Here We Have
Mystery in Nigeria U-Idaho researchers uncover environmental crisis killing hundreds of children
Summer 2011
2011
Campus Life
University of Idaho magazine | summer 2011
Here We Have
Departments
Cover Story
2 From the President
18 Mystery in Nigeria Idaho-learned Lessons Saving African Lives
4 Campus News 26 Class Notes 36 Events Upcoming
Features 6
Born to a Vandal Pride
10 U-Idaho Plows Ahead with Climate and Ag Research 16 Hemingway Festival Invigorates Idaho Icon 23 President’s Leadership Tour Eight Days: One Mission
On the Cover: Using just basic tools, Nigerian men remove toxic soil from their village. Photo: Courtesy of Luis Guerrero
24 Planting the Seed of Science 34 A Long Shot
Italian Athlete Meets His Vandal Match
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From the President It’s a new academic year with great potential, but also the assurance that we’re rooted in a long and proud tradition. This is reflected in so much of what we do, as evidenced in the stories told in this magazine. As part of the continuing process of improving our efforts in keeping you connected with your University, we’ve redesigned the magazine’s look to better meet your needs and interests. We also have a new editor. Paula Davenport is succeeding Jeff Olson, who retired after dedicating nearly a decade working with this magazine and even longer at the University. Thank you, Jeff, for your continuing commitment, and welcome Paula! As we look ahead, one of the things we’ll recognize this academic year is the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act that created the first land-grant universities. As a living and vibrant legacy of that initiative and the only land-grant university in the state, the University of Idaho continues to seek the best for Idaho. We remain focused on our land-grant values and signature strengths in world-class research and scholarship, student success through access and retention, and our statewide mission to use this knowledge and experience to better our state and beyond. The Association of Public Land-grant Universities’ mission statement summarizes the impact of this effort well. It says that our efforts help: “…to discover and develop the new technologies that will keep the nation competitive and safe; to produce a skilled workforce that meets America’s needs and to provide new knowledge to citizens throughout their lifetimes; to contribute to the nation’s national defense and security needs; and to support the advances in the sciences, arts, and humanities so vital to the cultural and social progress of this nation.” In this month’s magazine, you’ll see that we’re doing that and more with our researchers and students saving lives in places as far away as Nigeria. You’ll meet our three world-class faculty members who are the first to be recognized with the rank of University Distinguished Professor. You’ll read about University and alumni successes – which are inseparable. One story in particular focuses on the Ramstedt family, whose members are themselves living reminders of our University’s legacy of leading. You’ll learn of John Ramstedt who came to the University of Idaho in 1895 to begin a family heritage that continues today with no fewer than 82 family members who’ve become Vandals. I hope you enjoy this edition and that it inspires you to continued excellence as a committed Vandal.
M. Duane Nellis President
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Here We Have Idaho
The University of Idaho Magazine Summer 2011 • Volume 28, Number 2 University President M. Duane Nellis
Vice President for Advancement Christopher D. Murray
Senior Director of Marketing and Communications Christopher S. Cooney
University of Idaho Alumni Director Steven C. Johnson ’71
Alumni Association President Michael Higgins ’98
University of Idaho Foundation Chairman Jeffry L. Stoddard ’75, ’76
Editor
Paula M. Davenport
Magazine Design Scott Riener
Class Notes Editor Annis Shea ’86
Writers and Contributors Amanda Cairo Sam Chafe ’11 Hugh Cooke ’74, ’77, ’02 Donna Emert Marlo Faulkner Andrew Gauss Tim Helmke ’95 Stacie Jones Joni Kirk ’98 Bill Loftus ’81 Brett Morris ’83 Tania Thompson Ysabel Bilbao
Photographs
Joe Pallen ’96 Kelly Weaver and as credited www.uidaho.edu/herewehaveidaho
The University of Idaho is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and educational institution. © 2011, University of Idaho Here We Have Idaho magazine is published two times a year. The magazine is free to alumni and friends of the University. For address changes and subscription information, contact Judy Tackett, (208) 885-7091 or jtackett@uidaho.edu. Contact the editor at uinews@uidaho.edu
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campus News Faculty in a Class All Their Own An internationally recognized composer and conductor, a globally venerated conservationist and one of the world’s foremost chemists are the first ever elevated to the rank of University Distinguished Professors at U-Idaho. Faculty peers chose Dan Bukvich, professor of music; Mike Scott, professor of fish and wildlife; and Jean’ne Shreeve, professor of chemistry. Congratulations go to: Dan Bukvich, professor of music in the Lionel Hampton School of Music in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences, joined the University in 1977 and has been internationally recognized as a composer in various musical genres. He is a renowned arranger, performer and scholar, as well as a sought-after guest conductor and percussionist. He established the University’s annual Holiday Concert that reaches out to include choirs ranging from elementary to college age from around the region; the performances soared under his tutelage. He has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards. Mike Scott, professor of fish and wildlife resources in the College of Natural Resources, joined the University of Idaho in 1986. He developed the method of gap analysis for conservation planning, a method that is now a globally recognized conservation management tool. An active researcher, Scott has authored nine books and more than 200 papers. He was an early adopter of cross-disciplinary teaching and research, and mentored not only students, but also junior faculty. He is the recipient of more than 20 national and international awards. Jean’ne Shreeve, professor of chemistry in the College of Science, has produced numerous developments through her research, including the new syntheses of fluoro-nitrogen compounds. She has authored nearly 500 peer-reviewed papers for some of the world’s most prestigious chemical journals. In service to the University, she has been a professor, department chair, and vice president for research and graduate studies. In 2010, she was named a Fellow of the American Chemical Society.
University Creates Sole Doctorate in Athletic Training
Movement science took a giant stride this summer with the creation of a doctoral program in athletic training on the University’s Moscow campus. The groundbreaking program – the first of its kind in the nation – is a two-year degree designed for working professionals. It combines academic experience with hands-on experience during residency programs. “We feel strongly that this is where the future of our profession is heading,” said Alan Nasypany, athletic training education program director. “It’s very attractive to athletic trainers who want to improve their clinical practice and achieve the highest clinical degree in the field.” Students will spend two fourweek summer sessions at the University of Idaho over two years working on research and academics. They complete the rest of their training on location with an approved mentor doing clinical residencies and through distance education. The program is housed in the College of Education Department of Movement Sciences. On the Web: www.uidaho.edu/athletictrainingprogram
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campus News Buck Takes the Reins Caldwell native Charles R. Buck has taken the reins at U-Idaho’s center in Coeur d’Alene and its Research Park at Post Falls. “The region is ripe for innovation in education, professional training and new business development,” said Buck, associate vice president and center executive officer for northern Idaho. He plans to expand education and training programs at the facilities with an eye toward boosting the region’s economy. Buck has served as director of operations for the Bindley Bioscience Center at Purdue University since 2004. He previously held faculty positions at Emory University School of Medicine, the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of Utah School of Medicine.
New IDL Building Models its Mission
On the Web: www.uidaho.edu/cda
In response to the needs of a more sophisticated and technology-driven marketplace, the University of Idaho College of Engineering is actively recruiting for its industrial technology program of study. Graduates of the program bridge the knowledge gap between engineers and technicians. They understand complex systems and bundle that knowledge with communication skills to readily talk with and train individuals in business, manufacturing, industry and government. They work for a wide variety of companies, including Battelle Energy Alliance, Micron, Boeing, NASA, Dow Chemical and others. The bachelor of science in technology degree is offered through the University’s Idaho Falls center. It focuses on industrial safety technology, quality technology, network and computer electronics, mechanical design technology, waste management and technology generalist.
The University’s Integrated Design Lab (IDL) – part of the College of Art and Architecture at the University of Idaho Boise – is operating in new digs. IDL moved last spring to a different location – an existing downtown building that runs on the same energysaving systems it helps clients take advantage of. Working with some of Idaho’s most talented architects, engineers, contractors and developers, the IDL has helped transform the design and construction of buildings while reducing energy use and improving comfort, said Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg, lab director. He credits the lab’s many successes to Idaho’s forwardthinking design engineers and their long-term dedication to decreasing a building’s energy consumption. Thus far, U-Idaho students, faculty and staff have worked on more than 200 energy improvement projects, meaning they’ve been instrumental in developing a high percentage of Idaho’s energy-efficient buildings. Research, education and outreach efforts with students, owners and professional design and construction teams make the IDL possible. Additional funding comes from such generous supporters as the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, the Idaho Power Company and the Idaho National Laboratory.
