Joining a club on campus can be key to finding your people. There are currently 550 student-run clubs, everything from intramural sports like judo, to international clubs celebrating the Hindu holidays. You can even find one that centers around origami. We invite you to craft and create your own Archie as you fondly reflect on your days at
“Exploding Native Inevitable” —an exhibition of contemporary Indigenous art organized by Brad Kahlhamer and Dan Mills for Bates College Museum of Art—is on view February 7 through July 13, 2025.
Experience art’s transformative power. Be moved at Sheldon Museum of Art.
If “what you see is what you get,” it pays to look deeply.
Norman Akers
Osage Nation
born Fairfax, OK 1958
“Watchful Eye” Oil on canvas, 2023
Bates College Museum of Art purchase with Elizabeth A. Gregory MD ‘38 Fund, Dorothy Stiles Blankfort ‘31 Fund, Abraham and Bella
and
Margolis Art Fund,
Synergy Fund Diversify the Collection Program, 2023.5.1
HOMECOMING
Homecoming week kicked off with teams performing choreographed dance routines.
WHO COMPETED?
Student groups, fraternities, sororities and residence halls battled against each other with two-minute group performances full of music, dance and theatrics.
WHICH
Nearly one in four new teachers in Nebraska earned their degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, including Tori Thomas (’24).
Richard Varner (’72) took his lessons from the gridiron and applied them to oil and motorcycles.
Student-run clubs offer 550 ways to connect with those who share similar passions.
Voices
Will Doug and Adam come to terms with allowing wind turbines on the family farm? Find out as the screenplay Out of Nowhere concludes.
College of Architecture alumni, like Doug Bisson (’92), reflect on projects that shaped their careers.
Find Archie!
Morrill Hall’s Archie is hiding somewhere in the magazine, like only a 20,000-year-old mammoth can. Find him, email us with his location at alumni@huskeralum.org and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a fabulous Husker prize. Congratulations to James Evinger (’70), who found Archie taking in the Singapore sights by the fountain on page 51 of our fall edition. James attended college during a pivotal point in our country’s history with marches, rallies and late-night roommate discussions on the national movements happening around the country and on campus.
your smartest career move
Develop your leadership skills and drive impactful change with an online degree from Nebraska. Choose from over 60 nationally ranked graduate degrees and certificates.
NATIONALLY RANKED:
#1 Most a ordable master's in agriculture programs
#5 Online master's in engineering management
#7 Online master's of business administration (MBA)
Heather Rempe, ’03 DIRECTOR, DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS
Ethan Rowley, ’03, ’13 DIRECTOR, MEMBERSHIP
Kaitlyn Ryan, ’22
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, VENUES
Viann Schroeder ALUMNI CAMPUS TOURS
Jeff Sheldon, ’04, ’07
ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MARKETING & BUSINESS RELATIONS
Michael Stephens, ’91
ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS
Nicole Josephson Sweigard
ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT
Aidia Vajgrt, ’22
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, VENUES
Sharon Walling DIRECTOR OF DESIGN
CONTRIBUTORS
Nebraska Quarterly is published quarterly by the Nebraska Alumni Association, the known office of publication is 1520 R St., Lincoln NE 68508-1651. Alumni association dues are $65 annually. Requests for permission to reprint materials and reader comments are welcome.
HEATHER WINKEL
Heather (Sigel) Winkel (’05) is an award-winning creative director based in Atlanta. She is co-founder of Super Wink Studio, a branding and editorial design studio that works with mission-driven brands to create brands worth the hype and magazines worth a read. Heather graduated from the College of Journalism and Mass Communications and holds a master’s degree in Integrated Design from the University of Baltimore. See her work at heatherwinkel.com.
AVRY VICTOR
Avry Victor (’23) is an Omaha-based graphic designer and multimedia artist whose journey began at age 11 with daily drawing practice. She earned a degree in drawing and painting from UNL, where her focus on Black culture began to shape her distinctive style. Beyond traditional drawing and painting, Avry excels in fiber arts as a rug tufter. Her eclectic approach and love for the arts drive her to create vibrant, joyful pieces that enrich people’s lives.
RONALD AHRENS
Ronald Ahrens (’78) received a B.A. in English and soon after graduating started freelancing for magazines and newspapers. For many years, he lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan, pursuing automotive journalism. Today he lives near Palm Springs, California, and writes regularly for DBusiness, Hour Detroit and Palm Springs Life
LINDA STEPHEN
Paper artist Linda Stephen will exhibit her origami fine art including the cityscape Broyhill Fountain in Origami (find it on page 42) at the Nebraska East Union in April 2025. Her art, which incorporates handmade washi papers and hundreds of invented origami sculptures, is part of collections around the world. You can find her work at LindaStephen. com or on Facebook at @LindaStephenOrigamiArt.
SEND MAIL TO: Nebraska Quarterly Wick Alumni Center / 1520 R Street Lincoln, NE 68508-1651
Phone: 402-472-2841
Toll-free: 888-353-1874
E-mail: alumni @huskeralum.org
Website: huskeralum.org
Views expressed in Nebraska Quarterly do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Nebraska Alumni Association. The alumni
association does not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, disability, race, color, religion, marital status, veteran’s status, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation.
ADVERTISING QUERIES: Jeff Sheldon (jeff.sheldon@huskeralum.org)
EVER SO LOYAL.
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Q:
What is key to getting
high schoolers to choose Nebraska?
A: Something most people may not know about me is that I am not originally from the state of Nebraska. Although I’ve lived in Lincoln for the last 15 years, I grew up in Pueblo, Colorado. Nebraska first showed up on my radar when I participated in the 2004 Colorado All-State Men’s Choir in Fort Collins during my junior year of high school. The guest clinician was Dr. Peter Eklund, the choral director of the school of music at the University of NebraskaLincoln. Now, to be honest, when I first heard Nebraska: I thought someone said Alaska. “Where is Nebraska?” I thought to myself.
I didn’t know about the Huskers, Tom Osborne, or the glorious football championship years. But I was intrigued by this professor who had me hooked when he invited the students to experience conducting the whole choir. It meant a lot to me that this professor wasn’t just coming in to teach a bunch of high school guys a few songs and then leave. Instead, he used this one moment to build a connection, and it made quite an impression on me.
After that weekend, I went home and started researching the University of Nebraska. It wasn’t until spring of my senior year that I was able to pay for a trip to visit campus after already being admitted.
COFFEE WITH CLEARTHUR
I remember my campus visit quite well. I remember walking into the visitor’s center and being greeted by a warm smile and given a crisp red folder with the white N on the front. I remember the people I met with, including an individual who would one day offer me my first job as a professional. I remember the tour of campus, and at some point, feeling within myself, “I think this is going to become my new home.” I left that campus visit with my heart set on attending college in Nebraska. I just had to go home and convince my dad who was most concerned about the cost. Now, almost 20 years later, I have the honor
of serving as my alma mater’s Director of Admissions.
So, what is the key to getting high schoolers to choose Nebraska? Honestly, it’s not any one key … it’s a whole chain of keys. That’s what we try to do in Admissions as we partner with many campus entities who have different keys that help students access the information and experiences that will resonate with them. It was all the various interactions I had, starting in high school, that convinced me to become a Husker. And it is why I firmly believe in our UNL mantra that “every interaction matters.”
—Clearthur Mangram (’10, ’18) Director of Admissions
Two-time Husker alumnus Clearthur Mangram was named the new director of admissions this year.
TEACHERS
Students study grazing cattle on East Campus. 18 GOLD Dr. Jeffrey Gold takes presidential reins.
WINTER
Huskers on the Rise
ENROLLMENT GROWS WITH RECORD RETENTION
Fueled by strong recruitment efforts and a record-setting retention rate, the student body grew to 23,992 students, an increase of 1.7% from 2023, according to the fall student census taken Sept. 2. “This enrollment increase is a credit to the faculty and staff who have worked so hard to retain our current students and enroll new Huskers,” said Chancellor Rodney D. Bennett.
This year’s class of first-time, first-year students from Nebraska hit 3,579, the largest in-state entering class since 2017. Among them is Emma Robbins, a first-generation college student from Morrill, Nebraska. Her journey to UNL reflects a broader trend of students making college choices based on the one-to-one connections forged during campus visits. “When I visited campus the second time, Jeff Beavers, who leads recruitment for the College of Engineering, remembered my name,” Robbins said. “Coming from a small town out in the Panhandle, that meant a lot. It helped me realize that I could find my community here, that this could be home.”
The student census, taken annually on the sixth day of class, recorded 19,305 undergraduate students registered for classes, an increase of 1.8% from fall 2023. The headcount also tracked growth in graduate student enrollment, up 1.3%.
Other colleges seeing growth in undergraduate enrollment this fall include:
• Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, up 2% to 2,156;
• Business, up 2.3% to 3,825;
• Education and Human Sciences, up 3.4% to 2,373;
• Fine and Performing Arts, up 3.1% to 838; and
• Journalism and Mass Communications, up 6.9% to 1,047.
FALL ENROLLMENT states are represented
50
3,579
first-year students from Nebraska
909
first-time enrollments in the College of Business, the largest freshman class
1,654
304,786 student credit hours
3,722 record-setting undergraduates in the College of Engineering
up 9.1% from fall 2023
86% of first-year students from 2023 have returned for their sophomore year
838
23,992
JAMES SCHNABLE
ADVANCING AGRICULTURE. LIKE ONLY NEBRASKA CAN.
James Schnable, professor of agronomy and horticulture at UNL, has dedicated his career as a plant scientist to advancing technology within agriculture. As the Nebraska Corn Checkoff Presidential Chair, and with help from a National Science Foundation grant, Schnable and his colleagues are developing a digital twin of a cornfield so they can quickly test countless scenarios related to corn performance.
“Once we build these digital twins, we can use high-performance computing to simulate and explore how whole fields of corn with different properties would behave — how resilient they are to wind and how efficiently they use water and capture light, for example — without having to actually grow the cornfield,” said Schnable.
Private support for transformational research and innovation is solving real-world problems. Like Only Nebraska can.
For those in the Heartland, where the frying pan of summer gives way to the snow globe of winter, the scenes of a blizzard are familiar for their frequency. Of the nearly 13,000 U.S. blizzards documented between 1996 and 2020, more than 10,000 struck the northern Plains and Upper Midwest.
But the average number of blizzards could decline amid the lighter snowfalls and milder winds of coming decades, says a first-of-its-kind study from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
With help from the same models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Nebraska’s Liang Chen is predicting a decrease in U.S. blizzards through the end of the 21st century. Chen recently presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society.
“Blizzards have a huge impact on a lot of our daily life — infrastructure, transportation,” said Chen, assistant professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Nebraska. “In terms of planning for climate change, people want to know: How will these blizzards change because of the warming climate?
“But there is no study looking at how they will change in the future, based on climate simulations. The major reason is: it’s hard to quantify.”
The National Weather Service defines a blizzard as a winter storm featuring sustained winds of 35-plus mph and snow that limits visibility to less than one-quarter of a mile, for at least three consecutive hours. Due to the difficulty of determining visibility, though, blizzards have proven tricky to capture using climate data alone — which also inhibits the ability to predict them via climate models. So, the National Weather Service has traditionally relied on eyewitness observations to confirm that a blizzard occurred, compiling the date, loca-
tion, duration and other details of those observed storms in a database.
Until Chen and his then-advisee, Ahmani Browne, had a thought: Maybe the combination of daily snowfall and wind speed data, even sans visibility readings, could quantify a blizzard. When the researchers compared blizzard observations against days boasting both heavy snowfall and sufficiently strong winds, they found substantial agreement between the two — enough to consider the latter a reasonable way of identifying the winter storms. And after plugging their resulting algorithm into climate models, Chen and Browne found that the models’ simulations likewise matched up with historical observations.
Having validated their approach in the past, the duo spun it forward to the short-term and long-term future: 2030-2059 and 2060-2099, respectively. To account for the warming climate, the researchers included two estimates of future greenhouse gas emissions, one generally considered middle of the road and the other more akin to a worst-case scenario.
In both emission scenarios, and across both time frames, the models suggested a gradual decline in the number of blizzards relative to their frequency from 1996-2020 — not just in the Midwest, but the Northeast, too. If it does come to pass, Chen said, the trend will stem from projected decreases in both the average number of days with extreme wind and days distinguished by extreme snowfall, which would lower the odds of the two elements teaming up to produce a blizzard.
Iowa, for instance, could eventually see 10 fewer days per year of strong winds, while Nebraska, the Dakotas, Kansas, Minnesota and other neighboring states are projected to see drops in windy days as well.
—Scott Schrage
BIG BRAG
A new bronze bust of Willa Cather — an 1895 graduate who went on to become an acclaimed author best known for novels that vividly portray frontier life on the Great Plains — is on permanent display on the second floor of Love Library North.
Pioneering the Way
TRAILBLAZING PROGRAM BLENDS LAW AND PSYCHOLOGY EXPERTISE LAW
The university’s Law-Psychology Program was the first of its kind when it was founded in 1974, and 50 years later, it remains unique and renowned in the field, with a wide-ranging legacy.
The program was founded by Bruce Sales, then an assistant professor of psychology, who became the inaugural director. His friendship with former Chancellor Harvey Perlman played a large role in uniting the Department of Psychology and the College of Law to offer a dual-degree program where students earned a Juris Doctor and a doctorate in psychology.
The Board of Regents approved the new program in March 1974, and it immediately garnered national interest. Sales brought in the first cohort of five students in fall 1974 from more than 400 applications, according to an April 4, 1974, article in The Daily Nebraskan. Sales was initially moved to start the program when reading the 1969 conclusions of a federal government commission, which found that the social sciences must integrate into the legal system and the legal process.
Since admitting those first students, the program now counts more than 160 alumni, working in fields from academia to law practice, industry and policymaking.
The program was expanded in the 1980s by then-director Gary Melton to offer students another option — adding the Master of Legal Studies degree in addition to their chosen track in their psychology doctoral studies.
OVERHEARD
“Our program provides a lot of flexibility,” said David Hansen, professor and director of both the Law-Psychology and Clinical Psychology training programs. “Our alumni are in a wide variety of places. Some are professors, some in government, some are practicing lawyers or psychologists, some are in clinical forensic settings, like psychiatric hospitals or penitentiaries.”
Eve Brank, now professor of psychology and director of the Center on Children, Families and the Law at Nebraska, is among those alumni who were initially attracted to the integrated program and unique opportunities afforded by a dual degree. As a professor, she said those opportunities in and out of the classroom are steadfast.
“The devotion to true psycho-legal scholarship has been consistent because we have this amazing partnership with the law school,” Brank said. “Our students and faculty are able to examine a wide array of psycho-legal areas. We’re not limited to just a few areas of the law, but study across the different areas of the legal landscape.”
The complete integration of the psychology and law disciplines in Nebraska’s program is still unusual and brings students from across the country, Hansen said. “There are very few that have the true dual-degree program,” he said. “We offer a number of courses that are cross listed as both psychology and law classes, and they can be taken by either law students or psychology students. And those, in addition to any kind of research and scholarship and other activities they do, really provide them the opportunity to understand and see and experience the integration of the disciplines.” —Deann Gayman
“Growing up, I often struggled to find educators who represented students like me, which made school feel distant at times.”
