The lasting legacy of ISU’s first African American studentathlete, 100 years later
Keith Yamamoto, leader of the world’s largest general scientific society, remembers his Iowa roots
Cyclones share their favorite memories and spots on campus
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE FOR IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MEMBERS FALL 2023When you work in the Ames area you can take your life to the next level. The Ames region offers:
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Your Gateway to Jobs in Boone and Story County, Iowa
Have you heard the saying people come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime? I’ve grown to appreciate that within a career, opportunities also come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.
In July, I accepted a promotion at Iowa State to direct communications for the University Library. I’m excited to serve and advance the university I love in new ways, and it’s wonderful to be back in the heart of campus. As the plaque on Parks Library reads, “The excellent library is the heart of the excellent university.”
Leading the effort to bring Iowa Stater magazine to life will always be one of the greatest joys and accomplishments of my career. It was an honor and a privilege to work with the amazing team at the ISU Alumni Association, the university, and the ISU Foundation.
With this strong framework in place, please join me in welcoming Kirsten Kraklio as the new editor of Iowa Stater and director of communications at the ISU Alumni Association.
I remain yours, forever true, an Iowa Stater for life!
When I moved from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Phoenix to finish my bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication, I intended it to be for a season. Two years in the desert and then on to other adventures, I told myself. Eleven years later, it turns out my move to the Southwest was a little more permanent and impactful than I had anticipated.
I bought my first house. I adopted my first dog. I gained a wonderful community of friends and colleagues, and had the opportunity to tell impactful stories for a variety of brands and companies. I also got to escape winter (I am now gladly accepting all your parka recommendations).
But this year, I decided I was ready for another season of life. One that entailed returning home to a land where we say “ope” and “pop.” I was ready to be closer to family, including a younger sibling who is currently enrolled at Iowa State. Having enjoyed working and teaching at Arizona State University, I knew I wanted to stay in higher education, so I started watching the careers page at Iowa State. And I felt like the stars had aligned the day I saw this opening appear.
I want to thank Melea for all she has done to prepare the Iowa Stater for its next chapter, as well as our small but mighty team of staff members who have put all of their love and hard work into this issue during the transition.
I am excited for the opportunity to share the stories of Iowa State and Iowa Staters with you for years to come.
Assistant Editors Caleb Grizzle, Kate Tindall
Designer Jenny Witte
Photographers Christopher Gannon, Matt Van Winkle
Creative Consultant
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Editorial Board
Kirsten Kraklio, Director of Communications, ISU Alumni Association
Brian Meyer, Associate Director for Strategic Communications, Iowa State University
Sherry Speikers, Director of Editorial Services, ISU Foundation
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This summer I found myself packing up a house and car in Arizona during the hottest month on record. And while I certainly questioned my planning and sanity at the time, after three days of driving I was grateful to be welcomed back to Iowa with cool mornings, green landscapes, fresh sweet corn, and juicy garden tomatoes — aspects of the Midwest I deeply appreciate after a decade away in the desert. What I missed most about Iowa (other than my family, of course) was having four seasons, and I am excited to spend time outside this fall exploring trails, shopping at the farmers market,
and reading books from alumni-owned Dog-Eared Books and the Ames Public Library. In a wonderful coincidence, Iowa Stater Joe Weigel shares his favorite spots in Phoenix on page 33, all of which I fully endorse. If you’re ever planning a trip to the Valley and need further recommendations (here’s an easy one: don’t go in July), or have a suggestion of somewhere I should explore around Ames this fall and winter, connect with me at iowastater@ iastate.edu.
KIRSTEN KRAKLIO EDITOR, IOWA STATER MAGAZINE
GLOBALLY, IOWA STATE CONTINUES TO SHINE in its entrepreneurial efforts. In June 2023, ISU was awarded Entrepreneurial University of the Year for the Americas — a 33-country region — in an international competition in Barcelona, Spain. This award is presented by the Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities. It recognizes excellence in incorporating entrepreneurial initiatives throughout the university and prioritizing entrepreneurship and engagement in higher education. “This award recognizes our approach to incorporate entrepreneurial initiatives throughout the university and foster an innovative mindset in our students, faculty, and staff,” said Iowa State President Wendy Wintersteen (PhD ’88 entomology). “We’ve created a culture of entrepreneurship, thanks in great part to the generosity of donors and supporters, including an extraordinary gift that established the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship 27 years ago.” Criteria for the award included leadership within the academic world, commitment to supporting the entrepreneurial concept and strategy, and outcome and impact of efforts.
ISU has made an entrepreneurial impact through cross-campus collaboration, flagship entrepreneurial programs like CyBIZ Lab, CYstarters, Startup Factory, and Start Something, and academic entrepreneurship courses and degree programs.
This latest honor for Iowa State’s entrepreneurship program is its third national or international award in as many years.
Stress can occur at any life stage or in any situation. The emotional and mental strain from an unforeseen circumstance, life change, or burden can take a toll and create stress. Although stress may not be completely eliminated, there are practical steps to alleviate stress’s physical and emotional effects.
Changes in sleep habits or increased fatigue
Headaches or muscle aches
Loss of appetite
Avoidance of community
Loneliness
Depression
Anger or irritability
Exercise to relieve physical and emotional symptoms.
Do something each day that brings joy.
Do something simple that solves one small part of the source of stress.
Avoid temporary coping mechanisms like drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.
Pursue healthy, consistent eating habits.
Reach out and lean on positive relationships.
If possible, utilize resources like mental health counseling or therapy.
DID
Iowa State delivers a $5 billion impact to the state economy through its support of the workforce, the creation of startup and spinoff businesses, and an increase in lifetime earnings for graduates with a bachelor’s degree. Alongside the economic impact, Iowa State provides a significant return on investment for students and taxpayers.
Students earning a bachelor’s degree leave Iowa State prepared and will earn $23,600 more each year than someone with a high school diploma working in Iowa. Taxpayers receive $1.90 in return for every dollar of public money invested in ISU over students’ time in the workforce.
Iowa State’s $5 billion impact:
57,142 $1.7 billion $1.1 million
Jobs supported, or one out of every 36 jobs in Iowa. Added to Iowa’s economy from startup and spinoff companies. In higher earnings over the course of the working lifetime of a student who earns a bachelor’s degree.
2.4%
Of Iowa’s gross state product represented — an impact nearly as large as the entire utilities industry in the state.
Iam thankful I have the opportunity to not only represent the Cyclone football team, but also to represent all student-athletes.
It is truly an honor — and surreal — to be mentioned in the same sentence as Jack Trice.
The sacrifices that he made and what he stood for were powerful. I resonate with Jack Trice so much because of how he responded to adversity — and how he challenged adversity.
I grew up in a motel with eight people and two beds. I faced many challenges. But I prevailed because I understood that my power resided in my response.
Jack Trice paved the way for many African American student-athletes such as myself to be able to attend this university. I am so proud. I take great pride in “Breaking Barriers,” the new sculpture created and dedicated to Jack Trice’s legacy. It continues to show people around the world, athletes old and new, and students, that this is not just a statue and this is not just a logo. It is something that we truly believe in. It’s something we live by on a daily basis.
It’s inspirational. When I faced adversity and wanted to quit, Jack Trice was the reason I kept going.
Now I am on track to be the first in my family to graduate from college. Jack Trice is why I want to be the best role model I can be for my nephews and nieces.
Jack Trice taught me that no matter the obstacles you face, how much the odds are against you, you do it with your chin up and your chest out.
I took the Jack Trice “I Will” as a challenge. I stand before you today and can successfully say: I did.
Anthony Johnson Jr. (’22 communication studies), a team captain on the Cyclone football team and a two-time recipient of the Jack Trice Endowed Scholarship, delivered these remarks Nov. 4, 2022, at the opening ceremony of the Jack Trice 100-Year Commemoration at Iowa State University. Johnson was a four-time All-Big 12 selection, breaking the Iowa State and Big 12 record with 54 career starts. He was an AFCA Good Works Team nominee and a four-time member of the Academic All-Big 12 teams. In April 2023, the St. Petersburg, Florida, native was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Alumni have returned to Iowa State for homecoming since the first official event in 1912. Since then, the campuswide celebration continues to entertain young and old Iowa Staters, with tailgate parties, fireworks, lawn displays, the “Yell Like Hell” cheering competition, and mass campaniling. Currently, the Student Alumni Association Leadership Council (SALC) coordinates the efforts of hundreds of students to make homecoming special for all Iowa Staters.
