T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R M E M B E R S O F T H E I O WA S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N |
Fall 2017
PETE’S
FEAT How did this unassuming 29-year-old financial analyst shatter a transAmerican ultrarunning record that had stood for more than three decades? One step at a time.
PETE KOSTELNICK, ’09
G E TTI NG START ED
by Carole Gieseke
CGIESEKE@IASTATE.EDU
The ultimate road trip
P
ete Kostelnick is my new hero. He’s the 29-year-old guy who last fall blew the running-across-the-country world record out of the water. He’s also an Iowa Stater. And, oh, he’s on the cover of this issue. This is a kid who grew up in Boone, Iowa, and wasn’t much of an athlete. He started running a little. And then a little more. And then a lot. And now he’s in an elite group of crazy runners – like Forrest Gump crazy – who run incredible distances just for the heck of it. Oh, not that he’s not competitive. He competes with himself, mostly, but he also likes to crush records. Like the Badwater 135 – a horrendous race if I ever heard of one; it sounds like a death march – and the cross-country one, among others. What I love about him is that he traveled with his family (two parents and four siblings) to every state that you can drive to, every summer of his childhood, camping along the way. What a great experience! Part of the reason he wanted to run across the country was to revisit that “road trip” kind of feeling. I can relate to this. I’ve been to all 50 states, many of them via road trips starting in the Midwest. I’ve driven a lot of Iowa’s back roads and visited the state’s small towns for my blog, Iowa Girl on the Go. Exploring this state – and this country – is one of the things I most love to do. I also like to explore on foot. I love to hike – especially the Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota – and try to walk as much as I can when I travel. I actually thought about hiking the Appalachian Trail a few years ago, but who am I kidding? I would die out there. So, that’s the big difference between Pete and me. He sets his mind to something, and he goes out and does it. The closest thing I’ve done to running across the country is going to all 50
2
states for VISIONS Across America a few years back. My hiking and walking experiences usually go something like this: Get up at a reasonable hour (not 3:30 a.m., that’s for sure), eat breakfast (blueberry pancakes, if I’m lucky), hike a few hours until I get tired and dirty and sweaty, take a break (on top of a pretty summit, if I’m still lucky), hike back to where I started, try not to get lost, think about pizza, get really excited when I see my car, drive to the nearest pizza place, eat pizza and drink beer, fall asleep with my boots on. Pete’s experience running across America was a bit different. In the story starting on page 10, he tells us what his days were like (basically, running 72 miles – or about 14 hours – a day) and what he ate to fuel his epic journey. And he kept this schedule up for 42 days. Talk about commitment! Photographer Jim Heemstra and I met Pete last summer when he was at his parents’ home in Boone. He’s thin, with powerful tanned legs, dark intense eyes, and close-cropped hair. I found him to be humble – almost shy
– and totally focused on his sport, but not in the aggressive way that a lot of extreme athletes seem to be. In other words, even though he says he still runs 40 hours a week, he seems to have a fairly balanced, multi-dimensional life that includes a job and a wife and a strong connection to his family. Warren Franke, an Iowa State professor of kinesiology, told me that Pete must have an exceptional combination of good genes, good training, and mental toughness to run an ultramarathon virtually every day for six weeks. The fact that he didn’t sustain a record-ending injury, he said, is incredible. Pete said he cherishes the memories of running through open spaces and small towns, meeting people, and seeing the country through a different lens. I just say “bravo!” to a Cyclone with big dreams and the fortitude to make them come true. I can’t wait to see what he does next.
FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
COVER STORY
DEPARTMENTS
10
2 4 6 38 52 54
Pete’s feat Pete Kostelnick’s 3,067-mile journey to break a 36-year record for the fastest run across America
FEATURES
20
Inspiring lives: The 2017 Faculty-staff Inspiration Awards
26
The (big) sky’s the limit at French Conservation Camp
30 32 34
Honors & Awards In one sitting: Faces of Iowa State A dark night in Hanoi
Getting Started Letters to the Editor Around Campus Cyclones Everywhere Sports Calendar
VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
Photo by Jim Heemstra
On the Cover: Ultrarunner Pete Kostelnick takes a break from training near his hometown of Boone, Iowa. Photo by Jim Heemstra
FALL 2017 / VOLUME 30 / NO. 3 EDITOR: Carole Gieseke ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Kate Bruns PHOTOGRAPHY: Jim Heemstra DESIGN: Scott Thornton / www.designgrid.com LOCAL PHONE 294-6525 TOLL-FREE 1-877-ISU-ALUM (478-2586) WEBSITE www.isualum.org
Printed with soy ink on recycled and recyclable paper.
Lancelot and Elaine glide on the surface of Lake LaVerne.
VISIONS (ISSN 1071-5886) is published quarterly for members of the Iowa State University Alumni Association by the ISU Alumni Association, 420 Beach Avenue, Ames, IA 50011-1430, (515) 2946525, FAX (515) 294-9402. Periodicals postage paid at Ames, Iowa, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to VISIONS,
ISU Alumni Center, 420 Beach Avenue, Ames, IA 50011-1430. For ad rates please call 515-294-6560. Copyright 2017 by the ISU Alumni Association, Jeffery W. Johnson, Lora and Russ Talbot Endowed President and CEO and publisher. The ISU Alumni Association mission: To facilitate the lifetime connection of alumni, students, and friends with the university and each other. Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.
3
2017-2018 ISU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Letters
WE’D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU Let us know what you think about
Erin Herbold-Swalwell** ’03 Liberal Studies Altoona, Iowa
OFFICERS #
Nicole M. Schmidt** Chair ’09 Const. Engr., MS ’13 Ankeny, Iowa
Donald A. Hoy** ’63 Ag. Economics Weatherby Lake, Mo. #
Lawrence Cunningham** Chair-elect ’02 Liberal Studies Ames, Iowa
Kathy A. (Sullivan) Peterson** ’95 Speech Comm. Aurelia, Iowa
#
Melanie J. Reichenberger** Immediate Past Chair ’00 Indust. Engr. Mequon, Wis.
Trent Preszler** ’98 Interdisc. Studies Cutchoque, N.Y.
Katherine E. Hallenbeck** Vice Chair of Records ’02 Finance / MIS Ankeny, Iowa
Timothy R. Quick** ’01 Marketing, Intl. Business & Spanish Clive, Iowa
Daniel A. Buhr** Vice Chair of Finance ’95 Elect. Engr. Ames, Iowa
Julie A. Rosin** ’78 Home Ec. Ed., MS ’81 Ankeny, Iowa
#
Joan Piscitello** University Treasurer ’98 MBA Ex-officio/voting West Des Moines, Iowa #
Jeffery W. Johnson** Lora & Russ Talbot Endowed President & CEO PhD ’14 Education Ex-officio/non-voting Ames, Iowa
Darryl Vincent Samuels** ’88 Pol. Sci., MA ’90 Comm. & Reg. Plan / Pol. Sci. Pearland, Texas Deborah Renee (Verschoor) # Stearns** ’81 Journ. & Mass Comm. Altoona, Iowa Dana (Willig) Wilkinson** ’78 Interior Design Bettendorf, Iowa
ELECTED DIRECTORS #
Mark D. Aljets** ’79 Indust. Admin. West Des Moines, Iowa
Suzanne J. Wyckoff** ’69 English Kansas City, Mo. #
Kenneth R. Bonus** ’85 Const. Engr. West Des Moines, Iowa
Kurt Alan Tjaden** ’85 Accounting Bettendorf, Iowa
stories in this issue – or about other topics of interest to VISIONS readers. Email your letters to: CGIESEKE@IASTATE.EDU. THE BELL PLAYERS
What a great story about the Cunningham kids in the most recent edition of VISIONS (“The bell players,” summer 2017). They truly represent the essence of a Cyclone family. I especially liked Jim Heemstra’s photos throughout the story. You were careful to include the fact that Tin-Shi Tam is the Cownie Professor of Music. Yet you did not indicate that all of the Cunningham kids received scholarship support from the Beers/Doe Carillon Scholarship, funded by the Stanton Memorial Carillon Foundation. In fact, their spring concert was performed for the Stanton Foundation’s annual meeting. And finally, I suggest that the Cunninghams did not play the Campanile carillon, they played the Stanton Memorial Carillon. The Campanile is only a tower. It is the home of the Stanton Memorial Carillon, given in love by Edgar W. Stanton (class of 1872), the founder of the Iowa State Alumni Association, in memory of his wife, Margaret. We always say that the Campanile and the Stanton Carillon comprise what is in fact “The Bells of Iowa State.” Let’s give credit where it is due! Robert Lindemeyer**
’58 general science Past president, Stanton Foundation Ames, Iowa CONNECTING WITH KIDS
that made my decision to attend ISU one of high confidence. As an alumnus, I can’t thank the university enough for the education I received that’s provided such a wonderful quality of life. Andrew Lauver**
’12 agriculture studies Rockwell City, Iowa MEMORIES OF KINDNESS
One of my favorite memories of Iowa State was the kindness of Dr. Robert McCowen, our choral music director. My father died suddenly [when I was in school]. When Dr. McCowen heard the reason that I didn’t attend class, he wrote a personal letter of sympathy and encouragement to me, although I was one of his many students. Later, knowing of his Air Force service and ordeals in World War II, I am thoroughly grateful to have known such a fine man! Sally Riepma Snow
’59 applied art Bellingham, Wash. UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS
I want to commend Iowa State for standing with their undocumented students. It makes me very proud to see my alma mater doing the RIGHT thing in the face of incredible and unwarranted cruelty. Bravo, ISU!!! Shirley A. Scritchfield*
You could not have chosen a better subject for the “Fans of the Future” article (summer 2017). The photo on page 18 is Allison Kuhn, cheering on her favorite team while her mom Amanda Scharf Kuhn (’01 elem ed) snaps her
’69 sociology Kansas City, Mo.
photo on the big screen. This very enthusiastic little Cyclone was born into a family of avid ISU tailgaters, attending her first football game at just a few weeks old and her first bowl game a month later. She has thoroughly embraced the Junior Cyclone Club activities, attending cheerleading camps, football, basketball, gymnastics, and volleyball games, fan fest, and movie nights. Thanks for the incredible experiences and opportunities you have provided for these young fans of the future. Greg Kuhn*
Editor’s note: The child’s wagon featured on page 34 of the summer issue was a donation from Midge Longtin* of Muscatine, Iowa, to the ISU Alumni Center Memorabilia Collection. The Alumni Association appreciates gifts of ISU memorabilia, photos, and other artifacts.
Jeff Johnson with his grandson, Tony.
APPOINTED DIRECTORS #
Eric Burrough** ’97 DVM, PhD ’11 Vet. Path. Ames, Iowa Thomas A. Connop** ’76 History Dallas, Texas
#
Kate Gregory** Senior Vice President for University Services Office of the President Representative Ames, Iowa #
Wendell L. Davis** ’75 DVM Overland Park, Kan. Heather L. (Reid) Duncan* ’06 Public Service & Admin. in Ag. Kansas City, Mo. Duane M. Fisher** ’73 Ag. Ed., MS ’80 Mt. Auburn, Iowa
Kim McDonough** ’02 Journ. & Mass Comm., MS ’04 College Representative Ames, Iowa Phyllis M. Fevold** Non-alumni Representative Ames, IA Samuel Perington*** Senior, Marketing & Finance Student Alumni Leadership Council Representative Johnston, Iowa
Jeffrey Grayer** ’05 Liberal Studies Grand Blanc, Mich. #
Geoffrey C. Grimes** ’69 Architecture Waterloo, Iowa
Kari A. (Ditsworth) Hensen** ’96 Sociology, MS ’98 Higher Ed., PhD ’05 Ankeny, Iowa 4
Membership Key: *Annual member **Life member # Sustaining Life donor ***Student member Meet the Board: www.isualum.org/board
Ankeny, Iowa Proud Grandpa and ISU supporter Thank you for bringing back the LegaCY program for children! I am an ISU alum who grew up receiving gifts from the university as a child. It was these small gifts and reminders
*Annual member, **Life member Iowa State University values communication with alumni and other audiences, and VISIONS welcomes letters from readers about topics in the magazine. Letters must be signed and include address and daytime phone number. Letters chosen for publication may be edited for length and clarity. The editor may decide to publish a representative sample of letters on a subject or limit the number of issues devoted to a particular topic. While universities are places of open discussion, letters deemed potentially libelous or that malign a person or group will not be published. Letters express the views of the readers and not Iowa State University nor the ISU Alumni Association. Send letters to VISIONS Editor, ISU Alumni Center, 420 Beach Ave., Ames, IA 50011-1430 or email cgieseke@iastate.edu.
FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
Cyclone LEGACIES My parents, Sam and Maurene Jennison, met at ISU in the mid-’50s. A home ec major, my mom answered an ad posted in McKay Hall for a cook and housekeeper for the St. Thomas Aquinas Rectory. They became friends with Fr. Supple, and under his teaching and encouragement became Catholics. They married in 1957 and both graduated from ISU. All five of their children, me and my brothers – Jim, John, Joe, and Jeff – are ISU grads. Now the grandchildren and great-nieces and nephews attend. ISU and Ames will always hold a special place in our hearts. My parents just celebrated 60 years of marriage. What a blessed impact ISU has had not only on their family but their faith. I am grateful! Anne Jennison Mallampalli**
’83 distributed studies Pittsburgh, Pa. There are probably many such examples, but when my granddaughter, Lauren Ellerbach, enters ISU this fall, she will be the fourth generation of our family to attend Iowa State: my mom, Loraine Mundt (’31 home ec), myself, my daughter Amy Martin (’88 math) and her husband Joe Ellerbach (MS elect engr), plus several great-uncles and aunts, an uncle, and umpteen cousins. Lauren is a potential vet med student. Jeanne (Peterson) Martin*
’57 home economics education Northfield, Minn. I graduated in 1992 and LOVE my Cyclones! I have identical triplet boys and have been dressing them in ISU gear since they were born. They’ve been to VEISHEA, football games, and campus tours throughout their lives, all in the hope that I would get at least one of them to attend ISU! In October was The Big Tour. We came down for the real campus visit during the boys’ junior year of high school. It was a gorgeous fall weekend. ISU did its best for me! So, on Aug. 15, I will be moving my son, Nick Lees, into Helser Hall as he starts his freshman year as a Cyclone! I still can’t believe it! When we came down for orientation last month, I cried on and off the whole two days ... partly for the nostalgia of my college days and also for the excitement of the next four years of enjoying college again with Nick! I am so glad to see ISU kicking off the new LegaCY Club! Kim Ditter**
’92 industrial engineering St. Paul, Minn. In late 1896, my dad, Julius Larsen, was shipwrecked in a Caribbean hurricane and was offered passage back to his native Norway or to the United States. He chose the U.S. Seventeen years old, he found work, learned the language, put himself through high school, then moved on to Yale School of Forestry. His first job was the U.S. Forest Service in northern Montana and Idaho. In 1921, serving as director of a forest research station in
Julius Larsen at one of the annual student Forestry Summer Camps at a national forest in California.
northern Idaho, he jumped at an offer to teach forestry at Iowa State. Teaching in Ames, and known as “Skipper,” he earned his master’s and doctorate at ISU, and thus became the patriarch of our Cyclone family [that includes my sister, her husband, their three children, our daughter, her husband, and their son.] As for the Cyclone legacy: Well, there are great-grandkids out there. Who knows?
