VISIONS Magazine: Winter 2013 Issue by Iowa State University Alumni Association

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 |

Winter 2013

The talented Mr. Dunphy ›› Presidential installation ›› Homecoming photo gallery ›› Remembering Barbara Mack

G E TTI NG START ED

by Carole Gieseke

CGIESEKE@IASTATE.EDU

To Jack Trice, with love

JIM HEEMSTRA

he story of John Arends and the story of Jack Trice are very much interconnected. Of course, the Jack Trice story is well known to those of us familiar with Iowa State University history. But John’s story is no less passionate and dramatic: It’s a behind-the-scenes push to tell the Trice story to a broader audience. Let’s start where the stories begin to overlap. John was an undergraduate at Iowa State in the 1970s when a debate began on campus and in the local media about whether to name the new football stadium in honor of Jack Trice. Despite strong support by students to name it Jack Trice Stadium, university officials stayed with the name Cyclone Stadium. John says he was “just a spectator” in the Trice naming controversy during those years. But later, as a graduate student at Iowa State in the 1980s, he attempted to write a play about the Trice story for his master’s thesis. He never finished the play. However, he did write a guest editorial for the Des Moines Register just as the campus was again debating the stadium name (this time, he said, the university “cut the baby in half” by naming the stadium “Cyclone Stadium” and the field “Jack Trice Field.”) It was 1983, the 60th anniversary of Jack’s death. John’s editorial caught the attention of Newsweek, and the magazine’s Midwest bureau chief wrote an article about Jack Trice titled “Once upon a time in Iowa.” About that time, a Hollywood producer called John, and the two discussed turning the Jack Trice story into a movie. But nothing ever came of it. Fast forward a couple of decades. Iowa State’s football stadium is now, finally, named Jack Trice Stadium. John (who graduated with a degree in journalism in 1977) and his wife, Anne (’78 physical education & dance), have

John Arends

raised three children (all of whom attended Iowa State). John is the president and CEO of ARENDS, a communications and marketing agency in Batavia, Ill. And then John turned 50 and it hit him: He still wanted to write a screenplay to tell the Jack Trice story. “I didn’t want to do the ‘what if?’” he told me. So he studied the craft. He wrote two unrelated screenplays (one of which won a writing contest). It was time to write about Jack Trice. Now the story comes full circle. I met with John recently as part of our VISIONS Across America project. As I sat with him at his Batavia office, located in a 1870s windmill factory situated on the banks of the Fox River, I could feel the emotion in John’s voice as the words began pouring out: “It’s such a great story,” he said. “It’s a coming of age story: taking a stand as a young man on the football field. So many Iowa State students – hundreds, thousands – have embraced this story. It would not go away. Jack died, and it was a horrific thing, but the university has honored him with [the stadium] name.” John’s treatment of the story could best be called historical fiction. It’s based on the events of Jack Trice’s life, but it’s been embellished.

›› HOW DO YOU LIVE ISU? VISIONS magazine wants to know. VISIONS is looking for photos that show how you live ISU in the way you dress; how you dress your children and pets; how you decorate your home, yard, classroom, and office; and in other ways such as license plates, 2

“It’s inspired by true events,” John explained, “but no one could know what was in Jack’s heart. No one could know what his coach felt.” John invented a mentor for Jack who was African American. (“There’s always a white protagonist that saves the day. I wasn’t going to do that.”) There’s also a dual love story between Jack and his wife and Jack his mother. The finished product is Trice, an original screenplay. Getting Trice produced as a major motion picture is another thing entirely. John says it will be too expensive. It will probably never get made. But Chicago ScriptWorks chose John’s story to be performed as a staged screenplay reading. John was paired with a director and professional actors. They found a small, off-Loop theater in Chicago, and on Sept. 15, 2010 Trice was performed. The production was more than a common readers’ theatre. It employed stage lighting and projections. Actors, dressed in black, read from the script but also acted out the football scene, the funeral scene, and more. Katherine Hallenbeck (’02 MIS/ finance) saw the show. She wrote this to me at the time: “It took close to 30 years to see John’s work come alive on stage, but it only took me 90 minutes and a talented cast of 15 to fall in love with the Iowa State legend and our football stadium’s namesake.” So, what’s next? John is encouraged by the response to the show. He still hopes to be able to tell the Jack Trice story to a broader audience and a new generation of Iowa Staters through film or stage. I really hope that happens. “It’s Jack’s story,” he said, smiling sadly. “It has power.” 

weddings, travel, vehicles, tattoos, etc. Please send digital submissions with descriptions to cgieseke@iastate.edu for possible inclusion in a future issue of VISIONS or online. Photos must be print-quality (300-dpi preferred). WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

JIM HEEMSTRA

Celebrating the Cytennial at the ISU Alumni Center.

COVER STORY

DEPARTMENTS

2 6 32 38 44 46

Acting bug: What makes Brendan Dunphy tick?

FEATURES

“We must be bold:” The installation of President Steven Leath

24 26 31 34

ISUAA 2011-2012 Annual Report Cytennial Homecoming photo gallery

Getting Started Around Campus Newsmakers Association News Sports Calendar

On the cover: Brendan Dunphy (’07) is a man of many talents: acting, theatrical production, and – oh, yes – running Iowa State’s Medical Entomology Laboratory. Photo montage by Jim Heemstra

2013 Distinguished Awards Understanding biomolecules

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 201 3

Printed with soy ink on recycled SOYrecyclable paper. and

PRINTED WITH

Trademark of American Soybean Association

2012-2013 ISU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

WE’D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU Let us know what you think about

stories in this issue – or about other topics of interest to VISIONS readers. Email your letters to: CGIESEKE@IASTATE.EDU.

Billi Hunt** ’93 Housing Urbandale, Iowa

OFFICERS

Chair: Scott Stanzel** # ’95 Journalism Seattle, Wash. Chair-elect: David Alan VanHorn** # ’89 Aerospace Engr., MS ’90 Kingwood, Texas Immediate Past Chair: Craig R. Foss** # ’71 Industrial Engr. Fairfield, Iowa Vice Chair of Finance: Thea “Ted” Lubbers Oberlander** # ’77 Industrial Admin. Des Moines, Iowa Vice Chair of Records: Melanie J. Anderson Reichenberger** ’00 Industrial Engr. Shorewood, Wis. University Treasurer: Warren R. Madden** # ’61 Industrial Engr. Ex-officio/voting Ames, Iowa ISU Alumni Association President: Jeffery W. Johnson** # Ex-officio/non-voting Ames, Iowa

Timothy C. Becker** ’94 Const. Engr. Ames, Iowa

Joy Wiegman Boruff** # ’76 Home Ec. Journ. Moline, Ill. Richard Degner** # ’72 Ag. Education, MS ’77 Ankeny, Iowa James DeLano** # ’87 DVM San Ramon, Calif. Craig K. Denny** # ’71 Civil Engr., MS ’73 Lenexa, Kan. Duane A. Halverson** # ’67 Ag. Business, MS ’69 New Brighton, Minn. Ana Hays** ’84 Fashion Merch. Menlo Park, Calif. #

Alan E. Krysan** # ’87 Ag. Business Lakeville, Minn. Michelle Miller** ’98 Computer Science Kansas City, Mo. #

Kay Kretschmar Runge**# ’69 History Education Davenport, Iowa Nicole M. (Bell) Schmidt** ’09 Const. Engr. Overland Park, Kan. Ryan J. Schon** ’95 Agronomy Ankeny, Iowa Becky Stadlman** # ’74 Journ. & Mass Comm. Ankeny, Iowa Carlie C. Tartakov** # PhD ’95 Ed. Ldrshp. & Pol. Studies Amherst, Mass. Natasha Thomas** # ’89 Marketing Scottdale, Ga. Ryan M. York** ’95 Marketing, MBA ’03 West Des Moines, Iowa APPOINTED DIRECTORS

ELECTED DIRECTORS

Miles Lackey* ISU Associate Vice President/Chief of Staff Office of the President Representative Ames, Iowa Melea Reicks Licht** College Representative Ames, Iowa Lora Talbot** # Non-alumni Representative Belmond, Iowa Sam Behrens*** Senior, History Student Alumni Leadership Council Representative Waverly, Iowa ISU Alumni Association Membership Key: * Annual member ** Life member # 201 2 Sustaining Life member *** Student member

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.

Letters 

HOMECOMING CYTENNIAL

VISIONS ACROSS AMERICA

I enjoyed reading about Homecomings at ISU through the years. However, there was no mention of what took the place of the Homecoming queen tradition beginning with the 1973 Homecoming. They introduced what was known as the “Homecoming Host and Hostess” that year. I think the first hostess was Peg (Doran) Buenneke, and I am not sure who was the host. The next year, Dawn Smith from Prophetstown, Ill., was the hostess, and I was the host. The process to select the hosthostess included two interviews with the Homecoming Central Committee. The purpose was to attend student and alumni events held during the week of Homecoming and to represent the university in a public relations role. Dawn and I applied as a team, she being from out of state, I being from Iowa. I lived in a fraternity, she in the dorms. She was very good looking; I, well, my mother thought so.... We were lucky enough to be selected and enjoyed going to events such as dinners, alumni brunches being held around the university, etc. The concept of host-hostess was pretty non-controversial, non-sexist, and good for the times when “non-establishment” was in vogue during the Vietnam protest days (the war was almost over). I am not sure how long the host-hostess concept continued, but at least in 1973-1974, it was a nice change of pace for the university, and Dawn and I thought it was a great experience. Such fond memories of times when we were young. Thanks for the nice articles about ISU Homecomings.

When we moved to Hawaii, Jerry Allen was one of the first people we met (summer 2012, “Nuts about Hawaii”). Jerry worked for C Brewer, the company my uncle worked for on the Big Island. A couple of years later, Jerry told me to send my resume to C Brewer. That led to me working for C Brewer, via Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Co., and a move to the Big Island. It was a chance to take a step back in time and live in a small Hawaiian town in a former plantation manager’s house. Jerry and Bev Allen are wonderful people, and your article and picture managed to capture the essence of Jerry. Well done. I found Jerry’s phone number and called him to talk about the article. We talked for 45 minutes, and it was great to talk with him. When I started looking for grad schools I got listings of the top five in food science and in industrial technology. I found ISU in the top three of each list. With the help of the late Dr. William Wolansky, I was able to gain admission to Iowa State. At ISU I was able to combine food technology, quality systems, and industrial technology into a customized master’s. I doubt I could have accomplished that as well anywhere else. Now our family of four has eight degrees from Iowa State. Pretty good for coming from families with no college graduates. We moved from Hawaii to Ames with one pallet of belongings and admission to the graduate college. Because we had no address and no idea where we would live, when the student directory was published I was listed as a student with a 4,000-mile commute. Yes, a commuter student from the Kau District of Hawaii. We all thought it was quite hilarious. We were able to rent a house, and after a few months, my wife got work with Ames Lab Educational Programs, and our lives started to stabilize.