WE’RE SURROUNDED BY AND STEEPED IN MICROBES. Trillions live on our skin and in our bodies, helping us digest food and absorb nutrients, fight infections, and even manage stress. But of course, some make us sick.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, salmonella (nontyphoidal) bacteria cause an estimated 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths in the U.S. each year.
“Salmonella bacteria live in the guts of many animals, but in some hosts, like chickens, salmonella tricks the animal’s gut into thinking it’s not bad. Since there’s no immune response, the animals carry the bacteria without showing symptoms,” says Melha Mellata, associate professor of molecular microbiology at Iowa State University.
To help prevent salmonella from slipping through the supply chain, Mellata’s lab is developing a probiotic with several key, beneficial microbes for chickens. One they identified
is segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB). Traditionally, SFB is transferred from hens to chicks shortly after they hatch. But in most commercial poultry operations today, chicks hatch in incubators, away from their mothers.
The researchers discovered that inoculating newly hatched chicks with SFB triggers their guts to produce T-cells and antimicrobials that attack salmonella and other bacteria of the same family.
With a pending patent through ISU Research Foundation, the researchers want to turn their discovery into a commercial probiotic. They envision a powder that can be sprinkled onto food or mixed with water for chicks shortly after hatching. Mellata says this would be an easy, inexpensive solution for producers.
“Let’s help chickens build their gut immunity so they can fight infection on their own,” says Mellata.
IS IT INNOVATION? Or is it organized chaos?
That was the question posed by four Iowa State faculty members last spring as they devised a plan to bring together perspectives from across campus and create an interdisciplinary, student-led learning session.
“This opportunity for experiential learning is student-centric to the max,” said KP Williams, assistant teaching professor of leadership studies.
Each instructor taught their individual innovation or entrepreneurship courses separately on Tuesdays. But on Thursdays, all their students — from more than 10 majors in five colleges — came together in the Student Innovation Center for “creative recess.”
Conceived as a kind of innovative ideas incubator, instructors stood back as guides and mentors while letting students
from different backgrounds work on topics of interest. Ideas eventually morphed into proposals for the college-by-college pitch off, an annual campus event in which students have 90 seconds to pitch a business idea to a panel of judges for a chance at a first-place prize of $5,000.
“In these groups, design students are immediately thinking about logos and sketching out product ideas. Business students are thinking about it practically and how to make it profitable. It really represents the real world where you bring in people who have the expertise to add to your team,” said Leila Ammar, associate professor of practice in architecture.
Creative recess: So, was it innovation or chaos? Ask the several creative-recess students who won their college competition and placed in the pitch finale.
“IT WAS MY FIRST LOVE,” says Morgan Brandt, a sophomore setter for the Iowa State volleyball team.
A five-sport high school athlete with all-state honors in volleyball and basketball, Brandt holds fast to that first love at Iowa State.
Brandt started 21 matches during her freshman season for the Cyclones — totaling 579 assists to rank 19th in career assists in Iowa State history.
“Morgan has been such a wonderful addition to our program,” says Christy Johnson-Lynch, head coach of Iowa State volleyball. “As a freshman, she adjusted quickly to the college game and showed a lot of poise right away during our fall season.”
“Growing up, I always had a volleyball in my hands,” says Brandt, whose household lived and breathed the sport. Nearly every year from 2009 through 2021, one of the three Brandt sisters filled the role of setter for their hometown high school, Sumner-Fredericksburg.
Her passion for volleyball came from watching older sisters Kaylyn and Jenna compete as setters at the collegiate level.
“I wanted to be like them,” Brandt says. “I was always in the gym playing volleyball or watching them at a young age.”
The love for volleyball was set from the jump for Brandt, but the passion for Iowa State ran just as deep. Watching her brother Isiah (’19 agricultural engineering) graduate from ISU and Jenna go on to play for the Cyclones program made it a clear cut choice.
“I had always wanted to go to Iowa State since I was a kid,” Brandt remembers. “The fans are amazing. It always was a dream to be down on the court [at Hilton Coliseum].”
That cardinal and gold dream was fulfilled last September. With friends and family cheering her on, Brandt made her home debut. Later that season, she led the Cyclones with 30 assists in a win against top-ranked Texas in front of a packed Hilton Coliseum.
Brandt hopes she can inspire the next generation of young Iowa Staters chasing their dreams.
“Keep your goals in mind, always work for something greater than yourself, and find the joy in what you’re doing. Be grateful for where you are.”
Iowa State Athletics has entered a historic 2023-24 campaign across all areas of competition, with the official addition of four new universities to the Big 12 on July 1, 2023: Brigham Young University, the University of Central Florida, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Houston. This is only the second time in the conference’s 28-year history that new members have been added. “The addition of these four fine institutions ensures the continued success of the Big 12 at the highest levels of intercollegiate athletics competition,” said former Big 12 commissioner and Iowa native Bob Bowlsby. Beginning with the 2024-25 academic year, the Big 12 Conference will continue its expansion with 16 members: Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah, and West Virginia.
STAR Ashley Joens (’22 elementary education) was the female recipient of the inaugural Big 12 Conference Bob Bowlsby Award. This award is the conference’s highest honor, presented to the male and female student-athlete that best represents the characteristics of leadership and excellence on and off the field. Joens finished her Cyclone career as the program’s all-time leading scorer, a Big 12 Player of the Year, and a four-time unanimous All-Big 12 first-team selection.
Iowa State Athletics’ plans for an indoor and outdoor tennis complex were announced in July, following a highly successful threeyear stretch for women’s tennis. The Iowa State Research Park purchased an existing four-court indoor tennis bubble with plans to expand it to six courts and construct six new outdoor courts on the property alongside a team building. Completion of the six outdoor courts is slated for fall 2023, with the indoor court expansion and facility slated for fall 2024.
FIVE FORMER CYCLONE STUDENT-ATHLETES AND COACHES received the prestigious honor of joining the Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame and were recognized at halftime of the Iowa State-Oklahoma State football game on Saturday, Sept. 23, following the induction ceremony on Sept. 22. The 2023 class included Joan Gearhart, women’s golf, 1970-82; Hercle Ivy, men’s basketball, 1973-76; Dennis Mazur (’72 physical education), men’s gymnastics, 1970-72; Betsy Saina (’13 child, adult, and family services), women’s track and field/cross country, 2009-13; Mike Strachan (’75 physical education), football, 1972-74. The ISU Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 1997, and 204 Cyclone legends have been inducted.
POSTCARD FROM CAMPUS
Beautiful fall colors surround Cyclone Tower outside the ISU Alumni Center. This work of art by Lyle London spins and plays music and special sound effects, including the Cyclone Fight Song during home football Cyclone Central events. The Cyclone Tower was a gift from donors Roy (’57 ag journalism) and Bobbi (’06 honorary) Reiman, whose remarkable generosity toward Iowa State University has touched every corner of campus.
Image by Christopher Gannon
STORY BY STEVE JONES
IMAGE BY DAN McCLANAHAN
The lasting legacy of ISU’s first African American student-athlete, 100 years later
Breaking Barriers, 2022
Ivan Toth Depeña (American, b. 1972)
Cast stone, bronze
Commissioned by University Museums with support from University Museums’ Joyce Tomlinson Brewer Fund for Art Acquisition, the Office of the President, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the Athletics Department. In the Art on Campus Collection, University Museums, Iowa State University. Ames, Iowa.
He was alone, separated from his team, and overflowing with emotion.
All Jack Trice wanted to do was play football and earn a college education. But the world in 1923 was not that simple for a promising young Black student-athlete.
