Happy New Year, Bearcats!

I hope this edition of The McKendrean finds you well. As I may be a familiar face to you, it is an honor to introduce myself in a new capacity as the Director of Annual Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement for McKendree University.

I find myself so fortunate to be able to have a career that serves my alma mater, a place that I care so much about. As an alum from the Class of 2013 and as a staff member for over seven years, McKendree is home. You could say McKendree runs in my blood, as my immediate family holds 11 degrees from McKendree collectively. McKendree is also where I met my husband, Derek ’13, MBA ’16, when we were undergrads and where we were married in 2017.

I’m excited to serve McKendree in this new capacity and to connect with alumni and fellow Bearcats across multiple generations. I have great pride in upholding traditions and honoring the past while looking forward to current trends and meeting the next generation of Bearcats where they are. It’s important to find ways to support our alumni and engage them at many different stages of life. I hope to uncover what our alumni base is looking for today and how McKendree can continue to be supportive of their many different journeys of life.

Reflecting on the past year, I would be amiss to not acknowledge a huge day for the institution. McKendree participated in its 8th annual #GivingTuesday campaign on November 29, 2022. The campaign, which is centered around a 24-hour online wave of generosity, raised over $141,026 for the University. Because of the collective generosity of this incredible community, McKendree had the largest giving day in dollars raised to date for the fourth consecutive year. Thank you to all who gave back in some way and helped to make #GivingTuesday 2022 a huge success.

I look forward to seeing what 2023 holds for YOU and for McKendree. I hope to connect with you this year virtually, at an alumni event, or when you visit campus!

Best, Holly (Weathers) Sallee ’13, MBA ’18 Director of Annual Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement

Commencement

6/10/23: Annual Alumni Board Meeting

6/16/23: Bearcat Golf Tournament

10/20/23-10/22/23: Homecoming

2002

Rhonda (Buettner) Niemeier is the principal at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Red Bud, Ill.

2003

Illinois State Police Sgt. Calvin Dye copresented a session entitled “How Police Training Has Changed,” with McKendree Public Safety Chief Tony Tomlinson at the Nov. 9 Brown Bag/SJEC Conversation.

2006

Darren Robards is the chief information officer at Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill.

2007

Dr. Adam Clapp was a 2022 Central Illinois Business Magazine’s Forty Under 40 honoree. He is the superintendent of Monticello Schools in Monticello, Ill.

Matt Heck is a Kendall County Sheriff’s deputy in Yorkville, Ill.

Tim Moran, M.A.Ed. is the vocational education and district student safety coordinator for the Granite City School District.

2008

Amy Kelly (Wysocki) Johnson, M.A.Ed., Ed.S. ’22 is the principal at Mascoutah High School in Mascoutah, Ill.

Kellen Kettwich, M.A.Ed. ’13 is the principal at Scott Elementary in Mascoutah, Ill.

Karen Robertson, M.A.Ed., Ed.S. ’17 is the principal at Frohardt Education Center in Granite City, Ill.

2009

Dan Rudy, M.A.Ed. ’09 is the principal at Marie Schaefer Elementary School in O’Fallon, Ill.

2004

Jarrett Ford was promoted to chief of the Alton Police Department in Alton, Ill.

Kyle Luitjohan was promoted to project manager at Korte & Luitjohan in Highland, Ill.

Lynnae Robinson is the partner-in-charge of RubinBrown LLP’s Entrepreneurial Services Group in St. Louis, Mo.

Dr. Mary M. (Kehrer) Ruettgers is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in O’Fallon, Ill. On Oct. 14, 2022, Brandi Brown-Harris, M.A. ’10 visited Edward Jones for Purple Friday.

Charles Davis returned to campus to discuss his recently published book, “Without Apology,” at the Oct. 19 Brown Bag/SJEC Conversation.

2010

Dr Alex Herrell, M.A.Ed., Ed.S. ’16, Ed.D. ’18 is the principal at Edward Fulton Jr. High School in O’Fallon, Ill.

Megan (Heindselman) Winter is a nurse practitioner and acute care clinic team member at the Lawrence County Memorial Hospital Primary Care Clinic in Mt. Carmel, Ill.

2011

William Davis, MBA was recently recognized by “Becker’s Hospital Review” as one of “75 Black Healthcare Leaders to Know.” He is the CEO of Crossroads Community Hospital in Mt. Vernon, Ill.

