Marietta Magazine (Fall 2015)

FAL L 2015

GROWING THE LINE FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE PROGRAM REVAMPED FOR CLASS OF 2019

THE MAGAZINE OF M AR IE T TA COLLE G E

ALSO: Honoring the memory of Grant Bauer ’12 through Random Acts of Kindness Class of 1965 achieves Golden status

PHOTOS BY NATE KNOBEL

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amily Weekend gives parents and siblings the opportunity to get to know the community their student now calls home.

An added bonus to this year’s weekend was the Saturday Softball Alumni Game, where former Pioneers faced off against the 2016 team.

In this particular game, everybody was a winner. >

1 : Jen Tinkler ’97, Michelle Sayre ’13; 2: Alison Kach ’17; 3 : Alumnae and current team members; 4: Kristen Quintana ’07, Catherine Swejk ’13, Katie Moriarty Bailey ’05; 5: Sara Roberts (first coach) and Jeanne Arbuckle; 6: Jami Thomas ’13; 7 : Janet Oberhelman ’88; 8 : Courtney Kerwood ’15.

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MARIETTA COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Me ssag e f ro m the Pres ident

D R . J O S E P H W. B R U N O

Vice Chair Patricia (Patti) Kral Zecchi ’71

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s I write these remarks, we have just finished a busy and highly rewarding fall week. We are so energized by recent events that I have chosen

Secretary William H. Donnelly ’70 Treasurer Dan Bryant

to share them with you in these introductory remarks.

First, our 2015 Homecoming Weekend was a true delight. We eclipsed recent records in overall alumni registration, had the largest 50th reunion class attendance in memory, saw the Class of 1965 reach record heights in participation in the class gift, and noted, with sincere gratitude, that they also reached the highest dollar level for a 50th reunion class gift. I am deeply grateful to the many 1965 alumni volunteers who worked so diligently to bring their classmates back to their alma mater.

The weekend included more than 40 events scheduled for the enjoyment of alumni, and

Chair George W. Fenton

Just as Marietta Magazine was going to press, President Joseph W. Bruno announced that he was resigning his post to pursue another opportunity. His final day will be May 31.

those events took place in beautiful, if slightly cool, fall weather. Many of our special guests commented on the beauty of the campus, a true testament to the tireless work of our Physical Plant staff.

While the turning leaves certainly add to the effect, The Christy Mall was also colorfully decorated with fresh plantings placed with the help of student employees.

It was a true joy to meet many of you for the first time, to enjoy your warm memories, to watch you

Robert M. (Bob) Brucken ’56 Joseph W. Bruno T. Grant Callery ’68 Christopher Cortez ’71 Patricia G. (Pat) Curtin ’69 Harry H. (Hap) Esbenshade III Andrew D. Ferguson ’95 Barbara A. Perry Fitzgerald ’73 James B. Fryfogle ’73 Matthew J. Macatol ’97 C. Brent McCurdy ’68 Michael Milone Michael Moffitt ’91 Kathleen Mitchell Murphy ’82 Cathy A. Percival Jason C. Rebrook ’96 Ronald E. (Ron) Rinard ’72 Toni M. Robinson-Smith Michael J. Salvino ’87 Edgar L. Smith Jr. Charles (Chuck) W. Sulerzyski Elliott L. Thrasher ’62 Dale L. Wartluft ’63 Matthew B. Weekley ’81 Jo Ellen Diehl Yeary ’76

encounter classmates you haven’t seen in years, and to hear of your enthusiasm after visiting classes at the invitation of today’s talented faculty members. And I was pleased to hear many of you laud the warm welcome you received from dedicated members of our faculty and staff. There is certainly no reason to wait for your 60th, or even your 55th, reunion year to return.

Within hours after the last of our alumni returnees left town, we welcomed to campus the accreditation team charged with our decennial review. As I’ve noted in earlier pieces, we are reviewed by the North Central Association Higher Learning Commission, which is headquartered in Chicago. Accreditation review is more than an opportunity to show compliance with federal regulations, although that is certainly required if we are to remain eligible for federal grant support and federal financial aid for our students.

The review is also meant to provide an opportunity to engage campus members in a thoughtful review of our work and the ways in which we live up to our chosen mission as a residential liberal arts college.

Indeed, reviewers specifically look for evidence of broad involvement among campus constituents, and I’m pleased and proud to report that more than 130 members of the faculty, staff and student body were involved in the preparation of our assurance argument. They and others also made time to engage in valuable conversations with the reviewers during their visit.

Although many of us in higher education fear increasing governmental regulation of the accreditation process, we do welcome the chance to review our work. The visiting team was composed of three distinguished educators from other campuses, and the process still runs like the peer review exercise it was originally meant to be. We look forward to receiving the report of the visiting team and their suggestions for continuing and enhancing the success of our wonderful institution. We will share that report with you when the time comes.

In the meantime, thank you for all you do to support your alma mater.

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ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Andrew D. Ferguson ’95 Vice Chair Brooke A. Exley ’11 Patty Bain Bachner ’77 Timothy J. Bennett ’85 Amanda Burtt ’02 Marianne Candido ’85 Keith Coleman ’77 Frank D. Fleischer ’71 S. Jason Gromelski ’98 John E. Hopkins ’65 Tia Knowlton Lane ’98 Kathy Wilcox Lentner ’97 Dan Leonard ’85 Matthew J. Macatol ’97 Kathleen Mitchell Murphy ’82 Jennifer Roach Offenberger ’86 Stephanie Esparza Peloquin ’06 Jazmyn Barrow Stover ’06 Elliott L. Thrasher ’62 Mark J. Vizza ’98

Contents

FAL L 2015 | I SSU E 18

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22 EDITORS Tom Perry and Gi Smith

14 Inside this issue

ART DIRECTOR Ryan Zundell

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a challenge for colleges to get first-year students involved in the campus community to ensure that they feel like part of the family. That connection increases the chances that the students will return for their sophomore year and maintain their enrollment through to graduation. This edition of Marietta Magazine looks at what the College does to acclimate first-year students so they can lead strong academic and social lives at Marietta.

4 | M A RIE T TA S C E N E New and notable campus & alumni updates Long Blue Lines, by Ann Nicely

7 | JOURNA L 10 | RE GIONA L A S S O C I AT I O N S Eastern Texas receives charter

Athletic news

COVER BY NATE KNOBEL

CLASS NOTES Cheryl Canaday, Mandee Young PRESIDENT Dr. Joseph W. Bruno PROVOST Dr. Janet Bland VP FOR ADVANCEMENT Angela Anderson

24 | DEVELO P MEN TS News from our Advancement Office

26 | MA RIETTA MO MEN T Alumnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drive to succeed inspires the next generation of students

28 | TH E LO N G BLU E LIN E Class notes

20 | P IONE E RS

PHOTOGRAPHERS Robert Caplin, Jake Dean, Peter Finger, Michelle Jeitler, Nate Knobel, Mara Lavitt, Jeff Schaly, Tori Taylor, Ryan Zundell

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ANNUAL GIVING Brandee Norris M A R I E T TA The Magazine of Marietta College is published twice a year by the Office of Strategic Communications & Marketing. The magazine serves its readers by providing information about the activities of Marietta College alumni, students, faculty and staff through the publication of accurate and balanced content that informs and stimulates intellectual discussion.

Text, photographs and artwork may not be reprinted without written permission of the Executive Director of Strategic Communications at Marietta.

CON TA C T U S Send address changes, letters to the editor and class notes to Marietta Magazine, 215 Fifth St., Marietta, OH 45750.

Fax: 740-376-4509 Phone: 740-376-4709 | 1-800-274-4704 Email: alumni@marietta.edu

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MARIETTA SCENE

N E W A N D N O TA B L E

> HONORING AN ATO

> OFF CAMPUS

During the Alpha Tau Omega’s 125th anniversary celebration at The Lafayette Hotel, alumni and current members honored Roger Patterson ’62 by establishing a scholarship at the College in his name. The ATOs donated more than $58,000 after 95 people made gifts to establish the Roger Patterson ATO Scholarship.

PHOTOS BY NATE KNOBEL

Dr. Ben Gahagen, Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology, recently took a class to The Barbara A. Beiser Field Station to learn more about the plant life in the region.

The 77-acre field station occupies roughly 2,000 feet of riverbank.

Lo n g Blu e Lines

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A N N N I C E LY, D I R E C T O R O F A L U M N I E N G A G E M E N T

et’s just say at the outset that 350 words are not going to cover it.

It’s not unusual for me to tune in to Pandora radio in my office. Sometimes it’s for the background noise, and other times it helps get the creative juices flowing. Recently, “Glory Days,” by Bruce Springsteen, was the first song to play.

Hearing this song took me back to a time with my suitemates in Timblin Hall — what great memories. Even fresher in my memory, though, was this year’s Homecoming Weekend. We had more than ANN NICELY 500 alumni registered for one or many of the activities that took place on Marietta College’s beautiful campus.

Coming off a picturesque Homecoming, where the fall color palette was on full display, and the perfect amount of chill filled the air, there was a reflection on wonderful connections and special moments created through-

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out the weekend. Watching alumni interact and spend time with one another on campus creates energy and brings folks back to what once were, in my eyes, the glory days.

There is a level of Pioneer commitment from our alumni that expresses spirit, pride and support for Marietta College. Whether it is taking time to visit campus, volunteering time as a board member, attending a reunion, joining a regional association or becoming an alumni advisor, in the end the dedication to this institution will re-create the glory days for all of those who are part of The Long Blue Line and taking part now and for generations to come.

If you are interested in reconnecting with your alma mater, or just want to experience some of that Pioneer pride, start planning now for Homecoming 2016, which is Oct. 14-16. We will be welcoming back the 50th Class of 1966, 25th Class of 1991, 10th Class of 2006, all Golden Pioneers and classes ending in 6 or 1.

Whether you’ve been away for a year or 50 years, once you set foot on campus, it’ll feel like you’ve never left. So please consider a visit to Marietta next fall. We’d love to help you revisit your glory days.

> HEAVY LIFTING

> BACK IN TOWN

Dr. Jim Jeitler, Associate Professor of Chemistry, ran in and completed the 2015 Parkersburg News & Sentinel Half Marathon — but he did it carrying an extra 41.3 pounds in a rucksack. Jeitler took on the extra weight to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project, and he eclipsed $1,250.

Dick Chapman ’70, left, and Bob Strade ’71 reconnect with friends and other Marietta College alumni at the annual Art Fordham Reunion Pig Roast at the Harmar Tavern on the Thursday of Homecoming Weekend.

NATE KNOBEL

MICHELLE JEITLER

Let te rs f rom the Editor

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GI SMITH, EDITOR

hat is the greatest invention of your generation? I’ve often wondered about this during my brief drives to campus. I’ve come up with some ideas; most of them would not reflect the majority of the population’s ideas, and the majority of the people who know me know my first answer: Cat videos =^..^= For me, that’s pretty high on the list, though I almost never watch them at work.

Perhaps the VCR — or Betamax, if you didn’t GI SMITH buy into the VCR hype? Probably not. Decaf?

