Today
WINTER 2011/2012
Alumni Magazine
Top10 Rated
Top 10 Public Regional University – U.S.News & World Report
INSIDE Roommates Reunited Omaha Cheers Club Adventures in Entreprenuership Class Notes
Top10 Rated
Top 10 Public Regional University – U.S.News & World Report
Dear Alumni & Friends, In this issue of UNK Today, you will meet a few of our distinguished alumni who are making positive differences in the lives of others. You will learn of milestones achieved and long-time friends reunited. You will read about how UNK’s influence is reaching, literally, around the world by means of our expanding study abroad opportunities and through visionary programs such as the one offered by our Department of Counseling and School Psychology. Loper athletes and fans are bidding the RMAC farewell and are looking forward to competition, beginning this fall, as members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. After achieving increases over last year’s scores in areas such as freshmen retention rates, graduation rates and alumni giving, U.S. News & World Report magazine, in its annual Best Colleges edition, ranked UNK a “Top 10 Public Midwest Regional University” for the second year in a row. Fall enrollment grew to 7,100 students, the highest in 14 years and the highest rate of increase in more than 15 years. Student credit hours also increased to the highest level in a decade. Both as chancellor and as the parent of a college freshman, I am very excited about all that is happening at UNK and the progress we are making on every front. It speaks volumes about the dedication and work of our faculty and staff, and about the commitment and generous support of our extended family of alumni and friends. Better yet, I am convinced that our best days lie ahead! Grateful thanks to each of you for all you are to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. I hope you will take every opportunity to visit your alma mater to see first-hand what, together, we are accomplishing.
DOUGLAS A. KRISTENSEN, J.D. Chancellor
you can at 1
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U N I V E R S I T Y O F N E B R A S K A AT K E A R N E Y A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N
UNK Today is published twice a year by the Alumni Association and the University of Nebraska Foundation and is the official alumni publication of the University of Nebraska at Kearney. EXECU TIVE D IRECT OR Pete Kotsiopulos ‘70, A SSOCIATE D IRECT OR Lucas Dart ‘97, O F F ICE A SSOCIATE Toni Meyers ‘93 D ESIG N TEA M Mitch Johnson‘93, NU Foundation Art Director Michelle Widger ‘90, Assistant Director UNK Alumni Association CONTRIBUTING EDIT OR S Jim Rundstrom ‘64, Director Emeritus Robb Crouch, NU Foundation Colleen Fleischer, NU Foundation PH OTO GRAPH Y artisansphoto.com UNK Alumni Association UNK Athletics UNK Creative Services Postmaster: Please send address changes to: UNK Today University of Nebraska at Kearney Campus Box 21 Kearney, Nebraska 68849 Phone 308.865.8474 Fax 308.865.8999 E-mail: Lopers@unkalumni.org
B OAR D OF DIR EC TO R S - O FFI C ER S Andrea Walton Miller ‘02 President, Bayard Brett Kuhn, Ph.D. ‘86 President-Elect, Gretna Gary Reber ‘86 Secretary, Lincoln Bryan Kuntz ‘95 Past President, Kearney Brenda Snodgrass Christensen ‘83 Trustee, Minden DIR E C T OR S (Expi r i ng 2012) Carol Green Ballain ‘65, Fort Collins, CO Mark Felker ‘86, Alliance Pat Kelly Hoehner ‘57 BAE ‘67 MSE ‘82, Kearney Kip Magner ‘92, Lincoln Nancy McCarthy Polk ‘73, Kearney Trina Jacobsen Rother MAE ‘00, Grand Island Bethany Spilde ‘06, Kansas City, MO Bret Walker ‘00, Brighton, CO DIR E C T OR S (Expi r i ng 2013) David Bargen ‘96, Lincoln Amy Fagot Cope ‘99, Kearney Jay Dostal ‘01, Kearney Abby Losey Grenke ‘01, Aurora Robin Rubenthaler Hines ‘88, MSE ‘91, North Platte Leah Bruns Holmberg ‘94, Jordan, MN Jean Nelson Johnson ‘60, MSE ‘68, MSE ‘86, Kearney Bill Peard ‘84, Waukee, IA Gary Reber ‘86, Lincoln DIR E C T OR S (Expi r i ng 2014) Herman Baptiste ‘90, Olathe,KS Brette Covington Ensz ‘06, Kearney Gregg Grubaugh ‘79, Papillion Norman Lang ‘68, Mill Creek, WA Mary Buchanan Mach ‘85, Fairbury Katherine Pollock Peterson ‘79, Kearney Dennis Pool ‘70, Omaha Carolyn Wagner Snyder ‘64, Carbondale, IL Todd Van Horn ‘93, Kearney
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The University of Nebraska is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution. Individuals needing accommodation under ADA should contact the ADA Coordinator at UNK, 308.865.8655. UNK Alumni Association.
F E AT U R E S
4 Wild about UNK
Combining Homecoming, Parents and Band Day
6 Athletic Hall of Fame
Five new inductees
8 Six honored at homecoming
Alumni Association awards
10 Postage to paintings
MONA celebrates heritage
12 Learning to leading Students turn professors 14 Together again
1934 roommates reunited
17 Studying abroad
Life-altering experience
18 Cheers Club
Where everyone used to know your name
20 Internationally recognized Counseling and School Psychology 24 Net success Volleyball team posts 32-2 record 26 Childhood educators get online It’s more than elementary
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nWe’re wild about
UNK
The annual lip sync competition and royalty crowning drew more than 2,000 students to the Health & Sports Center on Homecoming Thursday night.
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verybody was ‘Wild About UNK’ the theme for the 2011 Homecoming celebration that also included for the first time Parents’ Day and Band Day. The week-long event in September was filled with activities. The Alumni Association presented six awards and the Athletic Hall of Fame inducted five at the 31st annual Homecoming banquet. Dr. Andrew Aprill ’85, Jack Crowley ’60, Dr. Phyllis Markussen ’69, MSE’88, and Linda Nelson Timmons ’85 received Distinguished Alumni Awards. John Wolf ’73 received the Jim Rundstrom Distinguished Alumni Service Award and Dr. Chad Vokoun ’96 received the Distinguished Young Alumni Award. Athletic Hall of Fame inductees were athletes Mike Asche ’94, Jessica Kedrowski Carlyle ’99, Jenni Mau Luke ’91 and Eric Strand ’99 along with former softball coach Dan Simmons ’75. The 2011 Loper Family of the Year honor went to the family of students Bradley and Megan Rediger. Their parents are Terry ’82 and Peggy Stanek Rediger ’82 of Milford. They met while students at UNK.
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In nominating his parents, Bradley Rediger said, “I admire the fact that my family genuinely enjoys spending time together. My family has always encouraged me to set high goals and follow my dreams. We have made countless memories together at UNK. I am extraordinarily proud to call myself a Loper.” Todd Thalken ’80 and former band director Dr. Neal Schnoor were honored by the Department of Music and Performing Arts. Thalken performs extensively as a jazz pianist in the Kearney area and regularly accompanies UNK voice students. Thalken and his wife, Lois ’80, own and operate Kearney Floral. He received the Gary Thomas Distinguished Alumni Music Award. Schnoor, who for many years directed the UNK band, received the Ronald J. Crocker Pride of the Plains Marching Band Award. Schnoor is dean of the School of Education and Counseling at Wayne State College. The UNK football team did its part to make the weekend successful, defeating Western State 55-14 before a crowd of 5,042.
Plan now to 12 attend 20 g min Homeco r e Septemb 17-22!
CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT: Athletic Hall of Famers include Eric Strand, Jessica Kedrowski Carlyle, Jennie Mau Luke, Mike Asche and Dan Simmons. Roger Jones ’65 with Distinguished Alum Jack Crowley ’60. Distinguished young alum, Dr. Chad Vokoun ’96 with wife, Allison. Distinguished Alum, Linda Timmons ’85 and Distinguished Service Award recipient John Wolf ’73. Loper football domination. Homecoming King and Queen Blaine Drozd and Katie Swett. Distinguished Alumna Dr. Phyllis Markussen ’69.
The largest Homecoming parade in history featured 23 bands and more than 125 other entries. Following the parade, more than 250 attended the Eleven alumni Loper Luncheon tailgate at the Alumni honored; five House. Following the game, the Alumni Association hosted its second annual inducted into Loperville postgame party for alumni and friends at the Alumni House. the Athletic Junior Katie Sweet of Ericson and Hall of Fame. senior Blaine Drozd of Genoa were crowned Homecoming Queen and King. Both were sponsored by Loper Liaisons. The combined team of Alpha Phi/Sigma Phi Epsilon, T.I.A.R.A.’s/Sigma Lambda Beta/Sigma Tau Delta won the week-long student sweepstake spirit competition. At its annual meeting, the Alumni Association board of directors elected Andrea Walton Miller ’02, replacing
Bryan Kuntz’95 of Kearney. Dr. Brett Kuhn ’86 of Gretna is president-elect and Gary Reber ’86 of Lincoln is secretary. Brenda Snodgrass Christensen ’83 of Minden is trustee. Joining the board for three-year terms are Herman Baptiste ’90 of Olathe, Kansas; Brette Covington Ensz ’06 of Kearney; Gregg Grubaugh ’79 of Papillion; Norm Lang ’68 of Mill Creek, Washington; Mary Buchanan Bach ’85 of Fairbury; Kathy Pollock Peterson ’79 of Kearney; Dennis Pool ’70 of Omaha; Carolyn Snyder Wagner ’64 of Carbondale, Illinois; and Todd Van Horn ’93 of Kearney. Completing three-year terms were Barb Lehmkuhl Estes ’74 of Kearney; Dean Jindra ’85 of Papillion; Dee Dee Schutte Kitzelman ’90 of Kearney; Ben Rowe ’03 of Kearney; Ryan Samuelson ’02 of Phoenix; Troy Schleiger ’95 of Omaha; Ryan Tworek ’98 of Newport Beach, California; and Candy Thompson Walton ’97 of Vermillion, South Dakota. • unkalumni.org
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athletes inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame
our athletes and a former coach were inducted into the UNK Athletic Hall of Fame during ceremonies at UNK Homecoming. The athletes inducted were Mike Asche ’94 of Milton, Pennsylvania; Jessica Kedrowski Carlyle ’98 of Tyrone, Georgia; Jenni Mau Luke ’91 of Altamonte Springs, Florida; and Eric Strand ’99 of Seattle, Washington, along with softball coach Dan Simmons ’75 of Sumner. Mike Asche was a four-year letterman in baseball from 1990 to 1994. He had a .346 batting average as a freshman, .352 as a sophomore, .414 as a junior and .392 as a senior. Asche set a number of records including hits (209) and triples (17). He was named to the NCAA Division II all-region team in 1993 and was UNK Male Athlete of the Year in 1994. Following graduation, Asche was drafted in the sixth round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a 1996 Carolina
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League All-Star and played more than 500 minor league games reaching the AA level. Asche is a physician assistant in orthopedic surgery. Jessica Kedrowski Carlyle was a four-year starter for the highly successful women’s basketball teams from 1995 to 1998. She averaged in double figures all four years she played. When she graduated, she was second in career scoring with 1,682 points and third in career rebounding with 773. She made 690 field goals during her career, which is still a Loper record. She was a first team RMAC selection three times and was conference MVP in 1997. Carlyle was also named to the RMAC all-tournament team three years and was an NCAA all-region selection in 1998. She was selected to the RMAC All-Century basketball team in 2009. Carlyle played on the most successful Loper team in history, the 1997 squad coached by Amy Stephens that
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compiled a 28-3 record and reached the NCAA round of Sweet Sixteen. In addition, the 1996 team posted a 26-5 record and the 1998 team went 26-4, winning an NCAA post-season tournament game for the third consecutive year. Carlyle was a four-year RMAC Academic all-conference selection. She was a member of the team that set an NCAA record with 87 consecutive wins at home. It was a record that lasted throughout her career and until 2001. She is a high school English teacher and girls basketball coach at Landmark Christian School in Fairburn, Georgia. Jenni Mau Luke was a four-year volleyball letter winner from 1987 to 1990. As a setter, Luke graduated as the career leader in assists with 4,573 and wast first in career ace serves with 327. Luke played on very successful teams for Coach Rosella Meier, including a squad that went 40-1 in 1990. That team was not selected for post-season play, the first year UNK was a member of the NCAA Division II. The 1989 team was 38-10 and CSIC champions, the 1988 team was 38-13 and CSIC co-champions and the 1987 team was 35-13 and CSIC runners-up. As a senior, Luke was a second team Academic AllAmerican and a member of all-tournament teams at three regional tournaments. As a junior, she was all-CSIC first team and NAIA All-American honorable mention. She was named Hanes Her Way Woman of the Year for the State of Nebraska in 1991. She is chief financial officer for the public relations firm Global-5 Communications in Longwood, Florida. Eric Strand is the all-time leading scorer in UNK history with 2,173 points during his career that spanned the years 1995 to 1999. During that time, he earned first team AllAmerican honors from Basketball Times, All-American second team honors from NABC and third team recognition from Daktronics. Strand was RMAC Player of the Year twice, as a junior and senior.