At a time of strict segregation in sports, Trice suited up for the Iowa State Cyclones in his “first real college game.” Two days later, he died from injuries suffered in the second half of that same game.
But there is more to the story. A lot more.
Trice, who followed his high school coach from Ohio to Ames, was Iowa State’s first Black student-athlete. He also is the only Iowa Stater to die from injuries received in varsity athletic competition.
Yet, what makes the Trice story so memorable, so inspirational, is the letter he penned to himself three days before his death. His words unveiled a crusade to honor his “race, family and self” on the football field. If successful, it might open the doors of opportunity for other Black students. “Everyone is expecting me to do big things. I will!”
Then he died at age 21.
Years later, his words rallied students in a nearly 25-year effort to rename ISU’s football stadium for him. Never have two sheets of hotel stationery mobilized a student body as passionately as his handwritten letter he expected no one to read.
Today, Jack Trice Stadium at Iowa State University stands proudly as America’s only major college football stadium named for an African American athlete. It symbolizes Trice’s determination and courage that has impacted so many within the university community.
This autumn, Iowa State is culminating a year-long commemoration of Trice, who died 100 years ago, Oct. 8, 1923.
“Jack Trice speaks to us today as a powerful reminder that preparation, determination, and doing our very best — ‘doing more than our part,’ as Jack wrote — are among the most important attributes we possess,” said ISU President Wendy Wintersteen (PhD ’88 entomology). “That within each of us is the ability to overcome challenges, to break barriers, and to ‘do big things.’”
His enduring legacy is inspirational and a source of pride, said Toyia Younger, ISU senior vice president for student affairs and chair of ISU’s Trice 100 Commemoration Committee. It also is an opportunity to encourage dialogue
about race, character, and commitment to doing one’s best.
“It’s an amazing story, but also bittersweet,” she said. “Iowa State had to be a special place for it to open its doors for an African American student-athlete then. It speaks volumes about who we are, because there were still so many segregated schools in the U.S. during that time.”
But Jack Trice’s story also saddens her. He died too young, closing the door on a world of potential. Younger wants to grow Trice’s powerful legacy and remind others he was more than a football player. He was a good student, loving husband and son, and proud fraternity brother who hoped someday to help Black southern farmers.
“Jack was a regular guy, an intelligent young man with a winning smile,” she said.
Jeff Johnson (PhD ’14 education) has been at Iowa State since 1999 and also serves on the Trice 100 Commemoration Committee. The Lora and Russ Talbot Endowed President and CEO of the ISU Alumni Association has a keen insight into Jack Trice. “First and foremost, he was just innocent,” Johnson said. “He was a young kid who’d been asked by his high school coach to come with him to a place he knew nothing about. But he trusted that coach.”
Johnson also described Trice as resilient, committed to his sports, his studies, and the people around him, and he was transparent. “He understood he was Black in a white society. He knew there was some risk coming to Iowa.” Trice was aware, Johnson added, that race was a factor in football and academics, “and it was just a door he had to walk through if he was going to realize his dreams.”
John “Jack” Trice was born in 1902 near Hiram, Ohio. The grandson of former slaves, his mother sent him to live with relatives in Cleveland for high school. He was too sheltered in his little town.
At East Technical High School, Trice excelled on powerhouse football teams led by Coach Sam Willaman. When Willaman was hired to coach Iowa State, Trice followed him to Ames. The big lineman and other East Tech alums quickly starred on the 1922 freshman squad. Trice was married by then, having eloped with Cora Mae Starlard before college, but she remained in Ohio during Trice’s first year of college.
A year later Trice started on the varsity line. After winning its 1923 opener, Iowa State prepped for a tough contest at Minnesota. On the game’s eve, speedy reserve Robert Fisher came late to the
team supper in a Minneapolis hotel dining room. Taking a chair, he sensed something was amiss. Then it hit him. “Where’s Jack?” he asked.
Jack Trice, because he was Black, had been barred from eating with his teammates. They protested to no avail. Trice was alone in his Curtis Hotel room burdened by his emotions. He was segregated from his team, away from his young wife, and was expected to anchor the line the next day.
He released his feelings on hotel stationery.
“October 5, 1923 — To Whom It May Concern: My thoughts just before the first real college game of my life: The honor of my race, family and self is at stake. Everyone is expecting me to do big things. I will!”
When finished, he tucked the heartfelt letter into his coat pocket.
The next day, Iowa State and Minnesota battled to a 7-7 halftime score. Trice was hurt early in the physical game but kept playing. In the third quarter, the hitting intensified as Trice was all over the field on defense. Then everything changed. The Gophers ran a power play toward Trice, who attempted a risky roll block to take out the blockers.
Trice landed on his back, exposing his frontside, and was piled onto by
Minnesota players. In pain, he was taken to a nearby hospital. Iowa State eventually lost, 20-17, and doctors released Trice so he could return home with his team. Back in Ames, he immediately entered the campus hospital, where his condition deteriorated. He died Monday afternoon, Oct. 8, 1923. His shocked wife was at his bedside.
Upward of 4,000 people attended his campus memorial service the next day. His gray coffin was draped with a cardinal and gold blanket. Iowa State President Raymond Pearson, with Cora Mae’s permission, read Trice’s letter — the man’s private, final thoughts. That evening, distraught family members escorted Trice’s coffin home to Ohio for burial.
A bronze plaque honoring Trice was cast and mounted on a wall in State Gym, where Trice worked for the Athletics Department. Soon, his teammates and most of the coaches moved on. Time further faded memories of Jack Trice.
Jump to 1957. Iowa State journalism sophomore Tom Emmerson (’60 journalism, MS ’63 history) was in State Gym when he noticed a plaque on the wall. It stirred his curiosity. Who was Jack Trice? Long before he became an ISU journalism professor, Emmerson
wrote a well-researched article in a student publication, The Iowa State Scientist. It should have started a discussion, should have spurred people to do ... something.
“It did nothing,” Emmerson said. Jack Trice again slid into obscurity.
Alan Beals was an Athletics Department tutor for Iowa State in 1973. Like many before him, he wondered about the dingy State Gym plaque. Who was Jack Trice?
Beals did some research and shared it with Charles Sohn (’63 English and speech), a friend and English instructor on campus. Sohn taught an experimental freshman English course comprised of 12 males and 12 females equally divided by Black and white students. They needed a research project.
“The Trice material was a natural choice,” Sohn wrote, “and the class took to it enthusiastically.”
At the same time, Iowa State was becoming serious about football. The Cyclones had appeared in their first bowl games the previous two years and had outgrown deteriorating Clyde Williams Field, built in 1915 and expanded five times. A new, larger stadium was under construction for the then-princely
“‘I Will!’ Those two words and exclamation point resound nearly 100 years later, embodying the force of Jack’s spirit.”
PRESIDENT WENDY WINTERSTEEN
sum of $7 million. According to Sohn, it sparked a student in his class to say, “Hey, they should name that stadium after Trice.”
The fight to name Iowa State’s new football home for Jack Trice had begun.
Students organized the Jack Trice Memorial Stadium Committee, and the ISU Black Student Organization threw its support behind the effort. The first of many Iowa State Daily articles about Trice appeared on Oct. 5, 1973, the 50th anniversary of his letter. It brought Trice into the public eye for the first time since 1957.
The Jack Trice Stadium dream gained traction. The Government of the Student Body (GSB) unanimously passed a resolution favoring Trice’s name on the new stadium and a petition with 3,226 proTrice signatures was delivered to university leaders. The news went national. A Kansas City Star headline asked, “Why Not Jack Trice Stadium?”
The shiny new concrete stadium carpeted with green artificial turf opened in fall 1975 with no official name. Results of a student government poll later that fall overwhelmingly favored the name
Jack Trice Stadium.
However, alumni and donors, many of whom knew little about Trice, preferred a more general name like Cyclone Stadium. Some believed Trice needed to have played more than two games for the stadium to bear his name. University leaders held out hope that a lead donor would step forward and help pay for the structure and earn naming rights.
