Class Notes - Knox Magazine Spring 2020

Class Knox MAGAZINE

Spring 2020

Dave Kurtz ’54 continues to paddle his canoe several times a week,

1940–1943 Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

1944 We are Knox.

You are, too.

Whether you attended Knox for one year, two years, or graduated with honors, you are a Knox alumnus/a. You are the best reflection of Knox College and the education it provides. So, keep us informed. Tell us what you’ve been up to, if you’ve been promoted or honored, or simply say hello. Here’s how:

The 2019 destructive California fires were luckily not too near her home, reports Barbara Lemke.

“Thank the Lord!” she says. She was indeed fortunate that she did not have to evacuate her house. She says hello to all her classmates!

1945 Russ Freeburg is settled in Florida again. This marks his 30th winter there. In connection with the recent publication of his memoir, Inside the Front Page, he has given talks about the media both in Florida and in Northern Michigan, where he lives during the summer months. He still plays golf and says each year it gets easier to shoot his age.

1946–1947

• Contact your Class Correspondent;

Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

• If you don’t have a correspondent, email us at knoxmag.knox.edu;

1948

• Or have other media sources send us press releases, articles, and publicity.

Please send information about births, marriages, and deaths directly to records@knox.edu Send all other updates, correspondence, or questions to knoxmag@knox.edu Please note that Class Notes may be edited for space.

“For over 10 years, I’ve lived with my spouse in Buenos Aires, Argentina,” writes Harry Babbitt.

“It’s a beautiful city of 14 million. We have an apartment on the 10th floor overlooking the widest avenue in the world (9 de Julio). When it is winter here (May through August), we go to Medellín, Colombia. It’s a city of 3 million, located 5,000 feet high in the Andes. It has a perfect climate all year. I keep busy writing bilingual books for teaching Spanish and Latin American history and culture for students who are learning Spanish or English. I just finished my 40th masterpiece! You can find my books on Amazon.”

Class Correspondent: Sidney E. Norris 3135 Agate Street, Eugene, OR 97405, 541-683-6160, senorris@comcast.net

1949 On the Cover Regine Rousseau ’94 hadn’t been on campus in years, but returned to share her knowledge with students in search of career advice and mentorship. She and other alumni are finding that it’s never too late to re-engage with Knox.

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Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

1950 Bob Willett is still busy traveling, writing articles for magazines, and publishing books.

For more information on his writings, visit robertlwillett.com. Bob writes, “I had an article in Military History magazine in December titled ‘Romanovka,’ which is about Americans in Siberia in WWI. Also, a short squib in a

magazine coming out in January. It’s about my first car, which was named Donna, and it kind of got me into trouble. The title of that article is ‘Along Came Donna.’ My long-awaited book, The Hunt for Jimmie Brownem is due to hit the bookstores in January so I’m anxious to see the finished product. I went to San Francisco in October for a reunion of China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC), which was great. I saw a lot of folks I hadn’t seen in a few years, but it’s a long trip and it took its toll. I still keep in touch with Frank Johnson up in Fort Wayne.

Frank’s wife Katherine is 105 now and is an amazing lady. Life in the 90s gets more challenging all the time and I would guess all our remaining classmates would agree.”

Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

1951 Barbara Pebler Hughbanks says an article in last summer’s FYC Bulletin about one alum’s experience during the Cold War brought back lots of memories for her. She recalls that her husband, Roger Hughbanks, was part of a group of Knox men that included Dick Fleming, John McLeish, Jack Dorward, and Bill Morrow. The whole Knox contingent was sent to Fort Benning for further training before proceeding to assignments in Germany. Barbara followed Roger there and enjoyed time spent with Knox friends as well as making some wonderful German friends that she has kept in touch with long after leaving the country. ❯ Marian Tenhaeff Trythall sent a great photo of her grandson visiting a college fair in Portland, Oregon. She said she’s not sure where her grandson will end up going, but she hopes he chooses Knox. Marian was sure to say, “Go Prairie Fire!”

1952 Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

1953 Audrae Norris Johnson Gruber writes, “After I graduated from Knox, I went on to get my master’s degree and taught in public elementary schools in St. Paul, Minnesota, for the next 25 years. The last five were in a specially mandated gifted and talented school. When I retired, I took writing courses for two summers with Carol Bly. Shortly after that I began a career writing creative poetry and memoirs. I have been published for the past 20 years in local publications. The Brainerd area has several active and talented writers’ groups. I am currently writing four ‘Remember When’ stories for a local magazine called Her Voice. I have also traveled to eight different countries and volunteered for hospice

Class Knox even in Pennsylvania winters. and local suicide prevention organizations. For the past 15 years, I have lived in a development of one level homes where all the outside work is taken care of by the association. I find joy in feeding the birds and watching the deer, wild turkeys, fox, and bear. They are all part of the landscape. I feel most fortunate to have my daughter living with me and all three children and grand- and great-grandchildren living in Minnesota. Keeping in touch with former high school and college friends is high on my list, too. I am savoring the journey. As an aside, I married Knox student Murray Johnson ’55 in December 1953 before he left for Korea. When he returned, he had a year left at Knox so we returned and lived in the ‘shacks’ on campus. There were several veterans returning at that time so we had always had a great group of friends around on Saturday nights.

When Murray graduated, we moved to St. Paul where Murray taught history and social science for the next 25 years. That marriage ended after 20+ years. Ten years after that, I married a school social worker and we were together more than 35 years. He passed away last June at the age of 95.”

Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

1954

Too old to travel, but not too old to remember Old Siwash! That describes our class. ❯ Only two—Ron Pearson and Donald Dool—made it to Homecoming and a 65th class Reunion. But we won the Ralph Walter Prize honoring the Reunion class with the largest percentage of members making a gift to Knox–48 or 49 percent. The honor will be engraved on a plaque located somewhere on campus. ❯ About 30 class members are now in Illinois, the rest scattered over at least 26 states, from Florida to Washington, California to New York, and one Mediterranean country. ❯ Bob Windish writes that we owe Ron Pearson many thanks for his efforts to get some of us back for the recent Homecoming and previous ones. Bob is in Arizona and says, “My major accomplishment since leaving Knox is meeting my wife of 61 years and our two now-middle-aged ‘kids’.” ❯ Jean Kester Anderson writes that husband Bob Anderson, having had knee, hip, and shoulder replacements, is good for another 50,000 miles.

But, Jean also regrets that their traveling days are over and that they would miss the Reunion for the first time since graduation. Jean says that she and Bob have been blessed by their four children assuming ownership of the family businesses and have been able to watch 13 grandchildren grow into responsible adults. Jean is part of four generations of Siwashers—her father class of 1931, son Bill Anderson ’78, and Bill’s son, Will Anderson ’08. In their traveling days, Jean and Bob saw many parts of the world with her sister Anita Kester Gappen ’59 and Dick Gappen ’56. At home, Jean and Bob were breeders and exhibitors

of pug dogs for many years and find genealogy a fun hobby. ❯ Sara Jane Allensworth reports a big change in her life in Solvang, California.

“After three years of living alone since losing David Allensworth ’53, I have moved to a continuing care facility. It is a lovely cottage on a hilly campus with beautiful trees and flowers, my own furniture and too many possessions, food that is delicious and nutritious, and every need provided. My daughter, Tenley, after losing her husband, moved back to Galesburg and wanted me to join her, but I preferred to remain in California near my son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughters in the San Francisco Bay area, as well as my many Solvang friends. I anticipated November visits from one of those granddaughters and her fiancé, and my Washington, D.C., grandson and his wife. I do miss attending Knox events but remain in touch with many Knox friends, including Janet Wagner Rafferty, who seems to be doing well in the Seattle area.” ❯ Dave Kurtz continues to paddle his canoe several times a week, even in Pennsylvania winters. This coming spring will see the opening of the Dave Kurtz Canoe and Kayak Museum in Talleyrand Park, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. I could write pages as to what will be included in this historic structure, but it should be noted that it was the initial creation of the Bellefonte Historic and Cultural Association, a group that is waking the town up by putting efforts to save historic buildings in this small town of 9,000 people. The museum will feature the first handmade canoes out of fiberglass and polyester resin that were invented for individual use just a few years before 1961. “What happened is that my Explorer Post 32 met a Yugoslavian paddler, Natan Bernot, who was studying nuclear engineering at Penn State, and they invited him to the weekend coed canoe slalom that was planned on the easy waters of the West Branch of the Potomac River. What we didn’t realize at the time was that Bernot had just taken a silver medal in the 1961 World Slalom Championships. He looked at our kids’ paddling performance at the slalom and surprised us by observing, ‘If you boys had a good canoe to paddle and learned how to Eskimo Roll, you could go to the World Championships some day.’

As an engineer, he drew up plans for the first totally fiberglass canoe made in the United States. We created the model out of wood, made a mold of the model, and then made four fiberglass canoes from the mold. These easily outclassed the others who were using aluminum canoes in the races. In 1963, we won the United States slaloms and made the U. S. team. The two 15-year-olds and the two 17-year-olds made the U.S. team and paddled at the World’s Slalom Championships in 1963 on the Lieser River in Austria. This very first slalom canoe will be featured in the museum.” ❯ Jack Bandy is another class member in California and is also not planning on traveling for the next class reunion. “In late April, I got shingles. From then until late August I was in constant pain, was in

the hospital three times, and generally spent four hellish months. Unfortunately, it appears I may be in the 20 percent or so of shingles sufferers over 60 who develop postherpetic neuralgia, which means I may endure some level of pain indefinitely. Shingles is a nerve pain for which there is no real effective pain killer. In the hospital, they even tried morphine, with only minimal effect at best. The unpleasant side effects (addiction aside) simply didn’t justify their use.

I’m pretty much housebound so I can’t get into much trouble. When I do feel up to it I go grocery shopping and run errands with my son, who is a great help.” ❯ My final comment: I know we all wish Jack the best. As for me, my experience with shingles was a drain on my bank account for a new roof in September. I’m now debating a further drain for new hearing aids, having been quoted a range of prices from $3,500 to $7,500 with a discount. At 87. Hmmm.

Class Correspondent: Jim Dunlevey 27419 Embassy Street, Menifee, CA 92586-2005, dunlevey@aol.com

1955 I broke my right hip on November 1 and came home from rehab yesterday. On looking over the surgeon’s post-op report I see he referred to me as a “pleasant 86-year-old woman.” Much better than being considered a crabby old lady—my usual persona. ❯ Our gracious editor gave me an extension on the deadline for this column. I hope I’ve included all the news you sent me. ❯ Mort Weir and Ceil had a reunion with their immediate family in August in Virginia. It seems miraculous to me to be able to assemble three children and spouses, eight grandchildren and spouses, and four great-grandchildren all in one place. They must have made a wonderful memory. Mort and Ceil plan to leave the Illinois winter and spend February and March in Tubac, Arizona. ❯ Ward Knockemus and Evy live in Mobile with their rescue dog, Bama (they found her on a game day), who keeps them active with walks and canine fun. In October he was looking forward to Alabama’s football season, as was Bud. Ward said, “I know Bud enjoys it hugely and Dorothy too, except her huge is smaller than his.”

He continued, “The good times in the shacks with Pete Jelinek, Karl Hurdle ’54, Jim Jones, Neil “Sparky” Watts, and a few others roll around in my almost vacant head daily; We never know good days until they cannot be repeated.”

What a wise man. ❯ Don ’53 and Gail Holmes Curtis spent the summer moving out of their home of 59 years in Flossmoor, Illinois, to a house on the south shore of beautiful Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Due to Don’s large workshop, the move required 10 round trips, hauling a trailer with large pieces of machinery. Because they were downsizing, the favorite tools came first, and when they were settled in, they loaded the next tier. Happy ending: They settled in, with an expansive view of the lake, and most of the

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Bill Shaffer ’57 says he was overwhelmingly re-elected tools snug in a smaller, but adequate, space. Then they were off to Columbus, Ohio, for a grandson’s wedding, and south to their winter digs in Stuart. ❯ Roland Peaslee lost his son, Brian, in March. His wife, Bonnie, died last year. He sent me his book, Love Poems, a collection of poems he had written to her over the years. So touching.

Roland had hoped to be with another son, Alan Peaslee ’84, at Knox’s 2020 Homecoming, but it didn’t work out. They both are past presidents of The Knox Choir and hope to sing together in the alumni choir next fall. ❯ Diane Ridge Ogdon just called to see how my new hip is behaving.

One of her granddaughters is getting married in June. It will be beautiful, I’m sure. ❯ Paul Johnson is still active in real estate in Scottsdale, Phoenix, and the Paradise Valley area. He sends me The Johnson Report periodically, and I enjoy it.

Not because we’re in the market for Arizona real estate but because he always discusses trending household improvements, and sometimes they are projects we have completed. ❯ Al Paulus still sends me puns from time to time—they always brighten my day—and when we pick up the phone and hear a train whistle, we know it’s Wally Larkin. He and Susan are probably at a Christmas bazaar in Germany right now. ❯ We lost Ken Bath, James Char, and Don Moses earlier this year. Our ranks are shrinking, so stay well in the coming year. ❯ That is the news from the (Royal) and Ancient Class of 1955, whose (as Garrison Keillor would say) women classmates are all pleasant, the men are all handsome, and their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are all above average.

Class Correspondent: Dorothy Wharton 3511 SE Fairway West, Stuart FL 34997, 772-220-9422 dtwharton33@gmail.com

1956 Most of us are celebrating 85 years, with news from some ’56ers that shows life stays active and interesting, if just a little slower. Dan Kimble writes that he and wife Reeva are in good health.

He continues to paint watercolors and has a show or two each year in Eugene, Oregon, where he lives. He remembers his art class with Isaac Peterson and credits him with sparking an interest that has lasted. If anyone is interested, several of his paintings can be found on his “home page” by Googling “Dan Kimble paintings.” ❯ From Stan Anton we learn that he, wife Jenny, and daughter Georgina moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon, on January 23. Leaving the best of Florida weather for the worst of Oregon’s was no joke, because within days of their arrival they had SNOW. However, the summer months made them truly appreciate all that the area has to offer: rhododendrons, roses, tulip and dahlia nurseries, lavender fields, and picking their own grapes, all within a reasonable drive from their home. Stan adds that he is delighted to know that Knox is flourishing despite all the bad press about colleges these days. ❯ Sadly, Ron Pihera’s family

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reported his passing on October 5. He is survived

by Debby, his wife of 63 years, four children, and 14 grandchildren. Sympathy also extends to David Yount, whose wife, popular novelist Rebecca Tobin Yount, died unexpectedly on May 23, having just completed her seventh Mick Chandra crime mystery, The Mirror of Naples, published July 15. The Younts’ twin daughters, both single, will move into their parents’ Northern Virginia home to keep David company.

Meanwhile, he is busy promoting Rebecca’s 5-star mystery and preparing two earlier novels for publication next year. ❯ Bob Rothe says he is “retiring” for a second time. The first time in 1993 was from his job at Colorado’s Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant, where he had worked for 30 years in the field of experimental nuclear physics using plutonium and highly enriched uranium in solid metal and liquid forms. (Wow! What a use of a Knox education!) The second retirement is from his hobby, a very large, HO-scale, standard gauge, all steam-era model railroad empire which he began in 1947—yes, playing with toy trains even as he lived in Seymour Hall. Physical limitations don’t allow him to maintain his “railroad world,” where industries are served via freight trains, and tiny people (less than an inch tall) travel in comfort between passenger stations. He compares the emotional toll somewhat to the death of a child.

The history of his beloved Yampa Valley Railroad has been preserved in a picture book lovingly assembled to his oldest son and also via a website that can be visited at yampavalleyrailroad. wordpress.com. To make this interactive, those who visit the site can have names added to his Guestbook (along with any comments) by emailing Judy.bob.r@comcast.net. ❯ Jack Reiners passes on the information that the recipient of the Class of 1956 Scholarship for 2019-2020 is Jonathan Schneider, a junior from Wood Dale, Illinois.

Jonathan aims to become a psychiatrist. One of his interests is volunteering with basset rescue organization Arooo, where he helps with set-up, dog care, and take-down. At the end of the fiscal year, the market value of our class scholarship was $72,938.19. Income from the fund was $3,036.98 and provided tuition support for this year’s scholarship. ❯ More from Oregon: In August, Bob and I hosted a visiting pilot, our usual practice for Bob’s Experimental Aircraft Association annual activity. This year, our guest arrived in a battery-powered ultra-lite, which somehow seems less secure than a battery-powered car but certainly more eco-friendly.

Class Correspondent: Ricky Jung Schwarzler 854 Cessna Street, Independence OR 97351 schwarzler@msn.com

1957 Casey Martin Clark and daughter Elizabeth spent most of the summer at their cabin near Donner Summit, California. They took a September road trip all along the California

coast, staying three nights at each stop. Casey reports that friends who lived in Paradise survived the deadly Camp Fire but were completely burned out, like so many others who lost everything in that fire. She said several got out just because they left at first news of the fire and took only vehicles and pets. Casey continues to take, and to give, classes at the Learning in Retirement Program at Sacramento State University.

Bill Shaffer says he was overwhelmingly re-elected non-mayor of Carmel, Indiana. After campaigning on a platform of “We’re All NonMayors But One,” Shaffer swept to victory along with 93,509 other non-mayors. The 93,510th citizen was re-elected mayor. Bill reports his non-campaign featured non-rallies not attended by thousands, non-parades, and non-ribboncuttings and a host of non-phony photo ops.

Disgustingly healthy at age 84, he’s also torn between two grandson’s allegiance–one a freshman at Purdue and the other a senior at Ohio State. He was concerned there would be civil war at the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner tables.

He also stays in touch with classmates Frank Stanicek and Charlie Ramis when taking a break from his non-official governmental affairs.

Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

1958 Mondo Lopez wrote to thank Letitia Luther Schactner for her dedication to serving Knox as our class correspondent for many years. He says, “I want Letitia to know that, for many of us who could not regularly return to Knox, her column was appreciated and never taken for granted. Her efforts enabled many of us to keep informed through the years. Thank you for serving as our class correspondent for over half a century. Your writings of memories of Knox and classmates’ personal and family experiences after Knox served to keep our great class unified over the decades. I wish you and husband Nubs Schactner ’55 the best that life has to offer.”

Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

1959 Conny Drew Tozer returned last November for the 60th Reunion of the Class of 1959. Of the journey, she writes, “The Knox Hymn includes the words ‘Our woodlands, our cornfields,’ and taking the California Zephyr from Chicago to Galesburg, I realized there are still plenty of cornfields! When I arrived in Galesburg, I decided to tour the Knox campus first. What a change! What an improvement! Knox is an amazing campus. The Panhellenic House is now the Howard Wilson House. Classes and meetings are held there. I know classmates remember Howie Wilson, and we were told we must take at least

Class Knox non-mayor of Carmel, Indiana. one lit course from Howie. Across the street is the Sharvy Umbeck Science-Mathematics Center. It opened in the early 1970s and is now under construction scheduled to be completed in early 2020. The renovation, along with the new bachelor of science degree will attract students interested in earning a degree in biochemistry, biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, neuroscience, physics, and psychology.

Remember Bob Borzello ’58? If you return to campus, you can visit the Borzello Art Gallery in the Ford Center of the Fine Arts and Borzello Hall, which houses the journalism department.

During Homecoming, many of us were interviewed by students for a journalism project in the latter location. If you ever thought of taking an art class, the Whitcomb Art Center would encourage you to try some type of art instruction.

What a special gift the Whitcomb Art Center is to Knox and Knox students. Alumni Hall, once a dark, old building, is now an attractive, inviting building with cozy study nooks, including one thanks to the generosity of Karl ’60 and Barbara Fowler Nagel. There were numerous Homecoming activities including classes, tours, a 5K, lunches, receptions, yoga, football games, book signings, and of course, our 60th Reunion dinner.

We all enjoyed reconnecting, telling stories, and laughing, and we recalled all of our classmates. If you weren’t there, you were missed. The Knox Hymn also has the words ‘memories burning bright.’” ❯ Barbara Fowler Nagel wrote that Knox sure did bring us together and the memories still remain. ❯ From others at the 60th Reunion, we learned that while Bill Reiners said that it may be the last time he travels to Knox, he’d love to lead the Knox Hymn and the Knox Fight Song at Convocation. ❯ Tom Murphy and wife Ellen ate in the cafeteria and reported that the food was quite good. ❯ Margaret Konzo Wolf came from Colorado on the train, rented a car, and spent lots of time walking the campus, as well as participating in one of the aforementioned journalism interviews. ❯ David Poston reported that he has switched from raising goats to raising chickens now. ❯ Rich Bloomberg and his wife moved to a retirement village four years ago, where he serves on the board of directors.

He also said he still enjoys using a hammer and has helped with small building projects for the community.

Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309 341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

1960 Marcia Muelder Eaton writes that she and husband Joe spend winters in Naples, Florida.

They are avid bridge players and have achieved Life Master status. Marcia gives three lectures at the Artis-Naples art museum on the philosophy of art. She also leads a Great Decisions group. Others who winter in Naples have given rave reviews of Marcia’s lectures. ❯ Mary Lu

Hudson Aft and I finally traveled to Iceland and Greenland. We were aboard the Viking Sea as it repositioned from Bergen to Montreal. No jet lag when we got home this time! FYI: The Alumni Office is currently offering a cruise that will circumnavigate Iceland from June 28 to July 6, 2020. Check it out at www.knox.edu/alumni/ alumnitravel. SAVE THE DATES: Thanks to Knox Major Gifts Officer Dustin Milliken, your Class Correspondent got a peek at the 2020 Knox calendar. Our 60th Class Reunion has been scheduled for October 23-24. It’s heartwarming to think about returning to “our woodlands, our home” 60 years following graduation. Hope to see you there!

Class Correspondent: Dick Aft aftd@fuse.net, 775 Windings Lance, Cincinnati, OH 45220

1961 Dear Classmates: As we indicated to you in a recent communication, Suella will retire from the Class Correspondent status as of this issue.

Reflecting on our nearly 20 years of this small service to Knox, it has been a pleasure to communicate with you. We have informed the school that a replacement correspondent for the Class of 1961 will be needed after this issue, and we hope one or more of you will step up for the next 20 (or two) years. The Alumni Office will be implementing changes soon, by way of forming alum committees for each class. Since things are in a state of conversion anyway, this seems to be an appropriate time for the aforementioned Suella’s retirement. ❯ We had a few notes since last time. Nancy Fuchs Krueger wrote: “Thanks for your years of service! We just relocated from California to Florida to be near our preschoolaged great-grandchildren plus to enjoy the activities of SSC.” Thanks, Nancy, for writing.

Enjoy your new location! ❯ Robert Tracy also checked in: “Thanks for doing this job for so many years. I have two daughters with three children each. Retired from teaching at DePaul University in 2004. Concerned about the climate, I had solar panels installed on my townhome and have begun lobbying Congress to address climate change (disruption). I’m a cancer survivor and taking each day one day at a time. Friends and family live nearby. My time at Knox was very special.” Many of us feel that way too. Good luck, Robert. ❯ Ella Major Morin reported: “This past spring, I took a trip that followed the trail of Lewis and Clark from St. Louis, Missouri, to Portland, Oregon. Two weeks—by bus—that the explorers made in two years using boats, horses, and their feet. Beautiful country and many challenges for the men. I have long been fascinated by the journey these men made looking for the water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean that President Thomas Jefferson hoped for. It was certainly Undaunted Courage, as described by author Stephen Ambrose. The trail is well worth your exploration. too.” ❯ Jennifer

Gallas, the new coordinator of class leadership teams, wrote: “We have done a bit of restructuring in the Alumni Office, and one of my jobs is going to be to recruit volunteers from each class to be our ‘voices on the ground’ for Knox— helping with such things as notifying your classmates about various events, encouraging them to participate in giving back to Knox, and also to turn in Class Notes. We hope to have around 3-5 volunteers for each class who will take on these duties.” If you are interested in helping with this project, you may contact her at jgallas@knox.edu. ❯ Thank you, Suella, for your hard work on this column over the years. If anyone reading is interested in taking over the Class Correspondent position, please email jgallas@knox.edu.