During Strand’s career, the Lopers enjoyed one of their most successful periods compiling records of 24-9, 23-8, 25-6 and 24-7. The Lopers qualified for the NCAA regional tournament all four years and reached the regional finals in 1999. Strand started every game during his career. The 6-foot-9-inch Strand finished his career fifth in career steals (168) and seventh in career rebounding (810). Following his college career, Strand played professionally in Europe, South America and the United States. He recently completed a degree in computer animation. Dan Simmons was softball coach at his alma mater from 1988 to 2000. During that time, the Lopers won the NAIA national tournament in 1990, were runners-up in 1989 and finished fifth in 1988. In the NCAA, they were national runners-up in 1999, fourth in 1996 and seventh in both 1998 and 1999. Simmons was NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1990. He was NAIA District 11 Coach of the Year four times and NCAA Division II regional Coach of the Year four times. Simmons was five-time RMAC Coach of the Year during the seven years UNK was a conference member. His teams won six RMAC regular season titles in those seven seasons. In 1990, he was Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star Nebraska College Coach of the Year. In 1993, Simmons’ athletes reached another milestone when the team was the NCAA Division II Top Academic Team in the nation with a 3.39 average. Simmons was named the RMAC Softball Coach of the Century in 2009. He compiled a record of 448-145 including a RMAC mark of 128-14. Simmons continues to teach and coach softball to youths of all ages. •
Athletic Hall of Fame
Mike Asche ’94
Jessica Kedrowski Carlyle ’99
Dan Simmons ’75
Eric Strand ’02
Jennie Mau Luke ’91 7
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Distinguished alumni honored at homecoming
ix alumni were recognized during Homecoming activities the weekend of September 23-24. Dr. Andrew Aprill ’85 of Princeton, New Jersey, Jack Crowley ’60 of Hastings, Dr. Phyllis Carlson Markussen ’68, MS ’88, and Linda Timmons ’85 of Omaha received the Distinguished Alumni Award. John Wolf ’73 of Snohomish, Washington, received the Jim Rundstrom Distinguished Alumni Service Award and Dr. Chad Vokoun ’96 of Omaha received the Distinguished Young Alumnus Award. Aprill is founder and CEO of BioVid Corporation. He has spent his career developing strategic insights to clients in healthcare by combining therapeutic knowledge with innovative research methods. He has provided guidance to pharmaceutical clients with products at all stages in the lifecycle. Over the past decade, BioVid has become one of the most sought-after market research firms in the industry for their philosophy that marketing research is best characterized as a tool for decision support rather than decision-making. Aprill, who earned a Ph.D. from Temple University, has been a guest lecturer on strategic marketing at The Wharton Business School, Neibrija International School of Business, Universidad Nebrija, Spain, and Guangzhou University, People’s Republic of China. Jack Crowley has a long history of community and state-wide service. He has been executive director of the Central Community College Foundation, an organization that he helped start. He has served on boards of the Hastings Economic Development Corporation, Norwest Bank Nebraska, Wells Fargo Regional Board, Economic Council of America, Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, Catholic Social Services for the Lincoln
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Diocese, Kearney Public Schools Foundation, YMCA, and Hastings Area Foundation. Crowley has been chair for both the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission and Nebraska Power Review Board. He has been the Hastings Rotary Club president and the general chair for the Hastings Area United Way Drive. He is also a former board member and president of the Hastings Area United Way, Nebraska Easter Seal Society, Lochland Country Club and Hastings Catholic School Board. He has served on the UNK Chancellor’s Advisory Council. Crowley has received the Jaycees Distinguished Service Award, Volunteer of the Year by the Nebraska Economic Council of America and Nebraska Community College Association Service Award. He was named an Outstanding Alumnus for Kearney Schools and was named to the Central Community College Hall of Fame. Crowley earned a master’s degree from Ohio State University in 1963. Now retired, he was the long-time owner of Crowley’s Womens Clothing Stores. Dr. Phyllis Markussen is a retired UNK professor who served from 1988 until 2010 as a professor and chair of the Department of Family Studies and Interior Design. She has received the Outstanding Teaching Award for the College of Business and Technology, the Leland Holdt Security Mutual Life Insurance Distinguished Faculty Award and the NU system-wide IDEA Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In 2004, she was inducted into the National Kitchen and Bath Association Hall of Fame. Markussen has served on the National Kitchen and Bath Association Board of Directors and has been active in a number of other organizations related to her academic program on a state, regional and national level.
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Linda Timmons is president and chief executive officer for Mosaic, a position she has held since 2008. Mosaic is a faith-based organization serving people with intellectual disabilities. It was formed in 2003 by the consolidation of two Nebraska-born Lutheran ministries dedicated to the needs of people with disabilities. Those two ministries are Bethphage Mission which began in 1913 in Axtell, and Martin Luther Homes which began in 1925 in Sterling. Mosaic supports more than 3,500 people and employs more than 5,000 through 40 agencies in 250 communities as well as in 14 states. After graduating with a degree in social work, Timmons began her career as a social worker at Bethphage Residential Center in Axtell. In 1987, she became assistant to the president for management support at Bethphage Mission South in Austin, Texas, then executive director of Bethphage Mission South in Lubbock, Texas. From 1994 to 1997, Timmons was president and chief executive officer at Bethphage Mission West in Denver, Colorado. Since 1997, she has held many positions with the company in Omaha. Timmons earned a master’s degree in human services from St. Edward’s University and a master’s degree in public administration from Texas Tech University. John Wolf has played a key role in the UNK Northwest Alumni Chapter in Oregon and Washington. He has served
Dr. Andrew Aprill ’85
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Dr. Phyllis Markussen ’69
Dr. Chad Vokoun ’96
as the group’s president since 2004 and was instrumental in the group since its founding in 1984. That group rotates its annual events between Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. One of their projects has been the establishment of an endowed scholarship for UNK students. Wolf also served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2003 to 2006. Now retired, he spent a career in the insurance business including 31 years as a health claims manager for Mutual of Omaha and owner of an Allstate Insurance Company agency. Dr. Chad Vokoun is associate program director of the internal medicine residency program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He is also director, consultative medicine and faculty advisor to Club Med, the internal medicine student interest group at the medical center. Vokoun received the university-wide Outstanding Teaching Award for 2011. He has also received the Hirschmann Prize for Teaching Excellence and the Sir William Osler Teaching Award at UNMC. He has been named a UNMC Top Teacher from 2004 to 2011. At UNK, he was an All-RMAC first-team offensive guard, a GTE Academic All-American and Male Student Athlete of the Year in 1995. The alumni award recipients were honored at the 31st annual Homecoming Awards banquet. •
Distinguished Alumni
Jack Crowley ’60
John Wolf ’73
Linda Nelson Timmons ’85 9
College of Fine Arts & Humanities t
MONA: From Postage to Paintings
Facts from a new book on the history of MONA and its storied building: 1907 The U.S. Government purchased lots at the corner of 24th Street and Central Avenue from J. K. Lowe. Since construction of the post office did not start for two years, Lowe was paid $2 a month for rent until construction started. 1909 The U.S. Treasury Department issued a contract for $89,000 for construction of the post office. The final cost was $125,000. 1911 The Kearney Hub printed an article that said, “Postmaster would like the public to understand that the telephone in the post office is intended only for long distance service and urgent local calls. There is a ban for trivial calls, gossip with employees and calling up employees on purely private matters.” 1975 The idea that led to the creation of the Nebraska Art Collection was conceived. 1976 A board was organized by KSC President Brendan McDonald, and the first artworks were purchased. They were six paintings by Clarence Ellsworth purchased for $3,000. They were added to the few works already donated by KSC. 1985 Negotiations for the purchase of the former post office building began. The purchase took place in 1986 at a cost of $120,000. 1986 The board applied and received National Register of Historic Places designation for the former post office building. 1991 Ground breaking for the remodeling and addition was held in October. 1993 Early in October, construction on the building, expansion and sculpture garden was completed. The final cost was $4.5 million. Dedication ceremonies took place later that month. 2011 There are more than 5,680 artworks in the MONA Collection. 10
UNK and the Kearney community celebrated a century of history and art in one location – 100 years of what is now the home of the Museum of Nebraska Art. The building was opened as the Kearney post office and federal building in 1911. The first works of the collection were acquired in 1976. The building became the Museum of Nebraska Art in 1986. A “Celebration of The Century” event in October featured a variety of activities and the release of a book published in honor of the centennial of the former post office building. The book traces the history through pictures of the construction of the building, photos and information on selected artworks in the collection, 100 historical facts and a compilation of individuals who have played key roles in the rich history of both. Those facts were compiled by MONA board member emeritus Gary Zaruba, docent Karen Park, director of education Jill Wicht and collections supervisor Jean Jacobsen. In talking about the book, MONA director Audrey Kauders, said, “When you put together all these facts, you get a real sense of the incredible effort to construct this building in Kearney, Nebraska. You also get a sense of how the building was repurposed, in the best sense of the word, and is now the home of the Museum of Nebraska Art.” The 80-page book is available through MONA for $10. The one-day “Celebration of The Century” featured more than 50 thirdgrade students from Kearney elementary schools who served as docents for selected artworks throughout the building. It also featured reconstruction of Grant Reynard’s studio, music from the 1911 era, a 1911 Buick automobile that greeted visitors in front of the building, pictorial cancellations with the U.S. Post Office, special historical exhibits, a program and a balloon launch. Three exhibits focused on the history of the Oregon Trail - The Oregon Trail: Francis Parkman’s Collection of Native American Cartes de Viste, The Oregon Trail: Images of the Journey West and The Oregon Trail: Illustrations from Francis Parkman’s book. “There are really great stories that come from the history of the Oregon Trail,” Wicht said. “All the trails converged here at Fort Kearny. Everybody in Nebraska knows about the Oregon Trail,” she said. “These exhibits tell about the Oregon Trail in a visual way.” Information on these exhibits, and others, is available at monet.unk.edu. •
International Alumni t
Adventures in Entrepreneurship
By Jim Rundstrom ’64 Director Emeritus
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hardest things for him was to accept that it’s okay to pursue andeep Giri ’94 is an entrepreneur. Since graduating, what he’s passionate about even if he doesn’t have much he has started numerous companies then turned the experience or if that wasn’t an area of training in school. operations of those companies over to others while Giri’s most recent venture is Openl, Inc., which he pursued new opportunities. provides open source business intelligence software to Three years ago, Giri launched one of those companies, simplify the way organizations view and analyze their data. Gham Power in Kathmandu, Nepal, providing solar as a Openl focuses on data in healthcare, energy and marketing much needed source of energy for the country. domains by displaying data as interactive reports, “I was on a short trip to Kathmandu to kick off a dashboards and predictive models. project,” said Giri. “Right around “The most important goal,” Giri then, Nepal was hit with its worst said, “is to enable business users energy crisis, and the governmentto discover interesting and useful run power company, Nepal patterns in their data, and take actions Electrical Authority, had issued a based on this intelligence.” 16-hour daily blackout. Born and raised in Nepal, Giri “Needless to say, our software came to UNK in 1990 to work on development staff was severely his computer science degree. After impacted. They bought hordes graduating in 1994, he worked for an of batteries and inverters, but Internet startup in Omaha, eventually when you only have eight hours moving to the San Francisco Bay area of electricity per day, it’s hard to in 1998 during the “Internet gold rush.” adequately charge your battery After witnessing and participating bank. So we looked at alternatives, in the dot-com boom and bust and the suggestion was to buy a firsthand, Giri started his own diesel generator.” software company in 2001, which was Giri said, “Not only the clean Sandeep Giri ’94 presenting at IOE acquired by a major online marketing energy freak in me cringed at this, company in 2007. After helping with but the noise, fumes, etcetera would Center of Energy Studies. the acquisition, Giri wanted to do yet be too much of an irritant to have another startup, not realizing that, within an office full of software this time, the company would start in Nepal instead of the developers. I’d seen a lot of homes and businesses in the United States, and it would be in the clean and renewable San Francisco bay area switching to solar power, so we energy, not software. explored if solar would be an option. Turns out, there were While at UNK, Giri met another fellow Nepali, Mahabir about 40 solar companies in Nepal, but none of them could Pun ’92, MAE’00. Pun returned to Nepal in 1993 to start his provide us with a solution. work on both the education and wireless front. Through “So, an idea was born. Can we build an organization his friendship with Pun, Giri got involved first by taking that can provide solar electricity as a viable backup option ownership of the himanchai.org website, then working on for urban homes and businesses in Nepal who need more a variety of other projects. Giri became executive board than just basic lights?” director of the Himanchal Education Foundation in 2007. A year later, Giri launched his solar energy company in “I continue to work on an online community building Gham Power, Nepal, that does just that. and leveraging the web as the medium for fundraising and Giri, who lives in San Francisco, parternered with increasing awareness,” said Giri. “I also sponsor our project Roseville, California, based Solar Power Inc. and Nepal’s officer based in rural Nepal who oversees all our community Clean Energy Development Bank for the company. income-generating projects to support the school.” Gham Power is now the fastest growing solar company Giri said one of the hardest lessons is to figure out how in Nepal. Among their clients are the U.S. Embassy, you can focus on your core strengths and then bring in AmaGhar (a home for disadvantaged children), Buddhist other smart people as business partners to do things which monastaries, Bayalpata Hospital in remote western Nepal are not necessarily your core strengths. • and many urban residences. Giri said that being a technology geek, one of the 11
Graduate studies t
From learning to leading
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emories flood her mind sometimes as she walks across campus or teaches in certain classrooms. Amber Gloystein Messersmith, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication, was herself once a UNK student. She returned to teach in 2010. “Honestly, it’s been wonderful,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed seeing the many aspects that have changed in the nearly 10 years since I was last on campus. UNK becomes an even higher quality institution every year. There are new courses, activities, programs and facilities I would have loved to take advantage of as a student.” But, she said, it’s been comforting to see that not everything’s changed. UNK remains exceptionally committed to giving students a positive college experience. “Professors have a bigger role in that than I ever realized as an undergrad,” she said, “despite the fact that I greatly benefited from their behind-the-scenes efforts. Many of the faculty I had at UNK helped me begin to understand the role of a professor – they made the career attractive to me.” Dr. Bill Jurma encouraged her to consider grad school. She worked with him during her senior year and throughout her Honors Program Capstone Project. Messersmith graduated with a degree in organizational communication in May 2001. She received her master’s and doctorate degrees at the University of Kansas, then took her first faculty position at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. She returned to UNK in August 2010 along with her husband, Jake, who is a management professor at UNK. As a student, she was involved in Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority, Mortar Board, Chancellor’s Ambassadors, Diplomats, Summer Advising and Enrollment, Student Government, UNK Honors Program, Gold Torch Society, Leadership Development Council and Student Alumni Foundation. She received the Mary Jane and William R. Nester Student Leadership Award. She was Outstanding Senior for the Department of Communication. She gave the Senior Class Response at Honors Convocation. She had many late nights studying at her sorority, in group sessions with sisters that often turned into chatting – “or running to get a midnight snack.” Students know she can relate to many of their experiences on campus and in classes, she said, particularly in her department. She understands the vernacular, many of the events and to an extent, the student culture on campus. “Sometimes they’ll ask about what I was involved in or how UNK is different now,” she said. “It gives us something of significance in common. It’s been fun to become involved in some of the same organizations again, now in a different capacity. For example, I am the senior advisor for Mortar Board and have helped as an alum at AOII. “It has been fun to reconnect with faculty and staff I knew as a student. I’m proud to be here again.” •
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Alums turn profs At least 27 tenured or tenure-track faculty members at UNK like Amber Messersmith have earned their undergraduate degrees at UNK. Others recently hired include: College of Education: Jane Strawhecker, associate professor and assistant chair of teacher education. College of Business and Technology: Brenda Eschenbrenner, assistant professor of accounting and finance; Nathan Barry, assistant professor of industrial distribution. College of Natural and Social Sciences: Pari Ford, assistant professor of math and statistics; Jacob Weiss, assistant professor of math and statistics; Annette Moser, assistant professor of chemistry; Danielle Neal, assistant professor of criminal justice. College of Fine Arts and Humanities: Christopher Jochum, assistant professor in modern languages; Chad Fonfara, assistant professor of art and art history; John Stanko, assistant professor of art and art history.