John Fischer**

’75 farm operations Neola, Iowa VET MED

It was with great interest that I read the article in the summer 2012 VISIONS magazine about the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State. Very impressive. However, the author failed to mention that the return to leadership for ISU College of Veterinary Medicine was led by two inspired individuals: President Greg Geoffroy and Dean John Thomson (DVM ’67). It is because of their tireless fundraising efforts and boundless enthusiasm that Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine has been returned to the place of prominence and respect it enjoys today. Gary D. Runyon**

’67 D.V.M Allerton, Iowa

Loren Faeth*

’79 industrial education; M.S. ’95 industrial education/technology; Ph.D. ’98 Ames, Iowa Thank you, thank you for the great work you and your staff do to publish each issue of VISIONS that arrives in our mailbox four times a year. I have to confess that I sometimes don’t get the entire issue read the same day, week, or month it comes into the house, but I appreciate it even more when I can take my time to thoroughly enjoy the contents. Sometimes it’s read twice as I highlight articles of special interest before I pass it on to my husband. This summer I packed four copies of VISIONS in our supplies that go with us to

WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

“My dad came here as an international student from Malaysia and has been able to stay really involved through the Alumni Association as an alumnus. I grew up with a lot of Cyclone pride and knew right away when I got here on campus that the Student Alumni Association was something I should get involved in. You really have a chance to feel like you are part of State.” a family here at Iowa State.

our cabin in the Boundary Waters. I just knew that I would find some quiet time during the lazy days to get my reading done. The first magazine to get my attention was the one with the excellent story of President Geoffroy’s 10 years at ISU (fall 2011). I also learned from your lead article in that issue that the ISU Alumni Association was launching a new project, VISIONS Across America. I know that by reading recent issues, you and Jim Heemstra have already logged many miles and have had some wonderful and interesting experiences along the way. Continued good wishes on your journey. We look forward to reading many more great stories as you travel the 50 states. Ann Brierly Platt**

’54 household equipment Sioux Falls, South Dakota We have enjoyed reading about your encounters with ISU grads on your travels. Head south across the border and check out the ISU grads that brave the wonderful culture of Mexico. Get a taste of our activities by checking our blog, sandisalsainmexico@wordpress.com. Our Christmas activities are featured in El Guamuchil of the December 2010 and 2011 issues. Also check out February 2012...Proud Abuelos...it features our family best Iowa Stater ever. Keep up the good work. Kent Nelson**

Ph.D. ’68 animal science Sandi Nelson**

’77 elementary education Decorah, Iowa A MILITARY DUTY

I was one of the many that volunteered tell my story for your “Military Duty” feature in VISIONS (summer 2011). I met Don Sparks (’68) on the first day of orientation as we were both in the Ag College and had the same adviser (David Stamp). We had many classes together and lived in the same dorm; I even dated one of his high school classmates. Naturally we became good friends. We ended up in the same Brigade (196th LIB) in Vietnam in the same area. If you check his bio on “The Wall,” he is one of the few MIAs to be reclassified as a POW and not be released in 1973. As I was a combat leader in that same Area of Operations, it has held my interest since the end of the war in Vietnam. Recently 1 1 of us from the 196th LIB went back to Vietnam. We flew into Hanoi and met with JPAC (POW/MIA search unit). We all know of others still there

Szuyin Leow Student member

besides Don. We spent a week in our own search in our old Area of Operations (west of Tam Ky). This picture was taken about four miles from where Don Sparks was captured, and he was held near this spot for about 10 months. After that time the trail has gone cold. The man in the picture with me is a former Viet Cong soldier that lived nearby. When I told him I had patrolled this area, he got a big smile on his face and said, “I shoot you,” grabbed my hand, and we walked down the trail hand in hand. What a moment! What a memory for me! I have no doubt he did shoot at me, as I was “the guy in front of the radio,” always their prime target. We spent the last week of our trip as tourists, visiting Hue, Danang, Tam Ky, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh City (the locals still call it Saigon). Once you get the war out of your head, it is a beautiful country and a wonderful place to visit, with friendly people and reasonably priced. I was surprised to see the large number of Western tourists.

Your lifetime link For many generations, the ISU Alumni Association has been there to provide resources to allow ISU alumni, students, and friends to grow, connect, and reconnect with Iowa State University and with each other. We’re proud to begin serving as the Lifetime Link for all Iowa Staters from the moment they first set foot on campus. Explore isualum.org to see everything the ISU Alumni Association does for you, for ISU, and for all ISU alumni, students, and friends. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Ben Buehler**

’68 farm operations Sac City, Iowa *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.

WINTER 2013 / VOLUME 25 / NO. 4

Carole Gieseke Kate Bruns PHOTOGRAPHY: Jim Heemstra DESIGN: Scott Thornton / www.designgrid.com

EDITOR:

ASSOCIATE EDITOR:

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) 294-6525, 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 515-294-6515. Copyright 2012 by the ISU Alumni Association, Jeffery W. Johnson, president and publisher.

294-6525 1-877-ISU-ALUM (478-2586) www.isualum.org

LOCAL PHONE TOLL-FREE WEBSITE

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 201 3

Stay Connected Now more than ever, the ISU Alumni Association is relying on email to communicate with alumni and friends. Do we have your correct email address? Are our messages getting through? Fill out our form at www.isualum.org/update to share your email address and other contact information. Or feel free to contact our Web administrator at isualum@iastate.edu if you’re concerned you’re not receiving our messages. We’ll be happy to help!

“The Park’s purpose… is to connect with the university.”

Around Campus

– ALISON DOYLE, ISU RESEARCH PARK MARKETING DIRECTOR

An architect’s rendering depicts the WebFilings building currently under construction.

ISU Research Park looks to the future

SU Research Park, which started in 1987 as an out-of-the-box idea for facilitating collaboration between Iowa State University and the business community, has quickly become a symbol of Steven Leath’s presidency – specifically his vision to become a “partnership university” and support the Capital Corridor initiative aimed at making central Iowa a research hub for agriculture and technology-based industries. The business park, which currently has 120 developed acres and 60 tenants on the south side of Ames, is in the process of growing significantly with the construction of additional buildings for WebFilings – a privately held software company – and the recent announcement of plans to purchase an additional 100 acres of land to the south, which is currently owned by a private developer and the ISU Foundation. Engineering work on the expansion is expected to be complete in February. “The Park’s purpose, in a really, really simple nutshell, is to connect with the university,” explains Research Park marketing director Alison Doyle (’98 English). “If a company contacts us and wants to be here, that is really the only criterion: that they have to connect with Iowa State

University in some way.” Doyle says the most common points of connection for Research Park tenants are through students (for example, she notes, WebFilings had 56 interns from Iowa State this summer and plans to hire more than 45 of them) and, obviously, through research. (“A lot of these companies are actively engaged with researchers on campus, so the next logical step for them is to establish a presence here,” Doyle says.) Some examples of Research Park’s current tenants include: • WEBFILINGS, LLC: Founded in 2008, WebFilings provides web-based software technologies for external and financial reporting. With more than 245 employees (and growing), it is the largest company in Research Park. (www.webfilings.com) • NEWLINK GENETICS CORP.: The first company to go public in Iowa since 2004, NewLink is a late-stage, biopharmaceutical company that is on the cutting edge of cancer vaccine technology, including treatments for pancreatic cancer, non-small-cell lung cancer, and melanoma. (www.newlinkgenetics.com)

WINTER 2013 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish, right? That’s what they always say, anyway. Well, you were a finisher — and maybe a finisher unlike anyone the Cy-rooters have ever seen.” LUKE LU

– Des Moines Register sports columnist Bryce Miller, writing in an Oct. 31 open letter to Cyclone linebacker Jake Knott, who was forced to end his college football career early following a shoulder injury

•

BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM VETMEDICA: A subsidiary of an international corporation headquartered in Ridgefield, Conn., Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica was the first animal health firm to join the Research Park and has since acquired ISU- and National Animal Disease Center-developed technologies and successfully made them available for commercial use. (www.bi-vetmedica.com/) • HARRISVACCINES, INC.: Founded by an ISU professor of animal science and veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, Harrisvaccines, Inc., received the 2011 Tibbetts Award from the Small Business Administration for its pioneering work creating a vaccine for swine influenza. (www.harrisvaccines.com) • ADVANCED ANALYTICAL TECHNOLOGIES: The company, which was founded in Ames in 1998, has developed and marketed a number of technologies – working in collaboration with ISU researchers – that accelerate research and improve processes in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and personal care product markets. (www.aati-us.com)

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 2013

Doyle says 2012-2013 finds Research Park in the midst of a “perfect storm,” so to speak – with unprecedented growth of current tenant companies, high levels of support from the university administration, and a shifting economic climate that puts the Park in high demand. “The economy’s starting to turn around,” Doyle says. “So just to accommodate the companies that are already here, we’re really seeing a surge in the need for additional square footage. And we would really like to be going out and actively recruiting new companies as well, but we need to catch our building up to our growth.” “We have a good research park, but I want to see it reach its full potential,” Leath said in his installation remarks Sept. 14. “Research Park will now report directly to my office. Among other things, I expect it to become the north anchor of the Capital Corridor project, which clearly has the potential to be an important source of economic growth in central Iowa. I’m excited to be a leader in this public/private partnership.” To find out more about ISU Research Park, visit www.isupark.org.

“This year, we faced a major drought, but compared to some of the gloom-and-doom predictions, this crop fared a little better than some farmers were expecting. It bodes well that we can have a severe drought and production can still carry through.”

Around Campus

– ISU Extension and Outreach grain markets specialist and associate professor of economics Chad Hart, talking about this fall’s better-than-expected Iowa harvest

WINTER 2013 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

ISU’s College of Design branches out A new partnership between the Ames Main Street Cultural District and the ISU College of Design is putting ISU’s budding artists to work in the community. The “Design on Main” program now occupies 7,000 square feet of space in the building that was formerly the Antique Ames mall. There are currently about 20 graduate students in integrated visual arts working and showcasing their artwork in the facility, and future plans could call for the building to house new master’s degree programs, faculty research, community design projects, and more. The College of Design is also now accommodating its new industrial design program in an upgraded space in the Armory, which is being utilized for studio space and group critiques. The reconfigured space was designed by 19 students in Bruce Bassler’s design-build studio last spring. “This allowed us to do studios the same size as before or even a little larger along with the larger review space,” Bassler (’72 architecture) said. “It’s a minor miracle.”

BOB ELBERT

Stephanie Willett, a secondyear integrated visual arts MFA student, works in the new “Design on Main” space.

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 2013

Remembering Barbara Former student Jessica Opoien pays tribute to an ISU journalism professor and First Amendment crusader whose sudden death brought the campus an intense feeling of loss and legacy

foolish few who tested that by sending a text message or reading a newspaper during her class learned quickly when they were ejected from the room. She did this not just to eliminate distractions in her own classroom, but to impart on us the manners and common sense that would be required of us in pursuit of our degrees and beyond. Her influence on everyone who met her is easy to see. Those of us who were privileged enough to have Barbara Mack in our lives possess a confidence, intelligence, and awareness of the world that so many of our generation lack – but her reach extends far back, to generations that came before mine, and it will continue to be felt in future generations as we employ everything we learned from her in our everyday lives. At her memorial service, on a rainy September day on Central Campus, the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication distributed black wristbands embossed with the letters, “WWBMD?” – a tangible reminder of a phrase so many of us already use as a mantra, whether consciously or not. I cannot count the number of times I’ve made a decision based on the answer to that question – “What would Barbara Mack do?” or at the very least, “What would Barbara think?” – and her legacy will live on as her students continue to make decisions – both personal and professional – based on everything she taught us. Thank you, Barbara. For everything.

