Chadron State College: A century of progress
The Panhandle’s only four-year college marks its 100th anniversary
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2 CHADRON STATE COLLEGE
Chadron State proud of ties to region By Janie C. Park, President Chadron State College
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s president of Chadron State College, I am thankful for the opportunity to thank the people of the Panhandle for their important role in our institution’s first 100 years. I’m also grateful to the Scottsbluff Star-Herald for commemorating the institution’s monumental occasion with this special section. From the first 111 people who enrolled in northwest Nebraska’s new educational adventure in 1911, Chadron State has grown to an expansive campus with nearly 3,000 students, 70 programs of
study and more than 20 buildings. Our vibrant institution and its strong academic offerings are accentuated by a highly competitive NCAA Division II sports program, top-notch offerings for the arts, an active residence life program and 65 clubs and organizations. A wide array of shows, speakers and other activities keep the campus lively. The success hasn’t happened exclusively on our own merits, of course. It is the result of visionaries from the 1800s and the thousands of faculty, staff, students and other community members who have worked hard to ensure an educated citizenry in this region. Partner-
ships, such as those with Western Nebraska and Mid Plains Community Colleges, primary and secondary schools, and businesses and organizations throughout the region, have helped us prepare generations of professionals and community leaders. The Nebraska Panhandle is inhabited by outstanding communities of proud people. It gives those of us at CSC a good feeling to think communities throughout the region are better served by Chadron State graduates who have become teachers, doctors, policemen and countless other professionals. Chadron State is proud
Chadron State College presidential history Name, years Joseph Sparks, 1911-1916 Robert I. Elliott, April 1916-April 1, 1940 E.L. Rouse, acting president, 1939-41 Wiley G. Brooks, May 1941-June1954 Barton L. Kline, July 1954-Aug. 1961 F. Clark Elkins, July 1961-Jan. 1966 Edwin C. Nelson, Feb. 1967-Oct. 1973 Larry A. Tangeman, Nov. 1973-June 1975 Edwin C. Nelson, July 1975-Aug. 1986 Samuel H, Rankin, Sept. 1986-June 1998 Thomas L. Krepel, Nov. 1998-June 2005 Janie C. Park, August 2005-
Length of service 5 years 24 years 14 months 13 years 7 years 5 years, 7 months 6 years, 9 months 1 year, 8 months 11 years, 2 months 11 years, 10 months. *7 years
Notes: E.L. Rouse served as acting president for 14 months, a part of the time while Elliott was ailing and for about a year after Elliott resigned. Larry Tangeman served as president while Edwin Nelson was serving as the executive director of the Board of Trustees of the Nebraska State College. Edwin Nelson was president a total of 17 years, 11 months. He was the college dean for 5 years, 5 months prior to serving his first stint as the college president. Thomas Krepel served as interim president for four months before he was appointed to the position permanently in November 1998 *includes four months as interim president.
to be western Nebraska’s four-year institution of higher learning, and the faculty and staff looks forward to continue serving the educational needs of the region in its next 100 years. As exciting new advancements in technology continue to take Chadron State’s mission of quality and access to new places, service to our immediate region will continue to be our most prominent goal. Our western heritage serves us well, and we must never neglect our duty to serve this region. If you haven’t been to the campus recently, please accept my invitation for a visit. A wide array of activities have been planned to celebrate CSC’s
Photo by Daniel Binkard/Chadron State College
Dr. Janie Park welcomes the candidates and their guests at Chadron State College’s spring 2009 undergraduate commencement May 9.
first 100 years, most notably this year’s homecoming celebration Oct. 1. It’s
an exciting time to visit CSC, and it’s an exciting time to be an Eagle.
CHADRON STATE COLLEGE 3
Chadron State College Administration Stan Carpenter Chancellor, Nebraska State College System Carpenter leads the three colleges of the Nebraska State College System – Chadron State College, Peru State College and Wayne State College. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Education Degree from the University of Cincinnati. He also earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University. He has been at the helm of the system for the past 11 years.
Janie C. Park President Park is responsible for the administration of Chadron State College. She has a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Baylor University in 1968, a master’s degree in 1979 and a doctoral degree in 1983 in cell and molecular biology from Florida Institute of Te c h n o l o g y. P a r k , who is Chadron State’s 10th president and the first woman to lead the campus, began her duties in August 2005.
Dale Grant Vice President for Administration and Finance Grant’s duties include supervision of building construction, maintenance and repair, custodial services, financial services, information technology services, food services, bookstore services, insurance and risk management, environmental control and human resources. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from Chadron State 1994 and a Certified
Public Accounting license in 1996. He has been employed at Chadron State since July 1998.
Randy Rhine Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Services Rhine’s duties include supervision of admissions, financial aid, college relations, housing, counseling, health services, student activities, Trio programs, and services for career and academic planning. Rhine earned all three of his degrees from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He came to Chadron State in December 2005.
Lois Veath Vice President for Academic Affairs Veath is the chief academic officer for the college and oversees all academic programs in Chadron State’s three schools. She earned a Ph.D. in science education from the University of Wyoming in 1988. Veath is a past Nebraska State College System teacher of the year award recipient who has been employed at Chadron State since September 1980.
administration from Oklahoma State University in 1984. She also earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Kansas State University in 1971 and a Master of Science from Oklahoma State University in 1979, both in home economics education. She came to Chadron State in August 1979.
Charles Snare Dean of Liberal Arts Snare is dean for the School of Liberal Arts, which consists of the departments of English and Humanities, Justice Studies, Music, Communications and Social Scie n c e s , a n d Vi s u a l and Performing Arts. He earned a Ph.D. in political science, with an emphasis in political psychology, from The Ohio State University in 1992.
He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Antioch College. Snare has been in his current post since August 2006.
Ann Burk Director of Information Technology Burk provides leadership and support for technology services. She graduated from Chadron State College with a Master of Arts degree in business in 1989 and a Bachelors of Arts degree in business and information systems in 1984. She has been employed at Chadron State since July 1984.
Continued on page 4
Margaret Crouse Dean of Education, Human Performance, Counseling, Psychology and Social Work C r o u s e ’s s c h o o l consists of academic programs in health, physical education and recreation; graduate studies; education; counseling; psychology and social work. She also oversees the operation of the Nelson Physical Education Center. She earned a Ph.D. in home economic higher education
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4 CHADRON STATE COLLEGE Founders would be proud By CON MARSHALL CSC Information Officer
CHADRON — The founders of Chadron obviously placed great value on education. Just four years after the town sprang up when the railroad tracks across northern Nebraska reached the scenic White River Valley in 1885, funds were raised and a five-man delegation was appointed “to visit Lincoln and use their best endeavors to secure passage of the bill which provides for the establishment of a normal school in this city,” the Chadron Democrat reported. It was more than 20 years before those “endeavors” would bear fruit, but the persistence paid off in January 1910. That’s when seven members of the Nebraska Board of Education, after touring the community in horse-drawn sleds, selected it as the site for the fourth such institution in the state. Chadron State College was born and became the only four-year, fully-accredited institution of higher education in the western half of Nebraska. The first term opened in June 1911, but the school’s new building was not completed and the classes were at Chadron High School. The building, which became the center section of the block-long Administration Building, was finished by September and 248 students enrolled. From its humble beginnings, the college has grown into a comprehensive institution with an enrollment of approximately 2,800. It was founded as a teacher training institution, as “normal schools” were called then. Preparing teachers is still a major emphasis, but the college has more than 60 other undergraduate majors and endorsements, a strong pre-professional program, particularly in the health professions, and a thriving graduate program. The 281-acre campus is surrounded by a unique landscape that includes scenic buttes, pine forests, small streams, fertile cropland and grasslands. It contains 21 buildings with a replacement value of approximately $126 million. “Outside Magazine” has named Dawes County, where Chadron is located, one of the nation’s top 100 counties in which to live and “Sports Afield” has tabbed Chadron as one of the “Top 50 Sports Towns.” Chadron State’s motto for its centennial—A Century of Service—is much more than a sound bite. It is a fact. Through the years, the college has exerted great effort to make its programs highly accessible in its far-flung service area. Shortly after he became the college’s second president in 1916, Robert I. Elliott told the Board of Education that
“study centers were being organized in the territory and the instructors are always ready to spend their Saturdays in carrying on their work where 10 or more students get together to pursue one or more lines of study.” CSC faculty members also began taking courses off-campus on a weekly basis in the early 1940s to help teachers who neither had the time nor the resources to come to the campus. During the 1960s and into the ‘70s, many teachers who were seeking master’s degrees flocked to CSC to earn credit in night classes, but the roles were reversed in the mid-1970s, when Chadron State professors began traveling to area communities to teach night classes in several disciplines. In the 1990s, Chadron State became a national leader in distance learning, sending out some 250 courses annually via telephone, television and satellite connections. That number has decreased significantly the past few years because of newer technology. CSC began offering courses over the Internet in 1997 and in the fall of 2004 became the first college in the nation to have its entire math curriculum online. Students from every state and several foreign countries are now enrolled in the 161 courses that the college offers online. The Master of Business Administration Degree that is online has earned national recognition as a “best buy.” Despite the new methods of delivering courses, the college remains a bustling place. Its size permits opportunities for research and leadership that often are not available to undergraduates at larger institutions and there are 65 student organizations that provide extracurricular participation and service. The fine arts encourage students to develop their musical and artistic skills also provide outstanding entertainment. The Galaxy Series brings nationallyrecognized performers and speakers to the campus each year. The athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division II level and are members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Special features include the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center, the Coffee Cattlemen’s Gallery, the Eleanor Barbour Cook Geology Museum and the High Plains Wildlife Collection, a menagerie of taxidermy that was donated by Cabela’s. These developments and the accomplishments of many of the colleges’ 17,000 alums undoubtedly would make those persistent founders of more than 100 years ago proud.
Chadron State College Administration Continued from page 3
Terie Dawson Assistant Vice President Enrollment Management & Student Services/Institutional Research Officer Dawson coordinates data reporting for external agencies and assists with other campus reporting requests. She graduated from Chadron State with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration in 1987 and with a Master of Business Administration in 1994. She began her duties in May 1996, and also was on staff 19891995.
Brad Smith Director of Athletics Smith provides supervision for Chadron State’s athletics program, which competes in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference of NCAA Division II institutions. The program consists of four men’s sports and five women’s sports. As a football coach at Chadron State, Smith accumulated more wins than any other coach in school history. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University in 1972 and a master’s degree from Chadron State in 1973. He has been serving on the Chadron State staff continuously since March 1987.
Connie Rasmussen Executive Director of the Chadron State Foundation Rasmussen serves as the executive director of the Chadron State Foundation, which raises money and other support for the institution. She earned two degrees from Chadron State, a bachelor’s degree in 1975 and a master’s degree in 1987. She has been with the alumni and foundation office since 1992.
Steve Taylor Assistant Vice President for Extended Campus Programs Taylor is responsible for online and distance learning programs, international education, and interdisciplinary degree programs. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Denver in 1971 and a Master of Business Administration from Chadron State College in 1999. He has been employed at CSC since January 1995.
