Knox Magazine Spring 2015 by Knox College

SPRING 2015

Room to Maneuver Once-aspiring engineer discovers the arts

Stephanie Grimes, Learning Specialist

5 6

You may have noticed there are two sitting areas in Stephanie Grimes’s office. As the learning specialist in the Center for Teaching and Learning, she sees about 80-90 students with disabilities each term and works with them to identify strategies they can employ to be successful in the classroom. At her desk, she and students tackle official business like paperwork. The upholstered chairs in the corner, though, are where they really get to know each other. “Students sprawl out, they have some tea, and we talk about what’s going on. Many of the students I see are very concerned and anxious about doing well in their classes. This is a safe space for reflection, to talk through things, figure out appropriate decisions, and plan accordingly.”

Welcome to Stephanie’s ofﬁce. Make yourself comfortable!

EVAN TEMCHIN ’10

1. A watercolor painting by her sister-in law, Adrienne Younger. “I’m very family-centered, but I have always put a lot of myself into my job. It’s good to have pieces of home around me, even when I’m working.” 2. Sculptures given to her by students, including a plaque that reads, “Perseverance: The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.”

3. “Squirrely,” a plush black squirrel she received from her alma mater Kent State University, where the animal is an unofficial mascot. 4. A bulletin board filled with photos of the Knox campus through the seasons, created by Stephanie’s predecessor, Jane Varakin. She especially likes the photo of mortarboards from a recent Commencement ceremony. “It’s good to be reminded this is what we’re all working toward.”

Open Door

1 2

5. A basket of stress toys. “Students come in here, and they’re anxious or unhappy, and I tell them, ‘Let’s breathe. Here, have a ball.’ Sometimes they give them back and sometimes they hang onto them, which is wonderful. I have a huge supply.” 6. The talking stick, given to Stephanie by her mentor, Rich Foss. Stephanie loves to talk, so she gives it to students to make sure they have a voice, too.

7. An octopus sculpture, given to Stephanie during her first year at Knox by a student who was having difficulties with a ceramics class.

MAGAZINE VOLUME 99, ISSUE 1

SPRING 2015

“SIT YOUR ASS IN THE SEAT AND WRITE. THAT’S THE ONLY PROVEN WAY TO GET BETTER, NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF WRITING YOU ARE DOING.” JEFF SALYARDS ’94 (PAGE 36)

Busting Myths of Job Success

Departments

Jane Strode Miller ’81 has become one of today’s leading career experts with a new book, Sleep Your Way to the Top (and Other Myths about Business Success), and a new website, janeknows.com, that builds upon her successful career as a CEO and entrepreneur.

Page 6

Matt Berg, International Problem Solver

Open Door

Inside front cover

2 East South Street

Page 4

The South Lawn

Page 22

Knox Writes

Page 36

Class Knox

Page 39

Parting Shot

Inside back cover

Alumni Achievement Award winner and one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People in the World,” Matt Berg ’00 tackles some of the world’s toughest and most complex challenges—like helping to stop the spread of Ebola—through the use of technology.

Page 12

Bridging the Gap–TRIO Celebrates 40 Years of Expanding Access Knox’s TRIO Achievement Program launched in 1974 with just 12 students and a federal grant of $9,000. Last year, 165 students were served with the support of federal monies totaling roughly $300,000 per year. And the results speak for themselves.

On the cover: Bryan Valencia ’15, creative writing major and dance minor, completes a dance move during his “I am Knox” photo shoot in Auxiliary Gymnasium. Read more about Bryan on page 30. Photo by Evan Temchin ’10.

Page 16

layout deSignerS Ami Jontz

aSSiStant editor Pamela Chozen

ContributorS, Writing & photography

aSSoCiate editor

Adriana Colindres

Peter G. Bailley ’74,

Evan Temchin ’10

News & Photography

Special thanks to Melissa Arney and Lori Reed.

Becky Hale

Cheri Siebken

Knox Magazine is published twice yearly by the Ofﬁce of Communications, Box K-233, Knox College, Galesburg, IL 61401-4999, Phone: 309-341-7760; Fax: 309-341-7718; E-mail: knoxmag@knox.edu. It is distributed free of charge to Knox alumni, students, parents, and friends. The magazine welcomes information and story ideas. Please query before submitting manuscripts. ISSN: 0047-3499

Niki Acton ’16 Erica Baumgardner ’16

Visit us online at www.knox.edu/knoxmag.

PETER BAILLEY ’74

editor Megan Scott ’96

Window to the World Angel Zuaznabal â&#x20AC;&#x2122;15, scans downtown Galesburg from a window on the sixth floor of the Bondi Building on the day that he and 13 other students in StartUp Term cleaned the office where theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be working all spring. More about StartUp Term on page 24.

Lessons at 40

turned 40 this past summer, and after reaching this oft-celebrated (or dreaded) milestone, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about other milestones that I’ve experienced. It didn’t take long for me to realize that most of these moments are associated with Knox College.

JOHN WILLIAMS ’12

I’m a third-generation legacy, so Knox has always been a part of my life, but my relationship with the school changed when I became a student 18 years ago. I took courses in philosophy, women’s studies, and Black studies for the first time; lived with a roommate from Japan; read Moby Dick; studied abroad in London; completed an Honors project; met my husband; and built life-long friendships. Almost a decade after I graduated, I returned to Knox, this time as the advancement communications coordinator. I had the opportunity to do things I’ve never done before--write annual reports, edit this alumni magazine, interview alumni of all backgrounds, and understand more closely how the College works. Each year since then, I’ve been given opportunities to stretch and grow my professional skills, learning something new about myself and Knox along the way.

But this year has been different. While I don’t feel much older than current students, I do feel a profound difference between myself and students for the first time in my Knox career. And that’s made me think. A lot. I’ve realized that it’s not just my age but my position at Knox that contributes to this new feeling. Over the last year, through walkouts and protests and in campus conversations, our students have pointed out the gaps between Knox’s values and rhetoric and their lived experiences. My job is to help the College respond to their concerns, which, at times, has been professionally and personally challenging. But that’s OK. Whether I’m a student, alumna, or staff member, my connection to this college is always, at its heart, about my education. Knox challenged me to confront and challenge my beliefs as a student. Why should it be any different as an employee? I learn from my colleagues, from our alumni, and, most important, from our students. I am constantly encouraged to keep an open mind, to challenge my assumptions, to cultivate my curiosity, to acknowledge and correct my mistakes, and to grow as an individual. And this isn’t easy. It wasn’t easy 18 years ago, and it’s especially not so today. I may be older and wiser (I hope), but, thanks to Knox, I’m still learning and growing. And that’s always a good thing. —Megan Scott ’96

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Letters to the Editor

Editor’s Note

Knox Connections I was looking through the most recent issue and came across Film & Everyday EcoDisasters, co-authored by Knox alumnus Joseph K. Heumann ’71. As it so happens, I worked on that book as a typesetter at the University of Nebraska Press—you’ll ﬁnd my name on the copyright page. But I thought it was especially hilarious because, while I worked on the book, I found myself thinking, this book is very Knox-y, the sort of thing we’d have a class about. And I was oblivious to the Knox connection until I saw the magazine. Knox is such an amazingly talented and small world, and once you become a part of it, you recognize those values in others without realizing it. I thought I’d share this story with you all at the magazine, that you’d get a kick out of it as much as I did. —Renni Johnson ’13

Send us your letters! Knox Magazine welcomes the opinions and comments of its readers. Write to the Editor, Knox Magazine, Box K-233, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401-4999, or e-mail knoxmag@knox.edu. Letters should refer to material published in the magazine and may be edited for length or clarity.

2 East South Street From the President The Value of Our Prairie College

Exorbitant tuitions, unemployed graduates drowning in debt, useless liberal arts degrees—this is the picture of higher education painted in the national media. As a liberal arts college graduate and current president, as well as a labor economist, I find these accounts painful and, sometimes, infuriating. I imagine you may feel the same way.

Tuition: We are very mindful at Knox of the impact of tuition increases on our families and have made every effort to make them our last resort as we seek to provide enhanced services and facilities to our students. (The growth in tuition between 2014 and 2015 will be the lowest increase in 40 years.) Some of the factors contributing to the rise in education costs nationwide and at Knox are enhancements, such as the growing sophistication of technology and scientific instrumentation, safety requirements like dormitory sprinklers, and growth in the quality and scope of services in areas like career services, counseling, and study abroad. But it is incumbent upon us at liberal arts colleges to be relentless in our pursuit of appropriate cost-efficiencies. At Knox, for instance, we have saved many thousands of dollars through implementing open-source technologies and cloud-based software. As a result of these and other economies, U.S. News & World Report named Knox one of the top 10 most cost-efficient small colleges in the country (9 of the 10 are in the Midwest!).

KENT KRIEGSHAUSER

My training as an economist has taught me that the only way to combat such inaccuracy is with facts, and so, I share some facts with which you could rebut these myths.

Debt and employment: The astronomical debt burdens you read about are naturally a cause for concern, but it is important to recognize that the debt figures usually cited include graduate school debt, which accounts for the lion’s share of the total. The figures also include debt incurred by students at for-profit institutions, as well as those who fail to earn a degree. One quarter of students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree from a four-year private college or university did not have any educational debt, and nearly half had less than $20,000 in debt. Moreover, the difference between the median debt levels for graduates who borrowed at public versus independent institutions is only $4,375. The average Knox student graduates with approximately $26K in debt, less than the national average, but many of our students go on to earn master’s, professional, and doctorate degrees. To help them avoid incurring burdensome debt, we need to work hard to replace loans with grants in our financial aid packages. Knox’s Above & Beyond fundraising initiatives (www.knox.edu/aboveandbeyond) have set a goal of $5 million in endowed scholarships to help us lower our graduates’ indebtedness, and we are poised to achieve that goal in the coming year. I hope you will help us raise even more! The liberal arts degree: There is widespread confusion about what, exactly, a “liberal arts degree” really means. Some have even asserted that science degrees are not liberal arts! At Knox, with our remarkable history of preparing students for careers in science, medicine and technology, we know better, but the misinformation continues. We also know what employers say: more than 80 percent of employers state that every student should have a broad foundation in the liberal arts. The success of our graduates—who lead Fortune 500 companies and nonprofits, conduct major research, teach at leading educational institutions, found startups, argue cases in front of the Supreme Court, and more—speaks for itself. But for a fuller picture, I refer you to the website of the Council on Independent Colleges (www.liberalartspower.org) or to Fareed Zakaria’s new book, In Defense of Liberal Education. I believe that there is no better preparation for a 21st-century world than a liberal arts education. Thanks to my position, I am able to see this belief realized every day in the accomplishments of our students and graduates. I encourage you to visit the Knox website regularly or follow us on social media to learn more about those accomplishments. That, together with the facts I’ve shared above, should provide all of us with enough fodder to convince anyone of the value of our prairie college. —Teresa Amott

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Busting Myths of Job Success BY ADRIANA COLINDRES PHOTOS BY PETER BAILLEY ’74

Jane Strode Miller ’81 has found success again and again in the corporate world—as CEO of Rudi’s Organic Bakery and as a top-level executive at Heinz, PepsiCo, and Hostess. Sure, she could simply revel in her achievements, but she is committed to helping others ﬁnd their own version of success. 6

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

“I didn’t want to be the boring old CEO. ‘Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, this is your mother talking.’”

wo years ago, Jane Strode Miller launched her own career advice website, JaneKnows.com. She released her first book, Sleep Your Way to the Top (and Other Myths about Business Success), last year. A combination of humor and practical advice, it has earned positive reviews for its useful content and lively tone. The book’s title and its cover—a cartoon drawing of the legs of a woman wearing black fishnet stockings and red high-heeled shoes—are a little provocative, and so is some of its language. That was a deliberate decision, Miller says. “I didn’t want to be the boring old CEO.‘Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, this is your mother talking,’” Miller says of her approach to writing the book. Rather, she wanted her writing style to reflect her extensive business experience while at the same time presenting her insights “in a way that was funny and lighthearted and a bit sassy, a little smart-alecky.” Her website, too, displays a combination of solid career advice and lightheartedness. Along with short videos and excerpts from her book, there’s Jane’s Store, which sells Sleep Your Way to the Top lingerie, such as a black nightgown and pink pajamas.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

“With an education, a person has options in life. Without an education, you don’t.” Miller says the idea for the book came about when, after many years as a “corporate vagabond” moving from place to place, she decided to put down roots in Colorado. She became involved as a mentor with the University of Colorado and with the Unreasonable Institute, a Boulder-based organization that assists early-stage entrepreneurs with their socially minded, worldchanging ventures. The people she was interacting with, mostly in their 20s, kept asking her the same sorts of questions. “They weren’t technical questions or technology questions,” she says. “They were questions about personal interactions and difﬁcult situations. What I realized—I had this real ‘aha’ moment—was that although I was working with young people who wanted to change the world and had all the ideas, what they didn’t have was the experience.” “All of a sudden, I thought of myself almost as an entrepreneur, ‘Oh my gosh, the thing that I’ve got, that they don’t have, is [at the time] 30 years of experience.’ And so, how do I put that all into one place where somebody can go and get practical advice on situations from horrible bosses to leaving a job to interviewing for a job?” The book “really came out of the fact that I was feeling that there were consistent themes that were happening to young people, and they were consistent with the themes from when I started

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

out,” she adds. Those themes needed to be addressed, Miller believed, and she had the skills and experience to do it.

MYTH: “IT’S ALL ABOUT LUCK” Miller, a Russian studies major at Knox, originally intended on a career as a lawyer and never took a single business class as an undergrad. Even so, she credits her Knox education for providing “the foundation of my whole career.” “I grew up in Peoria. No one in my family had gone to college, and the opportunity here was one where I could get an excellent education that would give me options,” she says. “My grandfather, who was the biggest inﬂuence in my life, was a person who basically said to me: With an education, a person has options in life. Without an education, you don’t.” Miller’s ﬁrst job after college was as an administrative assistant at a bank in Texas. There, she developed a growing interest in the business world. But money was tight. To earn more, she worked a second job selling ties in a department store. She eventually took the graduate school admission test, scoring well. She also discovered that she could attend graduate school for free, thanks to the Zales Corporation, which sponsored a full scholarship for someone who had worked in retail and wanted to get a master’s degree in business administration.

Jane Strode Miller makes it a point to visit the Knox campus when she can. She presented the keynote address at the College’s most recent Career Impact Summit, which helps liberal arts students navigate the job market.

That’s one example of what Miller calls the “serendipity”—some might call it luck—of her life and career. Throughout the book, she calls on readers to create their own serendipity. “Luck does happen, but you can create your own luck,” says Miller, whose career in business started to take off after graduate school. “You can create good luck, like preparing yourself for an interview. Or you can create bad luck, like being super-negative

How the Book Is Set Up

when you leave a company and ruining your reputation. All those things, you actually have control over.”

MYTH: “DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET AHEAD” One of the key themes of the book is that reaching the top is different for everyone. In other words, instead of trying to reach “the” top, people should strive to get to their own top, whatever that might be.

“Everybody has a different journey that they’re going to go on,” says Miller. “My book is not about becoming a CEO of a company. It is about trying to ﬁgure out what is the important thing to you that means success, and that you feel like you’ve had the accomplishment that’s important to you.” “I think why this really resonates with me is that we are all different. We can’t all aspire to the same things, and we shouldn’t all aspire to the same things.”

Sleep Your Way to the Top (and Other Myths about Business Success) is organized into six sections, with titles such as “Branding Yourself, Interviewing, Networking, and First Jobs” and “Catgirls, Bullies, Disturbing Guys, and Things That Suck.” Each section consists of several short chapters, with each one presenting a “myth” of business success, and Miller’s anecdotes, advice, and encouragement. Some of the “myths” she writes about—and knocks down as untrue—include: • You are the only person in the universe who is not living the dream. • Only extroverts win in the corporate world. • Getting ﬁred is the end of your career.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

“I feel like I could do literally anything I want to do because I’ve got this super-strong foundation.”

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Miller makes a point of not portraying herself as a “superwoman” who can do everything perfectly. “I probably share more things I did wrong than I did right in the book, to some degree. I think it’s more vulnerable in that kind of way,” she says. Another key message in the book, she says, is: “You’re going to make a lot of mistakes. But here are some obvious ones that I made, so you don’t need to make those.” “Make your own mistakes,” Miller adds with a laugh. “A number of things I did, like quitting a job without having a job, being super-emotional at work, some of those things you just don’t have to do. But if somebody tells you about their mistakes, maybe you’ll avoid those so you can carve out whatever your own mistakes might be.”

MYTH: “IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU” In addition to the book, website, and mentoring projects, Miller shares her knowledge in other ways, too. She recently started co-teaching a class at the University of Colorado, for example. She also returns to the Knox campus periodically, most recently to deliver a keynote address and participate in several sessions at the College’s Career Impact Summit in December 2014. The annual summit, designed to help liberal arts students navigate the job market, is organized by the Bastian Family Career Center and sponsored by the John D. Carlin Career Development Support Fund. “Jane has led an incredible career, and there have been ups and downs along the way,” says Knox student Chanda Harrell ’15, who attended Miller’s presentations and joined her at

dinner during the summit. An economics major with minors in business and management and Spanish, Harrell has accepted a job with KPMG in Chicago, Illinois. “Jane has worked for very large corporations herself, and she told me that it is important to stay true to yourself and remember to not let yourself be intimidated by the thought of working in such a big place,” Harrell says. During her visit to Knox, Miller mentioned that she is considering an opportunity for a job as a venture partner. Miller admits she isn’t an expert on finance, but says that doesn’t really matter for the type of work she’d be doing: helping businesses to succeed and grow. “Even though it’s a job about investing money in people—that’s the finance part of it—the bigger part of it is making bets on businesses that can win. And that’s the thing that I bring to the party. The bet that I’m placing is that although I don’t know how to structure Preferred Class A Options or any of that stuff, what I am going to be able to do is look at women’s businesses and help them get their wings—which is what I’m really excited about.” Miller says her new job opportunity also is a reflection of the intellectual curiosity she developed while at Knox. “I feel like I could do literally anything I want to do because I’ve got this super-strong foundation. I could learn business, [and] I could learn how to be a venture capitalist because my brain is wired to be intellectually curious, to solve problems, and to like complexity. I think those are things that are fundamental in a liberal arts education.”

Jane Knows: Some Tips for Young Alumni 1. Stay connected to Knox. Why do you want to stay connected? Because staying connected to the school keeps you connected to people with similar interests, backgrounds, and experiences who could potentially help you. 2. deﬁne your “top” for you, whatever that may be. It may change over time, but be very clear what is important to you—not to somebody else. 3. don’t be afraid to make mistakes. They are so much the fabric of the person that you’re going to become. Unless you do something illegal, every mistake is something that you can coursecorrect from—if you’re learning from it. 4. help other people. don’t wait. You can still be 22 or 23 years old, and there’s somebody that’s in college or high school or a peer who could use your help. You don’t have to get to be my age and to be a senior person in business to be a mentor. Mentorship should happen at all ages, and you’re a better mentee if you’re a really good mentor.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Matt Berg, Internati

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

onal Problem-Solver BY ADRIANA COLINDRES PHOTOS BY RANDY SQUIRES

Matt Berg ’00 tackles some of the world’s toughest and most complex challenges—like helping to stop the spread of Ebola—through the use of technology. How did he get where he is today?

s a Knox student, Matt Berg already pretty much knew what he wanted to do with his life: work with computers in Africa. That was before the advent of text-messaging and smart phones, tools now central to Berg’s mission to help people in the developing world lead better, healthier lives through technology. Berg has been utilizing his international problem-solving skills for years. “Basically, what I do is I apply technology to help address development challenges. That’s probably the simplest way to describe what I’ve been doing with my life so far,” he says. “I get to work on some of the world’s biggest challenges with some of the world’s smartest and most dedicated people,” Berg adds. “It’s extremely fulﬁlling to see something you build be used around the world to make a difference.” Consider some of the projects Berg has been involved with in the past few years: – Reducing child mortality rates in Africa through a health monitoring system, called ChildCount+, that enables community health workers to easily share information on every child they treat and to quickly identify larger health trends. – Ensuring that votes were counted accurately and securely in the 2014 elections in Libya. – Collecting data related to last year’s Ebola outbreak to track the spread of the disease—and help stop it.

Berg’s expertise in combining technology and international development has earned him recognition both within the Knox community and far beyond it. Just months after being selected for Knox’s 2010 Young Alumni Achievement Award, he received a much bigger honor: a place among Time magazine’s “100 Most Inﬂuential People in the World.” Time praised Berg’s role in helping reduce child mortality rates through the ChildCount+ monitoring program. “As technology director for ChildCount+, he helps oversee a network of community-health workers who regularly examine local children, treat their ills and then text back the status of every sick child they ﬁnd,” the Time article states. “This allows for improved health monitoring, faster interventions and better immunization and treatment campaigns.” KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Now, Berg is continuing with his work through Ona, a company he cofounded in 2013 with Ukang’a Dickson and two others. Ona, which has ofﬁces in Nairobi, Kenya, and New York, is a social enterprise technology company that assists non-governmental organizations and other groups with data collection and analysis. Ona’s clients have included UNICEF, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization (WHO). “At the root, we are a software startup—something you’d expect to see maybe in Silicon Valley,” says Berg. “We’re doing it in Nairobi, Kenya, where we are developing a team of Kenyan software engineers and designers to develop world-class software.”

JOINING THE FIGHT AGAINST EBOLA In a recent project, Ona has been collaborating with WHO on responding to the Ebola crisis. Last fall, Berg spent a couple of weeks in Liberia, one of the countries experiencing an outbreak of the deadly disease. “Primarily, we’ve been working with a group in the infection protection control. Basically, their job is to make sure that health workers who are working on the response—whether it’s WHO staff or whether it’s local health workers—stay safe,” says Berg. “There’s a lot of risk in treatment, so it’s very important that the treatment centers follow a lot of proper guidelines to make sure there’s no risk of exposure.” “In general, the tools that we’ve developed have been used by the government and by partners for data collection, using smart phones to help get more information about what’s happening on the ground.” While the average person in Africa doesn’t have a smart phone, the devices

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

are becoming more affordable, and development groups such as UNICEF or WHO easily can equip their staffs with what essentially are pocket computers for data collection, Berg says. Some of the speciﬁc uses of his technology in Liberia allowed for: – Quick assessments and interviews with health workers who became infected with Ebola, which led to a better understanding of whether inadequate training or a breakdown in procedures led to infection. – Safe burial of people who died from Ebola. When workers picked up the body of someone who had the disease, they used the GPS on a smart phone to track the body’s location. – Mapping the locations of community treatment centers and tracking the supplies they did or didn’t have. The efforts by Berg and many others to ease the Ebola crisis appear to be succeeding. According to a New York Times article published January 31, 2015, the deadly epidemic is on the decline. “New Ebola cases in Liberia, where streets were littered with the dead just a few months ago, now number in the single digits, according to the World Health Organization,” the article states.

BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN PEOPLE, ORGANIZATIONS Whenever Ona takes on a project, whether it’s the Ebola crisis or something else, there’s no typical way of approaching it, says Berg. “It really depends on the project. Usually it starts with a conversation with our partner on what problem they are trying to solve. We always try to start here before introducing the technology. It’s very easy to fall into the

Matt Berg ’00 lives in Kenya, where he works as CEO and co-founder of Ona, but he returns from time to time to the United States. In November, he was in Springfield, Illinois, to visit his parents.

trap of having a tool/technology looking for a problem,” he explains. “We help them develop a strategy on how to use technology to help improve what they are trying to do. This usually involves data. We then determine if the tools we have can be adapted [or improved] to meet their needs. Many

“[Berg] understands the problems faced in the international development space and has a knack for how technology works.”

“He understands the problems faced in the international development space and has a knack for how technology works,” Dickson says, adding that Berg also understands how technology can improve people’s lives. “He values relationships he builds with the people he meets, wants to build bridges between people and between organizations,” adds Dickson, who has worked with Berg since 2009. “He is passionate about technology in Africa and believes Africa does have the ability to make a contribution through code in changing the lives of people.”

CULTIVATING A CURIOSITY IN THE WORLD

times we also provide on-the-ground support, working with the partner to help design and implement a system we help to put in place.” Ona co-founder Ukang’a Dickson, who also is the company’s director of engineering, describes Berg as “very passionate about the work he does.”

The work Berg does now is an outgrowth of his lifelong interest in Africa. Born in Cameroon, where his parents worked as missionaries, he grew up in Senegal before returning to the United States for high school. “I’m very much American, but [Africa is] also just a huge part of my identity,” says Berg. “I think it’s an awesome place with a lot of challenges, but also a lot of huge opportunities.” Attracted to Knox because of its study abroad opportunities, Berg double-majored in computer science and integrated international studies, studied

abroad in Zimbabwe, and completed an Honors project about technology in Africa. He credits Professors Roy Andersen and Robert Seibert ’63 with “helping to cultivate a curiosity in the world I still draw upon.” He also recalls that The Historian’s Workshop course, taught by Professor Michael Schneider, “really shook up my world view.” People at Knox “always genuinely cared about my development,” he says. “They let me believe that I could work with technology in Africa. That was a really big thing.” In addition, he says his friendships at Knox with students from Africa and other parts of the international community helped him retain his childhood roots. “Looking back, I think this was important, as it would have been easy to just go back to American life,” Berg explains. For now, his life and his work are in Africa, just as he’d hoped more than a decade ago when he was a Knox student. It’s exactly what he wants. “This is how I can have an impact, and it’s fun,” Berg says. “The tools we build help provide the information critical for making better-informed decisions that hopefully lead to more people living better lives. We help empower others to make a difference.”

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

TRIO Celebrates 40 Years of Expanding Access BY PETER BAILLEY ’74

In the words of founder George Washington Gale, Knox’s primary mission is to “bring [a college degree] within the reach of every young person of industry and promise.” This year, as the federally funded TRIO Achievement Program celebrates anniversaries locally and nationally, Knox Magazine looks at TRIO’s success in helping Knox fulfill its commitment to access and achievement.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

hen people talk about the “income gap,” they’re usually referring to the fact that the income of wealthier Americans increases at a faster rate than everyone else’s. There’s another “income gap” that gets less attention, however, and it affects how likely one is to graduate with a college degree. Since 1970, college completion rates for students from the wealthiest families have increased from 44 to 78 percent, according to the Indicators of Higher Education Equity 2015 report. Even though more students from low-income families (earning less than $34,000/year in 2013 dollars) are going

to college, the graduation rate for these students is less than 10 percent. Knox was founded with the premise and the promise of trying to do something about unequal access to higher education. In the 1800s, when higher ed was only for the elite, Knox’s response was the well-intentioned but unfeasible “manual labor” plan. More recently, and more successfully, Knox has responded with generous ﬁnancial aid and, for the past four decades, with

additional help from the federally funded TRIO program. Created by the federal government to assist “low-income and ﬁrst-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities,” TRIO is celebrating its 40th anniversary at Knox this year and its 50th anniversary nationally. Knox’s TRIO Achievement Program launched in 1974 as the Educational Development Program with just 12 students and a federal grant of $9,000.

Income vs. College Completion in the U.S.

78%

College Completion

Median Income – $131,694 (Non-TRIO Eligible)

Median Income – $32,163 (TRIO Eligible)

In 201415, a grant of about $300,000 a year—a fiveyear total of $1.5 million—supports direct services to 165 students, including tutoring, mentoring, and co-curricular activities. The need is even greater than can be met with the current federal grant. More than half of the Knox student body of 1,400 is TRIO-eligible, according to Risa Lopez, director of Knox’s TRIO Achievement Program. The typical TRIO-eligible family at Knox has less than one-fourth the financial resources of the typical non-TRIO family— $30,000 compared to $130,000 in annual adjusted gross income. “Knox has a lot of TRIO-eligible students, both in number and percentage of the student body,” Lopez says. “This is a tribute to Knox’s very generous financial aid packaging. But the stark financial differences often leave TRIO-eligible students feeling

“Indicators of Higher Education Equity,” 2015 report

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

“Despite best intentions and hard work, isolation can lead alienated from their peers, and from the full dimensions of the Knox experience, both in and out of the classroom.” “My biggest fear about college was dropping out,” said a TRIO student from Los Angeles, one of several whose video interviews have been recorded by TRIO staff and shown at an annual banquet. “I was really afraid that I would be one of those people who would come back and not have anything to show for all the hard work.”

Independence & Interdependence To help TRIO students make all of their hard work pay off, TRIO staff engage with students both individually and as a community. “Academics are our priority, within the context of a TRIO community,” Lopez says. “It’s connecting the students with each other, developing interdependence in addition to independence.” The emphasis on community is based on a subtle but signiﬁcant understanding: at its core, modern higher education is an individual pursuit— your work, your grade, your diploma. Helping ﬁrst-generation, low-income, or learning-disabled students overcome obstacles is highly personalized. The assistance is—because it has to be— tailored to each student’s needs. But on its own, that support does not connect students with each other. Despite best intentions and hard work, isolation can lead to lower retention and graduation. Recognizing that TRIO-eligible students do better when the academic support proceeds hand in hand with a sense of belonging, Knox TRIO staff coordinate a wide range of activities. These include the fall kick-off picnic, low-ropes challenge course at the Horn Field Campus of Western Illinois University, a peer mentoring program,

Ropes course takes teamwork, builds trust among TRIO students.

RISA LOPEZ

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

to lower retention and graduation.”

Institutional Commitments to Access Several other College programs show that Knox, as an institution, is addressing the needs of TRIOeligible students:

PETER BAILLEY ’74

Marilyn Barnes ’17 displays the cajita that tells her story.

group tutoring, Reading Day meals, and an annual off-campus cultural activity. For the past several years, Knox TRIO students have engaged in an annual event that builds community among themselves while showing the importance of their personal histories. The students assemble meaningful objects in a cajita—Spanish for “small box”—then present and discuss their cajitas with each other. (Normally a private event, TRIO staff invited a few observers to the presentations this year, and several of the students agreed to talk on the record about their cajitas and the very personal issues they’ve dealt with.) Marilyn Barnes’s ’17 cajita was overﬂowing with people pictures. “I need people to survive. I don’t think I’d be able to survive on my own. That’s why I have so many [pictures of] people in here. My family and my friends, but only my close friends,” she said. Her display also highlighted some provocative thoughts (translated from

Spanish)—“We don't live to work, we work to live.” She explained, “I’ve been having a rough time recently and [the quote] inspires me to push forward.” Alex Contreras’s ’18 cajita contained a flag that once belonged to his grandfather, a native of Mexico who received the flag after he became a U.S. citizen. “He was very patriotic, very proud to be an American. I have the flag hanging in my room, to remind me of him.” His box also included lots of family photos. “My family is very important to me, very supportive,” he said. [They] really pushed me to get the best education I possibly could. Going to school out of state was very important, and I’m proud to be here at Knox.” While only a small part of the TRIO program, the cajitas project highlights one of the most important parts of the program, community. “Building community creates an environment where students feel safe to make mistakes, learning new ways of thinking and navigating the college environment, and striving to achieve

• The McNair Scholars Program, also a federallyfunded TRIO program, focuses on attracting underrepresented students to academic careers. • Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the COAST (Creating Opportunities and Access in Science and Technology) program aims to boost diversity in science and technology majors, prioritizing students who are the first in their family to attend college and students who are from groups underrepresented in science-related fields. • Knox will introduce its first summer bridge program this year, aimed at students who are the first in their families to attend college and designed to help them feel comfortable and confident on the Knox campus and with using its many resources for success.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

their highest academic potential while having the unconditional support of their TRIO advisors,” Lopez says. After academics and community follow the other pillars of TRIO: financial literacy, including budgeting and navigating college financial aid; planning for careers and graduate or professional school; leadership development; and, finally, cultural enrichment. The breadth of the program is informed by the director’s own experiences as a first-generation college student. “Risa has worked her entire professional career in TRIO programs. She has a real understanding of what it means to be a TRIO student,” says TRIO writing coordinator Paul Marasa. With more than 20 years experience with the program at Knox, Marasa has experienced the evolution in the program’s philosophy, exemplified in the name change from “development” to “achievement.”

“We now have a clear goal of forming an academic community,” Marasa says. “It’s not a separate group of students who need academic remediation, but a community that’s experiencing the kind of upward climb that every student needs.”

It’s Working Since 2006, Knox TRIO Achievement Program retention rates have exceeded 90 percent and graduation rates have increased from 70.4 percent to 87.5 percent. “In reality, our goal is 100 percent—we work as best we can to retain and graduate every single program participant,” Lopez says. Bridging the gap takes literally thousands of hours of staff time, tutoring, mentoring, advising. Since 2006, contact hours have more than doubled, and would have nearly tripled if not for the 2013-14 federal budget sequestration.

“The stated goal for each Knox TRIO student is three contacts per term, but the reality for new ﬁrst-year participants each fall is more than ﬁve times that amount—16 contacts in a 10-week term,” Lopez says. Contacts include two with a TRIO staff advisor, two with a peer mentor, and two with the writing coordinator, along with weekly meetings for a half-credit course that concentrates on critical reading and writing. “We develop meaningful relationships with students through intensive advising,” Lopez says. “And we expect higher levels of participation from our students than in the past.” TRIO graduate Norman Golar ’02, assistant professor and chair of the English department at Stillman College and winner of a 2012 Alumni Achievement Award from Knox, recalls his own intensive writing sessions with Marasa: “We journeyed through my run-on

Defining and Measuring Success The TRIO Achievement Program is evaluated based on three objectives: retention, good academic standing, and graduation. The Department of Education deﬁnes success as the following: • 90 percent of active participants each year will graduate or persist from one year to the beginning of the next year. • 88 percent of active participants each year will meet the performance level required to stay in good academic standing. RISA LOPEZ

Four TRIO students celebrate their graduation in June 2014.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

• 70 percent of new participants served each year will graduate within six years.

PETER BAILLEY ’74

TRIO student and Alumni Achievement Award winner Norman Golar ’02 talks to students on campus in 2012.

sentences, my incoherent content, my wild imagination of comma placements, and the list goes on,” Golar says. “He tapped into my struggles as a writer—I thought that complicated writing was necessary. Thankfully, he helped me to rely on my oral communication: ‘What are you saying here?’ he’d ask.” Looking back, Golar says, “I now understand Paul’s focus on simplicity, as I assist my own students at Stillman to realize that writing derives from their speech, and that elegance derives from

continual practice with reading and writing.” All that face time means that when students face challenges, whether personal or academic, TRIO staff are not scrambling to figure out “what’s the problem?”—they’re ready to help students bridge the gap between aspiration and achievement, between opportunity and resources, between first term and finishing. “We don’t make decisions for students,” Lopez says, “We provide

them information and resources to make their own decisions.” In a video interview late in her senior year, TRIO graduate Krystle Liggins ’09 talked about the uncertainty she faced when she came to Knox, whether she would stay, whether she would complete her degree: “After my ﬁrst term, I wanted to transfer. I had some people I looked to as guidance, and they said, ‘You need to stay. We know this is best for you, and it’s what you should do.’” Unlike those who were telling her “what’s best for you,” says Liggins, now an educator herself in San Francisco, “I [also] talked to Paul [Marasa, her TRIO writing coordinator], and he said, ‘You’ll have to deal with the decision that you make.’ It made me feel okay about making the decision. If you ﬁnd that people genuinely care about you...supporting me in the decisions that I make for myself...I couldn’t leave that.”

Knox Exceeds All Benchmarks Retention

Good Standing

6-Year Grad Rate

Fall 2013 Degree-Seeking Students Still Enrolled in Fall 2014 or Graduated

Fall 2013 Degree-Seeking Students Ending Year in Good Standing

2006-2008 Cohort

100%

94.7%

100%

90%

94.7%

100%

88% 83%

80%

70 % 60%

60%

40%

20%

Federal Benchmark

Knox TRIO Participants

Federal Benchmark

Knox TRIO Participants

Federal Benchmark

Knox TRIO Participants

Data source: Knox College TRIO Achievement Program

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

NSF Grants Boost Science, Tech at Knox

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

roscience—and more than 140 students a year will gain experience with it in their classes and research projects. The NMR spectrometer, which uses variable magnetic ﬁelds to explore structures and processes at the molecular level, will be housed in Knox’s chemistry department. Primary users will be students and faculty in chemistry, environmental studies, and physics, with potential uses in other scientiﬁc areas. Knox will coordinate use of the equipment by Knox faculty and students, along with those from Monmouth College and Illinois

PETER BAILLEY ’74

Knox students and faculty are plugging in some major hardware in 2015—and writing signiﬁcant software—thanks to a series of recent research grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Knox received nearly $600,000 in grants from the NSF in the last year, adding three new awards to the College’s current roster of NSF-funded projects. Two of the recent grants were for major research equipment—a grant of $41,902 allowed Knox to replace its current imaging system with a new instrument that provides higher quality images, faster data analysis, and environmentally friendly technology that reduces waste; and a grant of $292,100 enabled Knox to purchase a new, more powerful nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer—a device used to analyze and identify chemical compounds. A third grant of $258,631 supports research into “task mapping,” or assigning parts of a computer program to networked processors, boosting the efﬁciency of high performance computers. The imaging system allows researchers to study biological materials, including proteins and nucleic acids. It is used extensively in both coursework and research laboratories in biochemistry, biology, and neuroscience. Five faculty currently serving as principal investigators and senior personnel will use the imaging system in their research—Janet Kirkley, biochemistry; Matthew Jones-Rhoades, biology and neuroscience; Andrew Mehl, chemistry and biochemistry; Judith Thorn, biology and neuroscience; and Esther Penick, biology, biochemistry, and neu-

Central College. As many as 18 students from the three colleges will be involved each year in research projects on the new equipment. “NMR is one of the important tools we use in studying known substances and analyzing new ones that we’re creating in the laboratory,” said Diana Cermak, chemistry, one of four principal investigators on the project. Co-principal investigators are Katherine Adelsberger, environmental studies; Helen Hoyt ’01, chemistry; and Mark Shroyer, physics.

David Bunde, computer science, is lead on the third grant, which also includes stipends for a number of student assistants, engaging them in leading-edge research and preparing them for leadership positions in science, engineering, and technology. The project, formally titled “Task Mapping for Emerging Network Topologies,” aims to improve the performance of large scientiﬁc simulations, such as weather prediction and rocket design. “These impressive awards from the National Science Foundation are a clear mark of the high caliber of science at Knox and the opportunities that Knox offers students to work with fac-

The South Lawn

ulty on state-of-the-art equipment in scientiﬁc experimentation and in researching today’s leading scientiﬁc questions,” said Laura Behling, dean of the College. Additional grants won in the past two years include a $61,151 collaborative research grant with Pennsylvania State University, awarded in spring 2014 to Matthew Jones-Rhoades, biology, and a $613,846 award from the S-STEM (Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) program to Mary Crawford ’89, chemistry, and her co-principal investigators Andrew Mehl, chemistry, and Jennifer Templeton, biology, in 2013. The grant established the Knox College COAST (Creating Opportunities and Access in Science and Technology) program.

Like the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus, who couldn’t step into the same river twice, Lance Factor couldn’t teach the same course twice. “It doesn’t have to be all new material, but a fresh take on it, to reconstitute it in some way,” said Factor, George Appleton Lawrence Distinguished Service Professor of Philosophy who retired at the end of 2014. “I wanted to learn something new every time I taught a subject.” Factor also refocused his wide-ranging research several times during his 45-year career. In the 1970s and 80s, he collaborated with Knox chemistry professor Robert Kooser to study the value judgments in supposedly objective science textbooks. In 1991, he began teaching environmental ethics and served on the committee that created Knox’s program in environmental studies. He also studied philosophical concepts in unlikely places, including maps and architecture—most notably the Masonic symbols and proportions concealed in the architecture of Knox’s Old Main, detailed in his 2010 book Chapel in the Sky. Factor often took his classes to unlikely places. The cell block of the Old Knox County Jail provided the setting for a discussion of the aesthetics of “ugliness,” while environmental ethics students toured an abandoned factory site and prairie land that had been strip mined for coal. “Getting out of the classroom, the teacher becomes an observer” rather than a director, Factor says. “The discussion that goes on between students is not under the teacher’s control. Students are observing for themselves, making comparisons, talking to each other.” Student voices are a major focus of Factor’s current work—a book on the history of the College. “Most college histories deﬁne their subject by presidencies,” he says. “Presidents and trustees made consequential decisions, but I’m interested in what students, faculty and staff were talking about.” Among the honors Factor has received at Knox are the Philip Green Wright-Lombard College Prize for Distinguished Teaching and the Caterpillar Faculty Achievement Award. In 2006, a gift in his honor from an anonymous donor created The R. Lance Factor Chair in Philosophy. It is the ﬁrst endowed faculty chair in College history to recognize the accomplishments of a living professor. A campus reception in his honor will be held at 4 p.m., Monday, May 1, in the Trustee Room of Alumni Hall. Alumni are invited to send reminiscences by Monday, April 20, to alumni@knox.edu. PETER BAILLEY ’74

PETER BAILLEY ’74

Never the Same: Factor Reflects on 45 Years of Teaching, Research

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

StartUp Term Starts Up Knox a Great Value, Grads Grateful Knox is one of the nation’s best bets if you’re looking for an affordable and valuable education and a college that inspires gratitude from its alumni. At least, that’s what four national magazines have to say.