Lolololol.

Internet? Yaaaasssss!!!!!!

It’s the nearly instantaneous way to connect with people, with information, with entertaining videos of things that you enjoy watching, whatever those things may be.

For Marietta College, it’s a way to connect with prospective students,

current students and interested alumni, which was why it was crucial for us to revamp our presence online — with our new website — to make it more attractive and simple to navigate. And what’s vitally important, particularly for high school students who show an interest in Marietta, is that our site transitioned to be mobile-friendly.

I feel the need to clarify two things here. First, mobile-friendly does not mean that it will give you a ride. It means that you can look at our site on your smartphone and on your tablet — which is how high school students are accustomed to searching for colleges. Second, there are no cat videos embedded in our site and, apparently, there will never be any per Tom Perry.

So if you skipped to the end of this column to quickly get the gist of what I’ve written, I’ll give you the lowdown. Cat videos, VCRs, Betamax and decaffeinated coffee are not the greatest inventions of my generation. The Internet (in my opinion) is. Marietta College has a new website that looks good and plays well with mobile (not automobile) devices.

I invite you to visit www.marietta.edu to see for yourself. Phase I is finished, and we’re doing our best to complete Phase II, then Phase III; you get the picture.

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ALUM NI & C A MP U S N EWS

> IN TOWN

Marketing Marietta STUDENTS COL LABORAT E W I T H M ARI E T TA MA I N STR EET TO H EL P D O WN T O WN R EV I TA L I ZATI O N

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NATE KNOBEL

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etting her first real glimpse of downtown’s historic shopping district, Marketing and Public Relations major Nikki Hannaway ’16 realizes that many Marietta College students tend to stay within the campus bubble.

She and her Marketing Research classmates are studying the relationship between the College and the downtown shopping district, and other areas that affect the livelihood of the historic area. But before they could work on the study, they had to get to know a little about the community they’d be serving.

“I needed to accomplish two objectives pretty quickly,” says Marketing Assistant Professor Julie Harding. “First, I had to help students get to know each other and learn to work together in their assigned teams. I also had to quickly introduce them to downtown businesses. So I sent them on a scavenger hunt downtown. They had to work in groups and had to meet with a lot of the business owners in a short amount of time.”

The client for the Marketing Research class is Katy Sulfridge, Executive Director of Marietta Main Street. Initially, the class project focused on how the downtown businesses could attract more Marietta College students to their stores.

“After they saw the downtown businesses, met with our client and spent a class period with Jeff Siegler, director of revitalization for Heritage Ohio, students came to me and said, ‘We think there are other things we need to explore.’ So now the three teams are working on three different research problems,” Harding says.

All the teams are primarily working with Marietta Main Street, a nonprofit organization that helps improve and preserve the historic downtown area, as well as with business owners. One team is taking on the original project proposed by Harding that studies how downtown businesses can generate awareness of what they offer to the Marietta College student body, as well as draw students downtown.

Hannaway’s group is researching how a collaboration between the College and the downtown merchants could help the shopping district.

The third group is looking at how beautification projects can support an increase in patronage.

Sulfridge appreciates that the students identified that by broadening their research, they could offer much more support to the downtown area.

“At first, we thought that just focusing on what we could do to get students downtown would be the best way to go, but a couple of the groups — after spending some time downtown and listening to my colleague at Heritage Ohio and me — decided to go ahead and see what we could do to increase traffic overall,” Sulfridge says.

Hannaway is confident that her group research project will show potential employers that she has experience working for a non-profit organization and with multiple clients.

“This is the first time I’ve had a class like this,” Hannaway says. “I’m gaining a lot of experience actually working on a project that requires this amount of time and research. I don’t think I could have learned this

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SC AV EN G ER H U N T Marketing Research students completed a scavenger hunt in downtown Marietta before embarking on a study that will help local businesses.

from a class that relied solely on a textbook.”

Harding says each group must create a research request agreement, prepare for and conduct a focus group, conduct and report on secondary research, and develop and distribute a questionnaire, as well as analyze their findings and present their research to the client, both in writing and in a formal presentation.

“When they enter professional marketing roles, there comes a point where they’ll have to either conduct research themselves or oversee research conducted on their organization’s behalf,” Harding says. “I just want to see them prepared.”

Hannaway sees an additional benefit to helping bolster the downtown district.

“My group is focusing on how Marietta College can better collaborate with Marietta Main Street, with the hopes of bringing more students downtown,” Hannaway says. “We are also trying to determine if there’s a correlation between being connected to the town and student retention. So at the end of this class, we’ll present our findings to Marietta Main Street but also bring that research back to campus so maybe the College can learn something about this connection.”

Harding gives Diane Bruno, the First Lady of the College, a lot of credit for helping to inspire the creation of this project.

“She was the one a year ago who got several community leaders together to look at how we could attract more students to downtown,” Harding says. “She is very involved in the community and wants to help

> ALUMNI

support downtown’s revitalization efforts.”

So far, the students have also worked with a marketing research expert, Brett Watkins, whose firm is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina; spent time with Peter Thayer, reference and access services librarian in Legacy Library, to learn about secondary sources; and attended presentations offered to local businesses in the city, such as Boost Your Business forums.

“This helps both the College and the downtown,” Sulfridge says. “The College can show just how much of an asset the students can be, and the students can help us with a perspective that we don’t usually get.

Some of the students in the class are local, but many are from other places, and I think that the diversity of the group will help us think about things that work well and what we might be lacking. It’s easy as a community to get bogged down in what we’ve always done and what has always worked in the past.”

GI SMITH

Bigger goal, greater expectations M ARI E T TA F U N D SU P P O RT EV EN MO R E I MP O RTA N T TH I S YEA R

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n 2014-15, Marietta College alumni and donors were a big reason why the College was able to surpass its $1.85 million goal by $100,000.

Alumni participation in The Marietta Fund demonstrates that members of The Long Blue Line believe in the mission of Marietta College. This year, Brandee Norris, Executive Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement, says that support will be as important as ever.

This year’s goal is $2.15 million — the largest in Marietta College history.

“Many people don’t realize the important role supporting The Marietta Fund plays in the future of Marietta, no matter the level,” Norris says. “Alumni support shows they value their degree and they are investing in our future.”

Last year, 18 percent of Marietta’s alumni base donated to The Marietta Fund — which almost hit $2 million. Norris says if every other member of The Long Blue Line made a $100 gift this year, it would double the amount of money available to support student scholarships and faculty research.

“Although traditionally small, participation gifts add up to make a big difference,” Norris says. “Last year, the gifts we received that were less than $250 added up to almost $150,000 of support.”

Unrestricted gifts are extremely important as they provide a crucial bridge between tuition revenue and the actual cost of running the College, offering relief to the operating budget and directly affecting students, faculty and numerous programs. Most importantly, unrestricted gifts, regardless of the size, allow President Joseph Bruno to respond to Marietta’s most pressing financial concerns and provide the flexibility to seize unique and important opportunities.

“One of the simplest ways to make a big difference is by joining our new Confluence Club,” Norris says.

“This allows you to set up a modest gift each month, ensuring a steady stream of support for today’s students.”

TOM PERRY

ROBERT CAPLIN

“My group is focusing on how Marietta College can better collaborate with Marietta Main Street, with the hopes of bringing more students downtown.”

Nikki Hannaway ’16

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> ACADEMICS

Summer research at Yale leads to clearer career picture

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MARA LAVITT

rendan Adkinson ’16 says his career choice became signifiprove the lives of individuals through translational research. cantly clearer after spending a summer at Yale.

Dr. Alicia Doerflinger, Associate Professor of Psychology, has He was one of two undergraduate students working worked closely with Adkinson over the last two years to help him dein the laboratory of Dr. Alan Anticevic, Co-Director of the sign a Neuroscience major. His self-sufficiency impresses her.

Yale School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry’s Division of “For example, Brendan came to me in his sophomore year to disNeurocognition, Neurocomputation and Neurogenetics. cuss the possibility of a student-designed major in Neuroscience,” “As early as last summer, I wasn’t really sure I wanted to go into Doerflinger says. “He had already done the research, had four model mental health,” says the Bellevue, Ohio, native. “I knew I wanted to programs for me to consider and, together, we put together a prodo medicine coming into Marietta College. During my research experi- posal for the SDM (Student-Designed Major).” ence, I worked with patients in a clinical setting, and I really enjoyed She has the same sentiment for his drive to earn research that side of medicine.” experiences.

The research investigated perfor“His position at Yale last summer was mance on psychophysical tasks for also independently obtained,” she says. more than 30 people with schizophre“He did the research, made initial contacts nia and autism spectrum disorders. At with people he was interested in working the time Adkinson was working, the with and was granted the position.” lab was also conducting an MRI study Adkinson was one of six Marietta College that involved administering ketamine students funded by the Board of Trustees to healthy individuals in order to induce to attend the 2014 U.S.-China Student schizophrenic symptoms while they perSummit in Beijing, China. He is Vice formed a working memory task.

President of the Student Alumni Association Adkinson is currently authoring a and an active member of a number of cross-diagnostic review paper that campus organizations, including Cru Bible outlines the similarities and differences Study and Global Connections. in autism and schizophrenia with memAdkinson was a letterman on the Marietta bers of the Anticevic Laboratory. He will College football team before switching to also be presenting at the International the tennis team, where he is now a capMeeting for Autism Research this comtain. His passion for sports was passed ing May. down from his father, an NCAA Division I “After this research experience, I athlete, and his maternal grandfather, who became more interested in the cogniwas scouted by the Cleveland Browns. tive neuroscience of mental illness in Adkinson’s parents, Brian and Sherry, and general,” says Adkinson, who is majorhis older brother, Cody, who completed his ing in Biochemistry, Neuroscience and medical degree in May, have been very supSpanish at Marietta. “I plan to take two portive of his efforts. gap years to continue research before, Earning three undergraduate degrees hopefully, I’m accepted into an M.D.has given Adkinson numerous options after Ph.D. program.” graduation. Similarly, he had multiple opBefore leaving at the end of the sumtions upon graduating from high school > LI F E-C H A N G I N G R ESEA R C H A summer internship at the top of his class and as an All-Ohio mer, Adkinson was invited to present at Yale University solidifies a future in mental health for triple- middle linebacker. research that he had conducted during major Brendan Adkinson ’16. his time at Marietta College at the Yale “I had applied to 26 colleges, and Marietta School of Medicine’s Hispanic Clinic facwas in my top three,” Adkinson says. He ulty meeting. He delivered the presentawent on to become a recipient of one of tion about first-generation Mexican-American longevity in Spanish to Marietta College’s full-tuition Trustee Scholarships. the audience of native Spanish speakers.

“I am very thankful to God, all of my professors and those who During his time in New Haven, Connecticut, Adkinson also initiated helped prepare me for this research experience. I can say without any contact with Dr. Raymond Damadian, the inventor of the MRI scanexaggeration that I have been given opportunities at Marietta College ner and founder of FONAR Corporation. Adkinson toured Damadian’s that I wouldn’t have had elsewhere,” Adkinson says.

