Monmouth Magazine Summer 2023

DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID ‘SHELLS’ OUT

ABOVE: Ariel (Emma Romano ’25) tends to an injured Prince Eric (Colin Kreipe ’26) as Scuttle (John Henderson) looks on in Monmouth College’s production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, April 20-23 in Wells Theater. Directed by theatre professor Vanessa Campagna, left, who also choreographed the production, the five performances sold out. BELOW: Ursula (Gabriela Madu ’23) and Ariel (Romano) have an under-the-sea conversation. The stage adaptation of the 1989 Disney movie was a collaboration between the Monmouth departments of theatre and music, the Buchanan Center for the Arts, the Galesburg Community Foundation and the United Way of Greater Warren County. For the 2023-24 theatre season, go to monmouthcollege.edu/theatre.

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

SUMMER 2023

12 THE WRITERS ISSUE

Meet 11 members of the Monmouth College community whose work is at least partially defined by working with words.

20 ‘THE 7% CLUB’

The Class of 2023 endured a pandemic on its way to graduating from Monmouth.

30 75 YEARS OF SIG EP

A founding father was part of fraternity’s diamond jubilee celebration.

ON THE COVER:

Art created by Dusty Scott ’03 (dustyscottart.com)

MISSION STATEMENT: Monmouth College provides a transformative educational experience within a caring community of learners. As a residential liberal arts college, we empower students to realize their full potential, live meaningful lives, pursue successful careers, and shape their communities and the world through service and leadership.

Monmouth College does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, military service, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy or other factors as prohibited by law.

Monmouth College admits students of any race, religion, color, sex, and national or ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to Monmouth students.

Monmouth College, an Equal Opportunity Employer, is committed to diversity and encourages applications from women and minority candidates.

Any inquiries regarding Title IX or the College’s Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation (www.monmouthcollege.edu/nondiscrimination-policy) should be directed to the Title IX Coordinator identified below. The Coordinator will be available to meet with or talk to students, staff and faculty regarding issues relating to Title IX and this policy.

Lori Ferguson Equity Coordinator (Title IX/VI) (309) 457-2111 • equity@monmouthcollege.edu

PRESIDENT Dr. Clarence R. Wyatt

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Mark Kopinski ’79, Chairman

Dr. Ralph Velazquez Jr. ’79, Vice Chairman

Douglas R. Carlson ’66

Daniel Cotter ’88

Robert Dahl

Dan Dickson ’89

Dr. Harvey Echols ’81

Christine Beiermann Farr ’90

Robin Ottenad Galloway ’90

William J. Goldsborough ’65

Kevin Goodwin ’80

Augustin Hart III ’68

Mahendran Jawaharlal ’86

F. Austin Jones

John Kemp ’82

The Rev. Robert C. McConnell ’72

Michael B. McCulley, Esq. ’70

J. Alex McGehee ’81

Pamela Meanes ’90

Bradley C. Nahrstadt ’89

Gail Simpson Owen ’74

J. Hunter Peacock

J. Stanley Pepper ’76

Anthony J. Perzigian ’66

Dennis M. Plummer ’73

Anita Ridge ’88

Tim Salier ’96

The Hon. John J. Scotillo ’72

Dr. Carlos F. Smith ’90

Sherman Smith ’72

Nancy L. Snowden

Mark E. Taylor ’78

Dwight Tierney ’69

Jean Peters Witty ’88

ALUMNI BOARD REPRESENTATIVES

TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Marybeth Dues Kemp ’93

Roy Sye ’13

Mark Tupper ’94

ALUMNI BOARD

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Mark Tupper ’94, President

Wade Brown ’07, Vice President

Rachel Kelleher ’14, Secretary

Tessa Jones ’18, Member at Large

EDITORIAL BOARD

Duane Bonifer

Associate Vice President for Communications and Marketing

Hannah Maher

Vice President for Development and College Relations

Barry McNamara

Associate Director of College Communications

Emilee Renwick

Creative Director

NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION: Monmouth College is committed to diversity and encourages applications from women, persons of color, and members of other underrepresented groups.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

VOL. 38 | NO. 1

EDITOR

Barry McNamara

DESIGN

Craig Media

Monmouth College Magazine is published three times a year for alumni, students, parents and friends of Monmouth College. All opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial staff or the College.

CONTACT US:

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mcnamara@monmouthcollege.edu

309-457-2117

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888-827-8268

Development & College Relations

Monmouth College

700 East Broadway Monmouth, IL 61462-1998

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888-827-8268 alumni @monmouthcollege.edu

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IT’S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL

It’s a small world, after all.

It’s a small, small world.

One doesn’t normally think of Walt Disney as a source for insights on international relations, but the words of this familiar song are truer than ever:

• A farmer living and working in small-town Illinois? The price you pay for fuel and fertilizer is affected by decisions made by a handful of oil ministers meeting in Vienna.

• The prices that you and your neighbors receive for your corn and soybeans turn sharply one way or another based on the actions of one person in Moscow.

• Need a replacement part for a piece of equipment in your business? Policies set in Beijing affect whether you’ll get that part in two weeks or six months.

• Hundreds of thousands of people yearn to come to our country because of conditions in their own countries, creating the persistent challenges of dealing with immigration.

• The security of our bank accounts and credit cards can be threatened by some bad actor at a keyboard halfway around the world.

• The safety and health of our loved ones during the pandemic was affected by actions taken around the world.

• On top of all these, the ever-present challenges to our national security that at any moment can put our friends and loved ones in the military and foreign service in harm’s way.

We live with these connections, and many more.

I had a chance recently to think about this topic of a “small world” in a concentrated way when I had the honor of participating in the U.S. Army War College’s National Security Seminar. Held every year, the NSS brings civilians from many backgrounds together with the faculty and students at the Army War College. It gave me the opportunity to go back to my diplomatic history background, which was great fun.

But participating in the NSS was also one of a couple of recent reminders of the role that Monmouth alumni have played and continue to play in the many facets of international and global affairs. While at the NSS, I spent time with Brig. Gen. Chris Lawson ’88, who was kind enough to nominate me for the seminar. I also had an enjoyable conversation with Col. Joel Hillison ’83, who holds the General Colin Powell Chair of Military and Strategic Studies at the Army War College.

And just before going to the NSS, I was honored to be with Maj. Gen. Phil Killey ’63, who had a long and distinguished career in the Air Force, and with Karen Krueger ’72, whose 41-year career with the Department of State took her to crucial postings around the world. Both Phil and Karen are Hall of Achievement inductees.

That’s why it is important for the College to continue this legacy of global engagement and service by nourishing global awareness and leadership in our students. From providing a passport to any eligible student who doesn’t have one, to creating a more robust studyabroad program, to hosting an official Peace Corps Prep Program (alumna Ann Mack Collier ’63 and her husband, John, served in the second group of Peace Corps volunteers), and in many other ways, Monmouth is seeking to prepare students, in the words of the Mission Statement, “to shape their communities and world through service and leadership.”

Because, after all, it’s a small world.

My Best,

Dr. Clarence R. Wyatt

Printed on Finch Casa Opaque 100 paper, made with 30 percent postconsumer fiber.

2 MONMOUTH COLLEGE MAGAZINE

PRESIDENT WYATT TO RETIRE AT END OF 2023-24 SCHOOL YEAR

Monmouth College President Clarence R. Wyatt announced April 24 that he will retire at the end of the 2023-24 school year, upon completion of his tenth year as Monmouth’s president.

Wyatt led the recently completed Light This Candle Campaign that raised more than $80 million, the most successful fundraising effort in the College’s history. Wyatt also shepherded Monmouth through the COVID-19 pandemic, enhanced campus facilities, and added new STEM majors at the College.

“It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve as this College’s president,” said Wyatt, 66, who became Monmouth’s 14th president on July 1, 2014. “My wife, Lobie, and I are grateful to the students, faculty, staff, trustees, alumni and friends of the College who have worked with us to make Monmouth a welcoming place of high opportunity and high achievement. We have hard work to do to ensure that Monmouth remains a force for good in the lives of students. In my final year of service I look forward to all of us doing this challenging and rewarding work together. I intend to be running full steam through the tape on June 30, 2024.”

A national search for Wyatt’s successor will begin this summer, according to Monmouth Board of Trustees Chair Mark Kopinski ’79. The search will be chaired by Monmouth Board Vice Chair Ralph R. Velazquez

Jr. ’79

“From the beginning of his presidency, President Wyatt has embraced the College’s values and been a champion for the power of a liberal arts education to change lives,” said Kopinski. “His focus on students, strengthening student services, and professionalizing the staff and investing in academic programs have allowed the College to offer a more robust Monmouth experience to students.”

In 2017, Wyatt secured a $20 million commitment, double the largest in the College’s history. That commitment laid the groundwork for Light

This Candle: The Campaign for Monmouth College

Launched in March 2019, the Campaign had a $75 million goal. When it was completed in December 2022, the Campaign had raised more than $80 million, smashing its goal by more than $5 million.

Other highlights of Wyatt’s administration include:

• A more intensive and College-wide focus on student support, retention and success, embodied in the establishment of the position of Vice President for Student Success and the creation of

the Center for Academic and Career Excellence, known as the ACE, which integrates the College’s Wackerle Center for Career, Leadership & Fellowships, Academic Support and Accessibility Services, the Registrar, and Global Engagement & Study Abroad;

• Recruiting strong senior leadership in areas including business and finance, development and alumni relations, enrollment management, and communication and marketing, among others;

• Establishing a program of strategic planning and management to ensure that the College is responsive to changing student needs and desires;

• Creating new majors in engineering, neuroscience, and health science and human movement; and new minors in global public health, investigative forensics, and sports information and media;

• Complete renovation of the College’s Stockdale Student Center, which suffered widespread smoke and water damage throughout the interior of the building following a storeroom fire in October 2022. The building, which is more than 60 years old, will house a modern and much-refreshed student center when the renovation is complete;

• With his wife, Lobie Stone, as designer, a top-

to-bottom renovation of Grier Hall, a residence hall opened in 1940;

• Also with Stone’s original concept and design, construction of the Trubeck Amphitheater, including the reconstruction of the Trubeck Plaza and installation of a new Trubeck Fountain. The space, serving as an outdoor classroom, performance space, and gathering area, has reshaped the character of the west side of campus.

Wyatt is completing the fourth year of his second five-year term as president of Monmouth. A native of Hopkinsville, Ky., he came to Monmouth after a 36-year career at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, where he served simultaneously as Chief Planning Officer, Special Assistant to the President and the Pottinger Distinguished Professor of History.

“As someone who was not only first-generation college, but also first-generation high school, I know in my own life how a liberal arts education can profoundly change the arc of a person’s life, and through them the lives of their families and communities,” said Wyatt. “Throughout my career I have worked to pass that gift on to others. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to do so at Monmouth and will continue to work on behalf of our students over the next year.”

President Clarence Wyatt, center, is joined by Brig. Gen. Chris Lawson ’88, left, and Lt. Col. Tim Johnson at a June reception at the home of the Commandant of the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa. A scholar on America’s involvement in the Vietnam War, Wyatt participated in the college’s annual National Security Seminar.

‘Light This Candle Campaign’ smashes

$75 Million goal, raises record $80.1 Million

Monmouth College has completed a record-setting campaign that will help set the College’s course throughout the rest of the decade.

The College’s Light This Candle Campaign, which was launched publicly in March 2019, had a goal of raising $75 million to expand scholarships and student financial aid and support for academic programs. When the Campaign was completed on Dec. 31, 2022, a total of $80,138,129.78 had been raised –making it the biggest and most successful campaign in the history of the 170-year-old liberal arts college.

“It is with great pleasure that I announce that the Monmouth College Light This Candle Campaign has raised over $80 million in current and deferred gifts, exceeding our original goal of $75 million by more than 6%,” said William Goldsborough ’65, national Campaign chair. “The overarching objective of the Campaign was to ensure the future of Monmouth College so it can continue to be an institution committed to helping our students reach their full potential, both in their careers and in service to their communities. Monmouth College remains, and will always be, a special place with a caring, dedicated faculty and staff where our students make lifelong friends.”

Goldsborough said that Monmouth achieved a record-setting campaign “only through the generous and engaged base of alumni and friends of the College.”

“A special note of appreciation goes to our vice president for development and college relations, Hannah Maher, and her staff for helping the College set this record,” he said.

Monmouth President Clarence R. Wyatt said the record-setting Campaign was made possible thanks to hard work and outstanding leadership of many people.

“On behalf of the students and the families this Campaign will support, I am profoundly grateful to all of the donors to the Campaign and to all the people of Monmouth College who inspired their generosity,” said Wyatt. “I particularly want to thank Campaign Chair Bill

“The Monmouth community clearly understood the importance of supporting each of the Campaign’s candles and the role they play in charting the College’s future.”

Goldsborough, Board of Trustees Chair Mark Kopinski and the entire Board, and Vice President for Development and College Relations Hannah Maher and her staff for their leadership, energy and hard work.”

The Light This Candle Campaign included four objectives: increase scholarships and student financial aid; create more opportunities for faculty and staff support and academic innovation; enhance the College’s living-learning environment by increasing funds for facilities; and build an even stronger

culture of philanthropy through a larger annual fund and deferred gift register.

Monmouth Board of Trustees Chair Mark Kopinski ’79 said it is impressive that Monmouth lit all four candles, especially because the Campaign persisted through a worldwide pandemic and “it was not a brick-and-mortar campaign focused on buildings.”

“The goals of non-brick-and-mortar campaigns tend to be the most difficult to achieve, although they are critically important to the long-term health of a college,” he said. “The Monmouth community clearly understood the importance of supporting each of the Campaign’s candles and the role they play in charting the College’s future.”

“The Campaign’s many successes signify the College’s ability to generate resources to navigate the challenges we are all facing in higher education right now,” said Maher. “Our deferred gift registry nearly doubled in size through the duration of the Campaign, and we saw tremendous growth in leadership level annual fund support as well.”

Wyatt said the Campaign’s true success will be realized “over the coming years” by the graduates the College will send into the world to make a difference.

“Tremendous as the dollar totals are and impressive as is the list of objectives supported by those dollars, the true success of the Campaign will be written over the coming years, in how our students and alumni make the world a better place through their lives of service, leadership and achievement,” he said. “American higher education faces tremendous challenges and changes, and Monmouth College is not immune. But because of the Light This Candle Campaign, and all that it signifies and all that it makes possible, Monmouth faces these times with great confidence.”

“The overarching objective of the Campaign was to ensure the future of Monmouth College so it can continue to be an institution committed to helping our students reach their full potential, both in their careers and in service to their communities.”

William Goldsborough National Campaign Chair

Mark Kopinski Monmouth Board of Trustees Chair

Seven Seals Scots Day 2023

On Monmouth College’s seventh annual Scots Day of Giving, Tartan Nation stepped up again in a very big way, with 767 alumni, faculty, staff and students from around the United States combining to contribute $309,406 on April 13.

With around five hours left in the all-day event, a donor from Idaho came through, allowing the last remaining state to be shaded in, officially completing Tartan Nation.

“It all relies on our alumni, and I think they’ve come out in full force,” said Assistant Director of the Monmouth Fund Troy Hippen ’22 midway through the event. “We’re nine hours away from the end, and we’re already close to our dollar amount from last year,” when more than $232,000 was raised to support students and student programming.

The day started at 5 a.m. CDT with a livestream of bagpipes playing in front of Wallace Hall and concluded at 11:53 p.m. – 18 hours, 53 minutes later to commemorate Monmouth’s 1853 founding. This year’s Scots Day of Giving had that same general focus, as well as support for four specific programs: the Fighting Scots Society, SOFIA (Summer Opportunities for Intellectual Activity), the senior class gift and the Monmouth Fund.

Hippen appreciated the nationwide response, which included many alumni answering the call for their “Monmouth Seven” – seven memories or traditions they associate with their time as students.

“Despite the distance they might have from Monmouth, these are the things that bring them back to campus, no matter where they are,” he said.

One of Scots Day’s big hits was the Cash Cab, in which Hippen often rode shotgun with a microphone to interact with students, often while being livestreamed.

“I had some students tell me, ‘I think I’ll always remember my ZBT initiation,’ or ‘I’ll always remember my first football practice,’” said Hippen. “But I was also able to talk to students about giving back to campus — just hone in on educating them about the importance of giving back, whether that’s one year out of school, or 10 or 30 years down the road.”

And that is one of the beautiful things about Monmouth College. With its rich history of campus traditions, it seems very likely that the students who graduate in the 2020s, ’30s and ’40s will still be talking about bagpipes, Homecoming and the meaningful relationships they formed with their professors and college friends when that 2053 event — which will also be the College’s bicentennial — comes around.

ABOVE, LEFT: Craig Dahlquist ’78 celebrates another successful call on Scots Day of Giving 2023. ABOVE, RIGHT: seven members of the Monmouth College Scots Day of Giving Committee celebrate a successful conclusion of the seventh-annual event, which was held for 18 hours, 53 minutes on April 13. BELOW: Assistant Director of the Monmouth Fund Troy Hippen ’22 interacts with students while riding the Cash Cab on Scots Day of Giving 2023.

Student initiative, energy allow Monmouth to host national classics conference

Thanks to a Monmouth College student, a national academic conference was held on campus.

While participating virtually in last year’s national conference for Eta Sigma Phi, a collegiate honor society for the study of classics, a question was raised about which school would host the 2023 event, which organizers planned to hold in person.

“One of our students, (then-freshman) Megan Dailey said, ‘We should do it,’” said classics professor Bob Simmons. “Monmouth has hosted the conference three times before, and this institution is a known commodity in the classics community.”

“I thought, ‘Why not Monmouth?’” said Dailey, a classics, art and educational studies major. “If no one else wants to, we can probably put this together.”

As a result of that “can-do” attitude, Monmouth served as host of Eta Sigma Phi’s national conference for the fourth time, which involved more than 40 Monmouth students and several of the College’s professors and staff members.

The event was held March 24-26 on campus and attracted more than 50 students from near-

ly two dozen colleges and universities.

It was the first time the conference had been held in person since 2019.

In addition to talks and presentations about research, the conference featured a scaled-

down version of the College’s award-winning Classics Day. The College’s next full Classics Day will be held Sept. 30, and it is expected to attract hundreds of high school students from the Midwest.

College receives grant to support underrepresented students in STEM

Monmouth College has received a major national grant to help make higher education more inclusive.

The $470,666 grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute will be used to help create a seamless transfer pathway for Illinois Central College students from underrepresented backgrounds who want to earn a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and science at Monmouth.

Monmouth is among 104 schools to receive a six-year grant through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s $60 million Inclusive Excellence initiative. The initiative challenges U.S. colleges and universities to build capacity for student belonging, especially for those who have been historically excluded from the sciences.

“The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is one of the world’s leaders in biomedical research and support of education in the biomedical fields. A Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant is, in the higher education world, equivalent to an Oscar or Grammy,” said Monmouth President Clarence Wyatt “Receiving this award affirms the creative work of our faculty and staff and recognizes Monmouth’s focus on empowering its students.”

Wyatt said the Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant also advances several key elements of Monmouth’s strategic plan — enriching the College’s curricular experience and positioning the College to more effectively attract and serve students who begin their college careers at two-year institutions.

Monmouth Vice President for Academic Affairs Mark Willhardt said it was especially rewarding to receive the grant because so much faculty effort went into it.

“Faculty have been pursuing this since before the pandemic, so it is great to see their dedication pay off — literally, with the grant, and figuratively, for all the terrific students the grant will support,” said Willhardt. Monmouth faculty hope to create a program that will introduce incoming ICC students to math and research.

“Students would be involved in a real research project, getting data and doing some math,” said biology professor Eric Engstrom, who worked on the grant proposal. “They’d get to see what real research is like. Some students may have never experienced that.”

Classics professor Bob Simmons welcomes guests to a scaled-down version of the College’s award-winning Classics Day during the 2023 Eta Sigma Phi national conference. The College’s next full Classics Day will be Sept. 30.

Monmouth students who were part of the inaugural Champion Leadership Student Summit included, from left, Ditza Montesinos, Morgan Thompson, Marie Vega, Nyasaina Kwamboka, Gabriela Madu and and Jonathon “JD” Diaz.

MAKING ‘NEW FRIENDS’

Inaugural Champion Miller Center leadership summit brings together College, high schools

Alexis Martin was in a bit of a rut when her junior year started at Farmington High School, roughly an hour southeast of Monmouth College. A program initiated by the College’s Champion Miller Center for Student Equity, Inclusion and Community helped bring her out of it.

In early May, Martin was on campus along with several other Farmington students who participated in the Champion Miller Center’s year-long inclusive leadership training. They attended the inaugural Champion Leadership Student Summit, joined by “new friends” from Galesburg and Monmouth-Roseville high schools, as well as by their respective advisers and teachers.

“Everything I hear, I try to apply to my daily life,” said Martin, who hopes to be a K-12 art teacher and, eventually, a college professor. “It gives me a scope and a path and a guideline to help me grow as a person and a leader.”