Class Correspondent: TBD

1962 Class Correspondent: Kate Bloomberg hankandkate@msn.com

1963 “Rita and I continue to travel as much as we can,” says Colin Harding. “Recent trips include a trip to South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. The highlights included trips through both the Kruger National Park in South Africa and the Chobe National Park in Botswana. In one word—elephants! We visited Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, which was on my bucket list. We traveled to Robben Island off of Cape Town, where Nelson Mandela spent so much time.

Then, we spent two weeks in Tuscany. Rita had a painting workshop in an old monastery just east of Siena. My job was to tote her art supplies (which I did well) and to make sure the chianti was fit for consumption. We just returned from 18 days in Norway and Finland, where we rode the Flam Railroad (also on my bucket list) halfway on the rail line from Oslo and Bergen.

We sailed on a Hurtigruten ship from Bergen to Kirkenes, where we crossed the Arctic Circle just south of Bodo and visited the North Cape, the northernmost point in Europe. Next trip? River cruise during tulip time in Holland next spring with side trips to Ypres and Arnhem to satisfy my WWI and WWII history itch. Operation Market-Garden…A Bridge Too Far.” Class Correspondent: Ramona Reed Landberg 21500 Baltic Drive, Cornelius, NC 28031, 704-892-4637, landberg.group@outlook.com

1964 The highlight of the year was our 55th Reunion.

Twenty-one ’64ers gathered for three days of great food and greater camaraderie. Babs Kothe Fiala summarizes it well: “For our 29th annual get together, we—Avis Sorenson Erickson, Jean Howell Card, JoAnn Dworzynski Pierce, Kathy Molda East, Nancy Anderson Levin, and

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“I am totally retired from listening to people’s problems as a I—chose to meet this year in Galesburg for Reunion. Jean Scott Welch and Karen Dittmer Bowyer ’63 were unable to be with us, but our usual quota of eight travel companions was maintained thanks to Jean’s husband and Lynn Melcher Barrett, who flew in from England to join us. We had a glorious time together at our beautiful alma mater: thoroughly enjoyed reuniting with many classmates whom we hadn’t seen since our 50th Reunion. The unofficial theme for the weekend appeared to be “Wow, I’d recognize you anywhere. You haven’t changed a bit!” which was loudly proclaimed at the first encounter with every visiting classmate! We were impressed with the new, huge fine arts building and awed by the cavernous field house adjacent to the gym/ natatorium where dinner was served on Friday.

We already know that we will choose to attend our 60th Reunion on campus and we hope it will be replete with members of the Class of ’64.

Until then, peace and love!” ❯ Val and I (Terry Klopcic) shared the weekend with Don and Catherine Hardinger Shriver ’66, Al and Karen Hummel Crumbliss, Mike Pope and wife Marsha, and Jerry ’65 and Carol Klail Vovis ’65.

Al continues to recover from his stroke and is still working on unpublished research papers. Mike regaled us with the beauties of the eastern edge of the Canadian Rockies, along the Icefields Parkway in Alberta, Canada. Marvelous mountain, forest, and glacier sights seen and experienced between Banff/Lake Louise all the way up to Jasper. ❯ Nancy Anderson Levin reported, “The absolute highlight of the Knox 55th Reunion for me occurred when news of our beloved Russian professor, Dr. Momcilo Rosic, was delivered in person by his son George Rosic

Joe Thompson ’65 and wife Edie at Hotel Boccaccio in Florence, Italy, in October 2019.

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’74, who some of us had known as a little boy.

George is now a Knox alum, and Dr. Rosic is a hearty 102-year-old! It was so heartwarming to learn that he is thriving and enjoying life along with George and his wife, two grandsons and five great-grandchildren. The year 1960 was the first time Russian was offered at Knox, and Dr. Rosic richly touched the lives of his students, who included Reunion-goers Nancy Anderson Levin, Jean Howell Card, Linda Dybas, Karen Hummel Crumbliss, JoAnn Dworzynski Pierce, and Terry Klopcic, and, to our surprise, Dave Eiss, who took German from him! We celebrated his longevity with fond memories of an inspiring teacher and human being!” ❯ From Steve Gamble: “With children and grandchildren in Los Angeles, Brussels, Belgium, and Sydney, Australia, our travels are focused on those destinations and creating a magnet for them in Cordillera, Colorado, but we did spend two weeks cruising and hiking in Alaska with Seabourn last month with sister Peggy Vogelsinger ’68.” ❯ Carol Thompson: “My first task upon retirement was to build myself a Universal Design home suitable for aging-inplace. My time is mostly taken up with mentoring several young people, children, and nieces of a former foster child. I have retired from any volunteer work that involves attending meetings, and now I am supporting the library in the Alabama high school where I taught in the ’60s and another in a small village in Western Pennsylvania. I’m looking into the library in my own high school in Aurora, Illinois, which is now 90 percent Hispanic. Over the years I have gotten some good tips from Knox classmates on sources for books to appeal to isolated populations. My current quest is for popular YA books in Spanish translations or books with Spanish and English on facing pages. I’m clueless as to sources. If anyone has any hints, please let me know.” ❯ Susan Taub: “I now live in Naples, Florida, where my daughter also lives. I have a red poodle and have downsized from the standard to the miniature size. I have a small home on a big lot for Naples and finally have my long-time dream of my own swimming pool. I am totally retired from listening to other people’s problems as a clinical psychologist.” ❯ Pam Norton Nelson reports, “Medieval Congress in May (always fascinating); Australia to visit friends, including touring Western Australia—this time with amazing sights in this unique country and covering over 5,000 kilometers; traveling to Illinois State University (ISU) to hear James Peng Liu, a world-renowned Chinese conductor, conduct the ISU orchestra, and then a totally relaxing week in Ashland, Illinois, on a friend’s farm in October.

Also, I would like to note that I took my brother on the 50 Year Club tour of Argonne, which was an exceptional day, and I urge everyone who can to attend these events.” ❯ Gabrielle D’Elia Shufeldt sent me an introspective on the impact that Knox friends have made on our lives, leading to a tribute to the late Virginia Lund Johanson:

“I have just been reflecting about the trailblazing of our Knox cohort. It was my great fortune to have a dorm room in Whiting near Ginny’s our freshman year and to begin building the friendship that so enriched my life through all these many years. We stepped out of Galesburg and into the wider world offered by the Peace Corps (she was in Chile). We returned for more schooling (she received an MAT from tanford). Ginny’s husband was a world-class hydrologist from South Africa. (Interestingly, his family and Ginny’s had a common background as missionaries from Sweden who ventured out from Europe to Asia and Africa). After several years in Johannesburg, Ginny and Rob returned to the U.S. and settled in Stockton, California, where Ginny was a master teacher of math in a school with students with an incredible range of backgrounds and languages.” [I wish there was space for the entire introspective: It is beautiful.] ❯ As Babs wrote, start planning for our 60th.

Class Correspondent: Terry Klopcic klopcicjt2@roadrunner.com

1965 Joe Thompson reports, “I’ve been working hard as chair of Wake County Precinct 17-01 and remind anyone who is happy with their stocks, 401ks, and retirements (growth, opportunity, and prosperity!), find out who your precinct chair is and call them to get involved. There will be a lot of action in North Carolina, and I’ll be right in the middle of it. DESPITE ALL THAT, I will try to make it to our 55th Reunion, and hope we can set another record like we did in 2015. SAVE THE DATES: Class Reunion October 23-25, 2020!” ❯ Arthur and Patricia Bielenberg Smith celebrated 50 years of marriage in December 2017. They had a big family party with their children and four grandchildren. Patty is involved in the First Presbyterian Church in Chicago where Art had been a pastor. They renovated a cottage in Michigan and like to sail on Lake Michigan. They have a son who is involved in housing in Columbia, Maryland, and a daughterin-law who works for the Aspen Foundation. ❯ Diane Trout-Oertel is well, and we discussed our upcoming 55th Reunion in 2020. ❯ David Brandes says, “I love my wife and my life, and I’m very happily married.” After Knox, he went to UCLA in biochemistry but decided to study medicine and became a neurologist. He specializes in multiple sclerosis. He has visited every state in the union. He loves to ski and snowboard and spends January in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and March in Utah. He has published multiple articles in the medical literature and has 3.5 million lifetime miles from city to city working lectures and visits. ❯ Susan Burns Hellberg took a cruise to Alaska with her daughter in August. She spent January in Florida. One son lives in San Francisco. Her daughter lives in Denver, and Susan lives in Amarillo, Texas. ❯ Nicole Borch Sanders has a brother who is a

Class Knox clinical psychologist.” —Susan Taub ’64 musician who continues to play with the Ides of March band and published a well-known song, “Vehicle,” some years ago.

Class Correspondent: Terry Rothstein, M.D. antiquarian@wavewls.com

1966

I am once again happy to receive and report news of our Knox ’66 classmates: ❯ Jim Bronson brings happy news. After being twice widowed, he has found the love of his life: a woman that he met in graduate school at the University of Washington. They have remained good friends all these years; both have lost spouses. Now they thoroughly enjoy splitting their time between Ashland, Oregon, and Vancouver, British Columbia. The two also enjoy teaching adult educational programs about environmental sustainability and social justice. Jim writes that he is looking forward to our 55th Reunion in 2021 and sends his best wishes to us all. ❯ Tom Beug writes that they have moved from Milwaukee and a 4,000 square foot home with a full basement to a home half the size in Oro Valley, Arizona. Tom says there’s now fewer worries and repairs, and their new desert ranch home affords incredible mountain views. He does lament they are still unpacking and shedding more of their stuff. ❯ I can surely really relate to Tom’s story as my husband and I are even now in the process of leaving our sprawling home on Lake Winnebago in Neenah, Wisconsin, for a much smaller townhome in Woodbury, Minnesota. While Arizona sounds extremely tempting, we have a daughter and her young family in St. Paul who can really use some grandparents’ assistance. The airport there brings us closer to our other family members who are spread out over the Western U.S. And we have one daughter who is a family practitioner (one of two docs) in Unalaska, Alaska, which is located approximately in the middle of the Aleutian Islands, 800 miles west of Anchorage. Although beautiful, it is definitely not an easy place to visit! ❯ Another southern dweller, Mike Denniston, writes from Georgia.

Mike is a professor emeritus in chemistry and environmental science at Georgia State. He relates that his wife, who just underwent heart surgery this past July, was determined to go forward with their plans to visit Peru, the Amazon basin, and Machu Picchu in midNovember. Loving to travel, they plan to tour Romania, Ukraine, and Turkey in fall 2020. Mike relates his concern about our government by asking, “Where has all the quality leadership gone?” I’m sure many of us can relate! He closes by wishing us all the best now and in 2020. ❯ James Johnson writes that he recently retired after 50 years of practicing law. However, he has retained a pro bono license so that he will be able to counsel indigent clients once a month. (Sounds like the Knox spirit to me!) Jim spent much of his summer cycling across Wisconsin and Michigan and then enjoyed the lovely fall colors at home.

When the snowfall begins in earnest, he was off

again, this time to Bonita Springs, Florida, where he spends most of his winters. ❯ I was beginning to wonder, “Where have all the women gone?”

Then I received a message from Judy Ducay Moen. She spent a part of the summer traveling to Norway with her son, daughter-in-law, and two grandsons aged 13 and 11. They were able to take in both Oslo and Bergen as they traveled first on a train, then by ferry through wondrous fjords, then by bus, and finally on another train.

What a fascinating trip they had! Judy says they even managed to have great weather, especially in Bergen, which is famous for its rainy days. ❯ A fascinating update then arrived from Vija Siksna Klive about her life and the current political situation in Latvia. She writes that Latvians are understandably more interested in their local problems of low wages, the need for improved health care, better pensions, and the closing of schools in the countryside than in current U.S. politics. She says that Latvians are divided over Trump, much as we are. She does tell us, however, of their growing concern with Trump’s rebuffs of traditional allies in Europe and elsewhere while he cozies up to totalitarian leaders in Russia, China, North Korea, and the “bloodthirsty leader/prince in Saudi Arabia.” In addition, Latvians are increasingly worried about Russia’s growing military and economic presence in the world because of their country’s 50 years of communist rule and suppression of human rights. ❯ Finally, Halcyon Schomp Blake wrote to us about her recent doings: “I am now 99 percent retired at long last. Daughter Gretchen and her wonderful wife, Rachel, now own ‘my baby,’

Halcyon Yarn, and have for a few years with my participation limited to ‘Advisor to the Owners.’”

Halcyon and husband Will continue to spend summers in their converted warehouse in Bath, Maine, which also houses the yarn shop, their loft apartment, plus a new “co-working” space Gretchen and Rachel are developing. Halcyon and Will spend half the year in Maine, the other half in Charleston, South Carolina. She still weaves a few products on her loom in Maine or the one on her boat she calls “loom with a view.”

Among their travels by boat is a recent visit to Will’s daughter Liz in Massachusetts, who has just begun work as an assistant professor in English at Clark University. In addition, they plan a visit to their “exchange student son,” originally from Bosnia, who is currently an economist with the World Bank in Jerusalem.

They visited him in his previous posting in Nepal and look forward to learning about his new post in a new location. Halcyon assures us it is a relaxed life and the best of both worlds on land and water. It sounds wonderful to me!

Class Correspondents: Judith Holland Sarnecki 630 Wheeler Street, Neenah, WI 54956, 920-725-1430, judithsmamabear@gmail.com

1967 We asked our classmates: Which Knox faculty member, staff, or administrator had a powerful impact on your college experience? Who do you remember with admiration and gratitude? ❯

Tom Beug ’66 poses on the porch of his former home in Wisconsin before departing for a smaller place (and warmer temperatures) in Arizona.

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“Volunteering, grandma duties, and book clubs Kate Linquist Adams: “Dr. Rodney O. Davis, history. I took every class he offered and spent one summer at Knox researching an independent studies paper for him about the Santee Sioux/U.S. treaty of 1851. In his Westward Movement class, Dr. Davis once asked if we thought that people have a biological need for lots of land space around them, perhaps a human characteristic that contributed to the movement of settlers west. I loved his question and think about it often; I don’t know the answer.” ❯ Vic Beattie: “Herb Priestly, a wonderful explainer of the stars and physics of the universe. His classes were known as ‘Herbie’s Heavens.’ Also, Wilbur Pillsbury, dean of students and econ/accounting visionary, one of the first to envision computers as accounting tools. And English professor Howard Wilson, annual reader of A Child’s Christmas in Wales in the Gizmo, a wonderful tradition for the holiday season when we were far from home.” ❯ Dennis Chase: “Phil Haring was my favorite. He talked me out of going to law school; he said I was the kind of guy who hired lawyers.” ❯ Mike Chubrich: “Dean Hermann Muelder and Greenman Foreman Harold Tanner. Both Hermann and Harold radiated integrity and intelligence. Dean Muelder’s Midwest Seminar was my favorite class; his Convocation speech, when he used the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius to describe the people who inspired him, was memorable and introduced me to a book that helped me through many difficult days. Harold taught me how to transplant trees, how to be an effective supervisor, and how to find joy in menial work. Harold’s integrity, decency, and kindness exceeded most of the members of the Knox faculty and administration with whom I interacted.” ❯ Nancy Meyer Darman: “Professor Harland Goudie opened new aspects of my life when I took Art Appreciation. For the rest of my life I’ve been addicted to art and art museums and architecture.” ❯ Jerry Glickstein: “I can’t remember his name, but my favorite professor was the one who taught organic chemistry. I didn’t think anyone could make it a fun course but he did. Also a wonderful person with a great sense of humor.” ❯ Eric Johnson: “No question, Dr. Rodney O Davis.

I think I took every class he offered to a non-history major.” ❯ Peter Kirkpatrick: “Harry Neumiller, chemistry. He was intimidating to me, both physically and intellectually, but I came to appreciate him as a teacher, mentor, and friend.” ❯ John Madej: “Professor Bro White, economics. He would cut his necktie in half with scissors, then ask the class which blade (cost-push blade or demand-pull blade) causes inflation.” ❯ James Nordin: “Any of my of four political science professors, but probably John Houston as first choice overall. Rene Ballard was the professor I most feared; I took only one course from him. Ironically, he taught public administration, and I spent my entire career as a public administrator and earned a doctorate in that

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field.” ❯ William Shoch: “Bob Harper was our psychology department head and my advisor. He helped me learn how to do research and evaluate the research of others. (Much to my dismay, I discovered many of the great scholars in the field were total frauds—probably a good lesson though.)” ❯ Richard Seigel: “Wilbur Pillsbury had a profound impact on me. He not only chaired the economics department; he was also dean of students. When I was vacillating between applying to law school or going for an MBA, he steered me towards graduate business school and wrote a glowing letter of recommendation. I have no doubt that the combination of my Knox B.A. and my Dartmouth MBA helped me greatly in my career. I had the opportunity to express my gratitude in person to Dr. Pillsbury before he passed away.” ❯ Dave Slocum: “Dr. John Pascucci, economics. He taught with gusto, infecting students with the same enthusiasm. One summer I had stayed on the deserted campus past the school year. Stomach pain started one evening, and by morning was excruciating.

Dragged myself to Simonds, where I sat on the stairs in agony. Pascucci saw me, asked what was wrong, and immediately took me to the hospital where my appendix was removed. I never saw a bill.” ❯ Margaret Sawyer Stanton: “Dr. Robert Harper. I wasn’t privileged to take any of his psychology courses, but he and Dr. Sam Fletcher at the Galesburg State Research Hospital created a new program in 1966, combining coursework at Knox in sociology, psychology, and education with practical experience at the childrens and adolescents unit at the Research Hospital. I enrolled in the new major, human development, gained funding for my senior year of tuition as well as a stipend, and got a wealth of practical experience at the Research Hospital. Dr. Harper and his wife were very encouraging to our little band of five students in the human development program. They listened when we felt the program needed a tweak here or there. His leadership in that program had a lasting effect on me; now in retirement I facilitate a weekly support group for people with mental health problems.” ❯ Sally Burns Torgeson: “Mr. Momcilo Rosic, my Russian professor; memorable because, with tears in his eyes, he announced the assassination of President Kennedy. And Dr. Neff, biology, who fostered my love of the natural world and helped me discover my aptitude for the world of genetics. Both men have remained in my memory with fondness and appreciation.” ❯ Anne Talley Turner: “Dr. Bill Brady, English, made Shakespeare come alive in the classroom, and was a fine travel guide as head of a Knox alumni tour of the British Isles in 1977.

And both Wilsons: Douglas and Howard.

Doug Wilson’s senior seminar class’s focus on Hemingway was so good that it wasn’t until years later that I realized I don’t really like Hemingway.

I worked as a clerk for Howard Wilson, and got to type the letter inviting Robin Metz to campus

for his job interview.” ❯ Rick Uebner: “Dr. John Houston, political science: a brilliant, soft-spoken man with a wealth of knowledge he was glad to share. He was called on by John Kennedy for input on foreign policy in Latin America. Also, Dr. Phil Haring, political science, who left the corporate world to contribute to the lives of many at Knox. His thoughtful questions opened many doors of understanding for me.” ❯ Helen Gilbert: “Dr. Mikiso Hane is undoubtedly the reason I majored in history at Knox. He taught my first semester western civilization class, and I was hooked—took every history course he offered. His accent took some getting used to, but his charm and subtle humor won out! At our 25th Reunion, I had a good conversation with him. He later sent me a copy of his book Reflections on the Way to the Gallows. Wonderful man and teacher!” ❯ Tom Collins: “Economics professor Dr. John Pascucci, who provided the quote: ‘That is the exception that proves the rule.’ His enthusiasm was infectious and in the 52 ensuing years, I have quoted him more frequently than anyone. Also Coach Knosher, who always encouraged me to give 110 percent. And, of course, Dennis Parks, the scoundrel who lured me along with lots of clay to a lifetime interest that is so much fun that it doesn’t even feel like work.” ❯ Sheryl “Sam” McKee Kenny: “I remember the bad ones more than the good ones.

Our student teacher supervisor who always smelled of alcohol and never showed for an observation. Needless to say, we all received As. Or the college chaplain. I had an A going into the final and received a C. When I questioned him, he showed my final blue book with not a mark on it. Then he showed me his grade book where he had erased my A and put a C and said, ‘I gave too many high grades!’ I did learn from him to never do that to my students!”

Class Correspondent: Anne Talley Turner anneturner345@gmail.com

1968

Thanks for all the wonderful notes. Such fun to read. ❯ Chip Evans shared that Norm and Ginny Mallow Close, Tom Mellen and wife Julie, Brad Routon, and Chip attended Keiko and Steve Hayashi’s 50th wedding anniversary celebration in July. Wendy Saul, Kathy St. Cyr, Janie Walker, John Heyer, Dan Gunning, Joe Hammon, Alan Schmidt, and Chip enjoyed Homecoming in November 2019. Less than four more years until our 55th Reunion; save the dates—all the weekends in October 2023. At Homecoming, Wendy Saul received the Scroll of Honor award, which is presented to FYC members to recognize lifetime achievements in the service of their community, society, or humanity. ❯ Pamela Harrison Stoffel shares, “Jim and I traveled to St. Louis last November for the marriage of youngest son Darren to Jessica Dawn Estes—a great celebration. This November, we

Class Knox keep me busy.” —Sue Schlaufman Deans ’70 went back for the baptism of our newest grandchild, Kennedy Kay. We caught up with Sue Bennetsen Postel while there. After Christmas, I went into rehearsals for my March production of Newsies. All of our performances were sold out with standing ovations each night. I guess I’m not quite ready to declare myself completely retired!

Last October Jim and I traveled to Switzerland, Italy, and Portugal, but we need to find places that aren’t built on hills with cobblestones everywhere! We are keeping both our homes in Rochester, New York, and Sea Island, Georgia, declaring residency there. We returned to Rochester to spend the holidays with the three boys and their families. Cycle begins again as I go into rehearsals for my March production of My Fair Lady.” ❯ The Class of ’68 Facebook page remains a great way to keep up with activities, pictures, thoughts and ”jokes” of other members of the class. Keep it comin’! ❯ Paul and Diane Kieppel Madsen’67 visited with a number of her Pi Phi sorority sisters in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in September. While there he spent time with Joseph Cecchi, professor of biochemical engineering at University of New Mexico. They drove to Los Alamos, site of WWII atomic weapons research, and toured the museum that featured a model of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in WWII. ❯ Howard A. Partner and Eliza traveled through Iceland and Ireland in September. At Keflavik Airport in Reykjavik, they experienced a rainbow, followed by hail, rain, and then sunshine, all within four minutes. The landscapes of both countries are spectacular, and the natives are friendly. He has a new email address: stormworks@att.net. ❯ Bob and Kathy Karsten Rushing celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in December. In honor of this, they decided to have a Big Year. That is, the quest to see as many bird species as possible in one year. Their Big Year included only birds seen in the lower 48.

They have seen 247 species and hope to top 250 by the end of the year. Maybe next year. “We have birded in California, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, South Carolina, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia.

