Centralight, Central Michigan University Alumni Magazine, Summer 2023

Centralight

Focused on SUSTAINABILITY

From recycling to solar power to chemistry, CMU students are leading innovative efforts with award-winning results

CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY | ALUMNI MAGAZINE SUMMER 2023

Centralight

SUMMER 2023

Features

9 Student-led sustainability On the cover

20 Big Picture

Priya Kirisenage, a master’s student studying chemistry, works on water filtration materials in Anja Mueller’s lab.

PHOTO BY ADAM SPARKES

From composting dining all food waste to developing water filtration processes and materials in chemistry labs, efforts to make CMU a more sustainable campus are being led by students.

Mahum Hakim, who is studying public health, visited the Capitol in Lansing with classmates to advocate for safe drinking water and early lead testing.

PHOTO BY STEVE JESSMORE/ STEVE JESSMORE PHOTOGRAPHY

Executive Editor and Executive Director of Alumni Relations

Marcie Otteman, ’87

Editor

Betsy Miner-Swartz, ’86

Managing Editor

Robin Miner-Swartz

Visual Media Director

Amy White

Graphic Designer Erin Rivard, ’07, MBA ’16

Photographer Adam Sparkes Writers

Terri Finch Hamilton, ’83

Eric Baerren

Jason Fielder

Maureen Harke

Ellie Heron

Kate Hodgkins

Aaron Mills

Robin Miner-Swartz

Robert Wang

Emily Webster Research Associate

Bryan Whitledge

Assistant

Foster

Add CMU to your vacation plans

We’d love it if you stopped in for a visit this summer

Welcome to summer and all the great things the longer days and sunshine bring us.

One of my favorite bonuses of the season is the opportunity to reconnect with things that matter to me, and at the top of my list is CMU.

Summer on campus is definitely a little quieter and slower paced, but that doesn’t mean your Alumni Engagement team has slowed down. While our students and faculty are away traveling, working and learning, we’re moving, too. We host several large events on campus including Grandparent U, a summer camp in June for grandparents and their grandkids ages 8-12 to come live on campus and go to class. They stay in a residence hall and eat in the residential restaurants. It’s the best kind of camp, bringing generations of family together. Speaking of staying in a residence hall, we’re also partnering to host the Alumni Takeover weekend in July. Last year, 500 alumni came back to campus, moved into the halls and relived their college days. This year looks to be even bigger and better.

We’re here all summer, so when you’re headed out on vacation or Up North, plan to swing through Mount Pleasant and stop by the Alumni House. We’d love to see you and we’ll even have an alumni gift for you. We’re in the office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and can’t wait to hear about all the great things happening in your life.

Forever maroon and gold,

Stay Fired Up

Connect with CMU alumni at upcoming Alumni Association events across the country! Find the complete schedule of in-person and virtual, online opportunities here:

https://cmich.ly/3aVgowW

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Follow our activities and updates on your favorite social channels:

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Central Michigan University – Alumni

Marcie Otteman, ’87, Executive Director of Alumni Relations

Bob Davies

Striking a balance

More than a decade ago, CMU students planted a seed that has grown into something quite impressive. Starting with a simple composting pile, our sustainability efforts have flourished in many areas, from environmentally friendly projects and research to social initiatives. The best part: These efforts continue to be primarily led by students.

Our students believe sustainability means striving for and building a better and more equitable world, starting with CMU’s campus. In this issue, you’ll get to know May graduate Eric Urbaniak, who has made significant contributions to sustainability at CMU. In fact, he was recently selected as CMU’s first-ever Udall Scholar, due in part to those efforts. Eric is a prime example of what dedicated and passionate student leaders can do on our campus.

Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future. Since its launch in 2020, our student-led Central Sustainability Office has institutionalized sustainability on campus. This included authoring a CMU purchasing policy that favors environmentally friendly products for everyday university operations, creating an on-campus ethnobotanical garden and continuing to increase recycling participation.

CMU is a national leader in sustainability. We have received several awards in recent years, including EPA University Partner of the Year, the WasteWise Sustainability Public Award and the highest rating

from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Additionally, all our campus buildings have components of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED); seven have achieved some level of LEED certification. Since 2008, all building projects must meet certifiable standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council.

For students interested in a career in sustainability, CMU offers undergraduate and graduate academic programs focusing on the history, politics, economics, science and public health issues of environmental practices. CMU is also proud of ongoing academic initiatives to support sustainability and research. One new project set for this summer is the implementation of a pollinator garden, funded by grants from the College of Education and Human Services.

A commitment to sustainability is a commitment to a better future, and CMU is leading the way.

Be well and Fire Up Chips!

Bob Davies, Ph.D. President, Central Michigan University

President

Campuswide sustainability efforts focus on today’s needs without compromising needs of the future

CMU College of Medicine celebrates successful Match Day 2023

Annual event was held at Dow Diamond in Midland

BY ERIC BAERREN

More than half of this year’s graduating class from Central Michigan University’s College of Medicine will stay in Michigan.

Of the 100 fourth-year medical students, 53 were matched with programs in the Great Lakes State on Match Day, an annual tradition that pairs aspiring physicians with residency programs.

Two-thirds were matched with primary care programs.

CMU researchers are cleaning water one small drop at a time

U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center grant turns Mount Pleasant campus research into reality

BY ROBERT WANG

CMU College of Science and Engineering faculty members Itzel Marquez, Anja Mueller, and Brad Fahlman have been awarded a grant from the U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center for their work on developing materials that remove toxic compounds from water.

The team’s research aims to produce an alternative to current water purification systems that cannot meet required water quality standards.

The new materials will be created using specially designed polymers and an adjustable form of carbon that act as filters.

The top five specialties accounted for 63 students, with 20 in internal medicine, 19 in family medicine, nine in psychiatry, eight in pediatrics and seven in emergency medicine.

Twelve students were matched at programs on CMU’s main Saginaw campus or satellite locations. Three of those matches are part of the MIDOCS program, a partnership among four of the state’s medical schools, including CMU, which aims to attract and retain medical providers in Michigan’s underserved urban and rural communities.

Of the 12, eight will serve residencies in Saginaw, including five in psychiatry, two in family medicine and one in emergency medicine.

Two will move to residencies at Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit and two to residencies at Corewell Health Southwest Michigan (formerly Spectrum Health Lakeland).

In addition, two will move to military residencies, one each in the Navy and Air Force.

It was one of the best match years yet for the program, said Dr. George Kikano, CMU vice president for health affairs and dean of the College of Medicine.

“This is all a testament to all your hard work, about the hard work of the faculty and staff we have at CMU College of Medicine,” he said during his remarks. “Our job is to take care of you and make sure you’re well-positioned to succeed in whatever specialty you choose.” •

The materials will provide a way to produce purified water, on-site without relying on bulk distribution.

The research team, which includes undergraduate students, master’s students and post-doctoral researchers, will use a portion of the grant to purchase state-of-the-art equipment for the synthesis and characterization of the materials. Read more about this project on Page 13. •

Annual awards honor faculty excellence

Seven recognized for nurturing strong connections throughout campus

BY AARON MILLS

Each year, CMU celebrates faculty members who set leadership standards by prioritizing student success, providing rich, knowledge-based experiences and nurturing strong connections inside and outside of the classroom.

Here are this year’s honorees.

Faculty Distinguished Service Award

Created by the provost in 2001, the award recognizes faculty members with a record of sustained and distinguished service at CMU. Nominations are reviewed by members of the Instructional Development Advisory Council, a subcommittee of CMU’s Academic Senate.

Emil Boasson, Business Information Systems Department

In 13 years as director of the Master of Science in Information Systems program, Emil Boasson has made extraordinary contributions, including working diligently to increase the total number of MSIS students from 63 in January 2010 to 612 in the fall of 2022. He has been the linchpin of the program’s success through a collaborative effort among faculty and staff while maintaining a smile and having time to support colleagues and students.

Excellence in Teaching Awards

Created by CMU in 1985, the Excellence in Teaching Awards recognize outstanding teaching efforts by faculty. Awardees are selected from faculty members nominated and supported by their peers and students, who then undergo a rigorous selection process by the Excellence in Teaching Awards Committee.

Jodi Brookins-Fisher, School of Health Sciences

Professor Jodi Brookins-Fisher is passionate about what she teaches and has a wealth of experiences that inspire her students. Her priority is to establish a climate of respect, kindness and decency to each other within each class, as this helps her lay the groundwork of clear and high expectations. She especially loves experiences outside of class that are beneficial for the students and community.

Robert Fanning, Department of English Language and Literature

Professor Robert Fanning strives to create a tight-knit community in his classroom by providing an environment of deep connection, respect, trust and empathy among all students. Fanning compares his class to “a large boat we’re launching out to sea, that we all must launch together, hop in and row, joyfully, in unison, to both appreciate the journey and reach our shared destination.”

M. Dawn Nelson, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Professor M. Dawn Nelson’s audiology teaching centers on cultivating strong classroom learning communities. She is passionate about building positive relationships with students to successfully lead them toward mastery of the content. Nelson is known among students and colleagues for providing real-world applications and materials to supplement the course content. Her courses help students develop strong connections between theory and practice.

Kirsten Nicholson, Department of Biology

Biology Professor Kirsten Nicholson’s students speak highly of her and her teaching methods. One student offered that her teaching “fosters a sense of respect and belonging in students and encourages the mindset that they are all working toward a common goal.” A colleague shared, “She is extremely respectful of students in the classroom, and it shows in their willingness to ask questions and engage in discussion in class.”

Wendy Robertson, Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences

Associate Professor Wendy Robertson strives to foster a welcoming, respectful, inquisitive and collaborative classroom community. With her

innovative pedagogy, she pioneers the development and real-world application of simulations and game-based learning to engage and inspire students. Robertson emphasizes applying knowledge and skills to students’ future careers through student-directed projects such as technical documents, data collection and analysis, making sound recommendations and proposals for broad audiences.

Lorrie Ryan Memorial Excellence in Teaching Award

Lorrie Ryan was a faculty member in human environmental studies and an awardee of the 2002 Excellence in Teaching Award. This award, established in 2006, is given in her memory each year to a faculty member who inspires students by building a sense of community within the learning environment and demonstrating a profound mentorship and respect for others.

Alejandra Rengifo, Department of History, World Languages & Cultures

Spanish Professor

Alejandra Rengifo is invested in building learning communities. Her teaching philosophy centers on creating safe spaces where students can identify the common goal of shared learning done through teamwork and social interaction. Students and colleagues affirm her commitment to student success. A colleague described her as “a positive role model … who deeply cares about student learning.” A student agreed, “This instructor is one of the most genuinely caring professors I have ever had.” •

MAC honors chemistry and biochemistry faculty member

Ben Swarts recognized for mentoring, developing outreach program

BY ERIC BAERREN

Ben Swarts, a faculty member in the chemistry and biochemistry department, this spring was named the recipient of the Mid-American Conference’s Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Success. The award honors Swarts’ commitment to supporting and developing students inside and outside the classroom.

Through the award, the MAC recognizes the teaching accomplishments of one faculty member at each of its 12 schools. Swarts was named the MAC’s top faculty member of the year.

“This award is a tremendous honor. It is truly a reflection of the wonderful students at Central Michigan University and other MAC institutions,” Swarts said in the MAC’s press release. “I am excited to continue working with our students in the classroom and research lab and supporting our great alumni.” Swarts received the award in part for mentoring students in the national McNair Scholars and American Chemical Society SEED programs. He also developed and currently runs a STEM education program and research training for students at community colleges in central and northern Michigan.

“Dr. Swarts’ commitment to student success is remarkably broad. From the classroom to his research laboratory to outreach activities for community college students, Ben creates intentional programs and supportive environments that help students learn and grow,” said David Ford, dean of the College of Science and Engineering at CMU.

Swarts also researches innovative ways to address tuberculosis, the world’s leading cause of death by an infectious organism. The research has engaged more than 60 students of all levels over the past decade. •

CMU TODAY

Partnering with NASA, gaining field experience

Meteorology students, faculty launch data-gathering balloons

BY ERIC BAERREN

An exciting new partnership provided federal researchers with important weather data and Central Michigan University meteorology students with valuable hands-on experience.

Scientists with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had an airplane but also needed weather balloons, said Jason Keeler, assistant professor of meteorology. CMU’s meteorology program provided three of them.

Students and faculty held three staggered weather balloon launches earlier this year in conjunction with

launches at two National Weather Service sites, one in Gaylord and one in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

As the balloons — with data-collecting instrument packages dangling beneath them — rose to between 20-25 kilometers, they transmitted information about temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity and air pressure back to the CMU team.

Using this data, NASA’s researchers hope to develop a better understanding of the internal structure of snowstorms, which they hope will result in more accurate forecasting.