Long Island, New York, lab, and they ended up talking for an entire GI SMITH afternoon, finding common interest as creationists who aspire to im-

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ROBERT CAPLIN

B USINESS SAVVY Student business partners can draw up to $10,000 from an entrepreneurship incubator grant to put their winning business plans into practice.

> ACADEMICS

New venture appeals to students’ innovative drive

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he entrepreneurial spirit is definitely alive and well at Marietta College.

Just days after announcing PioBiz, a business plan competition for students, Dr. Gama Perruci says there were at least 20 students ready to learn more about it.

“We were very excited by the number of students who expressed an interest,” he says.

The deadline to submit plans is not until Jan. 18, so the total number of business plans up for consideration won’t be official until then.

The program, which is run by the Department of Business & Economics and the McDonough Center, conducted two workshops for interested students.

On Feb. 8, the top five business plans will be announced, followed by a practice round where the two-person student groups — which must include one junior — will share their business plan during a PioPitch session. The winner will be announced on April 1 after each group makes their official argument during another PioPitch.

“This is an outgrowth of our interest in experiential education. The recognition that we need to find ways to allow students to take what they are learning in the classroom and apply it outside the classroom in a meaningful way,” Perruci says.

“This is not an exercise. This is the real thing, with real money.”

The winning student or team will draw up to $10,000 from an entrepreneurship incubator fund, which is supported by a grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation. They will also receive guidance from the College’s faculty and staff, as well as local business and community leaders.

The team will spend the 2016-17 academic year preparing for the launch of their business in the Marietta area.

“Potentially we will be helping the community create jobs and new ventures,” Perruci says. “I see this as helping us fulfill our core value of being a service to the region.”

Katie Hall ’18 is currently planning to com-

pete. Since she’s a sophomore, she will have to partner with a junior in order to participate in the competition.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve enjoyed baking and cooking,” Hall says. “I know a lot of students are interested in it this year. I want to own my own business, and the chance to get some start-up money, and the feedback from local business owners is very appealing.”

Dr. Jacqueline Khorassani, who organizes the PioPitch program, is excited about the PioBiz competition.

“This program provides students a chance to put their for-profit business ideas into action under the supervision and guidance of Marietta College faculty,” she says. “A student does not have to major or minor in a business-related area to participate in the PioBiz competition. All he or she has to have is an idea, a lot of enthusiasm and passion, and willingness to work hard and learn.”

TOM PERRY

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> ALUMNI

Expanding Marietta EASTERN TEXA S RE G I ONAL AS S OCI AT I ON R EC EI V ES C H A RTER

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great group of volunteers and alumni eager to support their efforts led to the chartering of the Eastern Texas Regional Association, joining the efforts of New England and Washington, D.C., to provide social and philanthropic opportunities for alumni, current and prospective students, and parents in various regions of the country.

The chartering ceremony took place on Saturday, Aug. 15, at The Carlton Room at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas.

Jason ’96 and Erin Conroy Rebrook ’99 hosted the event.

“It was truly a pleasure to meet with so many dedicated alumni from Eastern Texas,” says President Joseph W. Bruno, who delivered the group’s charter and thanked them for their support.

Lead Volunteer Aleah Telek Esparza ’09, Co-Lead Volunteer Stephanie Esparza Peloquin ’06, and Volunteers Britt Howell Bodager ’09, Beth Bennon Jones ’07, Suzanne Ferimer ’68 and Mark Dean ’07 worked with the Office of Alumni Engagement to establish the Regional Association. They also received support from Jim ’73 and Wendy Keck Fryfogle ’75, Matthew Peloquin ’06, the Rebrooks, Tim ’06 and Valerie Tharp Byers ’04, and Adam Esparza ’09.

“I was excited to be approached early on regarding establishing a Regional Association in and around Houston, Texas,” Stephanie Peloquin says. “Marietta College holds a special place in my heart not only for where I met my husband and lifelong friends, but for the path it has put me on, and to be able to share that with alumni, family, current/ prospective students and their parents is what it is all about.”

She says the opportunity to bring those groups together and shine a light on the College was something that needed to be seized.

“After the initial conversations, we stared out on a yearlong mission to hold a variety of events to gather alumni and students, and raise aware-

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ness of the Regional Association and what it will offer,” Peloquin says.

“Thank you to all the hardworking volunteers who take time from their busy lives to lend a hand, especially our leader, Aleah Esparza.”

Cristie Thomas, Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement for Regional Associations and Young Alumni Programs, says the Houston area was definitely on the College’s radar for this program.

“When the Office of Alumni Engagement was looking at our top 10 priority cities, Houston definitely had the alumni constituency that could sustain a Regional Association, and there was a lot of excitement when we announced that we were pursuing Regional Associations across the country,” Thomas says.

Peloquin says 70 alumni, their spouses and special guests attended the launch. One guest, in particular, traveled from Marietta to be a part of the event. Dr. Robert Chase, longtime Chair of the Petroleum Engineering and Geology Department, made the trip to the Houston area as part of his retirement celebration.

“This was a real special moment for me,” Chase says. “I’ve always tried to treat my students like my own kids, and this was one case where they treated me like their dear old dad.”

During the ceremony, Jason Rebrook and Don Ritter presented Chase with a new Martin guitar, an amplifier “and all the trimmings,” Chase says. The gift was on behalf of the Houston alumni.

“I wish I had the opportunity to see all of my former students to thank them for being part of my life and career at MC,” Chase says. “Thirtyseven years have flown by. I wouldn’t trade a day of it.”

GI SMITH

> ON CAMPUS

Students work to continue the literary magazine tradition

ROBERT CAPLIN

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his spring, members of the English honorary society Sigma Tau Delta anticipate the newest edition of their literary magazine, Pulse, to roll off the press.

Organizers received 25 literary submissions and 10 images and artwork pieces last year, but hope to receive more this year.

Marissa Merriman ’17 serves as the honorary society’s Historian, Secretary and Treasurer.

Other members helping with Pulse include Sigma Tau Delta President Emily Stainbrook ’17, Vice President Amy Castle ’17, Erin McNulty ’16, Darnell DePriest ’16 and Rylie Wahl ’19. Dr. Nathan Anderson, Associate Professor of English, is the faculty advisor for Sigma Tau Delta and is helping the team run the magazine.

“Pulse has been an interesting way that I have been able to explore different aspects of English,” Castle says. “The reason I keep helping out with Pulse is because I love that I get to read my peers’ work and see how creative and talented they are, while improving my editing skills.”

Merriman says she and Castle began work> L I TER A RY TR A D I T I O N Sigma Tau Delta members (from left) Emily Stainbrook ’17, Erin McNulty ’16, ing with the Pulse team during their freshman Amy Castle ’17 and Marissa Merriman ’17 are part of a team working on the 2015-16 edition of Pulse, year and enjoyed it, though they didn’t learn Marietta College’s literary magazine. much about putting together a magazine.

“During our sophomore year, we began working on the magazine with Erin McNulty, the Sigma Tau Delta President last year,” Merriman says. “She led our small group well and taught us so much more about how to properly run the magazine. Emily Stainbrook decided to join our team last year and is taking charge of Pulse this year. She has been wonderful to work with so far, and our number of recruits is continuing to steadily grow.”

The group heavily publicized the magazine.

Instead of relying solely on flyers, they sent campus-wide emails and reached out to specific classes.

“Dr. Anderson has been handing out flyers in his classes and passing around old copies to Available at the College Bookstore and show students what Pulse is like and how reonline at: marietta.bncollege.com warding it is to be published,” Merriman says.

The group anticipates producing 250 to 300 copies. To order a free copy, email a shipping address to pulse@marietta.edu for details.

GI SMITH

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Journal

ALUM NI & C A MP U S N EWS

> ON CAMPUS

GrantSpeed RANDOM ACTS OF K I NDNE S S HONORI NG G R A N T B A U ER G O G L O B A L

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“The hardest part for anybody who has gone through this is the ‘Why?’ part,” Bill says. “The why? The how? Did he mean to do this?

Could this have been an accident?” The truth is, Grant was ill. He suffered from an illness that had become fatal. Bill, who is a rehabilitation counselor, has often counseled people with depression, anxiety and suicide ideation. “But to actually go through it after Grant’s death gave me a sense of accurate empathy,” Bill says. “Unfortunately, I can say, ‘I truly understand.’”

As the first anniversary of Grant’s death approached, Bill spoke with his friend from high school, Jim Luce. They had reconnected two summers ago when Bill was in Hawaii. While checking his Facebook page, Bill saw a friend request from Luce, who later asked if Bill would be interested in joining the James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation Board of Directors. The foundation offers support to people and organizations dedicated to improving humanity in the fields of the art, education and orphan care. “Bill was feeling very melancholy about the anniversary of Grant’s death,” Jim says. “His death caught Bill off guard. Grant was happy; he had plans. It was very hard for Bill to accept that it was sui-

ROBERT CAPLIN

hursday night, Grant Bauer ’12 shined his shoes and laid out his clothes for the following day of work. Friday night, he had a social gathering with a friend in Athens. He was living in Nelsonville, Ohio, and he had plans.

Later that evening, he sent a text at 8:42 p.m. to his father, Dr. Bill Bauer, McCoy Professor of Education at Marietta College. The two were playing Words with Friends, an online Scrabble game.

“I got his text,” Bill says from his office on the third floor of Erwin Hall.

The office overlooks Thomas Hall and is filled with photos of his family, comfortable chairs and coffee mugs, in case a visitor would like a cup of coffee during a chat with the beloved professor.

Dad — Play Words now. Night. I love you.

At 4 a.m. Friday, Sept. 5, 2014 — hours after Grant sent his last text — Bill and his wife Mary Ella were awakened to the phone ringing.

Their only son, the big brother to their daughter Maddie, a young man with the kindest heart, the one who Mary Ella planned to help find an apartment closer to his work in Columbus the following week, Grant, was dead. He had taken his own life.

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> ON CAMPUS

GI SMITH

Free subject-specific tutoring available

B

iochemistry major Rachel Stahl ’17 is excited about the new space in Bartlett dedicated for subjectspecific tutoring.

The Academic Resource Center (ARC) unveiled the new Tutoring and Learning Center at the start of the fall semester. It’s located in room 370 of the Rickey Science Center’s Bartlett wing and is free to all students. The room formerly served as a computer lab, but few students ever used it.

Stahl, who is a tutor, knows that some concepts in her major take time to work out on your own, so she enjoys helping fellow students learn material she’s already tackled.

“It’s nice to be able to help other people, and it also helps reinstate the knowledge of the subject in my head,” Stahl said.

Keira Hambrick, Academic Support Coordinator in the ARC, said the Tutoring and Learning Center handles courses from Accounting to Zoology, though the Writing Center in Thomas 221 still handles all writing-specific tutoring, and the ARC main offices are still located in Andrews Hall. Student tutors have a regular schedule, so students can depend on someone there who is able to help them.