On the Web: http://goo.gl/i1zDo
On the Web: www.idlboise.com
Industrial Technology Degree Opens Hot Careers
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Born to a Vandal Pride By Amanda Cairo Standing on the verge of graduation, diploma in hand and ready to flip his tassel to the correct side, Brad Clark was part of an historic family moment – five generations in the making. “A lot of students have Vandal connections in their family. I think that makes the University of Idaho experience so great; there’s so much pride, you really feel connected to the campus, to the school,” said Mykleanne Rauer, Clark’s third cousin, who has been wearing Vandal gear almost from day one. “That passion spreads to other students and creates a really connected community.” When Clark, from Rupert, Idaho, received his bachelors degree in virtual technology and design (VTD) in May, he continued a long legacy started in 1895 with John Ramstedt. The son of Swedish immigrants who settled in Moscow, Ramstedt was Clark’s great-great-great-uncle, and also was one of the early students who walked the grounds of the new University. It’s a heritage Clark shares with four cousins who are currently Photo: Cousins Mykleanne Rauer, Michael Norby, Megan Hawkins, Kenna Hawkins and Brad Clark.
attending the University of Idaho. As he begins his master’s degree this fall, he will continue his journey with his fellow fifth-generation Ramstedts, some of whom he only met last fall. Clark almost excluded himself from this journey. His brother, mom, dad, maternal grandparents (his grandfather Larry Norby ’58 played on the basketball and football teams), great-uncle and great-grandparents all count themselves as Vandals, but he wanted something different. In the end though, Idaho was his best option, and he hasn’t looked back. “The University was really the best fit for me, both the campus community and the VTD program,” said Clark. On a smaller campus, Clark was able to connect with professors. When he felt his accounting major wasn’t the right fit for him, he was able to sit down and talk with a professor who led him to the VTD program. “He really sold the program to me,” said Clark. “I wouldn’t have had that conversation at another school, nor were there program opportunities like the University was offering readily available.” His cousin, Michael Norby, a junior from Boise, initially went to school somewhere else. On a football scholarship like his grandfather Larry, Michael attended Willamette University in Oregon. After an injury sidelined him, he took a look around the school and thought about the memories and the atmosphere on the University of Idaho campus. With his family’s Vandal legacy dating back to the 19th century, he grew up with campus tours, stories and football games. He liked the feel of the campus, knowing that as he walked around the tailgating area, some alumni could recognize the “Norby nose.” 7
“Once I wasn’t playing football, I realized how much the University of Idaho had been a part of my life growing up and how much I missed it once I was away from it,” said Norby, who is an accounting major. “ The University of Idaho was like a second home and I really wanted to come. I missed being a Vandal; I wanted the Vandal experience.” Joining the Student Alumni Relations Board (SArb), Vandal Solutions and the student accounting club, and staying active in intramurals, Norby also followed family tradition and joined Greek life: Beta Theta Pi. One night at a party, he passed a girl on the stairway. She looked familiar. They both stopped and began talking. She was his cousin, Mykleanne Rauer. A Gamma Phi, Rauer had never met Norby before, but she did remember his parents from Vandal football games of her past. A sophomore psychology major from Boise, Rauer did look at other universities. Her grandparents said she could go anywhere she wanted, but the check was being written to the University of Idaho. She knew in her heart, though, that she was always going to be a Vandal. She even had her favorite childhood doll, “Joe Vandal.” “I was born with silver and gold in my veins,” said Rauer. “I looked at other colleges, but in my heart, I knew that I was going to end up here… it was like coming home.” Growing up in Boise was hard for Rauer, a Vandal fan in Bronco territory. Even in elementary school, Rauer would wear Vandal gear, much to the consternation of her classmates, BSU alumni teachers, and members of her stepfamily. Still, her support never wavered. “We have so many fun traditions, and to see the alumni come back and support the school makes you proud to be a Vandal,” said Rauer, also a member of SArb. When Rauer arrived in Moscow, she knew she had family on campus: her cousin from Boise, Kenna Hawkins, a senior in elementary education. “I’ve been coming here since I was about 12; it’s always been my destination,” said Hawkins. While she always knew her ultimate destination was the University of Idaho, Hawkins started off close to home at Boise State University. Soon she felt the call of tradition, of community and belonging. Being familiar with the University of Idaho, she knew she could find what she wanted in Moscow. The first of the current batch of cousins at the University, Hawkins created her niche with sports. A huge fan, you’ll find her in the stands rooting for various Vandal teams. “When I was younger, we’d do three (football) games a year as a family. Now, I go to every game with my sister,” 8
said the younger Hawkins, adding that her father and stepmother still come up to almost all of the home games. “I love Idaho!” This past year, she was joined by her little sister, Megan Hawkins, who is leaning toward a major in secondary education. “I grew up on stories about the University,” said Hawkins. “I definitely was not a Vandal fan when I was younger, but as I grew up, I rediscovered the University.” Even though Hawkins has family on campus, she said it’s more than just this that makes the University really feel like a connected community. “I love the environment, and the people I’ve met have been so welcoming,” said Hawkins. “The University really gives you the freedom to experience the full college life and helps you figure everything out.” As she navigates the University and uses the resources to shape herself and her future, Hawkins is cultivating her Vandal pride both on campus and in her hometown, ready to greet fellow Vandals in Boise. Last November, family historian Nancy Ruth Peterson decided it was high time the cousins got together, especially since she had two cousins attending the University while she did. “I really wanted to give them the opportunity to meet,” said Peterson, who played hostess. “I thought they should be able to recognize each other around campus.” Peterson, a Vandal three times over, from ’67, ’74, ’91, grew up in Moscow and found her career in teaching – a passion that runs in her family – in her hometown. Education, not just teaching, was important to her family. Even during the Great Depression, Peterson said her mother’s generation was expected to go to college, as was she. While she could have gone anywhere, it was more than family tradition and cost that kept her in Moscow – it was the community. Part of that kinship was through the Greek community. Last year, Peterson was able to celebrate the 100th anniversary of her sorority, Gamma Phi Beta. “I had so much fun as a student at the University; it’s great to see the current students continuing some of those traditions,” said Peterson, whose two aunts were in the inaugural group of Vandaleers. As family historian, Peterson has compiled a list of 82 family members who graduated or attended the University of Idaho. Not bad for the descendants of a Swedish immigrant family that came to Moscow, Idaho, in the 1880s.
Enjoy more than 36 miles of paved trails Visit local wineries and breweries Shop your favorite businesses Explore the place that you called home A great place to hold conferences Golf the Palouse Farmers’ Market every Saturday, May – October Historic downtown walking tours
Moscow Chamber of Commerce 411 S. Main, Moscow, ID 83843 (208) 882-1800 www.moscowchamber.com Also on facebook at www.facebook.com/moscow.chamber
Photo: Courtesy Stone-Buhr
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Collaborate, Innovate: By Bill Loftus
$20 million research project unites Northwest scientists tracking effects of climate change on agriculture
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Keeping a Step Ahead
U-Idaho Professor Sanford Eigenbrode, left, and graduate student Damon Husebye check for crop pests.
A new University of Idaho–led project will draw together 30 scientists across the Pacific Northwest to provide the most comprehensive look at the impacts of climate change on grain production in the region. The work is critically important to the region and one of its strongest industries: agriculture. Wheat and barley production in 2009 alone generated $1.5 billion in sales in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. The need to understand how climate change may affect our future is clear, said Sanford Eigenbrode, an entomologist in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), who will lead the Regional Approaches to Climate Change for the Pacific Northwest Agriculture project. The $20 million, five-year grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture ranks as the largest ever received by the University of Idaho.
“Predictions say Northwest winters and springs may be cooler and wetter, and summers drier and hotter.”
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Feeding the world “Predictions say Northwest winters and springs may be cooler and wetter, and summers drier and hotter,” Eigenbrode said. "Agriculture may need to shift, sometimes dramatically, to remain productive. At the same time, agriculture is being challenged to increase food production to feed a growing population,” he said. "Doubling agricultural production by 2050 seems an achievable goal,” Eigenbrode said. "Doing that in the context of a changing climate becomes a tremendous challenge for agriculture." The project with Washington State and Oregon State researchers will enhance the region's research and education capacity. It will strengthen scientific collaboration among the region's outstanding land-grant universities, said University of Idaho President M. Duane Nellis. "The Pacific Northwest is such a wonderful laboratory with diverse climate and soil types and the quality of its researchers at the three major land-grant universities. The fact that we're all working together is something I'm very proud of, and it moves forward our understanding of climate variability and its impact on agriculture," Nellis told the research team in May at Moscow. The project will help the region's farmers and businesses anticipate and adapt to challenges posed by climate change. It also will help the region to advance understanding of agriculture in elementary and high schools, grow the graduate education pipeline and give public research facilities a vital new mission.