BIG BRAG
A partnership between the university and Lincoln Public Schools is helping to build a pipeline of special education teachers and combat a shortage of these teachers locally and across the state.
—JAZIEL ARMENDARIZ, a junior from Hastings, who is a Spanish and secondary Spanish education double major.
Building the Best Teachers
HUSKER EDUCATORS MAKE BIG IMPACT ON THE STATE OF NEBRASKA
When thousands of children returned to school this fall in Nebraska, they were likely greeted by a teacher with a degree from the university.
Nearly one in four new teachers in the state earn their degree from UNL. Among the May graduates who are now first-year educators is Madison Wosk, a fourth-grade teacher in Sutton, Nebraska.
“I’m having a bit of the jitters,” Wosk said from her classroom, as she prepped for the new school year — and her career — to begin. “But the level of preparation at UNL is amazing. I know I have the right tools in my tool belt, and the UNL education program really has prepared me to be the best teacher I could be.”
The university is the top producer of educators in the state. According to data from the Nebraska Department of Education, from 2015 to 2022, 24% of first-year teachers are graduates of UNL. Overall, UNL grads comprised 17% of all Nebraska teachers in 2023. This trend is seen in public school administration as well. One in five of all principals, superintendents, assistant principals and assistant superintendents are UNL grads.
The University of Nebraska system has produced 45% of all educators teaching in Nebraska public schools and 62% of the top administrators.
“Everyone has had a teacher who changed their
lives — every farmer, parent, banker, engineer, doctor and neighbor,” said Nick Pace, interim dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences. “We might not realize their influence or the things they taught us until many years later, but the impact of great teachers is undeniable. Preparing committed, resilient, passionate educators is foundational to our college and to the kind of future we want to live in.”
The journey to become an educator for a UNL student starts almost immediately in a K-12 classroom, said Loukia Sarroub, professor and chair in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education.
“There are five practicums, and one is a pre-professional practicum, and that happens during their freshman or sophomore year,” Sarroub said. “Our students are placed in a school with a practicum supervisor right away so that they can be sure that teaching is what they want to do, and they begin thinking like a professional in the school setting.”
More practicums follow, depending on whether a student will go into elementary or secondary education. Practicums typically mean two to five half-days in classrooms each week during a semester, and some practicums include two full days. Aspiring teachers at UNL complete as many as 600 classroom hours before graduation, including a final semester of student teaching, and a robust 120 credit hours of coursework.
—Deann Gayman
“I’ve always been a hands-on learner, so being able to get into the classroom on day one, student teaching, thinking about lesson plans — all of those things were really helpful for me. That firsthand experience prepared me for my own class,” said Tori Thomas, above, a first-year teacher at Lincoln Northeast High School.
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Campus Cows
EAST CAMPUS GRAZING DEMO TAKES STUDENTS BACK TO THEIR ROOTS
Students caught a small glimpse of East Campus’ past in September when a live grazing demonstration was held on its southwest corner.
The demonstration was conducted on a small portion of the 1/4-acre tall grass prairie outside Hardin Hall. The prairie plot was planted in 2021 by David Wedin, director of Nebraska’s Center for Grassland Studies, and colleagues in the School of Natural Resources. The East Campus area was originally acquired by the university in the 1870s to be used as an experimental farm. Known then as “farm campus,” students performed work on campus to receive a hands-on learning experience.
Attendees, including Lindsey Chizinski’s Principles of Ecology class, discussed grazing, ruminant nutrition and grassland ecology. Keegan Dunn, a junior integrated science major, was interested in the discussion on how adaptive grassland management can vary from year to year based on the goals. “Getting outside and having the opportunity to ask questions about what we’re seeing is so beneficial,” Dunn said.
“Everyone learns in different ways, and activities like this help take what you discussed in the classroom and show how it applies in real-world situations.”
Rangeland management is an important practice in the state, as the Nebraska Sandhills consists of about 19,300 square miles of sand dunes. About 95% of the Sandhills is defined as rangelands, which are areas where the native vegetation is predominantly grasses, grass-like plants, forbs or shrubs suitable for grazing or browsing use.
Management of these areas is needed to remove the natural buildup of biomass and thatch, and while natural maintenance is done by wildfires or grazing by native herbivores, modern practices consist of annual grazing, haying or prescribed burning.
“Grasslands have always been a part of this state, and our students may go on to work in state or federal agencies that will have some responsibility for managing our grasslands,” Wedin said. “They need to know what large grazers do as another tool in their toolbox so that when it comes time for them to make management decisions, they are using the right tool to meet their needs.”
—Eric Buck
Four head of cattle were brought to East Campus last fall as part of an outdoor teaching lab for students.
BUSINESS
Big Bucks, Bright Futures
BUSINESS SCHOLARSHIPS BREAK RECORDS
The College of Business awarded a record-breaking $1.45 million in scholarships to 577 students this year. Through the generosity of alumni and friends, 820 total scholarships were provided through 257 scholarship fund accounts.
Student scholarship recipients, donors, faculty and staff gathered to celebrate at the third annual Scholarship Brunch last fall. The event was held on the heels of an official announcement of a 3% increase in business student enrollment this fall fueled by a 11% increase in first-time freshmen.
“There is a direct correlation between scholarships awarded and the success of our student recruitment and retention efforts,” Dean Kathy Farrell said. “Our alumni and friends — those who didn’t necessarily earn degrees from Nebraska — have strong Husker ties and they want to make an impact on our students and our college through their philanthropy, and we are grateful.”
Meredith Maher, partner at Fare Associates in Marietta, Georgia, watched her parents set up a scholarship fund for students. Both attended Nebraska in the 1960s and supported the community in various ways.
“My first industry job offered a $10,000 signing bonus, which was amazing back then. I didn’t spend the bonus, but rather invested it in the S&P 500 index fund. Now 25 years later, that $10,000 signing bonus is worth $135,000,” she said.
Maher planned to donate the funds to the university through her estate, but after attending the Scholarship Brunch last year, she formed a new plan. “With big gains comes big taxes and I had no desire to pay capital gains on most of the amount. At the Scholarship Brunch, a donor spoke about his endowed scholarship that he funded from his IRA to avoid taxes that gave preference to students from a private school. I realized it was my turn to help students come to the College of Business now,” she said.
Scholarship recipient Carolina Barraza of Courtland, Kansas, shared her gratitude. An account-
ing major, she moved to the United States from Monterrey, Mexico, at age 10. “Growing up a first-generation immigrant in rural Kansas taught me how to be a jack-of-all-trades by being resourceful and highly involved in my community. Relocating to the U.S. gave me a unique perspective and deeper appreciation for the opportunities presented to me,” she said.
Tom Dey, a junior marketing major with a minor in athletic coaching from Wheaton, Illinois, noted how he spent many Saturdays in the fall watching the Huskers play with his family. Even though attending Nebraska meant an eight-hour drive from home, he said he knew it was the place for him.
“The first time I visited campus and looked up at the beautiful Howard L. Hawks Hall, I knew there was something special about this place. I quickly learned that the alumni and donors here are deeply invested in the future of business,” Dey said. “Now, I can confidently say that UNL is my second home.”
He served as an orientation leader for New Student Enrollment at Nebraska this past summer and helped introduce the Class of 2028 to life as a Husker. He also gained skills in leadership, public speaking and problem-solving.
—Sheri Irwin-Gish
Funded by a $1.3 million Youth Homelessness System improvement grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, UNL is leading a project to create a statewide network to support youth experiencing or threatened by homelessness.
“It’s a huge honor and an awesome responsibility to serve the nation.”
DAVID upon learning of his appointment by the U.S. National Science Foundation, to become one of eight assistant directors for the Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Beth Holthus Godbout and John Godbout visit with scholarship recipients.
BIG BRAG
—PROFESSOR
OVERHEARD
WINTER
JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATIONS
Broadcast Buzz
STUDENTS POWER NEWSCAST’S
REAL-TIME TV MAGIC
Nebraska Nightly offers students the real-world experience of producing a live broadcast every week. And for Jay Quemado, a senior from El Paso, Texas, the program solidified his calling in TV broadcasting. “It’s electric,” said Quemado. “There’s really no other way to describe it. It’s a wild ride, but I’m having so much fun with it.”
Part of the college’s Experience Lab, Nebraska Nightly is a weekly live news show delivering student-produced news segments on topics concerning the university community. For Quemado and their journalism colleagues, it is a crash course, hit-theground-running experience that offers a taste of a broadcasting career.
want to put on our portfolios and, eventually, have an impact on our careers,” Quemado said. “So, we do have to give it 100% when we’re working.”
Their hard work is made easier — and better — by the Nebraska Nightly studio itself, a brand-new facility that opened in late 2022.
The College of Business jumped in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. Nebraska’s undergraduate business program ranked No. 30 among public universities and No. 53 among all national institutions.
“You get real-world news application here,” Quemado said. “We’re guided in a high-level sense by our professionals in residence, but it’s really our broadcast — and we’re trying make it the best we possibly can each week.”
With real-world experience comes real-world pressures, especially when it comes to coordinating the 40-person team that comprises Nebraska Nightly.
“It’s a tricky balance because they’re all my friends and we love to joke around and have fun, but this is all of our broadcast and it’s something we
OVERHEARD
“The studio is state-of-the-art, and using the equipment to its fullest potential and seeing the potential realized in all of my fellow students is so incredible,” Quemado said.
Beyond just working in the high-tech newsroom, helping other Huskers find a passion for broadcasting is a huge motivator for them.
“News production is not everybody’s cup of tea, but once people figure it out and go, ‘Whoa, this is really cool!’ and they get that lightning in their eye — that’s what makes me feel good about this.”
—Matthew Strasburger
“I always felt, personally, that it was important that we do the same kind of work that we did with Willa Cather with Mari Sandoz.”
—MARY
ELLEN DUCEY, professor of University Libraries, who oversees the Sandoz archive and has begun an effort to digitize the archive of Nebraska author Mari Sandoz (1896-1966) who chronicled pioneer life in the Great Plains.
Jay Quemado was co-lead of Nebraska Nightly, a program broadcast from the Experience Lab.
BIG BRAG
WATCH
No Place Like Nebraska
This documentary on Husker volleyball leads viewers through highs and lows of the 2023 Nebraska volleyball season, touching on players’ mental health and the pressure of being undefeated. Stream the
DINE
Moxie’s Gluten-Free Café
REDEEM
Husker Rewards
Have your loyalty to Husker Athletics lauded by completing Big Red challenges and securing points, known as kernels in this game, to turn into exclusive content access, in-game experiences, prizes and sweepstakes.
The only restaurant in Lincoln with a completely gluten-free product just earned a gold rating from FARE, the highest rank from the largest privately-funded food allergy fesearch and advocacy group. This student-dining option is located in Selleck Food Court.
SNACK
MODO Mochi Donut & Bubble Tea
You’ll fall in love with the airy, chewy texture of an American-Japanese fusion pastry that utilizes rice flour instead of wheat flour. Located downtown, the cute bubble ring shape of the treat and a plushiecovered wall, this donut shop is photo op-friendly.
2025 Calendar
Open Mic at Crescent Moon
If there’s a song in your heart or a haiku in your journal, don’t be afraid to step up to the stage at Crescent Moon Coffee’s twiceweekly Open Mic, open late and located just underground in the Haymarket district.
For all 365 days of 2025, wake up and shuck away a fresh Huskers fact or trivia question on your page-aday calendar. It’s plastic-free and recyclable too, so you can be environmentally conscious in the new year.
WINTER
GOLDEN MOMENT
NU President
Dr. Jeffrey Gold, above, was installed as president of the University of Nebraska in a Sept. 5 ceremony attended by hundreds of faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, elected officials, community leaders and other Nebraskans at the State Capitol.
WHO’S RAISING HIS ARMS AND WHY?
Peter Eklund, professor of music, conducts the University Singers during the investiture. The choir sang from all four balconies overlooking the Capitol rotunda.
HOW MANY PRESIDENTS HAVE THERE BEEN?
Gold is the ninth president of the University of Nebraska system.
The University of Nebraska Foundation brought in a record $388.8 million in new funds committed in fiscal year 2024 to support the University of Nebraska system.
BIG BRAG
WINTER
FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS
Venice Triumph
PROFESSOR EXHIBITS AT PRESTIGIOUS BIENNALE ART SHOW
Professor of Art Francisco Souto, also director of the School of Art, Art History & Design, attended the opening of the 2024 Venice Biennale last spring, where he exhibited his work. Souto is the first Nebraska artist to show at the Venice Biennale, the world’s largest and most prestigious art exhibition that is held every two years.
“Francisco’s selection to participate in the prestigious Venice Biennale is a tremendous achievement for him and a fitting salute to his dedication as an artist,” said Dean Andy Belser. “We could not be prouder of him and are fortunate to have someone with Francisco’s international artistic stature right here. We are all privileged to work alongside such a brilliant artist and visionary leader.”
The Venice Biennale is an international cultural exhibition hosted in Venice, Italy, by the Biennale Foundation. It focuses on contemporary art and includes art and architecture exhibitions, as well as music, dance and film festivals.
Souto’s work was included in the European Cultural Centre’s biennial of contemporary art
ReportArch|Andrea Ferro Photography
Robert Duncan, left, and Professor Francisco Souto admire Souto’s artwork that was part of the Venice Biennale in Italy. Fourteen Nebraskans attended the opening alongside Souto last spring.
Francisco Souto’s artwork, (Al)lure of the North (from the collection of Karen and Robert Duncan) was created using colored pencil and acrylic on paper.
exhibition titled Personal Structures, which was on display through November. A wide selection of artworks from internationally renowned and emerging artists, photographers and sculptors were featured.
“I was surprised,” Souto said of his selection. “I didn’t know how to react. It was kind of mixed emotions, but more than anything, it’s such an honor that people are paying attention to the work, and that, to me, is the biggest reward. People refer to the Venice Biennale as the Olympics for art. It’s huge.”
In 2022, the Personal Structures exhibition drew more than 575,000 visitors in person, along with more than 150,000 online viewers. This year’s exhibition was expected to match or exceed that reach. Previous participating artists have included Marina Abramovic, Vito Acconci, Antony Gormley and Yoko Ono.
Souto didn’t know how he was selected but suspects the curators might have seen his work in the Florence Biennale. In 2019, Souto was presented the Lorenzo il Magnifico Award for works on paper at the XIIth edition of the Florence Biennale.
Souto said this was a welcome recognition for the hard work he has put into his artwork for decades.
ENGINEERING
Safety Dance
SMART TECH ON THE RIGHT TRACK TO PROTECT PEDESTRIANS
Researchers from the School of Computing and Mid-America Transportation Center are collaborating to enhance non-motorist safety at highway-rail grade crossings (HRGCs) under a $10 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant.
This project is a consortium led by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, involving multiple institutions, including Nebraska. The collaboration focuses on developing, testing, and implementing smart technologies to improve rail safety, with industry partners ensuring practical, impactful innovations.
OVERHEARD
—Kathe Andersen
“When you are working on an exhibition, you work in your studio alone in solitude, and you’re thinking you’re doing the best you can, but you never know until your work is up,” Souto said. “I’m going to keep pushing for higher ends, that’s my duty as a maker. I want to do the best because the resources are there, the financial and emotional support is there. That’s what allows me to do this level of work.”