Martin was asked to explain to students her age the advantages of learning about inclusive leadership.

“Talking to the people from Monmouth, I learned that a lot of them had experienced stuff like me,” she said. “They heard me, and they understood me. Even though we come from different backgrounds and ethnicities, it wasn’t toxic at all. Everybody was nice and open.”

Martin’s testimony is essentially the idea

behind the program, said Champion Miller Center Director Regina Johnson ’01. “For our first try, the summit was everything we could have hoped for it to be,” she said.

About 30 students attended the event, which included breakout sessions on topics such as the three pillars of leadership and growth mindset.

Other ideas from the summit, which Johnson reiterated when the group came together again at the end of the day, included “pull in people who are different from yourself” and “make people feel safe, make people feel included.” Johnson also told the students, “Do all of our role models have to be good ones? Absolutely not. Sometimes you have to learn from the bad ones.”

“When we dedicated the Champion Miller Center last spring, I had already selected my student interns,” said Johnson. “I knew then that with their maturity and leadership, we had the potential to do something special like this.”

Those interns include seniors Jonathan “JD” Diaz, Nyasaina Kwamboka and Gabriela Madu. Also part of the team at the summit was December graduate Jake Uryasz ’22, who also attended Farmington.

Last fall, in addition to working with the students at Farmington — where Zac Chatterton ’99 serves as superintendent — the Monmouth inclusive leadership group also

made the short trip east of campus to work with students at United High School, where Chris Schwarz ’09 serves as principal.

“It doesn’t matter your identity, your race, your gender, your sexual orientation, we’re here for every single person,” said Kwamboka of one of the group’s primary messages. “It is necessary that we become socially and personally aware of the need to be inclusive in leadership and in teamwork.”

Ditza Montesinos ’23 said what the Monmouth students offer is a chance for the high schoolers to connect with people from their own generation.

“It was interesting to see how much guidance these kids can get from talking to people who aren’t too much different in age from them,” said Montesinos. “It’s reassuring to know other people go through the same patterns that you do.”

It’s also important to talk to others from a different background, said Diaz.

“This is the age when they’re the most moldable,” he said. “In a few more years, when they’re in their 20s, you’ve adopted a pretty firm idea of what your values are. So it’s good that they can meet other people now so that they can be the best version of themselves. Instead of only being around people that are exactly like them, they can hear different opinions. The world is a diverse place. You can’t be stuck in one mindset.”

‘Passionate’

Gándara named Newman Civic Fellow

Anita Gándara ’24 of Chicago is one of 154 students from the United States and Mexico named a Newman Civic Fellow for the 202324 academic year. Campus Contact, a national coalition of colleges and universities working to advance the public purposes of higher education, sponsors the fellowship, which is named in honor of Frank Newman, one of its founders.

Gándara is uniquely positioned to find those solutions, in part because of her academic focus on political science and communication studies.

“I met (political science) Professor (Andre) Audette on my visit to campus, and I fell in love with the program,” said Gándara. “It’s a very interactive environment, and I knew that I needed that and wanted that.”

In his nomination of Gándara to be a Newman Civic Fellow, Monmouth President Clarence Wyatt wrote: “Anita is passionate about the issues of equity and social justice in her own communities, our nation and around the world. She has worked using her formal leadership roles in Pi Beta Phi (serving as chapter president) and Greek life, and informally, to organize her peers to perform this work of social justice in our own campus community.”

It’s Gándara’s goal “to create a transparent and safe space for students on campus.”

“I also hope to work with the College community to create a more transparent relationship between students and administration in providing sufficient support and resources for students of marginalized groups” she said. “My personal experience as a bisexual woman of color gives me insight into several issues that marginalized groups face.

“Sometimes it’s nerve-racking to be the person that people look up to make change, but I didn’t do this by myself. There are other leaders I’ve looked up to and good mentors that I’ve had. A good way to become a leader is to learn from good leaders.”

Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides students with a year of learning and networking opportunities that emphasize personal, professional and civic growth. Fellows participate in virtual training and networking opportunities to provide them with the skills and connections needed to create large-scale positive change.

The cornerstone of the fellowship is the Annual Convening of Fellows, which offers intensive

in-person skill-building and networking over the course of two days. The fellowship also provides fellows with pathways to apply for exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.

Former U.S. Rep. Bustos to teach political science class

Monmouth College students will get to study U.S. political campaigns this fall with two of the Midwest’s political veterans.

Former U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos will team up with Monmouth political science lecturer Robin Johnson to teach the “Campaign Methods” course.

The 200-level political science course explores grassroots campaigns, examines the rise of analytics and data-driven campaigns, and gives students the opportunity to apply what they learn about campaign methods to a current campaign.

“Public service comes in all shapes and sizes,” said Bustos, who represented Illinois’ 17th Congressional District from 2013-23. “For the last decade, I served in Congress, representing the men, women and children of central, western and northern Illinois. In my next chapter, public service will mean teaching our next generation of leaders from Monmouth College. I look forward to learning about their ideas and sharing what I have learned in my many years in public life.”

Johnson – who is an expert in governmental relations public policy and a longtime political consultant – is also host of the radio show and podcast Heartland Politics with Robin Johnson, which is anchored at WVIK-FM.

“It’s an honor for Congresswoman Bustos to share her knowledge on politics and government with students at Monmouth,” he said. “We plan to provide students with practical, hands-on teaching and have leading political figures from both parties share their expertise as well. It’s a win-win for the congresswoman, Monmouth College, and mostly, the students.”

Physics professor Michael Solontoi is co-author of a paper that will help scientists utilize a major new telescope being completed at Chile’s Vera C. Rubin Observatory that will take what amounts to a “10-year digital movie of the sky.”

The 8.5-meter Legacy Survey of Space and Time telescope, which has been nearly two decades in the making, is scheduled to have its “first light” next year.

With a lens that is bigger than most humans, the telescope will “generate an absurd amount of data,” said Solontoi, enabling astronomers from all over the world to gain more knowledge of several key areas, including galactic neighbors to the Milky Way, supernovas, dark matter and dark energy.

“The beautiful thing about astronomy is that you have a time machine laid out in the sky,” he said, “but there’s still so much that we really don’t understand about space that we have to figure out.”

The LSST telescope in Chile will help with that. But it won’t just expand astronomers’ horizons in deep space. It will also bring into much sharper focus an area closer to home.

“It’s going to be a factor of 10 improvement in our solar system population studies,” said Solontoi of his area of specialization. “There are about a million known objects in the solar system, and when this project is complete, we should know about 10 million objects. It will be similar from going to a Victorian-era map of the world to Google Maps.”

The paper that Solontoi helped co-author was recently published in the Astrophysical Journal Supplementary Series .

“Essentially, our paper is about how well various strategies for observing the entire sky work for doing solar system astronomy,” said Solontoi. “There is a prototype cadence, and then there are all types of variations. We evaluated each of those cadences for solar system science.”

The publication is where longer, more in-depth technical papers accepted by the Astrophysical Journal are published. And, as Solontoi says, his paper definitely qualifies as a longer paper, checking in at 103 pages.

A major project in astronomy is set to begin on the other side of the Equator, and a Monmouth College professor is involved.

“The paper itself is a technical monstrosity that my co-authors and I have been referring to as ‘The Kraken,’ but I can distill it down to a couple of exciting results for general consumption,” he said. “It’s the only project like it in the world.” Solontoi said his paper doubles as a type of Cliff’s Notes for scientists doing future space surveys.

Solontoi publishes paper to help capture ‘10-year digital movie of the sky’

Gándara Bustos Solontoi

Class of 2027 Top Scholars named

Three of the top scholars in the Class of 2027 bring a diversity of interests and career plans this fall to Monmouth College. Melissa Bivolarov of Arlington Heights, Ill., and Kaniya Johnson of Chicago have been named a Monmouth William J. and Beverly Goldsborough Scholar, and Mariah Hobson of Princeton, Ill., has been named an Admiral’s Scholar.

Johnson plans to major in English, with a focus on creative writing, so that she can pursue a career as a screenwriter. “It means a lot to me to attend a school like Monmouth because I know I will have a lot of support there and it will help me go after what I want to do in life,” said Johnson.

Bivolarov plans to join the cross country and track and field program and become involved in cocurricular programs. “I’ve been very involved with school activities since I was a freshman, and I want to be involved in college as well,” she said.

Hobson plans to major in physical education and play soccer, with the goal of becoming a high school soccer coach. She said she was attracted to Monmouth’s campus atmosphere, “where everybody knows everybody … and you can find your way pretty easy.”

The Goldsborough Scholars program is a full-tuition, four-year scholarship worth more than $160,000 that recognizes outstanding students from the Chicagoland area who have consistently demonstrated academic excellence throughout their high school careers and who embody the mission and values of Monmouth, as evidenced by leadership, service, civic engagement and cocurricular commitments.

Admiral’s Scholars receive a full-tuition scholarship worth more than $160,000 over four years. They also get a $5,000 academic enrichment fund.

Edmonds ’08 tapped to lead alumni program

Zac Edmonds ’08 was named in April Monmouth College’s director of alumni engagement.

“There’s just something special about this place,” said Edmonds, who graduated with a degree in communication. “It’s hard to describe to

Simmons,

bring home prestigious honors in classics

A Monmouth College professor and student brought home once-in-a-lifetime and first-in-a-lifetime awards from the annual meeting of the 1,500-member Classical Association of the Middle West and South, held last spring in Provo, Utah.

Professor Bob Simmons received the award for Outstanding Teaching at the College/University Level, which he called “a once-in-a-career award.”

Megan Dailey ’25 was awarded one of six Manson A. Stewart Awards, a distinction for excellence in undergraduate classics. The award “typically goes to students from a ‘who’s who’ of vibrant classics programs around the nation,” said Simmons, who serves as vice president of the Lake Michigan Region for CAMWS, the nation’s second-largest classics organization.

A classics and social science education major who is a member of the track and field program, Dailey joins two previous winners from Monmouth in the past decade — Emma Vanderpool ’17 and Daniel Hintzke ’18

“Megan’s excellence in classics is widespread,” said Simmons. “She has absolutely

people, but at the same time, everybody who’s here understands.”

Edmonds followed his father, Jay Edmonds ’71, uncle Chris Edmonds ’74 and brother Adam Edmonds ’99 to Monmouth, a school he said he knew he was destined to attend “since about second grade.”

While serving as a member of the Alumni Engagement Committee, Edmonds helped es-

excelled in everything she has done in this subject. There are only A’s in her work in classics, and she is exceptionally energetic in her preparations for and participation in every course — she wants to learn and have the best experience possible in her classes, not just get through them.”

The CAMWS award committee received several testimonials from some of Simmons’ colleagues and students.

“Professor Simmons greets every single student by name at each class meeting, engaging students in classes of all sizes,” reads his formal citation for the award. “He is the professor whose door is quite literally always open, who invites students to his home for end-of-year picnics. ... Managing classics almost single-handedly, Professor Simmons has taught 48 different courses at Monmouth, courses that are innovative and meaningful to reflect modern times, and courses highlighting voices of gender and sexuality.”

“He always has done more than his share, innovating to keep classics an engaged and lively department,” wrote one of his recommenders for the award.

tablish the “Tartan Talks” webinar series, and he coined the phrase “Tartan Up!” for the 2022 Scots Day of Giving.

“I’m really looking forward to cultivating young alumni,” he said. “If they’re not in a position yet to give financially, helping them to see what other ways they can contribute — maybe by volunteering at an event or by attending a Fighting Scots road game.”

Edmonds said that his ultimate goal is “to get people to feel the same amount of pride about Monmouth as I do.”

Bivolarov

Johnson

Hobson

Edmonds

Dailey

Classics professor Bob Simmons and Megan Dailey ’25 received two of the most prestigious awards from the Classical Association of the Middle West and South.

SCOTS AROUND THE WORLD

Study-abroad experiences return with trips to Australia, New Zealand, Greece, Iceland and Singapore

After nearly three years of cancellations and concessions caused by the pandemic, travel lanes for Monmouth College study-abroad experiences fully opened in 2023. Four student groups took advantage during the first half of the year, traveling to Australia and New Zealand, Greece, Iceland, and Singapore.

Three of those trips followed the close of the spring semester, while the Greece trip was taken during Christmas break.

Led by classics professor Bob Simmons and communication studies professor Lori Walters-Kramer, a 17-student group rang in the new year in Olympia, the town that hosted the ancient Olympic games.

That location was one of the highlights for classics major Todd Fowler ’23.

“Being able to actually travel to the original sites that you admire so much and study so often was a real treat,” said Fowler. “It was almost like we were living history. For example, running on the original track at Olympia as the first Olympic champion would have also competed. Another example is walking the same path to the Oracle of Delphi as Alexander the Great once did.”

Ben Dorn ’24 came away from the trip with a new plan for his finances.

“While traveling to Greece, I was trying to figure out what to expect,” he said. “I remember sitting on the flight just in shock that I was traveling the world. When I landed in Athens, it was a dream. The whole week felt like I was in heaven, and that one week in my life was the best. After taking this trip, I won’t buy the most expensive car or house. I’ll use my money to travel the world. There is so much out there.”

The place that leaves Walters-Kramer in awe is a spot just down the hill from a major tourist site in Athens.

“A lot of people like the Parthenon, but my favorite place is just below it — the Agora, which is an ancient marketplace,” she said. “A lot of dialogue took place there. Socrates would walk through there engaged in discussions. There’s a small, raised area there that

was a speaker’s platform. So the Agora is the place that moved me the most, just knowing you’re on the same ground as Socrates.”

Iceland

Biology professor James Godde has led students abroad in every calendar year since 2006, often to warm-weather destinations in Latin America. But this year he did some-

Clockwise from left, part of the Monmouth group is pictured at the Parthenon in Greece. The Monmouth group poses on the Sólfar, or Sun Voyager, sculpture in Reykjavik, Iceland. The Monmouth group is pictured on Clark Island in Sydney Harbour, Australia. Jacinda Garcia points to the spot on the map where a team of five students and two faculty members spent most of June. Also pictured are, from left, Michael Andal, professor Jialin Li, Kylie McDonald, professor Marlo Belschner, Addison Cox and Ethan Forsberg.

thing different, leading 11 students on a previously postponed trip to Iceland.

“Better late than never,” said Godde of the trip, which for roughly half the students was the culmination of a 200-level biology course on the wilderness. “We focused on the many different natural areas of the country. We talked in class about how barren Iceland was in most places, and that was not incorrect. ’Bar-

ren’ was pretty straight on.”

“Better cold than never” was an alternative way to look at the trip, as Iceland’s climate, which has typically started to warm up by late May, was behind schedule.

“We only had two sunny days, but we made it work,” said Godde. “The rest of the time it was clouds, probably rain, sometimes snow, and always wind. Before we left, I told the students they’d need to dress in layers. They listened. Nobody froze,” despite a typical day being in the low 40s with winds gusting from 15 to 40 miles per hour. “We kept hearing from people, ‘This is not normal. It’s supposed to be a little better than this.’ But we caught it when it wasn’t.”

Australia & New Zealand

Once-in-a-lifetime experiences and new perspectives on business practices and cultures were among the highlights for 24 students who headed “Down Under” in May.

“Globalization, of course, is so important,” said business professor Tom Prince, who led the trip along with two of his department colleagues, Amanda Cleland and Mike Connell, and psychology professor Joan Wertz. “One of the things we did was look at practices across cultures — how businesses culturally adapt their offerings. We studied the business practices toward Aborigines in Australia and toward Māori in New Zealand.”

Grace Goodrich ’25 said she was impressed with how the two nations’ business communities work with native citizens.

“Instead of turning a blind eye any longer, some businesses in the tourist industry approached the (native) people looking to see if there were opportunities there,” she said. “I

thought it was really interesting to see how these businesses chose to learn and try to help show these cultures instead of stealing from them.”

Learning about the native cultures was also key to the psychology portion on the trip, said Wertz.

“The purpose of the ‘Cross-cultural Psychology’ course is to help students develop a better understanding of other cultures, as well as their own,” she said. “We were able to observe and learn about the Māori and Aboriginal Australians, and the students drew a lot of connections back to how Native Americans have been treated in the U.S. They also commented frequently about how friendly people are in those countries.”

Singapore

Jacinda Garcia ’23 was part of the Aus-

tralia trip, and she barely had time to get settled before leaving the country again, this time as one of five students who spent the majority of June in Singapore to gain a broader and deeper understanding of the everyday lives of migrant domestic workers in the nation of 5.5 million people.

Professors Jialin Li and Marlo Belschner led the trip. Li brought a background in sociological training, while Belschner helped make the trip possible through her knowledge of working with different grant agencies, as well as her background in feminist theories and issues and in transnational feminism.

In Singapore, migrant domestic workers have played a key role in taking care of children and the elderly since 1978, when the state granted work permits allowing a limited recruitment of domestic servants from Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Philippines to ease the burden of working, middle-class women in Singapore.

Prior to COVID-19, about 260,000 such migrants worked and lived within employers’ households. However, many local journalists and scholars recently started to shed light on the legal barriers and gender-based violence migrant female workers are facing. The global pandemic further worsened the situation.

In addition to the research project, the group experienced the multi-ethnic culture in Singapore, including various foods at hawker markets and ethnic neighborhoods, such as Little India, Chinatown and Arab Street/Kampong Glam. Aiding their research and sightseeing was the fact that mostly English is spoken in Singapore.

Monmouth Writers

Scots authors who inform, enlighten and entertain with their words.

Writing has been at the heart of the Monmouth College experience since the College’s founding 170 years ago. The ability to synthesize and distill complex information and ideas, connect them to larger issues within an ethical framework, and then clearly and effectively communicate them to a broader audience is a distinguishing characteristic of a Monmouth graduate. The College also has a rich tradition of faculty who have published scholarly, insightful and accessible books that enlarge and enrich their disciplines.

In this issue of Monmouth College Magazine, magazine Editor Barry McNamara and student writer Dawsyn Wilson ’26 profile 11 members of the Monmouth community whose work is at least partially defined by working with words. Each of the writers are artists who tell stories in their own way by exploring a diverse range of subjects that includes lettuce growers in Arizona, ancient Greece demagogues, young people dealing with life on the cusp of adulthood, the paranormal, and a charming Christmas story.

CHRIS WALLJASPER: THE REST OF THE STORY

There’s a neat and tidy way to picture the journalism career of Chris Walljasper ’07, a Chicago-based reporter for the Toronto-based Reuters news agency who covers U.S. food production, supply chain, U.S. hunger and farm labor.

There he is in the 1990s, delivering the Fort Madison Democrat to half of his small hometown of Donnellson, Iowa, while his friend covered the other half.

There he is on his high school yearbook staff, and there he is at Monmouth College, majoring in communication and having a blast into the wee hours of the morning on the College radio station with his friend Brian Wilcoxon ’07.

Then a master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, and Reuters snapped him up.

But all that would be, to put it politely, a crock, said Walljasper.

“What I like to tell students is that I can tell two stories,” he said. “One would be that as a kid, I threw papers, and then I worked on the yearbook, did radio at Monmouth and got my master’s — that it was a straight line. But that would be the furthest thing from the truth.”

Even his four years at Monmouth weren’t well thought out or scripted.

“I had three majors — communication, religious studies and music — because I couldn’t make up my damn mind,” said Walljasper. “I wouldn’t recommend that as a good course of action.”

The real story

So it’s a circuitous route that brought Walljasper to Reuters, where in 2022 he parlayed his experience in radio into hosting a twice-a-day, 10-minute pilot podcast – which is “innovative in terms of its frequency” — for the news agency.

“They wanted proof of concept. They liked it,” said Walljasper of the work he did for a few months last year. “I got to talk to all these people — a correspondent in Brazil during that country’s election, the guy on the ground in Ukraine — and turn it into a podcast.”

The podcast was on pause during the holidays but returned on Feb. 27.

Following graduation, Walljasper took his three Monmouth majors back to Iowa, selling advertising for the Muscatine Journal. A fellow named Samuel Clemens had written for the newspaper more than 150 years before, and neither Walljasper nor the future Mark Twain stayed there very long.

Walljasper also sold advertising for the River Cities Reader in Davenport, Iowa, with its small staff depending on his sales acumen to receive their paychecks each week.

The power of journalism

On the one hand, Walljasper was pleased to be in the news industry, but the more he learned about it, the more he realized he wanted to be on its editorial side.

“To prove to future employers that I’m a writer,” Walljasper took the

very convincing step of enrolling at the Medill School of Journalism.

One of the highlights of that experience was being part of a team of Medill students who examined the deadly legacy of the United States’ use of landmines and cluster bombs around the world and its $3.2 billion effort to clean them up. The students reported the series from Cambodia, Iraq, Ukraine and Mozambique.

“I was in Mozambique to attend a United Nations conference in Maputo, and I connected with a guy from Australia who was going to travel six hours north of the city to check out a landmine site,” said Walljasper. “He asked me if I wanted to go, and I said, ‘Let’s do it.’ I contacted my instructor to ask if he was cool with that, and he said, ‘I’m not sure I am.’”

