Marietta Magazine (Fall 2017)

FALL 2017

THE MAGAZI N E OF M A R I E T TA COL L EG E

Golden Years RETIRED ALUMNI CONTINUE TO BLAZE TRAILS

ALSO

Recent grads help fellow Pioneer family recover from Hurricane Harvey damage Studio Art major excels in NYC drawing marathon

PHOTOS BY NATE KNOBEL

TRANSITIONS

PA I NT TH E TOW N BLUE — NAV Y BLUE — A N D W H I T E

T

he Pioneer College has grown up with the city of Marietta — and we’re part of what makes it one of the best cities in the nation.

At the start of fall semester, the campus community united to be the First Fridays featured host downtown and then marched the following morning to kick off the Washington County Fair Parade.

Our students, staff, faculty and alumni are proud to show off the Navy Blue & White spirit with the community — and share in celebrating all things Marietta.

MARIETTA COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

M ESSAGE F ROM T HE PRESIDENT

DR . WI LLI A M N. R U U D

O

ur campus has been bustling with excitement and activity since our students returned for fall semester. That should come as no surprise, as I am sure many of you remember that same experience from your time at Marietta. There is a real sense of pride and enthusiasm that comes with a larger freshman class and a student body engaged in learning in and out of the classroom.

For the first time in four years, our first-year student enrollment increased over the previous year from 284 to 312 students. Are we satisfied? Not even close; and with Steve Lazowski — our new Vice President for Enrollment Management — and his team taking a much more refined and strategic approach to recruitment, we are confident we will continue to see enrollment growth. We are increasing the travel of our Admission Team while helping the team improve its recruiting strategies under Steve’s leadership. We will hit the traditional markets, but we’re also increasing our boots on the ground in Indianapolis, Louisville, Chicago, Baltimore, Nashville, Georgia, North Dakota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and the New England states.

With the recent appointment of a Digital Content Specialist, I am also thrilled to say we are stepping up our game in regard to digital communication, which allows us to strategically target students who are more likely to matriculate at Marietta College in the future.

There is also an enthusiasm that comes with adding sports teams and watching established studentathletes enjoying success.

Coach Tom Arison recruited some outstanding golfers for both the men’s and women’s teams. In just the second tournament of the fall, women’s golfer Jackie Cunningham ’20 was the top scorer at the Mount Union Fall Invitational — the first time a Pioneer had been the medalist in women’s golf.

Men’s soccer goalkeeper Tyler Sholl ’18 started the season on an astonishing streak of not allowing a goal for the first four games, including a shutout against No. 15 Kenyon. Marietta football opened the season with an impressive, come-from-behind victory at Geneva, and before we know it, we’ll be cheering on men’s and women’s basketball — both of whom will be in the hunt for an Ohio Athletic Conference championship.

We have to wait until 2018 to welcome lacrosse to Marietta, but our new coaches — Malory Brunett and Shawn Runyon — are busy recruiting and teaching all of us the rules of the sport.

This fall, the faculty has been reviewing a new general education curriculum that will improve its quality and should also satisfy the needs and expectations of today’s student. Accreditation is also a critical piece of higher education, and our Physician Assistant Studies Program recently completed its review process. The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant will determine the program’s accreditation status at the March 2018 meeting.

I’m also proud of the strong connections we have made with the community at large. At the end of the first week of the fall semester, hundreds of our students and employees participated in two huge city events. On that Friday, the College hosted the monthly First Fridays in Downtown Marietta. Community members and shop owners enjoyed interacting with our students and employees as they shopped and browsed on Front, Second and Putnam streets for four hours. Then the very next day, another 100 or so students and employees represented the College well as they walked in the annual Washington County Fair Parade handing out special PioNation cans of Coca-Cola, our new beverage partner, Marietta College drawstring bags and, of course, thousands of pieces of candy.

I could easily make an argument that this momentum started in summer when the College’s senior leadership joined the Board of Trustees for an important retreat in Traverse City, Michigan, for three days. The discussions — both formal and informal — set the stage for how positive the tone is at Marietta College these days.

I am confident you will notice the excitement if you attend this year’s Homecoming celebration Oct. 20thnd 22 .

Right now, this is the time, this is the place, and this is home!

BRING FORTH A PIONEER!

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PR E S I D E N T R U U D O N LI N E : twitter.com/President_Ruud instagram.com/presidentruud facebook.com/MariettaCollegePresident

Chair George W. Fenton Vice Chair Patricia (Patti) Kral Zecchi ’71 Secretary Mark Miller Treasurer Michele Marra Robert M. (Bob) Brucken ’56 T. Grant Callery ’68 Christopher Cortez ’71 Jan D. Dils ’90 Harry H. (Hap) Esbenshade III Andrew D. Ferguson ’95 Barbara A. Perry Fitzgerald ’73 James B. Fryfogle ’73 Richard A. (Rich) Galen ’68 Susan Cook Hayes ’98 Mary Studders Korn ’82 Michael D. Milone Michael L. Moffitt ’91 Kathleen Mitchell Murphy ’82 Kevin R. O’Neill ’87 Stephanie E. Peloquin ’06 Marc R. Ponchione ’96 Jason C. Rebrook ’96 Ronald E. (Ron) Rinard ’72 William N. (Bill) Ruud Michael J. Salvino ’87 Charles W. (Chuck) Sulerzyski Elliott L. Thrasher ’62 Matthew B. Weekley ’81 Jo Ellen Diehl Yeary ’76 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Andrew D. Ferguson ’95 Vice Chair Stephanie Esparza Peloquin ’06 Patricia Bain Bachner ’77 Timothy J. Bennett ’85 Jocelyn Crum Brooks ’95 Amanda Burtt ’02 Marianne Candido ’85 Keith Coleman ’77 Janice Downey Donoghue ’75 Brooke A. Exley ’11 Frank Fleischer ’71 S. Jason Gromelski ’98 Susan Hauck-Bell ’85 John E. Hopkins ’65 Adam Kopp ’88 Tia Knowlton Lane ’98, MALL’02 Kathy Wilcox Lentner ’97 Daniel Leonard ’85 Rocco Manzo ’59 Gene Neill ’16 Jennifer Roach Offenberger ’86 Stephanie Esparza Peloquin ’06 Jazmyn Barrow Stover ’06 Christine Zernick Suter ’84 Mark Vizza ’98 Travis Wells ’97

CONTENTS

FA L L 2017

Inside this issue 14

T H E G O LD E N YE A R S

Pioneers don’t stop being Pioneers simply because of retirement. Their experience and thirst for knowledge allows them to develop or deepen their life’s passions and improve the communities in which they live.

Features 4 6

M A R I E T TA S C E N E J O U R NA L

Hurricane Harvey Regional Associations Peg Howell

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PI O NE E R S

Pioneer Challenge John Langel ’70

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D E V E LO PM E NT S

Securing the College’s future

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M A R I E T TA M O M E N T

Memories of college life

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ISSU E 2 2

EDITORS Tom Perry and Gi Smith ART DIRECTOR Ryan Zundell PHOTOGRAPHERS Ed Barrios, Peter Finger, Nate Knobel, Ken Heron/Heron Aerial Photography, Andrea Peer, Tom Perry, Matt Peters, Poudre River Public Library District, USS LST Ship Memorial CLASS NOTES Jacque Prichard and Gi Smith CONTRIBUTING WRITERS John Frey and Mandee Young PRESIDENT Dr. William N. Ruud PROVOST Dr. Janet Bland VP FOR ADVANCEMENT Angela Anderson EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ANNUAL GIVING AND ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT Brandee Norris M A R I E T TA The Magazine of Marietta College is published by the Office of Communication and Brand Management. 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 Communication and Brand Management at Marietta.

CO N TACT US Send address changes, letters to the editor and class notes to Marietta Magazine, 215 Fifth St., Marietta, OH 45750.

Phone: 740-376-4709 Email: marketing@marietta.edu

T H E LO NG B LU E LI NE

Class notes

COVER ART BY JIM HUNT

M A R I E T TA

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MARIETTA SCENE

N E W A ND NOTA BL E

(Left) Men’s and Women’s varsity golf teams teed off this semester for the first time since 2002.

PHOTOS BY NATE KNOBEL AND MATT PETERS

(Below) Just before fall semester began, Sawbillies, a team of chainsaw artists, transformed one of the ash trees on campus into a Pioneer work of art that would make Putnam himself very proud.

(Above left) The Theatre Department wrapped up the first performance of the season.

Doubt: A Parable was directed by adjunct professor Casiha Felt, who teaches voice and movement at the College.

(Left) Near the end of training camp, Marietta’s Pioneers football team spent one morning scrubbing the McCoy Memorial Gateway on Fourth Street to help beautify campus and show their gratitude for the College’s support.

(Above) Students proudly showed off their second home to parents and siblings during this year’s Family Weekend.

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LO N G BLUE LIN ES

GI SMI TH, E DI TOR

I

t was one of the most important missions I’ve ever undertaken.

Earlier this summer, TP walked into the office after a meeting and announced that the College was hosting the September First Fridays event downtown and then marching in the Washington County Fair Parade the following day. “There’s a lot of planning involved, and someone’s going to have to buy enough candy for the par …”

I volunteer. I VOLUNTEER! The parade enthusiast in me knew that thousands of people show up for this particular procession, which meant that morning was going to be “leg day” for the editor at a nearby box store. I had to get the flatbed cart, which I maneuvered as stealthily as a toddler who’d just run in circles for five minutes. All the while, I was doing math in my head.

I’m sure there’s an equation that figures the number of pieces of candy it would take for 20 people walking 14 blocks at a rate of 2 miles per hour to distribute to +/-7,000 people over the course of 90 minutes. I opted to use the “New Math” approach, which led me to the conclusion that I needed to buy as much candy as I could push in the cart without spilling it or pulling a hamstring.

After returning to the office to pack the bounty into 49 Marietta College drawstring bags, I did the real math.

Trusted to be stored in my office were 9,770 pieces of candy — including 3,040 pieces of bubble gum and 2,200 lollipops.

Naturally, I became very attached to the mountain of goodies neatly bagged and stacked in boxes in my office, which was saturated with the smell of bubble gum. In fact, days after the parade, as we were preparing to move out of our Irvine Hall digs, the entire office still smelled of candy.

If you have a journalism background, you may notice that I’ve buried the lead of the story — the Office of Communication and Brand Management has moved — but I figured the parade candy story was much more entertaining.

Our offices are now on the second floor of what was once called the Follett House. It’s located on Putnam Street near the corner of Fourth.

Another change is the addition of Phil Mason, our Digital Content Specialist, and Mary Herb, our Publications Coordinator. Phil has strengthened the College’s social media presence, and Mary keeps the many communication and branding jobs in order and on time.

Despite the severe lack of candy in this office, working with this talented and creative crew is just as rewarding as you might imagine. If you visit campus, stop by our new office for a tour or to share a great story idea.