JIM HEEMSTRA

Around Campus

n Aug. 23, 2012, Iowa State lost a treasure. But if anything has been made clear since that day, it’s that her presence will long be felt on the ISU campus. Barbara Mack was more than a professor, more than a teacher, and more than an adviser. She was a mentor, a role model, a heroine, and, to many of her students, a second mother and a friend. And she changed our lives in ways that are immeasurable. She taught journalism – from the fundamentals of communication and reporting to the intricacies of ethics and law – to thousands of students during her 26 years at Iowa State. It wasn’t just journalism majors who lined up to learn from her, though; engineers, musicians, and psychologists came in droves because of the magic they’d heard they might experience. The je nais se quoi she possessed gained her adoration, admiration, and respect from all corners of campus. Barbara Mack held her students to higher standards than anyone had ever imposed on us before, but she built us up and gave us everything we needed to meet them. She taught us about everything – from basic American history to compound subjects and prepositions to how to report ethically and within the law. Foundations were important, because she knew she couldn’t fully impart the importance of First Amendment freedoms without first ensuring we knew the principles on which this country was founded. But she taught us more than grammar, journalism, and law. She taught us how to live and how to thrive. She taught her students to introduce ourselves by our first and last names, because so many people – women, especially – sell themselves short by offering just their first. She taught us that “like” is an unacceptable conversational space-filler and, once we’d mastered that, pointed out the others that cluttered our language and obfuscated our point. She taught us all that the First Amendment is more than just a cause for excitement or a journalistic refrain, but something worthy of lifelong dedication and devotion. From the moment she walked into a room, it was hers. She didn’t have to ask for respect and attention; her presence commanded it. And the

Jessica Opoien (’11 journalism and mass communication) is a reporter for the Oshkosh Northwestern in Oshkosh, Wis. If she can measure up to be half the woman Barbara Mack was, she’ll feel pretty good about herself. WINTER 2013 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

SAINA WINS NCAA CROSS COUNTRY TITLE On Nov. 17 in Louisville, Ky., ISU senior Betsy Saina became the third individual national collegiate cross country champion in Iowa State history after covering the 6,000-meter course in 19:27.10, besting a field of 253 runners. Teammate Meaghan Nelson placed 16th to earn All-America honors as the Iowa State women finished 11th in the team standings with 350 points. Oregon won the team title with 114 points. “I told myself that I was going to go for it from the start,” Saina said. “I knew it was going to be tough, and I was ready for a challenge at the end. I was patient and my body was feeling good, so I got to the end and started sprinting. I knew I had to go eventually and I trusted myself.” “Any time you win an NCAA title in cross country, it’s a tremendous accomplishment,” Cyclone head coach Corey Ihmels (’97 history) said. “You’re taking all the best distance runners in collegiate athletics and putting them in one race, and she came out on top. She beat some great athletes. It’s a testament to her hard work. Her life revolves around being as good as she can be. Betsy’s humble and a great leader. She goes to work every day and does all the little things. That is what a champion does.” The NCAA championships ended one of Iowa State’s best ever women’s cross country seasons. The Cyclones repeated as Big 12 champions and Midwest Regional team titlists. Saina was the Big 12 and Midwest Regional individual winner in addition to her national championship, and Ihmels was named league coach of the year.

Passages Don F. Gustofson (1932-2012) Former ISU Alumni Association executive director Don Gustofson (’55 science) died Sept. 3 at Green Hills Care Center in Ames. A long-time Ames resident and ISU employee, Gustofson worked in a variety of positions in admissions, development, and alumni relations throughout his career with the university. He was the sixth executive director of the ISU Alumni Association. Agatha Huepenbecker Burnet (1930-2012) Agatha Burnet (MS ’52 textiles & clothing) died August 23 at Israel Family Hospice House in Ames. Burnet joined the ISU faculty in 1956 and taught textiles and clothing for 37 years before retiring as emeritus professor in 1993. She was considered an international authority on textiles and clothing history. Burnet and her husband, George, gifted the Burnet Alumni Living Room in the ISU Alumni Center.

“BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG. It’s November 02, 2012 at 08:00 AM.” – A Nov. 2 tweet from @MyCampanile, a just-for-fun Twitter account that plays the virtual bells of Iowa State

“I didn’t breathe under water. I didn’t stop my prayers. And I didn’t give up hope.” – excerpt from ISU sophomore Onalie Ariyabandhu’s essay about surviving the 2004 Sri Lankan tsunami, which won the 2012 International Student Voice magazine contest

31,000

ISU’S ENROLLMENT TOPPED 31,000 FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, WITH A FALL 2012 ENROLLMENT OF 31,040.

Neuhaus to lead ISU Foundation Dubuque native Roger J. Neuhaus has been named the next president of the Iowa State University Foundation. Neuhaus, who is currently senior vice president for development and university campaigns at the University of Arizona Foundation, will begin his work at Iowa State on Jan. 23. “I am humbled by the confidence placed in me by the ISU Foundation board of directors and President Leath,” Neuhaus said. “The opportunity to assume leadership of a very reputable and well-managed organization like the ISU Foundation is not common in the world of fundraising. I will do so with integrity and great care, placing the interests of our donors and all whom we serve at the center of our core daily activities.” At the University of Arizona Foundation, Neuhaus was the senior executive with responsibility for all major gift fundraising and for the planning, management, and execution of capital campaigns. In his four years at Arizona, the UA Foundation reported private gifts in excess of $600 million, including a record year of $181 million last year. Prior to joining the University of Arizona Foundation, Neuhaus served in fundraising positions at Verde Valley Medical Center, northern Arizona; The Finley Hospital and Loras College, both in Dubuque, Iowa; and Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Ill., where he also served as assistant director of the alumni association for six years. “Roger’s many years of fundraising experience will make him a valuable asset to the ISU Foundation,” said Steven Leath, Iowa State University president. “I look forward to working with him and the rest of the foundation staff as they continue to support Iowa State’s priorities.” 11

ACTING Brendan Dunphy oversees the ISU Department of Entomologyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mosquito colony, located in the insectary in Science II.

Brendan Dunphy is an actor. And an entomologist. And a producer of eclectic Irish plays. People keep telling him to move to Hollywood, but he stays stubbornly rooted in Iowa. So what makes Brendan Dunphy tick? BY C AROLE GIESEKE

• PHOTOS BY JIM HEEMSTRA

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 201 3

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

BUG

Scott Siepker and Brendan Dunphy are The Man in Brown and The Man in Black in the Iowa Filmmakers production of Valentine Road.

rendan Dunphy is not a household name. Yet. But the 29-year-old is already well known in two very diverse circles: Des Moines theatre-goers and scientists who follow the mosquito and tick populations in the Midwest. If that sounds crazy, it’s not. Dunphy, a 2007 ISU graduate with a degree in animal ecology, entomology, and zoology, is a research associate in Iowa State’s Medical Entomology Laboratory. You might say being an entomologist is his day job. He runs the university insectary and oversees the surveillance program of mosquitoes and ticks in Iowa. He even documented the arrival and establishment of an exotic mosquito species in the state: Aedes japonicas. Dunphy’s alter-ego is an actor and producer of both stage and film. You may have seen him in Iowa State’s “Choose Your Adventure” television commercials. He’s the long-haired narrator with the friendly smile. On the professional stage, he’s played characters ranging from deranged killers and a psycho hotel clerk to a priest and a crippled Irish boy. He may be best known locally for his dogged persistence in producing the complete series of Irish playwright Martin McDonagh’s stage plays in a central Iowa market that likely never heard of McDonagh (although his plays have garnered Tony Award nominations and his indy film In Bruges received critical acclaim). Dunphy’s production company, Mooncoin, named after the Irish village in which his grandfather lived, is the only production company in the world to stage McDonagh’s complete series. Dunphy might attribute his tenacity – and his perfectionist nature – to the advice given to him by a Tae Kwon Do instructor he had growing up in eastern Iowa: “Don’t ever settle for second best at anything you do.”

A LONER Brendan Dunphy was born in 1983 in Oxford, Ohio. He spent his preschool years in Zachary, La., but moved with his parents and two brothers to eastern Iowa when he was 8 years old. His love of hot summers followed him from Louisiana, where he played baseball year-round. He liked to hunt for frogs, snakes, and crawfish. By the time he moved to Wilton, Iowa, where he went to high school, Dunphy’s family had moved around a lot. Dunphy was a loner. “I didn’t have a large network of friends,” he says. “I had a wiener dog named Moose. He was my best friend.” But Dunphy was athletic, and he developed into a good student. He was active in martial arts and played football. He became a bank teller at age 16 at the Wilton Savings Bank. His supervisors trusted him to lock the safes and arm the security system. He graduated from high school with nearly a 4.0 grade point average. THE LURE OF THE STAGE After attending Muscatine Community College for two years, Dunphy arrived at Iowa State. He wanted to be a veterinarian, but not for long. “I didn’t love the idea of vet school once I got here,” he says. “I thought I had a clear idea, but then I had to change my plan. I liked animals in a wild setting, so I wanted to study them in their natural habitat, not in a clinical setting.” He became a zoology major. He studied for a semester at Humboldt State University in northern California in wildlife biology. “I wanted to learn about the world around me,” he says. “I did not view college as a vehicle for employment. I had a natural, genuine curiosity. I was a sponge.” Dunphy added majors in animal ecology and entomology. At the encouragement of his father, he also took acting classes. “My dad was shy. He regretted not having done theatre himself. He said, ‘Maybe you should give it a try.’ He thought I’d be good at it.” Dunphy auditioned for the ISU Theatre Department’s production of James and the Giant Peach. He was cast in the lead role. 14

“People told me,

‘GO TO HOLLYWOOD ,’ but a director told me, ‘You have a good thing going here, so why leave?’ ”

WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

“I’ve been doing theatre ever since,” he says. “It became an addiction.” And he was good at it, too. One of his theatre professors was the late Patrick Gouran, who went on to become one of Dunphy’s mentors. “Brendan’s special quality as an actor rests in the fact that he creates people on stage and screen,” Gouran said this fall. “Not personalities, not characters, not entertainment ‘stars.’ This is a rare quality in an actor, and Brendan Dunphy has it.” (Gouran passed away in December.) Dunphy went on to perform in ISU productions of A Christmas Carol, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Intimate Apparel. He spent a semester at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and stayed for the summer, both working with turtles and performing in Hamlet with the Hampshire Shakespeare Company. He graduated from Iowa State with a triple major and a 4.0 grade point average.

Dunphy collects samples of mosquito larvae as part of the mosquito surveillance program he conducts in the state of Iowa.

In a rehearsal for Martin McDonagh’s A Behanding in Spokane, Dunphy as Mervyn is threatened at gunpoint by actor Dan Chase as Carmichael.