CHADRON STATE COLLEGE 5 Chadron State Foundation looking to achieving campaign goal By RICK WILLIS Scottsbluff Star-Herald Reporter
The Chadron State Foundation has six months to go until the completion of the first-ever comprehensive capital campaign, and Connie Rasmussen is still as enthused as when the campaign started. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s a wonderful way to engage with alumni and present opportunities to give to the school,” said Rasmussen, executive director of the Chadron State Foundation. “This campaign would not be successful without their support.” Rasmussen also said the Chadron State Foundation Board of Directors launched the Vision 2011 Campaign for CSF back in 2005. The campaign has been the focus of Rasmussen for the past four and a half years and is the first multi-million dollar campaign in the history of Chadron State College. The $11 million goal, once daunting, is fast approaching reality. The totals will be announced at the September 30 annual Trustee Dinner and Campaign Gala. Rasmussen added that part of the overall effort, the capital initiative of $4 million, is still not fully realized. The funds could be used to leverage an additional $14 million in state funds for construction for the capital projects. One capital project, The Rangeland Agriculture Center & Pavilion, is the lynchpin for connecting and expanding programs and degree offerings in this field of study. Because of its tradition and history and because of its unique geography, Chadron State College is committed to making its Rangeland and Agriculture program more accessible, betterequipped and higher profile. The other project calls for the current 23,000-square-foot Ross Armstrong Physical Education Building to be renovated and a 94,000-square-foot addition to be added to create the Events Center. The Events Center will serve as a “keystone facility” allowing many constituencies to utilize the space. “The capital projects are for Chadron, the state and the region,” Rasmussen said. “Both facilities will not only be used by Chadron State College but for area and regional events as well.” Vision 2011 has reconnected alumni and old friends. Some of the largest gifts in the history of the college have also been offered to the college. “We’ve received a gift from an alumni in Arizona for $847,000. Another, anony-
mous gift totaled $500,000,” Rasmussen said. “We have received the largest gifts through this campaign in the history of college, including a $1 million bequest from one estate.” All gifts, Rasmussen emphasized, are valued. The depth of loyalty and breadth of giving by alumni astounded consultants who were working with CSC. Robert (Butch) Hanlon, MD, chairman of the foundation’s board of directors, explained that CSC sees alumni and friends as “very special people.” “Their response to the challenges of this campaign have been nothing short of amazing,” Hanlon said. “Especially considering that the economic downturn occurred shortly after the initiation of the campaign.” Hanlon added that the reasons for alumni loyalty and dedication to the institution are many, but it’s the college itself that played a large role in the lives of those who attended. “The institution itself plays a role with the quality experience it provides in a home-like atmosphere,” Hanlon said. “But the Foundation staff and Alumni Office staff maintains constant contact with them. Contact is important for obvious reasons such as this campaign, but the contact goes beyond monetary concerns.” Hanlon said the sense of family is pervasive to the alumni group. Great relationships are formed during their years at CSC and new ones are developed as alumni gatherings are attended. “We established a 100-member National Leadership Council,” Rasmussen said. “All 100 people we contacted said ‘yes.’ That speaks highly of our alumni.” Rasmussen spent weeks crisscrossing the nation starting in 2007. Even though the recession hit at about the same time, an overwhelming majority of alumni she contacted were willing to make a gift. “Co-chairs of Vision 2011 Randy Bauer and Chad Emanual were especially easy to work with. This has been so rewarding working with Randy and Chad,” she said. “They believe so strongly in CSC. They are passionate about sharing their story.” Rasmussen also enjoyed watching the two men reconnect and work with alumni. Their perspective of what Chadron State did for them and listening to their stories and while engaging other alumni was especially meaningful, Rasmussen said. The college president, Dr. Janie Park was a driving force in the campaign, Rasmussen said.
Foundation Goals ■ To achieve the vision of the 2011 strategic plan drafted by Chadron State College, the Foundation is focused on three areas of need. ■ Capital Initiatives — $4 million Goal. If $4 million can be secured in charitable gifts, the opportunity exists for more than $14 million in state funding for two priority projects: The Events Center and The Rangeland Agriculture Center & Pavilion. ■ Endowment Initiatives — $5 million Goal. Gifts to endowed funds create permanent funding sources for the College. Annual payouts from endowed funds finance scholarships and student support. The donor establishes the criteria for the endowed fund. ■ Annual Fund — $2 million Goal. Annual fund revenues are charitable dollars raised each year and most often spent each year. Usually secured by direct mail, telephone drives and special event programs, these annual fund donations provide the Foundation the discretion to respond to different College needs on an annual basis. From 2007 to 2011 the Foundation will accept gifts on a five-year pledge schedule to meet these College initiatives. Deferred gifts will also be accepted as part of this historic campaign. “Dr. Janie Park traveled to most alumni visits as well, in addition to running the college,” Rasmussen said. “She put in an incredible number of hours. It is her
vision and her leadership that made this campaign possible. We would not, could not, have done this with out her leadership.”
Congratulations
Chadron State College . . . 100 Years in Higher Education!
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6 CHADRON STATE COLLEGE
Economic impact of college is far-reaching By RICK WILLIS Scottsbluff Star-Herald Reporter
The blueberry/cherry tarts had just come out of the oven at the Bean Broker, a coffeehouse/college hangout at Second and Chadron streets in downtown Chadron. The lunch specials of the day at the shop included a Russian mushroom soup. The door was locked at Ta-Da! Art Studios on Main, but Whitney Tewahade, a student at Chadron State College, would soon be in teaching art and quilting. Daylight Donuts recently celebrated 25 years of business and continues to expand its offerings to include espresso drinks, rolls and over 80 kinds of donuts. These are the type of businesses that thrive in a community that has the economic foundation of a college at work. It could be said that CSC is the economy as the largest employer in Dawes County. In April 2010, the Nebraska State College System Board of Trustees proposed that Chadron State College receive a budget of $35,260,011 for the 2010-11 school year. The majority of the NSCS dollars are spent for employee salaries and for purchasing services from regional businesses. But additional money spent in the community comes from the students and parents affiliated with the college. Students also receive more than $5 million from federal grants and loans that exceed students’ charges. Much of that is spent locally. That’s a huge shot in the arm for a town in the middle of the third poorest county in Nebraska. While some of the poverty data is skewed due to the number of students who don’t have an income, the area average income is still below the state average. The NSCS created an informal survey of the economic impact the three state colleges (Chadron State College,
Peru State College and Wayne State College) have on the regions they serve. The survey is conservative in nature and uses a standard 2.5 percent multiplier that other universities and colleges use in determining the effect of colleges and universities on their communities. A multiplier signifies the amount of times each dollar changes hands once spent. The entire system has a $273.4 million impact on the state’s economy. The Chadron State portion of the economic impact comes in at $96.5 million. Fiscal year expenditure information provided by CSC include: Compensation and benefits — $19,527,092; Contractual services — $1,236,011; Supplies and Materials — $3,126,605; Utilities — $1,280,967; Repairs and Maintenance — $397,562; Communications — $357,367; Food Service — $1,565,917; Other expenses — $1,820,599; Total operating expenses — $29,312,120; Non-operating expenses — $1,818,898. But the economic reach goes beyond year-to-year operating costs. Over the past five years, total construction projects have totaled $17,857,553. Over the next five years, current projected construction outlays will be in the $11 million range. With current capital fundraising events, the construction could increase the totals. The college gives to the community and the community supports the college. It’s been that way for 100 years. Dr. Janie Park, president of Chadron State College understands the significance of the college on the local community. “Chadron State College has a fundamental responsibility for engaging with the community of Chadron and the communities in the region we serve in such a way that both the college and the communities prosper together,” Park said.
A CHADRON FIRST Dr. Gretchen Glode Berggren, the first woman from Chadron State to go to medical school and also the only woman in her classes at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in the 1950s, is shown with one of her CSC science instructors, Minnie Lichte, while Dr. Berggren was back in her hometown to accept the college's honorary doctorate degree in 2000. Gretchen and her husband Warren, whom she met at the medical center, spent many years as medical missionaries in Africa. CSC photo
CHADRON STATE COLLEGE 7
CSC alumni making a difference in the Panhandle Willa Kosman, ‘88 On Friday nights, the Midwest Theater marquee flashes and can be seen all over the city of Scottsbluff. Willa Kosman, class of ’88, and former trustee of The Nebraska State College System, was one of those who helped organize Friends of the Midwest Theater and revitalize the building. “We wanted to make the Midwest a vital part of the community and region,” Kosman said. “We raised $1.3 million in grants and local money.” Kosman was a non-tradition student who wanted to finish her education. First Kosman car-pooled up to Chadron twice a week, then three times a week and finally finished with a seven-week block of teaching. Kosman graduated with a degree in
secondary education. “The degree was always a goal of mine I wanted to complete,” Kosman said. “Graduating, finishing the degree, gave me the confidence to go on and complete anything I wanted to do.” Colleen Busch, ‘97 Colleen Busch, class of ‘97, is a police officer and investigator for the Alliance Police Department. Originally from Iowa, Busch came to Chadron State after hearing wonderful things about the college from a community member. Busch was hired by Chadron Police Department only a few months after graduation, and graduated in the top of her class at the academy. “The Criminal Justice program made a huge difference in preparation for the workforce and police
academy,” Busch said. “They really pointed me in the right direction. I was a step ahead of other recruits for what required at the academy.” Busch said the education she received at Chadron State made her into a well-rounded individual. She gained knowledge in criminal justice but also about all aspects of life. Upon graduation, she stayed in the community. “I liked it there,” Busch said. “Liked the local environment as it was bigger than where I grew up. It had a smalltown feel.” Kent Halley ‘74 “If you don’t roll with the punches in education, you’ll never make it,” said Kent Halley, class of ’74. Halley has been superintendent of
Mitchell Public School district for 10 years. Halley had two stints at Chadron State, first as an undergrad and second as a dorm parent and graduate assistant. “Pam, (wife) and I went back with two real small children and were dorm parents,” Halley said. “It was one of those experiences at the time you think, ‘What in the world am I doing?’” Halley is closing in on close to 40 years in education and has a lifetime of experience to share for those considering attending Chadron State. “Take a look at what you want to do in life,” Halley said. “If you’re in a large urban area and want to experience a rural setting and quality Continued on page 9
Working together creates student success for CSC and WNCC By RICK WILLIS Scottsbluff Star-Herald Reporter
There’s chemistry between Chadron State College and Western Nebraska Community College. And biology and marketing and a host of other degree programs. Since 1976, CSC has had a formal agreement with WNCC helping students transition into a four-year degree program. “Chadron State College is our number one transfer institution,” said Todd Holcomb, president of WNCC. “We talk a lot between us about creating a seamless relationship between Chadron State and WNCC.” Steve Taylor, assistant vice president for extended campus programs at CSC, said the relationship began as part of CSC’s mission as the only fouryear institution in the western half of the state. “We have a responsibility to provide education service to 49 percent of the geographical area of the state.” Taylor said. “We’ve tried very hard to make the transfer process very seamless. WNCC offers several programs that are the same and allow students to complete general education requirements and come to us to finish degrees with upper
level courses.” The formal relationship with WNCC began with CSC sending faculty to WNCC to teach the criminal justice program. The success of that program led to expanded programming between the schools, Taylor said. There are now full-time office staff working in leased office space on the WNCC campus who work closely with advisors of WNCC to help students make the transition to CSC. “The (relationship) works very well,” Taylor said. “Our faculties meet together twice a year to discuss transfer issues.” Holcomb said as president of WNCC part of his job is to make sure there is a collaborate relationship between WNCC and CSC. “I am taking a look at strategic plans and long range forecast for WNCC and work to ensure the success of both entities,” Holcomb said. “I’m the Big Picture person working on new ideas and making sure things are being done together.” WNCC is the largest feeder program that sends students to CSC, but Taylor stressed that students who have completed degree programs have a choice in where they finish their degree. The reaching out to students at WNCC was
simply a CSC effort to fulfill the mission as directed by the legislature. The plan has worked for students who want to continue their education. “We’ve had a very long cooperative relationship,” Holcomb said. “Because we’ve worked together, it’s very easy to move to CSC as the college provides personal attention and small classes very similar to what we do here at WNCC.” The relationship has helped both institutions by developing opportunities for students. The staffs at both institutions continue to work together to develop new programs. “I’ve had excellent conversations with
Janie Parks and we’ve had a team working with them in tough economic times,” Holcomb said. “To work together helps accentuate the scarce resources we both have.” What both Taylor and Holcomb emphasized was service. The mission of both institutions is to provide education to the area they serve. “If our students are successful here that puts students back in the pipeline,” Holcomb said. “In our close partnership with CSC we want to make sure that both of us have success in helping students and they are succeeding in school.”