“Participating in this servicelearning project showed
The Nebraska team is set to receive $750,000 over five years to enhance non-motorist safety at crossings.
Their research, involving artificial intelligence and statistical techniques, aims to develop models for non-motorist exposure and improve crash frequency models.
Naveed Aman, assistant professor in the School of Computing, joins Aemal Khattak, center director and professor of civil and environmental engineering, as leaders of Nebraska’s team, which also includes postdoctoral research associate M. Umer Farooq and School of Computing graduate student Moomal Bukhari.
The project seeks to harness artificial intelligence for automating data collection from video cameras at crossings. The work focuses on detecting non-motorist objects and developing more precise crash prediction models.
The overarching goal is to design a prototype autonomous risk mitigation system powered by the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence.
—GRACE SCHLEINING, a first-year law student, was among more than 150 who took part in an August service-learning project at Habitat for Humanity.
The Nebraska Engineering research team seeking to use AI to improve rail crossing safety consists of, from left, M. Umer Farooq, Aemal Khattak, Naveed Aman and Moomal Bukhari.
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SHARING THE VIEWPOINTS OF OUR ALUMNI, FACULTY AND STUDENTS
Our four-part screenplay comes to a close with the final installment of Out of Nowhere. Find out how Doug and Adam come to terms with the possibility of adding wind turbines to their family farm in order to save it for future generations.
BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPH, CREATED WITH A 4X5 LARGE FORMAT FILM CAMERA
Alumna Laura Cobb documents a personal search for meaning as she explores her identity as a donor-conceived person. The Platte River becomes a metaphor for birth and becoming. Cobb writes: “Learning the truth (behind my conception), I began to reevaluate my identity. Searching for myself along waterways, I explored the shores of the Platte River as if by knowing its sandbars, flora and fauna, I would come to know myself. In searching the land, I found traces of people. In those marks, I found a longing within myself to know and be known. One summer, I followed the Platte River from its confluence with the Missouri River to its headwaters in Colorado. As I searched for the river’s origin, I sought an understanding of my own.”
LAURA COBB (’23) LOWER SOUTH PLATTE RIVER BASIN WETLAND (2021)
Screenplay
PART FOUR OF FOUR
OUT OF NOWHERE
by MARK ALBRACHT (’99)
EXT. BOONE COUNTY – DAY
A horizon full of wind turbines stands against a pastoral backdrop, their giant, metallic structures rotating rhythmically.
INT. WIND TURBINE – DAY
Doug stands in the base loading area, looking straight up the hollow tower. A ladder extends two hundred feet through the core. Doug turns on his Go-Pro camera.
DOUG
This is what the turbine looks like inside, Cassie.
He slowly pans the interior.
DOUG
You can see there are no legs hidden here. There are no tentacles. They may be farther up the body. We will have to check.
Doug tilts the camera as he climbs onto the ladder.
DOUG
If there is a heat ray, it would probably be at the top.
Doug begins moving upward, rung by rung.
INT. VALASEK FARMHOUSE - DAY
Adam and Paige are in the kitchen. Cassie is visible through a window, tending to a garden. Adam’s arms are folded across his chest, his brows knit together sharply.
ADAM
She let you read the pre-nup?
Paige can’t suppress a playful smirk.
ADAM
You realize, I’ve been denied access to that thing for over ten years! What’s in it? I mean, they literally have no assets.
Paige shrugs.
PAIGE: Cassie swore me to secrecy.
Adam looks as if his head might explode.
PAIGE: It’s really sweet, honestly. Cash flow doesn’t play into it at all. Give me a few days to wear her down, make her see that three against one could be to her advantage.
INT. WIND TURBINE - DAY
Doug continues climbing the turbine ladder. He reaches the mechanical chamber and finds a tight array of gear shafts and generators. He films these as he continues to narrate:
DOUG: No heat ray. No poison chemical tanks. No artificial intelligence brain. No aliens at the controls.
Doug sees a hatch at the top of the chamber.
DOUG: There is a door to the outside. We should look there, Cassie.
EXT. WIND TURBINE - DAY
The hatch opens. Doug climbs out onto the gear chamber. The giant turbine blades sit motionless behind him. Doug shuts the chamber door. He walks along the edge of the chamber. There are no safety railings. Just a two-hundred-foot drop inches away. He scans the area with the Go-Pro. It is a beautiful vista of rolling farmland and rows upon rows of wind turbines.
DOUG: Cassie! It’s beautiful up here.
A loud creaking noise prompts Doug to turn. He sees the blades still in their motionless position. They appear to move just slightly.
DOUG: I think the rotor is going to turn. I better leave now...
Doug goes back to the hatch, but there is no way to open it from the outside. There is no handle.
DOUG: Uh oh, Cassie.
Doug feels along the edge of the hatch, but there is nothing to grab onto. Another loud creak. The blades threaten to move at any moment. Doug takes out his cellphone and hits a preset.
INT. VALASEK FARMHOUSE - DAY
Cassie comes in through a back door, joining Adam and Paige. She holds up a radish bunch, covered in dirt.
CASSIE: Look what I harvested!
Adam’s phone rings. He sees Doug’s name.
ADAM: (into phone) Hey Dougie! How’s the job hunt?
INTERCUT WITH DOUG ON TOP OF TURBINE.
DOUG: I’m stuck on top, Adam!
ADAM: Stuck on your job hunt? Did you talk to Bob Stoke?
DOUG: Adam. The hatch won’t open.
ADAM: The hatch...?
A low hum emanates from within the turbine, a mechanical growl twisting through the air like an ominous whisper.
ADAM: Doug, don’t tell me you’re on top of a turbine. Doug’s feet shake. He looks over the turbine’s edge, careful to maintain his balance. The rotor begins to move the blades. Startled, Doug drops his phone. It slides off the edge of the chamber, dropping 200 feet to the ground.
DOUG: Uh oh, Cassie.
INT. VALASEK FARMHOUSE - DAY
END INTERCUT. With Adam, Paige and Cassie in the kitchen.
ADAM: (still on the phone) Doug? Are you there? Hello?
Adam lowers the phone, panicked. Paige and Cassie search his face for answers.
PAIGE: He’s on top of a turbine?
ADAM: He won’t answer. I heard a noise, then nothing.
EXT. VALASEK FARM - DAY
Adam, Paige and Cassie exit the house and race to Adam’s truck.
EXT. WIND TURBINE - DAY
Doug stands at the center of the gear box as the propeller blades spin. His eyes are closed. The spinning blades generate wind gusts with each pass.
INT. ADAM’S TRUCK - DAY
Adam speeds along a dirt road, lined with turbines. Cassie, sitting next to Adam, scans the sky out the front windshield, as Paige talks into her phone.
PAIGE: We’re on a dirt road, just south of 838th Road. There’s a whole row of turbines -Cassie suddenly spots something out the window. She points.
CASSIE: There he is!
Adam slows the truck as he sees Doug’s bike lying in the grass. He pulls to the side of the road.
EXT. WIND TURBINE - SAME
Adam leaves his truck and races up to the door of the turbine tower.
INT. WIND TURBINE - SAME
Adam enters the tower and gazes up at the soaring climb.
ADAM: Geez, Doug! What have you gotten yourself into?
EXT. WIND TURBINE - DAY
Atop the turbine, Doug stims and mumbles to himself. The wind whips his hair as the blades spin. WHOOF, WHOOF, WHOOF. Doug stops stimming. He opens his eyes, watching the blades cross through the sunlight. The flickering has a calming effect on him.
INT. WIND TURBINE - DAY
Adam is halfway up the 200-foot ladder. The noise of the gear box becomes progressively louder. Paige appears at the bottom of the tower, in the doorway. She yells up to Adam.
PAIGE: The emergency dispatcher says this thing has high-voltage cables running through it!
Adam pauses as he sees the long line of cables dangling the length of the tower. They are only a few feet from him. He looks down at Paige.
ADAM: Yeah! The generator’s running. How do we shut it off?
PAIGE: We don’t! The calvary is on its way. Let them do it!
ADAM: I gotta get Doug down now! He might slip!
PAIGE: Emergency rescue will be here in five minutes! Let them do their job, Adam!
Adams pauses, shutting his eyes tight. He can’t bear to leave Doug.
EXT. WIND TURBINE - DAY
At the top of the turbine, Doug peers over the edge of the gear chamber. A half dozen EMERGENCY VEHICLES arrive, lights flashing, sirens blaring.
EXT. WIND TURBINE - DAY
A T THE BASE OF THE TURBINE. Paige and Cassie stand aside as EMERGENCY RESPONDERS swarm the tower. Tom, the wind energy agent, arrives in his truck just as Adam is being ushered out of the tower by a uniformed officer.
ADAM: Tom! My brother got a wild hair to climb one of your towers.
Tom gives him a sheepish look.
AGENT TOM: We ran into each other in Albion. Doug said he was interested in leasing his land.
ADAM: Doug said he’d put towers on the farm?
AGENT TOM: Yes, but he told me about the Martian war machines. I didn’t want to squelch his interest, so I said if he needed reassurance, he ought to go look for himself. I had no idea he’d climb the damn thing. They’re supposed to be locked!
EXT. WIND TURBINE - DAY
A T THE TOP OF THE TOWER. Doug watches the turbine blades come to a stop. The noise of the generator fades. Doug watches the hatch with anticipation. He hears movement below his feet. A VOICE CALLS OUT:
RESCUER (O.S.): Stand clear!
Doug backs away from the hatch and wobbles at the edge of the precipice. The door pops open.
ON THE GROUND.
Doug emerges from the base of the turbine, cradled by several rescuers. Doug brusquely pushes aside the help and immediately approaches Cassie.
DOUG: Cassie. I will sign your pre-nup, Cassie.
CASSIE: You will?
DOUG: Yes. Because I want you to marry me. Because I love you. Cassie smiles.
CASSIE: You agree to wed on the back forty, at midnight, Doug? Doug nods.
CASSIE: Under the Milky Way, in front of all of Boone County? Doug nods again.
CASSIE: With twelve peacocks and a ceremony as grand as Princess Diana’s?
DOUG: Yes, Cassie. Yes.
CASSIE: Okay, Dougie. Yes.
Doug reaches into his pocket and takes out a Ziplock bag. As he removes the ring from the bag, Cassie steps back and holds out her hand, spreading her fingers.
DOUG: But I have a prenuptial for you, Cassie.
Cassie’s eyes widen with surprise.
DOUG: To be a good husband, I need to provide for my bride. I don’t think I can be hired for a computer job anymore. I cannot be a good provider that way. But a wind farm could make me a good provider.
Cassie’s face sours, betrayed. Doug miraculously reads her expression.
DOUG: Don’t be afraid, Cassie. I filmed a video. There’s nothing but a hollow shaft with a 2-pole synchronous generator, a copper wire coil and hydraulic brakes. The turbines won’t try to vaporize us, but they will make a living for us and we won’t ever have to worry. They will generate sixty thousand dollars in annual income to our household, creating a comfortable lifestyle without the pressure of having to navigate the confusing landscape of work society.
Doug awkwardly drops to one knee and takes Cassie’s hand.
DOUG: Will you agree to these premarriage terms and become my wife, Cassie?
The crowd of family, friends and first responders wait with bated breath. Cassie shrugs.
CASSIE: Okay. I’ll marry you, Doug, and we can have a wind farm with no Martians. But you stay on the ground. Okay, Doug?
As everyone cheers, we pull back on the scene, revealing the vast expanse of the wind farm, its towering turbines standing sentinel against the horizon.
FADE OUT. THE END.
Southern Roots and Husker Grit
From rollercoasters to robotics, alumnus comes full circle to spark innovation
BY JOHN STROPE IV (’21) Technical Program Coordinator, Heartland Robotics Cluster at Nebraska Innovation Studio
On paper, there isn’t much of a reason I should have ended up at the University of Nebraska. I was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, and graduated from a high school where just a handful of graduates went more than a few hours out of state. I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in the themed entertainment industry building rollercoasters and developing immersive technologies. Nebraska? Not the first place to come to mind. But in 2005, my grandparents (both Husker
alumni) retired to Lincoln and I began to spend my summers walking through Sunken Gardens, visiting Morrill Hall, and (of course) listening to rumors about Husker football. It was during these trips that I first came to understand a different part of the country and developed a deep affection for just how special a new perspective can be. If I was to take a leap anywhere, I decided it would be to somewhere with friendly faces.
Those summers introduced me to a side of the United States that I hadn’t experienced before. Life in Alabama was different, more rooted in tradi-
John Strope, right, with Evan Griess (’22) host a panel as part of their monthly Robotics Speakers series.
tion, but Nebraska offered a new perspective, one defined by hard work, innovation, and a welcoming community spirit. These early impressions stayed with me and eventually influenced my decision to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.
When I became a student at the University of Nebraska in 2017, it felt like everything had come full circle. I was finally walking the same campus that I had glimpsed during those childhood summers, only now I was ready to dive into the academic life that awaited me. As an engineering student, I quickly found myself drawn to the world of robotics and technology — a field that would eventually shape my career trajectory.
I remember my early days at Nebraska Innovation Campus, where I spent hours on end building guitars, 3D printing animatronics and trying to master embroidery. The hum of machinery and the buzz of innovation were constant companions. The staff was instrumental in pushing my limits, encouraging me to think beyond the classroom and apply my skills in real-world projects. One professor, the late Michael Loehring, recognized my enthusiasm for the entertainment industry and community building. He immediately encouraged me to identify whatever projects or competitions could give me a chance to build my skills, and to put posters up advertising the opportunity to any other students. At the time, it felt like the biggest risk in the world. Now, I can’t help but look back and laugh. The people who reached out through that flyer would all later become my closest collaborators, roommates, friends, and eventual co-workers. After completing my degree, I got that elusive rollercoaster engineering job and left Nebraska to build a career, yet Nebraska never left me. I lived all over, first in Los Angeles, then Abu Dhabi and later in Osaka, working in the fast-paced world of engineering and technology. Each new place offered incredible professional opportunities, but they also posed unique personal challenges. My role rapidly expanded to include industrial automation, robotics, product development and project management. I was stepping into unfamiliar environments, far from the place that had become my home away from home. It was at this point that an old friend from Nebraska Innovation Studio reached out about an opportunity in robotics at NU. Now, a few years later, I’m back at the University of Nebraska, this time as an employee. Returning to the university has been both a nostalgic and transformative experience. Walking through the same halls I had once navigated as a student, I’m now contributing in new ways, helping to build an ecosystem for the next generation of engineers and innovators. My role at the Heartland Robotics Cluster is an
exciting culmination of all my past experiences. Here, I get to work at the intersection of technology and economic development, fostering innovation in the same community that gave me my start. Nebraska essentially has more jobs than people, and that need is felt all across the state, not just in Lincoln and Omaha. Our mission is to build out a hub for innovators tackling the challenges of Nebraska’s economic landscape, not just of tomorrow, but right now. I’m proud to be part of this team. And hopefully, when our grant-supported program ends in 2026, we’ll have reached fiscal sustainability to continue our work far into the future.