Einar Larsen*
’49 industrial administration Ames, Iowa Grant van der Linden (’16) was the 14th member of the van der Linden clan to graduate from Iowa State. The family legacy started with the three van der Linden brothers of Ames: John (’40), Louis (’41), and Spencer (’48), and Spencer’s wife, Janeth Meneough (’48). They were followed by a second generation of three more van der Linden brothers, all sons of John: Peter (’75, MS ’80), Dirk (’78), and Thomas (MS ’81), as well as their wives, Judith (O’Keefe) van der Linden (MS ’80); Lee (Horn) van der Grant van der Linden Linden (’80); and Jean Silberman (’84). The second generation also included Spence and Jan’s two daughters, Susan (van der Linden) Benson (’74, MS ’78) and Lisbeth “Libby” (van der Linden) McLarty (’76), as well as Susan’s husband, David W. Benson (’74). Grant was the only third generation member of the clan to attend Iowa State. But who knows, the fourth generation is just starting to be born!! Dirk van der Linden**
’78 journalism Belmond, Iowa Sometimes my siblings and I joke that we didn’t know any other universities existed besides Iowa State, especially when we share with friends the number of Simpson offspring that call ISU their alma mater. Our dad, Roland Simpson, a 1948 graduate of “The Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts,” with a BS in animal husbandry, died this past April at the age of 97. During the last few years of his life one of his special joys was having all three of his kids (also Iowa State graduates) together with him at one time: My sister,
Roland Simpson with his three Cyclone “kids.”
Roberta Simpson-Dolbeare (’76 journalism), our brother, Brad Simpson (’76 psychology) and me. I married an ISU graduate, David Hundling (’70 indust admin). Our son, Brice Hundling (’03 ag studies & agron) and his wife, Melanie (Iler) Hundling (’03 exercise sci & nutrition) are also Iowa State graduates. So far, our dad has nine great-grandkids, and who knows…maybe some are Cyclones in the making, ready to carry on the Simpson family’s Iowa State legacy! Shelley (Simpson) Hundling
’72 elem ed Breda, Iowa I was reading through the most recent VISIONS and was impressed with all the families that are ISU alums. I wonder if you might be interested in my family’s ISU connections. My father, William Buss, was a 1956 graduate of Iowa State College in civil engineering. I am the youngest of his five daughters. My husband, Jeffrey Eagan, was an accounting graduate in 1981, and our son, Tyler Eagan, was a kinesiology graduate in 2016. My daughter, Haley Eagan, studied at ISU but elected to finish her education in nursing. My mother, Nadine Buss, worked for many years in the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Mom and Dad are tireless and rabid ISU athletics fans. Many years of football games and basketball games came to an end not too long ago when their health didn’t allow them to attend any longer, but they remain loyal ISU fans. Jane (Buss) Eagan**
’86 physical education Ames, Iowa Letters have been edited for length. Read full versions of these and other Cyclone legacy stories at isualum.org/legacy. 5
Around Campus
IOWA STATE PARKS CELEBRATE 100 YEARS
The search is on The search for Iowa State’s 16th president kicked into high gear July 6, with the posting of the official job advertisement. Consultants from AGB Search of Washington, D.C., drafted the ad, which was approved by the 21-member search committee and was designed to reflect the input received during four public listening sessions held earlier in the summer. The deadline for applications was Aug. 24, and finalists are expected to visit campus for interviews in early October. The search timeline calls for the new president to take office in early 2018. For the latest information about ISU’s presidential search, visit http://president search.iastate.edu.
6
Regents green-light new ISU nursing program
T
his summer the Iowa Board of Regents approved a new Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at Iowa State, expanding opportunities that experts say will address a critical statewide need. According to 2016 data from the Iowa Board of Nursing and the Iowa Organization of Nurse Leaders, only 46.5 percent of Iowa RNs have bachelor’s or higher degrees, compared to 65 percent nationally. “This program helps meet a statewide need in health care to increase the number of nurses with bachelor’s degrees,” ISU provost Jonathan Wickert (A) said. “It also opens opportunities for research and outreach with local school districts, residential living facilities, and other providers focused on improving the health of our community.” The program, which will be housed within in the College of Human Sciences, will begin accepting applications this year with hopes of enrolling approximately 50 students for fall 2018. FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
5
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Iowa’s state park system. Remembering the parks’ original purpose could help inform how we think about them today, said Heidi Hohmann, associate professor of landscape architecture. “It’s always good to use these anniversaries to see where we were and how far we’ve come,” Hohmann said. “The very act of setting these places aside – and designing facilities so that thousands of visitors don’t destroy the very thing being preserved – also makes them human, or cultural, landscapes. Between 1910 and 1940, landscape architects defined this new kind of landscape, which still influences the way we think about state and national parks.” Iowa State’s Louis Pammel, thenhead of the Botany Department, helped spearhead the campaign for state parks and for the conservation of significant plants, animals, and geology. And ISU landscape architects also participated in the process. “The ISU landscape architects inventoried the landscapes prior to selection as state parks, and designed the facilities – roads, trails, pavilions, beaches – that allowed people to see and experience these conserved landscapes,” Hohmann said.
G-Nomes: New, improved, and back on top of Molecular Biology The sacred guardians of ISU’s Molecular Biology building needed a facelift. But now they’re back, in spectacular fashion. G-Nomes, created by artist Andrew Leicester and originally installed in 1990, were 12 feet tall, made of terra cotta, and weighed roughly 2,200 pounds each. Due to deterioration of the terra cotta body, Leicester and fabricating artist Tom Stancliffe created new sculptures using aluminum that weigh just 400 pounds each. The G-Nomes hold X and Y chromosome rods in each of their hands. The stylized black-and-white coats worn by the figures are symbolic references to the black suits worn by business people and the white lab coats worn by scientists – a nod to the collaboration between these two professions that the artist believed would lead the molecular biology program at Iowa State. The new and improved sculptures were lifted by crane on Monday morning, July 24 and installed on the four corners of the Molecular Biology building.
UNIVERSITY MUSEUMS
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES / IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
Professor Louis Pammel’s Systematic Botany class at Ledges State Park, circa 1927.
cool things you should KNOW and SHARE about ISU
1: Iowa State is one of the nation’s safest schools.
The National Council for Home Safety and Security has ranked Iowa State University No. 18 on its list of the Top 100 Safest Colleges in America 2017. The ranking uses the most recent data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting and the National Center for Education Statistics.
2: Iowa State plays a key role in a new U.S. Department of Energy research center. Iowa State University is a partner institution in the new, $104 million Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Led by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the project will study the next generation of plant-based, sustainable, costeffective biofuels and bioproducts. 3: Iowa State is at the heart of the Midwest’s top community for business startups. With a per capita score of 9.83 in Silicon Prairie News’ recent measurement of available
VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
startup resources, Ames has been recognized as the top city for startups among all locations in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and southeast South Dakota. 4: Iowa State continues to grow. This summer, Iowa State
set a record for enrollment at 12,060 summer session students, representing a 15 percent increase over the previous year, thanks in large part of the availability of online courses. 5: Iowa State passed the half-billion mark for exter-
nal funding in FY17. ISU broke its own external funding record for the fourth-straight time in 2017, receiving more than $500 million in grants, contracts, gifts, and cooperative agreements during fiscal year 2017. “More than a half-billion dollars in external funding this year reflects a strong belief in the quality of our university,” said interim president Benjamin Allen (L), “to prepare students for the future, produce groundbreaking discoveries, and improve lives across Iowa and the world.”
7
Former USDA undersecretary to join food science and human nutrition faculty
Team PrISUm set to race Penumbra
A new approach to treating domestic violence offenders
8
TEAM PRISUM
Around Campus
T
he Iowa State student solar car team’s latest creation is a $750,000, four-seat passenger car that will travel up to 70 miles per hour. Penumbra was officially unveiled in June at the ISU Alumni Center and then spent the summer on a statewide tour. It’s all leading up to the World Solar Car Challenge in Australia this October; Penumbra is the first-ever ISU solar car to compete in the elite challenge, which will feature 95 cars representing teams from two dozen different countries. “This vehicle is a statement to the world that the future is now,” said Team PrISUm co-leader Dylan Neal (S), a senior in mechanical engineering. “This vehicle is bridging the gap between the present and the future, and we look to inspire all future generations to continue the same passions and work that we’re doing. We are truly trying to develop this technology with our partners to ensure that this can be placed into the regular automotive market.” Learn more about Penumbra at www.prisum.org/.
A new intervention program for domestic violence offenders developed by ISU assistant professor of human development and family studies Amie Zarling is grabbing national attention for its unique approach and promising early results. A three-year study, recently published by the journal Psychology of Violence, found a 50 percent difference in recidivism rates between participants in an existing program at the Iowa Department of Corrections and those who participated in Zarling’s pilot program, Achieving Change Through Values-Based Behavior (ACTV, pronounced “active”). “We’re encouraged by these initial results,” Zarling said. “This is a difficult population to treat. We know that
Catherine Woteki, who served six years as undersecretary for research, education, and economics and as chief scientist for the U.S. Department of Catherine Woteki Agriculture, has joined the faculty of ISU’s Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Woteki also served as Iowa State’s dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences from 2002 to 2005. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. “Dr. Woteki brings a wealth of knowledge about agriculture, food, nutrition, and health from her years of service with the USDA, her work in industry and academia,” Ruth MacDonald, professor and chair of the FSHN Department, said. “We are looking forward to having her incorporate those experiences into our courses and faculty research projects.”
existing interventions have little impact on violent behavior. The men often have little motivation to change when they start treatment, and many have a history of trauma, which complicates treatment.” So what makes the ACTV approach different? Zarling says it works to equalize the relationship between program facilitators and participants by creating a non-judgmental, collaborative environment. “We help offenders see they have a choice,” she said. “ACTV makes the participant an expert in their own life. It teaches them to solve their problems on their own as opposed to lecturing and advice giving.” ACTV is currently offered across the
FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
ISU ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT
MORRIS, LUQUE ARE CYCLONE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
state of Iowa, and Zarling is working with other states that have expressed interest in implementing ACTV. But she’s moving slowly, she says, because there is still more research to be done to improve the program – a program that puts a lot on the line. “A treatment failure has a pretty significant meaning,” she said. “A treatment failure means a woman has been assaulted and her children may have witnessed that violence. That really motivates me because it means a treatment success is also significant. Success means a woman is not assaulted, and kids live in a violence-free home.” Amie Zarling VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017 2017
record for assist-to-turnover ratio (5.17) and is the ISU career record-holder for both assists and steals. The Flint, Mich., native led Iowa State to Big 12 tournament championships in three of his four seasons as a Cyclone and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in 2017. No Cyclone in history has won more games while wearing the Cardinal & Gold jersey. This summer, Morris was drafted by the NBA’s Denver Nuggets with the 51st overall pick.
Luque (’17 marketing), a three-time Big 12 champion and four-time All-American who hails from Venezuela, broke both the school record and the Venezuelan record for the long jump at this year’s NCAA West Preliminaries. And she still has one more season to go as a Cyclone. “Being a Cyclone means that I am a fighter, and I can do everything I have ever hoped or wanted to do,” she said. “For now, it’s time to rest and prepare for my last season.”