It gave the students involved hands-on experience as working scientists.

“Getting involved with NASA’s research was such an amazing opportunity and knowing that I and everyone else involved contributed to [NASA’s] research is such

an indescribably exciting feeling,” said Tobias Leonard, a sophomore from Westlake, Ohio. “This was also a great opportunity to learn about what field work for research is really like, even if it was just in the backyard of our campus.”

NASA will pair CMU’s data with information its aircraft collected by flying a path through northern Michigan across Lake Michigan.

NASA’s researchers expect to publish their findings in an academic journal, which meant CMU’s students weren’t just students gathering data on a class assignment. They were scientists contributing knowledge to their field of study.

“Student success is impacted by their ability to see themselves as scientists,” Keeler said. “And so we’re always looking for opportunities to help them see themselves in this way.” •

Student-led SUSTAIN ABILITY

Efforts across campus and beyond are fueled by CMU Chippewas

BY TERRI FINCH HAMILTON, ’83

How do We Do sustainability? All over campus, and beyond.

Solar power? Cutting-edge research? Tons of composted dining hall food waste? Check, check, check.

But the real story is that here, innovative sustainability efforts are led by fired-up students, with award-winning results.

Recycling thousands of pizza boxes? Sure. But they’re doing so much more, from writing university policy to championing sustainability as an equality and justice issue.

After you read this, please recycle. >

DIGGING in

Central Sustainability works to make campus more sustainable

BY TERRI FINCH HAMILTON, ’83

When Eric Urbaniak, ’23, tells you he spent part of his four years at CMU digging through dumpsters, you might be concerned.

No worries. He loved it.

A few times a year, Urbaniak pulled on bright blue protective gloves and climbed in, pulling out bags of trash, opening them up and sorting the contents.

Before you can say, “Eewwww,” you’re learning something.

“Between 50 and 70% of what we find in dumpsters doesn’t belong in there,” Urbaniak said. It should be recycled or composted instead.

“The compostable stuff is probably the grossest, like half-eaten sandwiches,” Urbaniak said. He laughed. “I’m pretty desensitized to it by now. Yeah, it’s gross, but it’s worth it if it means educating more people about this.”

When you’re on the front line of sustainability efforts on campus, you get your hands dirty.

Urbaniak co-founded Central Sustainability, a unique student-run effort that’s making CMU a more sustainable campus. A team of six energetic students works with CMU Facilities Management, campus departments and community partners on a dizzying array of projects.

Urbaniak co-founded the initiative in 2020 with Teresa Homsi, ’22, an environmental reporter at WCMU.

• They helped advance CMU from silver- to gold-level ranking from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. The association offers a framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance.

This last one stopped CMU Provost Nancy Mathews, a big sustainability advocate, in her tracks when she was considering CMU as a place to work.

“That’s a really high honor and it’s not easy to get,” Mathews said. “These students were on top of it. That was huge.”

The pair saw lots of sustainability efforts scattered around campus, “like loose pieces of a puzzle,” as Urbaniak described it.

What if there were a sort of sustainability clearing house that pulled all these efforts together?

So, they started it.

Like empty pizza boxes piling up on Friday nights, these green-minded students are everywhere.

They show sustainability videos at sporting events, speak to student groups, lead sustainability walking tours on campus, and coordinate massive efforts, like a plan to give every incoming freshman a reusable shopping bag this fall.

Have electronics or batteries to recycle? They’ll hook you up.

It’s the week after Halloween and you have a mushy pumpkin and 53 crinkled candy wrappers? Hit their pumpkin compost bin and the Trick or Trash candy wrapper recycling station.

Leading the way

Dive even deeper (pretend you’re Urbaniak on dumpster patrol) and you’ll discover even more impressive feats:

• Urbaniak authored CMU’s sustainable purchasing policy that guides buyers to sustainable options, from avoiding plastic to choosing items that can be composted.

• They created a Sustainable Living Guide offering hundreds of tips, from reducing waste to saving energy to supporting local businesses.

The prestigious ranking helped attract her to CMU, she said, and it will help attract sustainability-minded top faculty here, too.

A university education in the 21st century has to make sure students recognize the social, economic and environmental impacts of climate change, Mathews said — and give them the knowledge and leadership skills to address this change.

“It’s hugely important that students are leading the sustainability conversation,” Mathews said. “Their voices make the most difference, much more than if the message was coming from the administration.

“They’re spurring on change faster than it would otherwise happen.”

It’s a unique set-up, said Dave Ford, Dean of the College of Science and Engineering, where Central Sustainability is based.

“I’ve never seen this model before,” Ford said. “Often, an administration creates a sustainability office and hires a person to do the job. It’s such an interesting model here. It’s based on the passion of the students.

“These students have fired up not just the interest of other students, but the faculty and staff, too,” Ford said. “You see the everyday evidence of their efforts all around. There are containers on campus for separating waste into different streams. At every athletic event I go to I see one of their videos. I see them out at events. They’re winning big awards. It’s very tangible. It’s authentic. They’re amazing.” >

Eric Urbaniak, ’23 (left), and Teresa Homsi, ’22.

Eric Urbaniak, ’23

No time to bask in the praise, though — their list of projects to tackle is longer than the concessions line at a CMU football game. (They sort and recycle trash after campus sporting events, too.)

“Students are the change makers,” Urbaniak said. “When we’re empowered to pursue our passions, we can make an immense difference.”

Sometimes the difference is personal. “My entire career outlook has changed because of this,” Urbaniak said. He planned to go into the pharmacy field, but now he’s headed for a master’s degree in sustainability with an eye on a career in sustainability policy.

“I’ve learned pursuing my passion can turn into a career.”

Transferable skills

The Central Sustainability team includes six paid students from a variety of majors, from biology to engineering to Spanish.

Ava Brewer, an integrative public relations major, handles the expansive social media for Central Sustainability, including Waste Reduction Wednesdays when she blasts out tips on fixing ripped clothing instead of sending it to the landfill and shopping at farmers markets to reduce the carbon footprint of food transportation.

“As a team, we’re in a unique position,” Brewer said. “We have a platform.”

College students are living on their own for the first time, Brewer said, and it’s a chance to get them to start sustainable habits and change any habits they may have learned at home.

“Maybe they didn’t recycle at home or use reusable water bottles,” she said. “Or maybe they recycle, but they haven’t yet thought about the waste involved in fast fashion, buying cheap clothes that they wear a couple times then it ends up in a landfill.”

She’d love to tell you more about it.

“This is a passion for them,” said Matt Liesch, professor and chair of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and the faculty mentor for the Central Sustainability students. “They get paid, but it’s more of a calling than a job. They’re working for the

greater good of campus. There’s a lot of meaning to be had.”

A lot of learning, too.

“They’re learning how you get things done on campus,” Liesch said. “That involves lots of transferable skills they can use down the road. They’re learning systems thinking. They’re learning about programming, creating policy, collaborative partnerships.”

The students have partnered with the city of Mount Pleasant, the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, and a host of other organizations, both on and off campus, on sustainability projects.

“The vision is to scale it up over the next few years,” Liesch said, “and make Central really known for sustainability.”

Sustainable learning

Behind the scenes is Jonathan Webb, associate vice president of facilities management, whose willingness to be part of a major shift in campus sustainability was crucial.

“What was housed in facilities management for many years has moved to the next level,” Webb said. “While facilities management conducts the daily activity of managing waste and recycling, now professional educators are helping guide the Central Sustainability students. Sustainability here is a learning experience, especially with degree

programs in environmental studies and environmental engineering.”

Central Sustainability reaches students where they live, coordinating pizza box recycling and working with downtown business owners to offer discounts to students who bike or skateboard downtown instead of driving.

They also expand everybody’s knowledge of what sustainability means, offering discussions about justice and equity.

“Sustainability isn’t just about recycling,” Brewer said. “It’s about culture and ethics and fairness.”

Provost Mathews, who was dean of a school of environment and natural resources at the University of Vermont before she came to CMU, loves this.

“As resources get scarcer, and air and water quality are affected, the impacts are felt first by those with the fewest resources, the most vulnerable— communities who can’t afford to clean it up,” Mathews said.

“As our students learn about this, my hope is that their actions impact others,” she said. “Our students can be leaders who look out for everybody.” •

PHOTO BY STEVE JESSMORE/ STEVE JESSMORE PHOTOGRAPHY

‘There’s plenty MORE TO DO’

Award-winning research projects fueled by sustainability efforts

BY TERRI FINCH HAMILTON, ’83

Matthew Quast, ’15, happily reminisces about spending late nights in the CMU chemistry lab working on a project called “Hyperbranched Perfluorinated Polymers for Fuel Cell Membranes.”

All the former science majors out there are on the edge of their seats right now. For the rest of us who recognize maybe three words in that sentence, it’s pretty cool, too. Some of the brainy work happening in Professor of Chemistry Anja Mueller’s lab is all about making our drinking water safer and our air cleaner. Two significant sustainability research projects have earned Mueller and her students several awards.

The project that kept Quast up late during four years of graduate school involves fuel cells, devices that generate electricity through an electrochemical reaction, not combustion.

Our current methods of powering things like cars aren’t great for the environment. As car motors burn gas, they emit polluting carbon dioxide. And don’t get Mueller started on how wasteful it is to burn oil: “Oil is way too good to just burn it.”

Sure, there are batteries, but they pose their own problems, she said.

“There are a lot of things you can use batteries for, but some are toxic,” Mueller said. “Then they go in the landfill if you don’t recycle them and then you have heavy metals in the water again.”

Fuel cells to the rescue.

Mueller and her students have been working on a new improved fuel cell that emits water instead of carbon dioxide, can use a cheaper hydrogen gas than the pricey extra purified gas most fuel cells require, and will last for 10 years instead of the typical five years because no acid is involved in the process.

‘CMU is where I took the training wheels off’

Quast did his doctoral dissertation on the innovative research. He’s still pretty geeked about it and continues to work in sustainability as an engineer for Henkel Corporation, assigned to help General Motors with vehicle electrification efforts. >

A 64-panel solar array sits atop the Education and Human Services Building.

“I loved the practicality of this fuel cell research — it has real utility for everyday life,” Quast said. “Fossil fuels contribute to air pollution and climate change. Fuel cells are a great alternative. As the population grows, sustainable technology will be even more important.”

It was definitely important to him.

“CMU is where I took the training wheels off,” Quast said. “It was a great opportunity to grow as a scientist — four years of failing and succeeding. I’d stay in the lab until midnight. Those were good days.”

The other exciting sustainability research happening in Mueller’s lab involves improving water quality through invention of a groundbreaking filter that can remove significantly more heavy metals than current methods.

There’s complicated science stuff here involving how and why ions bond but it boils down to this: Our groundwater is full of pollutants, including toxic metals that

are particularly pesky to filter out, Mueller said. Current water filtration efforts in most communities don’t do a good enough job.

She and her students have figured out a way to make ions bond in a way that they prefer to catch heavy metals. Mueller is working with CMU colleagues Itzel Marquez and Bradley Fahlman to improve the method and expand it to filter other dangerous contaminants, too.

Next up: partnering with a company to manufacture the filters on a large scale. Imagine a coffee filter but measuring about 10 square yards.

A materials chemist, Mueller loves this kind of problem-solving work. Teaching students how to research and solve critical problems along the way makes it even better.

“It’s a slow process, especially when our goal is also to teach students how to do research,” she said. “Research can be

frustrating. In a lab, you have to learn patience. Things are going to go wrong — that’s part of research. But students see the reason behind it and that helps get them through the slow parts. They know the things they’re working on can improve everybody’s lives.

“There’s plenty more to do,” Mueller said. “Sustainability is something we have to work on. At this point it’s imperative. We all have to do something.”

Her students’ passion for the cause inspires her.

“I always hate when they leave,” she said. “But when they come back and they’re doing all kinds of cool stuff with their lives, it’s amazing to see.

“They’ve taken what they learned in my lab out into the world to do great things. That’s what makes it worthwhile.” •

Dr. Anja Mueller works with students in her lab.

Cross-discipline collaboration

While some students work in Anja Mueller’s chemistry lab on innovative water filters and fuel cells, others are partnering with Michigan utility company DTE on harnessing the vibration of turbines for energy.

CMU students are doing coastal wetlands research, working with the city of Mount Pleasant on wastewater issues and helping the CMU facilities management team on sustainability issues in their own campus backyard.

“Our motto is ‘We Do.’ And we really do,” said Dave Ford, Dean of the College of Science and Engineering and a big proponent of sustainability on campus.

“One of the strengths of CMU is students have a bigger voice in how to drive things than at some other places,” Ford said. “CMU gives students space to design unique collaborations in hands-on learning opportunities.