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 201 3

MOONCOIN ENTERTAINMENT Dunphy found himself acting on camera for the first time in 2007. He did all the usual firsttime-actor work: commercials, industrials, short films. He wasn’t very selective. Then he got an agent and “learned what not to do.” He was cast in his first of several Iowa State commercials in 2008 from an open audition pool. “I’m proud of those commercials,” he says. “That was a feel-good project.” He made his first feature-length film, “Sugar,” about a minor-league baseball player. Dunphy was an extra. He played Jordan, a teenage hustler, in the film “16 to Life.” After that, he briefly considered moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting. “People told me, ‘Go to Hollywood,’” he said. “I thought about it, but a director told me, ‘You have a good thing going here, so why leave?’ I decided I didn’t want to be a cliché. I want to show people you can have a life for yourself in show business and still live in Iowa.” At the same time he was starting his film career, he discovered the plays of Martin McDonagh. He was cast in a 2008 StageWest Theatre Company production of The Lieutenant of Inishmore in Des Moines. The play about Irish terrorists was the funniest thing Dunphy had ever read. “I thought, ‘This is the theatre I’ve yearned for for years – it appeals to 40-year-old construction workers,’” Dunphy said. “I wanted 15

to be in all these plays. I wanted to do all these roles. I wanted to do them NOW.” So he formed his own production company, Mooncoin Entertainment, building his first set in his garage. He traveled on his own to Ireland for research and to learn the native dialect. (“I needed to get a feel for the place,” he said. “I wanted to know how to build a cottage.”) He partnered with the Des Moines Social Club and recruited a talented pool of local actors and technicians. He produced and acted in one play after another: A Skull in Connemara in 2009; The Lonesome West, The Pillowman, and The Beauty Queen of Leenane in 2010; The Lieutenant of Inishmore and A Behanding in Spokane in 2011; and, finally, The Cripple of Inishmaan in 2012. Zachary Mannheimer, founder and executive director of the Des Moines Social Club, said about Dunphy, “He is a great example of what the theatre scene in Des Moines needs: people not afraid to take risks.” IOWA FILMMAKERS In the summer of 2008, Dunphy began working on a film, The Yin of Gary Fischer’s Life, with Paul David Benedict and Scott Siepker (’05 psychology). The trio eventually launched Iowa Filmmakers, a production company formed to create high-quality long- and shortformat films in Iowa. (You may be familiar with “Iowa Nice,” a YouTube sensation with more than 1.2 million views. That’s an Iowa Filmmakers production.) The team has worked on a number of projects since 2010. Central among them is Valentine Road, a dramatic web serial that takes place in prohibition-era Iowa. Two components of the series are complete: “Eye of the Storm,” a short clip about two hit men (Dunphy is “The Man in Black”); and “A Kidnapping at Castelle Manor,” a prologue to season one. Filming for the rest of the series is currently on hold as the group secures additional funding. “Our budget has increased from five digits to half a million dollars,” Dunphy explained. “Valentine Road is a complex production.” Valentine Road is a period piece, with a need for historically accurate costumes, guns, cars, and locations. The show has a large cast and complex technical requirements. “This is the ultimate project [for us], but the painful realization is that we have to put it off for awhile,” he says. Meanwhile, the team is working on other 16

(Right) On location in Story City, Iowa, Dunphy is the producer of the Valentine Road prologue to season one, “A Kidnapping at Castelle Manor.” (Below) Dunphy is Flynn Fitzpatrick in the Iowa Filmmakers’ comedy series “Marooned.”

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

“I can’t see myself ever giving up science.

I LOVE WORKING IN ACADEMIA. I can see myself doing more research.” WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

projects. Currently in the works is a comedy series called “Marooned.” It’s the story of a pair of actors who find themselves stuck in Iowa with nothing to do after a scandal shuts down the state’s film office. Dunphy plays Flynn Fitzpatrick, a soap star from L.A.; Siepker is Liam, an actor from New York. A pilot episode has been shot; the next step is selling the series. “We’re hoping Hulu or Netflix will pick it up,” Dunphy said. “They are looking for original content. We would love to help Des Moines become a player in the industry of online production and prove you can do film and theatre from Iowa.”

FRAME CAPTURED FROM ISU TELEVISION COMMERCIAL

Dunphy is the narrator in Iowa State’s “Choose Your Adventure” television commercials; this one features Nicole Edmond, ’04 biology, who went on to study at Johns Hopkins Medical School.

Dunphy performs as Billy, the title role in Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan.

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 201 3

COMING FULL CIRCLE Brendan Dunphy is always working. “I want to do it all,” he says. “To have as many adventures as possible. On my death bed I want to say, ‘That was a really, really great ride.’” He continues to trap and survey ticks and mosquitoes in the state of Iowa, tracking the spread of Lyme Disease, West Nile, and other viruses and bacteria transmitted by the insects. He oversees the department’s insectary and supervises a staff of undergraduate students. “Like everything else he does, Brendan throws himself into his lab work with tremendous passion,” says Lyric Bartholomay, ISU associate professor of medical entomology. “He’s talented enough that he can do exactly what he wants to do. No one can compare to him in terms of what he knows about mosquitoes in Iowa.” Even as his show business career expands, Dunphy says, “I can’t see myself ever giving up science. I love working in academia. I can see myself doing more research.” Right now, Dunphy is in the midst of accomplishing one of his lifelong dreams of having his own television show educating people about animals and the natural world. He is hosting television programs on the topic of insects for the Science Channel (also known as Discovery Science) and the BBC. He’s also actively pursuing another of his loves: rock’n’roll music. Just this fall Dunphy had his first experience in the recording studio. He’s a singer and lyricist, and he says he’s hoping to eventually form a band, perform live shows, record songs in the studio, and make music videos. Oh, and then there’s Broadway. That’s another one of his professional goals. “I never relax,” Dunphy says. “I’m never satisfied.”  17

I O W A

S T A T E

U N I V E R S I T Y

P R

E S

s t e v e n l e at h

WE MUST BE BOLD

WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

S I D E N T I A L

I N S T A L L A T I O N

fter eight months of planning – and with the involvement of nearly 1,000 individuals – Steven Leath was officially installed as Iowa State University’s 15th president on Friday, Sept. 14. The ceremony, held in Stephens Auditorium, began with a special “Cyclone Fanfare” arranged by director of bands Michael Golemo. The academic procession included not just robed representatives of colleges and universities around the nation, learned societies and professional organizations, and other faculty and staff– but also 500 red-T-shirt-clad representatives of the ISU student body. It was quite a scene. Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and both of Iowa’s senators, Tom Harkin (’62 government) and Charles Grassley, were on hand for the formal installation of President Leath by Craig Lang (’73 dairy science), Iowa Board of Regents president. Leath was introduced by longtime friend and mentor Erskine Bowles, president emeritus of the University of North Carolina system. Leath’s presidential installation address focused on two primary areas: providing a high-quality educational experience for students and expanding and strengthening university partnerships. “We must be accessible,” Leath told the crowd. “And being accessible means being affordable.” He then announced a four-part plan that would hold down costs, provide better financial counseling for students and their families, be more creative in helping students finding lowercost paths to four-year degrees, and maximize revenue streams other than tuition to support academic programs.

“Starting now, starting today, and over the next five years, we pledge to raise an additional 150 million dollars for student support. Iowa State’s great alumni and friends will have another opportunity to come through for this university, and our students will love this initiative as it builds into a full-fledged campaign in the next few years.” About his second major focus, Leath said, “I want Iowa State to be known as the ‘partnership university.’ More than that, I want to be known as the university that gets it right when it comes to partnering with others. One size does not fit all.” His objectives include leveraging the strengths of Iowa State Extension and Outreach and the Office of Research and Economic Development as well as significantly expanding the Iowa State Research Park. In his installation address, Leath also announced initiatives to: • Make available up to $1.5 million per year for three years for interdisciplinary projects selected to encourage and expand research efforts. Expand the number of graduate students to support • research • Enhance campus beautification, including the Iowa State Center grounds, and further invest in University Museums and Reiman Gardens Promote diversity on campus by supporting several • recommendations proposed by the University Committee on Women and other key groups, and also by partnering with King and Moulton Elementary Schools in Des Moines to help increase the number of lowerincome and minority students enrolling at Iowa State ■

“I have been here at Iowa State the last two days, and I cannot believe you guys are paying Steve Leath to take this job. This place is great! I mean, wow….you have a campus that’s as beautiful as any I have ever seen. You have a student body who is really smart and really gets it…. You’ve got an undefeated football team…. But best of all you’ve got a sky that’s Carolina blue, and so I am thrilled to be here.” “I didn’t come here just to introduce a former colleague. I came here to introduce a man I care about, and care about deeply, a genuine friend, a man who is without question a true and dedicated

leader. In Dr. Steven Leath, I guarantee you, you have a winner. You have a winner, you have a doer, you have a difference maker, a leader — a leader who will truly change tomorrow for thousands of young people in this great state…. Steve Leath was destined, truly destined, to be president of a great, leading land-grant university and, by golly, he got to go to the first land-grant university and, probably, the best. Iowa State, you have a proven leader in Steve Leath. There is no else to whom I’d rather trust the future of my children, my university, or my state than Dr. Steve Leath.”

– Erskine Bowles, in his Sept. 14 introduction of President Steven Leath. Bowles is president emeritus of the University of North Carolina system. He was also White House chief of staff under President Bill Clinton.

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 201 3

I O W A

S T A T E

U N I V E R S I T Y

‘FROM GREAT TO GREATER’ AN EXCERPT FROM PRESIDENT STEVEN LEATH’S INSTALLATION ADDRESS

P R

E S

“My vision for Iowa State University is still a work in progress. I hope it continues to be, because I want to be a listening president. I want to constantly get input. But I can tell you the vision that is forming: It’s not small. It’s big. It’s innovative. And I have very high expectations for the people of Iowa State and for this great university! The great success of Iowa State over the past 154 years has resulted from bold leadership. And now we must be bolder, and we must think bigger in terms of our goals and impact, if we are going to drive Iowa State from great …to greater …at a time when our state really needs us.”

The installation platform party and the Iowa State Singers.

WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

S I D E N T I A L

I N S T A L L A T I O N

Steven Leath with Craig Lang (left); Iowa Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad (above); and Erskine Bowles, ISU senior vice president for business and finance Warren Madden, and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (right).

“First, let us all do everything we can to leave this university better than we found it. Second, take every opportunity to look beyond your own area to see how what you do impacts the bigger picture that is Iowa State University and this great state of Iowa. Third, look at every task as an opportunity to be innovative, be interdisciplinary, and to create partnerships. And fourth, be bold. Innovation, boldness, and partnerships created these revolutionary land-grant institutions and made them the great institutions they are today. These same characteristics will carry us forward as we take Iowa State University from great…to greater.”

“I AM SO PROUD TO BE YOUR PRESIDENT!” PRESIDENT STEVEN LEATH, PARAPHRASING IOWA STATE FOOTBALL COACH PAUL RHOADS

A quiet moment before the ceremony with Erskine Bowles, Craig Lang, and Olivia Madison (below). 500 students participated in the installation ceremony (right).

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 201 3

I O W A

S T A T E

U N I V E R S I T Y

P R

E S

‘A JOYFUL FEEL’

ibrary Dean Olivia Madison, chair of the Installation Planning Committee, can’t decide whether to call the number of people involved with Steven Leath’s presidential installation an army or a battalion. “So many people made it happen!” she says. “There was an incredible array of talent and dedication and the belief in the historical significance of this event. To have something like this go so smoothly meant many people looked after it.” Madison needn’t be so humble. Her leadership of the committee came from many years of experience. She not only chaired the last installation (for President Gregory Geoffroy), she also chaired the committee for the installation of his predecessor, Martin Jischke. Though Madison says the three ceremonies were far more similar than different, two special elements of this event stand out to her: the student delegation (500 students representing every possible element of the campus, an idea she credits to Tom Hill, senior vice president for student affairs) and the Cyclone Fanfare arranged by director of bands Michael Golemo. And one more thing: the number of friends and colleagues from Leath’s past who made the trip to Ames to be a part of his special day. “It was like a wedding,” she says. “It had such a joyful feel.”