8 CHADRON STATE COLLEGE CSC leaves cultural imprint on community By RICK WILLIS Staff Reporter
The cultural impact of having a four-year higher educational facility cannot be underestimated. The citizens of Chadron and Chadron State College have been supporting one another’s endeavors for 100 years. “It’s so much more than spending,” said Deb Cottier, executive director of Nebraska Northwest Development Corporation. “We can’t overstate the college’s importance. The fabric of the community is what it is because of the college’s location. It’s a pretty intertwined economy.” But there’s more than an economic connection between the town and the college. Professors, administration, students and staff serve on local boards, volunteer in the community and provide a labor
force for prospective companies. “In marketing our community, the college is featured on the top of the list,” Cottier said. “People see a college town as the face of the community.” Cottier said that cultural activities, concerts, theater, historical presentations and regionally sponsored events bring many people into the community. Cottier said the community supports the college, but the college supports the community as well, in many ways. When Box Butte hospital needed some extra muscle, the football and basketball coaches rounded up their teams and helped move equipment into the new hospital facility. When a community organization needs a room, the Chadron State lets the organization have one. The Interna-
tional Food Tasting Party, put on by the CSC International Club, sells out each year. “We try to turn Chadron into their hometown,” said Collette Fernandez, executive director of the Chadron Chamber of Commerce and dorm parent. “There’s a whole new energy when school starts in the fall.” Fernandez said that local businesses and organizations go up each fall to the Student Center and invite them into the town. Students volunteer with commodity food drives, judging FFA events and the White Buffalo Pow Wow. Cottier said the atmosphere of education the College offers to the community is invaluable. The area places higher expectations of its public education system and places a higher priority on getting a good education. And that is precisely what Chadron State
CSC photo
Students perform a cultural dance at the International Food Tasting Party.
College delivers. “Chadron has a higher education level than the state av-
Star-Herald Staff CSC Alumni: (front row) William Weibert, Kelly Zwetzig, Dalene Louden & Cody Wallesen (back row) Roger Holsinger, Doug Southard & Jeremy Woznick
erage,” Cottier said. “The impact of what they deliver cannot be measured.”
CHADRON STATE COLLEGE 9 SCHOOL GROWN
CSC alumni making a difference in the Panhandle Continued from page 7 education, Chadron State is still one of the best four-year institutions you could attend.” When he and Pam were at Chadron, what was the name of the dorm? Why Kent Hall of course. John Harms, ‘62 No one will say John Harms, Ph.D., class of ’62, state senator and past-president of Western Nebraska Community College, isn’t a tireless worker. It is in Western Nebraska that Harms worked for the majority of his career and here that he wanted to make his contribution to society. But, there was one point when Harms was ready to pack it in. He was going to quit Chadron State College. “I was a sophomore in college and I saw no advantage to going back to school,” Harms said. “All my friends had cars and every penny of mine was going to college.” Harms stopped in to see Ross Armstrong, Dean of Men, and gave him notice of quitting school. That summer, Armstrong visited Harms’ parents several times and told them that Harms needed to be in school. “He saw something in me that he did not want to see lost,” Harms said. “After I got back in, I put my nose to the grindstone to get through it.” Harms said the advantage of a small school is that students tend to get a lot of individual help. The college today, like yesterday, will come and get a student who might be lost. “It’s like a small family; sometimes they even know your family,” Harms said. “You get a caring faculty with the right qualifications to teach you.” Brandi Chytka, 2002 Brandi Chytka, DVM, class of ‘02, was turned down for her first two name choices of her mixed animal veterinary practice in Oshkosh. The third, Oshkosh Animal Repair, was accepted. “The first two names were conventional but were taken,” Chytka said. “Someone joked that animal repair is basically what I do, so I submitted that name as well.” Chytka, originally from Hemingford, attended CSC for several reasons. CSC offered the best deal for scholarships; her fourth year of college would be considered
her first year at a veterinary program; and the college was only 45 minutes away from home. “I am close to my parents,” Chytka said. “There was no homesickness.” Chytka graduated in the top 10 percent of her class at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and said that classes at CSC helped her to develop study habits. She spent some time at a practice in Jackson Hole, Wyo., but wanting a different, more homelike atmosphere, moved to Oshkosh to open her own practice. She hired a vet technician, Katie Epp, and is offering the community an option for animal health. “The people in the community have bent over backward to be nice,” Chytka said. “I’d like to think I’m having a positive effect here.” CSC photo
Eddie Guzman ‘56 Eddie Guzman, born and raised in Scottsbluff, would have to be called an educator as much as he would a teacher. Since 1992, when Guzman retired from teaching, he has been the director of the Scotts Bluff County General Assistance program. “I meet a lot of people,” Guzman said. “I like to talk.” Guzman attended Chadron State College for a year after he left the Air Force, went back in the service and knocked around at a couple colleges before finishing his degree at CSC with a BS in science. Guzman taught in Boelus and Farwell before moving back to the Panhandle. He went back to CSC to get 12 more class hours so he could teach Spanish at the New High School in Kimball. He commuted to Kimball for six years in a tiny Volkswagon. Guzman has touched many in the community teaching at Minatare, Scottsbluff, Gering, Lyman, Morrill, Cedar Canyon and Western Nebraska Community College. But as principal of Minatare High School he decided to take a new direction as the director of the Scotts Bluff County Welfare Office, the precursor to Health and Human Services. Guzman remains now, as he was at school systems, a teacher, coach and educator, in the community in which he was brought up.
One way to make sure the cafeteria served good food is to grow your own and have the coeds tend the garden. That's exactly what was taking place at Nebraska State Normal soon after the school was opened.
Congratulations... Chadron State College for 100 great years promoting the Panhandle.
Making Farming Easier
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10 CHADRON STATE COLLEGE
Chadron State has special landmark By CON MARSHALL CSC Information Officer
CHADRON — For more than 85 years, Chadron State College has had a special landmark. The C that is located on the hillside to the south of the campus and overlooks Chadron’s Main Street, was placed there in 1924. The huge concrete letter was the brainchild of T.A.F. Williams, a college mathematics professor at the time and later the registrar. The story is told that to make sure the letter would be attractive and properly proportioned, Williams and his wife strung muslin along the outlines of the C and walked downtown to take a look before the concrete was poured. The C is big. It is approximately 80 feet long and four feet wide. The top and bottom of the C extend more than 20 feet to the west. Altogether, the C has 334 linear feet of concrete. For many years, it was a tradition that freshmen would repaint the C shortly after they arrived on campus. Observers noted that often more paint wound up on the students than was applied to the concrete. In recent years, students in the Project Strive/TRiO program at CSC have spent several hours on a Saturday cleaning and repainting the C so it will sparkle for spring commencement. The students applied 35 gallons of paint in the spring of 2007. C Hill is featured in a book, “Hillside Letters, A to Z—A Guide to Hometown Landmarks,” written by Evelyn Corning of Arizona and published by Mountain Press Publishing of Missoula, Mont., in early 2007. While Corning found that about 400 similar letters have been planted to overlook schools and towns in the United States, she wrote that the C is the only one of its type in Nebraska. The C withstood a stern test in the summer of 2006 when the devastating wildfire roared over the hill from the south and burned to the edge of the campus a few 100 yards below. The next morning, the trees and grass on the hill had been blackened, but the C was still a bright white.
CSC photo
Campus scene C-Hill 1987.
The outcome gave new meaning to a verse written about the landmark years ago: Men will come and men will pass. Class will follow class. But the C will remain in any event. Because it’s made of Portland Cement.
CHADRON STATE COLLEGE 11
Cabela’s contributed wildlife menagerie By CON MARSHALL CSC Information Officer
CHADRON — Chadron State received a nice surprise in the fall of 2009 when Cabela’s, the Sidneybased company that is the world’s foremost outfitter, delivered two semi-truck loads of taxidermy to the college. Included were 65 animals, including full body mounts of many large creatures such as moose, elk, African lions, mountain lions, caribou, grizzly bears, zebras and deer. Cabela’s, which has numerous Chadron State graduates on its staff, made the contribution after the college inquired about the availability of one mount to be used in a course for the wildlife management program. Mark Dowse, taxidermy product manager for Cabela’s, said the letter arrived at the right time. He said the donated animals were in storage, awaiting display in new stores. Howe v e r, w h e n t h e w e a k e c o n o m y prompted the company to curtail its retail expansion, Cabela’s made the donation. “This gave us an opportunity to reduce our inventory and gives Chadron State a great learning tool,” Dowse said. Officially called the High Plains Wildlife Collection, the menagerie is located in the Burkhiser Technology Center, and is a great academic resource that would be impossible for a college to acquire except through such a contribution, according to Dr. Teresa Zimmerman, who is the head of the CSC wildlife management program. The display also drew more than 2,000 visitors during its first year on campus. Zimmerman added that Dr. Ron Weedon, who had taught science courses at Chadron State for 39 years before dying unexpectedly last spring, provided outstanding assistance by purchasing placards for many of the head and shoulder mounts so they could be displayed on walls. Weedon also paid for the taxidermy of several special species that were added to the collection, Zimmerman said.
CSC photo
Dr. Teresa Zimmerman and students in one of her wildlife management courses at Chadron State College are shown in a classroom that contains a number of the animals that were donated to the college by Cabela’s. The display is used for both instructional purposes and for visitors to observe.
Courtesy photo
Two semi-truck loads of taxidermy were donated and shipped from the Cabela’s corporate headquarters in Sidney to the college’s Burkhiser Complex on October 5-6, 2010. Included in the shipments were full body mounts of many large animals, such as moose, elk, African lion, mountain lion, caribou, grizzly bear, zebra and deer.