Megan (Mark) Gardner, MBA ’12 is the brand manager at Vital Proteins.

2012

Kimberly (Hayden) Emrick, M.A.Ed. is the principal at Lebanon Junior/Senior High School in Lebanon, Ill.

Stacia Novy received a 2022 Love of Learning Award from Phi Kappa Phi and a 2022 James R. Koplin Travel Award from the Raptor Research Association. She used the award funds to travel to the Raptor Research Foundation Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida from Oct. 4-9, where she presented a talk titled, “Beak shape varies with diet in Buteogallus raptors.” She is a wildlife biologist with the Audubon Center at Riverlands & U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Tara (Richerson) Roberts is a family nurse practitioner at the Benton County School Health Clinic at Briarwood Elementary School in Camden, Tenn.

Holly (Spence) Tharp, M.A.Ed. is vice president for finance and business at Monmouth College.

2013

Jonathan Becker was honored by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) as the 2022 South Atlantic League Athletic Trainer of the Year.

Grace Fisher performed the role of Yvette in Winter Opera St. Louis’ performance of Puccini’s “La Rondine” on Nov. 18 and 20, 2022.

Jacob Halde, M.A.Ed. ’18, Ed.S. ’22 is the principal at Jefferson Elementary School in Belleville, Ill.

2014

Brad Spotanski earned his certified public accountants designation. He is a supervisor at Scheffel Boyle’s Edwardsville office.

2015

Deena Brown is an APRN at OSF Healthcare Saint Anthony’s Health Center in Alton, Ill.

Caty (Ponce) Happe is the head softball and girl’s basketball coach at Edwardsville High School in Edwardsville, Ill.

2016

TJ Abernathy directed the St. Louis Civic Orchestra’s holiday concert on Dec. 3. He has been selected as a finalist for the orchestra’s artistic director, which will be announced at the end of the season.

Kendall Butler was promoted to director of operations at Spark Golf.

Dr. Courtney Castelli, Ed.D. is the superintendent of the Smithton Consolidated School District in Smithton, Ill.

2: Homecoming Basketball Alumni Day on Oct. 29, 2022: Several women’s basketball alumni joined current players and coaches at a basketball reunion during the Homecoming tailgate, including: Kari (Crnkovich) Crask ’96; Brittany Willis ’14; Caty (Ponce) Happe ’16; Madison Hart ’20; Jordan Heberg ’20; Megan Jensen ’20 and Madison Parker ’20

3: Fall Meetup at Halftime Pub & Grill on Aug. 27, 2022: Several alumni met for food, drinks, music and great company. Samuel James ’12, MBA ’21 and Erin (Kilian) James ’13 and Jimmy Vollmer and Kelli (Snyder) Vollmer ’12 are co-owners of Halftime Pub & Grill in St. Peters, Mo. Those in attendance, pictured from l. to r. and front to back, include: Eric Polka ’11; Brandi Brown-Harris, M.A. ’10; Annabelle Hedtkamp ’10; Ashley Reeves ’11 & ’16; Erin; Rianne Holzmeyer ’16; Erika (Smith-Thomas) Rice ’13, MBA ’16; and Janelle Woods ’16. Second row: Chandler Airaghi; Sarah (Eckelkamp) McIntyre ’12; Danni (Warren) Schroeder ’13; Meghan (McQuiston) Zinck ’11; Kelli; and Samantha Wiley. Third row: Scott Genz; Samuel; Sean Mueller ’11 and Jimmy. Not pictured: Katie (Doherty) Neal ’13.

4: Purple Friday on Nov. 18, 2022 at Kreitner Elementary School: Pictured, front row from l. to r.: Nicole (Basarich) Lane and Krista (Waltermire) Basuel ’07, M.A.Ed. ’12. Back row: Alissa Fuhrmann, philanthropic engagement officer; John Parciak ’14; Lori Drake ’10; Mary Lowe, M.A.Ed. ’08 and Brandi Brown-Harris, M.A. ’10, annual philanthropy and alumni engagement specialist. Not pictured: Jennifer (Stroot) Eschmann ’14, M.A.Ed. ’17

McKendree Alumni Couple Shares God’s Love, Serves People in Need in Zambia

by Tina (Napper) Tebbe ’08

Curtis Stahl ’06 and Monica (Todich) Stahl ’06 took part in separate mission trips to Zambia this year with members from their church, Copper Creek Christian Church, in support of one of their mission partners, African Vision of Hope (AVOH) in Maryville, Ill. The couple decided to venture to Zambia to see AVOH in action, especially since they sponsor a child named Clement through the organization. Curtis went from July 4 to 14, and Monica visited from October 28 to November 6.