Your participation WILL help lead the way to reaching our $2.35 million goal

YO U A RE T H E MAR I E TTA F UND

MARIETTA.EDU/GIVE M A R I E T TA

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JOURNAL

ALUM N I & CAMP US NEWS

Positive gains seen in 2017-18 student enrollment F UT URE LOOKS B R I G H T W I T H N E W L EA D E R S HIP, NEW P LA N

GI SMITH

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PHOTOS BY NATE KNOBEL

T

hroughout his career in enrollment management, Stephen Lazowski always knew Marietta College was a special place to be, and like many of the prospective students he recruits, he set a goal to one day be a part of PioNation.

In May, President William N. Ruud announced that Lazowski, who most recently worked for Thiel College, would join the Marietta College leaderStephen Lazowski ship team as Vice President for Enrollment Management.

On June 1st, Lazowski officially became a Pioneer and quickly went to work to build an incoming class. By late summer, as new students arrived for PioConnect, Lazowski and the entire campus community saw the fruits of their labor. Marietta College welcomed 312 new, full-time students for the fall semester, including 244 incoming freshmen — 30 more first-year students than in the 2016-17 academic year. It was the first time in seven years the new freshman tally was greater than the previous year.

“Recruitment is a contact sport,” Lazowski says, “so it’s important that the entire college work as a team to actively engage prospective students. We are headed in the right direction, and we are doing what’s best for our students and what’s best for Marietta College.”

The new students are from 21 different states and five countries and represent a 12 percent increase from 2016-17.

“Steve and his Admission and Enrollment Management team have successfully engaged current students, faculty, staff and alumni to share in their goal to recruit a dynamic group of new Pioneers,” Ruud says. “They are putting Marietta College’s story in front of the right prospective students.”

In addition to expanding the travel schedule, the Admission Office has improved the quality and increased the number of campus visits. Early Action decisions and financial aid packages are delivered to families earlier. Admission has also strengthened the College’s communication with prospective students and families, ensuring that communication reflects the recent branding strategy, Bring Forth a Pioneer.

“Without question, the transformative education our students receive at Marietta College is among the best in the nation,” Lazowski says. “What will continue to grow our class size is how we tell our story. Our alumni know what sets Marietta apart from other institutions, as do our current students, faculty and staff — and it takes each of these groups to build a class.”

NATE KNOBEL

NATE KNOBEL

www.mugglenet.com/category/specialty-sites/reading-writing-rowling

Talking Potter T H OMAS P RO F E S S O R O F H I S TO RY A PPR ECIAT ES O P P O RT UN IT Y TO HO S T P O DCAS T

K

aty McDaniel may not have realized it, but she’s been auditioning for this moment for a long time.

The Andrew U. Thomas Professor of History at Marietta admits to being obsessed with everything Harry Potter. She has researched J.K. Rowling’s most popular series of books, lectured on the deeper meaning of house elves and housewives, and edited an anthology of critical essays called Harry Potter for Nerds II. Now she is the host of an up-and-coming podcast called Reading, Writing, Rowling on MuggleNet — the world’s top Harry Potter fan site.

“I was completely flattered and surprised when I was asked to be the host,” she says. “I laugh when I tell people I’m doing a podcast on Harry Potter. I’m not the type of person who you would think is doing a podcast.”

However, John Granger, the author of six books and an internationally recognized expert on the subject of Rowling’s Harry Potter saga, says McDaniel is a natural.

“I thought of Katy as the perfect person with whom I could team up for the new MuggleNet podcast. Katy runs the show. After we decide on a guest, she approaches to make the invitation, schedules the recording and writes the questions,” Granger says. “I show up as the ‘special guest,’ but Katy guides the conversation in addition to opening and closing every program. She is the best host of any Potter podcast on the internet, in my opinion, and as she becomes better known, I suspect my biased opinion will become the global consensus.”

McDaniel and Granger have recorded five podcasts, but only three are available since they are posting one per month.

“We hope to get that to two a month soon,” McDaniel says.

McDaniel and Granger are known as “acafans” — academics who have an interest in fandom.

“The Harry Potter books are surprisingly rich, and we talk about them from an academic viewpoint,” McDaniel says. “We also bring on guests like Beatrice Groves, and we have a fun conversation. There have been times we’re talking about something dark from the series, but I’m almost laughing because I’m having so much fun.”

There was a time when McDaniel would get “a little embarrassed” to talk about her Potter research with others in academia.

“There was some hesitation and concern that it wouldn’t be taken seriously,” she says. “But I’m an historian, and I’ve taken things from Harry Potter and have been able to relate it to my classes. There’s not as much of a stigma as there once was — Harry Potter studies are in, and I think they’re here to stay.”

Granger met McDaniel at a C.S. Lewis conference in Nashville years ago at which they both presented papers on Harry Potter.

“Hers was a takedown of something in one of my books, believe it or not! Anyway, it was a brilliant exposition of something I’d gotten entirely wrong, and she was very gracious about how she presented my error,” Granger says. “I was more than impressed by her intelligence, wit, penetrating reading and her kindness, charity even.”

Now McDaniel and Granger get critical feedback from listeners of the podcast.

“People chime in and correct things we’ve said, and honestly, we hope we get more of that,” McDaniel says. “I don’t like to listen to myself on the podcast, but I’m really enjoying doing this.”

TOM PERRY M A R I E T TA

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JOURNAL

ALUM N I & CAMP US NEWS

Gregg Dyakon ’17, Brian Raiff ’17, Tyler Nieberding ’17 and Kaitlin Klinchock ’17

Alumnus receives help from friends after Hurricane Harvey

G

regg Dyakon ’17 and his parents watched helplessly as news reports and updates from their Kingwood neighbors came in about how Category 4 Hurricane Harvey was pummeling their community.

The family was in California when the storm hit and had to wait until the floodwaters receded from their neighborhood before they could head home to assess the damage. During the storm, Dyakon kept in touch with three classmates — Brian Raiff ’17, Tyler Nieberding ’17 and Kaitlin Klinchock ’17 — who live just north of Houston in the nearby community of The Woodlands and were also hunkered down for days because of Harvey.

The group became friends during their freshman year at Marietta. Raiff, Nieberding and Klinchock moved to The Woodlands after graduation for work.

Dyakon, whose family lives in Kingwood, a suburb of Houston, was getting ready to start a new job when the storm hit.

“After the flooding, my mom and dad rented a U-Haul and filled it full of supplies to drive back to Houston to offer help to our neighbors in need,” Dyakon says. “Local hardware stores were completely out of supplies in the Houston area. I got to the house a day before my parents because I flew in. As I drove our rental vehicle into the neighborhood, I was in complete shock. It

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looked like a war zone. There were vehicles everywhere and mounds 8 feet tall consisting of trash, furniture, pictures and memories. Not a single home in the neighborhood was unaffected.”

The first glance he got of his family’s home gave him hope that it was OK. “However, I opened the front door to the sight of an inch of water and tadpoles swimming away from me,” he says. “Couches were thrown everywhere, trash everywhere. Everything on the first floor was destroyed. My mom’s car and my truck were destroyed as well.”

When his friends learned of the damage his home withstood, they offered to help in any way they could. They, too, had watched helplessly as the hurricane settled over Texas and took its toll on families.

Klinchock says Raiff and Nieberding arrived at the house first, and she came as soon as she got off work.

“Just getting off the exit and pulling into the Kingwood area, you could smell the devastation from inside your car: dead fish, rotting wood, spoiled food, wet insulation,” she says. “The smell of it all was the worst part for me; I’ll never forget it. There were piles of debris in driveways and every possible open sidewalk lot.”

“Their situation and the situation of many Houstonians is completely unimaginable.

To have your home destroyed can, and should, break down anyone. But each day, the Dyakons faced their situation with strength and optimism. They couldn’t have been more appreciative of our help.”

The group began helping with cleanup on Labor Day Weekend.

“I can speak for all of us when I say we couldn’t spend the weekend sitting around doing nothing, knowing full well that Gregg and his family needed our help,” Raiff says. “Additionally, the strength of Gregg’s family really inspired us to keep coming back. Their situation and the situation of many Houstonians is completely unimaginable. To have your home destroyed can, and should, break down anyone. But each day, the Dyakons faced their situation with strength and optimism. They couldn’t have been more appreciative of our help.”

For four consecutive days — from sun up to sun down — the team of Pioneers worked together to start getting the house habitable.

“After one of the days, my parents took them out to dinner with us to celebrate my birthday. Without their help, we could’ve been in jeopardy of getting mold in our home,” Dyakon says.

Among the most memorable aspects of Hurricane Harvey for Raiff is the help neighbors provided to each other.

“Each day, neighbors ordered food to help feed volunteers,” Raiff says.

“Neighbors came by with coolers full of water, sandwiches and popsicles to make sure everyone was hydrated and well fed. Every person in the neighborhood was directly affected by the floods, yet they still found the time to make sure their neighbors were OK. The countless selfless acts of the whole neighborhood were amazing to see.”

Dyakon says his family, their contractor’s crew, his friends and, for a day, the Second Baptist Church, worked to drain the house of water and mud, tear out the drywall on the first floor and remove all the cabinets and fixtures from the first floor.

“Needless to say, we all did what we could. Anything that Mr. and Mrs. Dyakon needed to be done we did. It was the least we could do for them, and I would do it all over again if something like this were ever to happen again — pray that it doesn’t,” Klinchock says.

His parents can live in the upstairs of the house, but the recovery process will take at least six months.

“Two in every 10 residents of Houston supposedly had flood insurance, and we were one of the very few who had it,” Dyakon says. “Many people in our neighborhood, and in Houston, weren’t fortunate enough to be covered and are suffering way greater than us. We are blessed to be safe and alive and cannot thank God enough for that.”

Senior art student participates in prestigious New York drawing marathon

I

t took a little nudge from a professor to get Hailey Bennett ’18 to apply for the New York Studio School Drawing Marathon that was held in September.

Even then, Bennett was still hesitant about the possibility of spending a week in New York City doing almost nothing but drawing.

“I didn’t expect to be accepted,” she says.

“However, they emailed me back within a day to let me know that I had been accepted. I didn’t think I was ready to go to New York, and then all of a sudden, I had to.”

McCoy Professor of Art Jolene Powell, who persuaded Bennett to apply, says her student is exactly the type of artist who thrives with opportunities like this one.

“Although I stay in contact and have close relationships with many of my students, Hailey is special,” Powell says. “She is the kind of student you have every few years that is extremely talented, hardworking and eager to learn and grow.”

Each day from Sept. 4 to 10, Bennett and 14 others in the class worked on their art from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Graham Nickson, who is the dean of the school, developed the internationally recognized marathon programs in 1988. As interest grew from others outside of the New York Studio School, the marathons were opened to new participants.

Bennett says she was one of the youngest in her group, and despite being nervous about going, the experience was positive.

“For some reason, I just feel less concerned about making perfect art,” says Bennett, who is double majoring in Studio Art and Graphic Design. “Now, I’m more excited about making art for fun and being more creative.”

The marathons are highly selective, and Bennett is just the third Marietta College student chosen to attend. Amelia Schroeder ’08 and Andy Taylor ’07 are Marietta’s other past attendees.

During Bennett’s week in New York, the class focused on abstract art.

