Spring 2015 Marietta magazine

FIRED UP! REJUVENATED BASKETBALL PROGRAM THRIVES ON FAN SUPPORT

ALSO: Graduating in three years becoming a real possibility Bob Chase reflects on long career in Petroleum

PHOTOS BY NATE KNOBLE

Transitions

S

tarted as a class project 17 years ago, Community Baseball Day has transformed into a must-do activity in the Mid-Ohio Valley each spring. On April 18, more than 1,000 people flocked to Don Schaly Stadium to enjoy free hot dogs, cotton candy, snow cones and Pepsi products. Everyone also received a free T-shirt, and the children in attendance were allowed to keep any foul ball — like any Major League park — thanks to alumnus John Hefner ’85.

Students in a Sports Management course organize Community Softball and Baseball Day each spring.

And there is no end in sight, as local businesses continue to sponsor the events and the community can’t seem to get enough T-shirts and hot dogs.

MARIETTA COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Me ssag e f ro m the Pres ident

D

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

uring his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama announced his Administration’s goal “to lower the cost of community college to zero.”

Since alumni frequently ask my opinion of developments on the national education scene, I will use this opportunity to comment.

Let me begin with a note of appreciation by acknowledging that few nations match the United States in terms of relative financial commitment to the education of their college-age citizens. The support other national governments do provide is often given to their universities in the form of subsidies intended to keep the cost to students well below the actual cost of their education. This is surely a reasonable strategy, and it has undoubtedly made higher education more available to students in other countries.

This approach is not unlike that advocated

by President Obama. His proposal would have the federal government pay 75 percent of the PRE SI D E N T BRU N O O N L I N E average cost of community college, with the twitter.com/PresidentBruno instagram.com/PresidentBruno state covering the rest. It will cost an estimated facebook.com/MariettaCollegePresident $60.3 billion for 10 years, and funds would be available to full- or part-time students who maintain a minimum grade point average (2.5 out of 4.0) and make “steady progress toward completing their program.” The funding only phases out for students whose families have an adjusted gross income exceeding $200,000.

Again, I have always felt fortunate to live in a nation that so values the education of its citizens. It could be that my gratitude arises, in part, from the fact I have spent my career at private institutions of higher education, but it also reflects my view that it is a wise and forward-looking nation that prioritizes the education of its citizens. In addition, however, I also believe strongly that the strength of our higher education system stems, in large measure, from the variety of institutions, their wide range of academic missions, and the choice they provide to U.S. citizens. So it comes as no surprise to realize that students of other nations come to the U.S. in record numbers for their education.

Federal financial aid to domestic students has been awarded to the student, who then makes a choice about the best fit for his or her educational goals. The current Administration plan constitutes an exception, one in which financial aid is restricted to a particular institutional type. There is no question that community colleges do an excellent job in educating their students. But the current plan seems to overlook some key factors facing the nation today. Specifically, data distributed by the White House show there is an enormous career benefit awaiting students who attain a bachelor’s degree.

Moreover, after a long, slow period of halting economic recovery and slow hiring we are now approaching the planned retirement of many workers born during the first half of the Baby Boom. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has predicted the U.S. will soon transition from a period in which college graduates struggle to find jobs to a period in which U.S. colleges will be unable to provide enough bachelor’s degree holders to fill the rapidly growing percentage of open jobs requiring this level of education.

While the President’s commitment to make college a reality for all young adults is commendable, there are much better alternatives to ensure that our youth are receiving the best education in the world. And this is where you, Marietta College alumni, come into the story. You know, and you tell me frequently, of the value of a Marietta bachelor’s degree, with the close attention you received from excellent faculty members, the breadth of learning, the focus on key skills like communication and analytical ability, and the marriage of classroom learning with practical experiences arising from our emphasis on experiential learning.

So as you continue succeeding at the stunning levels you currently exhibit, I urge you to tell us your stories so we may share them with others. Only with concrete examples will we continue to demonstrate the extraordinary value of the Marietta experience. Find the link for “Remarkable Marietta” on our College website, and then contribute your story to those of other successful alumni who have achieved success, often in unanticipated careers, as a result of the Marietta preparation. I look forward to reading about even more Marietta success stories.

Thank you for your support of the College and our students.

2 < SPRING 2015

Chair Barbara A. Perry Fitzgerald ’73 Vice Chair George W. Fenton Secretary William H. Donnelly ’70 Treasurer Dan Bryant Roger D. Anderson ’79 Anna (Ann) Bowser Bailey ’87 Robert M. (Bob) Brucken ’56 Joseph W. Bruno T. Grant Callery ’68 Christopher Cortez ’71 Patricia G. (Pat) Curtin ’69 Harry H. (Hap) Esbenshade III John B. Langel ’70 Matthew J. Macatol ’97 C. Brent McCurdy ’68 Michael L. Moffitt ’91 Michael D. Milone Kathleen Mitchell Murphy ’82 Cathy A. Percival Leonard M. (Randy) Randolph Jr. ’65 Jason C. Rebrook ’96 Ronald E. (Ron) Rinard ’72 Toni M. Robinson-Smith Michael J. Salvino ’87 Edgar L. Smith Jr. Charles (Chuck) W. Sulerzyski Elliott L. Thrasher ’62 James J. Tracy ’79 Dale L. Wartluft ’63 Matthew B. Weekley ’81 Jo Ellen Diehl Yeary ’76 Patricia (Patti) Kral Zecchi ’71 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Matthew B. Weekley ’81 Vice Chair Andrew D. Ferguson ’95 Timothy J. Bennett ’85 Brooke A. Exley ’11 Frank D. Fleischer ’71 S. Jason Gromelski ’98 John E. Hopkins ’65 Robert S. Johnson ’05 Tia Knowlton Lane ’98 Matthew J. Macatol ’97 Kathleen Mitchell Murphy ’82 Jennifer Roach Offenberger ’86 Paula King Pitasky ’96 Jazmyn Barrow Stover ’06 Elliott L. Thrasher ’62 James J. Tracy ’79 Mark J. Vizza ’98 Tracy L. Zuckett ’96

Contents

SP RING 2015 | I SSU E 17

24 8 11 9

12

20 EDITORS Tom Perry and Gi Smith

14 Inside this issue

ART DIRECTOR Ryan Zundell

Without question, Marietta Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Basketball thrilled packed arenas and brought excitement to the entire Marietta community. In his quest for another winning season in the OAC, Coach Jon VanderWal managed to surpass all expectations with a shot in the Division III Elite 8, and made an entire community proud of the Pioneers.

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

7 | JOURNA L > Getting a jump on a Marietta degree > ATOs celebrate 125th > Chemistry majors present research

10 | A CA D E M IC I N T E G R I T Y Marietta students find support

PHOTOGRAPHERS Robert Caplin, Mitch Casey, Peter Finger, Nate Knoble, John Moore, Nikki Schaly, Tori Taylor, Triple R Horse Resume, Ryan Turnewitsch, Ryan Zundell ILLUSTRATION Ullman Design CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Chelsey Scott CLASS NOTES Cheryl Canaday, Mandee Young PRESIDENT Dr. Joseph W. Bruno

22 | P IO N EERS Athletic news

24 | DEVELO P MEN TS News from our Advancement Office

26 | MA RIETTA MO MEN T Alumnus finds success in research and veterinary medicine

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

INTERIM PROVOST Dr. Mark Miller INTERIM VP FOR ADVANCEMENT Angela Anderson ASSOCIATE VP FOR ADVANCEMENT Hub Burton M A R I E T TA The Magazine of Marietta College is published twice a year by the Office of Strategic Communications & Marketing. The magazine serves its readers by providing information about the activities of Marietta College alumni, students, faculty and staff through the publication of accurate and balanced content that informs and stimulates intellectual discussion.

Text, photographs and artwork may not be reprinted without written permission of the Associate Vice President for Advancement at Marietta.

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

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

COVER BY NATE KNOBLE

M A R I E T TA > 3

MARIETTA SCENE

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

> KNITTING MACHINES

During the fifth annual All Scholars Day, Joe Andler ’15 (right) took his presentation to the Kremer Amphitheatre, where he was making homemade ice cream using liquid nitrogen. Andler and some of his classmates hosted a morning of science fun.

Mandee Young ’18 tried her hand at knitting during the first Knit-Wits knitting program, conducted by the Pioneer Activities Council. Dozens of students participated in one of the semester’s most successful programs.

PHOTOS BY NATE KNOBEL

> FROSTY EXPERIMENT

Lo n g Blu e Lines

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H U B B U R T O N , A S S O C I AT E V I C E P R E S I D E N T F O R A D VA N C E M E N T

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

How could you possibly fit into such a limited space the many special moments over almost 10 years in service to Marietta College and its members of The Long Blue Line?

I can easily remember my first few challenging days on the job, during which we not only delivered Homecoming Weekend 2005 in a driving rain, but began to strategize about how to match the very intimate student experience of our graduates with HUB BURTON their similar expectations as alumni.

In the end, whatever success we have been able to achieve has come down to dedicated colleagues both within the office and outside of it, among our graduates and friends. Committed to our shared mantra of “One Pioneer at a Time,” they’ve been tireless advocates in advancing the interests of all our Pioneers whether the enterprise included enhanced publications, refreshed on-and off-campus events, useful career and financial management resources, or innovative programs such as the 4 < SPRING 2015

Young Pioneer Network and establishment of new and sustainable regional associations.

It would be easy to drop thousands of precious words in appreciation of the hard work and institutional loyalty of the Marietta College Alumni Association Board and its talented volunteers. Over the past several years, this organization has become an increasingly important dynamic not only in support of the alumni relations effort, but in the life of the College as well.

There is no limit to what this group can accomplish. Over time, the Board has been the beneficiary of outstanding leadership, and it’s my great pleasure to thank outgoing chair Matt Weekley ’81 and his successor, Andrew Ferguson ’95, for their particular contributions over the course of the past year.

As I prepare to depart for New England to get closer to family, including twins attending college in Massachusetts and Maine, my thoughts harken back to a very special moment not just in my Marietta career, but in my life as well. Rendered speechless by being named an Honorary Alumnus of the College in 2011, I will forever feel deeply honored and privileged to have served and will have no difficulty finding the words to extol the virtues of this special place recalled so dearly: our alma mater.

> MARIETTA CONNECTION

> SAYING THANKS

Brian Moynihan, Bank of America’s CEO, spoke with more than 150 students during a Leadership Q&A in the Alma McDonough Auditorium. Moynihan, a Marietta High School graduate, was back in his hometown to speak with the Economic Roundtable of the Ohio Valley.

President Bruno and his wife, Diane, invited retired faculty and staff to their home for a special, annual luncheon. April is always a busy month at the President’s Home, as Dr. Bruno hosts donors, students and the community for a variety of events.

RYAN TURNEWITSCH

NATE KNOBLE

Let te rs f rom the Editor

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et’s just say at the outset that 350 words are not going to cover it. How could you possibly fit into such a limited space the many … whoops, sorry, Hub; I’ll keep my eyes on my own paper.

GI SMITH Back in the day — my day, at least — preventing cheating in school was as simple as the teacher walking up and down the aisles between rows of desks or having students hold their hands up to check if equations were written palm-side. Back then, the cell phone was as large as a regular phone, and all they could do

GI SMITH, EDITOR

was call other people, so there was never a threat of having information stored on them to use during a test. My Mac Classic, the only computer that could be found in my university apartment, wasn’t connected to the Internet, so all research had to be done in the library from actual books — books my creative writing professors surely had read, so no chance of cheating there.

Not that being a copycat was ever something I wanted to do, not even in calculus, which I consider some sort of voodoo.

These days, professors must be vigilant in detecting academic dishonesty. The plethora of sources on any given topic on the Internet can be tempting, but many of these “sources” are questionably accurate, at best. Smartphones can be programmed to offer instant answers.

Programs like Turn It In help detect plagiarism by tracking word patterns. At Marietta College, a

great deal of effort is put into prevention.

In this edition, you’ll read about what Marietta is doing to help curb the temptation of cheating and how, early on, students are taught how not to accidentally rip off someone else’s work.

But wait, there’s more.

Obviously from the cover, we’re giving a recap of the men’s basketball team’s magical season.

Having been to many of the games this season, I can attest to the electricity that was present in the BanJo as this special team took apart their fair share of opponents. You’ll also read about Dr. Bob Chase’s retirement and how he will continue to help our petro students get vital internships, which can lead to employment after graduation.

TP and I found so many great stories to share with you in this edition, it was a challenge trying to fit them all in without employing some sort of magic, or calculus, ahem.