#14 “BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK” —Washington Monthly

#75 among “AFFORDABLE ELITE COLLEGES”

2014

—Washington Monthly

GRATEFUL GRADS INDEX —Forbes Magazine

One of the Nation’s “GREAT SCHOOLS AT A GREAT PRICE” —U.S. News & World Report

#64 among “BEST VALUE LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES” —Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Kickstart: Knox StartUp Term, Knox’s newest immersive term, blends entrepreneurship and software development, providing students with the opportunity to collaborate on a business plan and create a product. Led by professors John Dooley and Jaime Spacco, both computer science, and John Spittell, business and management, Kickstart was offered for the first time this spring. Here’s how it works: Students interested in Startup Term began meeting informally during fall term to consider startup ideas, ways to bring those ideas to life, and how to go about forming their teams. A series of “mixer” events were held during the winter to help students identify one another’s areas of expertise and interests. Each team then wrote a project proposal and marketing plan and submitted the idea to Dooley, Spacco, and Spittell in February. Four teams—Farmet, iNQUiSi, MDLX, and Tetra Clock—were ultimately chosen to participate in Kickstart, and the 15 students on those teams are spending the entire 10-week spring term developing their startup ideas and working in an office building in downtown Galesburg. “We envision this as an immersive experience, where you go to a workspace, an office building off-campus, and work on something all day,” said Spacco. “We’ve had so much success with other immersive terms that the idea of having an entrepreneurship and computing capstone experience, if you will, in the form of Startup Term was very attractive,” said Dooley. Students in Kickstart also will take a field trip to 1871, a startup incubator in Chicago, and will meet periodically with guest speakers. At the end of the term, each team will make a formal presentation to a team of judges, including members of the Galesburg business community.

The South Lawn

Historic Soccer Season, By the Numbers EVAN TEMCHIN ’10

Total number of season victories, setting a school record

Home countries of team members

Game winning streak, the first in school history

Total career shutouts by goalie Sean Dockrell ’15, a new school record MWC Team Awards, including Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year Nathaniel Logie ’16, Defensive Player of the Year Charles Edemba ’16, Second Team Midfielder Abdulsalam Oganla ’16, and Second Team AllConference Goalie Sean Dockrell ’15

From wins to awards to championship trophies, the Prairie Fire men’s soccer team marked a historic season in 2014. Even though Carroll University captured the Midwest Conference (MWC) bid to the NCAA Division III tournament, defeating Knox 1-0 at the conference tournament, the Prairie Fire claimed the regular season Conference Championship—Knox’s first title in men’s soccer since 1988.

MWC Coach of the Year, Matt Edwards

After a successful three-year run, men’s soccer coach Matt Edwards left Knox in February to lead the men’s soccer team at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in California. In 2012, Edwards took over a Knox team that had just one win prior to his arrival and won the conference title in 2014. “Taking over a one-win program and turning it into a conference championship team in three years is remarkable,” noted athletic director Chad Eisele ’93. Knox has named Tyler Sheikh as Edwards’ replacement. Sheikh most recently coached the Illinois College men’s soccer team, which finished its 2014 season at 6-3-1 in league play, matching a school record and earning the team its first Midwest Conference Tournament appearance since 1993.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

How well do you know Knox’s newest professors? We talked with each of Knox’s new tenure-track faculty members about their backgrounds, their inspirations, and the things about Knox that have surprised them. Let’s play a round of Faculty Trivia.

1. Which new professor originally planned to become a fiction writer?

2. Which new professor started off as an engineering major?

6. Which new professor’s work could be characterized as an effort to answer the question, “Why do places look the way they look?”

3. Which new professor has taught at the middle school, high school, and college level?

5. Which new professor values that Knox students “actually interact across the boundaries that make them different”?

4. Which new professor always hoped to teach at a place like Knox but never expected “to teach at the most Knox-like place there is”?

BONUS ROUND A. Which new professor once suffered a serious skateboard injury? B. Which new professor grew up in Chicago and is glad to be just three hours away? C. Which new professor says students at Knox have “an energy, enthusiasm and sense of purpose that makes them a joy to work with”?

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

D. Which new professor went to a high school that specialized in science education? E. Which new professor says “the most memorable moments in the classroom are always entirely unplanned”? F. Which new professor asks students to “do something out of the norm” as a class assignment?

The South Lawn ANSWERS

Fired Up/ Burned Out

Scott DeWitt, Assistant Professor of Educational Studies (#3 and C) Scott received his bachelor’s degree from Hope College, a master’s degree in education at Northern Kentucky University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Teresa Gonzales, Assistant Professor of Anthropology-Sociology (#6 and B) Teresa received her bachelor’s degree from Smith College, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Nathalie Haurberg, Assistant Professor of Physics (#5 and A) Nathalie earned her bachelor’s degree at Knox (’06) before going to Indiana University for an M.A. and a Ph.D.

Brandon Polite, Assistant Professor of Philosophy (#4 and E) Brandon earned his bachelor’s degree at Knox (’03), followed by a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Manisha Pradhananga, Assistant Professor of Economics (#2 and D) Manisha earned her bachelor’s degree at Mount Holyoke College, followed by a master’s degree and Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Sara Stasik, Assistant Professor of Psychology (#1 and F) Sara earned a bachelor’s degree from Miami University, a master’s degree from the University of Iowa, and a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.

To find out how Professor Haurberg once taught a physics lesson with a skateboard, why Professor Stasik is interested in obsessive-compulsive disorder, and what Professor Polite’s favorite philosophical works are, and more, visit knox.edu/new-faculty.

Fired Up Knox was named one of the Sierra Club’s 2014 “Cool Schools,” and was one of just four colleges and universities to win Gold Level recognition from the State of Illinois this year in the Governor’s Campus Sustainability Compact Awards. The College also earned a Bronze rating from STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System) in May 2014. To keep up with sustainability initiatives at Knox, follow the blog sustainableknox.wordpress.com.

Smoldering The cost of a Knox education will top $50,000 next year. While Knox is not alone in this price range, it’s still a daunting figure for families. That said, here are a few helpful— maybe even hopeful—numbers to keep in mind: next year’s tuition will increase by 3.3 percent, the lowest increase in 40 years. More than two-thirds of Knox students receive needbased financial aid. The average debt of Knox students upon graduation ($26,000) is below the national average ($29,000). And Knox is considered to be one of the nation’s most affordable liberal arts colleges—just ask U.S. News & World Report, Kiplingers Personal Finance, and Washington Monthly.

Yik Yak, a growing social media platform, features anonymous postings and a “news” feed determined by your location. Many posts are funny, some are informative, and some are, well, interesting. Attempts at serious conversations often quickly deteriorate to snide comments and name calling. Students have cited offensive posts on Yik Yak during campus conversations, and The Knox Student ran an entire article on its effect on the Knox community. We (the editors) may not be Yik Yak’s intended audience, but from what we’ve seen so far, anonymous postings on a small college campus aren’t always so anonymous. And it’s far too easy to say hurtful or even offensive things when hiding behind a Yak.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Two faculty were recently named to endowed chairs: Steve Cohn to the Charles W. and Arvilla S. Timme Chair in Economics, and Jessie Dixon ’89 to the Burkhardt Distinguished Chair in Modern Languages. Professor Cohn has taught at Knox since 1984, and recently returned from teaching at the Chinese Studies Institute at Peking University. He also has chaired the Department of Economics and served as consultant and director of the Micro and Macro Critique Workshops for the Global Development and Environment Institute.

The Timme Chair is named in honor of Charles and Arvilla Timme. Mr. Timme and his wife, Arvilla, bequeathed their estate to Knox College in 1993—resulting in what was, at that time, the largest individual gift in Knox’s history. Their gift created two endowed funds: the faculty chair in economics named in their honor and a fund to support student projects and research in economics. Professor Dixon has taught at Knox since 1994, and, in 2004, she was awarded the Philip Green WrightLombard College Distinguished

Teaching Award for Tenured Faculty. Dixon currently serves as chair of the Department of Modern Languages and has served as director of the Knox programs in Barcelona, Besançon, and Buenos Aires, as well as short-term programs in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Ghana and Benin. Dixon is also co-chair of Knox’s summer program, College for Kids. The Burkhardt Distinguished Chair in Modern Languages was established in 2009 through the generosity of Richard W. ’39 and Dorothy Johnson Burkhardt ’39. In 2010, the Burkhardts

Lincoln Returns to Knox Knox welcomed Abe Lincoln back to campus on Saturday, September 5, 2014, thanks to the Prairie Fire football team. Knox won a 26-23 thriller against Eureka College in the third annual Lincoln Bowl, bringing the Lincoln trophy home to

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

the College for the next year. Knox will face Eureka on their home turf next fall in this newly established annual bowl game, and we’re conﬁdent Abe will once again stay on campus with the Prairie Fire.

RYAN DONNELL

Cohn, Dixon Named to Endowed Chairs

The South Lawn Sparks KNOX MADE A new series of videos highlighting the Knox experience in 124 seconds or less, www.knox.edu/knoxmade

“Social, economic, political sustainability: If you’re not

DOING IT ALL, you’re not doing it at all.” Jim Hallock ’69, founder and CEO of Earthblock International, during his keynote address, “The Standard of the Past and the Hope for the Future,” at the 2014 Bioneers Conference, November 8, 2014

GARY DINEEN

“If you’re ever feeling emotional about something,

COUNT TO 10 before you post it on Facebook.” Brittany Wisniewski ’13 on managing your social media presence during a job search, from her talk at the Knox Career Impact Summit, December 1, 2014

“I think the spirit here, the spirit in this room, and especially the spirit of students on this campus, is our best safeguard for moving ahead to a

REAL EQUALITY.” Fred Hord, professor and chair of Africana Studies, during his speech “Separate and Unequal: From Plessy v. Ferguson to Ferguson Today,” at the King Day 2015 winter term convocation, January 19, 2015

“#ToRead pile at work is out of control Damn my @KnoxCollege1837 liberal arts instincts that want to

KNOW EVERYTHING.” Janelle Rettig ’87 on Twitter, December 29, 2014 EVAN TEMCHIN ’10

provided funding to enhance the language teaching lab which today carries their name in George Davis Hall.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

I am Knox — Bryan Valencia ’15 Vitals Hometown: Albuquerque, New Mexico Major: Creative Writing and Dance (minor) Campus Involvements: Project Manager of Improv Club, President of the Inter-Fraternity Council, Sigma Chi, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Co-President of Simon Sez, Choreographer/Dancer in Terpsichore Dance Collective Class Year: 2015

How did your job as a chef at Sportsman’s Cove influence your future plans? I think I needed this just to validate the fact that I don’t want to be a chef. Ultimately, I’d like to find my way into comedy. I was able to do stand-up comedy for the guests at the lodge, and that was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had in my life. Each meal the chef introduced the menu for the day, but one day she was really busy and she sent me out there. I’d been doing stand-up for a couple months by then, so I started talking about the menu but working in my own stand-up. By the end of the season, I was doing new 10-20-minute sets for the guests almost every day. It was a daunting task but it was able to push me to a new appreciation, not just for the environment I was in, but for what I wanted to do with the experience I had gotten here at Knox. What has been your favorite class at Knox?

Three Facts about Bryan He spent his summer at Sportsman’s Cove Lodge in Ketchikan, Alaska, where he worked as a chef and did nightly sets of stand-up comedy.

By far, Theory and Improvisation, a dance course taught by Jennifer Smith. I come from a very athletic background. Everything I had done was martial arts or wrestling or soccer. Being able to combine this into a creative outlet helped me channel my creative energy and my willingness to perform, along with helping me understand who I was as a performer and a student.

His favorite thing to cook is seafood. While in Alaska, he even went crabbing!

What is your most memorable experience at Knox?

He thought he was going to be an engineer, but soon after coming to Knox he found his way into the dance program, where he began to understand who he was as a performer and a student.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

The collective experience of the people you are able to meet. I came to Knox feeling like I knew who I was by way of my friends and family, and being taken away from that and introduced to so many new opinions and so many new faces and so many new cultures, I got a better sense of who I am.

The South Lawn Owen Muelder ’63, director of the Galesburg Colony Underground Railroad Freedom Center at Knox College, was awarded the 2014 Preservation Prize by the Underground Railroad Free Press. The award recognizes Muelder’s achievements in preserving the history of the Illinois Underground Railroad, his founding and heading of Knox College’s Underground Railroad Center, and service to the greater Underground Railroad community in general. The Preservation Prize is one of three awards presented annually by the Underground Railroad Free Press. In addition to Muelder, this year’s awardees are the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, recipient of the 2014 Leadership Prize; and WGBH, the Public Broadcasting System afﬁliate in Boston, Massachusetts, recipient of the 2014 Hortense Simmons Prize for the Advancement of Knowledge. Muelder, who graduated from Knox with a degree in history, is the author of two books: The Underground Railroad in Western Illinois, published in 2007; and Theodore Dwight Weld and the American AntiSlavery Society, published in 2011. After retiring as alumni affairs director at Knox in 2004, he helped found the Galesburg Colony Underground Railroad Freedom Center on the Knox campus. His articles on the history of abolitionism and the Underground Railroad have appeared in several scholarly publications, and he has delivered numerous lectures nationwide.

EVAN TEMCHIN ’10

Muelder Awarded National UGRR Prize

National Recognition for The Knox Student The Knox Student (TKS) was named a finalist for the 2014 Associated Collegiate Press Newspaper Pacemaker award. The Pacemaker awards represent the highest honor in the collegiate press in the United States. “It’s an incredible honor to have been nominated for this award, and I believe it really reflects well on both TKS and Knox itself,” said Kate Mishkin ’16, managing editor of the paper. “TKS is made up of some really hard-working individuals,” she added. “They’re incredibly involved in the school, and I think that’s what makes them good journalists—they have their ears to the ground and know what’s going on around campus.” Pacemakers are awarded in each of three categories: Four-year Daily Newspaper, Four-year Non-Daily Newspaper, and Two-year College Newspaper. TKS, which is competing in the Four-year Non-daily Newspaper category, was selected as a finalist based on five issues published during the 2013-14 academic year. Other Pacemaker finalists include student newspapers at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), Indiana University, Temple University, George Washington University, and the College of William and Mary. TKS has received numerous other awards in recent years for excellence in journalism. Earlier this year, TKS was recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) as Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper for SPJ’s Region 5, which consists of Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. In addition, in February 2015, TKS received 12 awards—including four for first place in various categories and second place for both front-page layout and advertisement less than a full page—from the Illinois College Press Association.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

National Protests Inspire Local Action, Reflection adequate administrative support for students of color, were cited by students who participated in the demonstrations. “Knox has always been deeply immersed in the pressing moral debates of the time, and the protest following today’s MLK Day Convocation was an opportunity for our students to share their concerns about social justice on the Knox campus,” said President Teresa Amott after the demonstration on January 19. “Their voices remind us that our community and our nation still have work to do to achieve our aspirations.” In recent communications to campus, President Amott has expressed her commitment to addressing issues of social justice, diversity, and inclusivity on campus and has encouraged all members of the Knox community to work together to address these important issues facing the College and the nation. Many efforts are already under way to address issues of diversity and inclusivity on campus—the introduction of Intergroup Dialogue, which is a social

justice education program, to campus and its formalization in the curriculum; ongoing diversity training for faculty and staff, including a faculty workshop addressing how to build an inclusive classroom; and the engagement of a national leader in campus diversity and inclusion, Dr. Alma Clayton-Pederson,

EVAN TEMCHIN ’10

Knox College was on winter break during the height of national protests surrounding grand jury decisions in Missouri and New York, yet the events playing out nationally also had an impact locally. Like colleges and universities across the nation, Knox has seen students, faculty, and staff express their frustration and call for action in a variety of formats and mediums. Most notably, on November 29, 2014, a Knox women’s basketball player protested the events in Ferguson prior to a regulation game in Clayton, Missouri, and two #BlackLivesMatter demonstrations have taken place— one following the King Day 2015 Convocation on January 19, the other during the parade of ﬂags at the 2015 International Fair on January 31. While each of the demonstrations referenced national events, participants also saw connections to issues of diversity and inclusivity here on the Knox campus. Frustrations over the College’s handling of the November 29 protest, along with experiences of racial insensitivity in the classroom and several campus ofﬁces and the lack of

Go Figure

23 Members of the Class of 2018 were legacies, or students who followed a relative to Knox

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

18 Record-setting number of 3-point shots made in a single game by the Prairie Fire women’s basketball team on January 24, 2015

500 Students served by the Center for Teaching and Learning during fall 2014, the most in any term to date

CO2 2,300 Pounds of carbon dioxide emissions saved through recycling boxes during the move into Alumni Hall

EVAN TEMCHIN ’10

The South Lawn

Above: One of the small group discussions during a faculty-led teach-in for students on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The teach-in addressed issues of race and justice, both nationally and locally. Left: Knox student Kaity Hutchcroft ’15 makes a political statement during the International Fair’s parade of flags on January 31.

senior scholar at the Association of American Colleges and Universities, to partner with the College to help it better meet its mission and values, among others. Though the protests have been driven by recent events, the issues of diversity and inclusivity have been part of campus conversations for some time, including a student walkout focusing

289+ Days worked on the renovation of Alumni Hall

on such issues last spring. In the Knox 2018 strategic plan, endorsed by the Board of Trustees at their October 2014 meeting, the College made a commitment to strengthen our culture of inclusivity over the next ﬁve years through programs that foster engagement and participation across the many constituencies that make up the Knox community.

1 Ross’s Goose, spotted by Associate Professor of Biology Jim Mountjoy, flying over Green Oaks Biological Field Station

58,000 Hours of community service performed by Knox students last year

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Around the World over Winter Break

Spain

Building on lessons they learned in the classroom, Knox students traveled all over the world during winter break, November 24–January 4. All trips, led by Knox faculty members, were extensions of courses taught during fall term. Here’s an overview of where Knox students spent time over the break.

Belize Cuba Belize Knox may be located on the Illinois prairie, but students in Professor Linda Dybas’ ’64 Marine Biology course got an upclose look at that country’s marine biology on the Barrier Reef. “We actually witnessed a lot of the organisms that we learned about, and we were able to research them in their natural habitats,” said Teresa Jackson ’16.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Cuba Students in Professor Robin Metz’s Ernest Hemingway course followed in the footsteps of the legendary writer for four days. “[B]eing able to physically . . . walk and view the same buildings [as Hemingway] . . . is something you cannot read or discuss in the classroom,” said Sam Watkins ’15.

The South Lawn Spain Students who took Associate Professor Antonio Prado’s course on the Spanish Civil War explored various sites related to the war. Prado said students, and a few alumni, got “an understanding of a concept of history that is not just a display in a museum, but a part of what we live today.”

Japan

Knox One of Nation’s Top 20 Colleges for Service Knox is one of just four finalists in the Economic Opportunity category of the 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll—the highest federal award that an educational institution can receive for its commitment to community service. The Honor Roll named one Winner and four Finalists in each of four categories—Economic Opportunity, Education, Interfaith Community Service, and General Community Service. Other schools chosen as Honor Roll Finalists this year include the University of Pennsylvania, Bryn Mawr College, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges. This is the fifth time in the past six years that Knox has been recognized by the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. “This award recognizes that the efforts of hundreds of Knox students, through thousands of hours of community service, are touching people’s lives and making a real difference in the everyday well-being of our community,” said President Teresa Amott. The award focused specifically on the local economic impact of three of Knox’s community service initiatives: – KnoxCorps, a civic engagement partnership with the Galesburg Community Foundation, which places Knox students and recent graduates with local nonprofit organizations. – Blessings in a Backpack, a student club that has collected and distributed food donations to more than 150 grade school children.

Japan Students immersed themselves in Japanese culture through Knox’s Japan Term, an interdisciplinary program that combines classroom studies in the language, history, and philosophy of the country with a two-week trip to Japan. “Never having been to Japan, I would have had no idea what to expect,” said Raeann Boero ’17, “but this class really helped make me feel comfortable in a new place.”

– An expanded partnership with FISH Food Pantry, which enabled Knox to increase awareness of the magnitude and scope of food insecurity in Galesburg. The awards are administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the American Council on Education, Campus Compact, and the Interfaith Youth Core.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

First Impressions

Fantasy, Founded in Realism

“no matter. There’s a boy who once called this place Cloud City, & we let him. The sky never has failed us. Not even today, though re-enactors pin their tents to it, punch it full of gun-smoke.”

Jeff Salyards ’94 has been fascinated by the fantastic his whole life. Much of his childhood was spent with a flashlight in hand, reading science fiction and fantasy novels late into the night. Inspired to become a writer, he embarked on his attempt to finish a novel. After years of half-finished projects, Salyards finally completed his debut novel, Scourge of the Betrayer. The first installment in his series Bloodsounder’s Arc, the novel was published in 2012. Scourge of the Betrayer follows the story of Arkamondos, a young scribe hired to chronicle the exploits of a band of mythical warriors. A gripping military fantasy, the novel explores brutal politics and the searing impact of violence and dark magic on a man’s soul. Salyards recently released the second book in the series, Veil of the Deserters, which was listed as one of the top reads of 2014 by Only the Best Science Fiction & Fantasy.

First lines of [To reach the river we cross & keep crossing sometimes,], a poem included in the New Measure Poetry Prize winner No Shape Bends the River So Long (Parlor Press) by Monica Berlin ’95, associate professor of English, and Beth Marzoni ’04. Berlin and Marzoni’s collaboration meanders through the American landscape in search of site and relic, home and away-from-home. Part meditation on our tenuous position in the natural world and part interrogation of that relationship, these poems map what any place records and what it has erased.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Why fantasy? What do you think fantasy offers that other genres don’t? I’ve always been drawn to fantasy, from my first forays into Tolkien and Robert Howard to recent adventures with Daniel Abraham, Joe Abercrombie, Kameron Hurley, and a host of others. In fact, during my first fiction writing workshop at Knox, I told Professor Robin Metz I wanted to write something in this vein, and he assured me that before venturing into speculative genres, it was important to master the fundamentals of more realistic fiction first. Being 18, I assumed he was full of crap or just being stodgy. But now, these many years later, I see the wisdom in that. As far as what fantasy offers that other genres don’t, the biggest thing is just an expansive canvas and a limitless palette to use—the opportunity to invent and play and give free rein to imagination. But as Robin would say (and did say, with frequency and enthusiasm!), all that is just sound and fury if you haven’t grasped the techniques to create complex characters, build tension, craft compelling dialogue,

describe a scene economically, and the host of other things every ﬁction writer needs in the toolbox.

How do you think fantasy novels reflect our real lives? When I took a writing course in grad school, the professor passed along an old nugget that still sticks with me: fiction’s purpose is to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable. The best fantasy isn’t simply a rabbit hole to fall into or a pleasant escape from the mundanity or horrors of real life (though it certainly can be, and that’s not a bad thing at all—see the first part of that maxim). The finest fantasy is capable of more than that— it’s not just about quirky races or inventive uses of magic or myth, or wild flights of supernatural fancy. No matter how outlandish the world or its denizens or the trappings might be, the best fantasy is ultimately about characters and things everyone is familiar with—desire, love, fear, ambition, malaise, hope, hatred. The fantasy that interests me the most is the kind that elevates or illuminates, that invokes the best and worst of us, that comforts

Knox Writes Books by Members of the Knox Community and/or disturbs, that tells a damn ﬁne story in the process. Just like any other kind of writing. And I don’t think fantasy is any less equipped to do those things than any other genre. There’s a joy in creating worlds and all things fantastic, but the center will only hold if it’s grounded in something authentic and recognizable.

What was your most memorable class or professor at Knox? This is a much easier question to answer. While I had a number of great classes and professors, two in particular stand out: Ivan Davidson and the aforementioned Robin Metz. Robin was one of the best ﬁction writing professors I ever had—demanding, erudite, funny. Did I say demanding? I didn’t always appreciate it at the time, but he pushed me hard and forced me to keep working even when I just wanted to rest on nonexistent laurels. Maybe especially because I tried to. And Ivan taught several classes I will always treasure, but chief among them, playwriting. That class pushed me to approach writing in a very different way, and while there were certainly growing pains there too, there was also deﬁnitely growth. Otherwise it would have just been pain. Which is the opposite of fun. And that class was an absolute hoot.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers? Sit your ass in the seat and write. That’s the only proven way to get better, no matter what kind of writing you are doing. You don’t hone your craft, or learn to read critically or parse out other criticism, or develop an antenna

for critiquing your own work by goofing off in forums or talking about it in coffee houses or reading about it in 1,001 guide books or chronicling what you intend to do in your journal. You just need to do it. You only improve by reading widely and cranking out your own pages, and revising them, and revising them a dozen more times until you want to hit yourself over your head with the keyboard, and maybe you do, and maybe, even after all that, what you came up with is still a hot mess and you have to scrap it and start over, but without relenting or offering yourself excuses. Because excuses are easy. Writing is hard. Jeff Salyards graduated from Knox College in 1994. He earned his M.A. in English with an emphasis on creative writing from Illinois State University. He is currently a book editor for the American Bar Association. Veil of the Deserters is his second installment in the series Bloodsounder’s Arc. He lives in Addison, Illinois, with his wife and three daughters.

Three May Keep a Secret Five Star, 2014 Susan (tracy) Van Kirk ’68 Grace Kimball is haunted by an experience so terrifying she has never been able to put it behind her. Grace is hired by Jeff Maitlin to ﬁll in for a murdered journalist researching her town’s history. Unfortunately, that past has dark secrets. When a second murder occurs, even Grace’s life will be threatened by her worst nightmare. Against a backdrop of deaths and a 175th anniversary town celebration, the fast-paced mystery plays out.

Anung’s Journey: An Ancient Ojibway Legend as told by Steve Fobister Light Messages Publishing, 2014 Carl nordgren ’73 Nordgren’s newest book is based on an ancient Ojibway legend. Anung, an orphaned young boy, travels across the world on a dream quest, searching for his life mission. The story was adapted by Knox professors Robin Metz and Elizabeth Carlin-Metz for the stage in 2009.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Knox Writes Historical Dictionary of Libya (5th edition) Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2014 ronald bruce St John ’65 This fifth edition of Historical Dictionary of Libya covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendices, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 400 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, society, conflicts, and the culture of Libya. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Libya.

Rock Island Arsenal Arcadia Publishing, 2014 george eaton ’80 When the Rock Island arsenal was created in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln envisioned a supply and maintenance facility. Beginning as a modest wooden fort, the arsenal grew to become the largest publicworks project of the 19th century. Rock Island Arsenal still bustles as a center of Army logistics and is critical to sustaining the nation’s armed forces in peace and war. Military historian George Eaton’s book reviews the history of this important military landmark.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Eve’s Garden Twisted Road Publications, 2014 glenda bailey-Mershon ’74 Desperate for details about her grandmother’s mysterious death, Eve Gates leaves her small town for New York, then Paris, only to be called back due to family illness. Torn by the choice between staying and leaving for a larger world, Eve searches for a friend she thought was lost forever and tries to connect with the grandmother she never knew.

Environmental Missouri: Issues and Sustainability, What you Need to Know Reedy Press, 2014 don Corrigan ’73 Environmental Missouri is the ﬁrst comprehensive guide to local and state environmental issues. The collection examines wildlife concerns, urban sprawl, polluted streams, radioactive waste, lead contamination, airborne mercury, ozone and smog, and noise and light pollution. A ﬁnal chapter on sustainability looks at how Missourians are going green.

Anomaly Entangled: Teen, 2014 tonya (brown) Kuper ’99 On her seventeenth birthday, Josie learns that she was born with the ability to change reality with her thoughts. The mysterious Reid is meant to train her to use her abilities and protect her from the organization that wants to kill her, but Josie can’t help developing feelings for him. As everything that she thought was true comes crumbling around her, she ﬁnds herself ﬁghting for her life.

The Petersburg Campaign, Volume II: The Western Front Battles, September 1864-April 1865 Savas Beatie, 2014 Edwin C. Bearss with bryce Suderow ’72 The wide-ranging and largely misunderstood series of operations around Petersburg, Virginia, were the longest and most extensive of the entire Civil War. This volume of Bearss’ study includes six major battles and original maps by Civil War cartographer Steven Stanley, photos, and illustrations. The book was selected as the winner of the 2014 Douglas Southall Freeman History Award, given for the best published book of high merit in the ﬁeld of Southern History.

Class Knox

Flashback Anti-War Protest This photo appeared in the April 28, 1971, issue of The Knox Student. About 50 Knox students attended an anti-war demonstration earlier that month in Washington, D.C. Were you there? Share the story behind the photoâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;e-mail knoxmag@knox.edu. To read responses to last issueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Flashback photo, Heading Across Campus, visit knox.edu/knoxmag.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

We Are Knox Homecoming 2014

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

PHOTOS BY EVAN TEMCHIN ’10, MIA SOL DEL VALLE ’15, AND PETER BAILLEY ’74

www.knox.edu/homecoming

Come Home to Knox for Homecoming 2015! October 16-18

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Barbara Young ’42’s book, The Persona of Ingmar Bergman: Conquering

We are Knox. You are, too.

1939

1943

Maurice Stamps writes that he had been ill last winter and spring, but he is now feeling better and ready to get back to writing. Sales of his last book, Snafus and Love Letters: Memories of an Old G.I., have resulted in its third printing! Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

I received a newsy e-mail from Art Holst. He writes, “Elizabeth and I are in Fort Myers, Florida, until the first of May. We spent Christmas with one of our daughters from our extended families, together with two of our granddaughters and five of our 21 (soon-to-be 22!) great-grandchildren. They rented the old Ringling (circus family) Mansion in Sarasota, Florida, for the week, and it was great fun. We are doing well, considering our advanced youth. Being blessed with good health and having family and close friends who are there when needed is truly a gift. I still play 18 holes of golf three times a week and am quick to admit that I am NOT a candidate for the Senior Tour. We have a wonderful group of seniors who watch each other’s shots and audit the number of strokes per hole. We have many friends here, as well as in Ann Arbor. I still speak when asked and still enjoy the challenge of trying to say something meaningful and, perhaps, entertaining. Writing poems now and then has led to a suggestion from a friend that I put together a book with some of my poems, together with some favorite poems from others that have been meaningful in my personal and professional life. It will probably be finished in January. The title will be Life is Wonderful: It Could Be Verse! Like all of us 1943 survivors, I have wonderful memories of those years at Knox and still enjoy the chances to renew those old friendships when the opportunity arises. Best wishes for joy and good health to all.” Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

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

1941

If 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:

Marcia Larson continues to be very active in Roanoke, Virginia, where P.E.O., Delta Kappa Gamma, Retired Teachers Organization, and church groups, knitting groups, and visiting the homebound take up most of her time. Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

• Contact your Class Correspondent;

1942

• If you don’t have a correspondent, e-mail, call, or “snail mail” us directly (see below); • Or have other media sources send us press releases, articles, and publicity. Please send information about births, marriages, and deaths directly to: Alumni Records Knox College, Box K-230 Galesburg, IL 61401-4999 E-mail: records@knox.edu Send all other updates, correspondence, or questions to: Pam Chozen Class Notes Editor, Knox Magazine Knox College, Box K-233 Galesburg, IL 61401-4999 E-mail: pachozen@knox.edu Please note that Class Notes may be edited for space.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Sedona, Arizona, is where Jane Baker Cellmer now lives. She moved into a retirement community and says she has a lovely view of the beautiful red rocks from her apartment! ❯ Barbara Young has lots to celebrate in 2015. She writes, “I do have good news. In November, there was a little celebration for me at The Johns Hopkins Hospital because seven of my photographs are now hanging permanently in the refurbished surgery building, six of them taken within two miles of the hospital. It was moving to walk into the ward and find them hanging behind the nurse’s station that looked much as it had 65 years ago. The second bit of good news is that the book I have been writing the past four years on Ingmar Bergman, the Swedish filmmaker, is being published by a fine academic press, Rowman & Littlefield, sometime in 2015. The title is The Persona of Ingmar Bergman: Conquering Demons through Film. He is the only artist I know of who has been able to do his own psychoanalysis through his art. My legs hardly work, my GI system is giving way, and my short-term memory has holes in it, but I still see a few patients, swim three times a week, and have the luxury of reading a good book until my eyes give out. My greetings to all from Knox, especially to those who have been given the miracle of a long life. And my thanks to my Knox professors for preparing me so well for the future that was to come.” Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

1944 Barbara Lemke was sorry to miss Homecoming, especially the rededication of Alumni Hall; however, at 91, she says it seems her long-distance traveling days are over. The work on her house ended in July after 16 months of changes, and it feels like new. She reports that a friend drove her to Palm Springs, California, to use her week in the time-share one last time, as she is giving it up after this trip. In February, she is set to take her driver’s test, and she hopes to pass in order to renew her license. Activities at her church and Woodland Hills Woman’s Club keep her busy. She sends greetings to her classmates and best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2015. ❯ Keith Bratton sent a short note to say he still lives in Bakersﬁeld, California, and keeps active. Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

1945 John Roe attended Homecoming 2014 with his family. He reports that he enjoyed seeing the newly renovated Alumni Hall but was sad not to see any classmates; however, he is excited that his

Class Knox Demons through Film, will be published in 2015 by Rowman & Littlefield. youngest granddaughter enrolled at Knox in September 2014! ❯ Patricia Smith Perelli made her annual trip to Door County, Wisconsin, last summer. She still lives in Farmington, Illinois, and says that a ball ﬁeld and a street have been named after her husband since his death in September 2013. ❯ I was happy to see Marye McElvaine Immenhausen at Homecoming 2014 with her son, Karl Immenhausen ’70. Somehow, Marye and John Roe must have missed each other during the weekend. Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

1946 I learned that Merle Glick passed away in early November. He had been collaborating on a book about folk artist Olaf Krans. The book, The Art of Olof Krans: A Prairie Vision, was published in 2014. In conjunction with the book, there is an exhibit at the Peoria Riverfront Museum featuring two dozen paintings by Krans. I was happy to hear that Merle was indeed able to see the exhibit before his death. Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

1947 Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

1948 Harry Babbitt reports, “After spending six great months in Florida, I arrived back in Buenos Aires on November 1. As always, I hope to enjoy two summers back to back. It is a great city in which to live, in spite of all the problems. Cristina Kitchner, the president, has only one more year to ‘rule’ and surely there will be a better government after the next elections. The inﬂation rate is about 50 percent annually, and so the cost of living is about double what it is in the U.S. My friend in Florida and I, along with my godson, spent the month of December in Medellín, Colombia. It is relatively safe there now after the country has lost almost 50 years in strife because of the drug cartels. Best wishes to all my classmates of 1948.” ❯ Betty Alice Moon Sharp wrote that she lost her husband, Paul Sharp, on December 17, 2013. “I’m sorry I never informed Knox,” she says, “but with the winter we had last year, and all I had to do afterwards, I trust people will understand.” ❯ Wendell Mustain’s daughter, Susan Wilson, writes that her father has been in the Veterans Home in Mexico, Missouri, for three years and has continued memory problems. “Despite his memory, I can still ask him where he went to college, and he will say, ‘Knox College!’ He also enjoys getting the Fifty Year Club publications.” ❯ Mildred Smith wrote: “Once more

we have left our home in Shepherdstown to spend six months in Fort Myers. I continue pursuing my hobby of buying and selling antiques. I play some golf, exercise, and visit with family a lot. Afraid technology has already passed me by. Enjoy reading about all the opportunities Knox students have now!” ❯ Elizabeth Harler Van Steenwyk says, “I don’t know where to begin for my report. I have been so busy this fall with the winery, especially finishing the grape harvest, then beginning the walnut harvest and just completing it last week. All that with no rain until finally, last week, we had an inch and a half. You can imagine how grateful we were. Now the ground has a green cast, not totally, but we recognize it. As we go into dormancy, there is a lot to do; make the ground happy and comfortable, decide if we want to add or subtract any varietals, and continue our expansion program. Yes, we’re remodeling; over the years we have expanded inwardly with too many employees for too few offices. We have also expanded our customer base with too little space for them to come in and taste. So, we’re into it now; watch for our announcement late next year when we will invite everyone to an open house to celebrate our new digs. Meanwhile, my granddaughter is having a great time at Knox and will be home for the holidays in a few days to share her news. Can’t wait. Drop in when you’re visiting Paso Robles. You don’t have to wait for the open house, we’re open all the time. Greetings to all.” ❯ Jim Moser reports that on his way to Osher Lifelong Learning classes at the Rochester Institute of Technology, he was surprised by signs indicating the thruway was closed. “It was the heavy Buffalo snows, which never reached here. We only got several inches. Winter in western New York is interesting. Our average annual snowfall is around 10 feet, but we have very heavy expenditures for snow removal. It is unusual that our main streets are not passable shortly after the snow stops. I live in a wooded valley where Allens Creek wends it way to Lake Ontario, and snow, even when troublesome, can be beautiful. I have to admit, though, that at age 88, the troublesomeness increases. Activity and stamina decrease at that age. Classes still keep me interested, and there are still a few remaining friends from the Kodak days to have lunch with. And I’m serving on our homeowners board. It may not be as happy as the Knox days, but it is not too bad.” Class Correspondent: Sidney E. Norris 3135 Agate Street, Eugene, OR 97405, 541-683-6160, senorris@comcast.net

1949 Stella McMaster Trench is likely looking forward to the New Year. She reports that she was very ill the ﬁrst three months of 2014. She’s feeling much better now and is as active as possible. Stella fondly remembers her years at Knox and says, “It’s amazing the things we learned there. Give me a liberal arts education any day!” ❯ It was a pleasure to receive an e-mail from Bill

Knox Recognizes Notable Alumni at Homecoming 2014 As part of Knox’s traditional Homecoming Convocation on October 11, the College recognized several individuals for their accomplishments, teamwork, and service.