Dream team The scientific team assembled on the University of Idaho campus during finals week in May to formally launch the project. Donn Thill, director of the Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station, welcomed the group to Moscow. He told researchers this project’s seeds were sown years before by leaders of a similar collaboration that ran for 35 years. That project – STEEP or Solutions to Environmental and Economic Problems – drew widespread interest as a long-term, multidisciplinary project that connected directly with farmers. Led by Robert Papendick, a USDA Agricultural Research Service soil scientist at Pullman, and Ed Michalson, an Idaho agricultural economist, STEEP
From the Ground Up: Climate and crop studies for students of all ages
This new $20 million grant isn’t just for academics. It includes plans for students of all ages to grow a deeper understanding of agriculture on the Palouse. Here’s a roundup of educational opportunities soon to be available, from kindergarten to the doctoral level: • In K-12 classrooms, agricultural topics may be introduced within the context of science, math and social studies lessons. A survey last fall by Jodi JohnsonMaynard, a University of Idaho soil scientist, and Kattlyn Wolf, an agricultural education professor, found teachers were interested in weaving agriculture into their curriculums. • Additionally, college pupils guided by faculty mentors may design and conduct their own scientific research projects during the summer. • Undergraduates at the three participating universities will be able to enroll in a new course focused on sustainable agricultural management, including the potential consequences of climate change on Pacific Northwest agriculture. • Doctoral students will conduct field studies, uncovering scientific data to guide researchers and farmers and to inform the public about how climate change could affect agriculture.
targeted the region's alarming soil erosion rate and succeeded in reducing it by 75 percent. But times changed and STEEP's popularity eroded, in part because it was funded directly by Congress. "We realized future projects would need to win competitive funding," said John Hammel, dean of CALS. Hammel understood STEEP's deep roots in the region. He earned a bachelor's degree in soil science at Oregon State. Then he earned a doctorate at Washington State working with Papendick on STEEP-related research. He joined the University of Idaho's agriculture faculty in 1982, where he again participated in the STEEP project. Once STEEP wound down, University of Idaho researchers began beating the bushes for new financial support. 13
“This new $20 million grant isn’t just for academics.”
A boon for students Michael Bowers, the USDA Division of Global Climate Change national program leader, said the team's new proposal was right on the money: focusing on a major problem and devoting enough effort and resources to actually improve conditions. "It is a significant investment by the agency and by taxpayers," Bowers said. “During the agency's rigorous review process, this team’s proposal stood out. I'm confident that this is going to be a very good partnership." At a news conference, Hammel welcomed vice presidents of research from Idaho and Washington State, and his fellow deans from WSU and Oregon State, to a Moscow celebration of the USDA grant. “The project's strong support in the region reflects decades of strong collaboration among the three landgrant universities and the Agricultural Research Service,” Hammel said. “Those ties focus on research and education dedicated to get practical answers and to equip students to navigate a changing world, whether they're operating a globally competitive agricultural enterprise or pursuing a profession,” he said.
http://reacchpna.uidaho.edu/reacchpna
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Vital work for Idaho “The regional climate change project is proof the University of Idaho is capable and committed to leading major research initiatives,” said Jack McIver, the University’s vice president of research. The effort also links to a similar U-Idaho partnership with the University of Washington and Oregon State, creating a new Northwest Regional Climate Science Center. Its $3.6 million in funding comes from the U.S. Department of Interior. It will fund Idaho graduate students and support advanced information technology to conduct additional climate change research in the region. Additionally, the University of Idaho is leading a $15.6 million effort focused on the state's water resources, funded by the National Science Foundation through the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, or EPSCoR. Von Walden, a geographer, the state’s EPSCoR director and a key player in the regional project, leads the water resources effort, and said the research project involves Idaho’s three public universities. Added Eingenbrode: “Together, the concentrated horsepower will drive valuable discoveries, ensure the region’s agricultural viability and cultivate a rising generation of researchers who’ll know how to help farmers adapt in the future.”
Building Legacies
Wells Fargo’s banking executives know business success requires an entrepreneurial spirit. That’s why the bank’s Dana Reddington, Idaho regional banking president, and Wayne Schneider ’72, retired senior vice president, have garnered support for a vital University of Idaho student business initiative through the Wells Fargo Foundation. The University’s Vandal Innovation and Enterprise Works, or VIEW, inspires students’ entrepreneurial attitudes and accomplishments. Specifically, VIEW: • Offers a 12-credit entrepreneurship certificate open to all students. • Brings in top-flight entrepreneurs who meet with students through the Wells Fargo Speaker Series. • Hosts an annual student business plan competition. • Holds the annual Wells Fargo Elevator Pitch competition, during which a student has two minutes to pitch his or her business plan to judges.
Supporting student success and leadership is simple. To learn how our giving programs can benefit you and the future leaders of our state, contact us. Chandra Zenner Ford Assistant Dean for Development College of Business & Economics (208) 890-2370 Toni Broyles Director of Development College of Business & Economics (208) 885-2634 Virginia Pellegrini Director Corporate & Foundation Relations (208) 885-5303
Hemingway Festival Keeps “Papa’s” Legacy Alive By Marlo Faulkner
Photographs: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
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Ernest Hemingway in Idaho, undated.
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rnest Hemingway and Idaho belong together. “Make that Hemingway and the University of Idaho,” said Brandon Schrand, an assistant professor of English at the University and director of the master of fine arts creative writing program. You’re invited to celebrate this cherished connection at an upcoming Hemingway Festival – suitable for ordinary fans, serious scholars and students of all ages. Now in its third year, the three-day festival encompasses a variety of events Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 27-29, in Moscow. “The festival is unique as a University event,” Schrand said. “It involves the entire Moscow educational and business community, as well as the public. It’s accessible and intellectually stimulating.” Emerging author Brando Skyhorse – the 2011 Hemingway Foundation/PEN New England award winner – will kick things off. He’ll read from his award-winning novel, “The Madonnas of Echo Park,” at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre. “Brando Skyhorse connects us with voices that typically dwell in the background of everyday Los Angeles life, but here are granted license to tell their own harrowing, hairraising, heartwarming, hilarious and fascinating stories… Startlingly poignant,” wrote The Seattle Times. The second evening will feature a screening of “Rivers to the Sea,” a film on Hemingway’s life. A discussion of the film and Hemingway will follow. Participants will include Skyhorse; Susan Beegle, editor of “The Hemingway Review”; Ron McFarland, Hemingway scholar, poet and Idaho fisherman; and Moscow High School English teacher Susan Hodgin.
Duck hunting in Idaho, October 1941.
Also on the schedule are writing workshops for high school and University students, readings by regional authors, a photography exhibit, a book fair, and a panel discussion by writers and a New York literary agent about the business of writing. The festival culminates with a “Moveable Feast” dinner, featuring headliner Hilary Justice, a Hemingway manuscript scholar. Her teaching interests include food and culture and 20th-century literature. She is a faculty member in Illinois State University’s English department. Theresa Lingrey, winner of this year’s annual Hemingway Fellowship, will be introduced at that time. The Fellowship, supported by a generous gift from Lynne McCreight, is awarded to a third-year MFA candidate in fiction at the University. In addition to receiving a stipend and course-release to work on his or her manuscript, the Fellow receives use of an office and will attend the annual Hemingway Foundation/PEN Awards Ceremony in Boston. A silent auction to help support the festival moves online this year. Bids on artwork, books, hotel packages and outdoor adventures may be placed until the end of the festival. In addition to hosting the festival, U-Idaho is closely associated with the Ernest Hemingway Foundation and Society and publishes “The Hemingway Review,” the world’s pre-eminent journal of Hemingway scholarship. The festival is just one of many outreach events offered by the University of Idaho College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences.
Circa 1953, Hemingway standing in front of a 1929 portrait of himself in his Cuba home.
Festival to Showcase Hemingway Foundation/ PEN Award Winner Brando Skyhorse, 36, grew up in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles, the setting for his debut, prize-winning novel, “The Madonnas of Echo Park.” It immerses readers in the world of Mexican-Americans struggling to assimilate into their new land. Skyhorse will be a featured guest and presenter at this year’s Hemingway festival. He is the 2011 winner of the coveted Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award, established by the late Mary Hemingway in 1976 to memorialize her husband and to recognize distinguished first books of fiction. Formerly a book editor in New York City, Skyhorse lives in New Jersey.
For the full festival schedule www.uidaho.edu/hemingway
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What was killing the children? In Nigeria, a dedicated team of University of Idaho researchers works to solve a mystery claiming hundreds of lives Story by Paula M. Davenport Photos courtesy of Luis Guerrero
Hausa children pound ore with mortars and pestles also used to grind millet.
When Doctors Without Borders began visiting remote, far-flung Nigerian villages to immunize residents last year, what they found was heartbreaking, unprecedented and mysterious. By the time they’d made their rounds, they’d discovered 400 infants and children in seven separate villages – all hours away from one another – had died excruciating deaths. Most of those who died were under the age of five. In each case, it was the same scenario: the children would begin convulsing, fall into a coma and eventually die. Looking back, it’s clear. The global economy was playing out with horrific results, said Margrit von Braun, University of Idaho professor emerita of chemical engineering and environmental science, and former dean of the College of Graduate Studies.