M A R I E T TA > 5

Review

COMMENTS FROM OUR READERS

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eading your article on Stoney’s gift to the College reminded me once again of the value of a liberal arts education. Stoney’s geology classes were anything but peripheral to an English major minoring in biology back in 1969.

Thanks to his boundless energy and enthusiasm for oolites and Tuscarora sandstone, Dr. D.D. Stone’s West Virginian country roads take me right back home to Seneca Rocks with Rock and Ski; Trout Cave with Lynn, Chris and Wild Bill Slaninko; Blackwater Falls with Betty Herbert; fossil hunting on Spruce Knob with Mr. Nuhfer; plus synclines and anticlines I’ve never seen bested, all under Stoney’s cheerfully antiauthoritarian guidance (ah, the morning he ripped up the parking ticket on the mayor of Durbin, W.Va.’s lawn), and all this before Alfred Wegener ever reached the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers.

I can’t see braided streams in Alberta, Canada; barrier beaches on Cape Cod; tectonic rifts in Iceland’s Thingvellir National Park; the Buddha Caves outside Datong, China; or the great ring dike that is Franconia Ridge in New Hampshire without grinning like an idiot and thanking the friends who insisted I take Stoney’s classes. His love of tourmaline and conodonts and the Silures of Wales has been passed through me to my wife and son, enriching our lives beyond measure. Joanne noted recently that I’m the only husband in the world who brings his wife biotite instead of roses. (I do on occasion give her roses too!) I guess I’ll have to add a glimpse of Stoney’s collection to my bucket list, check out Conodont stonei one last time, and then climb Franconia Ridge and offer up a great whoop of gratitude to a guy who made geology live for so many of us, orogenous zones and all (now that Wegener has made it to Marietta, orogenous zones make much more sense to me). Stoney, and many other professors like him, made and continue to make our Marietta College education a true gift — and as good a reason as any to support The Marietta Fund.

WES BLAUSS, CLASS OF 1972

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our inspiring, informative, classy, thought/memory provoking issue arrived today! Hurray, and thank you. Every time I receive an issue I hanker to be 18 again and starting over! Marietta College sent me on my way to four careers, and Marietta was my happy home for those four years. I became very fond of the area as I served small rural churches during my time there. I visited campus about five years ago and hope to do so in the summer of 2015.

Would it be possible to have a “key” to that lovely photograph of the campus? I cannot locate some familiar buildings and do not know the new ones. Thank you. It’s a “wow” photograph.

Some years ago I received news that the library was to be torn down. It was built when I was there and I helped move books! Why tear down a really good library facility? I was “taken aback” when I realized it had been 50 years and was high time for something new. Progress.

Thank you for your work, for representing my “esteemed” Alma Mater, and your desire to hold The Long Blue Line together.

I have always been a proud graduate and wish I could have assisted financially more than I have.

JIM EDDS, CLASS OF 1962

6 < SPRING 2015

I

thoroughly enjoyed reading the article on Jessica Herron ’13 in the last alumni magazine.

When I graduated from Marietta in 1963 I joined the Peace Corps and was sent to Nyasaland (now Malawi). I, too, taught English and social studies at a government secondary school in Fort Johnston (now Mangoche).

That was 51 years ago! For historical purposes, I think I was the first Peace Corps volunteer from Marietta. I was there from 1963-66. My best to Jessica for a job well done.

BILL HAYWARD CLASS OF 1963

T

hank you for the excellent new Marietta Magazine, beautifully designed and carried out. I particularly enjoyed [photographer Peter] Finger’s wonderful panoramic of Marietta, in which I could recognize so much of the city my family and I inhabited for some 20 years as students and faculty member. The curvature of the earth conveys something of the universality of the educational experience, and we could actually see trees in our old neighborhood out on Sixth Street beyond the Mound Cemetery.

I also thought [Mark] Bender’s cover very satisfying, a perfect level of abstraction, making a powerful composition, which also carries recognizable subject matter, the buildings and streets we all remember, the rising tide of blue and white balloons generating some of the same exhilaration as Finger’s photograph.

I enclose a reminder of my own old painting from 2000, “Time Honored Marietta,” my colleagues and students of the 1970s on the lawn in front of the old administration building, the original of which might still be hanging in some campus office, hundreds of reproductions of which are apparently hanging on walls around the country. We all remember MC fondly.

CHARLES PETERSON CLASS OF 1953 ART DEPARTMENT HEAD 1959-73

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Because Marietta Magazine seeks to present a wide diversity of subject matter and content, some views presented in the publication may not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or those official policies maintained by Marietta College.

Letters commenting on the material or topics presented in the magazine are encouraged and are available for publication unless the author specifically asks that they do not appear in public print. Published letters may be edited for style, length and clarity.

EMAIL: mariettamagazine@marietta.edu FAX: 740-376-4509 MAIL: Editor, Marietta Magazine, Office of Strategic Communications & Marketing, 215 Fifth Street, Marietta, OH 45750-4004

Journal

ALUM NI & C A MP U S N EWS

> ALUMNI

Marietta puts accelerated high school students on track for College MC IN 3 PROGR AM RE CE NT LY UNVE I LE D

NATE KNOBEL

T

hough she’s just about to finish her junior year of high school, Lauren DeLong is getting a jump on her Marietta College degree.

DeLong is one of three high schools students on track to complete the MC in 3 program, which guarantees high schools students who meet specific qualifications and complete 30 credit hours of accepted college-level courses the opportunity to attend full-time and graduate from Marietta College in three years. The MC in 3 program is not applicable to the Education, Athletic Training or Petroleum Engineering academic tracks.

“My main academic goal while at Marietta College is to start working on my undergraduate degree and to make the transition from high school to a four-year college,” DeLong says. “Presently, I am interested in pursuing a career as a physician’s assistant, and I am highly considering applying for the MC in 3 program, which Marietta offers for students who are in high school.”

Dr. Suzanne Walker is the adviser for MC in 3 and College Credit Plus students. College Credit Plus replaced the Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program.

“Currently, we have 16 students in what would have been the PSEO program but is now the College Credit Plus program,” Walker says.

“We have three who have identified as MC in 3 students.”

Walker says the admission criteria for the MC in 3 program is actually more stringent than the general admission to Marietta College.

“These high school students, as juniors, would be accepted as fulltime Marietta College students, so they are very bright and ready for the academic rigor of college courses,” Walker says.

But the program isn’t designed to accelerate the degree-earning process, despite enabling qualified students to take up to 30 credit hours while still in high school.

“The high school students who are accepted into the program have to work very hard in high school and in college to complete the MC in 3 program,” Walker says. “They have to complete the entire coursework, so this isn’t a shortcut. And though the MC in 3 program isn’t applicable to the Petro, Education or Athletic Training majors, taking the College Credit Plus courses while still in high school offers these students a big advantage during their full-time college experience.”

That advantage, Walker says, is time.

Because Education, Petro and Athletic Training course schedules are so regimented, it’s hard for students in those majors to study abroad or commit to other time-consuming, yet enriching, cocurricular activities.

The MC in 3 program is also designed for high school students who are not within driving distance to Marietta but who still want to attend the College and finish in three years.

“If a student is living in, say, Maine, and is attending a prep school or is eligible for college courses as a junior, the Admission Office will put them in contact with an adviser, which currently is me, and put them on a schedule as to what college classes they will need to take and pass in order to qualify for the MC in 3 program,” Walker says.

>

P L A N N I N G H ER F U T U R E Lauren DeLong is completing her junior year at Marietta High School, but she’s already focused on her college plans.

DeLong will take courses at Marietta College during the 2015-16 year and be in the position to graduate in three years.

DeLong has taken a political science course taught by Associate Professor Mike Tager, who is happy to have high school students in some of his classes.

“I’ve had high school students mostly in my introductory Political Science courses, either American National Government or Introduction to Comparative Politics, but occasionally they’ve taken upper level courses such as Latin American Politics and Governments of Russia and Eastern Europe,” Tager says. “I enjoy having them in class because they’re generally bright and motivated, and at least in my introductory courses, have been among the top performers. The PSEO students I’ve had predate the MC in 3 program, and have attended other colleges and universities upon finishing high school, but I still think it’s a useful service Marietta College provides these students, enabling them to get ahead on their college credits and providing an introduction to the style and pace of college classes.”

GI SMITH

M A R I E T TA > 7

Journal

ALUM NI & C A MP U S N EWS

> ON CAMPUS

ATOs honor 125th CHAPTER TO CE LE BRAT E ANNI VE RS ARY DU R I N G H O MEC O MI N G 2 0 1 5

GI SMITH

8 < SPRING 2015

NATE KNOBEL

NATE KNOBEL

B

rothers of the Alpha Tau Omega Beta Rho Chapter have a very special reason to come back to Marietta for Homecoming 2015.

“This year, we’re celebrating our 125th anniversary,” said ATO President Devon Everett ’16. “We are arranging special events during Homecoming for our returning brothers and their spouses.”

The fraternity is the longest continuously active Greek fraternity on campus.

“Nationally affiliated Greek-letter social fraternities began at MC on a permanent basis in 1855 with the formation of a chapter of Phi Gamma Delta,” wrote Dan McGrew in one of the College’s history books, In the Various Branches of Useful Knowledge, published by the College in 1994. “It was followed within five years by Alpha Sigma Phi and the local Alpha Digamma, which in 1920 became a chapter of Alpha Tau Omega, reviving a chapter originally established in 1890.”

The Sigs reestablished at Marietta in the spring of 2012 after leaving campus in 1993.

“An extremely large turnout is expected for Homecoming 2015,” says Roger Patterson ’62, chapter adviser. “Turnout depends on brothers contacting brothers. The Class of 1965 already has commitments from 16 members of their class. If any brothers would like to assist in promoting this hallmark anniversary of ATO, they can reach [me] at (740) 706-6809 to get contact information.”

On Friday, Oct. 16, a 125th anniversary banquet will be held at the Lafayette Hotel, starting with a 6:30 p.m. social hour. A national ATO representative, President Joseph Bruno and his wife, Diane, Everett and two other current student members of ATO will attend the event. That night, representatives from the classes of 1965 and 1990 will talk about campus life during their times as students. On Saturday, Oct. 17, the ATO house will be open for a reception for brothers from 4 to 5:30 p.m., followed by a Board of Trustees meeting.

During the week preceding Homecoming, the ATOs will continue their Cycle 4 fundraising event in which participants will cycle 24 hours a day for seven days to raise money for a specific cause. Previous recipients were a current Marietta College student battling cancer and the Multiple Sclerosis Society in honor of Patterson’s late wife.

Everett is proud of the reputation of the brothers in the fraternity.

“We look for character, not numbers,” Everett says. “Currently we have four Eagle Scouts. We all have a goal to leave our chapter better than it was when we came here. Every brother is required to do 20 hours of community service per semester. Last semester, we averaged 70 hours per person, for a total of 2,100 hours.”

The current students in ATO are excited to welcome back brothers for the anniversary.

“This is a huge deal for us,” Everett says. “It’s the biggest event we’ll have for at least another 25 more years.”

To register for Homecoming, contact the Alumni Relations office at (740) 376-4709. For more information about the ATO’s 125th celebration, email Devon Everett at dpe001@marietta.edu.

>

F R ATER N A L H O MEC O MI N G (Top) ATO brothers prepare a banner for the spring Rush Week. (Bottom) The ATO house on Fourth Street contains a historic ledger dating back to its Alpha Digamma days.

>

NATE KNOBEL

FOCUS ON RES E ARCH Dr. Suzanne Parsons and Dr. Kevin Pate (not pictured) worked with students Rebekah Wood ’15, Kaely Becker ’15 and Becca Greenstein ’15 on their undergraduate research throughout the past three years. Each student was selected to present their research at the American Chemical Society National Meeting in Denver, Colo.

> ON CAMPUS

Students present their work at American Chemical Society meeting

E

ven though it wasn’t a requirement, Rebekah Wood ’15 never considered stopping her research on characterization of the apoptotic pathway activated by methylparaben.

“Thinking back, I did not expect to accomplish so much,” says Wood, who will attend the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University in the fall. “Overall, I am very proud of what I have been able to do over the past few years and very happy with my choice to keep up the dedication. I wanted to keep up with the research because I really enjoyed it and wish that I could keep on working on it.”

Instead, Wood and two other Marietta College students recently completed about three years’ worth of research and presented their findings at the 249th American Chemical Society National Meeting in Denver, Colo.

Dr. Kevin Pate, McCoy Associate Professor of Chemistry, says he is ecstatic over the work the students completed. But he says it may never have happened had the department not decided a few years ago to overhaul the senior capstone and provide a much more intensive research component to the major.