2014 Knox Service award Winners • Anthony Balthazor ’03 • Christine Eik Winick ’73

2014 Knox-lombard athletic hall of Fame Winners • Steve Baumgartner ’77 • Carl “Bill” Graning ’60 • Kevin Megli ’07 • Drew Sherman ’00

2014 Scroll of honor recipients • Barbara “B.J.” Bjorkman ’54 • Frank Gustine ’60 • Patricia Burke Herminghouse ’62 Knox thanks everyone who submitted nominations for these awards. Nominate a deserving friend or classmate for Knox’s 2015 alumni awards at www.knox.edu/nominate or contact Carol Brown ’99, director of alumni programs, at 888-KNOXCOL, extension 7980, or cbrown@knox.edu.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

FYI: Harlow Hosford ’53 recommends you visit India “before the 2015 Alumni Achievement Award

SUBMITTED

Even if you have never met Jim Doyle personally, chances are good that you’ve encountered his work. As a young market researcher in the late 1940s, he helped coin the slogan “Round the Clock Protection” for Dial deodorant soap as part of its initial launch. In 1954, his acumen as a market analyst brought him to global consulting firm A.T. Kearney. Ten years later, one of his clients, Watkins Products—an early purveyor of all-natural health and beauty products—chose him as its first president from outside the founder’s family. From there, he went on to Sarah Coventry International, serving as president of worldwide operations. As impressive a résumé as this is, however, it is only half the story. In 1981, Jim left the world of business to become a professor, first at St. John Fisher College in New York and, later, at University of Rochester’s Simon Graduate School of Business. His insights into management, marketing, and entrepreneurship offered students a perspective they couldn’t find in textbooks. After his second “retirement” in 2008, at the age of 86, the Simon School honored him by endowing an entrepreneurship professorship in his name. Jim’s ties to Knox College run deep. His mother was a student here. So were his sister, Mary, and his son, Jim Doyle ’70. (Sons Stephen and Michael were “rebels”—attending DePauw and University of Wisconsin and Cornell, respectively.) It’s also where he met his wife, Alice Dorick Doyle ’45. After a brief interruption to go fight in the U.S. Army’s 84th “Railsplitters” infantry division (where, as a lieutenant, he fought in the Battle of the Siegfried Line, was wounded twice, and received the Bronze Star for his service), he returned to Knox to finish his degree—and marry his bride. Though life has taken the Doyles far from Galesburg, his resourcefulness and spirit of service continue to represent the best of Knox. We spoke to Jim’s son Steve about his father. Knox Magazine: What are some of your dad’s favorite memories of Knox? Steve Doyle: I know he and Mom first met at “the Geep” [aka the Goalpost, a student-operated snack bar across from the Beta House]. Mom was a freshman and he a sophomore, and he told his chums who were with him that he was going to date that girl! They married in June 1946. I remember him telling me their favorite pastimes were to “go riding” out to Lake Storey, dancing at The Lighthouse, dinners in the Custer Hotel (owned by his Uncle Omer N. Custer), and studying together in the library. KM: What would Jim count among his greatest accomplishments? SD: I’d say his greatest achievement would be his role in encouraging and mentoring future entrepreneurs throughout his later career. He was just so energized by his students, always had time for them out of class, and would spend countless hours preparing his courses with the same thoroughness with which he led two worldwide corporations. Editor’s Note: We are sad to report that James Doyle passed away at home on March 22, 2015. We send our sincere condolences to his family. 44

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Alumni Achievement Award Winner

James “Jim” N. Doyle ’44

Wedan, who spends most of the year in Spain, near the Mediterranean coast. He does, however, return to the United States for a few months to visit Tonawanda, New York, and Chicago, Illinois, during the summer. Bill writes, “I have also spent several months in Galesburg these past three years, since I have just completed a book entitled My Life Planned and Unplanned, which should be in print by early January 2015. This book includes early family history, my years in the Army Air Corps, the time spent at Westminster College, Knox College, and my graduate year abroad in Paris through the University of Maryland, as well as travels in Europe, interesting people that I met, work in Paris, Morocco, Iran, Holland, England, and Spain. It also includes my trip around the world, with visits to countries such as India, Burma, Thailand, Japan, and other countries. In Japan, I spent a week or so with the Yajimas, and met Takashi Kurisaka ’64, a nephew, who later came to Galesburg, spent time with me, family and friends, and then attended Knox. I remained in contact with nearly all the people I met, including the Yajimas and Takashi. There were many visits to Spain by family and these friends, which are recorded, as well, in this book. I hope to return to Galesburg next summer. Warmest regards to all.” Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

1950 Beth Jury Myers enjoyed the holidays with her family, including three great-grandchildren ages four, two and three months of age. She writes, “They are from Vancouver, British Columbia, so it was a special event. I am still in my home with help from Home Instead. I have a lovely young woman who helps me two times a week, and I keep in touch with Marian Tenhaeff Trythall ’51 and Nina Murphy Miller.” ❯ Bob Willett writes, “This year was a dilly for us. We moved in July into a ‘compound’ in Rockledge, Florida, which is actually two houses joined by a courtyard with a swimming pool, all surrounded by a wall. It’s a nice neighborhood—next to a hospital, across from a mortuary, half block from the ﬁre station, and two blocks from a crematorium. We live with our youngest daughter and husband, my oldest daughter and a 21 year-old grandson, wife, Donna, and me, plus two shedding cats. My 77-year-old brother-in-law passed away last week, but we were able to spend two weeks with him in Traverse City, Michigan, where there was eight inches of snow and temperatures in the 20s, not like home. Our new abode was being remodeled when we moved, so we opted for a cruise from Quebec to Port Canaveral, just minutes from home. The ship was the Eurodam, and it was a wonderful trip, with daughter Leslie sharing our cabin. There was gorgeous scenery. We saw a number of old friends in our ports, but got hit with a 75-MPH wind coming out of Boston. When we returned home, the house wasn’t

Class Knox age of 82 and a hip and knee replacement.” ﬁnished, so we booked a Caribbean cruise to St. Thomas, which was fun. We met some really cool people, including 1,800 bikers who were on an annual dialysis-funding charity cruise. There were also 16 dialysis patients who had all expenses paid, including their treatments, by the group, so they made for interesting passengers. We enjoyed the Christmas season in our new digs, where we were joined by all ﬁve grandkids, our three ‘kids,’ plus one of Donna’s sisters. Last item—a search of the site where my cousin, missing in action since November 1942, wrecked has been promised by the Chinese PLA and the U.S. JPAC team. Hopefully, this will happen in September 2015. It’s been a long battle, but there is light at the end of our tunnel.” Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

1951 Jay Burgess writes, “We are having fun in Florida. We traveled to Milwaukee for Christmas to be with our son, who is the general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks pro basketball team. The team is coming back well from a bad year last season. We still go north for visits, but, otherwise, we are permanent residents of Florida. We enjoyed the Fifty Year Club lunch here at our country club in Fort Myers in February. Good luck; God bless. Hope to see you all soon.” ❯ VR “Swede” Roskam responded to my plea for information by promising to send some writings by classmate Neva Sebert Wallace, who passed away in 2012. He and his wife, Martha Jacobsen Roskam ’52, also mentioned that they have always had a warm spot in their hearts for Bob Harper, who taught at Knox 1949-1989. ❯ Barbara Pebler Hughbanks writes that she has just completed her theatrical journal for 2014. She adds, “It has been a record year for me, with 57 live performances noted and critiqued. Of these plays, 21 were written by Shakespeare. I attend the Ashland, Oregon, festival every year with friends from a Shakespeare class. We see nine plays in seven days, so that boosts my total, as does the Utah Shakespeare Festival. I saw three different productions of Macbeth and three of The Tempest. My play-going for 2014 ended with a long weekend in Seattle seeing All the Way and The Great Society by Robert Schenkkan, who grew up in Texas and remembers campaigning with his mother for LBJ when he was 11 years old. The two plays were performed by the Oregon Shakespeare Company with the same cast we had seen when they premiered in Ashland. My life-list for birding moves much more slowly. I wish I could boast 57 new life birds this year. I think I may have ﬁve or six. I’ll have to check. I have a journal for that, too.” ❯ Roberta “Bobbie” Stout Goforth ’52 sends her best wishes to all for a Happy New Year. Class Correspondent: Megan Clayton Knox College, Box K-210, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401, 309-341-7476, pclayton@knox.edu

1952 I was disappointed not to hear from any of you this time. But I understand that we had a long time of no news when we were younger, so now we’re out of touch, and it’s maybe a little hard to make these connections again. ❯ Do you remember a charming TV show from the ’80s, I believe? It was called Life Goes On, and Patti LuPone was mother to a high-functioning young man with Down syndrome. I think of that title frequently as I age. Because, yes, we are aging, and many of us have lost our mates, but life goes on. One of my grandsons died this year; one of his brothers got married, and another grandson became a father. Life goes on…. Enjoy your family and friends and, once in a while, remember what we had at Knox. Class Correspondent: Anne Reutlinger Porter 407 Russell Avenue, Apartment 316, Gaithersburg, MD 20877-2853, 301-987-6894, justjim22@gmail.com

1953 I’ll start these notes off with a hearty congratulations to Don Hines for taking on the job of president of the Knox Fifty Year Club. I’m sure Don is well qualiﬁed for this and undoubtedly will do a superior job in leading the club in 2015. ❯ I also wish Larry Chadwick a continued successful recovery from the injuries he suffered last July. It’s been a long, tedious recovery, but Larry has made great progress and should be back to his old self by the time these notes are published. ❯ In a recent conversation with Larry, I learned of the passing on September 20, 2014, of an old friend from the Class of ’53, Jim Powelson. My friendship with Jim goes further back than our days at Knox; in fact it goes back before WWII. I would spend summers in Galesburg with my grandparents on North Cedar Street, and, at that time, I got to know Jim, who lived with his parents just across on Broad Street. We did a lot of things together, some of which were a bit on the crazy side, but we had a lot of fun together in those days. ❯ I did hear from Harlow Hosford last October. Here’s what he had to say: “I read my Knox Magazine and decided to write you and

let you know that there are still some of the Class of ’53 around. So here’s my two cents worth: in late August, I flew to New Delhi, India, with my daughter, Heather Eastwood. She had to go for a business meeting, and I went along for my ‘bucket list.’ Her tenth trip there and my first and only. I got to see the Red Fort, the Taj Mahal, and the Amber Fort. Rode up to it on an elephant. It was hot and humid and I recommend one goes there before the age of 82 and a hip and knee replacement. I’m glad I went but once is enough. I enjoy living downstairs while my daughter and son-in-law live upstairs in a new home we had built. My best to all my classmates.” ❯ In signing off as for your class correspondent, I continue my own recovery from the loss of Sue Jane, my wife of almost 56 years, last July. Support comes not only from my two beautiful daughters and five grandchildren but from others like our church, friends in our Volkswagen (VW) camping clubs, and other organizations. I spent a week in Lake Keowee, South Carolina, last August with the whole family and became a fan of Clemson University, where two of my grandchildren now attend (Go Tigers). In early September, I traveled to Newcastle, Maine, with Callie, my 50-lb. basset hound, for a weekend VW camping event with friends in my ’87 VW Westfalia camper. It’s things like this that really help in recovering from a loss. I know that many of our classmates have suffered some kind of loss or unexpected event that affected their lives, but, believe me, you can continue—because—you are Knox, Class of ’53. ❯ PS: Let’s hear something from the rest of the class. You must have something to tell about yourself and what’s been going on in your lives. Class Correspondent: Nevin C. Lescher 295 Reed Avenue, Windsor Locks, CT 06096, 860-623-0550, nesu@cox.net

1954 The report on our 60th Reunion comes from Ron Pearson. Festivities began with an all-class reception in the T. Fleming Fieldhouse (which did not exist in our days on campus). Our class was the oldest with a reserved reunion table, a good reacquainted medium for some of us who

Looking for Information The children of Don Simmons ’50 and Pat Kimble ’51 would love to know more about a film made during what appears to be the 1949-50 academic year that features their parents. The video includes formal events, such as a football game against Beloit and 1950 Commencement, and informal events, such a picnic, a lake beach, and a visit to their grandfather Guy Simmons’s farm. Please get in touch with Pat and Don’s daughter, Elizabeth, at jeezl@comcast.net if you were involved in making this movie, know and would like to share with us more about the people and events pictured, or have an original of the film.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Dan Kimble ’56 writes: “I too became an octogenarian (sounds like had not seen each other for 60 years. Saturday began with Convocation, attended by most of our group. Among the speeches and awards was one for the Class of ’54. We tied with the Class of 1964 for the greatest participation in the Knox Fund, and our class name will be engraved on the Ralph Walter Trophy. President Amott led the dedication ceremony for the beautifully renovated Alumni Hall, and 12 of us were there for our class photo, the first to be taken in the new facility! The evening class banquet at Soangetaha Country Club was attended by 26 people, including 15 class members, plus spouses and guests. Class President Jim Albrecht gave a great welcoming talk, and a continuous slide presentation was shown as we reminisced. The final event of possibly our last official reunion was a Sunday brunch hosted by Jane Nelson Johnson and husband, Dick, at their lovely Soangetaha home, a finale that sent us off with with many memories of our 60th Reunion and our years at Old Siwash—wonderful, dynamic Knox College. Class members and Old Siwash spouses at the banquet included Jim and Phyllis Holowaty Albrecht ’56, Barbara Alldritt Anderson, Bob and Jean Kester Anderson, Deborah Nelson Anderson, Clark Andrews, Donald Dool, Dick ’51 and Lorraine Johnson Fleming, Tom Heuerman, Ron Hill, Jane Nelson Johnson, Shirley Brieser Malaby, Ron Pearson and Arline Searl Pearson ’57, Gene Schwanke, and Mary Venn Wine. ❯ Jim Wirt had planned to attend the Reunion, but, unfortunately, medical issues intervened. Jim had triple bypass surgery on October 9, with complications of internal bleeding requiring treatment in three hospitals before he was able to return home to Wirt Lane in New Lenox, Illinois, for a lengthy recovery. ❯ Some may recall a recruiting slogan from our youth: “Join the Navy and see the world.” Ron Hill did that. Following Knox, while at Loyola Dental School, Ron was selected for a Navy Senior Dental program that led to 30 years of active duty during which he says he “got to visit a lot of great places.” Duty locations on land and at sea included Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; a Mediterranean cruise; the U.S. Naval Academy; two tours aboard ships with trips to Vietnam and Subic Bay in the Philippines (with liberty in Japan and Hong Kong); Naval Postgraduate School at Bethesda, Maryland; Glenview NAS; Twentynine Palms, California, as C.O. of the 23rd Dental Company for five years; Oakland, California, as part of the Northwest Region Medical Staff, visiting all Navy medical and dental facilities from Lemoore, California, to Adak, Alaska; and San Diego, California. Retiring from the Navy in 1988, but not from work, Ron then spent 10 years providing dental services at a prison in San Diego. Needing open-heart surgery in 2007, he was, he says, “kidnapped by my two nurse daughters. Absolutely the best care imaginable. I am slower, can’t run, but I’m still here.” “Here” is Bakersfield, California, with his wife of 57 years, Virginia, who accompanied Ron to the first Reunion he attended after 60 years. Ron and

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Virginia have six children. ❯ By the time this reaches print, Ron, Jack Bandy, and your class correspondent hope to have had a mini Teke reunion. Jack Bandy and wife, Betty, are parents again—foster parents to a 10-year-old greatgranddaughter, due to a family emergency. “Betty and I are doing ﬁne in spite of it all, and it certainly keeps us active.” ❯ Jim and Phyllis Albrecht have relocated to a senior living retirement center in Rockville, Maryland, to be closer to their oldest daughter and family who live in Washington, D.C. ❯ And ﬁnally, your class correspondent has, for the second time, won the Over 80 Championship of the Sun City Lawn Bowls Club. Class Correspondent: Jim Dunlevey 27419 Embassy Street, Menifee, CA 92586-2005, dunlevey@aol.com

1955 You are reading this in spring 2015; I am writing it the day after Thanksgiving. Just thought you’d like to know. ❯ I know we are all saddened to learn of Don Adams’ death in September of Alzheimer’s. He had fought the good ﬁght for several years. We send our sympathy to his family. ❯ Arizona classmates were the most responsive to my plea for news. Al and Barb Behringer Paulus ’56 left Tucson for family visits: a son in Portland, Oregon, and one in Barrington, Illinois. Did you know there’s no sales tax in Portland? I’m sure Barb found lots of bargains. Their grandson’s high school football team won the game they watched in Chicago. Their next trip was to Las Vegas with Ed Montgomery and his wife. ❯ The Johnson Report, Paul Johnson’s periodic newsletter dealing with real estate in the Scottsdale area, always has information about how to update homes to make them more attractive. Wally Larkin complains that after Susan reads an issue, it always costs them money. Pat must have taught Paul how to ﬁnd the kitchen, because he was looking forward to Thanksgiving when I heard from him, but not the clean-up. ❯ Sally Dolder Stewart and Will were basking in “the best weather in the world in wintertime” in Phoenix when she wrote. We Floridians make the same claim, so take your choice. One of the Stewarts’ daughters—who has lived in Dublin with her family for many years—is moving to the Dubai/Qatar area, what an adventure! ❯ Mitzi Haynes Eisenscher, after a balmy cruise that left from Ft. Lauderdale in early November, returned to snow in Sandy, Utah. Two of her granddaughters were with her, and they had a great time. She was off on another trip just before Thanksgiving. ❯ Lynn Weise Victor shared a vacation with her Corvallis family (daughter, son-in-law, and grandson) in northern Colorado at the end of September. They were joined by the two older grandsons, who live in Ft. Collins, for a hike— she says, for her, it was more of a dawdle. An added bonus was a trip to Steamboat Springs to spend time with her fourth grandson, who is in college there. ❯ Cherry Emmons McReynolds’s

husband, Bill, wrote that Cherry has Alzheimer’s and isn’t able to respond. He told me so many interesting things about her career and their life together. Bill was an ophthalmologist in Quincy, Illinois, before retirement, and he and Cherry spent time at a remote eye hospital in Patna, India. She learned to speak the language and was his surgical assistant. After that, they toured Europe before returning home. Wonderful memories. ❯ Ward Knockemus plays golf with a group of pals on a regular basis. He and Evy, who live in Mobile, Alabama, spent Thanksgiving with their middle son in South Carolina, near Florence. He had to brace himself for the deathdefying drive through Atlanta each way. ❯ Bud and I were in the Nashville area for a family wedding in October. Beautiful weather. We toured the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson’s home, after the festivities. A fun trip. Monday afternoons, I come home from the library where I volunteer with stories about the children I meet through the Homework Helper program. I have found I can’t help with third-grade math. I would corrupt the kids with my old-fashioned methods—like learning the multiplication tables—so I stick to English and history. ❯ Gail Holmes Curtis and I belong to a book club that meets during the winter months, and we feel so lucky to have a friendship that has lasted all these years. The Curtises live nearby during the winter. ❯ Many of you have asked if we will be at our class’s 60th Reunion at the next Knox Homecoming on October 18, 2015. We won’t commit—but certainly will be there if we can. We are in good health, but, as you all know, things happen. Maybe we should ﬁnd out in August or so who will be there. ❯ If you enjoy reading this column, send me your news. Bud and I send our very best to you all. Class Correspondent: Dorothy Thomas Wharton 3511 SE Fairway West, Stuart FL 34997, dtwharton33@gmail.com

1956 How good it is to hear again from classmates! If you are disappointed in not seeing your own name here, the simple solution is to send me updates for either our November 30 or May 31 deadlines. ❯ Gailor Longworth Schmidt and husband, Bill, have lived in Redmond, Washington, for the past eight years and enjoy life in the Great Northwest. They are near one of their sons and his family and have summertime reunions with the three sons from Montana and their families (seven grandchildren). The Schmidts are doing well; they are both members of the local Rotary Club and keep up with a number of other activities. They enjoy hearing news of Knox friends. ❯ Dan Kimble writes: “I too became an octogenarian (sounds like someone from another planet) on November 18. Reeva and I are both well and busy. I continue to paint, and Reeva has a variety of activities. None of this is ‘news,’ but maybe this is: we went to see the movie Whiplash yesterday, in which my nephew

Class Knox someone from another planet) on November 18.”

Equestrian Team Returns to Knox For nearly 20 years, beginning in 1934, Knox was home to Thunder on the Left, an equestrian team that practiced at the Dunn Riding Academy west of Galesburg. Though the team’s faculty advisor was the head of women’s physical education, Evelyn Bielefeldt, riders were accompanied in the ﬁeld by Norman Johnson, the College chaplain, and Frances S. Brown, whose husband, Sherman Brown, was then head of the modern languages department. Team members took part in regular breakfast rides, and, once or twice a year, competed in a gymkhana—a skills competition testing riders’ speed and dexterity—on campus. After a hiatus of more than 50 years, equestrian sports have now returned to the Knox campus. During the 2013-14 academic year, then-ﬁrstyear students and riding enthusiasts Theresa O’Keefe and Emma Wille lobbied to make horseback riding a club sport on campus. When Frances Brown’s daughter, Cynthia Brown ’64, Frances S. Brown, in the lead, guides Knox students Barb Miner heard about the effort, Landon ’47 and Joy Kerler King ’47 on a breakfast ride, she pitched in by estabaccompanied by chaplain Norman Johnson. lishing the Frances S. Brown Equestrian Team Endowed Fund, which will support the team now and for years to come. Additional gifts are welcome and appreciated; contact gifts@knox.edu for more information. The Knox equestrian team is open to both new and experienced riders and practices at Woodland View Farm. Currently, O’Keefe serves as riding instructor and coach, while Wille is the captain of the team. With a junior and varsity squad in place, they are already facing off against other Midwest schools in Intercollegiate Horse Show Association competitions. SHERMAN BROWN

J.K. (for Kimble) Simmons starred as a tyrannical music teacher in an intense and riveting movie about jazz drumming and seeking greatness. J.K. is the son of my recently deceased sister, Pat Kimble ’51, and Don Simmons ’50. J.K. has been getting rave reviews for his role in The New Yorker, The New York Times, USA Today, etc. Pat and Don would be so proud, particularly as Don was dean of music at University of Montana, and both Pat and Don were very active in local music affairs in Missoula.” ❯ Ricky Jung Schwarzler reports a delightful summer with more sunshine than usual in the Pacific Northwest. At the time of writing, she and Bob ’55 were anticipating a very special family Christmas. “It’s been many years since the ‘Fabulous Five’ and their families have been with us for the holiday, and we’re pretty excited that it actually is happening. The only ones missing will be our oldest granddaughter and her family in New Zealand, but they’ll join us on Skype. They were here this summer for an extended vacation—enjoyed the end of summer here and returned home just in time for summer there. Good timing!” ❯ We wish Bob Rothe well in his continuing recovery from the hemorrhagic stroke and heart attack he experienced in mid-2014. He especially requested that this invitation be included in the ’56 column: “If any Knox people ever find their way to beautiful Colorado, please know that you are welcome to visit us in charming Boulder, 25 miles from Denver. Contact us at judy.bob.r@comcast.net.” More news from Bob and his wife, Judy Bowers Rothe ’58, is included in the Class of 1958 notes. ❯ Burt Sargeant and wife, Cleo, once again have been hitting the road, traveling last summer from Seattle to Long Beach, California. They spent time at both of their houses entertaining grandkids and great-grands, who traveled there from many parts of the USA, as well as Canada and the UK. ❯ Dave Yount wrote that when he turned 70, he published a popular guide to confident aging entitled Celebrating the Rest of Your Life. Ten years later, he confesses that he no longer follows all of his well-meant advice! This year, Dave’s wife, Rebecca, is publishing the fifth novel in her Mick Chandra mystery series. Meanwhile, she serves as a mentor to aspiring young authors through the Afghan Women’s Writing Project. ❯ Alan Anderson was honored as a 2014 inductee into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame, a well-deserved recognition in that Alan has been an activist in the Civil Rights Movement for decades. In the ’60s, he was an organizer in the movement in the Chicago area and also participated with Dr. Martin Luther King in the demonstrations in Albany, Georgia, in 1962. He co-authored a book, Confronting the Color Line: The Broken Promise of the Civil Rights Movement in Chicago. ❯ Bob Sparks and wife Kathy once again spent the winter months in El Paso, Texas. Having done this for several years, they have gained many new friends, as well as golfing partners. Bob reported that he visited the campus several times during the summer and received a full tour through Alumni Hall. He commented,

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Mary Lu Aft ’60 received recognition for chairing the Friends “You would not believe the facility. It was a full transformation!” He added that he and Kathy would miss their annual visit with the Seidels this winter. ❯ Bob’s mention of which brings me to sharing the sad news of the unexpected passing of our classmate Tom Seidel in September. Our sincerest condolences to his wife Diane Ayer Seidel and the Seidel family. ❯ Since space permits, I will close with a bit of a personal update. Jim Albrecht ’54 and I have relocated to a retirement community in the Washington, D.C., area to be closer to family as we enter the octogenarian decade. (See Jim’s update in ’54 class notes for details.) Leaving Lake Bluff, where we had lived for 50 years, was not easy, but we knew it was the right move. On the other hand, it’s great to be near family, which is something we have not enjoyed before. Life is full of transitions, and the key to enjoying life is embracing change and the positive opportunities that await. ❯ Looking forward to hearing from you for the next Class Notes. Stay well! Class Correspondent: Phyllis Holowaty Albrecht 701 King Farm Boulevard. #142, Rockville, MD 20850, 240-801-8989, albrecjp@aol.com

1957 Here we are again writing about our fellow classmate of Knox ’57. It is so nice that we have reached the age that we currently enjoy. Why? Because I can generally talk to most all of my fellow classmates any day of the week. ❯ Nick Panos is a true family man, and he proves it by going to Disney World with his ﬁve grandchildren, daughter, wife, and others for a few days’ stay. Since I am a full-time resident of the great state of Florida, I want to thank Nick for his positive inﬂuence on the state’s economy. While Nick is basically retired from practicing law, he still manages to be involved in that work. His friendship with professor Homer Johnson continues with a weekly lunch visit at the Greek Islands Restaurant in Chicago. Just think: a friendship that started in 1953 and is still going strong. ❯ Dick DeLong, one of our classmates who has contributed to Knox every year since graduation, is now a man of leisure. What a neat accomplishment. Dick spent his entire work career with IBM in Chicago. He enjoys doing his daily activities at a senior community in Urbana. ❯ Juliet Engel Schertz lives in the Peoria area and noted 50 years of marriage. She enjoys being with her two grandchildren. She, like so many other Midwesterners, enjoys vegetable gardening. Juliet was a teacher at the elementary level. She has found memories of the “Old Gizmo”—smoke, noise, and all. ❯ Roberta Wright Daniels reports that after a career in modeling, she is now retired. Roberta appeared in many catalogues. She told me that she has so many fond memories of her Knox College days. ❯ Don Pickard is a now 50-year-plus resident of Oak Park. Ameritech was his longtime working endeavor. Don keeps busy with two grandchildren who live with him. One

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

is a “special needs” child. Don must be the Googling champ of our class from looking for any information that might yield an answer. The malady that affects the young lady is called Angelman syndrome. Not that much is known about this problem, but Don reported that progress is being made toward improving the lives of those afﬂicted. A suggestion was made that should this information pique your desire to help, to consider a donation to the Foundation that is associated with this condition. (Don said should anyone be interested just Google for all information!) ❯ And now, a Bill Shaffer moment. Looking through my copy of the ’57 Gale, Bill is pictured with the Young Republicans Club. My question: is Bill now a Senior or Old Republican? ❯ Finally, Jamie Bjorkman contacted us to report that Bob Wallace ’58 was also in attendance at the Phi Delta Theta reunion he wrote about in our last issue. Thanks for the correction, Jamie! Class Correspondent: Jack O’Dowd 4837 88th Street East, Bradenton FL 34211-3606, 941-753-1483, jodowd310@msn.com

1958 Several classmates attended the June Knox alumni luncheon in Burr Ridge, Illinois, including Janet Van Der Sluys Brown, Peg Wilson Callard, Bill and Joan Baffes Walant, Mickey Busker Alkire, and Mary Ann Jalovec Gleason. ❯ The Knox NYC group met December 6 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to have dinner and then headed to Mary Mullins Hinz’s Manhattan apartment for conversation and dessert. Those attending this year included Sally Arteseros, Mary Mullins Hinz, Fred Kaufman, Anita Tosetti Johnson, and John Badertscher and wife Lynn. ❯ John Badertscher became a minister after Knox and later completed his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and taught religious studies at the University of Winnipeg. Recently, he ﬁnished a book of his engagements with racial justice called Fragments of Freedom, a couple of the fragments being in the Knox setting. He is willing to share his work with any classmate; contact him at noahsark1@shaw.ca. ❯ Judy Bowers Rothe and Bob Rothe ’56 wrote that they have been married 57 years, 50 of those living in Boulder, Colorado. Bob retired as an experimental nuclear physicist. They were extra-thankful this past Thanksgiving because Bob survived a hemorrhagic stroke in June and a heart attack in September and is doing quite well. In fact, they are planning a trip to Brazil in May to visit three foreign exchange students who once lived with them. Bob welcomed visitors to beautiful Colorado; you can contact them at judy.bob.r@comcast.net. ❯ Janet Peck Moursund says she’s well and healthy, living in Eugene, Oregon (yes, she’s become an Oregon Duck). Her summer adventure included a trip to Scotland for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the wonderful Tattoo, followed by visiting the Shetland Islands to view amazing Stone Age sites and “getting to know some sheep!” Since she has retired, she

loves auditing University of Oregon classes and playing with her computer. She says “life is sweet” and would love to hear from friends at janetmoursund@gmail.com. ❯ John Norton and wife Janet enjoyed an Elderhostel Road Scholar program at Charleston, South Carolina, in the fall, looking at the beginnings of the Civil War and antebellum plantation life. Earlier they “road scholared” their way through New Mexico, featuring Santa Fe as one of their signature cities. John spoke at Knox in September for the Swedish-American Historical Society of Chicago on the contributions of two Knox graduates, Phillip Stoneberg and Ron Nelson ’61, who had a lot to do with the interpretation and restoration of the Swedish Prairie Utopia at Bishop Hill. ❯ The rededication of Alumni Hall was the highlight of Homecoming this fall. The transformation of Alumni Hall is amazing and beautiful. I hope you will plan a trip to campus in the near future to view the changes. Bob Wolf, Bill Baker, John Norton, and I attended various events on campus during Homecoming weekend. ❯ I was in a walkway to a parking ramp in Springﬁeld, Illinois, carrying a Knox purple and gold bag that I got at Homecoming. A gal mentioned the bag as we were walking and said she had Knox relatives. Her uncle, Jim Winebright, now deceased, was in our class, as well as another relation, Trevor Winebright ’57. It’s a small world and always fun to have that Knox connection anywhere you travel. Class Correspondent: Letitia Luther Schactner 246 East Dayton Street, Galesburg, IL, 309-342-0748, letnor@comcast.net

1959 After my e-mail request for news, I heard from a few more people. If you have changed an e-mail or post ofﬁce address, please let us know. I know people of our place in life are on the move to new residences. ❯ We celebrated our 55th Reunion with a small number of hearty, healthy, and happy classmates. Many people were unable to be here for various reasons. At our age, that is perfectly understandable. Those in attendance were Mary Coyne Karau, Jan Shroyer, Tede Verner, Paul Hohe and wife Elva, Bill Reiners and wife Norma, Joe Stablein, Mel Brown and wife Carrie, and my husband, Bob Wolf ’58, and me. We were very fortunate to be able to participate in the dedication of the newly renovated Alumni Hall. As you have probably read, the building was completely gutted and made into a fabulous space for cultural events, ofﬁces, and classrooms. At our Saturday night dinner, we shared messages from classmates unable to attend. Greetings came from Cathy Witschey Tompson, Georgia Raft Souris, Larry Blasch, Gary Hoopes, Nick Karay, Rich Bloomberg, Connie Drew Tozer, Bob Grover and wife Jane, Jim MacDonald and Jan Eiszner MacDonald, Barbara Hanawalt Reece, Joan Faoro Keener, Diane Penrod Maller, and Tom Murphy. ❯ Bill Reiners writes

Class Knox of the Public Library used book sales for 25 years. that he and Norma had enjoyed the Reunion and catching up with everyone. ❯ Dave Harris reports: “June Pomatto Harris ’60 and I have both finally retired. June retired as CEO of Custom Communications, as well as her leadership of a destination management company in Monterey, California. For the past few years, she assisted our local schools in a back-to-basics reading program for at-risk students. I retired from the Army after 27 years, having commanded in the 82nd Airborne Division, 7th Division at Fort Ord, California, and as deputy commander of the Berlin Brigade. I spent the last several years as special projects director for a regional government, as well as veterans outreach officer. We were both able to spend the summer at our beach home at Topsail Beach, North Carolina. Sure beats the weekend commute for the last few years, as June moved to the beach every summer. We continue to enjoy skiing at Vail and golf in the Carolinas. We are pushing for our grandchildren to attend Knox. Hope to see you at next year’s Homecoming.” ❯ Mary Coyne Karau went to Minneapolis for Thanksgiving with friends and then out west for Christmas with her children. She is also planning a Holland/Belgium River cruise in the spring to see the bulbs. ❯ Paul Hohe writes, “We’ve been busy with harvest—didn’t think we’d return to grapes after our delayed return due to the Reunion, but lo and behold, we had a full crop of every varietal!” Paul and Elva enjoyed all the Reunion festivities, but wished there had been more classmates in attendance. They were sad to hear of various classmates’ passing, including Tony Jirka (incidentally the grandson of Chicago Mayor Cermak, who was killed in the supposed Roosevelt assassination attempt). After the Reunion, they returned to their California home to harvest the six varietals of grapes they grow and were happy to learn their previous year’s entries to the Santa Barbara County Fair wine competition earned four medals and an honorable mention. Some days in the vineyard are long and arduous, but it keeps them out of mischief. They wish all classmates and fellow Knox alums a very blessed 2015 and want to especially thank Bob ’58 and Louise Bost Wolf for their brunch hospitality at every Reunion and for keeping the Class of 1959 connected. ❯ Carol Jean Nelson Nelson writes, “I am sorry that we missed Homecoming, as it is always fun. Hope we can make it to our next big gathering. Just to keep you up to date … Ken and I have traveled quite a bit since our kids finished college. We have taken seven trips with the University of Illinois Alumni, and they have been great and fun. Last year, we went to Machu Picchu, which was on Ken’s bucket list. He voted it #1, and I too enjoyed it. Nine thousand feet is high. My favorite was a trip on the Orient Express. We went to the Copper Canyon, which was beautiful, and I love the trains, too. We have been to Italy three times, France, England, Australia, Alaska, and Mexico. All in all, we have been very fortunate. Ken retired this year, and we have both played lots of golf and tennis and continue with

tennis this winter. It has been fun having him home all the time. Hope all is well with you and yours. We went to New Jersey to see Eric and family for Thanksgiving. We see Kyla here for lunch most days, and she and Randy keep busy on their farm.” ❯ Bob and I are doing well and keeping busy with our family, dogs, and friends. We enjoy having the Knox friends here every year. We hope all classmates have a good winter. Please keep Knox in your giving plans and come back any time. We are always good for a free bed, a cold beer, and a ham sandwich. Most of all, please remember to send news for me to use in the magazine. Class Correspondent: Louise Bost Wolf 3 Gilbert Park, Knoxville IL 61448, 309-289-6435, 309-337-6435 (cell), wolfl@grics.net

1960 I’m serving as temporary class correspondent since Susan Greco Straetz stepped down after serving in this role for many years. Thank you, Susan, for serving the College so faithfully. ❯ Mary Lu Aft received recognition for chairing the Friends of the Public Library used book sales for 25 years. Under her leadership, the Friends raised $4.5 million, and the funds benefit programs and acquisitions for her public library system. Husband Dick Aft has completed his fourth book about the history of the United Way movement. The couple is always busy, and they continue to travel frequently, both domestically and abroad. Dick and Mary Lu visited recently with classmate Corwin “Chuck” Dunn, a retired physician, at a chamber music concert series in Cincinnati. ❯ At Homecoming, Frank Gustine was awarded a Fifty Year Club Scroll of Honor in recognition of his service to his community. He has served on numerous committees in the Galesburg community and raised funds for the county nursing home and the local schools, in addition to helping build two schools in Roatan, Honduras. Frank presently serves the Air Force Association as a national officer on the National Finance Committee. ❯ Marcia Muelder Eaton gave a special lecture series about the aesthetics of art at Artis-Naples, in Naples, Florida, in February and March. The three lectures were titled “Art and Truth,” “Art and Beauty,” and “Art and Goodness.” She and husband Joe divide their time between Minneapolis and Naples, Florida. Marcia’s novel, The Crivelli Conundrum, which deals with moral and aesthetic conflicts, is available through Amazon and Kindle. ❯ Denny Geraghty responded promptly to my plea for news with the following: “While attending the athletic banquet at Homecoming this past October, I had the pleasure of introducing Bill Graning as a new member to the Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Fame. This long overdue and richly deserved honor was significant because Bill’s accomplishments not only merited inclusion into the Hall of Fame but provided ample evidence that, statistically, Bill is the best basketball player ever to play for Knox. Fifty-plus years

later, he’s the only Knox basketball player to ever play on three consecutive championship teams and two NCAA tournament teams. I’m sure I speak for all the guys who played with Bill that it was a privilege to be one of his teammates.” ❯ Maury Klein writes, “Last June, I won a New York/New England Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a television documentary, Railroad Man: The Life and Legend of Jay Gould, based on my biography of Gould. In June 2015, wife Kim and I expect to be at Knox for the graduation of my stepdaughter, Shannon Perry. Those who attended our 50th Class Reunion may recall seeing her with us at the Reunion dinner. She was scouting Knox and decided she liked it a lot. We hope also to be at the 55th Reunion in the fall.” ❯ In addition to his many other activities, Joe Pankus is very involved with the American Association of Individual Investors. He will lead monthly investment seminars January through May in Bonita Springs, Florida, and similar sessions at Florida Gulf Coast University. Joe says it’s a way to give back to an industry that has given so much to him. He sends his best to all his Knox classmates. ❯ From Gordon and Anne Wetzel Faubel: “Anne and I attended Homecoming in October in order to be there when Bill Graning was inducted into the Knox-Lombard Hall of Fame. It turns out Bill was the most efficient and effective basketball player in Knox history. Denny Geraghty told the gathering about Bill’s exploits on the hardwood from 1958-60, when Bill led Knox cagers to consecutive conference championships. The campus and Alumni Hall look wonderful, and we hope you will all join us at Knox for Homecoming 2015.” ❯ I also received a great e-mail from Richard “Dick” Riggs. “After graduating from Knox College in 1960,” he writes, “I took a high school math teaching position in Lakeview, Michigan. Carol Robbins made that and my first low-rent apartment possible. I left for officer training at Fort Sam Houston in April 1961. There, I met and married my wonderful wife, Emma. We have one son, Michael, of whom we are very proud. After two years of teaching at Marshall High School, we moved to Rutgers University in New Jersey. I had received acceptance for an Academic Year Institute to complete an M.A. in mathematics education. I was asked to stay for a doctorate. I simultaneously studied for the Ed.D. that I received in 1968 and taught full-time at New Jersey City University. After 48 years, with 12 as mathematics department chair, I retired in July 2012. After 50 years in New Jersey, we moved permanently to Fort Worth, Texas, and would welcome a visit from any Knox friends. I lector and sing in the choir at St. Bartholomew’s Catholic Church. Emma retired from 25 years of teaching special education in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and we look forward to our 54th wedding anniversary. Knox started me on the road to many things besides teaching. I continued with the Army Reserves and retired as a colonel in 1983, with 23 years of service. I held positions as comptroller and inspector general for the 78th Division. In 1958, I

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

“We all excelled at the Gizmo. I drank ‘Beige’ and played bridge Class of 1960. We live in Buford, Georgia, and have room and board for any of you passing through.” ❯ And, from Bill Graning: “My wife, Barbara, and I just returned from a 28-day Amazon cruise that included about 10 Caribbean Island stops along the way. We have been cruising for 20 some years now. We were back for Homecoming 2014 and enjoyed seeing the Alumni Hall renovations. What a contrast from taking most of my economic classes there in the late 1950s. It was great to get together with old teammates: Denny Geraghty, Gordon Faubel, and Mel Brown ’59.” ❯ Finally, welcome and thank you to Dick Riggs, our new class correspondent. Please send your updates for the next issue of the magazine to the address below. Class Correspondent: Dick Riggs rriggs3@charter.net

1961 The rededication of Alumni Hall at Homecoming brought waves of memories for those of us who enjoyed classes, as well as recreation, there. ❯ Judd Belson sent an update: “Susan and I moved out to Southern California last year after 48 years in St. Louis. We bought a home in Mission Viejo and enjoy the weather, being close to family, and going to plays and music at the

SUBMITTED

auditioned for the Knox Choir, was fortunate to be conditionally accepted, and made the European trip to nine countries for six weeks—a truly unforgettable experience. Subsequently, I have sung with several choirs. I performed the Messiah at least eight times in Carnegie Hall with the Masterwork Chorus. We also did a concert of opera choruses with Jerome Hines, Metropolitan bass soloist for 41 years. As a member of the Morris Choral Society, I was in a joint concert with Dave Brubeck, the famous jazz artist and composer of ‘Take Five.’ I remember so many great professors from Knox who have passed on. Atwater, Green, Harper, Jeffries, Olson, and Stephens were especially kind to me. Emma and I look forward to continuing our travels over much of the world and thank God for every glorious new day.” ❯ From Jim Hartman: “My wife Pat and I are hoping to attend the milestone 55th Reunion in 2015. We are looking forward to seeing the refurbished Alumni Hall. I miss the old Gizmo, though. Pat is still working but will retire next year at the end of the school year. We are enjoying retirement. Pat has a new Kindle and reads every free moment. Technology is unbelievable, and we are both active on our computers. Right now, Pat has 80,000 photos on her computer and is adding more each day. She took about 200 photos at the 50 Year Reunion of the

John Sauter stands beside the entrance to the new ﬁnancial aid ofﬁce in Alumni Hall, named for the Class of 1963 and including a reception area named in honor of Sauter’s many years of service to Knox.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

area universities. Beautiful mountain views right from our backyard and less than 10 miles to the beach.” Because we requested Alumni Hall memories, Judd added, “My one memory of the Gizmo in Alumni Hall was a bunch of us led by Glenn Kuras ’60 filling the well leading down to the Gizmo with snow. The next morning, the professors said they could not teach class without coffee, and they proceeded to dig it out with the help of a small tractor. Also, I remember our friend Dan Martin bringing sherry for our coffee in a chemistry vial.” Surely everyone remembers that prank. The well was completely filled, level with the sidewalk. It was very amusing until caffeine withdrawal set in. ❯ We also received this observation about Alumni Hall, written in the 1958 Gale, sent in by Barbara Lee Fay. “Perhaps the undecided architecture of Alumni Hall is indicative of the creative spirit it embodies. In the east wing, campus artists dabble in oils, budding sociologists ‘come of age in Samoa;’ and fledgling economists consider the merits of Malthus. In the west wing, future teachers become inculcated with the challenge of youth. Its core is the theatre, filled with echoes of enthusiastic applause for Molière and Miller, for Chekov and Harbach. An old structure, Alumni has a personality all its own and is symbolic of the creative conflict within.” Barb continued, “During my four years at Knox, I thought I’d give my artistic ‘talent’ a try in an art class until I was completely discouraged when Gary Hoopes ’59, taking his very first stab at drawing, gained high praise from Professor Peterson. I then moved over to the center stage of Alumni Hall and into the theater department. Being cast in the chorus of The Trojan Women did not win me any awards. Where I did excel was in the Gizmo! Everyone came there because our mailboxes were located there— among other attractions—if you could find them in the blue haze of cigarette smoke.” ❯ Susan Shea Worthington added: “We all excelled in the Gizmo! I drank ‘Beige’ and played bridge way more than I should have. But the reference to Margaret Mead brought back memories other than Samoa. She was the one who came up with this great quote: ‘Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.’” ❯ And finally, a memory from a classmate who wishes to remain anonymous, though I don’t understand why. Do they revoke diplomas? “I lived in Seymour the first semester of my senior year. One late night we decided we would like some ice cream. We went down to the Gizmo, climbed over the counter and started making ice cream sundaes. We posted a lookout to watch for the security guard. In the middle of making our desserts we got word that the guard was coming. We made a hasty retreat, leaving our bare footprints on the countertop. After that they put up a gate to block the entrance to the Gizmo. In general, I would say Seymour was Knox’s version of Animal House. I could also add that, since it was late, we were in our drawers and PJs, just to give you the complete picture.” I assume they didn’t have footprint records in those days.