But Walljasper went anyway, and on the trip, he met a young woman, Florencia Artur Manhiça, who had lost a leg to a land mine that had been missed in the clean-up efforts. Walljasper used Manhiça as the peg for his deep 3,600-word dive into the subject.

Flash forward to a year later, when Walljasper was contacted by a non-profit agency that provides prosthetics to people in developing countries.

“They told me, ‘We’d like to give that young woman an opportunity to receive a leg.’ Not long after, they found her, flew her to their site and fitted her for a new leg. Without that story we did, no one would’ve known her. It gives me chills when I think about it.”

Joining Reuters

After Medill, Walljasper worked for Farm Journal, was involved in “a radio startup with some old WGN guys,” and worked for the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting. Definitely not “straight line” stuff. Nor, for that matter, was the start of his career at Reuters, which hired him in February of 2020, a month before the pandemic.

“I said, ‘Hold on. We’re eight-and-a-half months pregnant. Can I hold off a few weeks?’” said Walljasper of he and his wife, Annie Shortridge Walljasper ’07. “They agreed, and my first day was March 16. I basically went in and got my laptop, and they told me to go home. There was a lot of remote work after that.”

Growing up in southeast Iowa, Walljasper has a pretty firm grasp of corn and soybeans. But his work for Reuters has exposed him to many other developments in agriculture.

“I’ve learned about lettuce growers in Arizona and potato farmers in Washington and even date farmers in Coachella,” he said.

And, as the pandemic raged, “supply chain” became a constant topic.

“If you’d brought up supply chain three years ago in casual conversation, people would’ve looked at you like you had three heads,” said Walljasper. “We all want things fast, now and on time. It turns out that what we were sacrificing for that was resiliency. It wasn’t redundant — there was a frailty there. If we didn’t have the truckers to get, say, lettuce from the Yuma Valley (in Arizona) to Hy-Vees (grocery stores) in the Midwest, it completely upended the whole system.”

Every day, he uses the critical thinking skills that he learned to apply at Monmouth.

“I tell my longer story to say this. Monmouth College gives you a well-rounded focus to weather all that. I wouldn’t change a thing,” he said.

JAIRE SIMS: MORE THAN ‘GETTING BY’

Jaire Sims ’16 was a straight-A student at Perspectives Charter School in Chicago, but that doesn’t mean his teenage years were easy.

His website describes that period as a time when his “quiet nature and social anxiety made him a prime target for bullies.”

Flash forward to four years beyond his time at Monmouth, when Sims published his first novel, Getting By. It was a finalist in the African American Fiction category at the 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

Sims hopes Getting By will reach readers in demographics who share commonalities with him. He wishes to inspire such like-minded individuals to draw inspiration from their life experiences and perhaps someday create a story of their own.

“Monmouth was the first time I was in a place where everybody didn’t look like me and everybody didn’t have the same experiences I had,” said Sims, who was assisted in the admission process by admission counselor Peter Pitts

Among the faculty who influenced his time at Monmouth was Chris Goble in communication studies.

“Although very quiet, you could see that Jaire was searching for a way to express himself,” said Goble. “I could see that in his projects in my media courses. I was so happy and proud to see him find a voice and share his story. And from that, helping others share their story through his courses he is offering on his website.”

Sims completed Getting By during his junior year at Monmouth

“It’s not an autobiographical story, but it does combine some of my experiences from high school and college, as well as my own creativity and imagination,” he said. “I spent my senior year revising it,” then spent a few years saving up to publish the work.

His main character’s “decisions and options on the cusp of adulthood create a compelling, uplifting, realistic story of a potentially successful young man and introvert who faces pressures and influences beyond those usually wound into African American

coming-of-age stories,” wrote Diane Donovan for Midwest Book Reviews.

Sims was asked what he says to others who are considering creating a story of their own.

“Just start writing, even if it’s just a little bit every day — a page or a paragraph,” he said. “If you don’t, you’ll find excuses not to write. Develop a discipline and a routine, and figure out what’s the story you’re eager to tell the world.”

Sims gives plenty of other advice on writing and self-publishing through the courses he offers on his website, jairesims.com. When he’s not working on the site, his writing course or revisions to the sequel of Getting By, Sims works in downtown Chicago for Mercer, a company that provides trusted advice and solutions to build healthier and more sustainable futures for its clients, colleagues and communities.

STUDENT NOVEL WRITERS: 50,000 WORDS

Three Monmouth students put the “Yes” in NaNoWriMo.

During the month of November, the trio all produced 50,000 words of fiction, spurred on by NaNoWriMo, which is short for National Novel Writing Month, an annual online event held each November.

Seniors Jan Abel, Jennie Nichols and Kestral Woeltje reached the goal. Another student, freshman Dawsyn Wilson — who also writes for the College’s communications and marketing team — got halfway there.

A descriptor on the organization’s website reads: “Writing a novel alone can be difficult, even for seasoned writers. NaNoWriMo helps you track your progress, set milestones, connect with other writers in a vast community, and participate in events that are designed to make sure you finish your novel.”

The Monmouth authors even felt that

sense of community on campus, gathering regularly throughout November.

“We met twice a week for an hour, sometimes typing together and sometimes just talking, and even, if the situation dictated, commiserating,” said Nichols, while seated with the other writers in a ring of comfortable chairs in Hewes Library. “(Director) Sarah Henderson here at the library really supported us, too.”

Mapping out a schedule

NaNoWriMo says it “provides tools, structure, community and encouragement to help people find their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds — on and off the page.”

“We designed the books’ covers in October, which they say is motivation to help you finish your novel,” said Abel.

Sims

Pictured on the first day of National Novel Writing Month in November 2022 are, from left, students Hazel Gablin, Dawsyn Wilson, Kestrel Woeltje, Jennie Nichols and Jan Abel. Woeltje, Nichols and Abel all completed the 50,000-word challenge within November’s 30 days.

“Part of it is just getting the story out — just getting the words out,” said Nichols. “There are parts that I thought turned out really wonderful, and other parts where I did better in sixth grade.”

The students needed to average writing 1,667 words per day for each of November’s 30 days. Woeltje’s chart was nearly a perfectly straight diagonal, steadily rising from 0 in the bottom left-hand corner of the graph to 50,000 in the upper right-hand corner on the month’s final day.

Abel and Nichols reached the goal in more dramatic fashion. Abel, in fact, zipped through the 50,000 words by Nov. 17, then let her work sit for a week before going back to make edits on Black Friday. Nichols had a few zeroes along the way, but made up for the deficit with a 6,000-word day and eventually reached the goal a day early.

This was the sixth time that Nichols had participated in NaNoWriMo. She, Abel and Woeltje had the added experience of the College’s “Advanced Creative Writing” course, which they took last spring with David Wright.

“That course is when it really started,” said Abel of her novel. The students’ work was showcased during the 2022 Scholars Day poster display.

“The class is called ‘Building Stories, Building Worlds,’” said Wright at the poster display. Wright noted that in recent years, students, perhaps influenced by the Harry Potter series, have enjoyed “living in a world that’s not the one they’re in.”

MARK DUFFIELD: A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

Fifteen years ago, famous actor Richard Thomas walked into a Boston gift shop coowned and managed by 1971 Monmouth graduate Mark Duffield

Rather than ask the actor who portrayed John-Boy on the TV show The Waltons for his autograph, Duffield instead described a project he was planning to Thomas, who helped him add a vital piece to the elaborate puzzle.

That piece became the book The Last Shepard and Tales of the Tenth Ornament: A Wee Yarn of Wonder at Christmastime

And the project became so much more.

“My inspiration to write anything can be traced back to Monmouth College in the

late 1960s,” said Duffield. “I wrote a story I called ‘The Chameleon,’ and English professor Murray Moulding praised my work and urged me to continue writing.”

So is that what Duffield did?

“I did not. I became a commercial fisherman on Nantucket Island after graduation. I traveled the world, visiting 65 countries,” he said.

Some of his adventures included living with tribes in Africa, crossing the Sudan in a truck and traveling down the Amazon River in a small boat. He then became director of business development at Boston public TV station WGBH, funding programs such as Nova, Frontline and The American Experience

In 2006, Duffield became co-owner of Blackstone’s, a small gift shop on historic Charles Street.

Duffield began thinking of ways to increase the shop’s business. After a chance meeting with Toronto-based ornament maker Mario Friedrich, he had an idea. He asked Friedrich to create a series of 10 Boston-themed Christmas ornaments which, when collected in full, would provide enough clues to solve a riddle. Those solving the riddle would be entered into a drawing to win $2,000 in donated gold and silver coins.

Duffield then took the riddle further,

proposing to a local bank manager that the riddle and coins be kept in a bank vault and dramatically opened five years later at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve.

Duffield then had his second chance meeting, this time with Thomas. The actor gave Duffield the idea to write a story that accompanied the ornament project, with a separate riddle and with cliffhangers that would keep families returning to the story each Christmas Eve to learn what happened next. Those families had signed on to participate in the Blackstone’s Christmas Mystery Ornament program.

“We turned strangers into friends and friends into meaningful relationships that last to this day,” said Duffield, whose third chance meeting, with cartoonist Don Sherwood — famous for his work on The Flintstones — gave him his book’s illustrator.

Starting with Christmas in 2007, the families for the next five years received their two ornaments and a photocopied chapter of the wonderfully illustrated story. Many readers from across the United States traveled east in 2011 for the “big reveal,” which was held at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel.

Duffield has also authored a series of As I Recall titles, which he drew from the title of his father’s memoir. On Amazon.com, As I Recall: Wings of Remembrance debuted No. 1 as a book on fatherhood.

Mark Duffield ’71 got the idea for his book, The Last Shepard and Tales of the Tenth Ornament: A Wee Yarn of Wonder at Christmastime , from a conversation he had with actor Richard Thomas.

CHRIS PIO: WHAT’S IN A NICKNAME?

Former Monmouth coach and sports information director Chris Pio ’84 of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is now two-thirds of the way through a project of writing about the nicknames and mascots of colleges and universities in the three divisions of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Pio recently completed Gorillas, Gators and Greyhounds: The NCAA Division II Nickname and Mascot Menagerie. The book followed by one year his debut text, Gryphons, Gorloks & Gusties: A History

of NCAA Division III

Nicknames and Mascots

“The reception to (Gryphons, Gorloks & Gusties) really gave me the encouragement and energy to continue on with my project goal,” said Pio. “If that one would’ve fizzled, I don’t know if I would have had much initiative to do the second one.”

His brother, Chad Pio, a professional graphic designer, created the cover for both books, which are available at Amazon.com.

Two-thirds is also the rough ratio of the 300-plus DII nicknames connected with animals. Pio chose to acknowledge that tendency in his title, giving first mention to the nickname of his brother’s alma mater, Pittsburg State University in Kansas, one of the few DII schools he was familiar with before starting the 263-page project.

Through his research, Pio learned that the school chose its nickname for an unexpected reason.

“They’re the gorillas not because of the animal, but they had a spirit group – a pep group – on campus in the 1920s, and back then, Prohibition times, a gorilla was a slang term for a rowdy individual,” said Pio. “Their pep group was called ‘The Gorillas,’ and that became their (teams’) nickname. ... Their football stadium is known

as ‘The Jungle’ because of the gorilla theme.”

That’s just one of the 302 stories in Pio’s book, which has taken him on what he called “a fascinating journey.” He’s learned about the Javelinas of Texas A&M University-Kingsville — a wild pig, not the instrument thrown by track and field athletes — the Ichabods of Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, and the Nanooks of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. The nickname at the latter school is simply a native word meaning “polar bear.”

“It’s been a fascinating journey reading about mascots and nicknames,” said Pio. “It started when I was in college as a student-athlete but more so, it really started to take off when I was the SID there. I researched the origin of ‘The Fighting Scots’ — that was the first nickname that I researched. It just kind of took off from there.”

SYLVIA ZETHMAYR SHULTS: LOOKING OVER YOUR SHOULDER

Your mind tells you that the long hallway you’re staring down has been deserted for half a century, but you can’t shake the feeling that — somehow — you’re not alone in the building. Did a light just flicker a few doors down on the right? Was that a footstep you heard right above your head?

Or is it possible that you’ve just been reading too many books by Sylvia Zethmayr Shults ’90? A librarian at the Fondulac Dis-

trict Library in East Peoria, Ill., by day, Shults is the author of horror stories and paranormal non-fiction, mostly by night.

“I sit in dark, spooky places so you don’t have to, then I come out and tell you all about it,” said Shults of her method of research.

Her recent book, Days of the Dead: A Year of True Ghost Stories, won first place last year in the Bookfest Awards. The work represented a shift for Shults, who had previously authored several shorter, fictional ghost stories.

“I’m lucky enough to live within 10 minutes of one of the most haunted places in Illinois – the Peoria State Hospital,” said Shults of the building, shuttered in 1973, that was once one of the finest facilities in the world for the care of the mentally ill.

Her new book, Grave Deeds and Dead Plots, a collection of true crime stories with a twist of paranormal, is the first book in a series.

“I’ve actually collected enough material for the next four books or so,” she said. “There are going to be at least five books in the series, which is really exciting for me. I never thought I’d be writing a series, but here we are.”

Shults said she has always wanted to be a writer. Growing up, she would keep herself company by telling herself stories while she did her chores.

“Ever since high school, I’ve had the dream of being a writer,” she said. “It grew out of hearing a lot of stories and reading a lot of stories, and it just kind of evolved from there into telling a lot of stories.”

Pio

“I sit in dark, spooky places so you don’t have to, then I come out and tell you all about it,” says Sylvia Zethmayr Shults ’90, who is also a librarian at the Fondulac District Library in East Peoria, Ill.

Her love of her genre came from horror stories she heard as a child.

“I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, so my father would always tell me stories of the Resurrection Mary and the screaming mummy at the Field Museum and all these wonderful Chicagoland ghost stories,” she said.

What fascinates Shults the most is the history within the ghost stories.

“Because the history, these lived experiences, are why we have the ghost stories,” said Shults, who was a classics major at Monmouth. “And sometimes the ghost stories help us understand the history a little better. That’s what I want people to take away from my books – that history is this treasure trove of these amazingly incredible stories.”

and role of cities in a globalized world while exploring the history, methods, classic texts and current discussions in urban anthropology.

Chapters in Kuppinger’s 148-page book examine urban dwellers’ lives, work, culture and experiences in different yet closely linked cities worldwide.

This concise introductory treatment illustrates how anthropologists address a wide range of questions, such as: What does it mean to work in an informal market in Lomé? How does gentrification affect a Mexican American neighborhood in Chicago? How do people experience urban environmental degradation and injustice? How do race and ethnicity shape the experiences of urbanites? How do immigrants create new urban religious communities?

BOB SIMMONS: LENDING AN EAR TO DEMAGOGUES

Students who occasionally miss a deadline for an assignment will be pleased to know there is at least one Monmouth professor who can lend a sympathetic ear.

More than a year after he was granted a three-month deadline extension, classics professor Bob Simmons can now hold in his hand a copy of his book Demagogues, Power, and Friendship in Classical Athens: Leaders as Friends in Aristophanes, Euripides, and Xenophon

PETRA KUPPINGER: UNDERSTANDING CITY SPACES

The development, transformation and role of major cities and regional centers in a globalized world is the topic of the latest book by Monmouth anthropology professor Petra Kuppinger, who authored Cities and Spaces: An Introduction to Urban Anthropology. The college-level textbook was published by Waveland Press.

Global cities such as New York City and Tokyo, national capitals such as Cairo and Dakar, and regional centers such as Bangalore and Barcelona are powerful economic, political and cultural hubs. Cities and Spaces surveys the development, transformation

“Amusement, relief, satisfaction,” replied Simmons, when asked how it felt to actually have possession of the book, which he received Feb. 9 from Bloomsbury Publishing.

The book examines ways in which a demagogic leadership style based on personal connection became ingrained in ancient Greece, drawing on close study of several genres of literature of the late 5th and earlyto-mid 4th centuries BCE.

What Simmons described as a 17-year process of completing the scholarly work was extended by three months when a variety of circumstances combined to change his response to his Bloomsbury contact.

“They contacted me early in the fall (of 2021) and asked if I was going to make my

Dec. 31 deadline, and I said, ‘Yes! Yes!’” said Simmons. “Then I spoke with them later in the fall, and they asked again if it would be finished, and I said, ‘It’s just not.’”

The pandemic alone might’ve been a good reason, as Simmons said, “It took four times as long to teach during that time as we prepared for in-person and remote learning.” But he was also doing the prep work for new courses, teaching more courses than normal, organizing another successful award-winning Classics Day, working on other scholarly projects, and helping to plan a College-sponsored trip to Italy.

“Unfortunately, the trip to Italy that was also going to be led by art professor Janis Wunderlich got canceled because of COVID,” said Simmons. The silver lining, though, was, “It opened up 10 days of my life.”

For three of those days, Simmons worked diligently on the book from the solitude of a hotel room in Las Vegas. When he returned to Monmouth, there was more good fortune. His spring semester teaching load was lighter, and a trio of his “conscientious and thoughtful” classics students lent a hand, either by handling some professional tasks he could delegate or by helping convert parts of the book, such as the bibliography, to Bloomsbury’s editorial style.

“I’ve looked at it way too much, and I’ll never read it again,” said Simmons the day after he received his finished work. “Now it’s at the mercy of the world. I’ve put myself in the kitchen, and we’ll see what kind of heat there is.”

Kuppinger Simmons

Editor’s Note: This is from the five-part “Life in 2100” series, which was published in June on the College’s website. The series, which was inspired by Michio Kaku’s book Physics of the Future, can be read at monmouthcollege.edu/Lifein2100.

BY BARRY MCNAMARA

Developments in artificial intelligence are occurring at a mind-blowing pace.

“It’s almost ludicrous to make predictions with AI,” said Monmouth computer science professor Logan Mayfield “The kind of pace that the technology is being developed is pretty astounding.”

Consider this: Humans had the upper hand when it came to playing the ancient strategy game Go for around 2,500 years. But fed only very basic rules information, a computer recently taught itself to play at a world-class master level in a remarkably short time span.

“Using reinforcement learning, it progressed from nothing to master level in just three days, which is wild stuff,” said Mayfield.

Or this: In the decade since Mayfield was first interviewed about life in 2100, AI has certainly had its share of headlines. But ChatGPT, a form of AI released a mere eight months ago, recently soared past one billion (that’s with a “b”) Google search hits, with no signs of slowing down.

“AI is big business,” said Mayfield. “It’s barreling along with discoveries, and there are real problems that could arise from it. It’s not clear when or how we’ll step back and have a conversation about it.”

In his wide-ranging discussion on the pros and cons of AI, Mayfield expressed a pair of sentiments shared earlier in the “Life in 2100” series by his faculty colleagues on other futuristic issues – one regarding “who will have access” to the artificial intelligence and the other being “it could be good or bad, depending on what people do with it.”

He also focused some of his thoughts on a pair of common activities –baseball and driving.

“Automated vehicles will become more and more commonplace,” he said. “It’s easy to underestimate the impact that will have.”

The first domino to fall in the automated driving world, Mayfield believes, will be knocked over by companies.

“I feel pretty confident we’ll have automated commercial driving. We’re already seeing it, and the technology is getting better and better. And there are ramifications to that with things like roadside infrastructure. With an automated driver, trucks don’t need to stop for sleep. You’ll have less of a need for truck stops and hotels. These are life-changing impacts.”

Further down that road, so to speak, Mayfield said the self-driving revolution could lead to businesses that allow a human to get behind the wheel and experience the nostalgia of driving.

“There’ll be places you can go and actually drive a car,” he said. “I can see that becoming a thing.”

As time marches on toward 2100, that consumer could be driving for the first time, experiencing what it was like in “the old days” they’d only heard stories about, much like how we think of the way our 19th-century ancestors traveled on horseback and in stagecoaches.

Human employees striking out?

It was around the time of the stagecoach’s heyday in the United States that professional baseball captured the attention of the general public. Starting in

The ‘big business’ will shape life in

‘We are automating things we didn’t think we could automate’

“Many fear that AI creations are conscious, there yet. But we are automating things we could automate. We’re getting pretty good is moving right along.” Logan

business’ of AI in 2100

the 1860s, the sport was known as “America’s pastime.”

Calling it that at any point during the first two decades of the 21st century, though, would be inaccurate, and it’s an example of what can happen when technology and analytics take center stage and the “human element” is lessened or eliminated.

Cognizant of the decrease in fan interest and of plays that made the sport so beloved, several rules were changed for the 2023 season of Major League Baseball, including a ban on the analytics-driven “shift” of fielders.

“We perhaps went too far, so we’re changing it back to a presentation of baseball that we like,” said Mayfield.

He said MLB rule-makers have a pending decision that is much like the choices being dictated by ChatGPT and automated driving.