“That’s not something I’ve done much of, so it was a little overwhelming for the first couple of days,” says Bennett, who is a graduate of Marietta High School. “This experience has opened my eyes to what I could do as an artist and that there were more options than I thought.”

TOM PERRY

GI SMITH

M A R I E T TA

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ALUM N I & CAMP US NEWS

PHOTOS BY NATE KNOBEL

JOURNAL

Welcome, Cincinnati!

Perfect 10 CL EV ELAN D AN D CI N C I N N AT I A D D ED TO M A R I ET TA’ S REG IO NA L AS S O CIAT IO N P RO G RA M

M

arietta College has been keeping rock-star hours when it comes to growing the Regional Association program.

In June, within 24 hours, President William N. Ruud and other members of the Marietta College campus community hosted charter ceremonies in Cincinnati and Cleveland, welcoming alumni, students and their parents, and friends of the College to the newest Regional Associations.

The first event, held at The Capital Grille, launched the Greater Cincinnati Regional Association.

Rich ’70 and Lynn Bromberg Arnold ’71 brought memorabilia — including a banner and student handbooks — they collected at Marietta during their time as students.

About 40 alumni, family and friends joined them during the ceremony.

“We appreciated everything we learned at Marietta College,” Rich Arnold says. “The experiences we had — especially through Greek life — really prepared us for life.”

Ruud gave guests an update on what’s happening at Marietta and what’s on the horizon, including the addition of men’s and women’s lacrosse.

“Bill came at exactly the right time,” says Rich Arnold. “He is innovative, and he has the type of ideas that will make the College grow. It’s the perfect time 10

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for Marietta College to have Bill as its president.”

Ruud thanked the Regional Association volunteers for their work organizing and planning for growth in their chapter.

“There are about 1,000 alumni living in the greater Cincinnati area,” Ruud says. “You’re the pros. You’re the ones who know what there is to do in the city. You are the ninth Regional Association — and some of you could argue that you are the first, as the original group was started in 1854. The point is, you know this area better than we do. Do things that are unique to Cincinnati. And when you have the chance, come back and visit us.”

Julie Van Arsdale ’78 hasn’t been back to campus for some years but tries to reconnect with her Chi Omega sisters on an annual basis. This year, the group planned a trip to Lake Tahoe.

“Most of us, I think, are empty-nesters looking for other things to do because we’re mostly retired,” she says.

Arsdale met up with several of her friends from College at The Capital Grille, including Lynn Hooker Pierce ’78, who was her roommate during their sophomore year.

“It feels wonderful to have Marietta College come to us,” Pierce says. “You can feel Marietta’s legacy in something like this. I haven’t been connected to

“Hearing Dr. Ruud talk about Marietta College with so much enthusiasm and promise reminds me of how I felt as a graduating senior.”

Jane Boak Florer ’79, Jane Stephens Augé ’76, Julie Van Arsdale ’78 and Lynn Hooker Pierce ’78

Welcome, Cleveland!

Connor Walters ’13

Tom Apple ’68

the College in a long time, but I’m really energized hearing what Bill Ruud is doing and the news I’m receiving from the College.”

Within 24 hours, Ruud met with another enthusiastic group of alumni and friends — this time, at the Glidden House in Cleveland.

“There are 3,000 alumni living in the greater Cleveland region,” Ruud says. “And there are nine other Regional Associations in the country. I want you to be engaged with your group when you can.

I know everyone leads busy lives, but know that you are always welcome to attend when it fits in with your life, and don’t forget to invite others.

With 10 Regional Associations, have some fun and challenge the others in mini-competitions to see who can have the most participation in events like Community Service Day or creating a scholarship.”

Kim Nelson ’10 and Hailee Stender ’09 were happy to reconnect with the fellow alumni during the ceremony.

“I went through the McDonough Leadership Program with Hailee’s sister, who was one of my leaders,” Nelson says. “I’m at the age where I see a lot of people from Marietta at weddings, so it’s nice to be able to see alumni from all different eras here.”

Alumni were grateful for the opportunity to spend the evening in the domain of Marietta College without having to drive for hours on Interstate 77 to do it.

“It’s awesome to have this here,” says Christian Saunders ’14. “At Marietta, you get the chance to really get to know people. You see the same faces every day, and that’s a good feeling. Having a Regional Association here in Cleveland makes it easier to keep in touch with alumni.”

Connor Walters ’13 spent the evening catching up with friends and learning about what’s happening at the College.

“Hearing Dr. Ruud talk about Marietta College with so much enthusiasm and promise reminds me of how I felt as a graduating senior,” Walters says.

“I’m excited to be a part of the beginning stages of this association.”

GI SMITH

M A R I E T TA

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JOURNAL

ALUM N I & CAMP US NEWS

Speaking her mind ALU MNA USE S H E R P RO F ES S I O N A L E X PE R I E N C E TO DEFEN D T HE CA RO LINA S HO RELIN E

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commercial interest.”

Like Howell, Jim Watkins, chair of SODA, has worked to protect the Atlantic coastal region from drilling for three years. Like most of the SODA members, Watkins has an eclectic professional background that provides expertise to the group — he is a retired infantry officer, a retired Presbyterian minister and a former District Staff Director for a U.S. Congressman.

“Peg understands that leadership skills are transferable,” he says. “She brought to SODA skills that she has used in other parts of her life. She combines technical knowledge with interpersonal relationships. With her oil drilling background, she brings immense credibility.”

Howell recalls how her undergraduate time at Marietta College helped to prepare her for professional experiences she would have throughout her life.

“I remember (former Petroleum Engineering professor) Elmer Templeton convinced me that whatever I did with my life, petroleum engineering would serve me for my entire life, and it has,” Howell says. “In 1977, this was a great career. Also in ’77, we lived with the expectation that there were only 40 years left in the oil and gas reservoirs. We anticipated that alternative energy sources would become the mainstay.”

Beyond the ecological impact, Howell says the Atlantic coast heavily relies on a flourishing tourism industry. SODA recently conducted a “tourism vs. oil” study that examines the financial tradeoffs that would take place if oil and gas exploration took over the coastal communities. “Our tourism economy alone is more than 20 times more valuable than oil and gas exploration and production off our coast,” she says.

In her congressional testimony, she highlighted that the Atlantic coast economy of 1.4 million jobs and more than $95 billion in gross domestic product relies on a healthy coast and ocean ecosystems for fishing, tourism and recreation.

“Fighting offshore oil and gas exploration in the Atlantic is not fighting the industry, per se,” Howell says. “It’s fighting decisions that are foolhardy. Why in the world would we introduce a high-risk, finite industry that is incompatible with and would jeopardize our very successful coastal economy?”

As for the future, Howell finds hope in the fact that so many coastal residents and politicians are united in protecting the Atlantic coastal region.

“We have to ask ourselves, ‘What are we leaving for our children and our grandchildren?’” she says. “And then we have to act.”

GI SMITH

PETER FINGER

eg Howell ’77 was the first woman petroleum engineer to drill oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico and worked for years in the energy industry before starting a consulting firm geared toward developing senior executives in Fortune 500 companies.

These days, she spends a great deal of time educating legislators on why states along the Atlantic coast should not permit drilling off their shores. Howell is one of the founding members of SODA — Stop Offshore Drilling in the Atlantic — and has testified before the U.S. Congress and across her state to discuss the economic and ecological harm exploration off the South Carolina coast will cause.

She testified in July before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources about the effects of developing the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf.

“Every five years, the Department of Interior is charged with looking at offshore regions to be considered for development,” Howell says. “In 2015, the Bureau of Energy Management, which is part of the Department of Interior, sought out coastal states that wanted to participate in that program. The former governor of South Carolina (Nikki Haley), along with the governors of North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia, put the Mid- and South Atlantic in the mix. It was the first time the Atlantic coast had been considered for decades.”

Howell and other residents on Pawleys Island, which is off the coast of South Carolina, were concerned about what offshore drilling and exploration would do to their community and others along the Atlantic Coast. The group of residents comprising SODA includes a Petroleum Landman, several engineers, an information technologist, a physicist, a former Congressional Chief of Staff, a lawyer, a realtor and a minister, among others.

In May 2016, the Mid- and South Atlantic regions were pulled from consideration for the 2017-22 program. Though the regions were removed from the program, they were not exempted from potential seismic testing — the first step in offshore exploration — until January of this year. In April, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to overturn those previous decisions and expedite seismic testing and drilling permits.

“The issue with seismic testing is the amount of noise it introduces into the ecosystem, which causes tremendous harm to marine mammals,” Howell says, noting that the inescapable noise would impact the most vulnerable species, like the North Atlantic right whale, in their ability to communicate, feed, navigate and mate. “Huge amounts of sound are blasted into the ocean, and all it provides to geologists is an indication that there might be geologic structures that could contain oil and gas. In the ’70s and ’80s, some wells were drilled in the North Atlantic and off the coast of Georgia, but they ended up being dry holes — nothing of

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“I remember (former Petroleum Engineering professor) Elmer Templeton convinced me that whatever I did with my life, petroleum engineering would serve me for my entire life, and it has.�

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The Golden

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Years

FADING OFF INTO THE SUNSET — THE QUIET AGE — NOT QUITE THE CASE FOR PIONEERS.

Marietta College alumni who have spent decades working in their professions are putting the Pioneer spin on what retirement looks like today.

Sure there’s travel and time with the grandkids, but in the tradition of the liberal arts, these retirees are lifelong learners who want to continue to challenge themselves and make the world around them a better place.

W R I T T E N B Y G I S M I T H | P H OTO S B Y N AT E K N O B E L I L LU S T R AT I O N B Y J I M H U N T

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“Retirement gives me the time to nurture talents that were set aside while I was raising a family, acquiring two graduate degrees and teaching full time.”

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he very nature of a Pioneer is to move forward, to discover new things and to make things better than how you found them.

Retirement, for Pioneers, isn’t the time to withdraw from meaningful work or from helping others. Marietta College’s retired alumni see retirement as an opportunity to blend their experience with new passions.

For middle school math teacher Jane Callander Michael ’60, this meant putting down her math lesson plans and picking up a paintbrush.

“Retirement gives me the time to nurture talents that were set aside while I was raising a family, acquiring two graduate degrees and teaching full time,” she says. “I still tutor students privately in my home, so I stay connected in that way to my profession, but I also have time to paint.”

Her father was formally trained at the Chicago Art Institute and also sang professionally but was not able to support his family solely through his artistry, so he worked for the government. His passion for painting influenced her into taking art in high school and college, though she opted to focus her studies in biology and math on preparing her for a career in teaching.

She began painting seriously in 2009 when her mother-in-law was living in a Morgantown retirement home.

“When our son’s art teacher became a resident there, we formed a co-op and painted together every Thursday until her death four years 16

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ago,” Michael says. “I continue to paint daily and attend regional and national workshops.”

During her first solo public show, she sold 20 of the 43 paintings she brought. She returns to the same venue in November and December this year and has created a website — www.janecmichaelart.weebly.com — that showcases her art and shares photos of her travel.

“The paintings I am able to sell allow me to go to workshops,” she says. “I wouldn’t say I’m making money from my painting, but I would say I’m breaking even.”