Campus News t
The four-yearD fast track to a degree
Board of Regents chairman Bob Whitehouse ’67, a member of the P-16 Leadership Council, said, “The bottom line is this: Students who take an average of 15 hours per semester for four years and are successful with their course Board of Regents agree on academic plan of study should find themselves as University of Nebraska alumni. I believe offering a NU bachelor’s degree at 120 niversity of Nebraska students who take a full course hours is the right thing to do four our students, their families load of 15 hours per semester for eight semesters will and the university.” be able to graduate in four years. That proposal was In cases where professional certification or state unanimously adopted by the NU Board of Regents in September. certification would require more hours, or where a degree is The policy will take effect for freshmen entering in 2012. defined as a five-year degree are the exceptions. Any other It allows some exceptions for degrees that require additional exception would need to be approved by the Board of Regents. course work for professional licenses or certificates and for Linda Pratt, executive vice president and provost said, degree programs that designed to take five years. “Many departments have let hours in the major grow in “This provides the opportunity to graduate sooner – recent years.” Reductions in credit hours required for a this does not guarantee that people will graduate sooner,” degree program could come from departments said Chancellor Doug Kristensen. Semesters abroad, internships and other “I believe offering a and academic officers re-examining requirements in the major or in general education coursework, competing priorities will slow some students’ NU bachelor’s degree Pratt said. path toward graduation, he said, though NU “We need to make it possible for students at 120 hours is the President James B. Milliken noted that even who work hard at their courses to be able to those students should be able to graduate right thing to do.” graduate in four years,” Pratt said. “Making that sooner than otherwise under the policy change. ~Board of Regents possible is a responsibility we have to our students The policy should make it possible for more and their families. It will save in tuition, board and Chairman students to complete their bachelor’s degree in room, and reduce their level of debt if they can four years, saving money as well as time. Bob Whitehouse ’67 be out of college with a degree in hand after eight “A fifth year of college adds about 20 percent full semesters. It will also enable the university to the coast of a bachelor’s degree,” Milliken said. to stretch financial aid to help more students if we can “The university can mitigate this cost by implementing a graduate them in four years instead of five.” 120-hour path to a degree, so that students can be expected A related goal in increased collaboration between twoto complete their education in four years assuming they plan and four-year colleges in Nebraska to facilitate transfer of ahead and make prudent choices during their college careers.” credit hours and seamless transitions for students from twoMilliken noted that the proposed policy is aligned with year institutions to four-year institutions. • the Nebraska P-16 Initiative, which Governor Heineman
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chairs. One of the eight P-16 goals is to improve the time to degree completion and increase graduation rates among Nebraska’s college students. 13
Alumni News t
1934 Green Terrace Hall
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Roommates reunited
Until now. Gotobed ometimes you settled in Ogallala after end up where you following her husband, started. In 1934, Norman Hayford, around two young high school the country during World graduates from different War II while he served in parts of the state found the Navy. their way to what was then “When he went Nebraska State Teachers overseas, I thought about College at Kearney. They staying in New York, New were roommates for nine York because they were months in Green Terrace advertising for teachers Hall, where they studied there,” Gotobed said. together, cooked together “But we had bought a and found ways to have fun little house in Ogallala, together at the height of the Ruth Hahn and Marjory Gotobed roomed together in 1934 and now in 2011. and I found myself so country’s Depression. homesick that I came Ruth Hahn grew up on back here and stayed.” So she stayed in Ogallala. a farm near Hamlet, about 35 miles west of McCook. Marjory Hahn taught at a country school in Chase County until (Marge) Gotobed was also a farm girl from near Kearney. she met and married her husband, Maynard Morehead. “I had a scholarship to study law at Drake University,” The couple lived and worked on a farm near Wauneta. She Gotobed said. “But there was no money to go away to school, returned to Kearney State to earn a bachelor’s degree in 1971. so I stayed in Kearney to go to school.” Maynard died in 1971, and Norman passed away in Hahn wasn’t sure what the future held for her after 1992. Hahn, 95, moved to Grant where she eventually lived in graduating from high school, so she decided to go to an assisted-living apartment until failing health brought her college at Kearney and get a teaching certificate. to the convalescent nursing home Golden Ours. “It wasn’t all that unusual for women to go to college Gotobed, 95, remained in Ogallala, returning to teaching then,” Gotobed said. “My aunt went to Kearney to school after her two boys were grown. She retired from the Ogallala back when it was called a ‘Normal School.’ ” school system. Failing health brought her to Golden Ours. In those days, nine months of study earned a teaching certificate, qualifying a person to teach at the Both women have buried their husbands. Hahn has lost two of her three sons. Gotobed’s son, Kent, died in 2010. Her elementary school level. surviving son, Phil, lives in Florida. The two friends finished their education and applied “You don’t live this long and not have sorrow in your life,” for their first jobs. They wrote letters for a few years until Hahn said. “But finding each other again has been a great becoming busy with their growing families, they lost touch. surprise. I’ve also had a lot of joy.” •
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College of Natural & Social Science t
Demystification on the menu at Science Cafés
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eing part of UNK’s chapter of Sigma Xi, the honor society for research scientists and engineers, has been an amazing part of senior Chuck Seper’s college experience. “My research mentor once told me, ‘Don’t let your books get in the way of your education,’ ” he said. “Sigma Xi is exactly that type of experience. Sigma Xi has allowed me to experience interdisciplinary science in a way impossible otherwise.” Once a month, the UNK chapter sponsors talks called “Science Cafés.” These talks, open to the public, are held in a cool old bar in Kearney called Cunningham’s Journal – The Loft. They’ve attracted many people from the campus as well as the community. Topics have ranged from nanofilm layers on superconducting computer chips to evolution. Usually, Sepers says, the more controversial the topic, the bigger the crowd. “We received quite a number of positive comments regarding our ‘Evolution Café’ from the religious community,” he said, “which “Sigma Xi has is a good indicator of our presence in the community.” His allowed me favorite Science Café speaker was astronomer and skeptic, Dr. Phil Plait, from The Discovery Channel, who gave two talks. One was about to experience why the moon landing wasn’t faked. The other dispelled myths about the interdisciplinary universe that originated from pseudoscientific sources, such as the Mayan calendar prediction for the end of the world in 2012. science in a The goal of the Science Cafés is to increase scientific literacy by presenting topics that way impossible have sound scientific merit, are interesting and are easy to understand for regular people. otherwise.” UNK Biology Professor Kimberly Carlson is president of the UNK chapter. “Sigma Xi is leading a revolution in communicating science in the United States,” she said. ~UNK Senior “This revolution is taking place in cafés, bars, bookstores, libraries, museums and theaters. Chuck Sepers “Science Cafés help the public connect with science.” “It’s been great,” she said, “To see the public and the university come together to talk about science.” Sigma Xi membership is an important professional credential. Students and faculty are elected to the society based on their research potential and or achievements in science. Full memberships are for people who’ve shown noteworthy achievement as an original investigator in an area of science. Associate members are for people who’ve shown scientific promise. Students like Sepers usually fall into that category. Sepers is studying psychology and exercise science. He’s the Sigma Xi Student Affiliates vice president and was the founding president last year. Being part of the group has increased his scientific literacy and changed the way he views the world. “Above all else,” he said, “I’ve made many close friendships that will continue well into my professional career in academia.” •
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NU Foundation t By Jessica Sorensen NU Foundation
Scholarship aids pre-nursing students
P legends Dr. Brian Leonard ’03 was honored as the 30th Department of Chemistry Dr. Don Fox Lecturer in October. Since 1981, the department has invited alumni back to campus to share their experiences to honor Dr. Fox who served the department from 1935 until his retirement in 1973. Dr. Leonard is assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Wyoming and presented “Metal Carbide Compounds as Inexpensive Fuel Cell Materials.” Dr. Leonard said metal carbide compounds are interesting materials for fuel cell applications due to their relatively low cost and high durability. “The most commonly used PEM fuel cell catalyst is platinum nanoparticles,” he said. “In addition to being quite expensive, platinum has several problems when used in fuel cells including poisoning particle agglomeration and dissolution. “Our research focuses on synthesis of bimetallic carbides as alternative catalyst and support materials that will not only reduce the cost of the fuel cells by eliminating some or all of the precious metals, but also improve the efficiency and stability of the catalyst and improve its resistance to poisoning.” Dr. Leonard said metal carbide compound, which are known for their extreme hardness, high melting points and stability, have an electronic structure that is similar to precious metals and have been used as a replacement catalyst for several other industrial applications. Dr. Leonard earned his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University and was a postdoctoral research fellow at Cornell University. 16
re-nursing students at UNK benefit from a new permanently endowed scholarship fund created especially with them in mind. Dr. Janet Steele, professor of biology at UNK, established the fund with a $25,000 gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation and named it in honor of her mother for the many accomplishments she made throughout her life. Steele said she hopes the Harriett J. Steele Nursing Scholarship especially helps students who might not otherwise be able to afford to attend college. “One factor that sets students up for failure in college is not having enough time to devote to their studies due to outside responsibilities, including Harriett J. Steele work,” Steele said. “Perhaps the scholarship will allow students to have more success in the classroom by having to work fewer hours per week at a job in order to pay their tuition.” Steele’s father, Sidney, taught chemistry at Eastern Illinois University from 1947 to 1985 and established a scholarship there in his own name. This gave Janet Steele the inspiration to create a scholarship in her mother’s name. “I always felt my mother’s name should have been included on the scholarship, because she was important to his success as a university professor,” Steele said. “When I was able to do so, I decided to establish a separate scholarship in her name at UNK.” Scholarships will be awarded by the Health Sciences Program and College of Natural and Social Sciences at UNK. Eligible recipients must have successfully completed a minimum of 18 credit hours, including a biology or chemistry course, and preference will be given to nontraditional students who express financial need and a desire to pursue a career in nursing. Candidates must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. The gift of this scholarship also supports the University of Nebraska’s current fundraising initiative, the Campaign for Nebraska: Unlimited Possibilities. One of the campaign’s priorities is to increase support for student scholarships at UNK. Janet Steele said her grandfather encouraged all of his children to go to college. This determination led Janet’s mother, Harriett, to be one of only a few female students to graduate from The Ohio State University in the 1940s. Harriett Nelms was studying microbiology when she met her husband, Sidney Steele. He was a doctoral student who served as the teaching assistant in one of her chemistry classes. They married in 1944 and lived in Louisville, Kentucky, where he worked for the Girdler Chemical Company until the end of WWII. After Sidney received a teaching position at Eastern Illinois State Normal School in Charleston, Illinois, the couple resided there for the rest of their lives. When their two children were older, Harriett worked as a laboratory assistant in the chemistry department for what is now Eastern Illinois University. The couple retired in 1986 and enjoyed traveling locally and abroad for many years. Janet Steele said education was very important in her parents’ lives, and they encouraged others, regardless of age, to continue their education. •
International Studies t By Robb Crouch NU Foundation
Study abroad gives broader perspective