Class Knox way more than I should have.” — Susan Shea Worthington ’61 Class Correspondents: Susan Shea Worthington 1611 South Street, Lexington, MO 64067-1431, 660-259-4559, skworth@cebridge.net Ella Major Morin 71234 54th Avenue N., St. Petersburg, FL 33708-2949, 727-290-6984, ellanell1963@yahoo.com

1962 After 33 years of service, Steve Cox retired from the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University (CSU) as professor emeritus and department head emeritus. Steve and his wife, Phyllis, left their mountain home west of Fort Collins, Colorado, and moved to Port Charlotte, Florida, in 2000. Steve continued his research in remote sensing, atmospheric radiation, and climate and advising graduate students with CSU until 2003. Beaches and boating have replaced skiing and hiking, but the Coxes travel extensively, visiting all seven continents and spending significant time in England pursuing Steve’s ancestral roots. They divide their time between their Florida residence; Grand Junction, Colorado; and traveling. ❯ Ellen Louthan Hawley previously reported on their 50th wedding anniversary plans last August 27. They started early with a trip to Chicago that was supposed to be one of many trips to cities important to their marriage. Unfortunately, their trip was cut short as Stephen ’61 had surgery before the anniversary, and Ellen is now recovering from knee surgery. Ellen was able to visit Quebec in September, and Stephen recuperated at Newport, Rhode Island—one of the anniversary sites on their list. ❯ With apologies to Bob and Gerry Smith Elfline, we report old news. They became grandparents (#5) in June 2013, and in October 2013, they visited Tasmania to see their daughter, Ann Elfline Davie ’83, and her family before wintering in Florida. Ann made it back to Knox for her 30th Reunion—the first time in 10 years they gathered with all four of their children. They are off to Hobart, Tasmania, again in 2014. Gerry writes: “We have been fortunate to watch our Tassie grandkids progress in sports like field hockey. Lest you feel sorry for us, our two American grandkids are two blocks away! So I guess it all evens out in the end.” ❯ Unfortunately Joe and Betsy Wallace Empen report that Joe has prostate cancer and will undergo surgery in April. Bets had surgery on her arm in November 2013 and reports she has finally healed and is free of wound vacs, casts, braces, and miles of tape and gauze. They will head for sunny Florida this winter … good for them. ❯ Don Lehmann died rather suddenly in November 2014 after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer last September. From Dennis East: “Since our 50th class Reunion, Don and I had become e-mail colleagues as I have had the great pleasure of reading the first draft of his latest research/memoir of his beloved Chicago White Sox. A bright, funny, sensitive guy, a great wordsmith, and an articulate, keen observer of life and human foibles. I never

really got to know Don at Knox. My loss. But I got a second chance these last couple of years. A good man gone too soon. I shall miss him greatly.” ❯ Over the past few days I have been privileged to receive some e-mails from Don’s friends and family. I share them—anonymously— as tribute. “I want to remember him laughing and kidding around. I treasure all of the notes and emails he sent me, he was so good with words.” “I have known Don since 1958. With him at Knox, then Iowa where he was at the Writer’s Workshop, followed Grutzmacher to Parsons to teach English to jocks, Gun Digest to make a living, technical workbooks to teach information technology folks how to communicate, and then his self-publishing of baseball stories that he cared about. He would call me several times a month … Then after our 50th he went silent! I would try to contact him with no luck! Then I ﬁnd out he is sharing his life between Canada and his childhood home in Mokena. He was a true friend since 1958, and I am happy for his happiness these last two years.” “I so looked forward to his holiday letters. I shall miss them, but will miss him more.” “I keep thinking of things I want to tell Don: that Kate made it back from New York, that Joe is loving the trumpet, but not as much as the trombone; that I’ve talked to you, to Pat Graham, Bob Schmid … and more. I so miss his voice.” Class Correspondents: Kate Bloomberg hankandkate@msn.com Dennis East denniseast@att.net

1963 At the 2013 Fifty Year Club luncheon, a student ambassador sat at our table. The conversation turned to dorm rules, particularly hours, during our days at Knox. “You mean a curfew?” asked the astonished student, totally dumbfounded. ❯ Well, yes. In those years colleges everywhere acted in loco parentis. Knox was by no means unique. When we arrived on campus in fall 1959, we learned the rules: we women got locked up at 9:30 on weeknights. After Thanksgiving break, we were allowed to stay out until 10 p.m. On weekends, the curfew was midnight, with one 1 a.m. per month for ﬁrst-years, two for sophomores, etc. Curfews, in effect longer than anyone could remember, applied only to women. My parents had told me it was assumed that if you locked up the girls, the boys would go home. (What a preposterous assumption!) Luckily, someone in our class had saved a list of those rules. To enlighten more recent students on the freedoms they have gained, here are the rules we women lived by in all the dorms: Sign-Out Procedures (We were required to sign out of the dorm if we were going to be out after 7:30 pm): 1. Failure to sign out on any slip: 5 late minutes. 2. Failure to sign in on return: 1st time: warning, 2nd time: 5 late minutes.

3. Failure to sign out for a 1:00 before 11:30: 5 late minutes. 4. Failure to sign out if you planned to be out after 7:30: 5 late minutes, reduced to 2 late minutes if you phone the receptionist; Falsification of a white slip (regular), blue slip (another dorm), or pink slip (out of town) is a serious offense and these cases will be considered separately. 5. Improper signing of a white slip for an automatic permission (escort, function, and automatic hour must be stated): 5 late minutes. Date Jerk Procedures (definition of a date jerk: confinement to the dorm for a weekend evening): Failure to return Date Jerk slip by Thursday noon: 5 late minutes. Late minutes and returning late: Late minutes are accumulated in even minutes: 1 to 2 minutes = 2 late minutes; 3 to 4 = 4 late minutes, etc. 1. For 10 late minutes: 1 date jerk. 2. Too many 1:00s: one date jerk and forfeiture of one 1:00 for each offense for the following month. 3. For excessive (more than 5) date jerks: Late minutes doubled, and appear once before the Board; for more than 8 date jerks: a more severe penalty to be decided by the Board and the Dean of Women. 4. Late minutes accumulated by a guest: all such late minutes must be assumed by her hostess. 5. Returning late from vacations without notifying head resident: one date jerk. Miscellaneous 1. Staying in another dorm on campus without permission of both head residents: 5 late minutes. 2. Going outside 16-mile radius without Head Resident’s permission: 1 date jerk. ❯

After 46 years of teaching at State University of New York at Oswego, Jim Seago ﬁnally retired on June 30, 2014. Ten days later, to celebrate, he and wife Marilyn took their daughter and twin 10-year-old granddaughters on a 10-day trip to London and Prague. Shortly after they returned, Marilyn and Jim took a recent Oswego grad and a Hamilton College student to the Botanical Society of America meetings in Boise, Idaho, where the two students gave talks on their research projects with Jim. “I may have stopped teaching,” says Jim, “but I cannot stop doing my research.” One of the plants Jim works on is the famous Ginkgo biloba, the tree featured in two recent issues of this magazine. He doesn’t work on the above-ground parts; he studies its roots as they emerge from germinated seeds to form the root system. Most of Jim’s work involves plants that grow in aquatic or wetland environments, and he continues studies with colleagues in the Czech Republic, China, Brazil, Canada, and, of course, here. Last year, Jim helped Oswego to obtain a fancy laser confocal Zeiss microscope, and he is having too much fun using it to stop now. Jim is actually busier now than he was during his last

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

“The grandkids moved to Lake Zurich. Some day, I hope to haunt year of teaching. ❯ In June, Larry Stites ticked off one of the items on his bucket list when he joined more than 2,300 other cyclists on his first AIDS/LifeCycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The annual 545-mile, seven-day cycling event raised just under $15.5 million to increase awareness of and fund services for people living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Larry raised just over $10,000. Thanks to extensive training rides and the wonders of a new carbon fiber bicycle, the experience was much easier and pain-free than he had anticipated—and he wasn’t quite the oldest one on the ride! ❯ Pat McNelly Keller didn’t make the Reunion because she couldn’t secure hotel reservations in the suggested hotels (rooms were blocked and all spoken for until too late to book flights). She called the hotels various times thinking someone would surely cancel, but alas! ❯ The renovation of Alumni Hall is now complete, with the financial aid office named for our class. In addition, the reception area has been named in honor of John Sauter for his many years of fundraising efforts. Class Correspondent: Ramona Reed Landberg landberg.group@outlook.com

1964 For some mysterious reason, I have been tapped to occupy the unﬁllable shoes of Mike Lawrence as the class correspondent. Perhaps it is because my second career was at Kenyon College, which is known for its authors—Doctorow (Ragtime), Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit), Watterson (Calvin and Hobbs), et al. But I was a physics major, and there is no ﬁner cure for insomnia than anything written by a physicist. So perhaps it’s because Kenyon is also known for its actors—Paul Newman, Allison Janney, Josh Radnor, et al.—and I am expected to act like a correspondent. However, there is a catch: actors have their lines written for them. Aha! That’s where you must come in. Please send me snippets of interest—things you have done, places you have gone, alums you have met, volunteer opportunities you have discovered, etc. ❯ Mike Lawrence is on the mend. He reports: “I was disappointed to miss

our milestone Reunion, but I was cheered to learn it was enjoyed by those able to attend. As I write this, I am well on my way to recovery— walking without aids, resuming my pre-injury exercise regimen, continuing to build strength in the hip I fractured, and engaging in part-time consulting work for a leadership initiative at the University of Illinois. Hopefully, I will make the 55th and see many of my classmates there!” ❯ Speaking of the Reunion, Steve Gamble summarized the feelings of all of us: “For those who were not on campus October 10 and 11, Grace and I had a wonderful time with classmates, faculty, students, and Knox staff. Alumni Hall is truly a valuable asset and wonderful ‘addition’ to the campus. Thanks to our co-chairs Karen and Linda—the organization was wonderful, including more than 50 percent of our class making ﬁnancial contributions. Our only regret is not having more time to reconnect with classmates, students, and faculty, but I guess that is always the case with even the most successful of Reunions.” ❯ Fay Stevenson-Smith agrees: “Let me say that I think our Reunion celebration made the top of the charts. I just wanted to share with our class that there were several people who would have loved to have been there but circumstances precluded their attending. They [include] Todd and Lorelei Lehwalder Norvell, Jean Sanders Ford, Elizabeth Ayson, Claudia Love Hopkins, and Yutaka Horiba. I sent each of them a copy of the class picture and the photo CD. I had the great pleasure of meeting Yutaka in Maryland for lunch, where a new relationship to his Knox experience was rekindled. He had lost all of his Knox memorabilia to Katrina in New Orleans. By the end of our encounter, Yutaka had our Facebook, yearbook photos, photo CD, class picture, and our collection of 50th Alumni postKnox vitae. He’s hooked for life.” ❯ From Mike Pope: “We had a very busy year traveling. We did an ecotour to Costa Rica; visited family in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; did a timeshare week with my sister in Oklahoma; and made six trips to the Midwest visiting with family and friends. The highlight for us was the 50th Reunion at Knox…it was a great weekend!” ❯ Another pervasive Knox ’64 theme is retirement. Al Crumbliss wrote: “It was great to see every-

PHI DELTA THETA: THE SEQUEL Inspired by Harper Lee’s recent decision to publish a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, Illinois Delta-Zeta is planning its own follow-up to last Homecoming’s Phi Delt Invasion. Please join your brothers, their families, and friends for a Phi-Philled gathering on Saturday, October 17, 2015, at 4:00 p.m. Festivities will take place at the Wilson House (formerly Pan Hellenic House) on the corner of South West and East South Streets. For more information, contact Jamie Bjorkman at jamesbjorkman4321@comcast.net.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

one at Knox this fall. I’m teaching a seminar on chemical evolution this spring and shutting down my research lab. My last sabbatical is next fall and then retirement with more consulting, writing, and grandchildren.” ❯ Colin Doyle adds to the retirement theme: “Sorry to have missed the 50th. Just couldn’t make it work. I still work 3 or 3-1/2 days a week in the office. Gave up surgery when I turned 70. Will probably further retire next summer, though I may do occasional relief coverage in the office when one of the primary docs is away. Wife Donna will work another year or two. Fourth grandchild coming in February.” ❯ A most impressive “retirement” report comes from Mike Johnson: “Although I retired from Penn State (sociology, women’s studies, and African and African-American studies) in 2005, my 2008 book on domestic violence turned me into one of the world’s leading experts on intimate partner violence (www.personal.psu.edu/mpj). As a result, I’ve had a most fulfilling ‘retirement,’ doing workshops and consulting with the U.S. military, governments, and NGOs all over the world. The work gets me to places where I can make a real difference in the lives of women (U. S. military family advocate programs in Europe and the U.S., and batterer intervention programs, battered women’s organizations, and government agencies in the U.S., Sweden, Norway, Scotland, England, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia). After the work is done, I get to have some fun on my own tab (e.g., a cruise down the Norwegian coast, the opera in Stockholm, hiking on the Milford Track in New Zealand, a rainforest birding adventure in Australia, the Alps in southern Germany). But now it’s time to really retire. My final workshop was in London in June 2014, after which my partner Maureen joined me for 10 days in Scotland.” ❯ From Karen Freedlund McCauley: “I still teach online courses at Kepler College, volunteer as a driver for the Red Cross (now Ride Connection), and enjoy sharing time with my furry friends, Keiko and Buddy. I’ve enjoyed a wonderful and healthy 2014 and look forward to more adventures with the Los Angeles crew in 2015.” ❯ A downsizing report from Jen Griffin Moore: “This past summer we moved from a large home of 35 years’ ‘collection’ to a three-bedroom townhome…. I am busy learning about my new community. I belong to a garden club, a quilt group, and two genealogy organizations. I exercise two to three times a week. To keep my brain active, I have continued to take non-credit courses through a lifelong learning program run by Benedictine University. I am not bored!” ❯ And, of course, Knox64 has grandkids. Millicent Handrich Chrusciel writes: “I am still a docent at Elmhurst Historical Museum and live in Elmhurst, Illinois. I’m now the friendly old lady on the block who charms the children … at least I try! The grandkids moved to Lake Zurich. Some day, I hope to haunt their mother for that.” ❯ A snippet from Pam Norton Nelson: “I did manage to spend a fun weekend in Cave City, Kentucky, this October with both of my sons’

Class Knox their mother for that.” —Millicent Handrich Chrusciel ’64 families. We toured Mammoth Cave, rode an Alpine slide, and went zip lining and rappelling all in one day! We eight ranged in age from ﬁve to 71!” (How gratifying!) Class Correspondent: Terry Klopcic klopcicjt2@roadrunner.com

1965 Pete Boynton writes, “As a member of the 50th Reunion committee, I hope our classmates will try to attend. Your committee is planning the biggest and best Knox Reunion ever. Please join us for a great weekend together.” ❯ Stan Flood concurs. “Duke Botthof and I were able to spend the day prior to Homecoming in Galesburg this year. It was fun to see people we knew well and try to catch up on 50 years. I’m looking forward to our Reunion.” ❯ Joe Thompson adds, “Lately, I’ve found addresses of people who have been missing from the rolls for 30 years. I’ll be calling all Sigma Nus, as well as the swim team, choir, theater, and miscellaneous groups during the next six months. The 2015 Reunion marks the 16th annual running of the Knox Homecoming 5k. I ran an 8:45 mile back then and will not be coming close to that time this year. I am hoping for an inter-class swim meet if they can squeeze it in somewhere on the schedule.” ❯ Darlene Ziemann Morrow writes, “Phil Morrow ’63 and I are really looking forward to returning to Knox and hope to see many of our classmates there! I must say that the thing I hold most dear about my Knox experience is the people, both students and faculty. Our time there was ﬁlled with experiences and memories that I still cherish. Best of all, I met Phil while there and that was the start of the happiest journey of my life!” ❯ Gary Moses is serving as co-chair of the 50th Reunion with Wendel Swan and wants to encourage all our classmates to come to the Reunion—including those who transferred but remain an important part of our class. “I expect at least 100 people,” he says. To Marian Dehmel Boyer: “Many e-mails were exchanged before the 45th Reunion, and now it’s time to talk in person.” To Karl Guntermann: “In 1963, you convinced me to invest my last $10 in a silver dollar... Now I trust I am a millionaire?” To Ken Grimm: “You told me you caught the winning two-point conversion against Monmouth … Bring the proof!” To Mike Lawrence ’64: “An unfortunate accident kept you from your 50th. We would be honored to have you at our 50th.” Gary concludes with a ﬁnal note for his Colorado classmates. “They return to yesteryear … Only appropriate we return home coming from Denver on the California Zephyr. What do you think, Sharon Colnar Jones?” ❯ Ann O’Donnell writes, “The 50th Reunion will be a milestone! Celebrate the actual 54 years many of us have known each other! How did we get here this fast? I had the pleasure of joining treasured Knox friends Mary Ellen Keetley Williams, Paula Prutsman Black, and Patty Velde Kamienski for our 45th Reunion.

The campus is beautiful, the town upgraded from the old B, and there were many people there from our class. Diane Trout-Oertel and Cam Neri did a wonderful job as Reunion chairs. We had a great time together catching up and getting reacquainted, reminiscing about our unique mid-sixties experiences and old friendships, and appreciating many aspects, both then and now, of an excellent education. Our 50th Reunion is our big one and promises to be the best yet!” ❯ Jack Bils says he is “looking forward to seeing everyone at the 50th Reunion. Whether it be ROTC, wind ensemble, Union Board, or just getting together, it will be fun to relive all those memories of our time at Knox.” ❯ Byron and Sharon Ziemann Nelson visited his mom on Maui for Thanksgiving and enjoyed the warmth and beauty of the island. He writes, “Last week, we all went to see the Midtown Men from the original cast of Broadway’s Jersey Boys and that great music of the sixties brought back so many memories of our days at Knox. Funny how a melody sounds like a memory. We look forward to those happy memories coming to life and new ones being birthed at our 50th Reunion. The dates are circled on our calendar!” ❯ Lowell Dixon writes, “Try not to have a heart attack—here I am! I was at Knox on November 17. I am involved in a project to create a new exhibit on the walls of the first floor of Old Main. All the items will be related to the history of the College with a special emphasis on Lincoln. The exhibit will honor Professor Doug Wilson, who started with us in 1961 and is still with the College as a Lincoln scholar. The rebuilt Alumni Hall is worth a visit—especially during a 50th reunion.” ❯ Diane Trout-Oertel writes: “At this year’s Homecoming, I paid special attention to the class of 1964’s 50th Reunion events and came away knowing that next year will be a very special occasion for our class. The traditional Homecoming events are sure to have added significance, especially Convocation and the performance of the Knox Choir. Another highlight was the ‘return to the classroom.’ I attended ‘Judaism, Christianity, and Islam,’ taught by James Thrall, who led an enthralling discussion with enthusiastic participation on the part of the students, who now call professors by their first names! As much as has changed, Knox still feels the same. In addition to the Reunion, there will be several months of planning and reconnecting with classmates prior to our return to campus in October.” ❯ Your correspondent Terry Rothstein and wife Beverly Anderson hope to see all of you at our 50th Class Reunion. Our experiences at Knox had a profound effect on all of us all these many years. We are the fortunate few to have had such a wonderful opportunity. I hope my grandson, Ryan, will choose to matriculate at Knox this fall. Best regards to all of you and see you in October 2015. Class Correspondent: Terry Rothstein, M.D. 220 North 32nd Street, Parsons, KS 67357, antiquarian@wavewls.com

1966 Jo and I have been thinking a lot about our 50th Reunion not so far away in 2016. We were wondering if our classmates also might have had Knox memories brought back by thoughts or events in their lives this year. ❯ Pete Holstrom starts: “Ah, memories of Knox, so long ago, like brittle leaves whirling on the autumn wind in the late afternoon sun. In the fall, I always had that image in my mind—imagining raccoon furclad collegians driving down South Street waving pennants from their rumble seats after the big game. And you know—the mid-’30s to the mid-’60s were a lot closer than the mid-’60s are to wherever the heck we are today. Oh well, we’re here! Perhaps squirrels stir my memory— hard not to think of them, I admit—we have many around my house, but the black ones somehow remind me of the fattest, reddest one I’ve ever seen in my life, sitting atop the stump immediately outside the south entrance to the Knox cafeteria one afternoon. Nothing I’ve seen since compares to a Galesburg squirrel.” ❯ Mary Jacobson went to the October 2014 Homecoming and had a great time. “The College looked beautiful, and it was so nice to connect with people I hadn’t seen in nearly 50 years. What I realized is how much I love that place. I also realized that most of my friends do not have that same feeling about their alma maters. What is it about Knox?” ❯ Jerry Sebesta says he was “reminded of Knox this year because the ﬁrst recipient of the Marsha Waters Sebesta Scholarship was named.” Jerry endowed the scholarship in memory of his late wife, Marsha Waters ’68. “We met after Knox and played The Knox Hymn at our wedding. Marsha loved her time at Knox.” ❯ Carol Burt Barton wonders, “Who was operating the wonderful tail of the Beta whale ﬂoat? Homecoming ’64 or ’65?” ❯ Jay Sommerfield remembers, “Every time it rains and I am out walking the dog with my umbrella, I remember the night I walked Elaine Varda ’65 to Whiting Hall after we had not seen each other for a while. I attached a note to her coat in the coatroom in Seymour offering her umbrella service, which she accepted. I don’t remember if this got us back together, but 49 years later, my umbrella still comes in handy.” ❯ Susan White Dillard writes, “Dalton State College here in Dalton, Georgia, has just started a men’s basketball program. Memories of how much fun I had going to Knox basketball games sparked me to become a seasonticket holder here, and I love being able to cheer for our local college athletes.” ❯ John Lorenz is the only psychiatrist at a small clinic in Evansville, Indiana. “I am the only doctor seeing Medicaid patients for hours around. I am booked up for about seven weeks right now. Doing all right but real busy. It is fall, and I think about the fall of 1964 when I had my right knee injured playing touch football at Knox. Doc Weiler sent me to an orthopedic surgeon. I was on crutches for six weeks as fall turned to winter. I can remember

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

“Ah, yes, those brick sidewalks. Just the thing for crossing the campus falling a few times on icy sidewalks. I also remember who tackled me and caused the injury. He was Robert Hanssen, who would later cause far worse problems for the whole country when he betrayed us to the Russians during the Cold War.” ❯ Russ Peterson recalls, “Whenever I hear a train in the distance, I think of the clanking and chiming of the CB&Q yards during the night during the fall and spring when our windows were open, breezes were blowing, and we were perhaps taking an all-nighter for a test the next day.” ❯ Sandy Steinhauer Gales and husband Ron traveled to Galesburg for Homecoming this year. “We brought our son and three grandchildren. Son Chris remembers being at Knox for a regular Homecoming visit when he and his sister were small. The grandkids (6, 8, and 10) loved the library, had a snack in the Gizmo, saw part of the football game, and found small purchases in the bookstore. We walked through the fine arts building. What a beautiful day! This may be the first of many such return trips.” ❯ After 30 years, Ted Corwin moved “down the road to a smaller house with a great mountain view. It feels like we are on vacation. We have replaced our poorly watered front lawn with California drought-tolerant plants. It makes me think of the huge expanses of grass around the Knox campus where we walked and played on sunny days. I think some of these have been replaced with new buildings over the years.” ❯ From Mike Denniston: “In front of me is a request from the Glenn Nagel Research Fund at Cal State Fullerton. Glenn, I miss you; you left us way too soon.” ❯ Ron Lehmann writes, “The recent buzz about Alumni Hall’s renovation draws me back to my memories of the building during our tenure—extremely creaky floors as one walked by Bro White’s office on the west side, the hours watching the Cinema Club film noirs in the theater, thrice-daily trips to check out the Gizmo boxes, picking up grade reports in the theater lobby, ROTC shooting in the rifle range, and shopping at the bookstore. And, of course, it was in the theater that we heard Sharvey’s famous line: ‘Look to the right and look to the left, as many of you will be seeing your future spouse.’ True for some, but not so true for the rest of us.” ❯ And last, Sue Beck Hoff was inspired by Steve’s sentimental brick sidewalk reminiscence in our last class notes e-mail. She muses, “Ah, yes, those brick sidewalks! Just the thing for crossing the campus in high heels for Sunday dinner at the Union. We’d end up limping into the dining room, having left one of our heels in a crack between herringboned bricks. And why did we wear those shoes? If we wanted to enjoy a sit-down dinner, we had to dress appropriately. By the time we graduated, however, that concept, along with hours for female students, had fallen under the steamroller of the women’s liberation movement.” ❯ If you want to hear more of Sue’s memories, you’ll have to come to our 50th. Sue promises to tell the one about how “I defended myself with my pool cue from the skirt-grabber in Standish Park,” but she decided it was proba-

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

bly not the kind of memory we had in mind for Knox Magazine. We’re not so sure Sue, and we can’t wait for 2016! Class Correspondents : Steve and Jo Strehle Sommers 209 North Lombard, Oak Park IL 60302-2503, steveandjo.sommers.@comcast.net

1967

We asked for “one-liners” from you and got quite a few. ❯ Joelle Nelson Sommers: “Larry ’66 and I enjoyed a terrific trip to Israel last fall.” ❯ Paulanna Hatchett Wotring: “After retiring from teaching, I love spending more time with our five grandchildren. Until my knees fail, I’m playing competitive tennis in the Chicago area. David and I enjoy traveling in our motorhome, escaping from the cold Illinois winters.” ❯ Judy Crawford De Leon: “I love traveling the world, visiting friends, and hosting international visitors.” ❯ Nancy Rabenstein Pielemeier: “I still live in Washington, D.C. and enjoy all the great cultural advantages of living here. Also enjoy spending a weekend or two a month in Rehoboth, in ‘lower, slower Delaware,’ and traveling. Recent visits with classmates include seeing Peter and Elsa Swenson Teel in Maine and Paul ’68 and Diane Koeppel Madsen in Chicago. We welcome visits from classmates in D.C.” ❯ Elsa Swenson Teel: “Pete and I live in Blue Hill, Maine, with our dog Whidbey; we are bicoastal— four grandchildren on the East Coast and four on the West Coast—so we travel back and forth!” ❯ Dick Fiddes: “I retired in 2010 as vice president and assistant general counsel of Macy’s and, last year, enjoyed being the keynote speaker at my 50-year high school reunion.” ❯ Quentin Pletsch: “My wife and I traveled with Dick Fiddes and his wife to Quebec in June and to Italy in September. In spite of the fact that Dick is an attorney and I am a physician, we are still best friends after 51 years.” ❯ Doug Hunt: “My lovely spouse, Susan Frant, and I have moved to Philadelphia, where I am vice president of Pennsylvania Interfaith Power and Light. Giving talks, sermons, presentations, speaking at hearings, meeting with senators and congressmen, fighting fracking and its consequences, getting arrested during climate demos … same old stuff.” ❯ Helen Gilbert: “This August, I enjoyed a visit at my home in Pacific Beach, Washington, from Connie Bond and Tom Collins, his wife, Nancy, and son Thomas III. Much excellent food and wine were consumed, including Tom’s famous omelets (he brought his own pan).” ❯ Ruth Mesing shares a tip: “Our family celebrates ‘Thanksmas.’ We get together at Thanksgiving on Thursday and have Christmas holiday giftgiving on Friday, with strictly handmade-only gifts for each family.” ❯ Kate Lindquist Adams: “I still work as Curator of Quilts at University of Texas-Austin’s Briscoe Center for American History. My book about quilts will be published in fall 2016. Then I will probably retire. David’s and my daughter Sarah lives close by, and we see her

and her guy often. The Knox person I see often is Kathy St. Cyr ’68, who lives up the street. We play mahjong with a group of pals.” ❯ Ramona Cook: “I live on a farm in central Illinois, doing some environmental activism, some art, and lots of reading.” ❯ Bill Shoch: “Retired in the mountains of western North Carolina, with both our kids and grandkids only two hours away.” ❯ Jerry Litton: “This story made national news last summer: www.galesburg.com/ article/20140803/News/140809931. For me, it only reafﬁrms good feelings about our alma mater, Sharvey Umbeck, and Owen Muelder ’63.” ❯ Ken Ryder: “I was back at Knox again last spring to give my annual presentation to the Knox pre-med club. I also met privately with some club members to discuss the medical school application process.” ❯ Wendy Hummel Hill: “Santa Fe has been my treasured home with dear family for 46 years now. Should you travel to the end of the trail, let’s meet and catch up over some New Mexico red or green!” ❯ Jim Nordin: “While Linda and I still ‘work’ (Linda consulting, me as an adjunct professor), what we really enjoy is having time to travel. Last June, we cruised from Venice to Barcelona. In October, we spent a wonderful week in Prague.” ❯ Joe Bastian: “Wife Diane and I have been living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for the last 15 years, sold our business and retired two years ago, and I have been working unsuccessfully on my golf game.” ❯ Peter Kohn: “I’ve been married 20 years to Judy Sandstrom; we live in a townhouse in the Logan Square neighborhood in Chicago. We’re retired, play music a lot, and travel.” ❯ Mike McNaull: “Not much new to report from our little farm in West Virginia, but for the last two winters, we’ve spent a couple of months in Nerja, Spain, warmer than West Virginia and lots of fun. This summer we are planning a motorhome journey to Nova Scotia, where we lived in the ’70s when I was a Navy exchange pilot with the Canadian Forces.” ❯ Tom and Dorie Campbell Tichenor: “We are still hanging in there; healthy, happy and enjoying retirement.” ❯ Janet Sanford Westfall: “After 23 years at Computer Science Corporation in Dallas, I ﬁnally retired last March. I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner! You probably know that my husband, Windy Westfall ’66, passed away, but I stay busy volunteering, and I have a lot of good friends My younger son, Nolan, got married in June, and they remain in the Dallas area. Older son Derek lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife and my two grandchildren, Ella and Ezra.” ❯ Jeff Braun: “I’m still the chair of the physics department at the University of Evansville (Indiana), but our big news is my daughter Erin’s November wedding to Mitch Lewis.” ❯ Sam Griswold: “Wife Mireille and I are alive and well, enjoying travel and retirement in South Carolina.” ❯ Sue Crume Montgomery: “I live in Southern California, where I am a food, wine, and travel writer and a board member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association. Husband Todd, a photographer, and I publish articles on a variety of sites, as well as

Class Knox in high heels for Sunday dinner.” —Sue Beck Hoff ’66 our own Life-Uncorked.com. If anyone wants a tour of the Temecula Valley Wine Country, let us know if you’re in the area.” ❯ Julie Badel: “I am a partner with Epstein Becker & Green, P.C. in Chicago representing employers in labor and employment matters. I live with my partner, Russ Kratowicz, and my three rescue/shelter German Shepherd dogs, Major, Gabe, and Sara.” ❯ Susan Rusk Holland: “Take care, and maybe see you for our 50th in a few short years!” ❯ Rick Uebner: “All is well for Jetty and me: travel (Colorado, Bahamas), working in our ceramic art studio, and visiting our four grandkids.” ❯ If you did not receive an e-mail from the Turners requesting information, please contact us; we want to get the class list in shape before our 50th! (And, a big thank you from all of us, Rick Uebner, for serving as class correspondent for many years!) Class Correspondents: Jack & Anne Talley Turner 90498 Sunderman Road, Springfield, OR 97478, anneturner@wildblue.net

1968

Thanks so much for sharing your news. It’s so great to hear from everyone. ❯ In 2010, Susan Tracy Van Kirk published a memoir about teaching called The Education of a Teacher (Including Dirty Books and Pointed Looks). The title came from a book challenge in her classroom that resulted in a hilarious letter from Kurt Vonnegut. The story of that challenge is a chapter in her memoir. The story that started the idea to write the book (first published in Teacher Magazine) is a story connected to Knox and to special friends Cleave and Gwen Tate Bridgman. The resulting book is a collection of stories about what it’s really like to teach in a high school classroom over several decades. Susan retired from teaching at Monmouth College three years ago, leaving her more time to write. In late November 2014, her first mystery was published by Five Star Publishing, an imprint of Gale/Cengage. It’s called Three May Keep a Secret, the title based an adage from Ben Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac, and is available at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. Susan is planning to write a series of mysteries about the fictional small town of Endurance, Illinois. She’s borrowed a few buildings and events from the Galesburg area for her little town. The preliminary reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus are quite positive. Right now, Susan is busy on the second mystery. If people are interested, they can see more information at her website, www.susanvankirk.com. Needless to say, Susan enjoys retirement! ❯ Mark Burkhalter retired at the end of December 2013 after 40 years practicing law. He remains the municipal judge for the City of Jacksonville, Oregon. His wife is also retired after a career with Southern Oregon University in Ashland. They live in a rural area just south of Medford and enjoy a view of the Cascade Mountains and the rim of Crater Lake to the north. They have three grandchildren (12, 5, and 4) and a black dog. Reading and hiking are

their primary avocations. Mark remains in regular contact with Mark Van Pernis in Kona, Hawaii. His daughter is a freshman at Brown University. ❯ Chip Evans still hopes that more classmates will join our Knox 68 Facebook group. We hoped this would be a good way to keep in closer touch with our classmates because Knox Magazine only comes out twice a year. We would also like to have a way to share in preparing for our 50th Reunion. Please join so we can get the class connected! The Knox 68 Facebook group now has a copy of the senior section of our 1968 Gale yearbook. Chip also reports that Brad Routon visited him over the summer. They stopped by the Lincoln museum and home in Springﬁeld. Any questions, e-mail Chip at chibievans@gmail.com. ❯ Mary Mangieri Burgland is making a video of her living mother and all of her children. She wanted to encourage all of us to check out our Facebook page, Knox 68. So far, 60 of us have reconnected this way. The more the merrier! All continues well in the ’Burg. She said Alumni Hall is really a showplace after a major remodel and all should come see it. ❯ Jack Cate and wife Hoa had a son on July 15 of this year. The baby is the uncle of Jack’s grandsons, who are 7 and 4. “So you can see I’ll be working forever,” said Jack. “We look forward to returning to campus for my 50th.” ❯ Linda Rundquist Parr wrote, “What a privilege it is to be retired as long as you are in good health. So far, so good for me after years in education, mostly teaching math and science but also working as educational consultant, editor of grade school science books, and a principal. I love kids and have learned the knack of handling 13-16year-olds. I live in Norway, just outside of Oslo, with my Norwegian husband who works for the Department of the Environment. We are lucky to have all three sons in Oslo with their families, including four grandchildren and one on the way. Playing with them keeps me feeling young and happy. On their behalf and on behalf of future generations, I’m deeply involved in the Norwegian Grandparents’ Climate Campaign working for a transition from fossil fuels to renewables as well as a lifestyle based on less energy use. We talked a lot about this and memories from Knox with Jim Bronson ’66 and wife Jan when they visited us this fall. I keep in touch, as well with Knoxites Nancy Fusco Guillet, Diane Knutson Cooper, Karen Zaczek Hill, and Guy Morose. ❯ Norm and Ginny Mallow Close toured New Zealand in November. ❯ Tom Mellen married Julie in June and visited Diane Koeppel ’67 and Paul Madsen during the summer in Chicago. ❯ Bill Beard has retired from Wells Fargo after 35+ years and now spends his time playing duplicate bridge in tournaments with his wife. ❯ Steve Hayashi still provides consulting services for the government in Hawaii. ❯ Joe Hammon completed another summer of playing his banjo at the Oak Park, Illinois, farmers’ market. ❯ Al Mossman is retired from BP and now spends many of his summers in Wisconsin. ❯ I am still enjoying retirement. My husband and I took a

weekend trip to Holland, Michigan, to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season and volunteer weekly for the season at the Misericordia bakery in Chicago. This is the home where my middle son with Down syndrome has lived for four years. I encourage anyone who has a chance to drop by and visit and have lunch at the Greenhouse Inn. It is an amazing place. Class Correspondent: Susan Meyer Mika 1519 North Kennicott Avenue, Arlington Heights, IL 60004, 847-253-7719, pottatea@comcast.net

1969 Susan Donaldson was unable to attend our 45th Reunion. She relates that her absence was due to a broken leg. Susan also mentions that she and her husband, John Wrigley, spent fall 2013 in Malawi, Africa, as volunteer teachers at Livingstonia University. Susan was able to garner a sabbatical from her “day job” (teaching ESL at Tacoma Community College) to take advantage of the Malawi opportunity. Susan speaks of the “amenities” that those of Malawi go without— everything from running fresh water to electricity to school books. Despite these learning obstacles, Susan notes that Knox professor Mike Crowell gave her an appreciation for the linguistics courses she taught there, and enhanced her teaching experience at Livingstonia. Susan also describes a newfound appreciation for the simple things in life, like hot and cold running water and being able to see thousands of stars at night. And, I gather, being able to walk on two good legs. Class Correspondent: Bill Combs bcombsi@yahoo.com

1970 It was good to hear from my former Post roommate Delores Isabel Lipton Cole. “I haven’t written for a long time, but nice to get your email. I still live in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. I recently sold my vet practice and my 100-yearold house. Actually, I swapped houses and got some cash. I guess I am retired. I don’t like that word much—more like reinventing myself and doing some part-time vet work. I do the usual, volunteer—CASA, master naturalist, Meals on Wheels—joined the DAR, go to Osher Lifelong Learning Institute classes, take care of my fouryear-old granddaughter and travel six to eight weeks a year. This year includes Peru, upstate New York, Hilton Head, Washington, D.C., and Kentucky.” Isabel also spent a month in San Diego, where oldest son Josh lives, in January. ❯ Roger Andersen writes: “Kyanne and I are settling into retirement, most recently engaged with our ﬁrst grandchild about two hours away. We’ve had time to travel more and are getting into the habit of escaping short winter days by heading to the beaches near San Diego for several weeks in January and February. Our other trips inspired us to condense the lessons we’ve learned in a little Kindle book, Freedom from Luggage, about travel with no or little luggage. Breast cancer set us

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

The University of Minnesota named its new Jandris Center for Innovation back a bit, but a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction saved Kyanne from both chemo and radiation. There’s a debate about mammograms, but we’re sure glad Kyanne had hers.” ❯Dr. Thomas P. Jandris writes: “I haven’t contacted Knox much, but I am a proud member of the Class of ’70, and I have great and fond memories of my time at Knox. I just thought it might be interesting to some of my old friends to know that, recently, the University of Minnesota named its new Jandris Center for Innovation in Higher Education after me in honor of my work and research related to Innovative Practices in Higher Education. The purpose of the center is to research, disseminate, advocate for, and educate regarding best innovative practices in higher education.” ❯ Jim Hogue has been working on a theater piece in Vermont, and you can see it here: bit.ly/1vZHJ8R. ❯ Cathy Kucik Heimann had her whole family home for Thanksgiving—four children, four grandchildren, and a few friends. This winter, she headed to Puerto Vallarta on December 31 and returns to Galesburg on March 31. “Sorry for all of you who must suffer through the winter,” she says. She hopes to see you at Homecoming. ❯ A note from Ruth Gilson Bruner: “I have been living in Delaware for the past 32 years. I still get back to my hometown of Galesburg at least once a year to visit with family and friends. I have finally retired after more than 45 years of writing scientific/engineering software. My first program was written in 1966 when Professor Bill Ripperger ’60 held an interest seminar in programming. I have not found a way to use my STEM background (analytical chemist,

electrical engineer) in any volunteer opportunities, but I will keep looking. A big thank-you to Professor Ripperger for starting me on a very rewarding career.” ❯ Sue Kamp Norman writes, “We welcomed our ﬁrst grandson and fourth grandchild in July. His mom is Jeannine Norman Winczner ’01. In September, Ralph Norman ’71 and I drove Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica. It gave us a wonderful historic perspective of the USA. You must travel with someone with whom you can spend 13 (or so) days trapped in a car.” ❯ A.J. Van Auken Smith still enjoys working for herself. She does income tax work during the 10-week insanity from February 1 through April 15. The rest of the year she does bookkeeping and payroll work for several small businesses. Also, during the non-tax season, she frequently does special projects for businesses that need help with QuickBooks and other numbers-related projects. I look forward to the possibility that a lot of us, myself included, will make it back to Knox this year for Homecoming. Class Correspondent: Nancy Hoover Debelius 865 Gayer Drive, Medina, OH 44256-2901, Knox1970@zoominternet.net

1971 Judy and I joined Ann McConachie and Betsy Harris Bowen (rbowen@wi.rr.com) for a Wisconsin supper club duck dinner before their hot air balloon ride to celebrate 65! Though both have a fear of heights, they loved the ride. ❯ David Brillhart (davidkbrillhart@gmail.com) and wife Diane met their family in Omaha, for the

College World Series and Dave’s 65th birthday. They visited son Robbie for their granddaughter’s third birthday party in October. Diane taught sewing in churches in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. ❯ Mildred Culp’s (workwise@comcast.net) WorkWise column has earned more than 50,000 “likes.” To translate, that’s like having your picture in New Faces circled a hundred times. ❯ Heart be still! Am I the only one who didn’t know that Lonnie Fredenhagen Schaefer’s (dandlschaefer@ yahoo.com) family owned Cock Robin ice cream? I dreamt about square ice cream cones in my youth. After 40 years in Kansas City, Missouri, Lonnie and husband, Dan, moved to Amboy, Illinois, to help vibrant and healthy, 90-year-old parents. Lonnie and Dan have three children, Casey, Brian, and Becky, and three grandchildren: Louise, Teddy, and Cameron. Lonnie enjoyed a 25-year career teaching music and hopes to continue that in some way. Lonnie and Dan help run the family’s “Circle F Farms,” with 2,000 acres for farming, hunting, Department of Natural Resources contracts, and residential leases. One of their attorneys is Gary Gehlbach, an expert in Illinois land use. ❯ Mary Myers Fasbender (mfasbender@gmail.com) is the Midwest regional search director for Ray & Assoc., a national executive search ﬁrm specializing in educational leadership, where she is working on several superintendent searches. ❯ Steve Weiner’s (sweiner@listenup.com) and Walt Stinson’s ’70 company, ListenUp, was a contributor to the Alumni Hall project with funding, system design, equipment, and installation of all

“We All Remember What It’s Like to Get Started” Alumni mentors help students negotiate the realities of the job market The Knox Alumni Mentors Program pairs students with alumni for one-on-one guidance with job interviews, networking, and ﬁnding the right career. Meet three of our mentors.