Seeing 250 species may seem like a lot, but consider that our Big Year record is 700.” In February, they travel to Costa Rica for a twoweek birding trip, and will also travel to California and Colorado. In between trips, they spend lots of time with their seven grandchildren, volunteer, read, make music and merry, garden, and “continue to enjoy this journey we’ve been on together since we graduated.” ❯ The Rushings have sighted or plan to count many fellow Knox alums this year as well. They had dinner at Frank and Jean Belieff Mannino’s home in San Diego in February; stayed in Tubac, Arizona, with Roy and Sue Bennetsen Postel; lunched with Mary Ann Robinson ’69; enjoyed the company a number of times of Nancy Rabenstein Pielemeier ’67 and husband John; and traveled to Cincinnati with Mollie Miller Thorn ’69 and her husband Phil to visit John ’67 and Kim

Adams Post ’69 in their new home (they also see the Thorns frequently in D.C.). They spent the day with Ken Furst and wife Karen, who were in D.C. for a conference. They also rendezvoused with Cliff and Vicki Turner Svoboda and Ace Hoyt and his partner in Laguna Beach, California, in December. “We also attended the D.C. alum meeting in September at the home of John Sauter ’63,” they note, and they saw Ron Boggs at their 55th Lake Forest High School reunion in September. They send warm wishes to all. ❯ Mary Mangieri Burgland and husband George missed Homecoming this year due to a Viking River Cruise on the Duoro River in Portugal…port wine country. Highly recommended if your knees are good! Also, book before the first week in October to get good weather.

They left for six weeks in Scottsdale on January 28 and were looking for golf buddies. ❯ The big event for John Heyer in 2019 was the sale of his company in March. With two original partners, Kettle Moraine Coatings kicked off in November 1975. John became president in 1986 and assumed 100 percent ownership in 2003. After a run of over 44 years, that young guy of 29 who started in 1975 is now 72. He realized it was indeed time to move to retirement. He quickly moved on to enjoying extra free time. It has included some travel and connecting with good friends as well as truly enjoying his two grandchildren. He looks forward to more of the same. ❯ Nancy Brunk Loncke visited family in Chicago at Halloween, when they had four inches of snow! Felt like Chrisma-ween! Retirement has given her and Ron time to travel, first to Cuba, then to Italy for another visit, starting from the “heel” in the south and ending in the north, culminating in a celebration of 500 years since Leonardo, with exhibitions on his inventions and a viewing of his Last Supper. When not traveling, she teaches an English conversation class to adults at their local library. An Iranian student got her interested in learning Farsi, and she is suddenly, strangely addicted to completing a course… She can’t say why, since a trip to Teheran doesn’t really seem to be in the cards.

Just likes a challenge! Nancy still likes reflecting on our 50th Reunion. “Really glad I was able to make it back to see the campus, today’s students, and many of the Class of ’68 gang.” ❯ I’m ( Susan Mika) still smiling when I think of our Reunion. Makes it even more fun to read the notes after having seen so many of our class.

Enjoying retirement and volunteering. Enjoying live theatre—professional, community theatre, and high school. Warm wishes for a great new year.

Class Correspondent: Susan Meyer Mika 1519 North Kennicott Avenue, Arlington Heights, IL 60004, 847-253-7719, pottatea@comcast.net

1969 Class Correspondent: Bill Combs bcombsi@yahoo.com

1970 We must all be getting ready for the 50th Reunion this fall. Very little news has come my way recently. ❯ From Sue Schlaufman Deans: “I have moved to a downtown Denver condo after selling my house in Boulder last year. I enjoy the city, with nearby transit to Boulder and the airport, as well as easy walks to museums, theatre, and sports venues. Volunteering, grandma duties, and book clubs keep me busy.

Son Jeff Foss ’93, daughter-in-law Wendy, and grandchildren Daric and Alyvia Foss, ages eight and six, live in nearby Arvada. Life is good!” ❯ Since I have not heard from anyone else, Nancy Hoover Debelius spent last fall recovering from a second knee replacement. As we all know, getting older is not much fun, but at least I greeted the new year with two working knees and plans for a much better golf game. My two boys live in Ohio with their families. Both are Ohio State grads. ❯ I can report that the Reunion committee is hard at work putting together plans for our weekend on October 22-25, 2020. Please come join us for the weekend and our return to Knox after 50 years. If you have any ideas for the weekend, please send them to me at the address below or to Rhayma Blake at rhayma@me.com. ❯ We have a Facebook page Knox1970. Thanks to Sue Deans for her help. ❯ Last note: If you are not getting emails from me twice a year asking for news, that means I do not have a current email address for you. Please send me your updated information so we can all stay in touch. ❯ Thanks, and see you in October.

Class Correspondent: Nancy Hoover Debelius Knox1970@zoominternet.net

1971 Betsy Harris Bowen (rbowen@wi.rr.com) wrote that, in May, she, Meredith Fradine O’Connor, Laura Fredenhagen Schaefer, and Ann McConachie met up on Cumberland Island to relax, party, eat, drink, gossip, etc. Betsy also enjoyed her annual cousins’ reunion in October in Asheville, North Carolina—Betsy and three of her six cousins all went to Knox. ❯ Mark ’72 and Lynn Strand McIntosh (lynnmcwho@yahoo.com) returned to Knox for Homecoming as their oldest and their middle son had their 20th and 15th reunions! They saw many old friends from different classes, as well as the remodeled Beta House, and enjoyed the weekend. Knox always feels like coming home. It’s the same joy you will feel when you join all of your classmates for our 50th in 2021! ❯ Michael Dunston (mcdunston@ hotmail.com) has “retired” as presiding judge of the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands, where he has lived for 38 years with his significant other, Rita Jones, who owns a publishing company producing tourism books. Their son, Jason Jones, lives in Summerville, South Carolina, with his wife Ruth and 13-year-old son Ty, while daughter Lauren Strickland lives on St. John,

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“I still drive proudly around the Tidewater, Virginia, area in my car

William Hiatt ’72

STEVE DAVIS

It’s hard to imagine many Knox alumni who have made as wide an impact on the world as William Hiatt. As a clinical researcher and physician, he has produced some of the most important discoveries in the treatment and prevention of peripheral artery disease (PAD)—a condition that affects up to 200 million people worldwide—over the last 40 years. As a professor of medicine in the cardiology division of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, he has tirelessly pursued non-surgical treatments, including new drug therapies, that have significantly improved patients’ quality of life. Since 1996, he has also served as president of the Colorado Prevention Center, which conducts clinical trials in cardiovascular medicine, helping to bring promising laboratory discoveries to the public. In 2018, the American Heart Association awarded Dr. Hiatt its Clinical Research Prize for his contributions to understanding the causes and treatments of PAD, citing his development of new exercise training that improves patients’ exercise capacity, his work understanding how PAD impairs the ability to walk, and better anticipating PAD risk. He has written more than 250 peer-reviewed articles and two books about PAD. Dr. Hiatt is also a lifelong mountain climber, having scaled all 54 peaks above 14,000 feet in his home state of Colorado, as well as successful expeditions to Mount Fuji, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Mount Aconcaqua in Argentina, the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere.

How did you decide to specialize in vascular medicine?

I like plumbing, which is essentially arteries and veins. There is an amazing regulatory system that controls vascular tone that interacts with organs to regulate oxygen delivery with metabolic demand. I absolutely love clinical research because it combines the practice of medicine and research into developing new therapeutics. Understanding the mechanisms of disease and pathways to new treatments is an amazing privilege offered by academic medicine.

Surprisingly, you were an English major at Knox!

I was interested in James Joyce, and Howard Wilson agreed to mentor me through an in-depth study of his work. These days, my reading includes some dabbling in quantum physics and of course, trying to keep up with the medical literature, but Robert Hellenga, Howard Wilson, and Robin Metz—along with Billy Geer—had a big impact on my intellectual development.

How did your experiences at Knox help you succeed?

Honestly, this is where I met my wife, Susan Wessels Hiatt ’72, who is a major reason for my success. I am totally blessed with an amazing wife, a very accomplished daughter and son-in-law, and three grandchildren.

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Alumni Achievement Award Winner

2020 Alumni Achievement Award

Virgin Islands, with her husband Tucker and two children Harper (7) and Scarlett (2). Rita and Mike plan a lot of travel. He also notes: “While I haven’t had the time lately to do the sailing, diving, and ‘beaching’ that brought me here, that’s about to change.” ❯ Sue Wilson Bailey (swbailey@socal.rr.com) is retired. She and husband Richard Armenta have a 42-foot trawler on which they toured San Diego and Catalina Island. In December, they let someone else row the boat on a cruise to the West Indies. Their grandson just started at the local junior college. ❯ John Flood (jtflood39@gmail.com) reports his mother recently passed away just short of her 96th year. In the cycle of life, as John noted, Grandson No. 5, Rowan Flood, was born three days before his mom passed. John spends his time running, biking, golfing, chasing grandsons, and drinking beer. ❯ Rob Fisher (wildtemple@aol.com), a psychotherapist in Mill Valley, California, is on the board of the Hakomi Institute and teaches about psychotherapy and mindfulness. ❯ After 40 years of teaching modern Russian and Soviet history at the University of Hawaii (1979-88) and at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Don Raleigh (DJR@email.unc.edu) retired on December 31, 2019. For now, he looks upon retirement as work without deadlines and as a time to do more traveling and explore new things. ❯ Jan Novak Dressel (jandressel3@yahoo.com) celebrated her 70th birthday in Hamburg! Her kids threw a surprise party, and Sandy Husar Ligon came from Albuquerque! ❯ Steve and Gail Sims Smith (gssmith.ergc@gmail.com) stayed in California to see a play their granddaughter is directing at San Diego State University. Then they planned to winter in Florida, near Disney, and would love to meet up with classmates who might be visiting the park. They have passes, so they can meet up with friends for lunch or dinner in the park. ❯ Dennis Reynolds (dpr2004@comcast.net) has returned to the table tennis turf by taking lessons and playing against other old guys at the park district. Dennis hopes to return to his (almost) undefeated intramural days and the brilliant ADE (Dennis, Kevin Murray, and Ben Tovrog) 4th place finish in the Knox College Table Tennis Tournament. ❯ While retired, Mark Massey (mfmass@yahoo.com) substituteteaches about five days per month in Goose Lake, Iowa. With his daughter in Boise and son moving to Birmingham, Mark plans to travel more. In September, Mark traveled with his brother throughout the Canadian Maritime provinces, as well as Boston. Mark recently got together with Greg Busch and John Flood and looks forward to our 50th! ❯ Dan McDougall-Treacy (danmcdt@gmail.com) spends his retired days birding, cooking, and enjoying the company of family and friends in Seattle. “I’m a member of a couple of book reading groups, volunteer at Audubon Society, hike and camp, and participate in a winemaking club.” Dan’s travel plans include Alaska (2019), Tanzania (2020), and of course, Galesburg (2021). ❯ Larry Kusch

Class Knox with the license plate proclaiming KNOX 71.” —Julia Allen ’71 (twams67@comcast.net) reports that daughter Katy got married in September in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Ralph Norman and wife Sue and Bob and Joyce Petrie Stevens attended. ❯ Julia A Allen (juliaaallen@cox.net) sold the house Brian and she purchased in 2006 and downsized to a two-bedroom apartment. She still works parttime at a small private school, teaching computers, math, and library, putting her “liberal education” from Knox to good use. Julia also sings with two different a capella choruses. She adds, “I still drive proudly around the Tidewater, Virginia, area in my car with the license plate proclaiming KNOX 71. If the car and I are still in good running order in 2021, I may proudly drive it to our 50-year Reunion.” ❯ Mildred Culp (workwise@comcast.net) and husband John Pilcher of Coldbrook Farm, Inc. are pleased to announce that the Apologue Aronia Spritz featured in the October 15 Forbes and being distributed around the country will be coming up soon in Bon Appetit. Remaining true to his Knox 19th century history studies, John quickly adds that Aronia is originally an indigenous pome fruit in Native American culture. ❯ Judy and I have been busy. Daughter Laura is now a dual Israeli-U.S. citizen and lives in Tel Aviv, where she received her master’s degree in social work from the International School for Crisis and Trauma at Tel Aviv University. Son Michael got married in January. His new father-in-law was one of my campers at summer camp in 1970!

Judy and I visited Laura in Israel last April and then toured Athens and the Greek Islands. Judy treated me to five days in New Orleans with Walt Davis and wife Lilli nd Randy and Julie Dacone Bendrick. We did a whole bunch of eating, drinking, listening to music, etc.—much like we’ll do at our 50th in 2021!!

Class Correspondent: Jerome A. Tatar jerry@tatarlawfirm.com

1972 Gene Brandt joined Dave Wood, John Flood ’71, Terry Denoma ’71, Dennis Farrell ’71, Jim Leech ’71, and Jim Bauer ’70 in Tennessee for their annual golf outing. Gene is partially retired and has also partially moved from Redondo Beach to winter in Palm Desert. ❯ Mike Burke writes, “Interesting year: diagnosed with throat cancer in January, completed treatment in March, declared cured in June. Side effects from treatment are a hassle—but all better than the alternative. Attended Knox’s Startup Term (a spring term program where students team up to start a business) to critique their work. This year’s presentations and business plans were quite sophisticated. Our new business major is truly an incredible addition.” ❯ Jon Carbary writes, “After 41 years, I have retired from the practice of law effective January 2020.” ❯ Kadi Finlayson Meyer and husband Rodney bought a fifth wheel and are on task touring the USA. “What a country! You would not believe Columbus,

Indiana, if you don’t know of it! Sixth top architecture destination in the USA—it’s incredible!!” ❯ Sandy Hanna writes, “I was one of 19 authors signing books during Homecoming. My memoir of growing up in Saigon was well received. I attended ‘Social Upheaval in the 1960s,’ which mirrored my subject … the ‘what and why’ of Vietnam. Hope everyone will read The Ignorance of Bliss: An American Kid in Saigon.” ❯ John Kozlowski writes, “Busy photographing IndyCar Grand Prix races, and going ‘behind the scenes’ to see how NBC conducts their racing telecasts.

Enjoyed numerous concerts—Journey, Aerosmith, and a celebration of Beatles’ White Album.

Winning an event on WSOP’s poker tour remains an elusive goal, although I’ve finished as high as ninth out of 320 players. Poker plus long-distance bicycling (20-40 miles) remains my way of keeping the brain active and prevents IQ points from evaporating.” ❯ Sandra Lange writes, “In 1969, Professor Dewey Moore’s geology class helped design a drinking water quality monitoring plan for Knox County Department of Health. Large rural agricultural operations were polluting aquifers, so underground flows needed to be identified and plans developed to protect water wells from feedlot and barn manure runoff. That big push to protect the environment resulted in groundbreaking bipartisan legislation that is now being weakened and dismantled.” ❯ Steve Nardulli writes, “I retired in 2016, a few months short of 20 years on the bench. Exercise is a big part of my day, as well as working on stained glass projects. I’ve built windows for my church and for our local Lutheran high school as well as charity auctions for any number of local not-for-profits. Never thought I would develop an interest in artwork other than as an observer.” ❯ Jim Rosenthal writes, “Still doing emergency medicine for Kaiser. Still playing around with cars, boats, and guitars. Diagnosed a couple years ago with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Not a curable disease, but controllable in some patients. I’m a patient at NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, the world’s largest medical research campus. It’s an uplifting and humbling experience to be treated there. I also moderate an internet forum for fellow owners of Hatteras yachts–which makes me feel like I am grown up. I turned 68 and find it difficult to believe; then I look in the mirror.

Best to all, and come visit Annapolis; it’s a very cool place to spend the day or the weekend.” ❯ Karen Sanders Raleigh writes, “I took a 15-day Mediterranean cruise with a friend, which included stops in Italy, Israel, and several Greek islands, and ended up in Athens. Very exciting!

We took a 12-day river cruise in Russia last year.” ❯ Wendy Scherwat Ducourneau has taken a year out of the water to have both shoulders repaired. She eagerly anticipates seeing all her classmates in 2022—hopefully in late September so we avoid frostbitten noses! ❯ Chuck Schulz writes, “Renovation of Umbeck ScienceMathematics Center is nearly done, and it’s

looking fabulous! I’m in my final year after 39 years as physics faculty. Current plans are to stay in the ’Burg, do more traveling, and help out a bit at Knox. It’s hard to believe only three more years until our 50th Reunion. The Class of 1969 set a record with 107 Homecoming attendees. I know our great class is up to surpassing that!” ❯ Charlotte Sommer writes, “Still living and working in Prague, and hosting Knox Club meetings whenever someone comes to town to visit!

We did see Stan and Allane Bosse Eastberg last fall at the Knox Barcelona celebration.” ❯ Bill Sowle writes, “After two months of bicycling and wine tastings in New Zealand, I traveled to Colorado and New Mexico. Next, I head for a three-months bicycle adventure to the old Yugoslavia: Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, and Albania, ending up in the Greek Islands.” ❯ Steve Suskin writes, “After a two-year retirement period, I’ve decided to resume my career—33 years in professional philanthropy. If anyone knows of senior fundraising opportunities in NYC, shoot me an email at ssuskin50@gmail.com.

And when you visit New York, reach out to me. I know a lot of cool places…” ❯ Ross Terman writes, “We made two trips to Chicago, with stops at Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Gettysburg, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where we saw Tom Wolf ’69 and wife Patricia. In Chicago, we had dinner with Dean and Chris Rowinski Turner. We visited the new White Sox stadium to see a thriller against the Astros. A final stop in St. Petersburg to see the latest exhibit at the wonderful Dali Museum.” ❯ Sallee Wade writes, “I was already a nurse when I began taking classes at Knox; that education forever changed my health care trajectory. Thanks to Dr. Francois and Dr. Isaacson. My private practice as a wellness educator focused on what helps people heal, rather than on their illness symptoms.

I was greatly blessed by God to have that Knox education. I still teach yoga twice weekly, and meditation classes, and take no regularly prescribed medications. I was 80 on November 4. So thank you Knox College!” ❯ Gary Waxmonsky is a Travelers Aid volunteer at Washington Dulles International Airport, working 7-12 hours a week. Anyone transiting through Dulles is welcome to look him up. And his first grandchild (a boy) is due in late January!

Class Correspondent: Wendy Scherwat Ducourneau wjsd@jps.net

1973 Nancy Bakos Hunter recently retired from Platte River Associates, where she worked as a geologist and technical writer for 28 years. She and husband Clay just celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary. ❯ Joe Bowers just retired after more than 35 years with an aerospace manufacturing company in Tempe, Arizona. He worked his way up through four positions with Car-Graph, Inc. and now looks forward to

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“And in some odd way, it also felt as if everyone from our time playing guitar, catching up on reading, and puttering around the house. ❯ Mike Cavanaugh retired (Do I detect a theme here?) last year from a long career in the labor movement, most recently as the chief of staff to AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Tefere Gebre—the first Ethiopian immigrant/refugee leader of the U.S. labor movement. Mike joined the team at the Labor Network for Sustainability, working to connect the union movement to the fight for a Green New Deal to address the twin crises of climate change and income inequality. ❯ Professor Don Corrigan, a faculty member in communications and journalism at the School of Communications at Webster University in St. Louis, was recognized for his reporting at the 153rd Missouri Press Association Convention in Kansas City this fall. Corrigan edits three newspapers in St. Louis and has won numerous first-place journalism awards for articles on subjects as diverse as seniors who climb mountains in the Rockies and the Sierras, the controversy over the labeling of “fake meat,” and solutions to the problem of invasive species of carp populating rivers in Illinois and Missouri.

Earlier this year, Corrigan’s book, Nuts About Squirrels: The Rodents That Captured Popular Culture was introduced by McFarland Publishing. ❯ Marcia Crary just returned from the Knox trip to the Greek islands. She signed up because of the enthusiastic response of another Knox alum who had taken a trip with the Knox alumni travel group. ❯ George De Beck retired in July after 32 years selling microscopes for Nikon and looks forward to reconnecting with people he hasn’t contacted in years. He and his wife have been married for nearly 36 years. ❯ Mike Dimitriou remains active in the water industry, having fun running a company providing services to municipal water systems across the U.S. He and Alexandra Burger Dimitriou head to California or Virginia every month for long weekends with their kids and their families. ❯ Greg Divers recently returned from Berlin, where he participated in a reading at the premiere of a book of translations of poems by the German expressionist Jakob van Hoddis entitled Strong Wind Over the Pale City (PalmArtPress, 2019). He participated in Homecoming 2019 by joining the faculty and alumni book signing with this new publication. ❯ Lawrence W. (Larry) Frakes sadly reports that ex-wife Paula (Monmouth ’73) passed away in March. Larry’s daughter, Laurenna, relocated from Seattle with her husband Rob to be nearby. Renna works as a director for a biotech firm. Youngest daughter Darla has also moved back from Birmingham and now works at Marshall Space Flight Center for NASA. Larry still works in project controls in the aerospace industry and has taken up the trombone to play in a big band that performs period jazz and swing music, with which he already plays solo clarinet. He looks forward to retirement in the near future, and to a Class of 1973 50th Reunion! ❯ Jackie Powell Hope sends greetings

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from the northern edge of the Northern Plains and reports the addition of a granddaughter, Charlotte Faith Hope. Jackie has nearly completed a B.A. in theater at Dickinson State University (because one can never have too many college degrees!) and leads a small but sincere acting troupe through the local community theatre scene. They recently played the North Dakota State Fair, for which they were promised a stage. Although they only got a flatbed truck, the show did, indeed, go on. ❯ Tom Kroupa and wife Kim attended Homecoming 2019 and were impressed by the history display in Alumni Hall.

They visited with fellow ADEs Mark Stefanik ’74, Bob “Crusher” Sypniewski ’74, and Tom McBurney ’74. ❯ Scott Montgomery and wife Marilyn enjoy life in Seattle, despite the city’s rapid mutation into a hyper-expensive setting for techies. Older son Kyle (31) is now engaged and in his third year of medical school, and younger son Cameron (24) is well-settled in the Bay Area with an excellent job and long-term girl from Singapore. Scott enjoys teaching at University of Washington, while Marilyn retired this year and nags Scott to get away and travel a bit. Scott has new books underway and now writes an energy column for Global Policy, a UK journal. He has been giving public talks around town on climate change and energy; so far, he has had only one shoe thrown at him for his support of nuclear power. He sends good wishes in these bad times to everyone in the Class of ’73 and especially warm greetings to those he knew well. ❯ Tim Pohlman retired from active practice as a trauma surgeon and professor of surgery at Indiana University in 2018, where he also worked as a track surgeon for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Tim and wife Tracy live quietly in the country about 20 miles outside of Indy. Tracy works for the Hendricks County Regional Health system and Tim occasionally consults for different state trauma systems. Recently Tim spent a day at Knox with Barbara Baird Holowka as “professionals in residence,” where they had been invited to meet with students considering careers in science or medicine. Tim writes, “A highlight of the day for me was to walk around campus and see all that is new and feel again all that has not changed. And in some odd way, it also felt as if everyone from our time at Knox was there too, walking with us, like none of us ever left so long ago.” ❯ Donna Rockin and husband Jerry Goldman retired this year and love it. She broke her right hand as a result of a fall in February.

While waiting for treatment in the ER, she dialed her dear friend and personal injury attorney, Nancy Novit, who is currently on the case. After visiting several “bucket list” national parks this fall, Donna decided to learn Italian at Harold Washington College. So far, all she can say is, “Sono una donna pazza,” which translates as “I am a crazy woman!” Donna reports that Italian was harder to learn than Spanish because she studied for a year at the University of Barcelona on the Knox program. Donna and sister Jan Rockin ’70

attended Homecoming 2019, where it was wonderful seeing so many longtime, cherished friends. Ciao for now! ❯ Mark Skipworth is just happy to be alive and kicking! He and Jim Ryan just celebrated their 50th Willowbrook High School reunion.

