Millikin Quarterly Summer 2015 by Millikin Alumni

CAMPUS NEWS: MILLIKIN GOES NUCLEAR, P. 4

WRESTLING RETURNS TO THE BIG BLUE, P. 6

SUMMER 2015

BUILDING A

BETTER MILLIKIN

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY Vol. XXXI, No. 1 | Summer 2015

UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT

Dr. Patrick E. White VICE PRESIDENT FOR ALUMNI AND DEVELOPMENT

David Brandon EDITOR AND SENIOR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Deb Hale Kirchner ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Alida Duff Sullivan ’06 ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Margaret Allen Friend Jenell Anderson Hironimus CONTRIBUTORS

Katie Liesener ’03 Dane Lisser Bryan Marshall ’85 Amanda Pippitt

STUDENT CONTRIBUTORS

Amanda Hamilton ’14 Caitlin Husted ’16 Brittany Mytnik ’15 Ruby Porter ’17 Stephanie Strick ’15 Millikin Quarterly (ISSN 8750-7706) (USPS 0735-570) is mailed twice yearly by the Millikin University Office of Alumni and Development, 1184 West Main Street, Decatur, Illinois 62522-2084. Two digital supplements are also sent to alumni and friends who have valid email addresses on file with the office.

EMAIL AND WEBSITE

MillikinQuarterly@millikin.edu millikin.edu/alumni POSTMASTER

Please send address changes to Millikin Quarterly Millikin University 1184 West Main Street Decatur, Illinois 62522-2084 Phone: 217-424-6383 Toll free: 1-877-JMU-ALUM Copyright ©2015, Millikin University

ON THE COVER

Staley Library in spring; photo provided by the MU marketing department.

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DEPARTMENTS

4 Campus News 6 Big Blue Sports 11 Faculty Profile: Kevin Guarnieri 12 With Your Support 14 Looking Back

ALUMNI

26 Class Notes 27 Profile: Michael Karasis ’70 29 Profile: Charles Stanley ’80 31 Profile: Chris Phillips ’98 33 Profile: Catie Huggins ’04 35 Profile: Julia Witty-Miller ’06 37 Profile: Jason and Abigail Gerlesits Fisher, both ’05 38 Weddings 39 Births and Adoptions 40 Passings 43 Legacy Continues 48 My Turn: Danielle Fields ’09/MBA ’12

14 FEATURES

15 BUILDING A BETTER MILLIKIN Campus changes expected in upcoming months, years 18 HOMECOMING 2014 Reunion photos and a recap of our favorite alumni tradition 24

ALUMNI AWARDS Outstanding alumni are recognized at Alumni Awards and Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

CHANGE AND OPPORTUNITY We are in a time of great change and great opportunity at Millikin University. When I arrived in 2013, I saw a campus momentarily back on its heels, facing challenges economic and otherwise. In this atmosphere, I saw enormous possibility in Millikin. I asked quickly and often, “What is our best imagination of who we are and who we can become as Millikin?” From this question, the entire university is finding ways to address our challenges in a nimble and flexible way. We have accomplished a lot together in two years. Today, I see a stronger, braver, more confident Millikin. We worked hard to exceed both the number of students in last year’s freshman class and our budget goal of 455 as we welcomed 477 first-year students to Millikin last fall. Just as important, the percentage of students we have retained from first year to sophomore year has grown from a historical 75-78 percent to more than 83 percent, with even higher numbers for minority students. I feel now an increased vitality and momentum on campus. You can see the outward signs of this in our new turf for the soccer and football field, complete with a new track surface and new lights and in the cheers of the 5,500 people who packed the stands for the first night football game in almost 90 years. Our volleyball team had a very successful year, making it to the NCAA Tournament, and the men’s soccer team qualified for its first conference tournament in over a decade. Our theatre and music students continue to dazzle on campus. Alumni gatherings in New York, Nashville, Chicago and other cities celebrated the success of alumni in the performing arts and other areas. Other gatherings, including large events in Peoria and Chicago, provided excellent business networking opportunities courtesy of our magnanimous hosts, Caterpillar Inc. and Archer Daniels Midland Co. Students in the natural and behavioral sciences continue to find success in undergraduate research, modeling future success in graduate school and entrepreneurial business ventures. Alumni, parents and friends of Millikin have responded to these positive signs with their increased support. The fiscal year that ended last June marked the best annual fund year in Millikin’s history. More than 5,401 people, including thousands of alumni, contributed a total of $2.78 million in gifts and pledges. Faculty and staff increased their previous year’s gifts to the university by 70 percent. This year, donations are running ahead of last year’s record-breaking pace. What has changed? In fall 2013, I challenged all in the community to recognize that we have no idea how good we are nor what we can become as Millikin. I invited participation in tough decisions at many levels and asked all constituents to take ownership of the

university. In response, faculty and staff have taken responsibility for cutting expenses and participating wholeheartedly in recruiting and retention of quality students. I hear student leaders in every aspect of campus life saying, “Millikin is my university, I have a stake in it, and together we can make a difference in its success.” Alumni from many different generations are stepping up with ideas, advice, leadership and important financial support. We all are realizing we have a stake in a vibrant Millikin, and we are acting on that conviction. Over the last several months, we have focused discussion on our signature practice of Performance Learning, making it a clear and present hallmark of a Millikin education. In Performance Learning, students not only learn by doing but demonstrate their learning to significant external stakeholders, thereby embodying a confidence and building an entrepreneurial spirit in all aspects of their lives. In all things, we are discovering that Millikin’s present and future must and will be even more vibrant than its past. But we will reach this goal only when faculty, staff, alumni, students, parents and friends have pride of ownership in the institution. A university lives and prospers by the culture of success and achievement that it can engender. Prospective students, faculty and staff want to be part of a university community that believes in itself and is working hard to constantly improve, to become its best imagination of its mission. Millikin is doing just that in dozens of ways. We reached the goal of $85 million dollars raised in cash and pledges in the “Transform MU” capital campaign, 14 months before the five-year campaign’s planned conclusion in December 2015. As a part of “Transform MU,” we are working to design a new University Center incorporated in and through the Staley Library to create a University Commons that will revitalize campus life. The exercise science and sport department has moved into new facilities at West Towne Square, and a new Center for Theatre and Dance remains a central goal of our current fundraising and planning. Millikin is building on a great history of achievement. I see our future as very bright, as we realize that the strength of our university is the responsibility of each and every one of us. Together, we are Millikin, and as a community, we must each of us take ownership of James Millikin’s dream and all that his university has accomplished over the last 114 years. I ask all of you to offer your ideas, energy, loyalty and financial support toward making Millikin even stronger in the future. Together, we will make our best imagination of Millikin University a reality.

Dr. Patrick E. White, Millikin President SUMMER 2015 | MILLIKIN QUARTERLY

EDITOR’S COLUMN

A LOVE LETTER To quote the old Tina Turner song: “What’s love got to do with it?” Well, actually, love has quite a lot to do with it when discussing Millikin. Among the pleasures of working in the alumni and development office, I count the frequent opportunities I have to talk to alumni and other members of the Millikin and Decatur-area community who genuinely and wholeheartedly love this university. For an alum, that love can transcend the Millikin they remember from their student days to embrace the changes and improvements they see happening at the Millikin of today. It’s an encouraging recognition of the constant need for the university to be moving forward to ensure the student educational experience of today is a rich and rewarding one. In fact, with no doubt a few exceptions, most members of the Millikin community would be disheartened to make a trip back to campus to find it physically unchanged from their own days as a student. Despite the romanticism of a time-capsule snapshot of the campus of the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s or ’oos, the reality is that a thriving Millikin campus — or indeed, any campus anywhere — must keep up with the times. Imagine a Millikin with no Internet access, as it was before 1995 or so, and you begin to imagine a Millikin with no students, no faculty. To be competitive in drawing students to the university, changes and improvements must inevitably come: Changes in facilities, in technology, and in departments and programs (learn about some building transformations beginning on page 15). However, all of these necessary changes don’t detract from or erase the essence of the Millikin experience. As true today as it was in 1901 when the university was founded, the core of the university stays eternally the same and helps folks who study, teach and work here

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

– like me – fall in love and stay in love with this place and its people. Why? As Elizabeth Barrett Browning once said: Let me count [just a few of] the ways. • Millikin is a place where lives are transformed. Most recently, nearly 400 new graduates crossed the stage at commencement to begin their new lives post-graduation, but those of us lucky enough to work at MU are privileged to see that transformational process happening in their lives, bit by bit, day by day. • It’s “an institution where the scientific, the practical and industrial shall have a place of equal importance, side by side with the literary and the classical” to create the ideal educational experience. That’s the innovative statement Founder James Millikin made when creating his university; today we best know it at Millikin by the term “Performance Learning.” • It’s a place where lifelong relationships and memories are made among students, professors and staff. One of my favorite duties is to field questions from alumni and others asking about a former professor, a classmate, a long-ago event on campus or more. Another is to present the stories about Millikin and its people, both past and present, in the pages of this magazine. You’ll find those stories scattered throughout this issue, along with news of campus renovations and construction plans to build an even better MU for future generations. And what’s not to love about that?

Deb Hale Kirchner Millikin Quarterly Editor and Senior Director of Communications

The first-ever issue of DQ, the digital version of Millikin Quarterly magazine is available on your iPad now! It’s a whole new animal; the new kid sister to our printed issues of the magazine. To download DQ to your iPad, simply search for “Millikin” in the App Store, and follow the instructions inside to view articles, photos, video and more. Need more help? Check out the online instruction page at bit.ly/dq-info. Not an iPad user? You can still read the issue online at bit.ly/dq-winter15. And if you’re interested in reading DQ on your Android tablet, call 1-877-JMU-ALUM or email MillikinQuarterly@millikin.edu with your name and email address, and we’ll contact you when updates are available. We hope you enjoy this inaugural issue of Digital Quarterly! Be sure to take our feedback survey at the end of the issue or rate us in the App Store to let us know what you think!

CAMPUS NEWS

SOME SMART REMARKS It’s a smart move to attend Millikin. The university is one of the “600 Smartest Colleges in America,” according to results of a study published last fall by Business Insider (BI). For the BI study, a Duke University researcher ranked U.S. colleges and universities “based purely on smarts, as reflected by [its students’] average scores on standardized tests,” including SAT and ACT scores. The test scores of 1,339 schools were analyzed.

TONS TO THE TABLE Students, faculty and staff contributed nearly two tons – the weight equivalent of a baby blue whale – in canned Associate Professors of Physics Casey Watson and Eric Martell show the hair-raising power of static electricity to students.

MILLIKIN GOES NUCLEAR FOR SCIENCE STUDENTS In partnership with Decatur Memorial Hospital (DMH) and Zevacor Molecular, Millikin will add a clinical nuclear science program beginning this fall. Through the new program, upperlevel biology, chemistry and physics majors will be provided with another pathway to science careers. In addition to formal course work, students will learn through internships and performance-learning experiences while working with 16 and 70 MeV cyclotrons and nuclear medicine programs at both Zevacor and DMH. Zevacor Molecular in Noblesville, Ind., is providing funding for a research

fellowship in summer 2016, including a $3,000 stipend and a $2,000 housing allowance. DMH is also providing a summer research fellowship, including a $3,000 stipend. Millikin will provide housing for the student during that summer. “The clinical nuclear science program at Millikin is a unique opportunity for students to help achieve successful science careers,” said Dr. David Horn, associate professor of biology. “Millikin students will gain a wide range of experiences from the production of nuclear isotopes to examining their use in patients.” Q

BLUE DOCS ROCK THE ISSUES

Is social media activism really activism? Does society influence children to play with certain toys that impact future career decisions? The second Blue Docs Rock Film Festival, a culminating event for MU’s honors seminar course on documentary filmmaking, explored those probing questions through the two films presented this academic year: “Activism Loading” and “Life Is What You Play With.” “Students spend the first few weeks of class studying documentaries,” says Dr. Ngozi Onuora, assistant professor of education (above). “They then work in film crews to select a topic, research it, film it and edit their video. The course provides excellent examples of collaboration, communication, critical thinking, technology integration and creativity.” Q 4

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

goods and other food products to the 13th Annual WSOY Community Food Drive. The fall semester drive collected more than a million pounds of food for local charitable organizations to distribute to the hungry in the Decatur-area community.

“The Millikin family once again displayed its

generous spirit,” said MU President Patrick White.

White specifically commended students

for their “Pound for the Purpose” campaign and for the special efforts made by fraternities and sororities.

LEADING ROLE Sarah Shupenus, interim VP of enrollment since February 2013, was named MU’s vice president for enrollment and marketing late last year. Shupenus leads the offices of admission, student financial services, marketing and media relations, institutional research, international recruitment and student development.

Shupenus had served the university in pro-

gressively growing roles of responsibility since 1997, including serving as marketing director since 2005. Under her direction, the university embarked on its first-ever brand development project, identifying Performance Learning as the distinctive element of an MU education. During her tenure, the number of prospective student inquiries regarding enrollment at Millikin has more than tripled.

CAMPUS NEWS

MU HOSTS JUNIOR SCIENCE ACADEMY IN 2016 Millikin will host the Illinois Junior Academy of Science (IJAS) State Exposition on May 13-14, 2016. The university is the first private institution in Illinois to host the annual exposition, which is the largest high school and middle school research competition in the state. “Millikin is thrilled to be chosen to host the Illinois Junior Academy of Science State Exposition,” said University President Patrick White. “With over 1,200 of our state’s best, brightest and most ambitious students

here on campus, this gives us an opportunity to showcase Millikin’s excellence in the sciences and the opportunities for Performance Learning across campus, while introducing hundreds of families to the warm hospitality of Decatur.” Dr. James V. Rauff, MU professor of mathematics, will be the featured keynote speaker, presenting on the nature of swarm intelligence, an interdisciplinary research area bringing mathematics, computer science, engineering and biology together to solve difficult problems. Rauff has taught at Millikin since 1988. Q

KUDOS TO SCHOOL OF NURSING The School of Nursing has racked up some awards in recent months.

This spring, SON’s graduate program was

ranked among the best nursing schools in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s 2016 edition of “Best Graduate Schools.” MU was No. 165 out of 246 nursing schools eligible for the rankings.

In addition to this honor, an SON faculty

member who earned her master’s degree at Millikin has been recognized. Pamela Laskowski ‘89, MSN ’07, instructor of nursing, was awarded the 2015 Illinois Nurse Educator Fellowship by the Illinois Board of Higher

FORTY YEARS LATER, THE AGONIZING CONTINUES Did you agonize over choosing just the right topic for your JMS project as a Millikin student? You now have that in common with 40 years of MU alumni and students. This academic year marks the 40th anniversary of the James Millikin Scholars program. Established during the 1974-75 academic year, a limited number of applicants are chosen for this selective honors scholarship program each year. As a program hallmark, students present conclusions of their individual two-year independent study research projects during spring of the senior year. To date, only 1,100 MU graduates have been named

James Millikin Scholars as students. The sibling to the JMS program, the Presidential Scholars program, was established during the 1984-85 academic year to recognize exemplary incoming first-year students with outstanding academic records as well as demonstrated community service and community/ school leadership. Presidential Scholars receive full-tuition scholarships and must also complete a research project before graduation. Fewer than 140 students were named Presidential Scholars during the past 30 years. A dinner honoring alumni of both honors programs was held in April. Q

Education. Laskowski, one of only 22 faculty members in the state to receive the award, joined the SON faculty in 2008.

MU’s undergraduate and graduate nursing

programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). In addition to bachelor’s (BSN) and master’s (MSN) degrees in nursing, the School of Nursing offers a doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree. For more information, visit millikin.edu/nursing.

WANT THE LATEST MU NEWS? Visit millikin.edu/alumni for campus news, e-newsletters, upcoming alumni and friends events and more!

SUMMER 2015 | MILLIKIN QUARTERLY

BIG BLUE SPORTS

Athletics archive photo by Kevin Krows ’82.

Justin Edwards ’07 wrestled for the Big Blue in 2006.

WRESTLING RETURNS TO THE BIG BLUE

FTER AN ABSENCE of seven years, wrestling is returning to the Big Blue lineup of NCAA Division III varsity program offerings for the 2015-16 academic year. The university is also exploring the possibility of an additional women’s sport that could begin competition within the next two-tofour years. “There are more than 17,000 high school wrestlers in Illinois, and the restoration of the Big Blue wrestling program will provide additional student-athletes the opportunity to experience Millikin’s performance-learning educational program while competing in the sport they love,” said Millikin President Dr. Patrick E. White during the December announcement of the program’s return. In January, Millikin hired Ryan Birt, a seasoned wrestling coach with more than 16 years of coaching experience, to head 6

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

the program. Birt most recently coached at Loras College (see related article, next page). Millikin will become the fifth College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) institution to compete in wrestling. “The Midwest has a number of wrestlers who have their college choice limited to the few schools offering the sport,” says Athletics Director Dr. Craig White. “Millikin is now in a position to offer these student-athletes the opportunity to perform on the wrestling mat and in the classroom as they prepare for success in life. Birt’s excellent knowledge of the sport and strong coaching background will serve Millikin well as we build a competitive wrestling program.” Millikin originally fielded a wrestling program from 1959-2008, when the program was placed on dormant status. Through the years, 47 Big Blue wrestlers advanced to the NCAA National

Championships with five of those studentathletes earning All-American honors. Millikin’s best finish at nationals was second place by Kip Crandall, class of 1989, during the 1987-88 school year. Helping to expedite re-establishment of the program, an anonymous Millikin alumnus issued a challenge to alumni and friends, offering to match dollar-for-dollar all donations to Big Blue wrestling, up to $100,000. High school wrestlers and coaches wishing to learn more about the Big Blue wrestling program and Millikin athletics should call Dr. Craig White at 217-424-6344, email him at ccwhite@millikin.edu, or visit bit.ly/mu-wrestling to view Millikin’s new wrestling page. To make a gift in support of the program, visit millikin.edu/give or contact Dave Brandon, vice president for alumni and development, at 217-424-6383 or dbrandon@millikin.edu. Q

BIG BLUE SPORTS

Ryan Birt will coach the returning Millikin wrestling program. Birt comes to Millikin with more than 16 years of wrestling coaching experience at the club, high school and collegiate level. He also was an accomplished wrestler during his student days, earning an NCAA National Championship and twice earning All-American status. “It seems like there is a lot of support at Millikin and Central Illinois for wrestling, so I believe we can be successful immediately,” Birt says. “I can’t wait to get to work and put Millikin on the map as one of the top Division III programs in the country.” Birt was most recently associate head coach at Loras College in Iowa. He had served on the Loras staff since 2010, helping to shape Duhawks wrestling into a top-20 program. Last season, Loras finished 14th in NCAA Division III, and earlier this season the Duhawks were ranked as high as eighth in the nation. For his work at that college, Birt was named the 2014 NCAA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year. He has coached nine NCAA qualifiers, five NCAA All-Americans and one NCAA champion. He also helped Loras raise more than $100,000 to renovate team locker rooms

and a wrestling room. “At Loras College, Coach Birt has been a driving force in recruitment and on-the-mat success for a team that has been consistently near the top of the Iowa Conference, the premier NCAA Division III wrestling conference,” says MU President Patrick White. Birt started his coaching career in 2000 as an assistant coach at Forest City (Iowa) High School. He then moved to Melvin-Sibley High School in Gibson City, Ill., where he became head coach in 2002. He compiled more than 150 dual meet wins, three regional championships and two sectional championships while at Gibson City. Birt coached 20 qualified individuals for the Illinois state tournament, including 11 place-winners and two state champions. In 2003, Birt was inducted into the Urbana (Ill.) High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Birt wrestled and played football at Upper Iowa University, where his wrestling career included a perfect 39-0 season and an NCAA national championship in 1999. He was a two-time All-American and an NCAA runner up in 1997. He was twice an Iowa Conference Champion and named the Iowa Conference’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. He also was an all-conference linebacker in football at Upper Iowa. In 2010, he was inducted into the Peacocks’ Athletic Hall of Fame. Birt graduated from Upper Iowa in 2000 with degrees in physical education and secondary special education. Q

Athletics archive photo.

PROGRAM’S NEW HEAD COACH IS FORMER ALL-AMERICAN

NEARLY 50 YEARS OF WRESTLING SUCCESS The university “has a long and storied history of wrestling success,” said MU President Patrick White in announcing the wrestling program’s return to campus after a seven-year hiatus.

During the almost 50 years of the

original program, Big Blue wrestlers earned 48 CCIW individual championships and 170 All-Conference honors. In addition, Millikin had eight second-place conference team finishes, including four in the program’s final seven years.