PETER BAILLEY ’74

Jacob Plummer ’00 Vice President Global Business Development, Allscripts

Jacob Plummer talking with student Tim Worrell in the hallway outside the Career Impact Summit 2013.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

All of Jacob Plummer’s early jobs led him toward success in his current position in operations and business development at Allscripts, a global health software company. As co-founder of Mind University, an educational technology company, and an adjunct at Carl Sandburg Community College, he developed skills he would continue to use. “Those roles taught me how to handle ambiguity and create structure where it didn’t exist,” he says. As a mentor, he advises students to “ask for help from anybody and everybody. Many people will be impressed by your willingness to cold-call and ask for advice. We all remember what it’s like to get started.”

Class Knox in Higher Education in honor of the work of Dr. Thomas P. Jandris ’70. audiovisual technology. They attended the grand opening and visited old Galesburg haunts, such as the site of their first store, John’s Taco Hideout, Pizza House, the Orpheum, Lindstrom’s, etc., before boarding a train back to Denver. ❯ Dennis Reynolds (dpr2004@comcast.net) reports that the 2014-15 recipient of the ADE Knox Scholarship is Ariyana Smith ’16, an international studies major. Please make contributions directly to Knox in care of the ADE Scholarship. Dennis and Kathryn Sue Keller ’73 celebrate their 40th anniversary in April. Dennis also has a bouncing baby hip (4 months old) and is a volunteer for the Bridge Communities: “Connecting homeless families to a better future.” Dennis and Kathy add: “We attended an awesome performance by the Company Men. Daniel Tatar et al. are terrific!” ❯ I know that Randy and Julie Dacone Bendrick and family saw my son’s group, the Company Men, in Kansas City, Carol Siegel Clegg caught them in Philadelphia, and Barry Bearak joined me in New York for the end of their tour. Thank you all! Daniel enjoyed meeting classmates across America. ❯ Dr. James Braun, professor of chemistry at Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia, is retiring after 38 years. In October 2014, Jim and Carol Kondorf Braun ’74 welcomed their first grandchild, Silas Grant Braun. ❯ Dale Cozad (dale131@juno.com), our oldest class member, is working with a group of senior adults in Oklahoma City. He organized a thrice-weekly outing to area casinos where the group takes advantage of senior discounts and giveaways, free meals, etc. Dales adds: “My seniors are an exciting, vibrant,

and fun bunch of people. Just because one is getting old does not mean we have to quit on everything.” ❯ Bob Rothstein (r_rothstein@ hotmail.com) remains chief medical ofﬁcer at Suburban Hospital/Johns Hopkins in Bethesda, Maryland, where wife Pam is doing database management. Oldest son Matt started “Get Final,” to guard against credit card fraud and hacking. Daughter Melissa is at University of California, Davis vet school, and Amanda is cutting hair at Hells Bottom Barber in Washington, D.C. ❯ Bruce Wyatt (bwyatt@linﬁeld.edu) and wife Carol retired in June and spent three weeks in Scotland, visited kids in New England, and enjoyed their three (soon four) grandchildren. They drove down the California coast for Thanksgiving with their daughter. Both are involved in volunteer activities and have more time for yoga, walking, and doing whatever they want to do. Soon, they move to Vermont. ❯ Brian Allen (ballen7426@cox.net) is still the full-time pro bono director of operations for Orphan Helpers (www.orphanhelpers.org). He and Julie Nance Allen took a 10-day trip to El Salvador and Honduras to visit Orphan Helper’s centers. They also went to San Jose, California, to visit Julie’s cousins and Seattle, Washington, for their niece’s wedding. ❯ Semenya (Vicki Henderson) McCord (semenya@aol.com) presented Journey Into A Dream: A Tribute to the Life and Times of Martin L. King, Jr. in Galesburg schools under a local NAACP sponsorship. She also presented her Journey Into Jazz school assembly 34 times in Newton, Massachusetts. ❯ Robert Houdek (dr.arkose@gmail.com) attended Carl Sandburg’s

Prayers for the People at Colorado College. Bob rewrites Colorado history from labor’s perspective, as he was instructed by Dr. Stephen Bailey. He is still a bike aficionado, having ridden an 1,100-mile Finnish tour well north of the Arctic Circle and down the Ostrobothian coast last June. ❯ Penny Wells LaValle (Penny.WellsLaValle@suffolkcountyny.gov) enjoys work while her husband remains a state senator. They adopted a four-legged son, Winston. Her first step-granddaughter is going to college in San Diego. ❯ Dennis Farrell (dennisfarrelllaw@ aol.com) and wife Bertie joined their son Scott in Kauai, Hawaii, in September. A week later, Dennis was in Myrtle Beach golfing with some friends, including Jim Leech, Terry Denoma, John Flood, and Dave Wood ’72. ❯ I am as busy as ever practicing law. Judy retired after 30+ years of teaching. She now subs, takes a ceramics class, bowls, and joined our children by doing some acting. I managed a cross-country drive the hard way this year with son Michael. We drove his car from L.A. to Chicago (via Zion, Yellowstone, Little Big Horn, Devil’s Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Wind Cave, and the Badlands) and then drove a 65-foot tour van used by the Company Men (sleeps nine, kitchen, etc.) and a trailer from New York to Chicago. I fulfilled my fantasy of being a roadie and cross-country truck driver! ❯ If you have not received e-mails from me lately, please send me your address so I can update my list. Class Correspondent: Jerome A. Tatar 333 Wilshire Drive West, Wilmette, IL 60091-3151, 847-251-4889, jerry@tatarlawfirm.com

Jessica Brumley Crockett ’02 Professional Translator and Interpreter Jessica Crockett spends her days translating French legal documents into English, including patents, contracts, and patent litigation. “I’ve been really fortunate to have some great people to help me figure out what I want to do with my life. At the same time, though, I didn’t know anyone in my current field, and there are a lot of things I wish someone had been able to tell me about getting into the profession.” It’s the memory of that struggle that inspired her to become a mentor. She notes that her earliest jobs may seem to have little to do with her current career, but she tells students they were an important part of her journey, anyway. “Be dedicated to every job you have, no matter how trivial or insignificant it might seem—even making smoothies helped me build skills that I still use now.”

Martin Glickman ’80 Wealth Management Advisor, Northwestern Mutual Martin Glickman has been with the same company since he graduated from Knox. But, he says, “The job market has changed since many of us entered the workforce. This next generation of graduates is going to have a unique set of challenges.” As an alumni mentor, he is helping current Knox students prepare for those challenges. “Professors and parents have their roles, but a mentor can provide experience from a unique perspective,” he says. “It’s a who-you-know world out there. Leverage your relationships and don’t hesitate to ask for help.”

You can be an alumni mentor, too. To get involved, contact Anabel Menifee, associate director of alumni engagement, at amenifee@knox.edu or call 309-341-7648.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

This fall, Knox awarded the first David Hartmann/Sigma Nu

1972 John Alberts writes, “On November 22, I received a kidney transplant. So far everything is going well; however, conditions are conditional as the risk of rejection is something that has to be always guarded against. Nevertheless, right now things are proceeding positively. I had been on the transplant list for more than five years and got the call that they had a possible match. Surgery was done at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. I am very thankful for the kind act of the donor and the donor’s family. I know that I was one of two kidney recipients from this same donor, so their act of kindness changed at least two lives. Thanks again to you for your thoughts and support and for spreading the news about the donor’s generosity. Each day is better than the last.” ❯ Bruce Arfken writes, “A little over a year ago, David “DW” Hartmann ’74 died after a second courageous battle with cancer. DW had always fought against the odds, something we all admired then and continued to admire in the post-Knox years. A number of us discussed what we could do to honor him and eventually decided on establishing an endowed scholarship in his honor. Earlier this year, Bill Durall, Steve Suskin, and I kicked off the effort with strong support from the Sigma Nu community. To date, we’re more than halfway to permanently establishing the endowment, thanks to the donations of 18 contributors, Classes 1969 through 1974. Also, this fall, Knox awarded the first David Hartmann/Sigma Nu scholarship. Anybody interested in contributing to this scholarship fund should contact Knox, or alternatively, either Bill, Steve, or me.” ❯ Nancy Barrick Carlin shares, “Alumni Hall is jaw-dropping. Next up is a new art center.” ❯ William and Susan Wessels Hiatt write, “We were in Chicago in November, where William received the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Heart Association— truly a great honor and a celebration of his contributions in vascular disease research. The Hiatt family is growing; we greeted our third grandchild in early January. Baby boy will join older sisters Sydney (five) and Maelle (20 months).” ❯ Lindon Lewis writes, “I retired after 30+ years at Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colorado. Last day of work was December 31.” ❯ Jim Rosenthal writes, “After 23 years with the same emergency medicine group, I decided to make a change, and I took a job in July 2014 with Kaiser Permanente. It’s interesting and different.” ❯ Bob Shullaw writes that he and Lara continue to enjoy their ballroom dancing and are starting to up their game. In October, they competed in Fred Astaire Dance Studios week-long National Dance Competition in Orlando, Florida. They took first place as an amateur couple in American Smooth Bronze Closed Championship and Scholarship divisions within their (over-the-hill-gang) age group. Lara also took first place in women’s Solo Exhibition and in Novelty competitions while dancing with her pro partner, Ben Seifert, from Fred Astaire Woodlands studio. She defeated

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

more than 13 other ladies from across the nation to take each of those titles. Her Novelty dance (a dramatic bolero) was so well-received that event organizers asked her and Ben to perform it again during the professional show that was part of the closing ceremony dinner-dance. Quite an honor for someone competing in her ﬁrst national competition. ❯ Bill Sowle writes, “I thoroughly enjoy my new Roadtrek motor home, following the 72-degree weather. I spent May in Prescott and June in Flagstaff, Arizona, at art and music fests. Enjoyed a week in San Diego, California, sailing with the Scottsdale Sea and Ski Club. Up to Laguna Beach Festival of Art, a spectacular mix of food, jazz, and stage production of art masterpieces, a masterpiece in itself with full orchestra. The Colorado Trail Foundation has weeklong trail crews that volunteer to improve the trail that runs 486 miles from Denver to Durango. We worked on a section near Cottonwood Pass at over 12,000 feet with temperatures in the 30s at night. On my daughter’s urging, I started an Instagram at wwsowle so friends are able to follow my travels. This winter I will ski around the west with Phoenix and Scottsdale Ski Clubs.” ❯ Bryce Suderow writes, “My co-author and I won the Douglas Southall Freeman Award for for best Civil War book of 2014 for volume 2 of The Petersburg Campaign. This is the most prestigious of all Civil War book awards.” Find it at amzn.com/1611211042. ❯ Steve Suskin writes, “I just ﬁnished directing Lend Me A Tenor for Little Theatre of Norfolk. Next is Other Desert Cities for Little Theatre of Virginia Beach. My REAL job as director of development for Virginia Stage Company began last May. My daughter Jacqueline’s book, Go Ahead And Like It, was just picked up by Random House for distribution.” ❯ Ross Termin writes, “Lois and I visited Chicago over the summer for a wedding, and we had a miniADE reunion dinner with Dennis Reynolds ’71 and Kathy Keller ’73, Dean and Christy Rowinski Turner, and Tom Kroupa ’73. Everyone was happy to oblige Lois with embarrassing stories from our youth. A good time was had by all. I was blown away by the changes in the city. My dad’s old place on Fulton Market is now one of the top restaurants in Chicago, and the Fulton Cold Storage across the street is about to become Google Chicago. It was a great visit, but it’s 74 degrees in Miami today (December 1), and I’m staying here!” ❯ Hope you all enjoy these notes from our classmates as much as I do. Visit our Facebook page—Knox College Class of ’72—for up-to-the-minute news between editions of Knox Magazine. Class Correspondent: Wendy Scherwat Ducourneau 17800 Community Street, Northridge, CA 91325-3928, 818-776-8669, wjsd@jps.net

1973 Class Correspondent: Nancy Bakos Hunter 5280 Easley Way, Golden, CO 80403-1161, 303-2783163, geo_hunters@q.com

1974 It sure was good to see so many of you on campus for our 40th Reunion. What an incredible time we all had! The Siegal-Schwall concert was over the moon, and it attracted alums from other classes, including Amy Dooha ’73 and Greg Divers ’73. Thank you, Darryl Coburn, for making the concert happen, and thanks also to the many others who donated funds or helped Darryl find a “fat-ass stool” (Darryl’s words). On the Knox ’74 Facebook page, many of you indicated the concert was a highlight. ❯ There were other highlights, too. Conversations were unusually good, and many of us commented on how we talked to folks during the Reunion who we had not known at all during college. We also saw the unveiling of Alumni Hall, which is now fully restored. Discussion centered on those ’74 alums whom we still cannot find. If you are reading this and have not received an e-mail from me this year, then we don’t know where you are. Contact the College or me. We’d love to “remember you.” We also discussed having another Reunion for our 45th. If the 40th was so much fun, surely the 45th will be, too. ❯ Here are updates from classmates we have not heard from in while: Bruce Pick, who lives in Mystic, Connecticut, writes to say that he left Knox in the spring of our sophomore year. “I’ve been doing database analysis and programming for Data Based Development Systems in Connecticut for six years now. I’m married to Jackie Courtney Pick; we have two grown children.” Bruce lived in the CO-OP and remembers Debbie Axner, Pam Brockman ’75, and “Eric—the guy who helped me out patching a wall when I put a hole in the stairwell.” ❯ Laura Moore Case is an admissions advisor at Oklahoma City (OKC) Community College. She says, “After graduating from Knox, I began working at the Illinois Department of Public Aid, and that is where I met my husband, Harold. We were married in 1976 and have lived in Illinois, Texas, and, now, in Oklahoma for the past 20 years. We have two children, and Harold recently retired from his job as dean of student financial aid at OKC Community College. In my spare time, I like to do genealogy and scrapbooking. Stu Harvey ’74 is the executive director of planning and research—small world. I noticed that Claudia Crump Cochran is also here in OKC. I would like to see Joyce Moeller Justice, who lives in Jenks, Oklahoma, and meet up with Janet Koeber Fox, who lives in Florida (they’re two of my old suitemates).” ❯ Trudy Faloon ’77wrote to let us know that she lives “in Austin with my husband, Steve Stump (aka Frank) ’72. We have two wonderful dogs. Life is good.” ❯ Dave McKillip says: “I just completed my 11th year on the Prairie Fire football team staff, the last five of which were coaching the defensive line. I plan on working one more year, as a Department of the Army civilian at the Rock Island Arsenal, before retiring for the second time. Wife Dia and I moved into our house on Lake

Class Knox scholarship, in memory of DW Hartmann ’74. Bracken, south of Galesburg, in April 2014. This is where we plan to spend our retirement years. I enjoyed spending time with Dave Fridovich, Mike Murphy, and others at Homecoming last fall.” ❯ Pam Brockman ’75 lives in the Chicago area. She teaches stress management courses to the general public, veterans, prison inmates, and youth, and leads meditation retreats in the United States, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean through the Art of Living Foundation and the International Association for Human Values. She recently went to Australia for the Rotary International Conference with husband Pedro Cevallos (president of Rotary Club One in Chicago) and presented the youth program. ❯ See you all again in ﬁve years! Class Correspondent: Monta Lee Dakin Littleton, CO 80128-5404, 303-979-9307, mld780@aol.com

1975 Next up: Our 40th Reunion! 40 years ago, when you looked out the top window of your Knox dorm, I’ll bet you couldn’t see Homecoming 2015 on the horizon. But now it’s here; let’s make it spectacular! Please meet me there this October. We now have a private Facebook group called “Knox College Class of 1975” to help us keep in touch. Check it out! ❯ It was a treat hearing from some of you recently. Bob Hennes and Phil Thomason send hellos to everyone. Gary Pokorn and Drew Debrey both attended the 2014 Knox Homecoming, and they send along these updates. Gary: “After attending a Knox class on Friday afternoon, I wrote a little ditty about my experience. It’s posted on TheQuoteGuys.com and titled ‘Sacred.’” ❯ Drew: “In 2009, I left the business world and am presently working on my dissertation for a doctorate in business at St. Ambrose University. I teach statistics there and also teach accounting and management at Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg. I enjoy the change in direction and the opportunity to pass on to the next generation some of what I learned over 25 years in the business community. Wife Cindy and I have two daughters (13 and 20). Here’s my e-mail: debreydrews@sau.edu.” ❯ Jim Petrila still lives in Washington, D.C., and works as a lawyer on the National Security Council. Jim says he can’t believe it has been five years since our last Reunion—which he also missed—so I hope he can make the next one! ❯ Speaking of which, Sheri Spring Morrison thinks she has an excused absence from our 40th Reunion just because it will be the same weekend as her husband Jerry’s 60th birthday. Uh uh, think again! Note to Sheri and Jerry: Living near Palo Alto, California, comes with certain responsibilities, like visiting Galesburg every five years. We promise to sing Happy Birthday! Son Evan graduated from Purdue last year with a master’s degree in aerospace engineering, moved to Seattle, married, and started work at Boeing all within a few months. Jerry is busily retired, and Sheri is very engaged with significant responsibilities at her synagogue.

They somehow fit in plenty of travel. As she says, “Life is very full and mostly wonderful.” ❯ George Leiner writes that he is “in my 26th year in the philosophy department at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where I came after finishing my Ph.D. at Purdue. I am blessed with many fine students and teach both broad courses (1st Philosophy, Philosophical Anthropology, Theories of Knowledge, Aesthetics, Eastern Thought) and those more focused in my primary area of study, contemporary continental philosophy, most specifically with Nietzsche. I remain active with my professional groups, The Nietzsche Society and The Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy. In a multiyear project for Stanford University Press, I’m currently engaged in a translation of Volume 12 of the Kritische Studienausgabe of Nietzsche’s works, which will appear as Volume 17 of Stanford’s Complete Works. Paula Ann Falkenberg ’77 and I were married from 1976 to 1999. Paula died far too young of pancreatic cancer in July 2010. In fall 2000, Ginnie Allmendinger Long Leiner and I married. Ginnie works with the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, which is undergoing an extraordinary and exciting period of growth (check them out online!). Daughter Becky lives with her husband, Todd, in Plano, Texas, and daughter Jamie and her husband, Jeff, live in Livermore, California. Jamie and Jeff have two little ones, a 3-½-year-old son and a new little girl born last October. So as you can see, life is full and rich!” Here’s his e-mail: george.leiner@ email.stvincent.edu. ❯ Pam Zadenetz earned her master’s degree in library and information science from Dominican University (in River Forest) in January 2014. She currently works as a researcher for the business development/marketing group in a law firm in downtown Chicago. Pam shares that her mother passed away on Christmas Day 2013. Our sympathies, Pam. ❯ Rick Partin has lived in Champaign, Illinois, since 1995. Former editor of Knox Magazine, Rick is editor of the newsletter for the School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics at University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign, where he is in his 10th year as coordinator for outreach and external relations. He and his wife, Paula, have a son, Trevor, who’s a sophomore at Champaign Central High School and is active as a percussionist and pianist in several school musical groups. Rick’s father Al Partin and his mother, Gen, also live in Champaign. Al, a football and wrestling coach at Knox, as well as director of physical education between 1954 and 1983, returned to campus for Homecoming in 2012 and 2013 for the induction of the Midwest Conference football championship teams (of 1956 and 1976) into the Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Fame. He missed Homecoming in 2014 due to surgery but is recovering well at home. Anybody who’d like to contact Al could do so through Rick: partinr@hotmail.com. ❯ That’s all for now, folks! Class Correspondent: Jeanne Pankanin jeanne.knoxfriend@gmail.com

1976 Hello, classmates. My last column was somewhat sparse and this one is downright barren! I need to hear from some classmates regarding what’s been going on in your world. So, send me some notes for the next column, as I only have my note for this column. I recently saw Pete Mitchell ’78, who is running a successful marketing strategy business and is loving the new Jeep he recently purchased. Pete and his wife, Laurel, live in Wilmette, Illinois, and have three wonderful children. That is it! Class Correspondent: George M. Pearce 1114 Forest Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091-1655, 847-256-5968, george.pearce@hklaw.com

1977 Hi, everyone. Things are all good here. Our son, Ben, is in his second year of college at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Becky got a job in Manhattan with a healthcare information technology startup called DICOM Grid; and the oldest, Nat, is between jobs at the moment. ❯ Husband Tom and I had dinner with Ed Jepson and his wife, Susan, in Chicago this summer. Their oldest son, Nick, is looking at colleges, while son Eric is in high school in Chicago, and daughter Halley is a budding singer-songwriter. Ed continues to pursue competitive bike racing while thinking about retirement from the legal profession. ❯ Pam Ord Newton (Ordo) and Brian Sullivan ’79 (Sully) have been spearheading a fundraising effort for a poor church, Our Lady of Guadalupe, that was devastated by Hurricane Odile. Located in the Baja area of Mexico, where both Ordo and Sully vacation, this church and the people in the surrounding area have lost everything. You can contribute at www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/83c6/help-raisethe-church-roof. ❯ Paula Barrow Danoff reports that her boys are not married (yet) and that she works a lot. There hasn’t been time for vacation/travel, and her life is “boring.” Somehow I doubt that, Paula. ❯ Mary Fatora-Tumbaga writes, “Sam Tumbaga ’76 retired a few years ago from the state. I still teach Spanish part-time at Kauai Community College, the only institution of higher learning on our island (I am the entire Spanish department). Our oldest [a son] works as a security guard. Our middle [a daughter] is an attorney. Our youngest daughter taught English in China for 3-1/2 years before returning to graduate school this September—she’s in a one-year master’s program in teaching in Boston. We took a few trips to China, saw the main sights (Shanghai, Xian, Beijing, Nanging, Suzhou gardens), and hiked on top of Huan Shan, a mountain in Anhui Province. Our daughter worked in Hefei, the capital of this province. We visited temples, pagodas, tomb sites, drum and bell towers, museums, the circus, and the theater. We were there this past winter for Christmas and went to a typical Chinese wedding on New Year’s

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

“Yes, we lost the football game again but Nerds rule the world, right?” Day.” ❯ From Doug Hill, who attended 2014 Homecoming: “Alumni Hall is just beautiful. Anyone who returns to campus and fails to tour the inside is making a big mistake. The only ’77 class members I saw were Gary Jacobson, Tom O’Neal, Bob Steinman, and Les Hunter, and we all attended Steve Baumgartner’s induction to the Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Fame. Roy Andersen’s retirement function after 42 years at Knox was very nice and well-attended by many grads from our era. I’m not sure, but I think Lane Sunderland might be the only professor from our years who is still actively teaching. Yes, we lost the football game again but Nerds rule the world, right? And, on a personal note, my daughter finished fourth and I finished second in our respective age groups at the Triathlon World Championships in Canada. One more thing: I was driving down Broad Street in the ’Burg and saw a huge Seattle Mariners flag hanging outside a home. Turns out it belongs to Les Hunter and his wife, whose son has been drafted by the Mariners. He hopes to play with their AAA club in Tacoma next summer.” ❯ Bill Silver got in touch: “Karen Sawyer Silver ’78 and I vacationed at the St. Regis in Puerto Rico in January 2014, then, in May, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Venice, Italy. In July, our church choir toured parts of the UK, and were the choir in residence at Ely Cathedral for a full week. Both trips remind us of the tremendous history and struggles humanity and nations have endured. In September, I won the club championship at Firestone Country Club (Seniors Low Net Division) with a two-day 141 total. Golf has been an important part of our lives over the years, and Karen is a past club champion at Portage Country Club in Akron, Ohio, and a 25-year volunteer at the now Bridgestone Invitational. Karen and I will spend part of the winter in the Caribbean and Florida. I hope to ski in Utah in February ’15. I just turned 60, so I still have six years to go to retirement but will coach my replacements in the business until then. Our children are nearby: Megan (32, DVM), Katie (30, master’s in art therapy/counseling), Bryan (27, master’s in library science and technology) and Eagle Scout Kevin (24, geology), a 2013 graduate from the College of Wooster. Our e-mail addresses are billsilver54@gmail.com and silverk56@hotmail.com.” ❯ Jon Klem writes: “Wife Bonnie and I left Washington, D.C., in 2012 permanently and moved to Williamsburg, Virginia. I serve on a couple of boards and volunteer to mentor wounded warriors at Fort Eustis nearby. My daughter, Jessica, lives in suburban D.C. and enjoys life as only a 30-year-old can. Son Jeremy is in Portland, Oregon, and is getting married next year to his girlfriend of eight years. This year, I hosted Steve Fraser ’78 and Dave Koester ’76 in Williamsburg for a long golf weekend.” ❯ Tad Daley ’78 was recently a featured speaker at the Women’s National Democratic Club in Washington, D.C. Introduced by retired U.S. Senator Harris Wofford, he discussed, “Can We Abolish Nuclear

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Weapons Before We Abolish War?” ❯ Dean Anderson dropped a quick note to say: “We have a niece in Brooklyn teaching high school and loving it. My daughter (26), the med student, will visit her in NYC during her block break. I don’t remember traveling cross-country in my 20s, but things are different now!” ❯ Laurie Anderson shared special news: “On June 22, I got married to Jon Hanson. My sister Carolyn Anderson ’73 and brother Jeff Anderson ’80 attended with other family and friends. We live in St. Paul near Macalester College. My stepdaughter from my ﬁrst marriage just had her second child, boy number two. Jon and I are very busy with eldercare duties for our senior parents. I am still inhouse corporate counsel at Apogee Enterprises. I did show up late to the Knox v. Macalester football game, but did not see any Knox alums. I encourage my Knox alum friends to get in touch via Facebook or LinkedIn.” Class Correspondent: Sarah Kaull 52 Ober Street, Beverly, MA 01915-4733, 978-810-0181, skaull@icex.com

1978 Paul and Susan Haerr Zucker reported from Hoi An, Vietnam, on their way to visit Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. During their college years, Vietnam definitely was not on the list of top travel destinations, but time flies and the world changes. ❯ Faith Miller has also been traveling to exotic destinations—New York to Sydney via South Africa last January on the Queen Mary, last fall with Kate Littrell to Nashville, and then to Chicago for a mini-reunion with Kathy Blaze Brown and Deborah Malk Hawkins. Faith says they haven’t aged a day! ❯ Not to be outdone, Joe ’79 and Senator Julie Jones Morrison spent 10 days in China in August—sightseeing plus meetings at universities and with businesses. They enjoy their first grandchild, Max (what else would they name him with a grandfather like Joe), 18 months old. Plenty of work ahead in the Illinois Senate for Julie, who has a particular interest in the Department of Children and Family Services and intends to put her time and energy there. Go Julie! ❯ John Scott Luthy attended Homecoming to see the newly unveiled and newly remodeled Alumni Hall. He reports that it is not the Alumni Hall of Bro’ White Econ 101 days! The next week he attended a Knox social function at the Findlay Tap in Downers Grove, where alumni from several years reconnected. Two weeks later, he ran into Kate Sorenson Blunk ’77 at a restaurant. Then, he took the initiative to look up Kathy Mahaffey in Springfield for lunch on his way to visit his kids in Dallas. So he wins this year’s Knox 1978ian of the year award. On top of that, he just finished the annual fundraiser for Holiday Meals on Wheels, raising more than $100,000 to help provide meals to seniors at risk during holidays and weekends, when the government programs do not provide services. If you are anywhere near Naperville,

give him a shout. ❯ Mike Zielinski is an Android programmer now and is about to release a new update of his app, Restaurant Notes 2, on Google Play. His wife could not remember what she liked at a restaurant, and so he wrote an app for her. He also joined Code For Orlando, which is a group that uses the information Orlando has collected and writes apps to make it easily accessible for the citizens. A long ways from punch card readers in the basement of the Science-Mathematics Center! ❯ Scott and Sally Bogott Noyes celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary this year in Turks & Caicos. Kids are grown up and out of the nest—a lawyer, engineer, and nurse. No grandkids, but all is well in New Vernon, New Jersey. ❯ Becky Burton has four children, all in their 20s, and a rescue dog that eats her furniture. She is painting with acrylics and just hosted her 29th Thanksgiving. ❯ This past spring (2014), Julie Murphy Erfani was appointed director of the masters program in social justice and human rights in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences at Arizona State University. The program bridges the social sciences and humanities and includes career emphases in research and advocacy. She would be delighted to have some Knox graduates join the MA program. ❯ Susan Hughey Walker’s youngest son graduated from Auburn this summer so she is finally finished with college tuition! He joined Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance and currently lives in Jacksonville, Florida. Her oldest son moved to San Diego in November to begin working for Bank of America. Déjà vu. Meanwhile, she is still with BB&T leading wealth management teams in Florida and Georgia. She is a road warrior but loves the work. ❯ David Dickson has been making the Knox math department proud through his career as an actuary and CFO, which is really just a cover to fund his golf addiction. (I could use an actuary to keep track of my score!) He and wife Debbie are currently residing in St. Louis with their two dogs; their three children are grown and doing well in Des Moines, Atlanta, and, soon, Dallas. No grandkids yet. David enjoys volunteering as a board member and treasurer for the Greater Missouri and Southern Illinois chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, trying find a cure for Type 1 diabetes. ❯ I really appreciated hearing from Gerry (now goes by Rick) Dorrington. He shared that his youngest of three sons was paralyzed in a car accident seven years ago, and his mom passed away one year ago. He is engaged now to a beautiful woman, who is a social worker for the state of Arizona. I hope we can convince them to join us at the next Reunion, although I suppose he does not still have the War Wagon. ❯ As for me, I am headed for financial ruin, despite years of frugal saving and careful (although not necessarily successful) investing. My daughter is engaged to be married, and the wedding extravaganza is set for November 2015. Neither she nor my wife is listening to any of my money-saving ideas. Hint: buy florist and catering stock—they

Class Knox —Doug Hill ’77 on the 2014 Homecoming game will do well in 2015. Thanks all for sharing. Class Correspondent: David Bates 174 Haversham, Houston, TX 77024-6248, 713-7220815, dbates@gardere.com

1979 Wow! What a year! This was a good year for news and reconnecting with some of my Knox friends from different classes. I mentioned in my last letter that I was getting ready for the now FAMOUS Fiji-Phi Delt Golf Outing in Glen Ellyn. This event was once again graciously hosted by two of our own, Norm Hillner and Bob Szyman. It was bigger and better than ever with a large turnout of alumni from both fraternities, with the Fijis once again claiming the coveted winner’s trophy. From our class, it was Norm Hillner, Bob Holshouser, Ray Albertina, Bob Szyman, Fred Heger, Joe Morrison, and Howie Hagemaster. After golf, we had a buffet dinner in the clubhouse with both golfers and non-golfers showing up for the fellowship. What a great night! ❯ Then it was on to our 35th Reunion in the fall. It was a picture-perfect fall weekend, and I just wish more of you were able to attend. I personally had a great time and, after a few cocktails, my wife was calling me “Huggy Bear” because I was hugging everyone I saw. The mixer was great, and it was great to see some I had not seen in ages…Donelle Horn (she didn’t graduate with us but was in our class), David Rands, Lane Hart, Steve McClure, Cindy Latina Schuessler, Carolyn Cooke, Laurie Horton O’Dear, Rollie Thomas, Jorie Schulz, Linda Goetz Billingsley, Fred Heger, Eric Jackstadt, Ray Albertina, Wendy MacArtney Feer, Norm Hillner, Ann Hutchcroft Weber, and many that I can’t remember due to acute alcohol poisoning. Start planning for 2019 and our 40th. I’m sure that I won’t look any older. Don’t forget … Join us on Facebook … Knox College Class of 1979. Class Correspondent : Brian Cox 21 Briarcliffe Drive, Collinsville, IL 62234, 618-406-7014, 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 Tom Woolwine writes, “I still work as an investment consultant with DeMarche Associates here in Kansas City (28 years). Wife JoLetta and I enjoy watching our son Larson progress through his junior year at Kansas University (business school). Our October was consumed by cheering for the Royals in the World Series. Finally, I’m

excited to report I recently joined Knox’s Endowment Investment Committee. Best to Class of ’81!” ❯ Kari Hauge reports back for the first time since graduation. “Here’s a summary: I moved to Portland, Oregon, and lived there until June 2012. I have 30+ years of experience working as a library manager at Multnomah County and Portland State University. I’ve become a photographer, knitter, writer, and oenophile. I was married in my mid-40s, divorced in March 2013. I moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in June 2012 and worked with the ABC Library until October 2013. At that point, I became the live-in caregiver for a delightful and smart 98year-old. She is a linguist and a musician and is a joyful presence. Her daughter is an internationally renowned baroque violinist who is gone 70-90 percent of the time, working various gigs. We live in a musicians’ co-operative in the Ortiz Mountains, a half-hour south of Santa Fe. I play in the Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra and sing in the Santa Fe Symphony Chorus and the Coro de Camera. Recently, I became a volunteer for the Forest Service: it’s a way to get myself out onto the hiking trails. Someday I need to look toward the future, but for now, every day I can spend in these surroundings with these people is a huge gift. Last October, three Knoxites came out to visit: Barb Anderson Landers, Char McClanahan, and Gina Tojo. This October, the same group met at Gina’s family vacation home in Melbourne, Kentucky. In the mornings we drank coffee, talked, and watched the barges on the Ohio River. In the afternoons, we explored. Gina was an excellent host, and the weather totally cooperated. We hope to make this an annual event. Next year, Colorado! If you care to share webpages: I started a reflective blog to help process all the changes: refgoddess.blogspot.com. I’ve also joined blipfoto.com. It’s a network of really excellent photographers and amateurs. I use it to post one photo a day, plus haiku and a shorthand journal. At the end of the year, I’ll have a photo journal to print.” ❯ Mark Switzer writes, “Just a brief update: I recently returned to Galesburg after living in British Columbia for more than 10 years. While in Canada, I completed a doctorate in traditional Chinese medicine and currently practice acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine at The Path in Galesburg.” ❯ Jennifer L. Eich reports, “I love my new job. I’m now associate dean for the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts at Loyola Marymount University, where I’ve been a professor of Latin American literature for the past 20 years. Every day is different, and learning about administrative tasks, such as budget, space, resource management, and website management seems to take even more time, energy, and diplomacy than teaching, advising, and research ever did! The one consolation is the breathtaking ocean-to-downtown view from my office, and the sunsets behind the palm trees are glorious. Time has flown by us all, clearly evidenced by those once-loving babies who sud-

denly are applying for college and can’t wait to leave the nest. My husband, Salvador C. Fernández, and I have two. Rebeca, the elder, is a junior at Occidental College, where her dad is a professor of Mexican and Chicano Literature. Rebeca spent the fall semester in Granada, Spain, and swimming with the University of Granada team. Clearly the hospital changed my baby with another at her birth: She’s a chemistry/Spanish double major. Her brother, Gabriel, also really not the child of two literature professors, is a math whiz and high school senior. He thinks he’ll be a computer science and electrical engineer major, but since his goal is to emerge from college debtfree, or as close to it as possible, we think he’s destined to be an economics major.” ❯ Gayle Grzebieniak Lake says she doesn’t think she has ever given an update in all these years! “Now that I am close to being an empty-nester I guess it’s time! I have lived in Barrington for the past 22 years. I have a son who is a junior at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, and 17-year-old boy/girl twins who will be heading off to college next fall; both are still deciding where they want to go (unfortunately, not Knox). I am so excited that my nephew will be attending Knox next fall! Now I have to come to Homecoming next year! I am an attorney but have not practiced law for a number of years. I became interested in health care and have been a practice administrator at a medical practice for the last six years. I have also been pursuing a master’s degree in health law and policy through Loyola School of Law. Hope to connect with some of our classmates next fall! ❯ Annette Ambrosini Johnston writes that she completed her master of engineering management degree at Northwestern in 2014. She is a project manager at Abbott Laboratories, working on project or process improvement projects. She is currently on the National Board of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. ❯ In midSeptember, we lost a dear friend, David “Skip” Marino ’82. He left behind three sons, his father, and two younger brothers. While saddened by this loss, it helped to have so many old friends gather to remember Skip, including David Mitchell ’83, Jerry Proctor ’82, Al ’82 and Teri Maso Zdunek ’82, Phil ’82 and Jenny Mitchell Curtis ’82, Pete Bulandr ’82, Paul Martin ’81, and Matt Luetger ’81. ❯ Larry Marone ’82 came into Chicago for an annual conference in early November, and a bunch of us got together, including John O’Connor ’83, Pete Bulandr ’82, Phil ’82 and Jenny Curtis ’82, and Daniel Stromberg ’82. In mid-November, Sue Payne Etheridge ’83 was in town for a conference as well, and a group of us gathered once more for dinner and cocktails, including David Mitchell ’83, Jerry Proctor ’82, Al Zdunek ’82, Pete Bulandr ’82, and John O’Connor ’83. Class Correspondent: John Nicolau 930 Huckleberry Lane, Glenview, IL 60025-2302, j.nicolau@comcast.net