“Thirty percent of our student population used tutoring in one form or another last year,” Hambrick said. “Tutoring gives students extra exposure to course material. It also benefits the tutors by allowing them to practice course content.”

Emily Stainbrook ’17 began tutoring in the Writing Center last year and spends roughly 30 minutes to an hour with students during each session.

“Tutoring has taught me to be a better communicator,” Stainbrook said. She sees many of the same students over the course of a semester. “A lot of times, they need help with organization or understanding the prompt.”

Hambrick said the tutors, most of whom are paid through Work Study, are typically recommended by faculty.

Stainbrook, on the other hand, is a volunteer tutor.

“I really enjoy tutoring,” Stainbrook said. “I make sure there is time in my schedule to do it. It’s actually the highlight of my day when I get to help a fellow student.”

Students must visit mywco.com/marietta to schedule an appointment with a tutor in the Tutoring & Learning Center or the Writing Center.

PETER FINGER

cide right after it happened. So when he told me he felt melancholy, I thought to myself, ‘he must be grappling with the difficult issue that your child has committed suicide.’”

Jim recalls the namesake of Mother Jones magazine, Mary Harris Jones, a union organizer. She had a saying, “Don’t mourn, organize.” Jim encouraged Bill to take action, and established a fund to support Bill’s efforts.

“A few days before the one-year anniversary of Grant’s death, I was sitting in front of my computer, remembering all of the kind things Grant did for everyone,” Bill says. “I hear stories all the time from people saying Grant bought them food or put gas in their car when they didn’t have money. It was normal for him to spend his last dime on someone in need or someone he just wanted to make happy.”

Bill created a post on Facebook. The world responded. On Sept. 2, 2015, he asked his friends to do a Random Act of Kindness to honor Grant’s memory, hoping that 1,000 RAKs would be performed by Sept. 5.

Dave Hood ’11, a friend of Grant’s at Marietta College, bought gasoline for a woman with a young child behind him line at a gas station, and asked her to pay it forward at some point. “Grant had a way about him. He had no problem talking to strangers, making them feel like he cared.”

Dave lost touch with Grant about a year and a half after they graduated. “But anytime we saw each other, it was like old times.”

After Grant died, Dave reached out to Bill, though he didn’t quite know what to say. “There are never going to be words that are right, but saying words at all is what’s important. I contact the Bauers on certain days that I know are especially hard, like Christmas or birthdays. I want them to know that their sorrow about Grant’s death is being shared by others.”

By Sept. 5, 2015, more than 5,000 people in Ohio, across the United States, and in several countries performed RAKs in Grant’s name. Additionally, the Luce Foundation launched the Bauer Fund, which is supported through donation and utilizes the interest to fund programs that focus on mental illness and intellectual disabilities. The Luce Foundation has declared Sept. 5 “Grant Day.” He posted the private messages and Facebook posts on his page and featured some in the Stewardship Report, which is written by Jim for the Luce Foundation.

Inspiring so many people — friends and strangers —to offer the same compassion and kind deeds as his son has helped to ease the pain of losing Grant.

“This is not the life we wanted,” Bill says. “It is the life we have. And, like Grant, we want to do something for others. In the most terrible, catastrophic time in our lives, we’re trying to do something that will help someone else.”

Bill says it’s past time for the general public to acknowledge mental illness.

“There is a tremendous lack of programs, services and support for mental health issues. As public awareness increases, the shortage of these services is most highly noticeable in underserved and unserved areas across the world.”

Adults with intellectual disabilities have limited choices in the social/recreational arena, employment opportunities and post-secondary education opportunities. It is through contributions to the Bauer Fund that we can begin to help rectify this.

“It’s time to eradicate the taboo and stigmatization,” Bill says. “Depression happens. Anxiety happens. Bipolarism happens. Mental illness is real. It is an illness. It’s a part of our culture, and it is a worldwide issue. We have to talk about it.

Everyone knows someone who knows someone with a mental health condition or a person with a developmental disability. We need to destigmatize differences. It’s now my mission, more than ever.”

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G N O L E H T G N I V GI GI S

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M A R I E T TA > 15

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he enrollment numbers for many colleges in America — especially small colleges in rural areas — are slumping.

This is also true for Marietta, as the Class of 2019 numbered 283 first-year freshmen. Another reality is that retention — keeping the students Marietta already has coming back — is also wavering, particularly between the first-year to second-year class.

From 2013 to 2014, the College’s overall retention rate was 74 percent. From 2014 to 2015, that number dropped to 73 percent.

It’s why the College is focusing on John N. Gardner’s Foundations of Excellence program to help with first-year and transfer student success. Gardner ’65 has been consulting with the College for more than two years about retention.

The all-out goal is to attract a larger, more diverse class of talented students, but also retain them over their four or five years on campus. The College must keep them united as a student body and keep them engaged in the campus and larger community of Marietta in order to educate them from their first year through to their Commencement. It’s not a numbers game, it’s a personal connection endeavor.

The Freshmen Welcome Week exemplified the College’s attempt at creating such relationships. It started with the Sunday, Aug. 16, Move-In Day, which featured upperclassmen and staff volunteers helping students move their belongings into their rooms.

Erin Riordan-Dye, Campus Involvement Coordinator, organized all of the Welcome Week activities, including a three-day wilderness adventure, which staff and faculty members volunteered to chaperone.

Savannah Nickell ’19 rolled into Move-In Day in a newly purchased yellow compact car with a standard transmission, a style of car she had hardly any experience driving. Having done her homework on the College, and having visited multiple times during high school, Nickell was comfortable with Marietta and easily asked Campus Police Officer Chris Hall for a little help pulling her car backward up a hill once upperclassmen volunteers and staff were finished helping her move her belongings into her third-floor room.

Without a second thought, Hall maneuvered her car so it pointed downhill — a much easier position from which to start a standard — and handed the vehicle off to its owner so she could find a parking spot next to the McCoy Athletic Facility.

All the belongings she brought from her New Carlisle, Ohio, home were already in her room. What was left was lunch, Matriculation, the class photo, a farewell barbecue for families of the students, and a pre-trip orientation for the three-day Camp 2019 experience at ACE Adventure Resort in Minden, West Virginia.

The goal of the camp was to acclimate the students with each other so they could establish a friend base before embarking on

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their academic lives. Peer Mentors, upperclassmen who help mentor incoming students and answer their questions about Marietta and college in general, also went on the camping trip. Dr. Nicole Livengood, Associate Professor of English, is in charge of that program, as well as the First-Year Seminar course program. The peer mentors were assigned to different bunks at the camp, which allowed the first-year students the opportunity to ask questions in private to someone who may have had similar questions four years earlier.

Laura Knobel is the College’s Campus Involvement Coordinator and worked primarily with the Summer Experience, which focused less on leading new students through the course registration process and more on helping students develop strong ties to the College.

“We assessed this program based on a set of outcomes we wanted to achieve and received an overall positive response from incoming students,” Knobel says.

Gauging from Nickell’s reaction to the College several weeks into her fall semester studies, the new program is working.

“Marietta isn’t exactly what I expected,” Nickell says. “Honestly, it’s a lot better than what I expected.”

Nickell learned about the College when she was in high school and her boyfriend was a first-year student at Marietta.

“He was a petro student, so every time I talked to him or visited here, he was studying.”

Nickell says. “Of course, it’s one of the hardest majors here, so now I know he had to study all of the time.”

She knew she’d have a good experience at Marietta when she was able to meet with the Pre-Law coordinator while she was still in high school.

“He answered a lot of my questions about heading into Pre-Law and reassured me that Marietta would prepare me for law school,” she says.

Glenn Richards is the Community Coordinator for the First-Year Complex and of Theme Communities, and works closely with new students as well as their Community Advisors.

“My role with the first-year students is to be a resource for them and help them feel that Marietta can be their home for the next few years,” Richards says. “Working with my staff of 13 Community Advisors (CAs), we put on programs and events to help combat homesickness, as well as help them adjust academically and socially to the College.”

The CAs are specially trained upperclassmen who live in residence halls. Richards relies on them to create events for first-year students or escort them to other planned events on campus.

“As a Community Coordinator for the First-Year Complex, I have to help my CAs try to get each student excited about being at Marietta, and get them involved some way in the Marietta College community,” Richards says. “If we can get them integrated in the community, they are more likely to stay here for all four years.”

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nce Welcome Week is over and classes begin, the College makes sure that there are many support systems in place to help first-year students.

All class syllabi feature information about the Academic Resource Center and the Writing Center, both of which offer free tutoring. New this year is the Tutoring Center, which provides subject-specific offices where upperclassmen help newer students with their assignments or with concepts they can’t master.

A main component of the first-year student curriculum is the First-Year Seminar (FYS), which Dr. Suzanne Walker oversees.

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PA G E 1 6 (Top) A few suggestions from a hypnotist send Donovan Carter ’19 to the floor, and his fellow first-year students (from left) Jake Pieper ’19, Mel Shuler ’19, Seth Legraen ’19 and Joe Gardner ’19 in hysterics. (Bottom) Maria Mudre ’19 does a little painting during the First-Year Community Day of Service throughout the city of Marietta.

>

PA G E 1 7 (Top) Community Advisors lead a group of first-year students downtown during the Explore Etta event.

(Center) Xuan “Benjamin” Zhu ’19 signs a board with his fellow classmates describing goals at Marietta College.

(Bottom) First-year students were treated to a Block Party before the start of fall semester.

M A R I E T TA > 17

Dr. Mark Schaefer, Associate Professor of Political Science, is teaching an FYS course on Detroit, a city that is plagued by high unemployment, political corruption and violent crime.

“I teach First-Year courses pretty regularly, but this is the first one that’s not a political science class, so it’s a little more tedious in terms of preparation,” Schaefer says.

Schaefer adds that he’s spent a lot of time researching Detroit and preparing how he could best connect with the all-freshman class.

“In a typical 100-level class, you’ll have seniors who will pull out a notebook and start taking notes; then, the freshmen see that and copy that behavior,” Schaefer says. “You don’t have that kind of influence in (the Detroit) class. They’re all first-year students.”

Jordan Long ’19 is in Schaefer’s class and he routinely contributes.

The Middletown, Ohio, Sports Management major plays on an Ultimate Frisbee team and participates in numerous activities.

“At the time, I didn’t think I was ready for college,” Long says. “I had a couple relatives come here, and now they’re working on Wall Street.

When I visited campus, I liked it.”

Long didn’t attend any of the camping experiences, but maintains that it didn’t take long for him to feel at home on campus.

“I went to Homecoming and this music festival that they had — I really enjoyed myself,” Long says. “Every student is different. A lot of them had family come in for Family Weekend. I went home, and I wanted to do that.”

Emily Vigne ’19, of Lancaster, Ohio, is double-majoring in International Leadership Studies and Political Science.

“I’m a McDonough student, so I have to have so many volunteer hours, which I enjoy,” Vigne says. “Volunteering connects you to the community and gives you an emotional tie that lasts. At Marietta College, the people and the atmosphere are really nice.”

Because she was a part of the McDonough EXCEL orientation, Vigne was not able to attend the first-year camping trip beyond the first day.