“We help offenders see they have a choice. ACTV
makes the participant an expert in their own life. It teaches them to solve their problems on their own as opposed to lecturing and advice giving.” – Amie Zarling
CHRIS GANNON
M
onte Morris, the winningest player in ISU men’s basketball history, and Jhonamy Luque, ISU’s long jump record-holder, have been named Iowa State’s Male and Female Athletes of the Year by the ISU athletics department. Morris (’17 liberal studies), a member of the NABC Good Works Team who earned all-Big 12 and All-America honors during his illustrious career, holds the NCAA
9
10
PETE’S
FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
Pete Kostelnick’s 3,067-mile journey to break a 36-year record for the fastest run across America
I
FEAT BY CAROLE GIESEKE
VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
JIM HEEMSTRA
t seems like an unbelievable achievement: Running 72 miles a day for six weeks – the equivalent of nearly three marathons every day – through desert heat and mountain snow, along empty roadways and on busy streets, from San Francisco to New York City, to break a record that’s stood for 36 years. Ultra-runner Pete Kostelnick (’09 international business/finance) accomplished the remarkable feat last fall, running 3,067 miles in 42 days, 6 hours, and 30 minutes, breaking the long-standing cross-country record by four days. “People always ask me why I did it,” Kostelnick said. “I think it was just kind of the nature of the competitiveness in me and wanting to break a record, [combined with] my love of travel and seeing the country. Road trips are my thing. It was a fantasy I wanted to live out.” ›››
11
WORLD-RECORD RUN ACROSS AMERICA
››
t: ar t S
Sa
ty H o Ci c s i anc n Fr
SIMPLE – BUT COMPETITIVE
We met up with Kostelnick last summer – eight months after his record-setting run across America – at his parents’ house in rural Boone, Iowa. When we arrived at 6:30 a.m., Kostelnick had already logged an 11-mile run, but he looked fresh if not quite relaxed. Routinely running 200 miles (about 40 hours) each week on top of working around 50 hours a week, you have to wonder: Does he ever relax? “Oh, yeah,” he said. “I’m a pretty simple person. I like to just kick back, lounge, have some beers, talk to people. I think with all the running I do, sometimes it’s nice to just be still for a while.” But it takes a driven personality to do what Kostelnick has done. He ran track and cross country in high school but did not compete at Iowa State. He continued to run recreationally, mainly to keep his weight down. Before the run across America, he’d competed in shorter races – 5Ks, 10Ks,
all,
› End › 6 1 20 . 12, S ept
6 ›› Distance: 3,067 miles all, Oct. 24, 201 H y t i C k r o : New Y
half-marathons, and marathons – and eventually found his groove in ultradistance road races. He was the first person to run an entire 423-mile RAGBRAI route – Iowa’s iconic bicycle event – in 2013. He’s finished (and won several) 100-mile and 24-hour races, running as many as 163 miles in one 24-hour period. After finishing the grueling Badwater 135-mile ultramarathon in 2014, Kostelnick won the race in 2015 and broke the course record in 2016. That event is described as “the world’s toughest foot race,” with a 135-mile course starting at 279 feet below sea level in Death Valley and ending at an elevation of 8,360 feet at Mount Whitney. Adding to the length and elevation, weather conditions during the summer race are especially extreme, with temperatures often rising above 100 degrees. THE RUN FOR THE RECORD
Kostelnick trained for the arduous run across America with 30-mile-a-day training and the accumulated effect of building his legs up gradually over the past decade. “I think the main thing I had going for me was that I was prepared to do it,” he said, sitting at his parents’ kitchen table. “There are some people who have gone for the record, and they’ve tried doing it
on running 10 miles a day. You’re just not going to be able to train that little and all of a sudden magically run 70 miles a day.” He credits his professional support crew of four, who handled all the logistics – the public relations, the route planning, the medical assistance, and the meals – with keeping him healthy and allowing him to do just one thing: run. He points specifically to one team member, licensed sports massage therapist Cinder Wolff, who not only drove the RV in which he ate his meals and slept each night but also cooked the meals and gave him much-needed therapeutic massages each day. Nutrition was a huge part of his ability to run long distances each day, he said. During his high-mileage training, Kostelnick routinely consumed 5,000 calories each day, and that number jumped to 10,000 or more during the run across America. “Essentially, I was burning 100 calories a mile on top of just normal calorie needs, so I was burning well over 10,000 calories most days,” he said. “I think training my body to be able to rapidly digest calories and turn them over into energy was huge going into the run, because for a lot of people that’s a big struggle – they kind of go into a death march in ultramarathons because they can’t keep food down. But for me it wasn’t an issue at all. So that, and then Cinder just cooked really good, nutritious meals.” RUN, EAT, SLEEP, REPEAT
During the run across America, Kostelnick’s daily routine did not vary. He woke each day at 3:30 a.m. and hit the road by 4 ››› CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
12
FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
›› Tim e: 42 d a
urs, 3
0 min
utes
JIM HEEMSTRA
ys, 6 h o
VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
13
During the run across America, Kostelnick’s daily routine did not vary. He woke each day at 3:30 a.m. and hit the road by 4 o’clock. He tried to finish the day’s run by 5:30 or 6 p.m.
PHOTOS BY ZANDY MANGOLD AND TRASIE PHAN
S
14
FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
F
“The physical trauma of running this cumulative distance would have crippled most runners.” – Warren Franke, ISU professor of kinesiology VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
15
JIM HEEMSTRA
About Pete Kostelnick Born and raised in Boone, Iowa Graduated from Boone High School Earned a 2009 degree in international business and finance from Iowa State Day job: Financial analyst for National Research Corporation Parents are both teachers; mother Clare teaches at DMACC and father Charlie has been an ISU faculty member for more than 30 years Now lives in Hannibal, Mo. Married to Nicole Larson, a 2011 ISU chemical engineering grad 8: The number of pairs of shoes he wore in his run across America Sponsor: Athletics-shoe company Hoka One One His guilty pleasure: Ice cream ››› o’clock. At around 11 a.m., after running about 40 miles, he met up with the RV and ate lunch. After a half-hour break, in which Wolff massaged and stretched his muscles, he got on the road again and ran another 30-35 miles. He tried to finish the day’s run by 5:30 or 6 p.m., eat a high-protein dinner in the RV, get a 30-minute massage, and fall into bed. The first mile of the day, he said, was always the hardest. Sometimes his legs were so stiff that he had to be helped out of bed. The first mile was little more than a shuffle. But after that, he said, those early morning hours were some of the best. “It’s a little daunting to know that you have 60 to 70 miles left, but the first 20 in the dark are peaceful,” he said. “Sometimes you’re running at 4:30 in the morning on a deserted highway in Nevada and you haven’t seen a car drive by in two hours, and it’s just like, ‘Wow.’ Running through ranch land, which I was for a lot of the run, I’d look to my left with my headlamp and I’d see a cow staring back at me. It was just
16
kind of unreal; it’s you’re on like Mars. [At one point] in Nevada, there wasn’t a single gas station or anything for over two days. It was just nothing on top of nothing.” During the run, a support vehicle leapfrogged ahead every mile or two, providing food and water. But even with a support crew nearby, the run was all his. He battled snowstorms in Utah, 35-mile-per-hour winds across the plains, high elevations, and desert heat. Kostelnick said he always looked forward to the last 10 miles of the day when, if his pace had been fast enough throughout the rest of the day, he could slow down to a walk and enjoy the scenery. It allowed him to reset his mind, look at his surroundings, and “not be in go-mode anymore.” A ‘SELF-HEALING BODY’
Pounding the pavement with 120,000 to 130,000 steps each day took a toll on Kostelnick’s body. Even with his high-level training, during the run across America ››› FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
JIM HEEMSTRA
VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
17
PHOTOS BY ZANDY MANGOLD AND TRASIE PHAN
“I’m never really satisfied with looking in the rear-view mirror. I like to look forward to new things.”
18
FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
What Pete eats Pete Kostelnick consumed 10,000-13,000 calories a day to provide fuel for his run across America last fall. Here’s what he ate on a typical day: First breakfast: oatmeal, toast, banana, protein shake Second breakfast: Protein bar or trail mix, Gatorade Brunch: Breakfast sandwich Lunch: Foot-long sub sandwich, followed by something sweet and a big soda Afternoon snacks: Sweetened dried pineapple and banana chips, Gatorade Dinner: Steak and potatoes Dessert: A pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream On his nightstand: protein bars, water, juice, and animal crackers Kostelnick often ate eggs, red meat, avocadoes, and high-calorie meals like lasagna, tater-tot casserole, mac and cheese, and spaghetti. While he was running, his body required nourishment every 20 minutes, and Kostelnick estimates he almost never went more than two hours without eating for the entire six weeks he was on the road, even waking up in the night to eat protein bars. All the heavy meals did not weigh him down, however. “I’m really good at running on a full stomach,” he said. he suffered from badly bruised feet, tight hamstrings, a swollen knee, tendonitis, and minor injuries from two falls. And yet, he completed the run despite the physical challenges. Warren Franke, ISU professor of kinesiology, said Kostelnick must have an exceptional combination of good genes, good training, and mental toughness. “The repetition involved with taking this many steps over this many days would almost invariably lead to an overuse injury in most people,” he said. “The fact that nothing severe enough to hinder him occurred is a testament to good genes. He also must have prepared adequately. The endurance aspect of running this distance every day is incredible. The enzymatic ‘machinery’ in the skeletal muscles needs to ‘work’ for a very long time for him to run this distance. The physical trauma of running this cumulative distance would have crippled most runners.” Franke continued: “Finally, the mental toughness needed to stick this out is incredible. Many people can ‘gut things out’ for a brief period, but he did it for 42 VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
days knowing what it’d feel like at the end of the day but getting up and running that distance day after day.” In an article in Runner’s World magazine, Wolff said that one of Kostelnick’s most remarkable traits, and one of the biggest keys to his ultrarunning success, was his “self-healing body.” His ankles swelled during the first week, forcing him to rest a full 24 hours on Day 7. He suffered through shin splints and inflamed joints. One week his knee was twice its normal size; two days later the swelling was gone. His body recovered, and he journeyed on. After the run ended last fall, Kostelnick’s legs were swollen and tight. He didn’t get back into the groove of running until April of this year, when he began competing again. He ran a 24-hour race and the 2017 Badwater 135 back-to-back during the summer. WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE ULTRAMARATHON MAN?
Now that Kostelnick has crushed one of the oldest ultrarunning records recognized by Guinness World Records and broken the course record for Badwater 135, what’s next for this singularly driven young runner?
“I’m all about doing something better than I did it before,” he said. “I think with running, it became way more than just checking off a bucket list. When I did my first marathon, I just wanted to do it, but when I did the second one it became, ‘All right, if you’re going to keep doing them, and you’re going to have to keep doing them better.’ When I realized I wasn’t going to get much faster in a marathon, that’s when I started going further, because I couldn’t go faster. “I definitely have a very competitive mind-set, not necessarily with others but just with myself,” he continued. “I’m never really satisfied with looking in the rearview mirror. I like to look forward to new things.” He says he’d like to do more 100-mile and 24-hour races. And there’s a six-day run record he’d like to break someday. But he’s in no hurry. “Ultrarunning is a sport that you can be very good at for quite a while,” he said. “Your peak window is much wider than most other sports. I’d love to keep doing it for a long time.”
19
A
W
A
R
D
S
Inspiring lives Compiled by
C G •
Photos by
J H
N
S
P
I
R
A
T
I
O
N
Inspiration is all around us – but the impact of the professors and mentors we meet during our college years leaves an indelible imprint on our lives. This year’s Faculty-Staff Inspiration Award winners were nominated by former ISU students living as far away as Washington, Idaho, and New York – and yet the impact was still felt years after leaving the Iowa State campus. An awards ceremony to honor each of these recipients was held at the ISU Alumni Center on May 19. The quotes on the following pages are taken from nominators’ essays and have been edited for length.
F
I
George Jackson
U
L
T
Y
-
S
T
A
F
F M S A, G C, B C C Posthumous
“Today I am the first black deputy secretary of state in Arkansas, and on Nov. 8th I was elected as the first black county judge in Arkansas history. When I reflect back on the Iowa State campus, the three figures that loomed larger than life and made an indelible impression on me were the young Jack Trice, George Washington Carver, and Dr. George A. Jackson. They serve as a reminder that sometimes it looks like you are standing alone to change the world. Stand anyway and let your light shine as you do what is right. ¶ Dr. George Jackson was a lighthouse to help me – and so many others around Iowa State and across the country – navigate our course of destiny.”
F
A
C
JOSEPH WOOD** ’87 management Deputy secretary of state, Arkansas Fayetteville, Ark.
BLACK CULT URAL CENT ER NAMED IN HONOR OF GE O R GE J AC K SO N
T
H
E
2
0
1
7
The ISU Alumni Association established the Faculty-Staff Inspiration Award in 2011 as a way for former ISU students to recognize current or former ISU faculty or staff members who had a significant influence in their lives as students at ISU. The award is funded by earnings from the Nancy and Richard Degner Alumni Association Endowment. To submit a nomination for the 2018 Faculty-Staff Inspiration Award, go to isualum.org/awards. The nomination deadline is Dec. 1. 20
In honor of George Jackson’s significant impact on Iowa State’s minority student population, ISU’s Black Cultural Center at 517 Welch Ave. was officially re-named the Dr. George A. Jackson Black Cultural Center at a ceremony on Saturday, May 20. Jackson came to Iowa State in 1978. He was the first director of Minority Student Affairs; served as assistant dean of the Graduate College, president of the Black
Cultural Center, special assistant to the provost, professor of professional studies in education, director of the George Washington Carver Doctoral Fellowship Program; and held several other positions during his 31 years of service to the university. Jackson retired from Iowa State in June 2009 and passed away July 3, 2016 at his home in Coral Springs, Fla. At the naming ceremony, interim FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
Clemmye and Toni Jackson, George Jackson’s widow and daughter, hold a photo of George Jackson. They spoke on behalf of their late husband and father at the Faculty-Staff Inspiration Awards Ceremony in May.
ISU President Ben Allen (L) said, “Dr. Jackson was a visionary leader, a passionate advocate – that understates it. He was a fighter. He’d come into my office occasionally when I was provost, and he wouldn’t leave until he got what he wanted.” The decision to name the Black Cultural Center in Jackson’s honor was an easy decision, according to Reginald Stewart, vice president of diversity and inclusion at ISU. VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
“It’s a testament to the black leadership at Iowa State,” he said. “Today is about legacy. It’s about transcending physical presence, and it’s about ensuring that current and future Cyclones know the name of Dr. Jackson. Now this name…will stand with George Washington Carver and Jack Trice as monumental men of Iowa State.” “For people of color, especially African American students, when
you come to a predominantly white institution, it can be difficult to navigate the campus and find a place where you can relax and be completely yourself,” Malik Burton, president of the Black Student Alliance, said at the naming ceremony. “This is what the Black Cultural Center has done.” Some of the reporting for this story was done by Maggie Curry of the Iowa State Daily
21
S A
R
D
Brad Dell
T
Y
-
S
T
A
F
F
I
N
S
P
I
R
A
T
I
O
N
A
W
ISU Ames, Iowa
2
0
1
7
F
A
C
U
L
“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning in all of his pupils. I believe this to be true for Brad Dell. ¶ Brad has been much more than just my teacher; he has been a confidante that I trust. Midway through my time at Iowa State my mother passed away unexpectedly. I do not have a father figure, and so at 21 years of age I found myself without a support system and without a family. Brad was there for me immediately. He was one of the few people I was able to talk to after her passing, and he made sure that he was at the funeral for moral support. ¶ From Brad I have learned not only how to be a better, more confident director, but how to be a better person…. Brad makes you want to continue to learn and grow because he loves his art and his students so much. ¶ I could not have asked for a better mentor and friend.”