“They’re already experimenting with automated umpires for balls and strikes in the minor leagues, although it’s not a huge success,” said Mayfield, who sported a St. Louis Cardinals hat during his interview. “If you take away umpires, you take away a human part of the game. And that’s what we’re seeing in other areas as well — taking human beings out of more and more tasks.”

Mayfield referenced Player Piano, the 1952 book by Kurt Vonnegut. In the author’s debut novel, widespread mechanization creates conflict between the wealthy upper class, engineers and managers, who all keep society running, and the lower class, whose skills and purpose in society have been replaced by machines.

“It’s incredibly relevant to right now,” said Mayfield. “That might be one of the real changes in society — the jobs we take away. We might find out that people really need to work,” a lesson that was reinforced during the chaotic first few months of the COVID pandemic.

Another sci-fi plot Mayfield referenced was the Pixar movie WALL-E, set in 2805. Some 700 years earlier — or right around our target year of 2100 – rampant consumerism, corporate greed and environmental neglect had turned Earth into a garbage-strewn wasteland.

“Machines do all the stuff for us, and we sit around in a chair, getting fat,” he said of the plot of the 2008 movie. “If we don’t have to do anything for ourselves, we become ignorant slobs. What happens to us when our cleverness takes all these jobs away? That’s the challenge – to live in the way we like and to do stuff, even though we have the technology to not do it.”

Mayfield also addressed the doomsday scenario with AI, a nightmare depicted in the 2004 Will Smith movie, I, Robot, when robots mobilize against humanity.

“Many fear that AI creations are conscious, but we’re not there yet,” he said. “But we are automating things we didn’t think we could automate. We’re getting pretty good at it, and the pace is moving right along.”

In 1962, the animated series The Jetsons debuted, envisioning a century into the future. One of the characters was Rosie, the Jetson family’s robotic maid and housekeeper.

“It’s more and more probable that we’ll have that — people buying their maid,” said Mayfield. “Roomba will get a real serious upgrade, which is wild, in and of itself.”

The professor hesitated to make any other predictions about how life in 2100 might look. In the world of artificial intelligence, trying to look ahead just a few years is a hard enough task. After all, one of the page one hits for that ChatGPT Google search was “ChatGPT: How to use the AI tool that’s changing everything.”

The technology that is quite possibly “changing everything” wasn’t even a thing at this time a year ago.

“We could do this exercise again in five years and laugh at what we came up with today,” said Mayfield.

conscious, but we’re not things we didn’t think we pretty good at it, and the pace

Logan Mayfield, computer science professor

WELCOME TO THE CLUB

During a Commencement weekend when happy moments were shared and celebrated, members of the Class of 2023 were urged to build human relationships and serve others

Inhis remarks to the Class of 2023, former U.S. Congressman Richard A. Gephardt told the students they were now in the “7% Club,” as there are only about 500 million people in the world — out of roughly 8 billion — who have a college degree. Because of a threat of inclement weather, the ceremony was held in the Huff Athletic Center.

Both Gephardt and the May 13 Baccalaureate speaker — College Chaplain the Rev. John Huxtable ’04 — praised that accomplishment and gave the graduates new goals to attain, with a theme of helping others.

Gephardt — a Democrat who was a U.S. representative from the St. Louis area from 1977-2005, House Majority Leader from 198995 and Minority Leader from 1995-2003 —  also received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the College.

In a message of unification he titled “Go Forth with Purpose,” Huxtable read a favorite passage of his written by Trappist monk and theologian Thomas Merton, then shared his thoughts.

“Your call is to walk into the greater community with a sense of purpose — with a sense of seeing the true nature of humanity in all creation,” Huxtable said at the ceremony, held in Dahl Chapel

and Auditorium. “Tear down the walls that continue to keep people on the margins and at arm’s length. Each of you can go forth into the world with a purpose of changing the narratives of ‘us versus them’ until there is only us.”

The other featured speaker at the Commencement ceremony was senior Addison Cox of Morton, Illinois, the College’s Student Laureate of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois.

“Take pride in who you have become and who you will become,” she said.

Fifteen members of the Class of 2023 graduated summa cum laude, with the highest distinction, which means they finished with a cumulative grade point average of 3.90 to 4.00. In addition to Cox, those students included:

Kaitlyn Fox of Villa Park, Ill.; Karen Fredrick of St. Charles, Ill.; Jeffrey Garrett of Aledo, Ill.; Shay Hafner of Sterling, Ill.; Danielle Hagens of Aledo, Ill.; Kassidy Johnson of Petersburg, Ill.; Clarissa Kampe of Peculiar, Mo.; Samera Lesher of Galesburg, Ill.; Tim McNally of Paw Paw, Ill.; Molly Parsons of Oquawka, Ill.; Hanna Pullen of Roanoke,Texas; Bailey Shimmin of Monmouth; Nicole Welch of Altona, Ill.; and Emma Wolfe of Galesburg.

Also announced were the recipients of the College’s three Hatch Awards for Academic Excellence. Classics professor Bob Simmons received the Hatch Award for service, while the Hatch Award for scholarship went to Anne Mamary from the department of philosophy and religious studies. Educational professor Michelle Holschuh Simmons received the Hatch Award for Distinguished Teaching.

To read more about Commencement Weekend 2023, see more than 2,300 photos from the events and watch videos and highlights from the weekend, go to monmouthcollege.edu/commencement.

CLOCKWISE FROM LOWER LEFT: Emily Laughlin, Jaedyn Mitchell and Lily Harlan celebrate during Senior April Zorn Memorial Stadium. .. Former U.S. Rep. Richard addresses the Class of 2023. … Members of the Class of after taking their class photo on the steps of the Huff … Toasting Senior Sendoff at April Zorn Memorial Stadium: Squire, left, Gabrielle Crothers and Kaitlyn Fox. … celebrates his diploma with family members. … Members of 2023 celebrate after moving the tassel on their mortar

Laughlin, Amanda Dybal, during Senior Sendoff at Rep. Richard A. Gephardt the Class of 2023 celebrate of the Huff Athletic Center. Memorial Stadium: Madison Kaitlyn Fox. … Jesus Alvarez members. … Members of the Class on their mortar boards.

First group of health sciences and human movement majors all headed to graduate school

BY BARRY MCNAMARA

Three trailblazers are headed to graduate school after becoming the first students to complete their degree in Monmouth College’s new health sciences and human movement major.

Seniors Jeff Garrett, Madison Meldrum and Alyssa Villarreal opted for the new major midway through their college careers. They all will pursue a doctorate in physical therapy at universities near their homes.

Garrett and Meldrum, who are from the Quad City-area communities of Aledo and Colona, respectively, will continue their studies at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. Villarreal, a Galesburg High School and Carl Sandburg College graduate whose family now lives in Summerfield, Florida, will study physical therapy at the University of Florida.

“When I transferred from Sandburg, I was originally an exercise science major, but I heard about the new major from (kinesiology lecturer) Jen Braun,” said Villarreal. “She said it was a good alternative, since I was planning to go to PT school after graduating.”

Garrett and Meldrum were also exercise science students who were steered toward the new major by Braun, who helped create it, along with chemistry professor Laura Moore.

The major’s interdisciplinary approach was a big draw to the students.

“The beauty of the health sciences and human movement major is that the students have been greatly influenced by faculty from biology, chemistry, kinesiology, psychology and physics, since it is a combination of courses that end up satisfying the prerequisites for professional school,” said Braun. “Laura and I are co-coordinators of the major and advise the students, but they have many of our science faculty.”

“I like this a lot more,” said Meldrum. “I like that it’s so interdisciplinary and covers so many different areas. We also get exposed to things on a more biological and cellular level.”

Meldrum also noted that the health sciences and human movement curriculum “aligns better with the prerequisites for PT school than exercise science does.”

For Garrett, that element brought a peace of mind that convinced him to switch to the new major.

“Jen was telling me step-by-step from the beginning what the program consisted of and some of the benefits,” he said. “For me, the biggest benefit is having everything organized. Before, pre-physical therapy students had to do a lot of research into what courses PT schools were requiring, especially the science courses. But after I talked to Jen, it’s great to know that those prerequisites were already all laid out that first year.”

He said that another benefit of the new major is that it goes beyond physical therapy by also preparing students for potential opportunities in areas such as athletic training and exercise physiology.

“It definitely opens the door to a lot more opportunities,” he said. “With the organization element, I think it should lessen some of the stress with choosing courses and allow students to focus more on the academic side, not having to worry about every little thing they need to do to get into PT school.”

He and Meldrum are not only Monmouth trailblazers, but they were the poster students for health sciences and human movement when it was unveiled two years ago.

“We talked with the faculty who were creat-

ing the major and gave them our input,” said Meldrum. “Jeff and I were also part of an informational video that the school put out about the new major.”

In addition to creating a clearer path toward her career goal, Meldrum said another way Monmouth prepared her for being a physical therapist is by further developing her interpersonal skills.

“In physical therapy, you commonly have a 40-minute session with a single patient,” she said. “You’re one-on-one with that patient. So all the deep relationships I’ve formed at Monmouth will play a key role in how I’m able to interact with patients.”

Meldrum was drawn to St. Ambrose by the fact that it was close to home, but she also appreciates that it will take less time to complete her doctorate.

She’ll likely have several classes with Garrett, who is keeping his area of specialization open, but said he’s drawn toward “orthopedics/sports or pediatrics.”

Villarreal will make that specialization decision prior to her third year in Gainesville. After completing her doctorate, she will “either do a residency or go straight into working as a physical therapist.” Her favorite class was “Exercise Testing and Prescription” because of its “real-life clinical applications.”

From left, Alyssa Villarreal, Jeff Garrett and Madison Meldrum are the first students to complete their degrees in the new health, sciences and human movement major.

Trio skillfully construct something unique: A Monmouth engineering degree

Three Monmouth College seniors from central Illinois made history this spring as the College’s first engineering graduates.

After the College’s Commencement on May 14, Preston Rousey of Heyworth headed to Odessa, Texas, to work for Halliburton Energy Services; Caden Stasko of Streator went to work for Navistar, which has a core business focusing on the truck, school bus and genuine parts markets in North America; and Reed Wilson of Normal is weighing his options, including an interview with an architectural firm in Champaign, Ill., that went “really well.”

The journey was not an easy one, but Wilson said, “We just wanted it.”

“Track was a big help, too, as far as mental health,” said Wilson, a member of the Fighting Scots track and field team, who also majored in physics. “It was good to have a place to go to just take my mind off of homework for a while.”

Stasko said that “willpower” also played a factor.

“I barely made it through my freshman year,” he said. “I bombed a couple classes. Some people didn’t think I’d make it, but I kept pushing.”

“I just didn’t give up,” said Rousey. “I remember the groups I was in as a freshman, and every few weeks someone would say, ‘I’m switching.’ But I decided, ‘I’m going to stay.’ Is it more work than high school? Yes. Is it really difficult at times? Yes. But I just kept trying to make it and to work hard day-byday.”

Engineering professor John Iselin said that it’s been especially rewarding to be a part of the journey taken by Rousey, Stasko and Wilson.

“It’s been neat to see how much they’ve changed and grown,” said Iselin. “They’ve stuck with it. Engineering is a demanding major. Other students decided they couldn’t do it or that they didn’t want to work hard for it.”

In addition to having each other — sometimes as the only three students in a class — the engineering majors said they have

received plenty of assistance from Monmouth’s faculty.

“The professors really want to help you,” said Wilson. “That’s the benefit of a smaller school. My girlfriend is in veterinary school at the University of Illinois, and she’ll contact a professor and not hear anything back for three weeks.”

Iselin, whose first semester on Monmouth’s faculty coincided with the seniors’ first year as students, said: “The reason Monmouth College exists is for undergraduate students. My entire career, this is what I’ve wanted to do — work with undergraduate students. My time isn’t divided between research, graduate students and undergraduates.”

Iselin said that commitment to undergraduate teaching — which is common throughout the faculty — pays big dividends for Monmouth students.

“We really do get to know our students very well, and we can tailor how we teach to individual students,” he said. “My role is meeting my students where they’re at and adjusting my teaching along the way to maximize what they learn. I’ve tried to do

that everywhere I’ve taught, but since we’re a small school, we can do that on an individual basis at Monmouth.”

Iselin said that individual approach with students might call for “building them up,” or it might require advising them to “work harder, to dig in.”

One of the many classes the trio had together was their senior project course, which met in the engineering lab on the lower level of the College’s Center for Science and Business. On a mild spring afternoon, the students could be found at three separate stations in the lab, working out their shared design project, which Rousey called “a completely unique idea.”

Essentially, their project will allow swimmers to experience the same type of resistance workout in a larger pool — such as the College’s Pepper Natatorium — as those done in much smaller “endless pools.”

“It’s a swim resistance trainer,” said Iselin, “with additional resistance beyond the resistance of the water to improve swim performance.”

SEE ENGINEERING, PAGE 47

This trio made Monmouth history at Commencement when they became the College’s first engineering graduates. From left: Preston Rousey, Caden Stasko and Reed Wilson.

Scots Soar After Graduation

Monmouth graduates ‘are continuing to do the things they want to do’

Each Monmouth College class includes stories of triumph, success and individual greatness. These four members of the Class of 2023 are but a small sample of the accomplishments Scots routinely achieve thanks to their Monmouth experience.

It’s little wonder, then, that Monmouth graduates are highly valued by employers, graduate schools and professional programs. The post-graduate results of the Class of 2023 will not be known until mid-2024, but they will likely mirror recent graduates’ success.

Among members of the Class of 2022, 98% reported being either employed or in graduate school within six months after graduating. According to the College’s First Destination Survey results, roughly 75% of those graduates were working, and the other 25% were attending graduate or professional school.

“Those results show that students are continuing to do the things they want to do,” said Marnie Dugan ’95, director of the Wackerle Center for Career, Leadership and Fellowships. “It sounds so simple, but it’s a very good thing. They’re navigating things on the employment side and on the graduate school side.”

Another piece of good news: an increase in the number of students who had an internship. “The results showed more engagement for the graduates when they were students,” said Dugan, “with the percentage of students reporting having at least one internship during their four years increasing from 62% to 89%.”

Jonathon ‘JD’ Diaz

Jonathon “JD” Diaz of Chicago majored in communication studies, played football, oversaw the football program’s social media efforts, served as student coordinator of multimedia content for the Champion Miller Center and was a lead peer mentor for its Men of Distinction program. His next stop: graduate school in media and communication at Middle Tennessee State University while also completing his duties as a recruiting graphic designer for the school’s football team.

Tim McNally

Tim McNally of Paw Paw, Ill., saw two of his schools close – Paw Paw High School and MacMurray College. That led him to Monmouth in fall 2020, where he excelled as a pitcher on the baseball team and as an educational studies major, graduating summa cum laude. This fall, he’ll teach in Earlville, Ill., in what he calls a “self-contained classroom” and help coach Earlville’s high school team.

Mackenzie Holmes

Four years after being recruited to play lacrosse, Mackenzie Holmes of Clive, Iowa, became a sought-after law school student. An accounting and business major with a minor in economics who made the Dean’s List every semester and graduated magna cum laude, Holmes will attend the University of Iowa College of Law in the fall. She was also a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, a finalist in Moot Court competition and a recipient of the prestigious Tom Johnson Scholarship.

To read more about these four students, other outstanding graduates and the College’s First Destination Survey results, go to monmouthcollege.edu/2023grads

Sreya Roy

Sreya Roy of Kolkata, India, has spent a lot of time on research. Before she starts work on a doctorate in chemistry at the University of Iowa in the fall, Roy will spend the summer on an undergraduate research fellowship in Taiwan. While she was a biochemistry major, Roy took part in Monmouth’s Doc Kieft Summer Research Program and completed a research experience for undergraduates at the Mayo Clinic. She was also involved with the College’s dance team and Alpha Xi Delta sorority.

GOLDEN SCOTS

TRANSPORTED BACK IN TIME

Golden Scots Celebration allows alumni to reconnect with classmates, campus

The concept of a time machine was a recurring theme at Monmouth College during this year’s Golden Scots Celebration, which June 1-4 welcomed back to campus groups of alumni who graduated 45, 50, 55 and 60 years ago.

“Seeing this place makes me want to start over again as a teenager,” said Linda Cohen Olds ’78 of Diamondhead, Miss., who was one of more than 100 alumni and spouses to return for the event.

Ross Hart ’73 of Salem, Va., agreed. “Knowing what I know now as an 18-year-old? I’d be hell on wheels,” he said.

Laura Feinberg ’78 of Teaneck, N.J., picked up on Hart’s sentiment, noting the changes that had occurred with herself and her peers over the span of five decades.

“I was amazed at how much nicer it is to be on campus without all that angst of a 20-yearold,” she said. “We’re all comfortable with ourselves now. When I was a student, I studied all the time. I was also an RA, so there were a lot of people I knew, but only peripherally.”

She said the Golden Scots Celebration provided the time to properly connect.

“I really loved it even more than Homecoming. It was really intimate with a lot of time to spend with classmates. And it was a great time to renew old friendships.”

It was also a great time to learn about new subjects, said Louise Pacholik ’73 of Palmyra, Wisconsin.

“I enjoyed so many of the programs, like the ‘Out of This World’ one (on the Vera C. Rubin Telescope with physics professor Michael Solontoi) and the one on wildfires (presented by Chuck Bushey ’73 of Billings, Montana),” she said. “And it was wonderful to tour the garden and farm.”

During his talk, Solontoi, who is part of the Chile-based telescope project, discussed how the 30-meter telescope, and others like it, serve as a time machine, of sorts, by enabling astronomers to see the universe as it was millions and billions of years ago.

Classics professor Bob Simmons also addressed the time traveler theme in his talk on the “immersive” experience he tries to create

for Monmouth classics students through such things as the foods and materials of the time.

“When we recreate those experiences, that’s as close as we can come to what things were like in ancient Greece and Rome without a time machine,” he said.

Hart was also in a fraternity — Zeta Beta

Tau – while at Monmouth, and he said those Greek life memories were present for him during the weekend.

“This is my fourth or fifth time back, but my first time in 20 years,” he said Saturday afternoon. “I tell you what — yesterday, sitting in the lounge of the Manor House, which used

Mark Taylor ’78, left, Andrew Kerr ’73 and Mike McGrath ’71 enjoy a laugh during Golden Scots Celebration 2023. The event welcomed back classes of alumni who graduated 45, 50, 55 and 60 years ago. An evening reception in front of Bowers Hall. From left: Jane (Wilson) Dawson ’64, Cookie Wilkison, Candy (Vieth) Sorenson ’63, Janice Polz, Laddie Polz ’63, Gene Dawson ’63 and Terry Wilkison ’63.

GOLDEN SCOTS

to be our chapter house, I felt at home.

“Coming back to campus like this is one of the best things you can do in retirement,” he continued. “It’s really been remarkable to connect with classmates that I didn’t hang around with when I was a student.”

Although part of the College’s charm is that it hasn’t changed a great deal since he was a student, Hart was pleased that the progress that has been made was done intentionally.

“The growth of the campus is impressive,” he said. “The effort to keep new buildings aesthetically in keeping with the older ones. There’s no aluminum-glass monstrosity in the middle of campus.”

Pacholik was asked what she’d say to alumni considering coming back for the 2024 event.

“I decided to attend because I knew some of my friends were coming back, like Ann (Boley Parker ’73 of Colorado Springs, Colo., who led a program on playing bridge),” she said. “I haven’t been back in 10 years. Oh, my goodness, the size of it now and the new buildings. But hearing from the students (which she did at a presentation by Doc Kieft research participants), they still have that same spirit. It’s a great experience. The College does a great job.”

To read more about Golden Scots Celebration, see more than 2,000 photos and watch videos from the weekend’s events, go to monmouthcollege.edu/GoldenScots

’73, Gregory Parker ’73, Chuck Bushey ’73, Brian Kimmel ’76, Chuck Peter ’74, Ralph Whiteman ’52.

Left, middle, a campus tour pauses at the “Scots Spirit” statue. From left: Zenobia (Pugh) Jefferson ’73, David Bates ’63, Ross Hart ’73, Mike McGrath ’71, Nick Tucker ’73, Thomas Colclasure ’73, Judith (Guy) Casey ’78, College Historian Jeff Rankin and Linda Siebrandt ’80.

Bottom, far left, Cookie Wilkison and Terry Wilkison ’63 peruse editions of the Ravelings yearbook.

Bottom, middle, Kathleen (Clark) Kimmel ’78 and Brian Kimmel ’76 sample a wine during “Sippin’ with the Scots.”

Bottom, right, Janet (Link) Leonard ’63 and Robert Leonard dance during “Boogie Fever.”

On this page, class members from 1963, 1968, 1973 and 1978 take class photos for the Golden Scots Celebration.

Left, top, the fountain at the Judith Williams Trubeck Memorial Fountain and Garden was a popular gathering spot during Golden Scots Celebration 2023. From left: Roy Bockler ’72, David Arnold ’63, Thomas Davis

ARC OF A CAREER:

Doug Rankin goes from faculty brat, to outstanding student, to talented set designer, to emeritus professor of theatre

BY BARRY MCNAMARA

“The finest and most talented theatre student” that Monmouth College emeritus professor Jim De Young ever had has now become an emeritus professor himself.