“Sustainability is so broad,” Ford said. “It’s energy, it’s materials, it’s protecting plants and wildlife. The work students are able to do in all these areas gives them something from the real world to bite into.”

He loves the cross-discipline collaboration that comes from science and engineering programs existing under one roof.

“We have biologists working with computer scientists working with environmental engineers to solve some of the biggest problems in sustainability,” Ford said. “The way we’re structured here is a real strength.”

Beyond recycling bins

Not all CMU’s sustainability efforts are as visible as the maroon recycling bins scattered around campus.

Associate Vice President of Facilities Management Jonathan Webb offers a peek at how We Do Sustainability, from behind the scenes:

• CMU is a leader nationally in composting food waste. The university won first place in 2022 in the organic waste category in the Campus Race to Zero Waste, an eight-week-long competition among colleges across the U.S. and Canada to reduce waste. CMU’s composted dining hall waste is returned to campus to fertilize landscape beds on campus.

• The university’s waste diversion rate is close to 40% — that means for every ton of waste, 800 pounds is either recycled or composted. This exceeds the governor’s goal for a Michigan waste diversion rate of 30% by 2025.

• CMU’s excess equipment and materials are sold at sales throughout the year, so it’s reused instead of going to landfills. Copper wire removed by the university electrical shop has been recycled for the past 20 years.

• We Do energy savings: CMU has replaced 1970s and 1980s-era pneumatic mechanical controls in 27 facilities across campus with new Direct Digital Controls utilizing modern, low-voltage software-based systems.

• CMU’s Central Energy Facility operates a co-generation system where the energy is used both to produce electricity, and then the heat byproduct is used to produce steam for campus heating and cooling. CMU gets two uses from the same energy source.

• The university has a longstanding partnership with Wolverine Power Marketing Corporation, a Michiganbased energy provider. CMU procures 25% of its commercially provided electricity via sustainable wind generation, exceeding State of Michigan renewable energy sustainability goals.

• Look up and you’ll see a 64-panel solar array located atop the Education and Human Services Building. This sustainable energy source uses solar energy to heat water for interior temperate controls, offsetting building demand from the campus steam utility system.

• CMU has been recognized for its sustainability efforts by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, earning both the 2020 College and University Partner of the Year, and 2021 Sustainability Public Education Award. •

We do SUSTAINABILITY. Do you?

“My hope is that our alumni will want to support internships in environmental careers, take part in speaker series, help us build partnerships,” said Provost Nancy Mathews.

Want to donate to Central Sustainability?

Every day, some students at CMU struggle to meet their most basic needs. As many as 3,000 CMU students struggle with food insecurity. Students experiencing food insecurity drop or fail a class more frequently than their peers and are more likely to experience symptoms of depression. Without support, fewer than 20% of these students will complete their degree in five years or less.

Food to fuel student success Help CMU stamp out student hunger

Since opening its doors in fall 2018, the CMU Student Food Pantry has distributed thousands of pounds of food to hundreds of students in need.

MAROON AND GOLD CMUBOOKSTORE.COM

Advocacy IN ACTION

Public health students McKenna Gaarsland (foreground), Margaret Deoliveira (center left), Mahum Hakim (center right) and Mallory Kisting (back left) leave the Capitol in Lansing after visiting state lawmakers to advocate for safe drinking water and early lead testing. Faculty member Jodi Brookins Fisher organized the trip as an opportunity for students to practice their advocacy skills.

PHOTO CREDIT: ADAM SPARKES

Alumni Relations IS WORKING FOR YOU

Events connect CMU Chippewas throughout Michigan and across the country all year long

BY JASON FIELDER

You may not know it, but your CMU Alumni Relations team is busy year-round planning unique events for you, your family, and friends. The team works many nights, weekends and even holidays to create memorable experiences for you to enjoy with fellow CMU alumni throughout Michigan and across the nation. So, what are you waiting for? See what we have in store for you this summer, get #FiredUp, and join in on the fun! >

CMU Alumni TAKEOVER WEEKEND

Turn back the clock and relive all your favorite memories and moments from your time at CMU by attending our alumni takeover weekend. Stay in the residence halls, stroll through campus, party in the parking lot, and bar crawl through your favorite Mount Pleasant establishments.

Alumna Rebecca Kuchar, ’01, attended last year’s takeover weekend and had so much fun that she’s coming back again this summer.

“When did you ever think that you could stay in a CMU residence hall again, eat in a campus dining hall, visit your floor neighbors, go to an ice cream social, tube the Chip, visit your favorite Mount Pleasant establishments, and spend a weekend full of laughs while creating new memories?” she marveled.

“It was amazing to reconnect with friends from years ago, as well as meet new friends that I never knew during my college days.” Kuchar said no matter how much time has passed, CMU will always be the collective “home” the alumni share.

“It’s where we began adulthood, learned about ourselves and the careers that interested us, expanded our world, and gave us lifelong friendships, opportunities, and connections,” she said. “It was incredible to walk the campus again, see the investments in action, and learn about all the current offerings available to students and alumni.” >

CMU Alumni Weekend on MACKINAC ISLAND

As summer transitions to fall, CMU Alumni Relations partners with the Island House Hotel on Mackinac Island to offer an exclusive package at a discounted rate for CMU alumni and friends. This historic hotel, co-owned by Todd Callewaert, ’84, has gorgeous waterfront views and is an ideal location for hiking around the island or walking downtown.

The package includes lodging, two alumni socials, ferry tickets, meal vouchers, drink tickets, discounts on bike rentals and much more. It’s a chance to explore one of Michigan’s most iconic and historic travel destinations while having fun with CMU alumni and friends.

Alumnus Dale Wernette, ’67, MBA ’71, traveled from Arizona to attend the alumni weekend on Mackinac Island.

“The camaraderie and playing ‘when were you there’ and ‘where are you from’ opens a up a wonderful dialogue of remembrances and mutual connections,” he said.

“We all need some rejuvenation at times, and participating in events like the CMU Mackinac Island Weekend did that for me. It’s certainly worth the time to make the trip!” >

PHOTO BY STEVE JESSMORE/ STEVE JESSMORE PHOTOGRAPHY

CMU Night at COMERICA PARK

You don’t have to be a baseball fan to join alumni and friends for the 19th annual CMU Night at Comerica Park, but it definitely adds to the fun!

On Aug. 4, take part in a pre-game social in the Blue Moon Brewhouse with fellow CMU Chippewas before watching the Detroit Tigers take on the Tampa Bay Rays. This special event is exclusively packaged for CMU alumni, friends, students, faculty, and staff. It includes a complimentary CMU shirt to the first 1,000 people who stop by the social (sponsored by the CMU Bookstore), a CMU-themed Paws bobblehead (included with ticket price), a welcome for CMU on the Tigers’ scoreboard, and the national anthem performed by CMU students. And you’ll want to stick around for the postgame fireworks!

Alumni who attended last year’s event said they enjoyed sharing the experience with their kids and connecting with CMU friends.

Alumni EVENTS

We’re posting about upcoming alumni experiences all the time, so stay connected with us!

Find CMU alumni resources at https://linktr.ee/cmualumni .

Become a Gold Member to unlock endless CMU alumni benefits. Learn more at http://bit.ly/3YtvH64 .

Mark your calendar for upcoming CMU Alumni Association events at http://bit.ly/3FaF7wi .

For virtual networking opportunities, join Central Connections, a platform exclusive to the CMU Community. Learn more at http://bit.ly/3mI9qnJ

Register for the 2023 Alumni Takeover Weekend here https://bit.ly/alumnitakeover2023

ALUMNI NEWS

Central Michigan University Alumni Association Board of Directors

President

Scott Nadeau, ’89, Dexter, Michigan

Vice president

Erica Lagos, ’13, Carmel, Indiana

Past president

Kandra (Kerridge) Robbins, ’90, Jena, Louisiana Directors

Brooke Adams, ’11, Detroit, Michigan

Lester Booker Jr., ’08, MSA ’10, Canton, Michigan

Lisa (Laitinen) Bottomley, ’97, Kentwood, Michigan

Catherine (Bomber) Claes, ’90, Gladstone, Michigan

Megan Doyle, ’03, Chicago, Illinois

Jonathan Eadie, ’93, Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan

Norma Eppinger, ’91, Lansing, Michigan

Matthew Franklin, ’04, Grand Blanc, Michigan

Chris Gautz, ’04, Adrian, Michigan

Spencer Haworth, ’12, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Sean Hickey, ’88, M.A. ’90, Traverse City, Michigan

Bret Hyble, ’82, M.A. ’86, Mount Pleasant, Michigan

J.J. Lewis, ’06, Simi Valley, California

John Reineke, ’09, Oxford, Ohio

Caroline (Powers) Rizzo, ’15, Traverse City, Michigan

Nathan Tallman, ’07, M.A. ’09, Macomb, Michigan

For a full listing including emeritus board members please see https://www. cmich.edu/alumni/ AboutUs/AlumniBoard/ Pages/default.aspx

Central Michigan University Board of Trustees

For a full listing of Board of Trustees meeting schedules please see https://www.cmich.edu/bot/Pages/default.aspx

Todd J. Anson, ’77

Regine Beauboeuf

Sharon Heath, ’96

Isaiah M. Oliver, ’07

Edward J. Plawecki Jr., ’75

Michael A. Sandler

Todd Regis

Denise Williams Mallett

ALUMNI NEWS

with the Sinfonia of London and conductor John Wilson.

“I knew I had a single evening off, and I saw ‘Back to the Future’ was onstage,” Hackmann said, describing himself as “desperate to see it.”

He went to the TKTS booth in London in search of last-minute tickets for that night and went to see the show.

Nate Hackmann is going ‘Back’ to Broadway

CMU alum cast as iconic bully Biff in new ‘Back to the Future’ musical

BY ROBIN MINER-SWARTZ

When Nate Hackmann talks about “Back to the Future,” you might think you’re listening to a 12-year-old describe his favorite movie.

“I wore out my VHS copy!” he gushed, as he launched into a deep dive of the film’s mythology and meaning.

The iconic sci-fi comedy adventure from 1985 that starred Michael J. Fox has everything — awkward teens, a wacky scientist, Huey Lewis hits and a timetraveling DeLorean.

And now, it has a stage musical version. “Back to the Future: The Musical” premiered in London’s West End in 2021, where it went on to win the Olivier Award (the British equivalent of a Tony) for best new musical. It begins previews on June 30 at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theater before an official opening on Aug. 3. And Hackmann, ’04, ’06 MA, will be centerstage as the story’s legendary bully, Biff Tannen.

“I pinch myself every day,” he said. The opportunity to audition for the role emerged rather serendipitously. Hackmann was in London last summer working on a recording of “Oklahoma”

“When I got there, I realized the creative team is the same team I worked with off-Broadway half a dozen years ago on ‘Jerry Springer: The Opera,’ ” he said. While he was giving the show a standing ovation at the end, Hackmann turned his phone back on and sent a text to the show’s director, John Rando, and the choreographer, Chris Bailey.

“I said, ‘I’m having such a great time seeing this show and when it comes to New York you have to see me for Biff,’ ” he said, laughing.

Hackmann said it’s important for people working in theater to know how to market themselves, to know how you’re perceived in the business.

“I’ve been lucky to get to work in this business and part of the reason is because I’ve identified that I’m a giant man who screams high notes and can easily be perceived as evil,” he explained.

In other words, he knows his type. And that type aligns with Biff.

When Hackmann was in the final stages of casting for the show, he was performing as the Beast in “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Minneapolis. It was also when the film’s other iconic car — a 1946 Ford Coupe convertible driven by Biff — went up for auction. It was purchased by Dan Felice, another big fan of the movie. Hackmann found Felice on Facebook, told him about his upcoming callback for Biff, and asked if he could drive five hours to come visit the car. Felice was happy to oblige.

“I went the week before my birthday, as a present to myself, to meet him and see the car,” Hackmann said. “It was so great to sit in it.”

He wore his audition outfit — an homage to what actor Tom Wilson wore in the original film — and took some fun pictures. Then, he landed the role. Also notable about this opportunity: It’s the first time Hackmann will originate a role on Broadway.

“It’s so surreal. It’s the stuff that dreams are made of,” he said. “I’ve been very lucky to get to do it.” •

First-generation student awarded prestigious Fulbright teaching grant

Annabelle Fortine is living and working in Bulgaria for 10 months

BY MAUREEN HARKE

Annabelle Fortine, ’23, has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Grant to teach English as a second language in Bulgaria.

Fortine, who majored in elementary education with focus on integrated science and reading, was inspired to apply for a Fulbright award after serving as a summer migrant education teacher for Northwest Education Services in Michigan.