Class Correspondent: Nancy Bakos Hunter 5280 Easley Way, Golden, CO 80403-1161, 303-278-3163, geo_hunters@q.com

1974 Our favorite Knox Class had a memorable 45th Reunion in November. So good to see many familiar faces as well as those we got to know better. This was the first Reunion for some, and, as you will read, they had a blast. Now we gear up for our 50th. Knox makes a big deal out of this one, so buckle up because we will, too. The push is still on to find our classmates. H/T to Gabe Rotello for finding John Fiedler. And remember: Even if you did not graduate with us, we still consider you our classmate. ❯ Betty Harpham Spieth-Croll: “I had a blast returning to Knox with husband Tim, reconnecting with friends I hadn’t seen in a long time, and visiting familiar places. One highlight, among many, was visiting with Jorge Prats, with whom I spent important time in Barcelona. Thanks for the nudge to return, Monta Lee! If any of you are ever in Seattle, let me know—we’d love to see you.” ❯ Marie Winters was profiled in Crain’s Chicago Business this year as one of 30 Women in Finance worth noting. As senior vice president at Northern Trust Asset Management, Marie has distinguished herself in the Chicago investment management community. She recently served as Chair of CFA Society Chicago and is currently president-elect of the Chicago Finance Exchange, an organization of top women in finance. ❯ David K. Igasaki: “I was appointed to and served on the transition committee for the new Cook County (Illinois) assessor and drafted a proposed ethics executive order for him.” ❯ Dave McKillip writes that he and wife Dia both retired and now live in their home on Lake Bracken, south of Galesburg. “I just completed my 16th year of coaching the defensive line for the Prairie Fire football team. Dia and I recently traveled to Scotland, touring many well-known tourist attractions such as Edinburgh Castle, Inverness, Ft. William, and Loch Ness. The highlight of our trip was riding The Jacobite steam train, from the Harry Potter movies, and touring the Culloden Battlefield. We also took a motorcycle trip on our Harley motorcycle to the Great Smoky Mountains with my five brothers, who also ride. Highlight of that trip was riding The Dragon, an 11-mile ride with 318 curves.” ❯ Phil Pucel: “After graduating from Knox College, I became a ‘ski bum’ and a commercial salmon fisherman in Alaska. Then, for better or worse, I got serious about using my education, graduating from Utah State University with a master’s degree in hydrology and water resources

Class Knox at Knox was there too, walking with us...” — Tim Pohlman ’73 engineering. I worked six years in the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, inspecting sites with contaminated groundwater and participating in enforcement actions on Superfund and hazardous waste sites. During the following 13 years, I worked in private companies, characterizing sites contaminated with petroleum products, and an additional 12 years writing permits, constructing pipelines, designing hydraulic structures, and monitoring water discharges in the coal bed methane fields in Northern Wyoming. Wife Christine and I try to remain active, often via our favorite travel mode: touring Europe with bikes packed with all our gear, including a tent. We also enjoy visiting relatives in Europe, some of whom I have known for 50 years in Slovenia.” ❯ David Coons: “Enjoying retirement with wife Jane. We are full-time grandparents to Tripp, Nora, Kaylin, and Kieran. We still live in Chesterfield, Missouri. Broke my hip in a fall a month ago which has slowed me down considerably. Plan to attend 50th Reunion in 2024.” ❯ Dave Usher retired from AT&T to start up Civitas Economic Engineering LLC, a public policy consulting company. He and wife Josee celebrated their 30th anniversary on December 31. ❯ Bruce Shaw and wife Jan sold their Texas house and are now permanent Florida residents. “We love retirement down here. Bought a boat. We could still swim in November. Making lots of new, great friends. Larry Lawless paid us a visit in May. He is on a mission to visit all the baseball parks in the U.S. He stopped by on his way from Miami (Marlins) to Tampa (Rays).” ❯ Ron Spangler: “I left after my freshman year at Knox, eventually finding my niche elsewhere and getting a Ph.D. in physiology and biophysics. I spent most of my career as a pharmaceutical executive before moving on to Wall Street and investment banking. I retired at 48 to become a writer, sculptor, and jewelry designer (see my work at ronspanglerdesign.com). I am most proud of my three daughters and two granddaughters. So, it’s hard to predict where life might take you. I would have given very long odds to anyone betting I would ever be an investment banker or an artist.” ❯ Peter Bailley retired from Knox in December 2018. “I’m working on a personal project, a series of feature stories drawn from the history of Knox and the College archives. I’m interested in interviewing classmates who have done any number of things that might be covered in the series, including: working as a missionary, for a railroad, with swords, as a ghost hunter, for a municipal sewage disposal system, in big data analytics, or as a historian focusing on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or the history of the African American press. More ideas to come.” Email pbailley@gmail.com. ❯ Bruce Roberts could not make our Reunion but wants you to know: “I can be found on FB if anyone wishes to contact me.” ❯ Bill Sharek: “I spent only two years at Knox (arriving in 1972 and graduating in 1974), but I want to express my

gratitude to Professor Rosic. I received a degree in Russian area studies under his tutelage and went on to get a master’s degree in public administration at the University of Pittsburgh. After graduation, I worked with a variety of companies, including Ringling Bros Circus, a countersurveillance company, and several theatre companies. I finally found my niche when I moved to Warsaw, Poland, to work with a hotel development company. We built three Holiday Inns in the years that I was with the company but were bought out by foreign investors in 2001. So, I moved back to the U.S. and spent the next 15 years as financial controller for several hotels in the Washington, D.C., area. I recently retired and spend time with my grandson and my fruit orchard.” ❯ John Fiedler writes, “I guess you can take me off the ‘lost’ list! I have managed to stay busy as a United Methodist minister in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for the last 39 years.” ❯ Richard Heitman: “Practicing speaking Ancient Greek as I drive on my solo exploration of America, I have gone south to Saluda, north to Portland, west to the other Portland, south to East Jesus. Now I am heading to Zuni. I am sorry to have missed the Reunion.” ❯ Lin Bowie: “In spite of my attempts to retire, I took on a biology class for the athletic teams at the College of San Mateo, so one more year! I will take the summer semester off for the first time in 15 years to go on one of the last trips on my list: to Greenland and Iceland. I was diagnosed with uterine cancer and had surgery and treatment with an excellent prognosis. I had to give up my major biology and lab class but kept all the rest of my schedule through the treatment. I look forward to retirement and lots of travel to see my children, who both live outside California. ❯ Let’s take a moment to remember Glen R. Moberg, who died on August 31, 2019. He was a broadcast journalist, businessman, and singer-songwriter whose 48-year career in radio and television culminated with his role as an award-winning reporter and talk show host at Wisconsin Public Radio. He achieved the rarely awarded title of Distinguished Broadcast Specialist with WPR, and his work was recognized with more than 40 broadcast journalism awards, including seven regional Edward. R. Murrow awards. Listeners of his award-winning weekly radio show Route 51 were drawn to their radios each Thursday by Glen’s clarion call, “Fasten your seat belt and turn up the radio, we’re going on a road trip!”

Glen tried to give a voice to the voiceless, to stand up for those without wealth or power, to fight racism, and to call attention to the destruction of the environment and earth’s fragile ecosystems. He tried to leave a better world for his wife of 42 years, Mary Beth Moberg, and his children, Melody (31) and Thomas (23). ❯ We also lost Professor Rodney O. Davis in November. For many of us, he was one of our favorite professors and much beloved. Jim Mott shared this memory: “He was my favorite professor. My two favorite classes at Knox were

the ones he taught on the Civil War and Tocqueville’s America. I will miss him.” I had taken the same class on Tocqueville and still have the book. Both Rod and Doug Wilson taught that course and were my two favorite professors.

It was because of them that I decided to pursue history.

Class Correspondent: Monta Lee Dakin 303-979-9307, mld780@aol.com

1975 Thanks for your updates! For a real chance to reacquaint and reminisce, please come to our 45th Reunion this October 23–25! ❯ Harry Wolin returned to the workforce after 3.5 years traveling and hanging out on the Florida beach.

He now provides accounting and finance support at a local nonprofit serving disabled adults. “But I still regularly head across the street to watch the sunrise.” ❯ Jim Petrila and his older son cheered for the Nationals at Game 5 of the World Series in October, and although the Nats lost that game, they went on to win the championship. Jim writes, “For all the baseball I’ve played and seen, that was my first World Series game. We also got to boo the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.” ❯ Richard J. Burke is “nearing retirement” from his Chicago law firm after 41 years.

He and wife Linda (married 37 years) live in St. Louis and have two children, Lauren Burke ’07 and son James. “I roped in Mitch Baker ’76 (now retired) as local counsel for a couple of cases in Denver, and Linda and I enjoyed dinner with Mitch and wife Karen at their home. My brother James Burke ’77 and I spent three weeks in Europe in 2019. James has been a mathematics professor for 30 years at the University of Washington. Apparently, the papers he wrote decades ago finally caught on, and he has been traveling the world giving lectures and picking up prizes.”

A few summers ago, Richard visited Seve Falck-Pedersen ’76 and wife Linda at their home in Door County, Wisconsin, where Seve owned and operated a B&B in a historic sea captain’s home. “In dropped George Szostkowski, who is retired from Republic Steel and living in Chicago. Seve and George look and act exactly the same as they did while at Knox.

Seve continued to run competitively; he will be donating his hamstrings to science. George remains ever the gentleman and kind companion.” Richard concludes, “So it looks like many of our Knox friends are at the end of their careers having led fulfilling lives. Some of this is attributed to the persons Knox helped us to be.” ❯ Sheri Sprung Morrison’s submission was typed left-handed, because she fractured her right wrist the day before. “I had just borrowed a guitar from a friend and was hoping to plunk on it a little, but clearly that and piano lessons (another plan for 2019) are on hold for a few months.” Ouch! ❯ Amanda Roberts LaRosa still works at a job she loves. (“So is it really work?” she asks. “Life is boringly good.”) She

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“I retraced some steps in Paris from the mini-term I eagerly awaits a hip replacement in January. ❯ Nancy Knapp continues her work towards the eradication of malaria by 2030. She works with the World Health Organization and the Lao National Malaria Center to develop a strategic plan and get grant approval from The Global Fund on how best to spend the $14 million already allotted. Although home is still Sitka, Alaska, Nancy loves living in Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage sight. ❯ Gary Pokorn is still with Oracle Corporation’s business unit, working from the Denver area. Gary also remains enthusiastic about his motivational business writing posted on TheQuoteGuys.com.

On weekends, Gary works pre-production in wife Debbie’s company, which manufactures horse halters, pet collars, and leashes. In November, Gary was on campus for the 2019 Knox-Lombard Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremonies, and earlier helped interview high school student candidates for Knox’s annual Colorado Alumni Scholarship. ❯ Tim Dean splits his time between Denver and the Big Bend region of Texas where he works on a project “involving micro-algae, solar power, tambaqui fish, and greenhouses to develop concepts of arid and semi-arid agriculture and aquaculture as those regions become less inhabitable due to global warming.” Tim, who first traveled to India with a Knox group in 1974, is excited to return there for son Ace’s marriage to a lovely young lady from Bangalore. Tim and his brother James Dean ’69 recently volunteered at Food Bank of the Rockies in Denver with fellow alumni at a Knox/Denver event. Tim writes, “Love to hear

Maureen McGarrity Murphy ’76 and George Pearce ’76 met up by chance at a luncheon in Chicago.

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from my old, old classmates. Email tim@ terradomain.us. Peace, y’all.” ❯ Betsy Rohol Williams and husband Jeff toured Cairo and took a river cruise on the Nile in October, enjoying the many antiquities. Having both retired, in the past year they have toured 14 European countries, along with their first venture into Africa.

“Our bucket list is getting longer rather than shorter as we meet people who tell us of places we just have to go.” ❯ This was a big travel year for Dan England, too. While visiting family last May in Galesburg, Dan and wife Cindy shopped for some Prairie Fire shirts at the Knox bookstore. In Wisconsin, they spent a couple of days with Dave Chirbas ’76, Dan’s senior year roommate. They visited their two sons and their families in Denver; sons are Ryan England ’00 and Dustin. Cindy and Dan took their 20th cruise in November and recommend it as a great way to visit other countries. ❯ Christopher Hill’s essay, “October Knowledge”, was recently published in Deep Roots Magazine. It’s about October in Illinois; find it here: deeprootsmag.org/ 2019/10/26/october-knowledge. Son Evan is a reporter for The New York Times. Daughter Emma is a pediatric speech pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. ❯ After three years working in the Washington, D.C., area, Dave and Linda Nelson Langston returned home to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in January 2019. This places the Langston clan all in the same town once again, since son Eric Langston ’07 began working at the law firm Simons Perrine. Youngest son Evan and wife Amanda are parents to the only grandchild, David James Langston, who turned a happy three years old in December 2019, marked by full festivities.

Since leaving the National Association of Counties, Linda has consulted and is considering a local election run at the county auditor position in 2020. Game on! ❯ Don Bowers and Ellen Anne Eddy are busy with their novels. Don is working on a series set in Galesburg in the 1920s called According to His Purpose. Don uses many real people and events, just adjusted a little bit!

He has finished his third in a series of eight. Book one is With Patience Wait, book two is Conformed to The Image, and book three is To the Praise of His Glory. Ellen has done the cover art and book design. Besides making quilts and art, Ellen is the author of Sight Unseen, a series of three loosely autobiographical stories from when she read tea leaves in Boston right after college. They are fun reads (Tea Room Tales, The Inverted Cup, and The World in Reflection) about ghosts in the attic, psychic parrots, fake and real witches, a talking alligator in a flooded basement, synchronizedswimming rats, plus a little bit about Ellen. Both she and Don write escapism and have fun doing it. They will be at our Homecoming book signing event! Meanwhile, you can find their books on Amazon for Kindle and in paperback.

Class Correspondent: Jeanne Pankanin jeanne.knoxfriend@gmail.com

Roger Struckoff ’77 (right) and wife Lynn visited family in the Philippines over the holidays.

1976 I received a note from Mike (“I know when Flunk Day is”) Murphy. Murph (as we called him) recently graduated from the world of fulltime employment as a professor of psychology at the University of Florida. His work focused on seeing patients for counseling and teaching grad students. He had a particular interest in Buddhist psychology. He continues to see patients on a part-time basis and loves it. Mike has two grown sons and two grandkids and earlier this year married Lynda, with whom he enjoys boating, fishing, and relaxing in the Gulf area. Mike noted that on several occasions he has met former classmates (Jim Bird, Paul Cimino, and Kris Zamrazil ’77) in Austin, Texas, and loved those very serious get-togethers. Thanks for the note, Murph. ❯ Mike and I have a few things in common, as I also recently graduated from the world of full- time employment. I retired from my law firm in Chicago and now am very busy with several great volunteer positions. One is with Catholic Charities, which held an event where I saw Maureen McGarrity Murphy. Maureen is a senior VP of development with Catholic Charities in Cook and Lake Counties, Illinois, and keeps very busy with her position. At another volunteer event, I ran into Michele Magner ’73.

Michele is also a recently retired lawyer, having worked for many years in downtown Chicago, where she now resides. Yours truly is thrilled to announce that I have entered the world of grandparenting. My grandson, Arthur, was born in late October 2019, and I would be happy to send you scores of photos upon request. ❯ I have been

Class Knox took my freshman year at Knox …” —Roger Struckoff ’77 texting Steve Varick for grandparenting advice as he too is a recent grandparent. Congrats to Steve. ❯ So our 45-year Reunion will be in 2021.

This is your warning to mark your calendars, plan your wardrobe, start your exercise program, and get excited for a fun time. The Class of ’76 kazoo band has become legendary at Knox (can we get into the K Club due to our performances?) and Ann Feldman Perille and Glenn Ruklic are planning special band formations for 2021! Did you see that the Beta House has been rehabbed and looks fantastic? Congrats to those who led that effort. ❯ On a sad note, Jim Goril’s wife, Sue, passed away in early 2019. Sue and Jim were high school sweethearts and were married right after he graduated from Knox. Many of us knew Sue, and we wish Jim and his family well.

Jim recently retired from his dental practice and remains an avid White Sox fan. ❯ That is all for now—send me a note on whatever is happening.

Class Correspondent: George M. Pearce 1114 Forest Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091-1655, 847-256-5968, geoknox@comcast.net

1977 It has been a while since the magazine has been published so some of this news is a bit old, but it’s good! I am on year three of retirement and enjoy spending time in Chicago, Boston, and Charleston, South Carolina (in the winter months). All three of our children are in a good place, gainfully employed and pretty much off the dole, so it is a happy time. I hope all of you are also well. ❯ Doug Hill writes: “It has been a busy

year. We welcomed twin grandchildren via Daughter #1 on the Fourth of July. I received second place at the National Triathlon Championships in August and eighth place at World Championships in Switzerland. Another daughter (a pro triathlete) married in September. She was supposed to be married on Labor Day—but a certain race got in the way. Daughter understood, but the wife not so much. I need to retire in order to have time to enjoy all this stuff!” ❯ Doug Hill also reports that Bryn Douds did not compete in Nationals this year, as he planned to visit his grandchild with his time off. He needs to retire, too! ❯ Roger Struckoff got in touch: “It was great seeing everyone at the Reunion in 2017. So exciting for me that I had a couple of mild heart attacks a few weeks later. The good news was I was close to Stanford Hospital at the time and was examined, coincidentally, by one of the world’s leading specialists in my particular problem. She got me stable, then I returned a few months later so that she could fix my problem once and for all. Have felt better than I’ve ever felt since that time. Wife Lynn and I were thus able to visit the Philippines for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, where we stayed in a house we built with her family in a small provincial village about 500 miles from Manila. It was a great time while reminding us of how hard life is for so many people in the world. After the Philippines, a business trip to Europe last year turned into a nice vacation for a couple of highschool friends, my wife, and me as well. I retraced some steps in Paris from the mini-term I took my freshman year at Knox and visited Chopin’s grave

Rick Swanborg ’76, Steve Kaszynski ’76, Fernando Lulli ’77, Jorge Castanos ’77, Bruce Zega ’77, and Charlie Hiatt ’77 got together in Boston for a mini-reunion in late September. It involved boats and beer, and you can imagine the rest!

(as well as the grave of Jim Morrison, of course)!

We took some trains and planes (but no automobiles) here and there and ended up in Rome—a first for us. If I could have eternal life, I would spend it in the Eternal City. Back to work this year, as I keep doggedly pursuing research I’ve been doing since 2011 on how developing nations use IT and the effects (good and bad) it has on them. We continue to live in DeKalb, Illinois, and are always up for seeing fellow alums and current students!” ❯ Bill Silver shared: “On July 10, 2019, the golf gods were kind to this 64-yearold. I started playing golf at Portage Country Club in Akron, Ohio, at age 7, and 57 years later I had my first hole-in-one on the par-3 17th hole with a 171 yard 5 Iron. I had three birdies earlier and finished with a lifetime low 73! In June, I tied for fifth place in a club championship low-net division at Firestone Country Club, and I have a golf junket set up for September in the Pinehurst, North Carolina, area. In my fourth year of retirement, I remain active as a community volunteer, sing in our church choir, bike, hike, garden, cook, snow-ski, and snowmobile. I am also working on my 10th Habitat for Humanity house with our church group. And most recently, I helped Knox establish a Golf Performance Center to help students maintain their golf swing and putting skills year-round.” ❯ Mitch Baker ’76 and wife Karen retired this year and will split their time between their new digs in Oaxaca, Mexico, and Denver. It was great for me to see Mitch and Bondo (Brian Bond) in Chicago on their second annual Midwestern tour this past summer. ❯ Ed Jepson took son Nick to game five of the World Series in Washington, D.C. He and wife Susan also enjoyed an epic trip to Spain in September. ❯ Sometime in the summer Tom Rendall visited Doug Hill, and had a good reminisce over salad and salmon prepared by Doug’s wife, Cathy. After dinner, the Rendall Home Island Orkney Scotch was broken out, leading to something they called Highland Park Viking Honour. You’ll have to ask them! The guys also drove around Tacoma in

Tom Rendall ’77 and Doug Hill ’77 enjoy a drink together.

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“If I knew grandchildren were this much fun, I Doug’s 1931 Model A, hopefully before the scotch. What a sight that must have been. ❯ Charlie Hiatt provided this update: “I retired for the second time, and now we split our time between our cabin in Colorado and Chicago. Eileen will work another year, and then we are off to see the world. We have one grandson, and our daughter (married and a mom) is a school administrator; her husband is a cabinet maker. They live in New York. Our son decided to switch careers and is now studying to be a PA at Case Western (he was formerly a bond trader). Eileen and I celebrate our 40th anniversary in October; boy, that is a long time, and all is well.” ❯ From Jill Reeve Kirk: “In June, we sold our house in Indiana (where we had lived for the last 25 years) and moved to Big Sky, Montana. We love the mountains, the proximity to Yellowstone, the skiing, the hiking, and the small population. We both still work, but the Internet makes remote work very manageable. A late-season ski injury kept me on crutches for two months, but I’m healing well and planning on skiing again when winter returns.” ❯ Maureen Fitzsimon shared: “I spent the month of May in San Antonio seeing if I want to move there and live close to all my dad’s family. I lived in Austin and went to the University of Texas after leaving Knox, and spent the 80s and 90s enjoying life there. I’ve lived in Denver for 11 years now and have decided to make the move. So this will be a new adventure and one I very much welcome! My family is great and I’ll get to know them all better.” ❯ You’ll have to stand in line to bike with Tom Yarotsky; his new heart is a “star,” and he is now biking 25 miles a day with Wayne Swafford and others.

Way to go Tom! ❯ It’s a girl! Grandpa Brian Bond got in touch to announce that son Eric and spouse Alayna are the proud parents of baby

Former Knox roommates Craig Behm ’81 and Kevin Forness ’81 got together to celebrate Flunk Day last spring.

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Mabel Helene (the latter name is that of Brian’s late wife). Congratulations to the family!

Class Correspondent: Sarah Kaull 52 Ober Street, Beverly, MA 01915-4733, 978-810-0181, skaull@icex.com

1978 In September, Bob and Deb Raphael Castle ’77 celebrated their “hard to believe it’s been….”

40th anniversary with a trip that included three days in St. Petersburg (Russia, not Florida).

While there, they reconnected with their friend “Boris,” who they had met in 1975 and 1976 during trips to the then-Soviet Union with other Knox students. ❯ Barbara O’Brien retired on June 1 and has thoroughly enjoyed retired life since then. She reports, “It’s amazing how busy and fun this is!” ❯ John Luthy went to Homecoming ’19 and says he had a lot of fun, “despite the small turnout from ’78 Siwashers.” He did run into fellow Phis Craig Steele ’76; Paul and Sue Haerr Zucker; Steve Laudel ’79, Ray Albertina ’79, Bob Holshouser ’79, and their lovely spouses; and Scott Calhoun ’81 at the Phi Delta Theta reunion. In addition, he met the nephew of Bob Miller ’79 (deceased), who was not only a Phi Delt, but reportedly had his diaper changed as an infant in the old Phi Delt House at 516 South West Street. Luthy attended the President’s reception on Friday, and says the changes to SMC are very impressive! “The whale skeleton is moving along nicely, and the old lecture auditoriums are long gone. The library looks great, no doubt thanks to the efforts of Tanna Cullen ’78.” At the Friday All-Class Mixer, he met a woman from the Class of 1972 named Sandy Hanna, who had written a book about her experiences as an Army brat in Vietnam from 1960-1964. “Turns out her father, a career soldier, was so against the war, he retired early and left the Army in 1964. The family moved to Naperville (then a sleepy little town), and she worked during high school at Oswald’s Pharmacy, which is the family business of Bill Anderson ’78.