“When we started this new approach, we decided to make research a voluntary opportunity for all of our underclassmen majors rather than just a requirement thrust upon our senior majors,” he says. “We’ve tried to create an environment where students want to be in lab because there is a genuine expectation that they can accomplish something during their four years that nobody has ever done before.”

Kaely Becker ’15 and Becca Greenstein ’15 bought into the new approach and have not regretted the hard work one bit.

Becker presented her work on “Synthesis, Characterization and Photoxicity Studies of Paraben Derivatives.” Greenstein’s poster presentation was on “Extraction and Functional Assay of Cloned Thymopentin.”

Becker is majoring in Chemistry, while Greenstein and Wood are majoring in Biochemistry.

“While I often got frustrated when my experiments did not work, there is no better feeling than getting the long-sought-after results you have been looking for and knowing that you were able to achieve them yourself,” Greenstein says. “I feel that I have also gained many opportunities that have helped to further my career goals. If I had not begun performing research here at Marietta College, I would not have been able to obtain a summer internship at Magee-Women’s Research Institute through the University of Pittsburgh this past summer.”

Becker adds, “I’m proud that I was invited to a national conference to present my work, and I’m proud that my successes have prompted other colleagues to start researching.”

Dr. Suzanne Parsons, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, says she pushed for this change in the department soon after she arrived in 2011.

“Yes, it’s lots of work and time, but it’s worth every minute. We are providing opportunities for undergraduate students in Chemistry that they could find nowhere else that I know of — not at our peer institutes or even our aspirant peers. We do it because it’s the right thing to do, and it’s the best part of my job.”

TOM PERRY

M A R I E T TA > 9

Journal

ALUM NI & C A MP U S N EWS

> ACADEMICS

Let’s be honest M ARIETTA TAKE S A PROACT I VE APPROACH TO C U R B I N G C H EAT I N G

A

ULLMAN DESIGN

s a math tutor in the Academic Resource Center, Joe Andler ’15 hasn’t come across any students interested in trying to pull a fast one on a test or on a homework assignment to get a better grade than they deserved.

“Of course, being in the Academic Resource Center, the type of students who come in are looking for help and really want to learn the material,” Andler says. “During the training to be a tutor, [ARC staff] really pushed academic integrity.”

Cheating isn’t a new problem in academia, but rather than focusing solely on catching students who plagiarize papers or copy another student’s answers, Marietta College aims to educate undergraduates on what cheating is and why it’s not necessary.

“As part of the freshman experience, students learn about academic integrity, particularly in COMM 101, Writing 101 and the FYE (First-Year Experience) classes,” says Interim Provost Mark Miller, adding that the process for academic charges are listed in the Student Handbook. “The penalties vary depending on the severity of the offense.”

Andler has been a tutor in the ARC since the second semester of his freshman year.

“What I learned my freshman year was that I didn’t actually learn in high school what I needed to learn,” he says. “When I became a tutor, I realized that I didn’t have a comprehensive understanding of the material.”

As his tutoring experience grew, so did his ability to study and learn the material that he would later help other students understand.

Dr. Dawn Carusi, the Director of the Worthington Center for Teaching Excellence, says cheating today is much different from the pre-technology age.

“Today’s students are used to digital media websites that don’t cite original authors,” Carusi says. “Oftentimes, students don’t know they’re not being academically honest, so we talk about information literacy and only using online sources that can be validated.”

Most high schools and colleges use some sort of plagiarism detector for essays. Marietta uses Turnitin.com to check if students are submitting original works and if they are citing sources properly.

Amanda Haney-Cech is the Director of the Academic Resource Center and teaching an FYE class.

“I tell my students all the time that they must understand how to properly cite works and that if they need help, just ask,” Haney-Cech says. “Most of the plagiarism that happens by students is accidental.”

She’s had students who didn’t know that recycling papers that they had written in high school or using passages out of those papers without citing them properly is plagiarism.

“If the paper already exists, even if it’s your own, you have to cite it,” HaneyCech says. “I also emphasize to my students the difference between group study and a group sharing their homework answers or lab reports.”

Last year, the Worthington Center conducted a session on academic integrity for faculty and staff.

“There are some things that can be prevented, such as multiple sections of the same class having the midterm or final at the same time to prevent students from sharing what’s on the test,” Carusi says.

“And when something pops up on a Turnitin.com search, I try to approach it as a teaching tool. It tells me that the student didn’t know how to cite the work properly and that I need to teach them the right way.”

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> ON CAMPUS

Portrait of a leader SCHOLARLY PHOT OG RAPHE R HE ADE D T O M ED SC H O O L

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ou may not know who Ryan Turnewitsch ’15 is, but there’s a very good possibility you’ve seen his work.

Since his sophomore year, Ryan has been the student photographer on campus and many of his photographs have graced the pages of our magazines and our social media sites.

While many people shy away from the camera, Ryan’s presence has the opposite effect. “The students seek me out, as do the faculty.

People expect to see me at their events and they know if I’m there, the photos are going to be shared, which is something the students, their parents and the College loves.”

Being the student photographer has added a dimension to his Marietta College experience. “It’s enriched my life at Marietta. Take Theatre, for instance. For three years, I’ve shot every play. Because of that, I feel I have learned a lot about theatre and had a theatre experience in college despite not being a theatre student.”

Though Ryan is quite gifted behind the lens, he’s anything but one-dimensional. “I’ve known since I was 8 years old that I was going to be a doctor. And I’ve known I wanted to be a naturopathic doctor since I was 13 or 14.”

This fall, he will enroll in the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine Program at Seattle’s Bastyr University, his target medical school. He will also complete an additional doctoral degree via distance learning through a private, Christian medical school. “While both are naturopathic programs, the curricula are rather different. One of my goals is to operate my own integrated clinic working with other specialists to provide a comprehensive, holistic and noninvasive approach to health.”

Dr. Gama Perruci, Dean of the McDonough Leadership Program, says Ryan’s drive to make things better is part of what makes him special. “He did not accept the status quo. That was the approach he took as Chair of McSAC (the McDonough Student Advisory Committee). He challenged us to take on new initiatives, while revisiting past practices. That’s a great approach to life in general. I think this is his best quality — being a transformational leader. He wants to leave a legacy wherever he is.”

His work as a Biochemistry major with a Leadership Studies minor has paid off. In late April, he joined a prestigious group of Marietta College graduates by being inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa society. Marietta College’s Gamma chapter of Ohio is the 16th-oldest chapter of the academic honorary.

In addition to his academic schedule, Ryan has been very involved in the McDonough Leadership Program, serving as the McSAC Chair in his junior year. He was the President of the Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honorary this year. He also completed a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in the University of Kentucky’s College of Medicine, as well as an Honors Fellowship research project at Marietta. He is involved in a multitude of campus organizations and has received numerous academic honors.

“There have been so many priceless moments for me at Marietta but I’d have to say one of my favorites was the creation of the

MC Thanks program,” Ryan says. “While I was Student Body President of McDonough, I had an idea to create a way for students to show appreciation to faculty and staff, and together with my committee we created the MC Thanks program. It is an annual campus-wide note-writing campaign just before Thanksgiving break in which students write thank-you notes to everyone from President Bruno to David in the café. I absolutely love this program and we delivered 377 letters that first year.”

Other poignant moments include being a Marietta College Delegate at the U.S.-China Student Summit in China and the U.S. Naval Academy Leadership Conference in Annapolis, establishing a Peer Mentor program for high school students accepted into the McDonough Program, and creating a slideshow presentation for and speaking at the campus memorial service for Caitlin Yager ’16, who died in 2013 during Winter Break. “Honoring Caitlin through my words and photos that day is an experience I will never forget.”

Another of his qualities is his caring and thoughtful nature.

“My favorite memory of Ryan is when he planned me a surprise birthday party at a College Dems meeting,” says Taylor Myers ’15, the outgoing Student Body President and Ryan’s freshman-year roommate. “He had everyone line up outside the Emeritus Chamber and then enter the room singing ‘God Bless America.’ Many waved American flags and then sang Happy Birthday to me. It was a classic example of Ryan Turnewitsch always going out of his way to do nice things for people.”

The photos he’s taken over the course of his Marietta College career have provided countless tangible memories for campus community, while also providing plenty of memorable experiences for Ryan.

“It’s just odd I’ve never taken a photography class,” Ryan says, “Yet that’s one of the things I’m going to be remembered most for here.”

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itting outside of Dr. Bob Chase’s office midway through the spring semester gives a pretty good snapshot of how busy the Chair of the Petroleum Engineering and Geology Department is on any given day of the week.

Just as one student enters his office — replete with stacks of papers to grade, honorary awards, sentimental gifts from former students like the brass “BOSS” plaque on this door, and even a poster that may or may not have been signed by an actual U.S. President — another takes his place in the waiting line to ask about an assignment.

“It’s like this all the time,” says Laura Pytlik, Academic Secretary for the department. “He always makes time for students no matter how busy he is.”

But after 37 years of chairing and teaching in arguably the largest department on campus, Dr. Chase has decided to retire. “I’ve got some other really exciting things happening right now, like serving on the Board of Directors for Settlers Bank and on the Marietta Memorial Foundation Board. I’m also on the Board of Directors for the Oil and Gas Museum in Parkersburg, West Virginia. I guess right now I want to put more emphasis on community-focused activities and giving back to the community.”

Chase has been the face of the College’s Petro and Geology program since 1978, a time when the department was “admittedly not at the top of its game,” according to Dan McGrew’s Marietta College history, In the Various Branches of Useful Knowledge.

“The department went through a difficult time in the ’70s when larger institutions offering their own programs raided MC for some of its talented instructors by offering much larger salaries,” McGrew writes. “… To counter the problem, MC did some raiding of its own by attracting Dr. Robert W. Chase from a rival institution. One of only 270 petroleum Ph.D. holders in the country, he began contacting MC’s petroleum students to reassure them about the soundness of the Marietta program.”

Though the oil and gas industry has had its ups and downs, the College’s petroleum program has always provided a world-class liberal arts education to its majors and worked to prepare them for successful careers by connecting them with internships. “Even though I’m leaving the classroom and not going to be the chair, I’m still going to do my best to get the new person settled in and help them make the connections that I have made in the industry.

So I’ll be working a day or two a week until the full transition’s been made.”

Chase also plans to help the College with fundraising and with matching current students with internships.

“I’ll be considered a consultant to the Department and the College,” Chase says. Ultimately, he’d like to help Marietta garner enough alumni and friend support to expand the Edwy R. Brown Building in order to better serve the hundreds of students in the program.

Dr. Roger Pitasky, Professor of Mathematics, began working at Marietta in 1970 and served as Vice President for Enrollment

Management, Provost and Dean of the College, Registrar, Director of the Computer Center and the Director of Institutional Research.

He understands the demands that come with balancing classroom responsibilities with administrative obligations.

“Being a chair of any academic department requires energy, skill, tact and judgment,” Pitasky says. “But some departments require more skills than others. Petroleum’s dependence upon other departments required Bob to have a strong internal focus even as the program’s industry connections required a strong external focus. Bob needed to constantly understand the big picture to keep a rapidly changing program on track, all the while paying careful attention to detail; for example, when dealing with departmental accreditation.”

Since arriving in 1978 after teaching at West Virginia University for two years, Chase has forged lasting relationships with many of his former students. He plans to be in Houston in August when the College launches its third Regional Association.

For Jason Rebrook ’96, Chase was his first connection and impression of Marietta College. “As a kid from Clarksburg, W.Va., he made it clear that coming to Marietta and going into Petroleum Engineering could change my life.”.

Rebrook adds that Chase has always mentored and provided guidance to him in his career and in life. “It has been said, your accomplishments are merely a collection of the people you met, who supported you along the way. For me, Dr. Chase is in that category. I considered him a colleague, mentor, and most of all, a great friend.”

Chase was inducted into the Marietta College Petroleum Engineering and Geology Hall of Fame in 2010 and was named an Honorary Alumnus during Homecoming 2011. The Society of Petroleum Engineers honored him with a Distinguished Member Award, a Distinguished Service Award and a Distinguished Faculty Award.

“At times, Bob had the challenge of maintaining program excellence in the face of huge enrollments — not to mention the challenge of helping many students find jobs,” Pitasky says. “At other times, Bob had the challenge of keeping the department staff together despite institutional pressure to reduce because of low enrollments … I will summarize by noting that Bob’s leadership over the years has resulted in one of Marietta College’s areas of special strength. It is hard to imagine where Marietta College would be right now without him.”