“I enjoy the challenge and rewards of teaching English language learners, and I especially love those ‘lightbulb’ moments when a student finally understands information in a new language,” she said.

During her Fulbright grant, Fortine is looking forward to learning about

Central alumni sweep Michigan parks honors

The Michigan Recreation and Park Association named its 2023 mParks Awards, and all four individual honors went to CMU alumni!

Recreational Leadership Award: Marcella Post, ’02, M.A. ’07, Midland Parks and Recreation

Marcie Post has been an active professional with mParks starting with her first full-time job in 2003. Post joined the City of Livonia Parks and Recreation Department at a time of great change and growth. She brought creativity, energy, and an overall enthusiasm for the field. Now, almost 20 years later, she has the same creativity, energy, and enthusiasm, plus much more experience.

Bulgarian culture and the education system.

“I am hoping to find that no matter where you are, children want to learn,” she said. “I also hope to learn from my students in the process.”

Upon returning to the U.S., Fortine plans to teach at an elementary school where a high percentage of the students are English language learners. Ultimately, she would like to pursue a graduate degree in English as a second language.

“I feel that I can have the greatest impact by training new teachers how to best meet the needs of students whose first language is not English,” she said. Approximately 2,000 U.S. students, artists and young professionals receive Fulbright U.S. Student Grants annually to pursue graduate study, conduct research and teach English abroad in more than 140 countries worldwide.

Fortine is living and teaching in Bulgaria for 10 months, but she is not a stranger to being in unfamiliar settings. She is the first in her family to go to college.

New Professional Award: Ethan Engel, ’12, City of Livonia Parks and Recreation

Ethan Engel has been an active member of mParks over the past four years. He was instrumental in developing the mentorship program and has presented at many mParks conferences. As athletic coordinator for the City of Livonia Parks and Recreation Department, Engel continues to improve facilities and add programs.

Park Resources

Leadership Award: Coe Emens, ’97, Ingham County Parks

Coe Emens has been an active member of mParks for the past 20 years and specifically he has been an active participant in the

“As a first-generation college student, I am proof that education and determination can help you thrive. When I began my first year at CMU, I quickly realized that universities have their own culture, and I was unfamiliar with how that culture worked,” she said.

“I asked questions, I made mistakes, but most of all, I grew in confidence with each semester. I now find fulfillment in helping others successfully navigate unfamiliar situations. So, it is not surprising that I am studying to be a teacher.” •

Parks Resource Committee and later the Parks Resources Focus Area. Emens’ leadership and his willingness to always volunteer, organize, host and participate has kept the parks resource focus area relevant and vital for other park professionals to learn and network.

Fellowship Award: Brett Kaschinske, ’93, City of Lansing Parks and Recreation

Brett Kaschinske has been an active member of mParks since he was a student at CMU. He is a past president of mParks, and he constantly gives to the profession, sharing what has learned through the years and looking for new ways to better serve his community. Kaschinske is a mentor to many in his profession, and he always leads by example. •

ALUMNI NEWS

Sports career moves for a pair of alumni

Former voice of CMU baseball earns first professional lead broadcaster job

BY JASON FIELDER

Riley Edwards, ’21, the former voice of CMU baseball, will soon begin his first season as the play-by-play broadcaster/media relations and broadcasting manager for the Bowling Green Hot Rods, the High-A minor league affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.

“I think everything I did since I arrived at CMU set me up to take advantage of opportunities like this,” Edwards said. “I know there’s a lot more work to do after this, but it feels good.”

As a freshman, Edwards got involved with the student radio station and began broadcasting local high school football games. He then worked on broadcasts for the CMU women’s basketball, baseball, and softball teams, adding even more sports to his resume as his time at CMU wore on.

“It didn’t matter what sport it was,” Edwards says. “I just did as many things as possible that would become available.”

Edwards eventually became the sports director at the radio station and spent summers interning with minor league baseball teams across the Midwest and East Coast. One team he worked with was the Hot Rods, and when the main broadcaster took another job, he got the call to move up to the No. 1 role.

“Where I’m starting now, I think, is perfect,” Edwards said. “I’d really like to end up in the major leagues somewhere. That’s a goal I don’t have a timetable for because it’s not easy

to move up in this business. But it doesn’t really matter which team. I’ll go anywhere.”

Helping international students returning home

Doctoral graduate completed her dissertation on the re-acculturation of students

BY ELLIE HERON

Sport management grad involved in Super Bowl LVII

BY KATE HODGKINS AND EMILY WEBSTER

CMU alum Quintin Hunsinger, ’21, had the opportunity to be part of Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona. Hunsinger is the event coordinator with S.A.F.E Management of Arizona which handles security for athletic facilities and events. He attributes much of his success to CMU.

From the moment he visited CMU, Hunsinger said he felt at home. Sports played a significant role in his life, so he knew the sport management program would be a good fit. During his time at CMU, Hunsinger took advantage of new opportunities and experiences including being involved in the Sport Management Association and in the athletics department. He completed two internships with the football program, assisting in recruitment and facilities and event operations.

His success in CMU’s sport management program led him to his position in Arizona. Hunsinger’s advice for any student interested in a sports industry career is to ”work hard, strive to learn as much as you can, and focus on developing yourself and your skill set.” •

Tara Braun, Ph.D. ’22, a doctoral graduate in Educational Leadership, completed her dissertation on re-acculturation of international students as they return to their home countries. Re-acculturation is the adjustment people experience returning to their home culture after being immersed in a different culture for a time. It can involve adapting to changes in the home country as well as changes in the individual’s perception of themselves and their culture.

Braun’s research focused specifically on Ghanaian students, as she has the most experience working with them.

While interviewing Ghanaian alumni, Braun found students felt disconnected from their friends and culture upon their return. Many had difficulty finding support and faced changes in the way they were treated.

To help facilitate the adjustment, Braun proposes a pre-departure program to provide a networking system with alumni from their home country and prepare them for a career back home. Maintaining communication with the students throughout their transition would also help make the switch feel less abrupt. Braun said she hopes these methods will allow for a quicker and more positive adjustment experience.

Braun has been working in international education for many years and noticed there are many studies done for students transitioning onto campus, but very few for students returning to their home countries. She hopes to develop active alumni networks for transitioning international students and help students with adjustment methods.

Braun’s research is available on her website, www.drtarabraun.com •

Honors for CMU Chippewas

Tamika P. La Salle, M.A. ’07, was appointed associate professor in the department of counseling and psychological services at Georgia State University. She is also the director of the Center for Research on School Safety, School Climate and Classroom Management. Previously, she was an assistant professor of school psychology at the University of Connecticut.

Cathy George, M.S. ’89, signed a multiyear deal to be the head coach and director of operations for the West Michigan Pro Volleyball team. George was the winningest coach in the history of Michigan State University’s volleyball program where she spent 17 seasons. She began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at CMU in 1986.

Rebecca Bray, ’00, has been appointed president of Epitec, one of the largest women-owned IT, engineering and professional staffing companies in the U.S. Previously, Bray was the company’s chief sales officer. She also serves on the board for the Michigan Council of Women in Technology.

George Velez, D.H.A., is the new director of the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Previously, he was the deputy medical director for the VA Caribbean Healthcare System and spent 20 years in the U.S. Air Force.

Jamie Stuck, ’99, has been elected president of the United Tribes of Michigan. As a sovereign nation, the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi’s Tribal Council is responsible for providing leadership for the tribal government, including enacting tribal law and overseeing implementation of all programs and services provided to tribal members. NHBP’s Tribal Council also provides oversight to FireKeepers Casino Hotel and Waséyabek Development Company, LLC.

Nancy Wilson, ’74, and her husband, Brent, earned the honor of 2023 Dairy Farm of the Year from the Michigan State University Department of Animal Science for outstanding management of their dairy farm business and leadership in the Michigan dairy industry and their community. Established in 1851, Wilson Centennial Farm is a seventh-generation family farm outside of Carson City.

Dave LewAllen, ’79, retired from anchoring the weekday evening news for WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) after 35 years with the Detroit station. In his tenure with WXYZ, he also served as a sports reporter, weekend sports anchor and weekend news anchor. Dave played football at CMU as a walk-on during his freshman year before focusing on his career goals.

Sarah Bakken, ’05, has been hired for the newly created position of talent development manager for the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce. She will provide overall departmental support to specific talent programs through board collaboration, internal and external communication, project management and more.

Jim Holton, ’95, earned the Distinguished Service Award from the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association, the organization’s highest honor recognizing people who provide exceptional and continuing leadership, vision and commitment to the Michigan hospitality industry. Holton began brewing beer as a student at CMU and eventually transformed an old train depot into Mountain Town Station. Later, he established Mount Pleasant Brewing to increase production and offer his beer statewide. He has since added locations in Alma and St. Johns, and he purchased The Green Spot Pub in Mount Pleasant in 2021.

Johnny Collins III, ’07, M.S. ’10, has been named the assistant plant manager for Bridgewater Interiors. He joined the organization in 2021 as a supply chain

manager. Prior to that, he worked extensively in production control and logistics operations within just-in-time environments in the world of automotive seating and vehicle assembly.

Dominique Hamman, ’19, led the inaugural women’s lacrosse season for Daemen University in Amherst, N.Y., this spring. She played on the inaugural lacrosse teams at her high school and at CMU. She was hired in 2021 and has put almost two years of work in behind the scenes before launching the program.

Jill May, ’15, has been appointed to oversee the sales operation as director of sales and events for Crain Communications’ Grand Rapids business team which will lead Crain’s Grand Rapids Business. Previously, she led the sales team for the Grand Rapids Business Journal.

John Savona, M.S.A. ’02, retired from Ford Motor Co. as vice president, Americas Manufacturing and Labor Affairs, after spending more than three decades with the automaker. The Detroit Free Press reports Savona began at Ford in 1989 as a factory security officer while his father worked on the assembly line.

Carol Surface, M.A. ’91, Ph.D. ’95, has been named to the new role of chief people officer for Apple Inc. Surface “brings an incredible depth of experience, which will be invaluable in supporting our teams around the world and building on everything that makes Apple so special,” the company said in a statement.

Carrie Sue Shaver, D.H.A. ’20, an assistant professor of public health at New Mexico State University, has been selected for the prestigious National Rural Health Association Fellowship for 2023. The competitive fellowship is awarded to a promising educator, scholar or practitioner who has proven their dedication to improving the health of rural Americans. •

In Memory

Arthell L. (Arnold) Haggerty, ’47, Midland, Mich. , died Jan. 22, 2023, age 98

Kenneth L. Miller, ’48, Pentwater, Mich. , died Feb. 13, 2023, age 100

Sebe S. Morgan, ’48, Onaway, Mich. , died Jan. 9, 2023, age 99

Wayne W. Knecht, ’50, Grand Blanc, Mich. , died Jan. 22, 2023, age 95

Stanley T. Poag, ’50, Richardson, Tex. , died Oct. 22, 2022, age 97

Kendell K. Poulson, ’50, Fenton, Mich. , died Feb. 13, 2023, age 99

Beulah M. Voorheis, ’58, Lansing, Mich. , died Feb. 2, 2023, age 94

Dr. Dan R. Dibble, ’52, Greenville, Mich. , died Nov. 22, 2022, age 92

Ronald W. Ralya, ’52, Parma, Mich. , died Feb. 17, 2023, age 95

Joann J. (May) Larwin, ’53, Grand Rapids, Mich. , died Nov. 23, 2022, age 92

Joseph R. Pawlak, ’53, Monroe, Mich. , died Dec. 1, 2022, age 91

Hal Dean Purves, ’53, Citrus Hills, Fla. , died Oct. 21, 2022, age 91

Barbara A. (Seward) Brinkman, ’54, Oscoda, Mich. , died Dec. 10, 2022, age 90

Jean (Wheaton) Jardine, ’54, Harbor Springs, Mich. , died Nov. 22, 2022, age 94

Charles N. Miller, ’54, Vandercook Lake, Mich. , died Dec. 28, 2022, age 90

Jean D. Clukie, ’55, Bay City, Mich. , died Oct. 20, 2022, age 93

Mary A. (Spencer) Pappas, ’55, Chelsea, Mich. , died Feb. 20, 2023, age 89

Shirl D. Roberts, ’55, Holland, Ohio, died Oct. 25, 2022, age 89

Eldine I. (Bailey) Thelen, ’55, Lansing, Mich. , died Jan. 30, 2023, age 89

Maude E. (Hansen) Daniels, ’56, Hubbard Lake, Mich. , died Sept. 4, 2022, age 88

Alice L. (Gillett) Lantz, ’56, Lansing, Mich. , died Mar. 8, 2023, age 88

Rex O. Shugart, ’56, Bingham Township , Mich. , died Oct. 1, 2022, age 92

Louis F. (Buzz) Zimmerman, ’56, Kent, Ohio, died Sept. 17, 2022, age 9 0

Jack R. Bird, ’57; ’69 MA, Manistee, Mich. , died Nov. 9, 2022, age 91

Charles T. Dorcey, ’57, Farwell, Mich. , died Jan. 28, 2023, age 87

June A. (Kendall) Faulkner, ’57, Ionia, Mich. , died Mar. 11, 2023, age 102

Richard C. Figg, ’57, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Jan. 5, 2023, age 90