As I continue my journey, I’m reminded of the profound impact that the university has had on me — first as a curious kid, then as a student eager to learn, and now as an adult helping to chart steps forward. It’s an honor to contribute to a place that played such a pivotal role in my own development, and I’m excited to give back to the community that nurtured my passions.
I’m often told that Nebraska is like one big small town. I love the life that I’ve been able to build here. It doesn’t matter that I wasn’t born here, or that I wasn’t a farm kid, or that I only recently moved back. In Nebraska, I’m a Husker through and through.
John Strope Jr., left, with his grandson John Strope IV on his graduation day in 2021 outside of Memorial Stadium.
Read how John Strope IV’s grandparents, pictured above, met in the Nebraska Union. Find their Love Story on page 64.
Flipping the Pages
Lifelong friends tumble into the world of children’s literature
BY BRIDGET SIMS-LEWIS (’91, ’12) Corporate Communications Consultant and Emmy Award Winner
When Racine Smith Williams (’89) and I were undergraduates at Nebraska, our plans for the future didn’t include producing a children’s book. She was focused on competing in gymnastics and earning her degree in human development. As a broadcast journalism major, I wanted to be the next network news journalist. Several decades later, however, we did break into children’s literature with the release of Upside Down is Right Side Up , a fun and enlightening story that ranked No. 1 on Amazon’s list of top new children’s books about gymnastics for several weeks in August. Upside Down is Right Side Up began early one morning in 2021, when I awoke from a vivid dream
in which Racine and I had co-written a children’s book. As soon as I could reach her by phone, I told her to listen and not say a word. In my excited Texas twang, I wanted to get everything out and hoped she would be thrilled with the notion of us working on a book together. At her home in Maryland, Racine listened intently and then said, “I love it. I really, really love it.”
It didn’t take long to get the ball rolling. I began researching children’s book publishers and literary agents who might be interested in our story. By the time my college confidante and friend of more than 35 years and I talked again, she had already written a first draft. Racine said she thought a lot about growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, during a time when there were very few girls who looked like her
Bridget SimsLewis, left, and Racine Smith Williams with their children’s book Upside Down is Right Side Up.
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doing competitive gymnastics. Dozens of Division I schools recruited Racine before Rick Walton, head coach of the Nebraska women’s gymnastics team (1984-93), wooed her to Lincoln, where she became the first Black female gymnast to compete for the Cornhuskers.
Long before current gymnasts went viral for blending trendy dances with R&B music, Racine wowed fans with her infusion of popular dance moves and hip-hop music. I remember stopping by one of her practices at Mabel Lee Hall, while on my way to the campus radio station, KRNU 90.3 FM, in Avery Hall. Even some Husker football players would pop into the gym to watch her practice. It was distinct and something we had not seen culturally.
“There was just so much that I realized I could say in a book, and much of it was based on wonderful experiences,” Racine shared during our many brainstorming sessions.
Upside Down is Right Side Up centers on PJ, a 9-year-old girl who can’t get enough of walking on her hands and turning flips. In her world, upside down really is right side up. Wanting to see her realize her passion, PJ’s parents agree to let her try gymnastics, which introduces her to an entirely different world. While the children all share an interest in learning gymnastics, for some, there are also key lessons to learn about accepting differences.
The book resonated with many readers, including fellow Husker Patrick Palmer, now a coach, owner, and director of the Massachusetts Gymnastics Center in Waltham. He called Upside Down is Right Side Up a must-read. He felt the book was especially timely as fans of elite gymnastics prepared to cheer on Simone Biles and her teammates at the 2024 Summer
Olympic Games in Paris. “Across the country, we are seeing more diversity in gymnastics, but the athlete pool is still largely white,” said Palmer, who became a dear friend to me and Racine during our undergraduate years. “This book is invaluable for parents of little Black and brown children who want to pursue their dreams in a sport of unfamiliar territory. Their uniqueness is what will make the experience fun and colorful.”
Other readers also celebrated PJ’s whimsical journey and the book’s empowering message. Marilyn Moore (’71, ’74, ’80), a retired educator and community leader, wrote on Amazon: “Courage and bravery are qualities that are not often recognized and nurtured in little girls… but those qualities are important for all of us, and especially for girls of color. This story, with its delightful illustrations, celebrates a girl’s courage and persistence, and it will inspire all who are following a dream… and isn’t that all of us?”
Looking back, it’s funny to think how far Racine and I have come since our college days. The fact that we joined forces on a book project likely seems a natural extension of our often-adventurous camaraderie. We met while riding the shuttle from East Campus to City Campus in 1986 and never stopped talking. In school, there was homework, exams and projects. There was also the anticipation of Friday nights with Yo! MTV Raps, funny road trips (one where we discovered the McRib sandwich on the way to a basketball game at the University of Kansas), and so much more. After college, we shared even more adventures that have carried us to Europe, the Caribbean and Red Rock Canyon in Nevada. We also temporarily became roommates again when our careers landed us in Atlanta in the late 1990s.
Despite our longtime friendship, working on Upside Down is Right Side Up was a formidable task. As a two-time Emmy Award-winning former news producer and veteran communicator, I had edited various types of manuscripts but had never created a children’s book and didn’t know everything it would entail. Racine, a healthcare professional and organizing expert, didn’t imagine she’d write a book but is already contemplating a follow-up. We hope our book inspires all children, and even adults, to pursue their dreams no matter the challenges that arise.
Racine Smith Williams was the first Black female gymnast at the University of Nebraska.
Doug Bisson calls it his special space.
Bisson (’92) regularly walks The Riverfront, a downtown Omaha revitalization project that includes the Gene Leahy Mall, Heartland of America Park, and Lewis and Clark Landing. He walks the Riverfront because he played a part in its creation. It’s his handiwork. It’s his pride and joy.
“You can go down to this space at any time and see people of all economic backgrounds, racial backgrounds, everyone and everybody — working together. People having an absolutely fabulous time.”
Dan Spiry (’76) feels the same pull. He often finds himself on the UNL campus, which means an automatic walk by the College of Architecture. The attraction, he explains, is because he played a role in the design for the building renovation and addition. It’s his handiwork. It’s his pride and joy.
“After all these years,” he said, “it is one of those timeless projects. I still look and admire it. There are very few things I would change.”
DESIGNING
Architecture alumni reflect on projects that shaped their careers — and their cities
By KEVIN WARNEKE (’85, ’12)
Doug Bisson, urban design & planning principal for HDR, frequently walks the Gene Leahy Mall which he worked to redevelop in recent years.
Spiry, Bisson and three other College of Architecture alumni will play favorites — OK, one hedged and named two favorites — when encouraged to name a project that stands out for them. The five are quick to deflect credit for their work to the College of Architecture faculty and staff who guided them — and still influence them.
And Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg, College of Architecture dean, is quick to return the credit. “Our alumni have built some of the world’s best and largest design and planning professional firms,” he said. “Our alumni network is truly global, and their work — creating the spaces and places we live and learn, work and play, heal and inspire — has enriched millions of lives.”
The College of Architecture has history. Its academic lineage dates to 1877 with the establishment of the Industrial College, which served as the precursor to the College of Engineering, the predecessor of the College of Engineering and Architecture. Other milestones followed, including, in 1930, the establishment of the Department of Architecture, which offered a dual bach elor’s degree and a master’s degree. The Department of Architecture became the School of Architecture in 1964. Architecture became its own college in 1973 and granted its first degrees in December of that year.
Roger Massey served as the college’s interim dean until W. Cecil Steward was named its first permanent dean. Massey said he was proud to lead the college in its early days and even more proud of what it has become. “I am proud to see where the college is now. Very proud. We produce people who are making substantial contributions.”
always been a diverse city. You just didn’t see that diversity.”
As for his favorite place in what he already describes as a magical space: The pond near the greenhouse. It features a June Kaneko statue and intimate seating areas that jut into the water. “I would put that space up with any other world-class space.”
The bonus, he said, is the three families of ducks that have made the pond their home. “You can just watch the world go by whenever you’re here.”
+ + +
Spiry was early in his tenure with BVH Architecture in 1979 when the College of Architecture launched a design competition to renovate its current building and the former law college and build a connector for the two. Any architectural firm could apply, Spiry recalled, as long it had a university graduate on the project. “Of course, we entered,” said Spiry, who retired in 2019 as a senior partner. “We were loaded with Nebraska grads.”
As an intern, Spiry served as the model maker for BVH’s offering, which measured 5-feet by 6-feet. The entry was due the Monday after Thanksgiving, Spiry recalled, and he spent his holiday finishing the model, which he personally delivered on the deadline day.
Bisson, urban design and planning principal at Omaha-based HDR, was ready when the call about revitalizing Omaha’s riverfront came. He had worked already on several city revitalization projects when a business leader and philanthropist shared his vision for downtown with Bisson and posed a question: “He had a dream for downtown Omaha and asked how we could make it happen.”
Bisson, a graduate of the college’s community and regional planning program, helped form a working group that included city officials and champions. That was 2016. Seven years later, the Riverfront has revitalized downtown Omaha, Bisson said. He served on the project’s working group and HDR served as the project’s prime consultant.
“The thing that makes me the most proud and excited is how this project transformed downtown. It is absolutely a different place.”
Which is why Bisson regularly walks it. Wherever his stroll takes him, Bisson notices that the Riverfront is a gathering place for Omaha’s own and their guests. He sees people kicking soccer balls, break dancing and playing chess.
“There’s a buzz in the air if you’re within three blocks,” Bisson said. “The other thing that makes me the most proud about this project is that Omaha has
BVH won the competition, but the project was delayed until 1983 when funding finally was secured. Spiry had advanced in the firm by then and served as project design coordinator. The original scope and budget of the project had been reduced significantly, Spiry said, but that didn’t deter BVH.
Spiry found himself collaborating with College of Architecture faculty and staff on the project. “It wasn’t all that long since I was in school — and here I am working with the dean and my professors.”
Post-modernism was the big thing in architectural design in the 1980s, and Spiry recalled that some of his colleagues wanted to jump on its bandwagon. Several of the firm’s principals suggested a pause because, they explained, design styles eventually fall out of favor.
“The lesson I learned: Design styles come and go in architecture. We kept things very pure. Very simple.” + + +
Hiding the main entrance to Boys Town’s new education center was by design. Vanessa Schutte (’01) knew Father Flanagan’s Boys Home, better known as Boys Town, attracts visitors from throughout the world — and learned that its students sometimes feel as if they are on display.
“The tour bus slows down and stops for a look,” Schutte said. “It was ‘Oh, OK. We’re going to design this school very differently than any other school we’ve done. We hid the main entrance.”
Dan Spiry
Schutte, K-12 education design leader for DLR Group, kept Boys Town’s mission in mind when designing the education center. Students often come to Boys Town because they’ve experienced traumatic life events. “It’s hard to learn if you’re not in a comfortable place.”
The design team’s charge was to design a school based on creating a balance between transparency and connection. “When you enter a space, it’s important to see what you’re entering. It’s also important to see who is going to enter that space.”
The team kept that approach in mind with their design. One aspect was hiding a courtyard — where students could remain out of view — behind a concrete wall that features a mural of Boys Town’s history. The building features large windows that allow students views to the outside world, but not in reverse.
connection to the education center.”
Schutte often finds herself getting emotional when she talks about this project. It’s that personal. “I often cry when I talk about it.”
+ + +
All things being equal, Carrie Riley (’00) would rather not play favorites among her interior design projects. “Honestly, it’s almost like asking a mother who her favorite child is. I can’t just pick one. They’re all my babies. I love them all,” said Riley, founder, owner and principal licensed interior designer for Sarasota, Florida-based Riley Interior Design.
Schutte said the team incorporated three installations — all with student participation — into her design. One example is student-painted butterflies created on a 3D printer — a design element suggested and developed by Omaha artist Watie White — that were placed throughout the building. Some are hidden, others more visible. They number more than 500 and feature six different species.
“I know some of them have made their way to other buildings on campus,” she said. “They’re a
Riley said she prefers providing interior design services for residential projects. Her work also allows her to guide these homes’ exteriors, including the swimming pool and landscaping design. She was introduced to the concept of collaboration among specialties at the College of Architecture. She often had classes with students focusing on construction management or architecture. “It was beneficial to parallel them because in the real world that’s who I am working with every day.”
Residential projects allow her to get to know her clients. “I could be with a client for two or three years, based on how long their project takes. I know the ins and outs of their homes.”
Her designs, she said, are tailored to meet the
Carrie Riley
Vanessa Schutte, of DLR Group, worked on the new Boys Town Education Center in southeast Nebraska.
Stunning Venues
AKRS Champions Club
Wick Alumni Center
Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center
owners’ needs and fit their personalities. “That’s the beauty of getting to work with people on an individual basis.”
While Riley’s focus is on residential, she also does boutique commercial work, including a series of men’s suits stores in Florida. She raised up her work at Ed Smith Field, spring training home of the Baltimore Orioles. She was hired to update and redesign the complex, including the owners’ suite.
“The owners (the Angelos family) wanted it to feel like a cozier space with a look and feel like a ballpark.”
Did she succeed? The owners thanked her for her work and even sent her a fruit bouquet. “I thought it was a very sweet and kind thing to do,” Riley said.
+ + +
Erleen Hatfield (’91, ’96) knows that one of her favorite projects — Lincoln’s Pinnacle Bank Arena — comes with a home bias disclaimer.
“It’s one of my favorites because my family goes there. My mother goes there.” So does Hatfield whenever work or family calls her home.
And when they do, Hatfield finds herself looking at the arena’s steel connection designs and at the trusses.
“I look just to see how they’re faring and where everything remains in good shape.”
She also watches how people move about the space she helped create. “I’m always looking at how we might be able to do something different or better in the next project.”
As managing partner of the New York-based Hatfield Group Engineering, Hatfield’s resume includes serving as structural engineer for Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons, and Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions. Those projects may grab attention, but Hatfield says she has an affinity for her work close to home. Those projects — Pinnacle and the Osborne Legacy Complex — were just as challenging.
The construction site for Pinnacle Bank Arena — home of Husker basketball — was sandwiched between two active railroad tracks. Work to secure the columns that support the trusses on the 350-foot roof started well before those tracks were relocated, she said.
“Once the railroad tracks were moved — about a year later, then they could build outward from the inner shell that we created.”
Her work on the Osborne Legacy Complex, the 315,000-square-foot athletic training facility situated near Memorial Stadium, provided a different set of challenges. The complex is not a typical academic building with classrooms and offices, she said.
This building is special to her, she said, not just because of who uses the complex. “It’s always an honor and a pleasure to work on projects in my home state. I still call Nebraska home.”
1970:
1973: The College of Architecture formed.
1975: Architecture Hall added to National Register of Historic Places.
1987: Architecture Hall connected to the former Law College building.
2022: Phase 1 of current expansion completed.
2024: Phase 2 of current expansion completed.
Erleen Hatfield
1892: Building begins on Library Hall, now known as Architecture Hall. The building opens in 1895.
1894: The university offered its first architecture course.
1930: The Department of Architecture established.
1945: Department of Architecture starts using the old library building renaming it Architecture Hall.
1964: The School of Architecture created.
The School of Environmental Development founded.
From dancing to crafting, student-run clubs offer 550 ways to create, connect, and make lifelong memories.