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

“I have to say one of the nice surprises of the trip was getting to know

1982 Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Holidays! Happy Presidents Day! Happy Valentine’s Day! As you can see, we did NOT get a very large response to my request for Class Notes. Therefore, please start sending recipes or ideas for our 35th Reunion. Anything is better than blank space! ❯ Steve Czerwinski’s 24-year-old daughter, Sarah, and Travis Finn got married in May. The ceremony was held in the park near their home in Tolono, Illinois, just south of Danville. ❯ Also, it has been ages since we have heard from Ken Gutsch, who has been practicing law in Anchorage since 1988. His two oldest boys (20 and 23) study and work in St. Louis and New Orleans. Ken and his wife also have two girls (12 and 16, adopted from China) still living at home, which eases the empty nest syndrome. The boys remind Ken of how much he was a work in progress at Knox (as he is still), and what a wonderful opportunity of self-discovery Knox was. ❯ As for me, I have just purchased a two-bedroom, two-bath condominium in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. I have ﬁnally decided that I am ready for home ownership! Drop by anytime! ❯ Hugs and kisses to all! Class Correspondents: Mary Filosa Brown 7 Shasta Court, Durham, NC 27713-8603, 919-544-0130, Brown4atNC@aol.com Sharon L. Schillereff 7780 W 38th Avenue, #404, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033, 303-885-7185, Sschil7470@yahoo.com

1983 Chip Martin married his partner of more than 10 years, Bill Chaffee, on June 28, 2014, in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. More than 650 people packed Bethelem Lutheran Church in Saint Cloud to be a part of this celebration. Chip and Bill’s two children, Olivia and Landon, served as flower girl and ring bearer. The reception was held downtown at the Saint Cloud River Centre where eating, drinking, and dancing went on until the early morning hours….What a great day! ❯ Treg Isaacson wrote an essay about his son, who was going to college at the same time a friend and teammate of his was dying of cancer, that was published in an anthology called Motherlode, edited by Ashley Parker Owens. He received a Pushcart Prize nomination for the essay. The book is available on Amazon in print and Kindle at http://amzn.to/1CQfjfl. Treg and his wife celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in Portugal in September. ❯ Kathryn Betts Wolfkiel recently became the department chair of world language at Barrington High School in the northwest suburbs. This is her 11th year in the district, and she’s enjoying the transition to her new job. She and her husband live in Deerfield, Illinois, with their youngest daughter, Katie, who is a freshman at Deerfield High School. Their oldest, Emily, is in Seattle, where she completed grad school and has now been gainfully employed for two years! Sarah is a senior at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, where she is com-

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

pleting a degree in marketing with a minor in sports management. Needless to say, they spend a lot of time visiting the girls! ❯ Georgine (Gigi) Kryda has had her own law and mediation practice for more than six years now, doing primarily estate planning and administration, probate litigation, and tax issues. This summer, she moved her ofﬁce to Washington Avenue, the main street in Golden, Colorado. In September, she earned her CPA license and was recognized by Jefferson County Mediation Services as Community Mediator of the Year (last time was in 2012). She also does volunteer mediation for the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Denver/Boulder, as well as binding arbitration and AutoLine (lemon law) arbitration for the BBB. For fun, there’s always a Knox alumni event in the works! ❯ John Morrison is a freelance sound technician living in Auburn, Maine. In the absence of a marriage to a wealthy heiress, he will do anything audio for a buck. He records, mixes, consults, schemes, daydreams, reminisces … his recording credits include projects by James Taylor, Inanna: Sisters in Rhythm, Chris Botti, and Spalding Gray. He once installed an early “home theater” system for Milos Forman. Recent theater work includes sound mixing for Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson at Colby College and sound design for Wasteland at Bates College. It is unlikely that many will recall John’s audio contributions to early ’80s New York productions of Taking Steam, The Smiling Assassins, or Mysteries of the Bridal Night. So it goes. ❯ Massoud Hassas has established and is chairman of PMB, which is involved in commercial activities like import and export to and from Iran, importing clean and green energy from Europe, and exporting organic foods and fertilizers within the Persian Gulf region. ❯ Rose Martin Schneider was a commodities trader at the Chicago Board of Trade for 25 years and loved it, but decided to “retire” when her daughter was just shy of two years old. Since then, her family has moved to Arizona and become full-time residents. It was hard to leave Illinois, but they spend their vacations in Chicago visiting family and friends. She deﬁnitely doesn’t miss the cold, icy winter days. The mountains and sun are her haven. She has since started a home-based business making personalized creations for customers. Check out her Facebook page for samples: facebook.com/Sparklerosecreations. She loves crafting and creating, so she decided to turn it into a business. She also volunteers a lot. She is room mom at her daughter’s school, which is so much fun. The kids get excited when they see her because they know a craft is involved. She is also a Girl Scout leader to 4th and 5th graders. It has been interesting to watch the girls grow and evolve. ❯ John Baxter and his family are still in Michigan, and their girls both attend Andrews University. Last year their eldest, Hannah, served at an orphanage outside of Kolkatta (Calcutta) and John was blessed to be able to visit her and take her back to the town where she grew up, then to Bodh Gaya, Varanasi, Delhi, and up to the Himalayas. ❯ Very thankful that each year I pass

through Kansas City and get to visit with Ben Ferrett. Perhaps someone should recommend to the government that Flunk Day become a national holiday. At least in Illinois it might pass… ❯ Beth Anderson Schuck and I, along with our husbands, enjoyed getting together for some hiking and dining in and around Las Vegas last month while I was in town for a conference. As we in the Midwest brace ourselves for another winter, the 320 days of sunshine that Beth enjoys in Las Vegas sound pretty tempting. ❯ If you did not receive an e-mail requesting information, please contact me so we can update our 1983 class list. Class Correspondent: Laura Thompson Sears 132 Heath Place, Westmont, IL 60559, 312-899-1660, lsears@gouldratner.com

1984 Our Homecoming celebration of 30 years was a wonderful weekend. I think Claire Bailey Roehl summed it up for all of us who attended when she said, “I have to say one of the nice surprises of the trip was getting to know people I hadn’t known as well as students.” Agreed, Claire! The admissions department sure knew what they were doing when we were accepted those many years ago! ❯ Claire enjoyed being back in the ’Burg again and reconnecting with folks, especially those she doesn’t usually connect with. Claire took advantage of being in the Midwest to visit her youngest, who is a freshman in engineering at Purdue (anyone else with Boilermaker kids?). They aren’t quite empty-nesters yet, as Claire’s oldest is living at home while teaching English to at-risk middle school boys. She just graduated from Dickinson this spring with a major in English and minor in French, having spent a semester in Cameroon. Their middle child is in still in Baltimore, studying clarinet performance and sound recording technology at Peabody Conservatory/ Johns Hopkins. The highlight of his year has been his Sound on Film class with Thomas Dolby. Claire is still working part-time in a private pediatric practice, dabbling in medical ethics, and starting to ponder where the next phase of life may take her. Looking forward to hearing more from other classmates soon as well. ❯ Mary Bohaty Osborne enjoyed being back at Knox for Homecoming last October, as she brought along her son, Matthew, a high school senior. He had his ofﬁcial Knox tour, and, as much as he hoped not to follow in Mary’s footsteps, he really likes the Knox vibe. Maybe he’ll be back next fall as a freshman! Mary’s second novel, Alchemy’s Daughter, will be out in May. The book won gold in the Literary Classics Youth Media Competition, which makes her feel less crazy for having worked on that thing on and off for more than a decade. ❯ Sallie Marchello also attended the Reunion all the way from Virginia and says, “It was great seeing so many classmates in Galesburg in October and how wonderful to have Alumni Hall open again!” Sallie’s daughter, Libby, a college sophomore, took a life-changing

Class Knox people I hadn’t known as well as students.” —Claire Bailey Roehl ’84

1985 Mike Spires was elected to the board of directors of the National Organization of Research Development Professionals in May. Mike also wants to know whether anyone is making plans for our 30th(!) Reunion next year. ❯ Debbie Dehm sends aloha from Maui. She joined the political arena again this year and helped with getting the GMO moratorium passed. Maui has been a petri dish for Monsanto experiments, and there are many babies being born with birth defects, people getting ill from all the chemical spraying, and contamination of the water and air. It was a close vote, but they beat the giant that outspent them 100 to 1. Please join the SHAKA movement and help stop Monsanto from poisoning paradise. Debbie is also on board to do free psychic readings at the Reunion if only someone will ﬂy her

2015 Alumni Achievement Award Indira Somani ’92 Indira Somani says the Associated Colleges of the Midwest Chicago Program “completely changed the direction of my life.” First, as an intern at Chicago’s WBBM-TV, she learned that the station’s producers, not its reporters, made the important decisions about news content. “I was told early on ‘reporters are a dime a dozen, but if you’re a producer, you will always have a job in this business,’” she says. Second, the urban studies-focused curriculum inspired her to pursue a self-designed major called “Media, Race, and Gender.” That led to a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Northwestern University, then a sucessful producing career at programs including CNBC’s Wake-Up Call. After a decade in the news business, however, Indira was ready to move in a different direction. She returned to school, earning a Ph.D. in journalism from University of Maryland. She also started working on a documentary film about her experiences as a second-generation Indian American. The award-winning Crossing Lines (crossinglinesthefilm.com) follows Indira to India as she visits her father’s family for the first time after his death, and contemplates her connection to Indian culture, her relationship with her father, and the tension that sometimes arises between the Indian and American aspects of her identity. Following its PBS broadcast and screened at national and international film festivals, it earned numerous prizes, including a Gracie Allen Award for “Outstanding Documentary-Short Format” in 2009 from American Women in Radio & Television. Today, she is an assistant professor in Howard University’s School of Communications, where her research focus is still—you might have guessed— media, race, and gender. In 2011, she received a Fulbright-Nehru Senior Research Fellowship to study Western influences on Indian television programming. She also continues to produce and direct independent documentaries on issues relating to Asian Indian cultural identity. SUBMITTED

Alumni Achievement Award Winner

five-week adventure in Italy this past summer, and visited the home of our classmate Lynn Chasson. Lynn was so kind to extend the invitation when she learned about Libby’s trip, and they had a great time in Milano, with Lynn giving Libby great tips on the rest of her trip. Molto bene, and as Lynn would say, Baci a Tutti! In other news, Sallie has some new responsibilities at William & Mary and is now associate provost and university registrar. She’s been there for nine years now and hopes to make it another nine (ish), then retire to full-time gardening, reading, and baseball-watching. ❯ Theresa “T” McMichael Parker had an amazing time at our 30th Reunion. “It was a blast catching up with everyone!” she says. “I won’t wait 20 years next time!” ❯ This is the third Reunion that I have had the privilege of working on. Knox did much of the planning and booking of facilities last fall, which allowed committee members to more fully enjoy the festivities with the rest of the class. THANK YOU to Chuck Flint (Florida), Scott Westerman (Missouri), Valerie Andrew (Georgia), Lynn Chasson (Italy), Ken Wottowa, and Bernie O’Connell for a year of planning and fun! There were so many more people who attended, many traveling from great distances, but in lieu of omitting someone, I don’t want to start listing names (the memory is just not that great these days!). Suffice it to say, the weather was super, the company was stimulating, and the environment was HOME. Check our our class picture and, if you aren’t already, get onto the Knox College Class of 1984 Facebook page and enjoy year-round connections. ❯ On a final somber note, we lost a few classmates this year. Joe Janatka, Greg Engstrom, and Bruce Chamberlain passed away in 2014. Our heartfelt sorrow and support goes to their close friends and families. ❯ Be well and be happy, my friends! See you all soon! Class Correspondent: Valerie Jencks 29 South Webster, Suite 106, Naperville, IL 60540, Knoxcollege84@gmail.com Facebook page: Knox College Class of 1984

Knox Magazine: Which Knox professors had the greatest impact on you? Indira Somani: Professor Robin Metz, Dr. Penny Gold, and Professor David Amor all had a huge impact on my life. From Professor Metz, I learned about South Asian authors in the U.S. who were writing about life experiences similar to mine. In Intro to Women’s Studies with Dr. Gold, I will never forget that she included a letter from the former prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, to his daughter Indira Gandhi. I was really touched, because Dr. Gold went out of her way to include a piece from India. It made me feel included. Professor Amor was the advisor to The Knox Student [Indira served as co-editor-in-chief]. Under his leadership, we designed a new newspaper with a more modern layout, and I am thankful to have been a part of that editorial team. When I graduated with my Ph.D. from University of Maryland in 2008, they came to my hometown to celebrate my doctorate and new faculty appointment with my family and me. My relationship with Penny and David is an example of why everyone should go to a liberal arts college—because of the personal ties the students make with their professors.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

This spring, Wesleyan University Press will publish The Lives of out from Hawaii! ❯ Lee Woolley was recently named president of the Mid-Atlantic region (New Jersey through Virginia) for BNY Mellon Wealth Management, based out of Philadelphia. In addition, Lee has been appointed chairman and CEO of BNY Mellon Trust of Delaware. ❯ A first-timer to the 1985 Class Notes, Jim Jones has been writing about movies for the Chicago Reader under the byline J.R. Jones since 2002, and, this spring, Wesleyan University Press will publish his book The Lives of Robert Ryan. Ryan— whom Martin Scorsese called “one of the greatest actors in the history of American film”—was best known for his work in film noir, playing bigoted, neurotic, often violent characters, but in real life he was a tireless peace and civil rights activist whose proudest achievement was founding a progressive grade school in Los Angeles. He was a fascinating character, and his life and career were steeped in the politics of the Cold War, which made his story particularly interesting to Jim. ❯ Maryann O’Brien lives in Shenzhen, China, with her husband and daughters, now 6 and 10 years old. Maryann enjoys her position as vice principal of curriculum and assessment for Buena Vista Concordia International School. She writes that she is wishing she had learned Mandarin at some point along the way! She relies on her kids to translate for her and to help her get around town. “Hoping everyone is well back in the U.S.!” she says. “Hi to Post 6 and Pi Phis!” ❯ As for myself, I became senior counsel at The City University of New York a year and a half or so ago (okay, so my news isn’t particularly fresh). If you have news to share, don’t be shy! Class Correspondents: Margaret VerKoulen Lynn 7 Blanchard Circle, South Barrington, IL 60010-9515, 847-304-8663, mvlynn@comcast.net Jane Davis 72-17 34th Avenue, #3P, Jackson Heights, NY 113721064, jedavis_ill@hotmail.com

1986 Begging for information on your 50th year seems to have inspired quite a few of you to write! It is fabulous to have news from some classmates who have been missing from our column, so without further ado, here’s the “hot skinny” (remember President McCall?) on the Class of ’86! ❯ Lisa Williamson writes, “I celebrated my 50th by completing a master’s degree, something I started to pursue more than 20 years ago before I got married. While I no longer have an M.R.S., I now have an M.S. in management with a specialization in research administration. I work as the director of sponsored award development and administration at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin, where I have been living since the late 1990s, and I love it. We get lake-effect snowstorms in Ashland due to our location on Lake Superior. I also celebrated having my children home for 10 years this year. My ex and I adopted Nataliya and Sasha from Ukraine in 2004. It’s

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

hard to believe I have a pre-teen and a teen now. I still run a lot, garden when the weather is warm, and have a partner who is a history professor at Northland. I have yet to tell him that I never took a single history course at Knox though!” ❯ Dennis See is deeply involved in changing the world. “Since turning the Big 5-0 in February, I have stepped away from the political and corporate public relations world. I’m now doing community work in Borneo. My company provides basic micro-hydro plants and clean water projects for the interior communities that lack basic infrastructure facilities. We adopt rural schools and provide English tuition for underprivileged students. This is a far cry from my political work in Washington, D.C., and subsequently in my home state of Penang. I’m based in Kuala Lumpur. If any fellow Knoxian makes it to this part of the world, please drop me a line at densee@gmail.com. (My apologies for not being a prolific user of Facebook. I’m stubbornly still a true believer in e-mail).” ❯ Karen Mailander Yates has a short but interesting note… “I live in Austin, Texas, with my husband of 27 years, Andrew. I have a 25-year-old daughter, Anna, who currently lives and works in Beijing, China. For the last 13 years, I have been the executive producer of our film production company, Beef and Pie Productions. When I’m not working, I’m usually riding my horses. Glad to be 50!” ❯ Dr. Jennifer Luke, D.V.M., writes: “Time flies, and it seems like just yesterday we all were educating ourselves, hanging out at the Gizmo and living the Knox experience. A few years ago I reconnected with Claude Haylock ’87 and learned about some of the classmates with whom I shared the Whiting House. Unfortunately, I could not meet up with them in person on the steps of Whiting but was really happy to see their older and wiser smiling faces. Since Knox, I went on to live my dream of becoming a veterinarian. I did my professional studies at University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and, after graduating, moved to Southern California (also where I knew I wanted to be). I started in the high desert and chose a practice with lots of movie theater clients with exotics, including big cats, rhinos, giraffes, etc., blending my small animal expertise with my background in zoo medicine. This is where I met my husband in 1992. Steve is a chiropractor and does animal work with my office, as well as running his own business. We just celebrated our 17th anniversary. I also own my own hospital, which I have run for 15 years now in sunny San Diego, where we live. I have an awesome 10-year-old son named Aidan, which means ‘the fiery one’ after an Irish monk known for his fiery ideas and being a mover and shaker. We used this name after the firestorm in 2003 almost took everything we had away from us, and we realized just how short life was and how fortunate we really are. Aidan was a product of this new perspective and opened our hearts and minds to kids. Don’t regret it for a minute. And being a vet, we of course have a hodgepodge of pets! Come see me if you are visiting San

Diego!” ❯ Kendall Dunkleberg has been the director of creative writing at Mississippi University for Women and will now be taking on the additional challenge of directing its new low-residency MFA in creative writing program. Way to go, Kendall! ❯ Mahmoud Alam Mahsud shares that he is now deputy inspector general for the Police Service of Pakistan. He and his wife, Sarah Roberts Mahsud ’88, who teaches at an all-girls school, recently celebrated 25 years of marriage. They have three children: Khadija, or KT, just graduated from Georgetown University School of Foreign Policy in Doha, Qatar, with the Dean’s Medal and as a Phi Beta Kappa; Mariam is a sophomore majoring in communications at Northwestern University’s campus in Doha; and Yaqub has passed his O-levels and is working on his A-levels at his school in Islamabad, as he has dreams of becoming a surgeon. Mahmoud says, “Man! this write-up was an effort. For more interesting stuff, Rajan Hamid Malik should be asked to contribute to the class notes.” ❯ So, pilfering (with permission) from Rajan’s Facebook postings, he and his lovely, talented, art-glass-artist wife Nomi celebrated their 25th anniversary this fall. Their son, Salaar, goes to university in London, and their two girls, Alaya and Seleena, are at home. Rajan still works for Gulf International Bank, takes marvelous vacations with his beautiful family, and drives a luscious cherry-red BMW when the weather is warm enough. Is that interesting enough, Mahmoud? ❯ So what is going on with the rest of you, Class of ’86? (Especially you, Lisa Moorehead Robinson—you promised!) I look forward to hearing from you all! ❯ ERRATUM: I mistakenly attributed a child to Ted and Julia Heller Gray in the last column. Thanks to those who caught my error and let me know that the Grays do NOT have a child named Kate! (This is what I get for editing late at night…). Class Correspondent: Susan Bantz 315 E. Walnut, Waterville, KS 66548, 563-554-9213, bibliophile@knoxalumni.org

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

1988 Class Correspondent: Gayle Pikrone Richardson 1220 Crestview Drive, Batavia, IL 60510-1180, gayle.richardson35@gmail.com

1989 Hello, Class of 1989! It was so great to see so many of you at Homecoming. It truly does not seem possible that it has been 25 years since we graduated (and, yes, I am aware that statement is

Class Knox Robert Ryan by Jim Jones ’85. cliché). For those of you who were not able to make it, I hope we see you at the 30th. The campus is beautiful, and it was particularly wonderful to be present for the opening of the fabulously renovated Alumni Hall. ❯ Since Homecoming, I’ve had some notes from classmates. Brett Beckman writes: “Glad I made it back after 10 years for our 25th Reunion. I’m glad so many people made the effort to show up. Less drinking and more mingling than years past. I stayed at a local B&B, where I met alumni from the ’60s and ’70s, which made for great conversation. It was fun meeting people’s kids or hearing about them going off to college. I spent a lot of time just walking around campus contemplating where I’ve been and where I’m headed. As many heard at the Reunion, I moved to Augusta, Georgia, in 2006 to do a residency in emergency medicine, where I met my wife (we married in 2012). We are happy to announce that we had a beautiful, healthy baby girl on October 22! Ella Grace Beckman was only 5 lbs., 1 oz., but what she lacked in weight she made up for in cuteness. People laughed when I told them I was having my ﬁrst child at 47, and I now know what they mean, but I could not be happier. I’ve lived a blessed life, and Knox is the main reason for that. I look forward to seeing everyone again maybe at our 30th! ❯ From Tammy White: “Homecoming was very exciting! My thanks to ALL who made the trip and made the weekend so enjoyable! A shout out to my best bud, Julia Batson Behr, for staying in touch and keeping us organized. The road trip back to the ’Burg with Julia and Cheryl Stone Richardson was a riot from the very beginning! My thanks for all the generosity that was shown during the weekend! I’ve declared that Mark Draper is my ‘Homecoming Husband,’ so he’ll have to deal with me for a few days every ﬁve years going forward! Julie Podpora Donnelly and I have a ‘Ring, Ring…Bat Phone’ connection now and that is great fun! Dara Kozlowski ’90, you can take a picture with our class any day! During our pub crawl, we discovered that I work in the same building as Mike Foley, who is with Katten Muchin, right across the street from Liz Gooch, who is with GE Capital! Small world… I’m with Berlin Packaging as a business process analyst and training manager working to bring folks upto-speed on our computer systems. We are hoping for a lunch soon, so anyone close to Monroe and Canal in Chicago should let us know! Pat Robinson ’90 and Dave Grisamore, you are all that, AND a bag of chips! When I get to New Orleans, I’ll be looking up Scott Hanson. ER Doc Brett Beckman says that I’ll live after a little altercation with my hand and a ceiling fan last month (Lesson: Don’t change on the run! When you put your hand in a fan, it hurts…). It was also good to see and catch up with Jesse Dixon, Shalini Gupta Lulla, Mindy Rose Frangulova, Beth Potter, Heather Hellenga ’90, Debbie Granat Moreno, John Junk, Mitch Grayson, Corey and Barb Hawes Butler, Heather Burris, Katie Key, Steve Jackson, and Dave Anderson.

I have a newfound friend in Saskia Niehorster Cook, thanks to the awesome tour guide capabilities of Ben Calvert! I’m proud of Janet Mensen Reynolds of the Chicago Lyric Opera for lending her beautiful voice to Ivan Davidson’s memorial service. Keith ’88 and Kathy Heath Maurer, we will see you in Bourbannais, Illinois, very soon! Mary Crawford, thank you for all! We added a stop to the pub crawl, where Tom Jaros kept us laughing with his stories! All in all, it was a wonderful Homecoming weekend. We certainly missed many of you (too many to mention, but you know who you are) so please, come next time! I know we are all very busy, but I’m trying to get the ball rolling here… Pick it up, and send us YOUR update today! Some of my best friends, and fondest memories come from Knox. Let’s keep it going!” ❯ A few other notes and observations: Yes, Cheryl Stone Richardson is still married to Ed, and she assures everyone Ed is alive. They also have an adorable daughter. ❯ Tammy’s homecoming husband, Mark Draper, is ruler of the world, save for North Korea— though he is working on that. ❯ Winner of the furthest traveled (not even a close call) was Matt Pestle, who lives in New Zealand! So happy he could make it. ❯ Ben Calvert was able to bond with the gingko tree in front of the library at Homecoming, in keeping with his gardening projects at home. He works with his village on revising policies relating to gardening, mulch, establishment of native grass, and related issues, and he hopes the results of this project will be replicated by other Cook County suburbs. Good luck, Ben! ❯ So happy to have much to write for this edition of the class notes—please send more! ❯ One ﬁnal observation: I see we have a rather low percentage of classmates making contributions to Knox. Please consider making a contribution to the school. Let’s show the Class of ’90 we can outdo them in our 25th year post-graduation. It will make you feel good, and it will make Mitch’s job as class agent easier. It was great to get to see and talk to all of you, and, again, I hope even more people make it to the 30th. Class Correspondent: Mia Jiganti 1850 West Cortland, Chicago IL 60622-1035, 773-278-0814, mjiganti@prodigy.net

1990 How GREAT it’s been to hear from folks the last few months (and that itself has saved you from reading my jokes as I have news of our classmates instead)! ❯ First, Ben Shakman has made a website for the Class of 1990 on Facebook (we do have a 25th Reunion coming up! Didn’t we just graduate yesterday?). The link is www.facebook.com/groups/205784502827319/. Join up! Ben adds, “Charleen Pyles Shakman ’91 and I both retired from the Army in 2013 and moved to St. Louis to enter the private sector. She served a total of 20 years, and I served for more than 26 years. We are both in technical sales in the HVAC industry—she works for John-

son Controls, and I work for Trane. Our first careers were great, but we are enjoying life after the military.” ❯ Dustin Joy writes, “I am an airline pilot and fly an Embraer 145 regional jet for Trans States Airlines. I am based in Chicago but still live and commute from Buffalo Prairie, Illinois, which is just east of the Quad Cities. My wife Melissa (an Augustana graduate) and I live on a farm with our three kids; Chloe (15), Phoebe (12), and Owen (8). I also farm with my father-in-law on his corn and soybean farm. I travel pretty extensively due to my job, and we fly pretty much all over the U.S. east of the Rockies. I keep in fairly close touch with a few folks from the Class of 1990, some of whose names will be familiar to you, I think. Jeff McKinley, of course, was my roommate in college, and I, in fact, went to high school with him. I also stay in touch with Gregg Bieser, Jim Conran, Andrew Maselli, and occasionally Jim’s brother, Steve Conran ’92. As I think about Knox, I remember fondly the vitality and humor of some of my professors there. What made it a special place was those outsized personalities. It has all happily blended together in my mind over the years, so I can’t always attribute the provenance of a particular quote correctly, but I remember one of my professors (Dr. Billy Geer, perhaps, or maybe Professor William Brady) looking up over his spectacles during our 50-minute class period and remarking that studies had shown that the human attention span was approximately 30 minutes. He waited for this to sink in and then wryly observed that it was now time to begin a new attention span period. He went on with the lecture (for another 20 minutes). I recall Dr. Gene Perry in my first botany class expounding on the various chemical compounds that give fall foliage its beautiful color. He listed several and then, with an impish grin that he often wore, said, ‘Some scientists thought they had identified other compounds, but they turned out to be pigments of their imagination.’ I miss Knox sometimes, especially in the fall for some reason. Living this close allows me to visit the campus more often than most of our classmates. A college is a living, changing place, though, and, as Thomas Wolfe said, ‘You can’t go home again.’ When I go back now it looks like the same old school, but it feels like it belongs to someone else. I guess that’s as it should be.” ❯ Rene Bouchard ’92 shares that she lives on Long Island with her husband and son. She is a nonprofit fundraising executive, currently serving as director of development for an independent community cinema. Rene and her family are already planning to attend Homecoming 2015, where she hopes to see many friends. ❯ Joe Lennon writes, “I live with my wife, Marika Beneventi, a native of Reggio Emilia, Italy, and our two sons, Nicholas (b. 2007) and Sean (b. 2013). I am the director of Irish Studies and an associate professor of English at Villanova University. We live on the border of Philadelphia and mostly spend the summer in Ireland (teaching) and Italy (eating). I still love

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

“In honor of the Landmark Café, one of our favorite family desserts everything about Knox and being in touch with folks.” ❯ John Todd Gorham shares, “I rescue, foster, and rehabilitate dogs (mostly). Basically, I ﬁx things that are broken. LOL. Surprisingly enough, the theatre training and background play a key role. Adopt, don’t shop!” ❯ Mark Graham sends an update: “We have relocated to Seattle from Chicago as a change of life decision. We fell in love with the Paciﬁc Northwest, and, since arriving, have been thankful for our daring midlife decision. My partner, Allan, works for Virginia Mason Medical Center, and I work for the state of Washington representing the Department of Health and Social Services. Have the advantage of four-day working weeks, which gives us the opportunity for adventure on the long weekends. We bought a house this spring and are active in Seattle’s community garden program. We are engaged to marry and are planning a spring wedding. ❯ Finally, Cheri Krawczewzski Rydell reports that she now lives in North Dakota. ❯ And here ends this update. By the time you read this the holiday season will be over (along with Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day), but here’s wishing everyone a wonderful 2015! Class Correspondent: Darcy Turner 520 Colony Woods Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, bonetbien1@nc.rr.com

1991 Julie Scannell had a marvelous time at Homecoming 2014. She is redefining the status quo in a job she loves, in the town where she was raised, with a beautiful daughter who’s growing up way too fast. ❯ Sara Burton accepted a sports administrator position at University of WisconsinLa Crosse this year, so without her women’s soccer coaching responsibilities she was finally free to join us at Knox in October. ❯ Dawn Davies Clark and husband Jeff flew in from Pebble Beach, California. ❯ And, of course, Knox sports legend Kathy Hansen Foster never misses Homecoming. We all agreed that we really need to get as many of our classmates together as possible for our 25th Reunion. The “Knox 1991Homecoming 2016” page is active, so please join! ❯ Sarah Jajesnica Foye and her husband have a child with a rare genetic condition called titin-related centronuclear myopathy. They have been supporting research for many years. In 2013, they had a major breakthrough by participating in a worldwide scientific challenge. You can read about it in the MDA’s magazine or in Time via these links: bit.ly/1BqKAFH or bitly.com/THJDpi. Sarah now works to help support other families with muscle disorders as the president of the governing board for the Congenital Muscle Disease International Registry (www.cmdir.org). ❯ Scott Erickson just won re-election to his office as Knox County Clerk for a third full term. He will get to continue to work right across the street from Knox at the courthouse. Scott’s son just received his varsity letter as a freshman on the Knoxville High School golf team! ❯ Euan and Karen M. Wos Fernsler live in the San Fran-

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

cisco area. Euan enjoys working as a paralegal at SmartWills in Berkeley. Karen is a systems engineer in high-performance computing at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. ❯ Ray Anthony James has been a little busy since the last update 18 months ago. The family is growing up just great. Lots of time spent traveling to Jamaica and back. Ray is still at Intrexon Corporation developing gene therapies for cancer and cartilage repair. In the last year he also self published his first children’s book: Veggie Rhapsody: I Want You in My Lunch! It has not made it to the bestseller list but has sold almost 1,600 copies so far, all from word of mouth. Other books are in the works, and we will see how the publishers like them. Ray is planning to be at the next Homecoming. “See you all there!” ❯ Steve Fouts has been working in Chicago for the past 20 years as an educator and social entrepreneur. He teaches at Douglass High School in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood and is in the process of founding an urban leadership academy for at-risk Chicago youth. He is also executive director of a Chicagobased nonprofit that is a professional development vendor in the Chicago Public Schools. Steve is still in contact with several ’91 alums and other Knox graduates. ❯ Christine Purtell Deblock lives in Salem, Oregon. Her husband, Johnny, retired this year, and it’s great having him home all the time. Their three kids are in elementary school. Christine spends most of her time volunteering at the school, church, and neighborhood association and being a Girl Scout leader. Over the summer, she got back to Galesburg. It was great to see Knox again and visit professors. Christine sees Girija Gullapalli every summer when she is back in Illinois. A few summers ago, Christine, Girija, and Emily Hung Hicks went up to Sheboygan and went to a couple of Stefano and Whitney Witt Viglietti ’92’s restaurants. “I highly recommend a trip up there!” ❯ Paisly Mitchell Di Bianca is the GIS coordinator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 office in Chicago. She also teaches a course on brownfields redevelopment at DePaul University. When she’s not working, she’s traveling, including to her beloved Tokyo. ❯ Renata Szczygiel Seward writes: “After the sudden and unexpected loss of our daughter, Eleanore, with whom I was very pregnant at our 20-year Reunion, my husband, Ed Seward, and I have finally picked up the pieces of our lives. We are fortunate to have four other children who keep us extremely busy.” Their oldest son, Eric, graduated from Walter Payton College Prep in Chicago in June and is now a first-year football player at Knox. Renata never expected Eric to attend Knox, so this was a pleasant surprise. Son David begins his freshman year at Walter Payton in September. He hopes to play football and baseball there like his older brother. Their sons Mark and John are 9 and 6, respectively. Renata and Ed have developed a niche handling complex civil litigation cases for regular people. They take on a variety of matters from business contract disputes to probate and trust litigation to

family law. Renata ran into Melissa Harju Vos at the UPS Store last Christmas and looks forward to having dinner with Indira Somani ’92 when she comes to Chicago from Washington, D.C. “I hope to hear from Beth Landers now that she is living in the Chicago area! Beth, please contact me if you are reading this.” ❯ Victoria Vollrath writes, “After retiring at age 29, I moved to Jerusalem and became a citizen under the Law of Return. After surviving two homicide bombings during the Second Intifada, I returned to the U.S. and was briefly married to a Knox classmate; subsequently, a court granted me an annulment based on (his) fraud. During five rather surreal years spent recovering in Malibu, I met the man who recently became my husband. We moved to Cabo, but have since repatriated. A housewife, I continue to volunteer as a literacy tutor and also do occasional freelance writing work, but mostly I’m enjoying having fulfilled my father’s dearest and long-awaited wish: My Knox education has resulted in an ‘MRS.’ Laura, DeAnn, and Krista, I think of you often and so very fondly.” ❯ Jonathan Sheinkop’s company MusicDealers.com is thankfully doing well, but it’s time for something new, so he’s launched a business focused on design innovations for physical products. His ambition is to provide a new office seating option for sit/stand (drafting) desk users, with the underlying purpose promoting health and wellness in the workplace. He is learning a lot about the world of manufacturing and distribution. At home, all is well, and they are preparing for the double whammy of their daughter’s fifth birthday falling right in the middle of the holidays. Jonathan and his wife have been trying to teach her that giving is the new getting, but fear it’s not fully appreciated by her yet. Class Correspondent: Jonathan Sheinkop 2049 North Kenmore Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614, jonathansheinkop@hotmail.com

1992 Jules Howell Arnold writes, “After almost nine years as a stay-at-home mom, I went back to work this October. I’m working in the technology services department of the administrative ofﬁce of the Courts in Frankfort, Kentucky. We handle the information technology needs of every courthouse in the state and that makes for a very busy workplace, but I enjoy it. Husband Tim Arnold ’93 is still working for the Department of Public Advocacy, and daughters Elizabeth and Vivian are in elementary school and doing very well.” ❯ Beth Madigan Milsteadt writes, “I live in Normal, Illinois, with husband Scott and our two children. I work at Illinois Wesleyan University in its career center. In the past few years or so, I have had the pleasure of seeing a few Knox folks, including Meg Muran, Jeanne Petit, and Joyce Hertko ’82. In honor of the Landmark Café, one of our favorite family desserts is homemade crepes.” ❯ Anne Poston writes, “I live in Michigan, taking classes toward a M.A. in science administration. I’ve been married to David

Class Knox Jesuit ’91 for 15 years this November; we have a nine-year-old boy named Daniel, two dogs, a cat, and various ﬁsh.” ❯ Chris Poe writes, “Let it never be said that the Knox baseball cap doesn’t get recognized. I bumped into a fellow Knox grad at the starting area of the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. I’m still active with Lions Club and have recently embarked as the Cubmaster for my son’s Cub Scout pack. Life is busy, simple, and great.” ❯ Andrew Rose writes that, after nearly a dozen years, he has left what he calls “the best job I have ever had” at Naden/Lean, where he conceptualized, developed, and proved marketing concepts in nichebuilding, networking, integrated lead generation, search engine domination. He is now president of Zest SMS, a fast-growing, second-stage ﬁrm, where he will focus on innovative ways of marketing professional services, as well as business development. “As I leave one amazing job, I am entering another challenging and exciting vignette of my life,” he says. You can e-mail him at Andrew@zestsms.com or follow him on Twitter at @ZestiestRose. He adds, “I also have accepted the roles as advisor for Section 1 (section-1.org) and the Stevenson University Brown School of Business.” ❯ I was delighted to get several updates from some classmates I hadn’t heard from in a while. Keep them coming. We all love hearing from you. You can send me updates at rragnini1@yahoo.com any time. Class Correspondents: Celine Gura Matthiessen 6417 Marlar, The Colony, TX 75056-7119, 469-384-1805, celmatthiessen@hotmail.com Tammy Thorsen Ragnini 912 South Summit, Barrington, IL 60010-5057, 847-382-4022, rragnini1@yahoo.com

1993 It’s been busy here in Texas, and, from the small number of updates I received, it seems likely that the holidays had everyone fairly busy. For me, bike racing season is over, so I’m not rushing up to the velodrome after work to ofﬁciate track races; however, soccer is year-round in North Texas for our 11-year-old son, who is playing on a select team. It just moves indoors for the colder weather. My kids still wear shorts to school, though, so I hesitate to really call it winter. We did bundle up in sweatshirts to ride our bikes in the local Christmas Parade. One major milestone for this update—my husband and I are now parents to a teenager, as our oldest celebrated his 13th birthday just after Thanksgiving. He babysits his 7-year-old brother, so date nights are easier to schedule and less expensive.” ❯ Heather Robb Godin writes: “Hello from the Greater Boston area! Just a little note of updates: my husband Matt (a Massachusetts native with the thick accent … after 12 years of marriage, I still can’t tell the difference when he says seltzer or salsa) and I both work in Boston but opposite hours. He works regular business hours, and I have

SUBMITTED

is homemade crepes.” —Beth Madigan Milsteadt ’92

Lora Sariaslan ’99 (far right) visits Japanese instructor Toshiyuki Suyama (far left) and classmates Goro Mizushima ’99 (second from left) and Nana Ishizawa ’98 (second from right) in Tokyo for a long-overdue reunion.

worked night shifts (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) now for 12 years. Our kids are 11 (Maggie) and 9 (Jimmy), so we enjoy spending our free time with them exploring all New England has to offer. Every spring, the kids and I enjoy the Flunk Day photos and talk about all the fun activities that take place that day. Gotta start the brainwashing early to lead them to the Midwest later on!” ❯ Mitra Ghaboussi reports: “Thank God for radiant heat! This winter should be a humdinger. I’m surﬁng the wave of possibilities now and dealing with some challenges, but I have support. Will let you all know when my projects are up and running!” ❯ David Kang writes: “Hello all! I guess I’ve been missing in action for a while. Not sure when my last update was but here we go …. My wife Yuni and our kids, Grace and Zachary, currently reside in Allen, Texas. We’ve been here for about eight years now and love it. I currently work for Southwest Airlines as a Change/PMO Lead. I miss my old friends—and by this I mean friends from my Knox years past, who are actually old now. Look me up on Facebook. Let’s connect!” Class Correspondent: Rebecca Gillan Ballard rballard@knoxalumni.org

1994 Class Correspondents: Lloy Brodnicki Johnston 5507 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625-4624, 773-539-5519, lloy@steel-springs.com

Leslie Combs 5432 North Bernard, Chicago, IL 60625-4614, 773-539-1775, leslieccombs@yahoo.com

1995 Wendy Heatherly Hinojosa and her husband had a baby girl, Kathryn Elyse, on April 16, 2014. She joins big brothers Alex, 6, and Jacob, 4, who adore her. The family is complete now. They are hoping to get a big group to attend Knox for our 20th Reunion next year! ❯ Ann Pieper still practices law in Peoria as a partner at Kavanagh, Scully, Sudow, White and Frederick, where she focuses on municipal law, labor and employment, collaborative divorce, and guardian ad litem work. Her sons, Tyler and Zach, are 18 and 15. Tyler is planning to go to Arizona State University next year to be a pilot, and Zach keeps Ann and her husband, Eric, busy watching football games and wrestling tournaments at the high school. Life is good! ❯ Christopher Tong had ﬁve photos place in the 2014 Iowa Aviation Photo Contest in four categories—helicopters, military, modern aircraft, and warbirds. You can see them online at iowadot.gov/aviation/photocontest/2014/ index.html. ❯ Mimi Doyle Russell ran several races this year, including a half-marathon in 37 degrees and rain. She suspects that she may have lost her mind. She hopes to be at Knox for our 20th Reunion. ❯ Keep in touch through our Class of ’95 Facebook Group at : http://on.fb.me/1rOymS8. ❯ I had an eventful year,

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Jenny Seidelman ’99’s screenplay, Henry Moore Is Melting, was recently named 2015 Alumni Achievement Award

SUBMITTED

What difference can one person really make? It’s a question that haunts many people when faced with complex global problems. It’s also a question that Bryan Quinn has been trying to answer since his earliest days at Knox. “In Greek Philosophy, I remember Professor Factor asking the class about the meaning of life. Most people are joking when they say things like that, but he wasn’t. That made an impression on me. It reminded me that some questions are worth taking seriously, even if we never find an answer,” he says. Though Bryan initially planned to pursue a career in academia, his focus shifted to addressing the environmental impact of human development. “From Paul Shepard to Pete Schramm to Stu Allison, Knox has quite a tradition in restoration ecology. I took three consecutive terms of ecology classes, then went off-campus to study at remote biological research stations for the next two terms. That five-term sequence helped put me on track for a lot of the work I do today.” That work is One Nature, a landscape design firm based in New York that focuses on creating landscapes that give more back to the environment than they take away. He founded the company after graduating with a master’s degree in landscape architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design. Now, his days are filled with projects as diverse as landscaping a private residence in a way that nourishes the property’s natural wetlands to rehabilitating an entire stretch of river so it can support a healthy trout population. “I decided when I started my company that I would put the environment first. That went against the advice of a lot of seasoned business people. But I believed, and still believe, that the services I wanted to offer are inherently good for the planet.” Knox Magazine: Please describe your Knox experience. Bryan Quinn: Right from the start at Knox, I felt always among friends who really wanted to have smart conversations. There was an underlying tolerance for the viewpoints of others. And everyone had their own passions. No matter what time of day or night, it seemed like I could find people to associate with around campus, at Green Oaks, and around Galesburg. That strong intellectual community is something you can’t get in a classroom. KM: What do you believe is your most notable achievement? BQ: That’s a hard question because I feel like there is still so much I want to do. Right now, I am very proud of the business I have built. KM: What advice do you have for current Knox students? BQ: Don’t be afraid to take risks.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Alumni Achievement Award Winner

Bryan Quinn ’00

moving from Des Moines, Iowa, to Kalamazoo, Michigan, where I now serve as an area minister for the Michigan Conference United Church of Christ. When I’m not coaching and training local church leaders, I do yoga and train for triathlons. This past year, I completed three triathlons, including the Olympic distance event at the Chicago Triathlon. I can’t wait for our big 20th Reunion. See you in the ’Burg! Class Correspondent: Nicole Havelka 514 Elm Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49007, revnhavelka@gmail.com

1996 Howdy, Knox friends, it is the start of the holiday season as I write this, and I hope everyone is well and healthy. We’ve been dealing with the normal pre-holiday prep: turkey, casseroles, pies, and sweet potatoes; house cleaning; fixing up the guest room. Arizona has finally dropped into comfortable temperatures, but we are still awaiting a hard freeze. After 18 years in Phoenix, I might be ready to come back to Illinois. Best wishes for a delightful 2015 … and you might want to start planning your trip back to Knox for our 20th reunion in October 2016! ❯ Lora Kutkat writes, “So, about my family in Maryland... We are expecting our third and final boy at the end of December! For that reason, we are staying close to home and will spend time with my brother, Scott Kutkat ’98, who lives in Baltimore. Drake, our 18-year-old, is now in college studying geology. Wesley will soon turn four and cannot wait to be a big brother. Matt, my husband, is doing well—that is, apart from sharing in the collective household exhaustion caused by job stress, commuting in the D.C. area, and coordinating family schedules. We also have a new St. Bernard puppy who loves to pester our five-yearold Newfoundland. Diapers, daycare, fur, and slobber abound in my house, but we couldn’t be happier.” ❯ Trisha Hickey McFall sends an update. “Things here are great. Kyran (4) started preschool this year and just loves it. He is very proud of his sister Ada (2), who has just started potty training. She’s catching on pretty quickly, and we have had high hopes for a diaper-less Christmas! Matt and I are excited because this was the first Christmas where both kids are really getting into the holiday spirit! Ada talks about Santa all the time, and Kyran can’t wait to make cookies for him. It’s great to relive the joys of the season through the eyes of your kids! Peace to you all!” ❯ Tom Wilcoxen reports, “Last fall, as the first of our Knox ’96 crew began turning 40, Mike Smith challenged all of us to prove that we were still ‘young at heart’ and sign up for the Illinois Warrior Dash on June 14, 2014. The Warrior Dash is a 5K race full of obstacles and mud pits with event locations across the globe, aiming to raise money for St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Dana Vig, Scott ‘Rab’ Meyers, Ed Frey, Doug Tobin, and I (along with Dana’s wife, Emily) agreed to accept Mike’s challenge.