Kip Crandall ’89 (above) has been Millikin’s

most successful wrestler to date. In addition to achieving a second-place national finish, he was a four-time CCIW champion, winning the heavyweight class in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988. Richard Harvey ’92 and Nate Carden ’03 were three-time CCIW champions. Harvey won the 167-pound weight class from 1991-93. Carden was the CCIW heavyweight champion in 2000 and also won the 285-pound weight class in 2002 and 2003. Millikin President Emeritus Douglas Zemke ’66, Lupe Coronado ‘84 and Kevin Wolff ’85 were two-time CCIW champions during their careers.

TURF’S UP AT FRANK M. LINDSAY FIELD A rededication ceremony was held last fall at Frank M. Lindsay Field to recognize the completion of improvements to the facility, including a new artificial playing surface, field lighting, resurfaced track and video scoreboard. The ceremony was held prior to kickoff of the Big Blue’s first home football game of the 2014 season, a victory over Aurora University before a standing-room-only crowd.

Millikin officially broke ground on the project during a ceremony held May 16,

Photo by Kevin Krows ’82.

2014. The $1.75 million total cost for the field turf project was funded by donors to the “Transform MU” capital campaign. AT LEFT: MU President Patrick White presented MU trustees Gary Workman ’64 and Elta Cooke ’52 with commemorative footballs as a token of appreciation for their lead donations to the Frank M. Lindsay Field improvements.

SUMMER 2015 | MILLIKIN QUARTERLY

BIG BLUE SPORTS

Submitted photo.

PISA, PASTA AND VOLLEYBALL

MU volleyball faces the net against Italian and French club teams while soaking up European culture In January during winter break, Coach Debbie Kiick and her Big Blue volleyball team traveled across the Atlantic to play competitive volleyball and experience the culture, history and lifestyle of Europe in Italy and France. During the trip, the team played four matches against local club teams in Rome, Milan and Paris. For the players, this trip of a lifetime helped contribute to a new understanding of democratic citizenship in a global environment, a key element of the Millikin mission and the underlying educational focus of their journey. The student travelers weighed in on their experiences after matching up

against the European players, plus viewing the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Eiffel Tower and other iconic sites. “Not many college athletes get to say they have … played competitive volleyball in foreign countries,” says junior Alyssa Visvardis, defensive specialist for the team. “We played against the top club volleyball team in Rome, and trust me, they were exactly that. In Europe, they play with different rules and even a different ball, so it was definitely a culture change for us to adjust to what they were doing. Even though we weren’t in our comfort zone, we managed to play a competitive match against the girls

… Although not many spoke English well, or any English at all, we were able to take pictures, exchange names and find out a little about each other.” “When it came time to play, we drove about a half hour to a club volleyball building,” says Sara Travis, a right-side hitter for the team. “We played against the top team in Rome. They were an amazing team of young girls. Though we may not have understood each other while speaking, it was cool to see the many similarities between volleyball in the U.S. and Italy. Volleyball is like a universal language!” “This trip completely opened my eyes to so many things,” says sophomore Cassidy Kingery, an outside hitter for the team. “When you get outside of the [U.S.], you realize just how big and grand this world is ... From the ancient ruins of Rome, to the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, to being able to stand underneath the Eiffel Tower, your eyes are opened up to all the opportunities the world has to offer, and it is completely a humbling experience. “You think you learn about other cultures in school, but that is just a grain of sand compared to the knowledge that you gain from experiencing the culture firsthand. I am so humbled and grateful that I was able to experience all of these things at such a young age, and truly believe that this trip has shaped my understanding and appreciation for just how big this world really is.” Q Web extra: Read Coach Kiick’s online diary of the team’s trip at bit.ly/mu-vb15.

KIICKING IT IN VOLLEYBALL: Big Blue coach tops record book Head Coach Debbie Kiick now tops the Big Blue volleyball coaching ranks. With the addition of 30 wins during last fall’s season, Kiick became the all-time winningest volleyball coach in Millikin history, with 344 wins and 181 losses. Last fall, her team

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

completed a 30-10 season and advanced to the first round of the NCAA tournament. During that season, Kiick surpassed former Head Coach Linda Slagell, who finished with a 327-190 record for her 14-year coaching career before becoming MU’s director of transfer admissions. Among her Big Blue career highlights, Kiick was named 2010 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Coach of the Year after leading the Big Blue to a 28-7,

7-0 record and the regular season CCIW championship. Her team also set a new Big Blue record for consecutive victories that year, winning 22 straight matches. In all, Kiick’s teams have won 20 or more matches in 11 of her 13 seasons at Millikin. In addition, she led the Big Blue to a 29-10 record and the first NCAA appearance of her career in 2005, when Millikin finished second in the CCIW. Kiick’s players have garnered 41 AllConference honors, including 2013 and

BIG BLUE SPORTS

THREE PRESENTED WITH MEDALLIONS

Last fall, 2014 Lindsay Medallions were presented to three individuals in recognition of their impact on Big Blue athletics: former student-athletes Brittany Czaplicki ’14 and Wes Hillen ’13, and Donna Meyer Spangler Murphy ’68, all of Decatur. Murphy received a special Lindsay Medallion in appreciation of the contributions to MU made by her and her late husband, Steve Spangler, also class of 1968, designer of the Lindsay Medallion. Named in honor of the late F. Merrill Lindsay, trustee emeritus, and his late wife, Margery “Sis” Lindsay, the Lindsay Medallion has been presented annually since 1997 to honor

student-athletes for outstanding performances on their respective Big Blue teams. Czaplicki was an outstanding guard for the Big Blue women’s basketball team. A four-time CCIW Academic All-Conference selection, she was named her team’s MVP in 2013 and 2014 and was named CoSIDA Academic All-District during the 2013-14 season. Czaplicki was named to the CCIW All-Conference Second Team in both 2013 and 2014. Hillen was an excellent performer as a member of the Big Blue men’s golf team. He owns two school records: lowest 36-hole score (136) and lowest season scoring average (73.52). He also holds the record for second lowest season scoring average (73.73) and second lowest career scoring average (74.83), and he is tied in third for the lowest 18-hole round (68). Murphy has been a faithful supporter of Millikin for many years. Together with her late husband, Steve Spangler, who taught art for the Decatur Public School District for 31 years and was named 1991 Teacher of the Year, they established the Stephen A. Spangler Scholarship Fund at Millikin. This endowed scholarship is awarded annually to a deserving Millikin student majoring in art. “Through this scholarship, he continues to share his love for the arts with everyone,” Donna says. “Steve felt so honored to design the Lindsay Medallion,” Donna says.

After pledging TKE and Tri Delta in fall 1964, Steve and Donna met just before chapel one Wednesday morning. Steve asked her to Homecoming, and that was the beginning of a very short 35 years together, Donna says. Both were active at Millikin, from holding class offices to participating in Homecoming plays, freshmen camp and pompon squad. They served on numerous committees and held fraternity and sorority offices. Steve was best known for designing “magnificent Homecoming house decs,” Donna says. “This event brought thousands from the community driving by campus enjoying the creative masterpieces Millikin students created,” she notes. “It was a wonderful time.” Following their graduation from Millikin, the couple taught thousands of area children at various Decatur schools. Donna spent eight years teaching at Oak Grove Elementary, then taught reading at Dennis Elementary until she retired in 2005. In 1968, Steve began teaching art at Woodrow Wilson Junior High School. After two years, he began working at his alma mater, MacArthur High School, where he taught art until his death in 1999. Shortly before he died, Steve served as president of the Millikin Alumni Association. For more information on all three recipients, visit bit.ly/2014-medallions. Q

2014 Player of the Year Audrey Krajec (at left) of West Salem, Ill. Kiick has also coached 10 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Region selections and three All-America selections, including three-time All-America First Team selection Krajec. In addition to her

volleyball duties, Kiick led the Millikin softball program from 2007-12 and was an assistant coach in 2013. During the 2010-11 academic year, Kiick led both the volleyball and softball teams to conference championships, earning Coach of the Year honors in both sports. Kiick, who took the helm from Slagell in 2001, served as head volleyball coach at Warrensburg-Latham High School for 11 seasons prior to joining Millikin’s coaching staff. At Warrensburg, she led the Cardinals to 275 wins and just 83 losses, earning the Macon County Volleyball Coach of the Year

honor four times. During that period, she also guided the Warrensburg-Latham Middle School volleyball programs to seven state finals appearances in five years. Over winter break, Kiick led her team on a learn-and-play tour of Italy and France (see related article, previous page). This summer, Kiick and her staff will lead several abilitybased volleyball skill training camps for area youth in grades 3-12. For more information about the youth camps and MU’s vollleyball program, visit athletics.millikin.edu. Q

Brittany Czaplicki ’14, Donna Meyer Spangler Murphy ’68 and Wes Hillen ’13 were honored with Lindsay Medallions in recognition of their impact on Millikin athletics.

SUMMER 2015 | MILLIKIN QUARTERLY

BIG BLUE SPORTS

Photo by Alida Duff Sullivan ’06.

ALUMNI TIES: The women’s basketball team relies on a troupe of alumni coaches and volunteers, including, from left: Volunteer Assistant Coach Tracie Yantis ’09, Assistant Coach Joanna Conner ’06, Head Coach Lori Kerans ’85, Assistant Coach Andrea Riebock Dorsey ’08 and Volunteer Assistant Jayson King ’11.

CARRYING ON THE BIG BLUE TRADITION by Bryan Marshall ’85

A sense of family has been a part of the women’s basketball program since it began in 1970. The late Harriett Crannell, a women’s athletics pioneer, led the program from its inception until 1986, when she turned it over to one of her former Millikin players, Lori Kerans ’85. Kerans has continued that sense of family during her 29 years leading the program. “The women’s basketball coaching staff is filled with Millikin alumni who have walked the halls, cherished the history and traditions, and ‘worn the blue with pride,’” Kerans says. “These alumni have ‘come home,’ this time as coaches, to help HITTING THE HOOPS: Junior center Kelsey Going of Butler, Ill., finished the 2014-15 season ranked second in the nation in field-goal percentage. Going shot 65.3 percent from the field, placing her second in the NCAA Division III women’s basketball regular season statistical rankings. During the season, she averaged 14.1 points per game.

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

provide the support, love and lessons that faculty and coaches shared with each of them during their time as students at Millikin. They appreciate how committed our student-athletes must be in order to be successful in the classroom, on the basketball court and in life.” While several former players have helped Kerans coach the program over the years, the coaching staff for the 2014-15 season especially highlighted that feeling of returning home. Former All-Conference performer and NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Joanna Conner ’06 finished her fourth season as Kerans’ top assistant, and this year, she was joined by former teammate Andrea Riebock Dorsey ’08. Dorsey joined the Big Blue staff after two years as a grad assistant at Texas Tech University and two years on the basketball staff at Franklin College. During her time at Millikin, Dorsey played on the Big Blue’s 2005 national championship team with Conner. In January, MU celebrated the 10th anniversary of that historic win, as well as the 30th anniversary of the 1985 team’s third-place finish in the national tournament. Another former player, Tracie Yantis

’09, also joined the program this season as a volunteer assistant after serving as head coach of the girls basketball program for the Lutheran School Association of Decatur. Completing his fourth season as a volunteer coach under Kerans was Jayson King ’11. Although he never wore the Big Blue uniform as a student, King was a student assistant for the women’s program during his days on campus. Another member of the 2005 national championship team, Laura Zimmerman ’06, helps out the team by serving as a scout to get the Big Blue ready for its next opponent. Zimmerman returned to Millikin last fall as an adjunct professor in the biology department. Two other Big Blue family members also serve the program. Coach Kerans’ father, Bob Kerans, and longtime assistant coach Dick Marshall – in his 20th year with the program – continued in their roles as advisers, scouts and recruiters this past season. Q Bryan Marshall ‘85 is assistant athletic director for sports information and athletic communication. He has worked at MU since 2000.

FACULTY PROFILE

MILLITRAX HEADED BY ENGINEER FOR POPULAR RECORDING ARTISTS

by Dane Lisser

RONNIE DEAN Before retiring in May 2014 as assistant professor emeritus of music, Ronnie Dean taught generations of students the ins and outs of commercial music through MU’s Millitrax recording studio. In 2000, Millitrax took a leap forward with the opening of a new studio designed by Dean and housed inside the then-recently renovated and expanded Perkinson Music Center.

Photo by Michael Rauch.

EVIN GUARNIERI, new director of Millitrax Studio, hopes to use the expertise he gained during his successful studio engineering career for the benefit of Millikin students. Guarnieri was hired to teach and run the studio following the retirement of Professor Ronnie Dean, who taught at Millikin for nearly 30 years before stepping down in May 2014 (see related article, below). “One of the things that I’ve noticed since I’ve started at Millikin is the great quality of students,” Guarnieri says. “They are willing to do the work that helps them grasp the technical side of recording music. The students seem eager, and they are talented – it’s fun.”    Since 1999, Guarnieri has worked as a studio engineer with several critically-acclaimed recording artists, including NSYNC, Mariah Carey, Mick Jagger and Randy Jackson. He most recently served as an engineer on country singer Travis Tritt’s 2013 album “The Calm After…”    “Just looking at my end of the spectrum and the School of Music itself, I’ve been impressed with the depth and breadth of knowledge that Millikin has to offer,” Guarnieri says. “The instructional staff does a great job, and the programs offer great experiences for the students.”    Guarnieri graduated from Radford University in Radford, Va., in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in business management. In 1993, he and his sister started a successful design company. Four years later, Guarnieri decided to pursue a career in the music industry, enrolling in the Full Sail Center for the Recording Arts in Orlando, Fla. After one year, he earned an associate degree in recording arts and sciences. “At that time, I was given an introduction to the technology and the production procedures of a recording studio,” Guarnieri says. “It helped me get my foot in the door.”    After graduating from Full Sail, Guarnieri left Orlando for Los Angeles and was hired by Westlake Audio, where he stayed nearly three years. During that time, he had the chance to work with nationally known bassist, singer, producer and television personality Randy Jackson during sessions for NSYNC’s 2001 “Celebrity” album.

“About six months after we finished the NSYNC album, I was lucky enough to be hired regularly to engineer sessions that Randy produced,” he says.  Working with Jackson led to session work on albums for Mariah Carey, the Backstreet Boys and Whitney Houston, among others. Guarnieri later developed a passion for teaching after he taught recording classes and spoke with students about music production at UCLA and the Los Angeles Film and Recording School. As a result, he accepted a position at Madison Media Institute in Madison, Wis., teaching studio production. “I wanted to make the transition from working in the studio to instructing,” Guarnieri says. “I ultimately wanted to work at a regionally accredited university, and that’s what led me to Millikin.”    Guarnieri teaches Millikin students to learn and appreciate newer production styles as well as classical techniques of recording. “How do you go into a session? How do you track drums? What’s the process? Those are the questions I want the students to think about,” Guarnieri says. “To me, the School of Music is a place where we’re training students to become professionals.” Q Dane Lisser is media relations coordinator for Millikin’s marketing department.

Dean, who started teaching at Millikin in 1985, previously worked as a staff engineer for Columbia Records, at a sound studio in Nashville, Tenn., and for “The Johnny Cash Show.” A popular faculty member at MU, he was known for providing students with real-world experience to help them become fully prepared for their professional careers. As one former student, a director of audio for a sound studio, has said about Dean, “It seems as though not a day goes by where I don’t draw on something I learned in one of Ronnie’s classes.” Q

SUMMER 2015 | MILLIKIN QUARTERLY

WITH YOUR SUPPORT

Photo by Brian Cassidy ’09.

ALUMNI COUPLE HELP CREATE ENDOWED INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Millikin President Patrick White, Chris Olsen ’74, Susan Kruml, dean of the Tabor School of Business, and Mirinda Rothrock ’04, president of the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce, at the campus announcement of the new internship program.

ILLIKIN STUDENTS WILL GAIN valuable work experience in a professional environment through a new internship program with the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce honoring a late Decatur business leader. Chris Olsen ’74 and his wife, Deborah Moore Olsen ’74, along with Beth Bolz Vincent and Jane Olsen Black, have created the Henry H. Bolz Endowed Internship program. The endowment honors the memory of their grandfather, the late Henry H. Bolz, who, for more than 30 years, was the executive director of the Decatur Association of Commerce and Industry and its subsequent iteration, the Metro Decatur Chamber of Commerce. The endowed internship program is a first for Millikin and the Tabor School of Business. Chris Olsen, vice president of community and government affairs for Tate & Lyle in Hoffman Estates, Ill., is responsible for federal, state and local government relations as well as community and media relations for all U.S. Tate & Lyle facilities. “This internship supports two parts of Decatur that have been very important to the Bolz and Olsen families for a long time: Millikin University and the Chamber of Commerce,” Olsen said. “Both of these organizations have made great contributions to Decatur’s

WHY HIRE MILLIKIN STUDENT INTERNS? Interns bring new energy and a fresh perspective to the workplace. Additionally, Millikin interns offer technical, research, communication and problemsolving skills. Internships allow students to apply knowledge

learned in the classroom, gain real-world experience and develop professional contacts. Students typically work part time (10-15 hours per week) during the academic year and full time in the summer months. Some earn academic credit, while others intern for the practical experience

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

by Dane Lisser

success, and we hope this internship provides the opportunity for students to support their own development as well as make a contribution to the future success of the community.” During the internship, students will obtain hands-on work experience designed to meet academic and career goals. The internship offers responsibilities such as research, writing, surveying, database management, web page maintenance, communications and event preparation to Millikin business, communication or political science majors. Students will be able to network with colleagues and senior-level executives while participating in educational and professional activities designed to enhance the internship experience. “The Bolz Endowed Internship will enable Millikin students to learn and practice firsthand advocacy for growth and development in Decatur and Macon County,” said Millikin President Dr. Patrick White. “We are grateful for this inspiring gift that empowers our students to engage in service to our community while practicing Performance Learning, one more sign of Millikin’s role as Decatur’s university.” To qualify for the Henry H. Bolz internship, students must be a junior or senior and have a minimum 3.5 overall grade point average. The first recipient was Molly Yablon, a junior business management major from Skokie, Ill.  “We at the Tabor School of Business are excited and grateful that the Henry H. Bolz Internship supports the newly designed Tabor undergraduate program,” said Dr. Susan Kruml, Tabor dean. “The new program is focused directly on skills, competencies and attitudes new graduates need to compete and succeed. Performing for and with third-party stakeholders is a hallmark of the program.”  For more information about the Henry H. Bolz Endowed Internship, contact Marianne Taylor MBA ’15, internship and MBA program coordinator at the Tabor School of Business, at 217-4243503 or mgtaylor@millikin.edu. Q Dane Lisser is media relations coordinator for Millikin’s marketing department.

only. Internships may be paid or unpaid, although compensated internships attract more applicants. Millikin’s Career Center serves as a central location to post and promote internship opportunities to students. For more information, call the Career Center at 217-4246294. Q

WITH YOUR SUPPORT

STAFF CHANGES IN THE ALUMNI & DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

Alumni and development staff members show their true blue spirit in support of giving to student scholarships.

MILLIKIN GOES TRUE BLUE FOR STUDENTS

by Deb Hale Kirchner

The goal: To raise $300,000 for annual student scholarships in three days from alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends of the university. The result: More than $365,000 was donated during the period from April 29-May 1, with gifts still being accepted through the end of MU’s fiscal year, June 30. The outpouring of gifts from more than 1,000 donors topped a previous two-day blitz in spring 2014 that raised more than $200,000. Again this year, “blue cheese” videos used humor to emphasize the serious need for student scholarships, highlighting the fact that 98 percent of Millikin students receive some type of financial aid to attend the university. MU distributed more than $35.7 million in scholarship support to students for the 2014-15 year, ranging from merit to alumni legacy and more. These scholarships are financial aid awards that are not to be paid back and are often based on academic achievement, talent or financial need. “I hope we all feel a jolt of Big Blue pride at the way the Millikin community has stepped up to support this effort to make a positive difference in the lives of our students,” says President Patrick White. “My heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported the True Blue Scholarship Challenge to help provide scholarships for deserving students.” Q Web extra: For more info, to watch a video or to give to the challenge, visit give.millikin.edu.