Marilyn J. (Wolfe) Hildebrand, ’57, Brookfield, Wis. , died Feb. 23, 2023, age 88

Donald W. Nash,’57, Toledo, Ohio, died Mar. 15, 2023, age 92

Valerie J. (Strong) Agresta, ’58, Traverse City, Mich. , died Jan. 22, 2023, age 86

Joanne L. Hibbard, ’58, ’67 MA, Saginaw, Mich. , died Nov. 1, 2022, age 85

Julia A. (Walker) Konick, ’58, Naples, Fla. , died Feb. 12, 2023, age 88

Werner C. Maki, ’58, Goodrich, Mich. , died Oct. 26, 2022, age 86

Robert J. Osmak, ’58, Harbor Springs, Mich. , died Mar. 2, 2023, age 87

Norman B. Quinn, ’58; ’66 MA, Fort Myers, Fla. , died Jan. 15, 2023, age 86

Patricia A. (Hainstock) Ross, ’58, Traverse City, Mich. , died Oct. 5, 2022, age 87

Patricia (Smith) Sweeney, ’58, Franklin, Ind. , died Feb. 3, 2023, age 94

Karin A. (Nelson) Wier, ’58, Sand Lake, Mich. , died Mar. 27, 2023, age 90

Joy Helen (Smith) Zissler, ’58, La Crosse, Wis. , died Oct. 10, 2022, age 86

Dennis M. Blevins, ’59, Midland, Mich. , died Dec. 27, 2022, age 90

Janet Elaine (Long) Fulton, ’59, Plainwell, Mich. , died Oct. 2, 2022, age 86

Waleed K. Gosaynie, ’59, Holland, Mich. , died Oct. 6, 2022, age 86

Evelyn M. (Cole) Humm, ’59, St. Louis, Mich., died Feb. 11, 2023, age 85

Harriet R. (Hillabrant) Mathews, ’59, LeRoy, Mich. , died Feb. 10, 2023, age 85

William J. McCool, ’59, Traverse City, Mich. , died Feb. 5, 2023, age 85

Karen R. (Kerns) O’Connor’59, Lake Orion, Mich. , died Mar. 11, 2023, age 85

Sallie A. (Rennie) Parks,’59 Palm Harbor, Fla. , died Nov. 9, 2022, age 86

Lawrence F. Barcheski, ’60, Grand Rapids, Mich. , died Mar. 19, 2023, age 84

Larry Kraft Larsen, ’60; ’62 MA, Bend, Oreg. , died Sept. 26, 2022, age 85

Gordon R. Miesel, ’60, Troy, Mich. , died Feb. 11, 2023, age 87

Darlene (Kidd) Nordberg, ’60, Cheboygan, Mich. , died Jan. 15, 2023, age 84

Peter A. Obuchowski, ’60; ’62 MA, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Oct. 25, 2022, age 87

Rex E. O’Dell, ’60, Saginaw Twp. , Mich., died Jan. 21, 2023, age 99

Frederick Norman Pottle, ’60, Barrien Springs, Mich. , died Sept. 28, 2022, age 85

Lavonne V. (Strong) Stamm, ’60, Belmont, Mich. , died Jan. 2, 2023, age 85

Jeannette E. (Chamberlain)

Wing, ’60, Newberry, Mich. , died Mar. 5, 2023, age 86

Thelma L. (Green) Bolla, ’61, Harker Heights, Tex. , died Mar. 9, 2023, age 96

Marilyn J. (VanEnenaam)

Fortney, ’61, Houghton Lake, Mich. , died Mar. 8, 2023, age 94

Roy J. Graveline, ’61, Bay City, Mich. , died Dec. 7, 2022, age 84

Larry E. Lambert, ’61; ’71 MA, Grand Blanc, Mich. , died Nov. 6, 2022, age 83

George E. Pestrue, ’61, Standish Mich. , died Nov. 12, 2022, age 84

Vern H. Reed, ’61, East Tawas, Mich. , died Dec. 21, 2022, age 83

Carol K. (Bessinger) VanLoo, ’61; ’76 MA, Belding, Mich. , died Feb. 11, 2023, age 83

Judy Adams, ’62, Venice, Fla. , died Feb. 8, 2023, age 84

Beverly J. (Kihn) Attwell, ’62; ’70 MA, Alpena, Mich. , died Jan. 7, 2023, age 91

Michael L. Chirio, ’62 MA, Novi, Mich. , died Feb. 2, 2023, age 91

Shirley A. (Hajek) Knight, ’62, Venice, Fla. , died Mar. 22, 2023, age 84

Ann L. Salsbury, ’62; ’69 MA, Owosso, Mich. , died Mar. 1, 2023, age 83

Marjorie “Midge” (Page)

Sweeney, ’62, Kalamazoo, Mich. , died Oct. 8, 2022, age 81

Dr. Danny Harris Thompson, ’62, Kalamazoo, Mich. , died Nov. 15, 2022, age 86

David S. Williams, ’62, Harbor Springs, Mich. , died Dec. 17, 2022, age 83

Jane Elizabeth (Dykhouse) Andrews, ’63; ’91 MA, Petoskey, Mich. , died Oct. 16, 2022, age 81

Theresa A. (Stomack) Bailey, ’63, St. Charles, Mich. , died Mar. 10, 2023, age 83

Nancy A. (Rinehart) Deckard, ’63, New Braufels, Tex. , died Jan.19, 2023, age 84

Daniel W. Jacobi, ’63; ’69 MA, Saginaw, Mich. , died Mar. 25, 2023, age 83

Susan B. (Breidenstein)

Murphy, ’63, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Apr. 11, 2023, age 81

Delbert D. Myers, ’62; ’67 MA, North Branch, Mich. , died Sept. 2, 2022, age 93

James Charles Phillips, ’63, Swartz Creek, Mich. , died Sept. 30, 2022, age 78

Jerry J. Pulliam, ’63, St. Johns, Mich., died Jan. 9, 2023, age 90

Barbara Ann (Molyneaux)

Richards, ’63; ’91 MA, Harrison, Mich. , died Nov. 4, 2022, age 80

Jeannine M. Service, ’63, Middleville, Mich. , died Feb. 14, 2023, age 81

Carole D. (Seaman) Vilardo, ’63, New Holland, Mich. , died Oct. 19, 2022, age 81

Virginia M. (Manning)

Anderson, ’64, Fort Gratiot, Mich. , died Jan. 10, 2023, age 87

Judith G. Barron, ’64, Brevard, N.C., died Dec. 26, 2022, age 80

Errol T. Caszatt, ’64, Moreno Valley, Calif. , died Feb. 6, 2023, age 82

Randall W. English, ’64, Lake Fenton, Mich. , died Oct. 21, 2022, age 79

Darlene (Dargitz) Finch, ’64, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Dec. 8, 2022, age 80

Joane E. (Bosch) Medemar, ’64, Delton, Mich. , died Nov. 6, 2022, age 80

Michael J. Meyer, ’64; ’68 MA, Fort Worth, Tex. , died Jan. 12, 2023, age 82

Elaine (Lewis) Parker, ’64, Gross Isle, Mich. , died Oct. 24, 2022, age 82

Ted E. Pavoris, ’64, Rolling Meadows, Ill. , died Dec. 11, 2022, age 80

Richard A. Stuckey, ’64 MS, Alma, Mich. , died Mar. 27, 2023, age 95

In Memory

Patricia A. Torrey, ’64, Lowell, Mich. , died Dec. 15, 2023, age 80

Mary C. (Roubal) Wichert, ’64, Coleman, Mich. , died Jan. 23, 2023, age 82

Lois P. (Jones) Boone, ’65, Henderson, Mich. , died Nov. 22, 2022, age 78

Kay Frances (Fahnanstiel) Boynton, ’65, Mountain View, Calif. , died Oct. 9, 2022, age 83

Jent G. (Pointer) Carrick, ’65; ’85 MA, Weidman, Mich. , died Mar. 8, 2023, age 83

Terrence G. Coburn, ’65 MA, Pentwater, Mich. , died Nov. 18, 2022, age 84

John P. Milliman, ’65; ’69 MS, Midland, Mich. , died Mar. 24, 2023, age 89

James C. Spindler, ’65, Battle Creek, Mich. , died Oct. 1, 2022, age 79

Michael R. Wieland, ’65 Saginaw, Mich. , died, Mar. 12, 2023, age 83

Sandra R. (Rust) Borg, ’66, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., died Dec. 14, 2022, age 78

Lorraine I. (Slott) Bull, ’66, Bailey, Mich. , died Dec. 8, 2022, age 89

Harlan W. Caszatt, ’66 MS, Owosso, Mich. , died Dec. 19, 2022, age 90

Clifford T. Crossett, ’66; ’77 MA, Saginaw, Mich. , died Nov. 12, 2022, age 80

Anharid F. (Muhmey) Farrell, ’66, Washington, Mich. , died Jan. 26, 2023, age 78

David M. Featheringill, ’66; ’67 MA, Arizona City, Ariz. , died Nov. 29, 2022, age 84

Thomas N. Kayn, ’66, Prescott, Ariz. , died Dec. 28, 2022, age 78

Nancy K. (Dullack) Kuhl, ’66, Bellevue, Mich. , died Jan. 12, 2023, age 84

Norbert G. Len, ’66, Bay City, Mich. , died Jan. 1, 2023, age 80

Barbara L. Maschewske, ’66, Grand Haven, Mich. , died Jan. 31, 2023, age 78

Charline L. (Harris) Myers, ’66, North Branch, Mich. , died Oct. 17, 2022, age 93

Roger E. Norton, ’66; ’71 MA, De Tour Village, Mich. , died Jan. 22, 2023, age 92

Jerome A. Schultz, ’66; ’77 MA, Midland, Mich. , died Dec. 10, 2022, age 83

Joan P. (Laskowski) Sinke, ’66; ’76 MA, Bay City, Mich. , died Mar. 24, 2023, age 87

Joy Anne (Richards) Skiba, ’66, Alpena, Mich. , died Nov. 17, 2022, age 83

Michael H. Snyder, ’66; ’68 MA, Grandville, Mich. , died Jan. 24, 2023, age 79

Richard K. Spalding, ’66 MA, Thompsonville, Mich. , died Dec. 4, 2022, age 85

Doug Vander Wall, ’66, Grand Haven, Mich. , died Feb. 4, 2023, age 80

Gerald J. Walkowiak, ’66, Evergreen, Colo. , died Jan. 22, 2023, age 85

Donna J. (Wickliffe), ’67; ’76 MA, McBain, Mich. , died Mar. 24, 2023, age 87

Dolores (Roslund) Comstock, ’67; ’74 MA, St. Louis, Mich., died Nov. 3, 2022, age 91

James B. Denoyer, ’67, Petoskey, Mich. , died Jan. 26, 2023, age 77

Wilfred F. Holzheuer, ’67, Hale, Mich. , died Dec. 17, 2022, age 78

Larry P. Jacobs, ’67, Midland, Mich. , died Feb. 17, 2023, age 80

Timothy J. Ribble, ’67, Munster, Ind. , died Apr. 5, 2023, age 78

Patricia Henrie Robertson, ’67, Kailua, Hawaii, died Sept. 29, 2002, age 78

Curt White, ’67; ’68 MS Wausau, Wis. , died Dec. 10, 2022, age 78

Patricia A. (Smiley) Wilson, ’67, Essexville, Mich. , died Nov. 15, 2022, age 93

Betty J. (Irwin) Hanchett, ’98, Clare, Mich. , died Jan. 24, 2023, age 79

Gladys Margaret (Wilson) Hasty, ’68, Bay City, Mich. , died Oct. 3, 2022, age 100

James E. Hoey, ’68, Kewadin, Mich. , died Oct. 23, 2022, age 76

Isaac W.J. Keim, ’68 MBA, Midland, Mich. , died Mar. 16, 2023, age 88

Mary L. (Kelly) Knysz, ’68, Canton, Mich. , died Feb. 17, 2023, age 76

Alfons H. McNeal, ’68 MS; ’81 MA, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Dec. 1, 2022, age 76

Marilyn Jenkinson) Mertes, ’68, Macomb, Mich. , died Feb. 11, 2023, age 77

Lenore E. (Pera) Pancheri, ’68, Chicago, Ill. , died Nov. 25, 2022, age 77

Sandra J. (Whitney) Wernette, ’68, Canadian Lakes, Mich. , died Oct. 16, 2022, age 76