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Increasing private support en Cooney ’11 says for global engagement the opportunity to activities is also a priority of study abroad was the university’s fundraising an experience he cannot initiative, the Campaign describe using dollar signs or for Nebraska: Unlimited expenses. Possibilities. The experience gave “It’s especially him lifelong, intangible important now to have an benefits, he said. It allowed internationally connected him to leave his comfort university and students zone. It allowed him to be who are knowledgeable exposed for the first time about the world, so we’re ever to different cultures and especially proud of these people. grant awards,” said Brian “I saw, heard, smelled Hamilton of Grand Island, and tasted what I had a NU Foundation board never before,” said the director who chaired the Clay Center native. “I was grants committee. “We also able to meet people from recognize and thank the across the globe, spanning donors who make these from Great Britain to South Ben Cooney ’11 of Clay Center tries grilled scorpion in China. He took grants possible.” Africa, from Spain to Russia. advantage of two study abroad opportunities to Europe and Asia before Ann Marie Park, Because of studying abroad, graduating in May. The broadcasting major and history minor said he coordinator of UNK’s I have widened my cultural believes study abroad programs are what can make UNK really stand out. Office of Study Abroad and awareness and have become a Exchange Programs, said more rounded person overall.” the grant is important because the act of studying abroad Life-altering experiences such as his are the reason changes every participant. the University of Nebraska set a goal to increase student “Almost everyone who studies abroad is study abroad opportunities and international thinking outside their own sphere of reality,” Park partnerships, including giving every “Studying abroad said. “I believe this trait is an attractive personality undergraduate the opportunity for a meaningful was an opportunity characteristic, because it signifies a willingness to international experience, through classes, that may only come embrace change and thrive in new environments. internships, research or service learning. Regardless of where students choose to study or To assist with this goal, the NU Foundation around once, and I how long they choose to stay, their future will be awarded UNK a $166,000 grant to support took advantage of it enhanced. They will increase the offerings which its study abroad programs. The grant funds curriculum development and faculty stipends as should anyone with they bring to the table when applying for a job or graduate school.” for its World Leaders Camp and provides the chance to.” For Cooney, the recent grad, studying student travel scholarships and faculty travel ~Ben Cooney ’11 abroad was a pivotal time for him and led him to stipends for study abroad trips. an English teaching position in China. The NU Foundation’s board of directors “Studying abroad was an opportunity that may only awarded a total of seven grants across the university totaling come around once,” he said, “and I took advantage of it, as more than $1.1 million, including the grant to UNK. The should anyone with the chance to.” • grants are awarded each year and are made possible through unrestricted donations. In 2011, University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken asked chancellors to submit grant proposals on the theme of global engagement. unkalumni.org
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Alumni news t
Cheers Club Where everyone used to know your name
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fter living in Kansas City for 27 years, Gregg Grubaugh ’79 moved to Omaha in 2010. Like most transplants, he looked up some old friends, Myron Placek ’80, his wife Beth Ann Bush Placek ’81 and Ron Glandt ’80. While they were watching a March Madness basketball tournament game on television last March, Placek recalls Grubaugh asking him, “Who do you see from our Kearney days?” Placek said he saw a few people from time to time but mentioned there was not an organized event specifically designed to get together. The four friends talked about doing something on a regular basis. “That was all it took,” Glandt said. Grubaugh grabbed the idea and ran with it. Cheers Club was born. It is now a weekly gathering of Lopers, and many others, in the “We want people to Omaha area. Grubaugh said the name enjoy life. It has an that was eventually adopted was expiration date.” a take-off on the television series Cheers, “Where everybody knows ~Gregg Grubaugh your name.” “We all agreed Cheers reminded us so much of Buffalo Chips, which was the greatest bar of all time in Kearney. When you walked into Chips everybody knew your name. Now, we have all aged. Some of us look different. Some look the same. And many of us have not seen a lot of friends for a long time. As a result, we came up with the slogan, ‘Where everybody used to know your name.’ ” The rest of the original Cheers song could easily be used for the Omaha Cheers Club, “Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot. Wouldn’t you like to get away? Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.” Cheers Club is all about reconnecting with old friends that you never see, Grubaugh said. The group gets together every Thursday night at various bars and grills in the Omaha metro area.
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By Jim Rundstrom ’64 Director Emeritus
Grubaugh said they try to find a nice spot where people can eat and socialize. One of the most important things, he said, is that they did not want Cheers Club to be a guys’ night out. “We really stressed that we wanted wives and girlfriends to attend and so far it has been about 50-50. That is where Beth Ann plays a key role. We check with her for places to go and locations so that the women would be comfortable.”
Ron Glandt, Myron ’80 and Beth Ann Placek ’81 and Gregg Grubaugh ’79.
One of the keys, Grubaugh said, is that “we want to stay connected with lifelong friends while leaving our worries behind for awhile. Most of the time we laugh, sometimes we cry. There is no program or pressure to do anything. But, we want people to enjoy life. It does have an expiration date.” Everybody who has an interest is invited to show up. “Bring anybody you want – wives, husbands, girlfriends, boyfriends, trainers, roommates or your dog. We believe the bigger the group, the better the mojo,” Grubaugh said. Cheers Club started slowly. “Our first few Thursday nights drew only a handful of people, but now it is not unusual to have between 25 and 35 attend. We had a gathering at Mama’s Pizza that drew 42,” Grubaugh said. “More than 200 different alumni and friends have been to at least one of the socials.” Although many of those who show up are alums from the late 1970s and the early 1980s, graduates from as early as 1970 and as recent as 2000, have attended. “Our goal is to have them encourage more alumni from their years at Kearney to attend.”
Alumni News t
Alumni director Lucas Dart said, “There is something special about getting UNK folks together no matterwhere it happens. It’s amazing how people connect, and it doesn’t matter when they attended UNK or where they are from, it seems like there are always connections. It’s a small world, and the Cheers Club gatherings prove just how small it really is.” The four college friends said they were certainly surprised at how many connections there are among those who attend. Almost everybody knows somebody else – from college, from their hometown, from work, from other social groups and things like that. Jeff Stenslokken ’82 found Cheers Club a great way to reconnect with college friends. “The opportunity and timing was a Godsend,” he said. “I’m sure some of you who read this will understand the grief one goes through after losing a life partner.” Stenslokken was married to Jana Kaminski for more than 25 years. They met Jana’s freshman year and Jeff’s sophomore year at Kearney. She died in March after a 13-month battle with cancer.
Shortly after her death, Stenslokken stopped into Jerry Ryan’s Clothier to visit an old friend, John Ryan ’82. “He told me about a new Kearney alumni group Gregg and Myron started. They were meeting at Danny’s Bar and Grill that week. I jumped at the chance to go. It was just what the doctor ordered. I’ve only missed a couple of gatherings since then. What’s awesome about the Cheers events is there are no false pretenses. We discuss our lives and current events. We reminisce. We meet new friends from a different era. Finally, what I really appreciated was they offered up support. These people are your friends.” An email network of more than 250 addresses, the UNK Alumni Association Facebook page, the www.unkalumni.org site and word of mouth publicizes the gatherings each week. Cheers Club starts at 6 p.m. and usually by 9 or 9:30 p.m. everyone has left. Cheers Club may be coming to a Nebraska community near you. They recently had an event in Lincoln and have plans to meet in Columbus and Kearney.
“And, they’re always glad you came.” •
“Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot Wouldn’t you like to get away? Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.”
Email us to get on the UNK Omaha Cheers list:
MWidger@unkalumni.org
you can with
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College of Natural & Social Science t
First in the world
International Accreditation U NK’s Department of Counseling and School Psychology is the first in the world to achieve International Accreditation from the International School Psychology Association (ISPA). The official presentation took place on campus in October. Graduate students in the program presented Chancellor Doug Kristensen with the certificate on behalf of ISPA. “Today is a historic day,” Kristensen said. “This certificate is about doing what we do best – making students better, and having students present the certificate speaks volumes.” There are 500 ISPA members worldwide. About half are from the United States. The person who led the accreditation team, Dr. Peter Farrell of the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, wrote in a recent ISPA newsletter: “The accreditation team was most impressed with the overall quality of the program and had no hesitation in granting full accreditation. “UNK should be congratulated for offering an excellent program that provides exemplary training to its students who, without exception, go on to become outstanding school psychologists, serving the “This certificate needs of children, schools and communities throughout is about what we Nebraska and elsewhere.” do best - making Dr. Bill Pfohl, immediate past president of ISPA, called students better ... “ the UNK program, “bold, progressive and pioneering,” and - Chancellor Doug said UNK, “not only met but exceeded all of the standards.” Kristensen The Department of Counseling and School Psychology has been making itself more internationally active for more than a decade. It partners with Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania and Black Hills State University in South Dakota. Faculty members from the schools collaborate on research and publish internationally, while their students and faculty take part in international exchange programs. The “International Journal of Psychology: A Biophysiosocio Approach” was created as a result of that collaboration. Dr. Max McFarland, former chair of the department, serves as editor-in-chief, while Dr. Teara Archwamety, also a professor in the department, serves as associate editor. •
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College of Business & Technology t
Business programs meet ‘gold standard’ Y et again, UNK’s business programs have met and exceeded 19 quality standards set by the AACSB International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The prestigious accreditation is earned by only 30 percent of the business programs in the nation and by fewer than 5 percent in the world. After a peer-review process, the AACSB considered the gold standard of business school accreditation and extended the school’s accreditation for another five years. “The process ensures that students are taught by highly qualified faculty who demonstrate expertise and currency in their fields through academic preparation, ongoing scholarship and professional development,” said Dr. Tim Burkink, dean of the College of Business and Technology. “It also validates that our curriculum is regularly
evaluated and updated to ensure currency and that students are achieving specific learning outcomes related to mastery of the business disciplines, communication effectiveness, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, professionalism and, ultimately, job placement.” UNK first earned AACSB accreditation in 2006. Since then, even more of its faculty and students have studied or interned abroad, an increased number of international students have come to UNK and the college has added an international business minor. Said Burkink, “The peer review team was very complimentary about our results to date as well as our plans for continued improvement, highlighted by our growing emphasis on experiential learning through domestic and international internships, student consulting with area businesses and independent research.” •
Fall enrollment hits 14-year high of 7,100 Fall enrollment at UNK reached 7,100 students, the highest headcount in 14 years. The 5.1 percent increase is the largest in more than 20 years. “Enrollment this year is another indicator that UNK is moving forward in quality and reputation,” Chancellor Doug Kristensen said. “Students are recognizing the changes taking place at UNK, and they want to be part of a top university.” Among the increases are a 23 percent jump over last fall in students transferring from other universities, a 16.3 percent increase in online enrollment and an 8.8 percent increase in students from outside Nebraska. Students are enrolled from all 93 counties in Nebraska, 53 countries and 49 states with only Rhode Island missing. Not only does fall enrollment reflect an increase in the number of students, the ACT scores of the incoming class have improved as well. The average ACT of this year’s incoming class is a record-breaking 22.7. Also, for the
first-time, Honors Program students have an average ACT of 28.3, yet another historical high. Mirroring the headcount numbers, student credit hours have also increased to 4.7 percent in undergraduate hours and 1.3 percent for graduate students. Total student credit hours are 80,737, the highest in more than a decade. “The high student credit hour numbers are indicative of the very significant investment our faculty makes in what we do best at UNK, high quality teaching,” said Dr. Charles Bicak, senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs. “This is obviously well known across the state and beyond.” “We have made great efforts over a period of years to advance academically at UNK, to renew our campus and to cement the partnership with Kearney that has been so beneficial for our students,” Chancellor Kristensen said. “Underneath the statistics, there’s a lot to be proud of here.” •
unkalumni.org
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lopers.com
Fall sports wrap-up Tennis The doubles team with senior Josh Raymond of Elkhorn and sophomore Yeswanth Nadelia of India finished as runners-up at the 2011 USTA/ITA Small College Championships. In the eight team tournament, the Central Region champions and unseeded duo beat top-seeded Queens College of New York and a team from Bluefield State of West Virginia in the semi-finals before losing to defending national champion and secondseeded Valdosta State of Georgia in the finals. Sophomore Vanessa Gunawan of Indonesia also represented the Central Region. She went 1-2 placing seventh. The tennis teams will be in action again during the spring.