There have been some staff additions and promotions in the alumni and development office within the past several months: Mandi Landacre Podeschi, a 2002 graduate, was promoted to senior director of development late last year. Podeschi was previously director of development – Millikin Fund for Student Scholarships and has more than 10 years of experience working in the alumni and development office. She completed her master’s degree at the University of Illinois at Springfield in 2005. Brandon Barney, a 2012 graduate, was recently promoted to director of development – Millikin Fund for Student Scholarships, filling the role previously occupied by Podeschi. Since early 2013, Barney had served as associate director of development, focused primarily on fundraising for the athletics and recreation department. Dan Bolsen joined the staff this June as associate director of development, with oversight for the Big Blue Club and the College of Fine Arts Patrons Society. He earned a master’s degree in sport management from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and bachelor’s degrees in communication and sport management from Eureka College. Alyse Knust was recently named associate director of alumni engagement. Knust most recently served as assistant director of admissions for the department of theatre and dance at the University of Texas at Austin. Knust earned a bachelor’s degree in theatre management from the University of Evansville in 2010 and an MBA in 2013 from Concordia University Texas. Lindsay Nolan, associate director of donor engagement, joined the staff in 2014. Nolan previously worked at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she was undergraduate office coordinator for the department of biomedical engineering. She earned a bachelor’s degree in leisure studies with an emphasis in sport administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2000. Ross Williams, associate director of annual giving, joined the office last fall. He has oversight for the annual phonathon program and is also focused on fundraising for the Millikin Fund for Student Scholarships. Williams graduated from Bradley University in 2014 and completed the Reuss Fellowship, a post-graduate development internship, at the University of Illinois Foundation during summer 2014. SUMMER 2015 | MILLIKIN QUARTERLY

Photo from the 1949 Millidek.

LOOKING BACK

Students and faculty gather to watch the new TKE television in 1948.

TUNING IN

MU EMBRACES ITS FIRST TELEVISION SET IN 1948 by Amanda Pippitt

N THE LATE 1940S, a group of college students gathered in the living room of the Tau Kappa Epsilon house, all waiting to see the miracle in one little box. The promise of entertainment and delight hung in the air as they waited anxiously. Finally, it turned on. It flickered. It came to life. The first television set in the Decatur area had come to Millikin’s campus. Previous articles in the Decaturian reveal campus interest in the developing technology as early as 1932, reporting, “television pictures are being successfully transmitted and received each week by two engineering students at the University of Minnesota.” The articles also document concern for the consequences of television on American society. In 1935, the Decaturian published a column by the Associate Collegiate Press. This article reported rising illiteracy rates at American colleges, which experts blamed on students taking 14

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

in words “through the ear, by radio and the movies” rather than in print. In a panicked tone, it finished with the outcry “... and what of television? Imagine the alert television reporter, broadcasting pictures and running a description of, for instance, a session of the United States senate, complete with sound effects? Who’ll read the newspapers then?” Despite this warning, a November 1948 Decaturian headline announced that TKE’s house was to be the home of not only the first television on Millikin’s campus, but the first privately owned set in Decatur. The cheapest sets at that time cost around $250 (almost $2,500 in today’s dollars) – a major investment. Since only select major metropolitan areas broadcast TV programming, the set came with a specially designed 11-foot directional antenna mounted on top of the house, allowing for 80 percent signal reception from St. Louis and 60 percent

from Chicago. TKEs had to go to the third floor to turn the antenna in the direction of the signal they hoped to acquire. Though today’s students might laugh at the effort required to watch a few TV shows on a 10-inch screen, the TKEs called their acquisition “one of the brightest spots in the year” and invited special guests for viewing parties. By August 1953, Decatur had its own television station, WTVP (today’s WAND), and Millikin jumped right in. Not only were students learning about television broadcasting through a hands-on lab course in cooperation with the station, but Millikin instructors offered viewers in the community a summer series of four educational programs: “Music Impromptu,” “Opera Highlights,” “The VanDyke Dancers” and a demonstration titled, “Fun with Plastics.” In September 1953, Millikin offered the state’s first telecourse for credit through a partnership between the art department and WTVP. Those who wished to earn credit in Professor Jerold Talbot’s clay modeling and ceramics class were to “submit a specified amount of work to the instructor approximately once a month and leave their work for firing.” Millikin offered for-credit telecourses into the 1960s under the direction of Professor Edith McNabb. The courses covered a variety of subjects, from “Home Nursing” to “Dance of the Modern Period,” and were later broadcast on Saturdays through Champaign’s WCIA. The Millikin University Bulletin (the precursor of Millikin Quarterly) proudly boasted that these courses had a “telepulse” rating of 13.5 in two successive years, meaning 50,000 homes were tuning in each Saturday. Q Amanda Pippitt is Millikin’s access services coordinator, archivist and research instruction librarian. She has worked at MU since 2004. Pippitt earned her master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in anthropology.

Building a

BETTER MU CAMPUS CHANGES EXPECTED IN COMING MONTHS, YEARS.

BUILDING A BETTER MU

“Now is an exciting time of change at Millikin.” - Dr. Patrick White

ILLIKIN HAS ANNOUNCED several campus changes planned for the coming months and years. The university is anticipating the completion of its successful $85 million “Transform MU” capital campaign before the end of 2015. Already exceeding the goal at more than $91 million, the completion of the campaign will lead to several physical changes on campus to benefit students. Some have already happened. “Now is an exciting time of change at Millikin,” says Dr. Patrick E. White, MU’s president. “Our entire community is charged with energy, and we are working to invest in our beautiful university so that today’s students and future generations will continue to benefit from Millikin’s Performance Learning experience and thrive on our campus.” NEW COMBINED UNIVERSITY CENTER AND STALEY LIBRARY Plans for a new university center have refocused on creating a $27 million university center by fall 2017 through a reimagined Staley Library. The new University Center at Staley Library will be formed by renovating the original library facility and building a large addition to the south. “The new University Center at Staley Library will be a collaborative and forward-thinking campus learning, leadership and living space in the center of campus,” White says. As part of the planning process, architects from the St. Louis-based firm Hastings+Chivetta have met with Millikin students, faculty and staff

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

to gather ideas for the new building. Future plans for the current Richards Treat University Center are still being evaluated. EXERCISE SCIENCE & SPORT PAVILION The building formerly known as West Towne Square, located on the corner of West Wood Street and Oakland Avenue in Decatur, is now home to MU’s exercise science and sport pavilion. Fundraising continues for facility renovations and departmental equipment. NEW CENTER FOR THEATRE & DANCE Millikin boasts one of the oldest and most respected undergraduate theatre programs in the country. Nationwide, respected alumni are routinely hired for projects in television, film and live theatre, including top Broadway shows. In order to set the stage for continued excellence in the Department of Theatre & Dance, Millikin plans development of a new Center for Theatre & Dance. Current plans for the $15 million project include renovation and addition to the Old Gym, with an addition on that structure to the west. To date, $10.6 million has been committed, and fundraising for this project remains a priority. FRANK M. LINDSAY FIELD RENOVATIONS Last September, a rededication ceremony was held at the Big Blue’s Frank M. Lindsay Field marking the completion of a summer of renovations to the field, including a new playing surface and lighting, a resurfaced track and a new video scoreboard (see more details, page 7).

Name? What’s in a

Ever wonder about the people or places behind the names of Milikin’s residence halls?

1 ASTON HALL Named in honor of Anna Bernice Aston Millikin, wife of MU Founder James Millikin, and her parents. 2 BLACKBURN HALL Named in honor of Bonnie R. Blackburn ’08, a Millikin faculty member for more than 45 years, who taught and served as 1

chair for the department of modern languages. 3 DOLSON HALL

“All these planned improvements will drive exciting change in our Performance Learning efforts, and will enable Millikin to better serve all of our students, faculty and staff, and provide an empowering campus environment for years to come,” White says. SUMMER CHANGES TO CAMPUS HOUSING This summer, four student residence halls are being renovated and upgraded, and two halls built in the 1960s will be demolished. Work began earlier this academic year on a $2 million renovation and upgrade of Aston, Blackburn, Dolson and Weck halls. Aston Hall, which originally opened in 1907 as a residence for women, will reopen for housing after being dormant for several years. Blackburn, longtime housing for first-year women, opened in 1965. Dolson, originally called Oakland Street Hall, opened in 1996. Weck Hall opened in 1989 as one of a group of four New Halls. Mills Hall, which opened in 1960 as the first permanent men’s dormitory, will be demolished this summer along with Hessler Hall, which originally opened in 1967 to serve as a men’s residence hall. Both halls had exceeded their residential lifespans. Beginning this fall, residence hall occupancy will be restricted to first-year students and resident advisers. New Halls 2, 3 and 4 will be used for non-residential purposes. On-campus housing for upper-class students will include The Woods at Millikin apartments, and fraternity and sorority housing. Q

Originally known as Oakland Street Hall, the building was renamed in 2007 in memory of the late Jack C. Dolson, president and owner of Dolson Outdoor Advertising. Dolson bequeathed more than $4.3 million to the university. 2

4 MILLS HALL Named for Albert Taylor Mills, who taught history and political science at MU for 40 years, beginning in 1903. 5 HESSLER HALL

Named in honor of Dr. John C. Hessler, who served as university president from 1934-44 after previously teaching chemistry and serving as dean of the faculty. 6 WALKER HALL Named in honor of Ruth Bicknell Walker ‘08, longtime director of Aston Hall, upon her retirement. Mrs. Walker had

the distinction of being the university’s first May Queen. 7 WECK HALL Formerly New Hall 1, the hall is named in memory of Rosalie McCambridge Weck, 1987 Alumnus of the Year, and her husband, W. Meredith Weck, both 1925 graduates. Mrs. Weck died in 1994, leaving an estate gift of $1.5 million to

the university. 8 THE WOODS AT MILLIKIN APARTMENTS No forest inspired this name, just the fact that Decatur’s Wood Street flanks the entrance to this apartment complex.

9 AND OF COURSE, THE NEW HALLS The last of the group of four New Halls opened in 1991 in response to overcrowding in campus housing. One was renamed Weck Hall in 1994 (see above). New Halls 2, 3 and 4 remain nameless.

HOMECOMING 2014

Photos by Alida Duff Sullivan ’06.

OCTOBER 5-12, 2014

1 1 BLACK ALUMNI NETWORK, Row 1: Michael Halbert ’79, DeeDee Halbert (spouse of Michael

Halbert). Row 2: James White ’85, Richard Long ’15, Darrell Hunt ’16.

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

2 CLASS OF 1954, Row 1: Zeal Zimmerman Brock ’56, Ellen DeGroot Whitrock, Donna Riechman Fitzgerald, Marjorie Parker Devore, Janet Keeler Williams ’53, Sara Dingman

Kileen ’55, Sally Krigbaum Burks, Martha Robinson Grohne, Joey Mueller (spouse of Bud Mueller). Row 2: Shirley Pattengill Hamilton, Patcie Wieland, Barb Chamblin Leihser, Bob Kileen (spouse of Sara Dingman Kileen), Martha Kopp Sefton ’56, Bud Mueller. Row 3: Don “Bud” Brock (spouse of Zeal Zimmerman Brock), Clint Whitrock (spouse of Ellen DeGroot Whitrock), Larry Hamilton ’57 (spouse of Shirley Pattengill Hamilton), Sid Smith, Frank Tyrolt, Joe Williams (spouse of Janet Keeler Williams), Dick Dechert, B.R. Sefton (spouse of Martha Kopp Sefton), George Churukian. Not pictured but in attendance was Dan'l Wieland Marshall, niece of Patcie Wieland. 3 CLASS OF 1959, Row 1: Richard Hazelrigg, Babs Zimmer Hazelrigg (spouse of Richard Hazelrigg), Ann Geddes Haab, Jane Lord Spires, Mary Werries Gendry ’62, Maddy

Weber Wright ’62, Bill Wright (spouse of Maddy Weber Wright). Row 2: Jack Benton, Merle Chapman, Jim Kettelkamp, Larry Haab (spouse of Ann Geddes Haab), Wally Minnis ’60, Dave Gendry (spouse of Mary Werries Gendry), Jack McCoy, Jeff Taylor. 4 CLASS OF 1949: Nina Pick, Jack Allen. Reunion photos by D.R. Roberts Photography.

SUMMER 2015 | MILLIKIN QUARTERLY

HOMECOMING 2014

1 1 CLASS OF 1964, Row 1: Betty Cordes

Chapman, Bonnie Killpatrick (spouse of Allen Killpatrick), Judy Hutton Domescik, Beth Gage, Karen Kelley Reed, Karen Gettinger, Terry Sage Mallinson, Linda Winings Schawitsch. Row 2: Jerry Imming, Jerry Domescik ’62 (spouse of Judy Hutton Domescik), Bob Wilson (spouse of Beth Gage), Irma Brooks (spouse of Gary Brooks), Jean Gerber Bowen, Steve Mallinson (spouse of Terry Sage Mallinson), Allen Killpatrick. Row 3: Gary Brooks, David Reed ’63 (spouse of Karen Kelley Reed), Gary Bowen (spouse of Jean Gerber Bowen). 2 CLASS OF 1969, Row 1: Dennis Hunniford,

Nancy Hunniford (spouse of Dennis Hunniford), Diane Dodson Hart, Cathy Moriarty Pearse, Mary Ann Chomiak Corum, Bill Corum

’66 (spouse of Mary Ann Chomiak Corum). Row 2: Kellun Turner, David Duez, Robert Stiehl, Lyn Eilers Tashakkor, Linda Eversmeyer Mook. 3 CLASS OF 1979, Row 1: Alec Mitchell (son

of Ron Mitchell), Ron Mitchell, Mike Walsh, Kevin Deary ’80, Anne Sherrill Deary (spouse of Kevin Deary), Pat O’Connell. Reunion photos by D.R. Roberts Photography.

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4 4 CLASS OF 1974, Row 1: Barbara Currin Parker,

Cathy Brown Force, Jane Oliver Monchunski, Cyndy Whiteman Ruszkowski, Jan Hill Bucheit, Carol Attig McConnell, Lyndsey Warner Birky, Pat Ray Messinger. Row 2: John Weakly, Don Wilcox (friend of Jane Norton Sumrall), Jane Norton Sumrall, Linda Gunning Ralston, Jim Ralston (spouse of Linda Gunning Ralston), Ken Davis, Harry Bond, Dean Messinger ‘73 (spouse of Pat Ray Messinger), Warren Jesek. Row 3: Michael Canty, Dick Shelby, Gary Sakata, Joe Basilo, Gary Deitelhoff, Mike Poe, Bill Harris, Joe Gale. 5 CLASS OF 1984, Row 1: Patti Sromek Benscoter,

Cindy Artman Slavick, Lori Mangold, Diane Warren Schoon, Doris Ruppel Allen, Shelly Bale Green. 5

Row 2: Marty Heller, Dennis Whalen, Lyle Junge, Charlie Miller. 6 CLASS OF 1989, Row 1: Donna Nolen Truax, Kim

McLaughlin Holinbeck, Karen Jones Osgood, Brenda Shriver Giesler, Natalie Mauck McDowell, Bette Brickner Trimble. Row 2: Karyn Schwab Rieth, Lisa Wojcik Egner, Erin Whitley, Christy Coye Schaefer ’90, Senta Hamilton Sears, Janet Koleson Hubbard, Mary Ongjoco Chapman. Row 3: William Roth, Robert Case, Robert Schaefer (spouse of Christy Coye Schaefer), Jeff Bottorff, Ron Kurza, Jon Ruzicka.

SUMMER 2015 | MILLIKIN QUARTERLY

HOMECOMING 2014

1 CLASS OF 1994, Row 1: Sara Baur Bruno, Sara Roth Hanebutt, Kristen Kaleciak Moore, J’Amy Reece Payne, Molly Besser (daughter of Amy Neuendorf Besser), Amy

Neuendorf Besser, Rachel Besser (daughter of Amy Neuendorf Besser), Amy Loesche Drake, Jordan Drake (daughter of Amy Loesche Drake), Julia Drake (daughter of Amy Loesche Drake), Laura Kelly Kapala. Row 2: Dan Bruno ’96 (spouse of Sara Baur Bruno), Stephanie Elbert Hardy, Jennifer Wroblewski Froemel, Mary Barber, Lori Thull Reimers, Bob Rush (guest of Michelle Steele), Michelle Steele, Kevin Kapala ’93 (spouse of Laura Kelly Kapala). 2 CLASS OF 2004, Row 1: Chris Henricks, Nathanael Kotras, Adam Krebs, Rachael Bliefnick (spouse of Ted Bliefnick), Ted Bliefnick, David Peckert, Chrissy Smedberg

Patterson, Charlotte Patterson (daughter of Chrissy Smedberg Patterson and Andy Patterson), Andy Patterson, Avery Patterson (daughter of Chrissy Smedberg Patterson and Andy Patterson), Toni Currie/MBA ’04. Row 2: Angelena Colón, Jennifer Toney, Lindsay Toney Delaney, Lizzie Stottlemire-Dempsey, Kimberly Franck, Paul Lidy, Sarah McReynolds Lidy ’06 (spouse of Paul Lidy), Heather Williams, Hollie Lugten Peckert, Cara Gatchel. Row 3: Matt Briggs, Chris Cherry, RJ Meyer, Brandon Rick, Rusty Wilson, Adam Brickler, Giovanni Pasotto, Matthew Kveton, Andrew Fueger. Row 4: Blayne Mathis, Rosemarie Breske Garvey, Lisa McReynolds Stewart, Chrissy Hulse Ault, Katherine Wilson Payton, Kate Langmeyer Curran, Meg Timpe Engelhardt, Juliana Helt Fitzpatrick, Jeff Griffin. Row 5: Caleb Garvey (spouse of Rosemarie Breske Garvey), Gordon Stewart (spouse of Lisa McReynolds Stewart), Cliff Ault (spouse of Chrissy Hulse Ault), Joshua Payton (spouse of Katherine Wilson Payton), Jeremy Curran (spouse of Kate Langmeyer Curran), Michael Engelhardt ’97 (spouse of Megan Timpe Engelhardt), Leo Engelhardt (son of Megan Timpe Engelhardt and Michael Engelhardt), Casey Fitzpatrick ’03 (spouse of Juliana Helt Fitzpatrick). Reunion photos by D.R. Roberts Photography.

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3 3 PHYSICAL GRAFFITI 10-YEAR REUNION,

Row 1: Melissa Economou ’13, Nicole Economou ’15, Latrisha Maxwell ’15, Valencia King ’07, Kayla Brown (daughter of Valencia King), Ashley Hallowell ’11, Sarah Bylsma ’08, Adrienne McDade ’05. Row 2: Asha Worthy ’17, Katherine Wilson Payton ’04, Amanda Boller ’06, Miranda Brown ’17, Angela Benford ’16, Tori Stowell ’09, Samantha Marthinsen ’10, Rachael Gray ’09. Row 3: Soraya Santoyo ’04, Melissa Birdsell ’07, Joshua Dixon ’15, Miranda Colin ’17, Millie Arp ’15, Shay Davis ’17, Tyler Haub ’18, Breanna Grubb ’16, Jenise Galloway ‘15. 4 CLASS OF 1999, Row 1: Kristin Ebers Wolter,

Tricia Bechman, Tracy Thatcher Klein, Sarah Behl 4

Crim, Kristin Trpezanovich Crim, Sarah Glass. Row 2: Mark Potter ’96, Morgan Potter (daughter of Mark and MeLinda Bostic Potter), Meredith Potter (daughter of Mark and MeLinda Bostic Potter), MeLinda Bostic Potter ’01 (spouse of Mark Potter), Da’Mya Plato (daughter of Farrah Dozier Plato), Farrah Dozier Plato, Damien Plato (son of Farrah Dozier Plato), Amanda Johnson Butterick, Jason Butterick ’98 (spouse of Amanda Johnson Butterick). 5 CLASS OF 2009, Row 1: Claire Thorpe Klinsky

Reynolds, Allysa James Garcia, Emily Sundin Stover, Caitlin Hunter Hadeler, Kaitlyn Saterfield, Kristina Bechtold Guerrero. Row 2: Shane Kesler, Dan Kesler, Brandon Stover ’07 (spouse of Emily Sundin Stover), Nathan Reisman, Chris Hadeler (spouse of Caitlin Hunter Hadeler), Jaclyn Weisenborn Cantwell, Alex Berry. 5

SUMMER 2015 | MILLIKIN QUARTERLY

HOMECOMING 2014: ALUMNI AWARD RECIPIENTS

ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR: FRANK TYROLT ’54

RANK TYROLT ’54 of Decatur was recipient of the 2014 Alumnus of the Year award, the most prestigious alumni award presented by the university. Tyrolt has demonstrated a strong commitment and dedication to Millikin for many years, both through service and generous financial support. Having served on Millikin’s board of trustees for three consecutive terms, he is now an emeritus trustee. As a board member, he served on the campaign steering committee and the alumni and external development committee. In recognition of his success as a businessman and his contribution to Millikin,

Extended biographical information on the 2014 Alumni Award recipients and Athletic Hall of Fame inductees can be viewed online at millikin.edu/homecoming.