In May 1976, a university naming committee supported the name Cyclone Stadium, and later that year President W. Robert Parks sought Iowa Board of Regents approval. Jill Wagner (’76 industrial administration), then GSB president, remembered it well.
“Eight of us crowded into an old blue and white station wagon and raced to Council Bluffs for the Regents meeting,” said Wagner.
Wagner and GSB vice president Don Morris (’78 philosophy, MS ’79 education) were among the students who spoke on behalf of Trice. Morris spoke passionately, Wagner recalled. “He said, ‘This guy died for his school!’”
The Regents rejected ISU’s recommendation because the Iowa State
Achievement Foundation (renamed the Iowa State Foundation in 1988) owned the stadium, and it would remain officially nameless until it was paid off. Wagner called the decision a small victory for the students, who were not finished.
For the next eight years, supporters beat the drums for Jack Trice Stadium. They wrote letters to the editor, raised funds, bought radio ads, and rented a Trice billboard. An airplane circled the stadium one gameday pulling a “Welcome to Jack Trice Stadium” banner.
In late 1983, President Parks raised eyebrows by taking a dual name to the Regents: “Cyclone Stadium-Jack Trice Field.” He said it was “a compromise we had to live with.” The Regents approved it. Another small victory. But a group of determined students steered by a daisy chain of Daily editors and GSB leadership, with occasional nudges by faculty like Emmerson and Sohn, never quit.
Students funded a $22,000, larger-than-life Jack Trice statue that was dedicated on central campus in 1988. Cyclone basketball player Marc Urquhart (’89 biology) spoke at the ceremony.
“This man was willing to die so that I might stand in front of you today as a student-athlete.” Dr. Urquhart is now an orthopedic surgeon in New Jersey.
In 1995, GSB again voted to fully name the stadium for Jack Trice and a campus forum showed “widespread support for the new name.” A year later, the ISU Advisory Committee for the Naming of Buildings and Streets recommended changing the stadium’s name to Jack Trice Stadium. In February 1997, President Martin Jischke concurred.
“He has become a hero,” Jischke said of Trice, “not so much for what he accomplished, because his life was cut short, but for what he represented.” The Regents voted 7-2 in favor of the new name.
On an overly steamy Aug. 30, 1997, ISU prepared to host Oklahoma State. Prior to kickoff, Wagner watched excitedly as a black covering was removed, revealing the most awaited signage in school history: JACK TRICE STADIUM.
“After the Regents decision in 1976, I wondered if the students would keep it going,” she admitted. “But they kept it going for years, for decades.”
Jack Trice is better known today than at any time in the past 100 years. Yet, the farther one travels from campus, the less people know about the man and his ideals. It’s an Iowa State story worth telling, so more work lies ahead.
“If all of us were to sit down tonight and write our own letters ‘to whom it may concern,’ what would they say?” asked President Wintersteen. “Would our thoughts mirror those of Jack Trice, putting our trust in our heart, our abilities, and strengths? Could we come up with anything approaching the profound eloquence of ‘I Will!’ Those two words and exclamation point resound nearly 100 years later, embodying the force of Jack’s spirit.”
“Jack Trice’s legacy is important to the state of Iowa,” said Johnson, the alumni association president. “It lets us all know that he was here.”
Senior Vice President Younger, an Iowan since 2020, was surprised not more students knew Trice’s story. “I think one of the reasons why I’m so passionate about serving on the Trice 100 Commemoration Committee,
and it is personal for me as an African American, is telling the story to African American students.”
Iowa State Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard said Trice’s spirit and strength inspires the entire Athletics Department a century after his tragic death.
“His story resonates deeply beyond football with all of our student-athletes,” he said, “and it is important that we ensure his legacy lives on for future generations of Cyclones.”
Emmerson is quick to remind people he was not the first to notice the Jack Trice plaque in State Gym. But he was the first to wave the Trice flag and is still doing so 66 years later.
He credits ISU students for their sustained support for naming the stadium for Trice. “The students made it happen.” And, as he once wrote, “Next to Jack Trice, they are the real heroes.”
A case of chicken pox kept young George Trice (’05 marketing) from visiting Iowa in 1988 for the unveiling of a sculpture honoring his first cousin twice removed, Jack Trice.
“I was 8 years old and didn’t know the significance of the event, didn’t even know anything about Jack Trice,” George admitted.
Even as a high school senior, it took a coach reading a news article to inform him that ISU was going to rename its stadium in honor of his relative.
Today, George knows all about Jack Trice and wants others to know him not only as an athlete, but as a man who “wanted to educate his race and community by creating a culture around family.”
George created the Trice Legacy Foundation to support students of color “to create their own legacies.” He is raising money and now provides scholarships for college-bound students and laptops for high schoolers.
The foundation keeps George hopping, but it is important to him. And, when raising funds, he has a strong selling point: “We’re not affiliated with the family, we are the family.”
Doug Jeske (’89 agriculture journalism, public service and administration) learned about Jack Trice during his undergraduate years at Iowa State in the late 1980s. It left a lasting impression.
“Jack Trice’s story inspired me at the time, and I’ve seen how it’s inspired generations of students,” he said. “And it still inspires me today.”
Jeske worked in the GSB office shortly after the organization allocated $22,000 to create a statue to memorialize Trice on campus. In 1988, he helped welcome Jack Trice’s relatives who had journeyed from Ohio for the ceremony, and he lent a hand when it came time to uncover the 1,600-pound
bronze sculpture. Up stepped an Iowa State Daily photographer.
“There was a Daily photo of me helping to unveil the statue,” Jeske said, “but that overstates my role.”
For years, Doug and Karen Jeske (’89 distributed studies, PhD ’10 sociology) have generously supported many Iowa State initiatives through their volunteerism and philanthropy, including Trice-related projects. The two serve on the Jack Trice 100 Commemoration Committee.
When he arrived at Iowa State in 2015, Coach Matt Campbell sought an identity for Cyclone football. He wanted a powerful story to define his vision for the ISU program.
He looked no farther than the name on the stadium wall.
“We were going to build Iowa State football on the Jack Trice story and the legacy he left behind,” Campbell said.
“Today we take the lessons he taught us and try to create our own legacies moving forward individually and collectively as a team.”
Campbell said it is important for his team to understand what Trice means to the university. Trice’s story is emphasized during recruitment and when players arrive on campus. “We start the football season every year reiterating and understanding the legacy and what it means to play at Iowa State.”
Campbell calls Trice a “trailblazer” for leaving Cleveland to become the first African American student-athlete at Iowa State. “The courage and commitment that this young man made at that time to blaze a trail, not only for himself but certainly for many, many others after him, is truly powerful.”
Interested in learning more about Jack Trice? Visit www.IowaStater.iastate.edu for more information about the Jack Trice 100th Commemoration and other Trice stories.
You’re a Des Moines native?
“I was born in Des Moines — at Methodist Hospital,” he said, dressed casually in a purple polo for a Zoom call from his office in Genentech Hall on UC San Francisco’s Mission Bay campus. He grew up on Des Moines’ west side, at 57th Street and Forest Avenue, not far from Roosevelt High School.
Keith Yamamoto (’68 biochemistry)
worked his way through Roosevelt in the early 1960s, his father encouraging him to go on to college to become a scientist. Yamamoto remembers reading about DNA, proteins, messenger RNA — all kinds of discoveries that started as ideas in the heads of scientists.
“I was hooked,” he remembered thinking, “I want to go do that. That’s really amazing.”
So, off he went to Iowa State. (“I was not very brave. I went 35 miles north.”)
During his first day on campus,
STORY BY MIKE KRAPFLYamamoto and his parents, the late Verlin and Dee Yamamoto, met his faculty advisor, the late Jack Horowitz, who served as chair of the department of biochemistry and biophysics in the early 1970s.
“He was just a terrific guy,” Yamamoto said. “He was very respectful. He was smart and energetic, and I started working in his lab right away. I just loved it.”
Yamamoto remembers talking with Horowitz about science. He remembers
Keith Yamamoto, leader of the world’s largest general scientific society, remembers his Iowa roots.
being immersed in a “well-established science environment.” He remembers advice about graduate school and launching a career in science. (He’d do all that himself as an established scientist and mentor. More on that later.)