Dr. Thomas Scott Bennett, ’69, Paw Paw, Mich. , died Oct. 16, 2022, age 79

Theodore J. Bunker, ’69, Grand Blanc, Mich. , died May 29, 2022, age 74

Nancy E. Filley, ’69, Reed City, Mich. , died Feb. 21, 2023, age 75

Donald L. Glasgow, ’69 MA, Garner, N.C., died Feb. 14, 2023, age 81

Patrick D. Greaves, ’69, Farmington, Mich. , died Mar. 4, 2023, age 78

Patrick F. Jacques, ’69; ’73 MA, Alpena, Mich. , died Mar. 5, 2023, age 76

Kathryn S. Kelley, ’69, Ludington, Mich. , died Dec. 20, 2022, age 75

Theodore (Ted) J. LaCross, ’69, Cheboygan, Mich. , died Oct. 10, 2022, age 76

Madily R. (Hunter) Mast, ’69 MA

Constantine, Mich. , died Dec. 4, 2022, age 95

Aaron E. Sahr, ’69 MA; ’71, Roanoke, Va. , died Mar. 10, 2023, age 80

Dorothy I. (Jenkins) Stellow, ’69, Brekenridge, Mich. , died Feb. 8, 2023, age 98

Joann K. (Raducha) Anderson, ’70, St. Charles, Mich., died Dec. 30, 2022, age 75

Joann E. Breckenridge, ’70, Otisville, Mich. , died Feb. 17, 2023, age 76

Janis C. (Maynard) Deubert, ’70, Honor, Mich. , died Oct. 1, 2022, age 75

Cheryl J. Erbes, ’70; ’74 MA, Hudsonville, Mich. , died Nov. 9, 2022, age 74

Kathleen Ann “Kay” (Beardsley) Gunter, ’70; ’87 MA, The Villages, Fla. , died Oct. 11, 2022, age 74

Frederick L. Hasselback, ’70, Perry, Mich. , died Mar. 7, 2023, age 74

Alton Howard, ’70, Nashville, Tenn. , died Feb. 5, 2023, age 83

Sharon L. Mattson, ’70 MS, Hoffman Estates, Ill. , died Sept. 8, 2022, age 79

John R. Molt, ’70, Grand Rapids Mich. , died Mar. 25, 2023, age 75

Francis A. Murphy, ’70 MBA, Allegan, Mich. , died Jan. 15, 2023, age 79

Stephen A. Nordstrom, ’70 MA, Clio, Mich. , died Dec. 21, 2022, age 80

Martin F. Schilling, ’70, Walhalla Mich. , died Mar. 15, 2023, age 74

James H. Wetters, ’70 MS, Midland, Mich. , died Dec. 10, 2022, age 87

Dennis C. White, ’70, Marysville, Mich. , died Jan. 22, 2023, age 77

Lester P. Albert, ’71; ’73 MA, Belding, Mich. , died Dec. 27, 2022, age 75

James C. Chapin, ’71, Troy, Mich. , died Nov. 15, 2022, age 73

Robert T. Crocker, ’71, Niles, Mich. , died Feb. 27, 2023, age 75

William D. Edwardson, ’71; ’78 MA, Elk Rapids, Mich. , died Oct. 20, 2022, age 74

Gene A. Gillette, ’71 MA; ’76, Bay City, Mich. , died Nov. 26, 2022, age 81

James L. Hable, ’71, St. Clair, Mich., died Mar. 28, 2023, age 75

Norma C. (Vettraino) Hannah, ’71 MA, Troy, Mich. , died Feb. 8, 2023, age 73

Margaret (Wood) Harkness, ’71; ’78 MA, Edmore, Mich. , died Nov. 2, 2022, age 92

Thomas G. Henne, ’71; ’76 MA, Owosso, Mich. , died Oct. 23, 2022, age 73

Mary J. Kolasa, ’71 MA, Grand Rapids, Mich. , died Mar. 5, 2023, age 89

Daniel E. Michalak, ’71, Saginaw, Mich. , died Nov. 16, 2022, age 80

Doris E. (Nelson) Towsley, ’71 MA, Omaha, Neb. , died Feb. 22, 2023, age 90

Paula L. (Bentley) Garries, ’72, St. Ignace, Mich., died Jan. 15, 2023, age 72

Ronald L. Lane, ’72, Ithaca, Mich. , died Oct. 25, 2022, age 73

Lawrence E. Leese, ’72 MA, Dayton, Ohio, died Mar. 18, 2023, age 89

James Mark Leibenguth, ’72; ’74 MA, Traverse City, Mich. , died Oct. 27, 2022, age 72

Gail A. (Morsman) Lewis, ’72, Byron Center, Mich. , died Jan. 31, 2023, age 72

Peter C. Lier, ’72 MA, Gladwin, Mich. , died Mar. 9, 2023, age 85

Mary Anne (Merrill) Nieuwenhuis, ’72, Flint, Mich. , died Dec. 17, 2022, age 72

Gail L. (Winell) Olmstead, ’72, Eagan, Minn. , died Dec. 5, 2022, age 73

Eliza Smafield, ’72, Port Huron, Mich. , died Nov. 24, 2022, age 74

Elton F. Streich, ’72 MA, Cedardburg, Wis. , died Feb. 2, 2023, age 78

Linda L. (Puffer) Sutton, ’72, St. Johns, Mich., died Mar. 20, 2023, age 72

Joan S. (Gilchrist) Walsh,’72, Grand Rapids, Mich. , died Feb. 13, 2023, age 72

Edwin C. Wetter, ’72, Commerce Twp. , Mich., died Nov. 13, 2022, age 73

Joan C. Bridgens,’73 , Kempner, Tex. , died Feb. 9 , 2023, age 71

William A. Clarady,’73 , Brimley Mich. , died Oct. 25, 2022, age 75

Randall C. Gilman,’73 , Lansing Mich. , died Jan. 5, 2023, age 74

Robert R. Heilman,’73; ’77, Mackinaw City, Mich. , died Feb. 28, 2023, age 72

Gary J. Lee, ’73 MA, East Lansing, Mich. , died Oct. 23, 2022, age 80

Jenness D. Linsday,’73; ’76 MA Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Dec. 16, 2022, age 72

Mary Jo (Burns) Russell, ’73; ’79 MA, Lafayette, Ind. , died Oct. 24, 2022, age 71

Harold Shiffer, ’73 MA, Leesburg, Fla. , died Mar. 22, 2023, age 90

Ruth D. (Jaschinsky) Wentz, ’73 Midland, Mich. , died Mar. 12, 2023, age 70

David E. Wilson, ’73 MBA, Mebane, N.C., died Dec. 1, 2022, age 81

Maureen M. (McCuen) Wilson, ’73, Warren, Ohio, died Mar. 24, 2023, age 71

Russell M. Arrand, ’74; ’80 MS, Cadillac, Mich. , died Mar. 17, 2023, age 69

Jacqueline M. Black, ’74 Stanton, Mich. , died Mar. 10, 2023, age 72

Elaine R. (Murphy) Braun, ’74, Ada, Mich. , died Mar. 26, 2023, age 71

James R. Douglas, ’74 MA; ’78 MA, Troy, Mich. , died Jan. 1, 2023, age 88

Louise E. (Hoffman) Gilliland, ’74, Denver, Colo. , died Feb. 19, 2023, age 71

Alfred L. Keyes, ’74 MA Jacksonville, N.C., died Oct. 6, 2022, age 85

Carl C. Large, ’74 MA, Alma, Mich. , died Jan. 25, 2023, age 90

John R. Males, ’74 MA, Manistique, Mich. , died Feb. 2, 2023, age 76

Alex J. Mason, ’74; ’76 MA, Caro, Mich. , died Dec. 15, 2022, age 74

Rita F. (Luce) McCarthy, ’74, Linden, Mich. , died Dec. 21, 2022, age 70

Steven A. Plato, ’74 MA Fountain, Mich. , died Nov. 1, 2022, age 84

Paul N. Price, ’74; ’86 MA, Crystal Falls, Mich. , died Jan. 9, 2023, age 72

Jerry L. Rentfrow, ’74, Mansfield, Ohio, died Dec. 14, 2022, age 70

James E. Roche, ’74 MA, Ocean City, N. J., died Oct. 18, 2022, age 87

John E. Rossa, ’74 MA; ’74, Spring Lake, Mich. , died Nov. 27, 2022, age 76

Monica R. (Harms) Schaeffer, ’74, The Villages, Fla. , died Mar. 29, 2023, age 75

Patricia A. Scheffler, ’71 MA; ’76, Grawn, Mich. , died Dec. 2, 2022, age 89

Daniel G. Steinacker, ’74, Oberlin, Ohio, died Dec. 12, 2022, age 70

Nancy S. (Schultz) Torkelson, ’74; ’75 MA, Flint, Mich. , died Nov. 29, 2022, age 89

Douglas E. Watt, ’74, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. , died Feb. 22, 2023, age 70

David J. Wiersema, ’74, Nunica, Mich. , died Mar. 23, 2023, age 71

James P. Ball, ’75 MA, Appling, Ga. , died July 29, 2022, age 89

Margaret Regina. Carroll, ’75 MA, Xenia, Ohio, died Nov. 10, 2022, age 98

Brian A. Cuthbertson, ’75, Algonac, Mich. , died Dec. 11, 2022, age 71

Gregory A. Koroch, ’75, Benton Harbor, Mich. , died Nov. 19, 2022, age 71

Derek W. McAleer, ’75, Saugatuck, Mich. , died Oct. 7, 2022, age 71

Judson M. Ravi, ’75 MA, Albuquerque, N. M., died Sept. 26, 2022, age 90

Raymond D. Reske, ’75 MA, Commerce Twp. , Mich., died Feb. 13, 2023, age 79

Mary G. (Malloy) Vratanina, ’75; ’93 MA, Walloon Lake, Mich. , died Jan. 26, 2023, age 70

Raymond N. Abbey, ’76 MA, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Feb. 27, 2023, age 73

Leslie D. Alderman, ’76 MA, Sapphire, N.C., died Mar. 16, 2023, age 79

Rosemary (Marzic) Austin, ’76, Rochester Hills, Mich. , died Nov. 23, 2022, age 68

Kenneth D. Avis, ’76, The Villages, Fla. , died Jan. 9, 2023, age 69

Thomas F. Fordos, ’76; ’79 MBA, Sanford, Mich. , died Dec. 9, 2022, age 70

Jack T. Kelley, ’76 MA, Fayetteville, N.C., died Nov. 17, 2022, age 85

John Douglas Mack, ’76 MA, Monroe, Mich. , died Oct. 14, 2022, age 75

James R. McBride,’76; ’82 MA, Petoskey Mich. , died Dec. 29, 2022, age 68

Abbie O. (Shumaker) Monteith, ’76 MA, Grand Rapids, Mich. , died Dec. 31, 2020, age 88

Roger O. Moore, ’76 MA, Columbia, Md. , died Oct. 6, 2022, age 89

Diane Kay (Jarecki) Phelps, ’76; ’78 MA, Gaylord, Mich. , died Nov. 17, 2022, age 71

Michael A. Phillips, ’76; ’93 MA, Harbor Springs, Mich. , died Feb. 14, 2023, age 68

Bernice M. (Miller) Sizemore, ’76; ’80 MA, Midland, Mich. , died Apr. 3, 2023, age 97

Art Souza, ’76 MA, Kamuela, Hawaii, died Jan. 1, 2023, age 74

Alice Marian (French) Strange, ’76 MA, Sanford, Mich. , died Oct. 13, 2022, age 87

Thomas A. Stuntebeck, ’76 MA, Mt. Pleasant, S.C., died Jan. 1, 2023, age 76

Steven Ulric Tomasky, ’76, East Jordan, Mich. , died Sept. 30, 2022, age 70

Wanda V. (Johnson) Turner, ’76 MBA, Big Rapids, Mich. , died Oct. 16, 2022, age 82

Margaret R. (Riethmeier) Zobel, ’76 MM, Largo, Fla. , died Nov. 13, 2022, age 83

Catherine (King) Baker, ’77; ’79 MA, Chandler, Ariz. , died Nov. 17, 2022, age 76