“The one day was good enough for me,” Vigne says. “It was fun, but I’m not sure how much of a bonding experience it was.”

Lawrence Johnson ’19, of Dallas, Texas, agrees with Vigne’s opinion of the camp.

“I’m in football, so I was only able to go the first day, which was OK,” Johnson, a Biochemistry major, says. “I’m happy with my College decision, but it’s a lot of work. Managing my time is my biggest challenge.”

Schaefer says he tries to help his FYS students with note taking and study tips, which is a role the ARC and subject-specific tutoring fulfills as well.

“I help them with registering for classes, and, to most, I’m their academic advisor,” Schaefer says. “With FYS courses, you do have to engage the students throughout the class; keep their attention so they can keep up.”

Schaefer’s class consisted of a lot of questions and answers, which the students readily obliged.

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“They are pretty comfortable in my class, which is good,” Schaefer says.

Jian Hui “Chris” Ding ’16 is an international student from China who is a 3-2 Binary Engineering student.

“I study Physics and was a part of the Early Arrival Program for international students,” he says. “I went to the camp for the first day and got to whitewater raft.”

Ding lives in Mary Beach Hall with his roommate, Xuan (Benjamin) Zhu ’19, who he knew from China and was very good friends with before coming to Marietta College.

“My father’s good friend graduated from this College and spoke with me about it while I was still in China. He said it was an amazing place and one could achieve anything here,” Ding says. “That is why I came.

It is good to go away from home to study. I have a lot of support here from my professors. I know they will help me in my program so I can go to Columbia to finish (my degree). The help I get and the friends I have make this feel like home.”

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PA G E 1 8 (Top, from left) Derek Allen Krieg ’19, Nick Bates ’19, Jay Chapin ’19, Sam Bidwell ’19, Britton Jackson ’19, Erika Wick ’19, Tara Moore ’19 and Sarah Little ’19 stay busing during the Service Starts Here: First-Year Community Day of Service. (Bottom) Zach Johnson ’19 does some heavy lifting during Freshman Move-In Day.

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PA G E 1 9 (Top) Nick Cuaresma ’19 looks back from his raft at fellow members of his team braving the rapids. (Left) Corrie Burkhardt ’19 gives the thumbs up after competing during the ACE Adventure Camp. (Right) Tom Eslich ’19 draws a flag at the start of the ACE Adventure Camp to determine the team he joins.

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Making long trips

pay of

COACHES SEE HUGE BENEF ROAD TRIPS, BUT THEY COM

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hen recruiting talented soccer players, Joe Bergin ’86 looks for every advantage he can find to convince a teenager to pick Marietta College.

“I will hold our academics up to the schools we compete against,” Bergin says. “And we have a great facility, and we even have a practice field, which most of the programs we compete against don’t have.”

But there is one area in which he doesn’t match up quite as well.

“It’s become the norm for your top programs to take one major road trip every year, or at least every other year.

This typically means flying to a big city or a big tournament early in the season,” says Bergin, whose men’s soccer team has improved in each of his three years at Marietta. “These trips are expensive, but they can provide a lot of positives for a program that is looking to compete with the best.”

Every coach at Marietta would jump at the chance to take one of these trips, but it can be costly for even a few days away from campus.

“Those trips are funded 95 percent outside of the operating budget, so coaches and athletes begin fundraising a couple years in advance for them. And, while there is the intrinsic value of experiencing another culture, they are ‘business’ trips and the games are important,” says Larry Hiser, Director of Athletics.

“Well-executed trips bring regional or national recognition to the program and the College, while creating bonds and memories for the team that will last a lifetime.”

Jordanna Rauch ’18 was part of the women’s basketball team that traveled to Puerto Rico last season. The team raised money for the trip by manning the concession stand at football games, working summer camps and organizing individual fundraising programs. Most of the players also had to pay for some of the trip with their own money.

“It was definitely worth it,” Rauch says. “The best part was the trip wasn’t all about basketball. We were focused and ready to play, but the trip also allowed the team to hang out together in a place that many of us may have never visited. This was an experience that none of us will ever forget.”

Women’s basketball coach Stacia Shrider says the goal is to find a “major” road trip that is most beneficial for the program and her players.

“This way we can tell a recruit they will get the chance to take one of these trips if they stick with the program for four years,” she says. “A trip like the one we took to Puerto Rico was the first time some of our players had ever been on a plane. I think this is a valuable part of being on the team, but also a valuable part of their education.”

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ff ROBERT CAPLIN

FIT IN MAJOR ME AT A COST

Men’s basketball coach Jon VanderWal has seen the positive impact an extended road trip can have on the student athletes. VanderWal has taken teams to Los Angeles, Canada and Miami.

“It can really build team chemistry when you travel on a plane and spend a few days in a city that is not typically on our schedule,” he says. “We are definitely there to play some good competition and win games, but it’s sort of a working vacation. The players develop a special bond during these trips, and it creates lifelong memories.”

VanderWal’s three major trips also had an unintended result.

“The ironic part of those trips was each year we also qualified for the NCAA Tournament,” he says.

VanderWal makes sure every recruit knows about past trips and ones he is considering in the future.

“I tell them if they are with the program for four years, they will get to make a big trip with basketball,” he says.

“I’m working on setting up something in the future, but we are looking at a big D3 tournament in Las Vegas, and eventually I want to take the team on a European trip during the summer. The only way we or any team can do this is through the generous support of alumni and donors.”

Eddy Grenert ’16, a starter on last year’s Elite 8 team, says the two trips he has experienced have played a critical role in building team unity.

“Last year, it was Christmas, and before the trip to South Beach, we had been on campus for about three weeks while all of the other students were home. So we were getting tired of being on campus with no one else,” he says. “But we beat the 19th-ranked team in the nation, and then we won big in the next game.

That made the trip great, but then Coach gave us some time to have fun, and we got to hang out at South Beach and enjoy ourselves.”

Softball coach Jeanne Arbuckle says her program’s annual trip to Florida for spring break is now considered part of the regular season — much like baseball — so the team must conduct fundraising to support the annual event.

“The institution is very supportive of all of the athletic teams, but these important trips could not be possible without alumni and donors,” she says. “To take your entire team on the road for a few days or a week, there are a lot of expenses. I know all of the coaches in our department appreciate the monetary support we get in our restricted budgets, and we hope other alumni will see the value in this and help make it possible for more of our student athletes to get this type of experience.”

TOM PERRY

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Scorebook PIONEER

AT H L E T I C N E W S

Long overdue

BOATHOUSE GETTING MUCH-NEEDED, MUCH-APPRECIATED RENOVATION

W

hen Andrea Haynes Perry ’82 rowed for Marietta College, the boathouse was not considered welcoming or friendly.

“Saturday morning winter workouts in the boathouse were rather dismal,” she says. “After jogging to the boathouse in cold or freezing weather, we then worked out with limited weights and equipment. The boathouse wasn’t a place you wanted to hang out, but rather endured your time spent there.”

Perry hopes that won’t be the memories current and future Marietta College rowers have. Perry and Dr. Elliott Thrasher ’62 each provided major gifts that made it possible for the College to complete a $220,000 renovation to the boathouse this fall. This first phase included lighting and a new ramp for the third bay.

Now, the College’s Advancement Office is working to identify a new group of donors who will help fund the second phase. Some of the $580,000 goal has already been raised.

“Andrea Haynes Perry and her family have been instrumental in moving this project forward to completion,” says Angela Anderson, Vice President for Advancement. “In addition to their previous gifts, the

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family has now issued a $150,000 challenge match. Due to the commitments of stand-out alumni rowers — John Strotbeck ’79 and Jim Metcalf ’79, along with his wife, Barbara Lantelme Metcalf ’79 — the goal can be met once alumni raise an additional $150,000.”

The second phase is slated to begin this upcoming summer.

“After a great deal of planning and discussing this project with passionate alumni, we are excited to have the first phase completed, and we are excited about the potential of the next phase,” says Larry Hiser, Director of Athletics.

Jim Metcalf is excited to see the progress that is being made at the Lindamood-VanVoorhis Boathouse.

“I started inquiring about when the last time any significant work was done on the boathouse and found it was in 1974 … before I even got to Marietta College,” he says. “Certainly anyone who has rowed at Marietta College understands the process and realizes funding to support this type of initiative has to come primarily from alumni who want to see the MC rowing program continue its incredible legacy of success, both in terms of the athletes it produces and the unique role

ROBERT CAPLIN

ROBERT CAPLIN

JEFF SCHALY

Phase I Project cost: $220,000 1. Stabilize foundation with helical screws 2. Sandblast and repoint mortar joints of original 1929 sandstone structure it sustains for the College and community.”

Current rowers have noticed the changes and say the upgrades have lifted everyone’s spirits.

“We are lucky for what we have, but the fact we are getting the money to re-do the boathouse and getting the donors to re-do it … we are all appreciative,” Bella Hildebrandt ’16 says. “The boathouse is so much more inviting and, once the second phase is completed, it will be the best. It’s definitely a perk to have this type of boathouse at a D3 program.”

Men’s coach Phil Schmehl says the biggest perk for him comes when he is speaking with recruits and he shows them the finished part and the plans for the future, which include replacing the second floor and adding more space for both programs.

“Having a modern facility is going to be a huge selling point for the rowing programs. I think it will make us more attractive to recruits,” he says. “We have the tradition that appeals to potential rowers, and now we are close to having the type of facility that will put us up there or even ahead of our competition.”

There were discussions a few years ago about building an entirely new boathouse, which also meant removing an old sycamore tree that has become synonymous with the program. That didn’t go over well with everyone.

“I also know the sycamore tree is important to many alumni, and I’m glad to say they will be happy to see that it is much more prominent now,” says women’s coach Brad Hemmerly. “Once the second phase is completed, we will be at the top end for most Division III schools. The fact that this facility is

just the College’s and we don’t have to share with any other organization is big for us.”

The second phase may be bigger in scope, but rower Patrick Specht ’16 says the transformation of the first phase has provided a major lift to the spirits of the team.

“The alumni and Marietta College are providing us a high-end facility on campus, and we are very thankful,” he says. “The guys are pumped to see where this is going to lead us. This just adds to our pride to be Pioneers and part of this historical program. All of us want to stack up to the Marietta values of the rowers who came before us.”

Perry says the boathouse is both an historic and very visible downtown structure, as well as the symbol of the Marietta rowing program. Investing in this renovation project was important to her, and she’s pleased to see it was important to other alumni.

“A few years ago, I had an opportunity to meet the Marietta women’s rowing team during their spring workouts on Lake Lanier in Georgia,” Perry says. “It brought back some of my fondest memories of the teamwork and camaraderie that rowing provides, and this personal experience added to my feelings that these Marietta student-athletes deserved a new facility.”

TOM PERRY

If you would like to be a part of the Boathouse Fundraising Challenge, please specify your donation online at www.marietta.edu/give or contact the Office of Advancement at 1-740-376-4704.