12 CHADRON STATE COLLEGE Chadron State has strong range management program By CON MARSHALL CSC Information Officer
CHADRON — Because of its location in the midst of what is arguably the best ranchland in the world, it is only fitting that Chadron State College has developed a strong rangeland management program during the last two decades. The program is definitely popular with students. Dr. Chuck Butterfield, who leads the program, said CSC has 114 range management majors, believed to be more than any other college or university in the nation since Texas A&M added forestry and natural resources majors that drew away some of its range majors. “We attract a lot of students from the region who plan to go back to the family ranch,” Butterfield said. “We also have students who come here to study range because they have ranch backgrounds, love the outdoors and want to be involved in protecting our natural resources. They are now working for various organizations and agencies from North Dakota to Texas and on out into Nevada and California.” Butterfield gives his students the opportunity to do special things. In 2008, he and CSC dean Charles Snare led nine students on a weeklong trip to Alaska to help with the Iditarod. Early this past January, he accompanied 10 students on a twoweek trip to Argentina. With Argentine native and CSC graduate assistant Eloisa Oporto-Leiva serving as the guide, the CSC group rented a bus and traveled about 10,000 miles, checking out the agriculture and wildlife management there. Agriculture has been a staple in the curriculum during much of the college’s 100year history. Range management became the program’s mainstay shortly after Dr. Jim O’Rourke joined the faculty in 1988. He had spent the previous eight years working as a range specialist in Africa, but both of his parents were CSC graduates and he eagerly accepted the chance to work at their alma mater. Both O’Rourke and Butterfield have been leaders in rangeland activities. O’Rourke was president of the Nebraska Section of the Society of Range Management in 1994 and was president of the national organization 2000-01. In 2003, he was elected president of the International Rangeland Congress and led the organization’s meeting in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, a province in north-central China, in 2008. Because of health issues with those who were supposed to replace him, he also was in charge of the international convention
in Argentina in early April this year. O’Rourke, who retired from full-time teaching in 2002 to take care of the leadership duties, received the Society of Range Management’s Fellow Award and its Undergraduate Teaching Award, both in 1998. Butterfield has been on the Chadron State faculty since 1999. He was president of the Nebraska SRM 2005-06 and has missed just two national meetings since joining the society in 1979. While he was attending the University of Wyoming, Butterfield was president of the SMR’s Student Conclave and was an advisor of the group throughout his tenure at Chadron State until 2009. He also was president of the society’s Range Science Education Council in 2002 and received the SMR’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Academia/Research in 2008 and its Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2010. Butterfield led the way in adding a wildlife management minor to the rangeland program in 2003, giving students another option to get hands-on experiences in the outdoors. The Nebraska Chapter of the Wildlife Society presented Butterfield with its Career Service Award in 2006. Dr. Teresa Zimmerman joined the CSC faculty in 2008 to teach many of the wildlife courses and is now on the Nebraska Wildlife Society’s board of directors. Another CSC faculty member, Dr. Georgia Younglove, primarily teaches animal science courses. She was president of the SRM’s Range Science Council in 2009 and also was national senior advisor for the American Pre-Veterinary Medicine Association in 2005. Both Younglove and Butterfield have received the college’s Teaching Excellence Award, which goes to only one faculty member annually. A number of CSC students also have assumed leadership roles and won high honors in the rangeland society. At least a half dozen of them have been elected national officers, including Chad Feik of Hastings and Michelle Miller of Bayard, who served as presidents. In 2009, a Chadron State team won the Rangeland Cup awarded by the SRM by topping 14 other teams in competition that tests problem solving and communication skills in range ecology and management. The CSC team finished third in this year’s competition. While the range management program has flourished, there’s also lots of excitement about the future. Plans have been
CSC photo
Students on their weeklong trip to Alaska to help with the Iditarod in 2008.
drawn for a 33,600-square foot Rangeland Agricultural Center and Pavilion to be constructed on the southeast corner of the campus. It will provide laboratories and classrooms plus a facility for rodeo practices, agricultural exhibitions and other
large-group activities. The CSC Foundation is seeking to raise $2 million in private support to leverage a $3.5 million appropriation from the Nebraska Legislature to build the $5.5 million facility.
CHADRON STATE COLLEGE 13
CSC criminal justice tours date back to 1977 By CON MARSHALL CSC Information Officer
CHADRON — Criminal justice has been one of the most popular and most visible programs at Chadron State College almost ever since it was founded in the early 1970s. It got its start through a federal grant that the college received during the era when emphasis was placed on providing more training and education for law enforcement personnel. The college has had up to 190 majors in the program several semesters. The department also includes a strong justice studies program that has been the basis for many CSC graduates who have gone on to law school. Although criminal justice was off to a strong start when Bridgeport native George Watson joined the CSC faculty in 1976 shortly after he had graduated from the University of Nebraska Law School, he was the leader in taking it to new heights. In the summer of 1977, less than a year after Watson had arrived at Chadron State, he and his wife Kit and 17 CSC students went to England, France, Switzerland and West Germany for three weeks to check out the law enforcement and judicial systems in those countries. The trip was so successful that it became an annual event, although it was eventually limited to the London area for two weeks. A CSC group has made the trip, officially known as the Comparative Criminal Justice Tour, each year since 1977 except in 1982 when bombings in London forced a change in plans. That year, Watson took the students to Washington, D.C., New York and Quebec. The London trips include visits to the Old Bailey crown courts where some of the England’s relatively few murder trials take place; Wormwood Scrubs, a high security prison; Holloway, a women’s prison; the Herndon Police Training Academy; and the London Metropolitan Police Training Headquarters. The students also take the “Jack the Ripper” tour through the heart of London. Other highlights include going to No. 10 Downing Street, the home of the prime ministers, Oxford and Cambridge Universities, Stratford-UponAvon where Shakespeare was born, and to Warwick Castle, which dates
Photo by Daniel Binkard/Chadron State College
Chuck Elley, a trooper with the Nebraska State Patrol, discusses the anatomy of a vehicle rollover with incoming freshmen majoring in criminal justice at Chadron State College. Elley's demonstration was part of CSC's new student orientation program. Matt Crider, a criminal justice major from Hesperia, Calif., who is interning with Elley, helped organize the demonstration.
back to the 11th century. The Chadron State program suffered a huge setback last June 26 when Watson died of pancreatic cancer at age 60. He was among CSC’s most-revered and most-honored professors. He was the first recipient of the Nebraska State College System’s Teaching Excellence Award in 1987, was named the Nebraska Police Chiefs Association’s Outstanding Law Enforcement Educator in 1993, served two terms on the Nebraska Police Standards Advisory Council, was appointed to the Nebraska Crime Commission by two governors and was among 30 members of the Class of Fellows honored by the Nebraska Bar Foundation in 2007. Despite Watson’s passing, the trips to London are continuing. Two of the department’s professors, Dr. Tracy Nobiling and Dr. Jamie Wada, and 15 students will leave the campus on Monday, May 9, two days after com-
mencement, for this year’s tour. This will be the 11th trip for Nobiling. “We’re trying our best to carry on the program that George had built,” said Nobiling. “The London trips are always a highlight. While we go to many of the same places each year, there’s nearly always something new. For instance, last year we were inside
the gates and got to stand on the steps of Buckingham Palace, where the queen often stands, during the changing of the guard.” The criminal justice entourage will be joined on the trip by about 25 CSC students who are business or education majors and several faculty members from those programs.
CHADRON STATE COLLEGE 15 Rural Nebraska has benefited from RHOP partnership By CON MARSHALL CSC Information Officer
CHADRON — As Chadron State president Sam Rankin arrived at his office in the Administration Building early one morning in the fall of 1989, his secretary, Emily Klein, told him an official from the University of Nebraska Medical Center was on the phone. The caller was Dr. William Berndt, vice chancellor of academic affairs. He told Rankin that UNMC was not getting enough students from rural colleges and a shortage of doctors and other health care professionals was becoming critical in rural Nebraska. Berndt explained that students who had grown up in rural communities were most likely to return to those areas to practice. Would Chadron State be interested in forming a partnership in which some of its top students would be guaranteed a place at the med center if they would agree to return to rural Nebraska after they had completed their training? “Of course, I was pleased and proud that he had called us,” Rankin recalled in 2005 when he was a Board of Trustees history professor at CSC. “He asked when I could meet with him to talk about it some more. I was checking my calendar to see when I could get to Omaha when he said he could fly to Chadron that day. He did that, we ironed out the details, got the approval from our boards and had an agreement that was ready to sign within a month.” What became known as the Rural Health Opportunities Program permits capable Chadron State freshmen interested in going to medical school to have a spot reserved at UNMC’s College of Medicine as long as their grades at CSC were satisfactory and they had an interest in practicing in rural Nebraska. The program received strong support when it was announced. The Omaha World-Herald concluded an editorial in late October by saying: “Chadron State College and the Medical Center deserve congratulations for their efforts to solve a significant problem that affects the quality of life in rural areas with an innovative idea.” Initially, it was announced that five students would be accepted into the program beginning in the fall of 1990.
They would study at Chadron State for three years and then attend UNMC for three years. In January 1990, the University of Nebraska College of Dentistry located in Lincoln, and CSC established a similar program to involve two students annually. By mid-March, UNMC’s School of Allied Health Professions, made up of 10 separate specialties, said it also wanted to become involved, starting in the fall of 1991. Response to the program by high school students was outstanding. More than 30 students applied for the five openings for physicians, but since so many were strong academically, 11 were selected to begin their training at CSC that fall. A three-year, $350,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support the medical technology and physician assistant training was a boon to the program. CSC used its share to purchase equipment and add support personnel. In addition, Western Pathology Consultants in Scottsbluff provided two $2,500 scholarships annually for five years to CSC students who were admitted to the School of Allied Health Professions at UNMC. The program grew rapidly. Dr. Ted Davis, dean of the School of Math and Science at CSC, said in the fall of 1991 that 53 students were in RHOP and the number of other students training for the health professions had more than doubled in the past two years. Just a year later, Davis said the number of students preparing for the health professions had increased to 250. RHOP eventually expanded into nine components with dental hygiene, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy and radiography added to the early list. While some adjustments to the program were made so the students in the physician and dental phases attended Chadron State four years instead of three and those in physical therapy were at CSC three years instead of two, the program received many plaudits and a vast majority of the students from the college succeeded at UNMC. In January 1999, shortly after became the new chancellor at UNMC, Dr. Harold M. Maurer gave RHOP a ringing endorsement while visiting Chadron State. “We’ve had people all across the state tell us how well it’s working,”
CSC photo
Keri Byczkowski, Aaron Bauer and Dr. Twila Fickel study an X-ray in the Math & Science Building’s gross anatomy lab.
Maurer said. “The RHOP students from CSC have done very well in their advanced training. Most of them are staying in primary care and almost all of our RHOP graduates have gone back to rural communities in Nebraska.” When he retired in 2000, Davis said being involved in the development of RHOP was the highlight of his 16 years at Chadron State. Davis noted that since “Chadron State is about as rural as you can get,” it was natural that UNMC had asked CSC to become involved when it wanted to begin solving the shortage of health care professionals in the rural areas. “But if we hadn’t had a strong science program, we wouldn’t have been asked to become involved,” Davis said. He gave much of the credit for having the coursework in place to make the program succeed when UNMC invited Chadron State to participate to the late Dr. Jay Druecker, professor of biology and long-time adviser to students in the health professions. During the 1977-78 school year, long
before RHOP was begun, Druecker took a sabbatical from his duties at CSC and enrolled in anatomy and pathology courses for credit at UNMC. He was already teaching those courses, but felt he needed a stronger academic background in them. Druecker’s successors have continued to keep the program strong. Information provided by the Medical Center shows that 271 students who were RHOP students from Chadron State had graduated from UNMC through the end of 2010. They included 51 physicians, 54 physician assistants, 47 physical therapists, 29 pharmacists, 23 dentists, 31 in clinical lab science, 14 in radiography, 12 in dental hygiene and 10 in nursing. About 60 others who have attended Chadron State are continuing their training at UNMC and nearly 70 students who had been accepted into the program are currently enrolled at CSC. Since the RHOP program began, 71 percent of the graduates have practiced in a rural community at some point in their careers.
16 CHADRON STATE COLLEGE
Coffee Gallery at CSC tells story of ranching By CON MARSHALL CSC Information Officer
CHADRON — Tucked away in the basement of the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center at Chadron State College is the Col. C.F. Coffee Cattlemen’s Gallery. The gallery is dedicated to preserving the history of the region’s ranching industry dating back to days of the trail drives and when the huge ranches that were formed more than 100 years ago. Col. Coffee was deeply involved in both of these experiences as he had helped bring longhorns from Texas to fresh pastures in Wyoming and Nebraska and then established some of the first ranches in eastern Wyoming and Sioux County. The gallery was founded by Col. Coffee’s grandson, Bill Coffee, and his wife, Virginia, of Harrison. They were joined in the development by long-time Sheridan County ranchers Charles and Barb Marcy and the First National Bank of Chadron, which the Coffee family owned
and operated from 1900 until 1975. The gallery opened in November 2007 during the Cowboy Poetry Gathering and Western Art Show on campus. It has become a well-appointed facility that provides much information about the area’s primary industry. For example, there’s a replica of a bunk house where cowboys slept more than a century ago, maps of the trails, numerous photos, a history of brands, a display of the role of women in cattle country and models of the equipment used on ranches when horses were still used to pull wagons, put up hay and feed cattle. Both Bill Coffee and Charles Marcy have died since the idea for opening the gallery originated, but their wives are heavily involved in helping it reach its potential. A big boost came recently when a wealth of material that was in the Nebraska Stock Growers Association office in Alliance was turned over to gallery personnel. Barb Marcy is still sorting through the items, making sure that nothing of value is lost. “We’re interested in anything that in-
CSC photo
C. F. Coffee Gallery
volves the founding and the survival of the ranching industry,” Marcy said. Virginia Coffee urges ranch families to write their stories and give the gallery a copy. Dozens of interviews with people
who have been connected with the cattle industry in one form or another have been recorded and more interviews are sought so they can be preserved electronically for future generations.