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

Tyrolt received the Alumni Merit-Loyalty Award in 2000. Four years later, he was inducted into the Millikin Medallion Society, recognizing him as one of the 100 living people most influential to Millikin at the time the university celebrated its centennial. Tyrolt and his wife, Shirley, are also members of the Investors Society, an organization for those who have included Millikin in their wills or estate plans. Tyrolt has supported his alma mater through several capital campaigns and provided more than four decades of faithful, generous contributions to The Millikin Fund. His gifts during the “Advancing the Vision” capital campaign supported the Leighty-Tabor Science Center, ADMScovill Hall, the renovation of Albert Taylor Theatre, the John May Scholarship and the SAE Endowment for Excellence. His contributions to the current capital campaign, “Transform MU,” have supported the Exercise Science and Sport Pavilion, the Zemke International Fellows Fund, Project Confirm and Frank M. Lindsay Field improvements. As a Millikin student, Tyrolt was sports editor for the yearbook and served as vice president and social chairman of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. After graduating with a degree in business administration, Tyrolt served in the U.S. Navy for two years. After working in sales for firms in Chicago and Minnesota for nine years, Tyrolt returned to Decatur in 1966 as partner and general manager of Dunn Co. He became the president and CEO in 1968. Under Tyrolt’s leadership, Dunn Co. expanded from a retail coal dealership to become a comprehensive asphalt contractor with nearly $20 million in annual sales. Tyrolt retired as chairman of Dunn Co. in 1999. He and his wife frequently attend Millikin football games, Investors Society dinners, Vespers and Kirkland events. They have eight children and 14 grandchildren. Q

MERIT-LOYALTY AWARD Nike Smyth Whitcomb ’66 of Chicago is executive director of the American Writers Museum, the first national museum of its kind. She also is founder and owner of Nike B. Whitcomb Associates, a fundraising consulting firm she formed in 1980 after 10 years as a fundraiser for healthcare organizations. The first female president of the Chicago chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, she received the organization’s President’s Award in 1980 and helped write its first certification test. A former Young Alumnus Award recipient, she is a charter member of the Millikin Investors Society, a generous donor to her alma mater, fundraising and homecoming reunion chair agent for her class, and a frequent mentor to Millikin graduates. Q MERIT AWARD Michelle Hsiao-Hung Wong ’86 of Hong Kong is co-founder and now sole owner of Leo Lighting Limited, a manufacturer and international exporter of lamps and other lighting products. Headquartered in Hong Kong, the company’s manufacturing facilities are in mainland China. Wong has been director of Leo Lighting since its founding in 1996. A Millikin trustee from 2008-13, Wong assisted the university in developing a recruiting strategy in Hong Kong. She also established a Millikin student scholarship to honor her former mentor, the late Richard E. Burket and has supported the Doug Zemke International Fellows Fund. Q

MERIT AWARD John William Prange ’60 and Sue Logan Prange ’62 of Laguna Beach, Calif., met as Millikin students. Loyal supporters of their alma mater, the Pranges have given to Millikin every year for 55 years. To honor Sue’s parents, both Millikin alums, they established the Clark T. and Margaret W. Logan Scholarship. They have also established the John William and Sue Logan Prange Scholarship and have supported the Delta Sigma Phi endowed scholarship. Both now retired from financial management careers, they have served as elders and deacons in the Presbyterian Church and are members of several civic organizations, including San Diego Zoological Society, Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts and Chicago Art Institute. Q

YOUNG ALUMNUS AWARD Dr. Jason L. Welsh ’03 of Brownsburg, Ind., is president and owner of Indianapolis Sport and Spine, specializing in the treatment and prevention of athletic injuries at all levels. Also, as team physician for Don Shumacher Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing in Brownsburg, he treats drivers and crew members for the racing teams, including offering fitness and nutrition guidance. As a generous supporter of MU and member of the 2001 CCIW championship soccer team, Welsh challenged fellow soccer alumni to financially support improvement of Millikin’s soccer facilities. He is also generous with his experience and agreed to advise a May 2012 MU graduate planning to enroll in chiropractic school. Q

DO YOU KNOW A

True Blue

MILLIKIN ALUM? NOMINATE him, her or yourself for an alumni award. Each year, Millikin proudly recognizes individuals who personify the university’s tradition as an environment for excellence. Through outstanding achievements and contributions, these individuals bring honor to Millikin and its alumni. These awards are presented annually during the fall Homecoming celebration. Recipients are honored at a formal dinner, where they have the opportunity to accept their award in front of family, friends and other alumni. LEARN MORE AT MILLIKIN.EDU/AWARDS.

ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME Lindsay Ippel Douglass ’08 of Joliet, Ill., holds 18 Millikin records — more than any other athlete. She is also Millikin’s all-time leading scorer for women’s basketball and set eight CCIW records. During her freshman year, the Big Blue won the NCAA Division III national women’s basketball championship, and Douglass was named to the All-Final Four team. As a junior, Douglass led all NCAA women’s divisions in scoring. Douglass received the Academic All-American of the Year award for Divisions II and III, and was selected for the Academic All-American first team by ESPN The Magazine in 2008. Q

Dr. Terrence Philbin ’89 of Dublin, Ohio, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, earned laurels as a Big Blue football player, named Academic All-American, captain of the football team, first team All-CCIW and a Pizza Hut All American. Philbin served three years as assistant team physician for the Portland Pirates, an American Hockey League affiliate of the Washington Capitols. He is team physician for Ohio University and a consultant for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Dennison University, Kenyon University and The Ohio State University. He is also team physician for Olentangy Liberty High School and Dublin Coffman High School. Q

Paul Yemm ’06 of Ballwin, Mo., holds the Millikin record in the 200meter butterfly with a time of 1:52.72 and shares the records for the 200-meter and 400-meter medley relays. In each of his four years as a Big Blue swimmer, Yemm was CCIW champion in the 200-meter butterfly and was also the 100-meter butterfly champion in 2003. He was an NCAA qualifier in 2003, 2005, and 2006, placing 10th in the 200-meter butterfly at the 2006 NCAA Championships. Yemm coached men’s and women’s swim teams for five years, and in 2012, he was named Illinois Special Olympics Coach of the Year. Q SUMMER 2015 | MILLIKIN QUARTERLY

CLASS NOTES

SUBMISSION POLICY

We welcome your news! Our staff produces four issues yearly: two printed and two digital. (The digital issues do not contain class notes.) See below for how to submit your class note news item for an upcoming printed issue. The editor reserves the right to edit for space, style, clarity and substance. Because of the length of time between printed issues, please be sure to keep the alumni office informed of any changes or additions to the class note you submitted so it is up to date when published.

SEND US INFORMATION You may send your news for Class Notes online, by email, fax or regular mail. Sorry, no telephone submissions. Fill out the online class notes form at bit.ly/news-mu and/or the alumni questionnaire found at bit.ly/mu-update. Email us at alumnews@millikin.edu. Or mail your news to Millikin Quarterly 1184 West Main Decatur, IL 62522-2084.

QUESTIONS? Call us toll free at 1-877-JMU-ALUM.

PHOTO GUIDELINES Traditional photographic prints (made from a negative) or digital photos can be submitted to the Quarterly for publication. In general, digital photos should be taken on the highest-quality setting. Digital photos should be 4x6 inches or larger and 300 dpi. Save the photo as a TIFF or JPEG, and email it as an attachment to alumnews@millikin.edu.

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Warren Reckmeyer of Mount Morris, Ill., celebrated his 91st birthday in September. He earned two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree from MU. Reckmeyer plays in two bands and directs two other bands — one of which he has led for 57 years. He and his wife, Carol, have been married 61 years.

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Donald Hildebrand of New Braunfels, Texas, writes that he is “still able to ‘hit the bricks’ at 86 and wishes not to go to heaven at 87!”

’51

Shirley Simcox Parkinson of Decatur and her late husband, Rex, were presented the Lifetime Achievement Award by the United Professional Horsemen’s Association. The award is presented to “a few very special persons whose deeds and actions, over many years of involvement in the show horse sport, have consistently demonstrated their integrity, unselfishness, sportsmanship and competitive spirit.” Bob Pensinger of Santa Cruz, Calif., and his wife, Cindy, were treated to a surprise party on Dec. 19, 2013, given by their family and friends in celebration of their 60th wedding anniversary.

’53

Edwin Kuny of San Marcos, Texas, and his wife, Sally Henry Kuny ’55, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last summer. Doris Ryan McElwee of Arcadia, Calif., writes, “It was so delightful returning to campus for our 60th reunion [during Homecoming 2013]. My son accompanied me and was equally impressed. Great fun was added when the Pi Phis and I had our own songfest!”

’54

Joyce Watkins Minasian of Springfield, Mo., continues to teach piano in her home. She writes, “More and more, I realize what a wonderful piano teacher [the late Professor Emerita of Piano] Elizabeth Travis Gigante was for me. My music education there was invaluable!”

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

’55

Elmer Buese of Frankenmuth, Mich., celebrated his 101st birthday Jan. 21, 2014. He and his wife, Betty, have been married 76 years.

’57

Roger Lotchin of Chapel Hill, N.C., retired from the history department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, after 48 years of teaching and writing. Last August, he presented “Irony of Victory: The Impact of World War I on American Cities” at the joint UNC-Kings College of London anniversary commemoration of the outbreak of World War I.

’58

David Cooprider of Decatur is a member of the Richland Community College board of trustees. Edith Conley Nelson of Punta Gorda, Fla., recently joined Bion Cantorum, an 18-member choral group under the direction of Roy Engler. At their first concert on July 4, the group performed “The Testament of Freedom” by Randall Thompson, a fourmovement work based on the writings of Thomas Jefferson. Carole Knudson Tinsley of Greenville, S.C., is an artist who works in acrylic, collage and watercolor. She has received more than a dozen awards for her art and has had several pieces in juried exhibitions.

’60

Thomas Richardson of Clayton, Mo., writes, “Tom and Melissa still live in Clayton, Mo., with their four-pound Yorkie, Gracie. Tom still works full time as a professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine.” Carole Brooks Schroeder of Danville, Ind., works part time as an accountant at the Westin Hotel in Indianapolis. She writes, “Have been there 22 years and hope to work until I’m 80!”

’61

Barry Devlin and Kaye Swartz Devlin ’65 of Lake Ozark, Mo., celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with their children, grandchildren and other family in Destin, Fla., in June 2014.

’62

Nancy Henry Dare of Northport, Ala., writes, “I graduated from MU with a teaching degree and graduated from nurses training the same day, in August 1962. Love MU!” She retired after a 50-year career in nursing. Mary Werries Gendry of Decatur has been appointed to serve on the Decatur Human Relations Commission. Mary is a retired educator who is also a volunteer for the Symphony Orchestra Guild of Decatur, and a member of the Decatur Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, an international music fraternity for women.

’64

Steve Mallinson of Arvada, Colo., is associate conductor of The Jefferson Symphony Orchestra, based in Golden, Colo. The JSO was recently named the most outstanding volunteer orchestra in Colorado by West Word magazine. He also has been director of music at Wheat Ridge United Methodist Church since 1972 and, prior to his retirement, was the district music coordinator and taught bands, choirs and orchestras in Adams County School District No. 1. He has soloed as a tubist with the Jefferson Symphony and the Arapaho Philharmonic, and is a member of the Jefferson Symphony Brass Quintet and the Timberline Brass Quintet. He is married to Terry Sage Mallinson, also ’64, a retired registered nurse. They have two grown children, Kristin and Steve, and a 12-year-old granddaughter, Sarah. Another daughter, Danielle, is deceased.

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Stephen Mathias of St. Louis was presented with a blazer signifying his entry into the Masters Club by the president and CEO of Royal Alliance Associates Inc., in October 2013. The Masters Club recognizes 25 years of successful and continuous service as a financial adviser with the company. Carol Bradich McAllister relocated to Columbia, Mo., with her husband, Paul, to be closer to family. She writes, “We met as graduate students at the University of Missouri and were married at the court house in the city in 1977.”

ALUMNI PROFILE

CALLED TO SERVE

by Amanda Hamilton ’14

Submitted photos.

URING HIS SENIOR YEAR in medical school, Dr. Michael Karasis ’70 decided to see the world beyond Midwestern cornfields. Accepted into a medical assistance program similar to Project Hope, he found himself trading the flat Illinois landscape for the jungles and waterfalls of New Guinea. That trip to New Guinea marked his first traveling experience and his first step as a practicing surgeon. In the mountainside village of Wapenamanda, he operated from a mission hospital where each ward was no bigger than the typical American garage. In one instance, Karasis was called in to the hospital to care for a boy who had fallen out of a tree. The fledgling doctor performed surgery on the boy’s depressed skull fracture at 3 a.m., with a heavy rain pounding on the roof. “In America, medical students typically only observe surgeries,” Karasis says. “However, medical care in New Guinea is so scarce that it doesn’t matter if you are a full-fledged surgeon, nor if the injury is in your area of specialization. As long as you are able to help, your skills are needed. “In the U.S., a patient can go to any one of a dozen different doctors and get good care,” he adds. “If a doctor doesn’t have the proper tools or experience, the patient is sent to another doctor who does. You always find who you need, because there are so many physicians in America.” After 10 weeks in New Guinea, he was determined to return, but it took years to finish his residency and establish his practice as a urologist in Woodstock, Ill. So, 10 years after that initial trip, Karasis returned to Wapenamanda. Since then, he has returned every year or so to work a few weeks in the village. Last year marked his 18th trip to to that country. When the citizens of New Guinea hear that Karasis has returned, people travel for miles to receive treatment for urological issues, including tumors in the bladder or kidney stones. During his recent visit, the urologist in the capitol was on leave, making Karasis the only urologist in the entire country. As he treats patients, he takes the opportunity to train the permanent doctor in basic urology when possible. Many diseases he treats are related to malnourishment and dehydration, problems he usually doesn’t see in the U.S. “Ninety percent of what they eat is sweet potatoes,” he says. “That’s good food and full of vitamins, but it’s not enough if you don’t eat anything else.”

The time he spends in New Guinea constantly shifts his perspective: “You come back not taking things for granted.” For example, in America, surgical gloves are thrown away after one use. In New Guinea, he says, “They take gloves off and resterilize them. You use them as many times as possible, until they literally fall apart on your hands.” He is also more aware of a general lack of appreciation for food in the U.S. Unsold food in his hospital cafeteria in the U.S. is thrown away at the end of the day. “That’s enough food to keep a hospital going in New Guinea,” he says. “Things like that added up 100 times over give you a feeling of how differently they live compared to us.” Most medical equipment in New Guinea is from the early 1950s, although things are improving. “A modern U.S. anesthesiologist might see a machine he doesn’t know how to work,” Karasis says. When he first arrived, there wasn’t an X-ray unit in Wapenamanda. “There was no way to take a chest X-ray,” he says. “You had to guess with a stethoscope.” Karasis focuses on New Guinea to have more impact, since he doesn’t need to learn new territory. “The more you do something repeatedly, the better you get at it,” he says. “Time is precious when you go overseas. I keep going back to New Guinea and try to make my visits more and more efficient.” To Karasis, being a visiting doctor in New Guinea means, “You’re doing what you’re trained to do, what you love to do, because the people need you.” Q Web extra: Visit bit.ly/karasis70 to read about the musical life and MU college days of Dr. Karasis. Amanda Hamilton ’14 interned for the alumni and development office in 2014. She is a marketing specialist for HSHS Medical Group.

CLASS NOTES (RECEIVED OCT. 15, 2013-OCT. 30, 2O14)

James Skadden of Colorado Springs, Colo., and his wife, Vanda, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June 2014. They are retired teachers.

’68

Judith Burger Davis of Charleston, Ill., and her husband, Doug, have been married 42 years and enjoy traveling. They both retired from Eastern Illinois University, where Judith was a chemistry professor, and Doug was a physics professor.

District in Elgin, Ill.

Parker, Colo.

Fran Fraser Weisman of Glenview, Ill., is retired, but still works part time for Park Ridge Public Library.

Robin Kuykendall of Jonesboro, Ark., is a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer for Craighead County, Ark. She is also the UniServ director for Zone 2 of the Arkansas Education Association.

’73

Paul Chuzi of Boynton Beach, Fla., played the role of Mr. Kirby in the Delray Beach Community Theatre’s production of “You Can’t Take it With You.”

Jim Collins of Chicago is founder and artistic director of Chicago Choral Project. He writes, “Chicago Choral Project combines the art of excellence in choral singing with fundraising for exceptional nonprofit organizations. [We seek] to create a disciplined vocal ensemble of excellence — following the choral traditions of Paul Christiansen of Concordia College, [the late] Richard Hoffland of Millikin University and Robert Shaw.”

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’69

Michael Karasis is profiled in this issue of Millikin Quarterly. See page 27. David Rogers of Surprise, Ariz., writes that he and his wife, Eileen, are retired and “Enjoying the good life in Arizona.”

’71

Richard Rouse and his wife, Linda Helman Rouse of Tucson, Ariz., write, “Both of us are retired and enjoying golf, travel and sunshine! We do annual trips back to the Chicago area to visit family and friends.”

’72

’75

Terrie Brannan Gay retired from Temple & Associates as senior trial attorney in 2013. She is now a mediator at Conflict Resolution Services, specializing in personal injury and insurance bad faith mediations. CRS is a Denver-based company with locations in several states. She and her husband, Tom, live in

Photo by Alida Duff Sullivan ’06.

FAMILY TRADITIONS

Carole Medal of Arlington Heights, Ill., was named the Illinois Library Association’s 2013 Librarian of the Year. Medal is executive director of the Gail Borden Public Library

William “Bill” Harris of Germantown, Md., retired from Montgomery County Public Schools after 40 years as a general/choral music teacher. Though based in the same elementary school for 39 of those years, he also taught in the community’s middle and high schools. His post-retirement activities will include being a licensed Washington, D.C. tour guide.

Three generations of Millikin Potters stopped by campus last fall for an impromptu photo at the “M.” From left: Duane Potter ’55, Elizabeth Potter ’18 (daughter of Tom Potter), Lynn Helmle Potter ’55, Christopher Potter ’15 (son of Tom Potter), Tom Potter ’84 (son of Duane and Lynn Potter), Dr. Paul Potter ’76 (son of Duane and Lynn Potter).

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

’77

Gayle Milligan Cordes of Phoenix completed a doctorate in behavioral health at Arizona State University in May 2014. Robert Geier of Chattanooga, Tenn., is reactor/turbine manager for the Tennessee Valley Authority. He is married to Fran Coduti Geier ’78. Mark Kuhnke of Springfield, Ill., was named governor of the Illinois chapter of the American College of Surgeons at the 2013 Congress of the ACS. One of three governors for the state, he represents all surgeons in Illinois, excluding the Chicago Metro chapter, and will serve a three-year term. He has practiced surgery in Springfield since 1986, and currently serves as attending surgeon for the Springfield Clinic LLP.

’79

Forrest Fisher of Wilsonville, Ore., is technology director for Woodburn School District in Woodburn, Ore.

’80

Charles Stanley is profiled in this issue of Millikin Quarterly. See next page. Mike Reif of Little Rock, Ark., was elected circuit judge for Pulaski and Perry County (Ark.) in May. He was also named 2014 Family Lawyer of the Year by “Best Lawyers,” a peer-reviewed publication. He and his wife, Ellen, have three grown children: Rebecca, Will and Rachel. Debra Baker Ruddell of Suwanee, Ga., is a career counselor for the Georgia Tech Alumni Association. She is also a member of Chi Sigma Iota, a professional counseling honorary society.

’81

Ken Tothero of Austin, Texas, earned a second master’s degree from the

University of Texas at Austin, this one with a focus on quantitative methods (statistical methods for social science research). He is associate director of educational technology in UT’s Center for Teaching and Learning.

’84

Jeff Moma of Blue Mound, Ill., is choir director at First Christian Church of Blue Mound, where his wife, Ellen, is the minister. Jeff writes, “My experiences at MU were the best. My time spent in the School of Music was memorable, especially playing in the jazz band with Roger Schueler. Thanks!” Bobbi Reed Williams of Decatur is assistant superintendent for the Decatur School District.

’85

Barbara Baldwin of Bethesda, Md., is deputy division chief for the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. Sanjeev Bharani of Southaven, Miss., is global product manager at Terex Construction Americas. Terri Harrington of Baltimore is a senior vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle Americas Inc., a commercial real estate company.

’86

David Nelson of Streamwood, Ill., works for Wearable Inc., creators of the wireless flash drive, AirStash. He joined the company’s two founders full time in 2011. The company most recently created the SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive, he notes. Walter Plywaczewski of St. Charles, Ill., earned a master’s degree in management from Argosy University in 2013.

’87

Linda Denby Bowen of Marengo, Ill., is vocalist and keyboardist for The Leftovers Band and The Joey Sunset Project, both with Jim Duncan ’86. She is also a legal assistant at Wood Phillips, a Chicago firm specializing in intellectual property law. Janet Loehr of Decatur is library media assistant at Dennis Lab School.