FOUND
Story by GRACE FITZGIBBON (’21) |
he college experience hinges on more than just going to class. It’s giving ballroom dancing a whirl even though you’ve never danced. Or loving invertebrates so much you spend hours hanging out with your friends on East Campus with a net and a jar. Perhaps it’s folding a piece of paper into a tiny woolly mammoth.
TClubs have fostered a sense of belonging almost since the university’s founding, nowadays officially known as Registered Student Organizations, or RSOs for those in the know. There are about 550 clubs in RSO status, 550 different places to fit in.
“You can be super engaged in class,” said Brian Rountree, assistant director of student organizations. “You can partici-
by LINDA STEPHEN
pate in class discussion. You can go above and beyond in doing homework, you can do extra reading. That’s engagement, not connection. The connection is where the magic is made.”
Any student with an idea can inquire to start a group, and in her 14 years with the university, Veronica Riepe — director of student leadership, involvement and community engagement — says the staff support available to grow competent club leaders has never been better.
“RSOs are a great opportunity for students to form community on related topics and because RSOs are student run, those involved have numerous opportunities to develop and enhance their leadership skills both in running those organizations, but also working with their peers to achieve common goals,” Riepe said.
Illustration
The inauguration of the Palladian Literary Society in 1871 was the RSO blueprint. The society’s constitution, which all new RSOs must write up for themselves even today, states its purpose as “to help build up and perfect the moral and intellectual capacities, and in like manner the social qualities.” Two years after its formation, disruption among two factions — the poor country boys and the sons of wealthy townsmen — caused mitosis and the Palladian broke into the Adelphian Literary Society, which shortly became inactive. In 1876, when it was argued that non-preparatory students should be allowed in the club, the Union Society was born. Make that three societies in 1889 with the Delian, built purely for population control of the two others. All slightly different but working toward the same goal — holding “classes” on essays, declamations and debate.
“Literary societies were a way for students to get together and have a program,” said Traci Robison, outreach archivist for the University Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections. “Part of it would be discussion or speeches, music. It was a way to socialize but also discuss ideas and learn things. When you think back then what kind of entertainment happened, there’s no television, no movies. You’re hanging out at your club.”
The modern-day equivalent might be the Presentation Club, an RSO to develop public speaking skills with prepared PowerPoint presentations on anything from personal interests to angry diatribes. Between the last literary society and now, there were clubs that came and went, like the Kosmet Klub — a male dramatic society for light opera in which Johnny Carson served as master of ceremonies from 1947 to 1949. The Sem Bot (A Mystic Order of Students of Botany) was another.
One of the longest running clubs, since 1903, is the Innocents Society: their presence felt at each new student convocation in Memorial Stadium, looming at the top of the stands with their red robes and dark sunglasses. An air of exclusivity attaches itself to certain RSOs, like honor societies and Greek houses. But step into the world of popular culture and any student can join. Newly organized last school year, The Swift Society held a party in celebration of Taylor Swift’s 11th studio album. And Mind and Craft — not a Minecraftrelated RSO, but still a reference to the video game because the founder, senior psychology major Sin Tran, is a self-proclaimed Minecraft nerd. Instead, imagine a group of elders sitting in a circle, knitting, chatting about their past lives. That’s Mind and Craft, except the elders are old souls in college-aged bodies. The goal is to develop a range of crafting skills, enough to sew a sustainably-stuffed plushie with personality, or attempt to twist a balloon animal into shape.
1. Cut out the cover.
Fold over
Flip and fold in
10. Fold over
Collaboration amongst RSOs is common. Last fall, Mind and Craft teamed up with the School of Global Integrative Studies to put on Cultural Crafting Night. Club members hung out with global students and tried their hand at origami cranes, hearts and throwing stars. To transform something as humble as paper into something beautiful is what the club’s all about.
“You take something from your imagination and you’re able to create something out of it,” Tran said. “Having a skill like that — that’s pretty cool.”
While crafts soothe you mentally and emotionally, sports clubs handle physical health. There are competitive RSOs for just about every sport — even jump rope.
“I founded the Jump Rope Club at UNL because I wanted to have like-minded individuals come together and enjoy working out in a fun space,” said Leah Stirrup (’24), who also swam on the UNL Swim Club team. “Jump rope is all about having fun and learning new tricks in an active way.”
From eighth grade into high school, Stirrup jumped on a club team. So when her very own Jump Rope Club was in its prime during her junior year, she had all the expertise needed to teach jumpers all the tricks. “It was really special when I was able to teach my best friend how to do a cross,” Stirrup said. “He was so incredibly excited that he could do a trick.” Now that Stirrup graduated, what’s left of jump roping at UNL is frozen until someone picks it back up.
Alas, there are many bright ideas for clubs that fizzle out over the years, gone with the people who started them. This was also the case for Zac Franzen’s ghost hunting club. Today Franzen is a global studies major while working at the university. He originally enrolled in school almost 15 years ago, but he left school after trying out five different majors to become a flight attendant. But back in 2010 he was rehearsing for a production in the Temple Building and had a chilling supernatural experience, which prompted him to register an RSO to investigate there being more to life. The afterlife.
The Indian Students Association hosts multiple events throughout the year, including marking the Hindu holiday of Holi. Students toss colored corn starch into the air and onto each other in celebration of spring.
A small group of friends geared up with a voice recorder, night vision infrared cameras and an electromagnetic field detector, and ventured to Neihardt Hall, the Temple Building, Love Library and the 10th floor of Oldfather Hall. Their biggest adventure was in Neihardt, when the friends pushed through a tiny cubby door into a crawl space to ask questions to a ghost on recording, only to have a pebble thrown from out of nowhere land between them.
“We both just started screaming,” Franzen said. “It was crazy because we tried to debunk it. It didn’t fall from the ceiling. There were no ledges. A rock was thrown.” To this day Franzen still believes wholeheartedly in what he saw. It’s become his devoted hobby to ghost hunt across the Midwest. Thus, why short-lived clubs still fulfill their purpose — to make a lifelong impression on a person.
“RSOs that are a bit more pop culture have a tendency to come and go as popularity rises and falls, but even if they are only around for a few years they provide an opportunity for students to connect with their peers,” Director Riepe said. “If being a member of a student organization helps a student to feel like they belong here at UNL, then the RSO has been successful in my eyes.”
What keeps an RSO on its feet? Some of the most prolific clubs on campus are cultural-based. These are circles where students can maintain a connection far from home and share traditional experiences with other students. Notably, the Middle Eastern and North African Student Association won four Student Impact Awards last year, a recognition of exceptional contribution to the campus community. The Indian Students Association (ISA) is renowned for their events that attract not just UNL students, but also families and students from neighboring universities. The club won the 2024 Student Impact Award for Program of the Year with Grand India Night in collaboration with the India Association of NebraskaLincoln. Here approximately 360 attendees celebrated Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Leading up to this annual night of cultural dances, traditional dress showcasing and authentic Indian cuisine, ISA members are involved in the venue arrangements, budgeting, promotion and logistics. As president since May 2023, Deepa Choudhry, a Ph.D. student in chemistry, is passionate about her club being a platform for cross-
“If being a member of a student organization helps a student to feel like they belong here at UNL, then the club has been successful in my eyes.”
—Veronica Riepe, director of student leadership, involvement and community engagement
2023-24 RSOs at a Glance
cultural dialogue and exchange.
“The existence of ISA holds profound significance for its members, offering a vital connection to their cultural roots and a sense of community within the campus environment,” Choudhry said. “ISA serves as a cultural hub where Indian students and those interested in Indian culture can come together to celebrate and share their heritage.”
With the arrival of spring comes the Holi celebration, the Festival of Colors. That’s exactly what it sounds like: all UNL students are welcome to get powdered in all the colors of the rainbow. Traditionally, color throws symbolize the new season, the victory of good over evil and a time for forgiveness and renewal. Choudhry says the throwing of bright powder also reflects a spirit of openness and celebration of diversity among the student body. You can’t deny the happiness and camaraderie radiating off the splotched photos.
“ISA has not only enriched my understanding of different cultures but has also allowed me to forge meaningful connections and friendships that transcend cultural boundaries,” Choudhry said. “It’s a privilege to contribute to creating a more inclusive and vibrant campus community through our events and initiatives.”
No matter the topic, these relationships are at the heart of students who fulfill the call to create their own spaces. In all of Mind and Craft’s tenure, Tran’s most-loved craft was something he already knew how to do: papermaking. He got a homemade book and the realization of how special it was to be with people in that moment, making something.
“We were all outside making paper together,” Tran said. “Sometimes the wind would blow someone’s stuff away but it didn’t matter. It was hanging out with friends and doing something together. It felt like a little found family.”
Number of clubs in RSO status
Number of guest speakers or lecturers
Number of philanthropies or fundraisers
Number of events the clubs hold on campus
Nebraska has one of the highest ratios of clubs per student within the Big 10.
NEBRASKA
Something’s Wrong.
Let’s Fix It.
Hon. Sue Schafer (’64)
As a former professor, state civil rights professional, lesbian mother and a former elected Colorado State Representative, Schafer informs readers how to become courageous leaders of positive changes in our society. She is a strong activist for girls’ and women’s sports. Available at Amazon.com
Jolt
A
rural noir
Roberta M. Roy (’59)
The rst novel in the Jolt Survival Trilogy, which tells the story of survivors from a nearby nuclear meltdown who live to develop new answers in our increasingly complex world.
Available at Amazon.com, BN.com, and BookBaby.com
your book
Authors
FEATURED BOOKS BY NEBRASKA ALUMNI, FACULTY AND STAFF
Indelible Shadow
Sandra Stefanisin Berris (’66)
These poems reveal the shock of a teen suicide and its reverberations on family, friends and community, giving powerful testament to the national teen suicide crisis. A tragic story that captures shock, grief, anger, confusion, guilt, acceptance and ultimately hope. Available at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and FinishingLinePress.com
I Don’t Want to Speak in Public…But I Have To
Jay Jorgensen (’81) and Matt Goodwin
Relinquished
A mother’s choice and my 30-year journey to find my birth family
Robert Yaffe (’72)
A decades-long journey to discover why Robert was placed for adoption. Unexpected ndings led him to his birth mother and the toxic secrets she kept hidden from her family. Astonishing discoveries and painful con icts make this book impossible to put down.
Available at Amazon.com, The Bookworm (Omaha)
A practical, but entertaining guide to remove your fear of public speaking. Helpful chapters on wedding toasts, presentations, job interviews, eulogies and how to prepare for each.
Available at Amazon.com
Tales From Northern Arizona
Bob’s Blogs, Essays and Short Stories
Robert D. Shanks, Ph.D. (’87)
A collection of articles, essays and short stories inspired by the author’s career in the U.S. Air Force as a photojournalist and intelligence analyst.
Available at Amazon.com
TUNING IN
Kenneth Floyd credits his music professor with his successful singing career.
54
CLASS QUOTES
Alumni of all generations tell us what fun things they participated in outside the classroom.
57
MYSTERY PHOTO
Do you recognize any of these sorority sisters from the mid1960s? If so, let us know.
64
LOVE STORY
John Strope met Gloria Jilek in the Student Union, they just marked 57 years.
BULLETIN
Touching Down in Lincoln
In September, this group of alumni reunited in Lincoln for a tour of Memorial Stadium and one couple’s anniversary celebration. This group initially bonded last year during a 12-day alumni adventure trip that traveled to four countries in Europe cruising the Moselle and Rhine rivers. Pictured from left: Wayne Wood (’70), Marsha Deitchler Wood, Richard Propst (’91), Barbara Swanson Green (’76), James Green (’75), Kathy McGee Obering (’75), Roland Obering (’71), Nanette Lybarger Garrison (’81) and Michael Garrison.
EVENTS
DEC. 7
LINCOLN
Holidays With Future Huskers Alumni are invited to bring their young children for a holiday celebration at the Wick Alumni Center with games, crafts and snacks.
FEB. 12-13
NATIONWIDE
Glow Big Red UNL’s annual 24 hours of giving. Make a difference by giving a gift to any college, program or organization to help Huskers thrive! GlowBigRed.com
FEB. 20-21
KEARNEY, NEB.
Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference
Celebrate and uplift Nebraska women in the agriculture industry. Learn to better manage risk while strengthening farms and ranches. wia.unl.edu/conference
Alumni Profile
Facing the Music
Professor shapes Kenneth Floyd’s Grammy-winning career
BY TONY MOTON (’98)
Kenneth Floyd was smart to listen when Bill Shomos talked. Like the time Shomos, a distinguished professor of music and director of opera at UNL, gave his student a simple directive: Face the music.
“He was always willing to try something new,” Shomos said of Floyd. “He was always willing to make himself vulnerable on stage, which makes him real, vulnerable and communicative. He is willing to take risks.”
Shomos, who celebrated 20 years at UNL this fall, recalled the time he asked Floyd to do some unconventional facial exercises in the mirror. Did Floyd (’97) balk at the request? Not a chance.
“I wanted him to get in touch with his face,” Shomos said. “He actually went ahead and took it seriously and did it. This had an impact on his ability as a singer. It’s the kind of thing a student might say, ‘That’s stupid, leave me alone.’ He did it and practiced it diligently and it made a difference.”
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in music, Floyd is now considered one of the most recognizable faces and voices at New York’s famed Metropolitan Opera. His commanding baritone pipes have enabled him to earn six Grammy Awards as a full-time member of the Met chorus since 2006. He also is credited with numerous solo roles at the New York City Opera and Glimmerglass Opera.
And his talents have taken him to the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Carnegie Hall and the Husker state’s own Opera Omaha. He’s even had a small acting role in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, when he had something of a musical part — the piano tuner in the fifth season’s fifth episode.
Floyd insists that without Shomos, he might not have reached so many high notes throughout his career.
“My one thing with Bill is he helped me find my voice. I am introverted and I do come out of my shell, but I do retreat sometimes,” Floyd said in a phone interview from his home in Brooklyn. “He was very
instrumental in how (I learned) to be a better artist.”
Floyd has learned to break out of his shell in a big way in the years as a Met chorister. Besides singing in all kinds Met productions from Malcom X to Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Floyd is a negotiating committee member with the American Guild of Musical Artists. The labor union represents chorus singers, dancers and staging staff who work in opera, choral performance and concert dance in the United States. In that role, Floyd gives voice to choristers who might otherwise go unheard.
Local union president and fellow Met chorister Ned Hanlon said Floyd’s calm and approachable demeanor serve him well in roles on and off the stage.
“When someone is having a problem with management or another chorister, Ken would be the first person to help,” Hanlon said. “He was so good dealing with conflict and how to resolve it. He has the ability to have this good, quiet, substantive, meaningful con-
As a member of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, Kenneth Floyd has performed in, from left: Orfeo ed Euridice as Jimi Hendrix, Akhnaten and The Magic Flute.
versation. People come away like they were heard, and I got to see him in action as a delegate.”
Floyd, a native of small-town Conway, South Carolina, described his career trajectory as one full of “ups and downs.” Son of the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Floyd Sr. (“he’s still with us and still preaching”), the younger Floyd started out singing gospel music during his childhood and became a choir director while still in high school.