Jill L. Black, ’77, Stanton, Mich. , died Mar. 2, 2023, age 68

Robert J. Coffey, ’77, Saginaw, Mich. , died Oct. 25, 2022, age 82

Leroy P. Collins, ’77 MA, Mon Luis Island, Ala. , died Feb. 11, 2023, age 75

Dennis Dorsey, ’77 MA, Longwood, Fla. , died Nov. 12, 2022, age 87

Stephen B. Eaton,’77; ’12, Palm Springs, Calif. , died Jan. 31, 2023, age 68

James E. Fisher, ’77, Estes Park, Colo. , died Feb. 18, 2023, age 67

Richard J. Grable, ’77 MA, Tampa, Fla. , died Jan. 15, 2023, age 83

Robert M. Hoffman, ’77 MA, Nokomis, Fla. , died Nov. 10, 2022, age 87

Lorene F. Ireland, ’77, La Jolla, Calif. , died Jan. 31, 2023, age 68

Robert E. Roetman, ’77 MA, Sanford, Mich. , died Nov. 26, 2022, age 80

David Gerard Shea, ’77 MA, Brooklyn, N.Y., died Oct. 26, 2022, age 75

Barbara A. (Wilson) Smith, ’78, Adrian, Mich. , died Oct. 30, 2022, age 79

Robert A. Walters, ’77 MA, Greenwood, S.C., died Feb. 12, 2023, age 90

William H. Wilkins, ’77, West Branch, Mich. , died Nov. 2, 2022, age 67

Juli A. Zakrajsek, ’77, Grand Rapids, Mich. , died Nov. 21, 2022, age 68

Carol J. (Muntz) Billingham, ’78 MA, Sumner, Mich. , died Jan. 5, 2023, age 96

Col. Kent M. Easty, ’78 MA, Beaufort, S.C., died Oct. 28, 2022, age 77

David C. Fonnesbeck, ’78, Ludington, Mich. , died Dec. 12, 2022, age 66

In Memory

Betty J. (Hoekstra) Grinwis, ’78, Midland, Mich. , died Mar. 7, 2023, age 81

William L. Holford, ’78 MA, Henderson, Nev. , died Feb 1, 2023, age 79

Joseph T. Kennedy, ’78 MA, Pompano Beach, Fla. , died Dec. 10, 2022, age 85

Mark L. Larson, ’78, Philadelphia, Pa. , died Feb. 20, 2023, age 68

Elisabeth J. (Richardson)

O’Brien, ’78 MA, Traverse City Mich. , died Nov. 16, 2022, age 98

Norman E. Smith, ’78, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Oct. 19, 2022, age 66

Emmeline L. (Kroon) Turner, ’78 MA, Twin Falls, Idaho, died Nov. 14, 2022, age 71

Paul D. Chambers, ’79 MA, Madison, Ala. , died Jan. 29, 2023, age 74

Joyce E. (Cunningham)

Davenport, ’79 MA, Charlevoix, Mich. , died Jan. 1, 2023, age 85

Jack G. Edwards, ’79 MA, Marion, Ill. , died Jan. 17, 2023, age 86

David R. Elliott, ’79 MA, Naples, Fla. , died Jan. 16, 2023, age 83

Terence J. Fitzwater, ’79 Lansing, Mich. , died Jan. 31, 2023, age 65

Gerry Graetz, ’79 MA, West Bloomfield, Mich. , died Feb. 7, 2023, age 74

Donald J. Gray, ’79 MA, Etowah, N.C., died Oct. 18, 2022, age 77

Linda L. (Beckett) Hall, ’79, Sun City, Ariz. , died Dec. 15, 2022, age 65

Carolyn R. (Reynolds) Jensen, ’79 MA, Chattanooga, Tenn. , died Jan. 31, 2023, age 83

Victor J. Kudyba, ’79 MA, Springfield, Ky. , died Nov. 2, 2022, age 77

Robert G. Morris, ’79 MA, San Antonio, Tex. , died Sept. 14, 2022, age 74

Linda M. (Stayer) Weckerly, ’79, Mesa, Ariz. , died Dec. 25, 2022, age 69

Nelson I. Willis, ’79 MA Wayne, Mich. , died Jan. 27, 2023, age 85

William A. Yaklin, ’79, Grand Lake, Mich. , died Dec. 12, 2022, age 65

Stephen A. Alcock, ’80 MA, Rochester Hills, Mich. , died Mar. 13, 2023, age 68

Janis M. (Buckley) Bee, ’80, Ann Arbor, Mich. , died Feb. 19, 2023, age 64

Leonard L. Benson, ’80 MA, Leesburg, Fla. , died Dec. 20, 2022, age 77

Janet M. (Collrin) Cameron, ’80, Northfield, Minn. , died Nov. 28, 2022, age 75

Lawrence W. Duggan, ’80 MA, Kailua, Hawaii, died Mar. 15, 2023, age 85

John J. Early, ’80 MA, Willow Spring, N.C., died Oct. 31, 2022, age 73

Joseph R. Inge, ’80 MA, Williamsburg, Va. , died Mar. 23, 2023, age 75

James W. Maki, ’80 MS, Puyallup, Wash. , died Oct. 11, 2022, age 65

Nancy A. (English) Moore, ’80 MA, Wildwood, Mo. , died Feb. 12, 2023, age 92

Robert W. “Sam” Phillips, ’80 MA, Melbourne Beach, Fla. , died Sept. 23, 2022, age 80

Jack B. Samples, ’80, Traverse City, Mich. , died Feb. 18, 2023, age 64

John J. Schimmel, ’80 MA, Irmo, S.C., died Feb. 25, 2023, age 75

Cassandra D. (Scruggs) Taber, ’80; ’94 MA, Mt. Pleasant Mich., died Dec. 29, 2022, age 68

Joy M. (Mahana) Bishop, ’81 MA, Maryville, Tenn. , died Feb. 14, 2023, age 89

Shirley (Reichard) Brauker, ’81; ’83 MA, Coldwater, Mich. , died Nov. 22, 2022, age 72

Charles Phillip English, ’81 MA, Olympia, Wash. , died Nov. 12, 2022, age 70

Marsha K. (Cappelli) Otworth, ’81 MA, Columbus, Ohio, died Dec. 19, 2022, age 69

Carolyn L. (Adams) Petty, ’81 MA, Columbus, Ohio, died Apr. 2, 2023, age 78

Julie L. (Carls) Plessinger, ’81, Montgomery, Mich. , died Dec. 26, 2022, age 63

John P. Barber, ’82, Farmington, Mich. , died Mar. 26, 2023, age 64

Katherine Rose (Altese) Bragg, ’82, Jacksonville, Fla. , died Oct. 13, 2022, age 62

Linda M. (Culinski) Carey, ’82, Midland, Mich. , died Dec. 27, 2022, age 76

Kathleen S. (Ransom) Hass, ’82 MA, Bad Axe, Mich. , died Jan. 24, 2023, age 72

John W. Hayden, ’82 MA, Lansing, Mich. , died Dec. 29, 2022, age 76

Sheila A. (Tefft) Luedtke, ’82, Millington, Mich. , died Jan. 9, 2023, age 62

Patricia R. Beck, ’83 MA, Wyandotte, Mich. , died Dec. 31, 2022, age 84

Patricia A. (Bloss) Crouse, ’83, Carson City, Mich. , died Mar. 3, 2023, age 82

Donald E. Curnow, ’83, Harrison Mich. , died Feb. 09, 2022, age 82

Alex B. DarJean, ’83 MA, Dayton, Ohio, died Mar. 25, 2023, age 80

Wallace C. Davis, ’83 MA, Schenectady, N.Y., died Feb. 23, 2023, age 84

Russell F. Deutsch, ’83 MA, Flushing, Mich. , died Sept. 23, 2022, age 64

Lin L. (Good) Johnson, ’83, Holland, Mich. , died Jan. 3, 2023, age 64

Kenneth R. Juergens, ’83, Muskegon, Mich. , died Mar. 9, 2023, age 62

Phillip A. Ragno, ’83 MA, Spring Valley, Ohio, died Nov. 4, 2022, age 88

James C. Ricklefs, ’83 MA, Ludington, Mich. , died Mar. 22, 2023, age 75

Janet S. Semrick, ’83 MA, Gadsden, Ala. , died Feb. 23, 2023, age 79

Mary J. (Hagarty) Adams, ’84, Saginaw, Mich. , died Mar. 3, 2023, age 64

Jody A. Bailiff, ’84; ’87 MA, Shelby Twp , Mich., died Oct. 25, 2022, age 75

David J. Demps,’84 MA, Troy, Mich. , died Oct. 23, 2022, age 69

Timothy M. Duperron, ’84 MA, Gross Isle, Mich. , died Feb. 17, 2023, age 80

Warren T. Gunther, ’84 MA, Waterford, Mich. , died Jan. 24, 2023, age 89

Patrick Eric Jacobson, ’84, Gretna, Neb. , died Sept. 26, 2022, age 63

Victor J. Kahler, ’84 MA, Columbus, Ohio, died July 4, 2022, age 68

Cynthia L. (Dieterichs) Kinnear, ’84 MA, Midland, Mich. , died Jan. 29, 2023, age 87

Marian E. (Smith) Noonan, ’84 MA, Covington, La. , died Nov. 20, 2022, age 76

Philip A. Prince, ’84, Davison, Mich. , died Mar. 22, 2023, age 63

Walter E. Scheyett, ’84 MA, Southern Pines, N.C., died Mar. 28, 2023, age 95

Henry Shannon, ’84 MA, Kansas City, Mo. , died Dec. 28, 2022, age 89

Mary E. (Hubert) Stevens, ’84, Sanford, Mich. , died Aug. 13, 2022, age 82

Kevin M. Tallant, ’84, Wixom, Mich. , died Dec. 23, 2022, age 62

Yvonne Marie Williams, ’84; ’90 MA, Idlewild, Mich. , died Oct. 11, 2022, age 64

Bruce A. Brown, ’85 MBA, Ludington, Mich. , died Feb. 17, 2023, age 71

Sushma (Narula) Dhingra, ’85, Midland, Mich. , died Oct. 17, 2022, age 78

Daniel Bruce Dwyer, ’85, Mandan, N. D., died Nov. 14, 2022, age 62

Arthur G. Eichler, ’85 MA, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., died Sept. 25, 2022, age 70

Bonnie L. (Del Aguila) Fuqua, ’85 MSA, Las Cruces, N. M., died Oct. 28, 2022, age 66

Michael C. Grant, ’85 MA, Port Huron, Mich. , died Dec. 10, 2022, age 77

Robert Steven Hutter, ’85, Milford, Mich. , died Sept. 30, 2022, age 59

Judith M. (Burke) Keck, ’85 MA, San Antonio, Tex. , died Aug. 7, 2022, age 84

Patricia M. Shepard, ’85, East Tawas, Mich. , died Jan. 5, 2023, age 77

Sondra S. (Curp) Whiteaker, ’85, Denton, Mich. , died Oct. 20, 2022, age 82

Bryan Roland Belote, ’86, Battle Creek, Mich. , died Sept. 30, 2022, age 59

Richard M. Haight, ’86, Stockbridge, Ga. , died Jan. 20, 2023, age 75

Eric D. Maxwell, ’86, Farmington, Mich. , died Nov. 14, 2022, age 58

Gloria J. (Poulter) Olson, ’86, Leawood, Kans. , died Dec. 23, 2022, age 86

Heidi A. Munson Periard, ’86, Birch Run, Mich. , died Oct. 21, 2022, age 58

James M. Pounders, ’86, Alpharetta, Ga. , died Oct. 8, 2022, age 72

Allan D. Yenglin, ’86, Howell, Mich. , died Sept. 28, 2022, age 67

Charles E. Ayers, ’87 MA, Charlotte, N.C., died Nov. 1, 2022, age 68

Gary S. Devos, ’87, Saginaw, Mich. , died Jan. 29, 2023, age 60

Joyce E. (Buchholz) Johnson, ’87, Stillwater, Okla. , died Mar. 26, 2023, age 79

William J. Leibnitz, ’87, Harrison Township, Mich. , died Mar. 16, 2023, age 79

Deloris B. Nesteby, ’87 MA, Manasquan, N. J., died Mar. 4, 2023, age 91

Sue A. (Percy) Shaltry, ’87, Big Rapids, Mich. , died Mar. 27, 2023, age 76

Carol A. (Smith) Sherman, ’87, Homer, Mich. , died Feb. 16, 2023, age 57

Kevin W. Swygert, ’87, Ludington, Mich. , died Jan. 5, 2023, age 58

Andrew G. Benson, ’88, Williamstown, W.V., died Mar. 22, 2023, age 56

David Colburn, ’88 MSA, Honolulu, Hawaii, died Feb. 20, 2023, age 87

Robert J. Foley, ’88, Colorado Springs, Colo. , died July 28, 2022, age 80

Joan K. (Mack) Kunnath, ’88, Traverse City, Mich. , died Mar. 11, 2023, age 57

Julianne K. (Scott) Marshall, ’88 MA, Ludington, Mich. , died Jan. 11, 2023, age 62