ALUMNI PROFILE

MAKING AMERICA SAFER by Caitlin Husted ’16 and Stephanie Strick ’15

Company (HHC). During the deployment, he was attached to the First Marine Expeditionary Force to conduct combat operations in the city of Fallujah, Iraq. In June 2006, Stanley returned for a second tour, which lasted 15 months. On this tour, he worked as an operations sergeant major in an infantry battalion where he and his team conducted combat operations in Mosul and Baghdad. Stanley served 26 years in the armed forces before retiring to Washington in 2008 as an E-9 sergeant major, which allowed him to spend more time with his five daughters. Currently, he is a licensed real estate agent and works for the Department of Veterans Affairs as a military service coordinator. In his VA position, Stanley works as first liaison for service members who have been severely injured or disabled while serving in the military or who contracted diseases while in service. “I interview the service members and determine their claims through a thorough review of their medical records,” he says. “I also assist them in obtaining any evidence to substantiate their claims, schedule examinations and brief them on all VA benefits that they may be entitled to.” This process allows the Army to discharge the injured soldiers while initiating their VA claim for service-connected disabilities. “The fact that my 26 years of knowledge can assist these veterans gain compensation is a great feeling,” Stanley says. “I’m helping veterans; that’s my satisfaction.” Q Submitted photo.

HARLES STANLEY ’80 of Tacoma, Wash., took the skills, determination and persistence he learned playing Big Blue football to the battlefield. Originally intending to enter the military after high school, Stanley’s plans altered upon receiving a scholarship from Archer Daniels Midland Co. to attend Millikin University. “I liked that Millikin was a small university with small class sizes,” Stanley says. “Because of its size, it enabled students to learn better, and I think I did well in that environment.” Along with the small class sizes, Stanley valued Millikin’s football program. He proudly notes that while he was a member of the team, the Big Blue won the CCIW championships three years in a row. During his time as a linebacker for Millikin, Stanley was twice named to the CCIW All-Conference football team. Recalling how enjoyable yet time consuming football was, he says he's still baffled how he also managed to be a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, serving as president his senior year. He also was a resident assistant in Hessler Hall. “I have always enjoyed organizing things, and I have a personality that likes to be in charge,” Stanley says. “I guess I just wanted to be in charge of things.” After graduation, Stanley worked at a Decatur bank as a loan officer for two years before joining the Army in 1982. During his career, Stanley was sent to Iraq twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and was part of the Stryker Combat Brigade in Baghdad. “OIF was launched with the immediate stated goal of removing Saddam Hussein’s regime and destroying its ability to use weapons of mass destruction or to make them available to terrorists,” Stanley says. As time passed, he says, his mission veered away from regime removal to the more open-ended mission of helping the government of Iraq improve security, establish a system of governance and foster economic development. During his time in the Stryker Brigade, Stanley says that he and his fellow soldiers fought to protect the Iraqi people from threats originating from the Syrian border. Throughout this mission, they trained Iraqi armies to fight while helping to improve the welfare of residents living in Monsul and Baghdad. His first tour in Iraq lasted about a year, and he served as infantry first sergeant for Headquarters and Headquarters

Former alumni and development office intern Stephanie Strick ’15 originally interviewed Stanley in spring 2014. Caitlin Husted ’16 then wrote the final article based on Strick’s notes and her own interviews of Stanley while interning for the office last fall.

CLASS NOTES (RECEIVED OCT. 15, 2013-OCT. 30, 2O14)

’88

Jay Marshall of Richmond, Ill., writes, “I was injured [in 2012] but am now fully recovered and have started on my goal of [running] a marathon a month.” Kristine Lasco Stanley of Rogers, Ariz., owns Home Instead Senior Care of Northwest Arizona. Michael Voeller of Morton, Ill., is chief financial officer of Illinois Cancer Care PC in Peoria, Ill.

’89

Kathleen Beer Alan of Waupaca, Wis., is high school choral director for Waupaca School District. Tony Custin of Champaign, Ill., is clinical IT services manager at Carle Foundation Hospital, where he provides direct management oversight for oncology and cardiology IT services.

Harry Orr of Goose Creek, S.C., is director of safety and health at KapStone Charleston Kraft, a paper manufacturing company in North Charleston, S.C. He earned a master’s degree in environmental safety and health in 2011. Terry Philbin of Dublin, Ohio, is an orthopedic surgeon at the Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Center. He is also a foot and ankle consultant for the football teams at Ohio University, Dublin Coffman High School and Olentangy Liberty High School. Philbin is a 2014 Millikin Athletic Hall of Fame inductee. (See related story, page 25.)

’90

Todd Frick of Mt. Zion, Ill., completed a master’s degree in divinitypastoral counseling through Liberty University in May 2014 and was ordained as a minister through Faith Christian Fellowship in June 2014. He is pastoral care minister at Mt. Zion Assembly of God.

’92

Kerry Muzzey of Santa Monica, Calif.,

Kevin Mathews ’91: The 2015 Tabor School of Business Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award Recipient. Mathews (pictured above with Sharon Alpi, retiring director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, and Rick Bibb, associate professor emeritus of marketing) is founder and CEO of GenOx Transportation Inc., a market leader in the transportation of liquid nitrogen gas and other frozen industrial gases headquartered in La Porte, Texas. Established in 2014, the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award recognizes alumni who have demonstrated outstanding business acumen and entrepreneurial success, true to the entrepreneurial educational foundation offered at the university. For more information, visit bit.ly/mu15-tbs_awardee.

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

released his album “The Architect” in August 2014. Recorded in the Great Hall at the AIR Lyndhurst Studios in London and featuring the Chamber Orchestra of London, the album entered the Billboard Classical Charts at No. 5 last September. Debbie Elston Shierling of Quincy, Ill., earned a master’s degree in sport management: sport administration with high distinction from Liberty University in August. She co-owns and manages an indoor sports facility for basketball, volleyball and indoor soccer.

’93

Michael Mills of Swansea, Ill., is founder, president and managing partner of Mills Barrington Advisors LLC, a registered investment advisory in Chesterfield, Mo. Prior to establishing the firm, Mills worked for a total of nearly 17 years at Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch in Clayton, Mo. Patrick Perry of Evanston, Ill., is a partner at PrairieFire Communications, a marketing and communications company in Mount Prospect, Ill.

’94

Photo by Julie Lycan Carter ’00.

ALUMNI EXCELLENCE

Cody Moore of Decatur graduated in June from the FBI National Academy Program at Quantico, Va., a 10-week program of advanced investigative, management and fitness training for selected law enforcement officers. He is a lieutenant in the Decatur

Police Department and serves as first shift commander in the patrol division.

Amy Hagen of Taylorville, Ill., won U.S. Bank’s Annual Pinnacle Award, the company’s highest employee achievement honor. This is the second Annual Pinnacle Award for Hagen, who serves as U.S. Bank’s market president in Taylorville. She was also named 2013 Outstanding Citizen of the Year by the Taylorville Chamber of Commerce.

’95

Ryan Carpel of Chicago is founder, consultant and a major shareholder of Panther Biotechnology Inc., a company focused on the acquisition and development of small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other cancers. Carpel writes, “As architect of the entire company, I located novel leukemia drugs through Northwestern University, found a public vehicle to allow them to become publicly traded, assisted in finding an investment bank to raise capital and branded the company.”

Terence Durkin of Northville, Mich., is a principal in the Detroit office of Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook, a law firm with six offices in Michigan, Ohio and Illinois. Tony Edmonds of St. Peters, Mo., was elected president of the African American Employee Business Resource Group in 2013. The organization is a community within PNC Bank in St. Louis that focuses on employee engagement, community outreach and driving business results. Edmonds is an assistant vice president and branch manager at PNC. Ryan Thomason of Greenville, Ill., is music director for Bond County Unit No. 2 schools. He serves as the high school instructor of bands and musical pit director, and also teaches fifth grade beginning band, as well as third, fifth and sixth grade general music and junior high band at Sorento and Pocahontas schools.

’96

Joelle Charbonneau of Palatine, Ill., has written a trilogy for young adults. The first book in the series, “The Testing,” made appearances on the New York Times young adult bestseller list in December 2013 and the second book, “Independent Study,” debuted at No. 8 on the YA list. The third book, “Graduation Day,” appeared on the New York Times and USA Today best seller lists. Paramount Pictures has optioned rights to the series and is working on developing it for film. Natalie Gingrey of Edwards, Ill., writes, “Coming up on 20 years with Caterpillar that all started with an internship as part of being a CAT Scholar. Thanks, MU, for introducing me to a great career. Go Big Blue!” Laura Peaslee of Venice, Fla., is audit supervisor at Kerkering Barberio, a certified public accountant firm in Sarasota, Fla. Jennifer Lents Peck and David Peck, both ’96, of Decatur are owners of AAA Trophies, offering trophies, engraving services, recognition and corporate awards, and signage. David is also a CPA and is chief financial officer at Dunn Co. They have two children: Drew, 12, and Amber, 8.

ALUMNI PROFILE

NOT TOYING AROUND by Amanda Hamilton ’14

Photo by Alida Duff Sullivan ’06.

HEN FRIENDS SURVEY Chris Phillips’ extensive collection of retro toys and comic books, he loves watching their smiles as they find a toy they once had as a child. And as vice president of marketing for Decatur’s Land of Lincoln Credit Union, he also appreciates how their reactions reflect the expertise that went into marketing those toys. “Marketing is more psychology than business,” says the 1998 MU graduate. “You want to make people change behaviors.” He sees marketing as a combination of science and art. “Find a blend of those,” he says, “and you find success.” As a student, Phillips came to Millikin to study music, but eventually changed to business. “Marketing seemed to be the most non-business business degree,” he says. Phillips has been in marketing now for nearly 16 years and is a graduate of the Credit Union National Association Management School, where he was chosen to participate in Filene I3, a think tank focusing on the development of innovative products. One of his successful marketing ventures is a national film festival held each year during the Decatur Celebration festival, the 21 Film Project. The project began seven years ago, with Land of Lincoln creating it to give people a chance to have their “15 minutes of fame,” Phillips says. Contestants create four-minute videos in any style or genre and must incorporate the Land of Lincoln Credit Union name and tagline. The top 21 films are screened during the Celebration, and awards include people’s choice and grand prize. The project illustrates an interdisciplinary aspect he finds intriguing. “I love numbers and analysis,” Phillips says, “but I also love creativity, development and understanding people.” Interweaving psychology into his work requires observation of an ever-changing culture and a willingness to change with that culture. He sometimes envies construction workers who can stand and admire a newly completed project. “It would be nice to build a building,” he says. “It’s something you can see, and it’s finished.” Phillips, on the other hand, sees the evolution of his projects, but they can be constantly changing. This constant change, however, is also what Phillips likes about his job. “It’s a moving target. You look at things in new ways. There is something new in the environment every day, and you’re constantly learning.” Sometimes learning comes from a project that didn’t go as planned. When social media first came to prominence, Phillips and some colleagues launched a social media site for financial literacy that offered bill reminders, sales alerts, and helped users calculate their expenses. The heart of their

project was a “trade and save app” based entirely on trading items, such as a dryer for an Xbox 360. The plan was for users to save money by trading products rather than buying them. “We didn’t count on the trust factor,” Phillips says. “People trust Facebook because it’s big and they’re familiar with it. No one knew our site.” The site didn’t catch on the way they had hoped. “We thought big and tried something different,” he says. He remains optimistic, though, noting they may find another use for the site in the future. Phillips also has a larger interest in the well-being of the Decatur community, including his alma mater. A member of the Kirkland Fine Arts Center advisory board and former member of the Alumni Association board, he sees his involvement with MU as a way to support both the university and Decatur: “I like the excitement of opening up the Millibubble and tying Millikin and Decatur together, because they live and breathe off each other.” His passion, he says, is “to better the perception and overall experience of Decatur.” This emphasis on community reflects his personal marketing philosophy, which he shares with marketing students: “Treat people properly. Successes come through other people. You’re working with them, leading them or being led. You don’t get anything done by yourself.” Q Amanda Hamilton ’14 interned for the alumni and development office much of 2014. She now works as a marketing specialist for HSHS Medical Group.

CLASS NOTES (RECEIVED OCT. 15, 2013-OCT. 30, 2O14)

Bridget Ploessl of Decatur is an adjunct instructor in Millikin’s communications department.

issue. Photographs from her science research cruises are featured in “To the Denmark Strait: Oceanographers Search for a Mysterious Current,” published by Burford Books.

Steven Weaver of Waukesha, Wis., is dean of students at the University of the Ozarks.

Chris Phillips is profiled in this issue of Millikin Quarterly. See page 31.

Jennifer Vadbunker Wilken of Thawville, Ill., is assistant director at Presence Home Care in Bourbonnais, Ill.

Michelle Tucker Smith of Gillespie, Ill., is a teacher and coach at Gillespie High School. Her husband, Jeremy, is a teacher and coach at Gillespie Middle School. They have a daughter, Gillian, 4. Michelle has completed two master’s degrees in education — one in curriculum and instruction and the other in administration in education (principal certification, type 75).

’97

Laura Dopheide Dotson of Quincy, Ill., is manager of communications at Adams Electric Cooperative in Camp Point, Ill. Scott Jenkins of Chicago is creator and a producer on the nonscripted reality special “Carvers,” which premiered March 2014 on the SYFY channel. He is a member of the New Honor Society in Chicago, a content development agency. He and his wife, Kara Felt Jenkins ’98, have three children.

Dana Williams of Morgan Hill, Calif., is marketing communications manager at YMCA of Silicon Valley-Mt. Madonna.

’99

Amy Johnson Kemp of Bourbonnais, Ill., is an independent sales director for Mary Kay Cosmetics. In November 2013, she was named to the first class of Kankakee County’s 40 Under 40 honorees. The program was created by the Kankakee Chamber of Commerce to recognize the achievements and leadership of young area professionals.

Jennifer Niemann of St. Louis, is segment controller for Perfection, an automotive aftermarket company located in Hazelwood, Mo. Denise Wheeler Ukena of Edwardsville, Ill., is assistant executive director of Community Hope Center, a faith-based nonprofit organization in Cottage Hills, Ill., that helps those in need with food, clothing, educational classes and more.

Elizabeth Bernard Kubal of Bourbonnais, Ill., is comptroller for the City of Kankakee, Ill. In November 2013, she was named to the first class of Kankakee County’s 40 Under 40 honorees. The program was created by the Kankakee Chamber of Commerce to recognize the achievements and leadership of young area professionals.

’98

Rachel Fletcher of Knoxville, Tenn., owns Knox Upholstery and is also a photographer. Her upholstery work was displayed in Southern Living magazine’s October 2013

Elizabeth’s husband, Joe Kubal ’98, is a history teacher and assistant varsity football coach at Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School, where he coaches with Mike Kohl ’97, the school’s assistant athletic director and head football coach. Elizabeth and Joe have three sons: Benjamin, 8, Andrew, 6, and Jacob, 3. Kristin Ebers Wolter of Evansville, Ill., is a school counselor at Lutheran High School – South in the South County area of St. Louis. Kristin writes that she is excited to be working in private education and hopes to lead new students to MU. She and her husband, Glenn, owner of Wolter’s Custom Cabinets, have two children: Anna, 9, and Alan, 6.

’00

Mary Carmean Cassell, also MBA ’03, of Forsyth, Ill., completed her doctorate in organization and management through Capella University’s school of business and technology in January 2014. Emily Lamb Normand of Lockport, Ill., is an assistant professor in the communications department at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill. Her husband, Bill Normand Jr., also ’00, is assistant principal of A. Vito Martinez Middle School in Romeoville. They have three children: daughter Adeline, 6, and sons Bennett, 4, and Calahan, 2. Gabriel “Gabe” Serrano of Rock Island, Ill., a realtor at RE/ MAX River Cities in Bettendorf, Iowa, was recently named to the RE/MAX Hall of Fame for career sales production. He also ranked 88th among U.S. Latino agents for number of transactions, with 71.

Submitted photo.

ALUMNI CONNECTIONS

’01

John Cardoni ’04 (left) and Tony Obrohta ’91 performed together in June 2014 at the Porterfield Country Music Festival in Marinette, Wis. Although both are professional guitarists and Nashville residents, the two met for the first time at the music festival while performing with American Idol finalist Josh Gracin.

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

Tim Carrigan of Chicago is vice president of nursing operations at Rush University Medical Center.

’02

Eric Kotewa of Champaign, Ill., was a recipient of Central Illinois Business magazine’s 2014 Forty Under 40 Awards. The awards recognize young professionals for their achievements, experience, innovation, leadership and community involvement. Kotewa is deputy director of the Champaign County Economic Development Corp.

Heather Phares Mundhenke of Cape Coral, Fla., is recruiting manager at Robert Half Finance & Accounting, a staffing and recruiting agency in Ft. Myers, Fla. Kevin Smith of Dalton City, Ill., organized “Macon Miles for CASA,” a 40-mile run from the southern to northern Macon County line to raise funds and awareness for Macon County’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for children. More than 30 runners participated in the event, held April 12, 2014.

’04

Catie Huggins is profiled in this issue of Millikin Quarterly. See next page. Eric Kohn of Atlanta is director of marketing at the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), where he works to advance FEE’s mission to inspire, educate and connect future leaders with the economic, ethical and legal principles of a free society by expanding FEE’s reach to new audiences. Eric and his wife, Becca, have two children: daughter Harper, 4, and son Reagan, 1. Joseph Wiemelt of Urbana, Ill., is a recipient of Central Illinois Business magazine’s 2014 Forty Under 40 Awards. The awards recognize young professionals for their achievements, experience, innovation, leadership and community involvement. Wiemelt is director of equity and student learning/bilingual and multicultural programs for the Urbana School District. He is also an adjunct faculty member in Millikin’s School of Education. Russell Wilson II of Chattanooga, Tenn., is a systems analyst at UNUM, a global provider of employee benefits.

’05

Benjamin Bullock of Chicago is online marketing manager at Simple Machines Marketing. Eric Burton of Champaign, Ill., is packaging technology coordinator at MEDA Pharmaceuticals in Decatur. Samuel Byndom of Urbana, Ill., was a recipient of Central Illinois Business magazine’s 2014 Forty Under 40 Awards. The awards recognize young professionals

ALUMNI PROFILE

SCALING THE IVORY TOWER by Amanda Hamilton ’14

was responsible for helping a fellow singer into her costume backstage. “Every night we’d have to put extra pins in there,” she says, describing their struggle to keep the skirt attached. It didn't always work. Huggins recalls being on stage when her colleague, walking across stage, realized her skirt was falling off. She laughs at the extent of multitasking involved in opera: “Singing, counting, walking, trying to make it all look natural – and trying to keep your skirt from falling off.” When Huggins isn’t wrestling with costumes and balancing wigs, she serves as education chair for Vox 3. She finds her curiosity and repertoire knowledge useful: “At Vox 3, we search for underperformed repertoire,” she says, seeking to expose audiences to music that may not be popular or familiar. When she creates a workshop or educational program for their singers, she uses Millikin workshops as a model to develop an in-depth learning experience. In addition to her work with Vox 3, Huggins enjoys her day job as circulation manager for the music library at Northwestern University where she is surrounded by musicians daily – especially young musicians. Huggins also finds time to perform with her husband, Benjamin, a pianist. “We’re a huge hit at my grandparents’ retirement home in St. Louis,” she says. But connecting opera to real life is still her biggest passion, and she advises students: “Success doesn’t have to be defined by singing at the Met. You’ll find what success is for you and you’ll find what makes you happy.” Q Submitted photo.

HEN CATIE HUGGINS ’04 of Chicago originally came to Millikin, her interest was in musical theatre, but it wasn’t long before she discovered opera. In MU’s opera program, Huggins found a home for her mezzo-soprano voice. “Doing musicals in high school, I struggled with the fact that it wasn’t the style my voice could easily do.” But when she began singing opera, she realized, “That’s my voice. That’s where I belong.” She laughs that, in this setting, she finally wasn’t cautioned against singing too loud. She loved how language, history, culture, acting and music all converged in opera. In-depth opera workshops at Millikin prepared her for graduate school at Chicago’s Roosevelt University: “Those fresh out of undergrad had strange gaps in their knowledge,” she says, noting that the Roosevelt faculty were amazed at the number of songs and composers she knew. In 2007, Huggins joined Vox 3, a group of students from Roosevelt University looking for opportunities to create and perform. A nonprofit volunteer organization, Vox 3 now regularly receives grants and critical notice. Huggins describes the group’s performances as “very eclectic.” They performed their first cabaret of the season featuring songs from cartoons alongside classical selections. On the other hand, they collaborated with the Kenosha Symphony Orchestra for a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. “We’re all over the map,” she says. “We do some opera, but also highlight works of new Chicago-area composers.” Making opera accessible to a modern audience can be difficult, she says. “The challenge that presents itself to performers is to find a way to make it engaging and relevant to people’s lives,” she says. “We focus in on the moments that can connect to real life.” Huggins is saddened that opera seems to be stuck in an ivory tower of formalization and elitism.“There’s a feeling sometimes going into an opera house – almost like people are going into a church. It’s great to have that kind of respect for it, but I always think it would have been interesting to go to an opera in 18th century Vienna. It was a very relaxed atmosphere. People were watching for entertainment, but also socializing with their neighbor.” She confesses that she prefers recitals and oratorios where costumes aren't required. During one performance, Huggins

Amanda Hamilton ’14 interned for the alumni and development office much of 2014. She now works as a marketing specialist for HSHS Medical Group.