T
H
E
C H R I S T I N A H O L A D AY ’14 performing arts Graduate student, University of Idaho Moscow, Idaho
22
FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
Stephen Pett R E MFA Santa Fe, N.M.
“I remember surveying the packed downtown Ames living room where students, teachers, and friends sat on the floor and peered in from the kitchen, watching rapt as Steve read from his own work – a story with ice and snow and wolves and dark winter skies like the one we’d shut out for a few hours. We’d gathered to share in the craft, and Steve took turns on both sides of the written work: Steve was real, a real live inspiration, and a sincere listener. He’d listen to you, give a smile, give advice, his whole being telling you to keep going, keep trying, fight the good fight.” CLAIRE KRUESEL* ’07 genetics & biochemistry, MFA ’15 creative writing and environment Lecturer, ISU Department of English Ames, Iowa
VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
23
R
D
S
Donald C. Beitz*
W
A
C F. C D P A Ames, Iowa
L
T
Y
-
S
T
A
F
F
I
N
S
P
I
R
A
T
I
O
N
A
“I came to ISU in 1997 as an undergraduate student enrolled in the agricultural biochemistry program. Early on, my vision for my future seemed cloudy, and I was quite unsure of myself. Immediately stepping in to help me find my path was my undergraduate faculty advisor, Dr. Beitz. ¶ By the end of my freshman year, I was working in his laboratory…. As I continued working in his lab, Dr. Beitz slowly increased my responsibilities to the point I eventually became the project leader. In my senior year, Dr. Beitz … helped me design an ambitious honors project and provided me with a network of collaborators…. He provided me with the independence to shape the project on my own but expected me to be self-motivated. His laboratory was the classroom I spent the most time in during my senior year. It was here I learned to love research. ¶ I left Iowa State after veterinary school, moved on to an internship, a residency, and a PhD, each at different institutions in different states. After all of this training and now having my own lab with undergraduate students, I am certain that my career would not have brought me to where I am without the mentorship of Dr. Beitz.”
2
0
1
7
F
A
C
U
A N G E L A M C C L E A R Y- W H E E L E R * ’01 agricultural biochemistry, DVM ’05 Assistant professor, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University Ithaca, N.Y.
T
H
E
WHO INSPIRED YOU? Did an Iowa State professor change your life? Did a staff member take you under their wing? Nominate them for a 2018 Faculty-Staff Inspiration Award by Dec. 1. Go to isualum.org/awards for a link to the nomination form. *ANNUAL MEMBER OF THE ISU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION **LIFE MEMBER OF THE ISU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
24
FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
Gail Nonnecke U P ; M P ; , C S R L Roland, Iowa
“Without knowing Dr. Nonnecke, I don’t believe I would have reached the level of professional satisfaction that I have in my career choice…. I believe much of that is due to me observing how Dr. Nonnecke runs her program and trying to follow her as an example of success. She leads her program with such care, compassion, and wisdom that I often find myself asking the question, ‘What would Dr. Nonnecke do?’ when faced with a difficult situation. ¶ Perhaps even more powerful was my time and involvement in the service-learning/school garden program in Uganda. This program and my involvement is directly related to Dr. Nonnecke and her vision. I was involved in this program for four years, and the experience truly changed my life and how I think and understand the word. I made friends halfway around the world and learned more about how other people live in this world. I also gained an understanding of the complexities that govern a society and food insecurity. All of this experiential knowledge was important for me as a global citizen.” LISA DEVETTER ’07 biology/horticulture, MS ’10 agronomy/soil science Assistant professor of small fruit horticulture, Washington State University Anacortes, Wash.
VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
25
TRAVIS HOFFMANN
Drew Jaspers, Mike Rentz, Jon Mikulicz, Jim Adelman, and Collin Alfers measure coarse woody debris in the Lolo National Forest.
The (big) sky’s the limit at French Conservation Camp B Y S T E V E S U L L I VA N
MOOSE PHOTO: TRAVIS HOFFMANN
A
26
fter hiking a richly forested Montana mountain range, a team from Iowa State gathered around a campfire to make s’mores. That’s when the moose made its dramatic entrance. The great beast bounded down a path, stopping briefly to glance at the stunned s’more-makers before plunging into a nearby pond. Wild moments like this make the new Rod and Connie French Conservation Education Camp a dream classroom for ecology-minded Iowa State students. The camp was established in 2016 through a $4.1 million gift of a ranch owned by Connie French, of Des Moines, and her late husband, Rod, longtime supporters of and donors to Iowa State. The 50-acre former resort is now a learning facility that is preparing students for environmental careers. At the camp, students “learn about ecology handson, in a natural setting. There’s no better way to learn this material,” said Jennifer Schieltz, camp director and lecturer with Iowa State’s Department of Natural Resource Ecology
and Management (NREM). “This is definitely the most hands-on experience I’ve ever had in any of my classes. We’re using methods that professionals use,” said Drew Jaspers, an animal ecology major who was part of the camp’s first class last summer. “The experience has been way beyond all my expectations.” The camp is about 50 miles west of Missoula and nestled at the foot of the Bitterroot Mountains, part of the Lolo National Forest in western Montana. The forest is blanketed with a variety of tree and plant species. The region has nearly 1,000 named streams, including Fish Creek, which runs through the camp. Fish Creek is home to several fish species, including bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout, both of which are endangered. The forest’s other denizens include wolves, bears, elk, deer, mountain lions and, yes, rambunctious moose. Overseen by NREM, the camp was launched last summer with two courses: Wildlife Population Methods and Field Ecology. A Forest Fire Fuels Management course and a Fall Forestry Camp are planned for the future. All these
courses have been specifically designed for the location and are open to students in any major at Iowa State. “Most of our students come from the Midwest and are used to flat landscapes and managed environments, and the animals and plants that live around the region,” said Mike Rentz, an NREM lecturer who co-teaches the Wildlife Population Methods class. “The camp requires them to learn concepts and processes and apply them in an entirely different ecosystem with different landscapes, and animals and plants they’ve never seen before.” A typical day involves brief lectures before the students go into the field. They might set up camera traps to monitor wildlife populations, survey ground cover and fallen trees to determine available wildlife habitat, or examine trees to compare a burned population to one that’s unburned. Some of their work will provide valuable information for Montana state officials. “You’re surrounded by whatever you’re working on that day,” said Collin Alfers, an animal ecology major who was among camp’s first students. “It’s total immersion – as if you have a job in the field you hope to go into.”
“
The camp requires them to learn concepts and processes and apply them in an entirely different ecosystem with different landscapes, and animals and plants they’ve never seen before.
”
— M IK E R E N TZ, N R E M L ECT U R E R
PHOTOS THIS PAGE: TRAVIS HOFFMANN
JENNIFER SCHIELTZ
Travis Hoffmann, Mike Rentz, Jon Mikulicz, Collin Alfers, Jim Adelman, and Drew Jaspers stand beneath the French Conservation Education Camp sign at the entrance to the camp.
Drew Jaspers, Collin Alfers, Jon Mikulicz, Jennifer Schieltz, and Jim Adelman take a lunch break at Heart Lake during a day of hiking.
Collin Alfers, Jon Mikulicz, and Mike Rentz help each other cross a fast-moving mountain stream while hiking the Heart Lake Trail (in the Proposed Great Burn Wilderness).
Jennifer Schieltz, camp director and faculty in NREM, examines a Ponderosa pine tree while sampling vegetation near the camp.
VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
27
VISITING AMES?
GATEWAY HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTER AT IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY Built by and owned by Iowa State Alumni and Friends of the University, the Gateway Hotel and staff are proud to offer our guests a state-of-the-art facility rich with Iowa State tradition. Located at the intersection of Highway 30 and University Boulevard, the hotel is part of 14-acres of natural Iowa landscape and serves as the “gateway” entrance to the University, Reiman Gardens, the Iowa State Center and the Ames community. Gateway has 16,000 square feet of meeting space, consisting of four ballrooms, eight meeting rooms and an outdoor 6,000 square foot reception garden. Our experienced Conference Service staff will help make your event a success — whether it’s a large convention, a small meeting or a social event.
2100 GREEN HILLS DR., AMES, IOWA 50014 • GATEWAYAMES.COM • 800-FOR-AMES (800-367-2637)
MAKE A RESERVATION WHEN VISITING ISU!
RELAX & UNWIND
IOWASTATER RESTAURANT
WEDDINGS
The Gateway is proud to offer our guests an amenities package that is unmatched in the City of Ames. Enjoy the swimming pool, whirlpool spa, fitness center or sauna. Walk along the concrete paved trails that go 1.5 miles throughout Gateway Green Hills and Iowa State University Foundation neighborhood.
Located on the second floor of the Gateway Hotel, the IowaStater restaurant offers a full menu of dishes graced with local ingredients.
Imagine exchanging vows in an intimate garden bordered by a tranquil waterfall garden or sharing your first dance on an exquisite starlit terrace. For more than 30 years, Gateway Hotel has been making dreams come true by planning and hosting unforgettable weddings and receptions in breathtaking, natural surroundings.
The Gateway Hotel, Iowa State University and Gateway Green Hills Park properties provide a picturesque scene for visitors to Ames, Iowa.
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the IowaStater is a Cyclone fan favorite and is the spot for a meal before or after the game.
Honors&Awards
Help us celebrate these extraordinary alumni and friends who enhance our pride in Iowa State Awards will be presented at the 86th Annual Honors & Awards Ceremony, 1:15 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, 2017, Benton Auditorium, Scheman Building Reception to follow the awards ceremony. The event is sponsored by the ISU Alumni Association and is open to the public. To nominate alumni and friends for 2018 homecoming awards, go to www.isualum.org/honorsandawards. Nomination deadline is Feb. 15, 2018.
ISU A LUMNI ASSOCI ATION Alumni Medal Jay G. Chapman** 1990 aero engr, MS 1993 aero engr/engr mech ALM risk manager, Wells Fargo Karen Heldt-Chapman** 1992 management Urbandale, Iowa
Outstanding Young Alumni Award Josiah A. Dykstra MS 2004 information assurance Cybersecurity subject matter expert, National Security Agency Severn, Md. Hanjun Jiang PhD 2005 elect engr Assoc. professor, Tsinghua University Beijing, China
Martha Lagomarcino Gleason** 1980 elem ed Chief human resources officer, First American Bank Stephenville, Texas
Nora K. Tobin 2010 pol sci/intnatl studies Executive dir., Self-Help International West Des Moines, Iowa
Alumni Merit Award Luis E. de Baca** 1990 pol sci Retired ambassador, U.S. Dept. of Justice Shepherdstown, W.V.
Georges M. Niang 2016 marketing NBA player Oakland, Calif.
Alumni Service Award Tinika Roland 1992 apparel design Student orientation coord./acad. advisor, DMACC Urban Campus Des Moines, Iowa
James A. Hopson Alumni Volunteer Award Kyle S. Flander** 2003 indust technology Process improvement engineer, Entrematic/Amarr Shawnee, Kan.
Impact Award Stanley G. Thurston** 1969 architecture Retired chairman, Life Care Services Des Moines, Iowa
COLLEGE AWA R DS AGR ICU LTU R E A ND LIFE SCIENCE S Henry A. Wallace Award Catherine E. Woteki Former chief scientist & undersecretary for research, education & economics, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Washington, D.C.
30
Constance P. Hargrave PhD 1993 curriculum & instruction Assoc. professor, Iowa State University Ames, Iowa
Floyd Andre Award Todd B. Hall** 1982 animal science Executive VP, Cargill, Inc. Orono, Minn. Outstanding Young Professional Award Dawn E. Refsell 2001 agronomy, MS 2003 crop production & physiology Manager, field development, Midwest Commercial Unit, Valent U.S.A., LLC Lathrop, Mo.
Claire E. Masker** 2005 an sci/ag & life sciences ed, MS 2008 Public relations director, National Pork Board Urbandale, Iowa
George Washington Carver Distinguished Service Award Gerald E. Klonglan** 1958 rural sociology, MS 1962, PhD 1963 Retired asst. dean for national programs, ISU College of Ag. & Life Sciences; asst. dir., Iowa Ag. and Home Economics Experiment Station; professor, sociology Ames, Iowa
FALL 201 7 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
BUSINE SS Citation of Achievement Richard (Dick) Liddy** 1957 liberal arts & sciences Retired chairman, GenAmerica Financial Naples, Fla. Drew Vogel** 1973 indust admin President/CEO, Vogel Paint, Inc. Orange City, Iowa John D. DeVries Service Award Ron Banse* 1975 indust admin Retired, Union Pacific Omaha, Neb. Russ and Ann Gerdin Award REG Ames, Iowa DE SIGN Christian Petersen Design Award Stan and Dotty Thurston** Stan: 1969 architecture Retired chairman, Life Care Services Dotty: 2000 marketing Retired community volunteer Des Moines, Iowa Design Achievement Award Patrick Dillon 1986 graphic design Owner / creative director, B O N D Studio City, Calif. Larassa Kabel 1992 craft design Artist / co-founder, Chicken Tractor Des Moines, Iowa Vaughn Rinner 1974 landscape architecture President, American Society of Landscape Architects Seattle, Wash. ENGINEER ING Anson Marston Medal James L. Melsa** 1960 elect engr Dean emeritus, ISU College of Engineering Naperville, Ill. Young Alumni Award Michael Beckman** 2007 elect engr, MS 2008 VP / general manager of linear power, Texas Instruments Inc. Allen, Texas
Meghan Watt 2002 chem engr Global EH&S improvement leader, Dow Chemical Co. Edina, Minn.
Citation of Merit Award Thomas Jay Miller 1972 comp sci Senior software architect, Microsoft Corp. Yarrow Point, Wash.
Professional Achievement Citation in Engineering Sandra Q. Larson 1975 biology, 1988 civil engr Retired systems operations bureau director, Iowa Dept. of Transportation Ankeny, Iowa
John V. Atanasoff Discovery Award Srinivas Aluru PhD 1994 comp sci Professor, College of Computing & co-exec. dir., Institute for Data Engineering & Science, Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, Ga.