Bill’s grandfather, Harold Kester, helped Ms. Hanna get into Knox! Talk about a small world.” On a personal note, Luthy’s son and daughter-in-law have moved from Trinidad, Colorado, to Normal, Illinois, where his son will work for State Farm Insurance. As a result, John is selling his home in Naperville after 58 years and relocating to the Bloomington/Normal area as quickly as he can close on the Naperville house. “I am still eyeing a lake house in Galesburg, though!” ❯ Tad Daley reports that on November 2, 2019, he appeared live on stage in Los Angeles in conversation with Gene Roddenberry Jr., son of the legendary creator of Star Trek. Their topic was whether the positive, hopeful, optimistic future portrayed by his father—most especially the abolition of war and the constitutional unification of the Earth (and the galaxy!)—might actually be realized someday as the unfolding of human history. Check out the

video at www.globalsolutions.org! ❯ Carole Shaffner Deitch has traveled a lot lately, as she is an empty-nester now and husband Bob has no plans to retire anytime soon. This summer, she crewed for her brother on his 100-year-old Herrshoff sailboat. They raced in New York and Rhode Island. “Bob and I drove around Sicily for 10 days in September. Then I was off to Chile and Argentina to hike in Patagonia.” She looked forward to being home for the holidays with all four kids. ❯ It was also great to hear from Doug Johnson: “After reading the great Homecoming comments from Bob and Deb Raphael Castle ’77 and Scott Luthy, plus an update from my TKE brother Steve Fraser, I decided a submission was long overdue. My wife and I had a fantastic time at Homecoming last year as well, which was in my first month of retirement. And like Scott, I’ve had the chance to spend some quality time in Galesburg during visits with Mary’s 95-year-old dad (and Knox alum, Class of ’47). I’ve explored Galesburg’s brick streets, diverse homes, and historical exhibits, including Alumni Hall, Old Main, and Carl Sandburg’s birthplace. Life has been good in Columbus O-H-I-O since 1997, now with a grandson courtesy of our older son and his wife, who are only 10 minutes away. Our youngest son will get married in April in Charlottesville Virginia, where his fiancé went to college. They live in Washington, D.C.” ❯ Cathie Brewer Schmit and her husband continue to work full-time at the VA. She hopes to retire in two years. Number-two and number-three daughters got their master’s degrees (biology and education) in May! Her oldest daughter lives and works in Colorado with their granddaughter. “Don’t get to see them as often as we’d like. Great trip to San Francisco this summer, just before they were starting to cut power to areas. Not much else is new.” ❯ Meanwhile, I had a nice visit with Tim and Deb Gottfried Hays ’79 at their lovely home in Pittsburgh in June, on our way to The Chautauqua Institution in Western New York (my first time, I highly recommend it). I have enjoyed getting together with Pam Berra Swafford and husband Wayne from time to time in Houston. ❯ Finally, it is with sadness that I express the Class’s condolences to our classmate Anne Davis on the passing of her father and our history professor, Rodney Davis, who died on November 5, 2019.

He was a great scholar who touched us all, directly or indirectly, and helped make Knox the great institution that it is. I particularly enjoyed one of his books, Herndon’s Lincoln, which is a book I bought at one of our Reunions. Errick Cameron wrote, “Rodney Davis was an inspiring professor. He instilled in me unique perspectives of the Civil War era and I have continually enjoyed reading documentary and historical fiction books since. Another loss of one of my admired profs of Knox.”

Class Correspondent: David Bates 174 Haversham, Houston, TX 77024-6248, 713-722-0815, dbates@gardere.com

Class Knox would have had them first.” —John Nicolau ’81

1979 Class Correspondent: Brian Cox 21 Briarcliffe, Collinsville, IL 62234-2913, 618-406-7014 (cell), bjcox5257@att.net

1980 Class Correspondents: Roy Brandys 1818 Feather Nest Drive, Cedar Park, TX 78613-1414, brandys@barronadler.com Joe Moore 1431 West Fargo, Chicago, IL 60626-1810, 773-848-5796, joe@joemoore.org

1981 Glenn Mandel: “Hi John, thanks for your work on behalf of our class! Here’s my update. Daughter Chava was married a year ago in Tel Aviv. She is studying to be a naturopath and lives with her husband in Raanana. This past August, our son Nathan got married at our farm in Door County, Wisconsin. Among the Knox guests were Jim O’Connell, Joe Lamanna ’80, and our dear friend, Shyla Slobodkin Wolman ’46–yes, you read that right. Our son and daughter-in-law live in Rome, Italy, and work for us in our practice remotely. My wife and I are still migratory, spending half the year in Englewood, Florida, and the other half in Door County.” ❯ Cindra Halm marvels over the puzzling simultaneity of the sense that nothing is new at the same moment that everything is new...now there’s a liberal arts paradox for you! She hasn’t yet learned how to catch time, and so is shocked at the “zero” number at this year’s turn of the wheel. She usually refers to herself as “timeless.” That said, it seems that she still engages a life of arts, health and wellness, reading, travel, spirituality and selfdevelopment, and a panoply of other curiosities.

She uses her creative writing major when she writes for Rain Taxi Review of Books and teaches at The Loft Literary Center. She uses her theatre minor when she acts for and educates medical professional students. She uses all liberal arts skills at her long-term job at a food co-op, when she ushers at area theatres, and while she ponders the meanings of everything. For three years, she lived in NYC for a month each year, writing in a Brooklyn brownstone garret near the East River and hob-knobbing about at free events. She’s actually an introvert even though she’s friendly and has gained a lot of self-knowledge studying temperaments. She’s adamant that one can live well on $25,000 a year, providing that you like to walk, have no screens at home, and are committed to using everything until it falls apart, which is also crucial to the environment. For discussions of experimental modern and contemporary literature, how to keep flexible with modern dance and yoga, and what your version of “living well” is, snail mail her at: 2729 Emerson Ave. S. #2, Minneapolis, MN 55408...and soon...the polar vortex is coming! Blessings, and may all

Beings be happy and free. ❯ After 28 years, Annette Ambrosini Johnston will retire from Abbott Laboratories. She will begin her consulting career in continuous improvement projects for business processes and chemical manufacturing in February 2020. ❯ Tom Castronovo: “While I continue to work in the financial advisory business at Criterion Wealth Advisors, LLC in St. Charles, Illinois—a firm I co-founded in 2011, my passion for tennis and in developing young people culminated with my being appointed head varsity coach for boys and girls tennis at St. Francis College Preparatory High School in Wheaton, Illinois, in 2017. Every year I have been head coach, I have been fortunate as our team has had numerous state qualifiers and state medalists. As a USPTA rec coach, I provide private and group lessons as well as run three tennis summer camps. In 2017, I was named Varsity Coach of the Year for Region 1 in the State by the Illinois High School Tennis Coaches Association (IHSTCA). While wife Cindy and I are empty-nesters, we enjoy traveling, spending the winter months in Southwest Florida and visiting with our kids. Oldest son Tommy is a USPTA tennis professional in the Kansas City area. Middle child Lauren is a nurse in the neurological ICU unit at Elmhurst/Edwards Hospitals.

Youngest son Ryan is a business analyst with IBM in Raleigh, North Carolina. A shout out to all my friends and fellow alumni. Enjoy every day.” ❯ Steve Tatge: “Our daughter is a high school senior and plans to be an au pair in Europe for a year before deciding on what’s next, though she intends to move to the Netherlands to do whatever that is. We were hoping for somewhere sunnier, like Spain. I’ve got a somewhat larger job now at the University of Washington—I’m responsible for all of the University’s capital projects (usually around $700M worth in a year) and lead a group of about 30. While retirement is not imminent, my wife and I have at least started to think about what that might look like!” ❯ Warren Krup: “I’m five years cancer-free and thank God I have more days with my eight grandkids! I still run regularly and do two halfmarathons each year, along with a number of other shorter races. I work for Restore in the Chicago area and have been able to meet Brian Urlacher, Ryne Sandberg, and Matt Forte.” ❯ Larry Newquist: “I am a professor of physics at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky. I have taught here for 28 years. During this time, I have received both the Excellence in Teaching Award and the Service Award. My wife and I have been married for 29 years, and we have five children. On April 9, I became a grandparent (a boy), which has been a really amazing experience!” ❯ Tom MacMillan is retired, does a ton of traveling, and is happy with his new hip. ❯ Dali Sardar is “happily married to Cathy since 1984 with four kids and seven grandkids. Youngest are Billy, Bob, Naim, and Baby Z.” ❯ As for myself, our third of four children “eloped” to Ireland in September, and

our youngest graduated from Miami of Ohio in the spring. So, after 28 years of paying tuition, we are finally done. Three of the four are now married, all of them have jobs, health benefits, 401ks, and seem to like each other, as well as their mother and me. So, it appears that we have done our job as parents. Best news is we are still pretty healthy, and we welcomed our first grandchild, Joelle Marie, in June. If I knew grandchildren were this much fun, I would have had them first. Looking forward to our 40th Reunion at Homecoming 2021. If you are on Facebook, please join the class of 1981’s Facebook page.

Class Correspondent: John Nicolau 930 Huckleberry Lane, Glenview, IL 60025-2302, 847-657-6311, j.nicolau@comcast.net

1982

No new information from anybody! Glad to hear that everybody is doing well! ❯ We have decided to fill the column with some tasty recipes: Chris Bohm Gavlin: Curried Squash Soup 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed 1 carrot, chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 potato, cubed 1 stalk celery, cubed 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp olive oil 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1 tsp hot curry powder Salt and pepper to taste Sauté the vegetables in the oil for about five minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer 30 minutes until all vegetables are cooked through. Purée and serve.

Sharon Schillereff: Baked Brie with Brandy 1 Baby Brie 1 bottle of brandy (Christian Brothers tastes great) 1 Pie Plate Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use an ice pick to poke holes on the top, sides, and bottom of the baby brie. Pour brandy over the brie, then place it under the broiler for 15 minutes. Add more brandy. Repeat process every 15 to 30 minutes until the brie is brown and bursts. Serve with bread and crackers as a dip.

Smith and Kearns is still my favorite go-to cocktail. Several people have inquired about the secret ingredients: 10 oz glass ( the bigger the better) 2 oz Kahlua or crème de cacao 1 oz half and half or cream 1/2 oz seltzer or soda water (depends on taste) Add the ingredients in the following order: Kahlua, cream, then the seltzer. Stir to mix. (You may need to add more seltzer if you lose the fizz).

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“You might say we are a traditional and nontraditional Kathy Brosnan: Baked Red Snapper with Citrus – Tomato Topping (Serves 4 – Ready in 30 minutes) 14 oz red snapper fillets 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup drained canned diced tomatoes with green chilies 1/2 cup diced tomato (Italian or Roma) 1 large tangerine (peeled, seeded and sections cut into 1/2 pieces) 1/3 cup green onion, chopped 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper Fish herbs (optional) Almonds, as garnish (optional) Directions: Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Coat the red snapper on both sides with some of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the fish in a 9-inch glass pie dish. Mix remaining oil, tomatoes w/green chilies, tangerine pieces, green onions, and cilantro in a small bowl. Season topping to taste with salt and pepper, and fish herbs. Spoon the topping over the red snapper.

Bake until Snapper is just opaque in center, about 15 – 20 minutes, or cook through if preferred.

Sprinkle almonds on top of each serving.

Kelly Norton Warner: Cranberry Salsa (15 minutes, makes approximately one cup) Most of the ingredients are roughly chopped because they will be going into a food processor.

If you don’t have a food processor, grate the ginger and finely chop or mince all of the other ingredients.

1-1/2 cups of fresh or frozen cranberries 1/2 apple (peeled and cored) 1/2 jalapeno (or serrano) chili, seeds removed 2 green onions (scallions) chopped, including light green parts (about 1/4 cup) 4 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 1 tablespoon peeled chopped ginger 1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice Dash of salt Directions: Place cranberries, apple, chili, green onions, sugar, cilantro, ginger, lime juice, and salt in a bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times until well blended and finely chopped.

Let the salsa sit for 15 minutes to allow the sugar in the salsa to soften the cranberries. Store chilled in an airtight container until ready to serve. Serve with chips or as a side to pork, chicken, turkey, or steak. You can also place a dollop over a cracker that has been spread with cream cheese for an appetizer.

That’s all for now. Please send all recipes and other news items to us to share. Remember the 50th Reunion will be in Belize! Hugs and Kisses!

Class Correspondents: Sharon L. Schillereff 7780 W 38th Ave., #404, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033, 303-885-7185, Sschil7470@yahoo.com Chris Bohm Gavlin 4246 Howard Ave., Western Springs, IL 60558, 708246-1419, cgavlin@gmail.com

1983 Mara Simanis works for the Latvian government and is currently working on the National

Eva Johnson Petersen ’85 shared this photo from a concert meetup in Evanston, Illinois. (Left to right) Cliff Piper ’87, Eva Johnson Petersen ’85, Stanley (Buck) Johnson ’84, Joe Flanagan ’85, Barry Petersen ’85, Margaret Camasto Flanagan ’85, and Richard (Fuzzy) Foster ’86.

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Development Plan for 2021–2027. “I also represent Latvia at the European Council Working Group encouraging the European Union to move forward on a comprehensive plan for making the EU the top region in the world in sustainable development, including a climateneutral, circular economy by 2050.” ❯ Deb Dennis recently learned her mother, “Dorothy Willadee Bramlett Ferguson, attended lab and science classes at Lombard College, which became part of Knox College, when she was a student at Galesburg Cottage Hospital School of Nursing. She graduated from Cottage and worked there for many years as a registered nurse in obstetrics and gynecology before her retirement. My sister, Christie Ferguson Cirone ’79, and our nephew, Joshua Alan Cox ’94, son of Marcia Kay Ferguson Cox, are all graduates.

Christie’s son, Zachary Alexander Cirone, is a current Knox student. You might say we are a traditional and nontraditional Knox family, with many inclusive and exclusive connections to our favorite Knox College.” ❯ Jeff ’82 and Ronda Wilkinson Sutton “love life in Olympia, Washington,” writes Ronda, “where we have lived since 2004, following a nine-year stint in Germany.

Our two sons are 25 and 22, and we will soon be empty-nesters. Last year, we bought a cabin on Mount Hood, Oregon, where we do a lot of hiking, and look forward to skiing and snowshoeing this winter. I work as an attorney with the Department of the Army, and I still serve in the Army Reserves, which means a lot of travel to exotic places like Oklahoma City and Columbus, Ohio, but being around soldiers keeps me young.

I had a great time reconnecting with Beth Anderson Schuck, Karen Longawa Dugard, Kathy Schurr, Laura Thompson Sears, Claudia Wagner Dery, Judy Wey Rudman ’84, Alene Lesniak Ackerman ’85, and Peggy Fletcher ’86 in Chicago in August, and it was wonderful to have dinner with Laura and her husband in Seattle when she was here for work in October. If anyone is visiting the Pacific Northwest, we would be glad to see you!” ❯ Ann Suchomski is happy to share that her son, Henry Mullins (Ann is married to Greg Mullins ’82), graduated from high school last June and now attends Southern Oregon University, pursuing a theatre major. Ann also shared news of the sudden passing of Mark Pomice ’84 in November.

Mark held master’s degrees in social work and education and dedicated his life to helping children with mental health difficulties. Donations in Mark’s memory can be made to Stairways to Success, Inc. Deepest sympathies to Mark’s family and friends. ❯ Werner Holz enjoyed an annual fall golf outing with Dan Hrozencik and Ed Kemper ’85. The rain-shortened outing was a great time, followed by a long lunch. “Love that it feels like no time has passed when we get together.” ❯ Christopher and Katherine Kives Tipper ’84 both still run the company in Palatine.

“Our son, Austin, joined the firm last year. Our daughter graduates from McGill in Montreal at

Class Knox Knox family.” — Deb Dennis ’83

1984

2020 Alumni Achievement Award Denise Roza ’83 At Knox, Denise Roza didn’t plan to become an advocate for people with disabilities (PWDs). After graduating with a degree in French and Russian, she was mostly eager for the opportunity to live and work in the then-Soviet Union. The late 1980s and early 1990s were of course a tumultuous time in Russia’s history, as the Soviet Union collapsed and a new market-based economy took shape in post-Soviet Russia. On the lookout for opportunities that would “yield real and positive changes for the people involved,” she took a position with an international nonprofit, the World Institute on Disability, that was one of a number of NGOs now moving into Russia. Four years later, in 1997, she became executive director of Perspektiva, the Regional Society of Disabled People. Since then, her team of five employees has grown to 80, nearly half of whom are living with disabilities themselves.

How did you become interested in Russia?

I came to Knox to study French and needed a second language. At the time, I never thought much about why, but today I realize it was because my teacher and mentor Vasily Federow was so passionate about the language and literature. I spent a year studying abroad in France, which was an amazing and life-changing experience.

After graduating, I applied to study in the American Councils of Teachers of Russian program in Moscow. I loved every minute of it, even though it was a totally different world.

STEVE DAVIS

Alumni Achievement Award Winner

the end of this year (and is committed to never working for her parents!). Katherine and I have just come back from our biggest trip of the year—we were in Madrid, Spain, for almost four weeks. Wonderful time! Really makes me regret not studying abroad in Europe while at Knox!” ❯ Andrea Selymes Kolczynski and husband Allan “have been sticking closer to home lately, focusing on family and travel throughout the U.S. Between traveling to Texas to help with grandkids and traveling to Seattle to help Mom celebrate her 90th birthday, we are making plans for a big Alaska cruise in 2020. We also plan a trip for my 60th in 2021 … the UK, Israel, Austria? Any suggestions are welcome!” ❯ Peter and Jane Maxey Officer ’82 both recently retired! Jane is working on a passion project, writing. Peter, after 35 years in business, enjoys teaching in a local elementary school. They looked forward to having their four sons and wives, their four grandchildren, and five dogs all home for Thanksgiving! ❯ On John Baxter’s recent trip to Knox, he was pleased to see that they had our class gift on display in Seymour Hall: a series of paintings that Laura Olson did before she graduated and went to New York to be a starving artist and librarian. “I understand Laura is now a cat lover, librarian, and artist in California.” ❯ Laura Thompas Sears: “I continue as chief administrative officer at Gould & Ratner LLP and am active in the Association of Legal Administrators, serving as the Chicago chapter president this year and chair of our 2020 national annual conference. Enjoyed our August get-together in Chicago, and a weather delay in Washington, D.C., in November gave me more time to visit with Judy Wey ’84. Her daughter was due in early December, and she looked forward to flying to Vermont to meet her grandchild. “I have enjoyed my years as Class Correspondent as I enjoyed hearing from all of you! Time to turn it over to Beth Anderson Schuck.” ❯ I’m happy to be your new class correspondent and sincerely thank Laura Thompson Sears for her years of service to our class. I am retired yet keep busy volunteering in Las Vegas, where we have lived for six years.

Hiking in Red Rock Canyon and the surrounding areas and working as a literacy volunteer are my main activities these days. I’ve taken up creative writing, focusing on middle grade (age 9-12) novels. I’ve had a couple of short stories published and am hopeful that one of my manuscripts will be as well. Please send news of your adventures. I’d love to hear what you are doing.

Class Correspondent: Beth Anderson Schuck bschuckgal@gmail.com

What was life like in Russia in the 1990s for people with disabilities?

At that time, I had never seen more than a few disabled people in Moscow— occasionally an amputee using a cart (like a skating board) because the city was totally inaccessible and many PWDs were in institutions. There were hardly any wheelchairs, and the ones that existed were referred to as “house wheelchairs” because it was nearly impossible to get out of your apartment in them. The concept of PWDs being in charge of their lives, living independently, inspiring and empowering other PWDs was totally unheard of. The first Russian law guaranteeing rights to PWDs was passed in 1995, but it wasn’t until the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was ratified by the Russian parliament in 2013 that this approach was finally adopted into legislation.

How have your Knox experiences influenced your career?

I learned French and Russian; my year abroad taught me about living in, adapting to and appreciating a different culture. The concept of inclusion and diversity are two very important and guiding values for me today and I learned this at Knox, too.

Class Correspondent: Valerie Jencks P.O. Box 825, Downers Grove IL 60515, knoxcollege84@gmail.com

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Todd Volker ’85 turned out to be the instructor of a ukulele class

1985

1988

I was delinquent in sending out my request for items this time, so take responsibility for the shortness of this note! ❯ Julia di Liberti wrote me a quick email with apologies for the lack of detail (but making it all the more enticing) to say that Lisa Crank is as active as ever, and Todd Volker turned out to be the instructor of a ukulele class she took. ❯ Kathy Mateer Gedamke writes that she will soon be a grandmother—oldest daughter Sarah is expecting in February.

Class Correspondents: Margaret VerKoulen Lynn mvlynn@comcast.net Jane Davis jedavis_ill@hotmail.com

Class Correspondent: Gayle Pikrone Richardson 1220 Crestview Drive, Batavia, IL 60510-1180, gayle.richardson35@gmail.com

1986 Class Correspondent: Susan Bantz 2012 Shady Lane, Muscatine, IA, 52761, 563-554-9213, sbantz001@luthersem.edu

1987 Class Correspondent: Lisabeth Simms Belman 12701 York Mill Lane, Clarksburg, MD 20871-4034, 301-972-3751, lisabeth1208@verizon.net

1989 As I write this, we are fresh off our 30th Reunion.

It was a bit cold in Galesburg, but we were still able to enjoy indoor activities, including seeing Ben Calvert’s beautiful art displayed in the new art building. A good time was had by all. A few people shared information and gave me permission to include it in these notes: ❯ Mary Crawford was recently named the Philip Sidney Post Professor of Chemistry at Knox. ❯ Jeff Rouse lives in Texas and is an economics professor at the University of North Texas. ❯ Joel Pierson lives in Bloomington, Indiana, where he is an editor for educational publisher Solution Tree and has recently completed a new musical titled Between Two Worlds. ❯ Christina Hurst Krawczyk lives in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, where she manages the library function for a division of Honeywell. Her son is now a sophomore chemistry major at Knox and recent pledge of TKE. Her daughter is majoring in chemistry and art history at Augustana College.

Christina and her husband celebrated their 25th anniversary just a week before Homecoming. ❯ Matt Pestle came to the Reunion all the way from his home in Auckland, New Zealand. Matt

works in IT and spends some of his free time fishing. ❯ Debbie Granat Moreno lives in Galesburg, where she and her husband own and run Moreno Tile and Stone. She continues writing and works in many community engagement projects, including as the lead on a project called Galesburg On Track, a Community Heart and Soul project which worked to identify community priorities. ❯ If I missed anything anyone told me and gave me permission to share I apologize.

Please email me, and I will be sure to include it next time. ❯ April 9, 2020 Class Note addition: Beth Potter and Robin Carre ’85 were tragically killed in Madison, Wisconsin. Beth and Robin lived wonderful lives full of love, laughter, family, friends, and a commitment to making the world around them better for all.

Class Correspondent: Mia Jiganti 1850 W. Cortland, Chicago, IL 60622-1035, 773-278-0814, mjiganti@prodigy.net

1990 Class Correspondent: Darcy Turner 108 West James Street, Warren, IL 61087, 919-932-9150, Bonetbien1@gmail.com

1991 Hello, Class of ’91. I hope you’re all well. There was some confusion about the due dates for submissions in this issue so we didn’t get to send out the usual update request. I’m very sorry. May this serve as a reminder of how nice it is when

Don Harmon ’88 Elected President of Illinois Senate

SUBMITTED

Congratulations to Knox College trustee Don Harmon ’88, who was elected Illinois Senate president, the top leadership position in the 59-member legislative chamber, in January.

Harmon has served in the Illinois Senate since 2003, playing a key role in shaping public policy and advancing legislation. He represents the 39th Legislative District, which consists of Oak Park, parts of the city of Chicago, and other suburbs. During his time in the Illinois Senate, he has advocated for educational and economic opportunity, ethics reform, voters’ rights, protection of civil rights, and promotion of renewable energy.

After graduating from Knox with a degree in English, Harmon worked his way through the University of Chicago, where he received both a law degree and MBA. He later worked in Springfield on the legal staff of the Illinois House of Representatives and in his private law practice.