CLASS NOTES (RECEIVED OCT. 15, 2013-OCT. 30, 2O14)

for their achievements, experience, innovation, leadership and community involvement. Byndom is director of the Urbana Adult Education Center. Abigail Gerlesits Fisher and Jason Fisher are profiled in this issue of Millikin Quarterly. See page 37. Felicia Davis Jiardina of Bloomington, Ill., is office manager, marketing coordinator and education facilitator at Heartland Dental Care. Her husband, Charles, is a nuclear medicine technologist at OSF Hospitals in Pontiac, Ill., and Bloomington, Ill., and at Carle Hospital in Champaign, Ill. They have two children: son Charles, 5, and daughter Tailynn, 2. Kelli Smith of Decatur is an account executive at DCC Marketing. Katie Steimann Weber of Bloomington, Ill., is a mortgage loan processor at Flanagan State Bank.

’06

Zach Binkley of Romeoville, Ill., is assistant professor of sport and exercise science, and fitness management program director at Lewis University. He is completing a doctorate in education technology. Kristin Challandes of Edwardsville, Ill., is owner/ president of Innovative Media

LLC, specializing in helping small and medium-sized businesses with online growth and development strategies by providing websites, social media campaigns and search engine optimization.

munications at the American Seed Trade Association.

Caleb Keith of Athens, Ga., is senior coordinator of assessment and staff development for the office of the vice president for student affairs at the University of Georgia.

’07

Jimmy Paul of Homer Glen, Ill., is marketing manager for Step Protect PLUS, a company that markets stair and floor protection pads for construction and home improvement projects. Robert Pica of Cincinnati is chief resident in podiatric surgery at The Christ Hospital. William Richards of Jackson Heights, N.Y., is specialty territory sales manager for Mission Pharmacal, a pharmaceutical company based in San Antonio, Texas. He is also completing an MBA at Wagner College.

Julia Witty-Miller is profiled in this issue of Millikin Quarterly. See next page. Katelyn Coffman Gray of Machesney Park, Ill., is associate relationship manager at Rockford Bank and Trust Company. Sara Davis Kelly of Decatur is an instructional technology coach for the Decatur School District. She and her husband, Adam, have a daughter, Lennon, 6. Peter Manzi of Carlsbad, Calif., completed a master’s degree in music education from VanderCook College of Music in July 2014. He is director of bands at Carlsbad High School. Ryan Preci of Evansville, Ind., recently earned a master’s degree in K-12 school counseling from Missouri Baptist University. He is a guidance counselor at Harrison High School.

Julia Thurman of Bradenton, Fla., is practice administrator at Dermatology & Oculoplastic Consultants PL in Sarasota, Fla.

Dan Stuby of Plano, Ill., is brand development manager for Bob Rogers Travel, a student group tour operator based in Naperville, Ill.

Lindsay Wagner of Rochelle, Ill., is a fourth-grade teacher at South Elgin U-46.

’08

Janice Tolley Walters of Alexandria, Va., is director of com-

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

Andrea Riebock Dorsey of Forsyth, Ill., is an assistant women’s basketball coach at Millikin. (See related story, page 10.)

Amanda Gass of Granite City, Ill., is product release coordinator at Steris Corp., a pharmaceutical and medical devices company in St. Louis. Melissa Mecadon of Newnan, Ga., is a private clarinet and guitar instructor for Greater Atlanta Christian School. Christopher Weisenborn of Decatur is musical director of the men’s ensemble for Millikin’s children’s choir in the School of Music’s preparatory department. He is also the choral director for Maroa-Forsyth junior and senior high schools.

’09

Russel Boulton of West Peoria, Ill., is director of worship and music at First Federated Church of Peoria. He writes, “I love seeing Millikin ensembles on tour.” Susan Fruth of Lake Forest, Ill., was elected regional director for the Great Lakes Region of the Young Democrats of America. Monica Jimenez of Murphysboro, Ill., graduated from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in May 2014. She entered an internal medicine residency at University of Tennessee/ St. Thomas Midtown Hospital in Nashville in July 2014. Meaghan McDonagh of Chicago is community events specialist for the American Cancer Society.

ALUMNI PROFILE

GREAT SCOT! WHAT A FESTIVAL!

VER A WEEKEND EACH June, a field in Itasca, Ill., transforms into a curious tent city. Bagpipers bray at the entrance. Children, clacking wooden swords, run among the legs of kilted Scots in crisp Glengarry hats whose faces glow red from whiskey tastings. Now and again, the Scots raise a cheer: “For rugby scores! For hay bales heaved skyward! For the knobbliest knees sashayed across a stage!” Until recently, the marshal of this mayhem, the annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games, was Julia Witty-Miller ’06, then director of programming for Chicago Scots, which started as a Scottish immigrants association in 1845. There, Witty-Miller oversaw several programs to connect Scots and other Caledophiles to their Scottish heritage – golf outings, black-tie dinners, a business forum, clubs and more. But the Highland Games was Witty-Miller’s largest and most demanding event. Without staff, she prepared for nine months, relying on the help of nearly 500 volunteers. Once the games began, she steered her golf cart across the grounds to manage one issue after another – from full parking garages to main stage power outages to friendly Scots trying to ply her with whiskey shots to get a ride in her cart. She was lucky if she slept four hours during the weekend-long festival. “Some people think all I do is go to parties,” she said. “But event planning and programming is a lot of hard work.” Witty-Miller could not have imagined work of this scale when she first started event planning at Millikin. As a student worker, she helped the alumni and development office prepare for Homecoming events, and as a business management major, she co-organized a Tabor Business School conference. “We organized alums to talk on panels, coordinated catering, and ensured there were enough tables, chairs and nametags … all that little stuff people don’t think twice about when they come in.” Within a year of graduation, Witty-Miller was working at a fundraising consultancy owned by fellow alum and Tri-Delta sister, Nike Smyth Whitcomb ’66. Whitcomb invited her to the Highland Games, and though Witty-Miller is not particularly Scottish (“I’m a classic American mutt”), she was instantly hooked. The closing ceremony – featuring nearly a thousand bagpipes lowing “Amazing Grace” – gave her goosebumps. Witty-Miller loved the strong sense of community, and

Submitted photos.

by Katie Liesener ’03

felt the organization had great potential to do more. Immediately after taking the directorship in 2012, she insisted on two changes: tangible membership benefits and a complete overhaul of the website. She didn’t stop there. To reverse declining membership, she created more free and low-cost programs, including pub crawls for adults and kids events for young families. During her tenure, Chicago Scots also worked to connect Scottish companies with business opportunities in the U.S., strengthened a support network for ex-pats, brought contemporary Scottish musicians stateside and organized a reading by “Trainspotting” author Irvine Welsh. Witty-Miller also brought innovative thinking to the marketing strategy for the Highland Games, shifting from billboards to geo-targeted web and direct mail campaigns. Her Cyber Monday sale catapulted advance ticket sales by 200 percent. The Games, which usually draw 12,000-15,000 people, drew an estimated 17,000-18,000 in 2014. On the final evening of the 2014 games, a severe thunderstorm approached, threatening the beloved closing ceremony. Witty-Miller had to put the crowd’s safety first. Over the loudspeaker, she directed people to the parking garages. But inside the garages, the Scots broke out their bagpipes, danced to the rhythmic rainfall and cheered the thunderclaps. Afterward, a hardy group marched back into the slop to resume their places in the beer tent. “People could’ve gotten angry, freaked out, stressed,” WittyMiller said. “But they kept the party going — they wouldn’t let rain keep them down. That’s something that stuck with me.” Editor's note: Last October, Julie-Witty Miller ’06 accepted a new position as director of annual giving and marketing operations for the University of Illinois Foundation in Champaign, Ill.

Katie Liesener ’03 of Chicago, a freelance writer, attended the Highland games last summer to write this profile.

CLASS NOTES (RECEIVED OCT. 15, 2013-OCT. 30, 2O14)

Stacey Fackler Moore of Riverside, Ill., is a human resources business partner at Groupon Inc. in Chicago. Stephanie Hager Connolly Poignant of Lacon, Ill., is a curriculum management analyst at Illinois Central College in East Peoria, Ill. Sam Sinkhorn of Chicago is web editor for Sacred Heart schools. Rachel Weiss of Rock Island, Ill., is research and instruction librarian at Augustana College. She earned a master’s degree in music from West Virginia University in 2011 and a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2012.

’10

Tim Martin of Schaumburg, Ill., completed a master’s degree in education from the University of Georgia. He is an area hall director at North Central College in Naperville, Ill. Cassidy Stirtz of Naperville, Ill., has joined the international tour of “Once The Musical.” The tour will include performances throughout the U.S., as well as in Canada and Japan.

’11

Warren Beals of Sullivan, Ill., is owner of Triple B Home Center, a lumberyard. He is married to Amber Floyd Beals ’12, a registered nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur. Kathleen Buckingham of Normal, Ill., earned a master’s degree in athletic training from Illinois State University in May 2014, where she is an assistant athletic trainer for women’s basketball.

Franshandra Liddell of Springfield, Ill., is a member of the psychiatric response team at Mental Health Centers of Central Illinois. Erica Reese Melcher of Jacksonville, Ill., is an adjunct instructor in Millikin’s art department. Jillian Schneider of Hawthorn Woods, Ill., is a life consultant and team leader at the Hillside, Ill., location of Aspire of Illinois, a nonprofit organization providing services to children and adults with developmental disabilities. Jeff Smith of Decatur is head men’s and women’s swimming coach at Millikin. Smith was a four-year letterwinner in swimming for the Big Blue, and served as team captain his senior year. Grace DeClerck Snively of St. Louis is an independent sales director for Mary Kay Cosmetics. Joshua Watters of Salmiya, Kuwait City, Kuwait, is a music teacher at Kuwait American School. Lauralee Williams of Hannibal, Mo., is an assistant athletic trainer at Hannibal-LaGrange University. She completed a master’s degree in adult and higher education in April 2013.

’12

Gina Canny MSN ’12 of Chatham, Ill., is an instructor in Millikin’s School of Nursing. Ashley Garner MSN ’12 of Decatur is an adjunct instructor in Millikin’s School of Nursing. She is also a clinical nurse leader at St. Mary’s Hospital.

Thank you, donors! Visit donors.millikin.edu to view the Honor Roll of Donors, which recognizes those who donated to MU from July 1, 2013 through December 31, 2014.

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

Ian Hatleli of St. Clair, Mo., is assistant men’s soccer coach at East Central College in Union, Mo.

Heather Holm of Illiopolis, Ill., is an audit associate for BKD LLP, a Decatur accounting firm.

Dylan Howser of Berkeley, Calif., recently earned a master’s degree in college student affairs from Pennsylvania State University. He is the coordinator of fraternity and sorority advising and leadership development at the University of California, Berkeley.

Shanell Johnson of Oglesby, Ill., is youth development coordinator at The Salvation Army in Ottawa, Ill.

Katie Kirchner of Knoxville, Tenn., earned a master’s degree in social work with a concentration in evidenced-based interpersonal practice from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. She is a social worker for the medical surgery units at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. David Peters of Decatur is an admission counselor in Millikin’s admission office. Jake Ray of Watseka, Ill., is operations manager for WGFA radio station (94.1 FM/1360 AM). Jasmine Stephen of Chicago is a researcher at Endemol/Deep Dish Productions LLC, a media/entertainment company.

’13

Levi Cushing of Decatur is a business analyst at Archer Daniels Midland Co.

Alexandra Miller of Canton, Mich., is development assistant for annual giving and membership at the University of Michigan Alumni Association in Ann Arbor, Mich. Denny Patterson of Granite City, Ill., is a staff writer for Vital VOICE Magazine, a publication for Missouri’s LGBT community. He is also a digitalization specialist for Ancestry.com in St. Louis, where he scans WWII draft cards for access by users of the genealogy website. Bailey Russell of DeKalb, Ill., is a registered nurse for Rockford Health System. Nicholas Throop of Springfield, Ill., is visit and communications coordinator in Millikin’s office of admission. Emma Wilson of Decatur is a principal consultant for the chief performance officer at the Illinois State Board of Education in Springfield, Ill.

’14

Amber Williams of Mt. Zion, Ill., is a first-grade teacher for Warrensburg-Latham School District.

Ashlee Colby of Buffalo Grove, Ill., is graphic designer at Media Directions Creative Group in Lincolnshire, Ill.

Kelsie Corcoran Gallegos of Decatur is an adjunct faculty member in the School of Music’s preparatory department, where she teaches voice lessons. An active member of Decatur choral group, Opus 24, she is also a voice instructor at Little Theatre on the Square in Sullivan, Ill., teaches private voice lessons in her home, and served as the vocal coach for the Decatur Park District’s musical production of “Fiddler on the Roof.”

Joe Foltz of Indianapolis is associate director of choirs at Carmel High School in Carmel, Ind.

Wes Hillen of Decatur is assistant men’s golf coach in Millikin’s athletic department and is also a financial services professional at Foster Financial Services Inc. Hillen was a recipient of the 2014 Lindsay Medallion in November. See related article, page 9.

Amanda Hamilton of Athens, Ill., works in the marketing department at HSHS (Hospital Sisters Health System) Medical Group in Springfield, Ill. While a Millikin student, she was a writing intern for Millikin Quarterly. See pages 27, 31 and 33. Elena Romanowski of Chicago appeared in Blue Gate Theatre’s production of “Josiah for President” in Shipshewana, Ind. Dustin Roth of St. Louis is a project manager/air sampling technician at Environmental Consultants LLC.

ALUMNI PROFILE

BIG BLUE JOURNEY by Brittany Mytnik ’15

Submitted photo.

LTHOUGH ABIGAIL GERLESITS FISHER and Jason Fisher, both ’05, went to high schools in the Chicago suburbs, they didn’t meet until they were freshmen at Millikin, 200 miles from home. Their lives changed forever when Jason noticed Abigail at a Big Blue football game, wearing track pants supporting a rival high school’s team. The relationship that followed would lead them on a journey of more than 30,000 miles together. Like most journeys, not all was smooth. Bonding through mutual friends and a love of basketball, Abigail and Jason dated for two years before going their separate ways. While they were apart, Abigail developed her love of traveling, going to the East Coast for the national championship with the women’s basketball team, studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain, and student teaching in the Dominican Republic. The two discovered that distance actually brought them closer together, and they rekindled their relationship after college. Travel became something they could share. Jason proposed to Abigail on top of a mountain in New Zealand in 2009, and they were married six months later. Research and determination led to jobs with The Lincoln School, an American-International institution in Costa Rica. For two years, Abigail taught English as a second language for kindergarten through fifth grade, and Jason taught courses in literature and theory of knowledge. The couple feels their time at Millikin prepared them well for their travels. Studying abroad allowed Abigail to gain international experience early on. “MU provided amazing opportunities for her to start exploring the world,” Jason says. And Millikin’s communication program taught him how to communicate effectively and collaborate with others, he says. “When we first arrived, [Costa Rica] was so difficult,” Abigail says. “There are so many hidden cultural norms you are naïve to. It just takes time and effort to get to understand the culture and the people. It’s rewarding once you figure it all out.” Living such a long distance from their own families was also challenging. Forming new friendships, settling into a comfortable routine and enjoying the warm climate eased the transition. Jason realized his dream of playing professional basketball as a member of Liceo de Costa Rica, a team in the premier division of the country’s professional league, for one season. They soon started a family, welcoming baby daughter Sanibelle Irene on Oct. 6, 2012. Life was good.

But the following June, then 8-month-old Sanibelle suddenly suffered from respiratory failure, with seemingly no cause. After five days in an induced coma followed by five days in the hospital’s intensive care unit, she began to recover, although doctors remained unsure of the cause of her illness. Following that health scare, doctors diagnosed both mother and child with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). “We are forever grateful to the hospital for saving her life and grateful to the friends and family who helped us through it,” Abigail says. “But during a crisis like that being away from the ones we love most and in a foreign country was just too much. We really knew then that we needed to return home." The family returned to the U.S. in late 2013. Abigail cares for their daughter at home. Sanibelle still battles health issues but is receiving treatment. Jason teaches high school English just outside of Denver, seeking ways to be a positive influence for his students: “Hopefully, I can inspire young adults to be better students, better athletes and better people.” Meanwhile, Abigail is writing a book for parents experiencing PTSD. “Almost losing a child is a fear so fierce, you don’t recognize the shock it causes in your body and mind,” Abigail says. “My hope is that the book will help other parents get through similar situations.” Jason and Abigail still have a passion for traveling and hope to return to a Spanish-speaking country eventually. Until then, the Fishers keep a little bit of Costa Rica with them by raising Sanibelle to be bilingual. Her first words were “dada,” “mama” and “pulpo,” the Spanish word for “octopus.” Perhaps by now she also says “Gran Azul” (“Big Blue”)? Q Brittany Mytnik ’15, an English writing major, interned for the alumni and development office throughout most of 2014.

CLASS NOTES (RECEIVED OCT. 15, 2013-OCT. 30, 2O14)

WEDDINGS Duane Beals ’57 and Kaye Mills, March 1, 2014. Duane is a retired Caterpillar engineer. They live in Decatur. Dale Dykstra ’69 and Donna Parish, July 27, 2013. Dale is minister at First Presbyterian Church in Kewanee. Donna is retired. They live in Kewanee, Ill. Anna Contarino ’88 and Daniel Rueff ’89, June 7, 2014. Anna is a piano instructor at Northeast Florida Conservatory in Jacksonville, Fla. Daniel is retired from State Farm Companies, and is currently pursuing his passion as a voice artist, composer, musician and audio producer. They were married in Millikin’s Pilling Chapel and live in Jacksonville, Fla. Carrie Spencer ’98 and Alexander Sander, May 30, 2014. Carrie is medical secretary at St. Louis University Neurosurgery. Alexander owns Xander Labor Services. Together, they have four children: Meaghan Angus, 16; Bridget Angus, 13; Michaela Sander, 7; and Emily Sander, 5. They live in Arnold, Mo. Shawn Lent ’00 and Mohamed Radwan, Dec. 21, 2013. Shawn

is EducationUSA coordinator in the Cairo, Egypt office of AMIDEAST. Mohamed is a cinematographer and photographer. They live in Cairo.

Katy Cryns ’08 and Robert Dantona, May 4, 2013. Katy is a dance instructor. Robert works at Trader Joe’s in Simi Valley, Calif. They live in Los Angeles.

University-Purdue University, Indianapolis. J.B. is a financial analyst with United Technologies, Carrier Corp. They live in Indianapolis.

Michael Moushon ’01 and Nicole Reyes, May 18, 2013. Michael is owner and CEO of Sounds Like Drums, a corporation specializing in the development of music-related programs for software including Reason, Logic and Pro Tools. They live in Kissimmee, Fla.

Haley Wade ’08 and Brent Ferrill, July 5, 2014. Haley is a grain merchandiser at Clarkson Grain Company Inc., in Cerro Gordo, Ill. Brent is a farmer. They live in Oreana, Ill.

Garret Mathison and Sarah Nielsen, both ’11, Nov. 23, 2013. Garrett works in the admissions department at Sullivan University in Louisville, Ky. Sarah is corporate communication specialist for Atria Senior Living in Louisville. They live in Louisville. See their wedding photo below.

Elizabeth James ’05 and Justin Brinkoetter, June 7, 2014. Elizabeth recently earned a master’s degree in education as a reading specialist from Benedictine University. She is a teacher with Decatur Public Schools. Justin is a service writer at Bob Ridings in Decatur. They live in Decatur. Sarah Johansen ’07 and Matthew Ely, April 27, 2013. Sarah is a chemist at Sigma Aldrich in St. Louis. She earned a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, in 2012. Matthew is a chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in St. Louis. They live in Granite City, Ill.