WNCC congratulates Chadron State College on a century of service! Andrew Hunzeker WNCC ’08 A.A. in Business Administration CSC ’11 B.A.
WNCC Admissions Intern
WNCC proudly partners with CSC to provide quality education to western Nebraska.
wncc.edu 800.348.4435
CHADRON STATE COLLEGE 17 CSC reduces energy costs by burning wood chips By CON MARSHALL CSC Information Officer
Rising energy costs are a major concern in America, but they aren’t as big a threat for Chadron State College because wood chips from the surrounding Ponderosa pine forests are used to both heat and cool most of the buildings on campus. The college’s administration estimates that it saved $450,000 in 2010 by burning wood chips instead of using natural gas full-time. The savings amounts to about 60 percent of what the college would otherwise spend to heat and cool its buildings. It will be 20 years ago this fall that the wood-fired boiler went into operation. College officials were already seeking ways to use “hog-fuel,” or waste such as bark and wood chips from logging operations in the area, when the state designated that $1 million from energy overcharge funds that the Exxon Corp. was forced to return to the state would go to Chadron State. The construction of an addition to the heating plant to accommodate the new boilers was completed in time to heat most of the buildings on campus by the fall of 1991. It was the first of its kind in the state. Eventually, 22 major buildings were connected to the system. From the start, the boilers also heated the water used on campus. Payback from the initial phase of the project was seven years. The Environmental Protection Agency has made sure the system is safe and clean. A major upgrade occurred in 2005, when a $1.4 million absorption chiller was added so the system could also air-condition eight buildings by burning wood chips in the summer. The work included an addition to the boiler plant for the chiller and placing two 10-inch pipes in the tunnels that run through the middle of the campus. Water is pumped through one pipe and returned to the plant in the other pipe. Since the project was initially completed, three more buildings are being air-conditioned by the chiller. Hahn Forest Products, which has held the contract to supply the wood chips from the start, provides about 8,500 tons annually. The college uses about 35 tons daily during the winter while a record 48 tons was burned on
CSC photo
Dewayne Gimeson holds wood chips at the wood chip storage area before C-Hill.
the coldest day. The system is backed by natural gas, which kicks in when temperatures dip below zero degrees. For about 18 months after the fires in the summer of 2006 that burned thousands of acres of trees in Dawes and Sioux counties, chips from the badly charred trees were used at CSC. Both before and since then, the chips have come from the refuse of logging or timber thinning projects. John Hahn said he has gone as far as 50 miles one way for the chips, but generally he can get all the chips he needs within 15 to 20 miles of Chadron. Dr. Sam Rankin, who was the college president when the new system went into operation, said in a 2005 interview that he was fearful the Legislature would notice how much money the new system was saving the col-
lege and cut CSC’s state appropriation. But it didn’t happen. “The money we saved was ours to reassign. A lot of it went into technology. I always felt that a couple of the
computer labs that we developed should have been named after wood chips. One of them could have been Ponderosa pine and another pine cone or something similar,” Rankin said.
18 CHADRON STATE COLLEGE
Geology Museum is a CSC attraction By CON MARSHALL CSC Information Officer
CHADRON — One of the outstanding features at Chadron State College is the Eleanor Barbour Cook Geology Museum located in the Math and Science Building. It was re-established in 1998 by Dr. Mike Leite, a CSC earth science professor who spent countless hours organizing and displaying the material. When it re-opened, the museum contained approximately 5,000 specimens of many sizes and origins. Since then it has continued to grow. “Western Nebraska is filled with exciting things that help tell us about the past,” Leite said. “These are things that people like to see and know about. The museum is a powerful teaching tool and is interesting to campus visitors.” The museum is named in honor of the founder, who taught science at the college from 1923 through 1941. She was the daughter of Dr. Erwin Barbour, a professor at the University of Nebraska and one of the most influential paleontologists of his time. He was the founder of the Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln and supplied much of the material that went into the original CSC museum that was located in the basement of Crites Hall. Eleanor also obtained specimens from the Agate Springs Ranch in Sioux County. Her father was one of the first to excavate the fossil-rich hills on the ranch and she married Harold Cook, son of the owner of the ranch and a paleontologist in his own right. When Eleanor left the college, one of her former students, Albert Potter, was in charge of the museum. He was on the CSC faculty from 1938 through 1946. The museum took on new life in the early 1970s when earth science became a popular curriculum under the leadership of Dr. Larry Agenbroad. He added many specimens through excavations that he led such as at the Hudson-Meng Bison Kill Site northwest of Crawford and the Hot Springs (S.D.) Mammoth Site, both of which became popular tourist sites. Leite also credits Agenbroad’s successors, Dr. Eric Gustafson and Dr. Darryl Tharalson, with building the collection. Most of the fossils, minerals and rocks in the museum have been collected from the region. They range from small fragments of pre-historic creatures to the skull of a large triceratops. In 2000, the museum was the recipient
Photo by Daniel Binkard/Chadron State College
Dr. Mike Leite examines a cast of fossilized tracks that stands before a mural of ancient life in the Eleanor Barbourr Cook Museum in the Math & Science Building. Area artist Dave Nixon painted the two murals in the museum.
of the fossilized bones of a brontothere, a 30-million-year-old distant cousin of the rhinoceros, after it was excavated in southwestern South Dakota. Another great addition was received in 2001 when about 5,000 geological specimens that had been collected by Mitchell physician Kenneth Ohme and his wife Helen during their nearly 70 years of marriage were given to the college. Dr. Ohme had taken his pre-medicine training at CSC. Leite notes that besides being attractive to the public, the Ohme specimens, which include many agates as well as petrified wood, jade, and various minerals, are outstanding teaching materials and could not be purchased at any price. More recently, two plastic casts of trackways, which were formed by many different prehistoric animals but with major emphasis on rhinoceroses, have been
placed in the museum and are enhanced by murals painted by David Nixon of Crawford. In addition, several petrified turtles that were excavated from Toadstool Park
northwest of Crawford by Leite and fellow CSC science professor Joe Corsini, are in the process of being displayed in the museum. Some of the turtles are three feet wide.
CHADRON STATE COLLEGE 19
CSC is proud partner in Post Playhouse By CON MARSHALL CSC Information Officer
CHADRON — Helping sponsor the Post Playhouse at Fort Robinson State Park has become one of Chadron State College’s proud traditions. It’s an activity where scores of aspiring actors and actresses have literally eaten, slept and breathed theater for about 10 weeks each summer and thousands of both local residents and tourists have been entertained. This will be the 44th summer that the playhouse has operated. The season will open on June 10 and run through Aug. 14. Five musicals will be presented on a repertory basis and a total of 63 shows will be produced. Summer theater in northwest Nebraska got its start on the Chadron State campus in1964, when the Broadway hits “Oklahoma” and “Damn Yankees” were staged a total of 15 times. That same summer, Gov. Frank Morrison was hosting a “Boost Nebraska” tour and asked CSC to present “Oklahoma” at Fort Robinson. Since there was no theater available, the show was outdoors. As luck would have it, rain fell during most of the performance and that was the night some of the horses used for trail rides at the fort escaped from a nearby corral, adding a touch of realism to the production. The following summer, “Bye Bye Birdie” and “The Music Man” were produced by the college, but all the presentations were in Chadron. A pseudo story about Nebraska’s statehood called “Buckskin Bride” was presented in 1966. Largely because of the success of these plays, the college received a federal grant in 1967 “to foster cultural programs in Northwest Nebraska.” Much of the funding was used to establish the Post Playhouse and a star was born. The first step was to convert an old warehouse at Fort Robinson into a theatre. It took a lot of ingenuity and work to make it happen. Numerous upgrades, such as padded seats and air-conditioning, occurred within a few years. A $240,000 remodeling project took place in 1992, making the facility extra nice. Nearly every popular comedy, mystery, melodrama and musical ever written has been presented at the playhouse, some of them two or three times. The attendance is nearly always around the 10,000 mark and several times has been more than 12,000. Because of the popularity of the playhouse, it is advisable to make reservations well in advance, particularly for the July and August shows. This year’s productions are “Hank
CSC photo
Post Playhouse 1990
Williams Lost Highway,” “Forever Plaid,” “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” “The 25th Annual Putman County Spelling Bee” and four performances of “Broadway, a Cabaret.” Since these productions “require more maturity,” in the words of artistic director Tom Ossowski, he attended auditions in New York and hired several professional actors to play the leads. Ossowski, who is heading the playhouse staff for the fifth summer, is a Nebraska native and a member of the musical theatre faculty at Florida State University. He said his goals are to make the shows fun, entertaining and appropriate for the whole family. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Nebraska Arts Council and numerous individuals join CSC in helping
make the playhouse happen. Reservations may be made by calling 432-6380 before May 24 and 665-1976 after that date. For
more information about the playhouse and to purchase tickets on-line, go to www.postplayhouse.com.
20 CHADRON STATE COLLEGE
Activity Center is valuable CSC asset By CON MARSHALL CSC Information Officer
CHADRON — Bricks and mortar don’t “make” a college, but they are important assets. The Nelson Physical Activity Center at Chadron State College is an example. It is one of CSC’s largest and busiest facilities and allows the college to host events that drew hundreds of participants and spectators. “It is really valuable to us,” said Dr. Scott Ritzen, chair of the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at CSC. “It is used for so many things and helps us is a lot of ways. It’s great for our athletic teams and our entire student body. It’s also a place where we can hold events that bring a large number of people. We’d really be in the dark ages without it.” Although “the PAC,” as it is commonly called on campus, is only about half the size as the structure that was in the original plans in the early 1970s, it is still a large building. It contains 72,500 square feet of floor space. The main activity area is 265 by 280 feet, and contains a five-lane, 170-meter track with a six-lane 60-meter straightaway and three combination basketball-volleyball-tennis courts. It also includes a large room where the wrestling team that Ritzen coaches has its practices, a dance studio, three handball-racquetball courts, a cardiovascular workout room, a weight room, several locker rooms, a room for treatment of injuries if they occur, two classrooms and the several offices. Acquiring the facility took lots persistence and patience. Several times during the decade when CSC was seeking the facility it seemed unlikely that it would ever be built. It was largely through the leadership of Dr. Edwin Nelson, the college president for 18 years and the person for whom the building is named, that it was finally acquired. Students help, too. Six of them used their spring break in 1981 to ride bicycles the 460 miles from Chadron to Lincoln to meet with senators and to deliver various athletic balls that had been signed by students who supported the project. The total price tag was $4.7 million. The initial of $1.85 million appropriation was vetoed by then-Gov. Bob Kerrey in March 1984, but 31 senators,
CSC photo
When Gov. Bob Kerry visited Chadron State in January 1984 to discuss his proposed budget, he was greeted by signs such as this. The governor did not include funding for the Activity Center in his budget, and then vetoed the funding from the appropriations bill. However 31 senators voted to override the veto, and CSC, at long last, obtained the building.
one more than the minimum needed, voted to restore the funding. Following the legislative action, Nelson declared: “This is a great day for Chadron State College and this entire part of Nebraska. I can’t remember anything that we’ve worked harder on or had more obstacles to overcome than we did this project. The great thing is that so many people worked so hard to get this building.” As Chadron State observes its Centennial in 2011, this is the silver anniversary for the PAC. It opened on Dec. 1, 1986. Through the years, it has been the site of huge indoor track and field meets and wrestling tournaments on both the high school and collegiate levels. Earlier this year, it was used for two track meets with about 500 participants each and a wrestling tournament that drew 26 teams as well as dozens of fans, cheerleaders, coaches and student managers. The PAC is where the Eagles’ track team practices and hosts meets, the CSC wrestling team has its matches and it is large enough for the football team to have “controlled” practices in it if the weather is unfavorable. It also is used as Chadron’s polling place for elections, has been the site of several large banquets and entertainment features and provides the college
CSC photo
Physical Activity Center, 1991
with an exceptional facility for intramurals and activity classes. Numerous CSC students say the PAC is important to them. One of those is Donald Hlava, a pre-med student from Gordon. Here’s what he
says about it: “My favorite spot on campus is the Nelson Physical Activity Center. I exercise on a regular basis and with CSC’s newly-renovated weight and cardio room, working out is easier than ever!”