As a student at Knox, Harmon was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity and the football and wrestling teams. Since graduating, he has remained involved with the College, serving as an alumni trustee from 2013-2017 and as a member of the Knox Alumni Council, Chicago Knox Club executive board, and annual fund steering committee.

He was named a general trustee in 2018.

“Knox changed my life,” Harmon said in the fall 2013 issue of Knox Magazine. “I owe the College a great deal more than I can ever repay.”

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Class Knox taken by Lisa Crank ’85.

Celine Gura Matthiessen writes: “Daughter Anika started college at Texas A&M at Galveston in marine biology and minoring in scuba—she is going for her Dive Master certification this year —and I am an empty nester. Plan is to stay in Texas so I get in-state tuition for now. But who knows?! I still work as VP of Insights for BIA Advisory Services where I work with companies in TV, radio, and digital.” ❯ Chris Poe writes: “My 11-year-old son Matthew is growing up fast.

Unlike his old man, he runs a pretty fast mile. I recently served as president of the Itasca Lions Club and currently serve as scoutmaster of the local Scouts BSA Troop. I am still a sales/marketing guy with pumping equipment, now with laboratory vacuum equipment. I am so very lucky.

I delight simply being in the room with my wife, Lisa. With the start of trip number fifty around the sun, I find myself wishing all my fellow Siwash and Prairie Fire health, wealth, and wisdom. It’s very gratifying witnessing us live life well.” ❯ Kristin Organiscak writes: “Daughter Hayley just recently had her first two articles published in the McKendree University online newspaper. She is a sophomore environmental studies major with a journalism minor.” ❯ Dr. Glenn Waddell writes, “It has been a crazy couple of years for me. I have been working as the mathematics master teacher at the University of Nevada, Reno. I teach undergraduate preservice teachers who earn a dual degree in mathematics and secondary education. While working full time, I also found time to somehow graduate in May 2019 with a Ph.D. in mathematics education and won the Outstanding Doctoral Student award from the college. To celebrate, CJ Moore Waddell ’87 and I spent a couple of weeks in France this summer, and I have enjoyed the brief moment of downtime before starting to write grants and publications.”

Class Correspondents: Celine Gura Matthiessen 6417 Marlar, The Colony, TX 75056-7119, 469-384-1805, celmatthiessen@hotmail.com Tammy Thorsen Ragnini 912 S. Summit, Barrington, IL 60010-5057, 847-382-4022, rragnini1@yahoo.com

1993 Gina Clemmer: “Richard Lufrano ’92 and I are alive and well in Portland, Oregon. Our daughter, Erez Lufrano, turns 8 next week. Nothing makes me happier than when she wears her Knox College sweatshirt. I’ll see Julie Hirshfield ’92

2020 Alumni Achievement Award Stefano Viglietti ’91 At first glance, Stefano Viglietti’s career has followed an unlikely trajectory.

He’s a James Beard Award-nominated chef and restaurateur who never went to culinary school or even worked in a professional kitchen before he started his own restaurant. He’s a multilingual world traveler fascinated with Italian culture who still lives in the Midwestern city where he grew up (Sheboygan, Wisconsin). Today, he and wife Whitney Witt Viglietti ’92 own four restaurants: Trattoria Stefano, Il Ritrovo (a pizzeria), Field to Fork (a café and grocery featuring local and organic food), and The Duke of Devon, an English gastropub. A fifth is in the works.

“In another life,” he says, “I’d have been a history professor.” He majored in the subject at Knox, and his mentor, Rod Davis, encouraged him to go on to graduate school. What Stefano really enjoyed, though, was making dinner for Whitney. “We decided to come back home to Sheboygan and rolled a couple of really big dice. We opened the first place, Trattoria Stefano, without me really having any experience.” Whitney, a philosophy major, did the accounting, baked bread, and served as hostess. Stefano’s father invested in a building that the Vigliettis rented back from him, and his mother made desserts. “We just poured our hearts and souls into this thing,” he says, “and lo and behold, it worked.”

STEVE DAVIS

1992

Alumni Achievement Award Winner

there are notes. You can send stories for inclusion in the next issue to jonathansheinkop@hotmail.com.

I’ll maintain them until it’s time to submit. I hope to hear from you.

Class Correspondent: Jonathan Sheinkop 260 Cary Ave, Highland Park, IL 60035, jonathansheinkop@hotmail.com

How do you think your Knox education helped you succeed?

I learned there’s no replacement for hard work. When we started the restaurant, we worked basically 18–19 hours a day, saved every penny, didn’t travel, cared about every detail. Just like I did at Knox. l hardly ever missed a class. I took statistics with Marty Eisenberg and nearly died. I got an A on the first test, a B on the next, and a C on the third. I could see it was going in the wrong direction, so I found the smartest person in the class—I can’t even remember her name now, but she was very, very nice and kind. I said, I am really struggling, and she studied with me every single day. I took the final exam and thought I’d failed. I was standing at graduation and Marty Eisenberg walked up to me and asked, “What the hell did you do on that final exam? You got the second-highest score in the class.” This was probably my proudest moment at Knox. So shout-out to this person who helped me. Thank you.

What’s one of your favorite Knox memories?

I spent a lot of time watching the trains go past the soccer fields. You always heard the whistles, and it was wonderful, sort of melancholy, but not in a bad way. Galesburg is kind of landlocked, but you were still connected to this outside world, even though you were in this sort of cocoon of learning in the middle of a bunch of cornfields. You still had the sense of this big world out there.

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“I completed the Chicago Marathon in October 2019 for Thanksgiving in Albuquerque. Lily Gates ’21 is now a sophomore at Knox. I spend my days working on high volume spay/neuter software and doing animal rescue.” ❯ Melissa Agar: “I’m now in year 19 of teaching English at Monmouth-Roseville High School where I’m also the head of the theatre program and coach of the speech team. While that keeps me super busy, I’ve also been trying to find time to stay active in local community theatre. In the past year or so, I’ve had the opportunity to appear in three local productions—as a vile theatre critic in It’s Only a Play, as a mourning daughter in Talking With, and as the governor of Messina in Much Ado About Nothing (which also found a student of mine playing my older brother—a HUGE ego boost!).

In May, one of my theatre students nominated me for the local radio station’s Teacher of the Month award, so I was surprised in the middle of teaching class with a plaque and all sorts of cool swag to recognize my selection. It’s a constant push to stay on top of everything—teaching a full course load, serving on various committees, directing sometimes as many as five shows a year, coaching the team—but I’m just living the dream.” ❯ Dan Rosenberg: “I completed the Chicago Marathon in October 2019 in a personal record time of 3:41:56. It was my second Chicago Marathon (I also ran it in 2017) and I hope to improve on my time in 2020. I still live in Highland Park, Illinois, with wife Debbie and sons Jonah (a college sophomore) and Evan (a high school sophomore). I’m lead writer and editor of investing/stock market coverage for a major brokerage firm, a job I’ve had since early 2016. A highlight for me recently was having dinner with Ferran Costa ’94 and Erin Roche last fall when Ferran was in town with his family.

Hope to see everyone from the class at our 30th

Kip Conwell ’98 and Arne Bakker ’98 in Chicago.

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in 2023!” ❯ Ben Hirby: “Our family, including my wife, Sage Goellner, and our two kids Reed (14) and Oliver (11), will move to Aix-en Provence, France for the academic year 20202021. Sage will lead the study abroad program there for the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Indiana University Bloomington students.

Bon voyage!” ❯ Erin Roche: “In October, Prescott School students, staff, and I (as principal) got to meet the new City of Chicago mayor, Lori Lightfoot, when she came to celebrate the kids’ National Blue Ribbon School award. ‘It was like a Beatles concert!’, quipped U.S. Representative Mike Quigley, pointing to the screaming, adoring fans. I’m currently a School Ambassador Fellow with the U.S. Department of Education, which, coming from a large, urban school district in a deep blue state, is fascinating on so many levels. The principalship is mostly a very rewarding gig, though the district has its major challenges that inundate my little school. This summer, Dan Rosenberg and I caught up with Ferran Costa ’92 and their families in Chicago.

Dan continues to write on business every morning by 6:40 a.m., and he has published a novel! Ferran is the mero mero at international language school Inlingua, as well as Mol Ilustri Member of Parliament in Andorra. I kid him that it’s like being a precinct Captain in a ward of Chicago. He counters: He met French President Macron. I talk regularly with the fascinating, ever-educated Ahmad von Schlegell, who is a Ph.D., M.D., master-of-something in Toronto.

Last year, my mom and I heard Mark Johnston explain butterfly habitats at the Field Museum— absolutely fascinating! During my daughter’s flag football game, I ran into Bridget Coughlin ’94, who is the mera mera (head honcho) at the Shedd Aquarium. Her kid’s team destroyed my kid’s

Kip Conwell ’98 and Nathan Hays ’98 in St. Louis.

team! The 14-year-old daughter, Lauren, dabbles in flag football and then devotes herself to soccer on two U18 teams. She’s an eighth grader at Whitney Young High School’s 7-8th grade academic center. Each morning I drop her off at the same time her younger brother, Jameson, gets out, in front of his school, Jackson to plod into third grade. Lauren crosses the Eisenhower Expressway bridge to troop into WY. Then the oldest, 10th grader Connor, and I head to Payton High School to drop him off. He takes the ‘L’ home every day. True city life far from Galesburg.

I found two excuses to go to France twice this summer—first for the Women’s World Cup and then Lauren’s soccer tournament. Fantastique!

With wife Paula, the three kids and I trekked through Rheims in Champagne for 10 days and saw three world cup games, including the U.S. v.

Spain. I’d love to retire and live in France for a year or two. C’est la vie!

Class Correspondent: Rebecca Gillan Ballard rebecca.m.gillan@gmail.com

1994 Post-Homecoming, I drove home under a pitch-black sky save for a fat, feather-like moon. I reflected on the day as I drove back to Normal, to my parents’ home, to finish my weekend visit. ❯ I started Homecoming weekend getting to campus to visit the author signing on Saturday, making a beeline to Monica Berlin ’95. I looked forward to talking with her and buying her book, Nostalgia for a World Where We Can Live. I’m so glad we connected for the first time. Though we overlapped in time at Knox, we never crossed paths. I’m currently sitting in a hotel room in Chicago at a work conference using some respite while reading her poetry. After the author sign-

David Spetzler ’98 and Kip Conwell ’98 in Chicago.

Class Knox in a personal record time of 3:41:56.” —Dan Rosenberg ’93 ing, I headed to Kresge’s stage for the Class of 1994’s photo. There was a paltry handful of us, though still us! I can’t wait to see the final photo. ❯ I spent much of the day with Dawn Campbell D’Orazio, Fiore D’Orazio ’92, and Shilpa Bhalerao ’95. We wandered the campus, poking our noses into old haunts and reveling in the new parts. It felt anachronistic to be peering at smartphones and comparing FitBit steps while walking around Knox. Seymour Library will always feel timeless to me: Please never get rid of the red carpeting in the high-ceilinged second floor. Save shards of the almost-pastel stained glass windows for me if the building ever crumbles. SMC’s renovations are in process; the first floor center area is becoming the Amott Science Commons, a round expanse of carpeted space and a few chairs so far. I witnessed some of the groundbreaking and dedication of the Trisha Hurst Labyrinth.

There was also a dedication for the Jerry ’68 and Diane Scott Stubbs ’69 Memorial Garden near Post. [I missed the tree dedication and life celebration for Chris Heimann ’04 near Seymour.] ❯ The new Dick and Joan Whitcomb Art Center nestles in at the edge of campus in prairie grasses. The natural light is lovely! What a great place for the current students to learn and create. We visited with Steve Cohn and Nancy Eberhardt at recently remodeled George Davis Hall nearby. Dr. Eberhardt’s writing always impressed me, making the cultures of the Shan people so vibrant and 3D in our stuffy classrooms in the middle of flat, Illinois prairie. I loved connecting with her again. ❯ Shilpa, Dawn, and I stopped by the Pi Beta Phi house for tea to meet some of the current Pi Phis. The composites were on display and we had a good laugh at how similar and how different we are now. Twentyfive years will do that! ❯ I finished the night at Koreana (Who knew Galesburg would have a Korean restaurant?!) meeting other Class of ’94 members Lloy Brodnicki Johnston, Leslie Combs, Laurie Rompala, Vikki Rompala ’95, Nisa Kalambaheti, Tom Schmedake, Jennie Ward (and kids and husband), Michael Patti ’96, and Melanie Brown (and their kids). Here, I was thankful for the present creeping in, thankful for the new connections I’ve made with people with whom I didn’t have a chance to before. As we’ve moved on from Knox and made our way in so many directions, it’s Knox that ties us back together. We had a lot to talk about over bibimbop and barley tea. Onward to keep those connections going! ❯ Other updates include one from Bob Connour (also one of the handful who made it to the class photo). He’s taught biology for 20 years at Owens Community College in Ohio, happily married with three kids. ❯ I’m still in the thick of life with kids’ sports and music schedules with the difficult skill of negotiating less screen time with three kids, loving my work as a physician, and loving even more the rediscovering of my creative side. Knox helped me see some of this and, in my true late bloomer fashion, I’m finally getting around to manifesting it more

intensely. May 2020 be a great year of things to come for all of us.

Class Correspondent: Lisa Preston-Hsu story.of.a.kitchen@gmail.com

1995 Class Correspondent: Rev. Nicole Havelka defythetrend@gmail.com Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @revnhavelka

1996 Class Correspondent: Kathryn Dix Biallas 1418 East Colter Street, Phoenix, AZ 85014, 602-944-7466, kathybiallas@gmail.com

1997 Class Correspondent: Josh Mika 6619 Mountain Ridge Pass, Plainfield, IL 60586-2844, jrmika@gmail.com

1998 I’ve been trying to be more thankful for all the moments we take to be together with friends.

Connection feels really important to me lately, and I’ve been fortunate to connect with some Knox folks this past year. David Spetzler called me to hang out with him and his work team while he was in Chicago on business. When I was in St. Louis for an Aerial Dance Chicago performance, Nathan Hays ’97 and his family invited us over for a spectacular brunch at their lovely home!

Famed Dutch exchange student Arne Bakker ’99 made a visit to Chicago for a conference this fall and was able to make time to introduce us to his lovely husband, Jeremy. Season Clauss ’99 caught up with me in the lobby at an Aerial Dance Chicago show this past summer! I’m very thankful for meetings like those, and I look forward to connecting with more Knox folks in the coming year! ❯ Brian Gawor is completing his doctoral dissertation work at Illinois State University and is vice president for research at RNL, the largest provider of enrollment and fundraising solutions to higher education. He also hosts the Fundraising Voices podcast, where you can hear him get into arguments with smart people, just like he did at Knox. Brian’s excited about the successful $30,000 campaign he co-led with the family and friends of Trisha Hurst this summer to create a meditation labyrinth outside Seymour Library in her memory. Meanwhile, Emma Gawor is now a first-year student at IUPUI in Indianapolis, time flies! ❯ Elizabeth Flanders Monaco shared, “The Monaco family is doing well. Jason Monaco started a new job as CFO of Borden Dairy last December. He enjoys the new job, and we are drinking lots of milk in the house! We sent our oldest off to college this year—he is at Wichita State University. Our girls are in 10th, sixth and fifth grades this year. I decided to go back to school and will finish a

The Class of 1999 tour various Galesburg hot spots during Homecoming 2019.

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“Had a lot of fun as a judge again with Knox’s StartUp Term this past master’s degree in social work in May. I have enjoyed the program and broadening my horizons now that the kids are older and independent. I volunteer as a caseworker for a local agency each week and am completing my final fieldwork hours with an international orphan care agency right now. Both are very rewarding— I look forward to discovering what’s next when I complete my schooling. We headed to Knox for Homecoming again this year and had a great time catching up with people!!” ❯ Michael Vanlandingham reports, “I still live on the 174-acre farm in Arkansas I inherited and teach with the Huntsville School District. I play harmonica and sing in the church band every Sunday, and I am now one of the directors for our high school church youth group. We have planned a mission trip to Alaska this summer to help on an Inuit reservation. The weather ruined most of my garden this year, but I did get a big crop of hot peppers that I have marinating in jars for hot sauce. I have been helping my cousins with their bees, and we recently harvested seven gallons of honey. IT IS WONDERFUL. I still write poetry and song lyrics, and I hope to get some more published. If anyone is passing through Northwest Arkansas, look me up and we can sit on the deck by the fire and look at the stars.” ❯ We’d all love to hear from you, so send over your updates!

Class Correspondent: Kip Conwell kipconwell@gmail.com

1999 Greetings from New Hampshire! Not sure if I put that in the last issue. Kevin Kihslinger, Owen (13), Elora (10), and I left Wisconsin and moved to the north country of New Hampshire in July 2018! We’re surrounded by mountains and wonderful views! It took a little adjustment, but we absolutely love it here! This past summer, Sandy Arndt and her family came to visit us. We were happy to show them the area, while exploring and hiking new places, such as the Flume Gorge. Will Lion ’00 and wife Kriszta also joined us for a few short days—so we had a little minireunion. Unfortunately, we already committed to another event the same weekend as our 20th at Knox, so we missed getting to visit with more old friends! Perhaps we’ll make our 25th! ❯ Dave ’00 and Lynne Wymore Moo moved back to Washington, D.C., with the State Department this summer after three years in Mumbai. Their kids (ninth, seventh, and fourth grades) are back in U.S. public schools and love experiencing the fall holidays stateside. They all enjoy the grocery stores and the bright blue skies—and participating in D.C. Knox Club events! ❯ Kate Berry ’99 recently became the associate artistic director of the Creede Repertory Theatre in Southwestern Colorado. She and husband RJ Mann also welcomed a son, Evan Leif Mann, on January 2, 2019. Congratulations, Kate and RJ! ❯ From Mark Beirn: “I can’t remember when I last wrote

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with an update—perhaps in 2017 when Rick and I moved to Berlin for the school year? I’m back in St. Louis, teaching my own undergraduate history class called ‘From the Suez Canal to Hoover Dam: Infrastructure and Empire in World History,’ finishing my dissertation, and hustling myself on the job market. It’s a very exciting time to have re-calibrated my trajectory, 20 years after leaving Galesburg—I feel that Knox prepared me well to make a few strategic pivots in life. Earlier this year Lindsay Hansen Brown, Matt Pace, and I got together while Lindsay was in St. Louis for a conference. I see Matt Frederick once in a while, usually as he is performing with the Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra at a silent film viewing or at events around St. Louis. I’m thrilled to learn the Knox College Choir is headed to France for its annual tour this spring. Wish I could join them!” ❯ From Season Clauss: “After six years in Southeast Asia (Vietnam and Indonesia), I’ve settled in the Chicagoland area over the past couple years with my two international cats (one from Indonesia and one from Vietnam). I started teaching seventh grade special education and math in Berwyn this year. I’m in a great school and am getting my feet back under me after being pulled away from school for five weeks for grand jury duty! An experience for sure! I’ve also been working on rebuilding a 1967 Honda S90 motorcycle, pretty much from tires to handlebars and all pieces in between with massive help from my special guy. It’s nearly identical to a bike I had in Vietnam and is a super-cute little machine that is great to zip around on. In addition, I was connected to a local community radio station via Craig Bechtel ’94. I’ve been working behind the scenes supporting the station at various events

Kevin ’99 and Valerie Saks Kihslinger ’99 met up with Sandy Arndt ’99, Will Lion ’00 and wife Kriszta, and their families in New Hampshire.

around the city and enjoying the perks of free tickets! Life’s path is unpredictable but the road into these early-40s has been pretty sweet!” ❯ From Nelsie Smith Birch: “Rebecca Hurst and I drove cross-country (from North Carolina and Virginia) to meet up with friends for our 20th Reunion. We knew that we were going to meet up with Wendy Salger Spizzirri, Nicole Danielewicz Dalton, Allison Wenk Maki, Kristy Neal Wilson, and Amanda Weimer Ziehm, but we did not realize all of the other friends who would be back. I left feeling completely proud of the lifelong friendships gained at Knox and our ability to pick up as if no time had passed. While we did not get a picture with all of our class, we did get a few that showcase the amazing time we had at a few of our favorite watering holes and the football game.

Class Correspondent: Valerie Saks Kihslinger S3042 W. Salem Ridge Rd., La Farge, WI 54639, 608268-6903, vsaks@hotmail.com

2000 In June, Carter Crandall (Knox friend from first and sophomore years), Maggie Winnicki ’99, Kathy Grier ’99, and I attended the wedding of Maggie’s daughter in Omaha, Nebraska. We all had not been together in the same location for nearly 13 years. While it was a short trip, we had a great time catching up and celebrating! My sixand four-year-olds came along and really enjoyed meeting my Knox friends and playing in Maggie’s serene backyard.

Class Correspondent: Jennifer Parker parker_jen78@yahoo.com

Kate Berry ’99 with son Evan Leif and husband RJ Mann.

Congratulations!

Class Knox spring and was able to hire another great graduate.” —Eric Miller ’02

2001 Class Correspondent: Allison Honaker allisonhonaker@hotmail.com

2002 My own update is I’ve been busy growing my coaching company, Courage to Rise. In the fall, I launched my podcast and was also published in a book, the Empowered Woman Series. In between it all, I’ve enjoyed some amazing trips—most notably Panama and Greece! ❯ Suchi Bansal won the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute 120 Under 40 award for distinguished leaders in family planning. ❯ Eric Miller shares: “Christelle and I welcomed our first child, Ethan Miller, into the world on March 4, 2019. I also just started the MBA program at the University of Tampa.

Had a lot of fun as a judge again with Knox’s StartUp Term this past spring and was able to hire another great Knox graduate for my software company.” ❯ Tessa Huffman Drayton married Andrew Drayton, a University of Iowa graduate, on a vineyard in October 2018. Katja Leistner was maid of honor. Andrew and Tessa live in Le Claire, Iowa, and are expecting a baby boy in April. ❯ Tom Viner writes: “Life is going great in Cedar Rapids. I have just started my 15th year as a trial lawyer. Another Viner was born on 7/28/19–James Grace Viner (in the midst of a two-week jury trial). Life with four kids is filled with the expected and, often, the unexpected. We spend lots of time in Southern Florida where

From left: Carter Crandall ’00, Jennifer Parker ’00, Maggie Winnicki ’99, and Kathy Grier ’99 at the wedding of Maggie’s daughter, the first time all four had gotten together in 13 years.

Aidan, Lindy, Emerson, and James enjoy the pool and beach. A year-long home renovation in Cedar Rapids—including the roof off waiting for skylights—have added difficulty points to life with kids and running the law firm, but promises to secure many more happy years living in the woods. Viner Law Firm is now five attorneys including a new shareholder (owner). Life is good—hope the same for you all.” ❯ Sahar Zaidi-Shirazee shares: “My husband and I co-founded a charity called PEACE THROUGH PROSPERITY in 2011. The aim of this charity has been to train the most marginalised individuals in war-torn and developing countries and enable them to help themselves. For all these years we have been self-funding, which has allowed us to direct all funds to the training and development of our target audience. We run mini business training programs and have so far worked with 900 people. There has been a 70 percent growth in profit amongst the group we have worked with.

This has had a direct impact on their family life, and over 65 percent of the individuals we work with have now been able to enroll their children into schools. We have also partnered with several hospitals where our candidates are provided with treatment for free or at preferential rates. We have worked in Pakistan for a long time now and six months ago became one of the few charities that have managed to enter and work successfully in Yemen. Please have a look at our website at bringptp.com to find out more about what we do. We are not looking for any funding; what we do need is the support of like-minded people, so please do get in touch if this is work that is of any interest to you.” ❯ Courtney Wiles Taylor writes: “Husband John and I bought our forever home in Las Vegas at the end of April. We moved

Susan Massey ’05 and Chris Tessone ’04 welcomed their third child, Vivian Harriet, on July 23.

out to Vegas from Illinois in July 2018 to be closer to his relatives. I was able to get a job teaching fifth grade in Clark County School District. My husband was lucky enough to get hired at my school as the P.E. assistant. Next August, I will teaching kindergarten.”