Jaclyn Weisenborn ’09 and Tom Cantwell, May 31, 2014. Formerly MU’s associate director of alumni engagement, Jaclyn is culture manager for Land of Lincoln Credit Union in Decatur. Tom is director of sales and marketing at Martin Auction in Clinton, Ill. They live in Decatur. Brandon Keller ’10 and Elizabeth “Betsy” Wise ’11, May 3, 2014. Brandon works at State Farm Insurance Co. in Bloomington, Ill. Betsy is the manager of Wise Finance in Normal, Ill. They live in Bloomington. Allison O’Field ’10 and J.B. Spillane ’11, Sept. 14, 2013. Allison is an academic support specialist in the themed learning communities at Indiana

Kayla Vogel and Evan File, both ’11, May 13, 2013. Kayla is marketing communications coordinator at Runzheimer International, a provider of global employee mobility services based in Waterford, Wis. Evan is a loan processor at Waukesha State Bank in Waukesha, Wis. They live in West Allis, Wis. Lauren Rehmel ’12 and Grant Russel, July 27, 2013. Lauren is a senior enrollment specialist at Harrison College. Grant works for Wayne Township Fire Department. They live in Indianapolis. Ian Rhode ’12 and Olivia Hays ’14, Sept. 13, 2014. Olivia is a technical sales representative at Archer Daniels Midland Co. Ian is an accounting analyst and officer at Soy Capital Bank & Trust Co. They live in Decatur.

Submitted photo.

TRUE BLUE LOVE

Rosalie Neumann ’13 and David Shaw, June 14, 2014. Rosalie is a systems analyst at State Farm Insurance Co. in Bloomington, Ill. David is a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in Urbana, Ill. They live in Champaign, Ill.

FORTY-FIVE MU ALUMS, including nine MU couples, celebrated the Nielson-Mathison wedding! Row 1 (from left): Niki Smith ’11, Hollie Logsdon ’11, Garrett Mathison ’11 (groom), and Sarah Nielsen ’11 (bride). Row 2: Jessica Ewalt ’11, Morgan Perkins ’12, Brittany Hassee Crawford ’11, Katie Sheridan ’13, Susie Wirthlin ’13, Jessica Kline Evans ’10, Alyssa Napolitano ’11, Allison Schipma ’13, Lainey Poor ’13, and Phillip Armstrong ’14. Row 3: Felicia Gonski Barringer ’11, Brent "Bubba" Barringer ’11, Jamie Kowalczyk ’13, Ashley Hallowell ’11, Caleb Buscher ’13, Margaret Eby ’13, Tara Boyer Behrens ’12, and Alayna DeVar ’12. Row 4: Kayla Vogel File ’11, Evan File ’11, Bill Kersten ’11, Jake Behrens ’12, Spencer Rockford ’12, Kale Ewing ’13, Cameron Arndt ’13, Will Frankenberger ’10, and Jacki Parrilli ’12. At the wedding but not pictured: Andy Howell ’11, Joe Page ’11, Greg Woods ’11, John Wagner ’11, Chad Bell ’11, Taryn O’Meara ’12, Dan Tipton ’11, Stephanie Lanute ’14, Nate Moss ’11, Matt Niebur ’11, Ellen Williams ’12, Sean Roe ’12, Peter Pappas ’12, Scott Spector ’12.

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

Hannah Gifford and Jeremy Shull, both ’14, Aug. 9, 2014. Hannah works in Millikin’s Career Center as the AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) service learning coordinator for campus. Jeremy works in video production for First Christian Church in Decatur. They live in Decatur.

CLASS NOTES

BIRTHS AND ADOPTIONS Pamela Branham ’89 and Judith Branham of Bloomington, Minn., son Maxwell August, April 26, 2014. Pam is a stay-at-home mom. Judy is a vice president at the Minneapolis office of Stroz Friedberg, a digital risk management and investigations firm. Emily Rhodes ’96 and Paul Marchand of Fishers, Ind., daughter Isabella Susan, July 31, 2014. Emily is a business coach for Jimmy John’s Franchise LLC. Paul is manager of Hooters Restaurants in Indianapolis. Peter Krehbiel ’97 and Erika Malek Krehbiel ’99 of Wheaton, Ill., daughter Ella Louise, Aug. 30, 2013, welcomed by sister Lauren, 4. Peter is maintenance manager at Harbour Contractors – O’Hare Airport Transit System. Erika is chief communications officer for Glen Ellyn School District 41. Jason and Jaime Farrey Hall ’98 of Hudsonville, Mich., son Bennett Evan, Dec. 16, 2013, welcomed by sisters Reagan, 9, and Ruth, 4, and brother Bryce, 6. Jaime is a stay-at-home mom and teaches piano lessons. Jason is a financial adviser with Huntington Banks. Harry and Tatiana Stirrat Sieren ’98 of Beloit, Wis., daughter Emmeline Jaye, Aug. 5, 2014, welcomed by sisters Anastasia, 9, and Charlotte, 6. Harry is a production planner at TREK Bicycle in Waterloo, Wis. Tatiana is a nutrition educator with the University of Wisconsin’s Cooperative Extension Service in Beloit. Alison Bilyeu ’00 and Ben Coleman of Decatur, daughter Amelia Elizabeth, Nov. 18, 2013, welcomed by brothers Oliver, 6, and Ian, 3. Jamie Carter Goade and Jonathon Goade, both ’00, of Wheaton, Ill., son Jack Millikin, Sept. 8, 2014, welcomed by brothers Charlie, 5, and Grant, 3. Jamie is a stay-at-home mom. Jonathon is vice president of solution consulting for Epsilon, a marketing solutions provider in Chicago. Kate Smith and Michelle Grohe ’00, daughter Violet Rae, June

7, 2013. Kate is project conservator at Harvard Art Museums in Cambridge, Mass. Michelle is director of school and teacher programs at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. They live in Jamaica Plain, Mass.

Lydia, 4. Rachel is a fourth-grade teacher at Gardner Elementary School and an assistant track and field coach at Waterloo High School. Larry is a math teacher and track and field and cross country coach at Waterloo High School.

Darin and Rachel Franklin Smith ’00, daughter Giuliana Sophia, July 25, 2013, welcomed by brother Drew, 7, and sister Natalie, 5. Darin is a lead business analyst at State Farm Insurance Co. in Bloomington, Ill. Rachel works part-time as a lead systems project planner for one of the largest development centers in systems, customer relationship and opportunity management at State Farm. They live in Le Roy, Ill.

Jocelyn and Ashley Knezevich Pelasky ’05 of Glendale Heights, Ill., twin daughters Harper Ann and Holland Reid, July 10, 2014. Jocelyn is a nursing student. Ashley is a corporate recruiter for Walgreens Corp. in Deerfield, Ill.

Jason Rader ’01 and Jennifer Reynolds Rader ’04 of Geneva, Ill., son Dylan Matthew, May 22, 2013, welcomed by brother Cody, 4. Jason is senior account manager at Dorn Marketing, where he works with Kerrie Israelson ’07 and Neil Ruffolo ’93. Jennifer is a pharmaceutical sales rep for Eli Lilly and Co. Amy and Edward Raffenetti ’02 of Woodridge, Ill., son Nicholas Edward, Aug. 14, 2014, welcomed by brother Joseph, 2. Edward is a senior IT associate at JMG Financial Group Ltd., in Oak Brook, Ill. Amy is an IT manager at RAS Data Services in Darien, Ill. Monique Garcia Runnels ’03 and Adam Runnels ’06 of Lake Zurich, Ill., daughter Isla Celis, Nov. 11, 2013. Monique is marketing campaign manager at Ticketmaster in Rolling Meadows, Ill. Adam is a kitchen designer for ProSource of Chicago. Michael and Andrea Jones Breath ’05, daughter Cadence Mae, Oct. 2, 2013. Michael works for the State of Illinois Department of Corrections as a correctional officer at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Ill. Andrea is a paralegal at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Ill. They live in Joliet. Rachel Kirleis Huffman and Larry Huffman, both ’05, of Waterloo, Ill., son Noah Lawrence, Feb. 18, 2014, welcomed by sister

Andrew and Erika Cornelius Smith ’05 of Douglas, Mass., daughter Phoebe, April 9, 2014, welcomed by sister Sophie, 2. Andrew is completing a doctorate in history through Purdue University. Erika recently earned a doctorate in history from Purdue and is an assistant professor of history and political science at Nichols College, a private four-year college in Dudley, Mass. Mark and Amanda Russell VanderZyl ’05 of Lutherville, Md., son Jonas Russell VanderZyl, Aug. 26, 2014. Mark works in the office of technology transfer at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. Amanda is the chief of staff to the director of medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Brian and Jenna Schultheiss Clark ’06 of Monticello, Ill., son Ryder Logan, June 19, 2014, welcomed by brothers Jaxon, 4, and Wyatt, 2. Brian is a sheet metal journeyman for A & R Contractors. Jenna is a stay-at-home mom.

TJ and Becky Cline Hogan ’06 of Hanover Park, Ill., son Max Howard, May 25, 2014. TJ is co-owner of Malibu Landscaping in Schaumburg, Ill. Becky is a project manager for LaSalle Network, a Chicago-area temporary staffing and recruiting services company. Joseph and Megan Merchant Colton ’08 of Sycamore, Ill., daughter Kayla Marie, Feb. 7, 2014. Megan is a commercial relationship manager and loan officer with American Midwest Bank. Joseph is director of sales and marketing at Accu-Lab of Illinois. Amy Baird Peifer ’08 and Ryan Peifer ’09 of Springfield, Ill., son August Dean, June 11, 2014. Amy is a registered nurse in cardiology at Springfield Clinic. Ryan is a computer engineer at Horace Mann Educators Corp. Christopher and Danielle Smith Siudyla ’08 of Decatur, son Patton John, Oct 12, 2013. Christopher is an attorney at Erickson Davis Murphy Johnson and Walsh Ltd. Danielle is a web developer at Archer Daniels Midland Co. Sara Bodzin ’11 and Tim Nave of Decatur, son Logan William Nave, Aug. 30, 2014. Sara is a K-6 writing teacher for Decatur Public Schools at Baum and Muffley schools. Tim works in information technology at Richland Community College, where he is also completing an associate’s degree in network technology.

THAT'S NEWS TO US! Have a new job? Tying the knot? Expecting the pitter-patter of tiny feet? We'd love to help share your news in Quarterly! While we can't print news about anticipated weddings or babies, let us know when your event becomes a reality, and we will announce it to your classmates. Submit your news online at bit.ly/news-mu. Don't forget to send your Big Blue Pride photos to alumnews@millikin.edu. Photos must be at least 300 dpi for print publication.

SUMMER 2015 | MILLIKIN QUARTERLY

CLASS NOTES (RECEIVED OCT. 15, 2013-OCT. 30, 2O14)

PASSINGS Editor's Note: You’ll find complete memorials for all the individuals listed in this section on our website (unless an obituary notice was unavailable). Each online listing has a section for comments should you wish to leave a note of condolence or a memory. We’ve also included a photo in cases where we have received one. To view the memorials, visit bit.ly/MU-memorials.

Luann Stemler of Apex, N.C., formerly of Maroa, Ill., June 5, 2014. She was an assistant professor of management information systems at Millikin from 2003-09.

For those without website access, please call our office at 1-877-JMUALUM, and we will gladly mail you a printout of any requested memorial.

Katherine Kazmark Rogne ’35 of Kindred, N.D., Sept. 7, 2014.

FRIENDS

Lois Crawford ’37 of Glenview, Ill., March 17, 2014. The family requests memorial gifts be made to: Millikin University, c/o Office of Alumni and Development, 1184 W. Main St., Decatur, IL 62522.

Adele Glenn of Carmel, Ind., formerly of Decatur, Oct. 25, 2014. (See related article, next page.) Leonard Hannapel of Decatur, July 26, 2014. The family requests memorial gifts be made to: Dr. Leonard J. and Phyllis M. Hannapel Scholarship at Millikin, c/o Alumni and Development, 1184 W. Main St., Decatur, IL 62522. FACULTY Arthur Canning of Maroa, Ill., July 2, 2014. He was an adjunct professor for MU’s Tabor School of Business. FORMER FACULTY AND STAFF Pauline Batman of Decatur, Jan. 3, 2014. She worked in Millikin’s housekeeping department from 1976 until her retirement in 1990. Nigel Brown of Marion, Ill., formerly of Decatur, Jan. 31, 2014. She was a Millikin employee from 1977-97, when she retired as secretary to the dean of arts and sciences. Guy Neibuhr of Decatur, June 27, 2014. He was a former assistant football coach, head tennis coach and head track and field coach at Millikin, and was inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. Roy Schilling of Decatur, Feb. 18, 2014. He was a visiting associate professor of education at Millikin from 1958-70. 40

ALUMNI Marguerite Andrews McDaniel ’35 of Tuscola, Ill., Dec. 17, 2013.

Pauline Requarth Smith ’35 of Decatur, June 25, 2014.

William Wait ’38 of Seal Beach, Calif., Nov. 30, 2013. David Coslet ’39 of Altamont, Ill., May 27, 2014. Frederick Lamb Gilman ’40 of Skillman, N.J., Feb. 14, 2014. Ella Mary Dudley Lewis ’40 of Seattle, March 10, 2014. D. Elaine “Dee” Willis Blomquist ’42 of Scottsdale, Ariz., Nov. 25, 2013. Rita Franklin Davis ’42 of Peoria, Ill., April 27, 2013. Margaret Bear Eakin ’42 of Granville, Ohio, April 5, 2014. Louis Swinger ’42 of Edinburg, Ill., Feb. 5, 2014. Lucie Lorton Bollheimer ’43 of Decatur, June 17, 2014. Margaret Flewelling Kolach ’43 of Strongsville, Ohio, Jan. 19, 2014. Lucy Pierce Maxwell ’43 of Peoria, Ill., Jan. 15, 2014. Claud Thompson ’43 of Decatur, Feb. 16, 2014. Anna Lou Hershberger Major ’44, of Wheaton, Ill., Feb. 9, 2013.

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

Agnes Schlachter McKay ’44 of Traverse City, Mich., Nov. 26, 2013. The family requests memorial gifts be made to: Millikin University, c/o Office of Alumni and Development, 1184 W. Main St., Decatur, IL 62522. Gertrude Meyer Stroyeck ’44 of Homer, Alaska, Dec. 5, 2013. In the late 70s and early 80s, she worked as a cook at MU sororities and fraternities. Kenneth Wait ’44 of Houston, April 11, 2014. E. Jane Hayes ’45 of Decatur, Dec. 7, 2013. Margaret “Peg” Paschal Lewis ’45 of Culver, Ind., Sept. 8, 2013. Patricia Temme Lynch ’45 of New Bern, N.C., Sept. 20, 2014. Mildred Alexander Cave ’46 of Decatur, Jan. 24, 2014. S’Monne Shinneman Elder ’46 of Lexington, Ill., March 11, 2014. Glenn “Otto” Burger ’47 of Charleston, Ill., formerly of Decatur, Oct. 14, 2013. E. Arden Hamman Jr. ’47 of Boca Raton, Fla., formerly of Decatur, Sept. 21, 2014. H. Phil Pearce ’47 of Carmi, Ill., Feb. 28, 2014. Roselyn Leonard Rodger ’47 of Montgomery, Ohio, Dec. 15, 2013. Sandra Downey Ruyle ’47 of Godfrey, Ill., July 22, 2014. Eileen Bernard ’48 of Decatur, June 5, 2014. Joan Purdue Jack ’48 of Decatur, June 2, 2014. The family requests memorial gifts be made to: David C. and Joan P. Jack Scholarship Fund at Millikin University, c/o Office of Alumni and Development, 1184 W. Main St., Decatur, IL 62522.

Darrell Henson Sr. ’49 of Ocala, Fla., Feb. 24, 2014. Bette Lou “B-Lou” Geneva King ’49 of Greenbrae, Calif., Feb. 13, 2014. D. Dean Mesnard Sr. ’49 of Decatur, March 27, 2014. He received Millikin’s Alumni Loyalty Award in 1994. The family requests memorial gifts be made to: Dean and Grace Mesnard Scholarship Fund at Millikin University, c/o Office of Alumni and Development, 1184 W. Main St., Decatur, IL 62522. Loren Shanle ’49 of Springfield, Ill., formerly of Buffalo, Ill., April 30, 2014. Joanne Hathaway Sullivan ’49 of Lakewood, N.J., formerly of Decatur, Jan. 16, 2014. John Baxley ’50 of Sarasota, Fla., formerly of Christopher, Ill., Dec. 15, 2013. Harold Craig ’50 of Murrieta, Calif., Sept. 22, 2014. Gloria Schweizer Davidson ’50 of Albuquerque, N.M., Oct. 1, 2013. Clarence “Dick” Foltz ’50 of St. Petersburg, Fla., formerly of Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 16, 2014. Elizabeth “Betty” Bissey Glasscock ’50 of Gays, Ill., April 18, 2014. John Hart ’50 of Greenwood, Ind., Feb. 11, 2014. Wilma Helmick HarrisWasson ’50 of Lincoln, Ill., Feb. 18, 2014.

Shirley Cary Allspach ’49 of Mt. Pulaski, Ill., Dec. 13, 2013.

Clarence “Red” Johnson ’50 of Chicago, Jan. 14, 2014. He served on Millikin’s board of trustees from 1983-95. Named Millikin’s Alumnus of the Year in 1986, he was also inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.

Arthur Deichmiller ’49 of Jeffersonville, Vt., April 28, 2013.

Richard Jostes ’50 of Moweaqua, Ill., Oct. 16, 2013.

CLASS NOTES

Robert Murray ’50 of Rocky River, Ohio, Jan. 19, 2014. He received Millikin’s Merit-Loyalty Award in 2001 and served on Millikin’s board of trustees from 2005 until his passing. The family requests memorial gifts be made to: Millikin University, c/o Office of Alumni and Development, 1184 W. Main St., Decatur, IL 62522.

Lois Shand Webster ’51 of Stoughton, Wis., formerly of Glen Ellyn, Ill., and Lisle, Ill., June 23, 2014. Gerald “Jerry” Althoff ’52 of Hoschton, Ga., formerly of Hot Springs Village, Ark., Dec. 24, 2013.

Robert “Bob” Pollard ’50 of Mountain View, Mo., Oct. 28, 2013.

Raymond “Bud” Downey ’52 of Decatur, Oct. 6, 2014. The family requests memorial gifts be made to: Millikin University, c/o Office of Alumni and Development, 1184 W. Main St., Decatur, IL 62522.

Doris Carver Stollard ’50 of Elburn, Ill., June 8, 2014.

Arthur Murray ’52 of East Greenwich, R.I., Dec. 28, 2013.

Harry Swift ’50 of Champaign, Ill., Oct. 15, 2014.

Robert “Bob” Lee Pounds ’52 of Kingwood, Texas, Oct. 1, 2013.

Billy “Bill” White ’50 of Decatur, April 11, 2014.

Mary Soules Sears ’52 of Lake Mills, Wis., formerly of Naperville, Ill., April 23, 2014.

Daniel Petty Jr. ’50 of St. Louis, Jan. 11, 2014.

Alta Jean Syfert Bergbower ’51 of Decatur, May 18, 2014. William “Bill” Fryman ’51 of Decatur, May 21, 2014. George Fyke ’51 of Fairbury, Ill., Aug. 31, 2014.

Neal Fogel ’53 of Aurora, Ill., formerly of Decatur, July 14, 2014. Patricia Rannebarger Ford ’53 of Cisco, Ill., Nov. 15, 2013. The family requests memorial gifts be made to: Millikin University Nursing Alumni Scholarship, c/o Office of Alumni and Development, 1184 W. Main St., Decatur, IL 62522. Maxwell “Max” Greenberg ’53 of Scottsdale, Ariz., Jan. 5, 2014. Roberta “Bobbie” Zust Kerwin ’53 of Decatur, Aug. 7, 2014. James “Jim” Koonce ’53 of Greenview, Ill., formerly of Illiopolis, Ill., June 6, 2014.

Marshall Susler ’52 of Decatur, April 30, 2014.

James Lundquist ’53 of Naples, Fla., and East Hampton, N.Y., Feb. 15, 2014. He received Millikin’s Alumni Merit Award in 2006.

Richard Beverly ’53 of Copemish, Mich., June 15, 2013.

R. Dale Richards ’53 of Phoenix, April 21, 2013.

Phyllis Eaton Carter ’53 of Indianapolis, Oct. 21, 2013.