BY THE NUMBERS

Olivia Madison

8 members of the Installation Planning Committee 38 platform party officials at the installation ceremony 500 student representatives at the ceremony XV: The number on the back of the student representatives’ T-shirts, designating President Leath as the 15th president of Iowa State University — and Leath’s personalized license plate 45 universities represented by delegates at the ceremony 144 student musicians performed in the installation ceremony (64 in the ISU Wind Ensemble; 80 Iowa State Singers) 24 hours of rehearsal required for the student music groups ‹‹ 780 pork burgers served on central campus at the student celebration picnic on “installation eve” 3 desserts served at the presidential installation luncheon at the Knoll (bittersweet chocolate tiramisu with orange crème anglaise, “Baked Alaska” pumpkin pie, and fresh fall pears)

WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

S I D E N T I A L

I N S T A L L A T I O N

ISU President Steven Leath with his wife, Janet, and his parents, Kenneth and Marie.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

President Leath is known for a number of, well, “Leath-isms.” What he says: What it means: “That dog won’t hunt.” Just forget about it. “You don’t buy a good dog and then do your own barking.”

Hire good people and let them do their jobs.

MORE PRESIDENTIAL INSTALLATION ONLINE www.president.iastate.edu/install/

• Installation history: Installations are a celebratory tradition that have marked • • • •

presidential beginnings at Iowa State since 1896 when Adonijah Welch formally took the helm. Learn about the installations of former ISU presidents. Ceremonial trappings: The university mace, robe, and chain of office Read President Leath’s full installation address Listen to an original Cyclone Fanfare Watch a video of the installation ceremony and see more photos

President Leath interacts with students during the celebration picnic on “installation eve.”

Compiled by Carole Gieseke Photos by Jim Heemstra VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 201 3

ANNUAL REPORT DEAR MEMBERS: I have truly enjoyed my five years of directorship on the ISU Alumni Association Board of Directors, and serving this past year as chair was an awesome experience. Be assured, this is a working board, and you are really put to work as chair. But it is extremely rewarding to know that you are making a difference in the life of your alma mater, its alumni association, and the lives of so many Iowa Staters. I have to say a special thank you to my colleagues and peers who served as chair before me. Thanks for leaving great notes and setting wonderful examples. I also need to thank Jeff Johnson and his staff. There is no harder working and more supportive group to have in your corner as a volunteer. Professional, proactive, energetic, and passionate are just a few adjectives to describe this wonderful team of Iowa State ambassadors. I finally want to thank my wife, Barb, and my children for supporting me during this year of service to my beloved alma mater. If you have ever thought about volunteering or increasing your involvement with Iowa State, put “serving on the alumni board” on your list. While only four spots come open every year on this diverse and geographically inclusive board, I encourage you to put your name in the running and be patient. On average, more than 50 names are reviewed annually for these four spots. I provided the following quote (author unknown, but believed to be an African proverb) to Jeff to frame the work I felt the board needed to accomplish this past year: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This is truly the culture

of our Alumni Association. It is inclusive. It is a team. It works to serve all alumni, students, and friends of the Iowa State family. It wishes for all Iowa Staters to be members and be visibly proud of this university. And this Association also expects alumni to call on it and the university. In other words, service to this Association is a two-way street, and we are moving all the time. The following goals were set and accomplished this past year:  Ratified a solid statement and practice of individual board members giving financially to the work of the Association.  Successfully negotiated a new seven-year $1.9 million guarantee bank card program with Bank of America. (And I am happy to report that more than 12,000 individuals are currently carrying the ISU credit card bearing the I-State/Cy/ISUAA logos! Thanks, folks.)  Presented a resolution on behalf of the Association board, staff, and members honoring President Greg Geoffroy and his wife, Kathy, for their 10-plus years of service to Iowa State University.  Recommended two alumni representatives to the Iowa Board of Regents for appointment to the search committee that named President Steven Leath as our 15th university leader.  Completed and began implementing the new ISUAA five-year strategic plan.  Established and began to fund deferred maintenance for the Alumni Center.  Provided firm support to Dr. Leath and his wife, Janet, during their transition to the university. I hope you all know that we appreciate your membership, your involvement, and your support. Sincerely, Craig Foss, chair ISUAA Board of Directors

›› WHO BELONGS TO THE ISU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION? JUNE 30, 2012

Non-alumni friends: 15%

1930s: .4% 2010s: .4% 2000s: 4.7%

International: 1% Iowa: 43%

1990s: 14.9%

Students: 10%

Total Alumni Association members: 50,517

Alumni: 75%

Out of state: 56%

1980s: 26.8%

1940s: 3.5% 1950s: 9.4%

1960s: 15% 1970s: 24.9%

Student Alumni Association members: 5,341 Total living alumni: 227,022

BY AFFILIATION

BY LOCATION

BY DECADE OF GRADUATION

2011-2012 Board of Directors

ISU Alumni Center gardens are dedicated

Front row: Jeffery W. Johnson (ISU Alumni Association president, CEO, and publisher; Ames, Iowa), ex-officio/nonvoting; Lora Talbot (Belmond, Iowa), non-alumni representative; Melea Reicks Licht (’00 public service & admin in ag; M.S. ’05; Roland, Iowa), ISU Alumni Relations Council representative; Tahira Hira (Ames, Iowa), ISU president’s designee; Carlie C. Tartakov (’95 Ph.D. educational leadership and policy studies; Amherst, Mass.); Natasha Thomas (’89 marketing; Scottdale, Ga.), vice chair of records; Craig R. Foss (’71 industrial engineering; Fairfield, Iowa), chair. Second row: Richard Degner (’72 agricultural education, M.S. ’77; Ankeny, Iowa); Warren R. Madden (’61 industrial engineering; Ames, Iowa), treasurer; ex-officio/voting; Joy Wiegman Boruff (’76 home economics journalism; Moline, Ill.); Thea “Ted” Oberlander (’77 industrial administration/accounting; Des Moines, Iowa); Billi Hunt (’93 housing; Urbandale, Iowa); James DeLano (’87 DVM veterinary medicine; San Ramon, Calif.) Third row: Barbara D. Correll (’96 exercise science; Chicago, Ill.); Chris DeZorzi (senior, kinesiology/health; West Des Moines, Iowa), Student Alumni Leadership Council representative; Timothy C. Becker (’94 construction engineering; Ames, Iowa); Melanie J. Reichenberger (’00 industrial engineering; Shorewood, Wis.); Kay Kretschmar Runge (’69 history education; Davenport, Iowa); Michelle Miller (’98 computer science; Lenexa, Kan.); Alan E. Krysan (’87 ag business; Lakeville, Minn.); Paul Ruby (’85 HRIM; Geneva, Ill.) Back row: Matthew M. Craft (’00 political science; La Porte City, Iowa); David Alan VanHorn (’90 M.S. aerospace engineering; Kingwood, Texas), vice chair of finance; Ronald J. Hallenbeck (’71 finance; Ames, Iowa), immediate past chair; Duane A. Halverson (’67 ag business; M.S. ’69; New Brighton, Minn.); Scott M. Stanzel (’95 journalism and mass communication; Seattle, Wash.), chair-elect. Not pictured: Rebecca Stadlman (’74 journalism/mass communication; Ankeny, Iowa).

The Alumni Center gardens were dedicated at a ceremony held during Homecoming weekend, Oct. 22, 2011. Like so many other projects at Iowa State University, landscaping for the ISU Alumni Center was a team effort. Donors, landscapers, project managers, and Alumni Association staff worked together to design a landscape that would complement the building and its surroundings and also bring a feeling of central campus to the site. A special “thank you” to Country Landscapes, Inc., of Ames for their support and expertise. Garden spaces include: the Slater West Entry Lawn and Gardens, the West Lawn and Alumni Gardens, the Slater Alma Mater Monument Garden and North Prairie, the Hopson Memorial Garden and Patio, the Eggerling Iowa State University Traditions Garden, the Nelson Family East Prairie Garden, and the Tubbs Cyclone Garden.

Your Lifetime Link The “Your Lifetime Link” membership campaign is underway with a new look and a new focus. The campaign’s primary goals are:  To provide high-quality programs and services  To serve as the lifetime link to/from ISU  To nurture loyalty, pride, and tradition During the course of this campaign we will also grow membership to 60,000 paid members, increase annual member retention rates to 86 percent, and increase our membership among other key constituent groups.

Your lifetime link

To view the Association’s financial information, go to www.isualum.org/financial Veterinary Medicine: 2.6%

Interdisciplinary: .3% Agriculture & Life Sciences: 20.6%

Male: 55%

Unknown: 32.4% Hispanic: .4% Asian: 1% Other ethnic group: .3% African American: .7%

Liberal Arts & Sciences: 21% Business: 12.1%

Caucasian: 65.2%

Design: 5.1%

Female: 45%

Human Sciences: 18.4% Engineering: 19.9% BY ETHNICITY

BY GENDER

BY COLLEGE

The Homecoming Cytennial logo lit up the night sky during the fireworks display.

Mass campaniling took place at midnight Friday night with a special Homecoming fireworks display on central campus. Homecoming is the only student celebration at ISU to have a fireworks show, and it is the only fireworks display on central campus.

Butter sculptor Sarah Pratt spent 30 hours creating the first-ever Butter Cy. Pratt used 330 pounds of butter in her creation, seen by more than 2,000 campus visitors during Homecoming week.

TAKING

AMES

100 years in the making 1,000s of returning alumni 1 joyous Cytennial Homecoming

BY ST RM I O WA S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y H O M E C O M I N G

â&#x20AC;˘

O C T. 22-28, 2012

Former feature twirler Theresa Uchytil-Etler (â&#x20AC;&#x2122;98 speech communication) performed with the Alumni Band and got in the Homecoming spirit by wearing commemorative Cytennial buttons. More than 6,800 students, alumni, and fans purchased the 2012 button.

The Yell Like Hell group consisting of Alpha Delta Pi, Delta Tau Delta, and Acacia Fraternity practices on campus before second cuts. This fall, Yell Like Hell practice started Sept. 9, with a record number of participants (1,202) in 13 pairings performing during the first cuts. 26

WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

Head football coach Paul Rhoads and the Cyclone football team address the crowd at Friday night’s Pep Rally.

Cytennial helmet stickers showed the football team's Homecoming spirit.

Senior Rachel Owen (an agronomy and global resource systems major from Ankeny, Iowa), the 2012 Cardinal Court queen, stands by the Homecoming pillar in the ISU Alumni Center’s Eggerling Traditions Garden. The Cardinal Court king was senior Pasha Beresnev, a civil engineering major from Ames. The Homecoming pillar is sponsored by Steve and Amy Cox.

PHOTOS BY JIM HEEMSTRA VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 201 3

 Alumni returned to campus by the

 The ISU Alumni Association counted

thousands, some for the first time since graduation, some wearing Homecoming garb from their college days.  The largest-known Homecoming pep rally was held in the parking lot east of the ISU Alumni Center as part of the Friday night centennial celebration and open house.  Sarah Pratt, of Iowa State Fair Butter Cow fame, sculpted the first-ever Butter Cy. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences sponsored this supersmooth way to celebrate the Cytennial Homecoming.  Iowa State’s County Extension offices across the state donated community service hours toward a goal of more than 100 hours of service.  Vintage Homecoming buttons were on display in the ISU Alumni Center – the collection includes all but five buttons produced since 1955. (The collection remains on display in the Center.)  A record-number 230 marching band alumni returned for the annual Alumni Band reunion and Homecoming halftime performance.  A 40-member campus and community task force met for 10 months to plan the city-wide/campus-wide celebration.  Campustown Action Association sponsored an outdoor FAC featuring a live band on Homecoming Friday.  Young Alumni Council and Homecoming Central Committee assembled 18 fleece blankets to donate to Project Linus, a charity that provides blankets to critically ill children.  Pancakes were served both Friday night (on campus) and Sunday morning (on Main Street).

down to Cytennial with a “100 Days of Homecoming” promotion on Facebook. (www.facebook.com/homecoming12)  Homecoming Central Committee raised over $24,000 for Lutheran Services in Iowa during – and 1,200 students participated in – the 2012 Blue Sky Days run.  The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences sponsored a Homecoming photo booth on central campus.  Homecoming decorations were everywhere: painted windows in Campustown, banners on University Blvd., posters, a billboard, yard signs, and more.  A record number of students (2,641) were served lunch on Tuesday during Homecoming week’s traditional Food on Campus. All told, 11,000 meals were served during the week.  The Homecoming office decorating competition was won by 108 General Services Building, featuring a live skit, a fully stocked tailgate, and posters in every window.  Iowa State’s Homecoming concert tradition roared back to life this year with a Hilton Coliseum performance by Brantley Gilbert and special guests.  Homecoming Community Service pairings collected more than 1 million pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House, nearly double the number from last year.  Homecoming fireworks were bigger and better this year, with a special sparkling Cytennial display.  Two students even got engaged under the campanile at midnight Friday night!