Von Braun and her husband, Ian von Lindern – in collaboration with a dedicated core team of University students and alumni – were asked to join a team of international emergency responders. Zamfara – the area von Braun’s team focused on – is located on the edge of the Sahara Desert and is primarily home to the Muslim Hausa tribe. Subsistence farmers, they build walled, mud-hut compounds where the men live with multiple wives, their children and perhaps a goat, donkey or camel. Conditions are bleak. People live on less than $3 a day. Malaria, cholera and polio sicken many. Unemployment, lack of schools, political unrest and a cash-only economy plague the region. In winter, the harmattan – a hot, dry trade wind – blows 19
over vast expanses of the region, kicking up ever-pervasive red dust as far as the eye can see. In spring and summer, monsoons convert the soil to insidious muck. Temperatures are either hot and dry, or hot and wet. When villagers discovered they could better support their families mining for gold flakes, it seemed their lives might finally get a little better, said von Lindern, an affiliate professor of chemical engineering at the University. His wife and he own TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering, a Moscow, Idaho-based consulting firm established in 1984. Globally, gold prices were skyrocketing as financial markets in the United States and Europe spiraled downward. In North
Africa, shady buyers haunted bustling outdoor markets stalls. So the industrious Hausa men took up gold extraction in earnest. Using just their hands and simple tools, they’d break big chunks of rock and compacted soil from veins of ore. They hauled it all home in overstuffed wheat sacks, said Casey Bartrem, an incoming U-Idaho graduate student and TerraGraphics’ employee. Hausa women and children took over from there, setting up in yards just outside their homes. For hours on end, they hammered the stonehard ore into smaller pieces. Then, they ran the rock chips through the same makeshift machines and vessels they used to grind millet. Dust from the labor-intensive work coated their hands and
Separating gold flakes from fine gravel in a creek -side sluice box. 20
clothes and the insides of their huts. Much of it fell into stagnant ponds where they watered their cattle and drew drinking water.
Call to action In May 2010, von Lindern was giving a presentation in Bozeman, Mont., on mining and smelting hazards when an urgent call came in. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which hosted the conference, told von Lindern it needed TerraGraphics’ help. Respected worldwide, TerraGraphics is under contract to clean up one of America’s most toxic places – the Bunker Hill Superfund site in Idaho’s Silver Valley. Within days of that call – von Lindern and two company employees – both U-Idaho graduate students – were digging in Africa, looking for clues to the scope, pathways and possible remedies for the Nigerian epidemic. Bartrem, a former Peace Corps volunteer in Lesotho, and Simba Tirima, a Kenya native and U-Idaho doctoral student in environmental science, rallied to the challenge. Once in country, they expected their initial environmental assessments would take about two weeks to complete. Von Braun said projects such as this are why her firm created the International Environmental Health and Restoration Initiative, a joint research and development program with U-Idaho. It provides University students with opportunities to engage in real-world environmental research experiences, especially in developing nations. The initiative’s goal is to adopt and apply environmental cleanup methodologies used in the United
Facts & Figures
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1.2K
Villages cleaned
Number of Children Treated
430
$2.2M
30
$500K
Family compounds decontaminated
Remediated ponds
10K
Number of residents helped
Total Cost of the Cleanup
TerraGraphics’ in-kind contribution
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Partners included: UNICEF, Governments of Nigeria and Zamfara State, Doctors Without Borders, World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Blacksmith Institute and TerraGraphics.
Number of months to complete work
States to hazardous waste sites in poorer countries. In the past five years, TerraGraphics has provided internships and project experience for more than a dozen U-Idaho students in Russia, China, the Dominican Republic, Senegal and Nigeria.
What they found Once in country, the trio visited affected Nigerian enclaves to conduct soil characterization tests. Tirima said from the start, there was an eerie quality in the villages. “Everywhere you go in Africa, children like to sing,” he said. “But it was dead silent in the Nigerian villages. The music had been knocked out of the kids; you could really feel it.”
Armed with hand-held, low-dose X-ray equipment, they fanned out across the village of Dareta, detecting the presence of various metals and other elements in rock, soil and water. “We were finding lead levels in residential areas of 10,000 parts per million or ppm – that’s more than 20 times higher than is considered safe in the United States [400 ppm],” said Bartrem. It was the world’s worst-ever acute case of lead poisoning in recorded history. “Some villages had lost 30 percent to 40 percent of the children under the age of five,” von Lindern said. TerraGraphics’ investigations proved that the valuable gold, mined so aggressively by villagers, was laden
with deadly amounts of lead; the dust created in the grinding process dispersed the toxic heavy metal. Because poisonous mercury also was used during extraction, the water and soil contained dangerously high amounts of it, too. “We were under extreme pressure to remediate as many compounds as soon as possible,” von Lindern said Meanwhile, the sickest kids were being hospitalized or treated for 28 days straight with oral medications in Doctors Without Borders clinics specifically set up to handle the emergency. “They couldn’t return home if their surroundings were still contaminated or they would just get sick again,” said Bartrem. 21
Older child survivors will suffer such lasting effects of lead poisoning as permanent brain damage, decreased intelligence, behavioral problems and organ damage, doctors say. “There’s going to be an entire lost generation,” said Tirima. He and Bartrem ended up spending June and July last year sampling in and around the villages and mapping them down to every compound. The August rainy season sent them back to Idaho until fall. But they would be back.
Clean red soil tops off a family compound now free of tainted dirt.
A Safer Future Nigeria’s existing cultural, political and economic realities called for sensitive and creative solutions, von Lindern said. “We didn’t want to just go in, clean things up and leave,” he said.” We viewed ourselves as assistants to the Nigerian government. Our goal was to design a feasible plan that villagers could adopt and carry out themselves.” Quick action was imperative. “You’ve got to figure it out right now. People were waiting. We didn’t want to lose one more life,” Bartrem said. With blessings from state and local Nigerian emirs, von Lindern hatched plans inspired by practical lessons he’d learned as a boy on his grandfather’s Buhl, Idaho, farm. Here’s how the solution worked: Hausa men were paid to work sideby-side using duplicates of the hoes they used in crop tending. They scraped off the top layer of tainted dirt, stored it in specially marked bags for burial in dedicated landfills and spread several inches of clean soil over the excavated areas. Safety precautions – including the use of particle masks and clothes worn only at work sites – while 22
novel ideas to the Hausa, were readily adopted von Braun said. Within the compounds, environmental remediation meant adjusting some tribal customs. Under Sharia law, married women traditionally spend their entire lives inside the compound’s walls and only their husbands and children may come and go, so special dispensation was required for other men to enter and decontaminate each compound. All in all, the project flew in 28 TerraGraphics employees and international volunteers, including 10 U-Idaho alumni and students to see the job through. They worked 12- to 14-hour days, nourished by rice and beans, African-made jerky, protein bars and bottled water. “It was a huge operation,” said von Lindern. “We were joined by
more than a dozen international agencies, 80 Nigerian government staff, 350 Hausa laborers, and dozens of trucks and pick-ups.” Potentially violent election rallies delayed the TerraGraphics team for several days. Yet by March 2011, 430 compounds and 30 ponds had been decontaminated. “Kids were running around playing and singing,” said Tirima. “We saw whole communities come back to life. I’d like to believe, in part, it’s because we’ve had the privilege to help out.” He and his teammates are deeply moved by the warmth and appreciation shown by the villagers. “You don’t need all that stuff we’re used to here to even make a difference in a place like that,” he said. “You just need to have the heart.”
From left, John Hammel, dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; John Hall, superintendant at the Nancy M. Cummings REEC ranch; and President M. Duane Nellis, in Carmen, Idaho.
President’s Leadership Tour Eight Days: One Mission By M. Duane Nellis and Sam Chafe ’11 We recently embarked on a statewide Leadership Tour to share some time with family. Our “family” is the University of Idaho’s statewide network of faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends. This Leadership Tour was an opportunity to share the University’s vision, discuss opportunities, and articulate what the University has done in response to the needs and desires of our constituents around Idaho. Over the tour’s 1,450 miles, we met hundreds of people in communities ranging from our state's largest – Boise, Coeur d'Alene and Idaho Falls – to some of its smallest, such as Arco, Ketchum and Salmon. And we saw the beauty, dynamics and spirit of the state. We heard about the University’s impact in communities; the feedback came from ranchers, farmers, business leaders, alumni, parents and other citizens. They affirmed that the University contributes to the economic vitality and the quality of life in Idaho In Rexburg, we're looking at livestock issues, crop production and horticulture. In northern Idaho, we're addressing water quality and using geospatial systems to identify forest management and control measures, energy reserves and more. We've helped numerous communities on issues relating to affordable housing and community
development, nutrition and poverty, alternative energy sources and small business needs. And we're educating Idaho's next generation of leaders. Our Extension and outreach programs impact some 400,000 Idahoans each year, benefiting their quality of life every day – and that impact is not lost on our legislators. We’ve forged business partnerships with Schweitzer, Simplot, Agri Beef, Coeur Mines and Hecla Mines, Micron, Avista and many others. They want our quality graduates – the top Idaho students, and national leaders such as Goldwater Scholars, Udall Scholars and National Merit Scholars – who have made the University of Idaho their choice. The University of Idaho has nearly a billion dollar economic impact on the state – we return more than $9 for each dollar the state invests in us. What other state agency can provide such a strong return on investment? U-Idaho President M. Duane Nellis was joined by Sam Chafe, a 2011 University graduate on a statewide tour.