Martha Murphey Trimmer ’53 of Mansfield, Texas, March

19, 2014. Joann Harden Fish ’54 of Raleigh, N.C., Dec. 25, 2013. Barbara Ficker Sanders ’54 of Nashville, Ind., Oct. 30, 2013. Martha “Marty” Snyder Scherer ’54 of Decatur, May 27, 2014. Nancy Hatch Smith ’54 of Henderson, Nev., Feb. 11, 2014. Patricia “Pat” Talbert Smith ’54 of Forsyth, Ill., June 30, 2014. Edward Bennett ’55 of Springfield, Ill., April 11, 2014. Curtis “Doc” Berrey ’55 of Wood River Ill., Feb. 20, 2014. Earl “Gene” Brady ’55 of Springfield, Ill., April 2, 2014. Robert “Bob” Browning ’55 of Mt. Zion, Ill., Jan. 29, 2014. Jack Nagel ’55 of Leawood, Kan., April 18, 2014. John Schneiter ’55, also MS ’60, of Northfield, Ill., Jan. 21, 2014. (See related article, below.)

MEDALLION SOCIETY MEMBERS REMEMBERED Millikin University mourns the passing of two individuals who had been inducted into the Millikin Medallion Society in recognition of their lasting impact on the university. The Millikin Medallion Society Award was conferred during the university’s centennial celebration held from 2001-03, and recognized those individuals who had the greatest impact on Millikin during the university’s first 100 years.

Adele Glenn of Carmel, Ind., formerly of Decatur, died Oct. 25, 2014. She and her late husband, Dr. Clarence Glenn, donated generously to the School of Music through annual scholarships. They also endowed the Glenn Emergency Fund to aid students who find themselves in emergency situations requiring financial assistance. The couple supported MU’s capital campaigns, serving as co-chairs for “A New Song for Millikin: The Campaign for Music,” which funded renovations and an addition to Perkinson Music Center. They were also instrumental in the 2006 renovation of Albert Taylor Theatre. In appreciation of their support, Adele and Clarence were awarded honorary degrees in 1997 and received the James Millikin Award in 2000.

John Schneiter ’55, also MS ’60, of Northfield, Ill., died Jan. 21, 2014. A legend in Illinois high school sports, Schneiter was the first coach to be elected to the Illinois Coaches Association Hall of Fame in two sports – basketball and tennis. He began his coaching career as a student assistant basketball coach at Millikin and at age 27, became the youngest man to coach an Illinois high school basketball champion when his Decatur High School team won the state title in 1962. During his long and successful coaching career, he tallied nearly 800 basketball victories, including three state championships, and his tennis teams also racked up eight state championships. In recognition of his coaching achievements, Schneiter was inducted into Millikin’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987.

SUMMER 2015 | MILLIKIN QUARTERLY

CLASS NOTES (RECEIVED OCT. 15, 2013-OCT. 30, 2O14)

Stanley Stavropoulos ’55 of Yorba Linda, Calif., Jan. 26, 2013.

David Clements ’60 of Wilson, N.C., March 4, 2014.

Judie Cook Till ’63 of Pittsford, N.Y., July 7, 2014.

Ronald Stewart ’70 of Tucson, Ariz., Oct. 15, 2014.

Marianna Royer Anderson ’56 of Oreana, Ill., Sept. 11, 2014.

John Comerford ’61 of Decatur, March 30, 2014.

John Allen ’64 of Elmhurst, Ill., Oct. 18, 2013.

Michael Davis ’71 of Mt. Vernon, Ill., Sept. 21, 2014.

James Esque ’56 of Rolling Meadows, Ill., April 23, 2014.

Vicki Pilcher Jorstad ’61 of St. Louis, Sept. 7, 2014.

Franklin “Frank” Biddle ’64 of Shelbyville, Ill., Sept. 5, 2014.

Maryalice Phillips Nelson ’71 of Decatur, Jan. 6, 2014.

Robert “Bob” Taylor ’56 of Reno, Nev., Jan. 14, 2014.

Harold “Tony” Lents ’61 of Marshalltown, Iowa, May 31, 2014.

Rose Gorell Cunningham ’64 of Decatur, Sept. 23, 2014.

Linda Welch Walsh ’71 of Matteson, Ill., Oct. 10, 2012.

Fred Athey ’57 of Decatur, Feb. 22, 2014.

Gary Maddox ’61 of Decatur, Sept. 6, 2014.

Jerome Pfile ’72 of Canton, Mich., Oct. 18, 2013.

Alice Christian Bryan ’57 of Champaign, Ill., June 8, 2014.

Shashana Herschler Schaar ’61 of Chicago, April 27, 2014. She taught in Millikin’s Tabor School of Business from 1961-76. The Shashana H. Schaar Memorial Scholarship has been established in her memory.

Jane Penelope “Penny” Denson ’64 of Flora, Ill., Jan. 2, 2014.

Robert Hartness ’57 of Decatur, Sept. 24, 2014. Sidney Joe Lambert ’57 of The Villages, Fla., Aug 20, 2014. Diane Primm McClellan ’57 of Springfield, Ill., Oct. 6, 2013. Herbert Hawkins ’58 of Decatur, Dec. 8, 2013. Theresa Winfrey Greenwood ’59 of Muncie, Ind., Feb. 27, 2014.

Kenneth Curry ’62 of Decatur, May 9, 2014. Bruce Dempster ’62 of Sarasota, Fla., July 3, 2013. Robert Dobbels ’62 of Leesburg, Fla., June 19, 2013.

Patricia Little ’59 of Moline, Ill., April 21, 2014.

William Martin “Marty” Hager ’62 of Dunedin, Fla., Jan. 28, 2014.

Phyllis Wells Beck ’60 of Stonington, Ill., Nov. 9, 2013.

Virginia Rincker Aukamp ’63 of Macon, Ill., Feb. 11, 2014.

Jerry Roucher ’60 of Sarasota, Fla., Oct. 21, 2013.

Kathryn Wright Day ’63 of Moweaqua, Ill., May 14, 2014.

A WILLing gift benefits MU students. Making a gift to Millikin through your will is easier than you might think. A will permits you to specify now how property acquired during your lifetime is used to benefit individuals and organizations of your choice. A will is an essential part of your financial plan to ensure that your wishes are followed in these areas. Making a will bequest to fund an endowment at Millikin will generate ongoing income to benefit future generations of students, or your bequest can be used for general Millikin support or designated to support a particular need, such as annual student scholarships. For more information about will bequests and other methods of estate planning to benefit MU, call Vice President of Alumni and Development Dave Brandon at 217-424-6383 or toll free at 1-877-JMU-ALUM.

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

Richard Gulick ’64 of Decatur, Feb. 5, 2014. Carolyn Russell Propst ’64 of San Marcos, Texas, Jan. 17, 2014. Thomas Walden ’64 of Muskogee, Okla., Nov. 19, 2013.

Hal Shoemaker ’72 of Cincinnati, Dec. 16, 2013. Harold Baker Jr. ’73 of Hamilton, Ind., Sept. 9, 2013. David Hauck ’73 of Jacksonville, Ill., Dec. 5, 2013.

Judi Gibbons ’65 of Decatur, Nov. 25, 2013.

George Michael “Mike” Wilcockson ’75 of Decatur, Feb. 6, 2014.

Ann Zupsich Morris ’65 of Taylorville, Ill., Dec. 9, 2013.

Edmund Bliler ’77 of Illiopolis, Ill., Nov. 29, 2013.

James Walker ’65 of Decatur, Nov. 15, 2013.

Leslie Hannapel-Kessler ’79 of Sausalito, Calif., Feb. 18, 2014. The Leslie Hannapel-Kessler Memorial Scholarship has been established in her memory.

Margaret “Meg” Andelman Keller ’67 of San Jose, Calif., May 1, 2014. Rosa Pakot Littke ’67 of Scituate, Mass., formerly of Decatur, May 5, 2014. Robert Barber ’68 of Georgetown, Ohio, formerly of Felicity, Ohio, May 20, 2014.

Keith Wellman ’79 of Freeland, Wash., June 20, 2014. Denise Sherman ’92 of Greenwood, Ind., July 26, 2014. Cynthia Price White ’95 of Taylorville, Ill., May 16, 2014.

Dennis Honnold ’68 of Decatur, Feb. 25, 2014.

Curtis Brown Jr. ’00 of Decatur, Feb. 1, 2014.

Camilla “Cam” Buckley McKinney ’68 of Decatur, Dec. 3, 2013.

Elizabeth “Betty” Reed ’00 of Danville, Ill., Oct. 10, 2014.

Stephen Saathoff ’68 of Dixon, Ill., Nov. 3, 2013.

Aaron “Kyle” Stone ’03 of Alpharetta, Ga., formerly of Forsyth, Ill., June 23, 2014.

Steven Miklavcic ’69 of Cincinnati, Dec. 19, 2013.

Thomas Pruser ’04 of Clinton, Ill., June 26, 2014.

Betty Rainey Youngberg ’69 of Andover, Ill., May 14, 2014.

Christopher “Cheeto” Leman ’06 of Fairbury, Ill., Feb. 17, 2014.

Paul Ground ’70 of Ballwin, Mo., Feb. 18, 2014.

Mary Bloms Nickell ’09 of Athens, Ill., Nov. 22, 2013.

Merle Micenheimer/MM ’70 of Taylorville, Ill., Feb. 3, 2014.

Jessica Bennett ’11 of Morris, Ill., Sept. 5, 2014.

THE LEGACY CONTINUES: DECEMBER 2014 COMMENCEMENT

4 1 Shawn Lynette Bray with father Truman

Dale Bray ’75. 2 Christopher Clark with brother Rodney Clark ’13. 3 Elizabeth Anne Coburn with mother Vickie Cooper ’02. 4 Mary Gangloff with mother Lisa Watkins Gangloff ’81. 5 Elizabeth Rhodes Harding with sister Tory Rhodes Williams ’05. 6 Katherine D. Hill with mother Cheryl Stine Hill ’84. Not pictured: 5

Uncles Brian Stine ’81 and Michael Hanes ’65. 7 Chet Robert Lord-Remmert with sister Cassatt “Cassie” Lord-Remmert ’11. 8 Travis Mansur with mother Catherine

Johns Mansur ’91. 9 Amanda Stiner with uncle Cody Miller ’88. 10 Rachel Mione Taliaferro with husband Joshua Taliaferro ’11, MU technical support specialist. 11 Brandi Taylor with mother Kimberly

Taylor ’03. 12 Ashley M. Livingood with mother Brenda Hogan Livingood ’84, aunt Cynthia Hogan Fitzgerald ’82, uncle David 8

Fitzgerald ’83 and uncle Brad Huggins ’86. Photos by Grad Images.

S H O W O F F YO U R

ORDER YOUR DIPLOMA DISPLAY TODAY!

MU PRIDE

Call the Alumni and Development Office toll free at

WITH A DIPLOMA FRAME!

1-877-JMU-ALUM or visit bit.ly/diploma-frame.

SUMMER 2015 | MILLIKIN QUARTERLY

THE LEGACY CONTINUES: MAY 2014 COMMENCEMENT

1 Lany and Lisa Stout with Nick Smith ’02, boyfriend of sister Jen Stout ’12; aunt Janice Wright ’02; and sister Tanya Stout Childs ’02.

2 Jarred Leeper with aunt Beverly Gulick

Carmean ’62; mother Martha Gulick Leeper ’89; sister-in-law Lisa Landacre ’05 and ’07; wife Lori Landacre Leeper ’05; brother-in-law RJ Podeschi ’02/MBA ’04, MU assistant professor of information systems; sister-in-law Mandi Landacre Podeschi ’02, MU senior director of development; and mother-in-law Cindy Landacre, MU executive assistant II to the provost. 3 Ashley Kitson with mother Holly Davis Kitson ’08. 4 John T. Easter with aunt Stevanna Elaine Eiler Turner ’79. 5 Christina Hicks with brother Matthew Hicks ’08. 6 Megan Vail with mother Melissa Pflum Miles ’95.

Roger Gadberry ’63 and father Sean Gadberry ’86.

7 Evan Michael Whitted with brothers Marcus Whitted ’09 and Jansen Whitted ’11.

8 Hannah Gadberry with great-uncle

9 Michelle Carroll with mother Lynne Remack ’84. 10 Hannah Gifford Shull with father David Gifford ’83 and sister Haley

Gifford ’12. 11 Leigh Bundy with cousin Shannon Williams ’07. 12 Emily Yarnell with mother Kimberly Cook Yarnell Weaver ’88. Photos by Grad Images.

THE LEGACY CONTINUES: MAY 2014 COMMENCEMENT

13 Cheryl McMillin with daughter Mary Catherine McMillin ’11. 14 Victoria Coleman with sister Kiley Halbrook ’11. 15 Je’Taun Irons with sister Traci Irons Moore ’07. 16 Courtney Jacobs with mother Brenda Henemeyer Bunch ’02.

17 Rachel Larison with mother Gaye Harper Larison ’83. 18 Patrick Sullivan with mother Karla Koslofski

Sullivan ’86. 19 Cristy Kinahan with mother Sandy Cristy Kinahan ’83. 20 Alexa C. Hamilton with stepfather Steve Hubbard ’94. 21 Becky Gerk with father Andrew Gerk ’87. 22 Samantha DeBondt with mother Jane Petrongelli DeBondt ’84. 23 Julia Hesse with mother Leslie Longfellow ’86. 24 Kelsi Barney with husband Brandon Barney ’12, MU

director of development – Millikin Fund for Student Scholarships. 25 Sarah Block with mother Susan Triner Block ’75. 26 Jordan Pennington with sister Alyssa Pennington ’13. 27 Megan Vaca with sister Kathy Vaca ’13. 28 Nora Kocher with father Michael Kocher ’72.

THE LEGACY CONTINUES: MAY 2015 COMMENCEMENT

Millie Arp with mother Susan Pearman Arp ’83 and father Jeffrey Arp ’84. Not pictured: brother Stewart Arp ’17. 2 Samuel Deary with mother Anne Sherrill Deary ’79 and

father Kevin Deary ’80. 3 Jennifer Fackler with sisters Erica Fackler ’12 and Stacey Fackler Moore ’09. 4 Courtney Gerk with father Andrew Gerk ’87 and sister Rebecca Gerk ’14. 5 Alex Kidd with father David Kidd ’68 and mother Louise Kidd, former MU director of donor relations.

6 Amanda McGraw with brother-in-law Andrew Love ’00 and sister

Tacora Williams Love ’00. Not pictured: sister Ayanna Williams ’00. 7 Emily Sawyer with brothers Joseph Sawyer ’07 and Adam Sawyer ’03. 8 Samantha Smalley with uncle Rob McConkey ’96 and mother Suzy McConkey Smalley ’90. 9 Jessica Springman with fiancé Aaron Alford ’14 and grandmother Mary Ann Query Beery ’85. 10 Kim Steele with cousin Alex Talbott ’10 and mother Julie Blomberg Steele ’87. Not pictured: her late father, Steve Steele ’84. 11 Karlee VanDeVelde with aunt Sydney Peak ’88 and mother Stephanie Peak ’86. Not pictured: aunt Sondra “Sonnie” Peak ’84. 12 Erynn Williams with sister Amber Williams ’13 and aunt Cheryl Williams England ’89.

THE LEGACY CONTINUES: MAY 2015 COMMENCEMENT

13 Kevin Althoff with father John Althoff ’82. 14 Jesse Daily with

mother Kim Fentress Daily ’89. 15 Nicole Economou with sister Melissa Economou ’13. 16 Ashley Fulk with aunt Teresa Albright Sealscott ’77. 17 Kathleen Peters Beggin with mother Cynthia Yarbrough Peters ’83. 18 Spencer Hudson with godfather Richard Quisenberry ’56, trustee emeritus. 19 Andrew McDonald with mother Penny Stanton McDonald Dixon ’83. Not pictured: aunt Joy Stanton Al-Nimri ’84. 20 Alicia Mitchell with sister Megan Mitchell ’13. 21 Taylor Morthland with grandmother Marylyn Quigley Welch ’57.

Congrats, graduates!

22 Bradly Nelson with grandmother Karen Frances Cokley ’78. 23 Kendra Peterson with mother Patricia Little Peterson ’76. 24 Haley

Witts with sister Lindsey Witts Petty ’05. 25 Chazaray Carson ’13/MBA ’15 with aunt Kimberly Palmer ’06. 26 Shelby Gant with brother-in-law Nick Wright ’11 and sister Chelsea Gant Wright ’09. Not pictured: sister Devon Gant ’13. Photos by Grad Images.

You are now members of Millikin's Alumni Association. Learn more about the benefits of your free lifetime membership at millikin.edu/alumni.

MY TURN

GOOD JOB, GRACE

by Danielle Fields ’09/MBA ’12

Submitted photo; Melissa Briggs Photography.

I commanded respect, tolerated no shenanigans and relied on good old-fashioned guilt to keep Josh in line. It worked like a charm, yet I found myself not enjoying motherhood very much. Then, along came Owen. Every parenting tactic I had “perfected” was met with flat-out failure. Forget about using guilt as a tool; the concept was too abstract for him to grasp. Shenanigans are just a daily part of his life. Every expectation I had as a parent flew out the window with Owen’s diagnosis. Instead of teaching him to read and tie Danielle Fields with her husband, Bill, and their sons Owen, 6, and Joshua, 12. his shoes, we are still working on pottytraining and dressing independently. ROWING UP, I was incredibly clumsy. I tumbled Rather than dreaming about what college he will attend, my down the stairs with astonishing regularity and husband and I find ourselves wondering if he will ever be able had my first set of stitches long before kindergarto leave home. ten. I begged for a bicycle for weeks, only to fly As I endeavor to adopt grace-based parenting, I have found over the handlebars less than an hour after getting home from that I enjoy motherhood so much more. Grace attempts to the store. In an effort to replace some of my innate awkwardtake the wrongs of the world and turn them right. It gives me ness with elegance, my grandmother enrolled me in dance the ability to be understanding rather than annoyed when the classes. That just afforded me the opportunity to perfect my pretzels just have to be served in the green bowl, because he falling skills in a pretty, sequin-covered leotard. In public. only eats out of the blue bowl on Tuesdays. Grace gives me the Under a spotlight. patience to try on a fourth pair of shoes, because the tongues In the true, selfless nature of motherhood, I passed of the first three pairs irritate him when it rains. Embracing an the awkward gene on to the oldest of my two sons, Joshua. attitude of grace has also enabled me to see my older son, Josh, When Josh does something particularly klutzy, I – being the in a new light. What I once would have described as his lack of total hypocrite that I am – reward him with the same three focus and a tendency to talk too much, I now see as unquenchwords that my grandmother used to throw my way: “Good able enthusiasm and a desire to make everyone feel included. job, Grace.” One accident-filled morning, after getting the I challenge everyone to join me in making an effort to standard response from me, my darling progeny – who also show grace, especially when you would rather not. Offer grace gets his cheek from me – said, “Whatever. What’s so great to the student who waltzes into your class when it is half over. about grace anyway?” Give grace to the boss who still hasn’t reacted to the project you Oh, my child ... everything. slaved over for hours upon hours. Extend grace to the mother I have discovered, much to my chagrin, that I have even whose child is throwing a tantrum in the middle of the cereal less emotional grace than physical grace, and that is wildly aisle (because, let’s be honest – it’s probably me). When you give unattractive. I can be impatient, judgmental and unforgiving. grace, it has a way of finding its way back to you. Nothing works I demand excellence, have unrealistic expectations and desire quite as well at making something beautiful out of this confusperfection. I convinced myself that this unruly world needed ing, often painful world. And for that I say, “Good job, grace.” Q people like me to help keep it on task. Then something Danielle Fields ‘09/MBA ’12 is the financial analyst in Millikin’s happened that shook me to my core and changed the very business office. She lives in Decatur with her husband, Bill, and their foundation of how I think: My youngest son, Owen, was two sons, Joshua and Owen. Danielle spends her free time homediagnosed with autism. schooling Joshua, supporting autism awareness and helping with the As a young mother, I had adopted child-rearing pracyouth at her church. tices that were largely reminiscent of the way I was raised.

MILLIKIN QUARTERLY | SUMMER 2015

Photo by Alida Duff Sullivan ’06.

“THE WALKING BREAD,” was a hit among voters at the 7th Annual Edible Book Festival at Staley Library held in April. The English Club/Sigma Tau Delta entry won awards for Most Creative Use of Ingredients and Favorite Group Entry. See more entries at fb.com/staleylibrary.

Office of Alumni and Development 1184 West Main Street Decatur, Illinois 62522-2084 www.millikin.edu/alumni

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Decatur, Illinois Permit No. 127

BLAST FROM THE PAST

As Staley Library prepares for rebirth as MU’s University Center at Staley Library, here’s a look back to 1969 and the then fairly new university center that was the forerunner to today’s Richards Treat University Center. Learn more about this innovative library renovation and expansion project beginning on page 15. (Behind the university center are from left: Griswold Physical Education Center and Mills and Aston halls.) Photo by Bill Shaffer ’71.