Doug Rankin has retired from teaching at his alma mater after 32 years, although his connection to the College goes back to the late 1950s, growing up as one of the twin sons of the late Monmouth administrator Glen Rankin ’43. It continued throughout the 1960s until 1975, when Rankin made the connection even stronger, enrolling as a freshman.

“He began his work with me while still in high school,” said De Young, who taught theatre at Monmouth from 1963-2002. “That he returned to his alma mater to make his teaching career here made him a treasured colleague.”

While recalling the advantages of growing up around a college campus, Rankin said it was a play directed by De Young in the late 1960s that sparked his interest in theatre — an interest that became a hobby, his academic focus and, eventually, his career.

Rankin was 11 years old when the College staged a memorable production of a children’s story in its former space, The Little Theater.

“I caught the theatre bug in 1969,” said Rankin. “The College put on Reynard the Fox, and it was just magic. I went to every single performance.”

By the time he assisted a year or so later with a production at Monmouth High School, the theatre hook was firmly set.

Rankin took advantage of his higher education ties to get the college experience while still a student at MHS. In addition to helping De Young with theatre productions, he and another high school student enrolled in a psychology class

Rankin’s work ethic and involvement continued once he enrolled at Monmouth. In addition to emerging as a star theatre pupil, he was an active member of Zeta Beta Tau — forging a lifelong friendship with the chapter’s beloved adviser, the late Richard “Doc” Kieft

— and edited The Oracle, Monmouth’s student newspaper.

Rankin graduated with departmental honors with a major in speech/communication/ arts. He eventually headed to Northwestern University, where he earned a master’s degree in scenery, lighting and costume design.

He has used that expertise on hundreds of productions throughout the Midwest, and his scenery designs include two for Tony Award-winning director Frank Galati.

Rankin’s department had a major moment in 1990, when the College held the first production in its new Wells Theater. In addition to designing the scene shop for the new facility, Rankin was cast in a starring role opposite 1938 Monmouth graduate Helen Wagner Willey, the acclaimed matriarch on the soap opera As the World Turns.

“That was a wonderful experience,” he said of the theatre-opening production of The Lion in Winter. “We played a husband and wife, even though I was 33 and she was 72. Then, in the other productions after she

left, my wife was played by an 18-year-old. ... That really started the ball rolling for the new theatre, and the last 30 years have just been a blur.”

Another memory from the past three decades was annually attending the regional Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. In addition to taking students to compete at the event, Rankin served for five years as co-chair of the festival’s Design, Technology and Management Committee.

When he was starting out, Rankin learned from De Young how to discern the arc of each scene, as well as how to tie the scenes together, perhaps through the use of a metaphor. He also learned from his father about the privilege of working at Monmouth College.

“It was my destiny to try to continue on after him at Monmouth,” said Rankin. “It’s been an honor.”

Listen Up: Doug Rankin talks about his Monmouth career on Monmouth College Conversations podcast: soundcloud.com/ monmouthcollege.

Theatre professor Doug Rankin follows an April rehearsal of Disney’s The Little Mermaid in Wells Theater, the final Monmouth play he created a set for during his 32-year career.

Tim Tibbetts: Taking it down a notch, retiring from teaching biology but not bagpiping

BY BARRY MCNAMARA

Biology professor Tim Tibbetts has retired after teaching the past 22 years at Monmouth College. Does that mean he can finally chill out?

Actually, Tibbetts has been in a laid-back state his entire life, with the possible exception of his rookie year on Monmouth’s faculty.

The origins of Tibbetts’ easygoing approach to life can be traced to his earliest days.

“It was a while before I really figured out that biology was my thing,” he said. “I kind of slept-walked through grade school and middle school and high school, and as an undergrad, I was pre-med. I took the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) and was getting ready to apply to medical schools. My father was a physician, and he said, ‘Are you sure you’re cut out for that? Are you sure you want to do that?’”

The answer, Tibbetts realized before getting too far into the process, was “No.”

Med school didn’t intrigue him, but continuing to take classes did, so he enrolled in courses at Colorado State University, where his wife, Amy Zesbaugh, attended after graduating from Lawrence University the year after Tibbetts. He worked a few odd jobs and realized he enjoyed being outside, as well as being in a college environment. One of the courses he took at CSU was “Field Biology.”

“That’s when I really figured it out,” he said. “It was like, ‘Dude, this is what you enjoy.’”

To continue enjoying it as a professor meant Tibbetts would have to earn a doctorate, which took him to Michigan State University. He did not establish a new standard for the quickest path to a degree, which he completed six years following his master’s degree from Colorado State.

“The last two years, I taught my own class, ‘The Vegetation of Michigan,’ or something like that,” he said. “Then I finally wrapped up. It was not a land speed record, but what’s the hurry?”

He’d finally become Dr. Tim Tibbetts, after all.

“It took me a while,” he said. “I have a lot of hobbies, things like brewing beer, and playing soccer and volleyball.”

Of his teaching career at Monmouth, Tib-

betts said, “It’s been a lot of fun. And it’s had its challenges for sure.”

One of those challenges came in his first year on the faculty. He was not only teaching new material in his zoology and botany classes — with a session of the latter subject starting at 8 a.m. each day — but his and Amy’s son “Zane had just been born, and my head was all kinds of twisted around. I was keeping ahead of my students by about a week, or maybe just five minutes or so.”

But he soon widened that gap and, along with Ken Cramer, Kevin Baldwin and James Godde helped develop a very solid biology department. The quartet served on the faculty together for 20 years.

“Teaching field botany is at the top of the list, and ecology was another favorite of mine,” said Tibbetts. “I also enjoyed the Citizenship class that focused on sustainability. Some of the students were science majors, but some were not. That was a good challenge. For many of those students, the issues we discussed were things they’d never thought about. Just as an example, there was some statistic I used in the class about aluminum cans, and about how many 747s you could build from their waste. The students didn’t think about the

world in that way.”

In addition to teaching a diverse group of courses that included botany, ecology and citizenship, Tibbetts is known for a pair of activities that take place outdoors. One, which is very related to his academic discipline, is the annual prairie burn he oversees every spring at the College’s LeSuer Nature Preserve. He’s also led annual prairie burns at the Spring Grove Cemetery outside Monmouth.

Tibbetts also became director of the Monmouth Pipe Band. That was far from his intention when he signed on to come to campus, even though he had experience with the instrument. At its peak under his direction, Tibbetts said the band had between 12-15 pipers and five drummers and successfully competed on the national stage.

Looking to the future, Tibbetts will still be seen playing the bagpipe at College events, and he’ll also travel, with trips to Big Bend National Park, Hot Springs and Las Vegas on his list for this year alone.

As for a hyper-focused daily itinerary for those trips, don’t count on it. If Tibbetts wasn’t trying to set a land speed record while he was studying and working, it’s a good bet he’ll take it down another notch or two in retirement.

Biology professor Tim Tibbetts leads a Freshman Walkout down Broadway.

75 Years SigEp of

Founding father

‘Mac’ McKinley among those who helps fraternity celebrate diamond jubilee

Monmouth’s Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter celebrated its 75th anniversary May 26-28.

Hundreds of alums and spouses converged on campus, as well as national fraternity leaders.

Monmouth Sig Ep alumni live in 47 states and five foreign countries; Monmouth alum Brad Nahrstadt ’89 serves on the fraternity’s national board of directors, as well as on the Monmouth Board of Trustees; and Illinois Gamma has been recognized with a Buchanan Cup 14 times as one of the top 10% of chapters in the U.S. in terms of academic performance, campus leadership and community service. That ranks the chapter fourth among U.S. SigEp chapters.

“SigEp revolutionized the U.S. fraternity system in 1991 when it unveiled its ‘Balanced Man Program’ focusing on academic achievement, personal and career development for members,” said Nahrstadt.

The weekend included outdoor ceremonies, panel discussions with SigEp national and local fraternity leaders, a public display of chapter memorabilia, campus tours and a talk on Monmouth history. The weekend was capped off with a banquet featuring alumni speakers from several generations and Grand President Billy Maddalon, North Carolina State ’90.

One of the chapter’s founding fathers who was on campus to help the chapter celebrate its diamond jubilee was Don “Mac” McKinley ’50, who lives just outside Quincy, Ill.

McKinley’s mother, Mary Gabby McKinley, attended Monmouth in the early 1900s,

TOP: Some of the alumni and active members of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Illinois Gamma chapter gather at the Huff Athletic Center. RIGHT: Founding father Don “Mac” McKinley ’50 addresses the alumni as Brad Nahrstadt ’89, a member of the SigEp National Board of Directors, looks on. ABOVE AND OPPOSITE PAGE: Alumni and active members gather at the Trubeck Amphitheater to celebrate their chapter’s 75th anniversary.

and five of her six children followed in her footsteps, including Don, her youngest.

“I was born in 1928, and I grew up on a farm in southwest Iowa,” said McKinley. “First there was the Depression, and then World War II came along. So I didn’t go anywhere. I hardly ever left the county, at first because we couldn’t afford it, and then because we didn’t have gas or tires during the war. So when I got to Monmouth, I was one of the hayseed-iest guys you’ve ever seen in your life. I was green, and really not dry behind the ears. Once I got on campus, I experienced a very sharp upward learning curve. I was one of only about 15 non-veterans in my class.”

When McKinley matriculated in the fall of 1946, many of the male students were coming back from the war. Greek life was still hugely popular for Monmouth men and women, but those who had served in the military wanted something different, with no hazing and no nonsense.

“There were three fraternities on campus (Alpha Tau Omega, Tau Kappa Epsilon and Theta Chi), and they wanted a whole gob of those veterans coming in,” said McKinley. “As we went into it, it became obvious that they were pretty anxious to get started on hazing. But you’re not taking a guy who fought in the Battle of the Bulge or who floated a week in the Pacific before being rescued

and messing with all that. So a bunch of them said, ‘Screw that. Let’s start another one.’”

There were some formalities to address, but by May 23, 1948, it became official — the Illinois Gamma chapter of SigEp was born.

“There were 35 of us, and we got permission from national,” said McKinley. “It wasn’t long until we had a house on the main street there — 714 (E. Broadway) I think was the address — and off we went. We were a bunch of guys who were serious about our education. Our mission was academically, athletically — the whole business — we wanted to be the best fraternity on campus. And we did that. We skunked all the others athletics-wise in intramurals, and academically, we saw to it that we would help any of our members who needed help. We became a pretty close-knit group.”

One of the members of that group was Harold “Red” Poling ’49, the future CEO of Ford Motor Co., who was vice president of the chapter. When Poling graduated, McKinley, who had been house manager, was elected chapter president.

At the end of that academic year, McKinley’s time at Monmouth was over. The real world didn’t take long to consume his energy.

“I got married two days after I graduated (to classmate Joyce Chatten), and

I got awfully busy establishing a profession and a family, so I’ve got to admit I lost contact with the fraternity,” said McKinley. “I had other things I had to do.”

The chosen profession for the biology major was education, and he wound up serving 33 years as an elementary school principal in Quincy, his wife’s hometown. He’s credited with creating an “innovative school,” individualizing the curriculum in each subject area for each individual child.

In recent years, along with help from his two daughters and a son-in-law, McKinley has developed a privately owned museum that houses 42 John Deere farm implements manufactured in the late 1920s-1940. Showcased is a 1936 Model B John Deere tractor, fully restored.

“It’s an entirely different world than it was 75 years ago,” he said.

But not everything has changed. Good advice is still good advice.

“We are the choices we make,” said McKinley.

A good one that McKinley made within 48 hours of receiving his Monmouth diploma was marrying his 1950 classmate Chatten. The couple was married 68 years until “I lost her four years ago,” he said. “She taught me how to live.”

— Barry McNamara

To see more pictures and view a video of the weekend, go to monmouthcollege.edu/SigEp75

‘Sneakiness’ establishes Roger Haynes Invitational

Meet named in honor of legendary Scots coach who dominated track and field in Midwest Conference

During his record-setting four-decade career coaching Monmouth College track and field and cross country, Roger Haynes took his squads to meets with names such as the Les Duke Invitational at Grinnell College and the Lee Calhoun Invitational at Western Illinois University.

Earlier this year, in his first season since 1982-83 of not serving as head coach of at least one of those Fighting Scots teams, Haynes had the opportunity to attend another named meet — the Roger Haynes Invitational.

The home track and field meet was held Feb. 11 at Monmouth’s Huff Athletic Center. The six-team event included a ceremony for Haynes, and more than 100 of his former athletes were there to see it.

Not long after the meet, Haynes was also honored by the Midwest Conference, receiving its prestigious Meritorious Service Award, an accolade that’s not presented annually but, rather, when outstanding circumstances are present.

SNEAKINESS

“The track meet came about after some sneakiness from Coach (Brian) Woodard,” said Haynes of his longtime assistant coach, who took over the track programs last summer after Haynes announced his retirement from coaching. “He didn’t include me in the process.”

Since stepping down as coach last school year, Haynes has continued his role as Monmouth’s director of athletics, recreation and fitness.

Woodard said he originally bounced the idea of naming an invitational in Haynes’ honor off former Fighting Scot athlete and coach Jon Welty ’12

“It was maybe a little bit sneaky, I guess,” said Woodard. “We kind of took it and ran with it. My intent was to find a way to get alumni back to campus and to showcase some of the history of the program that he built. Track and field has been a huge part of his life for all his life, and to honor him in this way is more meaningful than simply giving him a plaque. Relationships were a huge part of his coaching career, and they still are. He’s still passing on his

knowledge to other Monmouth coaches, myself included.”

Asked what it feels like to have a meet named for himself, Haynes replied: “I really haven’t thought about it that way. It was more about spending time with the alums who come back for it. They’ve all enriched my life and made this kind of career possible. It was a once-in-a-lifetime day.”

Alumni such as Eric Ealy ’86 and Roger Well ’86, who were on the first team that Haynes coached in 1984.

“Without that group of guys buying in, maybe this whole thing doesn’t even happen,” said Haynes. Ealy won a national high jump championship, and so did Tyler Hannam ’11, who is perhaps the poster child for the effect that Haynes had on his athletes.

An average high jumper in high school with a personal best of an even 6 feet, Hannam didn’t ini-

More than 100 former members of the Fighting Scots track and field program joined Director of Athletics, Recreation and Fitness Roger Haynes, above center, for the inaugural Roger Haynes Invitational, held Feb. 11 at the Huff Athletic Center. Under Haynes, the Fighting Scots finished in the top four of the NCAA four times, with a high of second place at the 2008 men’s indoor championships. In 2007, he was named the U.S. Track and Field Coaches Association Men’s Indoor National Coach of the Year.

tially plan to compete in track and field for the Scots. But after being encouraged by Haynes to give the sport a try at the collegiate level, and after following the training regimen Haynes prescribed, Hannam began to see improvement.

He kept on improving in the high jump throughout his career, topping out at just a fraction of an inch under 7 feet and winning a national championship, one of 12 national titles that individuals coached by Haynes have won.

“I give all the credit to Coach Haynes,” said Hannam in a recent interview that looked back a decade on his national title. “He helped me develop a passion for knowledge about the sport. He had so much information to give, and all of it was right.”

A STERLING RÉSUMÉ

The buy-in that Haynes inspired led to more than 200 student-athletes earning All-American honors while competing for him. The Scots had at least one All-American every season from 1985 — Haynes’ second season in charge of the men’s team — through 2021.

As a team, the Fighting Scots finished in the top four of the NCAA four times, with a high of second place at the 2008 men’s indoor championships. In all, Haynes oversaw 23 teams that finished in the top 20 nationally.

In 2007, he was named the U.S. Track and Field Coaches Association Men’s Indoor National Coach of the Year, and he was named the Midwest Region Coach of the Year four times, most recently in 2016.

At the Midwest Conference level, Haynes’ achievements are staggering. Leading the Scots at his final conference meet last May, he was named MWC Track and Field Coach of the year for the 53rd time following a championship by his women’s team, which he coached for 22 years. He led the men’s team for 39 seasons.

His teams won either an indoor or outdoor men’s or women’s Midwest Conference championship — many years, all four championships — each year from 2001 to 2022. In all, he coached the Scots to a combined 83 men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field conference titles.

Hall of Achievement inductee Krueger was in the room through four decades of foreign service

Karen Krueger ’72 was in the room.

Maybe not for decisions as big as Alexander Hamilton’s plans for a national bank, but the career of the recent Monmouth College Hall of Achievement inductee fulfilled her desire to be the proverbial fly on the wall for some very important conversations with implications for U.S. international relations.

“I loved history,” Krueger told a group of Monmouth students in an “International Organizations” class she visited on the afternoon of her Sept. 30 induction. “I wanted to be a part of it, but not the part that already happened. History as it was happening. And I was a part of it, even if it was a teeny part of it.”

Krueger had a 41-year career with the U.S. Department of State. She retired twice — first, from the foreign service in 2005, and again in 2018, after 13 years as a civil servant. As a foreign service officer, Krueger was stationed in Mexico, Spain, Nicaragua, Switzerland, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Canada.

“I preferred to be in the background,” said Krueger. “I did things that nobody knows about or that got recognized. I don’t have any giant peaks in my career, just lots of little ones. My proudest moment then, is just knowing that I did the best I could and that I made a difference. I had an impact, and I made friends for the United States.”

While studying government at Monmouth, Krueger said she “had two dream jobs — to be a diplomat overseas and to work on the Hill (in Washington, D.C.). And by gosh, I did both of them.”

Her time on the Hill came first. As an aide to a new congressman who was “learning the ropes,” Krueger provided counsel on a wide range of issues related to international affairs, trade and security, among others.

“At the age of 25 or 26, I had more power — more influence — than I’d have until 20 or 30 years later,” she said.

Krueger did that work for three years and would’ve stayed longer on the Hill, but the

foreign service called. She told the class that in her role as a foreign service officer, she had a clear mission.

“I was to evaluate and report on key issues in the country, gain support for U.S. initiatives and, depending on the position, assist U.S. citizens and businesses,” she said. “I could provide insights that government officials weren’t getting from anyone else.”

Krueger, whose travels took her to all seven continents, told the students tales of drama and patriotism that the average person would never experience. For example, not many can say they flew to Antarctica to observe scientific research being conducted at the South Pole. Fewer still can say that flying conditions weren’t ideal on that journey and that turning

back to Christchurch, New Zealand, for safety was discussed — except for the fact that the plane had crossed “the point of no return.”

While a U.S. delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Krueger’s Chilean colleagues asked her to translate in their meeting with a representative of a U.S. non-governmental organization. The rep she translated for turned out to be former President Jimmy Carter.

And that wasn’t the only time Krueger’s path crossed directly with a U.S. president.

“The coolest person I met was President Clinton,” she told the class, recounting the experience of coordinating Clinton’s visit to New Zealand for an APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting.

Later that evening, Krueger shared two takeaways during her Hall of Achievement induction speech.

“Humanity has much more in common than we often realize,” she said. “But we also need to recognize the differences and work to bridge them. ... Each of us can play a role, large or small, in making this world a better place. I chose public service.”

– Barry McNamara

“I wanna be in the room where it happens.”

Aaron

Burr from the musical Hamilton

Karen Krueger had a 41-year career with the U.S. Department of State. She retired twice — first, from the foreign service in 2005, and again in 2018, after 13 years as a civil servant.

Knute: ‘Don’t let anyone put you in a box’

Award-winning journalist gives advice for students entering the workforce

BY BARRY MCNAMARA

During her award-winning career in broadcast journalism, Caitlin Weinstein Knute ’01 has not yet given a commencement speech. But the talented news anchor for television station KSHB-41 in Kansas City was able to reply very quickly with advice from her career for the students at her alma mater who’ll soon be entering the workforce.

“Step out of your comfort zone and try different things,” said Knute. “Don’t be afraid of failure. There’ll be bosses who are not what you’re hoping for and jobs you don’t get. I can’t imagine doing anything other than what I’m doing now. I knew what I wanted to do and I kept going after it. If opportunities aren’t there, create them.”

Her other advice ties into the “award-winning” portion of her résumé: “Don’t let anyone put you in a box.”

When Knute was getting started in the industry, she was told her strengths lie in covering lighter stories.

“Now, I’m an investigative reporter,” she said.

And she’s a good one. Knute brought home two honors from the 46th Annual Mid-America Emmy Awards.

One of her winning pieces, titled “A Hero for Homeless Students,” won in the education/ schools category, while the other Emmy winner, “Bonded Through Tragedy,” earned the top honor in the societal concerns division.

The latter piece profiled two mothers from different backgrounds who lost sons to “police-involved shootings,” then struck up “a genuine friendship despite, on the surface, not seeming to have much in common.”

“One of the mothers lost her son in a shooting in Overland Park (in 2018),” said Knute. “He was white, 17 and the police shot into his minivan 13 times. He was hit six times. The case created a lot of attention.”