http://presidentialtour.uidaho.edu
23
By Stacie Jones
Planting the Seed for Science New fee to support MOSS
24
“Personally, I don’t like science,” warned the Boise sixthgrader as he huddled with his classmates in Troy Magney’s outdoor classroom. It was day one of an outreach education program provided by McCall Outdoor Science School or MOSS. “But I guess we’ll see how it goes.” Within hours, the sixth-grader’s reluctance faded, and his enthusiasm grew with each outdoor experiment. Magney, a University of Idaho graduate who taught the program, observed a palpable breakthrough when the sixth-grader jumped eagerly into a frigid pond to examine macro invertebrates. “He started to think science was really cool,” Magney said. At the end of the weeklong program, the young student expressed his gratitude for Magney’s inspiring lesson with a guitar serenade. While the boy’s musical performance may have been unexpected, his transformation was not. “MOSS helps kids see science in a different light,” Magney explained. “With their surrounding natural environment as the classroom, they can make a personal attachment to the outdoors and a relevant connection to science…and they get really excited about it.” First used by U-Idaho in 1937 as a summer camp for forestry majors, today the quintessential Northwest landscape at MOSS is revealing its mystery and beauty to younger generations. Part of the University of Idaho College of Natural Resources (CNR), MOSS provides hands-on science education through outreach at Idaho’s K-12 schools and through its residential program near McCall, Idaho, which brings fifth- and sixth-grade students from across the state for a week of environmental learning at the McCall Field Campus, located on Payette Lake, adjacent to Ponderosa State Park. The only publicly operated K-12 residential outdoor school in the state, MOSS fosters an interest in science and an appreciation for the environment in approximately 2,500 Idaho schoolchildren every year. And, thanks to new funding support, that number is likely to grow. The University of Idaho’s Board of Regents recently approved the University’s request to establish – for the first time – a $14,222 fee per full-time graduate student to help fund the program. Steven Hollenhorst, CNR’s associate dean of outreach, said the new fee will help support a selfsustaining graduate residency program, a core component of MOSS.
“This new professional fee allows us to add the staff and faculty we need to bring the MOSS program to the level that we want,” Hollenhorst said. The program currently operates on program revenues and grants. The fee also will support room and board costs for the 16 graduate students who – for nine months – live, work, take graduate courses, and teach at MOSS as part of the University’s graduate program in environmental education. Selected competitively from around the nation, the graduate students apply the residency experience toward a 12-month graduate certificate in environmental education, or new this fall, a 16-month, non-thesis master’s degree in natural resources. “The University of Idaho is a leader in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education in Idaho,” said Kurt Pregitzer, dean of CNR. “MOSS is a perfect place to engage K-12 students outdoors and enable them to relate to science and math. At the same time, the program gives our graduate students – Idaho’s future STEM educators – the opportunity to learn how to teach science in an experiential way.”
25
Alumni Class Notes I Want to Shake Your Hand
’40s Norm Logan ’47 was inducted into the Idaho Music Educator Hall of Fame.
’50s Chuck ’59 and Alverna ’61 Thomas celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Dec 17, 2010.
’60s
Silver and gold are more than just our University’s colors. They’re the inspiration for the Silver & Gold Award, annually bestowed by the Alumni Association. This year’s honoree is Jody B. Olson of Boise. An alumnus of the University of Idaho College of Business and Lewis & Clark College Law School, he was the first in his family to earn a college degree. “I lived at the Fiji fraternity house while I attended U-Idaho,” Olson said. “I’m lucky to be on Professor Bob Clark's long list of University of Idaho-educated accountants.” A certified public accountant and an attorney, Olson’s career includes stints with Deloitte & Touche and Trus Joist Corp. Presently, he is with Hawley Troxell Ennis & Hawley LLP. The Alumni Association recognized Olson for his distinguished record of achievement and service in his field of endeavor – which also shines a light on all aspects of our University. He works with the University of Idaho Foundation. He and his wife, Vickie, helped fund the J.A. Albertson College of Business and Economics building on our Moscow campus – where a faculty office in the accounting department is named in their honor. We are proud of Jody and his service to his alma mater and the citizens of Idaho. He indeed is yet another example of the legacy of leading that our alma mater takes pride in. Congratuations, Jody.
Steven C. Johnson ’71 Executive Director of Alumni Relations
26 idaho summer 2011
Dennis Wheeler ’66, ’67 was awarded the Alaska Miners Association Distinguished Service Award for his efforts and leadership in bringing the Kensington Gold Mine near Juneau into production. Dennis works for the Coeur d’Alene Mines Corporation.
Katherine Aiken ’73 received the Women Making History award, which recognizes ordinary women who are leading extraordinary lives that have changed the course of history in the state of Idaho. John V. Evans ’74, CEO of DL Evans Bank, Burley, Idaho, has been named by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco to its newly formed 12th District Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council. Members of the council serve three-year terms and provide advice to the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank’s senior management on a variety of topics including economic and banking conditions, regulatory policies and payment issues.
’70s
William H. Fales ’74 received the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA) Distinguished Service Award in January 2010. This award was presented to Fales for both the service he has provided the MVMA as an organization and all the years of dedicated veterinary diagnostic service he has provided to the veterinarians of the state of Missouri. Fales is on the faculty of the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.
Bruce Stratton ’71 was elected President of USA Swimming at the annual United States Aquatic Sports Convention held in September 2010. USA Swimming is the National Governing Body of the sport of swimming in the United States whose membership includes coaches, officials, volunteers, and 300,000 youth swimmers to members of the Olympic Swim Team.
Charley Jones ’75 was named by Idaho State University College of Business and Alpha Kappa Psi chapter (professional business fraternity) as the 2011 Idaho Business Leader of the Year. Jones is coowner and president of Stinker Stores and its affiliated
John Overby ’69 is the new president and CEO of a Spokane Valley, Washington, tech startup company, Flyback Energy. Wade Rumney ’69 retired from the U.S. Postal Service. Dennis Thompson ’69 is the president of Barnett-Thompson Chevrolet, Inc. in Orofino, Idaho.
To be profiled, mail information, including reunion/graduation year, to Annis Shea, Alumni Office, P.O. Box 443232, Moscow, ID 83844-3232 or e-mail information to alumni@uidaho.edu. Photos can be e-mailed in a .jpg format. Please limit your submission to no more than 35 words.
companies. The award annually recognizes an Idaho business leader who has demonstrated outstanding business and professional ethics and supported community, civic and education activities.
Mike Tatko ’86 was named Regional Business Manager for the Lewis-Clark Region by Avista Corporation.
Rod Johnston ’78 has been managing infrastructure rehabilitation in Haiti. Thomas Camm ’79, ’95 is an associate professor in the Mining Engineering Department at Montana Tech in Butte, Montana. He recently retired from the federal government, where he worked for the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the CDC. David Dokken ’79, ’82 was appointed to a three-year term as the Idaho State Representative to the Defense Research Institute. The institute is a nationwide organization whose membership includes attorneys involved in commercial and construction litigation, as well as defense of insureds as company approved counsel.
Suzan Baucum ’88 has been sworn in as justice of the peace for the Las Vegas Township Justice Court. She took the bench and has been handling cases since Jan. 3, 2011. Jeff Guillory ’88 received the Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award which recognizes excellence in the advancement of diversity through innovative and effective programs for faculty staff, students and/or the Washington State University community.
’80s George “Witt” Anderson ’84 received the Administrator’s Exceptional Public Service Award from the Bonneville Power Administration for his work to improve juvenile fish migration in the Columbia and Snake rivers. David Gratton ’85 was selected to serve as the chief judge of the Idaho Court of Appeals. Thomas Frank Wuenschell ’85 has worked as a forester for the U.S. Forest Service for more than 30 years.
William Peterson Jr. ’92 was selected by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to head its office in Athens, Greece.
Ryan Burner ’05 received a Fulbright Scholarship and will travel to Indonesia to take part in a research project entitled “Biodiversity Corridors in the Heart of Borneo: Local Stakeholders and Species Diversity.”
Bill Goesling ’93 is the newest member of the Idaho State Board of Education. He currently is the chairman of the Idaho Public Charter School Commission but will resign that position to serve on the ed board.
David Goodman ’05 has been promoted to associate director of office service, CB Richard Ellis in Shanghai, PRC.
Aaron Coleman ’97 has authored a book titled “Winning With Money” that was released in April 2011. The book details an alternative to traditional budgeting to help people gain control of their finances. He works and lives in Boise with his wife, Barb Martin ’97, and their two great kids. Brienne Quilici Iverson ’97 has published her first book titled “Cupcakes and Cocaine: From Being Perfect to Being Real.”
’00s Conrad Hafen ’88 has been sworn in as Justice of the Peace for the Las Vegas Township Justice Court. He took the bench and has been handling cases since Jan. 3, 2011.
’90s Gordon Hinckley ’92 is working on a master of science degree in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in nuclear safety from the University of Idaho. He currently works as a Health physics technician for CH2MWG Idaho at the Idaho National Labs Idaho Cleanup Project.
Nick Weber ’02 is the infrastructure analyst for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Arlington, VA. Jared Stohner ’03 is moving back to the US to join his wife in Denver after a successful assignment in Ghana, West Africa. He will assume a new role with Newmont Mining Corporation in Denver. Taso Kinnas ’04 has been promoted to chief financial officer at Indepth Solutions, Inc. in Boise.