Class Correspondent: Jennifer Wreyford 1700 Bassett Street, #407, Denver, CO 80202, 813-482-4112, jwreyford@gmail.com

2003 Class Correspondent: Allison O’Mahen Malcom 8134 Gridley Avenue, Wauwatosa, WI 53213-3049, allison.o.malcom@gmail.com

2004 Class Correspondent: Susan C. Vitous Johnson 1312 Iles Avenue, Belvidere, IL 61008-1407, susanvitousjohnson@yahoo.com

2005 Jon Betts writes, “The Betts family has stayed busy lately. With Grace, Claire, and Henry turning 9, 8, and 7, respectively, there’s not much downtime. Amidst the day-to-day chaos, we’ve been extremely fortunate to spend some time with Knox friends and teammates lately. We had a great time hanging out with Dr. Steve Bachta ’03 & family; Dave ’07 and Sarah Wallen Connelly brought their boys for ice cream while in town; Dave Rahofy ’03 treated me to Shake Shack while we were in the city for Henry’s surgery; and Ben Gildehaus ran the Chicago Marathon with me to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. I even saw Nar Ramkissoon ’06 on course! So awesome to continue to enjoy connecting with Knox family

Jon Betts ’05 and Ben Gildehaus ’05 at the Chicago Marathon.

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“So far it’s great being back in the U.S. and in an academic setting.

Mary Batterman ’07 and Eric Rauscher — April 6, 2019

almost 15 years later!” ❯ Ashley Steinsdoerfer Gottlieb and husband Jeff completed their first year living in Reno, Nevada. They continue to explore and fall in love with the Sierra Nevada mountains and the high desert lifestyle. Ashley now plans events for Lewis Management Corp. and continues to take art classes at the local college. ❯ Sarah Lammie tells us, “Luke and I lost our dog, Bo, suddenly last February. We rescued a new boy named Loki and have been helping him learn how to be a proper dog. His old family didn’t have much time for socialization. It’s been an adventure, but worth every minute. I’m currently on strike with Chicago Public Schools. Here’s hoping for a fair contract soon, but in the meantime, a lot of what I learned at Knox has been useful.” ❯ Susan Massey and Chris Tessone ’04 welcomed their third child, Vivian Harriet, on July 23. ❯ Marissa Parkin and her family have had an exciting year. After nearly six years in Sydney, they officially became Australian citizens in May. They also welcomed their beautiful daughter Zadie in July and looked

Varshika Srivatsan ’08 and Andrew MacGill — March 9, 2019

forward to spending her first Christmas with family and friends in Chicago. ❯ Adrit Raha is still in Singapore and is amazed at how quickly his kids are growing up. ❯ Sam Veague and wife Merit are overjoyed with the birth of their daughter, Ondine, in September. Ondine is quickly becoming best pals with their dog, Parker. Sam stays busy working in the solar industry and enjoys life in California. ❯ Erick West and wife Rachel continue to live in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he has worked for Amazon for three years. They welcomed a son, Archibald James West, on October 21. They look forward to the next chapter of life and hope to visit the Midwest again soon.

Class Correspondents: Marissa Parkin moeparkin@gmail.com Ashley Steinsdoerfer Gottlieb 815-245-3648, agsteinsdoerfer@aol.com

2006 Class Correspondent: Megan Rehberg megan.rehberg@gmail.com

2007

From the right: Anne Barker ’07 with daughter Jolena, daughter Linnaea, and husband Luke at home in Alaska.

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Hey all! Welcome back to the Class of 2007 notes, the part of the magazine we all love the most. We hope things have been going well with everyone. As always, if something significant has happened, we would love to hear about it. Feel free to email us at any time, and we will be sure to include it in the next issue. Take care and see the updates below. ❯ Mary Batterman got married last year in Tanzania, where she lived for 11 years. In July, she and husband Eric moved back to Princeton, New Jersey, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in public policy. “So far it’s great being back in the U.S. and in an academic setting. It’s bringing up lots of great Knox memories!” ❯ Anne Barker says, “Hello from Alaska! Last January, husband Luke and I welcomed our second daughter, Jolena! She joins Linnaea, who is two and a wonderful big sister.

We recently bought a house near Denali Park and enjoy skiing, hiking, and camping near home.

I continue to work as an R.N. for the Indian

Health Service and our local clinic. We started our own business this year, SunDog Builders, doing residential and commercial construction.

Two falls ago, I joined Zoe Berman, Lindsay Fondow, Erin Vorenkamp Moeser, Julia Strehlow, and many others from our class for our 10-year Homecoming Reunion. It was fun to see everyone and traipse around campus! Look us up when your travels bring you to Alaska!” ❯ Katherine Chi was recently hired as a data and analytics manager at Cambridge Assessment International Education, a department of the University of Cambridge. ❯ Josh Franklin says that he just finished up a clerkship at the 54-A District Court in Lansing, Michigan, in May 2019 and started at the Ingham County Office of the Public Defender as an assistant public defender. ❯ Katya Fuentes Manak was recently promoted to partner at her law firm, Stein & Stein, Ltd. in Chicago. Also, she and her husband expect their first child (a baby girl) in March! ❯ Emmad Hassan has been traveling the world and squeezing in Knox homecomings here and there. He has enjoyed them quite a bit and says that there are items we all have been missing. He is back in Atlanta for a while working at the CDC Emergency Operations Center responding to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He still sips coffee from his Knox mug while putting in long hours at work. At times he has flashbacks of Founders all-nighters but thinks those days were more intense than a crisis like this. He misses us all and hopes to see more of us. ❯ Bill Mayeroff says, “Between dog Chester, step-puppy Bodhi (he belongs to my partner, Jessica, but I’m happy to take the stepdad job), the dogs I work with every day, and the dogs I volunteer with at One Tail at a Time (a very cool rescue in Chicago), it’s still all dogs all the time for me. As was the case the last time I sent in an update, I’m still happily child-free (which should come as no surprise, given the vasectomy I had a few years back. Maybe I should have included that in an update?). And occasionally I eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch for dinner because I’m a damn adult.” ❯ Rachel Megibow has entered her sixth year as a school psychologist at Oak Park and River Forest High School. She recently

Class Knox It’s bringing up lots of great Knox memories!” —Mary Batterman ’07

Will Gallmeyer ’09 and Samantha Breaux — June 1, 2019 FRONT ROW: Emanuel Taranu, Olivia Engel, Rachel Milford ’08, Samantha Breaux, Daniel Hoffman, Catalina Barraza.

BACK ROW: Abby Pardick ’10, Samir Bakhshi ’10, Will Gallmeyer, Nathan Matter, Mike Payne.

Carly Kirven ’11 and Judd McCullum — March 17, 2019 FRONT ROW: Carley Kirven ’11 and Judd McCullum.

BACK ROW: Jessica DeMory ’11, Ailyn Tran ’11, Miriam Gillan ’08, Amanda Sicoli Mills ’11, Zach Kirven ’09, Camile Johnson ’11. Also in attendance, though not pictured, was Melissa K. Wolf ’83.

moved to the South Loop and adopted two cats, Cinder and Smoke.

Class Correspondents: Laura J. Wentink Marcasciano 5650 Abbey Drive, Apartment 3P, Lisle, IL 60532-2558, ljmarcasciano@gmail.com Michael C. Sales 8 Maillet Street, Winslow, ME 04901, KnoxClassof2007@gmail.com

2008 After spending nearly five years outfitting teams, studios, and gyms in Northern Florida for Champion, Genevieve Nichols has been called back to the admissions office. She is the newest

Monroe Meredith Legue, the daughter of Beth Beadle Legue ’09. “She is named after the beloved and departed Meredith Shuppy ’08.”

admissions recruiter for Berklee College of Music’s online program. Based in the Back Bay area of Boston, Berklee is the number-one contemporary music school in the world. She is excited to begin her career in higher education and looks forward to developing her skills in the field. ❯ Jessica Strache Brandis says, “At first I didn’t think I had anything, but I remembered that I am dancing again! I joined a company, Outlet Dance Company, and love it!” ❯ Megan Krenz writes, “I bought a house with a halfhobbit door, which I live in with my (still) ill-tempered beagle, Norma Jean (she’s 15!). I still work at Organic Valley, but I also began sharing a self-love focused yoga practice with my community this year.” ❯ Natasha Robin Berman had an exciting year. She graduated with an M.S. in genetic counseling and M.P.H. in human genetics from the University of Pittsburgh in the spring and accepted a laboratory genetic counseling position at UPMC Children’s Hospital. Her new position allowed her and husband Ben to continue to live in Squirrel Hill. ❯ Kathryn Sweet tells us, “Whirlwind year! In the spring I moved to Austin, and in the fall I began a new job at the security startup Capsule8!” ❯ Ann Marie Albright says, “We welcomed our son, Luke Gerald Ferrant, into the world.” ❯ A few people, including Megan Butler and Emily Jensen, updated about Maurice Harris. Maurice himself says, “Busy getting elected to City Council in Golden Valley, Minnesota, being vice-chair of the Knox College Alumni Council, and, in between, sleep.” ❯ Ike and Bethany Vittetoe Glinsmann spent the last year regretting not taking high school shop class as they attempted carpentry, fiberglass, electrical, and plumbing work for their vintage RV restoration project. She says, “Grateful to live in 2019, where we can learn from experts on YouTube. In our spare time, we have ventured into making Middle Eastern food, thanks to Yotam Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem: A Cookbook. Favorite recipes include shakshuka (p.

66), parsnip latkes (p. 92), braised eggs with lamb

(p. 205), and cardamom poached pears (p. 267), and recipes on pages 36, 59, 127.” ❯ Andy Fitz says, “In June, Vanessa Jeske (now Dow) got married and Matt Lawton, Alan Yi, Linda Kelahan, and I had a good time catching up at the wedding.” ❯ Varsh Srivatsan married in Dubai on March 9, 2019, and a bunch of Knoxies ’06-’09 showed up! She says, “It was a blast.” ❯ A. Hamed Aziz traveled for work to Canada, Switzerland, Armenia, Turkey, and the Netherlands, and moved with his family closer to Chicago. ❯ Ariel Lauryn says, “Last spring, I was resident artist at Cornell College as director of a devised puppet show. Mike Smith, now the TD at Zimmerman High School, received a Central MN Arts grant to bring me out to teach a master class in physical theatre and puppetry. I have gone on tour with Feathers of Fire and a show that I co-created to perform in six different countries. After a full year of traveling, performing, teaching, and directing, I am back in NYC, living that artist freelance high life. So if you are looking to hire a puppeteer-performer-creator … www.ariellauryn.com.” ❯ Miriam says, “I started a job at Spark Foundry this past May and moved into a charming apartment in Roscoe Village in July. I also hiked the Rim to Rim of the Grand Canyon in July! I stayed in the same cabin as the Apollo 8 astronauts.”

Class Correspondents: Miriam M. Gillan miriam.gillan@gmail.com Erica Stringfellow Tully e.stringfellow4@gmail.com

2009

Marek Dorman enjoys regular cups of chai and adventures. She’s doing ballroom again, too. ❯ Will Gallmeyer got married June 1, 2019, to the lovely Samantha Breaux. He looks forward to a second year with Green Projects Group and is exploring new ways to save the planet in addition to energy efficiency, such as carbon sequestration and CO2 offsets. ❯ Larissa Roy and husband

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Joe Kozlowicz ’11, Peter Walker ’11, and Dave Kurian ’11 bikepacked

Brigette Demke ’11 and Cole Atcheson ’13 – April 27, 2019 FRONT ROW: Jonathan Plotnick ’13, ShirJia Bielefeld ’15, Jessica Joyce-Cervantes ’11, Brigette Atcheson-Demke ’11, Mollie Phillips ’13, Carlyse Owens ’11.

Joseph Rozansky ’14 and Lauren Styczynski ’14 – October 11, 2018

SECOND ROW: Ryan Burnley ’15, Jill Krippel ’13, Sarah Huff ’11, Cole Atcheson-Demke ’13, Caitlin Fones ’11, Francesca Mayer ’13, Elizabeth Schult ’13, Mary Brennan ’13, Kelly Jones ’13.

THIRD ROW: Emily Antoff ’15, Justin Dingle ’13, William (John) Budding ’13, Naomi Akagi ’12, Rachel Fisher ’13, Kaitlyn Joesten ’13.

BACK ROW: Paula Castaños ’15, Jordan Durrett ’13, Jenna Cohen ’14, Sara DeMaria ’11, Emman Mascariñas ’10, Claire Neri ’15.

Andy are immensely pleased to announce they have paid off all their collective student loans. #MillennialUnicorn ❯ Jaclyn Anderson got married in Costa Rica and recently moved to California! ❯ Iona Cooper passed her counseling licensure exam in February 2019 and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. She also won four MVP awards for roller derby! ❯ Stephen Herzog is now a research fellow with the Project on Managing the Atom at Harvard University. ❯ Amanda Look and husband Michael Sarmiento

Maren Reish ’09 and Rose Van Grinsven ’10 in Colombia.

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welcomed their first baby, Henry, into the world on May 30 in Doha, Qatar. They have now started their third year in Qatar, Michael working for an international high school and Amanda working for Georgetown University in Qatar. ❯ Sam Bouman works as a housing case manager at a shelter in Portland while continuing to do police reporting and unspecified DJing for KBOO Community Radio. ❯ Beth Beadle Legue: “We welcomed a daughter, Monroe Meredith Legue, on May 20, 2019. She is named after the beloved and departed Meredith Shuppy ’08.” ❯ Mike Callahan lives life a quarter-mile at a time. ❯ Olivia Engel has gone from serving local food to growing it, solo-launching the first Freight Farm in Missouri in 2017 and now helping to launch the first commercial hydroponic farm in St. Louis. She has also gotten back into writing, has two cats and 15K house plants, went to Romania last year, and just celebrated her fifth wedding anniversary. And she got to dance with so many Knoxies at Will Gallmeyer’s beautiful wedding! ❯ Sarah Williams: “I still live in Chicago with my partner-in-crime, Ben, and our two awesome cats. I’m coming up on 6 1/2 years at The Anti-Cruelty Society. When I’m not running teen programs and helping animals, I practice Aikido and play as many RPGs and video games as I can squeeze into my schedule.” ❯ Maren Reisch continues to enjoy living and working in Boston. Still not a fan of the Pats or Red Sox. “Sometimes Genevieve Nichols ’08 and I grab drinks! In April, I had an incredible time touring Colombia with Rose Van Grinsven ’10, and in September I celebrated Kimberly Anderson and Richard Kasper’s wedding in Chicago! Hoping for more Knox reunions soon.” ❯ Sarah J Bigus Eagen appeared in one of the final episodes of The Big Bang Theory on CBS. One of her original pilot scripts also placed as a

semifinalist in the prestigious Humanitas New Voices program and as a top 10 finalist in the Stage 32 TV Writing Contest. Her Good Girls spec script landed in the top 6 percent of applications for NBC’s Writers on the Verge program. ❯ Sam Jarvis will teach a class of college students. ❯ After earning the equivalent of several master’s degrees in procrastination, Cassandra Wylie decided it was finally time to try this whole “being an adult” thing and bought a house. She also passed her official 10-year anniversary working at Von Maur. She frequently wonders where the last 5-10 years went.

Class Correspondent: Sam Jarvis 1059 Lincoln St., Galesburg IL 61401, 309-368-7885 samuelpaulleejarvis@gmail.com

2010 Class Correspondent: Lauren Assaf knoxcollege2010notes@gmail.com

2011 Hey 2011! Lots of babies this go around–both fur and human! Lots of love to each and every member of the future Knox Classes of 20322036! ❯ Ashley Antenore started a new job with the U.S. Department of State and relocated to Washington, D.C., much to neighbor Tim Schmeling’s delight. ❯ Chloe Bohm married Josiah Yonker in August after taking a new job managing grants for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. ❯ Willi Carlisle Goehring has found success as a folksinger and a playwright, playing banjo and guitar and doing experimental theatre on the fringe circuit and across the U.S. and Canada. He moved into a proper home in St. Louis with his partner, the poet Megan Blankenship. He may forget to

Class Knox the Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango this past summer. update, but he loves sneaking Knox folks into shows and reconnecting when in town! ❯ Cole ’13 and Brigette Atcheson-Demke were married and adopted by a very troublesome cat. So far, year one of marriage (year nine together) has been great! ❯ Cat Manning Dodman and husband Paul welcomed baby Elizabeth in September. She has two of the most protective big brothers in the bear-bies and already has her doting godfather (Tim Schmeling) wrapped around her little finger. ❯ Patrick Dooley was promoted to laboratory supervisor at the Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in Boston. When not cutting up brains and facilitating neurodegenerative research, he navigates New England with partner Melanie and their two furbutts, Pia and Butter. ❯ Caitlin Fones added a furbaby to the family—a puppy named Gimlet Gilbert. Her rugby team enjoyed an undefeated season and she managed to avoid serious injuries. ❯ Amelia Gant was married this past November and lives in San Francisco. ❯ DeAndre ’10 and Mary Reindl Henderson bought a house in Champaign, Illinois, in early 2019. Little Stella is now four! Mary continues to enjoy working for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services on the placement team in Urbana, while Dre is the associate principal at Parkside Junior High in Normal. ❯ Sarah Jean Lindeman started her sixth year of teaching at a small, private school in a small town in France, marking her tenth anniversary in the beautiful country! ❯ Katie Johnston lives in Brooklyn and works for Wieden + Kennedy NY. She mostly writes commercials for Bud Light and kindly asks everyone to give it a drink. ❯ Courtney Jude is the dean of students for a charter school in St. Louis. Christian LewisJude ’12 is a teacher, and they have their hands full with Imani (5) and Ryan (1). Courtney is on track to complete a master’s in educational leadership in 2020. ❯ Sarah Juist and Hope the (half)beagle are doing good work in the middle of nowhere pastoring away. ❯ Zak Kahn might check Facebook at work, but let’s keep that on the down-low. ❯ Kathleen Kellett passed her second-year review in her Ph.D. program in childhood studies at Rutgers Camden. She enjoys living in South Jersey near family and newborn nephew Nico. ❯ Carly Kirven married Judd McCullum this past spring in St. Croix surrounded by several Knox friends. She continues to build her personal property appraising business and lives in a little farmhouse with all the animals. ❯ Joe Kozlowicz, Peter Walker, and Dave Kurian bikepacked the Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango this past summer (540 miles and 80k feet of elevation). Molly Snook ’10 and Eric Ballard and wife Liz joined them at the end in Durango. ❯ Hannah McMahon moved into a house in Denver with her now-husband (married last August) and hosted a Friendsgiving with a slew of Knox folks inspired by the Thanksgiving edition of Bon Appetit magazine. ❯ Amanda Sicoli married Aaron Mills in June with

Carly Kirven and Jessica DeMory in attendance. ❯ Carlyse Owens teaches a seventh and eighth grade elective class with a charter school in Manhattan and an after-school sewing class for sixth-through-eighth graders. She is the lead instructor for the Storytelling Theatre Club and a member of the Brooklyn Theatre Club and a band called Off Center. ❯ Andrew and Sara Belger Polk ’10 now have four dogs with them in El Paso. He hosts a couple of radio shows with the local iHeartRadio station group focused on current events/politics. She was promoted to supervise a new trauma-focused therapy unit providing services to the victims of the El Paso shooting and providing mental health first response for any future events throughout the state of Texas. ❯ Roy Rao is “Berlivin’ it” (Berlin living and believing) after launching a social venture in China for the past two years and working in Chicago the previous four. ❯ Lin Shi qualified for her Ph.D. in environment and resources while reliving her college RA days serving as a graduate fellow for a 300-undergraduate student dorm. ❯ Molly Stein Tomazin and husband John bought a big ol’ house in the Chicago suburbs just in time to welcome daughter Lucille Myrtle in July. The cats have adjusted well to the newest member of the pack! ❯ Jackie Stillmaker officially earned her 200-hour yoga teaching certificate and celebrated her third year with the Wheeling School District as a school-based occupational therapist bringing mindfulness practices into the schools. ❯ Ariana Tuckey left D.C. after eight years for Chicago, working as an implementation consultant for a SaaS startup. ❯ Kelly Wiggen and her fiancé bought a house with a fenced backyard for the dogs in Columbia, Missouri, while she finishes her final year of cardiology residency at the Mizzou Veterinary Health Center. She passed her general boards exam earlier in 2019 and has signed on to stay as faculty after her residency! ❯ Kristina Ina Niehoff Wiesenberger celebrated her seventh year of teaching, adding PTO responsibilities to the mix. The kids are now six and four…and there’s a puppy. ❯ Calvin Zirkle performs stand-up comedy in San Francisco. He thought about adding a little joke to his update, but then decided he’d rather not.

Class Correspondent: Tim Schmeling trschmeling@gmail.com

Discovery Award for an outstanding first collection by Red Mountain Press, and her choreopoem, How to Exterminate the Black Woman, will launch with [PANK] Books in 2020.

She works as the managing editor for the Santa Fe Writers Project and continues to happily teach activist and performance writing at Susquehanna University in Central Pennsylvania, where she will teach the first-ever choreopoem course in honor of her late greatness, Ntozake Shange. ❯ Kelly Grant writes: “In August 2019 I earned a master’s degree in nursing at Rush University and now work as an oncology RN at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

Partner Kristen and I are getting married in October 2020—and yes, our dogs are in the wedding!” ❯ Last winter, Tory Kassabaum and partner Anthony Meyer ’09 welcomed a sweet baby girl into their lives at their home in Columbia, Missouri. Daughter Orella Lu is spunky, smiley, and the light of their lives. Tory currently stays home with Orella and is the director of City Garden School, a small Waldorf school. Orella comes to work with Tory when she needs to be at school and is loved by all of the students, of course. Tony is a law clerk at the Missouri Supreme Court. ❯ Lauren Smith writes: “I still live in Rockford, Illinois, and codirect a nature preschool. In the summer of 2019, I bought a cute little 1950s era house that I’m fixing up. Turns out I’m a total geek for old houses, and now I’m the weirdo who gets excited about weekend shopping trips to Menards.” ❯ After seven blissful years of partnership, Hayley Schueneman and husband Guilford have decided to consciously uncouple. It has been rough to tell the four little ones that Mother and Father will be solsticing separately from now on, but Hayley is certain they will cope. Guilford

2012 Raluca Oprinca writes: “The year 2019 was filled with exciting things: I got married, I became a certified English middle and high school teacher, I turned 30, I became a French citizen, and my second daughter was born. I am very grateful for everything!” ❯ Madly in love and thriving, Monica Prince’s latest choreopoem Roadmap premiered to sold-out audiences in April at Susquehanna University. Her debut collection of poetry, Instructions for Temporary Survival, won the

Kelly Grant ’12 and friend at graduation at Rush University in Chicago. She received a master’s degree in nursing.