“Sometimes when you support an organization, it’s hard to know exactly what they do just from a website. When we got to see what they do in person, it is amazing the impact they have in Zambia,” Monica said.

While in Zambia, Curtis fixed computers and their Internet network and also visited the AVOH’s schools and played with the children. The nurses on the trip with him measured the children and cared for those who were sick. Monica, meanwhile, interacted with children and visited the schools and the House of Hope, a rescue home for vulnerable women, children and families. At the schools, Monica and her group separated into classrooms to pray for the children. She also visited some homes in each of the villages. “It is very humbling to see how little the people here live with, yet they feel so blessed,” Monica said.

Perhaps the most impactful thing that happened to both Curtis and Monica was the joy that the children showed, even when they were hungry or sick. “Every school we visited, the children greeted us with songs about praising Jesus,” Monica remarked. “They were so grateful to be at school and to know someone cares about them.”

“Many of the children do not have any toys, so they make their own out of trash,” Curtis said. “For some of these children, lunch at school is their only meal of the day. With all this said, when we visited the schools the children were just so full of joy. They feel loved and cared for at school; it is a safe space where they can be themselves. They are viewed as a treasure.”

Of course, mission work can be challenging; even the most fervent struggle with knowing they can’t fix everything they see. “It was heartbreaking to see children in the streets that might not have any shoes or food to eat,” Monica said. “We gave many families and children some food we had in our backpacks, but we couldn’t help everyone.”

The Stahls have been serving others on mission trips since they were students. They both visited Mexico three times on mission trips to Loma de Flores with McKendree’s Campus Ministries. As alumni, Curtis has been to Oklahoma and Mississippi to serve those affected by Hurricane Katrina, and Monica visited the Ukraine on a mission trip in 2018 to see their church’s missions partner, Pioneer Bible Translators, in action. However, the couple stresses that real change can happen even in one’s own backyard.

“You don’t have to travel across the world to make a difference. You can support organizations that help others around the world,” Monica said. “You can pray for them and become involved. Just find something that is important to you and find out more.”

Asked if they would like to embark on future mission trips, the Stahls gave a resounding “yes.” “Who knows where God has planned for us? It will be an adventure and worth it, for sure,” Monica said.

McKendree’s football history has been a roller coaster, with multiple starts and stops through the years.

QB – Billy Gray, 1997-00

QB – Austin Fisher, 2008-11

QB – Isaac Fisher, 2012-15

Honorable Mention QB Selections: Jason Karnes, 199697; Reece Metcalf, 2016-18; Turner Pullen, 2019-present

RB – Brandon Murphy, 1997-00

RB – Jarrod Karnes, 1997-99

RB – Daryle Jones*, 2002-05

RB – Shayeen Edwards, 2014-17

Honorable Mention RB Selections: Louis Harden, 1997-98; George Smith, 2005-08; Preston Thompson, 2015-18

DL – Oku Satcher, 1999-01

DL – Ricardo Harris, 1999-02

DL – Nick Gianino, 2001-02

DL – Ardell Adams, 2004-06

DL – Brett Pearman, 2012-15

DL – Lucky Baar, 2013-16

Honorable Mention DL Selections: Zach Carter, 2001-04; Tobias Cook, 2014-17; Darion Simmons, 2014-17; Isaiah Ward, 2017-19, '21

K – Brian Schneider, 1998-01

K – Stephen Webb, 2002-05

K – Steven O'Block, 2013-16

K – Josh Lazaro, 2017-20

Honorable Mention K Selections: Kevin Kinsall, 200608; Jordan Fark, 2009-2010; Ryan Kastl, 2019-present

WR - Myron Hicks, 2008-11

WR – Cameron James, 2012-15

WR – Jalyn Williams, 2016-18

WR – Matt Cole, 2016-19

McKendree football celebrated its 25th season of the return of intercollegiate football on Oct. 15th, after a two-year delay due to the COVID pandemic. Several players returned and were honored on the field during half-time (picture below)

A 25-Anniversary 90-player team was selected in consultation with former head coach Carl Poelker, current head coach Mike Babcock, and several others that have been associated with McKendree football since its return in 1996. Honorees earned a combined 38 All-American honors, 155 All-Conference honors, seven Conference Player of the Year accolades and seven McKendree Sports Hall of Fame inductees (Mike Garavalia, Ricardo Harris, Scott Mehring, Brandon Murphy, Rory O'Connell, Oku Satcher, and Cory Wilson).