A Cytennial time capsule – some contents of which are displayed on this table – will be buried in the Eggerling Traditions Garden at the ISU Alumni Center this spring. The Homecoming button display is now on permanent display at the Center. Fans enjoy the Cytennial concert, "Brantley Gilbert's Hell on Wheels Tour" Friday night at Hilton Coliseum.

The ISU Cyclone Football “Varsity” Marching Band and the ISU Alumni Band celebrate the 100th anniversary of Iowa State Homecoming.

Cyclone fans display their Cytennial rally towels at the ISU vs. Baylor Homecoming football game.

It was truly “ExCYtement in the Streets” with entertainment in the Greek community on Friday night, including this performance by Gamma Phi Beta, Alpha Gamma Rho, Alpha Tau Omega, and Lambda Chi Alpha. The group won second place for lawn display.

WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

“Got engaged at midnight of my 22nd birthday and 100th year

of Homecoming under the campanile! Followed by a great ISU victory! Talk about a great weekend!”

— Posted on the Cytennial Facebook page

Yell Like Hell finals took place at the pep rally. “A Time to Chime at Iowa State,” by Alpha Delta Pi, Delta Tau Delta, and Acacia Fraternity, took first place. That group was also named Overall Homecoming Cytennial Champions. (Above) Butter artist Sarah Pratt and her inspiration – ISU mascot, Cy – pose with the finished Butter Cy. Pratt is the successor to Norma “Duffy” Lyon (’51 animal science). “Norma would be proud,” said Pratt. “I enjoy carrying on her legacy.” (Below) Standing Hampton performs at the Campustown Action Association FAC event on Homecoming Friday.

(Above) The Pep Rally and Centennial Celebration at the ISU Alumni Center was doubly significant: It was the first held in this location, and it was the largest pep rally in recent history. (Left) Student fans pose with ISU alum Seneca Wallace at the Homecoming (ISU vs Baylor) game. Wallace (’03 sociology) is well known for a touchdown run during the 2002 Homecoming game against Texas Tech. The Cyclones won the 2012 Homecoming game 35-21.

Runners pass by a Homecoming banner designed by Delta Zeta, Pi Kappa Phi, and Delta Upsilon. VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 201 3

cardinal gold

SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013 Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center 833 Fifth Avenue, Des Moines Black tie optional Cylent Auction…Dinner…Live music and dancing 2013 Honorary Gala Co-chairs: John (’59) and Patsy Shors Steve (’78) and Michele (’79) Whitty

Gala

Registration begins in February. Visit www.isualum.org/gala for more information, a list of benefactors and table hosts (and to find out how you can become one), and to view the ever-growing list of “Cy”lent Auction items! Goals of the 2013 Cardinal & Gold Gala ✿ Raise money for the Cardinal & Gold Scholarship, which awards $1,000 to six undergraduate students in the junior year who are the first in their families to attend college ✿ Raise money to support student and alumni outreach efforts through the ISU Alumni Association ✿ Have a fun night with fellow Cyclones while toasting the university we all love!

Last year, the Cardinal & Gold Gala raised $80,000 for scholarships and outreach. How much can we raise this year?

WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

2013 Distinguished Awards Celebration Congratulations to the following recipients of Iowa State University’s highest awards administered by the ISU Alumni Association and the ISU Foundation:

Awards Administered by the Iowa State University Alumni Association

Awards Administered by the Iowa State University Foundation

Distinguished Alumni Award

Order of the Knoll Campanile Award

Leola Adams M.A. ’70 Home Economics Education; Ph.D. ’75 Retired professor and dean emerita, South Carolina State University Orangeburg, S.C.

Robert H. Cox ’62 Accounting Senior vice president of operations, Wells Fargo (retired) Ft. Myers, Fla.

David W. Raisbeck ’77 Industrial Administration Vice chairman, Cargill, Inc. (retired) Minneapolis, Minn.

Order of the Knoll Cardinal and Gold Award

Nicholas L. Reding**

Lora and Russ Talbot**

’56 Chemical Engineering President, Monsanto Agricultural Company (retired) Vice chairman, Monsanto Board (retired) St. Louis, Mo.

Russ: Special agent, IRS (retired) Lora: Executive officer, Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System (retired) Belmond, Iowa

Esmail Zirakparvar M.S. ’77 Plant Pathology; Ph.D. ’79 President & CEO, Bayer CropScience (retired) Jacksonville, Fla.

Honorary Alumni Award

Order of the Knoll Faculty and Staff Award Neil E. Harl** ’55 Agricultural Education; Ph.D. ’65 Economics ISU Distinguished Professor (retired) Ames, Iowa

Gregory and Kathy Geoffroy** Ames, Iowa

Melvin R. Weatherwax

Ankeny, Iowa

Order of the Knoll Corporate and Foundation Award Meredith Corporation Foundation Des Moines, Iowa

* ISU Alumni Association annual member ** ISU Alumni Association life member Note: Only ISU degrees are listed

You are invited to attend

The 2013 Distinguished Awards Ceremony

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 201 3

Friday, April 19, 2013 1:30 p.m. Sun Room, Memorial Union Reception to follow ceremony For more information: www.isualum.org/dac

Newsmakers I O WA S TAT E A L U M N I I N T H E N E W S

 David Holmgren (M.A. ’78 history;

’84 elementary education) of Des Moines recently published an article on Iowa State’s historic Pammel Court in Iowa Heritage Illustrated, the magazine of the State Historical Society of Iowa. The “temporary” housing area north of the Iowa State campus was designed to be

demolished after the influx of students following World War II, and it lasted some 60 years. The article is illustrated with photos from Iowa State’s Special Collections Department in the Parks Library.  Prabhat Hajela (M.S. ’79 aerospace

engineering) has been appointed provost of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. A professor of aerospace engineering and vice provost, he had served as acting provost since January 2012. An expert in complex system analysis and design in the presence of uncertainty, Hajela has published more than 270 papers and articles in the areas of structural and multidisciplinary optimization, and he is an author/editor of four books. He holds a 1982 Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University.

“I’ve never tailgated. I want to see what it’s like.” – Denny Miller

 Two employees of Downing

retired as director of sports medicine at Purdue University. Miller caught the athletics training bug as a freshman at Iowa State in 1964; he landed in the training room when his roommate suffered an injury. “It piqued my interest,” Miller told the Lafayette Indiana Journal & Courier’s jconline.com. Miller said he was looking forward to retirement. “I’ve never tailgated,” he said. “I want to see what it’s like.”  Greg Fritz (’87 journalism and mass

communication) has been named vice president of enrollment services for the College of Saint Mary in Omaha, Neb. He was formerly the vice president for student development and retention at Midland University in Fremont, Neb., and vice president for enrollment management and student development at the University of Sioux Falls, S.D.

 Salon Spa W owner China Wong

(’01 political science) was featured in a recent issue of the Des Moines Register. Wong’s spa caught the notice of the newspaper when it was named one of Elle magazine’s top 100 hair and beauty

Architects, P.C., have purchased a 60-year-old architectural firm headquartered in Bettendorf, Iowa. According to the new owners, architects Gary Hintermeister (’83 architecture) and David Nichols (’85 architecture; M.A.R. ’88) they will continue to observe an important, longstanding company directive: namely, to avoid the impulsive adoption of the latest business trends. “It is important to analyze a trend carefully

“In business, one needs to weigh what is trendy versus what will withstand the test of time.” – David Nichols

before jumping on the bandwagon,” Hintermeister said. Nichols adds, “In business, one needs to weigh what is trendy versus what will withstand the test of time.”  Andrea Biagioli (’11 accounting

 After 38 years

of taping ankles and treating athletes with strains, sprains, concussions, and broken bones, Denny Miller (’68 physical education) has

open, it has expanded from 1,000 to 3,000 square feet, jumped from three employees to 17, and experienced 20 percent growth each year.

salons in the country. Salon Spa W is located in Des Moines’ East Village. In the six years Salon Spa W has been

and marketing) earned the top score in the April-May 2012 Certified Public Accountant examination in the state of Kansas. Biagioli is a financial analyst at TransSystems in Kansas City, Mo. She received an Unsung Hero Award as a student at Iowa State.

WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

 Joe Hynek (’02 agricultural engineering/computer engineering; M.S. ’04 mechanical engineering) was featured in a June issue of the Osceola SentinentalTribune for his work to spearhead a project that brought a local radio station to Clarke County, Iowa. Hynek is president of Grand River Valley Radio / KSOI 91.9 FM. A commercial station that served southern Iowa was sold to Iowa Public radio in 2004 and turned into a translator station. Hynek said when the station was sold, the community was left with several voids, including not having a way to broadcast emergency or weather information to residents.

 Don Greiman (’52 animal science)

reigned over the Iowa State Fair last August as the 2012 grand marshal of the Fair Parade. Greiman was a State Fair board member from 1965 until 2009, and he twice served as the board’s president. This year marked Greiman’s 47th consecutive year of attendance at the fair. Now he has written a book about the fair, A Blue Ribbon Life, published by the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation. Jane Cox (’63 English and speech), ISU professor of theatre, co-wrote the book with Greiman.

 Scott Woodruff (’94 transportation

and logistics) and his wife, Melissa, were named the 2012 National Operator of the Year in the Limousine, Charter & Tour Magazine Awards Gala in Las Vegas. Woodruff is owner of Majestic Limo & Coach in Des Moines, Iowa. The company beat out 10,000 competitors and was the only Midwest company to win an award. Majestic’s corporate clients include Aviva, Meredith, Wells Fargo, Wellmark, and Principal Financial Group.

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 201 3

 Lisa Ossian (’84 English, Ph.D.

’98 agricultural history and rural studies) has published a book titled The Depression Dilemmas of Rural Iowa, 1929-1933. In her book, Ossian describes Iowa’s rural dilemmas, evoking through anecdotes and examples the economic, nutritional, familial, cultural, industrial, criminal, legal, and political challenges that engaged the people of the state. Ossian is co-director of the Iowa Studies Center and professor of history at Des Moines Area Community College.  Longtime sports anchor Randy

Shaver (’81 journalism and mass communication) was recently named the weeknight news co-anchor of KARE 11 News in the Twin Cities. Shaver has been a part of KARE since 1983 as a sports reporter, weekend anchor, and sports director. But less than a month into his new job, he was forced to take a break from the anchor desk following a bicycle accident that left him with bruises and abrasions on his legs and face and a broken left arm according to TwinCities.com. Shaver is now back on the air.  David Dryden (’88 graphic design), director of Clemson University’s creative services offices, was recently named an honorary alumnus of Clemson for his work and dedication to the university. Dryden began his work at Clemson in 1990 as a graphic designer. He is responsible for designing alumni communications and oversees Clemson World magazine. He is a native of Cedar Rapids.