Recently, she and her husband, Edwin Michael ’59, hosted an art sale at their Morgantown, West Virginia, home. Ed, a retired certified wildlife biologist and Emeritus Professor at West Virginia University, showcased his woodcarvings alongside his wife’s paintings. His knowledge of bird anatomy gives him an advantage when carving.

“But you also have to know the three-dimensional part of it, which may be the biggest challenge in carving,” he says. “You also really need to understand wood grains in order to know where you can cut, particularly for the small songbirds.”

Ed has been carving throughout his career as a professor and wildlife biologist and has found another passion since retiring: writing fictional histories.

“When I was semiretired, I did wildlife surveys on environmental impact statements on proposed wind turbines and gas pipelines,” he says. “I also wrote scientific and popular articles while I was employed as a Professor of Wildlife Management/Ecology at WVU.

Once I retired, I turned to historical fiction.”

One of his novels, The Last Appalachian Wolf, details the end of the timber wolf population in the central Appalachian region, telling the story from the perspective of the last wolf pack.

“I like this type of writing because I can use my knowledge of wildlife biology — which is scientific — and blend it with my creative side so the reader is educated on the subject without feeling like they’ve been given a lecture,” he says.

F

or Jane Bishop Jones ’68, retirement brought an opportunity to blend her passion for health and wellness with her desire to help others. Jones, who is a retired Spanish teacher, was on a trip to Barcelona last year when she saw an unusual-looking park.

“It was an outdoor fitness park, and it was just alongside the road we were traveling on. When I got back home, I did my research and thought, ‘Why not bring this to Marietta?’” Jones says.

This summer, the Settlers Bank Adult Park was dedicated in memory of Jones’ father, Dr. Charles Bishop, who was an osteopathic physician. The outdoor facility includes nine pieces of exercise equipment, and four of them are wheelchair accessible.

Jones, who has always been passionate about maintaining a healthy lifestyle, wanted to help others — particularly senior citizens — also achieve the best fitness possible and give them

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“I had to step way outside my comfort zone.

All of a sudden I was meeting with city officials and learning about concrete.” opportunities to have fun. As dedicated as she was to bringing an outdoor exercise park to Marietta, Jones knew it would take more than her enthusiasm to make it happen.

“I had to step way outside my comfort zone. All of a sudden I was meeting with city officials and learning about concrete,” Jones says. “Over 95 percent of the funding came from me asking businesses and individuals. They donated when I asked and donated when I didn’t ask. I had a 50-50 chance they would help, so why not ask?”

Jones even tried her hand at writing a grant proposal, which she received.

“I worked with so many people who really cared about the project, and many of them were alumni,” she says.

Jonathan Hupp ’98, the city’s Safety Service Director, helped secure an accessible location for the park and the labor for much of the work, while Greg Black ’81, owner of Black’s Tree Service, cleared and trimmed trees. Ann Marie Ciccarelli Lowers ’89 and Beth Spaur Schwendeman ’05 — both physical therapists — provided the public with training education on the equipment.

“Everyone believed in the project and saw its benefits. They ‘saw’ my dream and helped to make it a reality. Yes, dreams do come true,” Jones says.

In the past, Jones has taken Learning in Retirement courses offered at Marietta College. The program is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Peter Polites, the Director of Learning in Retirement, says the program offers three sessions each year, with each session consisting of five different topics. Each course lasts eight weeks and costs $30.

“Getting a degree is not the end of learning,” he says. “Our enrollees are committed to lifelong learning and to staying active and curious.”

Many of the courses are taught by Marietta College faculty, and all have an academic base.

“There is a diversity to the courses we offer, and they range from the psychology of humor to theoretical physics and string theory,” Polites says. “The thing we advise our enrollees on is to avoid taking a course on a topic they already know or like.”

Jones says her liberal arts background continues to serve her well because it fuels her desire to continue learning and doing new things and being of service to the community.

“I knew at 16 years old that I wanted to teach Spanish, and I also knew that I wanted my students to have fun learning it,” Jones says. “I’ve always enjoyed learning new things and being active. This is my way of helping others find that joy also. I am retired, but I’m not tired. I want to go further.”

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KEN HERON/HERON AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

USS LST SHIP MEMORIAL, INC.

etirement as a towboat captain didn’t end Bob Kubota’s time on the river. In fact, it added a new dynamic.

Every time Captain Kubota ’72 watches a tour group learn about the history of the USS LST 325 — the vessel he has captained since 2015 — it reinforces his belief in the memorial ship’s mission to educate the public and honor the work affiliated with that fleet of U.S. Navy ships.

The LST (Landing Ship, Tank) 325 is a decommissioned Naval vessel that was first launched in October 1942. It was part of the invasions of Gela, Sicily and Salerno, Italy, and provided transport at Omaha Beach during the invasion of Normandy. It remained in service to the United States until 1964, when it was sent to Greece.

By 2000, a group of retired military men obtained the ship from Greece, worked to make it seaworthy and then piloted it back to the United States to serve as a memorial. The ship docks in Evansville, Indiana, where volunteers maintain it and educate visitors on these types of vessels. Once a year, Kubota captains the ship along the Mississippi River system to visit different ports of call.

In September, Kubota and his volunteer crew embarked on a Cumberland River Cruise, stopping in Nashville and Clarksville, Tennessee.

“When they give tours of the ship, especially to school-aged children, they see that there’s no armor or protection around the 40-millimeter or 20-millimeter guns,” Kubota says. “What that shows is that when these men were firing these weapons at enemy aircraft, nothing was there to protect them. They didn’t jump up and run. They stayed and did their job. They were close enough to see the muzzle flash and the bullets hitting the water. It was up close and personal.”

Though Kubota did not serve in the military, he began volunteering his time and expertise on the LST 325 around 2012.

“After I graduated from Marietta College, I ended up working on the river — first as a deckhand and then I eventually made my way up to Captain,” says Kubota, who was a member of Delta Tau Delta at Marietta. “I spent my career working as a towboat pilot and Captain. The U.S. Coast Guard requires the same license to drive the LST 325 as they do a towboat.”

John Tallent, who is the President of the Board of Directors of the LST Ship Memorial nonprofit and the deck officer onboard the ship, says it takes 38,000 volunteer hours every year to keep the ship running.

“We have an extraordinary depth of skill sets in this volunteer crew,” Tallent says. “A ship is, fundamentally, a small city, and all the functions of a city have to be maintained. It’s not enough to have people who are enthusiastic; they have to have a skill set and a knowledge [of how the ship functions] also. I cannot say enough good things about Bob and him being our captain. He is a very essential component to what we’re doing.”

Kubota takes pride in knowing that he can help keep the public educated on the Navy’s LST vessels and honor those who served on them. During the tours, visitors can see the environment that the men lived in during wartime.

“Some of them will talk about their grandfathers landing at D-Day,” Kubota says. “They’ll say their granddad was a truck driver or a tank driver and wonder if this was the ship their granddad was on or if it was the last ship he was on.”

The memorial ship has a tracking app on its website that lets visitors see when and where the LST 325 will be during its voyages.

“A lot of people come out — even at night — and stand on the banks and wave to us,” Kubota says. “And visitors come out to see the ship and thank us for keeping this alive.”

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SCOREBOOK

P I ON E E R ATHL ETICS

CHALLENGE

ACCEPTED P EN NSYLVANI A S U MM ER G O L F OUT IN G GA IN IN G POPU LARITY A M O NG A LU MNI AN D COAC HES

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PHOTOS BY TOM PERRY

A

s a steady rain pelted the finely manicured grass outside, a small group of golfers gathered around a computer screen hoping to see some positive updates on the forecast. The other 75 or so, huddled inside the clubhouse at Whispering Pines Golf Club in Meadville, Pennsylvania, were debating if the fifth annual Pioneer Challenge Golf Outing would actually happen.

“The rain is going to break in about 30 minutes, so let’s head out and start taking photos so we’ll be ready,” bellows Bill Kingzett ’79, one of five alumni who organizes the outing each summer.

The rain actually never stopped, but it did let up for a while — albeit mixed in with some downpours. But it was just enough that each of the 16 teams got in at least eight holes, and some as many as 11. The outing was the second day of the two-day event. On Thursday, the weather cooperated and alumni and coaches participated in a golf skills competition, as well as attended a social event on the river. All of the events over the two days are how the programs earn points toward winning the Golden Musket Award.

“The golf part of this is important because we’re all very competitive,” says David Reese ’79, another organizer. “But this is about seeing old friends. This event has been priceless. You can’t put a number on it. We’ve got people back that I haven’t seen in 40 years. … I guarantee you if you let us make the decision on whether we could come back for another four years at Marietta … I’m packed, and I’ll move in again. It was the greatest four years of my life.”

Bob Gilmore ’76, who played soccer and ran track, made the trip from Elkton, Maryland, for the first time.

“This is a chance to get back together with some of your best friends,” he says. “It’s also a great fundraiser for the College, but the attraction is you can get involved at a low-key place, and we have a lot of fun.”

The Pioneer Challenge raised nearly $25,000 for the College’s Athletics Department, but the group also agreed it was time to start making a gift to the academic side. This year they donated $500 to the English Department.

“We wanted to reach over to academics,” says Reese, who played soccer and lacrosse. “We were all student-athletes. Most of us knew we wouldn’t be playing sports after college. Athletics brought us together, but we also went to class. We hope to get it up to $1,000 a year and pick a different academic department each year.”

Angela Anderson, Vice President for Advancement, says the Pioneer Challenge has grown into a fun and exciting event for a loyal group of former student-athletes.

“It is exciting to join the alumni, donors and coaches for this event each summer,” she says. “You see up close and personal the impact of The Long Blue Line and how an event like this can be delivered with a love of Marietta College as the driving force. I am very appreciative of the support we have received.”

The Challenge sort of started by accident.

When football coach Andy Waddle joined the College in 2013, Athletic Director Larry Hiser reached out to Kingzett and asked if he would meet with the new coach. They got together at Whispering Pines, along with Bill’s sister, Carol ’81, and helped get some funding and equipment for the football program.

“It was only after this did I realize Bill wasn’t a former football player.

He was a former soccer player and wrestler,” Hiser says. “I asked Bill why he met with Andy, and his response was perfect. He said, ‘Because you asked me to, and I like to support Marietta College however I can.’”

The next year, the Pioneer Challenge committee decided to make the event a competition between the football and soccer programs, and the winner receives the Golden Musket. This past summer, the event grew to include a challenge between every varsity sport at Marietta.

Soccer has won every year.

“I’m impressed with what Bill and Carol Kingzett, David Reese, John Stansfield and Michael Duggan have been able to do with this event,” Hiser says. “I was blown away again this year. … You can see the enthusiasm that is generated about Marietta College athletics, and it has a positive impact on our coaching staff. The undying support of their alma mater is humbling.”

Bill Kingzett says the hard work is well worth it.