CHADRON STATE COLLEGE 21
CSC photos
ABOVE: Nelson Physical Activity Center track (Photo by Daniel Binkard/Chadron State College) BELOW: During spring break from college classes in 1981, these Chadron State students took a very active role in promoting the Activity Center by riding bicycles 460 miles to Lincoln to discuss the matter with state senators. The students, from left, are Laura Larsen, Wauneta; James Stewart, Omaha; Gene Stratton; Rhonda Hernandez, Scottsbluff; Casey Frye, Laramie, Wyo.; and Angie Koehler, Neligh. The balls Mohr and Frye are holding were signed by CSC students and given to senators as petitions supporting the project.
Congratulations Chadron State College on 100 Years of Excellence! CSC photo
The Physical Activity Center at Chadron State was named for Ed and Avis Nelson in May 1996.
Scottsbluff, NE 69361 l 308.635.3711 l rwhs.org
22 CHADRON STATE COLLEGE
Rodeo is a popular sport at CSC By CON MARSHALL CSC Information Officer
CHADRON — It’s separate from the Chadron State College’s athletic program, but rodeo is a popular sport that attracts students and helps keep the college in the limelight. Rodeo has been a part of the CSC campus scene for more than 50 years. The first Chadron State Stampede, as the rodeos were then called, was May 20-21, 1954. There were a few years in the 1960s when the CSC Rodeo Club didn’t produce a rodeo, but there has been one during each of the last 40 years. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is the only other college or university in the state with a rodeo team. CSC belongs to the Central Rocky Mountain Region that includes teams from Wyoming and Colorado. The sport has given the college lots to cheer about, dating back to 1956 when Don Meter of Minatare was the national college calf roping champion. CSC contestants have won five more national titles since then. Jean Fuchs and Kathy Kennedy were the breakaway roping champs in 1978 and ‘79, respectively; Will Farrell was the bull riding winner in both 1999 and 2002; and Dustin Elliott won the bull riding title in 2001. In addition, CSC has had 31 regional
champions, 31 runners-up, seven regional all-around winners and 10 national finals placewinners, not counting the champions. Meter’s youngest daughter, Shelley, also was the all-around cowgirl at the College Finals Rodeo in 1987 when she was a senior at CSC. Her older sister, Martee, placed fifth in barrel racing in the nation in 1979 and joined with Fuchs and Kennedy to finish fourth in the national team standings that year. The trio won the team championship at 11 of the 13 rodeos in the region during the 1978-79 school year. In addition, CSC graduate Butch Lehmkuhler was the nation’s most highly-decorated rodeo clown and bullfighter when he returned to teaching full-time at North Platte High School a few years ago. He was selected the Pro Rodeo Cowboy Association’s Clown of the Year five times and was chosen the Coors’ “Man in the Can” twice. This year’s CSC rodeo team has about 30 members. The rodeo team’s coach, Dustin Luper, said the program receives good support from the college’s administration, Campus Activities Board and rodeo fans in the region. “The CSC rodeo program strives to keep the western heritage alive through integrity in and out of the arena,” Luper said. “Our western heritage is a way of life and rodeo is a way we can celebrate that tradition.”
CSC photo
Rodeo events
CSC photo
John Auzyui at a rodeo.
CHADRON STATE COLLEGE 23
Con Marshall: On the sidelines By JULIE DAVIS For the Star-Herald
Even though the press box at Chadron State College’s football stadium bears his name, Con Marshall prefers working the sidelines. “If there were no fans, there would be no need for athletes,” said Marshall, CSC’s information officer, who’s spent 45 of his 69 years chronicling the happy and not-so-happy moments in Chadron State College sports. Marshall retired as the director of information services and sports information last year, but he still spends most of his time at CSC, writing stories and shooting pictures about the college, like he’s done for the past two-thirds of his life. He said he’s never pictured himself as athletically gifted, so he’s always admired athletes. When he was 9, Marshall moved with his family to a Dawes County ranch 30 miles southwest of Chadron, and it was there that his admiration for athletes and sports turned into a passion for Chadron State athletics. “Sports are not something anyone can do,” he said. “They take talent and are not subjective. There’s a scoreboard, so you always know who won.” Armed with determination and a rancher’s dawnto-dusk work ethic, he molded his admiration for athletes and passion for sports into a profession. After graduating from Chadron High School in 1959, he enrolled in Chadron State in fall that year, studying English and business administration. In 1960 he started what turned into a three-year stint working in myriad capacities for The Eagle, CSC’s award-winning student newspaper. In the waning years of his college newspaper career, he spent one semester as The Eagle’s sports editor and two semesters as its editor-in-chief. During his senior year in 1963, he met his future wife, Peggy Galbreath, who later taught elementary education at Chadron State for 24 years until her retirement last year.
Fresh out of college in 1964, Marshall took a job selling advertising for the Chadron Record. He and Peggy married in 1965, and he became busier and busier as a budding journalist and family man. He tapped into that work ethic and labored three years as a news reporter, writing stories and shooting photos about everything except weddings and obituaries. His hard work paid off when he was promoted to news editor. “I spent countless hours in the dark room and at least an hour doing stats before even writing a story,” he said. “I learned the larger the photo, the less writing you have to do.” After the Chadron Record, he moved to the Scottsbluff Star-Herald, where he covered sports and agriculture. “I’m a farm boy, so I have lots of emphasis on agriculture,” he said. He spent most of his time in a newsroom, but managed to balance his home life with Peggy and their three now-adult children – Tyler, Sara, and Perry. “He wasn’t home very much, but he was home when we needed him,” Peggy Marshall said. “He’s a great dad and he always supported the kids’ activities.” Tyler and Perry participated in sports while Sara was involved in music. Early in Con’s career, the Marshall family moved from Chadron to Scottsbluff, back to Chadron, then to Sidney, before settling in 1977 into their current Chadron home. As CSC’s director of information services and sports information, Marshall has told the stories of numerous students, student-athletes, staff, faculty and administrators. But among the many people he’s written about, two athletes, Don Beebe and Danny Woodhead, both football players, have gained national reputations individually and national recognition for Chadron State. Beebe spent one year as a wide receiver for the Chadron State Eagles, before enjoying a nine-year NFL career that included six Super Bowl appearances and an NFL Championship with the Green
Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXVII in 1997. ... Before running back Danny Woodhead took handoffs or caught passes from New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, he spent four years in a CSC Eagle uniform, rushing up and down the turf in the RMAC conference, setting numerous NCAA rushing records, leading the Eagles to several conference championships and two national title playoff berths. Through it all, Marshall was telling their stories. “It’s been a real privilege for me to keep tabs on people,” Marshall said. “[Chadron’s] had a lot of outstanding players but they were the two that caught the nation’s attention.” But athletes and sports aren’t the only subjects of Marshall’s stories. “I love writing about alums,” he said. “Most of them have gone through much more than we have.” The alumni he’s written about include World War II veterans. “One guy was shot and thought he was going to die,” Marshall said. “He actually thought it would have been the best thing for him because his parents didn’t have a lot of money and they would get $10,000 for his death.” Marshall was fascinated that the man rode on the hood of a jeep that was filled with other injured GIs while another soldier gave the man plasma to survive. The Chadron Record named Marshall its 2010 Citizen of the Year for his dedication to the college and community. According to the Record’s Jan. 5 article, Dennis “Buck” Edwards, Marshall’s long-time friend who also sits on the board of directors of the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame, nominated Marshall as the Citizen of the Year. The article states that Edwards would have nominated him years before, but Marshall always asked Edwards to nominate someone else. Testament to the humble way Marshall approached his stories, his career and his life.
Chadron State College on
100 Years of Success! Keep Up the Great Work!
24 CHADRON STATE COLLEGE
Memories made while attending CSC By ROGER HOLSINGER Star-Herald Assistant Editor
Out of five people in my family, four of us attended Chadron State College. My father, Ronald, started the family tradition by graduating in 1958. Both my older brother and sister attended CSC, and in the fall of 1985 I became an Eagle. Prior to enrolling in classes, I had only been on the campus during the district music contest. Before CSC I attended NWC (Nebraska Western College, now Western Nebraska Community College) majoring in mischief and mayhem. Needless to say I had some catching up to do when I got to CSC, but after two and a half years I had earned a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communications, which was as close to a journalism degree as was offered then. My minor was psychology, so I could analyze what people were “really” saying when I interviewed them. At that time I was convinced I would go into broadcast journalism instead of print. I think I took every writing, speech and journalism class offered. Fred Wheeler was my advisor, and always reminded me of Jackie Gleason. Like many others, I learned a lot from Fred. I spent a lot of time in M-Hall; in what used to be called the Administration Building and in Hildreth Hall. I also worked as a reporter and columnist for the college newspaper, The Eagle, under the guidance of LaVida Dickinson. LaVida was one of my favorite instructors and was an inspiration to many students. In order to help pay for college and have a little spending money I worked in the college information office. I think I learned more about writing, deadlines and dealing with the public from Con Marshall than any instructor. With his help I was able to continue working as a public address announcer at sporting events at the college. I first began that while attending NWC. I sat through some frigid CSC football games in the press box. I remember scraping the frost off the inside of the glass so we could see the field. I also tried to lighten the mood at times with some silliness. “We have a lost child up here in the
press box and if you come up and claim him now, we’ll throw in a set of Ginsu cutting knives,” I said one time. Another time, there was an injury on the field and football trainer Earl McConnell, of Dalton, was rushing to get some needed equipment. As he trotted down the sideline I called off his movement: “McConnell is at the 20, the 15, the 10 and into the end zone.” Earl played along and did a little dance in the end zone before running out the gate. My shtick turned some heads and made others laugh, and I had fun doing it. I lived on campus staying in Andrews Hall. While I changed room numbers during my stay, Andrews was always home. I made many friends and learned some valuable life lessons while in the dorm. Had it not been for CSC I would never have met Scott Good, Ray Reeb, Pat Snow, Jim Roberts, Don Matt, Dan Tinaglia, and Ed Pelton, before he was Dr. Pelton. When I moved into the dorm I was lucky enough to have a couple of friends there – T.G. Panas of Dalton and Dana Jespersen of Hemingford – who had both attended NWC and transferred ahead of me. CSC also made a love connection for me, as that is where I met my future wife, Stephanie Chase, of Casper, Wyo. The two of us were brought together at a Super Bowl party hosted by Craig Hicks. I also worked off campus, including sixth months at Hardee’s Restaurant flipping burgers and a year of bartending and being a DJ at Herman the German’s Good Time Emporium. While at Herman’s I served as a driver for a little-known comedian named Tom Arnold. He later married and divorced Roseanne Barr. He was brought in to do a show and we had a crowd of about 10 people at the bar. He’d probably draw a few more people today. When I look back on my time at CSC I have mostly fond memories. Except for one. The Nelson Physical Activity Center opened in 1986 and a group of us had an intramural basketball team. We were pretty good and during the final game of the season I jumped – yes, I used to be able to jump – to try to intercept a pass and came down on the polyurethane floor with my leg going
CSC photo
CSC sign
one way and my knee going another. I think that I actually heard my ACL snap like a rubber band. That ended all my dreams of entering the NBA draft. There are other stories that I could tell and adventures I took part in, like dancing at the South Forty, contests at The Favorite, having very inexpensive cheeseburgers delivered to the dorm from Donald’s, and how innovative ideas proved useful in the constant pursuit of sneaking beverages into the dorm. But like Vegas, some things are best left unsaid.