3. New 8x8 swinging bay doors 4. Galvanized steel stair to second floor 5. Concrete ramp from Bay 3 to apron 6. Improved lighting in each bay Phase II Project cost: $580,000 1. Raze second floor structure and cover entire first-floor footprint 2. Roofline is to be gambrel style that closely resembles original 1929 roof shape 3. Move and improve team locker rooms so both are upstairs 4. Enlarge and improve the Dad Vail Room; Add multipurpose room for study lounge, coaches meetings, regatta central, etc.

5. Main room on second floor retrofitted to house 40-plus ergs for training 6. Portion of second-floor deck preserved for outdoor observation 7. New and improved rack systems in each bay

M A R I E T T A > 23

Developments

A D VA N C EMEN T N EWS

Golden

Times

SPECIAL EVENT MOVED FROM SPRING TO HOMECOMING WEEKEND

PHOTOS BY NATE KNOBEL

F

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CO MING HOM E The Class of 1965, their guests and contiguous classes enjoyed numerous events celebrating the Class of 1965’s Golden Reunion during Homecoming Weekend. Attendees included (top) Donald Hanson ’65 and (bottom) Richard “Skip” Freidhoff ’66.

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red Gorell ’65 sat in a nearly empty Great Room in Andrews Hall, reflecting on his days as a student a half-century ago.

“When I came here in 1961, it was the first time I was ever away from home,” he says. “Holbrook, Massachusetts, put a lot of people in Marietta College, so I knew there would be people here I knew. It was still an adventure for me.”

Within minutes of talking, the Great Room began to fill with familiar faces, and some he hadn’t seen for many decades. They were all on campus for the same reason: their Golden Reunion.

For the first time in about a decade, the class celebrating its 50th anniversary celebrated that milestone at Homecoming, which was Oct. 15 through Oct. 18. For Gorell, it was a welcome change.

“Originally, our 50th was planned for the spring, but I and others in the class weren’t happy about that because Homecoming is the special event on campus — it’s the time of the year that brings back so many memories,” he says. “I’m an ATO member. In the ’60s, the Greek system was very strong on campus. We did a lot of wonderful things, including floats in the Homecoming parade.

We’d bring our dates to work on the floats. And that wasn’t a bad date back then.”

Also attending the kickoff luncheon were Dr. Randy (Leonard) Randolph ’65 and his wife, Linda; their table was brimming with conversation.

“It feels like we’ve been around a long time,” Randolph says, gesturing to his fellow alums. “I’m surprised at the number (of alumni) I can actually recognize.”

Randolph, who also served as on the Reunion Planning Committee, looked forward to attending the many events designed specifically for the Class of 1965.

“It feels really great to be a part of this group, and I’m happy to be here,” Randolph says.

Gorell was one of 12 reunion planners who worked with the College’s Office of Alumni Engagement to organize the Golden Reunion events, which kicked off on the Thursday leading into Homecoming Weekend.

“The Reunion Volunteers and the Alumni Office did a terrific job, as there were 82 alumni and guests representing the Class of 1965,” says Allen Fraley, Reunion Liaison and Leadership Gifts for the Advancement Office. “The luncheon in Andrews Hall was the first gathering of the class.

1965 GOLDEN REUNION PLANNING COMMITTEE FRED GORELL DONALD HANSON LES HARRIS DAN JONES JANET VLK WYATT ANDREW OVERPECK GEORGE PAINTER LEONARD RANDOLPH JOHN SIPPLE CHARLES YONDER CHESTER ZALEWSKI Thursday’s schedule was filled with great activities for the newest members of Marietta College’s Golden Class, including a dinner boat cruise and a presentation in Legacy Library’s Special Collections.”

Fraley says Gorell delivered the official welcome to the class during the Thursday luncheon and has been a tremendous support for many months leading up to Homecoming Weekend.

“Fred and the other members of his class’ Reunion Planning Committee have worked very hard to personally contact as many of their classmates as they could to invite them back to campus,” Fraley says.

“They’ve also done some amazing work in terms of raising a class gift.”

That class gift was presented to President Joseph W. Bruno during the special dinner during Homecoming Weekend. The $116,560 total is a record-setting 50th class Marietta Fund gift.

“We had an objective to contact every member of the class, whether it was by phone, email or an actual letter,” Gorell says. “Our committee divided up who would call who. We updated the College archives with new contact information. As far as the class gift, we were more than fundraisers — we made personal connections. Successful fundraising is one person talking to another person and asking for support.”

Gorell says the class is very proud of what they managed to raise for the College and what he helped the Reunion Planning Committee accomplish.

“I’m the Class Vice President. Our President has since passed away, so I took this role on. I would have to say that this reunion is the single most important thing I have done as Vice President of the Class of 1965. I’m honored to do it.”

GI SMITH

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SH A R I N G MEMO R I ES From the Thursday Luncheon, which officially kicked off Golden Reunion, to the Class of 1965 Halftime Recognition Ceremony during Saturday’s football game, through the Sunday’s breakfast in Gilman Dining Hall, the newly welcomed Golden Class had plenty of opportunities to rekindle friendships and create new memories. It didn’t take long for alumni and guests such as (clockwise from top) Judith Schraff Christie ’65, Linda Wagner Lipscomb ’65, Robert Detrick ’65, Dan Jones ’65, Karen Parsons, Dante Laudadio ’65, John Gardner ’65 and Judith Gottgalf Moffitt ’65 to reconnect with fellow members of the Golden Class.

M A R I E T T A > 25

DEFINING MEMORIES OF COLLEGE LIFE

PETER FINGER

A M ar ie t t a Mo m ent

Dr. Stephanie Starcher ’96 BIOGRAPHY Dr. Stephanie Starcher ’96 is the superintendent for Fort Frye Local School District in Beverly, Ohio. She recently returned to Marietta as the 2015-16 Schwartz Leader-in-Residence, which is named in honor of Dr. Stephen W. Schwartz (1940-2006). The program is designed to infuse leadership across the Marietta College campus. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education at Marietta, later earned a graduate degree as a reading specialist from Marshall University and then completed her doctoral studies in Education Administration at Ohio University. She currently resides with her husband and two daughters in Belpre, Ohio.

A little more than a year ago, my world was rattled but not crumbled.

On Oct. 24, 2014, while driving home from Columbus, I got the news that I had breast cancer. My reaction was not unique, but it was fresh and cut to my core.

I worried that I was going to die. Both of my parents died from cancer. Was this really going to happen to me? But after I had time to grieve and process what I had just been told, I looked at my husband, Jeff, and said, “I’m going to be the first person in my family to survive cancer.”

I was going to fight this with everything I had, and I was going to come up with a plan for how to survive — and more importantly, how I was going to live. I’ve always been a goal-oriented person. So I set goals that I thought were reasonable, but important. For example, I had a goal to never miss a day of work unless I was getting chemotherapy.

Do you have a defining Marietta Moment you would like to share?

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When I got a bilateral mastectomy, I set a timeline for recovery so I could still be involved with my daughters’ activities and help coach their teams.

Now my goal is to finish radiation by Christmas, then undergo what is hopefully my last surgery by spring, and I can then focus more of my attention on my family, including my daughters McKinley, 10, and Sydney, 8. I’m almost there.

My drive to succeed has always been a part of me, but my four years at Marietta College instilled in me an even stronger desire. That’s why I have approached my treatments this way, and it’s also why I care so much about improving rural education.

I’m from a rural place in West Virginia called West Union. I live and work in rural school districts in Ohio. We always hear about the problems of urban education and urban districts, but let me tell you, we have challenges that need solutions too. The opportunity to return to my alma mater and work with energetic and thoughtful students is truly enjoyable. We need more talented people to enter the world of public education.

Look at what a great education has done for me. I’m proud to be back at Marietta College serving as the Schwartz Leader-in-Residence.

When I think about what we are doing in this program — and it includes discussing hot topics in education, researching issues and eventually speaking with policy makers — it’s exactly what Dr. Steve Schwartz would have wanted us to do. I’m enjoying this experience, and getting to interact with these talented Marietta College students reminds me of how special my life is.

Send us a description of your experience.

EMAIL: mariettamagazine@marietta.edu

MAIL: Editor, Marietta Magazine, Office of Strategic Communications & Marketing, 215 Fifth Street, Marietta, OH 45750

Supporting Marietta Dr. Elliot Thrasher ’62 Dr. Elliott Thrasher ’62 thought his visit to Marietta College in 2012 for his Golden Reunion would be the last time he’d visit his alma mater.

The Sistersville, West Virginia, native came to Marietta in 1958 to play basketball, but sat the bench too much for his liking, so he switched sports and enjoyed a four-year rowing career. He was a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity and studied under professors such as Paul Seyler, David Young ’48, Kermit Gattin and Herschel Grose. After he earned his degree, he enrolled in West Virginia University’s Medical School and trained as an orthopedic surgeon. He moved to New England, where he lives with his wife, Antra.

As a student, he assumed that the $660 per semester tuition paid for the new Dawes Memorial Library, Gilman Hall and Parsons Hall. That changed about 20 years ago, when Charlie Dawes visited his office to ask for a campaign donation. “I had contributed to the College before that time, but it wasn’t a great amount. Actually, it wasn’t until my 50th reunion that I contributed what was a significant amount for me.”

After the reunion, Thrasher became more involved with the College, eventually taking a position on the Board of Trustees, on which he is still a valued member.

Dr. Elliott Thrasher is The Marietta Fund.

To find out how You Are The Marietta Fund and make your gift today, visit www.marietta.edu/Give.

M A R I E T T A > 27

T H E L O N G BL UE L I N E > CL ASS NOTES Stan Fink ’61 was honored on Nov. 10, 2015, as the first recipient of the Real Estate Attorney of the Year by the Union County (New Jersey) Bar Association. In September, his law office, Fink Rosner Ershow-Levenberg, LLC, in Clark, New Jersey, celebrated its 50th anniversary of being open.

“Seems like only yesterday that I was on The Long Blue Line awaiting receipt of my MC diploma with the Class of 1961.”

Norman Rose ’60 was awarded the 2015 Orel F. Martin Award and Medal by the Board of Governors of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons on Oct. 5, 2015. Rose joins a group of only 53 others so honored by the College for his exemplary service to the College and to the profession.

James P. Barufaldi ’62 (Lambda Chi Alpha) retired as Emeritus Professor after 43 years from The University of Texas at Austin, where he served as Director of the Center for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education and held the Ruben E. Hinojosa Regents Professorship in Education.

In 1989, Barufaldi received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Marietta College.

Although Barufaldi retired from the university, he will remain active in his profession by serving as a STEM consultant and conducting seminars and workshops in China, Taiwan and Thailand.

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Nancy Hovland ’74 became a grandmother on March 25, 2015, to a beautiful baby girl. Her name is Anna Christine, born to Hovland’s son Kyle and his wife, Beth. Here she is looking happy, which she usually is. Nancy is retiring in June 2016, after almost 40 years as a social worker.

She spent the past 25 years as a school social worker in the Minneapolis Public Schools. She plans to go see her granddaughter more often, and continue with her quilt business. She sells online and does art shows.