Huiquan Wu PhD 2001 chem engr Research chemical engineer, U.S. Food & Drug Admin. Potomac, Md.
Young Alumnus/Alumna Award Adam J. Clark 2003 meteorology, MS 2006, PhD 2009 Research meteorologist, Natl. Severe Storms Laboratory Norman, Okla.
HUM A N SCIENCE S Alumni Achievement Award Jerlando F. L. Jackson PhD 2000 higher ed Prof. of higher ed. / director & chief research scientist, Wisconsin’s Equity & Inclusion Lab., Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison Verona, Wis. Outstanding Young Professional Award Cristobal Salinas Jr. MEd 2012 student affairs, PhD 2015 higher ed admin Asst. professor, ed. leadership & research methodology, Florida Atlantic Univ. Boca Raton, Fla. Helen LeBaron Hilton Award Herma Barclay Williams PhD 1976 home ec ed Retired provost & VP of academic affairs, Fresno Pacific Univ. Silver Spring, Md. Virgil S. Lagomarcino Laureate Award David A. Walker MA 1996 history, PhD 1998 education Assoc. dean for acad. affairs & prof. of ed. technology, research & assess., Northern Illinois Univ. Sycamore, Ill. LIBER A L A RTS & SCIENCE S Distinguished Service Award George O. Strawn* PhD 1969 mathematics Dir., Board for Research Data & Information, Natl. Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine Vienna, Va.
Christy A. Doornink 2000 philosophy President & managing attorney, Reinisch Wilson Weier, PC West Linn, Ore. V ETER INA RY MEDICINE Stange Award for Meritorious Service Delbert Linn (Hank) Harris** DVM 1967, PhD 1970 vet microbiology & prev med Professor emeritus, ISU College of Vet. Med./ College of Ag. & Life Sciences Ames, Iowa Richard F. Ross* DVM 1959, MS 1960 vet microbiology, PhD 1965 Distinguished professor emeritus & former dean, ISU College of Ag. & Life Sciences / College of Vet. Med. Ames, Iowa Jack Shere* 1981 biology, DVM 1987, MS 1988 prof studies in ed Deputy administrator for vet. services, USDA-APHIS Washington, D.C. William P. Switzer Award in Veterinary Medicine William Williams President/co-owner, MW Veterinary Management Ames, Iowa IOWA STATE U NI V ERSIT Y MEMOR I A L U NION Harold Pride Service Medallion Thomas Hill* Retired ISU senior VP for student affairs Midlothian, Texas
*ISU Alumni Association Annual Member **ISU Alumni Association Life Member
VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 201 7
Only ISU degrees are listed 31
IN ONE SITTING
Larry Ebbers
Rose Frantzen’s paintings capture a rare human connection
BY CAROLE GIESEKE
Charity Nebbe
Eric Schares
Rose Frantzen paints a portrait of Laurie MeythalerMullins at the Iowa State Fair.
R F . The very nature of her art forces her to make decisions while she paints – with no planning or sketching beforehand. Every color, every stroke, every nuanced fold of skin, is chosen quickly as she sits across from her very live and human subject. It’s called alla prima – an Italian phrase meaning “at first” or “in one sitting” – and it’s pretty much the Olympics of painting. Frantzen has mastered the alla prima art form, first with her much-heralded Portrait of Maquoketa series of 180 portraits of people from her home town of Maquoketa, Iowa, which landed in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery 32
in 2009. She connected with Iowa State through a 2015 commission by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences that became a remarkable dual portrait titled Do You Know What’s Inside this Flower? George Washington Carver Mentors a Young Henry A. Wallace. Then, in 2016, Frantzen mesmerized Iowa State Fair goers by painting portraits of 21 Iowa State alumni, students, faculty, and staff in the Iowa State exhibit space in the Varied Industries Building – about two per day for 10 days – while half a million visitors looked on. She followed up with another series of portrait-painting sessions, creating 13 more portraits of Iowa Staters on campus in March and April 2017.
The combined portraits have become a permanent part of University Museums’ Art on Campus Collection and will be exhibited as Faces of Iowa State Aug. 21 – Dec. 8 in the Brunnier Art Museum, followed by a touring exhibit in 2018. Frantzen said the process of painting in front of so many people in a public space felt like being in a bubble, because “the distractions were enormous.” It forced her to become very focused. “There’s such an immediacy with this process,” she said. “You have to be on your game. You’re trying hard to get a sense of the person, and you really don’t know them. The conversations I had [with Iowa Staters] were really enlightening. I felt like FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
Laurie Meythaler-Mullins
Warren Kuhn
Paxton Williams
Petrina Jackson
FACES OF IOWA STATE Grace Amemiya* Marcia Borel (’78 family environ)** George Burnet (’48 chem engr, MS ’49, PhD ’51), Anson Marston dist prof emeritus / retired chair of Dept of Chem Engr** Alicia Carriquiry (MS ’86 statistics, PhD ’89 an sci), dist prof statistics** Jay Chapman (’90, MS ’93 aero engr)** Miriam De Dios (’04 mgmt/mkt)** Larry Ebbers (’62 ag ed, MS ’68, PhD ’72 higher ed), univ prof, School of Education** Simon Estes (’97 honorary) Evan Fritz (’16 kinesiology)** Wayne Fuller (’55 ag business, MS ’57 ag econ, PhD ’59), dist prof emeritus in stats/econ* Mary Giese (’68 elem ed)** Matthew Goode (’17 materials engr) Carol Grant (’52 home ec)** Mary Jane Hagenson (’74 physics, MS ’76 biomed engr, PhD ’80 chem engr)** Stephanie Hansen (’02 an sci), assoc prof of an sci Norm Hill, dir of logistics & support services Kathy Howell (’68 math)** Petrina Jackson (MA ’94 English), head of Special Collections / Univ Archives*
I was a student; I was learning from every person I sat in front of.” Iowa State’s tradition of portraiture began in the 1930s, at the height of the Great Depression, when the administration made it a priority to commission and paint portraits of presidents, deans, accomplished faculty, and distinguished alumni. A steady commissioning of portraits continues to take place across campus as a means of “celebrating, commemorating, and honoring Iowa State’s cultural legacy,” according to Lynette Pohlman (L)(’72 int des, MA ’76), director and chief curator of University Museums. Frantzen’s process is incredibly fast and intimate. The results are raw and electric. VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
Surya Mallapragada
Karen & Gerald Kolschowsky (’62 ag business)** Warren Kuhn, prof emeritus / retired dean, ISU library services Lori Jacobson (’80 history / advertising design)* Monica Lurson (’72 dietetics) Joe Lyon (’51 dairy science)** Surya Mallapragada, dist prof / Carol Vohs Johnson chair in chem & bio engr Ed McCracken (’66 elect engr)** Laurie Meythaler-Mullins (PhD ’08 vet med) Dave Miller (’75 elect engr), retired dir, Facilities Planning & Mgmt** Dynette Mosher (’81 home ec ed, MS ’84), College of Human Sciences alumni relations dir** Charity Nebbe (’96 pol sci)** Suku Radia (’74 accounting)** Eric Schares (’05 elect engr) Shirley Stakey (’57 home ed ed)** JaneAnn Stout (’71 applied art, MA ’74)* Paxton Williams (’00 comm studies/ pol sci)** Plus: Rose Frantzen (self portrait) and her husband, Charles Morris Frantzen will paint two additional portraits during a two-day residency on campus in October
“There’s a human connection left in the paintings,” Frantzen said. “It’s that intimacy of one person looking at another person [when you do] live portrait painting. Everyone who is painted is looking right at me, too. You don’t often have the liberty to do that in life. Part of what I feel this culture needs is a more present awareness of each other’s humanity. When you sit across from anybody for four to five hours and look at them and appreciate them and talk to them, you cannot help but feel genuine fondness and maybe even love for them. That experience – in that exchange, in that moment – that is a vivifying human act.” Larry Ebbers (A)(’62 ag ed, MS ’68, PhD ’72 higher ed), a university professor
EXHIBIT LOCATIONS Brunnier Art Museum (ISU campus) Aug. 21 – Dec. 8, 2017 Maquoketa Art Experience (Maquoketa, Iowa) Dec. 9, 2017 – Feb. 12, 2018 Muscatine Art Center (Muscatine, Iowa) Feb. 15 – April 15, 2018 Pearson Lakes Art Center (Okoboji, Iowa) April 26 – July 23, 2018 Blanden Art Museum (Fort Dodge, Iowa) Aug. 4 – Oct. 14, 2018 Additional dates and locations may be added ARTIST RECEPTION Oct. 10, 2017, 7-8:30 p.m. Meet Rose Frantzen and view the 39 portraits included in the Faces of Iowa State exhibition in the Brunnier Art Museum. Free admission RSVP omalley@iastate.edu *Annual member **Life member
in the ISU School of Education, was one of Frantzen’s subjects. “I loved the process,” Ebbers said. “Rose Frantzen has the ability to engage you in a conversation about your areas of interest and expertise and at the same time describe her life history in a way that made the time go so quickly. Everyone agreed that she really captured me.” Frantzen said she found each of the Iowa State subjects extremely passionate. “The people of Iowa State have a passion for their work, for what they’re doing; they’re driven and directed and very positive. When I was painting the people of Iowa State, I felt like I was experiencing humanity at its best.” 33
A dark night in Hanoi
A chance encounter between two Iowans changes the course of many lives
34
FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
BY KENNETH QUINN
A
casual conversation 40 years ago on a dark and empty street in post-war Hanoi led to a dramatic family reunification. But it was only a letter in 2016 that revealed that what began that night is truly a story with a special Iowa State connection. In March 1977, newly elected President Jimmy Carter, wanting to fulfill a campaign pledge he had made to address the remaining wounds of the Vietnam War, decided to send a special mission to Hanoi to begin the process of accounting for those military personnel whose bodies had not been recovered or whose fate remained uncertain. To that end, he asked Leonard Woodcock, the former head of the United Auto Workers Union, to lead a small but distinguished delegation. This would be the first U.S. contact with the North Vietnamese government, following the capture of Saigon and the tragic end of the war in 1975. Even though I was still a relatively junior State Department officer, I had been added to the trip based on my six years of experience in Vietnam during the war, my prior service at the National Security Council, and my facility in the Vietnamese language (I had served as President Ford’s interpreter at meetings at the White House). Before we left, the President convened a meeting in the Cabinet Room with Vice President Mondale and the entire traveling group. The President emphasized that we were going to Vietnam and Laos to inquire about our still-missing and notyet-accounted-for POW/MIAs from the war. In addition to using my language skills, I was also appointed as a diplomatic courier, so I could carry a sealed diplomatic pouch (a large orange bag) with an official seal. In it were our communication devices called one-time pads. These were encryption codes that were linked to an exact replica pad back in the State Department in Washington. It was an arduous, time-consuming, letter-by-letter process to create an encrypted message. For each letter in a word, I would have to look up the substitute in the pad (“A” would become “J,” etc.) As the code officer, it would be my job to translate the messages prepared by the
VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
Paul Mather (center) with his wife, Loan, and their three children a few days after they arrived in Bangkok from Vietnam in September 1977.
35
Kenneth Quinn serves as a Vietnamese interpreter for President Gerald Ford at the White House in March 1975. Quinn was a member of Henry Kissinger’s National Security Council staff at that time.
Paul Mather (left) with a Defense Department official at the airport in Vientiane, Laos, in March 1977.
delegation head into written messages that would just seem to be jibberish, and then transmit them in a commercial telegram back to Washington reporting on our trip. This was necessary because there was no American official presence in Vietnam with secure communications capability. Hanoi in 1977 had very few signs of any economic activity. There were almost no shops, no market stalls or food for sale on the streets, no restaurants, and no bright signs or neon lights. The one and only sign lit up at night was the large portrait of Ho Chi Minh that sat atop the Vietnamese National Bank building, which was surrounded by lightbulbs. Moreover, there was almost no automobile traffic, no motorbikes that were ubiquitous in South Vietnam, and almost no vehicle movement of any kind. The few people who were moving about were on bicycle. You literally could walk across any street without first looking in either direction without fear of being struck. Following our two days of meetings, Woodcock wanted to send a message back to the President, reporting that the visit had gone very well. He had met with the North Vietnamese president Pham Van Dong, and we had been told that 10 sets of remains of American service members would be returned to us before we departed. It was very positive news. So, I sat up at the hotel using the one-time code pad to encrypt the entire message. We had some clerical staff on the trip who then typed it up for me in the code letters. Next I needed to walk over to the telegraph office. It was about 11 p.m. Even though there was no real danger, one of the military officers on the trip, a young Air Force major, offered to go 36
Quinn in Cambodia in 1998 as an ambassador on a mission to search for remains of American servicemen from the Vietnam War.