During my years at Chadron State College I learned both in and out of the classroom, and it provided me with the skills I needed in life. I still stay in touch with some of the friends I made during my time, and who knows? Maybe the tradition will continue if one of our three children decides to become a CSC Eagle. Roger Holsinger is the Assistant Editor for the Star-Herald and can be reached at 308-632-9056 or by email at roger.holsinger@starherald.com.
CHADRON STATE COLLEGE 25
CSC photo
Evening sun hits the clouds over High Rise after a brief June storm.
CSC photo
Fireworks above the clock tower
Bobi Brenda Beutler Smith 631-3276 631-5840
Diane Pauley 641-5254
Platte River Realty CSC photo
Chadron State Volkswagon
1422 Broadway Scottsbluff, Nebraska
308-220-3286 www.platteriverrealty.com
26 CHADRON STATE COLLEGE
Chadron State College Centennial Game Day Festival Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011 Homecoming at Chadron State College is always a special time, and the one marking CSC’s 100th anniversary will certainly be no exception. Many CSC alumni have fond memories of the spirit rally, the lighting of the C, the coronation and a bed sheet decorating contest. This year, those events will lead up to a day for the ages. Load up the family and head to CSC to help western Nebraska’s four-year college celebrate its big year.
Eagle Run Runners, on your marks! Chadron State College’s annual 5k road race will get the activities going, as runners and walkers pace their way through a scenic route. For more information, contact Ashley Dent, 308-432-6392, adent@csc.edu. Time: TBA.
Centennial Parade Join the horde of bands, floats, and student groups as they make their way along Chadron’s picturesque Main Street beginning at 10 a.m. This year’s theme, “A Century of Service,” calls upon people to create floats and other entries that relive the big events of Chadron State’s past and display its unique characteristics. To ensure a spot in the parade, contact Aaron Rutt, Blue K e y s p o n s o r, 3 0 8 - 4 3 2 - 6 2 2 3 , arutt@csc.edu
Pregame party The big event! The parade route is being reversed this year so it will end at the CSC campus, where a wide array of activity will await fans of the Eagles. Dine in true northwest Nebraska style as band music fills the air and children partake in games organized by CSC students. Live eagles from the Raptor Education Foundation will be displayed and tour guides will be on hand to show people around campus. Groups, organizations and businesses that would like to reserve a plot on the Dean’s Green may call Shellie Johns, conferencing coordinator, 308-432-6380, sjohns@csc.edu.
Dedication of Centennial Statue and Plaza Take a moment at 12:30 p.m. to help for-
mally honor two new features to its campus – a statue east of Old Admin and the Centennial Plaza on the Dean’s Green.
The Big Game Head to Don Beebe Stadium where the Eagles will add another installment to Elliott Field’s storied history. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference clash with the Colorado State-Pueblo ThunderWolves will begin at 1:30 p.m. Also, be sure to catch the Eagles’ volleyball team as it takes on the Regis Rangers and Metro State Roadrunners during matches in Armstrong Gym on Friday and Saturday beginning at 7 p.m. each night.
Come together Get together with fellow Eagle fans and coaches for the traditional postgame gathering at the Country Kitchen Restaurant. Later in the evening, the Alumni Office will host a social event downtown for alumni to become reacquainted. Members of the Chadron State community who want to plan a special reunion may contact the Alumni Office. For more information, call Karen Pope, director of alumni, at 308-4326366, kpope@csc.edu.
Alumni Concert Join with alumni to enjoy the many talents that have filled Memorial Hall through the years. Former Chadron State musicians will join the Wind Symphony to present a concert in Memorial Hall. People who arrive early will enjoy a reception in the lobby and the art on display in the galleries. Former Chadron State musicians are encouraged to contact Adam Lambert, band director, 308432-6322, alambert@csc.edu. Time: TBA. Boom! That’s 100 A celebration of this caliber deserves a fitting ending. As the day’s events wind down, join members of the CSC community as a top-notch fireworks display will brighten the Chadron sky. Time: TBA.
Other homecoming and centennial events Commencement, May 7, 8 a.m. Master’s Degree Ceremony, 10 a.m. Undergraduate Ceremony; Centennial Rodeo and Reunion, Sept. 9-11; Carnegie to
CSC photo
Early aerial photo of Chadron State College campus
Sandoz: History of a Building,” exhibit at Sandoz Center, opens Sept. 20; Centennial Piano Concert, TBA; Winter Commencement, Dec. 16, 5 p.m., Arm-
strong Gym. Check Chadron State’s Centennial website, www.csc.edu/centennial, as details and other events emerge.
CHADRON STATE COLLEGE 27
Politicians say a few words about CSC C
hadron State College is one of my favorite places. I love the campus with its historic buildings nestled in the heart of some of the most beautiful country Nebraska has to offer. Every time I visit my thoughts go back to its visionary founders who recognized the importance of providing the people of northwest Nebraska with quality higher education. As those founders intended, for a century, now, Chadron State College has fulfilled its commitment to provide a relevant and modern education. Even as it has continued this tradition of education, Chadron State College has succeeded in maintaining an exquisite campus that honors the past and its many successes. Congratulations to the faculty, staff, students and people of Chadron on one hundred years of excellence in education! United States Senator Ben Nelson
C
ongratulations to the faculty, staff, students, and alumni of Chadron State College on this remarkable milestone! The institution¹s commitment over these last 100 years to build a solid foundation for its students by providing highquality education is admirable. For a century now, Chadron State College has embraced and promoted
a spirit of service which enables its students to excel no matter the path in life they choose. As a result, many students have been inspired to serve their communities throughout Nebraska, across the United States, and around the world. A vital part of the western Nebraska region, Chadron State College has created a culture of opportunity and higher learning throughout its rich history. As you embark on another century of “building futures every day,” I look forward to watching your continued success. U.S. Representative Adrian Smith
C
ongratulations on your 100th anniversary! I applaud the students, faculty and staff throughout the last hundred years who have helped form Chadron State College to the outstanding academic institution it is today. From the first time I visited, I knew Chadron State had earned its long-standing reputation for providing exactly what its theme
suggests; excellence in education and service. How true! Since opening its doors, the college has been recognized for its innovative approaches in teacher education, awarded for its affordability and quality, received many national awards and produced countless distinguished alumni. I couldn’t be more proud. Congratulations again on your anniversary! I look forward to Chadron State’s next century of excellence. United States Senator Mike Johanns
C
ongratulations to Chadron State College on their 100th Anniversary! Chadron State College has seen many changes over the years beginning as Chadron Normal School to educate schoolteachers and operated a first through 12th grade school system. There have been thousands of people who have received a teaching certificate from Chadron Normal. It has expanded over the years to a state college that offers education, agriculture, online undergraduate and graduate programs, rural health opportunities and many other programs. 100 years later Chadron State College is moving forward with a foundation and fundraising for an agriculture studies building and arena.
I wish Dr. Janie Park, the staff and faculty best of luck in the future. Senator LeRoy Louden, District 49
C
hadron State College became part of the Nebraska State College System in 1911 and has played an important role during the past 100 years by providing access to education that meets the needs of individuals and businesses in western Nebraska. We are fortunate to have outstanding options across Nebraska for students to continue their education. We need more Nebraska students to pursue a college degree and Chadron State College is a vital link in the network of higher education institutions in our state. The strength and success of Chadron State College can be measured in the expansion of online course options, a growing enrollment and innovative efforts to make college more affordable and more accessible for students. I congratulate the leadership, faculty and staff of Chadron State College on a century of providing a high quality and affordable education to students in western Nebraska. I send best wishes for continued success in the next 100 years. Dave Heineman, Governor
28 CHADRON STATE COLLEGE
Chadron State has auspicious athletic history CHADRON – Chadron State College offers a well-rounded athletic program for the benefit of both the student body and the general public. Intercollegiate competition is available in football, basketball, wrestling and track and field for men and volleyball, basketball, track and field, golf and softball for women. The Eagles belong to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and NCAA Division II. Athletics at Chadron State were limited until the 1920s. Football, the sport for which the college is best known, has had some of its proudest moments in recent years. The 2006, ’07 and ’08 teams each were undefeated conference champs and won a playoff game. The 1996 CSC team was the first to win 10 games, and it went on to win the RMAC championship and reach the NCAA Division II playoffs. Since then, the Eagles have won or shared seven more conference championships and advanced to the playoffs in 1998, 2000, ’01, ’06, ’07 and ’08. CSC football teams went 78-29-1 during the 1990s and 87-25 in the 2000s, the seventh-best record during that span in Division II. Since the inception of football at the college, the school has had 55 winning seasons and 32 losing ones to go with eight when the gridders came away even. The won-loss record following the 2010 campaign was 485332-15. The Eagles were well-represented on Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s All-Time Football Team when it was announced during the conference’s centennial in 2009. Tailback Danny Woodhead was the RMAC AllTime Offensive Player, linebacker Kevin Homer was the All-Time Defensive Player, and current CSC athletic director Brad Smith is the All-Time Coach. In addition, Joe Planansky earned a spot on the offensive all-time team and Casey Beran is on the defensive team. The top 24 players and head coach in RMAC history were selected to help celebrate the conference’s 100th anniversary. The RMAC is the fourth-
oldest conference in the country and the most historic in the western U.S. Following the 2010-11 season, the CSC men’s basketball teams had played 2,035 games, dating back to 1921. The Eagles have won 1,003 of them. Some of the most auspicious hoops periods at CSC occurred just prior to and immediately following World War II and in the late 1960s. The 1966-67 Eagles had a 22-6 record and were Nebraska’s representative at the NAIA National Tournament. The 1993-94 Eagles tied for the RMAC championship, and the 19992000 team won 19 games. Track at Chadron began in the early 1920s. Its athletes have gained AllAmerican honors 90 times since 1980. The Eagles had five athletes garner All-American accolades in the winter of 2011, including Brad Gamble’s national championship in the heptathlon. Jacqueline Wells, who graduated in 2007, represented the Chadron State women on the RMAC’s all-century track and field team. She was a 10time All-American and a nine-time RMAC champ. Both those marks are school records. Wrestling began in 1958-59 and 43 Eagles have earned All-American laurels. For a stretch from 2006 to 2009, CSC finished in the top nine at the national tournament and had three national champions. Brett Hunter won two of them while competing at 165 and 174 pounds and Josh Majerus, the school’s only three-time AllAmerican wrestler at the Division II level, won his title at 197 pounds. Women’s athletics were introduced at CSC in the 1970s and play an important role in the CSC sports program. The CSC volleyball teams have had 20 winning seasons. The women’s basketball team had 18-9 records in 1992-93 and ‘93-’94 and then went 228 in 1994-95 and won a share of the RMAC championship for the second time in three years. The 1999-2000 team won 20 games and 2000-01 team won 19. The Eagles won the conference tourney in 1994-95 and advanced to the NCAA II Playoffs. Women’s golf was introduced in
CSC photo
Undefeated 1925 Chadron State College football team
1991 and softball was revived in 2007 after a 25-year hiatus. Golf and softball have been successful. Ally Malzahn, a native of Sidney, was placed on the RMAC All-Century Women’s Golf Team in 2009 and the
Eagles consistently finish in the top eight of the conference. The softball team qualified for the RMAC postseason tournament in 2010 and the Eagles have improved their win total every year since 2007.