Chase is ready to begin a new chapter in his life and is satisfied with what he has accomplished at Marietta College.

“It’s been a great run,” Chase says, “I’m done grading papers, and it’s time for something new.”

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2011 & 2015 OAC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS 2011 & 2013 OAC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS 2011 ,2013, & 2015 N C A A T O U R N A M E N T PA R T I C I PA N T 2011 SWEET 16 APPEARANCE 2015 ELITE 8 APPEARANCE

UNPRECEDENTED

SUCCESS B A SKET B A L L P R O G R A M H OPE S R U N TO E L ITE 8 JU S T A N O TH ER STEP TOWAR D GL ORY D AY S

s the driver closed the door to the char-

A

ter bus on the chilly Illinois night, it was uncannily quiet for a group of 18- to 22-year-olds. You could hear the players

shifting in their seats and the low hum of heat circulating through the dimly lit cabin. But no one was talking. No one really knew what to say.

What was left to discuss after losing 100-51 in the biggest game of the season? Even the next morning when it was time to board the bus for the 603-mile trek from Rock Island, Ill., back to Marietta that took about nine hours, no one really wanted to talk about the abrupt end to the season.

M A R I E T TA > 15

“We watched nine straight hours of Sports Center listening to them talk about Bracketology,” says junior wing Luis Garcia ’16. “Man, that was a long ride home. It was definitely a lot longer going home than it was to get there.”

It’s always longer. But what Luis and many of the other players on the 2014-15 men’s basketball roster can’t fully comprehend is how long the road really has been for this once-dormant program.

It was tougher than the stretch of I-74 to I-70 to I-77 that Coach Jon VanderWal’s team traveled to return home.

Gone are the days when VanderWal’s phone

rang off the hook in the offseason with opposing coaches calling to see if the Pioneers will play in tournaments in places like Susquehanna, Pa., and Fredonia, N.Y. Instead, VanderWal struggles to get anyone outside of the Ohio Athletic Conference to venture to Marietta.

“Within a week of getting the job I had like 30 voicemails of games coaches wanted us to play,” he says. “Now, I call and invite people to the Shrine Tournament and they laugh at me. Every year it has been a complete struggle to fill our non-league games.”

It’s a nuisance, but a good problem. In 111 seasons, Marietta basketball has enjoyed just 47 winning campaigns. There were some solid seasons under the legendary Don Drumm — 17-1

Roach’s 1974-75 team that went 19-4 and reached the NCAA Tournament. There was also the 199596 Doug Foote squad that went 15-13 but finished runner-up in the OAC Tournament.

A closer look at the record books, however, revealed more 11-14 and 5-20 seasons than anyone really wanted to admit. Then came VanderWal, who didn’t want to hear he couldn’t win at Marietta. Friends and colleagues warned him that he’d kill any long-term coaching aspirations if he took the Marietta job. He still recalls sitting in the Harness Conference Room of the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center and listening to members of the search committee snicker when he answered the question, “Where do you see the program in five years?”

APRIL 23, 2007 Jon VanderWal is named Marietta College’s 15th men’s basketball coach since its inception in 1901.

BELIEVING IN THE NEW COACH VanderWal’s fortunes at Marietta improve in 2008 when he lands his first big recruiting class, that includes future All-OAC performers Kevin Knab ’12 and Trevor Halter ’13, as well as key role players Joe Puch ’12 and Conner Kilpatrick ’12. This group forms the nucleus of the 2010-11 Sweet 16 team.

in 1915-16. Earle “Greasy” Neale, who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, guided the Pioneers to a 15-3 record in 1919-20.

Until recently, the debate of the greatest teams in Marietta history always began with William O. Whetsell’s 1953-54 and 1954-55 squads that went 20-1 and 204, respectively, and concluded with Phil 16 < S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

“I told them in five years I expected the program to be toward the top of the OAC competing for a league title … I remember thinking to myself, this answer may have just cost me the job because these people don’t think that’s possible,” he says. “I’ll never forget it because I said it and I believed every bit of it, that that’s where we would be in five years. I could tell every person in the room thought I was absolutely crazy.”

After losing to Ohio Northern by 54 early in that first season, VanderWal did pause for a moment to reconsider how he was going to turn around the Pioneers. “I did think the committee may have known something I didn’t, but it didn’t deter us from the mission we set out to accomplish.”

The committee’s shock over VanderWal’s prediction would probably have been typical of anyone who had followed the program over the 30 years prior. Even more telling is the five years immediately before VanderWal was hired when Marietta was a dismal 32-96 while playing in the newly opened recreation center. After spending close to $20 million for the facility, including a renovated Ban Johnson Arena, the expectation was basketball would be able to recruit better players and there would be more wins than losses.

VanderWal agreed it could be done.

“Those who know me know I don’t lack any confidence. I think the biggest thing was I just came out of my interview, I saw a really neat town, a beautiful campus, a really good facility,

What remains of the journey is clear to everyone — a national championship.

“We’re already in the weight room and everyone is talking about what we have to do to win it all,” says freshman guard Dillon Young ’18.

Senior Andy Dollman ’15 is confident the program has what it takes to be a national champion in the near future.

“It starts with Coach VanderWal. With him in charge, there is no doubt Marietta can win it all one day,” Dollman says.

You don’t have to convince Ed Grenert, father of junior post Eddy Grenert ’16, that the future of Marietta basketball is even brighter.

“The more you win, the easier it is to get players,” he says. “I can only talk about the last three

ship game. Marietta’s recent track record says the Pioneers will underachieve next year. Marietta went 17-9 and 19-7 following championship years.

By no means are those outcomes disappointing, but they were well below expectations.

“We’re not 49 points worse than [Augustana],” Garcia says. “They had one of their best nights and we had one of our worst nights. We’re not satisfied with just making the Elite 8. We feel we were good enough to win it all. We have a bunch of guys who are going to work hard for next season.”

VanderWal is not content either. He appreciates how far the program has come in his time at Marietta — averaging 22 wins a season the past five years, competing for championships — but he

WINNING ISN’T EASY 49-28 at halftime, Marietta outscores John Carroll 60-36 in the second half to claim the school’s first OAC Tournament championship with an 88-85 victory on Feb. 26, 2011. The win is sealed on Trevor Halter’s three-pointer with four seconds left in the game.

and I just thought there were too many positives about Marietta College not to be able to get it going,” says VanderWal, who has been courted by other colleges and universities to work his magic on their programs. “I saw a lot of things here I felt like I could sell to recruits. I was 28 at the time, so if they offered me the job I was going to take it. But never in my wildest dreams, though, did I think I’d be sitting here eight years later coming off an Elite 8 appearance, that’s for sure.”

Marietta is also coming off its greatest season ever, with a school-record 28 victories, another OAC regular-season championship and a third appearance in the NCAA tournament in five years. During that five-year span, the Pioneers have won nearly 78 percent of their games with a record of 111-32.

SWEET SUCCESS The 2010-11 season is full of firsts, but nothing is more special than winning two games at Ban Johnson Arena in the NCAA Tournament to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. Marietta defeats Centre College 67-62 in the opener and then knocks off Wittenberg 63-62.

years, but this past season is by far the best time I’ve seen and you could sense the chemistry of the team — and that’s a direct reflection of what Coach VanderWal is doing. I don’t see that it is going to change as long as Coach VanderWal is there … he’s going to win.”

Mr. Grenert has set the bar high for next season.

“I sure hope we end up in Salem, Va. (location of the Division III Final 4). That’s the goal from the parents’ perspective,” he says. “I hope we knock everyone out of the conference and we go to Salem. That’s the talk in our household.”

There’s still work to get to that point, though — as evidenced by the 49-point loss to Augustana, who went on to lose in the national champion-

knows the College judges programs on national championships, like the six baseball has won.

“I feel really good about where our program is right now. Maintaining what we’ve built is way more difficult than most people realize because now everybody’s trying to knock us off and nobody likes us anymore. So it’s becoming more and more difficult to maintain what we’ve built,” VanderWal says. “We have a lot of respect for the baseball program and what they have been able to accomplish. The ultimate goal is to win the national championship, and I hope we do that one day soon.”

Marietta banker and longtime fan of the program Tom Betz — even though he is a Mount Union graduate — hopes the players and coaches M A R I E T TA > 17

take a few moments to appreciate how exciting the 2014-15 season really was.

“The team that went to the Sweet 16 in 2011 was the breakthrough for the program, and we should give that group their due,” Betz says. “But this season has changed the dynamics of the program. There was a buzz in the community before every game. That’s all we talked about at work on Wednesdays.”

Betz says he teamed up with Marietta business owner Gregg Black ’81 to drive a van of local fans to many of the road games this season.

“It used to be just a few of us in a car,” Betz says. “We also had alumni and friends meeting us in Alliance, Westerville and Berea to eat before the game and then cheer on the Pioneers.”

’16. “The energy everyone brings on game day is one of a kind. The excitement in the student body doesn’t just happen at the game; it is an all-day thing. No matter the outcome of the game, everyone is still behind them 110 percent.”

When you go to a home game the stands are also sprinkled with basketball alumni like Alex Couladis ’75, Chad Spence ’01, Mike Warden ’01 and Trevor Halter ’13. Then there was Jim Naab ’93, who didn’t attend many games this season, but got caught up in the hype of Marietta basketball and drove from Dublin, Ohio, down to Marietta with his twin sons to watch the Pioneers pull off a thrilling 88-86 victory over Wooster in the

ROCKING BAN JOHNSON Marietta needs to win the OAC Tournament to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. It takes the Pioneers three overtimes to overcome Wilmington 111-106 and get a showdown with a scrappy Mount Union team. Just as in 2011, Marietta falls behind big at half — 40-25 — only to have a huge second half. The Pioneers tie the game at 66 in regulation, and it takes another overtime for Marietta to advance. The Pioneers win 80-76 on Feb. 23, 2013.

Marietta’s student body joined the community to create a true home-court advantage that most D3 programs could only dream of having. From Putnam, the mascot, to students painted in blue and white standing alongside alumni from all eras, to schoolchildren holding signs of their favorite players, Marietta’s fans created an intimidating atmosphere in the BanJo. The students and athletes also turned to social media to share their pride in the #PioNation. Even President Joseph Bruno occasionally added a #PioNation reference to his tweets.

“I enjoy going to the games because it is always fun to see the community and student body come together to cheer the team on. It is amazing to see the young ones in the community and how much they look up to the guys,” says Brittany Martin 18 < S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

NCAA’s second round.

“It has been great to see the turnaround in the program. There has been a noticeable difference in the campus and facilities since I played, which

TAKING DOWN WOOSTER In front of a frenzied crowd at Ban Johnson, Marietta defeats traditional basketball power Wooster 88-86 on a late basket by junior RaNeal Ewing ’16 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 7, 2015.

I think has played a major role in attracting student-athletes to Marietta College,” says Naab, who was an assistant coach at Dublin Scioto High School when RaNeal Ewing ’16 was there. “I think Coach VanderWal and his staff have done a nice job of recruiting not only from Ohio, but nationally.”

Marietta basketball has enjoyed a significant home-court advantage

since the magical run in 2010-11. The players appreciated this year’s raucous atmosphere.

“It creates such an excitement and helps you get the adrenaline flowing,” Dollman says. “When you play somewhere that has no energy in the place, you have to find a way to do that yourself.

Not at Marietta. Our fans are the best.”

Ban Johnson’s “rowdy” environment, which typically features about 1,200 fans, is a major selling point to recruits.

“I don’t think that our program could be where we are and have done what we’ve done the last five years if it weren’t for our community support. That’s probably the No. 1 selling tool we use for recruits,” VanderWal says. “If you’re not a big-time Division I recruit, you still want to play

After opening the regular season with a 73-54 victory over Hanover, Marietta went on to win 21 straight and reached third in the national rankings. That is 87 days — longer than any other NCAA program not named the Kentucky Wildcats — the Pioneers went without losing a game.

The winning streak is a school record, but the players and coaches say they didn’t pay too much attention to it.

“I know people may not believe it, but the winning streak really didn’t mean that much to me,” says Dollman, who transferred to Marietta after two years at Glenville (W.Va.) State. “I knew the significance of it, but going undefeated doesn’t win you championships. I don’t know if losing to

to look at our record that much, and it snowballed from there.”

VanderWal agrees the two games in Miami were a real turning point — or at least a bonding experience for the team.