So, after a sophomore-year flirtation with majoring in English to be a creative writer, Yamamoto kept at his science studies, earning a bachelor’s of science in biochemistry and biophysics in 1968. Next came graduate studies at Princeton University in New Jersey. Then it was west to UCSF as a postdoctoral fellow, and subsequent recruitment to the university’s faculty.
He built a lab and a group dedicated to understanding the signaling and gene regulation activities of receptors within cells. Along the way, he accepted an array of campus leadership positions, including department chair, executive vice dean of the school of medicine, vice chancellor for research, director of precision medicine and vice chancellor for science policy and strategy.
Yamamoto was elected president-elect of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in May 2022. Founded in 1848, AAAS is affiliated with more than 250 scientific societies, serves 10 million people, and publishes the journal Science.
He served one year as president-elect, is now serving as president, and will serve one year as immediate past-president.
Yamamoto reacted to his election by posting a few agenda items to his Twitter account (@kryamamoto): “I am honored to become the new AAAS president-elect. I look forward to bringing a renewed focus to scientific literacy, diversity, and impact to the organization.”
Sudip Parikh, the CEO of AAAS and executive publisher of the Science journals, said Yamamoto has had a
“broad and deep” impact on American science policy.
“His is a legacy of breaking down barriers to make science and its outputs more accessible to everyone — which is exactly what the theme of his presidency is intended to highlight and pursue,” Parikh said. “AAAS and the entire scientific enterprise are better off because of Keith’s leadership.”
Sam Hawgood, the chancellor and a distinguished professor at UCSF, praised Yamamoto’s election by noting his scientific work in biology and medicine, and his experience in science policy at federal and state levels.
Hawgood added: “He understands the many roles that scientists play in society. And he is committed to advancing diversity in science.”
One role that Yamamoto is passionate about has roots at Iowa State, where Horowitz modeled what it takes to mentor aspiring scientists. A faculty mentor later in Yamamoto’s career — Bruce Alberts, who Yamamoto worked with at Princeton and UCSF — encouraged Yamamoto to help improve science education by guiding young scientists and encouraging a little scientific courage.
Yamamoto has picked up that torch in a very public way.
Institutions and their faculty leaders “should value teaching, mentoring and successful trainee career trajectories,” Yamamoto wrote in a letter published by Science in March. They shouldn’t “focus on research output over mentorship because publications bring in grants.” Nor should they push “conservative, pedestrian projects that align with the risk aversion of funders.”
Rather, Yamamoto’s letter concluded, faculty leaders should remember, “Students choose to do science because they aspire to achieve something bold and amazing.”
Yamamoto likes to say the approximately 100 graduate and postdoctoral students who have trained in his lab
appear to have done just that, offering as evidence the numerous awards recognizing the lab’s discoveries and Yamamoto’s own election to the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.
One of the perks of the AAAS presidency is establishing a theme for the association’s annual meeting. Yamamoto chose: “Toward Science Without Walls.” (The 2024 meeting will be Feb. 15-17 in Denver.)
A statement from AAAS announcing the theme says the meeting, “Will explore the consequences of barriers that currently fragment our community, separating us by discipline, approach, institution, nation, access, wealth, seniority, race, and gender. We will consider solutions, and envision a seamless ecosystem that would drive more innovative, equitable, rapid, open science and technology.”
By virtue of its size, scope and “convening power,” Yamamoto said AAAS can help scientists “find ways to tear silos down — or at least poke holes in them.”
In other words, Yamamoto said, “If we work together, better science will emerge.”
And better science is what the AAAS mission is all about — “Advancing Science, Serving Society.”
One way it does that is by annually electing scientists from across disciplines and around the world to be AAAS Fellows. Since 2000, 15 Iowa Staters have joined the elite ranks honored for their distinguished science.
That’s a good sign for the alma mater, said Yamamoto, who also has a 2001 honorary doctorate from Iowa State.
All those AAAS Fellows “are a really good indication of the respect that Iowa State scientists enjoy across the country,” he said. “That makes me proud. That makes me happy.”
Donating an auction package or item is a great way to get involved and support Iowa State from anywhere. Vacation homestays, restaurant gift cards, concert tickets, sports memorabilia, and other gift packages are some of the items needed to make the Cardinal & Gold Gala special. Sponsoring the gala is another great way to involve your business and make a difference. Connect with Chelsea Trowbridge (‘09), director of special events and merchandise from the ISU Alumni Association, at ctrow@iastate.edu to discuss options to collaborate and connect with Cyclones Everywhere.
February 9, 2024
Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center 833 5th Ave, Des Moines, Iowa
HONORARY CO-CHAIRS
Mark (’89) and Holly (’88) Chidley
Brenda and Gary (’92) Wadle
HONORARY YOUNG
PROFESSIONAL CO-CHAIRS
Philip (’07) and Rosalyn De Koster
For more details and to register by Feb. 2, visit www.ISUalum.org/GalaDSM.
ASK CY p31 IOWA STATER BOOK CLUB p32 IF YOU’RE HEADED TO... p33 FUTURE CYCLONES p33 CYCLONE POWER p48
Bicyclists brave the summer heat and experience Jack Trice Stadium during the 50th anniversary of RAGBRAI. Ames welcomed over 30,000 riders this past July for the first time since 2018.
Image by Christopher Gannon
DEAR MEMBERS:
It’s no secret … I’ve come to deeply love Iowa State and Iowa Staters! The longer my family and I are here in Ames, the more we appreciate all that this university stands for and still can achieve.
In this edition of Iowa Stater Magazine, we engage with the life and legacy of Jack Trice. In the past year, I’ve found myself thinking over the letter Jack wrote on the eve of his death. “My thoughts just before the first real college game of my life. The honor of my race, family, and self are at stake.” Jack’s words, “race, family, and self,” still resonate with me today. Similar thoughts went through my mind back in 1999, when I was selected to lead the ISU Alumni Association. As a young Black man, the first person of color, and a non-ISU alumnus at the time, to be selected for this role was humbling. Like Jack, I had confidence in my ability. Also like Jack, I understood the weight of the responsibility I had been entrusted with by Iowa Staters.
Jack’s letter goes on to say, “Everyone is expecting me to do big things.” I too, wanted to help Iowa State do big things. And with the help of staff, board directors, donors, friends, and campus colleagues, here are just a few achievements to date:
n Championed by the generosity of Roy and Bobbi Reiman and 400-plus contributors, the dream of building an alumni center was achieved in 2008. The alumni center has provided a space for Cyclones everywhere, across generations, to gather, reconnect, and celebrate their Cyclone pride.
n Also in 2008, association membership grew to 50,000 — making ours the second largest dues-paying member-based organization in the Big12 Conference. Thanks for making this happen for Iowa State, association members!
n In 2014, thanks to the conviction of Lora and Russ Talbot, the position I hold became the United State’s first endowed alumni position and the first nonacademic endowed position on Iowa State’s campus. This endowment frees up and generates critical resources to help the association enhance outreach and programming efforts for alumni, students, and friends, and supports staff development and student internship opportunities.
In 2028, this organization will turn 150 years old. We’ve already got a few big things on our dreams list. Stay tuned to learn how you can play a role in your association’s future. Iowa State and the ISU Alumni Association still have big things to do … together!
Yours for Iowa State,
JEFF JOHNSON, PHD HIGHER EDUCATION, PRESIDENT AND CEO
A.In 1872, the first graduating class of Cyclones completed their time at Iowa State with a bachelor of science degree — while some graduated with specific focuses like mechanic arts, agriculture, and general science. Several of the inaugural Iowa Staters had specialties within their areas of focus, like mechanic arts for architecture, mechanical engineering, and civil engineering. Now, in 2023, Iowa State offers a multitude of degree programs for the next generation of Iowa State groundbreakers.
Dawn Refsell grew up on a grain and livestock farm in northwest Iowa. During her time at Iowa State, Refsell was a Hixson Scholar and a Hixson seminar leader and active in the Agronomy Club. For her leadership, she has received the Presidential Sector Award from Sumitomo Chemical Company along with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Outstanding Young Professional Award in 2017.