“I have a great committee,” he says. “We meet throughout the year, and we’ll have conference calls fairly regularly. It’s more about a reunion, a gathering of people, and they are doing it for a great cause — Marietta College, where we all have great memories of and still do. … What makes this event different from most typical golf events is that we had people fly in from California and multiple people from Texas, Florida, South Carolina and the East Coast. They’re flying in to see old friends and reconnect with the College, not because they want to play at Whispering Pines Golf Club in metropolitan Meadville.”

And even more memories were made on a very damp day in Pennsylvania.

TOM PERRY

PIONEER CHALLENGE COMMITTEE Mike Duggan ’80 Bill Kingzett ’79

Men’s Soccer coach Joe Bergin watches his putt, while Henry Leymarie waits to see if he’ll need to take a shot, during the annual Pioneer Challenge Golf Outing at Whispering Pines Golf Club in Meadville, Pennsylvania, this summer. ABOVE: David Reese ’79, left, and Bill Kingzett ’79 address the golfers at the end of the rain-shortened event in June. Reese and Kingzett were two of the driving forces behind starting this event five years ago, and now it raises almost $25,000 annually for athletics at Marietta.

Carol Kingzett ’81 David Reese ’79 John Stansfield ’80

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SCOREBOOK

THE

P I ON E E R ATHL ETICS

DEAL MAKER

L A NGEL PLAYS KEY ROLES IN HELPIN G WOME N’S S OCCE R , WOM EN ’ S HOC KEY N EGOT IATE L ABOR DE AL S

John Langel ’70 with members of the U.S. Women’s Hockey Team at the offices of Ballard Spahr, a Philadelphiabased law firm. Langel was instrumental in negotiating a new, more lucrative deal with USA Hockey for the women.

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aving gone down this path 20 years earlier, John B. Langel ’70 was the right person for the women on the U.S. Women’s Hockey Team to contact.

When the athletes were not happy with the arrangement they had with USA Hockey, the sport’s national governing body, some of the women hockey players reached out to Langel, the man who successfully represented the women of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team two decades earlier. The soccer players hired Langel in the late ’90s when they believed that U.S. Soccer was not meeting its obligations under the Amateur Sports Act, the federal legislation that governs the U.S. Olympic Committee and all other national governing bodies.

In December 2015, the hockey women hired Langel and his law firm, Ballard Spahr, to help improve the players’ situation.

“This opportunity came to me through the relationships I developed with the women’s soccer players,” says Langel, who represented the soccer players until late 2014 and continues to represent the hockey women despite retiring in 2016 as a partner with Ballard Spahr after 41 years with the firm.

Over the next 15 months, Langel and other attorneys from Ballard Spahr worked behind the scenes to negotiate a new agreement that would cover all of the women hockey players. To the Ballard Spahr lawyers, it appeared that progress was being made out of the public eye. However, in February 2017, it became clear to the athletes and their legal team that not enough progress was being made and that they needed to do something more dramatic, which included the possibility of refusing to play in the World Championship that was being played for the first time in the United States.

“He changed the game for us. He is the person behind the scenes who was the architect of changing the trajectory of popularity in our sport.”

— Julie Foudy, two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist

With something so significant at stake, Langel advised the players that unity was a key to success. He knew the environment well, having helped the women’s soccer players in their 2000 battle with U.S. Soccer on the eve of the 2000 Olympics.

In the face of not playing in the Olympics, “I watched Mia Hamm stand up in a crowded room and tell U.S. Soccer that she had played on two World Cup championship teams and had won gold at the 1996 Olympics, and at 26, she was prepared to retire if U.S. Soccer wasn’t going to change its ways,” Langel says. “When you have the most significant player saying that, and you know that the rest of the players were behind her, you start to feel better about your leverage.

That helped us seal the most significant women’s soccer deal.”

He shared that experience with the hockey players, and Langel says they proved to be as resilient and determined as the soccer players. Women’s hockey bonded behind a social media hashtag, #BeBoldForChange, and the threat to sit out the World Championships six days before training camp was scheduled to start.

“It was strategically planned,” says Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, a star of the U.S. Women’s Hockey Team. “We knew USA Hockey would try to get replacement players, so we had to have enough time to negotiate but limit the time they had to get the players. But we really didn’t have anything to worry about. When we contacted the possible replacements, they all said they were behind us, and they wouldn’t play.”

Langel says it appears on the surface that negotiations were quick and smooth since the announcement came in March, and everything was settled by March 26th so the women could report for training just five days late. It was just the opposite.

“We were all on pins and needles,” says Langel, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Marietta and went to law school at Temple. “If USA Hockey didn’t do what we wanted them to, these women wouldn’t have played in the World Championships, the most significant event in their hockey lives outside of the Olympics. They were determined to do this, and no one was backing down.”

After the agreement was reached, which includes a large bump in the annual salary from $1,000 a month for the six months of an Olympic year (and no salary during non-Olympic years) to around $70,000 a player and a pledge to do more to promote women’s hockey, the women led the U.S. to its fourth consecutive World Championship by defeating rival Canada in overtime 3-2.

“They lived out the Hollywood ending,” Langel says. “They beat Canada and get through the other rounds undefeated, and then beat Canada [again] in a thrilling overtime game for the championship.

Everything worked out perfectly.”

Langel, though, was not really the ideal candidate to take up the cause for women’s athletics 20 years ago when Hamm, Julie Foudy and Kristine Lilly came calling for help.

“I had always represented male athletes. Players like (former Eagles quarterback) Ron Jaworski, (former Eagles defensive lineman) Reggie White, (former NBA All-Star, NBA coach and current ESPN broadcaster) Doug Collins, and (current Northwestern basketball coach) Chris Collins,” he says. “I also had two sons who both played (NCAA) Division I basketball, so I had only known a men’s world. In the men’s world, you are treated very well. I learned pretty quickly that it wasn’t the same for the women.”

Langel and his firm relished the opportunity to make an impact in women’s athletics. Even after all of these years, Foudy says “Johnny” was “our savior — our Tadpole Angel.”

“He changed the game for us. He is the person behind the scenes who was the architect of changing the trajectory of popularity in our sport,” says Foudy, a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist. “He forced U.S. Soccer to pay attention to us. He had the vision to say we should do more with these women. He helped create an indoor tour for us after the 1999 World Cup success. We owe so much to him.”

Langel and his wife, Jacquelyn ’70, remain close to many of the women soccer players and are developing similar friendships with the hockey players, most notably the Lamoureux twins — Jocelyne and Monique.

“The soccer women are very much our friends,” Langel says. “When Mia Hamm comes anywhere near Philadelphia, she stays at the house with us. The same goes for Julie Foudy. We’ve gone to player weddings and celebrated the births of their children.

My granddaughter just went to Julie’s leadership/soccer camp.”

The players — from both eras and sports— look at Langel as a hero.

“He’s been world class throughout the whole process,” LamoureuxDavidson says. “I feel very fortunate to have crossed paths with him, and I know the women of U.S. hockey and future generations are grateful he was on our side.”

Foudy’s sentiments are similar.

“At the time, we didn’t have any money, but John told us he’d do it for nothing until we could afford to pay him,” she says. “He was smart enough to manage all of our personalities. He was so smart in his negotiating ability and in terms of guiding us. The players had the courage, and our strength was always our unity. But John was really the backbone to all of it.”

TOM PERRY

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DEVELOPMENTS

ADVANCEMENT NEWS

Securing the College’s future THANKS TO ALUMNI AND FRIENDS, MARIETTA RAISES $10.5 MILLION DURING FISCAL YEAR 2017

David Goldenberg presents President William N. Ruud with a ceremonial check for $1,506,465 at the President’s House in July, signifying a strong start to fundraising for this fiscal year. The bequest from the estate of Joseph C. and Mary Moore Adams Rieffenberger ’39 establishes an endowment to support academic programs for the Legacy Library.

To make a donation go to www.marietta.edu/give

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PHOTOS BY NATE KNOBEL

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he generosity of nearly 3,000 Marietta College alumni and friends made fiscal year 2017 one of the College’s best for fundraising in more than five years — generating $10.5 million in cash and pledges.

“We are grateful for our donors’ generosity, which I believe reveals how alumni and donors’ individual power can transform into a collective force that has an extraordinary impact on Marietta College,” says President William N. Ruud. “This level of giving has a direct effect on the quality of the student experience at Marietta, and it creates new opportunities for everyone across campus. Through this support, we can change lives and secure our future.”

Success was shared across all areas of giving and engagement at the College. It all starts with The Marietta Fund, which ended the year at $2,297,949, eclipsing the goal by almost $48,000. It was the fifth year in a row the College has surpassed its goal. The fiscal year 2018 goal has increased to $2.35 million.

“I am thrilled with the success of the team for the benefit of Marietta College,” says Angela Anderson, Vice President for Advancement. “It has been a rewarding year as we work with so many wonderful alumni, friends and families to fund important projects for today’s and tomorrow’s Pioneers. Thank you to everyone who continues to support the College with their time, treasure and talent.”

There were 335 new donors to The Marietta Fund, and 317 President Circle members (individuals who gave $1,500 or more). The College also increased the number of Regional Associations with four additional locations — Philadelphia, Central Ohio, Cincinnati and Cleveland — and reached the goal of having 10.

“The improved engagement that we have with our alumni, especially through the Regional Associations, is a key component to the increase in donations,” says Brandee Norris, Executive Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement. “We also tried something new by conducting our first Day of Giving, and we were pleased to raise more than $10,000.”

In fiscal year 2017, the Advancement team was excited to put the final touches on one fundraising project and begin another one. During Homecoming weekend 2016, the Lindamood-Van Voorhis Boathouse renovation project ended with a dedication ceremony. More than $1 million was raised for the project. In December 2016, the College received a $1 million donation from Donald G. ’81 and Leslie Straub Ritter ’85 to fund a music therapy program. Part of the gift is being used to renovate the McKinney Building to include a recording studio and classroom space.

“Don and Leslie continue to be extremely committed to this program and even added a $500,000 challenge gift to raise more money for

music therapy at Marietta,” Anderson says. “The curriculum for a new program is being finalized, and the faculty must approve everything, but we are excited about the future of this program. We’re also excited to unveil the new space at Homecoming when we have a ribbon-cutting celebration.”

Michele Marra, Vice President for Administration and Finance, says the College’s endowment grew $6.2 million to $76.5 million during the past fiscal year, following an investment return of 11 percent. Almost $4.1 million was donated to the College through restricted and unrestricted gifts to the endowment.

Jarrett Stull, Director of Gift Planning and Major Gifts, says the College’s commitment to establishing a planned giving program is an important component of the increase in donations.

“The thoughtful gifts directed to Marietta College this year from loyal alumni and friends through their estates demonstrate the impact of planning for the future,” Stull says. “Their generosity, as a result of remembering the College in their planning, is at work providing scholarships, ensuring labs have up-to-date technology and strengthening the general infrastructure to maintain the uniqueness and quality of Marietta College.”

Stull notes that the College also enjoyed $1.7 million in new, documented planned gifts and charitable gift annuities in fiscal year 2017. He adds that more than 80 percent of all gifts from a donor’s estate are made by a simple directive in their will or trust.