Carter Breeze, an organist and musical director at First United Methodist Church in downtown Conway, was the first person to suggest Floyd try his voice in the operatic arena.
“He (Breeze) said, ‘I like your voice.’ I was in seventh grade when I started taking classical lessons,” Floyd recalled. “While I did gospel music, my voice didn’t necessarily take on the same characteristics as classical. I would do concerts and go to the local orchestra concerts.
“While still enjoying gospel music and appreciating classical, classical is what spoke to me. That’s where I was finding my voice and how my instrument spoke to people,” Floyd added. “But I still love gospel music.”
Out of high school, Floyd first attended Millikin University, in Decatur, Illinois, where he met Shomos. Floyd studied voice under Shomos his freshman and sophomore years, but Shomos accepted an offer as a voice teacher and the director of opera at UNL.
“When he was going through the vetting process for the job, he was pitching opportunities at UNL, the status of their program and the resources they would provide,” Floyd said. “I auditioned for the school
when I was finishing my sophomore year. They liked me enough.”
Floyd said his wife Danielle, whom he would later meet as a graduate student at the Manhattan School of Music, jokingly calls the decisions of her husband and Shomos to move to Lincoln “a package deal.” To hear Shomos talk about their not-so-coincidental arrival, it’s something that seemed destined to happen.
“When I first heard him at 17 or 18 years old, some people have this thing they were given, gifted by the gods, if you will,” Shomos said. “He’s always had that. It’s a matter of perseverance that has got him where he is today.”
After graduating from UNL, Floyd had hopes of studying at New York’s renowned Julliard School, but he never reached that goal — unlike his wife Danielle. And at one point early in his Big Apple journey, Floyd contemplated moving back to South Carolina and, at another point, took a break from opera altogether. He took a job as an executive assistant at Showtime in New York and became an assistant publicist for Showtime and the sole publicist for the Showtime original movie A Time for Dancing in 2002.
“I got to travel to California a couple of times a year and Showtime wanted to develop me as a publicist,” Floyd said. “But I was trying to stay connected to singing.”
Eventually, Floyd got to audition for the Met and earned a part-time gig with the extra chorus. In 2005, when a full-time, tenure-track position opened up, he aced that audition, too. He has been a fixture with the company ever since. What makes that time more spe-
Kenneth Floyd, left, reconnects with Professor of Music William Shomos during a visit to Lincoln last summer.
cial to Floyd is the fact his son, Christian, was born the same year.
And like father, like son. Sort of.
In August, exactly 30 years after the singer came to UNL, Kenneth, his wife Danielle and son Christian, drove from Brooklyn to Lincoln for the start of Christian’s sophomore year of college at UNL. A criminal justice major, the younger Floyd has been involved with playing the violin, swimming and tennis, but not opera singing.
Kenneth said son Christian, a National Honor Society student in high school, had been accepted to 12 colleges and universities and choose to attend UNL because the school had the right “atmosphere.” Apparently, that atmosphere hasn’t changed in three decades in the heart and mind of Kenneth Floyd, who had scheduled a little quality time with his guru while back on campus to help his son relocate.
“We were a team,” Floyd said of his relationship with Shomos. “(To visit Shomos) might be an emotional thing, for me to sit back and say, ‘Bill, you have been so instrumental, the person who saw talent and things that might not have been tapped into.’ ”
For Floyd and Shomos, the reunion would be a faceoff in the best possible way.
KENNETH FLOYD’S CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
• Performed a premiere reading for Michael Eisner, then CEO of The Walt Disney Company, for a newly commissioned classical work in fall 1999.
• In spring 2000, made his Carnegie Hall debut as the baritone soloist in Scarlatti’s Dixit Dominus
• Made his company debut as Un Servo in Verdi’s La Traviat a in 2006 during the Met in the Parks series.
• Featured as Second Lackey in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Der Rosenkavalier, starring Renee Fleming, in 2017. The production was shown on PBS and streamed live in 95 theaters worldwide.
• Soloist in Julie Taymor’s production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute
• Has performed many roles with New York City Opera, including Jake ( Porgy and Bess ), Morales ( Carmen ), Masetto ( Don Giovanni ) and Prince Yamadori (Madama Butterfly).
• Played the role of Piano Tuner in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire
Danielle and Kenneth Floyd help their son (current UNL sophomore Christian Floyd) move into his room inside a house off campus in August.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO?
HARRY HUSKER
aka BILL SCHILLING
College pays.
That’s how Bill Schilling (’80) sums up his collegiate career. Earning an ag honors degree in natural resources was the main goal. However, he said about his career success, “You go to college to learn a lot more than the subject matter — like confidence and how to interact with all kinds of people.”
Growing up in the northeast Nebraska farm town of Bancroft, Schilling admitted he needed to work on a few “broader skills” when he arrived in Lincoln in the mid-1970s.
In college, Schilling, now 65, was known as “just a fun guy” and has retained that moniker through the years. In the late 1970s, as part of the Corn Cobs spirit group, Schilling was all in as a Husker fan. So much so that he even performed as Harry Husker at football games.
The Harry head, made of paper mâché, was “like a 50-pound solar oven,” he said, “and you could barely see out of it.” Colleagues were needed to help him navigate the sidelines.
Schilling was active in Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity where he was named national student of the year. He was president of the ag advisory board and VP of Mortar Board in charge of planning Ivy Day.
All of this out-of-classroom experience landed him a career primarily in association management and fundraising, first with his fraternity and then as Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity’s executive director, retiring in 2022.
Amongst his many accolades are the Nebraska Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award given in 1991 and the College Fraternity Editor’s Association Varner Award for lifetime inter-fraternal work.
Calling Oxford, Ohio, home these days, he and his wife Sherry (Wells, ’80), call his main job now CEO of Grandpa Inc.; that is, when they’re not traveling. Both are lifelong adventurers who find meeting new people exhilarating. Both highly recommend the alumni association’s travel program that took them to Egypt in 2024 with plans of an African safari in 2025.
The couple, who met during their days in Lincoln, has visited 55 countries and share a goal of 70 by age 70, and dream of 80 by 80.
—Jane (Menninga) Schuchardt
Harry Husker at the 1979 Orange Bowl
Sherry and Bill Schilling
BULLETIN
Class Quotes
What’s one fun activity you were involved with outside of class?
1950s
In 1955 we thought panty raids were fun. I remember photos were taken and participants were identified. One football player was tentatively identified but no follow-up. A fraternity brother was identified and was dismissed for a semester so he could ‘think about what he had done.’ ”
Vernon Hall (’57) is a retired professor of psychology from the University of Syracuse. He lives in Maryland.
My fun activity was working. I worked at the dairy farm and plant on East Campus. I milked cows my first year and the next three years I made ice cream and cheese. I enjoyed sampling what we made.”
Jim Turner (’57) is retired and living in Chester, Virginia. Turner visited Nebraska recently to receive an Aksarben Heritage Family Farm Award for his family having owned the Turner farm near Wilber for 150 years.
1960s
I studied organ with visiting professor Conrad Morgan. He planned
an educational trip for all the organ students to visit the Reuter Organ Factory in Lawrence, Kansas. Full of enthusiasm, we boarded the chartered bus around 5 a.m. for this allday adventure.”
Rosalind Mohnsen (‘64) lives in the Boston area and is active as a church musician and concert organist.
Performing in a production of Fiorello where I played an elderly Italian and sang with the ensemble for On the Side of the Angels . Rehearsals were long and challenged our ability to manage our time.”
Ned Criscimagna (’65) works part-time for a U.S. Dept. of Defense contractor. He served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years, retiring in 1985 as a lieutenant colonel. He lives in Milton, Delaware.
1970s
Practicing with the football team. It was a time-consuming, yet rewarding, activity. I took away a tremendous
appreciation for the work ethic involved and learning the value of teamwork — despite not having as much success as I wanted on the field.”
Greg Stejskal (’71, ’74) is a graduate of the Nebraska Law College and is a retired FBI special agent living in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The Air Force ROTC led to what would become my life’s work. I didn’t consider it fun at the time, but I am grateful for my experience because it allowed me to serve my country and eventually travel the world. I visited many memorable places during my time as a pilot.”
Bill Wagner (’76) retired in 2016 after flying for American Airlines for 32 years. He lives in Omaha.
For me, it was participating in the musical Showboat. I was a member of the Varsity Men’s Glee Club so I auditioned and got a part in the chorus. I had only been in one previous theatrical production (in high school), so it was fun to be a part of that show. Since then, theater has been an important part of my life — I met my wife in a community theater production, and we’ve both been involved with that artform for almost 45 years.”
Dave Madsen (’76) recently retired after 32 years in broadcasting in Sioux City, Iowa, and 15 years as a professor of mass communication at Morningside University.
1980s
I was fortunate to be part of the Nebraska Agricultural Youth Council serving as head counselor and ag department intern. Through the council, I gained a deeper appreciation for Nebraska’s strength and people. The program also launched my career in ag communications and helped me become a community leader and a national spokesperson for FoodWatch.”
Beverly Todd’s (’80) career began in ag communications and grew into non-profit leader-
ship, philanthropy and the arts. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she is an artist and creativity coach.
I joined the Gymmees on campus. As a Gymmee, we supported the men’s and women’s gymnastics teams. We sat by the judges at home meets and flashed the scores of each gymnast. During this time, UNL hosted the NCAA Men’s Championship in 1980, 1981 and 1982 with Nebraska winning all three years.”
Deborah Anderson Watt (’82) is retired and living in Palm Coast, Florida.
I loved listening to live music at the Zoo Bar and watching foreign films at the Sheldon Art Gallery.”
Kelly Anders (’89), deputy director of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum, received a 2024 Women ExecutivesKansas City award from Ingram’s, Kansas City’s business magazine.
1990s
The 1994 Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia, and working with Hubie Brown and Cheryl Miller as a spotter working basketball for TNT Basketball and Turner Broadcasting.”
Scott Novack (’95) is a graduate in international affairs and Russian having lived in Russia, England and Turkmenistan. He has worked eight Olympic Games, five as a USA Team Leader, most recently at the Paris Olympic Games. He currently works with the USA Rugby Men’s Sevens team.
2000s
Serving as student manager for the football team for five years. My fifth year, I worked directly with Coach Bo Pelini. He was very passionate. He also was loyal to his people. If you worked for him, he had your back all day long.
Jeff Dannehl (’08) serves as chief information
SHARE YOUR MEMORIES
Whom would you invite to dinner today from your college days?
To be featured in the spring issue, email your answer to this question to kwilder@huskeralum.org.
officer for Midwest Petroleum Equipment, a specialty contractor for petroleum management and distribution. He also is involved in running the family farm near Bertrand, Nebraska. He lives in Lincoln.
2010s
My involvement in student organizations, starting with Mortar Board. I was also involved in Dance Marathon for three years where we raised money for Children’s Hospital. It was 24 hours of dancing and trying to stay awake. One year, several of us offered to shave our heads if we raised enough money. I had a bald head in February that year.
Brock Rezny (’13, ’15) works in the Malcolm (Nebraska) Public Schools where he teaches math and science. He and his wife Kelsey Moore Rezny (’15) have four children.
2020s
I have fond memories of the creative community — a hidden society of artists and writers nestled within our historical buildings. Many
The happiest memories from my college years all came from living in a house with a bunch of my closest friends. We spent most of our time watching Twilight, doing art projects and just being silly together.”
Nora Furr (’21) works at the Nebraska Department of Economic Development managing Nebraska’s State Small Business Credit Initiative. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her two cats, gardening and cooking.
of my friends were art or literature students, and I loved floating through different clubs. I attended design workshops, ceramics sales, museum talks, student exhibitions and picnics where we read poetry, shared baked goods and painted watercolor flowers.”
Dominic Bhola (’22) is an art journalist and literary editor, spending his afternoons sipping tea in his strawberry garden.
—Compiled by Kevin Warneke
ITEMIZED: A look at a treasured college relic
EARLY-1930S HOLIDAY CARD
BY DAVID SPENCER (’85)
My grandmother, Mina (Kellner) Spencer (’28, ’58), kept a holiday greeting card for nearly 100 years — signed by the NU Athletic Department to the staff, a relic from working fresh out of college for football head coach Dana X. Bible and business manager John Selleck.
Long-term loyalty might have played a part in this: My grandparents and parents were and are proud alumni. My grandfather Herbert Spencer (’31, ’51) met my grandmother at the university, and there was never another option for my father’s undergraduate college studies — Nebraska was the place!
My parents Richard and Susan (Johnson) Spencer are both 1960 grads. And while I didn’t have that type of pressure exerted on me, there really was no other place I was going to go to college. My wife Brenda (Nelson) Spencer and I are 1985 grads, and for our two children, Maggie (Spencer) Kaltsulas (’11) and Erik Spencer (’14), there was really no other place they wanted to go to college either.
If you could have seen my parents’ home and all of the memorabilia there, you would see they didn’t dispose of anything — as was true with both sets of my grandparents. While my parents prepared to move this year, our family was able to view a myriad of Cornhusker treasures at their Lincoln home: a billfold schedule from Bob Devaney’s 1962 football season; Go Big Red pins worn at the 1971 Orange Bowl win over LSU; game day programs; media
press guides; multiple Sports Illustrated covers including Frank Solich running wild vs. Air Force and Game of the Century vs. Oklahoma; along with numerous fun Cornhusker collectibles dating back to the 1930s.
As we continued combing over these treasures, we found two black and white photos of the 1931 Cornhusker Football team. One is the complete 1931 football team, the second one features the seniors with Coach Bible and all names listed on the back.
With the photos was a holiday greeting card, listing several individuals who have made significant impact on the university over time. And even beyond that Christmas season, both my grandparents were very close to John Selleck up to his death in 1982. The team photos are now back in the NU Athletic Department, specifically with the football program. The photos are hanging in our son Erik’s office. He serves as an assistant athletic football trainer. How these photos survived the trip through time and found their way back to the football program 93 years later, with a great grandson, is quite a treasure in our minds.
SHARE YOUR TREASURE
Do you still have a cherished object from your college days? Tell us about it and we may feature you on this page.
Email: kwilder@huskeralum.org
EARLY 1970S
Many readers heartily responded to let us know the fall photo query was of none other than several members of the 1970 and 1971 National Championship Husker football team. Theresa (Gauff) Christensen (’76) wrote in with the hunch that this building was the original culture center and she was right. In 1969, the culture center found its first home at 1012 N. 16th St., and was often called the “sweatbox” for its cozy layout. But it was also a space that Coach Bob Devaney and the Athletic Department helped fund so minority football players had a safe place to hang out.
On the far left is 1972 Lombardi Award Winner, All-American and College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Richard Glover (’74). Offensive tackle and All-American, Marvin Crenshaw (’75) is standing beside him. The woman at the center of the photo is cheerleader Jeanine Station (’74), and behind her to the left is Ralph Powell, with All-American and co-captain of the 1973 team, Daryl White standing to his right.
Willie Harper (’74), a defensive player, who later went on to be a linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers, is propped up in the doorway.
MYSTERY PHOTO DO YOU KNOW THESE STUDENTS?