Samuel Creason ’06, ’09 joined the firm of Creason, Moore, Dokken & Geidl, PLLC, as an associate. For the past year Sam has been a law clerk to the Honorable N. Randy Smith, U.S. Courts – Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in Pocatello, Idaho.
Jessie Krumpe ’09 and Kevin Berner ’10 are both teaching English in northern Thailand. Pictured here in the Watchetawan Buddhist Temple in Chiang Rai. Jessie teaches at a private boarding school called Princess Chulabahorn School and Kevin teaches at a public school called Anuban. Piyush Sabharwall ’09 is one of 14 New Faces of Engineering, a program that highlights the contributions of America’s newest engineers. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers nominated Sabharwall, who develops high-temperature nuclear technologies for the Idaho National Laboratory based in Idaho Falls.
Alumni class notes 27
Alumni Class Notes Marriages
Future Vandals
Courtney Endicott ’10 to Stephen Raney Rebecca Harris ‘04 to Adam Innes Becky Lyn Korn ’04 to Brian John Allen Sarah Prewitt to Gary Smith ‘03 Jessica Rodriguez ’09 to Nathan Barrett ‘08 Christina Wheaton ’08 to David Ratto ‘07
Caedi, Mykal, PJ and Alexa
Winter Fun with the Vandals! Holiday Dinner featuring the Vandaleers at Davenport Hotel in Spokane
Tuesday, December 6, 2011 Blele
Gilbert
Hernandez
Kleinsmith
Gingerbread Holiday Dinner at Student Union Building in Moscow
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Kresser
Lingley
Poe
Thiessen
For more information: Office of Alumni Relations (208) 885-6154 alumni@uidaho.edu
From left to right: Caedie, daughter of Curtis ’02 and Cameo Nelson ’00 Chambers; Mykal, daughter of Jason ‘00 and Sara Henrickson York; P.J. and Alexa, son and daughter of Paul ’00 and Natasha Angel ’00 Rush Cort Boland, son of Dusty ’06 and Chelsea Blele Kathryn Kay, daughter of William G. Jr. ’97 and Melissa A. Gilbert Colby Hunter, son of Ramiro and Dacia Nelson ’97 Hernandez Jaspen Ardelle, daughter of Jeremy ’04 and Shanna Smith ’04 Kleinsmith Sage Dakota, daughter of Mike and Alyson Mai ’03 Kresser Raymond David Jr., son of Raymond and Melinda Musgrave ’04 Lingley Henry, son of Brad ’03 and Katherine Carpenter ’07 Poe Lucy and Natalie Thiessen, granddaughters of Wayne ’62, ’65 and Peggy Roper ’65 Thiessen, nieces of Karen Thiessen ‘06
28 idaho summer 2011
August 26th 5:30 pm
Palouse Mall parking lot
2011 Alumni Hall of Fame Inductees Gary Stubblefield ’69
Richard Loeppky ’59
Gary Stubblefield distinguished himself during a 21year military career that prepared him for his current position. Today, he is a consultant on anti-terrorism, counter insurgency and all facets of security management. While in the armed forces, he earned numerous honors, including the Bronze Star Medal Combat V, four Meritorious Service Medals, the Navy Commendation Medal and many other service medals. After his U-Idaho graduation, he completed arduous Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) and Sea, Air and Land (SEAL) team training. He has served in many countries and regions as a member of SEAL Teams One, Two and Three, in addition to other challenging and dangerous assignments. His career focus was in anti-terrorism activities and in underwater operations, including operating small submersibles, development of special diving equipment and submarine operations. Stubblefield’s recent contracts include working with the development of port and harbor defenses, anti-piracy, security of radiological materials and work with private corporate security. He continues to serve on the U-Idaho Martin Institute advisory board, a position he said is gratifying and rewarding. He resides in Missoula, Mont.
Professor Emeritus Richard N. Loeppky's research was instrumental in the discovery of a potent family of carcinogens in tobacco and tobacco smoke. Today, he is an internationally recognized expert on the chemistry and biochemistry of a group of cancer-causing agents called nitrosamines. His research findings paved the way for other researchers to identify the health risks inherent in tobacco use and tobacco smoke, and catapulted him into cancer research. His subsequent work has led to the elimination or significant reduction of carcinogens in cosmetics and personal care items, in metalworking fluids and in several drugs. He received the 2010 Founders' Award from the American Chemical Society, division of chemical toxicology. He established the Division of Chemical Toxicology in the American Chemical Society and served as its first chair. He also helped organize the American Association for Cancer Research, Chemistry in Cancer Research Working Group. He currently is a faculty associate in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Washington. His awards are numerous and include two merit awards from the National Cancer Institute and recognition by AACR. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Fellow of the American Chemical Society. Alumni class notes 29
Alumni Class Notes In Memory ’30s Georgia Barstow Bowker ’39, Spokane, WA, Dec 10, 2010
’40s Allen Bauscher ’43, Boise, Feb 18, 2011 Julie Ann Ryan Blandford’47, Twin Falls, Dec 15, 2010
Kenneth Bradshaw ’34, Gooding, Feb 15, 2011
Donald Bray ’48, Boise, Feb 25, 2011
John Clouser ’38, Brownwood, TX, Feb 8, 2011
Wallace Crandall ’47, Lewiston, Feb 8, 2011
Helen Creaser Cline ’35, Walla Walla, WA, Mar 25, 2011
Arthur Dalley ’40, Rupert, Jan 11, 2011
Peggy Kitchin Dodds ’36, Spokane, WA, Apr 2, 2011
Patricia Rivett Davidson ’49, Boise, Jan 27, 2011
Woodrow Doupe ’38, Middleton, Sep 14, 2010
Edna Eames Denning ’40, Idaho Falls, Mar 19, 2011
Gunnar Fagerlund ’31, Port Angeles, WA, Mar 23, 2011
Ernest Ellis ’44, Tucson, AZ, Jul 27, 2010
John Hemperly ’39, West Richland, WA, Jan 26, 2011
Clarence Grubb ’40, Ketchum, Dec 30, 2010
Porter Hogaboam ’37, Lewiston, Apr 18, 2011
Wilton Hovorka ’47, Roseville, CA, Jan 15, 2011
Robert Kerr Jr ’37, Mapleton, UT, Apr 28, 2011
Cecil Jones ’44, Palm Springs, CA, Jan 10, 2010
Margaret “Peggy” Quinn Klaas ’39, Highland, CA, Jan 7, 2010
Margery Wilson Kristin ’42, Coeur d’Alene, Apr 12, 2011
Donna Geddes Noyes ’36, Preston, Feb 4, 2011
Ronald Lambert ’42, Omaha, NE, Apr 15, 2011
Ruth Farley Ostroot ’36, Kalispell, MT, Feb 24, 2011
Ralph Lemon ’48, San Jose, CA, Jan 21, 2011
Dorothy Goode Pressey ’35, Beaverton, OR, Jan 18, 2011
William Long ’42, Roseville, CA, Feb 17, 2011
Edward “John” Price ’39, Astoria, OR, Jan 16, 2011
William Matthews ’49, Libby, MT, Nov 4, 2010
Kurt Rubisch ’38, Noblesville, IN, Feb 20, 2011
Barbara Emmett Maxwell ’44, Salina, KS, Feb 23, 2011
Vivian Johnson Sarriugarte ’38, Boise, Feb 7, 2011
Eleanor Allard Nuckols ’42, Idaho Falls, Feb 26, 2011
Archie Sorenson ’34, Saint Maries, Apr 19, 2010
Gerry Johnson Pensiero ’49, Bellingham, WA, Jan 14, 2010
Dorothy Rockwood Wilson ’34, Salt Lake City, UT, Mar 3, 2011
Herbert Rees ’46, Rochester, NY, Feb 10, 2011
Ruth Rhodes Winquist ’39, Shoreline, WA, Jan 5, 2010
30 idaho summer 2011
Dorcey Riggs ’46, Boise, Feb 16, 2011
George Rodeback ’43, Pebble Beach, CA, Jan 29, 2011
Peter Bonin ’50, Silver Spring, MD, Jan 22, 2011
Don Ross ’42, Los Angeles, CA, Jan 5, 2011
John Brogan ’50, Henderson, NV, Apr 10, 2011
Dorothy Schneider Roth ’46, El Paso, TX, Jan 27, 2011
Beverly Carlson Call ’56, Bellevue, WA, Feb 15, 2011
Ruby Gardner Seveland ’42, Kamiah, Jan 24, 2011
Carl Corbit ’59, Coeur d’Alene, Apr 27, 2011
Victor Skiles ’40, Falls Church, VA, Jan 20, 2011
Beatrice Helander Grenfell ’51, Seaside, OR, Apr 3, 2011