Who inspired you to do what you do today?
I am very grateful to be inspired by many people that have influenced different facets of my life to prepare me for my current role. My foundation of inspiration, though, is my parents. They emphasized caring for others and the love of the land and agriculture.
What is something new you have learned this past year?
I am a new trustee for our township, so I’ve learned a lot regarding township budgets, responsibilities, and relationships with other municipalities.
What did you enjoy about being a Hixson seminar leader?
I enjoyed sharing my experience of coming from a very small school (I only had 22 in my graduating class) to Iowa State with the next class of students. As well as sharing about the ins and outs of classes and the adjustments of college life.
A.There are currently 57 trips being offered for 2024! Many bucket list destinations are available, like the Dutch waterways, Alaskan wildlife tours, a cruise through Antarctica, land and river tours of Egypt, a Friday round of the Masters at Augusta, and many more. In 2023, Traveling Cyclones had a recordsetting number of travelers, with nearly 830 setting off for adventures. No matter your preferred type of travel — regional or international, land or water tour, river or ocean cruise — Traveling Cyclones has a trip available for you to connect with Iowa Staters from around the world.
“Moments of Impact” tells the stories of Jack Trice, Ozzie Simmons, and Johnny Bright. All three Black athletes played college football for three different Iowa universities. Schultz’s book examines the impact of the serious injuries on the gridiron they endured due to their talents or race, as well as the response of their communities.
About the author
Jaime Schultz is a professor of kinesiology at Pennsylvania State University with an affiliate faculty appointment in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. An award-winning teacher and scholar, she has published six books and nearly 70 articles and chapters.
Virtual discussion date: Attend our virtual discussion in January. Date to be announced. Sign up for more information at www.ISUalum.org/BookClub.
Book club selections do not imply endorsement of their content or concurrence with their authors by the ISU Alumni Association.
Brent Herrig’s first job in New York City could best be described as a scene from “The Devil Wears Prada.”
“There’s a lot of personality that goes on,” Herrig says, reminiscing on his intense start in the world of fashion photography. “I quickly realized that I wasn’t the most fashionable person in the world, and I didn’t really care a lot about it, either. You have to be in the know for the fashion industry to be part of it.”
Herrig (’07 art and design) was the editor and photographer for Trend magazine at Iowa State. The hands-on experience helped prepare him to be a professional photographer.
He spent three years perfecting his craft in the Fashion District. Learning complex lighting setups and handling $40,000 cameras, he gained the confidence and skill set to venture out on his own.
“A friend of mine asked if I could shoot the menu for his pop-up restaurant that he did once every week,” Herrig recalls. “I was like, ‘Yeah, sure.
How hard can shooting food be?’ And then I realized it’s really hard! But I was good at it.”
This opportunity was the start of a newfound passion for food and cocktail photography. Brands like Belvedere, Moët, Hennessy, and Pepsi have all called on Herrig to showcase their products.
Photo shoots have introduced Herrig to many of the world’s best chefs. He collaborates with each to create abstract portraits with their favorite spoon alongside the ingredients and elements that inspire them in a project he calls “Spoonfuls of Inspiration.” In total, he has photographed more than 80 chefs and plans to turn the series into a book.
“We’re using the spoon as an extension of themselves and the food as an expression of style and who they are,” Herrig says.
MATT VAN WINKLECyclones ages 7-14 enjoyed LegaCY Camp alongside their family members this past July! Each camper learned about various majors on campus through interactive tours and field trips with ISU faculty, staff, and students. With hands-on activities and an engaging experience of Iowa State, this is a can’t-miss event for Iowa Staters and their future Cyclones. For more details and info about LegaCY Camp in 2024, visit www.ISUalum.org/LegacyCamp.
IF
ISUAA PHOENIX CLUB LEADER JOE WEIGEL (’10 HOTEL, RESTAURANT, AND INSTITUTION MANAGEMENT, ’12 ACCOUNTING) SHARES HIS FAVORITE PLACES TO EAT, EXPERIENCE LIVE ENTERTAINMENT, AND ENJOY THE OUTDOORS FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP TO ARIZONA.
Phoenix and the rest of the Valley offer many hikes. For a flatter, all-agesand-stages hike, visit Papago Park, South Mountain Park and Preserve, and McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Another scenic hike — one of Weigel’s favorites — Piestewa Peak, is the third highest point in Phoenix.
Home to all four major professional sports leagues, PGA tour events, and MLB spring training, Phoenix has everything a sports fan could dream of. Spring training, a fan favorite, brings 15 MLB teams to cities across the Valley, offering an up close and personal experience with America’s national pastime.
Searching for a great brewery? O.H.S.O. Brewery, Four Peaks Brewing Company, and Fate Brewing Company are perfect for enjoying great food and drinks on the patio.
Extra time for a day trip? Make your way to Tombstone to be transported back to the Wild West, or Sedona for beautiful scenery with red rocks, steep canyon walls, and pine forests.
Iowa State’s campus is steeped with tradition, remarkable stories, and historic moments capturing the interwoven cardinal and gold threads of every Iowa Stater’s story, young and old. Whether it’s a wedding under the campanile, a raucous crowd at Jack Trice Stadium, a first home on Pammel Court, or a walk through Gold Star Hall, Iowa State brings everyone’s Cyclone story to life.
STORY BY CALEB GRIZZLE ILLUSTRATIONS BY JENNY WITTE
Special to me and my wife was Pammel Court, specifically, East Pammel. East Pammel was mostly one-bedroom units, four to a building. Around the edges were two-bedroom units, two to a building, like in West Pammel. Our unit was in the far southeast corner of East Pammel, next to the railroad tracks. We had a little more space than most and had a great parking spot. We were the last people to live in our unit as the university had plans to start tearing them down for redevelopment. Today, where our unit was is green space, but we can still see the ground contours of where it was. It was great living for $40 a month.
The first Saturday morning drive to Ames during football season is my favorite of the year. From all corners of the state and beyond, families and friends pile into full-sized trucks and SUVs with their sights set on Ames. Equal parts excitement and anxiety dance around the minds of every Cyclone. The nostalgia of years prior mixed in with the belief in new beginnings.
The closer one gets to Ames, the number of personalized Cyclone plates multiply, and miniature I-State flags affixed to car windows flap in the breeze. The final turn heightens the senses. Cyclones drag coolers full of their favorite refreshments, and the bass rumbles from the outer tailgate spots with parties well underway. Windows roll down, and the trace of seasoned Iowa pork fills the air; cardinal and gold dots every part of the landscape. Winding around University Boulevard — appearing like a beacon
of the season — Jack Trice Stadium is primed and ready for its next Cyclone family reunion, 61,500 strong. This is home for the next few months.
I remember that drive as a youngster with my family, and now my toddlers get to make the same drive to “Cy’s House.” No matter the result of the game, the memories made last forever. The band plays, keys rattle, and there’s no better place to be.
My favorite place on campus is the Memorial Union. When the Maintenance Shop opened in 1973, I was lucky enough to get hired as a bartender. It soon became the go-to place for students and campus visitors. Fridays were particularly popular when we’d show episodes of “Superman” and “The Three Stooges.” The 5-cent popcorn was also a big hit. In addition to the Maintenance Shop, I have great memories of finding quiet spots throughout the Union to study, reflecting on the sacrifices of ISU alumni honored in the Gold Star Hall, and not walking on the Zodiac at the north entry. And after graduation, the Memorial Union Hotel was a favorite place to stay. Whenever I am in Ames, I make it a point to return to the Memorial Union to experience its rich sights, sounds, and smells again.
I attended Iowa State from the fall of 1970 until the fall of 1975. Many days on the way to or from class, I would walk through the Memorial Union. I would often sit for a few minutes in the Gold Star Hall at the north entrance of the building. The room memorialized ISU alumni who were fallen service members. The room had a peaceful feel to it.