Cross Country Senior Al Sanabria of Minden earned All-American honors by finishing 39th at the NCAA Division II championships. He was the first cross country AllAmerican since Deen Johnson in 1996. Sanabria was the lone national qualifier for the cross country team at the NCAA Regional meet earning a return trip to the championships. The Loper men finished ninth among the 21 teams competing while the women finished twelfth. At the RMAC event, the women were sixth and the men seventh. The RMAC and the Central Region always features the top men’s teams in the country. This year at the NCAA Championships, on the men’s side Western was first, Adams second, Mines fifth and Metro ninth. In the women’s race, Western was second and Adams fourth.
Soccer In its third season of competition, the soccer team finished with a 5-12-2 overall record and a 3-10-2 mark in their last season of RMAC. Sophomore forward Raliegh Mercer of Centennial, Colorado, was voted second-team All-RMAC by the league coaches. Mercer had school records for most points at 24, goals at nine and six assists. She started all 18 games and also led the team in shots for a total of 48 and shots on goal of 31. •
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lopers.com
Football team finishes 10-2 The UNK football team closed out its time in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 2011 by posting a 10-2 record and reaching the postseason for the ninth time in school history. The Lopers went 8-1 in RMAC play to finish second behind Colorado State-Pueblo, who entered the Division II playoffs as the No. 1 ranked team in the country. UNK was ranked fourth nationally several times throughout the year, tying for the highest national ranking as a Division II member. They were tenth in the final ratings. The Lopers ended the year in the second-round of the playoffs with a 38-26 home loss to Wayne State University of Michigan. UNK earned a bye in the first round due to its 10-1 regular season mark. Individually, senior quarterback Jake Spitzlberger of Lakewood, Colorado, was a national finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy which is the Division II Heisman. Starting a school-record 45-straight games as quarterback, Spitzlberger averaged 311 yards of total offense this season while having a hand in 36 touchdowns. He recorded the 13th 1,000 rushing yard season in Loper lore (rushing for 1,077 yards) and ends his career with over 11,000 yards of total offense. Also earning first-team all-region honors on offense was senior left tackle Stephen Goodin of Hastings. A threeyear starter and a Daktronic’s second-team All-American, he has drawn the attention of NFL scouts this fall and will likely get a shot at professional football next year. Defensively, UNK allowed just 16.8 points per game and was among the Division II leaders in several categories. Leading the way was senior corner Arthur Hobbs of San Diego, California, who had six interceptions for a school-record 295 return yards to earn first-team all-region honors and be named Daktronic’s first-team All-American. Next, sophomore inside linebacker Kellen Werner of Grand Island, was named second-team all-region after leading UNK in tackles with 84. UNK will play at Washburn University next season to start its time in the MIAA (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association). Playing a 10-game MIAA schedule the next two falls, the Lopers will host Emporia State, Northwest Missouri State, Truman State, Southwest Baptist and Fort Hays State in 2012. • Kearney senior running back Rustin Dring (29), Lakewood, Colorado, senior quarterback Jake Spitzlberger (12) and Lakewood, Colorado, junior receiver Tommy Flanagan (6) played key roles in UNK’s record season.
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A record year for volleyball Coach Rick Squiers’ volleyball team rolled to a 32-2 record in the RMAC regular season achieving tournament titles. They were also selected as the host team in the NCAA regional tournament. Although the top-seeded Lopers lost in the first round, the season was one of the best in history. A 29-1 regular season mark is the fourth best behind the 33-0 accomplishment in 2004, 40-1 record in 1990 and 30-1 in 2005. Going into the year, Squiers had to replace five seniors including three All-Americans. A young team with only two seniors surprised nearly everyone. The two losses both came to RMAC opponent Colorado Mines, once during the regular season and in the regional tournament. In addition to the RMAC team titles, the Lopers captured numerous individual postseason honors. Sophomore middle blocker Haley Lake of Lincoln Southeast earned first-team All-American honors by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, the sixth Loper to be selected first team. Others were setter Danielle Shum in 1996, middles Kellie Brummer in 1999, Erin
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Gudmundson in 2004 and 2005, Nikki Scott in 2009 and Jeri Walkowiak in both 2008 and 2010. Both middle-blocker Lake and junior outside-hitter Ariel Krolikowski of Grand Island, who was All-American honorable mention, were named to the All-RMAC first team. Squiers was RMAC Coach of the Year for the eighth time, having won the honor in 2000, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Krolikowski and Lake were named to the Daktronics all-region team with sophomore Ellie Pesavento of Omaha Marian joining this pair on the AVCA all-region team. Sophomore outside hitter Ashley Leitner of Lincoln Southwest and junior setter Jenna Rouzee of Grand Island Northwest won national player of the week honors. The Lopers, always popular with the fans, had one additional highlight. They set a national regular season record for attendance at a match against Wayne State College with a crowd of 2,901. •
Follow all Loper athletics at Lopers.com
Graduations
Lopers set NCAA Dvision II regular season volleyball attendance record during Alumni Night.
Record Attendance
National regular season record for attendance set at 2,901
UNK’s three graduation ceremonies during the 2010-2011 academic year produced 1,156 new graduates. At winter commencement ceremonies, 288 received undergraduate degrees and 109 received graduate degrees. Terry Kroeger, president and CEO of the Omaha World-Herald Company was the commencement speaker. Daniel Martin of Kearney gave the senior class reflections. Spring ceremonies added 572 alumni with 431 earning undergraduate degrees and 141 graduate degrees. Dr. Nancy Hensel, executive officer for the Council on Undergraduate Research, gave the commencement address. Sarah Nordhues of Kearney gave the senior class reflections. At summer commencement ceremonies, graduate degrees outnumbered undergraduate degrees 111 to 76. Continuing the tradition of having a UNK professor as speaker, Dr. Phyllis Markussen, professor emeritus of family studies and interior design, provided the address. Lenore Hollis Yaeger of Ann Arbor, Michigan, gave the graduate reflections.
Having a fresh routine for home games and making appearances in the community require the cheerleaders to practice at least three times a week for two or more hours.
Over 180 alumni showed up for the barbeque prior to the game. Those attending each took home an alumni shirt.
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College of Education t By Colleen Fleischer NU Foundation
Childhood educators get online help
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omeday soon, universities across the country will hear of the Early Childhood Unified online degree program at UNK. They will learn of the one-woman show who put it together and guided students from all across Nebraska through it, to achieve their degrees while improving their families’ economic lives – and the lives of the littlest kids in their communities. They probably will try to learn from the program’s success. Says Ed Scantling, dean of UNK’s College of Education, “There is no doubt that other universities will be envious of our program.” The one woman behind this cutting-edge program – and the dean’s pride – is Professor Dawn Mollenkopf, head of the early childhood program. Mollenkopf came to UNK in 2003. Right away she noticed the desperate need of many Nebraskans working in Head Start programs, particularly those in rural areas, to obtain their bachelor’s degrees and endorsements in early childhood education. This was a result of the federal government’s push to require more Head Start teachers, up to 50 percent, to have bachelor’s degrees. Dr. Dawn Mollenkopf She realized these Nebraskans could not possibly drive to UNK for classes. So she designed online courses to help them. She advised them, one-on-one, and met their individual needs. If UNK didn’t have a course the student needed, for example, Mollenkopf would help that student find a course at a community college that would transfer to UNK. Thanks to some large federal grants she’s secured, her dream to place a degree program online for early childhood educators has become a reality. This fall, the online program officially began. “Many of our students are first-generation (to go to college) people,” Mollenkopf says. “So it improves the quality of lives of our students as well as the students they teach. “It does change small communities.” The program has three tracks. One is for students who have some college, such as an associate’s degree, but need 26
a bachelor’s degree. Another is for students who have a bachelor’s degree in an unrelated field. The final track is for teachers who need to add an Early Childhood endorsement because, for example, their school just opened a statefunded preschool. Superintendents at rural schools, Mollenkopf says, often feel it’s easier to train the people they already have because those teachers have roots in the community and are less likely to move away.
A big part of this program, she says, is a mentoring system she set up in which mentors from across the state, who hold master’s degrees in early childhood education, will guide the early childhood students from admission to graduation, often with on-site visits. “As we started opening up more and more courses,” she says, “people would tell us, ‘We hear about other (online) programs starting up. But you guys are the most visionary.’” Last year, Mollenkopf had about 40 people in the program. This year, she has about 60. She gets contacted at least three times a day by people interested in it. The vast majority live in rural Nebraska. Clearly, she says, there’s an economic benefit because many of these people get to keep their jobs; some will even get jobs with higher salaries.
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“The other thing, of course, that is an outgrowth of this is that we are putting higher quality teachers into our early childhood classrooms,” she says. “We actually are improving the quality of education of the students that are being taught.” Dean Scantling says “There is no doubt Mollenkopf’s dream for the that other universities online degree completion program lines up perfectly will be envious with the mission of the of our program.” College of Education and the mission of UNK. - Ed Scantling “What really makes this an Dean of awesome story and what makes me most proud of her work is College of that if you look at the history of Education this institution, this is what we are known for and this is what we do: UNK prepares educators for the state of Nebraska and we find ways to solve the problems that our P-12 colleagues encounter.” One student Mollenkopf has helped is Dawn Murphy of Crofton, a small town in northeast Nebraska. The 43-yearold mother of two is close to getting her bachelor’s degree. She drives 40 minutes one way to her job as an education manager for the Santee Sioux Nation Head Start in Santee.
After finishing two online math courses in the spring, she’ll begin student teaching at the K-12 school in Santee. With her early childhood degree, she will have the option to teach pre-K through third grade and also will have a specialeducation endorsement. She plans to stay with Head Start. She loves her job. Without a degree, she probably would have lost it. “I don’t know what I would have done without Dawn Mollenkopf,” Murphy says. “I don’t know where I would be; probably struggling like so many others out there. She walked me through the whole process. She fought for it and what it could do for me. “UNK should be very proud to have her on their team.” It is. Says Dean Scantling, “Dr. Mollenkopf is successful because she possesses a unique blend of work ethic, intelligence, drive and passion for the field of early childhood education. “There were plenty of opportunities for Dawn to give up on her dream. But she kept working and she kept pushing for this wonderful new degree delivery system that will make a world of difference to early childhood educators and the children they teach here in rural Nebraska for decades.” •
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UNK Alum Binaj Gurubacharya, chief correspondent for the Associated Press, has the “Write Stuff.”
Q&A with Gurubacharya H
e’s covered earthquakes and a palace coup, landslides and war. He’s hung in the mountain jungles with guerrillas, to get their story. He didn’t let government threats deter him in 2005, when the South Asia country where he worked, Nepal, was considered one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. “Everyday it is different especially being a journalist in this part of the world,” says Binaj Gurubacharya ’96, chief correspondent for the Associated Press in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. “I have had to report a Maoist war, plane crash, bus accident and massive landslide all on the same day.” The Associated Press, or AP, is an international news agency with offices in more than 150 countries with thousands of reporters, editors, photographers and television crews in these countries. AP headquarters is in New York. But the operation is worldwide, providing news, photos and television footage to almost all the news outlets in the world. Binaj grew up in Katmandu, the son of a journalist. He studied journalism at UNK, arriving in August 1991 and graduating in January 1996. Though Nepal is his home, he says he misses his other home, Kearney. We thought we’d turn the tables on the journalist and ask him some questions, to get his story. How did you get to UNK?
I had a friend from Nepal who was already enrolled at UNK. He helped with the admission process and information. Did any professors/experiences at UNK make an impact in your life?
My life at UNK was my “real education” that has helped me both in my life and career. When I returned back to Nepal I was among the handful of journalists who actually had a journalism degree from abroad. Having a Western education was a benefit for me and the people I helped out in the field. Why did you go into journalism?
Initially I wanted to major in computers. But when I helped my father, who was also a journalist, during 28
the pro-democracy movement in 1990 in Nepal, I decided journalism was what I wanted to do. How did you get the Kathmandu bureau of AP?