“In many situations, donors realize the potential impact they can make after they consider remembering the College as a part of their will or a beneficiary of a retirement account, or they consider deeding property to the College, gifting an insurance policy or donating an appreciated asset,” he says. “I, along with all my colleagues, look forward to continuing the discussion about ways to support current and future students.”

Anderson says there is also an excitement surrounding President Ruud,

especially during his first year on the job. Now the College is excited to build on the enthusiasm and energy many people feel about the future of Marietta.

“President Ruud has been such a great partner with Advancement and is a fabulous addition to the Marietta College family,” she says. “The future is exciting and bright for us at the College, as well as for the alumni and students.”

The College is also off to a good start for fiscal year 2018 with a $1,506,465 bequest from the estate of Joseph C. and Mary Moore Adams Rieffenberger ’39 in July. It establishes an endowment to support “academic programs for the Legacy Library.”

Dr. Janet Bland, Provost and Dean of the Faculty, says a gift like this has a remarkable and long-lasting impact on students and faculty.

“It provides opportunities for our faculty to learn about new pedagogy and methodology, so we who value teaching so much are leading the way in 21st-century instruction. Great faculty make a difference at the individual level, but their impact is also generational, making a difference years and indeed decades later,” Bland says. “In the same way we have alumni who speak with affection and respect of their dedicated faculty from 10, 20, 30 years ago, we must create an educational experience that is life-changing for today’s students. There are many generous friends, alumni and donors who have made and continue to make meaningful gifts to the College.

And I am always touched by their generosity, whether it’s a gift for golf or Geology, helping fund a building or a degree in business — there are so many ways to support Marietta. But I must admit, I always cheer a little bit louder when it’s a gift for academics that can positively impact our students in the classroom, like this gift from the Rieffenbergers.”

TOM PERRY

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D EFINING MEMORIES OF COL L EGE L IFE

THE POUDRE RIVER PUBLIC LIBRARY DISTRICT

MARIETTA MOMENT

John Frey ’68 is a retired attorney who lives in Fort Collins, Colorado.

GRAHAMITE, “GRA.HAM.ITE.” N. MINERAL. AN ASPHALITE WITH A PITCH-BLACK LUSTER. NATURALLY OCCURRING SOLID HYDROCARBON BITUMEN WITH HIGH FIXED CARBON RATE OF 35-55 PERCENT AND A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF FUSION. NAMED AFTER J.A. GRAHAM AND J.L. GRAHAM, 19TH CENTURY MINERS, WHO WERE INTERESTED IN THE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THIS MINERAL RESOURCE IN WEST VIRGINIA.

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I

f I had been paying proper attention and acting more responsibly, none of this would have happened, and that would have been a great loss.

As a sophomore in 1966, I was bumping along academically but blossoming socially. I had come to love this little college in southeastern Ohio.

I had joined the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and was enjoying all of the camaraderie that went along with brotherhood. We lived for the weekends, which began quite early on Friday afternoons.

As a liberal arts school, Marietta required students to take classes from groupings in three separate areas, which included both arts and sciences. I was a history major and loved my literature classes, so I was well on my way to meeting the arts requirements. Then there was the science part. I learned from my ATO brothers that taking Geology 101 — rocks and blocks — was the way to go to meet a part of the science requirement.

I registered to take Dr. Warren Steel’s class. The course catalog noted that the class would meet three times a week, with small print indicating that there was also a three-session lab requirement. Dr. Steel advised that the labs were conducted on Friday afternoons, and attendance was mandatory. As indicated above, Friday afternoon classes presented something of a brotherhood social problem for me.

I diligently attended Dr. Steel’s lectures and began to enjoy geology. This enlightenment didn’t prevent me from missing the first lab, then the second and finally the third. I passed the tests, participated in class and was feeling pretty

good about the whole thing as I prepared for the final exam. Then I received a campus mail message from Dr. Steel asking to meet with him immediately.

I figured that the problem was likely my absence from the labs but thought I could talk myself out of that small detail. I was wrong. He complimented my class performance but advised that I would flunk his course. I pleaded for relief and that I would do anything to pass. After a short, well-deserved lecture in personal responsibility, he gave me a way out.

“Go and find me a piece of grahamite and do well on the final, and I will give you a ‘C’ in this course.” I had no idea what grahamite was, much less how to find a piece, and told him so. “Your problem,” he said. “You know where the library is; go and use it.” I found myself in the geology section of the Dawes Memorial Library, deeper into rocks and blocks than I had ever imagined.

I learned quite a bit about grahamite. It was first discovered in Macfarlan Creek in Ritchie County, West Virginia, in 1852 and was later found in the American West, Cuba, Mexico and South America. The Ritchie Mines were established to mine grahamite in West Virginia. It was never a major commercial success, and after a series of false starts and a major explosion in 1873, the mine was closed in 1909.

So now I knew about grahamite, but how was I going to locate it and deliver a piece to Dr. Steel before the end of the semester? The answer was 40 miles from Marietta in Ritchie County. The location description of the abandoned mine was sketchy — deep in the wooded hills near the village of Mellin. I knew I wasn’t going into the backcountry of that part of West Virginia alone!

I sought help and companionship from my ATO brothers. By planning the trip for a Friday afternoon, I convinced three of them — Roger Boggs ’68, Chuck Riecker ’67 and Andy Ivan ’67 — to join me on this adventure. Roger was a pledge class buddy from Bowling Green, Ohio, but who was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Chuck was in the class ahead of Roger and me and had befriended us both during our ATO initiation. Andy was from South River, New Jersey. He was a fine musician and a star pitcher on the baseball team.

Although we didn’t know it at the time, we would lose Andy much too soon. He became an Air Force officer and pilot after graduation, flying F-4D Phantom fighter-bombers. He was in action over Laos in the Vietnam War when he was lost on September 19, 1971. He was missing in action until 1996 when his remains were identified and returned to the United States. Andy was buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

Our band of brothers was in place, and we headed into rural West Virginia in my bright red Volkswagen Bug with Pennsylvania plates. We left town early in the afternoon; it began to drizzle and became noticeably colder. It became apparent that we should have left earlier in the day and checked the weather forecast. We went southeast on Route 47 and then went south and east on Route 17. We eventually found an old hand-carved sign near an overgrown trail with an arrow reading, “Grahamite mine.” Bingo!

The drizzle continued as we started down the trail. We were dressed in blue jeans, sneakers and light jackets. We had no water, no food, no map — and no idea of how far away the mine was. We didn’t know if we were following a foot trail to the mine or the tract of the abandoned bed of the Cairo and Kanawha Railroad that once served the mine. After about four miles, we came to a hillside with a prominent black gash. Shiny, black rocks were scattered at the bottom of the gash. We had found the mine. It was close to dark as we picked up a handful of samples of grahamite and headed back the way we came.

The rain became harder as darkness descended. The trail we had followed into the mine site was difficult enough to navigate in the late-afternoon light and drizzling rain. We slogged straight through. We didn’t say much. We lost the trail a few times but eventually backtracked enough to find it and push on.

Eventually, we returned to Route 17, right where we had started.

“We didn’t know if we were following a foot trail to the mine or the tract of the abandoned bed of the Cairo and Kanawha Railroad that once served the mine.”

That Monday, I presented myself before Dr. Steel and delivered my piece of grahamite and recited the facts of our trip to retrieve it. He smiled, wished me well on the final exam and excused me. I studied hard for the final and passed.

Dr. Steel was satisfied, and I had my “C” in Geology 101.

I would like to say that this great adventure and my extensive research into the world of rocks and blocks inspired me to change my major. It didn’t. I remained a history major, went on to law school and practiced for nearly 45 years with a piece of shiny, black asphalt rock in a prominent place on my desk. I lost that piece of grahamite when I closed my office in 2016 and have looked for it everywhere without success. I may yet find it, but I know one thing for sure: I’m not going back for another piece!

I have thought a lot over the years about what that whole episode meant to me. What was Dr. Steel trying to teach me, and what did I learn? What did it mean to have three brothers willingly join in this mission just to help out another? The lessons are not small.

It is a great credit to the education I received at Marietta College. In retrospect, I suspect that what Dr. Steel did for me, he had done for countless other students. I think he sensed the immature 19-year-old who came before him needed to learn responsibility and the value of being given a second chance and taking it.

As for my brother adventurers, I learned the value of real friendship. Despite the criticism leveled at the fraternity system, I suggest there is much to learn from this adventure. It created friends for life and taught me that giving a helping hand is a gift not only to the recipient but also to those who willingly provide that hand.

I opened by saying that this story would not have happened but for my lack of responsibility. It ends with me hopefully having learned that lesson, and much more, on a long, wet hike in the West Virginia woods.

JOHN FREY ’68

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

Send us a description of your experience. Email: marketing@marietta.edu MAIL: Editor, Marietta Magazine, Office of Communication and Brand Management, 215 Fifth St., Marietta, OH 45750 M A R I E T TA

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Helping others Carol L. Lucas ’70 Carol Lucas remembers, when she was a little girl, her father had the family dress in their Sunday best, and he drove them to a poorer neighborhood in Hartford, Connecticut.

“He opened the trunk, and there was a big box full of Christmas presents. I asked, ‘Who are these presents for?’ and he said, ‘It doesn’t matter.’” Her parents’ philanthropy had a tremendous influence on Carol’s life, so the decision to endow a speaker series and include Marietta College in her estate plans was easy to the retired teacher.

The Carol L. Lucas Visiting Author Endowment for the English Department will feature fiction and nonfiction authors and will not have political or religious themes.

“When I was at Marietta, there was a Thomas Lecture Series. We had famous speakers like Martin Luther King Jr., David Brinkley, James F. Buckley. I thought, for such a small place, Marietta College had amazing opportunities.”

Carol majored in English at Marietta.

“On campus, I was pretty low-profile. I think I enjoyed what the campus offered. I enjoyed going to crew races and other events on campus. Looking back, obviously Marietta made an impact on me.”

She went on to teach for 35 years in Connecticut and now lives in Vermont.

“The best part of giving is being anonymous about it — like giving to needy children who don’t know me. I don’t seek to be noticed, but I go along and do what I should do, and what I should do is help other people.”

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EDWARD BARRIOS

To learn more about planned giving options, please visit giftplanning.marietta.edu.

Ann Potter McGurk ’57 and Pat Walworth Wood ’57 planned a special alumni reunion on campus for fellow graduates. Attending the reunion were George Shaw ’57, Chick Plymale ’57, Larry Swaney ’57, Marty Cannon ’57, Roger Kirkpatrick ’57, Margi Hoyt ’57, Elsa Ekenstierna Thompson ’56, David Finch ’58 and Ann. Pat, unfortunately, was unable to attend. During their visit to campus, the alumni caught up with each other in Andrews Hall, spent time with President Ruud, took a tour of Special Collections and dined on campus. A couple of them — Ann and Margi — climbed the stairway into Erwin Tower! “We had a supercalifragilistic time at the 60th reunion and have started thinking about Number 63,” Ann says.

A group of Alpha Xi Delta sorority sisters — all from the Class of 1967— gathered in Maryland at the home of Cyndy Allen for a long weekend of visiting, sightseeing (including Washington, D.C.) and enjoying the culture of the area. This group has been reuniting every few years since graduating.