“We knew as far as non-conference games go, we were going to need a good signature win and Eastern Connecticut State has won over 20 games a year the last five or six years and has been in the NCAA tournament,” he says. “To beat those guys, and we beat them at the buzzer basically, in a hard-fought game, and then for our guys to be able to turn around and play really solid against UMASS-Dartmouth the next day, it’s really tough after such an emotional win to be able to turn around, and we just absolutely thumped

AMONG THE BEST With a 79-72 victory over St. Olaf on March 13, 2015, Marietta sets a school record with 28 victories, but also advances to the NCAA Division III Elite 8 for the first time ever.

TOPS IN D3 On April 3, 2015, Jon VanderWal is honored as the top coach in Division III basketball with the Glenn Robinson Award, which is presented just before the start of the Final Four in Indianapolis.

college basketball and you want to feel important.

When you’re playing in front of 85 people every night it doesn’t feel very important. The community has provided kids with an opportunity to come to a small school and still get somewhat of a big-time college basketball environment.”

Betz’s point about recognizing the value of everything the 2014-15 Pioneers accomplished is a valid one.

Marietta’s impressive season actually began with a loss. Of course, it was an 82-69 defeat to Division I Ohio University in an exhibition game, so it didn’t count against the Pioneers record.

But that performance was highlighted, from VanderWal’s perspective, by a 40-37 halftime lead by the Pioneers.

Mount Union or John Carroll was good for us, but it brought us back to reality. We realized we weren’t unbeatable.”

Reeling off 21 consecutive wins is still impressive; especially when you consider nine of the first 13 came away from Ban Johnson Arena. There were also those two wins at the Adidas Holiday Slam in Miami, Fla. Marietta had barely cracked the national rankings and opened with No. 19 Eastern Connecticut State on Dec. 30. The Pioneers pulled out an exciting 79-78 victory on RaNeal Ewing’s layup with only seconds to play.

“We were 10-0, and no one was real sure how good Marietta was. We knew we were good, but we still had to prove it to everyone else,” says Garcia, who is from Miami. “We really tried not

Dartmouth (83-63). I realized we were pretty doggone good.”

VanderWal knows there will be long, quiet bus rides on unknown highways in the future.

However, he wants to make something very clear to the PioNation.

“No one is going to outwork our players and our coaches. We’re going to keep competing for league titles every year, and that will give us a chance to compete for a national title,” he says.

“We’re not that far away from doing that. We’re going to keep fine-tuning this thing, and we’re going to get our shot at a championship.”

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“I got a text from him and he asked me if it was selfish of him to want to go back and play again. I think he was worried about being newly married, and I think the whole process in the minors is so grueling,” Deegan says. “But I told him it would be selfish not to go back. He deserves this for himself and his family. When he knows he has given it his all, then he can hang ’em up without any regrets.”

Saunders says a key to his comeback was knowing he had the support of his family.

“I spoke with everyone, and they all wanted me to give it another shot,” he says. “I know it’s tough on my wife because she can’t be here and I can’t be there as much as we would like, but knowing that everyone is behind me is a blessing.”

The two-time All-American shortstop at Marietta worked hard during the off-season to get ready for spring training. He was up

TIM SAUNDERS MINOR LEAGUE STATISTICS 2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GAMES AB H SB AVG CUBS (ARIZONA ROOKIE). . . . . . . . . . . 17 71 35 5 .493 PEORIA (MIDWEST). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 81 26 8 .321 DAYTONA (FLORIDA STATE). . . . . . . . . 12 42 13 4 .310 2013. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GAMES AB H SB AVG DAYTONA (FLORIDA STATE). . . . . . . . . 62 221 50 21 .226 2014. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GAMES AB H SB AVG KANE COUNTY (MIDWEST) . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 1 0 .333 DAYTONA (FLORIDA STATE). . . . . . . . . 36 124 26 10 .210

by 4 a.m. every day so he could work at UPS loading boxes before arriving on campus to lift weights, run, throw and hit in the indoor cage.

During his time away from baseball, Saunders’ weight dropped to 172 pounds — not big enough to endure a long baseball season. So a big part of his off-season regimen was eating healthy and trying to put on muscle weight.

Because of his athletic ability and baseball IQ, Saunders is shaping up to be a quintessential utility player. The Cubs have played him at second, third, shortstop and in the outfield. Whatever the Cubs have in store for Saunders is just fine with him.

“I’m just working on getting better each day,” Saunders says. “I can’t control when they bring me up or if they trade me. I can control my work ethic and what I do every day. You can’t walk away from this game without giving it all you got.”

TOM PERRY

NATE KNOBLE

W

hen Tim Saunders ’12 decided to retire from professional baseball last summer it seemed like the right decision to him.

Family members, former teammates and friends may have been shaking their heads in disbelief, but none of them were there to see the toll the game was taking on his life.

After battling through injury-plagued seasons in 2013 and 2014, Saunders began to question if he had it in himself to keep putting in the hard work when he wasn’t seeing the results he had expected by his third season.

“I never had doubts I could perform at this level,” says Saunders, who was drafted in the 32nd round by the Chicago Cubs in 2012.

“I made an emotional decision last year and, at the time, it was the right decision. I felt like I was playing for the money and not because I love to play. Now I look at it as my job is playing baseball, and there isn’t a better job than that.”

It was also an emotional day in February when Saunders walked back into the clubhouse in Mesa, Ariz., as a member of the Cubs, trying to earn a spot in the minor leagues for the 2015 season.

“Getting a second chance means so much more to me,” Saunders says. “I am so thankful to the Cubs for letting me come back. It also let me gain some perspective on how they feel about me. I feel like I’m part of the future in Chicago.”

Saunders feels he had a productive spring and started to get his timing at the plate back near the end of March. His minor league assignment was held up after he injured his hamstring stealing a base.

“It seems the more I try to stay healthy, the more I get hurt,” he says. “But I feel good about the spring, and I got to practice with the Double A team a lot.”

His most likely destination for the summer is Class AA Tennessee or Class A Myrtle Beach. One of the reasons the Cubs organization was open to Saunders returning after his abrupt retirement last year was the promise he showed during 2012 when he stayed healthy all season. Saunders batted a combined .381 and stole 17 bases at three stops. He’s also considered one of the fastest players in their entire farm system.

Marietta coach Brian Brewer ’93 says Saunders is back where he should be.

“Based on ability, Timmy’s a baseball freak,” says Brewer, who has won three NCAA Division III National Championships in 12 seasons. “The minor league lifestyle can be a grind and wear on anyone. But I think Timmy started to realize what a special opportunity it is to play professionally, and he wanted to get back out on the field and see if he can make it.”

After returning to Marietta last summer with his wife, Kristie Welch Saunders ’13, the doubts started to return. He looked to his former Marietta coaches — Brewer and Mike Deegan ’01 — for advice.

Deegan, who is now the head coach at Denison, says he spoke with Saunders regularly and tried to encourage him to consider a comeback.

SECOND CHANCES

TIM SAUNDERS ’12 STILL DREAMS OF PLAYING AT WRIGLEY FIELD

M A R I E T T A > 21

Scorebook PIONEER

AT H L E T I C N E W S

A cure for boredom PICKLEBALL’S ORIGIN HAS MARIETTA ROOTS

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GI SMITH

Schaly ’82 joins 1,000-win club

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urrounded by the people he loves the most, John Schaly ’82 celebrated his 1,000th victory as a college baseball coach.

“Having my mom, wife and all three kids at the game made it a lot more special,” says Schaly, who is in his 28th season as a college coach. “I grew up in a college baseball dugout at Marietta and have been a part of the game. I wanted to stay in college baseball.”

Schaly’s late father, College Baseball Hall of Fame coach Don Schaly ’59, won 1,442 games during a 40-year career at Marietta. The Schalys are the first father-son duo to reach 1,000 victories at four-year colleges.

“I think that’s what makes it a little more special,” John says. “It is something I’m proud of, and it’s a big thing for our family.”

He continues to pay tribute to his father by wearing No. 50 — the same jersey number Don wore at Marietta.

Schaly also coached in Florida for 10 years at Berry College and St. Leo University.

“I took a different route than my dad,” John says. “I’ve been at three schools, while all of his wins came at Marietta. But 80 to 90 percent of the things I do today I got from my dad.”

TOM PERRY

NIKKI SCHALY

PETER FINGER

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oung Frank Pritchard was at his family’s beach house on Bainbridge Island, about a 30-minute ferry ride from Seattle’s coast, when he began “whining to his father about there being nothing to do.”

His father, Joel Pritchard, explained to his son that when he was a child at the beach, he would make up games for entertainment. On the spot, Frank challenged his father to make one up.

That challenge was all that Joel — who later was elected to the Washington State Legislature, the U.S. House of Representatives and Washington State’s Lieutenant Governor’s office — needed to lay out the groundwork for a game that is now the second-fastest-growing sport in the nation and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

“Pickleball is a combination of tennis, badminton and Ping-Pong,” says Jane Bishop Jones ’68. It’s named after crew’s pickle boat, which is composed of leftover rowers from other boats. “And what’s interesting is the Marietta connection.”

Jones explains that Frank’s parents are the late Joel ’50 and Joan Sutton Pritchard ’47, who both attended Marietta College. Though Joel didn’t graduate from Marietta, Joan earned her degree and also served as the Director of Alumni Relations for a short period. Joan’s father, Frank Sutton (1915) was a legend, both as a Marietta College star athlete and as a 25-year winning coach at Marietta High School.

“We did have a badminton court on the property, which my grandfather for some reason had had paved with asphalt years before,” Frank says. “My dad used a plastic baseball that was lying around, and made some very rough ‘paddles’ out of plywood, and it sort of took off from there. Our friends, the Bells, were staying with us, thus Bill Bell got into the act. My father immediately asked Barney McCallum to also get involved (he was a good friend who lived down the beach), and the three of them had the game roughed out in the next few days … The ironic thing is that while this game was ostensibly created for children ‘with nothing to do,’ these same children saw very little playing time due to the adults monopolizing the courts.”

Fast-forward 50 years to a group of retired women at Marietta College’s Dyson Baudo Recreation Center. Led by Jones, who was a 20-year tennis player, pickleball is spreading throughout the Marietta-Parkersburg metropolitan area. Jones’ interest was piqued after she saw a photo in The Marietta Times of people playing the sport on Cape Cod. Once she learned the game, she connected with locals Karl Reuther and his wife, Dr. Gayle Galan, who were benefactors in making the equipment available.

“Today, we have 12 people in the MCPC (Marietta College Pickleball Club), and there are between 50 and 60 people who are playing in the city of Marietta. Dash McNeal [Director of the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center] has allowed us to use the All-Purpose room to give free lessons as well as play three times a week,” Jones says.

Cheryl Ecker Hohman ’70 and Marilyn Latham Potash ’72 give lessons three times a week at the DBRC. Hohman and her husband, Emeritus Professor Bill Hohman, even play pickleball while on vacation in Florida.

“We were looking for someone to play with in Marietta, so we grabbed Sid [Potash, Emeritus Professor] and Marilyn,” Cheryl Hohman says.

Marilyn Potash also played while in Florida, where many tennis courts had regulation-size courts marked inside tennis courts.

“A lot of people like to play pickleball who used to play tennis because of the shorter court and because it’s not as strenuous on your arm,” Marilyn Potash says.

“It’s definitely much easier on the joints.”

Recently, Jones received the thumbs-up from Marietta City Council to paint lines on two outdoor public courts. She also learned that the 2015 Homecoming list of events will include a pickleball get-together.

“My Marietta College education has allowed me to teach foreign languages and now is coming full circle in my life by opening up opportunities to play international pickleball and become an ambassador for the sport,” Jones says. “It makes me feel good that this is something that I can give the Marietta College community that makes people so happy.”

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MI L EST O N E VIC TORY John Schaly ’82 and his mother Sue Knicely Schaly ’62, celebrate after his 1,000th victory.

M A R I E T T A > 23

Developments

A D VA N C EMEN T N EWS

Branching NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL ASSOCIATION RECEIVES CHARTER

PHOTOS BY TORI TAYLOR

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I T’ S OFFICIAL (Top) Breanna Lanier ’12, on left, and Lisa Bruno enjoy the alumni get-together.

(Bottom) Lauren Yanko ’11 signs the official charter.

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Out

or an early Saturday afternoon in April, the line of people waiting to get into Boston’s Harpoon Brewery was impressive.

Equally as impressive was the number of Marietta College alumni that filed into the banquet hall inside the brewery to celebrate the official chartering of the New England Regional Association.

The brewery, located in the Seaport District of Boston, was converted in the late 1980s from a WWII-era factory that made Navy destroyers. Tom Brayer ’86 who is the Vice President of Sales for Harpoon, and his wife Colleen Briggs Brayer ’86 helped to organize the event.