1892 - First football game vs. Smith Academy; 66-0 loss

1906 - Football was prohibited by the Board of Trustees for 11 years

1916 - Football returned as an intercollegiate sport

1951 - Football was dropped as an intercollegiate sport for 45 years

1996 - First modern football game vs. Lindenwood College 35-27 loss

OL – Justin Townsend, 1996-99

OL – Dennis Barnett, 1997-00

OL – Scott Mehring, 2000-02

OL – John Keeven, 2000-03

OL – Chris Cummings, 2002-05

Honorable Mention WR Selections: Dewayne Gatti, 2013-14; Sean Dowling, 2013-16; Jacob Bachman, 2019-present

TE – Kolin Peterson, 1999-01, '03

TE – Byron Gettis, 2008-10

TE – Zach Bobos, 2017-18

TE – Steven Leadlove, 2017-20

OL – Rick Schilb, 2002-05

OL – Mike Siverly, 2004-07

OL – Nick Hegger, 2007-10

OL – Richie Rebmann, 2010-13

OL – Cole Foster, 2016-18

OL – Jake Stevenson, 2017-21

Honorable Mention OL Selections: Ryan Presson, 199799, '01; Keith Jackson, 2004-05; Bryan Edgar, 200609; Craig Zurliene, 2007-10; Derrik Starrett, 2012-15

LB – Mike Garavalia, 1996-99

LB – Ryan Thornhill, 1996-99

LB – Darius Green, 1999-02

LB – Cory Wilson*, 2000-03

LB – Deveon Moss, 2002-05

LB – A.J. Wentland, 2013-16

LB – Austin Weltha, 2014-17

Honorable Mention LB Selections: Brandon Nigro, 200811; Jason Rejfek, 2008-11; Ricco Gipson, 2016-19

DB – Rory O'Connell, 1996-99

P – Mark Albertini, 1999-02

P – Jordan Spurlock, 2004-06

P – Alex McMahon*, 2010, '13

P – Monte Wolke, 2016-18

Honorable Mention P Selection: Bret Dougherty, 2007-10

DB – Colin Adams, 1997, '99-01

DB – David Rhodes, 2001-04

DB – Adam Clapp, 2003-06

DB – Mike Harrison, 2004-06

DB – Nate Powell, 2014-17

Honorable Mention DB Selections: Ryan Klier, 200508; Ryan Keen, 2010-13; Jamison Wilson, 2010-13; Blake Benoist, 2016-18

RS – Rory O'Connell, 1996-99

RS – Brandon Murphy, 1997-00

RS – Adam Clapp, 2003-06

RS – Cameron James, 2012-15

RS – Derrick Curry, 2014-17

RS – Matt Cole, 2016-19

LS – Brandon Zehr, 2013-16

LS – Caleb Shipley, 2017-20

Sarah Phelps was promoted to vice president of compliance and risk officer for FNB Community Bank in Ramsey, Ill.

Tony Viviano joined the faculty of The Fundraising School: Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University.

2017

Brad Groleau was honored by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) as the 2022 Midwest League Athletic Trainer of the Year. He served as the head athletic trainer for the Quad City River Bandits, a Class A franchise for the Kansas City Royals in 2022.

Jamie Kerley, M.A.Ed., Ed.S. ’21 is the superintendent/principal at Buncombe Consolidated School District 43 in Buncombe, Ill.

Rebecca (West) Yandell, M.A.Ed. is the principal at New Simpson Hill District #32.

2018

Kaci Bernard is the administrator at Friendship Manor Health Care in Nashville, Ill.

Rachel Ford graduated with her law degree from the University of Cincinnati School of Law in May. She is an attorney with Lashly & Baer, P.C. in St. Louis, Mo.

Justin Palm, M.A.Ed. is the principal at St. John’s Lutheran School in Red Bud, Ill.

Teagan Schwab is a learning community academic coordinator at Saint Louis University.

Daniel Thorson ’18 graduated from SIU School of Law in 2022. He is a law clerk at JCS Law in Webster Groves, Mo.

2019

Nicole Green, M.A.Ed. is the principal at St. Teresa of the Child Jesus Catholic School in Belleville, Ill.