro, announce the birth of their son, Lorenzo Joseph Dal Vecchio.

Kenya, has been appointed to serve on the UN Women Global Civil Society Advisory Group. She was one of three candidates selected in October from among nearly 250 nominees. UN Women, which the United Nations General Assembly created in 2010, wanted to give youth leaders a greater voice.

The 25 global members of the group advise the executive director of UN Women on ways to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment. “I look forward to working with political and business leaders, and civil society, to tackle the issues from bottom-up to achieve sustainable change,” Ms. Onano stated in a press release.

Spring Carthaginian 2015

SPRE ADING THE WORD

Class Notes Submission Form Deadline for the next issue is June 1, 2015

Name (first/maiden/current last name)

Professional Title

Spouse’s Name (first/maiden/current last name)

Class Year

Employer

Class Year

Street Address

City

Home Phone

State ZIP

Business Phone

News

(attach additional sheets as necessary)

Marriage Announcement

Photos are welcome! (Please send non-returnable photos) Name (first/maiden/current last name)

Class Year

Spouse’s Name (first/maiden/current last name)

Class Year

Date of Marriage

City and State of Current Residence

Birth/Adoption Announcement Mother’s Name (first/maiden/current last name)

Class Year

Father’s Name (first/last)

Class Year

Daughter’s Name (first/middle/last)

Son’s Name (first/middle/last)

Date of Birth

Place of Birth

Death Announcement Name of Deceased (first/maiden/current last name)

Place of Death

Class Year

Date of Death

Survivor (first/maiden/current last name)

Relationship

Class Year

Survivor (first/maiden/current last name)

Relationship

Class Year

Tear off this form along the perforated edge and mail back to: Carthage College, Alumni Relations, 2001 Alford Park Drive, Kenosha WI 53140 Class notes and photos also may be submitted online: www.carthage.edu/alumni/class-notes carthage.edu

PAGE FROM THE PAST

A slice of Carthage history from the Staubitz Archives

Early years of Carthage Theatre More than a century ago, Dramatic Club set stage In many ways, 1910 was a big year for acting. The first color newsreel was created, showing King Edward VII’s funeral; “Frankenstein” was released as one of the first horror films early that year; and the earliest known version of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was made (unlike its wellknown successor, the 1910 version did not include color or sound). By then the College had been putting on plays for a decade, but the push toward a theatre department began that same year with the Carthage Dramatic Club’s first production: “Land of Heart’s Desire” by William Butler Yeats. In the play, a fairy child lures a young woman to leave the land of mortals. Organized by students, plays were directed by various faculty members. Frequently, that faculty member seemed to be Professor T.B. Uber, who taught history and philosophy. In some ways, the Dramatic Club initially behaved like an extension of the literary societies that existed on campus at the time. Members held discussions and readings in that first year, including an analysis of Henrik Ibsen’s impact on acting and writing. One of the founders of realism in theatre, he had died only four years earlier. After its first year, the club began to hold initiations. Generally, each student was assigned a role and required to dress and act the part for an entire day. In 1912, those roles included a pensive nun, a “quaint Italian woman selling her wares” and an “English dude in full dress.” Most notably, Carroll Crawford was assigned the role of “Masher,” which apparently involved kissing the hands of

“My Divinity,” which the Music Department performed in 1915, had a large cast.

“each buxsome [sic] maiden he chanced to meet.” The Dramatic Club was consistent in producing at least one play per academic year from 1912 to 1915. Among those were “A Rose O’ Plymouth Town,” a romance set in Plymouth Colony, and Irish melodrama “The Colleen Bawn.” The club had an effect on the rest of the campus; in 1915, the number of plays increased dramatically. The Music Department performed a large musical called “My Divinity,” directing the profits toward building Science Hall. The Classics Department performed “Antigone,” and the first-year Latin class put on “Ludus Romanus” to raise money for classroom decorations. The Dramatic Club finished the year with the romantic comedy “She Stoops to Conquer,” and proceeds went to improve Old Main. After a German U-boat sank the Lusitania in May 1915, Carthage switched from performing plays to troop drills. The graduation of a large number of

members also contributed to the club’s inactivity. However, World War I did not spell the end of the dramatic society. The club was resurrected in 1918 with “What Happened to Jones,” and by the 1930s members were working with a young Orson Welles and putting on multiple productions per year. When the College completed its move to Kenosha in 1965, the Theatre Department split from the Speech Department to become its own area of study. In the 1966-1967 school year, the department put on five plays. Since then, it has grown to encompass several majors and the dance minor. Carthage Theatre typically offers eight or nine productions per year, with a mix of original and classic scripts — even a few that Carthage thespians of the early 20th century might have performed.

Explore the rich history of Carthage at carthage.edu/library/archives

Spring Carthaginian 2015