Marianne Comerford Bright ’75 is the owner of a Sylvan Learning Center in Albemarle, North Carolina, where she has lived since 1988. Sylvan is a 36-year-old tutoring company based in Baltimore with more than 600 franchise locations in the U.S. and Canada.

Marianne’s husband, Dave Bright, is a retired high school principal. Together, they have four children and seven grandchildren.

Peter S. Montgomery ’76 was recently featured in Litchfield Magazine for his effort to “preserve, protect and promote heirloom apples” in Litchfield County, Connecticut. Visit www. townvibe.com/Litchfield/NovemberDecember-2015/Apple-Skinny/ to read the article.

After a 35-year career in health care, Jim Grossmann ’78 retired in March 2012. He was elected as a Director to the National Board of Directors for the Alzheimer’s Association and began volunteering in 2013. He serves on the Compensation, Diversity, Program and Development committees.

Jim Carillon ’78 is currently involved with a community garden that feeds the hungry in the surrounding community of his Fairview neighborhood in western North Carolina. He volunteers regularly and serves on the board for The Lords Acre. Last year the organization raised and distributed to its neighbors in need more than 10 tons of organic vegetables and fruits. It can be checked out at www. thelordsacre.org. During tax seasons, Carillon volunteers at a local VITA tax program preparing returns for free for low-income families. This is also his third year as an Affordable Care Act Navigator, helping individuals and families select and enroll in ACA health insurance. Carillon says they have a very successful volunteer Navigator program in Asheville with Pisgah Legal Services (a pro bono law firm), helping hundreds of families enroll in affordable health insurance, many for the first time. Carillon hikes three to four hours every Tuesday morning with other men including alumnus, David Fletcher ’79, in the beautiful hills surrounding their homes. Carillon is also currently enrolled in two courses in a college for seniors at UNC-Asheville.

Chris McDaniel ’79 has been at The J.M. Smucker Company since 1999 and recently was promoted to the position of Senior Manager, Field Support. In this role, he is responsible for the Field Support, Customer Master, Project Management and Equipment & Service Contract functions. Family-wise, McDaniel became a grandfather for the first time in 2014,

when all three of his children became parents. Hopefully, Caleb, Regan and Brandt will become Pioneers in the 2030s.

David Silverstein ’79 accepted on behalf of his father, Abe Silverstein, a posthumous induction into the inaugural class of NASA Glenn’s Hall of Fame in Cleveland on Sept. 25, 2015.

Silverstein also accepted an award for his father as he was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton on Oct. 2. Silverstein currently works as an engineering contractor at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

Alpha Xi Delta sisters Lesley Fourt Secrest ’80, Diane Spatafore Feliciani ’80 and Cindy Palmer Szafraniec ’80 spent a fabulous weekend on Nantucket in September. Their time was spent talking and laughing and enjoying the sights while fourwheeling on the beaches and eating at some fabulous restaurants. The weekend was not complete, though, until they met Hilary Keefe Luca ’80 for a beautiful lunch in Hingham Harbor. Cindy lives in Cleveland and is the chief financial officer for Preterm.

Diane lives in Pittsburgh and works as a guidance counselor for North Allegheny Intermediate High School.

Bonnie lives in the Boston area and works as a teacher for the Temple Emanuel School. Lesley lives in the Boston area and works as a nursing supervisor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Hilary lives in the Boston area and works as an office manager for Mark Valle, DDS. Amy Kimball Kohler ’81 recently moved to the country in Stahlstown, Pennsylvania, where she grew up. For the past 30 years, Kohler lived in the Rockville, Maryland and Washington, D.C., area, where she enjoyed a career as a lobbyist for a government relations consulting firm. Kohler and her husband are starting the second chapter of their lives and plan to open a general store in their town, where they have to go 8 miles to Ligonier or 4 miles to Donegal to get a loaf of bread. They also plan to offer prepared foods. Kohler went to culinary school over the past year, and her husband’s

TH E L O N G BL U E L I N E > C L ASS NOTES

The Football Tailgate during Homecoming Weekend drew many alumni to Don Drumm Stadium, including a group of Lambda Chis. John Fay ’84 thanked the Alumni Engagement Office and President Bruno for their hospitality and great conversations. “I’m sure there are many great stories about the talented staff at MC, but the Drs. O’Donnell were certainly two of my favorites, as well as the Georges.” The photo (from left to right) includes Lambda Chis Jeff Conrad ’85, Doug Lessing ’84, Tim Bennett ’85, Dave Schultz ’85, George Finney ’84, Dan Leonard ’85 and John, Jeff Herz ’86.

ASM International announced in September that Terry F. Mosier ’87 was named Managing Director. ASM is world’s largest association of metals-centric materials engineers and scientists. Mosier is the seventh individual to serve in this capacity since ASM was founded more than 100 years ago. In late 2014, Mosier was named Interim Managing Director in addition to his role as Director of Finance.

With the approval of the ASM 2014-15 Board of Trustees, the appointment was made official on Sept. 16 and will be formally acknowledged at the 102nd ASM International Annual Business Meeting, Oct. 5, at the Materials Science & Technology (MS&T) conference in Columbus, Ohio. Mosier joined ASM International in November 2008 as Controller and was promoted to the Director of Finance position one year later. He has a degree in Industrial Engineering from Marietta College and an M.B.A. from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. His 20 years of diverse experience range from smaller, entrepreneurial private firms to large multinational public corporations, both for-profit and non-profit. background is in food and beverage, so they will most likely get into some catering as well. Kohler and her husband are very excited and hope some Marietta alums come visit them next year once they get it up and going.

Paul R. Geisler, EdD, ATC, ’87 is Associate Professor and Director of Athletic Training Education at Ithaca College, where he began his 11th year on the faculty. Paul and his wife Susan recently traveled to Ireland and the Bay

Area & Napa Valley, California, to visit their oldest son, Nicholas, in Oakland; Nicholas graduated from Hamilton College in 2014. Their youngest son, Benji, studies and plays soccer at Colgate University, so they are busy traveling and enjoying life as empty nesters, looking forward to attending a lot of soccer games across the northeast.

They are loving life in the Finger Lakes of upstate New York and welcome any Long Blue Liners from the mid- to late1980s in the area to connect.

Nicol Nixon Augusté ’93 was awarded the 2016 Savannah College of Art and Design Affiliated Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome. While living in Rome, Augusté will be studying Jewish-Christian women’s narratives at the Academy as well as at regional sites and the Vatican Library. Augusté intends for her research to lead to a book-length project that creatively explores and interprets the lived experiences of these women of faith who also served as mothers, military commanders, mystics and martyrs. Founded in 1894, the American Academy in Rome is the premier overseas center for independent study and advanced research in the arts and humanities.

Bebe Kinnett ’96, owner of Absolute Web Designs, won the International Femtor Award at the eWomen Network Conference in Dallas, Texas, on Aug. 8, 2015. She won in the Business Matchmaker of the Year category, which recognizes “one unique women who has constantly gone out of her way to help others succeed. She unselfishly looks out for the business needs of others.”

Kinnett has been an enthusiastic member of the Cincinnati eWomen Network Chapter for more than five years. During that time she has served on the Leadership Team and provides audio-visual equipment and support for the monthly luncheons.

She is involved in numerous networking activities and is a constant ambassador for the eWomen Network.

Rick Miller ’00 (center) was recently awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award at Columbus State Community College. Given only to four of the approximately 1,400 faculty members at Columbus State, the award highlights excellence in teaching and student mentoring. In addition to teaching ethics and ESL classes at Columbus State, Rick teaches at Capital University, specializes in conflict resolution and mediates cases for the Columbus City Prosecutor’s Office.

Robert “Chip” Guyton ’97 earned his Master of Social Work this spring from Ohio University and currently works as a clinical therapist in southeastern Ohio.

M A R I E T T A > 29

T H E L O N G BL UE L I N E > CL ASS NOTES Don Miesle ’98 and Heather Taylor-Miesle ’99 have moved to Worthington, Ohio. Don works at Apple as a forensics specialist and Heather is the executive director of the Ohio Environmental Council.

Carmen Peluso ’02, Jason Crum ’97, John Bright ’01, Chris Bennon ’99, Michael Manzo ’01, Joe McKeever ’00 and Scott Buchwald ’00 (pictured left to right) were among the many Alpha Tau Omega brothers to return Homecoming Weekend to celebrate the 125th ATO Anniversary. The event took place at the Lafayette Hotel.

Emerita Professor Mabry O’Donnell and Emeritus Professor Jim O’Donnell recently visited alumna Miranda Miller ’04 in Wyoming. Mabry says Miller is doing quite well as a professor at Gillette College and that she and Jim are so proud of her.

Debbie McNutt ’07 had the privilege of teaching a course at the University of International Relations (UIR) in Beijing, China. UIR is Marietta’s sister college in China, and the college has had visiting professors and students from UIR for 21 years. Three years ago, UIR decided to offer summer courses for its students and invited professors from other universities, including Marietta College. McNutt developed a course called “American Culture and Useful American Slang.” She says the students were receptive and delightful. Other professors from Marietta College who were selected to teach were Jeremy Wang ’96, Jacqueline Khorassani, Greg Delemeester, Marilee Morrow and Dawn Carusi.

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Lindsey Marx Ward ’06 married Matthew Ward on May 30, 2015.

Caroline McKean ’08 was the maid of honor and Cathy Echard Richardson ’06 attended the wedding as a guest.

Ward is an associate director for the Career & Leadership Development Center at Ohio University.

Matthew H. Rucker ’07 and Marissa Barnhart Rucker ’07 welcomed their first son on Jan. 15, 2015. Lindsy Wharff Hinton ’08 took the photo. Matt and Marissa are currently living in Canton, Ohio. Matt is a Production Superintendent for Chesapeake Energy, and Marissa is a stay-at-home mom.

Caitlin Browdie ’08 is halfway through her two-year commitment as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay. Browdie is well prepared for her assignment since she is fluent in Spanish and studied in other Latin American countries, including Mexico, Peru, Argentina and Costa Rica, while at Marietta. In Alto, Paraguay, considered a midsize city with a population of about 7,000 people, Browdie is a community economic development volunteer and provides leadership training for the area’s youth, preparing them to overcome obstacles on the path to a better and more sustainable future.

Kevin O’Neill ’12 is the founder and managing partner of O’Neill Consulting Group. The firm was selected by the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation (RICC) to serve as its strategic partner on the recruitment and organizational design of a new 20+ person executive team tasked with moving the state’s economy forward. O’Neill founded the consulting group in 1996.

Matt Booth ’13 and Kaitlyn Ciminillo Booth ’13 were married on Aug. 17, 2013. Matt asked Kaitlyn to marry him at the 2012 Sternwheel Festival, on the banks of the Muskingum River in the gazebo of the East Muskingum Park.