“It’s great to get together with fellow alums, and Colleen and I have always tried to stay in touch,” Tom Brayer says. “We’ll try to attend as many of the other events planned as we can … we’re happy for any excuse to get together with our Marietta friends.”

New England’s Regional Association is the second such association for Marietta College, following the chartering of the Washington, D.C., group. The College plans to add a third association this summer in Texas. About 50 alumni, family and College officials attended the Boston event.

“It is a great pleasure to see so many alumni and their spouses attend this special moment in the College’s history,” says Dr. Joseph W. Bruno, President of Marietta College. “I would like to thank the Regional Association Volunteers, who worked tirelessly to make this ceremony — and others to follow — happen, as well as our Alumni Office for their part in the planning. And, of course, I thank Tom and Colleen Brayer for providing this wonderful venue in which we celebrate this occasion.”

For Breanna Lanier ’12, the newest Regional Association couldn’t have come at a better time.

“I just moved here in January to start the Public Health Graduate Program at Boston University,” Lanier says. “Kayden [Manning ’12] invited me to come and meet other alums.”

Once she arrived, she recognized Lauren Yanko ’11, one of the Alumni Volunteers who helped organize the Regional Association. The other volunteers are Don Buckwell ’84, Lynn Levine ’86 and Diane Blumstein ’84. Aleece Dye ’11 is the Assistant Director of Regional Associations and Young Alumni Programs at Marietta.

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FESTIVE BUNCH Alumni from the 1950s to the 2010s celebrated the chartering of the New England Regional Association in Boston’s Harpoon Brewery.

“Aleece was in my graduating class,” Yanko says. “Another friend of memories of Marietta College, so it made perfect sense to bring Marietta mine from that class is Brooke Exley, who is a volunteer for the D.C. to them.”

Regional Association. Months ago, I was talking to Aleece and asked her Alumni, such as Margi Hoyt Nasemann ’57, couldn’t be happier having why this region didn’t have an association like that, which is when she said access to other Marietta College alums in the New England area. She and that the College is working on that.” her husband, Glen, hoped to have other 1950s graduates at the charter Yanko knew she wanted to be involved in the planning, as did ceremony, but didn’t have a hard time settling into finding grads from Blumstein. other decades to talk about Marietta.

UPCOMING NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL “Last year was my class’ 30th reunion, “When I got the notice about this cerASSOCIATION EVENTS: and I wanted to organize a special cruise emony I was thrilled to come,” she says. “I Red Cross Boston Food Pantry Volunteer Opportunity on the Valley Gem Sternwheel,” Blumstein served on the Alumni Board (of Directors) 8:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Saturday, June 13 says. “When I called the Alumni Office and for a while but haven’t been back to campus asked, they were more than willing to help in about 10 years.”

Lobster Bake at Foster’s in York, Maine Lunch, Saturday, July 18 and said, ‘Oh, by the way, we’re looking to Plenty of fond memories from Marietta start a Regional Association. Are you interflooded back to her. She recalled being a Boston Red Sox vs. Royals ested in helping?’ ” sister in the Chi Omega sorority and singing First Pitch at 7:10 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 20 Knowing that the New England area has at her own Commencement.

WaterFire in Providence a great deal of alumni, Blumstein was cer“First of all, Marietta is such a beautiSeptember (TBD) tain a Regional Association would be well ful city on the river,” Nasemann says. “And received. aside from the physical beauty of the city “The volunteers have been wonderful to work with,” Dye says. “They and of campus, I have beautiful, warm memories of my friends and the are excited to help plan events that take place throughout New England. faculty at Marietta. I loved my time there, and I’m happy that the College Coming up, we have a volunteer event, a lobster boil in Maine, a Red is creating these [Regional Associations] because it brings those memories Sox game and a WaterFire performance in Providence, R.I. Our New back to me.”

England alumni are very active and friendly group, and they have fond GI SMITH

M A R I E T T A > 25

DEFINING MEMORIES OF COLLEGE LIFE

JOHN MOORE

A M ar ie t t a Mo m ent

Dr. Philip Fox ’71 BIOGRAPHY Dr. Philip Fox ’71, DVM, is the Head of Cardiology and the Director of the Caspary Research Institute and Education Outreach for the Animal Medical Center in New York City. He has conducted research on many topics, including the health effects of Ground Zero [after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks] on search and rescue dogs, and the study of heart disease in cats. Dr. Fox also is a frequent lecturer and has written two cardiology textbooks and more than 70 scientific articles.

In his high school guidance counselor’s office, Phil Fox began discussing his college options. After about a half hour of discussion about the college Fox saw in his guidance counselor’s Rolodex, he decided to take a chance.

“Marietta College seemed like an exotic place. Plus, I wanted to get out of New Jersey.” The Biology and English major soon learned that the Marietta College of the late 1960s was indeed exotic. “It was a big shock. I had some adjustments to make the first year because it was nothing like New York. Plus, it was turbulent times. It seemed that ’67-’68 was the beginning of the second revolution.”

Fox was intrigued with his humanities classes. “Two of my favorite classes were public speaking and art history, with [Chick] Peterson ’53. He was a magnetic guy. And I took every public speaking course they offered. In fact, what I got the most out of Marietta College wasn’t necessarily science; it was communication. I learned how to write and I learned how to speak, which turned out to be very important in my career.”

After graduation, he enrolled in The Ohio State University’s College of Biological Sciences Graduate Program for a Master’s in Entomology, which provided extensive research education. “But I had a midlife crisis at a young age when I realized that there was little money invested in the sciences at that time, according to the National Institutes of Health.”

After speaking with his officemate, who was applying for veterinary school

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

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at Ohio State, Fox also decided to apply. Neither was accepted, but both reapplied the next year. “We both got letters; I got in, he didn’t.”

He headed back to New York City after veterinary school to work for the Animal Medical Center, the largest private postgraduate veterinary teaching hospital in the world.

“Though I never completed my Ph.D., I benefited from the research training and was able to apply it to cardiology, which is my passion.” By recognizing that animals get many of the same naturally occurring diseases, he evaluates improved diagnostic tests, less-invasive treatments and less-expensive approaches to help sick pets and improve life expectancy, reduce morbidity (recurrent disease) and/or improve the quality of life for his patients.

He began working with the police department soon after moving back to Manhattan in 1978. “I met some cops, and they brought in one of their police dogs that had a problem. I agreed to treat him, but the cop said, ‘Hey, you’re not going to get paid because the city isn’t paying its bills.’ None of that mattered to me, which engendered me to the NYPD for years.”

On Sept. 11, 2001, Fox was in a faculty meeting with the windows open when he heard the explosions. “The whole city erupted in sirens; it was a 3-D wail. By 11 a.m., both towers were down. That’s when I got a call from one of the lieutenants in charge of a large division of police and search dogs. He asked if I could come down to treat any injuries these dogs may have.”

He was eventually permitted to conduct a study on the injuries and illnesses experienced by dogs working at Ground Zero and tracked their health, learning that the smoke and debris didn’t cause long-term effects.

“One of the unanticipated benefits of my career was niche specialization in veterinary cardiology. I frequently get invited to speak at scientific conferences around the world.” Currently, he is working on a multi-national clinical study involving hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats — a suspected genetic condition that causes the heart to thicken and become dysfunctional — to evaluate their health risks The study includes 1,700 cats and 60 scientific collaborators from 20 countries.

Send us a description of your experience.

EMAIL: mariettamagazine@marietta.edu

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

Doing Their Part The Pynes Things were a bit different when Gary ’68 and Joan Oxenham Pyne ’69 were students at Marietta College.

“A jacket and tie were required for dinner at Gilman,” Gary says.

“And women could not wear slacks to classes except on Saturdays,” Joan says. “A senior woman had to be in by 11 p.m., 1 a.m. on Saturdays, but a freshman male had no hours.”

Though the rules were a bit more stringent back then, the Pynes, like many generations of alumni, have their fair share of fond memories of Marietta College. Joan, a Sociology major, pledged with Alpha Xi Delta sorority, while Gary majored in Economics and pledged Tau Kappa Epsilon.

“It was a very special time for us,” Joan says. “We met there. And in fact, seven Alpha Xis in my class met and are still married to MC fraternity men.”

Joan served on the MCAA board from 2000 until 2006 and worked to find ways to get more alumni involved with what’s happening on campus. The Pynes are active supporters of the College.

“We are happy to do our part to support Marietta College for what it has done for us and for so many of our friends,” Gary says. “It’s important to us that future generations have those same opportunities.”

Gary and Joan are The Marietta Fund.

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

M A R I E T T A > 27

T H E L O N G BL UE L I N E > ON SHELVES NOW

At the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, Dr. J. Arthur Heise — the founding Dean Emeritus of Florida International University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication — approached Texas businesswoman Melanie Kuhr Murphy ’83 about a house in Berlin, Germany, that her great-grandparents built.

Theodor and Helene Simonsohn, an older Jewish couple, allegedly sold the family home to Heise’s father, a Gentile German, in 1941. Soon after, the Simonsohns were sent to Theresienstadt, a Nazi concentration camp, where they both died. He recalled Russian soldiers forcing his family to evacuate within 24 hours. The house became a part of the Red Army’s headquarters in what became East Germany.

In the book Das Haus, both Murphy and Heise tell personal family stories about the house in Berlin that Heise called his boyhood home, and Murphy recalled how her grandmother referred lovingly to the place.

Because the house changed ownership from a Jewish family to a Gentile family during such a turbulent time, the legitimacy of the sale was questioned . The Jewish heirs believed the Heise patriarch was a Nazi, which would mean the Simonsohns were forced out of their home and never paid.

Both Heise and Murphy detail their personal journey in the book to discover what happened between their families during World War II and who is the rightful heir to the house.

Murphy, who is the CEO and part owner of a company in Plano, Texas, says the book is available through Amazon as both a paperback and a Kindle book.

The capture of a Filipino fishing vessel by a Chinese Navy ship triggers an international crisis as countries vie for control of a major store of crude oil beneath the South China Sea. In The Asian Imperative, written by Dr. Kenneth Andrus ’70, the fictional U.S. President Randall Stuart orders Navy action against an advancing People’s Liberation Army in the waters of the South China Sea around the Spratly Islands.

Andrus, a retired Navy physician, published the book in 2014. After graduating from Marietta College with a biology degree, he earned his medical degree.

“After medical school, the draft stopped except for physicians,” he says. “Since I always liked the Navy — and not terribly keen about [Vietnam] — I signed up for a program that permitted me to complete my internship before going on active duty to fulfill my two-year obligation.”

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His first tour was with the 3rd Marine Division, and he participated in Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon. He completed his specialty training in internal medicine at the Navy Hospital in Portsmouth, Va., where he met his wife, a Navy pediatrician.

Andrus was inspired to write the book while he was serving as the Fleet Surgeon for the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

“I was reading the message boards and realized very few people understood anything about the Spratly Islands and the South China Sea,” Andrus says. “My intent initially was to write a story based on contemporary events and the geopolitical ramifications of an inadvertent confrontation between the U.S. and the PRC [People’s Republic of China]. Speaking with my contacts in the Navy, the events I describe (and in the news) are at the forefront of their discussions in the Pacific.

As my writing evolved, I tried to also portray the impact of unexpected events — I call it ‘The Law of Unintended Consequences’ — on decision making in the Oval Office, and how those decisions impacted the people.”

This fall, he will publish his second novel, The Fifth Bomb, and he has a third and fourth book in the works.

Andrus’ first book is available through Amazon.

All the dogs in Mary Jo’s house love other members of her family best, which is why the little girl embarks on a search for a dog of her own.

When she sees a tiny puppy in a pet store window, it is love at first sight.

In Pup in a Cup, M.J. Cignetti Panucci ’67 tells a story of what it takes to be a good dog owner. It’s geared toward children ages 4-8.

“Told in the voice of the youngest family member, readers of all ages learn the joy, sorrow and blessings that come with a dog’s love,” Panucci says. “As a young child searches for a dog to like her best, she realizes the virtues of perseverance and familial love.”

Panucci says the book is based on a real-life experience and is illustrated by her niece, Mary Margaret Opipery, who was in the ninth grade at the time.

“One of my children was a talented young artist,” she says. “I became excited to have a child illustrate the book to inspire other young artists. However, that did not come to fruition at that time. Years later, seeing my niece’s drawing of an antelope for her middle school yearbook contest rekindled my original desire to have a child illustrate the book.