with me. His name was Paul Mather. As we were walking along the broad, deserted streets of Hanoi, we made small talk. It turned out that, like me, he was from Iowa, from a small town called Greene. I explained that I had grown up in Dubuque. Next we were talking about our experiences during the war, and he said he had been stationed in Saigon when the war ended and was urgently evacuated out of the country. I told him what I had done during the war as an advisor in the Mekong Delta, adding that my wife was from Vietnam. And then, what Paul Mather said next literally stopped me in my tracks. He told me that he had a fiancé, a Vietnamese woman named Loan. When I asked him when they would be married, he said he didn’t know, because she was trapped in Saigon. Standing there under only a dim street light, I turned to face him and asked, “Are you doing anything to get her out?” He replied that there was nothing that could be done and that the situation seemed hopeless. It appeared that they might never be reunited. I asked if he had discussed this with anyone on the trip. I said it was possible that the delegation could ask the North Vietnamese to assist him. I will never forget his reply. Paul said, “No, I could never put forward anything personal about myself that might in any way detract from or disrupt our mission. I just could not do that.” I was moved by his devotion to duty and impressed by his selfless dedication to our mission. Walking through darkened Hanoi late at night, I thought to myself, “This is so admirable. Maybe I can help him.” So, after our stop at the telegraph
office, I said to him, “Why don’t you tell me your fiancé’s full name, ID number, and address. Maybe I can do something.” Paul was hesitant, but I insisted, and eventually he agreed to give me the information. The next day we were going to have a final negotiating session with the Vietnamese delegation, and then after about an hour there would be a tea break, during which Woodcock and the senior Vietnamese official would go off alone in a corner and speak informally with just the Vietnamese interpreter. Before we departed to go to this meeting, I waited for the right moment to meet with Woodcock alone. I had to be sure that the more senior State Department officers didn’t see me, because in the State Department culture, a more junior officer like me shouldn’t be talking to the head of delegation without his superior present. But there came a moment when I briefly had Woodcock alone. Now, Woodcock didn’t know too much about me except from this trip, so I had to convince him of the merits of the case. I told him that I wanted to tell him about this terrific young Air Force officer on the trip, Paul Mather. I explained that he had a Vietnamese fiancé trapped in Saigon, and I handed Woodcock the piece of paper that had Loan’s name and contact information in Saigon. I then said to Woodcock, “The tone of everything on this trip is very positive. Watching the Vietnamese and listening to them, I feel certain that they would like an opportunity to do something nice. They would like to be perceived as doing something special for you and the delegation. Letting Paul Mather’s fiancé leave the country would be such a gesture.” FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
had not volunteered to walk with me to the telegraph office late that night? What if we had not talked about our Iowa backgrounds? Would Paul have still told me about his fiancé being stranded? What if Woodcock had turned down my request? And, of course, what if I had just shrugged off the entire matter when Paul initially told me he was hesitant to have the issue raised? That I didn’t, I believe, reflects that special Iowa bond that I felt that night in Hanoi and my admiration for Paul Mather’s patriotism. That is what led to this family being reunited, able to live in freedom, and able to follow in Paul Mather’s footsteps onto the campus in Ames. What a wonderful Iowa State story! About Kenneth Quinn: Kenneth Quinn is president of the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines and a former U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia. In his role with the World Food Prize since 2000, he has worked closely with the ISU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in implementing the Global Youth Institute for high school students. He retired from the State Department after a 32-year career in the Foreign Service, where he was a rural development officer in Vietnam, member of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s national security staff at the White House, and a member of the U.S. Mission to Quinn delivered the ISU commencement address in the United Nations in December 2008 and was Vienna; he also played presented with an honorary a key role in exposing doctor of humane letters. Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge atrocities of the mid-1970s and helping to end them. An Iowa native, he served as a special assistant to Iowa Gov. Robert Ray from 1978-1982. In 2008, Iowa State presented Ambassador Quinn with an honorary doctor of humane letters when he delivered the university commencement address to December graduates. In 2014 Quinn became only the 23rd person in history to receive the Iowa Medal, the state’s highest citizen award.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
I emphasized to him that if he would perI didn’t think again about Paul Mather sonally and privately ask his Vietnamese until I received a letter from him dated counterpart to free her, there would be a Dec. 10, 2016. It was in reading it that I very good chance it would happen. learned about the Iowa State connection Woodcock took all this on board, that runs like a thread through this entire kept the paper, but didn’t really commit story. Paul wrote: to doing anything. I thought I had given it “With the passage of time, I have come my best shot. Later, after he had his private to realize that I never really adequately tête-à-tête with the senior Vietnamese thanked you for your intervention, which official, Woodcock privately said to me, led to many of the positive events in my “I gave it to him.” Later, I told Paul Mather about what I had done and what Woodcock had done. We didn’t hear anything, and I began to think that nothing would come from my initiative. However, several months later, we were in Paris, and my boss, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, was now negotiating with the same official with whom Woodcock had interacted in Hanoi. When they had their first coffee break, the official told Holbrooke that he had good news for him – Miss Loan had been given permission to leave Vietnam. Paul and Loan in 2013 with their son Thanh-Y (’89 comp It would be difficult to overstate engr) with his wife, Yuko, and their daughter, Emily. the gratitude Paul expressed to me when I passed on this news. For a few years, I used to get a Christmas card life. It has been nearly 40 years since Loan from Paul Mather and his family thanking and I were able to re-join...We married in me for getting his fiancé out so they could Bangkok in September 1977, within three be married. days of when she and her three children During the remainder of my diplomatic arrived there, compliments of you and career, I continued to be involved in the Mr. Woodcock...” effort to account for missing men from Paul, who later confirmed for me that the Vietnam War, serving for four years he was an R.O.T.C. graduate of Iowa State as chairman of the U.S. government Inter(’59 aero engr), explained in his letter Agency Group on POW / MIA Affairs. that two of those three children also are In that capacity, I returned to Hanoi on a Cyclone alumni. He wrote further that: number of occasions, including one where “…elder son Anh…[who] graduated I personally negotiated in Vietnamese the from ISU at Ames [’84 comp & elect engr], first-ever access to a North Vietnamese has been a computer chip designer for Intel prison to search for missing Americans in Austin, Texas for many years…while who might still be alive. younger son Thanh, also a graduate of ISU Paul Mather worked on this same issue, [’89 comp engr], is a software engineer with culminating with his publishing a book a company in Bellevue, Wash.” in 1994 entitled M.I.A.: Accounting for the Paul concluded the family update by Missing in Southeast Asia. However, we sharing that their daughter Phung, the gradually lost contact. After completing youngest, followed her Dad’s lead and is my service as American Ambassador now a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force. in Cambodia, I retired from the Foreign Reading that letter made me think Service in 1999 and returned home to about the small steps and moments that Iowa to assume the leadership of the can have such significant ramifications on World Food Prize in Des Moines. many individual lives. What if Paul Mather
37
FROM THE PRESIDENT
“Charity begins at home but should not end there.” While my mom and dad’s collective annual earnings in the 1980s only amounted to roughly $12,000, I remember their philanthropy vividly. They seemed to always volunteer to serve meals to our pastor and guest preachers. They took meals to the shut-ins and paid their tithes. They contributed to buying choir robes and pews for our church. It seemed to be less about the amount of their contribution, but the idea that giving was an expression of community. They never talked about their acts, but they were consistent and cheerful in their giving. I lost both of my parents last year, but their legacy and life lessons live on. With my first job out of college, I earned more than my father and mother. As many of you know, I’m a first-generation college graduate in my family. And I have to be transparent: I don’t think my family would have called themselves philanthropists. But as I reflect on their lives, and the influence
it had on me and my siblings, they were philanthropists. I’m glad they modeled that charity really does start at home. And as we all say, home is where the heart is. For Peggy and me, Ames and Iowa State have clearly become places we call home. So we are glad, from a community per-
If you’ve never given, let this campaign be your entry point to Iowa State philanthropy. spective, to support Mary Greeley Medical Center, the Boys and Girls Club of Story County, YSS, and the United Way. Here on campus, we financially support the Alumni Association, University Museums, Reiman Gardens, Athletics, the Cardinal and Gold Gala’s First Generation Scholarships, and the College of Human Sciences. For the past 18 years, we’ve seen our
ISU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CAMPAIGN PRIORITIES Alumni Association President and CEO Endowment Alumni Association Programs Endowment Student Leadership Programs Endowment VISIONS Magazine Endowment Awards Program Endowment Staff Development Endowment Technology Endowment LegaCY Club Endowment Young Alumni Programs Endowment Alumni Clubs Endowment Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives Endowment
$2.5 million* $10 million $1 million $2 million $1 million $250,000 $250,000* $1.5 million $1 million $2 million $1 million
– SIR FRANCIS BACON
annual gifts to Iowa State – some as small as $25 or $150, others growing to $1,000 or $2,500 – add up to cumulative gifts of more than $50,000. Mom and Dad would be proud of us. Like them, we’re simply doing what we can to be “community.” We, too, are giving of our time and talents. As part of Iowa State’s Forever True, For Iowa State campaign, Peggy and I are joining with other donors to do our part to support Iowa State. It is my hope that those of you who are annual donors will continue donating. If you’ve never given, let this campaign be your entry point to Iowa State philanthropy. Choose an area, or areas, of the university that impacted your life and livelihood and decide without hesitation to give. Peggy and I have decided to direct our next gift of $50,000 to the ISU Alumni Association, University Museums, Athletics, and the College of Human Sciences. It’s a stretch for us, but we believe in the work and needs of these areas and the impact they have made on our lives. Within the university’s $1.1 billion goal, $12.5 million of this amount represents the needs of the Association. You can read about these needs at left. To date, Julie Larson (L)(MS ’84 higher ed) and I have been able to secure $4 million to support the Association’s campaign priorities. You can meet some of our remarkable donors on the next page. Learn what and why they’ve given. Then, I encourage you to decide to support the Association and other areas of the university as part of this historic campaign. Cyclones everywhere...giving,
Jeff Johnson **#
Total ISU Alumni Association Campaign Goal
$12.5 million *Fully funded
38
Lora and Russ Talbot Endowed President and CEO PhD ’14 educational leadership
FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
CA M PA I G N P R O F I L E S
‘Why I give’ ISU launched its 1.1 billion campaign, Forever True, For Iowa State, in fall 2016. For the ISU Alumni Association, the campaign will help position the Association to better serve and showcase Iowa State and Cyclones everywhere. Starting with this issue of VISIONS, we highlight donors giving to the Alumni Association campaign priorities.
Inspiring children to become part of the Iowa State family “While I served on the ISUAA Board of Directors, many programs and initiatives were discussed. One was resurrecting the Legacy Program, which was suspended earlier during budget cuts. In meetings, a fellow board member, Joy Boruff (L)(’76 home ec journ), grieved the Legacy Program. Her daughter had received an Iowa State duffle bag for her 10th birthday, with a birthday card and message stating that, '…The Alumni Association hopes Iowa State will become your future home.' Joy still has that duffle, and her daughter graduated a Cyclone. When staff presented their proposal to launch the LegaCY Club and create the new book Cy’s Surprise, the first guided tour of Iowa State for alumni children, funding was an obstacle. As a writer, I fondly remember how my childhood books influenced my life. Inspired by Joy’s story, and a passion for all things Iowa State, I enthusiastically offered to underwrite the book production. My husband, Ed, embraced my decision with me, because we find joy in funding initiatives at Iowa State that touch our hearts. While I do not have children of my own, I’m confident Cy’s Surprise will inspire hundreds of alumni kids – as well as non-alumni wishing to start their families’ Cyclone legacies – to join the Iowa State family, making them future legacy Cyclones.” Ana Hays McCracken**# ’84 fashion merchandising Ames, Iowa / Angel Fire, N.M. Fully funded the production of Cy’s Surprise, the LegaCY Club children’s book, a gift of $25,000
A wonderful experience at Iowa State “My husband Ramon and I chose to support the Alumni Association because of my wonderful experience at ISU. My time was well spent with sorority events (Sigma Gamma Rho) and serving as a resident assistant in the Towers Residence Halls. Ames was the perfect place to enhance my understanding of diversity. I learned about life in other countries from my friends from other countries. I grew up in the inner city of St. Louis and so my knowledge of animals was fairly limited. Once I arrived at ISU, I was quickly exposed to rural living. As a Towers resident, I lived across the street from a cow pasture. What an unforgettable experience! What I didn’t realize until I became an adult was that I was in the midst of cultivating friendships that would be with me through the normal highs and lows of life for the rest of my life. My Cyclone friendship circle is large and mighty. Ramon and I believe in giving back to the people and places that played a part in our development. ISU was an easy choice for us. I am proud to be a Cyclone. My wish is for others like me to have a similar experience. Cyclone4ever!” Ruby (Talley) Trice**# ’87 management Maryland Heights, Mo. Donated $2,000 to the Black College Network Mentoring Program Scholarship and made an $8,000 pledge to the Diversity and Inclusion Endowment
60 years of engagement and pride “Leonardo da Vinci said, ‘When you put your hand in a flowing stream, you touch the last that has gone before and the first of what is still to come.’ Over the past 60 years we have had the opportunity to be associated with Iowa State, first as students and eventually as senior administrators. We have been privileged to participate in the university’s transition from a land-grant college to a world-class, major research institution. For us, that ‘first of what was yet to come’ was joining the ISU Alumni Association as life members. During the first years of our marriage, the Alumni Association was our connection to Iowa State. The relationship that the Alumni Association fostered drew us back when we had the opportunity. Likewise, it has kept our two sons connected. We thank the Alumni Association for making that engagement and pride possible. Over the years we have been pleased to provide financial support to the Alumni Association through Association membership and now a contribution to the endowment, through the Forever True, for Iowa State campaign. We are confident that the resources provided by the Endowment will be used wisely and continue to contribute to the university and the Association’s future success.” Bev and Warren Madden**# Warren: ’61 industrial engineering Bev: ’60 home economics education, MS ’70 Ames, Iowa Made a $250,000 pledge to fully fund the Technology Endowment ** Life members of the ISU Alumni Association # Sustaining Life donors
VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
39
ASSOCIATION EVENTS
S E E YO U AT
Homecoming
ING 2017 SOCIATION HOMECOTHM E ISU ALUMNI AS A PROGRAM OF
Oct. 22-28, 2017 HOMECOMING PARADE Sunday, Oct. 22 2 p.m., Main Street, Ames HOMECOMING HAPPY HOUR Friday, Oct. 27 3:30-5 p.m., ISU Alumni Center Kick off Homecoming weekend with all your friends. Drinks in commemorative Homecoming mugs, snacks, merchandise for sale, prize drawings, and more HOMECOMING CELEBRATION & PEP RALLY Friday, Oct. 27 5-9 p.m., ISU Alumni Center / parking lot On the stage: Yell-Like-Hell finals, student athletes, coaches, spirit squad, Cy, Marching Band, and Cardinal Court Inside: Giveaways, merchandise for sale, cash bar, silent auction (supporting Cardinal Court scholarships), and free food with Homecoming button CYCLONE CENTRAL TAILGATE Saturday, Oct. 28 Time TBD, ISU Alumni Center Details at isualum.org/cyclonecentral HOMECOMING FOOTBALL GAME Saturday, Oct. 28 Time TBD, Jack Trice Stadium Cyclones vs. TCU
AND THE REST: • Honors and Awards ceremony, Friday at 1:15 p.m., Scheman • ExCYtement in the Streets, Friday night, Greek houses • Mass Campaniling and fireworks, Friday at midnight, Central Campus
isualum.org/homecoming Thanks to our 2017 Homecoming sponsors:
WHILE YOU’RE ON CAMPUS FOR HOMECOMING… …stop by the Parks Library. Displays and activities abound: • Student Homecoming Week poster exhibition, Oct. 22-28 • Bomb transcribe-a-thon, Oct. 25, noon to 4 p.m. Drop by and help transcribe yearbooks! • Pop-up Homecoming exhibition, Oct. 27 • The Early Years of Iowa’s State Park System exhibit, ongoing And, if you’re here for the Nov. 11 Oklahoma State game, stop by the ISU Library Special Collections/University Archives display and tailgate on tent row.