Kaitlyn joined Matt in Houston, Texas, where she enrolled at Houston Baptist University and he began work as a Petroleum Engineer for Southwestern Energy after graduation. Kaitlyn is currently completing her student teaching in Conroe, Texas, while Matt works as a Drilling Engineer for Southwestern Energy’s Northeast Marcellus Shale Division. They are involved in their local church (South Main Baptist Church), corporate softball (Matt), tutoring (both) and recruiting interns at Marietta College (Matt). They have a Welsh terrier named Beau.

Lauren Currie ’13 recently moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. She began a new position as a member and program manager for the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship, which is based at Northeastern University.

Matt Boothe ’13 and Cameron Tope ’13 are currently starting up a financial literacy blog for college students and young professionals called The Young Man’s Breakfast. They are getting ready to fund a scholarship and open the site to members and contributors who both have and lack financial knowledge.

TH E L O N G BL U E L I N E > C L ASS NOTES

Celia Brockway ’11 married Paul Macchia on June 20, 2015 in Tracy, Minnesota. Many Marietta College alumni were present and enjoyed the reception at the Brockway family farm. The alumni in attendance were Aaron Berger ’09, Alison Matas ’11, Brendan George ’11, Rachel Worthington Burnham ’12, Scott Burnham ’11, Erica Martin ’11, Jake Verdoorn ’11, Ryan Whitnable ’11, Emma Vierheller ’12, Joshua Maxwell ’11, Julia Dreyer ’12, Leah Mendenhall ’11 and Lauren Yanko ’11. Celia and Paul live in southeast Virginia, where Paul works as a Mechanical Engineer at Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Celia teaches music courses at Richard Bland College of William & Mary.

Emily Lorek ’14 completed Peace Corps Training in Costa Rica at the end of September. She arrived in Costa Rica, where she lived with a host family, in July. Her training consisted of Spanish language classes; safety, security and health training; and technical classes for working with Costa Rican youth and families. After training, Lorek was officially sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer, moved to her official site, where she will be stationed for two years as a Youth Development Coordinator. In this position, she will work with parents, families, schools and service providers to strive to increase youth support and positive development.

Scott Burnham ’11 and Rachel Worthington Burnham ’12 were married on Oct. 18, 2014, at Christ United Methodist Church in Marietta, Ohio.

They met at Marietta through the McDonough Leadership Program. The wedding party featured several alumni, including Scott’s best man, Ryan Ellis ’11, Rachel’s maid of honor and cousin, Jenny Worthington ’12, and bridesmaids Sarah Griffin ’12, Kristin Norton ’12, Anna Gill ’12 and Gail Fitchett Milone ’12. The bride and groom were blessed to also have several faculty, staff and other alumni from Marietta College in attendance. The couple spent the following two weeks on their honeymoon in New Zealand.

The couple currently resides in Fairmont, West Virginia, where Rachel is a dance/fitness instructor and Scott works for Southwestern Energy as a Completions Foreman.

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T H E L O N G BL UE L I N E > I N MEMORIA M

IN

MEMORIAM

> 1940s Jean Kinney Arnold ’47 (Alpha Xi Delta) of Frazeysburg, Ohio (8/20/2015).

Virginia J. Fordham ’49 of Marietta, Ohio (8/24/2015).

> 1950s William B. Heineman ’50 of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania (6/20/2015).

L. Paul Ross ’50 (Alpha Sigma Phi) of Cape Coral, Florida (9/13/2015).

Anne Wells Dronzek ’52 (Chi Omega) of Willoughby, Ohio (8/1/2015).

Survivors include her son, Dennis A. Dronzek ’76 (Alpha Sigma Phi).

M. Joan McMillen Rawlings ’52 (Sigma Kappa) of Los Gatos, California (8/25/2015). Survivors include her husband, Charles W. Rawlings ’52.

George A. Merkel ’53 (Lambda Chi Alpha) of Manchester, New Jersey (1/12/2015). Survivors include his daughter, Ethel Merkel Smalling ’84.

Vernell R. Dutro ’56 of Jacksonville Beach, Florida (5/4/2015).

Max C. Carr ’52 of Marietta, Ohio (8/27/2015).

Nancy Bessler Hill ’59 (Chi Omega) of Melbourne, Florida (7/6/2015).

> 1970s

> 1960s

Shannah L. Hensler ’77 of Marietta, Ohio (8/23/2015).

Paul M. Roshak ’62 (Alpha Sigma Phi) of Big Rapids, Michigan (7/25/2015).

Philip J. Kaszar ’78 of Akron, Ohio (10/7/2015).

Harriett K. Hearn ’63 of Delaware, Ohio (9/11/2015).

> 1980s

Carol Landis Kocis ’63 of Saugerties, New York (5/16/2015).

Sandra Heck Reynolds ’63 of Jacksonville, Florida (5/8/2015).

Susan Francis Padgham ’64 (Chi Omega) of Carefree, Arizona (7/6/2015).

Donna Roney Williams ’80 (Sigma Kappa) of Mandeville, Louisiana (6/27/2015).

> 2000s Scott A. Miller ’04 of Belpre, Ohio (8/20/2015).

Emeritus President Sherrill Cleland

D

r. Sherrill Cleland had the very difficult and often unpopular task of getting Marietta College through many rough spots during his 16-year tenure as its President, which spanned from 1973 to 1989.

During those tumultuous years, Cleland managed to improve the standards for accepted freshmen despite declining enrollment numbers, improved student and faculty morale, completed a comprehensive campaign, participated in the reaccreditation of the College and raised the national profile of the College. And it was during his watch that a beloved tradition began — Doo Dah Day. On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Cleland’s son, Scott, reached out to the College to inform the President’s Office of Dr. Cleland’s death the day before (Oct. 26, 2015) in Sarasota, Florida. He was 91.

Cleland was born in Galion, Ohio, in 1924 to Fred and Doris Cleland.

He served in the 100th Infantry Division during World War II, where he earned the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. He earned an undergraduate degree from Oberlin College and his graduate and doctorate degrees from Princeton University.

Prior to coming to Marietta College, he served as the Dean of Academic Affairs at Kalamazoo College. Cleland served as a Board Member of the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank for the Cincinnati branch. Additionally, through the Ford Foundation, he served internationally as an Economic Advisor to Jordan to help create the country’s first infrastructure development plan in Amman. He later led the creation of the first Masters Program in Development Economics at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon in the late 1960s. After leaving Marietta, he served as Chair of the Student Loan Funding Corporation and on the Board of Directors of KnowledgeWorks, Tuition Exchange and AMIDEAST. He is survived by his wife, Diana Drake Cleland, and children Ann Feldmeier, Doug Cleland, Sarah Allen, Scott Cleland, Cynthia Rush, Allison Abizaid, Linda Wiener, Carol Abizaid, Amanda Abizaid Plonsky, and Richard Abizaid. He is also

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survived by 19 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. He was widowed by his first wife of 39 years, Betty Chorpenning Cleland, who died in 1986, while Dr. Cleland was still in office.

Memorial services will be held in the Washington, D.C., area and in Marietta at later dates. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Sherrill Cleland and Diana Drake Cleland Leadership Award for Experiential Learning Fund, at Marietta College, 215 Fifth St., Marietta, OH, 45750.

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Brookings Institute-New York Times ranks Marietta in Top 10

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ome national rankings take regional looks at colleges The article was prompted after its author, James Stewart, asked and grade their quality based on other institutions in that Rothwell “to do a ranking that deleted the curriculum component area, or base national rankings on tangible results such as and identified the highest ‘value added’ colleges regardless of alumni salary, how fast graduates find work or how high up major.” on the food chain former students reach by mid-career.

In that sense, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and While all of those things are important, they are not the only ways Mathematics) majors, who typically earn more than liberal arts one can gauge a college. majors, are on a level playing field with those who’ve majored in the That’s why The New York Times partnered with Brookings Institute humanities. This allowed the study to look at the value that a college Fellow Jonathan Rothwell to evaluate all U.S. colleges and universiadds to the life of the graduate and the satisfaction of one’s career. ties based on the impact that attending and graduating from each Connor Walters ’13 earned a degree in Journalism and a graduschool has on the lives of its graduates. In the Oct. 1, 2015, edition ate degree in Journalism from the Medill College of Journalism of The New York Times, the author revealed the study, “Brookingsat Northwestern University. He is now the Communications Common Ranking.”

Mission at Saint Ignatius High School in his hometown amily Sense Weekend gives parents and siblings the opportunity toCoordinator, get Marietta is No. 7 on the list. of Cleveland, Ohio, and a contributing writer at Rowing Magazine. to knowCollege the community their student now calls home.

The ranking did not come as a surprise to Marietta President “I think the entire Marietta College experience is credited for An added bonus to this year’s weekend was the Saturday Softball Joseph W. Bruno. the person I am today and what I’m doing today,” Walters said. “It Alumni Game,College whereprepares former Pioneers against the 2016 team.

“Marietta its studentsfaced to be off educated citizens doesn’t surprise me that Marietta is the seventh in value added — I and lifelong learners, regardless of their major,” Bruno says. “We can’t even put a number on what Marietta means to me and what it In this particular game, everybody was a winner. know the impact of a Marietta College education by seeing the has done for me.” impact that our graduates have on their fields of study and on their GI SMITH > 1communities.” : Jen Tinkler ’97, Michelle Sayre ’13; 2: Alison Kach ’17; 3 : Alumnae and current

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team members; 4: Kristen Quintana ’07, Catherine Swejk ’13, Katie Moriarty Bailey ’05; 5: Sara Roberts (first coach) and Jeanne Arbuckle; 6: Jami Thomas ’13; 7 : Janet Oberhelman ’88; 8 : Courtney Kerwood ’15.

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RYAN ZUNDELL

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JAKE DEAN

> T H E P RO G RESSIVE PIONEER

Robert Dye RENOWNED ECONOMIST EARNS PRESTIGIOUS LAWRENCE KLEIN AWARD FOR HIS ACCURATE ECONOMIC FORECAST B I O GRAPHY: Robert A. Dye couldn’t have predicted where his career

would lead when he was a transfer student to Marietta College from the United States Naval Academy in the early 1980s. A petroleum engineering student nearing the end of his college career, he saw what was happening to oil prices and realized that might not be a stable choice for a career. Still wanting to stay in the energy industry, he enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania’s Energy Management and Policy doctoral program. It was at Penn that Dye began working on economic forecasting.

The accuracy of his U.S. economic forecasts from 2011 through 2014 at Comerica Bank in Dallas, Texas, recently garnered accolades above and beyond the 49 other banks competing for the Lawrence R. Klein Award, named after the Nobel Prize-winning economist.

> “There are 50 entries from U.S. banks, and the most accurate wins the prize.

They look at GDP (Gross Domestic Product), CPI (Consumer Price Index), unemployment and the 10-year Treasury Bond. Anybody can get lucky in one year, so they look over a course of four. There are two things that make this even more special for me to win. First, because you have to be accurate over a four-year period, you have to be at your firm for at least four years.

I won in my first year of eligibility at Comerica. Also, while I was at Penn, F. Gerard Adams was my dissertation advisor and mentor. He worked with Lawrence Klein to develop economic forecasting models. … Some people have very linear lives. My advice to students is to have goals, but hold onto them loosely.”