Class Knox a semifinalist for the Academy Awards Nichll Fellowship in Screenwriting. When we all signed up there was a lot of trashtalking, but as the Warrior Dash got closer, and we all began to realize what we had gotten ourselves into, the trash-talking soon turned to fretting over bodily injury and/or public embarrassment. Although there may have been some post-race aches and pains, we all made it through just fine and had a blast doing it. Rab officially crossed the finish line first, but only after he pushed me out of the way, and Ed had an awesome wipeout that we thankfully have on video. Later, we were joined by Scott Meeker and Stuart Russell, who weren’t able to make it to the Dash, at a post-race cookout at Doug’s house. It was great getting everyone back together. Hope you are well and to see you at 20th reunion at Homecoming in a couple years (can you believe it?)!” ❯ Anthony Edwards writes that he is an instructional systems specialist at the United States Army Corps of Engineers Learning Center’s P&O training division. Since he hopes to do a better job of sending updates in the future, he wanted to catch us up on the last 20(!) years. In 1997, he completed student teaching at Knox, then worked as a high school teacher in South Carolina for four years. In 2001, he joined the Army, first as a food specialist and later as a field artillery officer deployed to Tikrit, Iraq, in 2003. In 2007, he was honorably discharged, then moved with his wife and son to Boston, where he served as an after-school fellow for a nonprofit while earning a master’s degree in education. Next came a four-year fellowship through the Army Material Command, where he earned a second master’s degree in instructional technology. In 2011, he moved to Huntsville, and, in 2013, he re-entered the Army and also serves as a transportation officer for the Alabama National Guard. He recently completed a deployment to Seoul, Korea; now he is working on a Ph.D. in educational studies, with a concentration in adult learning specialization. “When I grow up,” he laughs, “I want to be a school superintendent or work on the board of a prison or serve as a prison warden.” If you want to get in touch, e-mail him at anthony.t.edwards@usace.army.mil or call him at (803) 840-9582. Class Correspondent: Kathy Dix Biallas 1418 East Colter Street, Phoenix, AZ 60538-4130, 602-944-7466, kathybiallas@gmail.com

1997 Class Correspondent: Josh Mika 1850 Waverly Way, Montgomery, IL 60538-4130, jrmika@gmail.com

1998 Editor’s Note: Knox Magazine expresses its deep gratitude to Stephanie Hasan Detterline, who is stepping down as Class Correspondent. We appreciate all of her hard work and are grateful for her assistance in putting together the magazine. ❯ If you are interested in becoming the Class Correspondent for the

Class of 1998, please contact our class notes editor, Pam Chozen, at pachozen@knox.edu or call 309-341-7991.

1999

Hey, Class of 1999! Hope all’s well with you all! Here’s some news from your fellow classmates: ❯ Lora Sarıaslan moved to Amsterdam to do her Ph.D. at the University of Amsterdam. In November, she went to Japan. After 17 years, she got to see Nana Ishizawa ’98, Kojiro Fuijino, Goro Mizushima, and the Japanese instructor Toshiyuki Suyama, who all live around Tokyo now. In October, Eishin Takahashi ’97 made a stop in Amsterdam, and they got the chance to catch up after 14 years. ❯ Mark Beirn spent the past school year in Berlin studying at the Center for Metropolitan Studies at the Technical University Berlin. In August, he started a doctoral program in urban history at Washington University. He’s still sharing his time between St. Louis and Berlin (a city he first visited thanks to Knox and its QuickStart program, which turns 20 next year!), and has added Istanbul to the mix as he branches out to Middle East Studies. Mark wishes he had taken Professor Seibert’s Political Islam class, but is grateful to Talal Jabari and Irving Birkner ’96 for their extra-curricular teachings. ❯ Jenny Seidelman and husband Ivan Lee welcomed their first child, Liam Lee, at the end of October. Also, Jenny’s screenplay, Henry Moore is Melting, was recently named a semifinalist for the Academy Awards (Oscars) Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting and is under consideration by several film studios. ❯ Todd Koca is currently on a diplomatic trip to India and Uzbekistan. ❯ Heather Siria O’Toole married Casey O’Toole and moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Right now she works at Southside United Health Center as a registered medical assistant and plans on trying to get her master’s degree in social work at Wake Forest University. She was recently baptized into a wonderful United Methodist Church where she has joined a ministry through the United Methodist Committee on Relief. She is an emergency response tech and helps out after things like hurricanes, tornadoes, or whatever else life throws at us. Heather also trained at Kernersville Fire Department as a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member, where she helps the fire department when they are too busy to respond to every call during a disaster (i.e., search and rescue, small fire-fighting, and medical/trauma triage.) Life is treating them well; they have two dogs, a cat, cockatiel, a pink toe tarantula, and an emperor scorpion as their “children.” ❯ Sarah Gortenburg is the program director of Phoenix House Girls and Boys Recovery Lodges. She works with teens who need residential substance abuse help. She got remarried in July 2014 and now has children: Collin (soon to be 10), Katerina (9, her new stepdaughter), and Thea (just turned 8). All are well! ❯ Nelsie Smith Birch married her long-time partner, Walter Birch, at

Blenheim Vineyards in Charlottesville, Virginia. The bonus of this incredible day is that they were married by Dr. Rebecca Hurst (also known as Becky!). Walter and Nelsie reside in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, where Nelsie works for the city as the Ofﬁce of Management and Budget director, and Walter works in healthcare administration. Class Correspondent: Valerie Saks Kihslinger S3042 W. Salem Ridge Rd., La Farge, WI 54639, 608268-6903, vsaks@hotmail.com

2000 Class Correspondent: Kristie Wagher Scarffe, D.C. 6985 Merriman Road, Garden City, MI 48135, 734-402-2225, kgwscarffe@gmail.com

2001 Nick Bunnell and wife Lisa Larson Bunnell welcomed their ﬁrst child, Lucas James, into the world on August 25, 2014, and couldn’t be happier! ❯ Michaela Klein just opened up a private practice in Tampa, Florida, through a large multispecialty group. She completed Sirius radio broadcasts for all the major Tampa radio stations and was the Tampa Bay Lightning medical advisor for the month of October. Best friend Sarah Fraser Mirock, her husband, and daughter Myka moved to Arizona, where Sarah is teaching high school science. They spent the holidays with Michaela in Tampa! ❯ Priscilla Wilkins Slaughter and Seth recently welcomed a new member to their family! Joseph Martin Slaughter was born October 24, 2014, and weighed in at 9 lbs., 10 oz. Big sister Lucinda (2) is a loving and attentive helper. They introduced Joseph to his uncle, Ethan Slaughter ’99, and the rest of their extended Slaughter family in Las Vegas for the Christmas holiday. ❯ Rob Huizenga is the 20142015 NAIA Sports Information Director of the Year at Saint Xavier. ❯ Jen Foster Nelson, Jed, and Megan welcomed the newest addition to their family in April. Andrew Foster Nelson was born April 28, 2014, weighing in at 8 lbs., 10 oz., and 22 inches long. ❯ Jyoti Ganapathi and husband were blessed with a baby boy, Ukiah (named after a town in Northern California), in April. They are also two years into another one of their joint projects, a food truck serving South Indian food in Delhi, currently one of a kind. Class Correspondent: Allison Honaker allisonhonaker@hotmail.com

2002 Jennifer Kuschel and Erika Frahm enjoyed a long weekend touring Charleston, South Carolina, in April. They were able to meet up with Tahlia Weis Sadoski and baby Oliver for a relaxing day at Folly Beach. In a concerted effort to use up Jennifer’s vacation time this year, she also visited Chicago, Park City, Puerto Rico, and took

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Martha Brislen Byrne ’02 graduated with her Ph.D. in a cruise to the Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos. ❯ Heather Frankland has moved to the Pacific Northwest and currently is a tenure-track assistant professor of English at Pierce College. ❯ Martha Brislen Byrne graduated with her Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of New Mexico in May 2014, and is in her second year as a teaching fellow at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana. She is looking for a permanent professional home and hopes to find it this year. Her daughter is finishing kindergarten; her son just turned two; she’ll be celebrating her 10th wedding anniversary in June; and she is really confused about how she got to be this old. ❯ Brooks and Erin Rockwood Goedeker welcomed their third child, Evan John Goedeker, on May 22, 2014. Evan has a big brother, Nolan, and a big sister, Elise. ❯ After founding DocuWrx two years ago in Tampa, Florida, Eric Miller and his team recently launched “Kosmas” (named by fellow Knox alum, Jennifer Wreyford), a SaaS ERP application for specialty contractors in the construction industry. Eric says, “We’ve relied on Knox for some recent new hires and summer interns and have been having fun ever since!” ❯ Kim Ferguson’s second daughter, Naomi, was born May 30, 2014. Kim was awarded tenure at Sarah Lawrence College. ❯ Matt and Rachel Rucker Cochran welcomed their first child, Daniel Augustine Cochran, born August 15, 2014. ❯ Julie Collins is working as a research analyst at a food policy think tank in Washington, D.C., and enjoying time with her 3-1/2-year-old daughter, Zoe. ❯ Kelsea Lipe Flanagan welcomed her second child, Cole Kasem Flanagan, on August 8. 2014. Her daughter, Eloise, is two. Kelsea still lives in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago and works in the ER at Edward Hospital in Naperville. She looks forward to regular get-togethers with Tom and Andrea Thomson Viner ’03 and Ellie Dust Belli ’04 and their families. ❯ 2014 has been a crazy year for me, full of lots of ups and downs, but the year is

ending on a high note. In June, I received a promotion to vice president of sales for the west region, which has been an exciting and challenging professional transition. Summer was ﬁlled with tropical travels to recharge in Kauai, then Costa Rica for an Ashtanga yoga retreat, and ﬁnally Puerto Rico with fellow Knox alum Jennifer Kuschel. In November, I moved back to Denver and, while I miss the California sun, beach, and culture, I’m happy to be closer to my family. I’m looking forward to what 2015 has in store and wish you all the best in the new year! Class Correspondent: Jennifer Wreyford 1850 Bassett Street, #626, Denver, CO 80202, 813-482-4112, jwreyford@gmail.com

2003 Vanessa Ribeiro Lawton became a mom! Gabriel was born in April 2014, and Vanessa and her husband, Charlie, have been navigating the unpredictable world of parenthood since. They now live in San Antonio, Texas, and are overjoyed to live in a big city again. Vanessa is finishing up her alternative teaching certification in the hopes to start a teaching job in fall 2015. Vanessa loves teaching middle school math and can hardly wait to do it full time! ❯ Nate Wright and wife Brooke also welcomed a new baby: Tucker Floyd Wright was born September 28, 2014. Nate writes, “Mommy, Daddy, and big brother Chaz are very proud!” ❯ Lindsey Roland Nieratka and husband Steaven are expecting their second son in March. Lindsey has been busy as an administrator of an environmental nonprofit, a member of the Boca Raton Green Living Advisory Board, and on the board of the Returned Peace Corps volunteers of South Florida, where she helps organize the Annual Everglades Outing, bringing kids from homeless shelters around the Miami area out for a fun and educational day in Everglades National Park. ❯ Joyce Christensen Dykema and husband Justin had their

SUBMITTED

It’s a Knox reunion 4,500 miles outside of Galesburg! Zack Stephenson ’06, Megan Gamble ’06, and Hassan Massoud ’06 pause for a photo at a rooftop bar in Marrakech, Morocco, against a backdrop of the Atlas Mountains.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

third child, daughter Willow Jean Dykema, joining brother Kegan (6) and sister Ellen (3). Willow was born July 13, 2014, weighed in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces, and was 20.5 inches long. ❯ Steven Ma moved to the Washington, D.C., area last year. He previously lived in rural Illinois near Springfield, teaching high school math, but wanted to move back to a major metro area. Steven landed a job teaching high school in Northern Virginia. At the start of his second year there, he now teaches computer science, as well as math. Steven really likes the school and his new location. He writes: “There’s so much to do around here, and I hope to stay in this area for a while.” ❯ Gemma Truman Billings received her Certified Associate in Project Management designation in December 2013 and finished a certificate in project management from DePaul University in August. She’ll sit for her Project Management Professional exam in July and hopes to move back to Chicago or try out Seattle. Meanwhile, she keeps herself busy with the local Sigma Alpha Iota alumnae chapter, who awarded her the Sword of Honor last year and takes photographs for two local theatre companies. She and her husband, Derrick Billings ’00, continue to volunteer in the Bloomington-Normal community. ❯ Carla Criscuolo earned her MFA in creative writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts in July 2014. A few months later, she started a new job as the development associate for grants at New York Common Pantry, the largest community-based food pantry in the state. ❯ Maria Filippone is expecting her first child with Adam Zwirek. “We’re so excited to welcome the baby to our new home, which we purchased this past summer.” ❯ Caitlin Corbett and Sean Underwood had a son born on July 1. His name is Malachy Abraham Evans Corbett. ❯ Jake Wright and Susie Stone recently moved to Rochester, Minnesota, where Jake accepted a position as a member of the faculty at the University of Minnesota Rochester. Prior to this, Jake and Susie both completed graduate degrees at the University of Missouri, where Jake earned a Ph.D. in philosophy and Susie earned an M.A. in Spanish with an emphasis in language teaching. At the request of Dan Chibnall, Jake is not mentioning that he finished first in the regular season of Dan’s “Fire on the Prairie” fantasy football league, topping a field that included Dan, Susie, Alison Looney, and Lee Henderson. ❯ Amy Wells Howard and husband Che’ Howard welcomed their third child, Caleb Isaiah Howard on May 2, 2014. Caleb joins big brother Che’ Jr. (5) and big sister Kylie (3). Che’ recently graduated with his degree in graphic design. ❯ Will Culbertson received a promotion and is now a CRM administrator with Macmillan Science and Education in its technology and software division. 2014 also marks his eight-year anniversary since moving to Austin, Texas. ❯ Erika Carlson Knuth and husband Christian moved back to Chicago in the fall. They had their first baby, Lukas Alexander, on January 1, 2014, and have been terribly smitten ever since! As of this

Class Knox year, Erika is a licensed clinical psychologist and works for Samaritan Counseling Center, where she is the clinical coordinator of assessment. She continues to do research and adjunct teaching on the side. ❯ Lisa C. Knisely is an assistant professor of the liberal arts at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon. She is now the editor-in-chief of a new magazine called Render: Feminist Food and Culture Quarterly. ❯ Baby girl Aurelia Blythe Madsen was born to Liz Leahy Madsen and husband Spencer on September 9, 2013. Liz writes, “I was sorry to miss our 10th Reunion when Aurelia was tiny, but we managed a visit to Galesburg and Knox at Christmas and look forward to another one this summer. Spencer is a fourth-grade teacher, and I enjoy my ‘nerdy’ D.C. job working on international population and reproductive health issues at Futures Group. We bought a house in Silver Spring, Maryland, in 2012 and are currently in the throes of babyproofing.” ❯ Joe Page is getting married and moving back to the Midwest! This August, Hillary Loomis ’06 and Joe are getting married in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, where hopefully many Knox folks will be in attendance. Before that, they’re moving, because after five years teaching at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, Joe is starting as a professor of ceramics at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville this fall. ❯ Frank Elliott and Sarah Morrissey ’04 are pleased to announce the birth of their first child. Frank Worth Elliott V was born April 14, 2014. Mother and baby are both doing great. ❯ Insiyah Saeed is currently working on a documentary called She Started It, which follows the journey of four entrepreneurial women on their path to startup success. The goal of telling these stories is to encourage women to think about career choices, tech entrepreneurship, and careers in STEM. Insiyah lives in Palo Alto, California, with husband Taher. ❯ Kelsey Keyes gave birth to son Walter Gregory Iverson Keyes on June 13, 2013. He was 9 lbs., 1 oz. They love being parents and look forward to celebrating Wally’s first birthday next month! ❯ Claire Leeds and Bill Bevis had a daughter, Charlotte Edda Levis, born on May 8, 2014. “She is fantastic.” Class Correspondent: Allison O’Mahen Malcom 8134 Gridley Avenue, Wauwatosa, WI 53213-3049, allison.o.malcom@gmail.com

2004 From Stefanie Turner: “In November, I moved from Tempe to Flagstaff for a new job at Northern Arizona Healthcare hospital system, managing a grant to improve care for medically complex Native Americans living on Northern Arizona reservations.” ❯ Julie Ellegood Pickup writes, “I have been teaching a family practice class as adjunct faculty at University of MissouriSt. Louis’s School of Social Work. That has been keeping me busy in addition to my full-time job

SUBMITTED

mathematics from the University of New Mexico.

Mary Tibbets ’06 (center) and husband Peter McKeigue ’04 (right) spent two weeks in China and visited Xing Jin ’05 (left). They captured this photo outside of Ping’An Village in Longji, China.

as clinical supervisor at Epworth Children & Family Services, especially since my husband, Chris, and I are expecting our ﬁrst child March 17. We are so excited to welcome this little boy into our family!” ❯ Joe ’06 and Meghan Rockwood Roby welcomed a baby daughter, Mary Rose, into the world on July 7, 2014. Baby Rosie joins siblings Gabe (5) and Clara (3). ❯ Sabe (Edward) Jones got married to Michaela Payne on September 20! ❯ Kristine Bjork Roggentien reports: “My husband and I welcomed our baby girl, Aria, in July!” ❯ Erin Spier writes: “I opened up my counseling and art therapy private practice in August. It’s been great so far! I was so glad to see everyone at Homecoming! Just the same here with my family. Trying to keep up with four kids and two dogs!” ❯ Kelly Anicich writes, “I recently got engaged to my partner, Raquel. I still live in Chicago and teaching students with autism, as well as coach for Chicago Endurance Sports. We are set to marry in September 2016.” ❯ Cyril Ramathal writes: “In 2014, I completed my postdoctoral research at Stanford University and took a new position at Astellas Pharmaceuticals in Chicago. My wife and I moved back to the Chicago area and are happy to be back in the Midwest close to family and old friends.” ❯ Mike Schultz says: “My wife and I have had a busy year. Last year, we moved from Belvidere to a house in Caledonia. This summer (July 11), we welcomed our ﬁrst child, a girl named Cecilia Violet, into the world. Little CeCe has brought more joy to our lives than we could have imaged.

Recently, I was offered the opportunity to become a partner at the law firm I have worked at for the past six years, Reno & Zahm in Rockford, Illinois. It has been a very blessed year.” ❯ Emily Bell says, “I received my Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Kent State University on August 16. I’m currently a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. I’m also recently engaged. My fiancé and I are getting married in May 2015.” ❯ Maggie Claudy married Sarun Teeravechyan ’01 on June 29, 2013, at the Outing Club in Davenport, Iowa. ❯ Holly Oberle says, “I am currently a senior fellow and lecturer with the Asian University for Women in Chittagong, Bangladesh. I’m defending my dissertation in January. I also published a chapter in a forthcoming volume called Web Writing: Why and How for the Liberal Arts.” ❯ Teresa Lazarz Spicer writes, “My husband Charles Spicer and I just bought a house in an older neighborhood of San Antonio, Texas, and are expecting our first child at the end of February.” ❯ Alan Vest writes, “Benjamin Thompson and I are officially married! We converted our civil union (4/12/12) to a marriage on August 15, 2014.” ❯ Tiffiny Ramirez Grace bought a new house and moved in after the New Year. ❯ Jenna Boostrom Crane is taking time off from work to stay home with her family and to care for her son, Isaac, who has been diagnosed with SMA Type 1. He is almost 10 months old, is stable, and happy at home with his sister, parents, and nurses. She writes, “Isaac’s life expectancy is 1-2 years, so we

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Kyle Buchman ’06 married Penny Stein ’08 and started his primary

Zoe Berman ’07 and Mike Boettcher ’05—August 9, 2014 FRONT ROW: Erin Fahrer ’07, Miles Eberle ’06, Graham Lambert ’06, Hassan Massoud ’06 TOP ROW: Anne Barker ’07, Liz Berman Coney ’74, Juliette Pfaeltzer ’10, Scott Doughty ’07, Zack Stephenson ’06, Austin Stephenson ’07, Zoe Berman ’07, Mike Boettcher ’05, Sarah Koenig ’07, Sam Sowl ’07, Erin Vorenkamp Moeser ’07, Julia Ventola ’10, Adam Moeser ’05, Lindsay Fondow ’07, Julia Strehlow ’07, Hana Lewicki ’07.

are trying to enjoy every moment with our little guy, and praying for a miracle. Please feel free to pray with us! We do occasional updates about Isaac at www.gofundme.com/agbytg.” ❯ Per Irene Podrobinok, “I’m doing well. I got engaged in September and work as a developmental therapist and consultant for my own company, Building Blocks Group.” Learn about it at chibuildingblocks.com. Class Correspondent: Susan C. Vitous Johnson 1321 Iles Avenue, Belvidere, IL 61008-1407, susanvitousjohnson@yahoo.com

2005 In October, the high school girls’ tennis team Jon Betts coaches won its conference for the first time in 12 years. Former player and Knox alumna Aimee Neilan ’13 was on hand to support them. Additionally, Jon’s son, Henry, who has muscular dystrophy, has been an inspiration to many, including Knox alumni Kim Kreiling ’07 and Seth Kopf ’04. Kim captained the Henry’s Hero charity team for the Chicago Marathon benefitting MDA. Then, on Thanksgiving, Seth organized the second annual Henry’s Hustle 5K, also benefitting MDA. Aimee, Sarah Wallen Connelly ’05 and Dave Connelly ’07 braved the cold to join them. ❯ Daniel Diehl is a senior commercial banker at Wells Fargo in Indianapolis, Indiana. Daniel and wife Corey recently celebrated their daughter Audrey’s fifth birthday and look forward to celebrating their 10-year wedding anniversary in June 2015! ❯ Ben ’03 and Nina Gutierrez Martin welcomed their second little boy, James Alexander, on September 24. They all are adjusting well to having a little guy around. Ben is now a supervisor at Jack Link’s, and their oldest started preschool this year and loves it. They were looking forward to returning to Knox for Winter Whiteout in February and catching up with old friends. ❯ In March 2014, Rebecca Halonen and her co-founder won a

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

federal startup grant to co-found and co-direct Create Academy, a public charter school devoted to arts integration, project-based learning, and social justice. The school will open in August 2015 and will ultimately serve grades K-12. ❯ Lauren Harrison is engaged to Ken Rossato of the University of Maryland. They plan to marry in Edgewater, Maryland, in September 2015. ❯ Sarah Lammie got married to Luke Remiasz on January 10, 2015, in Chicago, Illinois. ❯ Marissa Parkin and Ian have wrapped up their ﬁrst year in Sydney. They are in love with their new city and have had an exciting new year exploring their new home. As always, they’d love to hear from any fellow Knox folks in Australia, and, of course, visitors are always welcome. ❯ Marisa Sengstock married David Banaszak on October 25. Class Correspondents: Marissa Parkin moeparkin@gmail.com Ashley Steinsdoerfer 1867 N. Sheffield Ave., Apt. 2, Chicago, IL 60614, agsteinsdoerfer@aol.com

2006 Josh Berry writes, “This past summer and fall have been crazy! I’m still lawyering at the ﬁrm Fennemore Craig, P.C., in Denver, Colorado, and loving it! My practice consists of lobbying, representing startup companies, and defending heathcare professionals and entities in medical malpractice lawsuits. In June, I took a two-week vacation to Europe, visiting Iceland, England, and the Netherlands. I spent nearly ﬁve days with Knox bestie Huseyin Naci in London days before he defended his dissertation and earned his Ph.D. from the London School of Economics. Another Knox celebrity, Liz Grana, came out to Denver to visit in September, and I got to spend some time with my four-year Knox roomie, Nar Ramkissoon, while he was in Denver in November. Go Knox!” ❯ Suzy Morgan started a new job at the Arizona State University Libraries as a preservation specialist in August 2013, repairing

Maggie Claudy ’04 and Sarun Teeravechyan ’01— June 29, 2013 LEFT TO RIGHT: Hee Seng Tan ’01, Noon Chunevises ’99, Megan Rehberg ’06, Maggie Claudy ’04, Sarun Teeravechyan ’01, Brigid McClelland ’07, Tina Browder ’03, John Peters ’01.

and preserving the library’s collections; she’s putting her book conservation training to good use! “After ﬁve years of brutal Chicago winters,” she writes, “I’m thoroughly enjoying the warm climate of Phoenix. Last year (just before Thanksgiving) I got engaged to Chris Mullens, who is getting his Ph.D. in neuroscience. All in all, life is pretty good out here in the West!” ❯ Lindsey Turnbull and Andrew Bantel welcomed the arrival of daughter Winrey Eliza Bantel on September 7, 2014. They are both elated to be new parents and enjoy (re)discovering the world with her. ❯ Erica Skog Jessen writes, “I’ve had a busy couple of months. Lots of traveling and visiting friends, and, in August, I married Andrew Jessen on a farm near Madison. Lots of Knox friends were able to come and celebrate with us! We spent most of the summer in Southern California (where Andrew was working) with our dog, Tonka, taking advantage of being so close to mountains to hike a bunch in preparation for our trip to New Zealand for our honeymoon (where we got to catch up with Gillian Openstein ’05 and Susan Taylor ’05). I’m glad to be home in Wisconsin for a bit while Andrew wraps up his current contract and prepares for the next one, and look forward to the places I’ll get to travel in the coming months.” ❯ Jon Gripshover started a new job in September as an instructor for a computer programming class, dubbed Code 7370, at San Quentin State Prison. He works for the California Prison Industry Authority, and alongside The Last Mile, a nonproﬁt that has been doing business entrepreneurial classes at SQ since 2010, as well as Hack Reactor, a computer programming school based in San Francisco. The programming class has been featured in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, local CBS and NBC news, with more stories forthcoming from CNN, BBC, and PBS. He is honored to be on a team of people giving these men skills to enter the job market upon release from prison. ❯ Rachael Dean writes, “I am currently in a master’s program in international education at SIT

Class Knox medical care practice in Herrin, Illinois.

Ellie Poley ’10 and Brittany Alsot ’08—December 14, 2013 LEFT TO RIGHT: Tom Fucoloro ’08, Kelli Refer’08, Laura Zuber ’08, Missy Springer ’08, Geoff Brown ’08, Olivia Cacchione ’08, Ellie Poley ’10, Brittany Alsot ’08, Peter Thomas ’12, Kara Krewer ’10 (the officiant), Rob Tunstall ’06, Aisha Mergaert ’12.

Graduate Institute in Vermont! It was hard coming back to the States after seven years in Japan, but I am looking forward to where life will take me. I also enjoy living in New England for the ﬁrst time, especially since it is close enough to visit Sarah Kilch Gaffney and her adorable daughter, Zoe.” ❯ Aleza Berube is still enjoying life in Austin, Texas. She started graduate school this fall (part time) at the University of Texas, studying educational psychology, and plans to become a certiﬁed school counselor. ❯ From Victoria Bures Georgoff: “Life has been busy for me; last year my family and I packed up shop and moved cross country from Indiana to South Dakota to be closer to family. I am currently taking a temporary hiatus from my career as a psychotherapist to raise my family and do the stay-at-home-mom thing. In my ‘free time,’ I do a little freelance writing and am the host of an online sex therapy advice show—aren’t you proud, Heather Hoffmann? This summer brought the biggest change in our lives as we welcomed our second son, Keegan Knox, into the world in July. He is joining his very proud big brother Greyson (3), and the two of them are keeping me quite busy, but extremely happy.” ❯ Mary Tibbets and husband Peter McKeigue ’04 visited their good friend Xing Jin ’05 in China for two weeks. They hiked around Guilin, Yangshuo, and Longji before heading to Beijing for a week, where they visited the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and many other historic locations. In October, they got to see even more Knox folks when they returned to campus for Pete’s 10th Reunion at Homecoming. They’ve been truly fortunate to be able to see so many old and wonderful friends this year! ❯ Luella Williams writes, “November marked the start of year eight of living in New Orleans. I have converted to the Louisiana way of life—making gumbo, riding in the Mardi Gras parade of Mystic Krewe of Nyx, and cheering for the Saints and Louisiana State University! The last two years, I have been assisting community

Hillary Loomis ’06 and Joe Page ’03—August 31, 2014 LEFT TO RIGHT: Devin Hogan ’06, Katelyn Mazman ’06, Drew Bazan ’03, Aaron Hook ’03, Chris McCown ’03, Josh Ferchau ’03, Maria Filippone ’03, Lisa Knisely ’03, Kristin (and Nora) Elomaa Simcox ’06, Brian Ching ’05, Sylvie Davidson ’06, Melanie Hagen-Ching ’06, Ann Hernandez ’06, Brent Aronowitz ’06 , Hillary Loomis ’06, Joe Page ’03, Jake Wright ’03, Susie Stone ’03, Joe Mohan ’03, Helen Scharber ’03, Dan Chibnall ’03, Frank Elliott ’03, Frank Elliott V, Alison Looney ’03, Sarah Morrissey ’04, Micah Riecker ’06, Jenny Logan ’05, Ashley Palar ’06, Erin Haley ’04.

partners to effectively implement physical activity and sports to enhance youth development outcomes. I am the regional director of the Louisiana office of Up2Us, a national program that leverages the power of a caring adult relationships and sports to have meaningful impact on kids throughout New Orleans. The Louisiana office has trained more than 100 community coaches to effectively support 6,000 kids across the city. When I am not working, I am getting ready for the next New Orleans celebration... Next up, Mardi Gras!” ❯ 2014 has been a busy year for Hillary Loomis. She left her online course development job at the University of Idaho, moved from Walla Walla, Washington, to Edwardsville, Illinois, and married Joe Page ’03. The wedding was wonderful chance to dance the night away with many Knox friends! “We are just now settling into our new home, and although the West Coast will be missed, it is great to rejoin friends and family in the Midwest as well. If you are in the St. Louis area, feel free to stop by!” ❯ Genevieve Gamble Nassif and her husband Nader welcomed their first child, Daniel, into the world on August 20, 2014. They are all healthy and happy. ❯ I was able to catch up with Kyle Buchman at a wedding of our high school friend in October. He married Penny Stein ’08 and started his primary care medical practice in Herrin, Illinois. ❯ In November, Megan Gamble met up with Hassan Massoud and Zack Stephenson for an awesome trip to Morocco! They visited Casablanca, Marrakech, Fes, and Chefchaouen. Class Correspondent: Megan Rehberg 220 Shroyer Road, Dayton OH, 45419, megan.rehberg@gmail.com

2007 Hello, Class of 2007! The deadline for this update came out in the middle of the holidays, so there is not much to report. Here are a few updates, but as always—if you have anything, feel

free to send anytime, and it will be put in with the next round of updates. Don’t forget, you can e-mail or Facebook-message us with updates anytime. Just a friendly reminder—the deadline for the fall issue is typically at the end of May, and the deadline for the spring issue is the end of November. Enjoy, as always! ❯ Zoe Berman married Mike Boettcher ’05, who she met at Knox in 2005, in a beautiful ceremony in Evanston, Illinois, accompanied by 18 other Knox graduates, including bridesmaids Lindsay Fondow, Anne Barker, and Erin Vorenkamp Moeser. Afterward, they went on a two-week honeymoon to Indonesia, where they had an incredible time. She continues to live in Washington, D.C., working in international development focusing on Latin America. ❯ Lindsay Fondow married her best friend, Rusty Kiser, in their home state of Minnesota, and she was lucky to be surrounded by many great P-ﬁre friends! ❯ A few years back, Stew (Sarah) Stewart decided to become Sky Stewart. Sky now lives in New Orleans with his partner, Suzanne, and is studying to be a Unitarian Universalist minister. He is happy. Class Correspondents: Laura J. Wentink Marcasciano 5650 Abbey Drive, Apartment 3P, Lisle, IL 60532-2558, ljmarcasciano@gmail.com Michael C. Sales 129 Curtis Hall, Pleasant Street, Castine, ME 04420-5000, KnoxClassof2007@gmail.com

2008 Andy Fitz and his wife bought a house this summer, and he started a new job teaching physics at Stevenson High School (SHS) in the northern Chicago suburbs, where he shares a classroom with Chris Mural ’00, a Latin teacher at SHS. Andy and his wife are also expecting a baby girl in March, hopefully on Pi Day/Einstein’s birthday! ❯ Ariel Lauryn graduated with an MFA in ensemble-based physical theatre from Dell’Arte International this past June. Since then, she has

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Ellie Poley ’10 is still at Adobe Seattle and volunteer-teaches

Marisa Sengstock ’05 and David Banaszak— October 25, 2014

Ali Hidden ’10 and Jeff Sobczyk—August 9, 2014

LEFT TO RIGHT: Marisa Sengstock ’05, Brian Troesch (officiant), David Banaszak.

moved to NYC and is splitting her time between acting in shows, building puppets at The Puppet Kitchen, and swing dancing. In November, Ariel went to the New Orleans Fringe Festival with her two-woman show, Blanche Presents, a dark physical comedy farce that she wrote, directed, and co-starred in with her MFA ensemble mate, Lucy Shelby. Meredith Shuppy ever-so-generously housed them, and Ariel had the delight of meeting up with several other Knoxians down there. If you are in NYC, or if you just want to say hey, don’t hesitate to drop a line: www.ariellauryn.com. ❯ Jessica Platt visited Ireland in July with her boyfriend, Randy Sims; adopted a Great Pyrenees, Murphy, in August; and began working as a teacher’s assistant at the Epworth School in November. She and Murphy hope everyone is doing well. ❯ Rosemary Ibis works as an ER nurse at Holy Cross Hospital on the south side of Chicago and is the Chest Pain Center data coordinator at Rush University Hospital. She misses her best Knox friends Catherine Ray and Stephanie O’Brien but is excited to be standing up in the wedding of Knox’s Sean Kraus ’09 and Cassidy Bires ’10 in October! ❯ Brian Patrick King visited Rebecca Anne Ganster in Washington, D.C., to celebrate his 29th birthday, which fell on Halloween. Dennis the Menace and a Pink Troll Doll did not make any poor decisions, nor did anyone sleep on the porch. All in all, it was a successful weekend. Rock on Knox College! ❯ Jenny Golz Reidl says, “Well, on October 21, husband Mike and I gave birth to our ﬁrst child—Payton Elizabeth Reidl. That’s what’s new over here!” ❯ Ike and Bethany Vittetoe Glinsmann are halfway through their 16-month road trip across the Western Hemisphere. Highlights include crossing the Arctic Circle and spending a week with a nun in Chiapas, Mexico. You can follow the adventure at www.nomadizens.com or on Facebook. ❯ Andie Allison and Greg Leibach got engaged in September and will be married in June 2015. ❯ Neha Bhatnagar says, “I have been enjoying life to the hilt. I am the youngest arts impresario in India—the founder of Sarvam Foundation. Pro-

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Nelsie Smith ’99 and Walter Birch—July 19, 2014 LEFT TO RIGHT: Wendy Salger Spizzirri ’99, Nicole Danielewicz Dalton ’99, Rebecca Hurst ’99, Allison Wenk Maki ’99, Kristina Neal Wilson ’99, and Amanda Weimer Ziehm ’99.

moting arts, especially our classical arts, is a passion, and I do that with all my heart. I also perform and train underprivileged girls in the arts. I truly feel that my years at Knox gave me this vision and scope to look beyond the ordinary and equipped me with the courage to follow my heart! I hung out with Hamed Aziz and Colleen Harden ’10 when they visited India last year. They are now married and in Illinois!” ❯ Meredith Shuppy writes: “I got to host Ariel Lauryn’s acting duo for a week during New Orleans’ Fringe Festival! We got to spend time laughing and talking about old times at Knox, the best alma mater! Knox had a great turnout at the event; several alumni came out to support!” ❯ Kate Schneider says, “I started a school garden and have an after-school gardening program with more than 60 kids. I also got engaged to Christopher Rolando.” They plan to wed in 2015. ❯ Jon Hoeven is an employment law attorney practicing in the Chicago area. His ﬁrm is based in the Chicago loop. ❯ Luke and Sam Claypool Temple ’11 just ﬁnished their Peace Corps service in Tanzania and returned to the States in November. They have moved to Denver, Colorado, and he began graduate school at University of Denver in January. ❯ Maya Herrera says: “I received my master’s degree in secondary education with a focus in biology from the University of Chicago in July 2014. Now, I’m a high school biology teacher at North Lawndale College Prep in Chicago’s west side. I’m thankful to Knox for some of my greatest friendships, including the three lovely ladies who will be my bridesmaids in my wedding coming up in June 2015.” ❯ Erica Stringfellow Tully recently enjoyed a visit with Miriam Gillan, where they hung out with Alisha Oscharoff Miller ’07, Alex Dragonetti ’07, and Rosemary Ibis, and had a blast! She also is back to school at Loyola University Chicago to get her ESL endorsement. Class Correspondents: Miriam M. Gillan miriam.gillan@gmail.com Erica Stringfellow Tully e.stringfellow4@gmail.com

2009 Greetings, Class of 2009! I had a great time catching up with many of you at Homecoming. It was lovely to see how all of your lives have turned out so far and to spend a couple of days poking around our own haunts. Plus eating all of the breakfast bagels! I don’t feel like breakfast bagels are that complicated a concept, but nowhere I have been in the world can do a Knox breakfast bagel justice. Now on to what all your classmates have been up to... ❯ Hannah Gdalman is finishing out a year in Barcelona, where she has been working for the Knox study abroad program. She’s looking forward to spending the summer back in Chicago. ❯ Alison Rashid writes, “I currently teach high school French in Washington, D.C.” ❯ Cassandra Wylie writes, “Marked my fifth anniversary working at Von Maur. At Homecoming, I was amazed to learn that Sara Patterson Adamek lives a few minutes away from me, and Megan Bohi Batt lives a few minutes away from where I work!” ❯ Audra Adolph moved to Nashville, Tennessee, with Karl Bair ’12 and is working as an R.N. at St. Thomas West Hospital. ❯ Marek Dorman writes, “Attended Homecoming.” ❯ Matt Baker writes, “Y.” ❯ Christina Pfaff and Colin Alber got married last August. They live in St. Louis with their two cats and spend their free time hiking around Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas. They will be headed to the Southwest for a week-long backpacking trip later this spring. ❯ Alex Argyelan writes, “I’m an M.D. doing my residency in OB/GYN at Saint Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor Hospital in Michigan.” ❯ Madeline Weiland left traditional education for Montessori and currently teaches the primary class in a school near Lincoln, Nebraska. She also got engaged! ❯ Simon Lepkin and Liz Soehngen have finally settled in a condo in San Jose with a lovely view of the mountains. Simon continues to work as a software engineer in Palo Alto, while Liz has finished her master’s in behavioral neuroscience and draws hand-lettered illustrations, among other things. ❯ Jasmin Tomlins got married on a lovely day in

Class Knox AP computer science.