Newsmakers ALUMNI BOOKSHELF Sooner or later, all nations die. Bruce Thatcher (L)(’59 general science) has written the third book in his History Speaks Today series. Rise and Decline: Where We Are and What We Can Do About It uses case studies to show that citizens’ attitudes toward founding values are a consistent determinant of their nation’s life cycle. From Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton to today’s guiding lights, women continue to shine in the medical field. A new book by Susan McGarvey Latta (A) (’81 journalism) of Edina, Minn., Bold Women of Medicine: 21 Stories of Astounding Discoveries, Daring Surgeries, and Healing Breakthroughs, introduces young adult readers to medical mavens from the 1800s to today.
TOP JOBS Cyclone alumni Stacie Petersen (’06 history) and Amber Landers (’1 1 history, MA ’14) found a common Iowa State connection working together at the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Mo. Petersen serves as the museum’s registrar; Landers is a guest services assistant supervisor. This year marks CONTINUED ON PAGE 42
SAY YES TO NEW ADVENTURES Let the ISU Alumni Association find the perfect trip for you. Our tour directors, local guides, and hosts will see that you get the most from your hard-earned travel dollars. isualum.org/travel
40
FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
What does it mean to be forever true? It means keeping the Iowa State experience accessible for students. It means supporting world-class faculty and programs. It means creating a university for the 21st century and beyond. Your gifts to Iowa State help prepare the difference-makers to solve tomorrow’s challenges. Because the world needs more Cyclone spirit.
To learn how you can be forever true to Iowa State, visit ForeverTrueISU.com.
NEWSMAKERS
the 100th anniversary of America’s entry into WWI. The museum holds the most diverse collection of WWI objects in the world and is the second-oldest public museum dedicated to preserving objects, history, and personal experiences of the war.
ALUMNI HONORS Debra Kunz (’92 marketing), founder of the Center for Deliberate Growth, is the winner of the 2017 Excellence in Practice Award in the “Coaching and Mentoring” category given by the Association for Talent Development. Deliberate Growth is a business coaching and growth consulting company. Kunz specializes in speaking, training, one-to-one coaching, project leadership, and group facilitation. U.S. Army Capt. Steven Woods (’12 psychology) participated in the 2017 Best Ranger Competition in Fort Benning, Ga. His two-person team finished in the top half of the three-day event considered to be one of the toughest, most physically demanding competitions in the world.
BEING A PART OF THE IOWA STATE FAMILY IS A LIFETIME ADVENTURE Enroll your child or grandchild today in the newly expanded LegaCY Club, and give them the gift of higher education. The club offers gifts and benefits for little Cyclones everywhere! isualum.org/legacy
42
A voice for the voiceless
V
anessa McNeal (’15 child, adult, and family svcs), a survivor of child abuse and sexual violence, has used her story to help others. And now, just two years after graduating from Iowa State, she is an accomplished public speaker, the recipient of the YWCA’s 2017 Young Woman of Tomorrow award, and the executive producer of “The Voiceless,” a documentary film about male victims of sexual assault. The film, which has been accepted into the Newark International Film Festival, is being screened worldwide. McNeal recently spoke to New York Elite magazine about the project. “What makes a film great for me is the personal connection that you can make from the stories,” she said in the interview. “Storytelling is the single most powerful thing in my eyes. Being able to relate your struggles and your story is what connects people to your work.” Vanessa lives in Davenport, Iowa.
READ MORE CYCLONE STORIES ON CYCLONESEVERYWHERE.COM
WHEN YOU’RE A CYCLONE, YOU’RE A CYCLONE FOR LIFE So, why not become a life member of the ISU Alumni Association? It’s the ultimate way to show your loyalty to Iowa State! If you’re currently an annual member, upgrade to life membership today and join Cyclones everywhere who’ve made a lifetime commitment to ISU. isualum.org/join
FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
43
NEW FACES
The ISU Alumni Association welcomed four new professional staff members this summer: Mary Kate Misak (A)(’15 event mgmt) joined the Association staff in June from the University of Tennessee, where she worked in a variety of student affairs positions and earned her master’s degree in college student personnel. In her current position, she advises the Student Alumni Leadership Council (SALC), the ISUAA’s award-winning student leadership organization. SALC students work on Homecoming, Senior Class Council, Ambassadors, and Cyclone Alley Central committees. Rachel Mummey (A) is the new digital communications specialist for the Alumni Association. She joined the staff in May following many years of experience as an
award-winning photojournalist. She has done work for notable publications including National Geographic, TIME, The New York Times, PBS, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and the Des Moines Register. In her current position, she creates photo and video content for the Alumni Association’s events and programs, website, and social media channels. Bry Wisecup (A) (’17 event mgmt & marketing) became a full-time ISU Alumni Association employee in June after spending the 2016-2017 school year as the ISU Alumni Center events intern. As an Alumni Center program assistant, she gives tours
to prospective rental clients; assists with booking events; and coordinates weddings, conferences, tailgates, banquets, and various other events held in or around the ISU Alumni Center. Jenny Witte (A)(’02 management) joined the ISU Alumni Association staff as a graphic designer in June. She is a 2010 graduate of the Art Institute Online and owner of Jennifer Witte Designs/She Sells Studio in Boone, Iowa. In her current position, she is responsible for print design for many of the programs of the ISU Alumni Association, including student programs, OLLI at ISU, events promotion, awards programs, and the ISUAA Board of Directors. She also assists with web design and helps maintain the Cyclones Everywhere brand.
Rewarding Iowa State University alumni. Because you are an alumnus of Iowa State University, Nationwide® is offering you exclusive insurance discounts on: The car you drive The motorcycle you ride to feel free The RV you take cross-country Since college, you’ve worked hard to get to where you are today. Let Nationwide protect what makes up your life, so you can focus on the things that really matter.
Receive your exclusive offer and learn more about our partnership. nationwide.com/IowaState
|
Local Agent
|
1-888-231-4870
Nationwide Insurance has made a financial contribution to this organization in return for the opportunity to market products and services to its members or customers. Products underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Affiliated Companies. Home Office: Columbus, OH 43215. Subject to underwriting guidelines, review, and approval. Products and discounts not available to all persons in all states. Nationwide and the Nationwide N and Eagle are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance. © 2016 Nationwide. AFR-0125AO.1 (11/16) 44
FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
GEA GEAR EAR UP P GAM GAME ON 6
7
10 11
12
4
2
5
3
1 1. H2GO Bottle (Grey) 70519911047 $33.99 2. Women’s Iowa State Laurel Pocket T-Shirt 2036119 $30.00
5. Women’s Iowa State Stripe 3. Nike® FootbALL Legend Short Sleeve 2035340 $35.00 3/4 Sleeve 2036098 $55.00 4. Nike® I-State Aerobill Snapback Cap 88206536347 $35.00
8
9
14 15 16
13
APPLE ACADEMIC PRICING AND TAX-FREE SAVINGS NOW AVAILABLE FOR ISU ALUMNI
6. Champion® 1/2 Zip I-State Big Pocket Rain Jacket (Cardinal) 2035479 $36.00 7. Women’s I-State Full Zip Sweatshirt 2036118 $75.00 8. Champion® Reverse Weave Crew Neck Sweatshirt 2022530 $50.00 9. Nike® I-State Team Polo (Gold) 2035349 $65.00 10. Cyclone Fans Gather Here Canvas 2036719 $30.00 11. Iowa State Cyclones MVP Bowl 67859816941 $14.99 12. I-State Handle Water Bottle 88886058705 $23.99 13. Friends, Family, Iowa State Sign Plank 2036704 $26.00 14. Vintage Iowa State Cyclone Pro-Weave Sweatshirt Blanket 03300014506 $38.99 15. I-State Wrap Tumbler 05012217209 $22.99 16. Nike® Cyclones Swoosh Flex Cap 88315450154 $28.00
10.5-INCH IPAD PRO WIFI ACADEMIC PRICE: 699.00 SAVE: $102.43
ISU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MEMBERS GET FREE SHIPPING www.isualum.org/shop
MACBOOK PRO 13” W/ TOUCH BAR ACADEMIC PRICE: 1699.00 SAVE: $225.93
ON MACBOOK & IPAD
Save 7% Everyday With No Sales Tax On All Purchases! ISUAA Members Save 15% In-Store Or Online: Code ISUALUMNI VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
45
ASSOCIATION EVENTS WELCOME HOME
See you at the reunion 50-year Class Reunion Oct. 27-28, 2017 Class of 1967, you’re celebrating your special milestone! We can’t wait to see you during Homecoming weekend. Cyclones everywhere will come together to reminisce, celebrate your “grad”-iversary, and enjoy Homecoming together. Highlights include a 50-year medallion ceremony, guided Reiman Gardens tour, campus tours, and a cocktail reception. Thanks to our 50-year reunion sponsor:
THE CARDINAL & GOLD GALA
October table host special Co-chairs Harvey (’70) & Marcia (’73) Freese and Paul Kirpes (’87) & Lori ForesmanKirpes (’86) invite you to snag your table early “under the big top.” Feb. 9, 2018 Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center Des Moines, Iowa
Greek Alumni Alliance Reunion Oct. 27, 2017 5:30-7:00 p.m., ISU Alumni Center (third floor) Find your friends at a reception sponsored by the Greek Alumni Alliance! There will be plenty of food from Hickory Park and a cash bar.
Take advantage of special table-host pricing during the month of October! Guests who buy a table of 10 in October will receive a $100-per-table discount. Go to isualum.org/gala to reserve your table today or contact Chelsea Trowbridge, ctrow@iastate.edu, (515) 294-2584
SEE YOU UNDER THE BIG TOP!
Easy living. Less worry. A lot of fun. Life is good at Green Hills.
A superb Life Plan Community with a range of services, amenities and lifestyle options so you can stay in your home even if needs change. With a focus on lifelong wellness. In a beautiful setting. Life is good at Green Hills!
Call (515) 357-5000 today for your free retirement planning guide. Independent Living • Assisted Living • Skilled Nursing • Memory Care • Home Health Care ADV/bulletin/2-17
46
H D | A, I | GHRC.
FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
ASSOCIATION NEWS
New volunteers lead ISUAA Young Alumni Council As a new academic year begins, the ISU Alumni Association is excited to welcome a new group of volunteers to its Young Alumni Council, including new executive leaders. This year’s Young Alumni Council officers include: Ben Zelle (L)(’14 ag business & MIS), Chair, Ankeny, Iowa Ben Power (A)(’10 finance), Chair-elect, Kansas City, Mo. Ted Casady (L)(’06 operations & supply chain mgmt), Vice Chair, Engagement & Outreach, Apple Valley, Minn. Matthew Beyer (A)(’15 history), Vice Chair, Membership & Programming Altoona, Iowa Elizabeth Burns-Thompson (A)(’1 1 ag bus & intl ag), Vice Chair, Marketing & Communications, Altoona, Iowa New YAC members for 2017-2018 include: Nirmeen Fahmy (A)(’13 journalism) Arlington, Va. Mary-Kate Lange (A)(’14 journalism) Ankeny, Iowa Amanda Loomis (L)(’16 econ), Gretna, Neb. Allison Pitz (L)(’17 marketing & mgmt.) Overland Park, Kan. Dominique Williams (A)(’15 hospitality mgmt.), Clinton Township, Mich. Learn more about the Young Alumni Council online at isualum.org/yac.
Mr. Africa International
M
r. South Sudan Akol Dok (’16 pol sci) is the reigning Mr. Africa International – a global ambassador for his homeland who spent his undergraduate career at Iowa State sharing his story and advocating for South Sudan. He moved from Renk, South Sudan to Des Moines at age 5 but has never forgotten his war-torn roots. It is with his Iowa State education that he seeks to make a difference in his homeland – not unlike the late South Sudan vice president John Garang (PhD ’81 econ), a controversial but powerful Sudan People’s Liberation Army rebel who studied at ISU before him. “[Garang] set the standard for us as Africans,” Dok told the Iowa State Daily last fall. “He was our leader for movement, for independence.”
READ MORE CYCLONE STORIES ON CYCLONESEVERYWHERE.COM
Career resources for Cyclones everywhere The ISU Alumni Association is your onestop shop for career resources. We offer webinars, resume reviews, recommended reading lists, articles, tip sheets, videos, and more throughout the year relating to these topics: Networking with Cyclones everywhere Finding the perfect job Habits for success Work-life balance Time management Leadership at all levels
Emotional intelligence Coaching and mentoring Managing others Resumes and cover letters Personal branding LinkedIn and professional social media use Workplace diversity Generational differences in the workplace
Find our career resources page at isualum.org/career and get started!
MEET you at the Alumni Center! Schedule your next meeting or business retreat at the ISU Alumni Center and enjoy discounted rental rates for ISU Alumni Association members, free parking, and spacious meeting rooms with state-of-the-art technology. isualumnicenter.org
48
FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
VISIONS AD-ISU-FALL.pdf
1
7/17/17
4:10 PM
BAREFOOT C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Your #1 stop shop for all your Cyclone gear!
HEY ALUMNI!!