For the other incident — a 24-year-old Black man killed by police in 2013 — there was far less media coverage.

“The moms met at a support group, and we came to learn about it as a potential story,” said Knute. “When talking with them, the one mother pointed out that the coverage for the Overland Park shooting far outweighed the other shooting. Upon reflection, I thought, ‘This mom’s right.’”

Knute’s piece not only chronicled the friendship, but also examined what the police can be doing better.

“It was not an anti-police story by any means,” she said. “It’s just a push for more police transparency.”

The other story grew out of Knute’s larger interest in reporting on homelessness in Kansas City.

While doing that reporting, she came to learn about Arthur Seabury, who teaches at Hogan Prep Academy, which has the highest population of housing-challenged students in the metro area.

Knute said she wouldn’t have been able to tell the feel-good story, or at least tell it as fully as it deserved, in her early days in the business.

“The thing I’m most grateful about how news has changed during my career is that everything used to be short, fast and less content,” said Knute. “Stories were 20 or 30 seconds, and at the most you could maybe go a minute-fifteen or a minute-twenty. Your editor would say to you, ‘If you don’t cut it down, I will.’”

But over the years, she said, binge-watching on streaming services such as Netflix changed that approach.

“We realized that people have an appetite for longer stories,” she said. “It became OK to have a five-minute story. You don’t think twice about it now. You need time to tell these stories. Both of my Emmy stories were longer pieces. It’s become more about quality than quantity, and I think that’s a great change.”

Knute also earned an Emmy during her days with WEEK-25 in Peoria, Ill., and won a regional Edward R. Murrow award, as well. Her career has taken her to stations in Raleigh, N.C., and Des Moines, Iowa, in addition to her time in Kansas City and Peoria.

Trio take next step in their medical careers

Kate Saulcy Baumgartner and Ali Gustafson McDonald came to Monmouth College’s attention during the mid-2010s, as coaches and admission counselors recruited the Class of 2019. During that process, the two high school seniors — who did not know each other — rose to the top of their incoming class, each receiving the College’s top academic scholarship.

Four years later, as their time at Monmouth drew to a close, the two Fighting Scot student-athletes had become so well-acquainted they could finish each other’s sentences. They even selected the same school for the next step in their journey — the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Rockford.

Earlier this year, the alumnae — along with Stephanie Saey ’18, another student-athlete — reached another milestone, making it to Match Day, the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency and fellowship training positions in the United States.

Saey, who attended Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, was matched for internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Baumgartner will practice both internal medicine and pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine, while McDonald is traveling the farthest, heading to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to practice family medicine.

Saey chose Mayo as her match because of its “phenomenal schedule. Their program just blew me away. Mental health and wellness are important to me, and they’re important to Mayo, too. They really take care of their residents. They see me as a learner, not a workhorse.”

McDonald took a moment to reflect on her journey in higher education.

“It is so surreal to be nearing the end of my medical education,” said McDonald. “It feels like I just stepped onto Monmouth’s campus for the first time in 2015. Match Day was a culmination of many, many years of hard work for myself and all of my classmates.”

Like Saey, Baumgartner competed for the Scots in track and cross country. When

talking about completing her med school stint, she said, “There are a million metaphors for life that you can take from running.”

“I still run to this day,” she said. “One of

“Their program just blew me away. Mental health and wellness are important to me, and they’re important to Mayo, too. They really take care of their residents. They see me as a learner, not a workhorse.”

the big things that running teaches you is accountability. Another that I learned from being on the team is leadership skills. A medical team is composed of so many folks, and even though you’re the doctor, you can’t be the bossy one in charge. You need to be the glue and lead from behind. Overall, my time at Monmouth taught me how to be an adult and provided me skills that I’ve carried forward.”

Stephanie Saey on the Mayo Clinic

Kate Saulcy Baumgartner and Ali Gustafson McDonald, above, as Monmouth College freshmen in 2015. After they graduated in 2019, they attended the same medical school. While a Monmouth student, Stephanie Saey, below, was featured on the cover of Monmouth College Magazine

1963

Chick Hattman of Ocean View, N.J., is preparing to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his business, Sheltered Cove Marina. The marina was established with his son after Hattman retired from the Kimble Division of Owens-Illinois Glass after 34 years. Located 25 miles north of Atlantic City, Sheltered Cove is a premier marina with 250 wet slips, five boat dealerships and a full service department located on 22 acres.

1966

Gerald Young recently moved back to the St. Louis area, settling in Wentzville, Mo. He spent the previous 33 years in the Washington, D.C., area, where he served as the pastor of two churches, as an adjunct faculty member and, in retirement, as an interim pastor.

1970

Debbi Hook Sumner of Tinley Park, Ill., operates The Hook & Eye: Original Threads by Debbi.

1975

Bill and Terry Burke Murschel ’79, who live in Wheaton, Ill., were among the many alumni who returned to campus in May for the 75th anniversary celebration of Sigma Phi Epsilon’s Illinois Gamma chapter. Murschel, who helped promote the event, called it “most likely the largest gathering of Illinois Gamma brothers on campus in our lifetimes.”

1978

Brandon “Bear” Abear of Port Townsend, Wash., has retired but is serving as a substitute teacher. He’s also started a band called the Elderberries.

1980

Don McKillip received the Illinois Teacher of the Year Award for Driver Education for his work at Lockport Township High School. Officials said McKillip received the award because of his leadership and abilities in teaching teens to drive and motivating them to be safe on the road. In May, he became president of the Illinois High School and College Driver Education Association.

Mark Spring was named managing director of San Diego operations for Danforth Advisors. A 25-year veteran of the life

WE WELCOME NEWS AND PHOTOS related to your career, awards, reunions or travel with your Monmouth College friends, and any other information of interest to your classmates or alumni. We also welcome announcements and photos of alumni weddings and births, as well as alumni obituaries. Please see page 38 for submission guidelines.

sciences industry, Spring will oversee growth and service to the life science companies in the region. “Danforth has carved out a unique role in the ecosystem, bringing together the right services and skills sets to form a flexible business foundation for clients,” said Spring.

1983

Steve Bloomer retired on Jan. 1 from his second career in advancement, which followed his retirement from the military in 2007. He has returned to the Monmouth area, settling in rural Abingdon.

Paul and Judi Poettgen Luepke live in Memphis, Tenn., where Paul is interim associate dean of clinical affairs at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Dental School. Judi finished a doctorate in educational leadership and social policy at Marquette University.

1984

Clay Vass coached the Illini Bluffs boys basketball team to its first supersectional appearance in 42 years, where his Tigers fell 45-44 to eventual state champion Waterloo Gibault. Vass, who has won 501 games in 31 years on the bench, hopes to take the Glasford, Ill., school even further next season, when four starters will return.

1986

Victoria Carr-Brendel has been named to the Vicarious Surgical Board of Directors. Vicarious is a next-generation robotics company seeking to improve the cost, efficiency and outcomes of surgical procedures. Carr-Brendel has nearly 25 years of medical device development experience leading research and development, as well as new product and business development functions. She also serves as the group vice president of cochlear implants at Sonova Group, as well as president of the Sonova company, Advanced Bionics.

1990

Eric Miller of Seguin, Texas, is an architect for PGAL.

Juan and Vicki Martin Mitchell ’88 live in Batavia, Ill. Juan was recently promoted to divisional sales manager at RIA & Regional Bank.

1991

Formerly the curator of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo., where he worked for 27 years, Ray Doswell

has taken over Greenwood Rising, which educates on the once-thriving Black community in Tulsa, Okla. The new $20 million facility serves as a brick-and-mortar remembrance of the May 31, 1921, mob attack that obliterated a bustling cultural haven for Blacks in Tulsa.

1992

Hiroyuki Fujita was featured in a four-minute video recently released by the Office of the Prime Minister of Japan. An immigrant from Japan, Fujita is the founder and CEO of Quality Electrodynamics, a global developer and magnetic resonance imaging technology manufacturer. In the video, Fujita offers several words of advice for his “recipe for success,” including the necessity to put dreams and ideas into action using his motto, “One step at a time.” Soon, he says, “When you look back, you are going to be amazed by the distance you walked.” Fujita, who is also chair of the Ohio State University Board of Trustees, was also featured in Kizuna, the official magazine of the Japanese government.

1994

Felicia Tank Fechtmeister of Alpharetta, Ga., recently started working as director of human resources for a tech firm in the Atlanta area.

1995

Dave and Beth Doty Mann of Metamora, Ill., attended the 40th anniversary activities at the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., held Veterans Day 2022. Dave took place in the “Reading of the Names,” a portion of the Veterans Day event that was held for just the seventh time. Among the 60 names he read was the name of his father, David R. Mann, who was killed in action two months before Mann was born.

1996

Gina Tillman of Pekin, Ill., is the administrative assistant for the Peoria branch of Mad City Windows & Baths.

1999

In January, the Geneva (Ill.) School District 304 Board of Education unanimously selected Andrew Barrett as its next superintendent of schools. Barrett, who is married to his Monmouth classmate Sarah Pasquini, was previously the district’s assistant superintendent for learning and teaching. He’s been with the district since 2006.

2001

Joe O’Neill of Tempe, Ariz., co-edited The Aeneid and the Modern World: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Vergil’s Epic in the 20th and 21st Centuries. A teacher at Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University, O’Neill also authored an essay in the book, titled “Daedalus in D.C.: Vergil and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.”

2004

Dusty ’03 and Autumn McGee Scott live in Galesburg, Ill., where Autumn was recently named vice president of Carl Sandburg College. She is assuming many of the duties of the outgoing vice president of student services.

2005

Michael Oblinger has been named athletics director at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. Oblinger previously served as the athletics department’s chief revenue officer at the University of Connecticut. He’s also held related collegiate positions at Louisiana State, Nevada, Memphis and Ohio State.

2006

With his wife, Paul Bancherau has opened Petit Three Doughnuts, a scratch-made gourmet doughnut shop in Aurora, Ill.

2007

Silvia Fabela of Washington, D.C., has been appointed senior adviser for the Office of the Secretary by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Fabela came to the USDA from Local Progress, where she served as program director. Previously, she held roles at the Center for Popular Democracy, AFL-CIO and United Food & Commercial Workers Union.

Brad Swanson has been named the head basketball coach at Harvard (Ill.) High School.

Felicia Roberts Wachob of Tulsa, Okla., is a business account executive at ImageNet Consulting, offering unique IT solutions that improve efficiency, control budgets and maximize profits.

2010

Jonathan Peterson of Folsom, Calif., has published a “scary story” anthology titled Unhappily Ever After. It is available through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and online platforms, including Amazon.

2011

Kanisha Lampkin of Galesburg, Ill., is a qualified intellectual disability professional for DD Homes. She is also working on a book of poetry, including a poem that was published in Coil during her time as a Monmouth student.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Submit your news online at monmouthcollege.edu/alumni/ updates, by email to alumni@ monmouthcollege.edu, or by mail to Monmouth College Magazine, Attn: Alumni Programs, 700 East Broadway, Monmouth IL 61462-1998. Digital photos should have a minimum resolution of 300 pixels per inch. Please include a photo caption with full names that clearly match faces, class years, date and location. We reserve the right to reject images for any reason, especially those with low resolution and those that require purchase from a photo gallery website. Submissions will be published at the discretion of the editors on a spaceavailable basis.

2012

Kevin Turner was named principal at Neil Armstrong Elementary School in Bettendorf, Iowa. “He brings leadership experience in supporting the whole child academically, as well as supporting the social, emotional and behavioral health needs of students,” said the district’s superintendent, Michelle Morse.

2013

Zach Gillengarten of Wadsworth, Ill., recently became an executive board representative for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150.

Rebecca Isaacs of Jersey City, N.J., began a new role spearheading tech coverage at Forbes as its consumer tech and electronics editor.

David ’12 and Mackinsey Marquith Milroy live in Monmouth and are fourth grade teachers in the area. Mackinsey will be starting her third year in the Abingdon school district, while David teaches in the United district and coaches the Red Storm’s varsity football team.

2015

Michael Massamba of Ohio, Ill., is the founder and CEO of Better Families Community Care, a non-profit organization in Ohio; the owner and operator of The Too Good to Pass Resale Store in Walnut, Ill.; and a grants writer for the Salvation Army, where his work has helped raise more than $1 million. Massamba credits Monmouth psychology professor Joan Wertz for playing a major role in his professional development. “She pushed me harder than any other professor,” he said. “She taught me how to push myself until I no longer can.”

2016

Emily Siefken of Columbia, Mo., recently accepted the position of director of volleyball operations at the University of Missouri.

2017

Classmates and Fighting Scot teammates Matt Barnes and Tanner Matlick have both landed Illinois high school football head coaching positions. Barnes, who graduated from Ridgeview High School and lives in Lexington, will coach the Ridgeview-Lexington co-op. He also holds a position in finance with State Farm. Matlick, who quarterbacked Mercer County High School to a state championship in 2012 before his successful gridiron career with the Scots, will lead the Aledo, Ill., school, known as the Golden Eagles.

Emma Vanderpool, who teaches at the Springfield (Mass.) Honors Academy, received the 2021 Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Classics from the Classical Association of Massachusetts.

2018

Darice Brooks received the Outstanding Student Paper Award in Motor Development for the 2023 conference of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity.

2020

Will Carius has continued his basketball career beyond Monmouth and Western Illinois University, signing his first professional deal with the Nunawading Spectres in Australia. The Melbourne-based team plays in the NBL1, a semi-professional basketball league.

Hadley Smithhisler graduated summa cum laude from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and will start a clerkship with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana in August.

2021

Quick

2022

While

REV. JOHN HUXTABLE

The Rev. John Huxtable once nearly left Monmouth College without completing his degree.

Now, the College’s new chaplain says “it’s a dream come true” to be back.

A 2004 Monmouth graduate who served the First Christian Church in Virden, Ill., for 18 years, Huxtable returned to his alma mater in January. Not counting the recent one-year stint of interim chaplain the Rev. Brandon Ouellette ’14, Huxtable is the first Monmouth alum to have the full-time chaplain role since the late Paul McClanahan, who retired in 1979.

One of the chaplains who preceded Huxtable was the Rev. Kathleen Fannin. She made a profound impact on the non-traditional college student, who waited six years before pursuing higher education. During that gap, he served in the Navy and held a variety of odd jobs.

“She’s one of the most important people in my life,” said Huxtable. “Her campus ministry was my inspiration for looking into campus ministry. Her theological construct gave me the foundation to develop my own construct. Her theological understanding of God helped me to understand God in this amazing new light.”

When Huxtable enrolled at Monmouth in fall 1999 — where his new bride, Amanda, was employed at Hewes Library

— understanding God was not his highest academic priority. Rather, he said, “I wanted to be the next voice of the Green Bay Packers. I would’ve settled for the Cubs or the Blackhawks.”

Soon, Huxtable found himself lagging behind in his classes.

“I almost failed out of Monmouth,” he said. “(Faculty member) Carolyn Suda called me at home. She told me, ‘Don’t miss any more classes.’ She and (faculty colleague) Colleen Hazen (who was also the wife of a local Presbyterian minister at the time, the Rev. Jerry Hazen) took hours of their time to bring me along academically. By the time I was a senior, I won an award as the outstanding student in the religious studies department.”

Huxtable said their contributions to his success story were vital.

“They could’ve easily let me go,” he said. “I was OK with that, but because they weren’t, my life changed. It was that personal touch that you get at Monmouth. Now, I can look at students who might be having trouble, and I can honestly say, ‘I’ve been where you’re at. Let’s work through this together.’”

Huxtable went on to earn a master of divinity degree at the Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis and a doctor of ministry degree in 2021. In 2022, he received Virden’s Citizen of the Year award.

Cristian Hernandez ’18 is pictured with Brian Franklin ’95, owner of DoubleShot Coffee in Tulsa, Okla. The meeting came about after Hernandez read a profile of Franklin in a previous edition of Monmouth College Magazine. “Tulsa was not too far off our route, and I decided to stop by and take the opportunity to meet such an inspiring person,” said Hernandez, who is a bilingual translator for Chicago Public Schools.

Rebecca Quick is the new program coordinator and social media curator at the Buchanan Center for the Arts in downtown Monmouth. In her role, Quick sets up classes in the center and works with the Teen Recharge Center and the Warren Achievement Center.

C.J. Bonifer is working at Central College in Pella, Iowa, as the school’s content specialist for photography and videography.

her husband Brock Crippen ’21 serves in the military, Marissa Logan Crippen is working at the Education Centre on base as an education transition counselor, assisting soldiers who are looking to get an education after they’re done serving in the Army.

The Rev. John Huxtable ’04 is the first Monmouth alumnus to serve as full-time chaplain in more than 40 years.

Donnan makes his ‘Voice’ heard on NBC show

BY BARRY MCNAMARA

Ross Donnan started his Monmouth College baseball career in style, as his first hit as a Fighting Scot was a home run.

Donnan made a similar splash in an entirely different endeavor this spring, as he was a successful contestant on the NBC singing contest, The Voice

Competing under his stage name of Ross Clayton (Clayton is his middle name), the 2012 Monmouth graduate’s audition — during which he sang “Blue Ain’t Your Color” — couldn’t have gone better, as all four judges turned their chair, including Blake Shelton. But Donnan chose to join the team of one of the show’s new judges, One Direction’s Niall Horan.

Donnan’s music is described as “a bittersweet blend of modern Americana country and old-school twang,” drawing inspiration from artists such as the Zac Brown Band, George Strait and Bob Seger. Among the songs he performed during his long run on the show were “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” and “With or Without You.”

Donnan’s roots in performance can be traced to his senior year of high school, when he said “peer pressure” led him to audition for a part in the Evanston (Illinois) Township High School production of the musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors.

“I was Steve Martin, if you’ve seen the (1986) movie,” said Donnan. “I was Orin Scrivello, D.D.S., the narcissistic dentist.”

It was also during Donnan’s senior year that he needed to plan for his next chapter. At a baseball showcase, he connected with Monmouth’s coach at the time, the late Roger Sander

“I liked the vision he provided about the program and about the College and the campus,” said Donnan. “I loved that it was a smaller campus. My high school class was almost 1,000 people. I’m a little more of a smallgroup guy. On my visit, it just felt right, and I got to talk to Coach a little more. A big part of it was a baseball decision.”

Donnan initially considered a history major but soon found a home in the communication studies department, taking classes with Chris Goble and Trudi Peterson.

He also did play-by-play for Fighting Scots football and basketball games and strongly considered that as a career option, even doing an internship with the Chicago sports network.

His baseball career was fulfilling, both on the field and off. As a junior, he led the team with a .348 average and 35 RBI, earning All-Central Region Third Team honors. He also recalled the bonds he formed with his teammates.

“My group of seniors was the most solid group of guys,” said Donnan of teammates that included other starting position players such as Kyle Higginson, Mitch Johnson, Caleb Ruyle and Brad Winkler and closer Zach Myers. “To this day, I stay in touch with them. It was just a good mesh, a good connection within my class.”

Donnan believes the College set him up well for the success he’s experiencing now.

“I love Monmouth,” he said. “It holds a special place in my heart. I grew up there. There was a lot of growth in a short time span. The professors, the staff, my friends – it’s just a special place. I love it there, and I appreciate all the support from everybody there.”

In addition to taking communication classes, Donnan dabbled academically in music and creative writing. The latter class sparked his interest in songwriting.

“I also did the talent shows and the open mic nights down in Scotland Yard,” he said. “Ed Wimp (who would soon be working with the band Earth Wind & Fire) was in my class, and we would go do that stuff and jam together. It was all very unstructured.”

The structure began, said Donnan, when he got out into the real world and found that he had free time after he got off work. His next two years were spent “gigging all over Chicago and the Midwest,” and he briefly found an audience in Nashville, the center of the universe for country singers. He then moved to Oklahoma, where he started a family and also toured around the tristate area playing clubs, festivals and dance halls.

But as his family grew — Donnan and his wife have three children, ages 8, 6 and 3 — he decided to step away from performing for a more normal life. That changed last year, when Donnan was invited to send a 60-second tryout video to The Voice

“I jokingly mentioned it to my wife, and she said, ‘Yeah, why not just do it?’” said Donnan. “It was a super low-risk, high-reward thing.”

Donnan’s run stopped just short of one of the show’s highest rewards — making the group of five finalists — but he impressed Horan and the viewing audience all the way through the competition.

It’s now very likely that we haven’t heard the last of Ross Clayton.

Ross Donnan ’12 competed under the stage name Ross Clayton on the 23rd season of the NBC singing contest, The Voice.