After returning from UNK, I worked at a local newspaper, The Kathmandu Post, and then was hired by AP.
Binaj Gurubacharya ’96 reporting a trip to Mount Everest.
What big stories have you helped with or been a part of?
In the 13 years with AP in Nepal and the region, I have covered some of the most interesting stories. Top of the list is the massacre in the royal palace in 2001 when the crown prince gunned down the king, queen and seven other family members. The fighting between communist guerrillas and government troops for a decade, the abolition of centuries-old monarchy and many interesting mountaineering stories.
Winter 2011
Have you been in danger trying to get a story?
There have been several such situations. The one I remember is the trip into the mountain jungles to meet the Maoist guerrillas – not knowing when the army would bomb or attack. Also, when the king seized absolute power and imposed emergency rule in 2005, jailing politicians and journalists, I was under constant threat from the authorities.
What would you like UNK Today readers to know about Nepal, its politics and its people?
Nepal is a small country, but there is lot happening here. We have had major political changes from being a country ruled by kings to a republic, a communist insurgency that killed thousands of people. We have had many Nepalese students at UNK, so most likely the students and faculty have met a few of them.
Binaj Gurubacharya ’96 with wife, Moon, son, Binayak, and daughter, Mahina.
What are the biggest issues in the news in Nepal?
The political chaos and crisis is making the news these days in Nepal. But there are always different things happening in Nepal. What do you miss the most about UNK?
Almost everything, but mostly the wonderful people I met during the years I was there. Do you still wear UNK/Lopers blue clothing in Nepal? If so, what do people say about it?
It has been years since I was there. The last time in 2002. So all my UNK sweatshirts are old, but I still wear them. I do have a sticker on my car that says “UNK.” It is always a proud moment to explain to people about UNK. What food/restaurant do you miss the most from Kearney?
I missed the after midnight trips to Perkins and Amigos and the bars on the weekends. Do people in Nepal even know what “Nebraska” is?
People in Nepal are becoming more aware of Nebraska because of the number of Nepalese students who have gone there. What’s the worst part of your job?
Sometimes missing out on family moments with the children when out on assignments. I have a son Binayak, 6, and a daughter Mahina, 3. Do you want to show them Kearney one day?
I would like to take them to Kearney one day and, who knows? Even get them enrolled at UNK. •
unkalumni.org
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Campus radio power increases Station KLPR 91.1 FM in Central Nebraska
The UNK campus radio station has received approval from the Federal Communications Commission for a power increase from 1,000 watts to 3,800 watts. The 2,800 watts power increase will allow KLPR to extend beyond the edge of Kearney and to have a stronger signal quality within Kearney. A $110,000 grant from the NU Foundation and some additional funding will provide resources for station improvement and equipment. KLPR airs all studentproduced programming and will cover Loper sports. “The students will be able to do a much better job because they have better equipment,” said Dr. Ralph Hanson, Department of Communications chair. “We will be able to have call-in shows on a much bigger scale because we will have a better phone system and a delay system. We will be able to cover Loper sports because we will have better remote broadcasting equipment. “This is really exciting for us because radio is a very important part of our curriculum. This will be a great opportunity for students to produce music, sports and news programming,” Hanson said. • 30
seniors duating greet gra ll 2011 to re a p ers pre e of the fa n memb r Michell the end oundatio i Association at r, Adviso F i le y n u m y ch lu e S dent A Alumn Courtn k from into the aterloo, UNK Stu e Houde rt from W organ Behle from re Jaym me them a o ta d lc o e e R lv w le o d y an ts inv tine, M perial, K r. Studen om Valen from Im ln. semeste nberg fr y Strand ze m Linco ll lt o o to fr M S , e 0 tin ana Hild D Widger ’9 ln, Kiers d o n d a in a L h from om Oma Smejdir Varon fr , Barbie y e rn a e K
Operation Graduation
Student Alumni welcomed new alumni December 2011
Seniors N atalie Reg eno, Sarah celebratin Abels and g their acco Hilke Bran mplishmen Student A don are ts at UNK lumni Oper Alumni du ation Grad ring uation.
This year was the 75th Anniversary for the Zeta Chi Alphas. Those attending were Betty Friskopp, Mary Alice Kenny, Donna Boggs, Shirley Urwiller, Maxine Erpelding, Marlene McKean, Colleen Jacobson, Carol McGhan, Mary Ellen Hilkner, Marilyn Winkles, Marcia Trimble, Diana Wubbenhorst and Sharron Altmaier. Not pictured is Deb King. Their next gathering is Thursday, June 28, 2012.
Mintling ’01, Roz -out ley MSE n eir break a th M r . fo L g n n ry ri a th p a K y ’99, rm. 9 are pre ith Bradle ou perfo Parish ’8 d how y a Reese Amy Sm n is a L ty d li n a a ’00 person Sheldon ing your on know session
The Gold Torch Society Women’s Mentoring Organization
Cyndi Schug Bahler ’94, Morgan Strand, Kristin Wittmann Howard ’00 and Molly Strand discuss the amazing opportunities they have being selected for the Gold Torch Society program.
Jordyn Du ncan, Kerri Brehmer Pe Emily Fairb arson ’00, airn and A llison Palm both The G er are mem old Torch S bers of ociety and Gamma P hi Beta.
to ’82 explained ietz Ranheim she w ho ty Mary Lee Schw cie So the Gold Torch the women of U.S. Probation sition of Chief po r he obtained ska. ra District of Neb Officer for the
legends Todd Thalken ‘80 recieved the Gary Thomas Distinguished Music Alumni Award . As a student, he majored in piano performance and was active as an accompanist and performer, playing for vocal and instrumental soloists as well as accompanying various groups. It was as an accompanist that he met his wife, Lois, a vocal major. After graduating, Thalken began working at Kearney Floral. The Thalkens became owners in 1990. In the late 1980s, he joined with Lois and saxophonist, Greg Tesdall, to form the jazz trio Thalken, Tesdall & Thalken. The group still performs extensively. One of their highlights was being asked to perform for the grand opening of the Lied Center in Lincoln, a facility that would become the premier performance center in Nebraska. Thalken has spent a great deal of time accompanying UNK vocal and instrumental soloists. He has also been an adjunct music faculty member and music director of contemporary services at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Thalken has served on the board of the YMCA, Kearney Area Symphony Orchestra, Kearney Public Library Foundation, Kearney Community Theatre and the Good Samaritan Society. Previous awards and recognitions include the 2007 Kearney Hub Freedom Award in Religion with his wife Lois, 2010 Kearney Foundation volunteer award with, Lois; 2011 Ron and Carol Cope Cornerstone of Excellence Award; Kearney Area Symphony Orchestra Award for Appreciation; Friend of the Frank House; Friend of MONA Guild and Kearney Community Theatre Founders Award with Lois. Thalken still finds time to accompany his three musically-talented daughters, Lisa, 19, Isabel, 17, and Rosamond 16.
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LOPER ATHLETICS
lopers.com
1982 team, Coach Hueser honored
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selection, Anderson he UNK athletic led all scorers in the department tournament with 140 recognized points, a 28 point the 1982 average. He also made basketball team as a 44 of 52 free throws, Team of Distinction in the most of any player. October. The recognition Holtmeier, who coincided with a earned All-American basketball fundraising honors, was named event and an evening to the tournament’s honoring former coach second team. Jerry Hueser. Other team Ten players, along members were Kevin with coach Hueser and Team of Distinction, Bartlett, Crale Bauer, John family members of 2011 Attending the Duggan, Jeff Hoppes, assistant coach Doyle reunion were (front Scott Johnson and Tim Fyfe, who died in 2008, row) Chuck Sintek, Kick. Graduate assistants were honored at the John Higgins, Les were Ed Fritz and Chris UNK-Colorado State Adelung, Jon BergLahm. Senior assistant Pueblo football game meier, Mike Lynch; was Steve Sampy. and at the fundraising (Standing) Doug Hueser is the banquet that evening. Holtmeier, Mark winningest coach Players attending McKoene, Crale in UNK history. He were Les Adelung, Pete Bauer, Gib Killion, compiled a 519-256 Andersen, Crale Bauer, Pete Andersen and record in 26 seasons Jon Bergmeier, John Coach Jerry Hueser. from 1970 to 1996. His Higgins, Doug Holtmeier, teams won Nebraska Gib Killion, Mike Lynch, 1982 Team of Distinction members (front row) Brian Anderson, Jeff Hoppes, College Conference titles Mark McKeone and Chuck Sintek,Doug Holtmeier, Mike Lynch; (middle row) Tim Kick, John Higgins, 15 times, the Central Chuck Sintek. Kevin Bartlett, Les Adelung, Dwayne Marvin; (back row) Mark McKeone, States Intercollegiate The 1982 team was Gib Killion, Scott Johnson, Crale Bauer and Pete Andersen. Conference one of Coach Hueser’s championship three most successful, finishing times and his 1972, 1975 and 1978 through 1987 teams fourth in the NAIA National Tournament and was awarded represented District 11 in the NAIA National Championship the team sportsmanship trophy. Tournament. The 10 consecutive trips to the tournament Unseeded, the Lopers defeated fifth-seeded David from 1978 to 1987 is a national record. Lipscomb, Tennessee, 93-87; 12th seeded Hanover, Hueser was NAIA District Coach of the Year three Indiana, 87-86; and fourth-seeded Western Oregon times, Omaha World-Herald College Coach of the Year four 97-95 to reach the Final Four. Western Oregon had lost only times and Lincoln Journal Star Coach of the Year twice. He once during the season. was elected to the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1991 and the UNK Only number one ranked Biola, California, would Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. deny them a trip to the championship game. The Eagles’ The fundraising banquet featured the announcement 84-75 win was their 39th in a row. A 98-94 loss to Hampton of the beginning of a basketball scholarship in coach Institute of Virginia in the consolation game left the Lopers Hueser’s name and the development of a Jerry Hueser fourth among the 513 NAIA schools in the country. They basketball trophy case and memorabilia area in the finished the season 26-10. Health and Sports Center. Kimball senior Andersen and Lexington senior Nearly $40,000 was raised for men’s basketball. • Holtmeier reaped tournament honors. An all-tournament 32
Class Notes 1963 DiAnna Rebman Schimek has been appointed to the Lincoln City Council. She was appointed to fill a vacant seat. Schimek served in the Nebraska Legislature for 16 years. 1971 Jim Bishop is market president for Wells Fargo in Lincoln. Mike Darbro retired from the Central Health Department. His wife, Darlene Wells Darbro ’74, MSE ’91 retired last year from Central City Public Schools. They live in Central City. Mary Muckel Stone MSE ’77 has published “Run in the Path of Peace – the Secret of Being Content No Matter What.” This comes at the beginning of her second career as a writer, after she retired from Lower Columbia College, Longview, Washington. She was awarded faculty emeritus status upon retirement. Stones book is available at Amazon.com; she invites you to visit her website at maryellenstone.com 1972 Jerry Bergstrom MSE ’75 retired as principal at Pershing Elementary School in Lexington after 22 years at the school.
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1974 Scott Maul MAE ’88 is an instructor in the Health and Wellness Department of the College of Lake County in Graylake, Illinois. Scott had previously worked for the YMCA and lives in Libertyville, Illinois, with his wife, Holly. Sharon Mullen Zavala, volleyball coach at Grand Island Central Catholic High School, was named Grand Island Independent Girls Coach of the Year. She led the Crusaders to a 35-0 record and the state title. It is the third time she has won the award. 1975 Craig Holz, athletic trainer at Millard South High School was selected as one of the National Athletic Trainers Association’s 2011 Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award recipients. 1976 Dr. Trudy Jacobs is a veterinarian at Mueller Animal Hospital in Sacramento, California. Kathy Welter has retired from Cal State University Bakersfield after 32 years in collegiate softball, including 26 at CSUB. She compiled a career record of 1,129573-7 record including three NCAA Division II national championships in 1988, 1989 and 1990. She was inducted into the UNK Athletic hall of Fame in 1987. Dr. Mark Sanders MA ’79 is chair of the Department of English at Stephen F. Austin State University. He
has published poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction in journals in the United States, Great Britain, Canada and Australia. He recently co-edited with Stephen Meats Three Generations of Nebraska Poets as a special issue of The Midwest Quarterly. His next collection of poetry is Conditions of Grace, New and Selected Poems. 1980 Donald Maris is Midwest sales manager for Kinsley & Sons MFG in Washington, Missouri. 1981 Derry Trampe won the 1,500 and 800 meter races at the National Senior Games setting a meet record with a 4:29 time in the 1,500 and 2:13.8 in the 800. He also won those events at the Nebraska State Games. The former track and cross country athlete is wrestling and track coach at Ord High School. 1983 David Johnston is a doctor of chiropractic at Johnston Chiropractic Clinic in Lynnwood, Washington. 1985 Carolyn Mieth Johnson of Cairo has two daughters attending UNK, making this the fourth generation of her family to attend UNK. Randy Parks is chief operating officer of Goodwill Industries in Omaha.