I S U A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N BUSINESS MEMBERS:

Accord Architecture Company/ Henkel Construction America’s Best, Inc. Apparel Amish Haus Furniture Ankeny Chamber of Commerce Barker Implement and Motor Company Best Western University Inn & Suites Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center Brimeyer, LLC Burchland Manufacturing, Inc. Caremoli USA Christiani’s VIP Catering Service Ltd. East Iowa Plastics, Inc. First National Bank -Ames Foss, Kuiken & Cochran, P.C. GrandStay Residential Suites Greater Iowa Credit Union Green Hills Retirement Community Heartland Associates Heartland Finishes, Inc. Hertz Farm Management, Inc. Iowa Farm Business Association Iowa State University Research Park ISU Catering JFSCO Engineering Johnson Chiropractic Kent Nutrition Group, Inc. Main Street Cultural District New Golf Cars of Iowa Pressure Point Cleaners QualityOne Rankin Mayfair Cleaners, Inc. Riley Paint Co., Inc. Rohrbach Associates PC Roseland, Mackey, Harris Architects, PC Sauer Danfoss Shari K’s Estate Jewelry Solum, Inc. Square Tire Total Car Care Two Rivers Insurance Services For information on business membership, go to www.isualum.org/ businessmembership

UNDERSTANDING BIOMOLECULES

nderstanding the most elemental functions of cells holds the promise for making some of the greatest leaps forward in science – with the potential for new discoveries across all areas of human, plant, and animal life. And now, thanks to a $7.5 million commitment by the Muscatine, Iowabased Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, Iowa State University is poised to lead this research. The Initiative in Biomolecular Structure in the newly named Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (BBMB) will enable Iowa State to build its research focus in the proteins and protein complexes integral to cellular and physiological processes. The trust’s gift provides for hiring topflight new faculty and attracting the very best graduate students nationally and abroad, and for acquiring some of the most cutting-edge laboratory instrumentation used in this area of study. According to Amy Andreotti, director of the initiative, and department chair Guru Rao – both of whom hold the title of Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust Professor in Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology – the initiative creates an exciting

The Initiative in Biomolecular Structure will enable Iowa State to become a leader in this highly specialized field framework for identifying new solutions to challenges in areas ranging from medical and pharmaceutical science, to plant and animal health and insect control, to food and nutrition, to bioenergy and biomaterials. Why is understanding the structure and function of biomolecules – and particularly proteins – important? AMY ANDREOTTI: Every form of life

is made up of biological molecules carrying out very specific functions within cells. They are like machines, working together to keep cells in living organisms – human, animal, or plant – healthy. At the next level down are the parts within the machines: biomolecules with specific shapes and chemical capabilities that enable them to perform all the cellular functions over the course of an organ-

“We have every reason to anticipate that in the next five to 10 years Iowa State will be the destination for structural biology education and research among leading programs around the country.“

ism’s lifetime – fighting off infections, creating energy, you name it. GURU RAO: We’re interested in proteins because they do almost all of the work in the cell. And when we find errors in individual genes, they’re ultimately reflected in a protein – an alteration to its shape leading to a malfunction in the protein doing its job. So knowing the structure of the protein gives us a good handle on how to treat a particular property associated with it. For instance, if a disease is caused by a malfunctioning protein, we can tailor a therapy to specifically target the individual protein, potentially controlling that disease state.

How will the Carver Trust’s gift help advance this research? AA: Biomolecular research is already occurring across the campus. [BBMB is co-administered by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.] The Initiative in Biomolecular Structure will enable Iowa State to hone its expertise in structural biology from the aspect of protein structure and function, and to expand the university’s capabilities as we bring in new faculty with new expertise in new technologies. WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust Professors in Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology Amy Andreotti and Guru Rao outside the Roy J. Carver Co-Laboratory on campus.

GR: The department already has an outstanding culture and track record for research, and we expect that only to grow through this initiative. Most BBMB faculty – many who have received three-year seed grants from the Carver Trust – are successfully competing for funding from governmental sources such as the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. AA: And with great faculty come great students. The initiative gives us the ability to recruit the best graduate students with an interest in biochemistry and specifically in structural biology. We’ve also had a strong undergraduate research experience in our laboratories for years, and more than three quarters of our graduates go on to graduate school or medical school. The quality of these students, too, just adds to the reputation of the program. GR: The culture of excellence we’ve built in BBMB will only continue to rise. We have every reason to anticipate that in the next five to 10 years Iowa State will be the destination for structural biology education and research among leading programs around the country.  VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 201 3

The importance of graduate students

raduate students are essential to the research enterprise at Iowa State University. Experiences in the laboratories across campus foster students’ originality, imagination, judgment, and patience – the traits of an independent scholar. Private

support is essential to recruit the graduate students on whom Iowa State depends to assist with teaching and collaborate with faculty to generate new knowledge. Fellowships, scholarships, and other funds for graduate students do more than impact their education while at Iowa State. These students become not only renowned scientists but also entrepreneurs, academics, policymakers, and leaders in their respective fields. Their discoveries and knowledge have incalculable potential for transforming the lives of thousands of people.

Learn more about how you can move Iowa State graduate students forward at www.foundation.iastate.edu

Cy’S DAYs E C I V R E OF s Throughout the month of April 2013 How can we measure the service of our ISU alumni and friends around the world for Cy’s Days of Service? Through:  Pints of blood donated  Flowers planted  Books read aloud  Parks cleaned  Pounds of canned food collected  Meals delivered  Miles run/walked at charity races  Gardens weeded  Fundraisers organized

 People fed  Pieces of trash picked up  Gallons of paint used  Trees planted  Items built  So many other ways

Last year’s Cy’s Days of Service was a huge success. How can we make this year an even bigger success?

 By volunteering in all 50

states, 99 counties in Iowa, and around the world

 With 300+ alumni and friend volunteers

 With organized events

through 10 alumni clubs

 For more than 2,500 hours served

WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

ASSO C I ATI O N N EWS

What a wonderful fall!

Dear Alumni and Friends: The Leaths are ALL IN!

It was a pleasure speaking on behalf of Iowa State alumni at the recent installation of Iowa State’s 15th president and newest life member, Dr. Steven Leath. In case you don’t know, the Leaths, Steve and Janet, are all in for Iowa State! The president already has a personalized ISU license plate and a beautiful cardinal red Ford Explorer to express his connection to our wonderful university. Again, welcome to the state of Iowa and Iowa State, Steve and Janet…and “first dogs,” Dixie and Quill. Homecoming 2012 was successful because…

…of the wonderful planning conducted by the Student Alumni Leadership Council’s (SALC) Homecoming Central Committee, the work of the Alumni Association staff, many campus and community partners (especially the Ames business community), and so many other entities. This really felt like Homecoming, and I hope it is the beginning of what we can build on for future Iowa State Homecomings. This truly is a special time to think about coming home to Iowa State and inviting friends to spend this time with you. Again, thanks, everyone, for making this year’s Cytennial Homecoming a huge success!

this dream, this place already feels like home. It feels like it’s been here longer than it has been. It’s already created memories for some (marriages, memorials, and meetings), served as a celebration hall for others (retirements, receptions, rehearsal dinners, and reunions), been the unique gatherings space for others (banquets, balls, and breakfasts) and been the right space for other events like career fairs, classes, and retreats. You may ask, how many total events have taken place at the ISU Alumni Center since it opened for business back in October 2008? The total is 1,040! Here are the totals by category (as of October 2012):

EXTERIOR SPACES/ITEMS  East Plaza and Wall of Alumni and Friends (Phase I) - $200,000  West Alumni Lawn and Gardens $150,000  Limestone Benches (four remain) $2,500 each

 537 meetings

 Two storage cabinets - $1,300 (or

 384 special events

SPECIAL GIFTS  “Cy” costume - $15,000  John Deere Gator - $10,000  Four custom brochure racks -

$8,000 (or $2,000 each)  Outdoor white folding chairs

with carts - $10,000  Storage area - $2,500  Chair covers - $2,000

$650 each)

 81 weddings

 LED uplighting/can lights - $1,000

 25 classes

 Conference phone microphones -

 13 conferences

Be sure to contact our Alumni Center events manager Angela Horner at (515) 294-4625 to give her and her assistant, Alexis Olesen, an opportunity to make your special event a grand success in a very special setting. And remember, the Alumni Center gardens are also beautiful spaces for your special events. Check out the Alumni Center if you haven’t done so already. You won’t be disappointed. (www.isualumnicenter.org) Alumni Center naming and funding opportunities

It’s hard to believe!

Finally, please think about helping us complete the naming of spaces and funding the remaining opportunities here at the Center. Some of these are great opportunities to honor a loved one, celebrate a milestone event, or simply to assist us in our efforts to make this special place even more special. Here are remaining opportunities, each of which can be funded over a three-year period:

October 2013 will mark the fifth anniversary of the opening of the ISU Alumni Center! It is hard to believe that, while it took us 34 years to realize

INTERIOR SPACES  Building Manager’s Office - $15,000  Visitors’ Office - $15,000

$500

Thanks in advance for considering this request. All donors will be recognized during the anniversary celebration and in other ways throughout the year. I remain yours for Iowa State,

Jeff Johnson, President and CEO

P.S. The “Your Lifetime Link” membership campaign is underway, and I want to encourage you to make sure your spouse, partner, family members, co-workers, etc., are all members, too! If they are not yet members, they can join online at www.isualum.org/join or by calling our toll-free number 877-ISU ALUM. Nothing makes a more visible statement that you support and want to have a strong voice in the life of Iowa State than your membership in the Alumni Association. Thank you!

WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

ASSO C I ATI O N N EWS

Introducing new Alumni Association staffers Three professionals have taken new positions at the ISU Alumni Association staff. Angela Horner was recently promoted to

the position of Alumni Center events manager from her previous position as program assistant for Alumni Center events. Horner joined the ISUAA staff in January 2012 after spending three years as the event manager for the Austin Marriott South in Austin, Texas. In her current position, she is responsible for scheduling and managing events in the ISU Alumni Center, including weddings, wedding receptions, parties, meetings, banquets, classes, and special events. She also works with caterers and other event vendors. Alexis Olesen (’11 communication studies) is the program assistant for Alumni Center events. Olesen joined the ISUAA staff in July 2012 from The Giggling Goat Restaurant and Cityview Reception Hall, where she held positions both as an event planner and as the restaurant’s general manager. As a student,

she was employed by the ISU Foundation for three years. In her current role as program assistant, she assists the ISU Alumni Center events manager with the scheduling of ISU Alumni Center events, customer service, event setup and management, and marketing. Heather Botine is the new assistant director

for athletics-related events. Botine joined the ISU Alumni Association staff in September 2012. In this role, she is responsible for spirit rallies in conjunction with Cyclone athletics, including the Cyclone Central tailgates held before each home football game at the ISU Alumni Center. She is also responsible for planning the annual Cy’s Birdie Classic golf fundraiser in Des Moines, among other events. Heather is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa and has worked in music education since 1997.