“Our group of AXD sorority sisters is very enthusiastic, energetic, with varied professions and interests, and we amaze ourselves each reunion how we just pick up where we left off,” Cyndy says. “We have so much in common still, and over the years we make an effort to be sure to stay in touch. We’re looking forward to coming to Marietta Homecoming 2017 in October and have already made arrangements to stay at the Lafayette Hotel. We encourage all our fellow graduates to come and join us for Homecoming this year!”

Pictured (from left) are Kathy Williams Marks, Martie Toby Gooze, Mary Jo Cignetti Panucci, Carol Knapp Adelaar, Cyndy Allen, Judy Conk Buehler and Julie Friederich Sarton.

Ray Poet ’66 and Jan Burkel Poet ’67 recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

Dianee Carella Swistak ’67 joined them for a family celebration on June 17. Diane had been in their wedding party 50 years ago! They continue to enjoy their retirement — about 15 years so far. They also see as much as they can of their three grandkids, ages 15, 13 and 5. They send best wishes to all fellow grads, “especially those in classes of 1966 and 1967 as you celebrate/d your 50th reunions last year and this.”

Suzanne Ferimer ’68 received the President’s Award from the Medical Library Association during the annual meeting in Seattle. The

Professor David Bevan ’70, Professor of Biochemistry in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, received the graduate school’s 2017 Faculty Outstanding Mentor Award.

Sponsored by the graduate school, the new annual award recognizes excellence in mentoring graduate students, who nominate professors for the honor. One professor from each college is eligible to receive the award. Bevan’s research involves the application of computational molecular modeling to relate the structure and dynamics of molecular systems to function. Systems currently under investigation include the amyloid beta-peptide that is associated with Alzheimer’s disease and the peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor that is associated with inflammation, diabetes and obesity. The lab also participates in a project involving sphingosine kinases, which are associated with a variety of diseases, including cancer, fibrosis and Alzheimer’s disease.

His lab also uses computational methods to design enzymes aimed at altering the substrate specificity of existing enzymes.

CLASS NOTES

ALUMNUS RECEIVES GRADUATE SCHOOL’S OUTSTANDING MENTOR AWARD

Students and supporting faculty said in their nomination letters that Bevan maintains a positive and inclusive scholarly environment for graduate students, which contributes to their professional and personal development. He helps students develop their strengths but also to face challenges with which they are less comfortable, but that enables them to grow into independent, productive scientists.

Bevan earned his bachelor’s degree from Marietta College and his master’s and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University.

award is given for a notable or important contribution made to the association. “I have been a member of MLA for more that 40 years. I just began my 37th year as a librarian at the University of Houston. I also volunteer with the Marietta College Regional Association of Eastern Texas.”

Robert Austin Rossi ’70 opened his new play God’s Waiting Room at The Matrix Theatre on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles for a four-week run beginning March 11. Rossi studied Theatre with Willard Friederich at Marietta and Writing with Gerald Evans and Stephen Schwartz.

Elizabeth Thompson Miller ’73, Barbara Perry Fitzgerald ’73 and Bruce Miller ’70 completed an expedition to Borneo earlier this year.

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CLASS NOTES

In October 2016, Sigma Kappa Sorority sisters from the Class of 1969 celebrated a fantastic 47-year reunion for a week at a beach house on the Gulf of Mexico on Anna Maria Island, Florida. Pictured front row (from left) are Margie Toth Kraft, Karen Weiss Wallace, Susan Enos, Jane Jannarone Pool, Lynn Sweeting Sweet and Muffy Farr Johnson; and back row (from left) Marilyn Paul Pavlakovic, Barbara Sweeton Burnham, Sherry Hartman Dussel and Pat Collins.

A group of the 14 Chi Omegas from the classes of 1974-79 gathered at Dollar Point in North Lake Tahoe, California, from Aug. 5 to 12. Hostesses for this year’s seventh annual event were Liz Owens Snyder ’76, Karen Peper Kinney ’78, Nina Wilcox Ethridge ’75 and Kate Dolan Honish ’79. The picture was taken on the dock leading to the Tahoe Gal, a dinner cruise vessel that gave the alumnae a 2 1/2-hour tour of the western shore of Lake Tahoe. “The sunset was spectacular, the food delicious, the entertainment delightful, and the time together unforgettable,” says Carole Wylie Hancock ’75. “Other activities during the week included rafting the Truckee River (Karen Smith’s raft won by a mile!), seeing The Hound of the Baskervilles at Sand Harbor’s Shakespeare Festival, hiking to Vikingsholm on Emerald Bay, sightseeing in Heavenly, Nevada, enjoying the open-air street fair on Truckee Thursday, viewing the Donner Party Museum and Monument (a place all Pioneers should visit), and speeding around the lake in Capt. Mark Dolan’s boat. We’re counting the days until next year!” Pictured front row (from left) are Liz, Laine Axelson Hendy ’76, Stacey Hayford Hamaker ’76 and Lynn Hooker Pierce ’78; and back row (from left) Kate, Karen Smith ’76, Cathy Tucker Knapp ’76, Beth Freeman Elkins ’77, Karen, Ann Zimmerman Neczypor ’74, Carole, Suzanne Montgomery McGrath ’78, Lori Kelly Fisher ’76 and Nina.

Joe Mester ’73 was recognized by the Kansas Water Environment Association with the Outstanding Service Award for his lifetime service to the wastewater industry and to the association. Mester is a Kansas Licensed Professional Engineer employed by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment as the Industrial Permits Unit Chief. He was presented with the award during the association’s annual conference in September 2016. He and his wife, Julie Downey Mester ’77, live in Topeka, Kansas.

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Doug Bonham ’74 passed along an update about recent travel being planned. “Lisa and I are going to Maine Oct. 7th and are renting a house on the water, just north of Boothbay Harbor. During our week visit, we’ll be taking day trips to L.L. Bean (of course), a pretty town on the ocean called Camden, some microbreweries (mandatory) and wherever else looks interesting.”

Bill Myers ’75 submitted a photo of a small group of alumni who visited campus in May. “We all majored in Radio and Television in the mid ’70s. We enjoyed a visit to the radio and TV stations, in addition to walking around campus and generally catching up. The group picture was taken at the TV station.” Pictured (from left) are Bill, John Dempsey ’79, Steve Stefany ’75, Debbie Aiken Myers ’76 and Ken Terres ’77. We all worked in the radio or television production field at some point in our careers and were greatly influenced by Bernie Russi, Ralph Matheny and Jerry Kuhn.”

In May, a group of Timblin Hall alumni gathered for a well-planned weekend in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, for their 41-year Marietta Reunion — a fabulous weekend highlighted by great food, music, laughter, stories and treasured friendships.

The group wore special T-shirts displaying “Marietta41” in honor of the occasion.

Next year’s shirts will read “Marietta42.”

For those wishing to contact the group or who may be interested in joining, submit requests to rickbrockettlaw@gmail.com.

Pictured (from left) are Larry Galberd ’77, Dave Etienne ’76, Rick Brockett ’77, Greg Dottor ’76, Roger (Skip) Clyne ’76 and Ted Wattron ’76.

Rick Brockett ’77 will graduate with a Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) degree, from the Birmingham School of Law, in December 2017.

Rick can be reached via email at rickbrockettlaw@gmail.com.

The Daily Record recognized Kathleen Mitchell Murphy ’82 as an Influential Marylander and one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women for 2017.

She is the President and CEO of Maryland Bankers Association and currently serves on Marietta College’s Board of Trustees.

Professors Emeriti Drs. Jim and Mabry O’Donnell were honored by their friends in the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society with a $550 donation to the Drs. James and Mabry O’Donnell Scholarship Fund. The O’Donnells, who have served as secretaries for the society, were presented the check during the society’s May 12, 2017, meeting. The O’Donnells visited Marietta’s campus in June to present President Bill Ruud with the society’s donation as well as a personal check matching the society’s gift.

Tyler Baltzell ’15 recently joined Google in New York City as an Agency Account Strategist. In his new job, he helps advertising agencies learn the digital landscape through bestpractices trainings, introductions to new products or betas and crafting unique strategies for their premier clients. He spent his first two years after graduating from Marietta at digital advertising agencies “doing everything I can to create unique digital strategies for a plethora of clients.”

Mark Hoover ’87 recently joined the law firm of Pierce Davis & Perritano, LLP, in Boston, Massachusetts. His practice focuses on the defense of asbestos, toxic tort and product liability actions.

He graduated from Boston College’s Law School.

Megan Sargent ’03 recently earned her Master’s in Business from Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Sargent, who earned degrees in Marketing and Political Science at Marietta, is currently a senior project manager for PrideSports, a premier golf accessory company.

Andy Kuhn ’05 was appointed as the Executive Director of the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority in July. He previously served on the Board of Commissioners in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Tiffany Kovacevich ’09 is excited to announce that in October 2016, she started a new position with PNC in Cleveland, Ohio. “I serve as an Operations Supervisor in the Credit/Margin/Treasury department in the PNC Investments division, titled as an Officer for PNCI. Additionally, in May 2017, I earned my M.B.A. in Management from Baldwin Wallace University.”

JOHN SCHALY ’82 TO BE INDUCTED INTO THE ABCA HOF Former Marietta College baseball All-American John Schaly ’82 was selected for induction into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. With his election, he and his late father, legendary Pioneer skipper Don Schaly ’59, become just the second fatherson combination to be inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame, along with Paul and Demie Mainieri.

Schaly and the rest of the 2018 Hall class will be inducted at the 2018 ABCA/Diamond Hall of Fame/ Coach of the Year Banquet on Jan. 5 during the annual ABCA Convention at the J.W. Marriott in Indianapolis, Indiana.

“I’m truly honored and humbled to be included in this group of great coaches,” Schaly says. “I’ve been blessed to have a number of dedicated assistant coaches and talented and hardworking players over the years, which has made my job a lot easier.”

Angela Sims ’10 and Theodore Cunningham ’07 married on March 18, 2017, at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They were joined by several members of The Long Blue Line. Pictured (from left) are Sarah Hathaway ’10, PA’14 (second), Danica Cunningham ’12 (fourth), Lyndsay Offenberger Monk ’10 (sixth), Dan Michalak ’07 (next to groom), Tim Roberts ’07 (second from right). Ang is a Developmental Specialist at UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, and Ted is an examiner with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

In 30 years as a collegiate head coach, Schaly has a 1,089-604-7 (.641) career record through the 2017 season. The Schalys were also the first father-son tandem at four-year collegiate institutions to each win 1,000-career games.

In July, Dr. Bob Chase, Professor Emeritus of Petroleum Engineering, was among the nominees receiving the Colonel Edwin L. Drake Legendary Oilman Award from the Petroleum History Institute. The award honors Chase’s lifetime of achievement within the oil and gas industry and was presented to him during PHI’s Annual Symposium in Findlay, Ohio.