Class Notes 1986 Jay Gnuse has been appointed information systems manager at Chief Industries in Grand Island. He has been with the company since 1985. Donnie Persinger was promoted to captain on DC-8 aircraft for the airline Air Transport International in 2010. 1988 Kyle Flaherty has been promoted to assistant vice president, commercial banking, at Platte Valley State Bank & Trust in Kearney. 1989 Fred Lowery is a Community Based Instructor at Grand Island Senior High in Grand Island. 1992 Brian Moore is commercial banking group vice president of Platte Valley State Bank & Trust in Kearney. 1993 Scott Buescher received the President’s Award for 2010, the second time he won the award. He has been Midwest account manager for Broder Bros. Co. as ASI leader in apparel sales since 2006. Scott lives in Olathe, Kansas, while covering the Midwest territory of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Southern Illinois. Elizabeth Jacob is working as a free-lance instructor in adult education/continuing education. She teaches English, German as a foreign language and quality management in Germany. Mitch Johnson is art director for the NU Foundation. 1995 Charles Beck is branch manager for Manpower’s Kearney office. Dr. David P. Jones MSE is associate vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Bill O’Neill has been named director of the UNMC Department of Public Relations. He has been with UNMC since 2000. Michele Roberts is executive director of the Central High School Foundation in Omaha. 1998 Mark Iverson is executive director of Immanuel Communities’ Trinity Village and Trinity Courtyard communities in Papillion. David McClure is head of research and curriculum services and an assistant professor at the WienerRogers Law Library at the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He and his wife, Kristen, live in Henderson, Nevada. John Ritchie MA’00 of Topeka was elected president of the Kansas Association of Teachers of English. Troy and Lynn Dostal Spady ’98 live in Omaha where Troy has started his own handyman business called Spadyman Services. Lynn has worked for Westside Community Schools for the past 13 years. They have four sons, Toby, Trea, Trevor and Tyler. 34
1999 Nate Neuhaus MSE ’03 is an assistant director with the Nebraska School Activities Association. He had been recruiting coordinator and defensive backs coach at UNO. He will handle football and track & field for the association. 2000 Chris Conrad is a vice president of commercial lending with Pinnacle Bank in Omaha. Jennifer Johnson Lehman is the school counselor for Syracuse Junior-Senior High School in Kansas. She had been teaching junior high English for the past eight years. Barry McFarland MAE ’05 was named Nebraska 2011 National Distinguished Principal of the Year. He is assistant superintendent of Lexington Public Schools. Regina Stoppkotte Juhl MSE ’01 has joined the therapy department at Epworth Village in York. Mary Ruff MAE ’01 is a licensed therapeutic massage therapist in Longview, Texas. Rebecca Schnack has been controller at DLR Group, a national architecture and engineering firm in Omaha since 2006. She has a daughter, Mallory. 2002 Marcy DeJonge is the owner of ReFind, Inc., in Kearney. Alberto Rodriguez MBA is international trade consultant at the University of Texas at San Antonio’s International Trade Center. Dr. Michael Simonson is a surgeon at Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte. He received his medical degree from Creighton University and completed his residency through the University of Missouri. 2003 Scott Lowery is an advanced senior accountant with Tonniges & Associates P.C. in Kearney. Heath Stukenholtz is vice president of the Tabitha Health Care Services Foundation in Lincoln. 2004 Robert Murphy is territory manager for Merck Animal Health in Omaha. 2005 Mandy Little Mollring is the aquatics, youth activities, and sports clubs coordinator for the UNL campus recreation. Dr. Ashley Scantling is an optometrist in Yukon, Oklahoma. She earned her doctor of optometry degree from Northeastern State University. Kirsti Prouty Schack is the personal banking manager at Platte Valley State Bank & Trust in Kearney. Fr. Kevin Vogel was ordained to the priesthood at St. Cecilia Cathedral In Omaha in June.
2006 Sara Brown graduated in July with a master’s degree in public administration and international NGO studies from Walden University. She has accepted a Congressional Fellowship through the Partnership for a Secure America Foundation in Washington, D.C. Kevin Meyer is a chemist for Cargill in St. Claire, Michigan. He earned a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Oklahoma in 2008. 2007 Curt Ott is a commercial banking officer at Platte Valley State Bank & Trust in Kearney. He had been with First National Bank Northeast of Hooper. 2008 James Jensen is baseball operations manager for the Omaha Storm Chasers. Kristin Nielsen is tourism development coordinator with Sarpy County Tourism. She lives in Omaha. Brock Steinbrink, systems support/cashiering supervisor in the business and finance department at the UNMC received the Kudos award from the Board of Regents. 2009 Sarah Mellick is a teacher with the Millard Public Schools. She and her husband, Jacob Svacina, were married May 22, 2010. Brady Metz is an account coordinator with SCORR Marketing in Kearney. 2010 Benjamin Burklund of Omaha works as an MWD field engineer for Halliburton Sperry Drilling. Heath Kruger is employed with the US Army Corps of Engineers in the Kansas City District where he is a park ranger and natural resource specialist. Jacob McCarthy is a counselor and coach at Ridgeway Academy High School in Aurora, Colorado. Taryn Vasa is an account coordinator with SCORR marketing in Kearney. Steve Wolf is a graphic designer at Panini American Trading Card Company in Dallas. 2011 Kayla Brixius is a staff accountant with McDermott & Miller in Kearney. Kendall Mauer received a physician assistant white coat in ceremonies at Barry University in St Petersburg, Florida in August. She also was selected as class representative to the Florida Academy of Physician Assistants. Sara McMillan is a consultant for the Grand Island Business Development Center office. David and Jody Ziola live in Chappell where David is an accountant with Dana F. Cole, LLC and Jody is a K-12 music teacher at South Platte Schools.
Class Notes Marriages
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Beth Alt ’09 and Jamison Christensen ’08 July 9 in Kearney. Beth is a middle school teacher with Minden Public Schools. Austin Asay ’11 and Dani Albrecht May 27 in Kearney. Jennifer Asche ’01 and Ruben Bustamante September 24 in Kearney. Caitlin Babbitt ’08 and Aaron Smith April 2 in Kearney. Brian Bennetzen ’01, MAE ’06, MAE ’10 and Jody Petersen June 11 in Primghar, Iowa. They live in Lincoln. Richie Berggren ’03 and Sarah Newsome June 18 in Terryville, Connecticut. Heidi Blankenship ’05 and Tony Larson May 31 in Las Vegas. They live in Kearney. Samantha Brill ’10 and Devon Kastler ’10 May 14 in Kearney. Leslie Burton ’09 and Zachary West ’09 August 6 in Kearney. Dayvid Cardenas ’11 and Brittany Ruttman June 18 in Kearney. Kerrie Christensen ’03 and Joseph Wellman May 6 in Las Vegas, Nevada. They live in Henderson, Nevada. Ashley Clayton ’10 and Brett Hunter June 11 in Sargent. Lacey Daake ’05 and Tom Foster ’04 September 10 in Greeley. Matthew Demoret ’10 and Jennifer Dietz June 3 in Kearney. Tara Enck ’01 and Michael Witte ’01 April 2. They live in Papillion. Morgan Farquhar ’09 and Sally Bascom July 31, 2010, in Kearney. Krystle Faust ’06 and Aaron Buntemeyer October 1 in Kearney. Kyle Fletcher ’06 and Michelle Niewohner June 11 in Norfolk. Jackie Hansen ’10 and Nick Gates ’08 June 4 in Kearney. Mikaela Hansen ’07 and Robert Blocher July 9 in Overland Park, Kansas. Jade Haxton ’05 and Troy Gilpin ’98 June 25 in Kearney. Amy Hittner ’07 and William Bombeck ’98 July 1 in Las Vegas. Amy is a teacher with Grand Island Public Schools. William is a high school teacher for Northwest Public Schools. Katie Hubl ’09 and Jeff Loshonkohl September 3 in Kearney. Daneil Hunt ’11 and Phillip Niedbalski August 12 in Kearney. Krystine Hoefer ’10 and William Jackson ‘10 August 6 in Raeville, Colorado. LeeAnn Jameson ’06 and Larry Roepke ’89 September 17 in Kearney.
Caitlin Keller ’06 and Eric Jensen ’09 January 22 in Kearney. Jeffrey Kezeor ’03, MA’09 and Jamie Welliver April 29 in St. Paul. They live in Weeping Water. Travis Kimple ’03 and Danielle Fehringer September 3 in Kearney. They live in Shawnee, Kansas. Clem Kucera ’05 and Kayla Cooper August 20 in Kearney. Eric Krueger ’07 and Makahla Nielsen May 27 in Tulum, Mexico. They live in Kearney. Kole Kugler ’07 and Heather McCoy July 30 in Kearney. Ashley Larsen ’04 and Charles Baron July 30 in Sonoma, California. Rylan Little ’09 and Kayla Cochnar November 11 in Minden. Molly Lungrin ’03, EDS’08 and Michael Kuhl. October 1 in Kearney. Brian Malicky ’08 and Nichole Marxsen August 2009. Brian will graduate from the UNMC in May 2012. Kenzie Mann ’03 and Jay Mollring July 30 in Grand Island. Joseph May ’08 and Audrey Sloan September 17 in Southgate, Michigan. Jaylynn Merriman ’05 and David Graham June 4 in Kearney. Heather Milius ’08 and James Hull July 23 in Kearney. AshLea Millsap ’09 and Tate Allberry ’10 March 5 in Kearney. Jeremy Morris ’01 and Sheena Antillon April 30 in Minden. Nichole Nichols ’04 and Chase Thomsen September 23 in Omaha. Sharon Niemann ’08 and Andrew Peard September 17 in Dwight. Erin Ostberg ’05 and Chris Stargel August 6 in Omaha. Amy Parker ’01 and Christopher Bowman May 13 in Kearney. Melissa Paitz ’04 and Adam Kersten April 1 in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Leah Petersen ’10 and Kyle Overturf ’10 June 4 in Kearney. Lindsey Petersen ’07 and Robert Lydic May 21 in Gothenburg. Julie Polk ’11 and Kyle Myers ’08 June 18 in Kearney. Tyler Pratt ’09 and Jessica Alexander August 9 in Kearney. Stephanie Rash ’11 and Ryan Wetovick November 26 in Kearney. Shalee Santero ’09 and Jason Krajewski April 2. Madison Scott ’09 and Patrick Nott ’09 August 13 in Arapahoe. Madison attends physician assistant school and Patrick works in biofuels research at Gevo in Denver. They live in Denver. Brooke Scripter ’10 and Kirby Johnson ’10 May 28 in Holdrege. Monica Shelton ’03 and Keith Musil August 6 in Kearney. Cameron Smith ’10 and Adam Frank September 30 in Estes Park, Colorado.
Lindsay Starostka ’07 and Colton Lueck ’08 August 6 in Doniphan. Logan Stickney ’06 and Holly Prehn September 10 in Fort Collins, Colorado. Logan is an occupational therapist at Swedish Hospital in Denver. Nick Svehla ’04 and Meg Kimball August 13 in Omaha. Christy Trout ’10 and Miles Margritz August 13 in Grand Island. Chris Walker ’10 and Lauren Pruss June 4 in Fremont. Tara Weaver ’08 and Preston Foster ’10 July 9 in North Platte. Tara is a second grade teacher in Gothenburg. Preston is a substitute teacher and works for Tri K-Lawn in Gothenburg. Thane Webb ’06 and Abby Whitmore October 15 in Kearney. Zach West ’09 and Leslie Burton August 6 in Kearney. Jessica Wilson ’99 and Greg Galles July 8 in Tahoe City, California. Jessica works for Allstate Insurance and Greg is an attorney in Omaha where they live. Valerie Wirrick ’02 and Jason Stroup July 30 in Kearney. Roni Wymore ’09 and Ben Townsend ’10 June 24 in Kearney. Drew Youngs ’07 and Nathan Krizek September 24 in Kearney. Barbara Zaruba ’07 and Kody Knopik May 21 in Grand Island. Ryan Zinnel ’11 and Lexi Stummer July 30 in Kearney. Drew Zutavern ’10 and Jose Dimas April 23 in Kearney.