New representatives join Board Sue Jones Champion of the Arts Front Row: Craig Denny, Miles Lackey, Sam Behrens. Second row: Ryan York, Ryan Schon. Back: Ana Hayes. Not pictured: Nicole Bell Schmidt

Seven new directors joined the ISU Alumni Association Board of Directors in 2012. Newly elected directors serving five-year terms are: • Craig Denny (’71 civil engineering; M.S. ’73 soil engineering), senior principal engineer and senior consultant with Terracon Consultants, Inc., Lenexa, Kan. • Ryan York (’95 marketing; MBA ’03), technical sales consultant for Data Business Equipment, West Des Moines • Ana Hays (’84 fashion merchandising), executive director of the Thistlewood Foundation, Menlo Park, Calif. • Nicole Bell Schmidt (’09 construction engineering), project engineer for Turner Construction, Denver, Colo. Sam Behrens, a senior in history from Waverly, Iowa, is the 2012-13 Student Alumni Leadership Council president appointee to the board. Miles Lackey (Ames, Iowa), chief of staff to the ISU president, is President Steven Leath’s designee to the board. Ryan Schon (’95 agronomy), senior agronomy manager for DuPont Pioneer, Ankeny, Iowa, was chosen to fill the remaining term of departing board member Paul Ruby (’85 hotel & restaurant management). 40

NAME A SEAT in Stephens Auditorium or Fisher Theater

Naming a seat is a unique way to honor someone or cherish a memory while supporting the arts. Your $300 tax-deductible gift to the Performing Arts Endowment will help us maintain our facilities and keep audiences on the edges of their seats for years to come.

YOU CAN DEDICATE A SEAT: • As an individual, couple, or family • For your children, grandchildren, or parents • In memory of a loved one • With the name of your business or organization • To mark a birthday, anniversary, or other special occasion • To honor a retiring employee

RESERVE YOUR PLAQUE TODAY! Download an order form at www.center.iastate.edu/support. Contact Patti Cotter at 515-294-1238, toll-free at 1-877-843-2368 or pcotter@iastate.edu.

WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

PUBLISHERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S STATEMENT 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Publication Title: VISIONS Publication Number: 1071-5886 Filing Date: 9/28/12 Issue Frequency: Quarterly (January, April, July, September) Number of Issues Published Annually: 4 Annual Subscription Rate: Annual membership dues ($57) Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: Iowa State University Alumni Association, 420 Beach Ave., Ames, IA 50011-1430. Contact person: Carole Gieseke. Telephone (515) 294-6560 Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: Same as No. 7 above Name and Mailing Address of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Jeffery W. Johnson, Publisher; Carole Gieseke, Editor; Kate Bruns, Managing Editor, 420 Beach Ave., Ames, IA 50011-1430 Owner: Iowa State University Alumni Association (same address as No. 9 above) Known Bondholders, Mortages, and Other Security Holders Owning 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None Tax Status: The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes has not changed during the preceding 12 months Publication Title: VISIONS Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: Fall 201 2 Extent and Nature of Circulation: Average No. Copies Each Issue No. Copies of Single Issue During Preceding 12 Months Published Nearest to Filing Date a. Total Number of Copies: 35,757 34,212 b. Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (1) Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscribers: 32,229 32,263 (2) In-county Paid/Requested Mail Subscribers: 0 0 (3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS: 0 0 (4) Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS: 248 264 c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 32,477 32,527 d. Nonrequested Distribution (1) Outside County Nonrequested Copies: 0 0 (2) In-County Nonrequested Copies: 0 0 (3) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail: 0 0 (4) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail: 2,649 1,100 e. Total Nonrequested Distribution: 2,649 1,100 f. Total Distribution: 35,126 33,627 g. Copies not Distributed: 631 585 h. Total: 35,757 34,212 i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 92.46% 96.73%

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 201 3

GatewayAmes.com

2100 Green Hills Dr. | Ames, IA 50014

515/292-8600 | 800/FOR-AMES

Official Hotel of the ISUAA ISUAA members get 20% off

not available during ISU football weekends or ISU graduation

WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

Don’t miss this chance to reunite with classmates and see all the changes on campus since 1963. Visit www.isualum.org/ alumnidays2013 to look over the schedule of events, view a list of people planning to attend, and learn about mini-reunions. Registration information will be available in February. For information call 877-478-2586. SPECIAL RECOGNITION GIVEN TO THE CLASSES OF 1958, ’53, ’48, ’43, ’38, AND ’33

THE place to meet

Book your next annual board meeting, faculty/staff retreat, seminar, or business meeting at the ISU Alumni Center. www.isualumnicenter.org

Alumni Days 2013 sponsors: Green Hills Retirement Community, Gateway Hotel and Conference Center

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 201 3

Sports by Kate Bruns

KBRUNS@IASTATE.EDU

PLANET HOOPS

elvin Ejim is known by American sportswriters: He’s a star forward on the buzzworthy Iowa State men’s basketball team who once led his team to the American Prep School championships and is now a prime candidate for academic All-America honors. He’s lived in three U.S. states and visited countless others. But this American superstar is Canadian. And, actually, Nigerian as well. “Both my parents are Nigerian — my entire family is,” Ejim says. “I’ve always identified myself as Nigerian; it’s just something my parents instilled in me. We [follow] a lot of the customs; we have a lot of the clothing; and we celebrate a lot of the traditions when I’m at home.” Home for Ejim is Toronto, Ontario — where he was born and raised and where his mother still lives with his brothers and sisters. Growing up in Canada and identifying as Nigerian, Ejim was most heavily exposed to the sports of soccer and hockey (he participated in everything he could, he says – from soccer to volleyball to cross country and track). But when Ejim was in eighth grade, his uncle took a look at the youngster’s rapidly stretching physique and suggested he try another sport: basketball. “I was in the ninth grade when I joined my first AAU team, so I was kind of a late bloomer,” Ejim says. “My mom never really thought that I was any good at basketball, and it was also hard financially for her — at the time she had four boys and was a single mother. So my uncle took it upon himself to take on the financial part of it.” Thanks to Ejim’s uncle and some youth basketball programs in Canada, the teen soon found himself playing in a tournament in Washington, D.C., where he was discovered by area prep school coaches and wooed to the States for what would turn out to be a highly successful career 44

How a man with three countries is seeing the world through basketball

at New Hampshire’s Brewster Academy. He was named the 2010 New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year and was recruited by college programs across the U.S. – including the school where fellow Brewster alum Craig Brackins had found success: Iowa State. “I had developed a relationship with [assistant coach] T.J. [Otzelberger]; I developed a relationship with Craig, and when I came down here on my official visit I knew this was a place I wanted to be.” Ejim finished his sophomore season last year as one of ISU’s top players,

“Both my parents are Nigerian — my entire family is. I’ve always identified myself as Nigerian; it’s just something my parents — Melvin Ejim instilled in me.” earning honorable mention all-Big 12 accolades and ranking seventh in the league in rebounding. A passionate history major and Phi Kappa Phi inductee with dreams of attending law school, he was a first-team academic all-conference pick who finished the season excited about his future in Ames, both on and off the court. But there was always Nigeria. It was a friend he knew from Canada, actually, who contacted him last summer with a simple question: “Have you ever thought about playing on the Nigerian National Team?” The answer was no, he hadn’t, but Ejim was instantly intrigued. As a firstgeneration Canadian born to Nigerian parents, Ejim qualified to play for the team. He’d only been to the country once – when he was five years old. But he’d always identified with his parents’ homeland and now he was facing a chance

to be an Olympian. His friend made the call to the Nigerian coach. Ejim would get a tryout. The “tryout” actually lasted most of the summer. Players practiced and traveled with the team and were slowly cut in the lead-up to the London Games. Ejim was the youngest player on the veteran squad, which included several NBA players, but he consistently impressed the coaches. Ejim traveled with the team to China for a tournament and played in a game against the English National Team in Houston. Just weeks before the Olympics, in which the Nigerians would end up making a surprising Cinderella run, Ejim was cut. Sure, he would have loved to play in the Olympics. But Ejim says the experience of traveling and learning international basketball was priceless. And the Nigerian coaches say they definitely have their eye on him for 2016. “It was great,” Ejim says. “It was a whole new outlook on basketball for me — but one that can be translated to the collegiate level. Coach Hoiberg was all for it and definitely encouraged me to go out and learn from these guys.” As for Ejim’s once-skeptical mom, who has yet to travel to Ames to see her son play for ISU in person, she’s starting to understand that her son has a bit of a talent for the game. “The first time she saw us [Iowa State] play on TV, she was in awe,” Ejim said. And then of course there was this summer, when Ejim represented her country on the hardcourt. “She has a full house now that she has six kids and my grandparents, but she’s definitely made it apparent to me that she’s going to try her hardest to get out here.” And she might just find herself watching a future Olympian in action – a native son of which three countries can be proud.  WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

JIM HEEMSTRA

VISIONS WWW.ISUALUM.ORG WINTER 201 3

Calendar  Alumni events

 Lifelong learning

Month of April: Cy’s Days of Service April 6: Cardinal & Gold Gala May 16-18: Alumni Days June 6: Cy’s Birdie Classic

Jan. 15: OLLI at ISU winter classes begin Feb. 28: OLLI at ISU spring open house March 18: OLLI at ISU spring classes begin

 Events in the

ISU Alumni Center

 Arts and entertainment

Feb. 22-23: ISU Alumni Association Board of Directors winter meeting April 20: VEISHEA open house April 20: Wall of Alumni and Friends memorial ceremony May 11: Commencement reception May 31: ISU Alumni Association Board of directors spring meeting May 31: ISU Alumni Association 80th annual meeting

Feb. 4: West Side Story Feb. 13: Shrek the Musical Feb. 14 Experience the Beatles with Rain Feb. 15: Neil Simon’s Biloxi Blues Feb. 21: Voca People March 2: China National Symphony Orchestra March 5: Monty Python’s Spamalot March 13: Dreamgirls March 25: Blue Man Group April 3: Arrival (The Music of ABBA) April 18: California & Montreal Guitar Trios All events held in Stephens Auditorium

 On campus

 Awards

March 18-22: Spring Break April 19-20: VEISHEA May 10: Graduate commencement May 11: Undergraduate commencement

Feb. 1: Homecoming 2013 awards nomination deadline* April 19: Distinguished Awards Celebration May 31: ISU Alumni Association Inspiration Awards and recognition dinner

 Athletics

*For criteria and to submit a nomination for ISUAA awards: www.isualum.org/awards

March 8-11: Women’s Big 12 Basketball Tournament, Dallas, Texas (with ISU Alumni Association spirit gatherings) March 13-16: Men’s Big 12 Basketball Tournament, Kansas City, Mo. (with ISU Alumni Association spirit gatherings) EASTERN & ORIEN

TAL EXPRESS

 Alumni travel BOOK NOW! Eastern and Oriental Express Sept. 18 – Oct. 1, 2013 From Bangkok to Bali Village Life in Dordogne Oct. 3-1 1, 2013 Spend a week in a medieval French village

 Find more events online CAMPUS CALENDAR: http://event.iastate.edu/ ISU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION: www.isualum.org/calendar CYCLONE ATHLETICS: www.cyclones.com DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC AND ISU THEATRE: www.las.iastate.edu/ newnews/arts/isuarts.shtml REIMAN GARDENS: www.reimangardens.com IOWA STATE CENTER: www.center.iastate.edu UNIVERSITY MUSEUMS: www.museums.iastate.edu LECTURES: www.lectures.iastate.edu/ VEISHEA: www.veishea.iastate.edu

Portrait of Italy Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2013 From the Amalfi Coast to Rome, Florence, and Venice

For a complete list of 2013 Traveling Cyclones tours, go to www.isualum.org/travel PORTRAIT OF ITALY 46

VILLAGE LIFE IN

DORDOGNE

WINTER 201 3 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS

Iowa State University Alumni Center 420 Beach Avenue Ames, Iowa 50011-1430