Gayle A (Sutton) McClelland, ’88, Lansing, Mich. , died Oct. 17, 2022, age 80

Vicki L. (Newman) Seiter, ’88, Farwell, Mich. , died Dec. 16, 2022, age 60

Walter J. Timoschuk, ’88 MSA, Smyrna, Tenn. , died Feb. 25, 2023, age 64

Phyllis A. (Lacey) Dale, ’89; ’95, Roscommon, Mich. , died Dec. 21, 2022, age 69

Acie Boyd Earl, ’89 MA, Moline, Ill. , died Oct. 4, 2022, age 75

Jean C. Jackson, ’89 MA, Oshawa, ON, Canada, died Mar. 16, 2023, age 69

Angela M. (Marzella) Robinson, ’89, Troy, Mich. , died Mar. 30, 2023, age 55

Robert Scott Sorrick, ’89, Reynoldsville, W.V., died Oct. 27, 2022, age 57

Sally A. (Smith) St. Onge, ’89, Hastings, Mich. , died Oct. 10, 2022, age 78

Thomas L. Gilbride, ’90 MSA, Myrtle Beach, S.C., died Feb. 2, 2023, age 75

Jeffery A. Griffiths, ’90, Laingsburg, Mich. , died Dec. 1, 2022, age 76

Doris A. (Bonk) Host, ’90, Franklin, Mich. , died Mar. 21, 2023, age 86

Walter R. McKnight, ’90 MA, Saluda, S.C., died Oct. 22, 2022, age 82

Gregory M. Merle, ’90, Battle Creek, Mich. , died Nov. 26, 2022, age 55

Sandra L. (Day) Train, ’90, Clawson, Mich. , died Feb. 26, 2023, age 76

Linda Ellen (Wilfong) VanderGraaf, ’90, Lake Orion, Mich. , died Oct. 14, 2022, age 55

Nancy S. (Roloff) Cooley, ’91 , St. Joseph, Mich., died Nov. 18, 2022, age 83

Anthony R. Riggs, ’91 MSA, Dayton, Ohio, died Jan. 6, 2023, age 75

Leo D. Rosencrants, ’91 MA, Nunica, Mich. , died Oct. 24, 2022, age 69

Bradley M. Lefkiades, ’92, Bay City, Mich. , died Dec. 31, 2022, age 52

Ronald P. Wood, ’92 MSA, Dearborn, Mich. , died Nov. 22, 2022, age 89

James E. Lee, ’93 MSA, Davisburg, Mich. , died Dec. 29, 2022, age 80

Mark J. Agnessi, ’94, St. Paul, Minn., died Mar. 26, 2023, age 50

Juliet E. (Brereton) BreretonHamilton, ’94 MA, Burlington, ON, Canada, died Mar. 15, 2023, age 77

Tamara L. (Snyder) Chalk, ’94, Midland, Mich. , died Feb. 4, 2023, age 51

Blanche M. (Ellison) Chatman, ’94 MSA, Madison, Ala. , died Feb. 12, 2023, age 69

Raymond J. Curran, ’94 MSA, Lutherville Timonium, Md. , died Mar. 22, 2023, age 78

Frank C. Gasiorkek, ’94 MSA, Carleton, Mich. , died Mar. 24, 2023, age 69

Marti J. Miller, ’94 MSA, Ludington, Mich. , died Feb. 2, 2023, age 65

In Memory

Lee M. Seaman, ’94, Dafter, Mich. , died Dec. 20, 2022, age 53

Judy L. Tremolada, ’94, Petaluma, Calif. , died Dec. 1, 2022, age 57

Loretta G. (Holt) Gilliam, ’95 MSA, Decatur, Ala. , died Oct. 15, 2022, age 81

Valerie (Martin) Hewson, ’95 MA, Etobicoke, ON, Canada, died Nov. 3, 2022, age 78

Sheila M. Method, ’95 MSA, Midland, Mich. , died Dec. 23, 2022, age 66

John D. Payne, ’95, Novi, Mich. , died Dec. 12, 2022, age 50

Gerald R. Reed, ’95 MSA, Manassas, Va. , died Nov. 23, 2022, age 68

Mildred D. (Bryant) Reid, ’95 MSA, Los Angeles, Calif. , died Feb. 23, 2023, age 77

Michael W. Wagoner, ’95, Traverse City, Mich. , died Mar. 9, 2023, age 53

James R. Maner, ’97, Manhattan, Kans. , died Feb. 22, 2023, age 75

Kimberly L. (Moon) Moon-Ito, ’97, Houston, Tex. , died Feb. 6, 2023, age 64

Shannon L. (Gouge) Sexton, ’97; ’06 MA, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Jan. 1, 2023, age 47

Susan M. (DuBois) DuboisReetz, ’98 MSA, Fraser, Mich. , died Mar. 20, 2023, age 76

John P. Eago, ’98, Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich. , died Mar. 17, 2023, age 61

Katherine M. Wood, ’98 Muskegon, Mich. , died Feb. 13, 2023, age 47

Carl A. Hill, ’99; ’00, Lansing, Mich. , died Dec. 6, 2022, age 60

Stefan J. Orlando, ’99 MA, Traverse City, Mich. , died Feb. 5, 2023, age 56

Christine J. Campbell, ’03 MA, Fayetteville, Ga. , died Mar. 12, 2023, age 75

Patricia C. (Clauss) Frick, ’03, Midland, Mich. , died Feb. 16, 2023, age 63

Eric G. Mickelson, ’04 Cadillac, Mich. , died Feb. 18, 2023, age 43

Jason D. Urbain, ’04, Woodbridge, Va. , died Dec. 28, 2022, age 45

Brenda L. (Lipps) Knowles, ’05 MA, Chapel Hill, N.C., died Mar. 7, 2023, age 66

Heather (O’Herron) Pardo, ’05, South Lyon, Mich. , died Dec. 29, 2022, age 45

Robert Wintermyer, ’05 MS, Copley, Ohio, died Jan. 11, 2023, age 82

Douglas J. Thelen, ’06, Lansing, Mich. , died Feb. 24, 2023, age 43

Dian L. (Linton) Lach, ’07 MA, Vista, Calif. , died Feb. 3, 2023, age 72

Jennifer K. (Ruud) Langlois, ’07, Nunica, Mich. , died Jan. 2, 2023, age 39

Sheila C. McCarrey, ’07, Mobile Ala. , died Jan. 17, 2023, age 63

Aaron A. Arbogast, ’08 , Battle Creek, Mich. , died Nov. 15, 2022, age 38

Dwayne Wesley Vick, ’08 MA, Bowdon, Ga. , died Oct. 5, 2022, age 59

John J. Dormer, ’09 MSA, South Hampton, Pa. , died Jan. 3, 2023, age 61

Landis A. Rabish, ’09, Traverse City, Mich. , died Mar. 24, 2023, age 37

Tanja P. (Peoples) Robinson, ’09 MSA, Shreveport, La. , died Nov. 3, 2022, age 48

Frederick D. Hermann, ’11 MA, Bainbridge, Ga. , died Oct. 14, 2022, age 46

Kyle Leonard Whittaker, ’11, West Palm Beach, Fla. , died Nov. 10, 2022, age 34

Joy B. (Starks) Baker, ’13, Flushing, Mich. , died Oct. 31, 2022, age 63

LaTongela T. Daily, ’13 MSA, Saginaw, Mich. , died Nov. 12, 2022, age 54

Joseph E. Hudson, ’13, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., died Oct. 15, 2022, age 57

Sarah V. Tall, ’15 MSA, Grovetown, Ga. , died Feb. 21, 2023, age 62

Robert R. Langen, ’16, Huntington Beach, Calif. , died Jan. 15, 2023, age 29

John P. Sak, ’16, Livonia, Mich. , died Mar. 29, 2023, age 28

FACULTY/RETIRED FACULTY

Carol J. Billingham, Sumner, Mich. , died Jan. 5, 2023, age 96

Yvette B. Crandall, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Mar. 3, 2023, age 83

Burton Dickerson, Chatsworth, Calif. , died Nov. 28, 2022, age 97

John K. Hartman, Powell, Ohio, died Mar. 9, 2023, age 77

Edward C. Hutchison, Midland, Mich. , died Oct. 18, 2022, age 77

Vitold Kobisz, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Jan. 28, 2023, age 86

Jerald E. Lounsbury, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Feb. 12, 2023, age 85

Ann Bardens-McClellan, Traverse City, Mich. , died Nov. 2, 2022, age 92

William A. Miller, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Jan. 29, 2023, age 87

Hugh Motlagh, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Apr. 17, 2023, age 88

Peter A. Obuchowski, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Oct. 25, 2022, age 87

Dennis L. Swenson, Pasadena, Tex. , died Sept. 16, 2022, age 83

Cassandra D. Taber, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Dec. 29, 2022, age 68

Marilyn J. Zorn, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Nov. 3, 2022, age 95

STAFF/RETIRED STAFF

Mary Jane Bills, Crystal, Mich. , died Apr. 19, 2023, age 91

Dinah M. Bird, Alma, Mich. , died Oct. 30, 2022, age 63

William J. Bremer, Clare, Mich. , died Jan. 29, 2023, age 70

Donald E. Curnow, Harrison, Mich. , died Feb. 9, 2023, age 82

Diane E. Dolley, Midland, Mich. , died Nov. 28, 2022, age 79

Ronald E. Finch, Mendota Heights, Minn. , died Dec. 11, 2022, age 90

Geraldine (Snyder) Grisdale, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Nov. 13, 2022, age 99

Carole Gualdoni, Freeland, Mich. , died Dec. 29, 2022, age 79

Joan M. Hawkins, Midland, Mich. , died Dec. 8, 2022, age 84

Nancy Krajewski, Papillion, Neb. , died Feb. 20, 2023, age 77

Mary Miller, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Dec. 9, 2022, age 83

Rose O’Brien, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Feb. 18, 2023, age 92

Kenneth L. Peters, Remus, Mich. , died Apr. 9, 2023, age 80

Harriet B. Rotter, Bingham Farms, Mich. , died Apr. 9, 2023, age 83

Charles W. Shuler, Oscoda, Mich. , died Nov. 13, 2022, age 84

Neil L. VanSyckle, White Bluff, Tenn. , died Oct. 16, 2022, age 85

Marilyn Walker, Lake, Mich. , died Dec. 6, 2022, age 75

Gerald R. Watson, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., died Feb. 18, 2023, age 78

DO YOU

50 years of OLYMPIC MOMENTS

CMU has hosted the Michigan summer games since 1972

Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of the Special Olympics, saw “little justice in the way people with intellectual disabilities were treated.” She believed people with disabilities could achieve far more than most people thought possible, and she put her ideas into action in 1962 when she invited young people with intellectual disabilities to a summer day camp hosted in her backyard. The small idea rapidly turned into an international movement, and the first International Special Olympics Games were held in Chicago July 19-20, 1968.

In the U.S., each state and territory has a region-specific Special Olympics program. In Michigan, CMU was selected in October 1972 to become the home of Special Olympics Michigan. The CMU community immediately embraced the opportunities presented by hosting the state games in Mount Pleasant. For the first games held at CMU in June 1973, 1,600 athletes participated and more than 200 people volunteered, many of them CMU students.

Soon after this inaugural statewide effort, CMU was invited to enter a bid for hosting the world games — the only university invited to do so for these games. Shortly after the 1974 state games in June, CMU was named as the site of the 1975 International Specials Olympics.

Mount Pleasant and CMU took center stage when the fourth International Special Olympics Summer Games came to town Aug. 13-18, 1975, bringing 3,200 athletes from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and nine other countries.

To this day, since the first competition in 1973, thousands of Michigan athletes with disabilities make their way to Mount Pleasant to participate in the Special Olympic state games. And over the years, thousands of CMU students, faculty and staff have volunteered. •

1981

Centralight

Carlin Alumni House

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI 48859

CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

Your dollars MAKE CHANGE

STUDENT EMERGENCY FUND

Life is full of twists and turns — events that can threaten a student’s college education. At CMU, our Student Emergency Fund is there when our CMU Chippewas need a boost, often allowing them to stay in school through difficult circumstances.

ignite.cmich.edu/sef

In her final year at CMU, Jennifer Peacock was thrilled to have been accepted into graduate school and receive a fellowship. When her financial situation changed and she was unable to afford her last semester of tuition, the promising future felt unattainable. Without the Student Emergency Fund, she would have lost her post-grad plans. With support from donors, she was able to graduate from CMU and start her career.

Jennifer Peacock, ’18

Cultural and Global Studies

$1,291,451 dollars have been awarded

1,051 Students awarded dollars

$216,737 Dollars raised since July 1, 2022

1,952 Donors since July 1, 2022