Aram Hong ’10 and Wandi Yang ’11— June 7, 2014

Liesl Pereira ’10 and Ashley Olson ’09—October 18, 2014 LEFT TO RIGHT: Brian Gawor ’98, Susannah Gawor ’99, Valerie Gokhfeld ’10, Jordan Stoune ’10, Heather Kopec ’10, Joy Miller, Liesl Pereira ’10, Ashley Olson ’09, Gloria Feliciano ’10, Professor Kelly Shaw ’91, Professor Mary Crawford ’89, Erica Jaffe ’08, Niki Ruffin ’09, Stephanie Martin ’09, Kate Wrenn Rug ’13, Vince Rug ’12.

October and is happily enjoying both married life and her new job at Geek Bar Chicago, the best bar ever! ❯ Salleha Chaudhry is still in San Francisco, loving her lack of snowfall. She is the regional West Coast director for Girls Who Code. ❯ Rachel Deffenbaugh writes, “As the farm manager of City Seeds Urban Farm, I was declared the 2014 Local Food Hero by St. Louis University and the City of St. Louis.” ❯ This past September, Toshia Zessin became Mrs. Albright by marrying her best friend, Vurtice Albright. They both look forward to completing their Ph.D.s in 2015 and to what the future holds for them. ❯ Ellen Kokontis started in August at Albert Whitman & Co., the children’s publisher, where she acquires illustrators and designs books. ❯ Daniel Hoffman still works in Senegal with the Peace Corps. He plants trees and is learning how to ride a donkey. ❯ Ashley Olson recently got married to Liesl Pereira ’10, and both are happily living and working in Chicago. ❯ Eva Westley loves Seattle! She recently got her M.P.H. from the University of Washington and now works at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She still teaches yoga, too. ❯ Mackenzi Harmon enjoys her fourth year working at State Farm and was promoted to statistician. She also married her college sweetheart, Josh, in the Smoky Mountains. ❯ Iona Cooper writes, “I continue to grow and develop from the challenge of my job as a wilderness therapy guide working with a diverse client population in the Utah desert.” ❯ Stephanie Martin writes, “I graduated from the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I am a librarian at Lincoln Library, the public library of Springfield, Illinois.” ❯ Sarah J. Bigus Eagen writes, “I’m working as a professional actress and choreographer in L.A. and have begun writing and producing; currently touring film festivals with my first short film, The Interview.” ❯ Sam Bouman is a baker and serial volunteer in Portland, Oregon. ❯ Kevin Goetsch is now a senior data scientist at Braintree. He’s rock climbing in the winters and ultimate frisbee-ing in the summers. ❯ Aaron

Barnett graduated from Southern Illinois University with a doctor of philosophy in molecular biology and biochemistry on August 2, 2014. He married Anne Heberle ’12 on August 31, 2014, in Lodi, California. ❯ Lucas Leckrone and Whitney Mackie got married in September and were fortunate to have some Knoxies attend! Currently Lucas is working at U.S. Steel in Granite City, while Whitney took a new position as a labor and delivery R.N. in Alton. They are currently living in Alton with their one-year-old, Logan, and their two dogs. A frequent visitor of theirs is Samuel Almohandis, who bought his ﬁrst home this year and also works at U.S. Steel! ❯ Olivia Engel got hitched! She is also calling all Knoxies to act in this new wave of the civil rights movement and invites you to come witness her St. Louis community’s strength. ❯ Megan Bohi Batt and husband Andrew Batt ’05 are proud parents of a son, Alexander Richard, born on January 9, 2015. ❯ As for me, I am still in Sydney, but enjoyed a trip back to the States last October. In addition to Homecoming, I also got to attend the wedding of Zac Skinner (now Galan-Skinner) and pop by Colorado to see Cameron Burke’s lovely house. ❯ May 2015 bring you many new adventures! Class Correspondent: Brittany N. Leggans knoxclassof2009@gmail.com

2010 Laura Miller and Daniel Dyrda got hitched on May 31 and moved to Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood. ❯ Aram Hong and Wandi Yang ’11 married in June in a beautiful ceremony full of family, friends, and love. They live in San Diego, California. ❯ Ali Hidden Sobczyk married in August at Architectural Artifacts in Chicago. She works at Little Green Tree House as a lead pre-K teacher, and her husband is in graduate school for urban planning. ❯ After ﬁve years together, Jen Milius and John Eisemann bought a house in Portland, Oregon, and were married in August by friend and fellow alum Philippe Moore ’08. Life’s beautiful in the

Northwest: Jen is a graphic designer at the science museum, and John is the choir director at his old high school. They still sing in choir together. ❯ Julie Bychowski Horning got married in October. ❯ Liesl Pereira and Ashley Olson ’09 also wed in October in Augusta, Missouri. Liesl just started as the director of development at the Illinois Humanities Council in Chicago. ❯ Ellie Poley is still at Adobe Seattle and volunteerteaches AP computer science. She and Brittany Alsot ’08 officially married with an informal, bike-friendly, dino-themed wedding. ❯ Colleen Harden Aziz and A. Hamed Aziz ’08 welcomed their first child in January! ❯ Sam Flanders and Melati Nungsari are both pursuing doctorates in economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sam has one more year in the program, while Melati will graduate in May. They had their first child, a boy, in early December and are very excited about this year’s 5th Reunion. ❯ After four years of living in Georgia and South Carolina, Michael Yu drove to Seattle and is looking for a job. ❯ Javier Bermudez returned to Barcelona in September after seven years away from home. He reunited with family and friends and couldn’t be happier! ❯ Jessica Baham left Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago after almost five years for New York City, where she will pursue a master’s in international education at NYU’s Steinhardt School. She’s excited to be a student again and to take advantage of all that New York City has to offer! ❯ Alana Ogilvie recently moved to Portland, Oregon, and works with a local, community-based agency that serves high-acuity kids. She is also working to publish an article on the use of family therapy with alternative forms of romantic relationships. ❯ Shane Donegan broke the inside door handle in his truck and hasn’t bothered fixing it yet. #Adult. ❯ Samantha Newport is slowly working her way toward owning and outfitting a homestead. Donations are welcome. Gabby the cat sends her love. ❯ Abby Pardick Clayton started working as a behavior specialist for COIT Creative Arts Academy in September and celebrated her oneyear anniversary with husband Josh in October.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Gracie Glowiak '14 has moved to Madrid and is working on a

Erica Skog ’06 and Andrew Jessen—August 16, 2014

Lindsay Fondow ’07 and Rusty Kiser—June 7, 2014

FRONT ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): Natasha Robin Berman ’08, Shirlene Love ’04, Andrew Jessen, Erica Skog Jessen ’06, Gillian Openstein ’05.

FRONT ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): Rusty Kiser, Lindsay Fondow ’07, Zoe Berman ’07, Julia Strehlow ’07, Matei Paun ’07.

MIDDLE ROW: Chris Rollins ’04, Gabrielle Genevich Muldoon ’05, Tara Converse Rollins ’05, Lindsey Bantel Turnbull ’06, Katie Lambert Weaver ’05.

SECOND ROW: Sarah Koenig ’07, Megan Larsen ’07, Dan Sundquist ’07, Laura Hapeman ’07, Sarah Wallen Connelly ’05, Dave Connelly ’07, Erin Vorenkamp Moeser ’07.

BACK ROW: Wil Cwik ’07, Annie Vernon ’07, Tanya Frank Jones ’05, Andy Bantel ’06.

BACK ROW: Mike Boettcher ’05, Adam Moeser ’05.

She spent a week this past summer with Kathy Olsen in northern Wisconsin adventuring. ❯ Tasha Coryell—now in her third year at the University of Alabama MFA program for creative writing—is working on a novel and recently completed her fourth triathlon. Roll Tide! ❯ Since graduation, Gaby Fox has worked for a humanitarian aid and development organization based in Portland, Oregon. In September, she moved to northern Iraq as part of an emergency response team supporting vulnerable people affected by ongoing conflict in Syria and Iraq. ❯ Karen Frost was promoted to paralegal and is starting over: She divorced her husband, kept the dogs, and moved into her dead grandfather’s house with her brother and his friends. ❯ For the last two years, Ana Marquez has lived in Mexico City. She became the advocacy and public policy manager for the nonprofit The Hunger Project Mexico this past September. She works with local, state, and national governments, as well as national and international organizations, to promote public policies that focus on community-based development and the eradication of poverty and inequality in the country and the region. ❯ Elisa Hilderbrand recently passed her prelim exam and is now officially a Ph.D candidate at the University of Illinois-Chicago. She is currently continuing her dissertation research and works as a teaching assistant in neuroanatomy. ❯ Kristen Chmielewski began an experiment in sleep-deprivation as a Ph.D student in Schools, Culture, and Society at the University of Iowa. ❯ Margaret Spiegel interned with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in the education department over the summer and will complete her museum studies certificate in May at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. ❯ After Sam Magnuson graduates from Marquette Law School in May, he will join the firm of Quarles & Brady as a health law

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

associate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ❯ Clayton Besong continues his graduate studies and traveled to Belize for his international business strategy and culture class in January. ❯ Sandy Guttman works as a curatorial intern at Gallery 400 and recently finished her first semester of the museum and exhibition studies program at University of Illinois-Chicago. In her spare time, she is archiving the photography of Chicago artist Herb Nolan. ❯ Last spring, Mark Janicik graduated from the full-time MBA program at DePaul University with a concentration in finance. He then accepted a position a William Blair & Company in Chicago. He now lives in Oak Park. ❯ Melati Nungsari and her husband, Sam Flanders, welcomed a baby boy, Erhan Cyrus, on December 8, 2014. ❯ As for me, I left the Midwest for California to finish my law degree at University of California, Berkeley. I recently shared a delicious dinner with Gabe Paz ’11, who works nearby, and enjoyed a joint-birthday celebration with Oliwia Zurek. Class Correspondent: Lauren Assaf knoxcollege2010notes@gmail.com

2011 Our classmate and dear friend Michaela Romano passed away on November 1, 2014, after a three-year battle with breast cancer. She was a source of laughter and unfailing love and will be sincerely missed. In her memory, I asked the Class of 2011 to reﬂect on the special moments we have experienced since graduation. The class agreed, and it is my pleasure to report the following. ❯ Since graduating, Kevin Morris and Marnie Shure; Lola Copeland and Patrick Herlihey ’09; David Fundakowski and Anne Horrell ’12; Joe Kozlowicz and Molly Snook ’10; Sasha Murphy and Sean Frohling ’10; Ramya Venigalla and Sujeen Adhikari ’12;

Keegan Siebken and Kyla Tully ’13; and Nea Larson and José Fernández ’09 were engaged. Congrats! ❯ Cat Manning and Paul Dodman; Peter Walker and Caroline Coatney; Wandi Yang and Aram Hong ’10; Jessica Joyce and Nick Cervantes; Courtney Tichler and Alex Hall; Chris Johnson and Elizabeth Woodyard ’13; Rebecca VonBehren ’12 and Cloud Cordova; Kishan and Zichu Li Soloman; and Alison Spataro ’12 and Paul O’Brien were married. Good luck! ❯ Mary Reindl and DeAndre Henderson learned they were pregnant. Courtney Jude and Christian Lewis ’13 were married and welcomed their first child, Imani; and Augie, daughter of Kristin Niehoff Weisenberger ’12 and husband Cory, took her first steps. The future Knoxies are on their way! ❯ Andrew and Sara Belger Polk ’10; Dugan and Radhika O’Connor ’12; and Samantha Claypool Temple and Luke Temple ’08 enjoyed the exciting first years of marriage. May you have many more to come! ❯ There were many, many other great accomplishments shared by the Class of 2011 since our last update in the fall issue of Knox Magazine. Our classmates have finished graduate school, and some have just started their graduate school journey. We have classmates continuing to succeed professionally, and others starting down new career paths and exploring new opportunities. Some of our classmates have found ways to invite compassion into their lives’ work and are bringing dignity to underserviced populations. This reminded me that a special moment in a person’s life does not have to relate directly with a relationship status; rather, special moments happen when we engage the world around us with love and kindness. I am again, and always, so very proud of our class. I look forward to sharing even more updates from everyone next time around! Class Correspondent: Tim Schmeling trschmeling@gmail.com

2012 Audrey Todd ﬁnished up her ﬁrst season with The Organic Gardener and looks forward to the next. During the off-season, she traveled to Colorado, Austin, Tucson, and the Bay Area to visit the sun and the Knox friends that weren’t persuaded by her charm to live in Chicagoland. In addition to collecting her classmates’ current life plans, she challenges police brutality and the prison industrial complex as an organizer for the Chicago chapter of the grassroots organization Black & Pink. ❯ Kelly Grant lives in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood and is going on her third year working on epidemiological research studies at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. ❯ Emily Berkson recently moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas, with Max Gatyas ’14. She teaches third grade at Leverett Elementary. ❯ John Moore graduated last May from the Catholic University of America with a master’s degree in social work. He now is a licensed graduate social

Class Knox book to help French speakers learn English. worker. He provides intensive in-home family therapy to families in Washington, D.C., for Catholic Charities, using the Homebuilders model. ❯ Kristine Weller works at an engineering magazine while working on her M.S. in library and information science with goals of being a database administrator. She has knocked a few more states off of her goal to visit all 50 states. ❯ Brenna DeGan is finishing up her last year in the Library and Information Studies program at University of Wisconsin-Madison. ❯ After finishing up an Americorps term working with a conservation corps, Katy Sutcliffe is now earning a master’s degree in hospital and molecular epidemiology at the University of Michigan. ❯ Christine Warner is in a management associate program in Ergoing Commercial Products Corporation. She will spend one year in a rotational program in Taipei, Taiwan, and then will transition to the Shanghai office next year. ❯ Cody Dailey lives in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, with fellow alum and friend Regina Rosenbrock ’13. Cody is a career specialist in Joliet Junior College’s workforce development department and works with a grantfunded scholarship program that provides free occupational training to low-income youth in Will County. He is involved in a volunteer project called Mentor 2.0 through Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties, which is one of just five chapters nationwide to pilot the mentoring program for the 2014-15 school year. ❯ Hayley Schueneman is an admissions counselor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. ❯ Kelsey Martinez recently finished a master’s degree in plant biology at Southern Illinois University and now attends Syracuse University for her Ph.D. in biology, and no, she does not care about college basketball. ❯ Julia Shenkar knows that guac is extra. ❯ Elise Hyser is a second-year medical student at VCOM-Carolinas Campus and enjoys life in South Carolina. Last summer, she participated in a neurobiology research project at Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute in Chicago. She also visited El Salvador for her first medical outreach trip during the fall. She truly misses her Knox family and hopes to visit Galesburg sometime soon. ❯ Maisie Maupin would like everyone to know that B*tches invented Hemingway #knoxcollege ❯ Annie Pittman is an MFA candidate at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where she’s learning lots about poetry (what moonspeak!) alongside her little orange cat who was rescued from a drainpipe on the Knox campus as a kitten. ❯ Jeremy Shaw is a senior specialist III at JPMorgan Chase Bank. He is responsible for reviewing accounts for military service members, training employees, and performing psych research on employee feedback/performance. He is, of course, single and living in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Class Correspondent: Audrey Todd todd.audrey.anna@gmail.com

2013 Hannah Basil writes that she left her commercial lending job at Fifth Third Bank after 18 months and enrolled in the Starter School. She’s learning to build and design software and will launch her own company at the end of the program. She’s excited to take the leap into Chicago’s tech scene and become an entrepreneur! Hannah founded a social group at her church that has grown to more than 30 active members and hosts four events a month. She lives in Lincoln Park with Aimee Neilan, and they are continuing to have just as much fun as they did when they lived together in Tompkins senior year. ❯ Editors’ Note: Many thanks to Rup Sarkar for serving as the class’s inaugural correspondent. The Class of 2013 is now looking for a new correspondent. If you’re interested in taking on this position, please contact our Class Notes editor, Pam Chozen, at pachozen@knox.edu.

2014 Danika Hill currently resides in Moscow, Idaho, where she lives with Chelsea Embree (who’s pretty much the cat’s meow). She’s working toward a master’s degree in environmental science at the University of Idaho while assistant-teaching an Environmental 101 class of 300 students. ❯ James Sheppard currently teaches English in Austria and thinks a lot about rhubarb. ❯ Grant Lowe and Paige Anderson got married the day after Thanksgiving 2014. She’s Paige Lowe now. Sherwood Kiraly ’72 officiated the ceremony in the Alumni Room and the reception at Cherry Street. So yes, an alum officiated a wedding between two alums in the Alumni Room. ❯ Connor Schmidt got a job working for a software solutions company near Seattle, Washington. He moved out to Washington about a week after graduating, and, since then, he’s been working and slowly building his collection of video games. Like a real adult. His official title is support manager, but they let him help out in his real interest, marketing. He says he’s not saving the world or anything like that, but still thinks it’s a pretty sweet job. ❯ Tim O’Neal currently works as a post-bac fellow in the diabetes, endocrinology, and obesity branch of the National Institute on Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C. ❯ Bethany Marinier has moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to work for Wediko Children’s Services. ❯ Rika Stoller moved to Rochester, New York, in early August, and has been working as an entry-level legal aid for a downtown law firm since mid-September. Not exactly the job she was expecting to get with a creative writing degree, but hey, it’s a job! ❯ Kelsey Cullum moved to Omaha, Nebraska, and works for Hemphill Search Group, a local staffing and recruiting firm. She works for their administration. ❯ Emily Diklich works for Waukegan High School in Waukegan, Illinois, teaching geometry and algebra and coaching the JV Poms Team. ❯

Biyi Wen moved to Beijing, China, and works as a graphic designer at de Sarthe Gallery. She is also as an artist assistant at the Institute for Provocation. ❯ Carmen Vargas moved in with David Aken ’12 and they are getting married in October 2015. ❯ Natalia Binkowski has started the master of social work program at Loyola University Chicago. The hardest part has been believing that exams can actually be open book, open note. ❯ Phil Tallman works for Edward Jones as a financial advisor. He’s in St. Louis now for training and will return to the Chicago area in the spring, where he plans to build his branch office. ❯ Sona Diallo, who was in the Knox Besançon program throughout her senior year, wanted to continue strengthening her French, so she decided to stay and earn a master’s degree. She is currently still in Besançon, France, completing an M.A. in language sciences. She hopes this will encourage people to apply for the program, because it was truly great. ❯ Ell Mulhausen currently serves as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines. He says his life actually isn’t that miserable there and that he is enjoying himself! ❯ Gracie Glowiak has moved to Madrid and is working with a publishing house called Difusión on a book to help French speakers learn English. ❯ Emiley Brand worked abroad over the summer doing nonprofit environmental work on the Ganga River in Rishikesh, India. After her return to the United States last August, she started her graduate studies toward a doctorate in physical therapy at St. Ambrose University and will graduate in December 2016. ❯ Melvin Taylor Jr. has landed a job with Cox Media Group in advertising sales and works with all TV stations owned by Gannett Company. Aside from that, he’ll either move into downtown Chicago or move back to New York City in the coming months. ❯ Chelsea Embree covers social services and the Nez Perce tribe for The Lewiston Tribune in Lewiston, Idaho. She lives with fellow Knox grad Danika Hill in Moscow, where locals call the hilly region “really flat,” and tumbleweed actually exists. Embree and Hill are celebrating their recent purchase of a TV and still don’t plan on buying a microwave, like, ever. ❯ Tom Courtright serves as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sabeto, Fiji, working at Sabeto District School. He started in September and will serve until October 2016. He teaches English and computer skills, writes proposals, runs a homework club, and works with the community on various other projects. ❯ Paul Lebryk is completing the masters program at University of Illinois at Chicago. He is working on a master of education in instructional leadership: science education, which he hopes to earn by the end of May. ❯ Jenna Cohen has started her own marketing business, Jenna G. Cohen Marketing and Communications. Her clientele includes PeerRealty LLC, Fortitud, Inc., the Chicago Women’s Health Center, and GreenfieldGuide.com. She also became a member of the Apollo Chorus of Chicago, the city’s oldest choir, a volunteer at

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

In Memoriam Ray Truedson, Lombard’s Last Alumnus Ray Truedson, the last living alumnus of record of Lombard College, died in Chicago on November 10, at the age of 104. Truedson attended Lombard for three terms as a member of the class of 1932, leaving college to support his family after his father passed away. During World War II, he served as a cryptographer for the U.S. military in the Pacific. Following the war, Truedson worked at American Express in its travel department in the Chicago area until SUBMITTED he retired in 1975. He was married to Lela (Holmquist) for 61 years, until her death in 2013 at the age of 92. “I was always happy to see Ray at Knox College alumni events, as in actuality, he was a Knox alumnus,” observed Knox College President Teresa Amott. Knox’s shared history with Lombard College starts in 1930, when the school was forced to close because of financial difficulties. A total of 83 Lombard students transferred to Knox, and Knox adopted 7,500 Lombard alumni and their records. Three Lombard professors also joined the faculty, and five sororities and fraternities found a home on campus, including the Alpha Xi Delta sorority, which was founded at Lombard in 1893. Perhaps the most widely known Lombard College alumnus is author, poet and Pulitzer Prize winner Carl Sandburg, who attended in the 1890s. Other notable Lombard alumni include E.H. Conger, congressman, diplomat, and ambassador to China at the time of the 1898 Boxer Rebellion; Sewall Wright, geneticist and one of the founders of population genetics; Theodore Wright, engineer and first director of the Civil Aeronautics Administration; and Evar Swanson, professional athlete in both baseball and football. “The passing of Ray Truedson represents the closing of an important chapter in the shared histories of Knox and Lombard colleges,” added President Amott.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Red Door Animal Shelter, and an avid 5k runner. ❯ Nicole Spencer has been working with KnoxCorps this year. She is placed at the Knox County Health Department, where she provides health education, worksite wellness, and outreach for the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program. She also teaches ballroom dance to the Galesburg community with current senior Abby Kravis ’15. ❯ Tyler Oakey has been working at the Madison and Fitchburg Public Libraries in Wisconsin and plans to apply to grad school for library science in the near future. She also plays cello in the Madison Community Orchestra. ❯ Hannah Bloyd-Peshkin is living in Cleveland with Josh Tatro ’13. She teaches fifth-through-eighth-grade technology and works as the technology integrationist for her school. ❯ Ryan Hansen is a current graduate student at the Adler School of Professional Psychology as a candidate for a M.A. in counseling: art therapy. He started a community service practicum in January with the Adler Institute on Social Exclusion doing research. He also currently volunteers as a crisis medical advocate for Zachariah’s Sexual Abuse Center. ❯ Hannah Black interns at the Brookfield Zoo as a keeper helper. ❯ Ruth Amerman has been doing nothing. Nothing at all. ❯ Allison Fabino has been working on her Ph.D. in chemistry at Northern Illinois University. ❯ Phil Bennett protested in Los Angeles over the grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson. ❯ Sami Waight is not homeless! ❯ Michael Moroney works in an office and lives with James WrightLee in Chicago. ❯ Miranda Loeber is a postbaccalaureate fellow in the theater department at Knox. Her main project is serving as assistant supervisor in the costume shop. ❯ Nathan Johlas and Jenna Trumbull were married and moved to Madison. Nathan recently started a job at Epic Systems Corporation. ❯ Amanda Axley is a post-baccalaureate fellow at Knox in the English department as the events coordinator and is presenting a paper at the PCA/ACA conference in April in New Orleans: “Orange is the New Bleak House: Narrative and Formal Adaptation in the PostNetwork Era.” ❯ Jess Ranard has come out as gay! ❯ Olivia Barnett postponed grad school plans and got a job as a recovery counselor in Chicago. She moved in with Alan Avitia. ❯ Chloë Luetkemeyer worked on the costume crew with the College Light Opera Company (CLOC) in Falmouth, Massachusetts, over the summer, and is now finishing an internship with Gateway Center for Performing Arts in St. Louis as hair, makeup, and wig designer. ❯ Marcus McGee and Aleah Meyer ’16 have gotten engaged and are planning a wedding in August (for tax purposes). They live together in Chicago. Marcus works in legal services, and Aleah works in healthcare. Class Correspondents: Esther Farler-Westphal efarler@knox.edu Natalia Binkowski nbinkows@knox.edu

Marriages and Unions Laurie Anderson ’77 and Jon Hanson on 6/22/14. Chip Martin ’83 and Bill Chaffee on 6/28/14. Nelsie Smith ’99 and Walter Birch on 7/19/14. Maggie Claudy ’04 and Sarun Teeravechyan ’01 on 6/29/13. Sabe (Edward) Jones ’04 and Michaela Payne on 9/20/14. Benjamin Thompson ’04 and Alan Vest ’04 on 8/15/14. Sarah Lammie ’05 and Luke Remiasz on 1/10/15. Marisa Sengstock ’05 and David Banaszak on 10/25/14. Erica Skog ’06 and Andrew Jessen on 8/16/14. Hillary Loomis ’06 and Joe Page ’03 on 8/31/14. Zoe Berman ’07 and Mike Boettcher ’05 on 8/9/14. Lindsay Fondow ’07 and Rusty Kiser on 6/7/14. Hamed Aziz ’08 and Colleen Harden ’08 on 3/22/14. Ellie Poley ’10 and Brittany Alsot ’08 on 12/14/13. Aaron Barnett ’09 and Anne Heberle ’12 on 8/31/14. Mackenzi Harmon ’09 and Josh Crank on 8/29/14. Lucas Leckrone ’09 and Whitney Mackie ’09 on 9/13/14. Christina Pfaff ’09 and Colin Alber ’09 on 8/20/14. Zac Skinner ’09 and Lindsay Galan on 10/17/14. Jasmin Tomlins ’09 and Eric Simon on 10/18/14. Toshia Zessin ’09 and Vurtice Albright on 9/6/14. Julie Bychowski ’10 and Joshua Horning on 10/10/14. Ali Hidden ’10 and Jeff Sobczyk on 8/9/14. Aram Hong ’10 and Wandi Yang ’11 on 6/7/14. Jen Milius ’10 and John Eisemann ’10 on 8/16/14. Laura Miller ’10 and Daniel Dyrda ’10 on 5/31/14. Liesl Pereira ’10 and Ashley Olson ’09 in 10/18/14. Grant Lowe ’14 and Paige Anderson ’14 on 11/27/14.

Deaths Ray Truedson L’32 on 11/10/14. Eleanor Inness Mieth ’33 on 7/26/14. Ethel Margaret Gilmor Bohan ’36 on 11/17/14. Helen Scharfeberg Peters ’36 on 11/28/14. Donald Lemon ’36 on 1/2/15. Paul Pickrel ’38 on 10/27/14. J. Thomas Shay ’38 on 10/30/14. Robert S. Morris ’39 on 12/17/11. Bette Baldwin Keller ’39 on 2/5/14.

Class Knox Cheryl Lindner Brandt ’39 on 4/13/14. William H. Barrett ’39 on 9/4/14. Alice Adolphson Walker ’40 on 5/1/14. Kenneth T. Johnson ’41 on 7/31/14. Shirley Breedlove Reiser ’43 on 7/4/14. Walter Trevor Brown ’43 on 9/21/14. Dorothy Williams Wilson ’43 on 10/1/14. Virginia Burrell Peterson ’43 on 11/19/14. Berndt “Nord” Nordhielm ’43 on 1/11/15. Albert H. Kahlenberg ’44 on 8/27/14. Charles M. Eaton ’44 on 11/15/14. James N. Doyle ’44 on 3/22/15. H. Dean Robinson ’45 on 7/14/14. Beverly Ladd Krucek ’47 on 3/7/14. Theresa Rusniak Smith ’47 on 10/7/14. Merle H. Glick ’46 on 11/7/14. H. Christelle Harshbarger Briggs ’48 on 8/12/14. Rittchell Peterson Craig ’48 on 9/23/14. Edward Westerdahl ’48 on 10/31/14. William R. Johnson ’49 on 11/23/2014. James E. Defebaugh ’50 on 10/16/14. George F. Bahorich ’50 on 12/28/14. James G. Horath ’51 on 5/12/14. Clella Lafferty Daetwyler ’51 on 8/12/14. Patricia Gardner Carlson ’51 on 8/18/14. Eleanor Moore Merrick ’51 on 10/2/14. Robert G. Schmalfeld ’52 on 3/14/14. Ernest A. Lane ’52 on 4/8/14. Albert Wagner ’52 on 10/3/14. Mary Way Lauder ’52 on 11/3/14. Jeneinne L. Anderson Warnell ’52 on 12/19/14. Patricia Lyman McNamee ’53 on 12/21/13. C. Richard Neumiller ’52 on 1/2/15. James S. Powelson ’53 on 9/20/2014. Katherine Klemit Mack ’53 on 11/14/14. Samuel R. Hudspeth ’54 on 12/9/12. Frank T. Lohmann ’54 on 12/19/13. John M. Mellican ’54 on 7/6/14. Mary Erwin Pitcher ’54 on 9/1/14. Edward J. Beavan ’54 on 10/11/14. Ann L. Larkin ’55 on 1/21/10. Murray L. Johnson ’55 on 8/20/14. Donald R. Adams ’55 on 9/16/14. Joseph W. Fraser ’55 on 11/14/14. Gary H. Moerke ’56 on 11/22/13. Judith Miller Sheehy ’56 on 2/24/14. Richard H. Ostien ’56 on 8/22/14. David H. Holt ’56 on 8/31/14. Thomas Allen Seidel ’56 in 9/12/14. David F. Olson ’57 on 9/26/14. Sally Trissal Spudich ’58 on 11/05/14. Philip E. Reeves ’59 on 9/17/13. Larry K. Gilchrist ’59 on 8/5/14. Betty Pilipiak Bader ’59 on 12/1/14. Sheila Donlon Wegner ’60 on 6/20/14. Martha Sherman Stryker ’60 on 7/23/14. Martha Hovorka ’60 on 10/27/14. Ardathe Stone Lindberg ’61 on 12/5/14. Erik M. Jager ’62 on 10/31/12. Dr. Robert F. Biggers ’63 on 9/3/14. Donald R. Lehmann ’63 on 11/22/14. Sarah Tubbs Ausich ’64 on 11/29/11. George P. Turner ’65 on 7/18/14. Joseph E. Wannamaker ’65 on 7/20/14.

Steven F. Arnold ’66 on 12/6/14. Ellen Phillips Litney ’68 on 8/16/14. Michael K. Neeld ’69 on 10/24/14. Kenneth W. Smith ’72 on 11//27/14. Robert M. Hennings ’73 on 10/15/14. Kathleen M. Hanlon ’74 on 8/29/14. Christopher B. Kirton ’75 on 5/18/14. James F. Craig ’77 on 8/25/14. Stacey Simon Leveque ’78 on 7/28/14. Thomas E. Sikora ’79 on 1/19/14. David M. Marino ’82 on 9/15/14. William T. Baumann ’84 on 2/11/11. Michaela Rae Romano ’11 on 11/1/14.

Deaths of Friends Thomas J. Sieron, husband of Judith Koehler Sieron ’67, on 6/11/12. Marge Urben, friend of the College, on 7/28/12. Carl Wesley Lewin, father of David Glenn-Lewin ’65, on 4/18/13. Edith S. Hornor, mother of Gurdon Hornor ’81, on 5/29/13. Paul F. Urben Jr., friend of the College, on 9/12/13. Richard H. Sherman, father of Morgan Sherman ’99, on 9/17/13. Paul Sharp, husband of Betty Alice Moon Sharp ’48, on 12/17/13. Rosalie Oxford, mother of Mariah Oxford ’91, on 2/20/14. Alden J. Ritter, husband of Helen Fenn Ritter ’40, on 4/1/14. Mary Martha Thierry, friend of the College, on 4/17/14. Lewis Lofgren, father of Kurt Lofgren ’86, on 4/24/14. Steven D. Johnson, brother of Craig Johnson ’84, on 5/3/14. Richard J. Spehr, husband of Mary Joyce Grissom Spehr ’50, on 5/6/14. Kenneth L. Holeman, father of Michael Holeman ’70, on 5/22/14 Clifford A. Flood, widower of Susan Johnston ’65, on 5/24/14. Sara. J. Esp, friend of the College, on 6/10/14. Charles W. Nelson, brother-in-law of Audrey Charles E. Shaw ’54, on 6/10/14. Corinne Trieger, wife of Ralph B. Trieger ’50, on 6/16/14. Wesley E. King, friend of the College, on 6/21/14. Joy E. Morris, mother of current student Moriah Chermak, on 7/1/14. Jack Laydon, friend of the College, on 7/14/14. Guy W. Eisenhuth Jr., friend of the College, on 7/26/14. Bette Barnstead, friend of the College, on 8/2/14. Steve Cervantez, father of Keisa Henry, McNair program, and Tianna Cervantez ’06, Center for Intercultural Life, on 8/2/14.

Jason Maulden, son of Keisa Henry, McNair program, and nephew of Tianna Cervantez ’06, Center for Intercultural Life, on 8/3/14. Gerhart J. Buehrer Sr., husband of Doris Brand Buehrer ’48, on 8/13/14. Clarence M. “Mel” Park, friend of the College, on 8/14/14. Ted Kelly, father of Conan L. Kelly ’98, on 8/15/14. Steven Glowiak, father of Gracie Glowiak ’14, on 8/18/14. Sharon A. Jacobson, wife of Dale R. Jacobson ’69, on 8/22/14. Nina M. Beavan, wife of Edward J. Beavan ’54, on 9/6/14. Eleanor A. Robeson Solomon, former employee, on 9/9/14. Floyd Young, father of Amy Roth, alumni relations, on 9/13/14. Betty Graham Haack, mother of Brenda Fineberg, professor of classics, on 9/15/14. Lucille Hudson, mother of Mary Lu Aft ’60, on 9/18/14. Rev. Dr. Maurice Tate Sr., friend of the College, on 9/24/14. June I. Liebrecht, mother of Sarah Stewart Cunningham ’87, on 9/25/14. Neal Delahanty, father-in-law of Dustin Milliken ’03, advancement, on 10/3/14. Carl Hatfield, husband of Margaret Beard Hatfield ’36, on 10/3/14. Dorothy M. Schell, mother of Mary Wright, ﬁnancial aid, on 10/7/14. Sherry Ewbank Billings, mother of Derrick Billings ’00, on 10/23/14. Darla Nelson, mother of Beth Jonsberg, admission, on 11/2/14. William “Willy” Morgan, father of Joe Diveney, information technology services, on 11/5/14. Amy Rose Meehan, wife of Thomas D. Meehan, IV ’03, on 11/9/14. Jon C. Fleischman, stepfather of Jaime Spacco, assistant professor of computer science, and stepfather-in-law of Helen Hoyt ’01 assistant professor of chemistry, on 11/14/14. Antoni Badi i Margarit, friend of the College and honorary degree recipient, on 11/16/14. Donald E. Blanchard, former vice president for ﬁnance, on 11/25/14. David McDonald, friend of the College, on 11/29/14. Iva D. Steward, dining services, on 12/3/14. Karl Jones, friend of the College, on 12/3/14. Frank Adams, former baseball, basketball, and football coach, on 12/16/14. Bonnie Niehus, special collections and archives and wife of professor emeritus Ed Niehus, on 12/16/14. Corrine Sue Swanson, mother of Charri Simons, dining services, on 12/21/14. Harold K. Lumbeck, father of Steve Lumbeck, facility services, on 12/25/14. Martha Barnhart, mother of Gina Zindt, human resources, on 12/27/14.

KNOX MAGAZINE Spring 2015

Parting Shot

Chance & Purpose Coincidence or destiny? A college photographer, arriving early for a photo session with the Knox College Choir, walks into a darkened Kresge Recital Hall, discovers the lighted organ loft (used by several offices for storage) and captures a new view of a familiar location. Photo by Peter Bailley â&#x20AC;&#x2122;74

Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID Knox College

MAGAZINE Knox College Galesburg, Illinois 61401-4999

No matter how, where, or when you like to read, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Knox Magazine for you.

Prefer phone to print? Rather carry a tablet than a magazine? No worries. Starting with our Spring 2014 edition, complete issues of Knox Magazine (and a growing selection of other College publications) are available online at issuu.com/knoxcollege.