TM
RECEIVE 15% OFF YOUR ENTIRE PURCHASE
IN-STORE & ONLINE*. USE CODE: ISUALUMNI15 TO SHOP ONLINE
2306 LINCOLN WAY (NEXT TO STARBUCKS) // 515.203.8752 *OFFER SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE / REG. PRICED ITEMS ONLY / SOME EXCLUSIONS APPLY / CAN’T BE COMBINED W/ANY OTHER OFFER / CUSTOM NOT INCLUDED / LIMIT ONE PER PERSON VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
49
ASSOCIATION EVENTS
See you at CYCLONE CENTRAL Three hours before kickoff. Every home football game. ISU Alumni Center. SHOP: One-stop shopping for Cyclone spirit wear EAT & DRINK: Cash bar, catered meals (with pre-registration) FUN: Games & prizes, football action on the big screens, & ISU Cyclone Football ‘Varsity’ Marching Band Step Show
Shop Cyclone spirit wear at Cyclone Central.
THE 2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 2: Cyclones vs. Northern Iowa Sept. 9: Cyclones vs. Iowa Sept. 28: Cyclones vs. Texas Oct. 14: Cyclones vs. Kansas Oct. 28: Cyclones vs. TCU (Homecoming) Nov. 11: Cyclones vs. Oklahoma State Thanks to our 2017 Cyclone Central sponsors:
Leave the grill at home and join our family-friendly (and climate-controlled!) atmosphere three hours prior to each home football game. Admission is free and open to Cyclones everywhere! Go to isualum.org/cyclonecentral for details and to pre-register for meals.
WHERE TO WATCH As always, Cyclones will be gathering everywhere to watch their favorite football team on the small screen in ’17. Find gamewatch “cytes” for communities across the country by using our handy national directory. Don’t see an established location near you? Contact Brandon Maske (A)(’12 marketing & mgmt) about getting one started in your area. Volunteers everywhere make the official Cyclone gamewatch circuit thrive and grow. isualum.org/gamewatch
STA-In-Touch at Homecoming! Join us and Celebrate St. Thomas Aquinas Church & Catholic Student Center’s 70 Years of being “Gathered, Transformed & Sent”
70 years
50
Oct 26 – Thursday Night Liturgy (TNL) @ 9:15PM Alumni are Welcome for our weekly student-planned Mass Oct 27 – Open House & Tours Friday Morning Alumni Mass @ Noon 50+ Year Reunion Luncheon @ 1:00PM Oct 28 – Homecoming Tailgate Tent Mass @ 4:45PM Tours and Hospitality Room after Mass Oct 29 – Mass @ 8:30 & 10:30AM Anniversary Celebration Coffee & Donuts @ 9:30 Alumni Luncheon and Peer Minister Reunion @ 11:30 All are welcome for lunch, special programs and presentations Mass @ 7:00PM RSVPs Encouraged (but not required) 515-292-3810 or email joe@staparish.net www.staparish.net
STARTS HERE
Whether you’re planning for a few dozen guests or a few hundred, we’ll make your wedding celebration a memory to have and to hold. You’ll adore our personal service and delectable cuisine...and thanks to our amazing attention to detail, you’ll even have time to enjoy yourself.
To plan your memory, call 515-294-3348, or visit www.center.iastate.edu FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE AMES In addition to winning numerous awards for being a progressive, innovative and exciting community, there’s no place like Ames when it comes to deciding where to seek opportunity or settle down.
25
“Top Best Cities for Entrepreneurs” (Entrepreneur Magazine)
10
“Top Cities for Career Opportunities” (SmartAsset)
3
“Top Cities Where Job Growth is Happening” (NationalSwell)
WorkInAmes.com VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
51
TOP OF HIS
GAME
Allen Lazard is poised to break Cyclone receiving records this fall
McCLANAHAN STUDIOS
C
52
oming out of high school, senior wide receiver Allen Lazard was recruited by traditional powers such a ass Notre Dame, Nebraska, Stanford, California, and Oregon. The Urbandale High Schooler was one of the most highly touted prospects in his 2014 class. But family ties and a one-of-a-kind fan base led Lazard to choose the Cyclones. Sitting on the hillsides at Jack Trice Stadium had been a big part of the Lazard family’s routine. “It was hard for me to say no [to Iowa State],” Lazard said. “At the end of the day I tried to picture myself at any other university and I just couldn’t. I knew Iowa State was the best fit for me.” With the decision made, Lazard was determined to make a quick impact within the program. He got to work immediately in his first season wearing the Cardinal and Gold. The first catch of his career went for 48 yards against North Dakota State, and Lazard earned ESPN.com Big 12 All-Underclassman honors. Lazard’s early success was not an aberration. During his three seasons with the Cyclones, Lazard has accumulated 2,419 receiving yards and needs just 677 more to pass Todd Blythe’s school record of 3,096. Additionally, only six receptions separate Lazard and Blythe (’08 lib stds) on the career receptions list. FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
Sports by Andrew Stubblefield
“I’ve always been a team-
oriented guy. All I care about is the success of the team. At the end of the day, if we win the game then I’m happy with whatever I had to do to make that happen.” – ALLEN LAZARD
He has also had at least one reception in the 35 games he has played as a Cyclone, shattering Otto Stowe’s previous record of 23 consecutive games with a reception. Lazard is also tied for the most 100-yard receiving games and most consecutive 100-yard receiving games. Despite having the records at his fingertips, Lazard is not completely focused on catching them. “I’ve always been a team-oriented guy,” Lazard said. “All I care about is the success of the team. At the end of the day, if we win the game then I’m happy with whatever I had to do to make that happen.” Standing at 6 feet, 5 inches tall and weighing approximately 222 pounds, Lazard is a dangerous combination of strength, size, and speed. “Most defenders are significantly shorter than me,” Lazard said. “I would say, on average, [most defenders are] about five inches shorter than me. I have a lot of height and length I can use to my advantage, and I am typically a lot stronger than them as well.” Lazard’s records and accomplishments are numerous and impressive, but even more remarkable is the fact he accomplished the feats under four VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG FALL 2017
different quarterbacks. During Lazard’s junior campaign he recorded six 100-yard receiving games, good enough to break the school record. He did so under a dual quarterback system, with Joel Lanning (’17 liberal studies) and Jacob Park locked in a battle for the quarterback spot during the entire 2016 season. Park would eventually prevail and earn the spot. “Park started understanding my style of play,” Lazard said. “[He understood] where I like the ball at, where I’m vulnerable on the field, and where I strive better at. I started understanding where he likes to throw the ball, what he’s looking at, and what his reads are.” Lazard ended the season strong, with 570 yards in his last five games and three straight 100-yard receiving games – tying a school record – to put an exclamation point on the end of the year. Most recently, Lazard was named a preseason All-American by Athlon Sports, is a preseason all-Big 12 selection, and was named a team captain. Lazard was the second member of his family to become a captain, as his father, Kevin Lazard (A)(’94 management), was a co-captain of the 1993 Iowa State football team. “It’s a huge honor,” Lazard said. “Just knowing that my dad was a captain [at Iowa State] made me proud of him. Knowing the man that he is, as a family man, makes me feel proud of myself because I know I am doing something right and that he raised me well.” The Lazard family history runs deep in Ames. In addition to his father Kevin, Lazard’s brother Anthony (’16 kinesiology & health) played football at Iowa State from 2012 to 2016. It’s that sense of family pride and legacy that keeps Lazard motivated to change the course of history for Iowa State. “Once I leave this university, I want nothing but success for the future of this
program,” Lazard said. “I just want to be sure that I gave this university and this football team as much as I could so that I can leave it in a better place.” Iowa State has not made it to a bowl game in Lazard’s time at Iowa State, but the Cyclones are set on changing that in the 2017 season. “I think it is a number-one priority on our list,” Lazard said. “Not only to go to a bowl game, but to win it.” “We are going into every week planning on winning,” Lazard continued. “We are going to start at the top and we want to go to the Big 12 championship. We are not going to limit ourselves to six wins. We want to aim high.” The culture is shifting in the Iowa State football program, and Lazard is right at the center of it. “Coach Campbell always says, ‘Change happens in small amounts,’” Lazard said. “You get one or two guys and their attitude changes, you see it starting to feed off to other people.” After the 2016 season, Lazard flirted with an opportunity to take his talents to the NFL. Ultimately, he felt he still had more to give to the university and decided to stay in Ames for his senior year. With his decision to stay, Lazard will have one more season to cement his legacy at Iowa State. “I want people to talk about me forever,” Lazard said. “I want people to consider me a Cyclone great and that I helped put Iowa State football on the map.” Andrew Stubblefield is a junior at ISU, majoring in public relations
53
Calendar Cyclones Everywhere: Des Moines Sep. 8: Principal Tailgate Oct. 3: Fall Corn Maze Feb. 9: MARK YOUR CALENDAR! Cardinal & Gold Gala
Career resources
Arts and entertainment
Sept. 19: Fall Engineering Career Fair, Scheman/Hilton Sept. 20: Fall Business, Industry & Technology Career Fair, Hilton Oct. 17: College of Ag & Life Sciences Fall Career Day, Lied Rec Center
Sept. 15: Comedian Tim Allen, Stephens Sept. 24: ArtRAGEous, Stephens
Cyclone Athletics
At the ISU Alumni Center Sept. 28: Cyclone Central Tailgate Oct. 12-14: Young Alumni Council fall meeting and 10-year reunion Oct. 14: Cyclone Central Tailgate Oct. 26: ISU Board of Directors fall meeting Oct. 27: Greek Alumni Alliance Reunion Oct. 27: Homecoming Pep Rally Oct. 27-28: Homecoming silent auction Oct. 27-28: ISU 50-year Class Reunion Oct. 28: Homecoming Cyclone Central Tailgate Nov. 11: Cyclone Central Tailgate
SEE YOU… AT CYCLONE CENTRAL
For all Cyclone sports schedules, go to www.cyclones.com
Oct. 1: Flip Fabrique, Stephens Oct. 4: A Night With Janis Joplin, Stephens Oct. 19: Anthony Trionfo, Tye Recital Hall Oct. 21: Dirty Dancing, Stephens Oct. 26: One Night in Memphis, Stephens Oct. 27: Bumper Jacksons, Stephens Oct. 31: Black Jacket Symphony – Purple Rain, Stephens Nov. 2: Rebirth Brass Band, Stephens Nov. 14: Vienna Boys Choir, Stephens Dec. 20: Mannheim Steamroller, Stephens Jan. 25: Moscow Festival Ballet, Stephens Jan. 30: The Wizard of Oz, Stephens
Lifelong learning
Awards
Nov. 8: “Rock On” in Retirement Symposium, ISU Alumni Center Dec. 14: OLLI at ISU Winter Open House, ISU Alumni Center Jan. 9: OLLI at ISU winter classes begin
Oct. 27: Homecoming Honors & Awards Luncheon & Ceremony Dec. 1: Wallace E. Barron Award, Faculty/Staff Inspiration Award, and STATEment Makers nomination deadlines
Sept. 16: Football at Akron Sept. 28: Football vs. Texas Oct. 7: Football at Oklahoma Oct. 14: Football vs. Kansas Oct. 28: Football vs. TCU Nov. 4: Football at West Virginia Nov. 11: Football vs. Oklahoma State Nov. 18: Football at Baylor Nov. 25: Football at Kansas State
*For criteria and to submit a nomination for ISUAA awards: www.isualum.org/awards
Find more events online
On campus &
around Ames
Sept. 15-17: Annual Garden Quilt Show, Reiman Gardens Oct. 7: Honoring Hoiberg (a celebration of Eric Hoiberg) Oct. 21-22: Spirits in the Garden/Jack-O-Lantern, Reiman Gardens Oct. 22: Homecoming MING 2017 TION OCIA HOMECOTHE ASS ISU ALUMNI A PROGRAM OF Parade, downtown Ames Oct. 26: FSHN Alumni Awards Banquet Oct. 27: Homecoming ExCYtement in the Streets, Mass Campaniling & fireworks Oct. 27: Homecoming pop-up exhibit, Parks Library Oct. 27-28: Alumni Band Reunion Oct. 28: Dept. of Food Science & Human Nutrition Homecoming Tailgate Dec. 16: ISU Commencement 54
Campus Calendar: http://event.iastate.edu/ ISU Alumni Association: www.isualum.org Cyclone Athletics: www.cyclones.com Reiman Gardens: www.reimangardens.com Iowa State Center: www.center.iastate.edu University Museums: www.museums.iastate.edu Lectures: www.lectures.iastate.edu/ Homecoming: www.isualum.org/homecoming
Alumni travel See the world with the Traveling Cyclones! To see where in the world we’re going in 2018, go to www.isualum.org/travel
FALL 2017 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
Iowa State University Alumni Center 420 Beach Avenue Ames, Iowa 50011-1430
$150
cash rewards bonus offer *
The BankAmericard Cash Rewards™ credit card for the Iowa State University Alumni Association Carry the only card that helps support the Iowa State University Alumni Association
1 2%
back %cash everywhere, every time
cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs
3
back %cash on gas
2% and 3% category rewards bonuses apply on up to $2,500 in combined quarterly spend in those categories.▼
To apply for a credit card, visit www.newcardonline.com and enter Priority Code GAARX4. For information about the rates, fees, other costs and benefits associated with the use of this Rewards card, or to apply, go to the website listed above or write to P.O. Box 15020, Wilmington, DE 1985 *You will qualify for $150 bonus cash rewards if you use your new credit card account to make any combination of Purchase transactions totaling at least $500 (exclusive of any fees, returns and adjustments) that post to your account within 90 days of the account open date. Limit one (1) bonus cash rewards offer per new account. This one-time promotion is limited to new customers opening an account in response to this offer. Other advertised promotional bonus cash rewards offers can vary from this promotion and may not be substituted. Allow 8-12 weeks from qualifying for the bonus cash rewards to post to your rewards balance ▼ The 2% cash back on grocery store and wholesale club purchases and 3% cash back on gas purchases applies to the first $2,500 in combined purchases in these categories each quarter. After that the base 1% earn rate applies to those purchases. By opening and/or using these products from Bank of America, you’ll be providing valuable financial support to the Iowa State University Alumni Association. This credit card program is issued and administered by Bank of America, N.A. Visa and Visa Signature are registered trademarks of Visa International Service Association, and are used by the issuer pursuant to license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. BankAmericard Cash Rewards is a trademark and Bank of America and the Bank of America logo are registered trademarks of Bank of America Corporation © 2017 Bank of America Corporation ARFJCK95 AD-12-16-0335.B