Ellis Stettler ’42, Twin Falls, Apr 9, 2011
Richard Harden ’53, Moscow, Jan 16, 2011
Ruth Boyer Streib ’42, Gainesville, FL, Feb 18, 2011
Howard Heiner ’51, Medford, OR, Apr 9, 2011
Ward Stroschein ’47, Pocatello, Apr 12, 2011
G. Neil Henderson ’54, Clarkston, WA, Feb 5, 2011
Richard Thomas ’49, Port Angeles, WA, Jan 22, 2011
Francis Hicks ’54, Mountain Home, Feb 5, 2011
Mary Thompson ’40, Portland, OR, Feb 27, 2011
Thomas Hooker ’55, Provo, UT, Jan 9, 2011
Gail Anderson Webster ’41, Bakersfield, CA, Mar 28, 2011
Dorothy Galey Hoover ’50, Orlando, FL, Feb 20, 2011
Harold Weir ’47, Binghamton, NY, Feb 19, 2011
Ray Hulet ’51, Smithfield, UT, Mar 27, 2011
Margaret Strang West ’46, San Jose, CA, Apr 17, 2011
Naomi Nokes Jergensen ’52, Salt Lake City, UT, Apr 6, 2011
Robert Whiteman ’41, Boise, Feb 3, 2011
Thomas Johnson ’56, Kalispell, MT, Feb 7, 2011
’50s Robert Alldaffer ’50, Soda Springs, Mar 18, 2011 Vincent Archbold ’59, Wilmington, NC, Jan 9, 2011 John Bacon ’51, Boise, Jan 23, 2011 Frank Barbee ’53, Boise, Dec 6, 2010 Lewis “Ed” Barton ’56, Meridian, Feb 5, 2011 Gladyne Taufen Blanton ’51, Boise, Feb 2, 2011 John Blom ’52, Troy, Jan 17, 2011
Thomas Jones ’59, Ajo, AZ, Nov 14, 2010 Jordan Kanikkeberg ’57, Genesee, Jan 20, 2011 John Kessler ’58, Kalispell, MT, Mar 31, 2011 Ruth Carscallen King ’59, Moscow, Mar 27, 2011 Kenneth Knoerr ’52, Durham, NC, Apr 11, 2011 Shelby Lenander ’51, Coeur d’Alene, Feb 1, 2011 Donald Mackinnon ’50, Seattle, WA, Dec 31, 2010 James McClure ’50, ’97, Boise, Feb 26, 2011
C. Paul Moore ’52, Boise, Jan 7, 2011 Glen Mortensen ’55, Idaho Falls, Feb 21, 2011 Madeline Meltvedt Naser ’54, Easton, CT, Apr 21, 2011 John Neal ’55, Carmen, May 26, 2010 Donovon Nelson ’50, Fargo, ND, Feb 19, 2011 Robert Orme ’50, Saint Anthony, Feb 22, 2011 Neal Powell ’57, Blackfoot, Mar 18, 2011 Peter Preston ’56, Mathews, VA, Jan 15, 2011 Betty Wiswall Pritchett ’58, Medical Lake, WA, Mar 21, 2011 Robert Robertson ’56, Fairfield Glade, TN, Feb 3, 2011 Charles Rogge ’50, Boise, Jan 30, 2011 William Roy ’59, Austin, TX, Mar 28, 2010 Vincent Strobel ’55, Portland, OR, Apr 24, 2011 Merrell Watts ’59, Vacaville, CA, Apr 12, 2011 Dell Whetsler ’52, ’53, Bakersfield, CA, Apr 7, 2011 Robert Williams ’54, Boise, Jan 26, 2011
’60s William Alumkal ’63, Winchester, CA, Jan 5, 2011 Betty Jean Anderson ’68, Moscow, Jan 13, 2011 Robert Blanksma ’67, Bruneau, Apr 5, 2011 H. Edwin Carley ’66, Colorado Springs, CO, Apr 2, 2011 Ernest Carr ’60, Boise,
Feb 28, 2011 Robert Dehning ’64, Shelton, WA, Jan 14, 2011 Raymond Frost ’65, Casa Grande, AZ, Nov 15, 2010 Kristin Malcom Harwick ’67, Genesee, Jan 13, 2011 Sheldon Jones ’61, Lava Hot Springs, Nov 27, 2010 Rodney Kamppi ’64, Salem, OR, Jul 1, 2010 William Mackin ’60, Ashland, OR, Apr 20, 2011 Richard Maraffio ’68, Park City, UT, May 14, 2010 Arlen Robert Marley ’66, Sandpoint, Oct 30, 2010 Duane Maynard ’69, Lewiston, Feb 14, 2011 Earl McKie ’62, Gardnerville, NV, Jan 2, 2010
Pam Schroeder Muirbrook ’73, Aberdeen, Mar 31, 2011 Raymond Murphree Jr. ’76, Lewiston, Feb 2, 2011 Genevieve Swick Paroni ’79, Post Falls, Apr 24, 2011 Donald Redinger ’78, Moscow, Aug 21, 2010 Howard Schmidt ’76, Bellevue, WA, Oct 28, 2010
’80s Cathy Christensen Bohan ’83, Idaho Falls, Jan 11, 2011 Gary Hasenoehrl ’80, Lewiston, Apr 7, 2011 John Hathaway ’87, Orofino, Jan 19, 2011 Vernon Watson ’81, Idaho Falls, Apr 4, 2011
’90s Mitch Arnzen ’92, Twentynine Palms, CA, Feb 20, 2011 Tyson Graves ’99, Walla Walla, WA, Jan 24, 2011 Jeffery Green ’96, Saint Maries, Apr 1, 2011 Kevin King ’94, Spokane, WA, Jan 12, 2011 Bernard Knapp Sr. ’90, Coeur d’Alene, Jan 23, 2011 Patrick Ready ’98, Buhl, Feb 28, 2011
’00s Brandon Leach ’04, Spokane, WA, Feb 19, 2011 Julie Huffman Mathews ’05, Lewiston, Mar 26, 2011
Jerry Mix ’63, Grain Valley, MO, Sep 19, 2010 Helen Dunham Olson ’64, Moscow, Apr 16, 2011 Glen Schorzman ’67, Marsing, Feb 3, 2011 Alice McCroskey Sharp ’62, Meridian, Mar 25, 2011
Golden
Dennis Skelton ’69, Sahuarita, AZ, Jan 27, 2011
September 9 -11
Reunion Weekend
Mary Brodersen Underwood ’60, Bellevue, WA, Feb 6, 2011
’70s Jeanne Norman Briggs ’72, Hartwick, NY, Mar 30, 2011 William Jonas ’73, Sandpoint, Feb 22, 2011 Richard Keller ’76, Longmont, CO, Feb 12, 2011 John Mattoon ’79, Houston, TX, Jul 9, 2010
A schedule of events, along with a printable registration form is available at
www.uidaho.edu/GoldenI You’ll be connected to all the information you’ll need to register for this wonderful weekend. You can also register by phone at 208-885-5366. Registration deadline is Friday, September 2.
Alumni class notes 31
Inventor Sparks Kids’ Love of Discovery Honorary Degree Recipient Dr. Forrest Bird By Paula M. Davenport
Bird said... How he explains the value of education to elementary school students: “Your brain is a vault. It’s your money machine. The more you put into it, the more people will pay for it. It’s that simple. That knowledge is something no one can take away from you.” Suggestions for other inventors: “Have three ongoing projects so when you hit a wall on one, you can go on to the other two. That way you don’t get discouraged.” Advice to parents of school-age children: “Let children make mistakes. Let them learn how to get out of trouble. That’s how they learn to solve problems.”
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When he isn’t improving a line of life-saving devices he invented or teaching doctors how best to use them, 90-year-old Dr. Forrest Morton Bird is usually holding court with a gaggle of excited schoolchildren. A globally respected physician, biomedical engineer, inventor and avid pilot, Dr. Bird annually welcomes hundreds of schoolchildren to an interactive science museum he and his wife, Pamela, founded in Sandpoint. The Birds have dedicated themselves to sharing with this younger generation a love of discovery and scientific exploration. “If we can hook just one of them we’re happy. But I think we’re doing better than that,” Dr. Bird said with a smile. Chances are the inventor has positively impacted your life or the life of a loved one, too. He pioneered mechanical ventilators, now found in nearly all hospitals worldwide. Without Dr. Bird’s invention, open-heart and organ transplant surgeries would be impossible. To date, the devices have saved countless premature babies and millions of adults. The University of Idaho extolled Dr. Bird and his colossal contributions to mankind with an honorary doctorate of science degree, bestowed at spring commencement. Because of the University’s time-honored reputation, being so honored makes it poignant, Bird said. It helps underscore perhaps the most vital lesson of all: that higher education is a must today, he said. “That’s why the most successful entrepreneurs come through universities,” he added. In addition to foundational knowledge, college offers opportunities for students to learn to communicate and get along with one another, he said. “It’s teams of people working together on specific issues who are increasingly making the most sophisticated advancements,” Bird said. He is quick to credit all the other physicians, researchers and willing patients who’ve been on his teams. “It wasn’t just me alone,” he said. He is reminded of that every Christmas when letters, cards and pictures flood in from some of the now-grown preemies who have thrived because he created the Baby Bird respirator for infants. Decades of trial and error fade in their wake. “It makes you feel pretty darned good,” he said.