1966 Sorority House
University Libraries Archives & Special Collections has stacks of photos that could be enhanced with more information about who, what, when, where or why the photograph was taken. We’re hoping you will help us play detective. Do you recognize any of these sorority women? If so, help us fill in the details of this mystery photograph. We’ll publish our findings in the spring edition of Nebraska Quarterly
LET US KNOW
Email your educated guesses or concrete identifications to kwilder@huskeralum.org.
Alumni Profile
Rebel With a Cause
Richard Varner took his lessons from the Husker gridiron
BY RONALD AHRENS (’78)
As an incoming freshman in the fall of 1972, Richard Varner was a triple-threat. At Southeast High School in Wichita, he starred in football and earned a scholarship to join the Cornhuskers. Varner was also quite the leader in student government, and on the musical stage, his years of instrumental and vocal training culminated in the role of Tevye the Dairyman in Fiddler on the Roof. He arrived in Lincoln behind the wheel of a 1970 MGB GT, picked up his football spikes and then signed up for Varsity Men’s Glee Club.
An unexpected side of his character wouldn’t emerge for decades.
“When I was a kid, we all had minibikes,” Varner recalls. “We’d ride on vacant lots. But my folks didn’t really want me having a motorcycle. So I waited 34 years and got even with ’em.”
Varner is saying as much from his home-office in Wichita. It’s a large room with window bays. In one of them, instead of a marlin or moose, a trophy motorcycle is on display. It’s a racy bike, stripped of ornamentation except for two oval plates, each bearing the number 67 from his varsity jersey as a guard. He would slot in between center Rik Bonness and tackle Rich Costanzo to open holes for running back Tony Davis or protect quarterback Vince Ferragamo.
The freshman football team welcomed 45 scholarship players and 55 or 60 walk-ons. Varner remembers Coach Jim Ross saying, “This is the last year you’re going to have fun playing football.” After redshirting as a sophomore, Varner played two seasons with the Big Red but in response to the suggestion that he was called “Richie” on the radio broadcasts, he says, “Lyell Bremser didn’t call me anything because I didn’t play but very little.” Coach Tom Osborne “thought I was the perfect student-athlete because I played football like a student and studied like an athlete.”
His deadpan style was always up front, yet Varner’s complexity by and large eluded even his Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity brothers. Neil Powell (’76) does
remember him reading yachting magazines around the chapter house.
“I had no inkling until more recent years that motorcycles were a passion of his,” says Powell, a nonprofit consultant in Lincoln.
Receiving his bachelor’s degree in business administration during the summer of 1976, Varner forfeited a year of eligibility.
“I keep threatening to go back,” says the 70-yearold, who has two daughters, a son, and a stepdaughter, ranging from 44 to 29. He also has six grandchildren and “one in the hopper.”
Two main points crystalized from his football life. “First of all, I learned what it took to compete, OK?” He remembers roommate Dave Shamblin (’77), a receiver, returning from practice aghast after dropping two passes. In high school, things like that hadn’t mattered. “And I felt a reward in sticking it out for four years. A lot of guys didn’t.” By his count, only 12 or 13 of the initial cohort remained standing by the time of his graduation.
Varner next earned an MBA from the University of Kansas and, in 1978, arrived in Houston for a training program at Coastal Corporation, where he became a crude oil trader. The move was within family tradition. In 1969, papa Sterling Varner was appointed president of Rock Island Oil Company after service as president of Matador Cattle Company. Both companies were divisions of Koch Industries. From Houston, the young trader went to Coastal’s London office, then returned to Houston around the time the New York Mercantile Exchange put up an oil contract. He spent the next interval advising the Merc. Eventually, after a couple of intermediate jobs, he returned to Coastal and in 1984 moved to Southern California to run their Pacific Refining Company.
“We were buying crude oil. We would refine it and sell the products. So it was just like your own small, little company. It was a turnaround situation. We turned it around and sold half of it then to the People’s Republic of China in 1988. I ran the joint-venture between Coastal and Sinochem.”
Something from the yachting magazines had stuck in Varner’s brain, though, and in the early 1990s he launched his own Newport Petroleum. A tugand-barge undertaking, Newport moved petroleum products up and down the West Coast from Alaska to Mexico and even to Hawaii. The fleet ultimately encompassed 18 vessels.
“It’s kind of a romantic business — a lot to do with the ocean and moving oil,” he says. Under Newport’s mantle, Varner is coholder of Patent No. 5512087, which describes a petroleum vapor-control apparatus. It couldn’t have been through his oil fleet, but somewhere along the way, Varner gained a proficiency in sailing. Neil Powell thinks back to 2004, when “a bunch of our guys were turning 50.” They embarked from L.A. on a small yacht.
“Richard knew a lot about sailing,” Powell says. “He had the ability to be in charge, get things done, make things work.”
Concurrently, Varner was undergoing his own big turnaround, having sold Newport the year before. Tevye’s If I Were a Rich Man was no longer applicable except that his wife had too much All day long, I’d biddy biddy bum and didn’t want him underfoot. There also remained the imperative to get even with his parents. So he started restoring motorcycles. His vision was fixed on 1970 — the year he got his driver’s license — and the next few years. (The 1973 BMW CSL competition-car he fields in Sportscar Vintage Racing Association events wears No. 67.)
Triumph offered eight motorcycles in 1970; Varner acquired one of each. With so much rasping of engines, his wife decided she didn’t want him around at all. He compares his plight to that of Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) in Midnight in Paris. Varner is remarried to the former Karen Futrell.
He went on building custom bikes — street-trackers that are designed for racing but legal for street use — like the office display. He found a new world of shops, shows, races, and characters. Terry Karges, executive
director of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, persuaded him to join the board as treasurer. Varner’s chairmanship started in 2019 and continues to this day. Within the museum space, the Richard Varner Family Gallery presents the latest exhibit of bikes through March 2, 2025.
Another step came in 2014 when Varner, with Karges and two others, formed KRAVE Group for yet another turnaround job. They took over a professional motorcycle-racing series and called it MotoAmerica. The 2024 schedule takes the thriving series to 10 tracks from Daytona International Speedway to the Laguna Seca circuit in California.
Wayne Rainey, champion motorcycle racer, is another MotoAmerica partner. In him, Varner finds fulfilled those Husker gridiron lessons about competitiveness. “The attention to the final Nth degree makes the difference between a real champion and a non-champion,” he says.
Varner is MotoAmerica’s CFO and has a clunky-looking calculator on his desk. He remains in the energy business as CEO of Navitas Utility Corp. A distinguished alumnus of the Nebraska College of Business and a University of Nebraska Foundation trustee, he praises Coach Osborne’s venture into the Big Ten as a prescient move.
Yet for all the power and prestige, one soon sees the sensitive Richard Varner who still has a vulnerable little boy inside, the 8 year old who cut his thumb on a knife, leading to the Wichita Eagle reporting seven stitches used (and his parents’ names and address). And there’s still the inner minibike imp who scrambled away when the cops showed up at the vacant lot.
In naming people he knows just through the Petersen Museum, he becomes wonderstruck.
“You’re talking to Forrest Gump here,” he says. “I built a motorcycle for Jeff Beck, the guitar player!”
But he has the story backward; Tevye had it right: “The most important men in town would come to fawn on me.”
Richard Varner with two of his 1973 BMWs.
BULLETIN
1940s
Virginia Stuermer (’45) Branford, Conn., May 23; Margaret Kirshman Doe (’47) Sun City West, Ariz., Jan. 12; Morton Zuber (’47) Omaha, Aug. 27; James Kenner (’48) Hebron, Aug. 11; Willa Stevens Sack (’48) Brush, Colo., Aug. 1; Gloria Stephens Dinsdale (’49) Omaha, Aug. 1; Adrian Glandon (’49) Cedar Rapids, Iowa, July 16; Kenneth Harding (’49) Dripping Springs, Texas, April 19; Charles House (’49) Santa Rosa, Calif., April 7; Joan Truhlsen Johns (’49) Omaha, July 6; Frank Loeffel (’49) Norwalk, Iowa, June 13
1950s
Harriett Wilbourne Barber (’50) Santa Fe, N.M., June 9; Russell Hale (’50) Sonoma, Calif., July 22; Robert Hancock (’50) Beatrice, July 30; William Larsen (’50) Bozeman, Mont., July 9; Dwight Larson (’50) North Platte, Aug. 2; Norma Keuten Lohner (’50) Morristown, N.J., March 23; Ronald Lux (’50) Carmel, Ind., July 14; Delbert Wiegand (’50) Centennial, Colo., April 11; Marjorie Arendt Wilnes (’50) Lincoln, Aug. 23; Alvin Wolfe (’50) Tampa, Fla., June 25; Shirley Guelker Copas (’51) Tecumseh, Mich., March 6; William Holling (’51) Elkhorn, July 27; Ruth Bergstraesser Mendenhall (’51) Midland, Texas, Jan. 24; Howard Nelson (’51) La Quinta, Calif., July 17; George Reichenbach (’51) Lincoln, Aug. 25; Donald Broman (’52) Lincoln, July 24; Barbara Gilmore Dinsdale (’52) Lawrence, Kan., Sept. 7; William Persick (’52) Hiawassee, Ga.; April
Obituaries
12; Darwin Ransom (’52)
Arlington, Va., Aug. 22; Doyle Beavers (’53) Arvada, Colo., Aug. 10; Reed Belden (’53) Lexington, Va., July 13; Verda Cardwell (’53) St. George, Utah, June 10; JoAnne Sorensen Edwards (’53) Hardy, Sept. 3; Patricia Rogers Hays (’53) Omaha, July 8; Patricia Bechan Rosenquist (’53) North Platte, Jan. 17; Vernon Scoville (’53) Slingerlands, N.Y., March 19; Willard Spech (’53) Elkhorn, Jan. 9; Gerald Ehler (’54) Bancroft, July 15; Keith Graham (’54) Olathe, Kan., March 25; James Hewitt (’54) Lincoln, July 8; Marion Urbach Hollenberg (’54) Hillsboro, Ore., June 7; James Nissen (’54) Lincoln, Aug. 8; Carl Ofe (’54) Plattsmouth, Aug. 29; Linus Ostdiek (’54) Lincoln, July 25; Richard Segal (’54) Aurora, Colo., June 15; Jerome Spitzer (’54)
Hutchinson, Kan., Aug. 29; Charlene Johnson Srb (’54) Elgin, Ill., March 3; Donald Wenz (’54) Middletown, Ohio, June 7; John Denker (’55) Valley, June 29; Jack Geist (’55) Lincoln, July 10; Bill Hewitt (’55) Ephrata, Wash., July 28; Janet Berggren Jones (’55) Anchorage, March 19; Don Mead (’55) Omaha, Aug. 6; Philip Shade (’55) Bellevue, June 6; Marlys Johnson Willis (’55) Colorado Springs, Colo., March 20; Marion Ekstrom Wright (’55) Papillion, Sept. 6; Rex Bower (’56) Topeka, Kan., Sept. 5; Harold Brockman (’56) Loudonville, N.Y., May 11; John Denny (’56) Omaha, Aug. 20; Raymond Geiger (’56) Cozad, July 1; Jarrett Hare (’56) Lawrence, Kan., Feb. 24; Clare Hinman Mesmer (’56) North Platte, April 11; Ronald Reinmiller (’56)
Joshua, Texas, July 16; Gerald Schiermeyer (’56) West End, N.C., Feb. 2; William Wenzlaff (’56) Bel Aire, Kan., May 1; Clarence Castner (’57) Omaha, Aug. 31; Sally Skutt Desmond (’57) Lincoln, Aug. 7; Edward Gauchat (’57) Norfolk, Feb. 17; Gretchen Teal Green (’57) Omaha, June 1; Leland Jones (’57) McCalla, Ala., June 17; Jerry Lincoln (’57) Boulder, Colo., May 18; Phillip Tompkins (’57) Lakewood, Colo., April 24; Edward Travis (’57) San Antonio, July 17; Richard Williams (’57) Lincoln, July 26; Marvin Boesen (’58) North Platte, Feb. 26; Thomas Detwiler (’58) Chadron, Jan. 4; Robert Fredrickson (’58) Roca, Aug. 2; Joan Weerts Hummel (’58) Daykin, Jan. 28; George Pinckney (’58) Naples, Fla., April 16; Kenneth
Rose (’58) Hutchinson, Kan., Feb. 22; Thomas Vrba (’58) Dayton, Ohio, July 24; Francis Arthur (’59) Lincoln, Aug. 1; Robert Barnes (’59) Lincoln, July 27; Marilyn Coffey (’59) Omaha, July 29; Dick Deets (’59) Lincoln, July 5; John Eisenmenger (’59) San Antonio, Feb. 26; Veldon Lewis (’59) Lincoln, Aug. 24; Helen Cochran Lundell (’59) Cheyenne, Wyo., June 2; Karen Smith Raines (’59) Cypress, Calif., May 5; Ronald Reed (’59) Windsor Heights, Iowa, June 10; Anne Pickett Savaria (’59) Portland, Ore., April 21; Fredrick Swartz (’59) Oak Brook, Ill., Aug. 31
1960s
Victor Cottrell (’60) Lincoln, July 9; Judith Suing Harvey (’60) Omaha, July 13; Dean Jochem (’60) Ainsworth, July 28; Arthur
Johnson (’60) Canyon, Texas, April 10; Ronald Phillips (’60) Omaha, July 13; Robert Semin (’60) Sykesville, Md., April 16; Dwayne Smith (’60) Littleton, Colo., May 27; Kaymarie Swarts Smith (’60) Fort Worth, Texas, July 17; Margaret Crooker Smith (’60) Auburn, June 11; Carol Larson Biere (’61) Dunbar, July 1; Anton Divis (’61) Omaha, Feb. 21; Pete Karabatsos (’61) Larkspur, Colo., March 11; Robert Clary (’62) Westminster, Colo., June 4; Roger Evans (’62) Corvallis, Ore., Jan. 5; Richard Gray (’62) Denton, June 8; Dwight Look (’62) Rolla, Mo., Feb. 9; Keith McBurney (’62) Western Springs, Ill., Jan. 31; Lynne Baker McCoy (’62) Oviedo, Fla., Feb. 24; Kelly Donohue Robson (’62) Elkhorn, July 12; Rodney Schulling (’62)
Lincoln, July 3; Richard Timmerman (’62) Beatrice, June 12; James Huge (’63) Reno, Nev., Sept. 1; Jerry Linscott (’63) Winter Park, Fla., June 24; Jane Skinner Rapp (’63) South Sioux City, March 22; Robert Roelofsz (’63) Seattle, July 9; Charles Sweet (’63) La Vista, June 10; Jerry Carter (’64) Plattsmouth, Feb. 8; James Davis (’64) Scottsdale, Ariz., July 18; Jo-Del Nye Gaeth (’64) San Diego, June 22; Wayne Guenzi (’64) Fort Collins, Colo., March 15; William Hammelmann (’64) Roca, June 22; Louis Hansen (’64) Sutherland, Aug. 28; Peter Hemstad (’64) International Falls, Minn., May 30; Monte Kiffin (’64) Boca Raton, Fla., July 11; Marilyn Marshall (’64) Kansas City, Mo., June 16; Tom Ragland (’64) Vero Beach, Fla., April 23; David Sawyer (’64) Webster, Wis., April 21; Donald Copas (’65) Sun City, Calif., June 21; Nancy Holmquist Diekmann (’65) Lincoln, July 14; Rodney Drews (’65) Henderson, July 28; Philip Klint (’65) Aiken, S.C., April 5; Louis Monson (’65)
Dan Howard
Dan Franklin Howard, emeritus professor of art, died Sept. 11 in Lincoln. He was 93. A renowned artist, Howard taught at UNL for 22 years, including serving as department chair from 1974 to 1983. He retired in 1996. He was raised and educated in Iowa and served in the United States Air Force from 1953-55. The generosity of Dan and his late wife Barbara Howard shaped Nebraska’s School of Art, Art History and Design. Their support included the creation of the Eisentrager-Howard Gallery, which forms the heart of Richards Hall and is surrounded by classrooms, offices and graduate student studios. In addition, their commitment to the college led to the creation of the Dan and Barbara Howard Creative Achievement Awards and Award for Best Art Historical Writing. The awards have been instrumental in launching multiple student careers. Howard’s steadfast presence in the school, alongside his practice as a painter (which he continued in retirement by maintaining an active studio within Richards Hall), served as a model to the practicing and aspiring artists in the college and beyond.