Chad ’08 and Jessica Craig McDaniel ’08 announce the birth of their second daughter, Rory Jane McDaniel, who was born on October 27, 2016. Rory is also the granddaughter of Chris McDaniel ’79 and great-granddaughter of former Marietta College football coach Joe McDaniel. Jessica, Chad and big sister Regan couldn’t be happier with the newest little Pio in the family!

In June, a close group of Delta Upsilon alumni got together in downtown Columbus. Pictured back row (from left) are Neil Herron ’95, Eric Kuhen ’94, Scott Spinner ’95, Carte Goodwin ’96 and Anthony Fennych ’97; and front row (from left) are Eric Abood ’96 and Mike Jugler ’96. Sadly, Eric Abood passed away soon after this photo was taken. The group wanted to share this picture in remembrance of Eric.

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IN MEMORIAM 1940s Harley G. Noland ’40 (Delta Upsilon) of Marietta, Ohio (4/4/17).

Jacob F. Cunningham ’41 of St. Albans, West Virginia (5/24/17).

Jack L. Kennedy ’45 of Hastings, Michigan (1/22/17).

James T. Baker Sr. ’47 (Delta Upsilon) of Beulah, Michigan (5/4/16). Survivors include his wife, Mary Wigley Baker ’49 (Alpha Xi Delta), and sister, Rebecca Baker-Illman ’74 (Alpha Sigma Tau).

William Herbert Whyte Jr. ’54 of Cassville, Wisconsin (5/14/17).

Glenn B. Blair ’55 of Vienna, West Virginia (4/18/17).

Harry J. Fitzgerald ’57 of Marietta, Ohio (5/24/17). Survivors include his son, Mark D. Fitzgerald ’84, and daughter, Sandra L. Fitzgerald ’87.

David R. Henderson ’57 of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina (8/6/17).

Virginia T. Garber ’65 (Alpha Gamma Delta) of Vinton, Ohio (8/31/17).

Survivors include her husband, Dayton Garber ’66.

John D. Kallmann ’65 (Alpha Tau Omega) of Carlisle, Pennsylvania (5/29/17).

Robert B. Beecher ’66 (Tau Kappa Epsilon) of Mahtomedi, Wisconsin (3/21/17).

Peter H. Reeves ’67 (Alpha Tau Omega) of Hernando, Mississippi (5/11/17).

Graham Metzger ’48 (Delta Upsilon) of Parkersburg, West Virginia (9/4/17).

Elliot Jones Jr. ’57 of Columbus, Ohio (5/17/16).

Ann Graber Van Den Bossche ’48 (Sigma Kappa) of Avon Lake, Ohio (8/17/17).

Ezbai Wells Jr. ’57 of Vienna, West Virginia (8/26/17).

Mary Ander Ballard ’68 (Alpha Gamma Delta) of Winchester, Virginia (6/6/17).

Survivors include her husband, Peter M. Ballard ’68 (Alpha Sigma Phi).

Roy E. Wigal ’57 of Lebanon, Ohio (6/6/17).

Thomas F. Miller ’68 (Lambda Chi Alpha) of Berea, Kentucky (3/19/16).

Hadley S. Nesbitt ’59 (Alpha Sigma Phi) of Central Point, Oregon (9/13/17).

Paul N. Felter ’69 of Ponderay, Idaho (6/10/17).

1960s

Joseph G. Tamino ’69 (Lambda Chi Alpha) of Plum, Pennsylvania (7/17/17).

William R. Bozman ’49 of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania (2/25/17).

Leo M. Ditz ’49 (Lambda Chi Alpha) of Somers, New York (6/10/17).

1950s Poe J. Bailey ’50 of Parkersburg, West Virginia (4/26/17).

Robert W. Lane ’50 of Marietta, Ohio (6/13/17).

William J. Rivers Sr. ’50 of Wilmington, Delaware (7/4/17).

David S. Bardos ’60 (Delta Upsilon) of Kernville, California (6/20/17).

1970s

1980s Gary L. Lowe ’80 of Kenton, Ohio (7/8/17).

Cindy A. Machado ’82 (Alpha Sigma Tau) of Pembroke, Massachusetts (5/26/17).

Ryan C. McDonald ’83 of Parkersburg, West Virginia (6/16/17).

Patsy L. Frampton ’85 of Marietta, Ohio (8/21/17).

1990s Eric M. Abood ’96 (Delta Upsilon) of Coshocton, Ohio (9/12/17).

Anya Crum Huie ’97 (Alpha Xi Delta) of Chantilly, Virginia (9/7/17). Survivors include her sister, Jocelyn Crum Brooks ’95.

Gordon T. Keller ’97 (Delta Tau Delta) of Canton, Connecticut (6/20/17).

Survivors include his mother, Mary M. Keller ’68, and father, Paul D. Keller ’70.

James D. Beatty ’70 of Paden City, West Virginia (3/10/16).

2000s

Jane Plishker Rosell ’60 (Chi Omega) of Glendale, California (6/10/17).

D. Margaret Fartro Russell ’70 (Alpha Gamma Delta) of Columbus, Ohio (9/18/16). Survivors include her husband, David Russell ’70.

Emeritus Faculty

W. Robert Moseley ’51 of Marietta, Ohio (8/13/17).

Laura Wilson Adams ’52 (Chi Omega) of Columbus, Ohio (5/13/17).

George M. Kraynak ’62 of Clairton, Pennsylvania (7/16/17).

Virginia M. Branson ’52 of Williamstown, West Virginia (2/24/17).

B. Kurt Ludwig ’62 of Marietta, Ohio (9/13/17).

John A. Linton ’53 (Alpha Tau Omega) of Charlton, Massachusetts (12/15/16).

Survivors include his stepdaughter, Elizabeth L. Thompson ’93 (Sigma Kappa).

Eunice Staeber Wagner ’62 (Alpha Xi Delta) of Newberry, South Carolina (5/30/17).

Joseph R. Bako ’63 (Delta Upsilon) of Rocky River, Ohio (3/17/17).

Harry D. Salzman ’74 (Lambda Chi Alpha) of Marietta, Ohio (9/4/17).

Sue Bramwell Alexander-Fryc ’54 (Alpha Xi Delta) of Minneapolis, Minnesota (2/21/17).

Carl W. Harris Jr. ’63 (Delta Upsilon) of Hingham, Massachusetts (4/28/17).

Glenn L. Warrington ’74 (Lambda Chi Alpha) of Atlantic City, New Jersey (8/9/17).

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Richard A. Shaw ’76 of Simsbury, Connecticut (6/14/17).

Theodore C. Evec ’60 (Alpha Sigma Phi) of Dublin, Ohio (7/29/17).

James Michael Salway Sr. ’60 (Lambda Chi Alpha) of Cranford, New Jersey (5/13/17). Survivors include his brother, Richard Salway ’63 (Lambda Chi Alpha).

Howard H. Hall ’51 of Marietta, Ohio (5/5/17).

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Martha Jane Klopfenstein ’54 of Cleveland, Ohio (9/17/17).

Bradley Ray Smith ’70 (Lambda Chi Alpha) of Wyoming, Rhode Island (6/1/17).

Edgar H. Thompson ’70 (Alpha Tau Omega) of Mechanicsville, Virginia (7/3/17).

Terrie Wildermuth Bain ’71 of Marietta, Ohio (5/16/17).

Marianne Sculos Ornelas ’71 of San Antonio, Texas (3/6/17).

Samantha Kidd Davis ’06 of New Matamoras, Ohio (5/7/17).

Richard K. Gardner of Cleveland, Ohio (6/9/17).

Barbara Clark Martin of Brooksville, Maine (6/15/17). Survivors include John M. Clark ’78.

Myers making an impact on the next generation

S

ince an early age, Taylor Myers ’15 has had an acute awareness of the influential power and lasting impact of teachers in schools and the communities they work within.

“As the proud son of a union steelworker and union special education teacher, I grew up in the Ohio Valley — in the heart of coal country — witnessing firsthand the power of education and the important role teachers play in a community’s economic growth, mentorship and youth development,” he says.

In June, Myers began teaching integrated social studies at Warren New Tech High School (WNTHS) in Warrenton, North Carolina, as a Teach for America Corps Member. He serves in Teach for America’s Eastern North Carolina Region, one of the 53 regions throughout the United States that the organization works within to serve underprivileged students.

“I am fighting for a more equitable national education system through teaching and leading via a socialjustice lens and commitment to public service,” he says. “This summer, my colleagues and I participated in an intensive summer training program to further develop the skills and knowledge needed to lead students from low-income, rural settings to academic achievement.”

Teaching world history, civics and economics at WNTHS, a rural school with a 75 percent minority enrollment and 99 percent economically disadvantaged

student population, Myers is excited to continue his personal crusade for achieving education equality and supporting public schools through teaching.

“I am teaching students how to take notes, best practices in terms of studying and preparing for exams, organizational tactics, and self-awareness. My students are developing their own definition of leadership. They also are learning how to collectively strive for a more equitable society that is diverse, just and meaningful for all.”

Myers credits his desire to sharpen his skills as an educator and further his role in the education equality movement with his upbringing and early exposure to the power of teaching and obtaining a quality education. He is grateful to his coaches and teachers throughout high school as well as professors at Marietta College for arming him with “the content knowledge, pedagogical skills and leadership abilities that enable me to succeed as an educator and champion of working and middle-class families.”

Appreciative of the professional opportunities he experienced on the Strickland for Senate campaign as well as his time this past semester at Olentangy Orange High School inside its moderate/severe multihandicapped unit, Myers looks forward to the new opportunities participating in Teach for America will bring.

MANDEE YOUNG

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

COLUMBUS, OH PERMIT NO. 1429 OFFICE OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT 215 Fifth Street Marietta, OH 45750-4004

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ANDREA PEER

THE PRO GR ESSIVE PIONEER

Johnny Cruz ’98 PUBLIC RELATIONS LEADER ENJOYS MAKING AN IMPACT AT LARGEST HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATION IN THE WORLD

“To have the opportunity to support the mission of an organization that serves some

B I O G RA P H Y: Immediately after graduating from Marietta, Johnny Cruz spent the

of the most vulnerable people around the world, and people who are often ignored, is

next six months in Gugulethu, South Africa, as an instructor with JL Zwane Centre. He always believed he would have a career that allowed him to help people who are less fortunate. His journey in nonprofit communications started at Make-A-Wish America in Phoenix, Arizona, followed by nearly a decade in public education. After serving as communications supervisor at the Kyrene School District, he worked at the University of Arizona in communications and media relations for seven years. Then, the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself with World Vision in Seattle, Washington. After a short stint as the interim Senior Executive Director of Public Relations, Johnny has spent more than four years as the organization’s National Director of Public Relations — a position that allows him to travel the world to help raise awareness with news media, bloggers, influencers and celebrities. Johnny and his wife, Christina, have a daughter, Gabriela, 12, and a son, Lucas, 9.

certainly an honor. It’s hard to overestimate the impact my Marietta College experience had on my professional and personal life. It’s one of the best decisions I ever made. That’s where I really discovered my passion for using communications to serve the poor. I didn’t know what that would look like, and that started to emerge in internship experiences and Alternative Spring Breaks, and involvement with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Almost two decades later, I can still see those connections clearly.”