CHADRON STATE COLLEGE 29 Where are Don Beebe and Danny Woodhead now? The two most prominent names linked to Chadron State College’s athletic program belong to Don Beebe and Danny Woodhead. Both were unique talents, ambassadors for the campus, and have tasted success in the world of professional football. Don Beebe was an athlete at Chadron State just one year, but he helped put the school and its athletic program on the map. After having a sensational season with the CSC football team in 1988, Beebe spent nine years in the National Football League. Six of those teams — four at Buffalo and two at Green Bay — went to the Super Bowl. He was the first NFL player to be a member of six Super Bowl teams. While at Chadron State, Beebe demonstrated Super Bowl prowess. He was the first Chadron State player to score a touchdown in every game until Danny Woodhead did it in 2005 and ’06. He also was the first to score five TDs in a game and set the school’s single season records for most touchdowns with 15, most points with 90 and most all-purpose yards with 1,663. The following winter while running indoor track, Beebe set the NAIA District 11 55-meter record of 6.32 seconds and then placed fifth in the race at the NAIA National Meet in 6.31 seconds. He left CSC before graduating to play for the Buffalo Bills, who made him their No. 1 choice in the draft. Overall, he was the 82nd player drafted and wore that number throughout his pro career. Beebe played for Buffalo six years, catching 197 passes for 2,962 yards and 21 touchdowns. He then spent one injury-plagued season with the Carolina Panthers before signing with the Green Bay Packers, and helped them make two trips to the Super Bowl. The Packers won the championship in 1996, but probably would not have reached the Super Bowl if Beebe hadn’t caught 11 passes for 220 yards during an overtime victory at San Francisco during the regular season. For his career, including postseason competition, Beebe caught 254 passes for 3,882 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Perhaps his most memorable play occurred in the 1993 Super Bowl against Dallas when he came from about 25 yards behind to knock the ball out of Leon Lett’s hands before the Cowboys’ defensive tackle, who had recovered a Buffalo fumble, could score. Beebe’s biography, “More Than a Ring,” written by Bob Schaller in 1998, was well-received and accomplished both of its purposes — to share Beebe’s Christian faith and to raise money for the CSC athletic program. All proceeds went to CSC. After numerous delays caused by his pro career and particularly the Super Bowls, Beebe and his family returned to Chadron in the spring of 1996. He carried 21 hours that semester, earned all A’s and graduated in May. During homecoming 2000 at Chadron State, the college’s renovated football stadium was named in his honor and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. CSC’s annual golf tournament is called the Don Beebe Classic. With the help of his brother, Dan, who played and coached basketball at CSC, Beebe runs “The House of Speed,” which is designed to help athletes improve their speed and agility. Beebe and Dr. Jeff Schutt began the business in 1998 and there are currently 25 franchises. It is the fastest growing sports performance company in the country the last three years. After working at the House of Speed, Beebe decided he wanted to have an impact on teenager’s lives, so he took a job as the head coach at Aurora Christian High School not far from his hometown of Sugar Grove, Ill. He’ll be entering his eighth year this fall. He owns an overall record of 64-19 and has helped his team qualify for the playoffs every year he’s been the coach, including a runner-up finish in the state playoffs in 2008. Beebe said he thinks the 2011 team, which features his oldest son, Chad, could be the best he’s ever coached. In addition to his son, Beebe and his wife Diana have three girls. Amanda is a sophomore on the Continued on page 30
CSC photo
Don Beebe
30 CHADRON STATE COLLEGE
Where are Don Beebe and Danny Woodhead now? he ran for 158 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries in the Jets’ 38-27 victory in front of 73,000 fans at the Meadowlands. Woodhead’s 2010 season was unexpected. He earned national notoriety and became something of a cult hero by appearing with the Jets on the HBO show “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets.” He played in the team’s first regular season game but was cut the next week. However, the New England Patriots quickly plucked him off the waiver wire and he burst onto the national scene, rushing for 547 yards, averaging 5.68 yards a carry to set a Patriots record. He also had 379 receiving yards on 34 catches
Continued from page 29 volleyball team at Taylor University, MaKayla is in eighth grade and Kaitlyn is a fourth grader. In the latest decade, Danny Woodhead’s name has become synonymous with Chadron State College and its storied football program. During his heyday as the Eagles’ ball carrier from 2004-07 Woodhead gained fans in every corner of the state and abroad, thanks in large part to his record-setting career. In fact, when he graduated from Chadron State, he owned nine NCAA records, nine RMAC records and 13 school records. He ran for a whopping 7,962 yards, won two Harlon Hill Trophies – awarded to the nation’s top Division II player – and is just the second player in college football history to score 100 touchdowns, finishing with 109. He averaged 215.5 allpurpose yards per game and 7.34 yards each time he touched the ball during his career. His per-game average was sixth on the all-college list. Each of those ahead of him accumulated at least 1,440 yards as a punt and kickoff returner. He had only 101 yards on returns. One of his biggest awards came in 2007 when he was a National ScholarAthlete winner and a finalist for the Draddy Trophy, also known as the Academic Heisman. In addition, he was selected as the college division scholar-athlete of the year besides winning first-team Academic AllAmerican honors for the second year in a row. Woodhead wasn’t select-
Courtesy photo
Danny Woodhead in 2007.
ed in the 2008 NFL Draft, despite having comparable numbers to his contemporaries from bigger schools. He was, however, signed as a free agent by the New York Jets following the draft. He joined the team during summer camp and after the first day of practice he suffered a knee injury, forcing him to sit out the entire season. After he made a complete recovery, he played in 12 games as a wide receiver and tailback for the Jets in 2009 and helped that franchise advance to an
unexpected AFC Championship Game appearance. The Jets finished the 2009 season with a 9-7 record and caught fire in the postseason, upsetting both Cincinnati and San Diego on the road before losing a 30-17 decision to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game. Woodhead shined during the 2009 preseason, rushing for 226 yards on 45 carries. He really turned heads in the final preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles when
and scored six touchdowns while helping lead New England to the AFC East Divisional Title. Making the best of his opportunity may be an understatement. Woodhead was with the Jets for three seasons but played in only 13 games. He almost had as many special teams tackles – seven – as he did rushing attempts – 15 – but his skill didn’t blossom until he joined the Patriots. The Patriots wrapped up their fourth 14-win season in team history in 2010 and had eight players elected to the Pro Bowl. But success is nothing new at New England: the Patriots are the only team in the NFL to have recorded nine or more wins in each of the last 10 seasons.
Woodhead, whose No. 3 jersey is retired by the football team, signed with Chadron State in 2004 after having a fantastic high school career. He was Nebraska’s Gatorade Player of the Year, Huskerland Prep’s Mr. Football and the offensive honorary captain of the Omaha World-Herald’s all-class, all-state team. Woodhead is one of three players with family ties at Chadron State to sign with the Eagles. Both of his parents, Mark and Annette, are Chadron State graduates, his father and uncle Kent Woodhead played football for the Eagles and his brother Ben is a wide receiver on the current roster. Danny and his wife Stacia were married in 2008.
CHADRON STATE COLLEGE 31 Con Marshall: A conversation with an historian By RICK WILLIS Scottsbluff Star-Herald Reporter
Can any history be classified as insignificant? That’s a question posed to Con Marshall who was the Chadron State College director of information and sports information, for three decades, before stepping down in 2006. Marshall spent much of the last year writing and compiling material for his newest book Chadron State College: A Century of Service. “Sure, there is insignificant history, but much of that goes unreported,” Marshall said. “Much history also loses its significance as time passes. What once seemed vitally important can become insignificant in even a short time.” Marshall added that history is subjective, but that a historian’s job to try to be as fair as possible in the treatment of each issue. Issues near and dear to Marshall, like farming and athletics, may capture his interest more than other subjects, but his professionalism as a journalist and historian lead him to seek out the knowledge needed to write about all subjects. As the CSC historian of record, Marshall has a job, a duty to ask the sometimes tough questions to get the “right” history. “Good reporters and historians need to be curious people. Is there a difference between being curious and snoopy? I am sure some people think of me as being snoopy,” Marshall said. “When I hear of something that I think would be interesting to readers, I have often stopped what I was doing to get the information on the new topic so it can be reported.” If some history is subjective and other history insignificant, how does Marshall know if he is writing the “real” history. “How do I know what I write is real history? When the Legislature appropriates money for a building and then the building is constructed, history has been made. The planning turned into a result. All history is a result. It’s what happened,” Marshall said. “When a game is played, the score results in history. A historian writes about results. That’s what I tried to do. Some results are more important than others. I emphasized the ones that I thought were most important.” Marshall said that those he interviewed for his book may have had “their own take” on the activities or events they saw or experienced. But if they didn’t, or others didn’t have the knowledge nothing would be said or written. Marshall said there may not be a hard and fast answer to what is “right history.” But if the history isn’t written while the event is happening or shortly afterward, it will be lost or probably distorted. “No one can write history without either
experiencing it or having evidence that it occurred,” Marshall said. “Definitely, circumstances that cause an event or a thing to develop are important. That’s what makes the story interesting.” Marshall gives the example of one interesting story, included in Chadron State College: A Century of Service, that has continued for 48 years: The Phantom. Below is an excerpt from the book: “The biggest shenanigan began in September 1963 when the ‘Phantom’ emerged. This strange being, clad in a white trench coat and its face wrapped in bandages, looked like a mummy, or perhaps King Tut, except it wore sunglasses and a fedora. Before the prank ended a month later, it caused quite a commotion in Chadron and even made the United Press International wire service, at least in Nebraska. It would be more than 20 years before the story about the origin of the Phantom became public. Four close friends — Ken Eby, John Moulds, Cliff Reisig and Terry Thompson — were initially involved. They later coaxed Jeanne Goetzinger into joining them because she had access to a horse. The Phantom made his debut at a Masquerade Ball in Memorial Hall. Numerous students wore costumes or masks, but the sight of a full-fledged mummy appearing on the dance floor apparently was too much for the women in attendance because the Phantom had no luck finding a dance partner and he did not stay long. During the next two weeks, the Phantom appeared three more times: once coming out from behind a tree to scare four women; a couple of times as he peered over the banister above the snack bar in the Campus Center; once while a small dance was taking place, when he was spotted and fled into the dark. Chadron police were alerted and the Chadron Record carried a story on the front page of its Sept. 26, 1963 edition. It read: “Chadron Police Chief Bob Beers said this morning that the ‘Phantom’ is still causing many mothers in the city lots of concerns since they are apprehensive about letting their children out on the streets.” Marshall has always pursued a good story. Which means he seldom has an interview in which he doesn’t ask a few uncomfortable questions of his subject. “If they tell me they don’t want it in the story prior to giving the answer, I usually tell them not to tell me because I don’t want to know something I can’t report,” Marshall said. “Otherwise I may forget that they told me not to report that item. One of my creeds during my career has been that I ‘cannot let a good story go unwritten.’”
CSC photo
Con Marshall
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