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Jeremy Edison ’14 finished a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of is embarking upon a yearlong silent meditation retreat in the Adirondacks, and she keeps herself busy with her pickling business. She spends most of her time in the backyard, collecting twigs in her apron. ❯ Ed Frazier Davis celebrated three years of marriage with Gabi Sutton this past September. He maintains an active schedule as a freelance composer and singer, currently in his fourth season as composer-in-residence for the William Baker Festival Singers and his second season as a core member of the Grammy-winning Kansas City Chorale. The first-ever professional concert dedicated entirely to his compositions was held on March 6, 2020 in Kansas City’s Helzberg Hall. ❯ After never speaking one single time in all of Knox, Julia Shenkar and Paul Lurenz reconciled their seemingly unknown missed connection and became instant best friends while standing in the middle of the Irish farmland, in the cold dark of emerald night, pondering suspect transportation logistics and the absence of chicken tenders they were told would be served at Kate Donoghue’s wedding. ❯ Kate Donoghue got married and bought a house in Madeira. She would also like to clarify, in response to certain accusations published herein, that while no chicken tenders were supplied as had been advertised, an entirely adequate bounty of pizza was provided instead. ❯ Paul Lurenz III traveled to Ireland in October for chicken tenders, but instead attended the wedding of Kate Donoghue. He also became astrological best friends with Julia Shenkar.

They then made Knox proud on the dance floor alongside Keegan Siebken ’11 and Kyla Tully ’13. Then he went home. ❯ Christina D. Warner writes: “The year 2019 has been terrific.

I published my first book, The Art of Healthcare Innovation, which became an instant Amazon bestseller in three categories. I started writing (outside of work) for Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global. And my German Shepherd dog turned four. You can reach Christina at christinadwarner.com.” ❯ Amanda WollrabArcher is a product manager for Kwikset (a leading brand under Spectrum Brands Corporation). She still lives in Orange County with husband JD and their one-year-old son, Joel.

They enjoy Southern California living to the fullest. Every weekend you can find them at either the beach, a theme park, or a zoo! ❯ Bess Cooley teaches English and creative writing at the University of Tennessee and has recently added to her load positions as managing editor of online content at literary journal Grist and director of the Young Writers Institute, a full, free day of creative writing workshops for high school students in the Knoxville, Tennessee, area.

Class Correspondent: Aparna Kumar aparna.kumarboehm@gmail.com

2013 Franzesca Mayer: After four seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Franzesca has

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moved across the country to work wardrobe for the new Cirque du Soleil show in Disney Springs, Florida.

Class Correspondent: Danny Schaefer danielcschaefer19@gmail.com

2014 Hannah Black is currently biology and environmental science student teacher at Deforest High School and will get her teaching license next semester. ❯ Jessica Ranard no longer drinks Four Loko, is a few months sober, is still writing her book, perfecting a potato soup, losing and finding her wits, making bread, and planning a PowerPoint party. ❯ Amber Hogan finished her master’s in nursing education from Webster University in December. She also got engaged to the love of her life, Adam Theisen. They will get married in August 2020. ❯ Anna Kraemer currently plans to graduate with a Ph.D. in auditory neuroscience this spring from the Neuroscience and Cognitive Sciences program at the University of Maryland, College Park. ❯ Kiley Harrison recently attained an international outdoor education diploma in Germany, and now works in outdoor education administration managing two international children’s camps in Bavaria and Northern Germany. She plays all day. ❯ Karyn Kraska still works as a school psychologist for Chicago Public Schools and lives in Chicago with her tabby cat and Kati Stemple ’16. This past summer, she finished her first halfmarathon. She is working on traveling to more countries over her summer breaks. ❯ Jeremy Edison finished a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Iowa in May 2019 and began as an instructor at Mount Mary University in August.

Also, he got married (to Rebeccah MacKinnon) last November. ❯ Joseph Rozansky and Lauren Styczynski were married in St. Paul, Minnesota, on November 3, 2018. Danica Lewis and Grant and Paige Anderson Lowe all joined the celebration—for which Paige wrote and delivered a charming speech. Joe and Lauren currently live in Minneapolis, near the river, where they enjoy observing the neighborhood rafter of turkeys. ❯ Marcus McGee is working on a Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of Chicago and happily nursing several neurotic habits. ❯ Eliot G. Davis began taking mood stabilizers again, moved on from a catastrophic relationship, and started their dream farm with their dear sister.

They use their free moments to harvest plants in the woods and witchcraft them into medicine.

They work as a caregiver with neurodiverse adults and get paid enough to get by. They spend each morning journaling, drinking tea, and chain-smoking cigarettes on their porch. ❯ Grant and Paige Anderson Lowe are still in Seattle. Grant is at Oracle helping them words better, Paige is at Zillow, a few dozen floors above him in the same building (not intentional, but it makes the commute easier). They bought a condo in June and immediately became even

older than they already were. They are now officially “go to the farmers market to get eggs from our egg lady” years-old. ❯ Emma Weitzel is in her last year of a master’s program in early childhood education at at Erikson Institute and will student teach in a pre-K classroom next semester. ❯ Philip Bennett says, “Every billionaire is a policy failure.” ❯ Samantha Paul and Franz Huebner got engaged and plan to marry next year on 10/10/20. ❯ Chelsea Embree moved from Idaho to Milwaukee with her precious baby cat, who only complained for a third of the drive! In Milwaukee, she’s studying for an M.A. in literature and cultural theory, and since she’s not busy enough, she’s also going for a graduate certificate in women’s and gender studies. She started teaching and found out that she absolutely loves teaching, and that’s what she wants to do with her life. It’s pretty cool to have a sense of direction for the first time ever! ❯ Ashley Wolfgang still lives in Williamsburg and works at Atlas Obscura as their newsletter editor, sending wonderful stories and places to inboxes every day. This past summer she discovered a love for running and is training for her first halfmarathon next year! ❯ Olivia Barnett received a master’s degree in social work from Saint Louis University.

Class Correspondents: Esther Farler-Westphal Natalia Binkowski Kaplan Knoxnotes2014@gmail.com

2015 Class Correspondent: TBA

2016 Class Correspondent: Kati Stemple kstemple2012@gmail.com

2017 Quinn YeEun Lee moved to Budapest, Hungary, in fall 2017 and studies medicine at Semmelweis University. “It hasn’t been easy to settle down in this completely random city,” she says, “but now I’m getting used to it and doing good!” ❯ Elizabeth Clay lives in the Chicago suburbs with boyfriend Nick Sienkiewicz ’15 and their three dogs. She works for an IT consulting firm by day and continues to write as much as possible by night. Check her blog and YouTube channel, paperandprep.com/@paperandprep, where she writes about books and travel. ❯ Emma Thorton-Kolbe moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, in August of this year to start a Ph.D. program in neuroscience at the University of Michigan. ❯ Caroline Foulk recently moved to the McKinley Park neighborhood of Chicago and absolutely loves it. “I still work in commercial property management downtown and am working on some significant projects including our building’s LEED certification. I also completed my ESL tutor certification

Class Knox

f Iowa and is now an instructor at Mount Mary University. through ProLiteracy and will soon begin volunteering at a neighborhood literacy center for adults,” she shares. ❯ Matthew Koester recently took up a job in Galesburg at The Register-Mail as their lead reporter. “After two years with them as a stringer, they decided to take me on full-time in October,” he says. He is very excited to continue his career in media. ❯ Alma Marin has been working as a care coordinator doing short/long term care management at Rush University Medical Center and plans to go back to school for social work. She recently got engaged to David Levy ’18. ❯ Jakub Dulak just signed a contract to be lead writer of an indie web series, while also working in the casting department of several films being produced by an Alabama-based film studio. ❯ Returning from Malaysia after completing her Fulbright Scholarship program, Raeann Boero moved to Everett, Washington, to work as an engagement coordinator for the United Way of Snohomish County. Similar to the way she built her own sense of community in Galesburg, Raeann strives to do the same in Snohomish County. After being an active member of the music community at Knox College, Raeann continues to play the trumpet in the Monroe Community Band and sings in the Everett Chorale. Recently, she was accepted into the Young Professionals program through Leadership Snohomish County. Raeann is excited for this opportunity to make new connections and grow over the next nine months. ❯ Jenny Ripka had her one-year work-iversary at the Naperville Public Library on Halloween.

She enjoys life as a librarian. ❯ Tevin Liao has entered his second year in a higher education and student affairs administration master’s program in upstate New York. He adopted a 3-year-old cat, Mox, who has been such a grounding force for Tevin during the slog of semesters. He still works as a resident director and now has the challenge of overseeing a residence hall of 180 undergraduates. To imagine this scene he says, “Think [of managing] Hamblin, but worse.” ❯ Abigail Neuhauser Rapp is in her third year of medical school at George Washington University and living in Washington, D.C., with husband Torin.

She looks forward to applying for residency positions in emergency medicine next year. ❯ Emily Trevor and Niki Acton ’16 got married and are now the Avertons. They are proud homeowners in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where they live peacefully with their three cats. ❯ Mitch and Hannah McCullough Prentice just celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary. He has been working at Lake Media in Camdenton, Missouri, for the last year and a half. ❯ Crystal Singletary graduated from American University this past May with a master’s degree in psychology. She currently works in human resources in Washington, D.C., at American Humane, a nonprofit committed to ensuring the safety, welfare, and well-being of animals. ❯ Kalie McGuire moved to Northern Iowa in June to work on Beto O’Rourke’s presidential campaign. She is proud

to have moved the conversation forward, though it did not end as she had hoped. She looks forward to continuing to work for a candidate during the Iowa caucus and then for the Democratic nominee during the 2020 election. ❯ Kristina Mengis lives in Omaha, Nebraska, with her cat son, Theodore Meowsevelt. She works as a direct support professional/art instructor at Valiant Studios, an art studio for adults with developmental disabilities. ❯ Jackie Symonds has been working hard to help the community in Lake County, Colorado, home to the highest incorporated city in the U.S.! In the 2017-2018 school year, she joined Americorps and worked as a sustainability coordinator for the after-school program in the Lake County School District.

Jackie and her dog, a lab/German Shepard mix, plan on continuing to enjoy the mountains together. ❯ Elisabeth Zarnoti moved out of her mom’s house this past summer and moved in with Sean Ramsey ’18 and Madison Belka in the south metro area of Minneapolis, just a stone’s throw away from their parents’ houses, with their cat Boi. She landed her first “big girl” job after her AmeriCorps contract with College Possible in June, and started a position as a database specialist at the YWCA in St. Paul, supporting database software and information for the fundraising and program teams. She feels like her projects at the YW are boring to the average person, but knows that they are necessary for agency operations. She decided to hold off on her plans to teach in Japan for another two years, to get more settled in adult life.

Class Correspondent: Elisabeth Zarnoti elisabeth.zarnoti@gmail.com

2018 Class Correspondent: TBA

2019 Class Correspondent: TBA

Marriages and Unions Emily Trevor ’17 and Niki Acton ’16 on 9/7/19.

Joseph Rozansky ’14 and Lauren Styczynski ’14 on 10/11/18.

Raluca Oprinca ’12 and Georgian Melinte on 4/20/19.

Kate Donoghue ’12 and Hugh O’Brien on 10/13/19.

Brigette Atcheson-Demke ’11 and Cole Atcheson ’13 on 4/27/19.

Amelia Gant ’11 and Nick Aitken on 11/8/19.

Carly Kirven ’11 and Judd McCullum on 3/17/19.

Amanda Sicoli ’11 and Aaron Mills on 6/8/19.

Will Gallmeyer ’09 and Samantha Breaux on 6/1/19.

Kimberly Anderson ’09 and Richard Kasper on 9/21/19.

Vanessa Jeske ’08 and Stephen Dow on 6/28/19.

Varsh Srivatsan ’08 and Andrew MacGill on 3/9/19.

Mary Batterman ’07 and Eric Rauscher on 4/6/19.

Tessa Huffman Drayton ’02 and Andrew Drayton on 10/10/18.

Deaths Maurice Stamps ’39 on 8/22/19.

Louise Naffziger Reeser ’40 on 1/7/20.

Lura Rabenstein Dillow ’45 on 1/6/20.

Jean Brengle Eldred ’45 on 11/23/18.

Marye McElvaine Immenhausen ’45 on 10/16/19.

Martha Ayres Wilhoyt ’45 on 10/1/17.

Roy Henningsen ’47 on 6/8/14.

Margaret Milton Johnson ’47 on 8/17/18.

Claire Elizabeth Loughhead ’47 on 12/26/18.

Doris Brand Buehrer ’48 on 9/16/19.

Mary Lou Olson Dredge ’48 on 10/17/19.

Elmer F. Chessman ’49 on 9/23/19.

Angeline Vourgias Govostis ’49 on 10/23/19.

Stella McMaster Trench ’49 on 7/18/19.

Jeannine Whitcomb Asquith ’50 on 11/1/16.

James W. Fairbairn ’50 on 9/7/19.

Jack Foster ’50 on 7/26/18.

Richard G Stebbins ’50 on 10/20/19.

Charles J. Andersen ’51 on 5/29/19.

Frank George Folkers ’51 on 12/1/17.

C. Lyonel Nelson ’51 on 8/28/19.

BJ Naffziger Marion ’51 on 1/14/18.

Margaret Wetmore Weber ’51 on 1/17/20.

Anne Claypool Brown ’52 on 10/17/19.

Robert D. Carter Jr. ’52 on 7/4/19.

Charles J. Green ’52 on 1/6/20.

Alan Hedges ’52 on 10/29/18.

Donald R. Nielsen ’52 on 12/11/19.

Delores Little Cox ’53 on 4/20/19.

Nancy Karon Drake ’53 on 7/11/19.

Charles Howland ’53 on 6/30/19.

Martha Crean Wyatt ’53 on 10/20/18.

Dick W. Zylstra ’53 on 12/23/18.

Nancy Scott Armstrong ’54 on 1/12/20.

John Barney Johnson ’54 on 1/16/20.

Warren Smiley ’54 on 9/7/19.

Dale A. Arahood ’55 on 12/8/19.

Chauncey R. Charlson Jr. ’55, date not reported.

Raymond Hansen ’56 on 8/19/19.

Ronald F Pihera ’56 on 10/5/19.

Robert J. Sparks ’56 on 11/28/19.

Daniel Henderson Babbitt ’57 on 7/10/19.

William D. Haller ’57 on 10/14/19.

Susan Craig ’58 on 8/31/19.

James Moorhead ’58 on 12/29/19.

Fred Oster ’58 on 8/25/19.

Lois Diffenbaugh Runyon ’58 on 8/2/19.

Gabriele Puetter Hahn ’59 on 10/2/19.

William H. Boyd ’61 on 8/23/19.

William Matthes ’61 on 5/18/19.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2020

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In Memoriam Robert J. Sparks ’56, Emeritus Trustee

PETER BAILLEY ’74

Emeritus Trustee Robert J. Sparks ’56 passed away on Thursday, November 28, 2019, in Galesburg. He was 85 years old.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Katherine, and a son, daughter, and two grandchildren.

Sparks was born in Galesburg in 1934 and graduated from Galesburg High School in 1952. In 1956, Sparks graduated from Knox with honors in business administration.

He served in the United States Army, stationed in El Paso, Texas, for two years.

Upon returning to Galesburg, Sparks worked for Rowe Manufacturing and later with the United Federal Savings Bank until he retired as president in 1985.

Sparks served the Knox College community as an active trustee from 1981 until 1988 and remained a life trustee until his death.

He and Katherine were enthusiastic supporters of the College and members of the President’s Circle Giving Society. The Sparks family name can be found on the Sparks Smith Gallery in Alumni Hall, the Sparks Digital Studio in the Whitcomb Art Center, and the golf coach’s office in the Schmid Golf Performance Center.

He previously served as president of the Knox College Alumni Association and chapter advisor to the Phi Delta Theta fraternity at Knox.

Sparks was also active in the Galesburg community. He served on the board and was past president of OSF St. Mary Medical Center and the Foundation Council, retiring in 2014. Bob was a member and past president of Soangetaha Country Club and Galesburg Rotary Club. He was also past president of the Knox County YMCA board, serving at the time the current facility was built.

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KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2020

F. Clark Shelton ’61 on 5/14/19.

Dennis Borden ’62 on 7/3/19.

Thomas R. Challos ’62 in September 2019.

Elizabeth Wallace Empen ’62 on 8/16/19.

William P. Bramanti ’63 on 3/20/18.

Gary Nelson ’63 on 2/18/19.

Sherry Bell ’64 on 12/14/19.

Margaret Lawton Click ’64 on 1/10/19.

Barbara Hull ’64 on 3/6/15.

Virginia Lund Johanson ’64 on 7/8/19.

Sukh Dev Bassi ’65 on 1/14/20.

Donald Elliott ’65 on 12/25/19.

Charles R. Kutal ’65 on 8/29/19.

Sarah Larson ’65 on 9/18/19.

Carolyn Northcutt Radebaugh ’65 on 1/15/19.

Julia Terpening Klugman ’66 on 12/13/19.

Richard Vincent Gronemeyer ’66 on 6/17/19.

Lawrence C. Gray ’67 on 8/5/19.

Elizabeth Sperry Martin ’67 on 9/16/19.

Bonnie Newon Preis ’68 on 6/18/19.

Jonathan E. Gradess ’69 on 10/2/19.

Erica Overberger-Greenbaum ’69 on 10/21/19.

Gail Rulle ’70 on 12/30/19.

Charles Koester ’71 on 12/7/19.

Clifford P. Senkpiel ’71 in December 2019.

B. Carol Adams ’72 on 1/13/14.

Bruce Buswell ’72 on 9/21/19.

Donita Swiatek Lopez ’72 on 7/2/19.

Geraldine Harlan Pahel ’72 on 7/4/19.

Margaret “Jane” Parker Hise ’73 on 11/7/19.

Roberta Malone Rooney ’73 on 12/19/18.

Glen Moberg ’74 on 8/31/19.

Kimberly Feyerabend Phelan ’74 on 9/28/18.

John Janacik ’79 on 8/8/19.

Nancy Bickford Murray ’80 on 3/8/19.

Deborah G. Dennis ’83 on 12/8/19.

Gregory M. Miller ’84 on 4/18/19.

Robert M. Pomice ’84 on 11/2/19.

Todd Ryan ’86 on 1/6/20.

Dana L. Compton Wittman ’87 on 7/21/19.

Timothy M. Neja ’88 on 10/20/19.

Jason M Carr ’03 on 10/22/19.

Jonathan Keene Tupper ’17 on 1/15/20.

Deaths of Friends Jan Bronson, wife of Jim Bronson ’66, in January 2016.

Margie Elliott, wife of George Elliott ’55, on 11/1/16.

John Radebaugh, husband of Carolyn Northcutt Radebaugh ’65, on 3/21/17.

Paul Weegar, husband of Christine Wilson Weegar ’68, on 4/1/17.

Vincent Kafka, husband of Judith Allen Kafka ’58, on 11/19/17.

Merrill Ito, husband of Holly Harvey Ito ’68, on 12/20/17.

C. Hess Haagen, husband of Marian Nelson Haagen ’41, on 12/26/17.

Carol Henningsen, wife of Roy Henningsen ’47, on 1/3/18.

Bonnie Peaslee, wife of Ronald Peaslee ’55 and mother of Alan Peaslee ’84, on 10/12/18.

George Dimitroff, formerly of mathematics, on 1/31/19.

Willie Belle Buck, mother of Bill Buck ’64, Ernie Buck ’74, and Kenneth Buck ’79, on 3/30/19.

Rebecca Yount, wife of David Yount ’56, on 5/23/19.

Peter Anthony Lombard, father of Lynette Lombard, art, and father-in-law of Tony Gant, art, on 6/20/19.

Willis A. Stewart, husband of Sara Dolder Stewart ’55, on 6/21/19.

Glenn Richard Normile, former director of safety and father of Brian Normile ’09, on 6/26/19.

Barbara Charlson, wife of Chauncey R. Charlson Jr. ’55, on 6/28/19.

Geraldine Harlan Pahel, widow of Ivan Harlan, longtime Knox administrator, and of Ken Pahel, philosophy, on 7/4/19.

Michael Crowell, Professor Emeritus of English, on 7/15/19.

Daniel Huff, formerly of the business office, on 8/13/19.

Eloise Sholl, formerly of facilities, on 8/22/19.

Beverly Stoerzbach, wife of Robert Stoerzbach ’45, on 8/24/19.

Gerald Pica, father of Tolan Pica ’93, on 9/4/19.

Stephen Choma Jr., father of Craig Choma ’93, associate professor of theatre, and father-in-law of Jennifer (Jen) Smith, associate professor and chair of dance, on 9/7/19.

William G. “Robbie” Robinson Jr., formerly of campus safety, brother of Dan Robinson, campus safety, and brother-in-law of Donna Robinson, chemistry, on 9/13/19.

John R. Sellers, friend of the College, on 10/6/19.

Helen May Gillespie Maust, mother of Scott Maust, facilities, on 10/25/19.

Wally Pretzer, widower of Diane Goodrich Pretzer ’52, on 10/31/19.

Pauline Sadowski, mother of Mary Dian Sadowski ’72, on 11/5/19.

Rodney Davis, Szold Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of History and Co-director of the Lincoln Studies Center, on 11/5/19.

George I. Inness, friend of the College, on 11/27/19.

Kenneth L. Sargent, friend of the College, on 12/6/19.

Carol L. “Sue” Chase, formerly of alumni relations, on 12/7/19.

Thomas Yancey, former economics faculty member, on 12/31/19.

Francis Atlee Sheets, friend of the College, on 1/5/20.

Bruce Haywood, father of Elizabeth Haywood ’88, on 1/7/20.

V. Irene Wells, friend of the College, on 1/20/20.

Diane Frenster, wife of Tom Moses, physics, on 1/27/20.

Class Knox In Memoriam Rodney O. Davis, Szold Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of History and Co-founder of The Lincoln Studies Center

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2020

FILE PHOTO

The Knox community mourns the loss of Rodney O. Davis, who passed away on Tuesday, November 5, 2019.

Davis received a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1954 and a master’s degree in 1959 from the University of Kansas. He received his doctorate in history from the University of Iowa in 1966. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1954 to 1957, when he was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant, and he served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves until 1969, when he was honorably discharged as a captain.

He began teaching American history at Knox in 1963 and helped establish Knox’s American Studies program.

Davis was a much-honored scholar and teacher who twice received Knox College’s Philip Green Wright-Lombard College Prize for Excellence in teaching. Among his other recognitions were National Endowment for the Humanities program grants, the Caterpillar Faculty Achievement Award at Knox College, and a Newberry Library Fellowship. He also was a specialist in 19th century American history, a recognized authority on the history of Illinois, and a prize-winning essayist.

After retiring from teaching in 1997, Davis and one of his Knox colleagues, Douglas L. Wilson, George A. Lawrence Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of English, established and co-directed the Lincoln Studies Center at Knox College.

Davis’ many scholarly publications include an introduction to the reprint of They Broke the Prairie, Earnest Elmo Calkins’ history of Knox College and Galesburg; “Private Albert Cashier, as Regarded by His/Her Comrades” in Illinois Historical Journal; and Herndon’s Lincoln, Herndon’s Informants: Letters, Interviews and Statements About Abraham Lincoln, and The Lincoln-Douglas Debates: The Lincoln Studies Center Edition, all co-edited with Wilson.

In a collaborative project with the Library of Congress, Davis and Wilson served as supervising editors for the transcription and annotation of the Abraham Lincoln Papers on the Library’s website.

In 2009, in recognition of their scholarly work on Lincoln, Davis and Wilson were named laureates of the Order of Lincoln, the highest honor conferred by the state of Illinois.

Davis also was a member of the Organization of American Historians, the Illinois State Historical Society, and the Abraham Lincoln Association. He oversaw the yearlong activities surrounding Knox College’s sesquicentennial celebrations in 1987, served as vice-chairperson of the Galesburg City Sesquicentennial Commission, and was a charter board member of the Galesburg Landmark Commission.

Davis is survived by his wife, Norma, three daughters, two grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters.

To celebrate his dedication to Knox students as well as his years of scholarship on the third floor of Old Main, the Davis family requests that memorials be directed to Knox College at knoxalumni.org/RodneyDavisMemorial to support the renovation of the student study lounge in Room 306 of Old Main, which will be named in his honor.

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