University Sings Her Praises Honorary Degree Recipient Louise McClure ’50 By Paula M. Davenport
McClure said... On first seeing her husband-to-be at a Vandaleers rehearsal: “He was wearing an orange and black plaid shirt and he was pestering the pianist. After rehearsal we went out for a Coke at the Blue Bucket.” On being a wife and mother whose husband’s career required him to be away for extended periods of time: “I did find I was mother and dad and household plumber. So sometimes I had to wear the black hat. But I got to wear the white one, too.” Advice to freshmen: “Start with a broad, broad curriculum. And be sure to take some kind of art or music classes. Get to know that side of your brain. Learn good communication skills and learn to live together and work together.”
Growing up on a farm in tiny Nezperce, Idaho, Louise McClure ’50 – wife of late U.S. Senator James “Jim” McClure ’50 – said she never could have imagined how full her life would be. Treasured memories of her student years at the University of Idaho are central to her life’s story. After all, it was at a Vandaleers rehearsal where the diminutive soprano met an attractive, well-mannered baritone attending law school on the GI Bill, she said in a spring interview in Moscow. Louise and Jim went on to make beautiful music together. In the process, they became perhaps one of Idaho’s most beloved couples ever in state and federal politics. Louise’s enduring contributions to her alma mater and the cultural enrichment she’s helped make available to all Americans were lauded at May commencement ceremonies, when she was awarded an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters degree. A trained vocalist with a bachelor’s degree in music, she’s devoted countless volunteer hours to such organizations as the National Endowment for the Arts Council; the Boise Philharmonic Board; the University of Idaho College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences; the Martin Institute, devoted to resolving global conflicts; and the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. In 2010, Jim and Louise McClure received the Idaho Governor’s Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement. In addition, in 2001 she and her husband established the James A. and Louise McClure Endowment for the Sciences and Public Policy at the University. Still in its relative infancy, she expects the institute to evolve and grow in the years to come. However, she hopes its mission remains constant: encourage policymakers to put aside rhetoric and emotions in favor of conducting apolitical fact-finding before writing legislation. That’s how her husband approached complex governmental issues – from health care to energy to the environment, she said. “That’s what I would like the McClure legacy to be,” she said. While Louise is not one to seek such limelight, she said spending a spring weekend back on campus and being singled out by her alma mater was “awfully sweet.”
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The Family That Shot Puts Together Mannucci Blends Athletics, Academics and Love in the Palouse The longest shot put that Eugenio Mannucci ’11 threw was a metaphoric one. He launched himself from Viterbo, Italy, landed in the Palouse, and ended up with academic, athletic and life wins. Mannucci arrived in Idaho in 2009, with limited English skills, but a great talent for the shot put. He went on to establish himself in Vandal athletics history, as the fifth Vandal to qualify for back-to-back National Collegiate Athletic Association shot put competitions. He’s the eighth man to represent Idaho in the NCAA shot put ring. Julie Taylor, Idaho head track and field coach, recruited Mannucci. “Some international kids show interest, but he was just really motivated to do well,” said Taylor. Mannucci’s fervor to learn and succeed guided him into pre-veterinary science, with a focus on large animals. He fell in love with horses. That love only deepened when he married into a ranching and rodeo family from Hermiston, Ore. In fact, as if success in his own right wasn’t enough, his wife, Mykael (Bothum) Mannucci ’10 was herself a Vandal standout. She was a three-time NCAA qualifier and two-time All-American in the shot put. Christopher Schneider, assistant professor of veterinary medicine, served as Mannucci’s academic mentor. Schneider, too, had been a Vandal student-athlete, with a four-year career on the football team. Photo: Courtesy of www.definingdetails.com
“Eugenio was really enthusiastic about working with large animals. And over time, I’ve seen his interests really solidify,” said Schneider. Mannucci loved equine science. He’s honed his specialization to include performance horses, like those in rodeos and races. Marrying into his wife’s family brought him in contact with more champions: his father-in-law was a professional saddle bronc rider, and his brother-in-law was a national champion and top all-around athlete on the rodeo team at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. In his many visits to the Bothum family ranch, Mannucci experienced a completely different lifestyle, working with the animals and meeting family friends who owned and trained rodeo horses. “A performance horse is kind of like an athlete,” Mannucci said. “You train it and try to figure out how to make it perform better. It’s similar to what we do in track.” The road from Virterbo to Idaho has been one of opportunity, challenge and growth for Mannucci. “It is a wonderful environment at U-Idaho and it’s given me the opportunity to see what’s out there in the world,” he said. He starts veterinary school at Oregon State University this fall. Later this year, he will add parenthood to his list of successes. He and Mykael are expecting their first child in a few months. Coach Taylor jokingly predicts that a 2029 track and field scholarship may be in this new little Vandal’s future. 35
Events Upcoming AUGUST 20
21 22 25
Robb Akey Kickoff Challenge Golf Tournament, U-Idaho Course Palousafest, Moscow Vandal Walk and President’s Barbecue Classes begin in Moscow North Idaho Vandal Celebration
SEPTEMBER 1 Vandal Football vs. Bowling Green State University 9-11 Golden I Reunion; Vandaleer Reunion 10 Vandal Football vs. University of North Dakota 17 Vandal Football at Texas A&M University 18 Inland Empire Alumni Picnic, Post Falls 23-24 Dads’ Weekend 24 Vandal Football vs. Fresno State University 29 UIRA Fall Luncheon
OCTOBER 1 2-9 5-7 7-9 8 15 19 29
Vandal Football at University of Virginia Homecoming Week University of Idaho Alumni Association board meetings ASUI Reunion Vandal Football vs. Louisiana Tech University Vandal Football at New Mexico State University GradFest, Moscow campus Vandal Football vs. University of Hawaii
NOVEMBER 3 5 12 19
UIRA Annual Meeting & Idaho Treasure Award Lunch honoring Doug & Diana Pals Vandal Football at San Jose State University Vandal Football at Brigham Young University Vandal Football vs. Utah State University
DECEMBER 3 6 8 9 10
Vandal Football at University of Nevada Davenport Holiday Dinner, Spokane Gingerbread House Dinner, Moscow Alumni Awards for Excellence Banquet, Moscow Commencement, Moscow
Event updates and specifics at www.uidaho.edu/idahovandals 36
Every Friday, Vandals scattered around the state and globe – students, alumni, parents, fans, staff, faculty and friends – join together to show the world what it means to be a Vandal. Join us. Make it Loud and Clear. This Friday and every Friday, wear or display your silver and gold for all to see.
Moscow, Boise and online at: www.VandalStore.com
Making your charitable gift annuity work for you: * Receive dependable fixed income for life in return for your gift. * Earn an immediate tax benefit for a portion of your gift.
Sample Rate Chart for a $100,000 Gift Annuity on a Single Life Annuitant Age at Gift
Annuity Rate
Charitable Deduction
Annual Payment
Age 65
5.3%
$30,632
$5,300
Age 70
5.8%
$36,054
$5,800
Age 75
6.5%
$41,623
$6,500
Age 80
7.5%
$46,851
$7,500
Age 85
8.4%
$54,468
$8,400
*Deduction will vary slightly with changes in the IRS Discount Rate. Discount rate of 3.0% (May 2011) used in this example. Annuity rates are also subject to change based on the current rate established by the American Council for Gift Annuities. A $10,000 minimum is required to establish an annuity. Please call for current rates and availability.
For more information on charitable gift annuities, contact: Pete Volk, Director Office of Estate, Trust and Gift Planning University of Idaho Phone: (208) 885-1201 E-mail: pvolk@uidaho.edu www.uidaho.edu/givetoidaho
This information is provided to give general gift, estate and financial planning options. It is not intended as legal, accounting or other professional advice. In planning charitable gifts with tax and financial implications, the services of an appropriate adviser should be obtained. Rates are subject to change. Charitable gift annuities may not be available in every state.
Nonprofit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Bolingbrook, IL Permit No. 374
Moscow, ID 83844-3232 Electronic Service Requested
2011 Idaho Football Schedule Sept.
1 10 17 24
Bowling Green (Thursday Game) North Dakota (Military Appreciation Day) Texas A&M Fresno State* (Dads’ Weekend)
Join Akey’s Army, order your tickets now! Why buy a season ticket? •
Purchase a season ticket to lock in the BEST VALUE and reserve your seat for exciting games against Fresno State, Hawaii and more!
Oct. 1 Virginia 8 Louisiana Tech* (Homecoming) 15 New Mexico State* 29 Hawaii*
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A weekend on the Palouse is the most fun you can have this fall! Come back to Moscow to see your friends at all of the familiar places.
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Take in the Vandal tailgating experience – fun-filled pregame activities, delicious food and exciting entertainment!
Nov. 5 San Jose State* 12 BYU 19 Utah State*
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Join other Vandals in the newly remodeled ASUI-Kibbie Dome, the most unique and exciting stadium environment in the country!
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Sing the Vandal Fight Song with the football team after another Idaho victory!
Dec.
Call the University of Idaho Ticket Office at (208) 885-6466 or email them at tickets@uidaho.edu to order your tickets!
3 Nevada* Home games in bold *Western Athletic Conference game Times to be announced