Pup in a Cup came to life through Mary Margaret’s beautiful artistic talent of giving endearing expressions to lovable creatures, specifically dogs.”

Panucci’s art and teaching background encourage young readers to add their touch.

“There are blank pages provided at the back of the book for the child to write and draw ‘Your Own Story,’” she says.

Panucci’s book is currently available through Amazon.

TH E L O N G BL U E L I N E > C L ASS NOTES Janice Shaw Collins ’49 and her husband, Edward A. Collins ’49, will celebrate 67 years of marriage this June, testament to the endurance of their Marietta College romance.

David S. Peck ’49 (Delta Upsilon) notes that, like everyone else, he and his wife, Ann, are getting older; he will be 91 in a few months. Thirty-five years of traveling across 26 states playing in the Senior Softball League has not detracted from his longevity!

Robert G. Finney ’56 (Delta Upsilon) and his jazz group, Scarlett and The Dr. Bob Finney Jazz Combo, have released two new CDs: Lushlife and The Sax Doctor. The group plays jazz, blues and pop standards, with Bob’s wife, Scarlett, as vocalist. Bob plays the clarinet, saxophone and piano, and has played with big name bands and jazz combos in New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania, but had given it up for a while to devote time to other professional roles. He returned to his music career and the formation of the Jazz Combo in 2001 after retiring as Professor Emeritus with the film and electronic arts department at California State University, Long Beach, where as chair he built the small TV/Radio Department into a highly sought-after film/TV program. Among Bob’s students at CSU were Jonathan Lawton, writer of Pretty Woman and Under Siege; David Twohy, writer/director of Pitch Black; Mark Steven Johnson, writer of Grumpy Old Men and director of the film Simon Birch; and Tyger Williams, writer of Menace II Society.

You can read more about his band at www.scarlettdrbobfinneyjazz.com.

James A. Hunt ’61 (Alpha Tau Omega) celebrated his 57th high school class reunion of Thayer Academy in Braintree, Mass., along with Marietta classmates David L. Fitzgerald ’62 (Lambda Chi Alpha), Alfred C. Hurst ’61 (Alpha Tau Omega) and Alfred’s wife, Jean DeBuchananne Hurst ’64 (Alpha Xi Delta). This spring Jim and his wife, Elizabeth, are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary by sailing a chartered 44-foot catamaran in the British Virgin Islands with their daughter, her husband, and their two

Ann Potter McGurk ’57 (right) keeps in touch with many of her classmates from the great class of 1957. She was able last year to visit and reminisce with a number of her classmates, including Patricia (Pat) Walworth Wood ’57 (Sigma Kappa), Sally Clark Judd ’57, Sara “Sally” Proudfoot Meland ’57 and James R. King ’57. Pat and Sally Meland were both her Dorothy Webster Hall dorm mates. children (ages 10 and 15) as the crew.

Jim’s twin brother and his wife will also be on board. Jim comments that he had a wonderful career in the fluid power industry and ended up owning his own company. He says, “Thank you, Marietta.”

Frederick R. Gorell ’65 (Alpha Tau Omega) retired March 31, 2015, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.

Peter J. Mitchell ’66, formerly of Newton, Mass., has retired and moved to Boynton Beach, Fla., and can be reached at permit@outlook.com.

Gordon (Deke) B. Pillsbury ’68 is in his 40th year as varsity coach of West Springfield (Mass.) High School’s winning softball team. Deke, who retired as a math teacher with West Springfield in 2004, had coached the Terriers to more than 500 wins by the summer of 2010. He continues to use his Hall of Fame coaching style to get the most out of the girls’ talents on the softball field.

Peggy L. Golden ’71 continues to work part-time as the staff writer for the Office of Advancement, College of

Cristina Campbell Rathyen ’69 (Chi Omega), her father, C. William Campbell ’42 (Delta Upsilon, Phi Beta Kappa), Janice Nuckols ’68 (Phi Beta Kappa), and Janice’s husband, Wayne M. Rathyen ’68 (Tau Kappa Epsilon) met and reminisced with Associate Professor of Education Dr. Bill Bauer, in Honolulu late last summer. Bill Campbell recollected being called upon to deliver the Commencement address during the College’s lean times of the World War II years, and Janice recalled the fun of babysitting for the children of Dr. Bill Hartel, her history professor.

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Andrew C. Harris ’74 Andrew C. Harris ’74 was featured on the cover of the September 2014 issue of NU magazine.

Harris has 38 years of experience in insurance sales and agency management, with more than two decades spent as president and CEO of Liberty Insurance Associates of Millstone Township, N.J., a multi-line agency with more than 40 employees.

At Marietta, Harris earned a degree in Biochemistry. After graduation, though, he took a position in commercial sales and national accounts with Liberty Mutual, where he obtained his initial education and insights into the world of insurance.

Harris has demonstrated his commitment to lifelong learning by continuing his education and earning many insurance designations.

The immediate past president of the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA National), Harris has been recognized as PIA of New Jersey’s Agent of the Year and has received its Distinguished Insurance Service Award, along with a multitude of other state and national distinctions.

Coastal Georgia. Her husband, Kerry Klumpe, retired as the managing editor of the mainland daily newspaper, The Brunswick News, last March.

Wesley Blauss ’72 (Phi Beta Kappa) and his wife, Joanne, are enjoying retirement after 40 years of teaching middle school, although this past winter in Boston was a bit grueling! They are looking forward to seeing classmate Robert H. Ward ’72 and his wife, Linda, this September.

Michael V. Cipollone ’72 (Alpha Sigma Phi) retired from coaching rowing at Monsignor Bonner High School in Drexel Hill, Pa. He has been a volunteer rowing coach for the high school for 31 years.

After four decades in the defense/ aerospace industry, the Rev. Dr. Michael E. Harris ’72 (Tau Epsilon Phi) still does not know what he wants to be when he grows up. In

M A R I E T T A > 29

T H E L O N G BL UE L I N E > CL ASS NOTES the process of reinventing himself, Michael has decided to move from a paperwork profession to a hands-on one. He is moving from academics to practical education and training.

He has two bachelor’s degrees, two master’s degrees, and two doctoral degrees — one of which led to ordination as a Protestant minister (actually, it is in Christian Business Ethics).

The Ethics Doctor™ is his vehicle for writing and consulting on business ethics. He has more than a half dozen professional certifications and way too many interests. Michael is a Strict Constructionist/Constitutional Conservative and has been working toward an America that follows the basic Rule of Law, with a primary focus on the Second Amendment.

While still a lousy shot with pistol, rifle and shotgun, Michael is a Certified Firearms Appraiser (he is also certified as a personal property appraiser) and professional gunsmith. He is currently working on becoming a Certified Firearms Specialist; this is more about national gun law than hands-on gunsmithing. Michael can be reached at harris-forensics@comcast.net.

Timothy O. Cooper ’73 (Alpha Tau Omega) was honored at Homecoming 2014. He would like to give recognition to the other distinguished alumni and friends who were also honored during the celebrations. The group includes: Sydney A. Maltese ’14 (Alpha Xi Delta), Charles E. Cooper, Jr. ’89, Megan Schreck Yunn ’06 (Alpha Xi Delta), Daniel K. Ruggles ’99, Nancy J. Cable ’75 (Sigma Sigma Sigma, Phi Beta Kappa), Richard O. Davies ’59 (Alpha Sigma Phi), Cosmo D. Allegretti ’51, Ryan M. Lopez-Jordan ’14, honorary alumnus Michael B. Taylor H’14, head coaches Jeanne Arbuckle and Brad Hemmerly, former head coach Joe McDaniel, and current players and recent graduates of the Marietta College baseball team.

Peter L. Mandell ’74 (Alpha Tau Omega) is a volunteer docent at the Marine Mammal Center in Marin, Calif.

He is also a volunteer member of the Stranding and Rescue Team at the center that picks up stranded sea lions and other mammals from the Northern California coastal and inland areas.

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in 2013, following a very successful career as boys’ junior varsity coach at Warren High School (Vincent, Ohio), where in 2012 he guided the Warrior JV boys’ team to their first undefeated season (21-0) ever in school history.

Mark completed his Master’s Degree in Athletic Administration from Ohio University in 2012.

Michael P. Duggan ’80 (Delta Upsilon) helped celebrate the 60th birthday of Edward “Ted” M. Watson ’77 (Delta Upsilon) in January with Megan Carone Chandler ’80 (Sigma Kappa), William “Brad” B. Adams ’76 (Delta Upsilon), Eleanor Purcell Adams ’80, (Ted), and Joanne Edwards Duggan ’81 (Sigma Kappa) at a surprise party at Ted’s home in Baltimore, Md. S. Marc Silling ’74 retired from his profession as a psychologist in 2011 and moved from Akron, Ohio, to Charlottesville, Va. However, in 2013, Martha, his wife of 34 years, passed away from cancer. He met Susan Hayman at a dance class 19 months ago. He lives in Durham, N.C., where he moved last April to live with Susan.

Dancing has become a major interest for both of them. They ballroom dance several times and take lessons every week. He says life is good once again.

Charles B. McQuoid ’77 (Delta Upsilon, Phi Beta Kappa) happily became a grandfather last year, courtesy of his son, Christopher!

Karen Owens Benjamin ’79 extends The Long Blue Line all the way to Sausalito, Calif., where she flies the Marietta flag proudly from the front porch of her home. Karen is the niece of a proud pioneer from Parkersburg, W.Va., Gene A. Haynes ’53.

Darren S. LaShelle ’89 has joined KRCB North Bay Public Media in Sonoma County, Calif., as their first content manager. He was formerly the content director at WGTE Public Media in Toledo, Ohio. As North Bay’s content manager, Darren acts as senior producer and administrator for all organizational media projects, including television programming and series, radio news and productions, and website design and implementation.

Darren is an Emmy Award-winning producer for the science and technology television program Plugged-In and the executive producer of several nationally broadcast documentary programs on public television.

In February 2015, Mark Podolak ’96 left his job as the Director of Graphic Design with the Cleveland Cavaliers — after 14 years — to become the Art Director for the Cleveland Browns.

Marc Ponchione ’96 and his wife, Anita, welcomed a new baby, Audrey Victoria, on Aug. 12, 2014. Older sisters Anna (7) and Maddie (5) are super excited with their new sister!

Merritt Ferguson Waters ’93 (Sigma Kappa, Phi Beta Kappa) graduated last August with a Ph.D. in K-12 Educational Leadership from Kent State University. She is currently serving as the principal of Horace Elementary School in Lakewood, Ohio.

Craig D. Sundstrom ’07 (Delta Tau Delta) and his wife, Michelle, welcomed their son, Henry Craig Sundstrom, on Jan. 20, 2015.

Craig assumed the role of Deputy Secretary of Energy with the Office of the Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment in March 2014.

Mark L. Duckworth ’89 became the head coach for boys’ varsity basketball at Marietta High School and the Middle School athletic director

Justin Rosenberg ’07 is currently completing a veterinary fellowship in aquatic and marine mammal medicine at the Vancouver Aquarium. He will be starting a residency in exotic/ wildlife/zoo medicine at the University of Florida/White Oak Conservation Center/Disney’s Animal Kingdom in July.

Lauren Currie ’13 is serving her second year as a Massachusetts Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA in Boston. Last year, she worked at Lesley University developing a partnership between the university and a local education-based nonprofit called Tutoring Plus. This year her role changed to a more administra-

TH E L O N G BL U E L I N E > C L ASS NOTES tive/leadership position, and she now works at the nonprofit office in downtown Boston. Her main role is to advise, support and train the 26 Massachusetts Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA Volunteers who work across the state in varying partnership-based capacities. Her term officially ends in August 2015, however she is considering a third year of service.

Ben Reese ’13 is wrapping up his second year of law school at the University of Michigan and has been busy planning what he’ll be doing for the next few years. This summer he will be working at Cohen Milstein, a plaintiff’s class action firm in Washington, D.C. He recently finalized his postgraduation plans. Starting in September 2016, Ben will be clerking for Chief Judge Ed Carnes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Montgomery, Ala., for 12 months.

He’ll start another 12-month stint in September 2017 as a clerk for Judge James Gwin of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland. Ben was selected to serve on the Editorial Board of the Law Review as an Articles Editor. His note will be published in the Law Review in

the fall, while another paper he wrote is scheduled to be published in the Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law. Vance Turnewitsch ’14 is currently a graduate student in applied mathematics at Wright State University. He reports that he finds himself prepared for all of his courses, especially in linear algebra. The course he has enjoyed the most is numerical analysis. He is also a teaching assistant and he is running a section of College Algebra, which requires him to prepare all class materials and give all of the lectures. He has also landed an internship at Caron Products and Services — a Marietta company — thanks to Marietta’s Career Center and the Third Frontier program.