WEDDINGS

2005 Emily Bouchard and Jeremy Blodgett

Dec. 31, 2020

2012 Jennifer Wheeler and Ryan Kerch

May 6, 2023

2013 Erica Lubkeman and Zach Gillengerten

Jan. 14, 2023

2014 Meredith Olson and Patrick Dabbs

June 11, 2022

2016 Kristen Dillon and Andrew Mesik

Nov. 27, 2021

2020 Aleeka Gentzler and Payton Holmes ’17

June 18, 2022

2022 Shelley Moreno and Nicholas Fashoda

Oct. 13, 2022

BIRTHS

2018

Rebecca Dembkowski and Samuel Dummer

April 9, 2022

2022

Marissa

June

Jan. 21, 2023

2005

Emily Bouchard Blodgett and Jeremy a daughter, Avery Sophia

November 27, 2021

2007 Paige Taylor Leath and Quinn a daughter, Taylor Duplain-Kay

April 10, 2023

2020 Lauren Sperry and Lucas Smith

May 13, 2023

2019

May 13, 2023

2008

Laura and Miles Miller a son, Aiden Marcus

March 23, 2023

2013

Erin and Daniel Kane a son, Dean Ryan

May 8, 2023

2016 Kristen Dillon Mesik and Andrew twins, Maeve and Booker

August 23, 2022

Kenzi Lafferty and Timothy Yates ’16

2019 Kate Saulcy and Brian Baumgartner ’20

Logan and Brock Crippen ’21

20, 2022

1935

Lucretia Brown Green, 108, of Mason City, Iowa, died Jan. 2, 2023. Born in 1914, her sharp intellect allowed her to skip third grade, and she graduated from Morning Sun (Iowa) High School in 1931. At Monmouth, to which she frequently traveled by train, she graduated with a degree in English and was a talented singer. She and her husband of 63 years eloped in 1934 and lived many years in Davenport, Iowa, where Green was a bookkeeper for Iowa-Illinois Gas and Electric. The couple also lived in Hot Springs, Ark., and Mason City, and Green was active in the Presbyterian Church throughout her life.

1949

Margaret Dahlbo Kerr, 95, of Saline, Mich., died Jan. 19, 2023. She graduated with a degree in mathematics and was a member of Kappa Delta. Kerr was a high school math teacher in Cincinnati before becoming a realtor. Survivors include her husband of 69 years.

Marian Cowden Lewis, 95, of Richardson, Texas, died Nov. 24, 2022. She studied art and was a member of Alpha Xi Delta.

1950

Marion Huey Cairns, 94, of Kirkwood, Mo., died May 17, 2023. She graduated with a degree in history and was a member of Kappa Delta. Her career began with five years as a teacher and continued with 21 years of public service through 1976. In 1977, she was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives, serving through 1991. During her time in the legislature, she paved the way for women and other under-represented groups. Cairns sponsored and supported important legislation for the environment, public schools, child advocacy, human rights, real estate reassessment abuses and crime victim protection. She was named Webster Groves Citizen of the Year in 1984 and Missouri Child Advocate of the Year in 1985. The Commencement speaker at Webster University in 1989, Cairns remained active in her service after her time in the legislature, serving on the Missouri Commission on Human Rights.

Rosalie Howard Hammerberg, 93, of Mountain Home, Ark., died July 31, 2022. She studied sociology and was a member of Crimson Masque. She was preceded in death by her husband, James Hammerberg ’48.

Nancy Buchanan Tezak, 94, of Urbandale, Iowa, died May 13, 2023. She graduated with a degree in English and was a member of Pi Beta Phi. She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Donald Tezak ’50. She and Donald owned and operated the Town House Motel in Joliet, Ill., for more than a decade before working in real estate. Tezak was also a teacher and librarian.

William Laxson ’43

William Laxson, 100, of Boise, Idaho, believed to be the oldest living M Club Hall of Fame inductee, died Jan. 5, 2023, one month shy of his 101st birthday. Laxson had three individual first-place finishes, as well as two seconds and a third, at the 1943 Midwest Conference meet, and he also helped the Scots win the mile relay at that year’s Drake Relays. The chemistry major was also a member of the basketball team and Tau Kappa Epsilon. While on active duty with the Navy, he attended medical school at Stanford University, eventually earning his degree in 1948. Laxson served again in the military during the Korean War, this time as an Army surgeon at the 130th Station Hospital in Heidelberg, Germany. In 1957, he joined the Veterans Administration Hospital in Boise as a surgeon, and he worked there through his retirement in 1986. That same year, he retired as a brigadier general in the Idaho National Guard. For many years, Laxson served as the Idaho state surgeon general. He is survived by his wife of 75 years, Mary Jean Walker Laxson ’44.

1951

Marilyn Johnston Linker, 93, of Albuquerque, N.M., died Jan. 31, 2023. She was a member of the synchronized swim team and Kappa Kappa Gamma before completing degrees in economics, biology and education at Colorado A&M. After marrying, Linker completed graduate studies at the University of New Mexico and joined Albuquerque Public Schools, working as a middle school librarian until she retired in 1987.

Joanne Thesen Rootes, 93, of Castle Pines, Colo., died June 15, 2023. A member of Pi Beta Phi, she studied elementary education at Monmouth before completing her degree at the University of Missouri. Her husband, who she met at Mizzou, became president of Rival Manufacturing Company in Kansas City, and Joanne was involved with Rival’s development of the first “Crock Pot” slow cooker, which launched in 1971.

Alberta Plumer Schlesinger, 91, of Fredericksburg, Va., died Aug. 28, 2020. She graduated with a degree in English and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Patricia Haag Slater, 93, of Springfield, Ill., died Jan. 27, 2023. She graduated with a degree in business and was a member of the synchronized swim team and Alpha Xi Delta. For many years, she was the secretary and treasurer of Garretson Lumber/Truss-Slater in Virden, Ill. She was preceded in death by her husband, Duane Slater ’51.

1952

Bill Bailey, 92, of Baton Rouge, La., died Jan. 18, 2023. He graduated with a degree in chemistry and was a member of Alpha Tau Omega before earning a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1955. While in graduate school, he married Patricia Mason Bailey ’53, who survives. The couple was married for 69 years. He had a long career with Exxon and was also very involved with church and community activities in Baton Rouge.

Ethel Milligan Bailey of New Wilmington, Pan., died Jan. 2, 2023. She graduated with a degree in biology and was a member of Pi Beta Phi. Shortly after leaving Monmouth, she was a research assistant to Jonas Salk in the latter years of the development and launch of the polio vaccine. She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Dr. Kenneth Bailey ’52. For 40 years, the couple did mission work for the Presbyterian Church, living in Egypt, Lebanan, Israel/Palestine and Cyprus. Ethel taught microbiology and parasitology during that time and also helped prepare her husband’s first books for publication.

Richard Bruch, 95, of Hays, Kansas, died Jan. 25, 2023. He graduated with a degree in business administration and was a member of the football and basketball teams and Tau Kappa Epsilon. He was a district sales manager for DeKalb Seed for 32 years.

Jane Jackson Pehle Garison, 92, of Mechanicsburg, Pa., died Nov. 10, 2022. She graduated with a degree in English and was a member of Kappa Delta. Later, she completed a master’s degree in library science at the University of Chicago and worked as a media specialist in public education. She later retired from Hammond (Ind.) Public Library. While married to Charles Pehle, she lived in Indonesia for two years, and she twice survived breast cancer before facing dementia in her later years.

Judith Stetson Knox, 92, of Glendale, Calif., died May 24, 2023. She studied languages and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. While raising her family, she held down a series of jobs, including credit manager for the Hollywood Reporter. A lifetime lover of animals, she could still be found hand-feeding giraffes at the Los Angeles zoo at the age of 89. She was preceded in death by her husband, Marion “Dean” Knox ’52

Norma Lauer Miller, 91, of Carmel, Ind., died Aug. 3, 2022. She graduated with a degree in mathematics and was a member of Alpha Xi Delta. A world traveler, she visited every continent except Australia. She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth Miller ’52

Norma Garst Romine, 91, of Peoria, Ariz., died Feb. 14, 2022. She graduated with a degree in English and was a member of Kappa Delta. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert

Romine ’54

Carol Levine Schoellkopf of Cincinnati, Ohio, died Sept. 9, 2021. She graduated with a degree in music and was a member of Pi Beta Phi.

Jane Black Snyder of Rochester, N.Y., died May 17, 2023. She graduated with a degree in music and was a member of the synchronized swim team and Kappa Delta. She was preceded in death by her husband, the Rev. James Snyder ’52.

Patricia Acosta Wiedenman, 92, of Avinger, Texas, died April 10, 2023. She studied elementary education and was involved in synchronized swimming.

1953

Susan Barrett Boelke, 91, of Monroe, Wis., died March 23, 2023. She studied history and was a member of Alpha Xi Delta. After starting a family, Boelke earned a master’s degree in education and a teacher’s certificate and went on to teach kindergarten and special education for more than 20 years. She was preceded in death by Gerald Boelke ’51, her husband of 66 years.

Marilyn Wolford Evans, 90, formerly of Monmouth, died Nov. 11, 2022. She studied science and was the Warren County Schools director of food services for 14 years. She was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years.

Stanley Fottler, 91, of Chelmsford, Mass., died April 29, 2023. He studied physics at Monmouth and earned a master’s degree in mathematics and physics from Wayne State University. Fottler’s work with thin and thick film resistors, semiconductors and hybrid circuits included several patents in collaboration with his work at GM Research Center, Texas Instruments, Phillip Morris, Zenith and Raytheon. He was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Elizabeth McKinlay Fottler ’54. Four of their five children attended Monmouth — Margaret Fottler Johnson ’75, Heather Fottler Magian ’77, Linda Fottler Wyke ’81 and Doris Fottler Hathaway ’81.

Margaret Jacoby Josephson, 91, of Monmouth, died Nov. 2, 2022. She studied science at Monmouth and then taught at four schools before becoming the first teacher/director of the Monmouth Early Learning Center in 1970. She was preceded in death by her husband, Don Josephson ’54

Marjorie Barnewolt Mauch, 90, of Palatine, Ill., died April 19, 2022. She studied secretarial science.

1954

William Pizante, 89, of Vestal, N.Y., died Aug. 17, 2021. He was a member of the baseball team. Pizante was a professor of philosophy at SUNY-Binghamton for many years. Survivors in-

clude his wife of 43 years, Dvorah.

1956

Ann Brillant Pizante of Endicott, N.Y., whose high school sweetheart and former husband was William Pizante ’54

Clarice Radmacher, 88, of Bettendorf, Iowa, died Oct. 26, 2022. She graduated with a degree in elementary education and was a second grade teacher in Galesburg, Ill. In her later life, she was an office manager for Radmacher Plumbing and Heating in Monmouth, her husband’s business. Dolores Cole Rose, 90, of Rochelle, Ill., died May 1, 2023. She graduated with a degree in elementary education and was a member of Kappa Delta. Rose taught at Lowell School in Wheaton, Ill., and sold Mary Kay products for more than 45 years.

John Sward, 88, of Skokie, Ill., died April 11, 2023. He graduated with a degree in business administration and went on to work as a hospital administrator. Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Mary Bradford Sward ’60, who he met on a blind date while visiting on a break from his graduate studies at the University of Iowa.

Constance Irey Swenson of Missoula, Mont., died June 7, 2023. She graduated with a degree in elementary education and was a member of Pi Beta Phi. A member of the College’s national champion rifle team, she was also named “queen” of several campus events, including Homecoming. After graduating, she was a stewardess for United Airlines for a year before marrying. She and her husband, who were together for 52 years prior to his death, founded Swenson Realty, a farm and land sales agency.

Janet Campbell Young, 87, of Cottonwood, Ariz., died Nov. 14, 2022. She studied elementary education and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. After graduating, she headed west for a teaching position in Long Beach, Calif., and she also worked in Anaheim, Calif., before retiring to raise her family.

1957

Donna Yearous Dimas, 88, of El Dorado Hills, Calif., died in April 2023, after a four-year struggle with cancer. The oldest of 11 children, she spent a year at Monmouth before graduating from the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in social studies. Dimas was a teacher in Colorado and California, retiring in 1989. Survivors include her husband of 66 years.

Robert Hick, 87, of East Grand Rapids, Mich., died April 4, 2023. He graduated with a degree in philosophy and was a member of Theta Chi. Hick completed a law degree at the University of Minnesota and, after moving to Holland, Mich., in the

early 1980s, practiced law there. He was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years.

Rev. John Lyford, 95, of Whitewater, Wis., died July 28, 2021. After graduating from high school in 1944, he entered the Army and served in the Pacific during World War II. Following the war, Lyford attended the Milwaukee Business Institute and worked in industry for five years. Feeling a calling for the ministry, he went back to school, graduating from Monmouth with a degree in religious studies and attending Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Lyford was ordained as a minister in 1960 and served churches in Taylorstown, Pa., Brookfield, Ill., and Oconto, Wis.

Judy Reed Reiter, 87, of Bloomington, Ill., died in May 2023. She studied English and was a member of Crimson Masque before graduating from Purdue University. Survivors include her husband of 65 years, Richard Reiter ’58.

1958

John Eckley, 90, of Oquawka, Ill., died April 3, 2022. He graduated with a degree in geology and later earned a master’s degree from Western Illinois University. Prior to attending Monmouth, he served in the Coast Guard. Eckley taught in Gladstone, Ill., and then for three years at the newly created Union High School. His education career in the area continued with stints as a principal in Biggsville, Alexis and Galesburg. Eckley then moved to Lincoln, Ill., and was a sales representative for Science Research Associates before retiring at 55. He was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years. Survivors include a daughter, former Monmouth staff member Patricia Cook, and a grandson, Michael Cook ’13.

Phyllis Lanphere Kettering, 86, of Monmouth, died May 7, 2023. She graduated with a degree in Latin and secondary education and taught in the area at Warren School, Achievement Industries and Roseville Elementary School. She was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, Donald Kettering ’55. Survivors include a daughter, Laura Kettering Everly ’88

Morey Weiss, 87, of Bradford, Vt., died Feb. 10, 2023. A member of Tau Kappa Epsilon, he became a salesman and worked his way up the corporate ladder.

1959

Dr. Robert Bilderback, 85, of Beardstown, Ill., died March 10, 2023. He graduated with a degree in biology and was a member of the basketball team and Sigma Phi Epsilon. Bilderback received his doctor of medicine degree from the University of Missouri School of Medicine in 1963. A Vietnam veteran, he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam

Campaign Medal and Air Force Commendation medal for his service as battalion surgeon and staff physician at the 12th U.S. Air Force Hospital. After his military service, Bilderback was an orthopedic surgeon in San Antonio, Texas, where he had a ranch and cared for exotic animals. In 1987, he closed his medical practice and continued his medical research in St. Louis and in Galesburg, Ill., before moving to his hometown of Bowen, Ill., and then to Beardstown.

Don Dixon, 91, of Burlington, Iowa, died Feb. 7, 2023. Prior to attending Monmouth and studying business administration, he served two years in the Army during the Korean War, and he was active with the Army Reserves until 1960. After graduating, he also attended the Burlington School of Business. Dixon was a human resource manager for Lehigh-Leopold Furniture for 33 years and also worked as an accountant. The graduate of Oquawka (Ill.) High School served as treasurer for the Henderson County Historical Society.

Victoria Schleich Fitzgibbon, 85, of Springfield, Ill., died Nov. 22, 2022. She studied speech/ communication/theater before attending Emerson College in Boston. She received her teaching certificate from Western Illinois University and taught elementary education before taking an extended leave to raise her family. When she returned to the field, Fitzgibbon worked with children with severe and profound disabilities. She was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years.

Mark Loveless, 85, of Yucca Valley, Calif., died Oct. 4, 2022. He graduated with a degree in physical education and was a member of the wrestling and baseball teams and Alpha Tau Omega. Loveless joined the Marine Corps in 1959 and was a Vietnam War veteran. He retired as a lieutenant colonel at the Marine Corps Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif., in 1986, then worked as a substitute teacher. Survivors include his wife of nearly 60 years, Ellin McDougall Loveless ’61

Bernie McKee, 85, of Northbrook, Ill., died Jan. 8, 2022. A member of the wrestling team and Tau Kappa Epsilon, he graduated with a degree in psychology, then followed his brothers into the Navy to serve a two-year tour on the USS Stoddard McKee, who earned an MBA at Lake Forest College, had a career in insurance and reinsurance and served as president of the Chicago CPCU Society, a professional insurance organization.

Blaine Shoemaker, 85, of Oklahoma City, Okla., died Dec. 6, 2022. After two years at Monmouth, where he was a member of Theta Chi, Shoemaker studied agriculture science and animal science at the University of Illinois, receiving a bachelor’s and master’s degree. He was a food service manager at the University of Illinois before embarking on a career in the meat industry

IN MEMORIAM

Susan Romaine

Susan Romaine, 72, a member of the Monmouth College Board of Trustees, died March 15, 2023, following a short battle with a rare form of cancer. A former financial analyst on Wall Street, Romaine was also a gallery owner and accomplished artist. She had a 30-year friendship with Monmouth President Clarence R. Wyatt and First Lady Lobie Stone. That friendship, and her attraction to the mission of Monmouth College, drew her to service as a trustee. Among her other areas of service, she was board president for the Center of Women in Charleston, S.C., where she spearheaded the development of a micro-loan program for small women-owned businesses.

father’s business, Marengo (Ill.) Tool & Die Works, and held that position for many years. Survivors include his wife of 60 years.

1962

Robert Best, 83, of Lancaster, Pa., died March 26, 2023. He was a member of the cross country, swimming and track teams and Tau Kappa Epsilon. During the Cold War, Best served in the Army in Germany as a sergeant. Between stints as a math teacher in Minnesota and Delaware and post-retirement math instructor at Harrisburg Area Community College, he was a programmer analyst at the former Borg Warner Co. in York, Pa. Best was also a talented singer and avid long-distance runner.

with Wilson Foods. Raised on a farm near Seaton, Ill., Shoemaker enjoyed raising cattle all his life and had “a passion for all things agriculture.” Survivors include his wife of 62 years, who was his high school sweetheart.

1960

Alvin Peterson of St. Petersburg, Fla., died March 5, 2023. He graduated with a degree in psychology.

Ralph Riggs, 84, of Davis, Calif., died Jan. 1, 2023. A member of the cross country team and Alpha Tau Omega, he graduated with a degree in chemistry. He was preceded in death by his wife, Judith Irelan Riggs ’60. Survivors include a son, David Riggs ’87 and a granddaughter, Rebecca Riggs ’13

1961

Robert Creasey of Macomb, Ill., died March 31, 2020. He completed his degree at the University of Illinois and worked as an engineer for General Electric before becoming owner/operator of Creasey Chevrolet-Olds in Bushnell, Ill.

Carl Goff, 83, of Cambridge, Ill., died April 26, 2023. He graduated with a degree in physical education and was a member of the football, basketball and baseball teams and Theta Chi. The holder of a master’s degree from Western Illinois University, Goff was a teacher and coach at two western Illinois high schools, Yorkwood and Cambridge, retiring in 1998. Survivors include his wife of 61 years.

Gilbert Tauck, 85, of South Bend, Ind., died Feb. 26, 2023. He graduated with a degree in German. An Army veteran, Tauck took over his

Colleen Fisher Kinney, 80, of Monmouth, died Sept. 26, 2021. After a semester at the University of Miami-Coral Gables, she graduated from Monmouth with a degree in psychology and was a member of Pi Beta Phi. Kinney taught for two years before raising a family. She returned to teaching in 1978, working for 24 years at Monmouth’s Immaculate Conception School. She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years.

Leslie Montgomery, 83, of San Jose, Calif., died Dec. 20, 2022. A member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, he graduated with a degree in physics. Montgomery earned master’s degrees in systems management and nuclear engineering from the College of Notre Dame and Iowa State University, respectively, as well as a Ph.D. from UCLA in engineering. He had a successful career in physiology research. Montgomery was awarded three postdoctoral fellowships, including two with NASA’s Ames Research Center, and he also worked in the nuclear field for Atomics International and Argonne National Laboratory. Later in life, he and his family were responsible for shipping thousands of books to Uganda, as well as providing support for development initiatives there. Survivors include his wife of 51 years.

1963

Eleanor Crow Gustafson, 93, of Eldridge, Iowa, died Dec. 8, 2022. She graduated with a degree in elementary education and worked at the Monmouth College library for many years. Survivors include a son, John Gustafson ’76. Donald Moran, 87, of Peoria, Ill., died Dec. 29, 2022. He graduated with a degree in physics, focusing on mechanical engineering, and he completed an MBA at Bradley University. Moran worked in Michigan for General Motors and Federal Mogul. He then went into engineering-related sales, working for nearly 20 years for Garlock before becoming an independent sales representative selling hydraulic components for multiple companies, a line of work he continued through

his mid-80s. Survivors include his wife of 59 years and a daughter, Christina Moran Hahs ’93

Nancy Huff Myers, 81, of Valley Center, Kansas, died Dec. 16, 2022. She graduated with a degree in English and was a member of Crimson Masque. Myers, who earned a master’s degree from the University of Kansas, spent the majority of her career as a member of the faculty at Wichita State University.

Lynette Lyndrup Russell of Seattle, Wash., died July 24, 2020. She graduated with a degree in biology and was a member of Pi Beta Phi.