Strolling around campus at night was a habit of ours when we first met; our evenings filled with stories and laughter. Hand in hand, we’d walk for hours, only noticing time pass as the campanile rang in the distance. With such fond memories of our adventures on campus, returning to the campanile for our special day was perfect. Another memory to hold for ourselves, and to feel again each time we return to ISU.
Nov. 3, 2023, CY Stephens Auditorium
Dessert reception sponsored by the Tahira and Labh Hira ISUAA Honors & Awards Fund.
MEMORIAL UNION AWARD
Harold Pride Service Medallion
Pete Englin
(PHD ’01 HOTEL, RESTAURANT AND INSTITUTION MANAGEMENT, FAMILY CONSUMER SCIENCE EDUCATION) retired associate vice president for campus life and director of residence, Iowa State University Ames, IA
COLLEGE AWARDS
AGRICULTURE & LIFE SCIENCES
Floyd Andre Award
Mike Peterson
(’84 AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS) president and owner, Peterson Genetics Cedar Falls, IA
George Washington Carver
Distinguished Service Award
Jerry and Karen Kolschowsky JERRY (’62 AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS) retired chairman and chief executive officer, OSI Industries Oak Brook, IL
Henry A. Wallace Award
Pat McGonegle
(’83 ANIMAL SCIENCE) chief executive officer, Iowa Pork Producers Urbandale, IA
Outstanding Young Professional Award
BJ Brugman
(’12 AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS) founder and chief executive officer, Distynct Ames, IA
IVY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
Citation of Achievement
Keith Kreuer
(’81 INDUSTRIAL ADMINISTRATION) principal, RedHouse Associates, LLC Houston, TX
John D. DeVries Service Award
Craig Hansen
(’80 INDUSTRIAL ADMINISTRATION) senior vice president, Holmes Murphy Waukee, IA
Ivy Award
David Kingland
(’80 INDUSTRIAL ADMINISTRATION) chairman of the board and chief executive officer, Kingland Systems and Deb Kingland
(’80 CHILD DEVELOPMENT) executive producer, Kingland Productions/Renovo Media Clear Lake, IA
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Michael Fleisher
(’05 ACCOUNTING, FINANCE) treasurer and head of internal tax, Eisner Advisory Group Bloomfield, NJ
Amanda Matchett
(’08 MARKETING, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS) senior corporate counsel, commercial tech transactions, Workday
Minneapolis, MN
DESIGN
Christian Petersen Design Award
Lee Cagley (’75 INTERIOR DESIGN) retired professor and dept. chair of interior design College of Design, Iowa State University
Las Vegas, NV
Design Achievement Award
Jen Cross
(BLA ’09 LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE) site design leader, HDR Omaha, NE
Katy Stone
(BFA ’92 ART AND DESIGN) owner/artist, Katy Stone Studio Seattle, WA
Outstanding Young Professional Award
Hoàng Trần
(BARCH ’13 ARCHITECTURE) architect, INVISION Architecture Des Moines, IA
Kendyl Wyatt Landeck Larson (MCRP ’19 COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING) housing coordinator, City of Minnetonka
Maplewood, MN
Anson Marston Medal
Cork Peterson
(’66 CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING) owner, Peterson Contractors, Inc (PCI) Reinbeck, IA
Professional Achievement Citation in Engineering
Sunil Gaitonde
(MS ’85 COMPUTER ENGINEERING, PHD ’88)
chief executive officer, KPoint Chicago, IL
Young Alumni Award
Brittany Hartwell
(’11 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING) assistant professor, department of biomedical engineering, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN
Joel Rieken
(’06 MATERIALS ENGINEERING, PHD ’11) vice president of global advanced materials division, Praxair Surface Technologies
Zionsville, IN
HUMAN SCIENCES
Alumni Achievement Award
Jeffery W. Johnson
(PHD ’14 HIGHER EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION)
Lora and Russ Talbot endowed president and chief executive officer, Iowa State University Alumni Association
Ames, IA
David A. Walker
(MA ’96 HISTORY, PHD ’98 EDUCATION) associate dean for academic affairs, professor of educational technology, research, and assessment, Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL
Virgil S. Lagomarcino Laureate Award
Curtis A. Cain
(MS ’99 EDUCATION/EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND POLICY STUDIES, PHD ’01) superintendent of schools, Rockwood School District Eureka, MO
Outstanding Young Professional Award
Yu “April” Chen (PHD ’14 HIGHER EDUCATION) associate professor, Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education, Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA
Courtney M. Reyes
(’06 CHILD, ADULT, AND FAMILY SERVICES) executive director, One Iowa West Des Moines, IA
Citation of Merit Award
Danny O’Neill
(’83 POLITICAL SCIENCE, INTERNATIONAL STUDIES) founder, The Roasterie, Inc. Kansas City, MO
Carrie Chapman Catt Public Engagement Award
Jennifer Jacobs
(’93 ENGLISH) senior White House reporter, Bloomberg Washington, D.C.
Paxton J. Williams
(’00 POLITICAL SCIENCE, COMMUNICATION STUDIES) attorney, Belin McCormick Des Moines, IA
Young Alumni Award
Clayton Mooney
(’12 ENGLISH) co-founder and chief executive officer, Nebullam, Inc. (DBA Clayton Farms) Boone, IA
VETERINARY MEDICINE
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Dr. Cara Haden
(’10 ANIMAL SCIENCE, DVM ’14) director of animal welfare, Pipestone Veterinary Services Independence, IA
Lorraine J. Hoffman Graduate Alumni Award
Larry J. Sadler
(’02 ANIMAL SCIENCE, AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS; MS ’09 ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY; PHD ’13 BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES)
senior vice president of animal welfare, United Egg Producers
Cambridge, IA
William P. Switzer Award in Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Adam Christman (DVM ‘04)
chief veterinary officer, MJH Life Sciences Jackson, NJ
Stange Award for Meritorious Service
Dr. Karen Becker (DVM ‘97)
founder and president of nutrition by design, Veterinary Health and Wellness Consultant Fountain Hills, AZ
Dr. Bryan Buss (DVM ‘89)
career epidemiology field officer, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention State Public Health Veterinarian York, NE
Only ISU degrees are listed.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AWARDS
Alumni Medal
Scott E. Olson
(’69 ARCHITECTURE)
broker associate, Skogman Commercial Group, Cedar Rapids, IA
Kay Kretschmar Runge
(’69 HISTORY) president, KKRunge Associates Davenport, IA
Alumni Humanitarian Award
Dr. Chad W. Becker
(’05 DIETETICS)
doctor of emergency medicine, UnityPoint Health Systems, ApolloMD Granger, IA
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Dr. Kevin Bieniek
(’11 BIOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY)
Biggs Institute Brain Bank director and assistant professor, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
Nate Evans
(’06 COMPUTER ENG, PHD ’09 COMPUTER ENG) senior research and development cyber researcher, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Knoxville, TN
James A. Hopson Alumni Service Award
Heather L. Duncan
(’06 PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMIN IN AGRICULTURE) team lead, Grants Management Office, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Region 7) Kansas City, MO
Alumni Service Award
Jan Breitman retired director of alumni travel and educational programs, Iowa State University Alumni Association
Ames, IA
99 Iowa counties
50 states and
159 countries
ISU alumni live in representing Cyclones Everywhere.
The ISU Alumni Center held 11 weddings in FY23, three more than FY22, and booked/held 226 events, 11 more than in FY22.
600
733
Nearly 600 constituents attended the Cardinal & Gold Gala in Des Moines
and raised a record $130,000 for ISUAA programs and events, including the inaugural New Grad Gifted Membership program.
$130,000
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) members in 21 states, including 57 Iowa towns/cities, 32 Iowa counties, and one international member in Canada.
Launched New Grad Gifted Membership program with
was held in July 2022 with 58 attendees, four majors, and three field trips. The second LegaCY Camp was held in July 2023 with 165 attendees, eight majors, and eight field trips.
717 NEW GRAD PARTICIPANTS.
Launched Iowa Stater magazine, website, and e-newsletter in the fall of 2022.