Lincoln, July 26; Glenn Nelson (’65) Mead, Aug. 24; Jerry Spears (’65) Dublin, Ohio, Jan. 13; Fred Diedrichsen (’66) Holdrege, July 2; Mary Wiemann Fosmer (’66) White Bear Lake, Minn., Jan. 26; Terry Steinacher (’66) Crawford, June 7; Margaret Lehl Thomas
(’66) North Platte, June 3; Richard Williams (’66) Lincoln, June 21; Louis Burgher (’67) Bennington, July 19; Jean Carrica (’67) Omaha, Sept. 5; Judy Trumble Frederick (’67) Lincoln, June 26; Michael Gahagan (’67) Laguna Niguel, Calif., July 17; David Hill (’67)
Evans, Colo., June 30; Gary Lentz (’67) Idaho Falls, Idaho, May 10; Karen Belsheim Olney (’67) Beaverton, Ore., March 10; Ronald Prior (’67) Searcy, Ark., April 30; Deborah Clinton Sesow (’67) Lincoln, Sept. 9; Nancy Achelpohl (’68) Omaha,
1970s
Phillip Bede (’70) Lincoln, Aug. 8; Richard Corman (’70) Edgar, July 12; William Eilmes (’70) Armonk, N.Y., May 26; Roxann Graske (’70) Waterloo, July 10; James Hansen (’70) Sioux City, Iowa, April 15; Vernon Jackson (’70) Huntersville, N.C., March 3; Melvin Randel (’70) Palco, Kan., July 17; Larry Stewart (’70) Garland, Texas, April 7; Daniel Bauwens (’71) St. Louis, Mo., March 23; William Cole (’71) Omaha, July 13; Virginia Duvall (’71) Ord, Feb. 21; Robert Hinman (’71) Morrow, Ohio, Aug. 26; Joyce Clifton Klein (’71) Dallas, July 19; Linda LampshireHeins (’71) Columbus, July 21; Lloyd Lewis
Aug. 4; Donald Armstrong (’68) Prattville, Ala., June 12; Patricia Becker Ernisse (’68) Hutchinson, Kan., July 8; David Farnholtz (’68) Bethlehem, Pa., July 16; Gary Gillespie (’68) Wahoo, Feb. 2; Robert Ginn (’68) Templeton, Mass., Aug. 9; Nancy Kubicek Hinrichs (’68) Lincoln, June 20; Charles Humble (’68) Lincoln, June 13; Susan Haberman Lathrum (’68) Delavan, Wis., July 25; Bruce McNickle (’68) Monticello, Minn., April 5; Gary Muller (’68) Olathe, Kan., June 7; Bruce Rippeteau (’68) Lincoln, Aug. 21; Jeanne Lucht Zwiebel (’68) Lincoln, July 18; Jon Appleget (’69) Lincoln, Aug. 28; Stephen Grenier (’69) Leesburg, Fla., July 22; Kenneth Haack (’69) Tulsa, Okla., July 21; Rodger Housley (’69) Elbert, Colo., Jan. 31; Charles Snyder (’69) Lincoln, July 5; James Tate (’69) Washington, May 4; John Wertz (’69) San Diego, Feb. 21
1931-2024
The Frank and Shirley Marsh Scholarship Fund was established in 2000 by Charles Ansah, one of dozens of international students the Marshes hosted. Grateful for their kindness, Ansah honored them by giving back to UNL.
Frank and Shirley were both proud UNL alumni and were well-respected, both personally and professionally. Over the last 24 years, more than 125 individuals have made gifts to support the scholarship fund in their name.
Since the scholarship’s inception, it has assisted more than 15 students and, thanks to a planned gift from the couple’s daughter, Sherry Marsh Tupper, it will support many more for generations to come.
(’71) Lincoln, June 16; John Ludwickson (’71) Lincoln, Aug. 28; Jeffrey Maxwell (’71) Lemoyne, Feb. 19; Randall McCutcheon (’71) Coeur D Alene, Idaho, Feb. 2; Zora Anderson Yoder (’71) Broken Bow, May 7; James Baden (’72) Hilton Head Island, S.C., July 14; Alan Boye (’72) Barnet, Vt., June 13; Timothy Brady (’72) Glen Head, N.Y., Aug. 1; Robert Dein (’72)
Fairbury, Jan. 31; Leonard Divis (’72) Ashland, Feb. 15; John Engelhardt (’72) Bellevue, July 23; Barbara Koory Goodrich (’72) Elkhorn, July 30; Steven Norden (’72) Parker, Colo., March 19; Thomas Piper (’72) Jefferson City, Mo., May 16; Julie Reed (’72) Lincoln, Aug. 18; Dennis Stevens (’72) Broken Bow, Jan. 29; Leona Kazda Braziel (’73) Lincoln, June 10; Barbara Johnson Finke (’73) Overland
Obituaries BULLETIN
Park, Kan., April 29; Donald McMinds (’73) Ocean Shores, Wash., Feb. 27; Lee Vieselmeyer (’73)
Davenport, July 24; Alan Bachman (’74) Bentonville, Ark., May 11; Gary Lingenfelter (’74) Pierce, Aug. 2; John McGill (’74) Green Bay, Wis., May 18; Sheila Megley (’74) Chicago, May 28; Dean Mueller (’74) Omaha, July 29; James Renaud (’74) Lincoln, Aug. 16; Sally Crist Seier (’74) Highlands Ranch, Colo., Feb. 27; James Strayer (’74) Lakewood, Colo., June 20; Bruce Bayless (’75) League City, Texas, Feb. 25; Elmer Crumbley (’75) Omaha, July 31; John Fickes (’75) Frankfort, Mich., April 5; Laura Nelson (’75) Newman Grove, June 14; David Sanders (’75) Omaha, July 30; Larry Schroeder (’75) Topeka, Kan., June
26; Franklin Thompson (’75) Lemoyne, Feb. 5; Daryl Brown (’76) Brule, April 16; Danny Christensen (’76) Holdrege, July 30; George Churley (’76) Lincoln, July 18; Mary Breeding Dickinson (’76) Lincoln, Aug. 15; Louis Dubs (’76) Billings, Mont., Aug. 6; Gene Holtorf (’76) Palmer, Kan., April 2; Frederick Mueller (’76) Sierra Vista, Ariz., May 29; JL Schmidt (’76) Lincoln, April 21; Edward Sweetman (’76) Indianapolis, April 11; Patrick Connealy (’77) Omaha, Aug. 1; Jeri Zimmerman Hand (’77) Lincoln, June 23; David Hula (’77) Plattsmouth, Aug. 2; Jeffrey Bainbridge (’78) Omaha, Aug. 14; Richard Blumstein (’78) Rockville, Md., March 14; James Buckley (’78) Plainview, June 10; Mohammad Farivari (’78) Omaha, June 15; Sibyl Shaw
Gruhl (’78) Lincoln, Aug. 27; Donald Hubbs (’78) Fremont, Feb. 23; Ronda Craig Johnson (’78) Nebraska City, Sept. 8; David Medinger (’78) Loveland, Colo., Jan. 11; Michael Nisbett (’78) Lincoln, June 27; Gilles Verboom (’78) Portage, Wis., March 29; Dale Wanek (’78) Scottsdale, Ariz., May 7; Thomas Doll (’79) Omaha, Aug. 10; James Gutschow (’79) Kansas City, Mo., June 17; Susan Smith Ingraham (’79) Franklin, Tenn., April 28; William Moore (’79) S Burlington, Vt., Feb. 20; Rebecca Sherwood (’79) Lincoln, June 10
1980s
Dennis Michael (’80) Albion, June 11; Carol Hageman Spangler (’80) Brookfield, Wis., Feb. 12; Donald Cain (’81) Broken Bow, July 1; David Gaba (’81)
Seattle, June 23; Michael Harms (’81) Fairbury, Aug. 24; Brian Herting (’81) Cedar Rapids, Iowa, June 7; Joan Vohs Murray (’81) Lincoln, June 10; Kirby Trump (’81) Littleton, Colo., July 24; Betty Foreman Cacek (’82) Burchard, May 26; Susan Carroll Crow (’82) Rochester, Minn., Aug. 24; David Goss (’82) Lincoln, Aug. 14; Leigh Houfek (’82) Lincoln, Aug. 5; Mary Crawford (’83) McCordsville, Ind., June 27; Kristin Kunze Packett (’83) Lincoln, June 15; Ferdinand Boehme (’85) Curtis, June 23; Mark Hilker (’85) Arapahoe, June 20; Bruce Petersen (’85) Lincoln, June 9; Scott Adkins (’87) Indian Head Park, Ill., Aug. 22; Dan Hildebrand (’87) Osceola, April 28; Lenora Lowitz Parsons (’87) Raton, N.M., May 23; Douglas Reising (’87) Lee’s Summit, Mo., May 11;
John Steinauer (’87) Rural Retreat, Va., July 12; William Andres (’88) Gothenburg, Sept. 10; Amy Koch (’88) Harrison, June 2; William McGahan (’88) Lakeway, Texas, Feb. 3; Mary McDowell Littas (’89) Weston, Mass., June 11; Michael Schepers (’89) Johnson City, Tenn., April 3
1990s
2000s
Brian Lackey (’00) Fremont, Feb. 4; Justin Kemerling (’02) Omaha, July 26; Patrick McCormick (’02) Omaha, July 21; Kelvin Kemp (’07) Lincoln, June 9; Kimberlee Madsen (’07) Williston, N.D., Jan. 7; Clayton Rath (’08) Mesquite, Texas, July 7
2010s
Daniel Ingwersen (’13) Raymond, July 17; Sarah Wallis (’14) Roy, Utah, July 9; Robert Schechinger (’17) La Vista, June 30; Taylor Roth (’18) Dallas, April 19
Matthew Biggerstaff (’91) Clive, Iowa, Aug. 6; Kathleen Green (’91) Lincoln, Aug. 28; David Holland (’91) Filley, July 21; Pamela Chambers Oltman (’91) Beatrice, June 7; Kathryn Kirstine (’92) Omaha, June 14; Jeffrey Johnson (’93) Colorado Springs, Colo., Nov. 29; Neil Schaecher (’93) Omaha, Aug. 16; Marian Freberg (’94) Omaha, Aug. 30; Laurie Baker (’95) Elko, Nev., Jan. 28; William Johnson (’95) Wausa, June 8; Deborah Haller Grier (’97) Plattsmouth, May 28; Mitzi Myers-Nannen (’97) Lincoln, Aug. 23; Sondra Berg Atkins (’98) Lincoln, July 23; Gail Biagi DiDonato (’98) McKinney, Texas, Aug. 14; Angela NoelGittins (’98) Underwood, Iowa, May 3
Love Story
Union Sparks
John and Gloria met as students and have hit it off for nearly six decades
BY JOHN STROPE JR. (’67, ’68,
’79)
Gloria Jilek and I met at 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4, 1964, in the Student Union dining area during her first weekend in Lincoln. The meeting was arranged by three of her classmates from Falls City, 100 miles to the southeast. I will forever remember that exact point in time as it changed my life.
I knew Dave, Dan, and Bill from common membership in a fraternity. I learned that they were good friends with Gloria and wanted her to meet me. I learned later Gloria joined us because she wanted to get closer to one of those other fellows. But I have to admit, I have no specific memories as to why I wanted to connect with her.
Read how Gloria and John’s Alabama-born grandson, above, found his place in Nebraska, page 30.
That said, we had our first date a few days later on Sept. 7, which happened to be Labor Day. We went to a movie, Good Neighbor Sam starring Jack Lemmon.
At this point in my young life, I wasn’t very experienced at dating. I found Gloria to be friendly, unassuming, beautiful and enjoyable to be with. So, we continued to spend time together.
Gloria lived in Piper Hall that year, I lived with my parents in Lincoln. Soon we visited and got together every day. In order to tell Gloria “good night” at the end of each day, I had to call Piper Hall and hope to get through so the operator could connect my call to a phone near Gloria’s room. In conversations with the switchboard operator, after calling night after night, she offered to call Gloria and me at 9 p.m. so we did not have to wait to get connected.
Over the next three years, our lives became intertwined. Early on, I met her parents and three siblings and friends who came to Lincoln. I traveled to Falls City and we stayed overnight with her family. We did the things college kids in Lincoln did — ate in the Crib and Tastee’s and Valentino’s; went to Pershing Auditorium for shows; attended movies at one of the five theaters downtown; and hung out together constantly.
I was one year ahead of Gloria in school, so we never had a class together. However, we did have one professor in common and a graduate assistant in 196667 by the name of Tom Osborne!
After almost three years I was ready to take the next step and we talked about marriage informally. Now I just needed to figure out when and where to propose. I also really wanted to share our engagement with a wide audience. So, in early April 1967 I trekked down to the Daily Nebraskan office in the basement of the Student Union. For it was the Student Union where she and I first met. I then placed a notice of our engagement that was to publish on Wednesday, April 26.
It wasn’t until after I paid for the ad, that I realized, “What if she doesn’t say yes?” I fretted slightly about that possibility and figured I had a few weeks to sort the details. I ultimately invited her to lunch at the American Legion Club on O Street. When Gloria slipped off to the ladies’ room, I put the box with the ring on a small plate directly in front of her chair. Then waited for her return and her answer.
Thankfully she said yes, and then I told her about the announcement I had already placed in the school newspaper.
We got married at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 13, 1967, at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Falls City. Our 10th anniversary was spent dining at Tony & Luigi’s and I surprised her with a backyard party with more than 100 guests.
While I was the first in my family to graduate from a university or college, we have created a long legacy of Husker alumni. Gloria and I have two children and six grandchildren (one still in high school). Among the nine folks in these three generations we boast eight Nebraska diplomas.
In August we marked our 57th anniversary together and have the University of Nebraska to thank for bringing us together and creating our love story.
In Nebraska Athletics, we see aviation as more than just a mode of transportation. The Lincoln Airport connects our athletes and coaches to fans and recruits worldwide, while staying rooted in the heart of Nebraska. Our partnership with the Lincoln Airport is powerful. We both bring economic empowerment and Midwestern pride to our community and together we elevate Husker Nation to new heights.