John Seatter, 82, of Punta Gorda, Fla., died Oct. 31, 2022. He attended Duke University before completing his degree at Monmouth. After serving in the Army for two years, Seatter worked for Motorola for 33 years, living in Western Springs, Ill. Survivors include his wife of 58 years.

David Wongstrom, 82, of Galena, Ill., died June 18, 2023. He graduated with a degree in physical education and was a member of the football team. He also held degrees from the University of South Carolina and Western Illinois University. Wongstrom was principal of his high school alma mater in Cambridge, Ill.; served as superintendent for three Illinois school districts, including two in the northwestern corner of the state; and taught and coached at a third, Hanover, before retiring in 2007. Survivors include his wife of 61 years.

1964

Julia Wiley, 77, of Hoffman Estates, Ill., died Sept. 24, 2020.

1965

Jewell Eisfeldt Fitzgerald, 76, of Westbury, N.Y., died June 11, 2020. She graduated with a degree in French and was a member of Kappa Delta. She then earned a master’s degree in French studies from the University of Wisconsin. Fitzgerald taught French and Spanish and received an award from the Long Island Language Teachers. Survivors include her two siblings, who also graduated from Monmouth — Barry Eisfeldt ’68 and Jane Eisfeldt Ehrenhart ’77

Ronald Sloan of Punta Gorda, Fla., died in 2022. He graduated with a degree in biology and was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon before earning a master’s degree in biology from Illinois State University. A veteran of the Army, Sloan was a hospital administrator.

Maureen Beck Hamilton, 78, of Richland, Wash., died Dec. 27, 2022. She graduated with a degree in chemistry. Hamilton worked much of her life as an industrial hygienist, primarily at Hanford Environmental Health Foundation. She also worked as a consultant, conducting laboratory safety inspections. She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Hamilton ’67

IN MEMORIAM

Donald Whiteman ’49

Donald Whiteman died June 28, 2023, in Staunton, Va., after a short illness. He was 97.

A World War II Navy veteran, Whiteman graduated summa cum laude from Monmouth, where he served as student body president and editor of the student newspaper and was a member of the prestigious Octopus Club. He went on to receive a master’s in business administration from Harvard University and also earned a degree from the University of Wisconsin Graduate School of Banking.

A retired banker, Whiteman served most recently as chief financial officer and director of The Northern Trust Co. of Arizona. He previously served as executive vice presi-

1966

Rick Hoy, 78, of Elgin, Ill., died in April 2023. He graduated with a degree in physics and also studied at Northern Illinois University and Loyola of Chicago, from which he received his Ph.D. Hoy spent his career his education, including a stint as department chair at Streamwood High School and principal at two suburban Chicago schools, Tefft Middle School and Bartlett High School. He spent much of his retirement volunteering for Elgin Senior Services.

Barbara Ballard Huwe, 79, of St. Paul, Minn., died March 18, 2023. She completed her undergraduate degree in zoology at the University of Kansas and also earned a nursing degree from St. Catherine’s University. Huwe served as a public health nurse for 33 years, spending much of her career working with St. Paul’s Hmong immigrant community.

1967

Daniel McNally of East Peoria, Ill., died Aug. 28, 2022. He graduated with a degree in business administration. After four years working and traveling in California, he returned to his family’s business, Pekin Ready Mix Concrete, in 1973. The business was sold two years later to develop Central Illinois Dock Company at mile 158 on the Illinois River. In 1993, McNally founded Central Illinois Freight Handling and served as CEO. His company imported semi-finished steel product and distributed it to several major U.S. companies, including nearby Caterpillar.

dent and director of United Bank of Arizona. He also was president and CEO of City Reconstruction Corp. of Los Angeles for seven years, which planned, built and financed more than 1,600 luxury high-rise apartments in downtown Los Angeles, Tulsa, Okla., and St. Paul, Minn. He earlier had been vice president and cashier of the Northern Trust Bank of Chicago.

Whiteman served on the Monmouth College Board of Trustees from 1960-73, and he had previously served as class secretary. He was preceded in death by his father, Wendell Whiteman ’27 , and his wife, Joann Weakly Whiteman ’50 . Survivors include his brothers, Ralph Whiteman ’52 and Richard Whiteman ’64

1969

Mary Buchanan Lindsay, 77, of East Greenwich, R.I., died Feb. 21, 2023. She graduated with a degree in sociology and was a member of Pi Beta Phi. Prior to working in the insurance field, she held many volunteer positions while raising her family.

Joseph Peruti, 75, of Long Branch, N.J., died April 23, 2023. He graduated with a degree in government, then used his entrepreneurial spirit to own and operate several companies before working for McVac Environmental Services in New Haven, Conn. Peruti, who was an avid runner and triathlete, is survived by his wife of 52 years.

1970

Thomas Stevenson of Valencia, Calif., died in Sept. 14, 2022. He graduated with a degree in psychology.

Peter Vlasis, 73, of Lake Forest, Ill., died Dec. 18, 2022. He graduated with a degree in biology and was a member of the track team. After graduating from the Illinois College of Optometry in 1977, Vlasis practiced as an optometrist for 40 years, seeing patients in the suburban communities of Zion and Mundelein. Survivors include his wife of 49 years, Barbara Puck Vlasis ’70.

1971

Ronald Downs, 73, of Independence, Mo., died Dec. 31, 2022. He graduated with a degree in physical education and was a member of the football and baseball teams and Alpha Tau Omega. His obituary read that Downs “was born with a silver

whistle in his mouth,” and he used that love of sports during a long career as a coach and teacher, starting and ending in Missouri at Hazelwood West and Lee’s Summit high schools, respectively. Downs, who earned a master’s degree in education from South Dakota State University, was also a fundraising manager for Nestle Beich and a 40-year volunteer with Heart of America Pop Warner Football and Cheer. Survivors include his wife of 51 years.

Jeff Langner, 71, of Rushville, Ill., died April 9, 2023. Langner graduated with a degree in physical education and was an all-conference member of the undefeated 1972 football team and Theta Chi. Langner received a master’s degree in education and physical education from Western Illinois University and was a sixth grade teacher for more than 30 years in Rushville. He was also a successful football coach at Rushville High School and was part owner of Wells Fargo Inn for a few years.

Cynthia Frazier Moore , 73, of Sierra Vista, Ariz., died Nov. 4, 2022. She graduated with a degree in art and was a member of Pi Beta Phi. She and her late husband, William Moore ’70 , who was in the military, lived in Georgia, Virginia, Kansas and Washington – as well as Germany and Italy – before settling in Arizona. She built an art studio in every home in which she lived.

Patty Schwass, 90, of Monmouth, died June 13, 2023. After attending Carl Sandburg College, she earned her degree in sociology from Monmouth. Schwass taught for 20 years at Monmouth’s Harding Elementary School. She was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years.

1972

Kimberly Nelson, 72, of Farmingdale, N.J., died April 16, 2023. During her short time at Monmouth, the lover of music played the bagpipes. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Utica College, then earned a master’s degree there in education. Nelson taught preschool in Georgia for five years before returning to her native Staten Island, where she was as an assistant accountant for several companies.

1973

Joan Carlson, 88, of Galesburg, died Nov. 19, 2022. A non-traditional student, she graduated with a degree in English. In 1974, she established and was the first manager of the Cottage Corner Gift Shop, a fundraising project of the Cottage Hospital Service Guild in Galesburg, Ill. She held a variety of other positions in her career, including substitute teacher, toy store manager, tax preparer, administrative assistant and bank teller.

1974

Cynthia Rice Westfall, 70, of Bloomingdale, Ill.,

IN MEMORIAM

died in December 2022. She graduated with a degree in psychology.

1975

John Love, 66, of Abbeville, La., died Sept. 2, 2019. He graduated with a degree in biology and was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon. Love worked for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. His crowning professional achievement was leading the re-introduction of the whooping crane to Louisiana. For his efforts, Love won the 2014 Governor’s Award for Conservationist of the Year.

Mark Turay, 67, of Littleton, Colo., died April 11, 2023, after a brave battle with cancer. After one year at Monmouth, he transferred to Eastern Illinois University, graduating with a degree in psychology. Turay worked in sales and also had 10-year stints as district manager for Rocky Mountain News and as a mortgage banker. He then switched his profession to facility manager for Canon and Century Link.

1976

Melvin Siverly, 86, of Galesburg, Ill., died May 1, 2023. He studied at Western Illinois University and the University of Illinois before completing his degree later in life after the birth of his four children, including Bryan Siverly ’81. He worked for 30 years at Butler Manufacturing in Galesburg, retiring in 2001, and then was a substitute teacher for 10 years. Among Siverly’s many civic contributions, he often portrayed Wyatt Earp at community events. He was also a certified master gardener. Other survivors include his wife of 64 years and a grandson, Josh Siverly ’10

1977

David Larson of Orlando, Fla., died Sept. 17, 2022. He graduated with a degree in speech/communication/theater and was a member of Crimson Masque.

1978

Annalee Feldmann, 64, of Provo, Utah, died May 31, 2020. She graduated with a degree in sociology, was involved with Crimson Masque and the radio station, and was a member of Alpha Xi Delta. Feldmann worked with autistic children in Washington, D.C., then moved to Utah and worked in the Provo School District, especially enjoying her position in the library at Spring Creek Elementary. Survivors include a sister, Kathleen Feldmann Francis ’80

Phyllis Millsap Renth, 66, of Spring Branch, Texas, died Feb. 9, 2022. She worked in the field of early childhood education and care.

Joyce Schroeder Surman, 66, of Herrin, Ill., died June 24, 2020. She worked as a nurse.

1982

Kathleen Stees Terpening, 65, of Geneseo, Ill., died May 26, 2023. She graduated with a degree in sociology.

1987

John Carlberg, 57, of Appleton, Wis., died unexpectedly on Jan. 10, 2023. An All-American football player for the Fighting Scots, he was also a member of the track team and graduated with a degree in business administration. His most recent position was CEO of Dixon Ticonderoga.

Ed Simpson, 58, of Monmouth, died Feb. 5, 2023, of ALS. A business administration major, he was a member of the football and track teams and Theta Chi. Simpson was an officer with the Monmouth Police Department before starting a 27-year career with BNSF Railroad as a locomotive engineer.

1992

Sean McKee, 53, of Bettendorf, Iowa, died June 2, 2023, following a short battle with recurrent colon cancer. The Monmouth graduate studied art and computer science and was a member of the football team and Tau Kappa Epsilon. McKee had a knack for all things IT and made that his career. He was the senior network systems engineer at RiverStone Group, Inc., in Davenport, Iowa, joining the company in 2004 after working for Caterpillar and Knox Office Equipment. Survivors include his wife, Kelly Montroy McKee ’01

1997

Richard Stephens, 44, of Kerens, Texas, died May 25, 2019. He was a producer in the entertainment business.

2001

Gwen Solberg, 44, of New Holstein, Wis., died Dec. 1, 2022. She graduated with a degree in biology and was employed by Charter Communication as a service representative.

2003

Ellen Thomas, 62, of Galesburg, Illinois, died June 11, 2023. She graduated with a degree in elementary education after completing an associate’s degree at Carl Sandburg College. Thomas worked with children as a reading teacher, tutor, early childhood educator and caregiver. She also worked on the Spirit of Peoria as a crewmember and gift shop manager.

Word has also been received of the following deaths:

Mona Buchholz, 97, of Monmouth, the wife of the late biology professor Robert Buchholz, died Dec. 28, 2022. A son, Dan Buchholz ’77, also preceded her in death, and she is survived by two sons, including Mark Buchholz ’71.

Doris Dice, 89, of Monmouth, a former secretary at the College, died Feb. 12, 2023.

Barbara Hawk, 91, a 14-year member of the College’s maintenance and custodial staff, died Feb. 2, 2023.

James Haynes, 90, of Bushnell, Ill., registrar of the College for the 1988-89 academic year, died Dec. 12, 2022. He was preceded in death by his wife, Anne Eckley Haynes ’56. Survivors include a daughter, Emily Sue Haynes Nelson ’77, and a son, George Haynes ’79

Mike Hull, 58, of Monmouth, who worked several years in the cafeteria, died Feb. 22, 2023.

Rose Sandstrom, 75, of Roseville, Ill., died Oct. 24, 2022. In her retirement years, she was a supervisor of Monmouth College student teachers, and she also taught a teaching methods class. Survivors include a son, Mark Sandstrom ’98

Leonard Szaltis, 41, of Monmouth, a former staff member, died Jan. 30, 2023.

Nnachi Umennachi, 70, of Bettendorf, Iowa, a former philosophy professor at Monmouth, died Dec. 22, 2022. After leaving Monmouth, he taught 25 years at Scott Community College in

Continued from Page 23

True to the aforementioned description of engineering, the project was easier said than done.

“There’s been a bunch of fine tuning that we didn’t expect,” said Stasko. “It’s gone from a nine-month project to a multi-year project. Professor Iselin is hiring some students to do research this summer, and we’re hoping to pass this on to them.”

Rousey grew up on a farm, and that environment, plus his natural curiosity, put engineering on his radar.

“I grew up tinkering with things, and my family was fully supportive of that,” he said. “If some equipment broke down, I’d help put it back together. That got me into vehicle maintenance, and I had plenty of hands-on physical labor.”

As he progressed in the level of difficulty of the things he fixed and made, he was in-

Emeritus trustee H. Safford Peacock of Lincoln, Ill., who as chairman of the Monmouth Board of Trustees from 1984-91 helped guide the College, died July 5. He was 94.

“Saf was a giant in the life of Monmouth College, a presence that inspired us all and inspires still,” said Monmouth President Clarence R. Wyatt. “Saf did work he loved and did it exceptionally well. He made all the communities he served — most especially Monmouth College — better places. And he loved and was loved by an extraordinary family. What better legacy could any of us leave.”

A Monmouth native and the son of two Monmouth alumni, Peacock attended Monmouth High School before graduating from Lake Forest Academy and then Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1950. He served in the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps for three years, before working from 1953-77

with Myers Industries Inc. in Lincoln, retiring as vice president and general manager. He then started a new career as an investment manager.

Peacock joined the Monmouth Board, then known as the Senate, in 1977, and he received an honorary doctorate of laws from the College in 1991. In 2008, he was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal of Outstanding Public Service – one of the highest awards given by the Secretary of Defense to a private citizen – for his work with the National Defense University.

In 1997, Peacock and his late wife, Betty, made the lead gift that enabled the College to build Peacock Memorial Athletic Park, named in honor of his late parents and home to the Fighting Scots’ baseball and soccer teams. He also created the Roy S. Anderson (Class of 1922) Scholarship to help students from Lincoln High School attend Monmouth.

Bettendorf.

Karen Woodward, 79, of Eau Claire, Wis., who taught French at Monmouth, died Nov. 18, 2022.

H. Safford Peacock ENGINEERING

volved with a much more personal creation.

“My life has all been about trying to make something of myself,” said Rousey. “I liked that engineering was a new major at Monmouth and that I could make a name for myself in it.”

Stasko shared a similar story, in terms of his background and his desire to stand out from the norm.

“My dad was a diesel tech and now he’s an auto mechanic, so I’ve been around it my whole life,” he said. “I’d hear my dad complain about engineers and why they’d designed things a certain way, and that’s what made me think about engineering even more and pursue it – to fix things from the start in their design, instead of having to fix them later.”

Several of his high school peers were also interested in STEM fields, and they headed to predictable schools.

“I wanted to get away from what the other kids in my school were doing, picking the University of Illinois or Bradley,” he said. “I

She also taught at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and, for 18 years, at UW-Eau Claire, retiring as an associate professor in 2002.

was looking for a small school. I thought it was kind of cool that I was going to make my own program.”

Wilson, who said he’s “always liked tinkering with things, like the toys I had growing up,” had a more obvious reason for choosing Monmouth. A pole vaulter for the Scots, Wilson hoped to follow in the footsteps of Monmouth’s three national champions in that event, including the assistant coach who helped recruit him, Dan Evers ’18.

“Yeah, that helped a little bit with the decision,” said Wilson, who has cleared 16 feet, 4-3/4 inches and won multiple Midwest Conference championships in the event. He narrowly missed All-American honors in 2022, placing ninth at the NCAA outdoor meet.

Wilson realized that engineering made sense as a college major, but said, “I didn’t know what kind of engineering I wanted to do. Then my senior year, I took a circuits course, and it clicked.”

The imperfect, complicated page: writing and writers at Monmouth

Early spring afternoon beneath a tree by the library — a grackle, countless sparrows and a pair of cardinals chatter April into blossom — and the student writer asks, “Is this paper perfect? I want it to be perfect.”

The cardinals answer one another. I smile across the picnic table. “No. Not perfect.”

The writer flares a fusion of side-eye and concern, surprised, maybe, at imperfection or, more likely, not surprised a bit as yet another instructor confirms her feeling – writing is impossible.

I tap my pen on the page, “But it’s good; you’re getting better at this.”

In the fall of 2013, I came to Monmouth College to do exactly this – to profess writing and literature, to bear witness to the ways human beings live in language, and to help others make their way as writers and readers, even (and especially) those students reluctant to think of themselves this way. I also came to write my own poems and to nurture creative writers.

When I arrived, I understood that I’d entered a rich and thriving tradition of Monmouth students, faculty, staff and alumni more than eager to understand themselves as writers, people making their varied paths through many genres – fiction, journalism, plays, academic monographs, peer-reviewed scholarship, curriculum, screenplays, digital content, biographies, children’s literature, creative nonfiction and professional writing, among others. The question: how to cultivate and extend this tradition of writing at Monmouth?

reading at the end of the semester.

Like the students featured earlier in this magazine, some of these writers move on to advanced creative writing courses in narrative, creative nonfiction, world building and poetry. Directly from these courses, students (and some faculty and staff) have begun work that has gone on to be published or to gain them entry into graduate study in prestigious creative writing programs.

At least once a year, we read work by an author who visits campus and interacts with us in and out of the classroom, expanding our world of imaginative writing by bringing the wider world to campus. Over the past 10 years more than two dozen poets, fiction writers, memoirists, playwrights, screenwriters and editors have come to campus to conduct student workshops, to be interviewed by students and faculty, and to give public readings as part of the Writers@Monmouth series, in cooperation with others on campus, like the Champion Miller Center for Student Equity, Inclusion and Community.

DAVID WRIGHT

Outside the classroom, students work in editorial roles for the campus newspaper, Courier, COIL (the College’s literary arts magazine) and for our award-winning Midwest Journal of Undergraduate Research, a publication with a national and international scope. Many of our students also collaborate with the art, theatre and music departments, combining their literary energies with that of other artists in this community.

In first-year composition courses, students develop a replicable writing practice they can adapt to any writing situation, learning the skills of drafting and revising informed arguments and reflections. Like the student at the picnic table, they succeed when they move beyond a need for a perfect grade and towards a focus on the practice of writing. Sure, ChatGPT can generate the surface of an adequate document, but it can’t be a better human because it has grappled with a complex idea, or reflected meaningfully on a human life, and brought this insight into language. As accomplished novelist and Monmouth graduate Melissa Scholes Young ’97 describes it: “We all deserve to be complicated on the page.”

Nurturing creative writers happens both within and outside of the classroom. In addition to English majors, students from many disciplines generate poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction in “ENGL 210: Creative Writing.” They read historic and contemporary work and, almost always, find voices that challenge and stimulate their own imaginative writing, which they share as part of a public

During my first several years at Monmouth, I met weekly with a rotating group of faculty from Spanish, educational studies, history and political science, simply to sit in a room for 90 minutes and write together, saying very little and filling the room with the clicking of keyboards and the scratching of pens. Out of those sessions came poems, essays, scholarship and friendships. Ultimately, it’s this sense of working in proximity to one another that helps writers and writing to thrive at Monmouth.

For too many, writing on college campuses often seems to be a mere blur of all-night typing and caffeine and the temptation to plagiarize. But the stories in this issue document Monmouth writers, both past and present, and the myriad, imperfect ways they write to discover, learn, clarify, question, make beauty and connect with one another through language, something they began to learn and practice on this campus, expanding their worlds and finding themselves on the complicated page.

David Wright is associate professor of English and the author of several poetry collections including Local Talent (Purple Flag/Virtual Artist’s Collective, 2019).

Your Monmouth years were influential in myriad ways. You may have met lifelong friends or a lifelong partner. You may have discovered a hidden talent or passion, thanks to an inspirational professor. Introduce a young person to the same Monmouth experience. Take the first step by sharing the name of a young person who you believe could benefit from a Monmouth education.

ROLL OVER! GOOD IRA.

IF YOU ARE NEAR 70-1/2 YEARS OR OLDER, YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO ROLL OVER YOUR IRA TO SUPPORT MONMOUTH COLLEGE.

For more information about charitable gift planning, visit monmouthcollege.giftplans.org or contact Gena Alcorn ‘88, CFRE, Assistant Vice President for Development and Legacy Giving at galcorn@monmouthcollege.edu.