He works remotely as a software developer. He is pleased to report that he uses many of the skills he developed in Dr. Bob Van Camp’s Python programming and networking classes and Jeremy Wang’s website and e-business courses. He believes the internship will continue until January 2016. Vance is also pleased that he has received two offers for summer internships/jobs from defense contractors.

Alexandra L. Ratie ’07 and Andrew L. Carver ’07 were married on Aug. 16, 2014, at Fellows Riverside Gardens in the bride’s hometown of Youngstown, Ohio. Several Marietta College alumni shared in the celebration, including (starting second from left) Elizabeth A. Allard ’07, Corinne E. Mees ’07, Rachel Long Funk ’07, Sarah F. Smith ’07, Alexandra, Andrew, Kristina A. Escondo ’07, Heather E. Keith ’07 (Sigma Kappa) and Christiana Hilditch Rice ’07. The couple met and began dating during their sophomore year at Marietta College and have been together ever since. Alexandra and Andrew currently live in Columbus, Ohio, where Andrew graduated with a Master of Accounting from The Ohio State University and now works in internal audit for Nationwide Insurance. Alexandra recently graduated from The George Washington University with a Master of Public Administration and works as a human resources program manager for The National Institutes of Health.

> A L UM NI NOTE

Political Science students have diplomatic experience The top students from Dr. Mark Schaefer’s Middle East Politics class recently attended a special program in Washington, D.C., that was crafted to complement the Political Science 325 course.

“The program began with a pairing of Kathleen Reddy-Smith ’71, our current Schwartz Leader-in-Residence, with myself,” Schaefer says. “We created a program that would teach a group of Marietta students strategic writing skills and strategic thinking through the use of the U.S. State Department’s writing style.

Reddy-Smith is a retired diplomat for the U.S. Foreign Service and U.S. Department of State, as well as a humanitarian. She spent a month working with the students teaching writing, thinking and style, Schaefer says.

Each student was assigned to research the political, economic and social backgrounds of a particular country and to write a memo that recommended a change or addition to the United States’ public diplomacy with that country.

Eight students from that class were selected to go to Washington, D.C., and had a one-hour examination of their country conducted by a former U.S. ambassador or foreign service officer.

“These oral exams were something to watch, as each student was challenged and pushed by their examiner on a host of issues,” Schaefer says.

“While in D.C., the group also met with Ambassador John Beale ’71. Beyond being an MC alum and this year’s Commencement speaker, he is also the Ambassador of Barbados to the United States and Canada, and is Barbados’ Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States.”

The students had lunch at the DACOR Bacon House, the home of the Diplomatic and Consular Officers Retired organization. While at DACOR Bacon House, the students also met two former Iranian hostages, Ambassador Bruce Laingen and Michael Metrinko, the luncheon’s keynote speaker.

That evening, the students met with the Marietta College’s Washington, D.C., Regional Association.

“The trip culminated with a tour the U.S. State Department’s Operations Center,” Schaefer says. “This was the most significant academic and experiential program that I have had the honor to participate in while a faculty member at Marietta.”

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

IN

MEMORIAM Glen W. Thorne ’51 of Marietta, Ohio (3/23/2015). Survivors include his brother, Walter E. Thorne ’42 (Alpha Sigma Phi).

> 1930s

> 1950s

Josephine Weber Hune ’36 of Marietta, Ohio (3/16/2015).

Van L. Hall ’50 of Parkersburg, W.Va. (3/6/2015).

Doris Carr Keys ’38 (Sigma Kappa) of Bethel Park, Pa. (3/5/2015).

> 1940s

Richard K. Hoff ’50 of Marietta, Ohio (3/20/2015). Survivors include his wife, Baunelle Blume Hoff ’55 and son, Richard K. Hoff, Jr. ’84.

Virginia Murray Amrine ’41 (Alpha Xi Delta) of Marietta, Ohio (4/2/2015).

Donald R. Holland ’50 (Delta Upsilon) of Pensacola, Fla. (2/21/2015).

Edward E. Donaldson ’42 (Alpha Tau Omega) of Paris, Ohio (2/10/2015).

Norman L. Knocke ’50 of McPherson, Kan. (5/8/2014).

Jean Warburton Thorne ’44 (Alpha Xi Delta) of Marietta, Ohio (2/25/2015).

Arthur J. Waldbusser ’50 (Phi Beta Kappa) of Clayton, Del. (2/19/2015).

Charlene Rinehart Sweeney ’57 (Sigma Kappa) of Pennsboro, W.Va. (1/23/2015). Survivors include her daughter, Sarah Sweeney Stapp ’86.

Robert Danner ’46 of Boca Raton, Fla. (3/1/2015).

Norman G. Wolfe ’50 of Largo, Fla. (1/9/2015).

Judith Tilton Kimball ’58 (Chi Omega) of Rock Island, Ill. (1/20/2015).

Donald L. Jones ’46 of Worthington, Ohio (1/28/2015).

Tovia Orth Asher ’51 (Alpha Xi Delta) of Denver, CO (2/27/2015). Survivors include her sister, Gloria Orth Peyton ’54 (Sigma Kappa).

William L. Suder ’58 of Hendersonville, N.C. (1/9/2015).

Survivors include his wife, Rita Martin Suder ’57.

Ralph White ’47 (Alpha Tau Omega) of Mill Creek, Wash. (1/26/2015).

William S. Felton ’48 of Thousand Oaks, Calif. (2/12/2015).

William L. Graham ’48 of Morgantown, W.Va. (8/9/2014).

Donna Weinstock Yester ’49 (Chi Omega) of Hot Springs Village, Ark. (3/26/2015). Survivors include her husband, Billie E. Yester ’50 (Delta Upsilon).

Robert L. Kibbee ’51 of Marietta, Ohio (1/14/2015). Survivors include his daughter, Constance Kibbee Golden ’98.

Neil F. Magee ’51 of Cincinnati, Ohio (12/27/2014).

Roger C. Thompson ’51 of Mattapoisett, Mass. (3/15/2015).

Margaret Race Thistle ’52 (Sigma Kappa) of Nazareth, Pa. (2/25/2015).

Richard M. Richmond ’53 of Parkersburg, W.Va. (1/23/2015).

Phyllis DelGuzzo Read ’57 of Dallas, Texas (2/16/2015).

> 1960s Howard W. Helmbrecht ’60 (Alpha Tau Omega) of Escondido, Calif.

(7/5/2014).

Irwin L. Glazier ’62 (Delta Upsilon) of San Antonio, Texas (1/20/2015).

Michael T. Homsher ’66 of Mount Blanchard, Ohio (1/18/2015).

Diana Siegrist Hilles ’69 (Sigma Sigma Sigma) of St. Augustine, Fla. (12/21/2014).

> 1970s John F. Amrine ’70 of Cutler, Ohio (2/3/2015) Robert C. Chadwick ’70 (Alpha Sigma Phi) of Medford, N.J. (3/15/2014).

Jerry L. Murrey ’71 of Canonsburg, Pa. (1/20/2015).

Robert E. Smith ’76 of Upper Marlboro, Md. (1/21/2015).

Gary J. Goss ’77 (Tau Kappa Epsilon) of Darien, Ill. (9/20/2014).

> 1980s Tamsin E. Elliott ’80 of Cohasset, Mass. (1/19/2015).

William E. Lenihan ’83 (Lambda Chi Alpha) of Redondo Beach, Calif.

(1/23/2015).

Charles L. Spindler ’83 of Marietta, Ohio (2/6/2015). Survivors include his brother, Gerald A. Spindler ’74.

Edward J. McCarthy ’84 of Atlanta, Ga. (2/7/2015).

> 1990s Jennifer R. Thompson ’95 of Stafford, Ohio (1/20/2015).

Dean E. Hess ’41

C >

O P ENING NIGHT Dean Hess ’41 is joined by movie star Rock Hudson in Marietta at the premiere of Battle Hymn.

32 < S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

ol. Dean E. Hess ’41, who is credited with saving hundreds of orphans during the Korean War, died March 2, 2015, at his home in Huber Heights, Ohio.

Hess, who was a member of Marietta College’s Hall of Honor, was immortalized in the 1957 movie Battle Hymn. The movie starred Rock Hudson and was based on the autobiography of the same name. The movie premiered in Marietta, and the royalties from both the book and movie were used to construct a new orphanage near Seoul, Korea.

He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force following his graduation from Marietta and flew 63 combat missions during World War II. He logged another 250 combat missions in Korea, which earned him the nickname “The Flying Parson.” During this time he learned of the plight of more than 800 orphans, and he began airlifting them to Cheju Island in an effort known as “Operation Kiddy Car.” He was also teacher at Bethel High School, Pastor in the Disciples of Christ Church, and Veteran of the Army Air Corp. He was born in Marietta, Ohio, and later received his master’s degree from Ohio University and was working on his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University when he was called back to active duty for the Korean War.

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE

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COLUMBUS, OH PERMIT NO. 1429 Office of Alumni Relations 215 Fifth Street Marietta, OH 45750-4004 Return Service Requested

TRIPLE R HORSE RESCUE

> T H E P RO G RESSIVE PIONEER

Courtney Woods Olson ’92 ALUMNA DEVOTES TIME TO RESCUE HORSES B I O GRAPHY: Courtney Woods Olson earned a degree in Mass Me-

dia, a minor in French and a Certificate of Distinction in Public Speaking from Marietta in 1992. At first, her career was focused on strategic event management with high-tech firms in and around Seattle, before she made the jump into real estate. Three years ago, she and her family moved to Cave Creek, Ariz., where she soon developed a passion for rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming horses in need. She joined forces with the Triple R Horse Rescue nonprofit, joining its Board of Directors. In addition to her full-time job in real estate and her time spent caring for rescued horses, she spearheads events and fundraising opportunities to support the nonprofit’s mission.

> “It is estimated that there is a national need to rescue approximately 175,000 horses. Here in Arizona, we estimate that there are close to 3,500 horses that are in need of rehoming. In our state, the rescues and sanctuaries combined can accommodate less than 1,000 horses. I have been so blessed in my life.

I have wonderful friends (many of whom I met at MC), a family that I love, three healthy children with my husband of 20 years. Volunteering, as a small token of appreciation, is important to me. And there is something about working with these horses — when you are working with a 1,000-pound animal, you are solely focused on them, not thinking about challenges at work or raising teenagers — you have to become single-minded. Working with an animal that needs help and giving them a second chance brings me such great joy. Other than my family, it is the thing in my life for which I am most passionate.”

PETER FINGER

Campus pushes for Tree Campus USA designation

I

t’s no secret that Marietta College’s 90-acre campus is brimming with green spaces that offer plenty of room for students to enjoy.

And with a recent effort by the College community, Marietta was designated as a Tree Campus USA. The program is operated through the Arbor Day Foundation.

“It’s the same premise as Tree City USA, but it’s for college and university campuses,” says Mark Theobald, Physical Plant Grounds Supervisor.

“We are currently in the process of planting 10 additional trees on campus. Most recently, we’ve planted a jack pine and two eastern red cedars.”

Theobald says the College must establish and maintain five standards in order to qualify for Tree Campus USA status.

“One of those standards is to have a Campus Tree Advisory Committee,” he says. “Dr. Almuth Tschunko, Julia Paugstat, Fred Smith, Julianne Gmys ’15, Trever Pontius ’16 and I are on that committee.

Julianne is our SEA rep, and Trever is our student rep. Julia serves on the city’s Tree Commission.”

The other four standards include having a campus tree care plan, a program that has a budget dedicated to annual expenditures, an Arbor

Day observance and a service-learning project.

The service-learning project is through Professor Tschunko’s classes.

“Marietta College has a great diversity of tree species planted on its campus,” says Tschunko, who teaches in the Department of Biology and Environmental Science. “Students in the Lower Plants and the Flowering Plants courses are taken on numerous field trips right on campus in order to learn about the different tree species. We do, however, need some additional tree species that are not yet present. The planting of three trees this month, as well as the planting of seven more trees in the coming spring, will increase the tree diversity on campus — for the benefit of students as well as the greater community.”

Tschunko created a list of 10 trees that she would like to have planted for her classes to study. The three most recent trees were planted near McCoy Hall and the McCoy Athletics Facility.

“Being designated as a Tree Campus USA site shows the College’s commitment to protecting its green space,” Theobald says. “We have a very well-maintained campus, and a lot of work goes into keeping it beautiful. It’s nice to be able to be recognized nationally.”

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