ROCKY NOW Vol. 1 Issue 2
Fresh news everyday at www.rocky.edu
April 2007
Rocky Now: Keeping our friends and supporters informed about what’s new and exciting at Rocky Mountain College
It’s all about our students Whenever you wonder about whether your contributions make a difference, it’s refreshing to read about students like Kaycee Foran. Kaycee’s work ethic is exceptional, as are her accomplishments. BILLINGS — Kaycee Foran, a Rocky Mountain College junior from Forsyth and Grass Range, has been named RMC student employee of the year, and is a candidate for the Kaycee Foran Western Association of Student Employment Administrators (WASEA) student employee of the year award. Ms. Foran, who is majoring in the Master of Accountancy program, has several on-campus jobs, working with fund raising in the Development Office, as a tutor in the Service for Academic Success program, and assisting in the office of Dr. James I. McDowell, professor of business administration and economics. She organized the student volunteers for “Black Tie Blue Jeans,” RMC’s premier scholarship benefit, and serves as a student advisor to President Michael Mace. “No matter how small or large the task given to Kaycee, an excellent job will be done,” said Rusty Harper, RMC Vice President for Development. A recipient of the highly prized Cox Scholarship and Brown Scholarship, Kaycee’s major is designed to prepare students for careers in public, governmental, not-for-profit, or industrial accounting. She continues to be well known in her local community in the area of 4-H as she assists young people in their pursuit of knowledge about their sheep and horse projects. Ms. Foran is the daughter of Joe and Charlotte Foran of Grass Range.
Going downhill fast! RMC wins second national ski title
The accolades poured in, from Gov. Brian Schweitzer, senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester and congressman Denny Rehberg, but none was more heartfelt than the one from Rocky Mountain College President Michael Mace when he said he was so proud he “was grinning from ear to ear” after hearing RMC’s men’s ski team won its second national United States Collegiate Ski Association championship. Both the men’s first place team and the women’s fourth place team were welcomed home and saluted at a special reception March 23 in the Great Room of Prescott Hall. The reception also marked the 20th anniversary of the program. The Billings Gazette’s Bill Bighaus described the scene well when he wrote “Rocky Mountain College saluted its national championship men’s ski-racing team Friday afternoon with a reception in Prescott Hall’s appropriately named “Great Room.” RMC won at Winter Park, Colo., sweeping the giant slalom, slalom and combined standings
PHOTO/RMC senior Dave Shumway
in topping the 19school field March 10. Besides this year’s team title, A.J. Cronk, a junior from Boise, became the first Rocky skier to win an individual event at nationals. He placed first in the GS, while teammate Pete Petry, a junior from Red Lodge, was the runnerup in the slalom. Rocky’s 2007 national championship team also consisted of Scott Anderson, Kyle Kracht, Aaron Civitarese, Erik Willborg and Craig Murray. Only Anderson and Civitarese are seniors. Rocky’s men’s and
Above, A.J. Cronk, a junior from Boise, became the first Rocky skier to ever win an individual event at nationals, placing first in the Giant Slalom. RMC’s title got national attention when Ski Racing Magazine, left, in its latest edition, had a two-page spread detailing Rocky's championship, titled “Second To None.”
women’s teams have both qualified for nationals for six straight years. The Lady Bears were fourth this year after finishing second in 2006. The USCSA is the sports federation for collegiate ski racing, consisting of 150 colleges, including some major NCAA schools, from coast to coast. More than 3,800 men and women participate each year.
RMC mourns one of its best: Ralph Sappington The Billings Gazette carried the sad news Sunday: “Billings lost one of its strongest creative forces last week. Ralph Sappington, noted trumpet player, composer, teacher, community volunteer and lover of jazz, died Saturday after suffering a massive stroke Monday. He was 55.” Sappington held a special place in the hearts of many at Rocky Mountain College. Among the projects he was working on when he died was collecting instruments to take to South Africa to donate to children there. He would accompany RMC music students on the trip. Before moving to Billings, Ralph had an impressive career performing and recording with the Righteous Brothers, The
Temptations and the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Once here, he served in several churches in music ministry, including a decade at American Lutheran, and was most recently a music
director at First United Methodist Church. Last fall, Ralph honored his jazz band students at Rocky Mountain College by composing a piece of music for each of them. Services for Sappington were held Wednesday at First United Methodist Church. A tribute concert will be held some time in the future to help defray medical expenses, friends said. Also a memorial fund has been established because the Sappingtons did not have medical insurance: Ralph Sappington Memorial Fund, c/o First Interstate Bank, 401 N. 31st St., Billings Mont. 59101. For the complete tribute to Sappington in The Billings Gazette, go to www.rocky.edu.
Memorial trees honor friends, colleagues and special events
equipment, new wells for watering, A tradition at Rocky Mountain College campus directional signs that comthat adds beauty to the campus and estabplement the historic buildings, and lishes a living memory for friends, colother maintenance needs, explained leagues and special events is the planting of Shari VanDelinder, RMC director trees. The greening of RMC is made possiof special projects. ble by the generosity of individuals as well “It expands and continues the traas groups who want to honor special people or commemorate special events. dition of making this the most Recently, for example, a tree was planted beautiful campus possible, said in memory of longtime retired RMC profesVanDelinder. sor Bob Lyon, who was an avid supporter of Typical of responses was a check RMC’s speech and debate program after he for $250 from Phillip Key who retired. Family and friends of Lyon gathered wrote that “We appreciate being to celebrate his legacy, reading limericks able to walk our dogs on the beautiand sharing memories. ful campus grounds (We do clean Another recent tree planting honored up after them).” recent RMC graduate Roger Ntakirutinka, Juergen, Mindy, Pieter, Zander 28, from Rwanda, who died in a plane crash and Maddie Bach wrote “My famiin October. The tree planting was organized ly and I live right across the street. PHOTO/ED STICKNEY by the RMC Facilities Services, where Give us a call or email us when you Alice Lyon and son, Jason, are joined by friends and colNtakirutinka worked for three years while a leagues when they planted a tree in memory of former RMC need some help with special projProfessor Bob Lyon. student. Ntakirutinka was also active with ects.” the RMC Institute for Peace Studies. Those kind of responses and the Trees are not always planted after someone has died. Current more than $4,300 in contributions in two weeks demonstrated what librarian, Bill Kehler, had a tree planted in his honor by his colgood neighbors Rocky has and that they appreciate what the campus leagues, members of the Montana Association of Librarians. And offers, Van Delinder concluded. Van Delinder said Rocky is proud trees have been planted in celebration of Earth Day. of the area it is located in where homes, lawns and gardens are well It’s all part of the campus beautification project begun in ernest maintained and show pride in the neighborhood. Realtors have menwith generous donations from Dr. Charles and Patricia Morledge. tioned that Rocky’s campus also contributes to increased property Because Rocky’s beautiful and spacious campus is used for walkvalues in the area. ing, bicycling, and jogging by many people who live nearby, and For information about how to help with the ongoing beautification because the campus requires vigilant maintenance to make it attracproject, please contact Shari VanDelinder, 657-1173 or tive to all its users, RMC recently asked for help to pay for mowing vandelis@rocky.edu.
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