Births
Jeremy and Diana Jacobsen Bals ’01 of Kearney are parents of a daughter, Katherine Elizabeth, born February 11. Cory ’03 and Jamie Shada Banzhaf ’05 of Kearney are parents of a son, Cole Dean, born June 5. Shane ’04 and Jodi Svoboda Bendfeldt ’05 of Gibbon are parents of a son, Karter William, born July 8. Nathan ’04 and Kelli Simmons Bentley ’03 of Omaha are parents of a son, Preston Andrew, born September 30. Greg and Amber Bredenkamp Benson ’05 of Kearney are parents of a son, Blake William, born April 24. Brian and Sarah Gibbs Birkby ’08 of Ravenna are parents of a son, Aiden Patrick, born July 25. Jason and Ashley English Blausey ’06 of Kearney are parents of a daughter, Journey Marie, born August 3. Ben ’02 and Emily Ohm Brachle’03 of Fremont are parents of a son, Andrew Edward, born August 22. Ben is distribution and logistics management career academy instructor with Millard Public Schools. Aaron ’05 and Laura Cole Brooker ’07 of Davenport, Iowa, are parents of a son, Elias James, born July 27. 35
Class Notes Josh ’02 and Stephanie Schneider Bruntz ’03 of Kearney are parents of a daughter, Mariah Lynn, born April 29. They also have a daughter, Olivia. Josh works for USPS and Stephanie is a kitchen and bath designer. Christopher and Machelle Disney Catanese ’03 of Axtell are parents of a daughter, Kaitlyn Anna, born September 8. Jesse ’98 and Abby Bostock Carman ’05 of Shelton are parents of a son, Colton Lee, born February 26. Ben and Leslie Hubbard Chambers ’06 of Elm Creek are parents of a daughter, Kiera Ann, born April 9. James and Jenny Cook Chan ’00 of Wheat Ridge, Colorado, are parents of a daughter, Hannah Elizabeth, born September 5. They also have a son, Caleb. Joe ’97 and Laura John Christensen ’97 of Omaha are parents of twins, Clark John and Daphne Marie, born July 27, 2010. Jeremiah and Meggan Brewster Clark’07 of Kearney are parents of a daughter, Emma Lynn, born July 23. Brian and Jordan Peterson Cochran ’02 of Kearney are parents of a son, Hendrex Lee, born September 1. Alissa and Tim Criffield ’91 of Kearney are parents of a daughter, Elliana Eliisa, born September 15. Akil ’05 and Jamie McCurry Davis ’05 of Omaha are parents of a daughter, Tatum Mae, born July 8. Mark ’09 and Micayla Anderson Dunn ’10 of Aurora are parents of a daughter, Olivia Kay, born June 1. Micayla is a 6th grade science teacher and Mark is employed with Great Plains Safety and Health. Matt ’00 and Amy Tubbs Eigenberg ’03, MSE ’05 of Kearney are parents of a daughter, Alexis Kay, born September 30. Chanel and Erik Estes ’01 of Cleveland, Tennessee, are parents of a son, Tyler Joshua, born September 9. John ’06 and Stacie Lakey Evans ’06 of La Vista are parents of a daughter, Madeline Elizabeth, born May 18. Bill and Briann Horacek Fines ’06 of Kearney are parents of a son, Connor Anson, born August 7. Morgan and Tara Redlinger Fouts ’06 of Elm Creek are parents of a daughter, Kinley Reed, born September 20. Nick and Lindsay Peters Gappa ’07 of Loup City are parents of a daughter, Ashlyn Elizabeth, born January 5. Lindsay is a third grade teacher with Loup City Public Schools. Andy ’00 and Mickel Harrington Goulet ’01 of Fort Collins are parents of a son, Drake Michael, born June 12. Justin ’00 and Heather Edwards Hall ’09 of Minden are parents of a son, Caleb James, born March 11. Josh and Paula Schaaf Hans ’98 of Castle Rock, Colorado, are parents of a son, Matthew Dean, born March 23. They also have a son, Lucas. Justin and MaKensey Marsh Harris ’09 of Tilden are parents of a daughter, Koeyn Lynn, born April 16.
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Jason and Chandra Hollister Hawley ’96 of North Platte are parents of a son, Wayde Alden Lyle, born June 1. Scott ’05, MBA ’07 and Crystal Baker Hinrichs ’06, MSE ’08 of Kearney are parents of a daughter, Avery Laurel, born May 19. Travis ’01 and Angela Emrick Hollman ’01, MSE ’09 of Gibbon are parents of a daughter, Ayla Evelyn, born August 3. Tracie and Andrew Hudson ’08 of Kearney are parents of a son, Gavin Michael, born May 22. David Jr. ’07 and Karrie Kucera Huryta ’07 of Ravenna are parents of a daughter, Ana Beth, born May 15. Matt and Abbey Ludden Jordan ’03 of Minden are parents of a daughter, Addalea Josephine, born August 17. Rick and Gwendolyn Schmeits Kellen ’98 of Alton, Iowa, are parents of a son, Jack Frederick, born August 15. Gwendolyn is an early childhood teacher at West Sioux schools. They also have a daughter, Olivia. Shannon and Craig Kenton ’98 of Kansas City are parents of a daughter, Molly Betty, born December 24, 2010. Shelly and Jesse Koch ’06 of Orleans are parents of a daughter, Brynlee Anna, born May 27. Colby ’06, MBA ’08 and Crystal Parr L’Heureux ’07 of Kearney are parents of a son, Connor Robert, born May 7. Brett ’97 and Pamela Janulewicz Little ’06, MAE ’08 of Kearney are parents of a son, Lawsen DeWayne, born August 20. Trent and Rachelle Schroeder Lodge ’96 of Bellevue are parents of a son, Ethan Elijah, born January 12, 2011. They have two daughters, Alyssa and Madelynn. Kasey and Jennifer Ziegler Loschen ’04 of Franklin are parents of a daughter, Lindy Faith, born June 8. Meghan and Jeremy Marlow ’10 of Kearney are parents of a son, Gavin Dallas, born August 12. Ryan ’06 and Bobbi Florence Martin ’06 of Loveland, Colorado, are parents of a daughter, Madison Mae, born January 19. Chris ’05 and Katie Abood McClemens ’06 of Kearney are parents of a son, Paul Richard, born April 23. Jon and Aften Schepler Melton ’07 of Holdrege are parents of a son, Jaxon Wayne, born June 10. Sheena and Jeremy Morris ’01 of Kearney are parents of a daughter, Sienna June, born August 18. Casey ’02, MBA ’03 and Susie Steele Moscrip ’03 of Aurora are parents of twins, Macie Ann and Isaac Paul, born May 2. Andrew and Abby Thompson Olson ’03 of Kearney are parents of a son, Asher Steven, born September 4. Melissa and Scott O’Rourke ’96 of Kearney are parents of a daughter, Kenzie Jean, born June 6. Audrey and Justin Patterson ’06 of Hildreth are parents of a daughter, Elin Ann, born July 1. Michael ’03, MBA ’09 and Mindy Engler Pelster ’04 of Kearney are parents of a daughter, Adelyn Joy, born July 5. Jon and Sarah Benson Pesek ’05 of Kearney are parents of a son, Conner Jonathon, born September 25.
Dana and Aaron Peterson ’99 of Omaha are parents of a son, Kellen Andrew, born May 26. Justin ’99 and Caroline Stecher Poston ’99 of Omaha are parents of a daughter, Harper, born December 8, 2010. Charles Rowling ’03 and Jennifer Conner ’00 of Tacoma, Washington, are parents of a daughter, Evelyn Conner, born July 6. Joshua ’02 and Tanis DeTurk Saldivar ’03, EDS ’06 of Carver, Minnesota, are parents of a daughter, Camila Marie, born March 19. Todd ’99 and Jacqueline Johnson Schepler ’04 of Kearney are parents of a son, Jacob Wyatt, born May 9. Shane and Katie Miller Schmidt ’08 of Minden are parents of a son, Camdon Anthony, born July 4. Joe and Renee’ Steinkruger Schnuerle MAE ’04 of Naponee are parents of a son, Cash Joseph, born May 31. Frank and Connie Lauritsen Shivley ’92 are parents of twins, Kara Janet and Ryan David, born May 27. Jenny and Dustin Simpson ’05 of Lincoln are parents of a daughter, Brynn Mattie, born June 30. Chelsie and Noah Sorensen ’05 of Kearney are parents of a daughter, Neleigh Patricia Jean, born June 30. Troy ’98 and Lynn Dostal Spady ’98 of Omaha are parents of a son, Toby Gene, born August 17, 2010. Desiree’ and Nikolaus Statz ’11 of Hildreth are parents of a daughter, Quinlyn Adeline, born July 9. Andrew and Leah Lewis Stade ’02 of Kearney are parents of a son, Henry William, born November 8. They also have a son, Alexander. Jason ’02 and Kerissa Kramer Steinshouer ’03 of Elkhorn are parents of a son, Jaxson Daniel, born April 7. Kimberly and Tyler Swearingen ’01 of Gibbon are parents of a son, Carter Owen, born July 9. K. Dane ’10 and Jorden Davis Tobey ’11 of Kearney are parents of a son, Traxton Koufax, born June 19. Todd ’98 and Ahren Willmes Travis ’06 of Kearney are parents of a daughter, Peyton Sophie, born October 24. Krisha Niemoth Uden, MSED ’97 and Leland Uden of Kenesaw gave birth to a son, Darius Lee, on October 2. They also have a two-year-old daughter, Abigail. Rebecca and John Uelmen MAE ’00 of Kearney are parents of a son, Blake William, born July 27. Christine and Brian Vavra ’08 of Kearney are parents of a daughter, Taya Emerie, born September 28. Phillip ’08 and Jennifer Codner Wagoner ’07 of Lincoln are parents of a son, Mason Lee, born June 24. Elizabeth and Andrew Walters ’09 of Katy, Texas, are parents of a son, Brandly Carsten, born August 9. Patrick and Inga Bruns Washington ’03 are parents of a son, Carson James, born March 14. Boyd ’06 and Sandra Daake Weller ’07 of Kearney are parents of a daughter, Brynn Elizabeth, born October 12.
Class Notes Jacob ’06 and Nicolle Plambeck Williams ’04, MAE’09 of Kearney are parents of a daughter, Kalia Isabel, born October 18. Fred ’98 and Rhoda Ottun Woods ’02 of Burwell are parents of a daughter, Isannah Claire, born May 11. Kaci and Jason Wozniak ’00 of Kearney are parents of a son, Isaiah Ryan, born August 2. Kelly and Lacie Freeland Wright ’08 of Oxford are parents of a daughter, Kallie Jo, born June 30.
Deaths Miriam Frerichs Ardissono ’37 of Seattle died July 17. She was 95. Ellen Baldwin ’91 of Lincoln died July 1. She returned to college at age 65 to earn her degree. She was 85. Betty Mosley Beavers of Kearney died July 3 from injuries suffered in an automobile accident in Kearney. She was 69. Steve Black ’76 of Aurora died November 6. He was 58. Bernard Boyle ’61 of Kearney died October 5. He was 78. Marjorie Bertha Bishop Burchell ’67 of Kearney died April 24. She was 92. Rev. Ed Cortney MAE ’70 of Chadron died June 26. He was chaplain of the Newman Center from 1978 until 1986. He was 73. Pat R. McKillip Cropley of Sun City, Arizona, died August 23. She was 77.
Richard ‘Woody’ Davis ’48 of Northridge, California, died November 5. He was 86. Anita Drain ’70, MSE ’81 of Orem, Utah, died March 2. She was 62. Robert Doyle ’62 of Pocatello, Idaho, died June 8. He was 72. Gil Feis ’60 of Lincoln died September 21. He was a career educator who retired in 1999 as the administrator of Educational Service Unit 9 in Hastings. He was 76. Gerald Feese of Kearney died February 26, 2011. Feese joined the faculty in 1962 where he directed the orchestra, taught strings, music history and music courses. He was 90. Elsie Winter Niemoth Hendrickson ’63, MSE ’66 of Grand Island died August 4. She was a coordinator at Stolley Park School and a counselor at Walnut Junior High and Senior High until her retirement. She was 97. Tim Hoeft ’88 of York died May 24. He was 45. Bilva Hueftle ’72 of Elwood died June 8. She was 79. David Jelden ’52 of Greeley, Colorado, died September 30. He was 80. Lois Kingsley ’79 of Holdrege died November 9. She was 81. Ricky Leppert of Des Moines, Iowa, died June 28. He was 54. Nick Longly ’73 of Kearney died October 23. He was 62.
John Marienau ’70 of Chicago died May 26. Terry Mason ’71 of Lincoln died June 18. He was 66. Julie Anderson Miller ’91 of Osceola died May 26. She was 46. Jean Mitchell ’84, MS ’91 of Elm Creek died May 12. She was 63. Barbara Moore ’92 of Kearney died June 18. She was 57. Harvey L. Olson ’67 of Wahoo died February 15, 2010. He was 70. Opal Mays Paulk ’66 of Wood River died May 31. She was 88. Art Pierce of Kearney died June 20. He was widely known for his calligraphy. He was 95. Russell Pope ’55, MAE ’59 died January 12. He had been an educator and school administrator until his retirement, having been with the Harlan Community Schools in Iowa for 26 years. Margaret Slote Refshauge ’37 of Bellaire, Texas, died June 21. She was 101. Margaret Schmitz ’36, MAE ’49 of Salinas died June 1. She was 92. James Steadman ’52 of Overland Park, Kansas, died April 25. Richard Triplett ’58 of Omaha died June 3. A former superintendent at Bellevue, he received the UNK Distinguished Alumni Award in 1991.
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