2023 Circle of Excellence Silver Recognitions | Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)
“Runner: Guor Maker” profile
Iowa Stater magazine
Traveling Cyclones, an amazing jump from 327 in FY22.
232 attendees at the 2024 Travel Preview, our highest attendance ever.
Number cruncher? Find more financial info about your ISU Alumni Association.
Partnered with MemberDeals as our new national discount provider for ISUAA members.
Continued dedication to inclusivity by providing mentorship and work experience to an intern through Project SEARCH, a program that helps youth with disabilities make successful transitions from school to adult life.
The ISU Alumni Association Board of Directors voted to adopt the association’s newest strategic plan in May 2023. The ISU Alumni Association strategic plan aligns with the 2022-2031 strategic plan of Iowa State University.
Founded in 1878, the ISU Alumni Association’s long-held mission is to facilitate the lifetime connection of alumni, students, and friends with Iowa State University and each other.
Our vision is to be the best alumni association in the U.S. at engaging diverse partners to help showcase how Iowa State University and Cyclones everywhere are making communities, Iowa, and the world a better place.
Collaborative
Creative
Inclusive
Passionate
Service-minded
Trustworthy
We lift up examples of how Iowa State University and Iowa Staters are making the world a better place through innovative solutions, community engagement, and knowledge and discovery.
These pillars encompass ISUAA’s key themes of focus and strategic priorities for future excellence.
TO BE innovative in bringing long-term financial stability and organizational health to the ISU Alumni Association.
TO BE a trusted, collaborative partner in engaging Cyclones everywhere to celebrate the impact Iowa State University and its alumni, students, and friends have in their communities and on the world.
TO BE an advocate that showcases the value of the degrees of Iowa State graduates by sharing the transformational stories of research, knowledge, discovery, and achievements of Iowa State’s faculty and staff, students, alumni, and friends.
Read the full strategic plan at www.isualum.org/Governance
“Elevating
Pickleball has hordes of people picking up paddles. Why? Ask Glynis Worthington.
In 2017, Worthington — the devoted wife of a fellow Iowa Stater and loving mother to four grown children — was thinking, “What next?”
A runner in the Iowa Senior Games, she thought of training seniors at her local rec center. Management had hesitations, with a lack of senior program federal funding topping the chart.
“I asked, ‘How do you get funding?’ and was told, ‘You can’t, without science,’” she recalls.
So, Worthington got science. By 2018, she had enrolled at the University of Northern Iowa. Spotting more action on the court than on the track, she started observing pickleball games. What Worthington saw would become the foundation of her dissertation: flow theory, the reason for pickleball’s addictive qualities.
Honing in on doubles players ages 50+, Worthington explored the presence of flow and how playing with strangers enhanced this experience — even a side effect she calls the “Playground Effect.” It’s similar to the feeling young children experience when let loose at recess on the first day of school. “There’s no who’s who or social structure. You just have a wonderful time,” Worthington says.
The drive to understand pickleball was also personal. Worthington’s father — an Iowa State veterinary medicine graduate who loved rigorous activity — struggled to find meaning in retirement. Studying pickleball, Worthington was uncovering a key to a better quality of life.
“My goal is to represent exercise as possibly the greatest ‘medicine’ — the greatest thing we can do for ourselves in these age categories,” she says.
This year, Worthington — now age 61 — earned her EdD and became Dr. Glynis, pickleball scientist. She isn’t a pickleball player herself, maintaining a distance she feels is crucial to her studies, however, she preaches the positive effects of picking up a paddle. After all, she’s now the “doctor of pickleball.”
“Deciding to play may be the greatest healthcare decision you make for yourself later in life,” she says. “The more, the better.”
KATE KOHART AND KATE TINDALL“Deciding to play may be the greatest healthcare decision you make for yourself later in life. The more, the better.”
Zach Johnson’s phone rings. It’s the source of a story he’s working on to promote an upcoming movie.
“He’s someone who’s been famous the entire time I’ve been alive,” Johnson says. “I know him as Indiana Jones, Han Solo, all these incredible characters. And so, when he calls you up from his house to chat with you on the phone, you’re just like, ‘I can’t believe I’m talking to Harrison Ford.’”
This Hollywood star is one of many Johnson has had the opportunity to interview as senior communications specialist at The Walt Disney Company. From managing the company’s corporate blog to serving as editor and writer
for the official Disney fan club, Johnson is constantly in the know about the latest in entertainment.
“Yesterday I started doing a [press] junket for ‘The Wonder Years’ in the morning,” says Johnson, referencing ABC’s reboot of the hit sitcom. “And then by the end of the day, I was coding our companywide newsletter and making sure we included information about International Yoga Day. So, you just never know what you’re going to get.”
From his time at Iowa State’s Greenlee School of Journalism, Johnson knew he wanted to work in the entertainment industry. He credits advisor and professor Deb Gibson (’81 family environment family services, home economics journalism), a life member of the
ISU Alumni Association, for encouraging him to pursue his passion. “She understood that I wanted to go into the entertainment journalism space, and she took that seriously, which some people might have scoffed at.”
That boost of confidence helped Johnson land an internship, and soon after his first job at US Weekly magazine and later E! News in New York City. “I was in the office all day long, from 9 to 5, and then I’d have to go cover an event from 6 until 11 and file the story that night.” Johnson recalls. “And I thrived on that.”
While interviews and phone calls with celebrities about upcoming movies take up most of his day, Johnson also finds time to give back in his personal life. Since 2020, he’s volunteered with The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and mental health organization for LGBTQ+ young people. Twice a month Johnson answers calls for The Trevor Project’s 24/7 hotline.
“It’s really about asking questions to get a person to open up to themselves and maybe come to a realization,” Johnson says. “Journalism trains you that you need to be impartial. Sometimes they call because they know they need help, but they don’t know what to say, or they’re shy or they’re nervous. And it’s really just about making them feel comfortable and safe and that maybe if you just kind of want to sit here in silence for a little bit, that’s okay.”
Whether it’s the comfort given by enjoying the wonderful world of Disney creative magic or the comfort of a friendly ear to listen, the reason Johnson gives it his all is simple …
“I like helping people,” he says.
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Diane Claeys (‘76 family environment) of Grand Mound, Iowa, was the first to identify Christian Petersen’s “History of Dairying,” installed in 1935 and located along the east wall of the Food Sciences courtyard. Claeys came across this work from Petersen while returning to campus in 2022, celebrating 50 years of friendship with her fellow Iowa Staters.
Best known for her on-camera work covering business and finance for CNN, Emmy Award winner Christine Romans considers herself a writer at her core. Romans (’93 journalism and mass communication and French) interviews icons and helps a massive audience make sense of money and markets.
What does being an Iowa Stater mean to you?
My roots in journalism come directly from the Iowa State experience. It was my professor in a journalism 101 class who pulled me aside and said, “Why don’t you work at the Daily?” I was hooked from the very first byline. That experience allowed me to get an internship at the Des Moines Register, which became a trampoline for a career on a national and sometimes international stage.
Do you keep in touch with anyone from your Daily days?
My closest friends in journalism are from Iowa State. They’re my go-to group to ask, “Should I take this promotion? Should I move to this city?” I call us the Cyclone Jobs Council.
What do you wish people understood about money?
Personal finance in American culture is framed around “How would I spend my money if I won the lottery?” It’s “Powerball is at $725 million,” and those kinds of stories. I think that framing is all wrong. You have to figure out how you’re going to grow your money. When you grow your money, then you can spend what is growing and keep that nest egg solid and safe.
Looking back, what’s a standout story you enjoyed reporting?
I went on tour briefly with Dolly Parton when she was in Chicago. Dolly was a favorite of my late grandfather. I found her as a leader and as a business maven to be fascinating. Her manager told me, “When Dolly walks by, if you look around you can see ‘Dolly Droppings.’” He was talking about the pieces of sequins and pearls that drop from her costumes, but it’s also a metaphor. She leaves a room, and everyone feels better and brighter and smarter and heard. I want to leave what I’ll call “Dolly Dust” in my life.
BRIANNE SANCHEZ
